Precious: A Humorous Romantic Cozy Mystery (Amber Reed Celebrity Crimes Investigation Agency Mystery Book 2)

by Zanna Mackenzie

“This part of the island looks even bleaker than the rest,” I say as I scan acre after acre of nothingness. Ahead of us there’s a range of craggy-looking hills with a foreboding air about them. How on earth do we go about finding sapphires in a landscape like this?

  Charlie reaches for my hand and I follow him along the path, such as it is, until we come to the edge of a river bubbling ferociously on its way to the sea.

  “I think we’re going to need some geology experts in to look this site over,” Charlie says. “I’ll ring HQ and let them know the situation, see who they can send.”

  “What if we’re wrong and sapphires have nothing to do with Garrison’s murder? HQ won’t be very happy about sending guys over here for nothing.”

  Charlie shrugs. “Sometimes you just have to go with your instincts. But do whatever you can to try to back those instincts with hard facts. Come on, let’s get out of here. I think, by the looks of that sky, yet another storm is on its way in.”

  The wind is whipping at our coats as we make our way down the last fifty metres or so of track towards where the car is parked. Charlie pulls his hood up and puts his head down and I wonder if some instinct is telling him it’s going to rain at any second. A man passes us, heading towards the area we have just left. He nods a hello at me and I smile back.

  As I climb into the car and catch my breath from battling the fierce wind Charlie pulls off his hood. “That’s him.”

  “Who?” I frown. “The guy we just passed on the track you mean? You know him?”

  Charlie nods. “Yep. That’s Carter Marston.”

  “The guy you and Martha met at GeoComm Scotia in Edinburgh? Garrison’s boss?”

  “The very same.”

  “So that’s why you hid beneath the hood on your coat. In case he recognised you!” I peer through the passenger door window at the figure rapidly disappearing up the track. “Wonder what he’s doing here?”

  “He could be just checking something on the site now that Garrison is no longer working on it.” Charlie pulls his phone from his pocket. “Or he could be looking for sapphires.”

  “You think he knows? That Garrison might have shared the news of his gemstone discovery with his boss at GeoComm Scotia?”

  “He could well have done. Maybe he was seeking another expert’s opinion on the finds and he asked him to check the site out.”

  “Do we know much about this Marston guy?” I ask.

  “Nope but we soon will.”

  I sit in the car, the rain now hammering against the roof, as Charlie calls Martha and asks her to do a background check on Carter Marston.

  “Come on, let’s get out of here,” he says, starting the car.

  “We’re not going to try to follow him? See what he’s up to?”

  We head out of the car park and turn onto the lane. “No, let’s do the research first and take it from there. We don’t want to scare him off if he is up to something.”

  By the time we’re back at the rental cottage, having stopped at the store to replenish food stocks, it’s early afternoon. Martha is sitting at the dining table, laptop in front of her, looking pleased with herself. We dump the shopping bags on the kitchen counter.

  “Found something interesting?” Charlie asks her.

  “You could say that.” She gestures to the computer screen. “I started with bank records and he seems clean on those, except for one thing, which I’ll come back to. A few things caught my eye. Firstly, he travels a lot. There are loads of hotel receipts on his account for all over the place. Lots of them in Scotland but some in London and Europe too. Mostly for just one or two nights.”

  “Does he travel alone?” Charlie asks moving to stand behind Martha’s chair so he can see the computer screen.

  “Doesn’t seem to. The rooms are always doubles and there’s always food and bar bills for two people on his trips.”

  “So he takes his wife or girlfriend on trips with him,” I suggest. “Is he married?”

  “He’s not married but he does have a girlfriend. I did some more asking around and Marston isn’t well-liked, which has helped when it comes to getting people to tell me stuff about him. Seems he’s known to be involved with a woman that he doesn’t want his work colleagues to know about. Thanks to CCTV footage and news from the surveillance team we’ve had watching a few of the suspected key players in this case, I think I’ve found who he’s involved with and who his travelling companion is.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  “So, come on then, don’t keep us in suspense,” Charlie says.

  “Garrison’s wife,” Martha says with a cat-who-got-the-cream smirk.

  “Melissa Garrison is having an affair with her husband’s boss at GeoComm Scotia?” I splutter.

  “I think so, yes. We’ll need to do a little more digging to verify it but yeah, they’re involved I’m pretty sure of it.”

  “That could be the reason she flew into Farra from Edinburgh instead of London. She was there visiting Marston,” Charlie says.

  “The records do show they both took flights between London and Edinburgh on a regular basis,” Martha says.

  “And that time we went to see her at her place in London,” I add. “There were two mugs on the table and she looked uncomfortable when she made an excuse about them both being hers. She said she hadn’t got around to tidying up. Carter Marston was probably at the house with her and kept out of sight.”

  “Looks like it,” Charlie says.

  “You think they might be behind his murder?” I ask. Bits of the puzzle start falling into place in my head. “What if Garrison told Marston about the sapphire find and then Marston told Melissa and they planned to do away with Garrison to get the sapphires for themselves and at the same time they could then be together without Melissa being hauled through some highly public divorce.”

  “She’s already getting all the sympathy in the media,” Charlie adds. “Makes sense.”

  “Did you find where Marston is staying on Farra while he’s here?” I ask Martha. “Is Melissa here with him?”

  “No, she isn’t. Not so far anyway. With everything that’s been going on I would imagine she’ll be looking to keep away from Farra for a while. This time he appears to have made his little trip alone. Yeah, I found where he’s staying. I knew he had a taste for luxury from all those charges on his bank account and the five-star hotels. Predictably he’s staying at the only decent hotel on the island. He arrived on the inter-island ferry from the mainland this morning and drove straight to the hotel to check in. After that he must have gone out to the GeoComm Scotia site where you saw him.”

  “You reckon he’s looking for the sapphires then?” I ask.

  “It looks to me as though he’s already had some sapphires and he’s hungry for more,” Martha replies. “His bank account shows he received a payment one month ago from a place in London that buys gemstones in their raw state and cuts and polishes them for the jewellery market.”

  “If Garrison actually found some more stones, no matter how tiny they were, where on earth did he put them?” I ask. “It’s not the kind of thing you walk around with in your pocket. He must have stashed them somewhere.”

  “His house on Farra has been thoroughly searched by the local police now. No sign of anything there and no hidden safe either,” Charlie says. “I turned in the gun we found to them and they’re still getting it checked out but that was the only unusual thing from the search.”

  “There are no safety deposit boxes listed in his name at the banks he uses,” Martha adds. “So he’s not stashing gems there.”

  “Which leaves Isla and the café,” I finish. “Do you think he hid the stones over there?”

  “If he did, then does Isla know of their whereabouts?” Charlie says. “I think we need to get back over to Skye and formally interview Isla this time. We’ll need to contact the local police for a search warrant for her flat and the café as well.”

  “I’ll go and call Constable McKenna,” Martha says, r
eaching for her phone.

  “Do we all need to go over to Skye?” I ask, feeling awkward. If we do, then Isla is going to find out who I really am. Not some chatty tourist in need of the use of a phone but a woman pretending to be a tourist in order to gain information on the death of the man Isla loved. Isla is going to go berserk at me. I feel dreadful for deceiving her.

  I look up to see Charlie staring at me. “Yes, we should all go. It’s a key part of the investigation. Look, I know exactly what you’re thinking, Amber, but it goes with the job I’m afraid. Sometimes you have to do and say things you don’t want to, all in the name of solving the case.”

  “Isla is going to hate me,” I say. “I pretended to be someone I’m not so she would tell me stuff about Garrison and help our investigation.”

  He walks over and slips an arm around my shoulders. “Yes, you weren’t exactly truthful with Isla but you were on her side. You’ve been trying to find out who murdered Garrison and she’ll want whoever did that to be found and put behind bars.”

  “I suppose so. I still feel bad about it all though.”

  He gives me a hug. “I know it’s difficult, Amber, but you’re going to have to toughen up a bit. Yeah, this job can make you do stuff you don’t want to but in the end you just have to remember you’re one of the good guys, fighting the bad guys. Whatever you did, it was well intentioned.”

  I nod and allow myself to cuddle closer while Martha is out of the way, off in her room talking to Constable McKenna on the phone. Right now, I need a reassuring hug from Charlie, some comfort. Even though I still haven’t broached the matter of the Edinburgh room-sharing incident with him yet. I know it will cause a huge row. Maybe even worse. I need to get my head around how I feel about Charlie and about my trust issues before I say anything to him. I have to be sure what I’m doing. What I want.

  Martha strolls back in, clearing her throat and I spring away from Charlie who looks mildly amused.

  “I’ve just spoken to McKenna and they finally heard back about Garrison’s gun but the results aren’t going to help us out any with the case I’m afraid. The gun was officially registered to Garrison. It was all above board, he had a licence for it. The gun hadn’t been fired either. Looks like he got the gun for protection because he was getting scared about something. He never used it though.”

  “Back to square one,” I say.

  “Anyway, pack your bags, folks we’re off to Skye again. There’s a ferry leaving Farra at seven tomorrow morning and we’re booked on it. Constable McKenna will be travelling with us and he will have sorted the necessary search warrants by then.” She flops onto the sofa with a heartfelt sigh. “I hate boats.”

  “Looks like we might need to use my seasickness tablets this time around too. This wet and windy weather is forecast to get worse before it gets any better,” I add.

  “You’re both a couple of lightweights when it comes to travel,” Charlie teases.

  “I am not!” Martha replies indignantly. “I just prefer to travel in luxury. I’m more of a first class kind of girl that’s all.”

  “I’m sure they’ll be some seats free in the luxury lounge on tomorrow’s sailing,” he replies. “You won’t have to rough it too much!”

  “Pah! Luxury? The ferry company’s idea of a luxury lounge is somewhere that doesn’t smell of boat fuel and where the seats aren’t all threadbare and the carpet covered in chewing gum and spilt drinks.”

  “You’ll survive,” Charlie says with a laugh. “Maybe you could charm one of the guys working on the boat to let you into the area reserved for the captain or something.”

  Martha rolls her eyes and then shudders. “Have you seen the type of men who work on these ferries? I’d rather sit out on the deck then flirt with one of them!”

  I smile. Didn’t I hear at the ceilidh at the Big House that Jonah ran a couple of boats for a living and combined fishing with taking tourists out on trips around the island?

  Chapter Nineteen

  The atmosphere in the cottage is strained. Martha is doing more background stuff on the computer and Charlie, having been for a run, is in his room getting changed.

  I need to escape for a while. Get some fresh air and some space to think about the case, about Charlie. Grabbing a jacket and my phone I collect a set of car keys from the kitchen counter. At the jingling sound of the keys Martha looks over.

  “I’m just heading out for a while. I’ve got a headache. Thought some fresh air might help.”

  She nods and turns back to her computer.

  Driving along the lane from the cottage I wonder where I’m planning on going. I turn right and head towards the coast. I don’t want to go to the nearest beach, too many memories of Charlie and me there. Reaching another junction of lanes I see a sign for Kinnar. The name jumps in my mind. This is the beach Isla told me she loved coming to visit with Flynn. It was their special place. She had described it as a magical spot. Time to take a look I think. Maybe I can find something there which will help with the case.

  There’s a small rough-ground parking area with a sign pointing towards the beach. Struggling to pull my coat on with a fierce wind tugging at me I head for the sand and the crashing waves. When I reach the edge of the beach I stand and take in the view. It does indeed look like a special spot. I set off to explore, pulling on a hat. There’s not a soul in sight. Sometimes the quiet, the sense of being somewhere far removed from the bustling real world, appeals to me. At others, like now, I feel alone and empty. The situation with Charlie isn’t helping matters. The fact he shared a room with Martha in Edinburgh haunts me and though I know I should tackle the subject with him I’m scared of what he might say. Shoving my hands into my pockets my fingers close around my phone. I wonder if I have enough signal to make a call. Checking the display I see that I have. Tucking myself behind a sand dune to get some shelter from the wind I dial Debs’ number. She answers on the first ring.

  “Hiya! How’s things in the back of beyond?”

  I’m about to say everything is great and then I realise this is Debs I’m talking to. I don’t need to make excuses or tell fibs.

  “Terrible,” I reply.

  “Oh?” There’s concern in her voice as she says, “Come on, tell me everything. Is it Charlie or the case?”

  “Both.”

  “Where are you? Can you talk or are there people eavesdropping?”

  “I’m on the beach alone. I had to get out of the house for a while.”

  “So what happened?” Debs prompts.

  “Well, there was a trip to Edinburgh as part of the investigation.”

  “Yeah, I remember. You rang me the night of the storm when the power went out. Charlie was in Edinburgh then.”

  “He was. Martha was there too.”

  “He did not,” Debs cuts in. “You are not going to tell me Charlie had it off with Martha. I don’t believe you. Charlie’s great. He wouldn’t do that to you.”

  “I don’t know what happened or didn’t happen but I have found out he and Martha shared a room in Edinburgh. She told me.”

  “And you believe her? Come on, Amber she’s just trying to cause trouble.”

  I shake my head even though Debs can’t see me. “I don’t think she is. It just slipped into the conversation as though I already knew from Charlie. I didn’t admit to her that I didn’t know.”

  Debs sighs. “And you haven’t spoken to him about this? Asked him what happened?”

  “No. I’m worried what he might say.”

  “You have to talk to him, Amber. Get your butt back up to the cottage and talk to him. Now.”

  A movement across the beach catches my eye and I turn to see a figure striding purposefully towards me. I squint trying to see if I recognise the person. There’s something familiar about them. I shift around to the other side of the sand dune so that I’m completely hidden from the approaching figure. It’s a man. He’s getting closer and for a moment I think he’s walking straight towards me. I gasp as I see
who it is.

  Carter Marston.

  We thought he might be heading for Skye and a visit with Isla. That he might know about her and about the sapphires. Instead he’s here at the beach which was Isla and Flynn’s special place. That can’t just be a coincidence can it? He turns near some rocks and starts heading up towards the top of the beach and the edge of the cliffs.

  “Are you still there?” Debs demands. “Amber, come on, you know you have to have this out with Charlie and the sooner the better.”

  Marston reaches the top of the beach and walks straight towards the bottom of the cliff and it’s then I see there’s a small entrance to a cave and he’s disappearing inside it.

  A cave. My memory kicks in again. Isla telling me how Luke loved to play hide and seek in a cave down on this beach. Their beach. Their special place. Thoughts pile into my head and I catch my breath as I attempt to unravel them. The cave could be Garrison’s hiding place. This could be where he put the sapphires.

  “Debs I’ve got to go. There’s a guy here. He’s one of suspects in the case. I need to follow him. I’ll ring you again later.”

  I shut my phone off only vaguely aware of Debs’ protests. Keeping out of sight as much as possible in case Marston comes out of the cave I make my way up the beach. This has to be the place otherwise why would he be here? He certainly doesn’t look like the type of guy to enjoy a spot of leisurely beachcombing and cave exploration.

  Reaching the cave entrance I peer inside. It’s not completely dark. There must be some holes in the roof because I can see shafts of weak sunlight illuminating parts of the cave. I stand perfectly still and listen for any sound Marston might be close by. I have no idea how far back the cave goes. If I venture inside I might come face to face with him. I can’t hear any sounds from the cave though. For a second I debate my options. I can back off, go and ring Charlie or Martha or even Constable McKenna. Or I can head inside right now, while he’s here and hopefully catch him in the act. What will I do then though? I’m not trained or licensed to carry a gun yet. The agency training did include some basic self-defence and combat moves. Charlie has taught me some extra manoeuvres too. If I have the element of surprise on my side then I’ll be fine.