The Westport Mysteries Boxed Set

by Beth Prentice

  “Oh, what a sweet couple you two are,” said the assistant. “Most people would sell the ring and keep the money.” Brian looked at the ring.

  “Well, the clarity of the diamond is exceptional and it’s made from platinum, not white gold, so I would give you a rough estimate of about $10,000. Of course I would need to weigh and measure it to give you an exact value.” Brian looked up. “It has quite a unique band, so there’s a chance Dad may remember it.”

  I knew Brian was still talking but my mind was stuck on the $10,000 bit. Maybe returning it wasn’t that important after all. I mean, I did buy the house and that meant everything in it became mine, right? I looked at Riley to find him smiling at me. I think he can read my mind sometimes.

  After Brian photographed the ring to show his father, I gave him my number and thanked him for his time. Walking outside, Riley turned to me.

  “I rang my brother about the man who was following us. If we see him again we need to get a license plate number and he’ll run a check on it for us. He thinks it was probably a coincidence though.”

  “Yeah, I’ve been wondering why anyone would want to follow us. I think the break in has made me a bit paranoid.”

  Working our way back through the shopping plaza to the car, we passed a florist, so I made a quick detour and bought a small bunch of flowers.

  “Do you think on the way home we could stop by the cemetery again? I didn’t feel right not leaving anything for your Grandpop.”

  * * * *

  After an uneventful trip home, via the cemetery, I spent the rest of the day trying to get some work done. I had a meeting in the city tomorrow with Scott and the client to talk about how their financials were looking so far this year. I was supposed to have had the figures to him yesterday, but hey, shit happens.

  By sunset, I had everything pretty much up to date. So I backed everything up, emailed the figures to Scott and closed my laptop for the night. Riley had left a few hours earlier, so it was just me and Cat. I really needed to stop calling him that and use his proper name, but habits are hard to break. Turning the TV on in the lounge, I went into the kitchen to find what was left for dinner. A trip to the supermarket would be advantageous but who had the inclination for that?

  Finding some left-over spaghetti, I zapped it in the microwave and gave Cat some biscuits.

  I went back to the lounge. My oversized armchair was probably big enough for two, but it was perfect for me to spread out on. Which is exactly what I did. Ready for a bit of TV time to catch up on my favorite shows, I put my feet up and relaxed. I had to admit life wasn’t too bad at the moment. Sure the décor of the room was pretty awful, but progress was being made. If I could keep Riley around long enough to finish the whole house, I’d be set.

  About half an hour and quite a bit of channel surfing later, I came across a local current affairs show doing a story on the Global Ministry. I thought of Grandma Mabel and how she’d enjoyed her day there, so I turned up the volume and listened. It was just a human-interest piece about the family who ran the church but it proved to be interesting.

  Apparently Grandma was right when she said the grandfather of the present minister had started it. He’d had two children—a girl named Mina and a boy Charles. The grandson, David Thornton was the present minister. Even though it was his father, Charles, who had made the church what it was today, David had continued to help the congregation grow. Not much was said about Charles’ sister, only that she’d married and had a child, and that she kept pretty much to herself, never in the public eye like her brother. Not everyone was cut out for that kind of attention, I suppose.

  The story continued to show footage of the Sunday Services they held and there was a lot of singing and arm waving. I think my Sunday school training had made me a bit more of a traditional girl, even though I rarely stepped foot inside a church anymore. I know I should go more often than once a year at Christmas, but Mum always told me you could pray behind a bus stop so that was more my kind of scene, speaking to God in a more relaxed setting. When it was over I did a bit more channel surfing and found a rerun of Big Bang Theory, so I sat back for a few hours of laughter.

  It was midnight when I found myself asleep in the chair, now covered with a blanket and the television off.

  * * * *

  Riley was waiting for me when I got out the shower the following morning.

  “I wondered if you would mind if I gave my brother Jared a look at the ring and the letters. I thought with him being a detective he might be able to track a few things for us,” he said.

  “Yeah, sure. They’re still in my bag from yesterday,” I said walking down the stairs. Reaching the kitchen, I grabbed my bag and pulled out everything Riley needed. I decided to keep the photo, though. I didn’t think it would be much use to him.

  “Are you still going into the city for your meeting today?” Riley asked, once we’d both had a cup of coffee.

  “Yeah, my meeting’s at eleven thirty, but I should be there a bit earlier so I can go over some notes with Scott.” This was always the plan but rarely did I ever get there early.

  “Did you want to get a lift in with me? I’m meeting Jared at twelve so I could drop you first and then meet him at the station after that,” Riley asked.

  Now that’s a hard one, I thought. I could make the boring trip into the city by myself or spend half an hour or so with Riley.

  “Sounds good. What time are we leaving?”

  * * * *

  With Riley driving I should have been at my meeting with plenty of time to spare, but today we kept being stopped by roadworks. By the time Riley dropped me off, I was running late. Damn and double damn. Scott of course, was waiting.

  “You’re late, Elizabeth,” he said, stating what I already knew. He walked over to me and kissed me on the cheek. Lucky for me, the client was also running late, so I was let off without a lecture.

  “You only just made it. I believe Mr. Thompson is in the lobby waiting,” said Scott, frowning.

  “Where’s Belinda?” I asked, ignoring his disapproving look. “I didn’t see her at her desk.”

  “She went home sick,” he said walking to the other side of his desk and sitting down. “I thought after this meeting, maybe I would take the rest of the day off and we could spend some time together.”

  “That would be nice. I haven’t seen much of you lately.” I couldn’t say anymore as there was a knock at the door, and Mr. Thompson was escorted in by the office junior.

  The meeting took a bit over an hour and the client seemed happy with how things were progressing, so Scott was in a particularly good mood when we headed out to lunch. As we walked towards the restaurant I filled him in on all that had been happening with the Will Hunt as I was calling it.

  “I think you are making too much out of this, Elizabeth. I mean really, it all sounds like a coincidence to me,” said Scott, as we walked side by side. Saying it all out loud in broad daylight had me questioning it as well. It all sounded a bit far-fetched. Things like this just didn’t happen in everyday life.

  After lunch I talked Scott into a walk around the park. As he still thought I should lose a bit of weight and I had consumed a whole piece of mud cake with lunch—yes, it was delicious and worth every calorie—he didn’t hesitate in agreeing.

  After a few minutes in the park itself, it was easy to forget you were actually in the city. It was so beautiful here. It was pretty busy though, as many people tried to enjoy their lunch break away from their offices. Scott seemed relaxed as we walked, so I decided to bring up our last meeting in the sandwich shop.

  “Anything new happening at the office?” I asked, not wanting to be too direct. “Any new gossip?”

  “Really, you just can’t let that one go, can you?” I could feel the tension in Scott start to return.

  “I was only interested. It’s a bit lonely out in the suburbs.” I smiled, trying to get him to relax again.

  “Nobody new is sleeping with each other, the
last I heard. Not that I actually listen to that rubbish.”

  “It’s not rubbish, Scott. Office affairs actually do happen.” I looked at him to see if there was any indication of guilt. None. I must have been imagining it. My imagination had been really busy lately.

  “You know, Elizabeth, there are a few things we need to talk about.”

  Uh-oh. That didn’t sound promising. I turned to face him, preparing myself for the worst. What I didn’t prepare myself for though, was to be pushed to the ground. I’d noticed a young guy in a hoodie walking behind us for the last few minutes, but as this is the city, I didn’t think too much of it. However, I thought a lot more of it when he grabbed my bag from my shoulder, pushed me and ran in the opposite direction as fast as he could. Trying to keep hold of my bag meant I didn’t get my hands out in front of me as fast as I should, and I fell hard on the concrete, banging my head as I landed. I could hear Scott yelling for someone to stop the bag thief but he didn’t heroically chase the baddie down and save my bag. Shit, shit and double shit.

  Do you have any idea how inconvenient it is to lose your bag? I did. This wasn’t the first time I’d lost one. Admittedly, the last time it wasn’t actually lost. I had just misplaced it but only found out after I had cancelled every debit and credit card I owned, replaced my license and had the huge expense of a new bag, wallet and phone. Doing a quick check, I realized I wasn’t bleeding, so taking Scott’s offer to help me up, I got back on my feet.

  “Well, that was a good way to ruin a perfectly good afternoon,” said Scott, not bothering to check if I was okay. I’d actually gathered a bit of a crowd, which I admit was embarrassing, as I had worn a skirt. It had flipped its way up to my waist, showing all and sundry my underwear when I fell. Quickly tugging it back into place, I looked up to see Riley standing in front of me. Of course he was. It seemed that whenever fate had an opportunity for me to embarrass myself, it made sure Riley was there to see it.

  With him was another man who, I assumed must be his brother. Groaning inwardly, I smoothed my skirt down and prayed he had actually missed the sight of my backside in the air.

  “What happened? Are you okay?” Riley asked, concern flashing in his eyes.

  “Someone just snatched her bag!” said Scott with a frustrated sigh.

  What the hell was he frustrated about? I was the one kissing the concrete. I looked at Riley and gave a half smile, trying to cover my embarrassment.

  “Someone ran up behind me and grabbed my bag. No biggie,” I said. I was feeling a bit sick in the stomach, and for a brief second, thought I was going to throw up but managed to take a few deep breaths and steady myself. “What are you doing here?” I asked Riley.

  “We just had some lunch on the other side of the park and were walking back to the station,” said Riley, looking at me concerned. Remembering the man next to him, he turned. “Lizzie, this is my brother Jared. Jared, this is Lizzie.” Jared held out his hand to me. “And this is Scott. Her boyfriend,” Riley added, almost as an afterthought.

  Without looking at Scott, Jared took my hand and held it for a second longer than necessary. I think he was assessing me. I had already taken in every bit of him and must say, these Thomas boys come from exceedingly good stock. Jared was slightly shorter than Riley but not by much. He also had blond hair and a toned body, but his lovely blue eyes were just a shade or two less brilliant. All-in-all he was gorgeous, just not as gorgeous as Riley.

  “You should come down to the station with us and report what just happened,” he offered.

  “Yes, that sounds like a good idea to me,” said Scott.

  “Why?” I asked. “There’s nothing they’ll do about it.” I swayed on the spot. Riley reached out and grabbed me around the waist and helped me to a nearby bench.

  “Why is the ground moving?” I whispered. Anything louder than that was starting to hurt my head. I closed my eyes but it seemed to make the dizziness worse. Riley reached out and gently lifted my hair back from my face to take a look at the bump forming on my forehead.

  “Why don’t you come back to the office with me?” asked Scott. “You can get your car and I’ll follow you home.” I’d forgotten to tell Scott I’d got a lift in with Riley.

  “I think she should see a doctor first,” suggested Riley.

  “I think so too,” agreed Jared, who was now kneeling down in front of me and looking concerned. “That’s quite a bump you’ve got there. It’s more than possible you’ve got a concussion.”

  “No, I’m fine. I just want to go home.” I stood up quickly, ready to go. Uh-oh, shouldn’t have done that. Quickly turning towards the bin next to me and holding on with two hands, I threw up. I could hear Scott groan as Riley reached over and pulled back my hair. Normally throwing up in public would be particularly embarrassing, but right now, I didn’t care.

  “I’ll call an ambulance,” said Jared pulling his phone from his pocket. I was feeling too sick to argue. All I wanted to do was close my eyes, go to sleep and wake up when I was feeling better again.

  Chapter Fifteen

  I hate hospitals. I hate the sound of them, I hate the smell of them, I hate the way you have to wait for hours before anybody sees you, but most of all, I hate the anxiety I feel when I’m in them. I wanted everybody to be better and no longer sick or dying. If a magic genie appeared and granted me three wishes, my first wish would be that hospitals were unnecessary because nobody got sick or injured. I know that’s an unrealistic wish, but there you have it. That’s my wish. My other two wishes involved Riley and a private beach in the Caribbean, but I didn’t think I had any more chance of that coming true than my first wish.

  I was at present lying on a bed in emergency, with Riley and Scott sitting beside me, waiting anxiously. I’d had a scan and a doctor had seen me a while ago, had looked in my eyes, taken my blood pressure—I’m not sure now is the best time to find out the result of that one—had scribbled on a chart and left, all without telling me a thing. The tension in the cubicle was building. I’d informed Scott I’d driven in with Riley this morning and he didn’t seem too happy about it. I’d tried to explain car-pooling was great for the environment but since I was slurring my words a bit, he didn’t seem to be taking me seriously. Riley glared at Scott and gave the distinct impression there was no love lost there. Ignoring them both, I turned my back and tried to have a nap.

  “Hey…Sleepyhead…wake up.” Riley gently rubbed my shoulder to encourage me to wake up. If he had any idea, he would be around the other side of the bed facing me, and he’d strip naked. That would be about the only reason I would want to wake up about now.

  Not to be outdone, Scott came around to the other side of the bed and rubbed my forehead, attempting to push my hair out of my face.

  “Ouch, that hurts,” I said, pushing his hand away. The nurse had given me something for my headache but with the noise coming from the cubicle next to mine, it didn’t seem to be helping. “What the hell is going on over there?” I snapped, rolling away from Scott.

  “Keep your voice down, Elizabeth,” he scolded.

  “Why? They can’t hear me over all that racket.” My mood wasn’t improving. “And when the hell is the doctor coming back. I just want to get out of here.”

  “There are other people here that need attending to,” said Scott, attempting to soothe me. If the pounding in my head subsided a bit, I might have had some sympathy for the poor woman next to me.

  “I think she’s in labor,” commented Riley.

  Humph. Well okay. Maybe she has a reason then. But they really needed to give her some drugs that would stop her screeching, though.

  “I’m sorry, she’s just really loud.”

  “At least she’s keeping you awake,” smiled Riley.

  “I can think of better ways to stay awake,” I said, smiling back at him. Oops, did I just say that out loud? Lucky for me, they have no way of knowing what I’m thinking, which is good because Scott would be quite shocked. I heard a curtain pull b
ack and looked up in the hope it would be the doctor coming back to tell me to go home, but I was disappointed when I realized it was the curtain belonging to the lady next to me.

  “Pastor Thornton!” she yelled. “Thank goodness you’re here. I don’t know what to do! It hurts sooo much!”

  “There, there. Why don’t you calm down, Angela, and then I’ll see what I can do,” I heard him say. His voice was soothing and if I listened to it for long, it would lull me to sleep.

  She started to cry. “I have no idea what is happening. No one will help me,” she sniffed.

  “You’re having a baby, Angela,” he said matter-of-factly. I have no idea what her response was as it was a mixed-up noise of her wailing and speaking.

  Oh please, someone shut her up.

  “God is watching over you, Angela, so let us pray.”

  It went silent for a few minutes and I could visualize them, heads bowed, praying. Gee, praying shut her up fast. I know I should have more sympathy, but if you had been laying here for the past hour listening to her constant wailing—with a pounding headache I might add—you wouldn’t have much sympathy either, I’m sure.

  Hearing the curtain pull back, I assumed the doctor had returned for her but as much as I was straining to listen, all I could hear was her moaning. Well, at least she’d turned it down a notch from the screaming. After a minute or two the doctor pulled back her curtain, left her cubicle and entered mine.

  “We’ve had a good look at your scan, Ms. Fuller, and there doesn’t appear to be any major trauma,” he said, standing at the end of my bed and looking over my chart. “The injuries to your hand are superficial and will heal nicely if you apply antiseptic ointment on it. You do have concussion and will need to be monitored for the next twelve hours.” He looked at both Scott and Riley. “Other than that, you are free to go. If anything changes or if you have no improvement in the next twelve hours, you will need to come back for another assessment. Here’s a prescription for some pain medication, which will help with the headache. Don’t take anything for another 8 hours though. What we’ve already given you is quite strong.” Giving me a final smile, he turned and left, closing the curtain behind him.