Deadly Vows

by Kate Allenton

  “This is the last one.” I glanced around the room when a spirit stepped forward holding up two screenplays. One was entitled Death Charge and the other Just Once. He tossed Death Charge to the ground and stomped on it before enthusiastically pointing to the other. Visions of a red carpet and screaming fans filled my mind.

  “I don’t know who this guy is, but he’s showing me two screenplays. He’s indicating he doesn’t want you to do Death Charge but seems to be really excited about one called Just Once.”

  “Holy shit,” he exclaimed, sitting up straighter like what I’d just told him had knocked the liquor-induced stupor from his body. “I was just issued a contract on Death Charge to sign tomorrow.”

  I tisked. “I’d probably reconsider if I were you. Spirits won’t lead you astray.” Would they? I mean, technically, who really knew if these guys were out for our greater good or to have one last laugh as we stumbled?

  “If you're right, I’m going to make you my new manager and my new best friend.”

  “Stand in line. I found her first,” Glynis announced, finishing off her cookie.

  “Technically, I found you.” I chuckled and turned my attention back to the guys. “So if Davina was having an affair, who do you guys think she was messing with?”

  They exchanged a look and grinned before Butler answered. “Senator Channing.”

  Chapter 12

  T he sound of my phone vibrating on the table pulled me from my sleep. I flicked on the light and glanced at the clock. Eight a.m.

  The number calling read blocked. “Yeah?”

  “Cree, this is Mason.”

  I plopped back down on my pillow and wiped the sleep from my eyes. “When I said keep in touch, I should have mentioned that I like to sleep in. You’re like one of those obnoxiously happy morning people, aren’t you?”

  He chuckled. “And you’re quite the night owl. I heard you made quite the impression last night.”

  “And here I thought everyone I talked too was too drunk to remember.”

  “Actually, you made the news again just this morning, only this time it was the entertainment news.”

  “What?” I shot up in the bed, making my head spin. “How? Who?”

  “Actor Charlie Gallows’ manager announced that Charlie turned down a multimillion-dollar deal for a leading role, and he credited you for helping to influence that decision.”

  “Crap.”

  “His fans are going to be pissed.”

  I plopped back down on my pillow. “They can join the crowd.”

  “That’s not why I’m calling though. Yesterday, you mentioned Davina had a bunch of money from possibly pawning a coin. As I boarded a boat to leave the island, I ran with your suggestion and called Faraday and asked him to check into the two pawn shops in town.”

  I rested my arm over my eyes to block a forming headache. “He found something, didn’t he?”

  “Yeah. He lucked out at the first one he hit. He pulled the surveillance, and it wasn’t just Davina that pawned the coin. She had some guy with her.”

  “Any chance they caught his face?”

  “Faraday said the guy was wearing a green hoodie with some type of boating emblem on it and a hat to hide his face. He kept his head down the entire time.”

  “Of course he did.” I let out a disgruntled sigh. “Approximate age? Height? Anything?”

  “Faraday is technology challenged, so I have a call into the PD’s forensic team to send me a copy after he drops it off. I’ll forward it to you as soon as I get it.”

  “Thanks, Mason. I appreciate your help.”

  “Watch your back, Cree. Those coins are worth a billion dollars, and if those coins are the motive, then someone has a billion reasons to keep you quiet.”

  “I’ve got enough motives to write a movie. Between the coins, the affair, and a hidden pregnancy, there were plenty of reasons to want Davina silenced. The questions are, which reason was she killed over and who pulled the trigger? The jealous wife, the angry fiancé, the baby daddy, or maybe even someone she double-crossed over the coins. I don’t even know where to start.”

  “Go back to the beginning and start with the evidence. Eliminate each until you find the one that you can’t.”

  “I will. Thanks again for your help.” I hung up and silently tried to remember everything about the Insight viewing.

  Davina had been at the church and lied to the fiancé before heading to meet someone in a cabin when she got a call on a burner phone. She’d been ready to jump off the bridge but decided against it before being shot in the back and tumbling to her death. I found her IDs and the money later. That was all I originally started with.

  I could speculate all day, but time was ticking to kick up some dust. I shrugged the covers off and got out of the bed. If I was going to confront people today, I needed copious amounts of coffee to be more alert. A morning swim and coffee would do the trick.

  I changed into my bathing suit, grabbed a towel, my wallet, and the cabana key as I headed out. A groan rumbled in my chest as I checked my watch; only eight thirty in the morning. Gah.

  I headed up the path, passing the other cabanas on the way. A door opened and startled me. The senator stepped out, walking backward, wearing jogging shorts and running shoes, and he was in a lip lock with no one other than Clarissa. I glanced around me, looking for a place to duck when there was nowhere to go. I stood motionless as they broke the kiss and Clarissa eased the door shut. The senator turned and spotted me. He cleared his throat and zipped up his light jacket. A real runner wouldn’t have been wearing a jacket like that in the 100-degree weather where humidity was close to hitting the temperature in hell. “I didn’t see you there.”

  “Obviously,” I said and started to walk past him, only he kept in step with me.

  “It’s not what it looks like.”

  “Yeah, I’m sure Clarissa was helping you get quite a workout.” I held up my hand. “I’m not here to judge.”

  “You’re Cree Blue, right?”

  “Yep. This is a lovely island. Thanks for the invite.”

  He grabbed my arm to stop me. “How much is it going to take to make you forget you saw that and not run to the press?”

  I yanked my arm from his grasp and crossed my arms over my chest. “I don’t want your money. I want answers.”

  “Okay. She and I started…”

  I held up my hand. “I don’t care about you and her. It’s obvious you have an affinity for younger women. The only answer I want is if you were having an affair with your son’s fiancée.”

  “Davina? Why would you ask that?”

  “I’m sure the authorities will find out soon enough when they do the autopsy and run DNA on her unborn child. Were you aware she was pregnant?”

  The senator ran his hand through his wet hair. “No, I wasn’t.”

  “Where were you the day she was killed?”

  His brows dipped. “You want my alibi?”

  “Either that or I can get it from Priscilla when I talk to her about Clarissa. I’m sure that will go over real well.”

  “I can promise you that she won’t care. She knows I have trysts; she has them too.” He crossed his arms.

  “So did one of your trysts include Davina?”

  “I met Davina when I was touring one of the banks where I sit on the board, only then her name wasn’t Davina. It was Dina.”

  “So you’re aware she was using an alias?”

  “Of course I was. I helped her establish it.”

  I was rendered speechless.

  “She was going to ruin me. She had compromising pictures from our affair.”

  “So you were in on the coin heist?”

  “What?”

  “The missing museum coins from the bank.”

  “No.” He ran his hand through his hair and lowered his gaze. “I mean she knew about the coins in the deposit box, but that was pillow talk. A lot of people knew about those coins. We discussed them at dinner parties.
We even had them on display at one of our museum fundraisers.” He met my gaze. “Are you suggesting she’s the person that took them?”

  “Where in all this crazy drama did Logan meet Davina?”

  “I introduced them. She was a guest on the island.”

  I glanced at Clarissa’s cabana. It was convenient he used this place to have his little love fests. It was away from prying eyes.

  “I guess she chose the younger option.”

  “Your guess is as good as mine. She broke things off with me, and she and Logan started dating after the fundraiser. Two months later he’d proposed to her.”

  “Why wouldn’t you warn your son about who she is?”

  “Davina was bright and beautiful and she had a way about her that brings out the good in those around her. I think that was why I found her so alluring. I’d thought about warning Logan about who she really was, but then I would have had to tell him how exactly I knew. I watched his back and made sure his bases were covered. I’m the one that insisted he get a prenup.”

  “Did Logan know about your affair?”

  “God no.” The senator took me by the elbow and started leading me toward the pools. “No one knew about that affair, and I’d like to keep it that way. It would destroy Logan if he ever found out.”

  “I’m going to ask you one more time, Senator. Where were you the day Davina was killed?”

  “I was in Washington at a conference. My constituents can vouch for me.”

  I needed coffee. Didn’t these people understand that my mind wasn’t fully operational at this time in the morning? I cracked my neck from side to side and stopped him with a palm on his arm. “Look me in the eye and tell me you didn’t kill her.”

  “I didn’t kill my Davina, Dina, or anyone.”

  Goosebumps. Damn it. He was telling the truth, and I was almost ready to pin the whole thing on him. “I believe you.”

  “So you’ll keep my indiscretions to yourself?”

  “I deal with dead people, Senator. Most of the ones that I meet and come into contact with are still lingering around because they have regrets and just want to find peace. So if you’re unhappy, you should deal with it. Life is way too short not to find your version of peace while you’re still alive to enjoy it. Now, this is a five-cups-of-coffee conversation and seeing how my cabana lacked a coffee pot, I’ll leave it at that. Have a good day, Senator.”

  “You surprise me, Ms. Blue. I heard about what you did for Harrison Reed, so when he asked for your invite as a personal favor to him, I was a little reluctant.”

  “Why, because I’m psychic?”

  He chuckled. “No, because you were in the papers for handing a mob boss a get-out-of-jail-free card. Associations with people like that, not matter how distant, tend to be remembered.”

  “Gah. Isn’t a slashed tire and hate mail enough already?” I shook my head and headed for the bar. God, I hope they had a coffee pot hidden somewhere that worked. “When are people going to let that go?”

  “In my line of business, that’s easy to answer. When a bigger story than you finds the headlines and they find someone else to target their emotions on.”

  He snapped his fingers, and a bartender appeared in front of us. “Get Ms. Blue a coffee and anything else she wants free of charge during the rest of her stay.”

  “That’s not necessary, Senator.” I leaned into him as the bartender worked on my coffee at the end of the bar. “I told you that you don’t have to buy me off.”

  “I remember,” he whispered back. “I’m doing this because I want to.”

  “I might bankrupt you with just the coffee orders.” I chuckled as the bartender returned with an extra-large coffee, not a tiny one in a little teacup.

  “Enjoy your stay, Ms. Blue.”

  I picked up my coffee and put it straight to my lips, sipping it. I waved my hand as I walked away.

  That was easy enough. Why hadn’t I thought of that earlier? I’d just find a central location, and what better place to wait than by the pool? Eventually, most of my suspects might come walking by. I’d just ask each person and eliminate each one judging by my goosebumps. Too bad I couldn’t ask them about the stolen coins since everyone who attended that fundraiser had seen them. I’m not sure I could trust my goose bumps unless I worded the question just right.

  I sat my coffee cup down and spread out my towel before plopping my butt down on the chair. The warmth of the sun already promised another sweltering day.

  I went through three cups of coffee and was on my second dip in the pool to cool off before I spotted the first signs of life; too bad it wasn’t one of my suspects.

  Deputy Director Harrison Reed sat down on the chair next to mine and unfolded his newspaper. “You’ve been a busy girl.”

  I rested my arms on the side of the pool and let my body float in the water. “I promise I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  He flipped his paper around to show me the headline. A picture of Charlie was on the front page. “Oh that. When did he possibly have time to call his manager?”

  “Your secret has gone nationwide now that Charlie has nicknamed you America’s Sweetheart and his personal psychic. I’m starting to believe that you’re going to need your own protection detail.”

  “Nah,” I said and pushed off the wall to float on my back. “The world just needs another scandal to forget all about me. The senator already explained how it works.”

  “So what’s on your agenda today?”

  I swam over to the steps and climbed out of the pool. “I plan to ask everyone if they killed Davina.”

  His mouth parted, and he stared at me. “Are you expecting one of them to confess?”

  Chapter 13

  “I’ll be able to tell if they're lying.”

  “Have you been watching Discovery ID and been taking notes on how to interrogate?”

  “Not quite. I get goosebumps when I’m being told the truth. No goosebumps equals a lie.”

  “And you’ve tested this theory?”

  “Sure. You want me to test you?”

  “Nope, and I’m afraid all of your suspects are scheduled off the island for a while.”

  “You’re fibbing.”

  “Did your goose bumps tell you that?”

  “I wasn’t paying attention. Tell me again.”

  He repeated what he said, and goose bumps physically appeared on my arms. I may have cursed like a mother trucker. Okay, more like a person who stubbed her toe on the bed in the dark. But what the heck. I’d been up since eight and looking forward to uncovering the truth. How was I going to do it now with all of my suspects gone?

  “Where did they go?”

  “To the Billson Police Department for questioning and to schedule funeral arrangements for Davina. They promised to be back for the fundraiser and to start making transportation arrangements back to the mainland for everyone first thing in the morning.”

  My mouth fell open. “Get out. Do they know who the killer is?”

  “I think they’re getting close to an arrest.”

  “Huh.” I sat down in my chair. “How is it you’re friends with these people? I mean don’t get me wrong, I’m sure they’re fabulous in their own sweet convoluted ways with their lies, deceit, and the way they throw money around like I do spices. But what gives?”

  “Priscilla and I go back to college days. She was the athletic type and played several sports. She was on the female row team, and I was on the men’s. We shared mutual friends.”

  The boat insignia. Hadn’t Mason said that the person in the video had a boat insignia when they pawned the coin? “Do you have any pictures of your glorious college rowing days?”

  “I don’t, but Priscilla has one hanging up in the office. Would you like to see?”

  I sprang from my chair and wrapped my towel around my body. Obviously, my coffee picked that moment to kick in. “Absolutely. Should I go change first?”

  “No, that’s okay. We don’t hav
e to go to the lobby. She has a pool entrance that we can use.”

  I grabbed my stuff and refastened my watch as I walked in step with Harry leading me to the door. He twisted the knob, and to my surprise, it opened right up. “They must feel pretty safe to leave offices unlocked.”

  “Well, we are on their personal island and have agents around every corner.”

  “True.” I stepped inside and was met by a gush of cool air, so I pulled my towel tighter around my body.

  He walked over to one of the walls and pointed to the picture that depicted a combination of men and women on a rowing team. Each had on a green blazer, each with a boat emblem. “You both graduated from the same school?”

  “Not only Priscilla and I, but it’s a family tradition. All of our kids have graduated from our alma mater. Logan and Glynis attended, although they graduated different years.”

  I walked down the sea of green blazers and looked closer at the photos until I picked out Logan. Even though I hadn’t met him yet, he looked just like I remembered from using Insight. “Logan hasn’t changed much. Did you guys happen to get green hoodies with the matching emblems?”

  “Yeah, they were part of our training uniforms. What are you getting at, Cree?”

  “Mason.” I paused, remembering who I was talking to. “Sorry, Agent Spencer called me this morning. That’s why I was up so early; anyway, he said that there was a video of Davina fencing a stolen coin that I believe she stole from the bank where she worked. Long story short, there was someone in the video with her.” I pointed to the picture of ugly green blazers. “Wearing a hoodie that matches this emblem that you, Priscilla, and Logan all had during your training days. Only there was no clear shot of her accomplice's face.”

  “You say Mason has video?”

  “He’s supposed to send it to me so I can take a look, but I haven’t gotten it yet.”

  “Excuse me a second, and I’ll make a call to get that expedited.” He stepped out of the office toward the pool, leaving me alone.

  The phone buzzed in my hand, and I glanced at the caller ID, hoping that it was Mason sending me the video, but the caller ID read West.