by Nancy CoCo
“Mrs. Carpenter,” Jenn said and hugged a thin woman with Shane’s brown hair and thick glasses. Her hair was styled in a clean modern bob, her makeup perfect. The thick glasses made her pretty eyes seem larger than life. She wore bright red lipstick. Beside her was a much smaller and older woman with white hair who looked just like Shane’s mom. I assumed it was his grandmother.
Jenn introduced the moms. After Mrs. Carpenter got herself and her mother tea, the four women moved to the fireplace to keep an eye on everyone who entered next.
I had invited all the ladies from the senior center. They arrived in droves wearing flowered dresses and lovely hats. It was starting to look like Easter or a meeting of church women. I laughed to myself at the analogy before grabbing an empty teapot and going to the back room to refill it with water.
By the time I came back the lobby was buzzing with ladies talking. Most of the seniors found seats and started serving themselves the treats from the stands. I put the pot on the burner to heat and then went to the group of moms and pointed to the reserved table nearest the elevator. They went and sat.
Then I picked up a teacup and a spoon and tapped them together to make enough noise for people to know I wanted their attention. “Attention, ladies,” I said. “Thank you all for coming. We’re here today to celebrate friendship. Jenn has been my best friend for over five years. Ever since we met in college. I don’t know how different my life would be right now if I didn’t have her. So I would like to make a toast. To Jenn, may her marriage be filled with joy and sunshine, and when it’s not, may she come to me so I can support her as women have supported each other through the ages.
“To Jenn.” I lifted my teacup and everyone drank a tea toast. Then Jenn and I went to sit with the moms and Frances. From the level of chatter in the room, the tea was a hit.
What I loved about it was that it gave the moms a chance to get to know one another better in a neutral setting. At the end of an hour, I stood again and asked the ladies to look under their chairs, explaining that one chair at each table was marked with an X. That person got to take home the chocolate centerpiece.
This went over well. The ladies were having so much fun, they lingered for another hour. Jenn and I made our way from table to table, thanking everyone for coming and sharing their day with us in our celebration of friendship and Jenn’s wedding. Not everyone was invited to the wedding—we only had so much space on the roof—but this gave the seniors a chance to congratulate Jenn.
Finally, everyone left. Frances was busy checking in more family members who’d arrived early so they could explore the island and all its treasures.
“Allie, have you heard from Shane?” Jenn asked me after we folded chairs and put the tables back in storage.
“No,” I said. “Why?”
She frowned. “I’ve texted him three times in the last hour and he hasn’t replied.”
“I’ll text Rex to see if he knows where Shane is,” I said.
“It’s not as if he’s in the lab,” Jenn said. “He’s suspended until they catch Christopher’s killer.”
I texted Rex asking if he’d heard from Shane today. The answer was no and why? So I let him know that Shane wasn’t answering Jenn’s texts. The first thing Rex did was ask if Jenn had called Shane. Maybe he was busy and a phone call would alert him.
“Jenn, Rex says to try calling Shane,” I said.
“Okay,” Jenn replied. She dialed and then frowned. “It went straight to voice mail, as if the phone is turned off.”
“When was the last time you saw him?” I asked her.
“Last night,” she said. “When he walked me to our door and kissed me good night.”
“Let’s ask his mom if she’s heard from him,” I said. “Surely he met his parents at the dock when they came in this morning.”
Jenn texted Shane’s mom. “She says he didn’t meet them as planned. They figured he was busy working on the house and lost track of time.”
“Well, that might explain everything,” I said. “Let’s go to the house. He’s probably working and didn’t hear his phone ring.” I put my arm through hers and steered her toward the door. “Frances, we’re going to run out to Jenn’s house to talk to Shane. We’ll be back in about an hour.”
“Okay,” Frances said. “You need to be back by six. We have the dress rehearsal and dinner tonight.”
“Sure thing,” I said and looked at my phone. It was three-thirty in the afternoon. I was sure we could wrap this up in fifteen minutes.
Jenn and I walked arm in arm to her new fixer-upper. “I’m probably worrying for nothing,” Jenn said. “I mean, the tea was for the ladies. He’s probably getting some finishing touches done on the bedroom and bath so we can move in after we get married on Saturday.”
“Wait, don’t you want the kitchen and living room done, too?” I asked.
“We decided to do most of the work ourselves, so I knew when we purchased the house it would take a few months of living in construction to make it the perfect place for us to grow our family. In the meantime, all we really need is the roof, plumbing, and wiring done. The heater and air conditioner are already in and brand-new.”
“Air conditioner?” I asked. Usually it didn’t get hot enough long enough for anyone to be in need of air conditioning on the island. We loved to open the windows and let the lake breezes cool off the rooms. The McMurphy had air conditioning, of course; guests expected it.
“The previous owner put it in for his grandmother, who had a lung condition, which meant she couldn’t live in any unfiltered air.”
“Well, there you go,” I said. We rounded the corner to the house. It appeared to be quiet. The door was locked, so Jenn opened it with her key.
“Hello?” she called. “Shane?”
There was no answer. We moved from the stripped-bare kitchen and living room area to the hall with three bedrooms, a Jack-and-Jill bath, and the master suite. The door to the suite was closed.
“Shane?” Jenn called and pushed the door open. The bedroom was huge, with soft gray walls and white trim. There was a bed made with paisley-patterned gray bedding and striped sheets. Two gray chairs and a small table sat in front of the windows. There was an open closet that was deep enough to walk in and then the door to the bathroom. Jenn pushed that door open.
Shane was inside, wiping down the jetted bathtub. He had big round earphones on and was humming to the music. Jenn went up and touched his shoulder. Startled, he looked up and pushed off his earphones. “Hey.”
“You scared me to death,” Jenn said and kissed his cheek. “You weren’t answering my texts or my calls.”
“You called?” he asked and looked around. “Where’s my phone?”
“We wouldn’t know, silly,” Jenn said. “You also missed meeting your parents on the dock. You need to call your mom to apologize.
“Well, shoot,” he said and stood. “I guess I got caught up in finishing tiling around the tub and the floor. What do you think?”
The master bath was huge, with a two-person shower and rain shower heads along with body jets. Then there was the jetted tub, which was big enough for two, double sinks across from that, and a separate doored area for the toilet. The floors were tiled with small, old-fashioned black-and-white tiles that carried into the shower floor. The sides of the shower were tiled in white subway tiles with a black tile chair rail. Around the bottom of the tub was tiled in white subway tiles to hide the electricals that allowed the tub to have jets.
“This is gorgeous,” I said and did a three-sixty turn. “I’m so jealous.”
“It looks great,” she said. “You did a lot of work.”
He put his arm around her. “I want it to be perfect for Monday.”
The couple was staying at the Grander Hotel in the honeymoon suite Saturday and Sunday nights. I’d offered the McMurphy, but knowing all the relatives and friends were there wouldn’t give them the privacy they were looking for. We didn’t tell anyone where they were honey
mooning. That way they could keep things peaceful.
“It would be more perfect if Christopher’s death wasn’t hanging over us,” Jenn said with a sigh.
“Shane,” I said gently. “Rex told me you were drugged and woke up in the alleyway. Is that why you didn’t tell us what happened? Because you don’t know?”
“Is that true?” Jenn asked.
Shane turned three shades of red. “I didn’t want you to know. I feel stupid for not watching my drinks. They tested me for rohypnol and it came back positive.”
“That’s the date rape drug, right?” Jenn said.
Shane took off his glasses and wiped his right hand across his face. “Yes,” he admitted.
“Were you hurt?” Jenn asked and put her hands on his forearms.
“No,” he said and shook his head. “It appears whoever slipped the roofies in my drink just wanted me knocked out.”
“Why?” Jenn asked.
“That’s the three-million-dollar question,” Shane said. “I woke up groggy and saw someone in a black hoodie stabbing Christopher. I raced over there as fast as I could, given that I still felt sluggish. I managed to wrestle the knife away, but the killer ran, and then . . .”
“Then we found you with it in your hand,” I said. “And you didn’t see their face while you were wrestling them?”
“No,” he said and took a deep breath. “My glasses got knocked off in the fight and I was concentrating on not getting stabbed.”
“Shane is practically blind without his glasses,” Jenn said.
“I can only see about a foot in front of my face,” he said.
“Why did you spend the day at the police station, then?” Jenn asked.
“Rex had a hypnotist come in. We were trying to see if I could remember anything distinguishing about the person—height, size, a glimpse of their hands? But it didn’t work. It seems I’m not great at being hypnotized.”
“I heard Becky doesn’t remember anything about the stabbing,” I said.
“It’s troubling,” Shane said. “So Rex wanted to make it look like I was his suspect in hopes the real killer would get comfortable and make a mistake.”
“Well, that’s the first thing I’ve heard about this case that makes sense,” I said. “What’s the last thing you remember?”
“I remember having drinks with Annie Hawthorne,” he said.
“You also had drinks with Peter Ramfield,” I said. “Peter said you were drunk, so he walked you here so you could sober up before your date.”
“Well, there you go,” Shane said. “It could have been Annie or Peter. Did you tell Rex that?”
“I did,” I said, “and he’s looking into it.” I glanced at my phone. “Oh darn, the time is slipping away. I’m glad you’re safe. Please don’t disappear again until after we find the killer, okay?”
“Got it,” Shane said.
Jenn walked me to the door. “Why didn’t you tell me earlier about Shane being drugged?”
“We had the tea party to get through, and I didn’t want to upset you,” I said. “But now you can talk freely with Shane, so I’m glad you both know what I knew.”
“I’m glad, too,” Jenn said. “I’m going to stay here a while and help Shane with the finishing touches. I’ll see you later.”
“Don’t forget we have the rehearsal and dinner at eight,” I said. “But otherwise, take your time. I can entertain the guests.”
She gave me a hug. “You’re the best!”
“Bye.”
Chapter 15
The rest of the day was busy for the McMurphy as guests arrived and the rooms filled up. We were busy into the late afternoon, handing out extra towels, offering advice on the best way to see the island, and telling people how to get to the rooftop deck. Also, we set up round tables and chairs on the roof in anticipation of the reception. People liked to take coffee and cookies up there and sit. The views of the lake were amazing, the weather perfect for relaxing.
When Jenn didn’t show up by six p.m., I didn’t think much of it. I knew she and Shane were working on their house. But when she wasn’t at the McMurphy to greet her family and friends by seven p.m., when they were all checked in, I grew worried.
“Frances, I’m going to take Mal for a walk,” I said. “Are you good to hold down the fort?”
“I think I’ll be fine,” she said. “Go get a dose of that sunshine.”
We went out the back door and down the alley. I phoned Rex, who I knew was working.
“Manning,” he said.
“Hi, Rex. It’s Allie,” I said. “I hate to bother you while you’re working.”
“You’re not a bother,” he said. “What’s up?”
“Have you seen or heard from Shane this afternoon?”
“No,” he said. “I figure he’s getting ready for tonight.”
“Well, I haven’t heard from Jenn lately, either,” I said. “And that’s concerning because she was planning on being at the hotel by six to greet her family and friends. Rehearsal starts at eight. I’m on my way over to the house to check on them.”
“Keep me posted,” he said and ended the call.
“Come on, Mal, let’s go get Jenn,” I said. We walked the few blocks to the fixer-upper. The house was quiet. I knocked, but there was no answer. I knocked again. “Jenn, it’s Allie. You’re late for greeting your guests.”
Still no answer, so I tried the door, but it was locked. I went around to the back door and knocked again. This time the door sprung open at my knock. Mal barked and pulled me inside. The kitchen and open living room were dark and smelled of sawdust and construction. Both spaces were gutted. Only a few miscellaneous contractor tools could be seen. There was a ladder leaning against the wall, a couple of buckets of primer, some tools, an extension cord, and very little else.
“Hello? It’s Allie.” I walked to the back three bedrooms. The first two were open and empty, as they were earlier. “Hello?”
Mal barked twice, but nothing stirred. I went to the master bedroom and knocked. “Jenn? Shane? Anyone home?” I listened but heard nothing. “I hope you’re decent because I’m coming in.” I gently opened the door, giving them enough time to holler if I was opening into a compromising situation. But the room was empty. The bed looked mussed. The window was wide open and so was the dresser. Someone had gone through it and pulled out all the clothes.
“Jenn? Shane?” I moved toward the closed bathroom door. Opening it, I saw that it, too, was empty. That was when I noticed Mal sniffing daintily at blood drops on the bedroom floor. They looked to start near the bed or at the window. Either way, it didn’t mean anything good. I pulled out my phone.
“Manning,” he said.
“Rex, I’m inside their house and there’s no sign of Jenn or Shane. Their clothes are in a pile on the floor. It looks like someone went through the dresser and the bedside tables. Also, there are blood drops. I can’t tell if they are going toward the window or toward the bed.”
“Okay, Allie, I’m on my way. I’m going to ask you to slowly and carefully leave the bedroom and go outside.”
“Got it,” I said. My heart rate was up as Mal and I carefully left the bedroom and went out the back door. I walked around the opposite side of the house toward the open window. The window sill looked as if someone had used a crowbar on it. There were several sets of footprints. Some looked large enough to be a man’s.
“Allie?” It was Rex.
“I’m on the side of the house,” I called and walked around the back to the other side of the house and toward the front.
“Are you okay?” he asked when he saw us.
“Yes, we’re fine,” I said.
Officers Brown and Lasko bicycled up to the yard and got off, leaving their helmets on the bike handles.
“What’s going on?” Officer Brown asked.
“I came to check on Jenn,” I said. “She didn’t show up to greet her guests. The front door was locked, so I went around back. The back door was op
en. So I went in, and it looks like someone took them.”
“Who?” Officer Lasko asked.
“Jenn and Shane,” I said. “Check out the outside of the open window. It looks like it was forced open. There are drops of blood on the bedroom floor.”
All three police officers pulled out their guns.
“Stay here,” Rex ordered.
“Okay,” I said.
“Brown, try the front; Lasko and I will take the back,” Rex said. I watched them go to work, carefully checking out the yard as they approached the house. Officer Brown couldn’t open the front door. So he hurried around to the back and entered. I could hear them holler, “Clear, clear.”
After long tense moments, Officer Brown came out to talk to me. “You did the right thing calling us,” he said. “Rex wants you to go home and wait. He’ll be there to ask you questions. We’re going to call out the Cheboygan Crime Scene Unit to process this. It could take a while.”
“What about Jenn and Shane?” I asked. “They have their wedding rehearsal and dinner tonight.”
“We’ll find them,” he said with a nod. “Trust us.”
“Okay,” I said and glanced inside the house from the now-open front door. There wasn’t anything to see. Mal and I turned toward the sidewalk. I wondered if whoever took Jenn and Shane went this way. I saw the footprints. The blood meant someone was hurt. Was the kidnapper going to kill Shane and hurt Jenn just like they did Christopher and Becky?
It was something I didn’t want to think about. Instead of going straight home, I knocked on the neighbor’s door. Mrs. Summer answered. She sometimes came into the shop to buy fudge to send to her granddaughter in college.
“Oh, Hello, Allie,” she said and then spotted Mal. “Hello, little dog. To what do I owe the honor of your visit?”
“Hi, Mrs. Summer. Can we come in?” I glanced toward Jenn’s house to make sure Rex didn’t see me.
“Sure. Come in, come in. Can I get you some tea?”
“That would be nice,” I said. Mal and I sat on her flower print couch. Her house was warm and cozy, stuffed with bits and pieces of a long life well lived.
