Dead and Breakfast

by Kimberly G. Giarratano

  Timothy softened his eyes. “Don’t you worry. Mama and I will check in on him.”

  Autumn didn’t have the heart to tell Timothy that his reassurances didn’t make her feel better.

  “Come on, Autumn,” Timothy said. “The man’s asleep. Not much more you can do for him today.”

  Autumn started to stand when Mr. Blazevig grabbed her wrist. His bony fingers dug into her skin. Autumn tried to shake him off, but she couldn’t.

  His brown eyes flashed open for a second. “I’m sorry,” he croaked in a hoarse whisper.

  Autumn struggled against the old man’s unusual strength. “Are you okay? Do you need me to get the nurse?”

  “I lied,” he repeated.

  “I know.” Autumn’s voice trembled. “You told me already. About Inez Cruces? You did know her. It’s okay. You didn’t do anything wrong.” She leaned in and whispered, “I think I’m close to finding out who killed her anyway.”

  Mr. Blazevig’s eyes widened in fear.

  Machines beeped and alarms sounded. Debbie rushed into the room and ordered Autumn, Liam, and Timothy out.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

  The trio huddled outside Mr. Blazevig’s room. A doctor flew past them.

  “This can’t be good.” Autumn bit her thumbnail.

  A blonde nurse snapped her fingers at them and pointed to a room down the hall. “You’ll have to wait there for a while.”

  They all nodded while Liam led the way. The waiting room was a cramped space with a stained carpet, but there was a television with a broken remote, a vending machine, and a coffee pot.

  Timothy dropped his messenger bag to the linoleum floor. It landed with a thump.

  Liam eyed Timothy’s bag. “What’s in there? Sounds heavy.”

  “Well, Mr. Nosey,” Timothy said, sitting down in a chair with worn blue cushions. “My sketch pad, colored pencils, and my tablet.”

  Liam opened the bag’s flap with his toe. “And Duncan’s yearbook?”

  Timothy arched his brow. “Why would I have Duncan’s yearbook?”

  Liam bent down and removed the leather-bound tome from the bag. “You tell me.”

  “That’s weird. I didn’t put it in there.”

  Autumn paced around the small room. “The nurse said something weird to me.” She paused to get their attention. “She said, ‘Your mom visited earlier.’ At first, I thought she meant Evelyn. But, I told the nurse I was his granddaughter.”

  “So who visited Mr. Blazevig?” asked Liam.

  “Mr. Blazevig said he had a sister. Maybe she’s still around,” said Autumn. “If so, I could talk to her about Inez. Ralph’s sister was actually the last person to see Inez alive. Maybe she knows something I’m not seeing.”

  “He’s sick,” Liam said. “Maybe she flew in from out of state.”

  “Yeah, but the nurse said his family would be able to get him the best care in the state. That implies money. Mr. Blazevig wasn’t a wealthy man. So, who’s his sister?”

  The boys shrugged.

  “The girl you saw in Inez’s memories. Did she have a name?” Liam asked.

  “No, Inez didn’t know or she never made an effort to learn it.”

  “Would you recognize the woman if you saw her?” asked Liam.

  “If I saw her now? I don’t know. The girl from the vision was a teenager. Today, she’d be an old lady. She could look so different.” Autumn’s toe bumped up against Timothy’s bag and she snapped her fingers. “The yearbook! The answer is in a yearbook.”

  Liam held the yearbook and flipped through the pages. “Your uncle’s yearbook is from some boarding school in Connecticut.”

  “Not his yearbook. A yearbook. Mr. Blazevig said his sister went to St. Veronica’s. We need a St. Veronica’s yearbook. I’ll flip through the book, find her name, and we’ll identify her. Then we can find her.”

  “Where are we going to get a local yearbook?”

  Autumn beamed. “The library has them in their historical reference collection. At least, the local library in Jersey did.”

  “Nice plan,” said Timothy. “But the library doesn’t open until tomorrow.”

  “Well then, we go tomorrow,” Autumn said. “What’s one more night?”

  #

  That night, Autumn crawled into bed, slipped under the covers, and turned off the light. She didn’t even bother checking to see if her mom was awake. She didn’t care. Her mind buzzed. Maybe there was a way to solve this mystery after all. They were so close.

  Her eyelids fluttered like butterfly wings before closing. Autumn turned to her side and felt a cool draft. She opened her eyes and bolted upright. Katie floated over her bedside.

  Autumn clicked on the light and pulled her covers to her chest in a protective hold. “Dammit, Katie, you scared the crap out of me.”

  But Katie didn’t look sorry. In fact, she hardly looked like Katie at all.

  “Katie, are you okay?”

  The ghost hovered and stared straight ahead, her mouth opened into a black void. Autumn felt panic rise.

  “Inez,” she whispered. “Stop whatever it is you’re doing to Katie.”

  “You want to see my last moments?” Inez hissed.

  “Yes!” Autumn said. “Show me your last moments on earth.”

  A black mass left Katie’s body and slammed in Autumn’s. She fell back on her pillow as if she was falling asleep. Except when she woke, she wasn’t Autumn Abernathy anymore.

  #

  Inez left St. Veronica’s and made her way toward Duncan’s house.

  Thunder rumbled, and a strong breeze lifted up the hem of her dress, catching her off guard. She stared up at the darkening sky as clouds rolled in. Maybe the storm would cover her tracks.

  Duncan’s parents were wealthy and often out of town. Tonight was no exception. Inez knew where Duncan’s parents kept the silver and she overheard Duncan tell Ralph there was cash in a cookie jar in the kitchen for such emergencies. Tonight was one such emergency.

  Inez peered around, checking for nosey neighbors, before unlatching the back gate and entering the patio. Duncan, and presumably Ralph, had set up a card table near the pool with the record player on top. A stack of records lay piled up next to it. Inez kicked the records. A few landed in the pool and sunk to the bottom.

  Inez started toward the French doors, until a blow to the back of her head sent her to the concrete patio floor.

  She tried to push herself up but was struck again. A trickle of red, sticky liquid streamed down her forehead and dipped into her ear before she was rolled into the pool.

  #

  Autumn bolted upright, panting and out of breath. She’d never seen her killer’s face. Timothy had been right. All this time, and Inez never saw who hit her.

  It could’ve been anyone.

  #

  Liam hurried up the curved concrete stairs of the Key West branch of the Monroe County Public Library and held open the glass door for Autumn. Even as a kid, especially as a kid, Liam loved coming to the library with Pops for story hour. Pops would drop off Liam with the librarian before heading into the mystery section, where he’d read the latest Jack Reacher novel and return as story time ended. Liam would show off his craft and Pops would ruffle Liam’s hair and compliment Liam on how well he cut out the storybook characters. Just thinking about those days made Liam’s chest ache.

  Autumn followed Liam inside the library, and he welcomed her nearness. Everything awful that had happened occurred from the moment he took the Cayo Hueso job, and yet, he wouldn’t have changed these past few weeks for anything. He knew Autumn was going back to New Jersey. She didn’t have a choice. But he’d rather have whatever time they had left than no time at all.

  Liam made a beeline for the reference desk. A middle-aged man with thinning brown hair and wire-framed glasses oversaw the desk. His nametag read “Jon,” and his brown eyes crinkled when Liam and Autumn approached.

  “Can I help you?” the librarian asked.

&n
bsp; “We need to see local yearbooks,” said Liam. “Specifically from St. Veronica’s.”

  “Huh,” said the librarian. “What an interesting request. How far back do you need to go?”

  Autumn glanced at Liam. “Nineteen sixty-six?”

  Jon stood up and ushered them to the stacks in the back of the library. “We keep them on a shelf in the back.” He wheeled over a small step stool, climbed up, and took down a dusty tome. Handing it to Autumn, he said, “Unfortunately, you can’t check it out.”

  “That’s okay,” Autumn said.

  Jon nodded and smiled. “Just leave the yearbook on my desk when you’re done.” He adjusted his glasses before retreating to the reference area.

  Liam led Autumn to a rectangular table on the other side of the stacks. He didn’t sit down, just immediately started flipping through the pages until he got to the senior class photos. All the women wore white blouses with black ties, the school pin affixed near their collars. The same pin Liam found buried in the dirt near the tree in the Cayo’s backyard.

  “We only need to find a name,” Autumn said. “Maybe Timothy has some connections with other island hotels and we can find out where she’s staying.”

  It didn’t take long to find Inez’s yearbook photo. Autumn stared at the photo and shuddered.

  “Are you okay?” Liam asked.

  Autumn pressed her hand to her temple. “It’s like she’s trying to claw her way out of my head.”

  Liam quickly flipped through the pages.

  “There’s no girl here by the name of Blazevig.”

  “Try the other classes,” Autumn said.

  Liam scanned the sophomore class photos and then juniors.

  Autumn pointed to a photo. “There. That’s the girl in Inez’s last memory. Bernadette Blazevig.”

  He fell back into the chair. “Only now it’s Bernadette Canton.”

  Autumn tucked a strand behind her ear and narrowed her eyes. She tilted the yearbook toward her. “It makes sense, that Bernadette would cover for Mick. She loved him, even then.” Autumn examined the photo once more and closed the book. “Let’s take a trip to Louie’s and see who signed for Inez’s ring. I want my suspicions confirmed.”

  “Louie isn’t going to tell us that,” Liam said. “Privacy is the only moral he has.”

  “That’s okay.” Autumn’s tone darkened. “He doesn’t have to. We’ll get it out of him.”

  Liam hesitated, gently grabbed Autumn’s face, and angled her chin until he could look into her eyes. “Autumn, are you in there?”

  She put her hand on his. “I am. Don’t worry. I’m not gonna hurt him. I can be clever, not cruel.”

  Liam smiled with relief. “Okay, let’s go to Louie’s.”

  #

  Autumn’s heart pounded in her chest as she tugged open the door to Louie’s pawnshop. She’d been here a few times with her mother, trying to get cash for antiques they found in the Cayo’s attic. She never liked how Louie would talk down to Evelyn, like she was a dumb female. Today, Autumn would try to get one over on Louie.

  The bell chimed, signaling Autumn’s entrance. Louie popped his baldhead out of his office and peered into the shop. He smiled, although to Autumn, it looked like a smirk. “What can I help you with, sweetheart? Got more junk to pawn?”

  Autumn swallowed down a retort. Instead, she made her chin wobble and her voice teeter on hysteria. “Louie, I’m in big trouble. Remember those records you bought a few months back? Well, one of them was Aunt Glenda’s favorite Doo-wop group, and I need to replace it, but I can’t remember which album it is.”

  “Listen, kid, you think I can remember everything you bring in?” Louie rolled his eyes. “I don’t have time for this. Why don’t you get your aunt a nice CD instead? She’s so kooky, she won’t know the difference.”

  Autumn dug her finger into her palm hard, hoping to muster tears. Liam was outside waiting for her cue. “Please, Louie. You write everything down. Can’t you just look in your book?”

  Louie put out his hands like he was trying to stop a freight train. “Don’t cry. I hate crying. Hold on a sec.” He lumbered into his back office. Autumn put her hand behind her back and crossed her fingers. That was Liam’s signal.

  As instructed, Liam pushed open the door with his foot and hefted a large, moldy box from the Cayo’s attic. It was filled with Duncan’s old magic tricks.

  Louie came back with his ledger and opened it up in front of Autumn. It was organized by customer name, price paid, price sold, and to whom. Jackpot.

  “Hey, kid,” Louie greeted Liam. He took a second glance at the box and grimaced. “Watcha got in there? It stinks.”

  Liam dumped the moldy box on the glass counter. “Some of Pops’s stuff. Figured he doesn’t need it anymore.”

  “Cold. Some grandson you are.” Louie shifted his attention to Autumn as he flipped through the book. He tapped his finger on the entry.

  Autumn squinted. “May I?”

  Louie sighed and flipped the book around for Autumn to see better, but he never took his hands off the ledger. Just then, he jumped at the sound of metal hitting glass. Liam had dumped the box’s contents onto the counter.

  “What are you doing?” Louie cried out. “You’re gonna crack my glass.” He left Autumn alone with the ledger while he went to inspect the countertop.

  “The box ripped. But look what I got. Come see.” Liam held up one of Uncle Duncan’s old Chinese finger traps.

  Autumn didn’t waste time. She flipped a few pages until she found Liam’s name. She glanced at the entry. Disappointment flooded her. Priscilla Newman. The name was completely unfamiliar to her. The Cantons didn’t buy back the ring? Another entry, right next to Liam’s, caught her attention. Well, that’s weird. I wonder if Liam knows about this.

  Huh. She memorized the name and address.

  She gave Liam a sad shake of her head, a cue for him to wrap things up. This mission had been a bust.

  Autumn closed Louie’s ledger. “All yours, Louie.”

  “Great, sweetheart. Get what you need?” Louie tugged at the Chinese finger trap. “How do I get this thing off?”

  Autumn pressed a small button to free Louie’s fingers. “No, sweetheart. Unfortunately, I didn’t.”

  CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

  Liam trudged up the Cayo’s front porch and yanked open the door. He ushered Autumn into the lobby. The Cayo was suspiciously empty, save for Timothy, who lazily drew circles on a pad of paper.

  “Where is everyone?” Autumn asked, deflated.

  “Your mom and Aunt Glenda are meeting with a lawyer, Mama’s scouring the want ads, and Mr. Fletcher is at the jail. The last guest checked out an hour ago. And the contractor is here. Which reminds me, Evelyn wants you to tidy up the January and February rooms.”

  “What does it matter if they’re selling the place?” Liam asked.

  Timothy yawned. “I don’t know.” He dropped his pen and stared at them. “What’s gotten you two all mopey besides everything?”

  “The Cantons don’t have Inez’s ring,” Autumn said before explaining that Ralph’s sister was Bernadette Canton. “Liam and I went to Pawn Louie’s to sneak a glance at the ledger to confirm that Mick Canton bought Inez’s ring. After all, Mick had seen Liam minutes before he sold the ring.”

  “If you suspect Mick Canton killed Inez, then he might not want a reminder,” Timothy pointed out. “Maybe he didn’t want the ring.”

  “I don’t buy that,” said Autumn. “In Inez’s vision, he claimed the ring was an heirloom. He was pissed she wasn’t wearing it, and he wanted it back.”

  Timothy’s eyes bugged. “I told you not to—”

  “I’m fine,” said Autumn, her hand raised. “I’m here. It’s still me.”

  Timothy exhaled. “So who did sign for the ring?”

  “Some woman named Priscilla Newman.”

  Timothy pursed his lips. “I’ve never heard of her.”

  “Us neither,” said Liam. “
We have no proof of anything except Inez was hated by everyone.”

  “And I’m days away from leaving,” Autumn said.

  Timothy handed Autumn furniture polish and a rag. “Please clean the winter rooms.” He handed Liam a cardboard box. “And Evelyn asked you to take down all the art and photos from the walls.”

  Liam cocked his eyebrow. “Seriously? Now?”

  “The Cayo waits for no man.”

  Liam grabbed the cardboard box and set it down on the wingback chair. Autumn reluctantly ascended the stairs.

  #

  Autumn stomped up the stairs toward the January room. She wanted to track down Mr. Fletcher and brainstorm leads. Liam’s grandfather still sat in jail, meanwhile Autumn and Liam had to clean the Cayo as if nothing had happened. As if the Cayo wasn’t sold and in danger of demolition.

  Autumn opened the door to the January room. Katie was there, floating between the two twin beds. She turned her vacant eyes to Autumn and put her finger to her lips. The hairs on the back of Autumn’s neck prickled.

  Someone was humming a melody. Autumn set down the furniture polish and rag on the teak dresser, which had a wooden cane with a brass top leaning against it. Uncle Duncan’s yearbook rested on top of the bureau.

  “Hello?” said Autumn hesitantly.

  A head of gray hair popped out of the bathroom. “Oh, hello dear.” Bernadette Canton, dressed in a bright red blouse and pleated slacks, unfurled measuring tape. “I’m thinking of combining the January and February rooms to make one large suite.”

  Autumn swallowed a lump. Mrs. Canton appeared a lot different now than Autumn knew who she really was. “Oh.” Autumn held up the dust rag. “I just came to tidy up.”

  Bernadette shooed the idea away. “Don’t bother. We’ll be gutting the interior. No need to clean. You could put that yearbook away, though. I’m sure it’s sentimental to someone.”

  Katie slowly shook her head at Autumn.

  She slid the yearbook off the dresser just as the dizziness overcame her. Autumn’s vision clouded and turned black. When she opened her eyes, she was in the same bedroom, except Bernadette Canton was gone. The room had blue walls with baseball pennants tacked up above the bed. This was Uncle Duncan’s room. Was Inez in Duncan’s room?