“Oh.” Ginny held her hand to her mouth. “It’s all my fault,” she sobbed. “Dr. Cranleigh was trying to help me and it caused her death.”
“When you knew it was your doctor we had found at the pond, why didn’t you come and talk to me?” Nate asked.
Ginny shook her head. “I couldn’t. I just couldn’t do it. I found out from the Partridges one day that a doctor from Salisbury had been killed. Then when I read the newspaper and learned it was Dr. Cynthia . . . I was devastated. But believe me, I never in a million years imagined it had anything to do with me.”
Lucky shifted in her seat. “Nate, I’m curious. Who hired the private investigator?”
“The one who was asking questions at the Salisbury Retreat?”
“Yes.”
“Hilary herself did. Or rather her lawyer. He turned to Ginny. “She wanted to find you.”
“She did? She was looking for me too?” Ginny cried.
Nate nodded. “That’s right.”
Lucky reached out and put a comforting hand on Ginny’s shoulder. “Ginny was right here in an agony of indecision, afraid to reveal herself to her mother, and all the while her mother was searching for her.”
“I’ve been in contact with Hilary Stone’s attorney in New York. Hilary changed her will when she couldn’t buy Sylvia off. Her lawyer hand-delivered the investigator’s report to her New York office, but Hilary was already here in Snowflake. Audra received it at the office and brought the package with her when she came to town.”
“That’s right,” Lucky said. “I remember Audra handing Derek an envelope to give to his mother the night of the book signing.”
“Derek was already suspicious his mother intended to cut him out, so he was curious about the package. Hilary unfortunately never got to see the report. Derek kept it from her. There was even a picture of Ginny’s driver’s license. Derek read the whole report, realized his mother was serious about cutting off the money and told Sylvia. They knew they had to get rid of you and your doctor; otherwise they’d lose everything. He . . .” Nate looked at Lucky. “He had the same idea you did. Find the daughter. But he had the advantage of the investigator’s report. And he saw the sign-in sheet on the front desk with Ginny’s full name, but he didn’t need that since he already had her picture on the license. They were just biding their time. Derek made sure Ginny’s car was out of commission and offered her a ride home. The irony is they had no way of knowing Hilary had already changed her will and left instructions with her attorney.”
“So Derek and Sylvia committed murder for nothing.”
“Right. I don’t think Derek planned to kill his mother that night, but there was an argument. That was the one Ginny heard. He said he didn’t mean to do it, but when she turned away from him, he grabbed the nearest thing—the telephone cord—and strangled her in a fit of rage. On his own, I doubt Derek would have had the wherewithal to do such a thing, but Sylvia controlled him completely. She’s vicious. She was determined to get her hands on Ms. Stone’s money.”
“Nate, the photo of Hilary’s assistant, Phoebe, that I saw in the newsletter. I called you because I thought Phoebe must be—”
“Hilary Stone’s daughter?” Nate asked.
“Yes. Why else would Phoebe be there?”
“According to Hilary’s attorney, Phoebe, her assistant, was the only other person Hilary had taken into her confidence. When Hilary learned Ginny was receiving treatment at the Salisbury, she sent Phoebe up here two months ago to learn what she could. This was weeks before she became so angry at Derek. Phoebe didn’t learn much. She never got to meet Dr. Cranleigh. Maybe she was hoping to connect with friends of Ginny’s, or she was hanging around to talk to people who might have known her there.”
“Why did Phoebe run away?” Lucky asked.
“She found the envelope that contained the attorney’s report. She was alarmed and frightened of Derek so she decided to go straight back to New York to bring it to her boss, Hilary’s husband.”
“How did she find it? You must have searched their rooms.”
Nate shook his head. “I did. Derek shoved it into a stack on Phoebe’s desk when he returned to the Drake House that night after the book signing. Later that night when Phoebe was busy, he brought it to Barbara Drake and asked her to keep the envelope in her safe. He told her it contained an important contract. Barbara remembered it yesterday. In all the commotion, it slipped her mind. She reminded Phoebe about it. Phoebe was confused. She knew nothing about any contract. She read the report, put two and two together and realized she wouldn’t be safe staying at the Drake House with Derek and Sylvia.”
“Who inherits Hilary’s estate now?”
Nate’s eyebrows rose. He turned to look at Ginny and nodded once.
Ginny sat quietly, tears streaming down her face.
Chapter 62
LUCKY LOCKED THE front door and moved around the restaurant, turning off all the lamps but one. Horace, with Cicero at his feet, sat quietly at the large table. Sophie and Sage were in the kitchen clearing up for the night. Meg too was quiet as she moved around the front room, straightening chairs and wiping down the tables for the next morning.
“What’s taking them so long?” Meg called out.
Lucky grabbed her cup of tea from the hatch and carried it over to the table where Horace waited. “They’ll be here any minute.” Lucky pulled a napkin out of her pocket and slipped a large hunk of chicken to Cicero. He gobbled it down and licked her hand.
“What do you say, Cicero?” Horace asked. Cicero gave a small yelp.
“You’re welcome,” Lucky replied, absently scratching the top of the dog’s head.
“I’ll bring some beers out,” Sage said.
Meg finally joined them. “I’m so glad all those people have gone back to New York. Phoebe seemed kind of normal, but the rest of them . . .” Meg trailed off.
“Well, Phoebe and Audra are back in New York, but Derek and Sylvia won’t see the light of day for a long time, if ever,” Lucky remarked.
Sophie, carrying a tray loaded with several bottles of beer, joined them. Sage followed a moment later with chilled glasses and napkins.
Lucky turned to Meg. “I think you should do the honors tonight.”
Meg’s face lit up in a broad smile. She looked around at all of them. “Thank you,” she said.
“For what?” Sage asked.
“For letting me join in. For not shoving me out of the way. This is the most exciting thing that’s ever happened in my life.”
“Let’s hope it doesn’t happen again, Meg,” Sophie replied drily.
“Tonight’s important. This is the very last meeting of the Murder Investigation Club,” Meg announced.
“Here, here.” Sage raised his bottle of beer in a toast.
Lucky looked up when she heard a knock at the front door. She rushed over and unlocked it. Barry entered with Hank following on his heels. The group at the table erupted in applause. Lucky joined in.
Hank’s eyes were tearing. He cleared his throat. “Thank you. I owe all of you. I know I was an idiot to take off the way I did. But I can’t thank you enough for all you’ve done in trying to clear me from any suspicion.”
“Grab a seat, you two,” Lucky said. “I honestly don’t think Nate truly suspected you, Hank. I think he was just mad that you were avoiding him.”
Hank sighed and sat in the chair that Horace pushed out for him. “Well, he did find my eyeglasses in Hilary’s room. I was there. I did have a loud argument with her . . .” Barry took a seat between Hank and Horace.
“And I saw you leaving the Drake House that night,” Horace remarked, “although I didn’t tell Nate, but I’m sure other people spotted you too.”
“Right.” Hank nodded, straightening his new pair of pince-nez glasses on his nose. He sighed. “I was so furious Hilary
had come here. All these years I’ve been able to live a quiet life, able to put all that upset behind me, and what happens? She turns up again, like a bad penny.”
Sage rose and delivered two glasses and two bottles of beer to Hank and Barry. Barry nodded his thanks.
“Nobody can blame you for feeling that way,” Lucky offered.
“Well, it all came up again for me. The hurt, the anger, all these feelings I hadn’t had for years, but then to try to bribe me to write another book giving her the credit after what she had stolen. To be honest with all of you . . .” He looked around the table. “I have a horrible admission to make. I felt like killing her. I really did. She was a maddening woman, a complete narcissist. I let her have it in no uncertain terms. And you know what she did? She just sat there and looked at me as if she simply couldn’t understand why I would be so upset.” Hank fell silent for a moment, staring off into space. “That really brought me up short. I realized I might as well have been speaking Chinese to her. She just didn’t get it. Couldn’t get it. She wasn’t wired the way normal people are. That’s when my anger dissipated and I realized there was no point even talking to her and”—he looked up and smiled—“and no point in carrying around all that anger anymore. It was just a moment, but it was the most freeing moment in my life. I felt like a huge weight had been taken off my shoulders. It doesn’t excuse my running off to Bournmouth, I know, but I just needed some peace and quiet and time to ruminate over what had happened.”
“So what do you plan to do now, Hank?” Lucky asked.
Hank smiled shyly. “I have a great idea for a new book. Something totally different. I’m going to start writing again.”
“That’s wonderful!” Sophie exclaimed.
“What’s it about?” Meg asked excitedly.
Hank shook his head, “Uh-uh. Can’t talk about it yet. I’m still working it out. But I’ll let you all know when it’s finished. Give me another year.”
Lucky tapped a spoon on her teacup. “Hank’s neglected to mention the most important thing of all.” She glanced at Hank and smiled.
“What’s that?” Sage asked.
“Wait just a minute, everyone,” Meg interrupted. “There’s something Hank and Barry don’t know yet.”
Barry raised his eyebrows. “What’s that?”
Meg smiled from ear to ear. “Lucky and Elias are getting married!”
“That’s wonderful!” Hank beamed. “My congratulations. I couldn’t think of any better news.”
“Ditto that,” Barry said, smiling widely.
Meg shoved Lucky’s elbow. “Show them the ring!”
Lucky blushed furiously and laid her hand on the tabletop. The diamond sparkled in the low light.
Barry reached over and squeezed her hand. “Couldn’t wish for anything better, Lucky. Good luck to you both. When’s the happy day?”
“Oh, maybe next spring or maybe June. We haven’t quite decided yet.”
“Well, I’ll be there with bells on!” Barry exclaimed. “Did you know about this, Horace?”
Horace nodded. “Yes, Sophie told me yesterday. Isn’t that wonderful? I can’t think of two nicer people.”
“Thank you all,” Lucky replied sincerely. “But there’s even more good news.” She looked around at their faces. “Hank hasn’t had a chance to share the news. It turns out that Hilary’s husband is a very ethical man. When Nate told Derek Stone, Senior, that Hilary’s ex-husband, Hank, claimed the manuscript for Murder Comes Calling had been stolen, and stolen by his own wife, he was horrified. He instituted a search and found Hank’s original manuscript in Hilary’s safe. He’s promised to turn over all the royalties that would have been due to Hilary, to Hank, and he has dibs on Hank’s next book.”
“That’s fantastic!” Sophie exclaimed.
Meg’s brow was furrowed. “I don’t know about all that, that’s great, but I think you should get the credit for Murder Comes Calling,” she said to Hank.
Hank shook his head. “I don’t want it, Meg. It’s really not important to me anymore. What’s happened is water under the bridge. Mr. Stone might be afraid I could sue him and make this a public fight, but I have absolutely no intention. Besides, I really have no way to prove it was my book. Most of all, he did nothing wrong. I have no desire to embarrass him or his company. Think how bad that would make Lexington Avenue Publishing look.” Hank took a sip of his beer. “No. What he’s voluntarily offered is incredibly generous, and more importantly, he’ll give my next book a fair reading. That’s all I ask for.”
Chapter 63
JACK STARED AT the contents of the tray in front of him. He had been moved out of the Coronary Care Unit and now occupied a private room. He shook his head. “Look at this. This is the saddest excuse for food I’ve ever seen.” He swirled a spoon around in a bowl filled with a viscous beige substance. “These people need to pay a visit to our restaurant. Maybe if they tasted some decent food, they wouldn’t try to foist this off on poor, unsuspecting sick people.”
“I’m sorry, Jack,” Sophie replied. “I should have been thinking. I could’ve asked Sage to pack something up for you. It’d be easy enough to sneak it in.”
Jack’s face brightened, “The good news is, they’re lettin’ me out tomorrow.” He turned to Lucky. “How soon can I leave?”
Lucky shrugged. “I’d guess four bells. I think the cardiologist will want to see you when he makes his rounds in the morning and I’ll come over early and get your paperwork all straightened out.”
“Good. I’ll be up and dressed and ready to go. Can’t see hanging around here another day. I’d lose my mind. And worst of all, I’ve missed all the excitement at home.”
“Hey, there.” Nate’s voice boomed from the doorway. “How ya doin’, Jack?” Sophie and Lucky turned and smiled. Lucky stood and pulled a chair close to Jack’s bed for Nate.
“Fit as a fiddle. I’m getting out of this joint first thing tomorrow.”
“That’s good news.” Nate stood at the foot of the bed. “Sorry I couldn’t stop by sooner, Jack. But I guess you know I’ve been busy.”
“And I’ve been a damn fool, so don’t feel too bad,” Jack replied.
“Some good news on that front.” Nate turned to Lucky. “We’ve retrieved the cash that was stolen. Nanette Simms—whose real name is Rita Magnus, by the way, and is anything but a Southern Belle—and her husband, Earl, are cooling their heels in a jail cell in Bournmouth.”
“Wow! You found them?”
“Yup. Turns out there were warrants for their arrest for similar crimes all over the state.”
“Where are they really from?” Lucky asked.
“Right here in Vermont. Both of them.”
“I knew it. I knew that accent was phony.” Lucky smiled.
“They’ve certainly conned a lot of people.” Nate turned to Jack, “I guess you’re not the only one. Mostly low-level stuff but enough people have sworn out complaints against those two and have been able to identify them, it wasn’t hard to locate them. The State Police caught them just as they were trying to cross the line into New York. They were thinking they’d leave Vermont and lay low for a while, but their luck ran out.”
“Good!” Sophie exclaimed. “I hope they get the book thrown at them.”
Nate smiled. “I think they will. They’ll be sent away at least for a few years, more I hope.” He turned to Lucky, “You’d be willing to testify?”
Lucky glanced at her grandfather. “What do you say, Jack? Maybe you should be the one.”
“Happy to. I’ve come to my senses. To think that woman coulda led me down the garden path . . .”
Nate smiled broadly. “So I’ll see you tomorrow night at the Spoonful then, Jack?”
“You bet you will. I’ll be at my cash register before eight bells have rung.”
“Good to hear,” Nate c
alled back as he left the room.
Lucky stood. “Sophie and I need to get back too, Jack. Sage and Meg are on their own today. Oh, I forgot to tell you, I’ve hired Miriam to help out.”
“Janie’s mother?”
“Yes. She was thrilled when I called her. She’ll be part-time, just for the busiest times for now, but it’ll take the weight off Meg’s shoulders.”
“Good decision, my girl.”
“Bye, Jack.” Sophie leaned over and kissed his cheek. “I’ll see you tomorrow then.”
Jack smiled and patted Sophie’s hand.
Lucky and Sophie headed down the corridor to the elevator bank. Sophie stopped in her tracks. “Uh, Lucky, can you wait a minute?”
“Sure. You okay?”
Sophie’s complexion had blanched. “I’ll be right back.” She turned and hurried toward the restroom sign.
Lucky followed and hesitated outside the door. She gave Sophie a few minutes, then entered. Sophie stood at the sink splashing water on her face. Lucky crossed her arms and stared at her friend. “When were you planning to tell me?”
Sophie stood up straight, and wiped droplets of water off her face. She groaned, “How did you know?”
“Oh, maybe the fact that you didn’t touch your beer the other night at the Spoonful. Maybe the fact that Sage mentioned you weren’t feeling well one morning. Maybe that . . .” Lucky smiled.
Sophie burst into tears and buried her face in her hands. Lucky rushed forward and wrapped her arms around her friend.
“I’m so scared, Lucky!”
“It’s a big change.”
“I never thought about it. I never thought it would happen to me,” Sophie cried. “I can’t get my head around it.”
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