by Emmie Lyn
“Wow.” I was enthralled with this new development, but it also created a much more compelling motive for either Harry or Marion to kill Nick in a fit of rage when this new love interest showed up at the door.
“I invited her inside, made her tea, and let her unload all of her frustration about Nick and their relationship. By the end, I advised her to run as far away and as fast as possible from this lying schemer. At that point, I didn’t even know he was also a thief.”
Lily had made a fresh pot of coffee. “More?” she asked, holding the pot up to us.
Harry held his cup out. “This feels so good to unload all of this. The problem I had was when I told everything to Marion, she refused to believe me.”
He ran his fingers through his thick white hair. Understandably frustrated with his daughter.
“That’s why you treat her so badly?” I asked, not wanting to let him get away with his rudeness toward Marion.
The space between his eyes furrowed. “I’ll admit that we’re having some issues at the moment, but I love my daughter. It’s all Nick’s fault. He seemed to have some kind of hold over her. Once I get this mess cleared up surrounding my glassblowing work, I’m sure everything between us will smooth over.”
“How convenient for you that Nick is dead and out of your daughter’s life for good. I know one of Misty Harbor’s detectives was found at the scene of the crime holding the murder weapon,” I said staring straight into Harry’s eyes. “But, in my opinion, the wrong man was arrested.”
He clenched his jaw. His eyes narrowed into slits. “That woman that came to my house?”
Fear settled in my stomach. Dread stabbed my heart as I worried about what Harry was about to reveal.
“Kelly Crenshaw.”
Lily and I gasped. Did AJ know all this, too?
33
Once Harry finished his tale and left, I sagged onto one of the counter stools, with my head resting on my hands. “What now, Lil?” I mumbled through my fingers to my best friend. Even I could hear the defeat in my voice. “This just went from bad to horrific for AJ.”
Lily placed her warm hand on mine. “Dani, you have more to think about than AJ. Are you just shoving thoughts of your wedding out the back door?”
She squeezed my hand. “I guess I have been. How can I think about having any kind of happy day while AJ is wasting away in jail, and Maggie is completely out of her mind worrying about him?” I looked up into Lily’s face. “Should Luke and I postpone our wedding?”
“I can’t answer that. You need to discuss it with Luke, not me.” She pulled on my hand. “I have an idea. This is as good a time as any for me to take a break from all the baking and other wedding preparations. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not giving up, just taking a breather. With you. At Sea Breeze.”
I had to smile at Lily’s no-nonsense little pep talk. She was right, of course. I had the tendency to get too close to a problem and not see the big picture. Pip and I needed a walk so she could chase the waves and I could refresh my perspective about all that had happened.
“Let’s go,” I said.
Pip did her enthusiastic circle run letting me know that I’d said the magic words about chasing the waves. Pip had enough enthusiasm to give me just the kick I needed at the moment.
“I’ll meet you there. I have a few desserts to wrap up and then I’ll be right behind you.” Lily graced me with her smile that let me know it was time for me to take a step back.
I hugged her. “Thanks, Lil. Sometimes it feels like we’ve drifted apart but whenever I need to hear a new angle, you always rise to the occasion and tell me exactly what I need to hear. I’ll see you at Sea Breeze.”
Lily reached for the two parkas tossed onto one of the booth seats, one for me and one for her. “Here you go,” she said.
“I guess I’m not the only one who’s distracted around here, Lil.”
“Oops, got them mixed up. Easy to do since they’re so much alike.”
That made me choke on my laughter. “Alike? Your parka is that blinding hot pink with black trim and mine is a beautiful berry blue with a splash of sky. Maybe you need to have your eyes checked,” I teased.
She laughed along with me and swapped the parka offering. “Get out of here before I keep both of them.”
I blew her a kiss and left the diner with a lighter step than I’d felt all day. Laughter was like a ray of sunshine to warm a dark mood. In the back of my mind, I suspected that Lily swapped those parkas intentionally to give me a much-needed attitude adjustment. She knew me better than I knew myself sometimes.
Since I’d left the MG at the Blue Moon Inn, Pip got a chance to sniff the sidewalk smells and catch up on the comings and goings as we meandered along Main Street. She dashed ahead of me, straight toward Sadie walking her five Chihuahuas. Each one wore a different color knitted sweater, a clever way for Sadie to keep them straight. When the dogs spotted Pip, they danced around tangling themselves in a mess of leashes around Sadie’s legs.
Sadie tried her best to calm the dogs but nothing she did helped to temper their excitement.
I hurried to help, before she lost her balance in the melee.
“Sorry about that. Pip was just so excited to see all of you,” I said as I untwisted one leash at a time to free Sadie.
“I’m so glad I found you, Danielle,” she said ignoring her own predicament. “Since your car is still parked in front of the Blue Moon Inn, I knew you were still in town somewhere.” Sadie stopped to catch her breath. “There was something I forgot to tell you.” She glanced over each shoulder like she had some terribly important secret to share.
I took several leashes to avoid another tangled mess and walked with her back toward her house.
“Yesterday morning?” she whispered. “I saw that female guest who’s staying with Penny leave a second time from the inn.”
That sparked my attention. She had to mean Marion.
“The first time, as I told you, she argued with the man and he walked away. What I didn’t tell you was that after I rescued my tea kettle and fed all the dogs, I glanced out the window again and saw her walking away from the inn toward Creative Designs.”
“Did you ever see where she went after you first saw her by her car?”
“No. But she definitely walked toward Creative Designs when I saw her the second time. I thought you’d want to know.”
“Yes. Thanks, Sadie. I don’t know what it means but every little bit helps. Did you tell Detective Winter?”
“She never came to ask me anything.” Sadie huffed a touch of disgust. “She’s been in and out of the Blue Moon Inn a million times, but she never once came over to ask me if I saw anything. I’m not sure she’s being very thorough.”
“I couldn’t agree more.”
I followed Sadie up her path and waited for her to open her door. The first three dogs bounded inside before I released the other two. Pip was right on their heels to follow them inside before I said, “Not today, Pipster. We’re heading home now.”
“Be careful, Danielle, and good luck.”
I was pretty sure I’d need more than good luck with this tangled mess.
34
I opened the passenger door of my MG for Pip, but before she jumped onto the seat, we both turned at the sound of someone calling my name.
“Danielle?”
It was a voice I hadn’t heard in over a year. The tone suggested I was about to be either scolded or congratulated. I could never tell what the intention was when it came to Valerie Mackenzie, my mother.
I smiled because, well, what else could I do? Jump into the MG and drive off? I’d have to face her at some point since she’d come to see me get married. Why, I wasn’t sure, but probably because she figured it would reflect badly on her to miss this important milestone.
“Mom?” I tried to sound indifferent but failed miserably. Instead, I heard the voice of the little girl who always longed for praise from the one person who rarely gave any.
“Surprise!” she said and gave me an air kiss on both cheeks. No hug, or any actual contact but then I hadn’t expected a greeting from her with any display of affection. Maybe she was reacting to the wall I’d put up between us after my father died. I don’t know, but I’d had to do something to protect myself from her constantly disappointing me.
“Good to see you.” I said the correct words even if, sadly, my heart wasn’t in it.
Pip, with her normal friendly greeting, jumped on my mother’s leg. She’d turned into an equal opportunity beggar for pats.
“Oh, what a dear,” Valerie said as she moved away from Pip. “I’d heard you had a companion.”
Was she referring to my four-legged family member or my fiancé? Maybe both because, of course she still kept in touch with a few people in town. Penny came to mind, and I wasn’t surprised that someone had kept her up to date on my activities. She was here for my wedding after all, and I hadn’t told her.
I waited next to my car trying to figure out a graceful escape. I missed my opportunity when she suggested, “Come inside with me.” She headed to the front door of the Blue Moon Inn assuming I’d follow. “Penny said she’d have a nice late lunch ready for me when I arrived. I know she won’t mind another mouth to feed.” She stopped and looked back at me. “But maybe you should leave your dog in the car.”
I ignored that last comment. If my mother wanted my company, Pip was part of the package. Besides, Penny didn’t complain when Pip visited with me earlier. I had no intention of staying for lunch, anyway. A quick in and out was my plan. Time would tell how that would go.
“So, Danielle. Tell me all the plans for your wedding.” She glanced at me before she opened the door. “A blueberry farmer?” I didn’t miss the upturned eyebrow that accompanied the disappointment in her voice. If Luke was a doctor or lawyer or some hot shot politician, she would have sounded thrilled at the opportunity for bragging rights. A farmer just didn’t fit her idea of a suitable son-in-law. Too bad for her.
She pulled the door open and waited for me to enter. At least she didn’t comment on Pip’s coming in, too.
“Oh, Penny?” my mother sang out in her shrill voice. “I’m here and guess who’s with me?”
My mother dropped her coat near the door and continued into the spacious inn. I sighed, wondering if my wedding plans could get any more disrupted as I reached down to pick up after my mother. A role I’d fallen into from my childhood, and it rankled me more even now.
After I hung her coat on the hook near the door, I turned around and nearly tripped over Marion.
“Oh,” I gasped. “Sorry. I didn’t know you were standing right behind me.”
“Do you have a minute?” Marion asked in a breathless whisper. I didn’t miss her twitchy eyes or the slight tremble in her voice. What was wrong with her?
“Outside?” she added.
Here was my escape plan. “I’ll meet you in a few minutes.”
Marion nodded and pulled her maroon coat off a hook, slipping it on as she opened the door. “I’ll wait out front.”
With Pip leading the way, we walked toward the voices coming from Penny’s sitting room. I heard my mother say my name, but then her voice quieted. I stopped and held my breath hoping to hear more.
“Who got murdered?” she said just before I tiptoed to the doorway.
“Nick North,” Penny replied as I stood just out of their view. “But, thank goodness, they’ve arrested the murderer. Detective Crenshaw.”
“AJ?” My mother sounded shocked. “I’ve known him since he was a boy. That’s just unbelievable. Were there any other suspects?” I heard a clink of china.
“Well, I’m sure Danielle won’t tell you this, but she found the body at Creative Designs. Detective Crenshaw was the only person in the gallery at the time, and he was holding the murder weapon. That sounds pretty cut and dried to me.”
I didn’t want to listen to any more of this, so I walked into the room. “Mom? Something just came up, so I’ll have to catch up with you later.”
Without skipping a beat that I was blowing her off, she said, “How about coffee tomorrow at the Little Dog Diner? Say… at ten? And bring along your Luke. I’d like to congratulate both of you.”
“Ten works. We’ll be there.” Maybe I’d be able to convince Rose to come along, too. That would put a nice spin on the cozy get together and take the focus off me. My mother couldn’t stand knowing that I adored her mother-in-law. Rose was my grandmother after all. Yet, Mom had always been jealous of Rose and considered my father and me disloyal for any attention we paid her. That led to the coldness between us and probably was the reason Mom left Misty Harbor.
With a quick flick of her wrist, she dismissed me for the time being. I didn’t wait another second to skedaddle before she made a new request.
Outside, Marion, true to her word, waited on the sidewalk. As soon as she saw me, she stopped her pacing, pausing until I reached her.
“Thank you for agreeing to talk to me, Danielle. I think that detective arrested the wrong person for Nick’s murder.”
That was about the last thing I expected to hear coming from Marion Glassman, when I considered her the most likely suspect at this point.
“Oh?” I said.
“Yeah. I heard Penny talking to my father. She said she didn’t really care that Detective Crenshaw was in jail, but she suspected the real killer was his sister, Kelly.”
“Why would Penny say that? Does she have evidence? And, why are you telling me instead of Detective Winter?”
“Is there another place we can talk?” Marion scanned up and down the street like she expected some bogeyman to attack her.
Why not? I thought, making a quick decision. I opened the passenger door of my MG. “Hop in.”
Marion hesitated but then slipped inside. Pip jumped on her lap, and Marion accommodated Pip without a complaint. She scratched Pip’s ear and was rewarded with a chin lick. I jogged around the car, got in, and drove off.
“Where are we going?” Marion asked.
“We can talk at my house.” Where I was headed before my mother waylaid me. Bringing Marion wasn’t ever part of my plan, but hey, sometimes I just had to go with the flow and see where I ended up.
As I drove out of town, Marion stared out the side window.
What did she know?
35
As I drove, I waited for Marion to share more details, but her silence worked on my nerves. Pip, with her front feet on the dashboard of the MG, was all that felt normal.
“What else did you hear Penny tell Detective Winter?” I asked. There had to be more.
“I finally understand what Nick’s game was,” Marion said with a sadness that I assumed came from a broken heart. “And I know what I’m about to tell you could make it look like I had every reason in the world to have killed him, but I have to get this off my conscience.”
“Okay.” I told myself to keep an open mind and forget what I already had assumed about Marion’s possible role in this murder.
“Nick used people to get what he wanted.”
“I’ve already figured that much out.”
Marion turned toward me, and I noticed that Pip had to adjust her balance as I took a turn too fast. “You know what they say, the girlfriend is the last to know, or something like that.”
I slowed my speed knowing the police were always on the lookout for this zippy little MG and to give Marion more time to spit out whatever it was she was trying to unload. My patience slipped away with every minute.
“Nick used me to get what he wanted from my father—his secret glassblowing techniques and ultimately his unique creations—and he used Kelly to get the coveted open house spotlight in her gallery.”
I pulled into my driveway. “We’re here.”
She looked around as if she hadn’t seen any of the stunning scenery as we were driving along the twisty road that afforded glimpses of Blueberry Bay.
“Who else is here?” Panic
filled her eyes.
“My grandmother and my fiancé. Maybe a friend or two. I don’t know who might have dropped by while I was in town. I’m getting married in four days so there’s a lot going on besides this murder investigation.” I patted her leg. “But don’t worry. We all want the same thing, Marion—to find out who murdered Nick North. If you didn’t do it, you have nothing to worry about, right?”
I knew my question sounded like a challenge, but I wanted her to know she wasn’t going to steam roll me with some ridiculous sob story just to get sympathy.
“I didn’t do it.” For the first time, Marion’s voice was strong and firm.
“Okay, then. Let’s go inside.” I opened my door and Pip jumped out after me. She had no intention of waiting for Marion to make up her mind. I didn’t either. She could follow or not.
By the time I reached the front door, I heard my little MG’s door close with a thud, so I waited for her to catch up.
“Why did you bring me here?” Marion asked.
I looked at her with what I hoped conveyed frustration. “You’re the one who wanted to talk. I have things to get done so…” I opened the door and held my hand out, “after you.”
Pip dashed inside, going straight to the French doors that overlooked Blueberry Bay. Apparently, she hadn’t forgotten that I’d promised her a walk, but first things first.
“You can wait in here,” I said indicating the couch in the living room. “I’ll be right back.”
“But—”
“I’ll be right back Marion, and then we can talk while I walk Pip on the beach.” I’d definitely lost the last shred of patience I’d had.
I could hear Luke and Rose talking in her new apartment and entered through the connecting door. Her cream walls reflected the afternoon light that poured in through her windows. Rich purple fabric and light gray throw pillows covered her furniture set on glossy hardwood floors. The colors reflected the ocean, rocks, and boats in the stunning view through her big windows. Yes, Luke had designed the perfect space for her.
