by Nic Saint
“Oh, and Virgil? Once you’ve put away Miss Valour, you better head on over to the Happy Bays Inn. There’s been another murder.”
Chapter 53
“I don’t think this is the right way, honey.”
Felicity wondered where Alice was taking her. They were sneaking through a field of brambles and she wasn’t liking it one bit.
“Trust me. I know this place inside out,” Alice replied. “I used to hang out here as a kid. Whenever Dad was supposed to babysit me during the holidays he just let me wander around on my own.”
Suddenly a building loomed up in front of them. “Is that…”
“The police station,” Alice confirmed.
“Hey. That’s clever.” They’d simply circled round and had now arrived at the back of the gray-bricked building. She could see a series of small windows and to the left a car park with several police vehicles.
Alice pointed. “That’s the cell block. That’s where they must be holding Reece.”
Felicity nodded admiringly. “You really do know your way around here.” Then a thought occurred to her. “Don’t tell me you want to spring Reece from jail. Cause I forgot to bring my dynamite.”
“No, of course not. Just want to see how he’s holding up.”
Love, Felicity thought, will make a woman do crazy things. She wondered why she was going along with this. But then Alice was her friend and she needed to stick by her through thick and thin, even when she was obviously about to make a fool of herself. “Which window?” she wanted to know as they approached the building.
“Not sure. Let’s find out.”
They hurried over and pressed their backs against the walls of the cell block. Then Alice quickly ducked her head up and peeked in through the window. Bars had been placed beyond the glass, making it obvious this was no ordinary room.
“Do you see him?” Felicity asked, still ducking down and checking left and right for any sign of Happy Bays’s boys and girls in blue.
“Nope. Just old Vic Gulley.”
“Probably drunk and disorderly again.”
“Yeah, probably. Let’s try the next one.”
They moved and Felicity was feeling the adrenaline pumping through her veins. This was kinda fun, she thought. Alice repeated her performance and this time she loud-whispered, “Bingo!”
“Now what?”
A tapping on the window was her response and Alice’s cheerful, “I think he saw me!”
The small window was opened from the inside and Reece’s voice sounded. “Hey, Alice. What are you doing here?”
“Just thought I’d bring you this,” she said, and shoved a paper bag full of bakery goods through the bars.
“Gee, thanks,” Reece said, the gratitude clear in his voice.
“Thank Felicity. She makes this stuff.”
“I know. Bell’s Bakery & Tea Room. Greatest pastry in the world.”
Felicity rose from her crouched position. She’d been intending to keep a low profile, but now she couldn’t resist. She popped her head up next to Alice’s. “Thanks.”
Reece grinned. “And there’s the baker herself. Won’t this get you into trouble?”
“Nah,” said Alice. “We do this all the time. When are they letting you out?”
Reece’s face clouded. “Your father told me I need to go before Judge Lockhart, apparently a very tough disciplinarian.”
Alice snorted. “Judge Lockhart? He’s a teddy bear. He’ll kiss you on both cheeks, tell you never to do it again, and send you on your merry way. When are you due?”
“Right about now, I guess.”
“Don’t worry about a thing,” Alice said, her voice soft. “Just hang in there and you’ll be out in no time.”
“Thanks, Alice. That’s nice to hear.”
The two gazed into each other’s eyes for a moment and Felicity was getting the uncomfortable feeling she wasn’t wanted nor needed at this lovers’ tryst. But just then there was a commotion behind Reece and a furious woman was practically dragged into view by an equally irate Virgil.
At the same moment Dorothy Valour locked eyes with Reece, Virgil caught sight of Alice and Felicity.
“Reece?”
“Dorothy?”
“Alice? Fe?”
“Uh-oh.”
Instantly, both Felicity and Alice dropped from view.
“Do you think we’re in trouble now?” asked Alice.
Inside the cell, a loud voice demanded, “Who are those two women, Reece?! I demand to know who those women are!”
Felicity winced. “Yeah, I think we’re in big trouble.”
Chapter 54
Reece hadn’t expected to see his fiancée. When he’d switched off his phone the previous evening he’d hoped for some respite from the demanding socialite and now here she was, about as mad as a wet cat and twice as loud.
“I demand to know who those women are!” she repeated, as if it was a mantra given to her by her Transcendental Meditation guru.
“No one,” he said. He wasn’t about to feed Alice to this crazed psychopath. Not after she brought him that delicious pastry.
Dorothy narrowed her eyes. “So that’s why you switched off your phone! That’s why you didn’t want to connect! You have one of your skanks here! Who is she, a childhood sweetheart? I knew it! I knew it!”
While Dorothy raged on, Reece wondered not for the first time why he’d ever agreed to marry this woman. He must have had a brain fart when he proposed.
But instead of duking it out with her he simply plunked himself down on the hard wooden bench, picked out a donut and started chewing away. He knew from experience that once Dorothy got going it could take a while. And nothing he said or did would stop her.
He eyed Virgil, who’d joined them in their cell and stood gazing out the window, trying to ascertain whether Alice and Felicity were still out there. The policeman turned around and gave him a look of such compassion he almost got teary-eyed. He stored it away in his memory bank for a later date. This was Oscar material, pure and simple.
“Come on,” suddenly spoke Virgil, and took him by the arm.
“Where are you taking me?”
The policeman gestured to Dorothy. “Away from her.” He gently steered him to the door, led him through, and locked it behind them.
“Hey, what about me?!” Dorothy yelled. “You can’t leave me here!”
Virgil was quick to respond. “I can and I will.”
“Reece!” Dorothy yelled, suddenly remorseful. “I didn’t mean all that. Get me out of here. Reece! Sweetheart! Darling! Honey!”
“I’m sorry, Dorothy,” Reece said, “but the engagement is off.”
“But Reecie! I didn’t mean it when I told that reporter your career was over! I was just getting back at you for ignoring me!”
Virgil murmured, “She’s a real piece of work, that one.”
He started to lead Reece away, then caught sight of the donut. “Is that one of Bell’s?”
“Yeah. Want one?”
“Don’t mind if I do. Thanks.”
“You’re welcome, officer.”
“Virgil.”
“You’re welcome, Virgil.”
“Reece! Come back here right this instant! Your career is over, you hear me? Over! Come back here you little turd!”
The heavy iron door clicked into place, and Reece sighed with relief. He realized he’d just been sprung from prison in more ways than one.
“Let’s get you out of here, Mr. Hudson,” said Virgil as he led his charge along the corridor.
“Reece, please, Virgil.”
“Right you are, Reece.”
Chapter 55
The meeting had been called by Alice and seven participants now sat around the coffee table in Mary Long’s living room. The place was a little bit spooky, Alice thought, but then that was exactly the reason they were here. And why Suzy had agreed to smuggle them in, even though the room was off-limits and cordoned off with yellow police tape.
The murder of Mary Long had shocked the small community of Happy Bays even more than Alistair’s had.
Whatever Alistair’s positive traits had been he’d always been Mr. Grumpy and his death, however shocking, hadn’t elicited as much emotion as Mary’s had.
Mary Long had been beloved by all and her death couldn’t go unpunished.
Alice’s gaze traveled over the antique furnishings decorating the room, and her eyes fixed on a painting of the Happy Bays Inn that was the room’s centerpiece. Alistair himself had painted it years ago, and it depicted the inn in all its splendor, lush greens, a blazing sun and a vivid sapphire sky as its backdrop. It was an invigorating sight, and she could imagine Mary and Alistair had been immensely proud of the inn.
Felicity sat to Alice’s right and Bettina, Mabel and Marjorie had also joined. The newcomers today were Reece Hudson and Felicity’s mother Bianca. Together, Alice had decided, they needed to crack this case.
Another murder had taken place, already the fourth, and it was time to put a stop to this madness.
“I think we can all agree that Mary would have wanted us to convene here,” she opened the meeting.
“She was a wonderful friend,” murmured Bianca, who’d been dabbing at her eyes. “I will miss her terribly.”
“We will all miss her terribly,” echoed Bettina. “Even though we had our differences, she will be sorely missed.”
“Do you realize this might be the last time we set foot in the inn? I’m told that very soon now it will be sold and demolished.” Mabel shook her head.
Marjorie looked shocked. “Demolished? You can’t be serious?”
“Such a great place,” said Reece. “You would think they want to keep it.”
“Rumor has it a big player has already contacted Rob and Ruth and they’ve accepted the offer,” said Mabel, who was always the first to know about such things. She lowered her voice. “Twenty million dollars!”
“Good for them,” said Bianca ruefully.
“Yes,” agreed Bettina, “they always were a bunch of money-grubbing—”
“Let’s not dwell on that,” suggested Felicity. “We’re here to solve a murder—”
“Four murders,” corrected Alice.
“Four murders, not speak ill of Mary and Alistair’s children.”
“I wonder if they’ll ever show their faces again,” muttered Bettina, “after the place is sold and torn down.”
“Let’s go over the list of suspects again,” suggested Alice.
The others pricked up their ears. “I think it’s safe to say we don’t have any suspects left,” said Marjorie. “I talked to Virgil and he says they’re at a complete loss.” She ticked off on her fingers. “The man they found in the closet was a career criminal, a well-known hired killer and so was the second man who was found this morning. Two hitmen.”
“Do they know who killed them?” Reece wanted to know.
“All they know is that the first man’s name was Malcolm Samovar,” continued Marjorie, “and that he killed Mary Long. A club was found next to the body. The second man was called Nathan Cox, and police found the gun used in the murder of Alistair Long in his luggage. Both men were killed with a knife.”
Alice thought about this. “So Nathan killed Alistair, Malcolm killed Mary, but who killed the killers?”
Marjorie shook her head. “So far they have no idea.”
Mabel pursed her lips in thought. “Whoever killed these hired murderers must have been the client. The one behind the whole thing.”
“That’s what Virgil told me.” Marjorie turned to Reece. “Is it true you offered him a part in your next movie?”
Reece laughed. “Oh, he told you about that, did he? Yeah, I’m thinking about setting my next movie in Happy Bays.”
Appreciative murmurs went around the table.
“What about Crunch Time 4?” Alice wanted to know. “Isn’t that supposed to be your next movie?”
Reece made a sweeping gesture with his hand. “I’m wiping the slate clean. This community has inspired me. Well, at least certain people in this community.”
When his gaze lingered on her, Alice felt her cheeks redden and quickly changed the subject. “So what do we know about the client?”
All eyes turned to Marjorie, now their official police source. But she lifted her shoulders. “Like I said, they don’t have a lot to go on. He or she must hold a grudge against the Longs, for they were obviously the target. He or she hired professional hitmen to do the job, then, for some reason we don’t know, the client decided to get rid of them both.”
“Perhaps they got into an argument and killed each other,” Bettina suggested.
Marjorie shook her head. “These men formed a team apparently. They’d worked together before and came as a package deal. And their services didn’t come cheap, either. So whoever is behind this was willing to pay a lot of money to have Alistair and Mary murdered.”
Bianca sniffed and pressed her nose into her handkerchief again. “Poor, poor Mary. I saw her only the other day. She told me she was thinking of chucking the whole thing. What with Alistair gone and her kids pressuring her. She even thought about following her husband into the grave.”
“I can only imagine,” said her sister. “If something were to happen to Achilles, I don’t know what I would do.”
The atmosphere around the table had turned maudlin, and Alice realized they were simply lost. Perhaps her father was right and a murder investigation like this was best left to professionals. If even the police couldn’t catch the killer, why would they have more luck?
“I think perhaps my dad was right,” she admitted. “Perhaps we really can’t do much.”
“Nonsense,” Bettina piped up. “We’re just as capable of solving this murder as your father is, or Virgil. No offense, Marjorie.”
“That’s all right. My son is a strapping young man, but not the finest sleuth in the sleuth shop, I’m afraid. Do you know what he told me? He said the Longs had been keen on selling the place for a long time. Can you imagine? Everyone knows they wanted to hold on to the inn for as long as they possibly could, not sell it.”
Everyone shared a light chuckle at this, except Alice. “Why did he think that?”
Marjorie shook her head. “Some nonsense about a developer who came forward just now, claiming he had a contract and wanting to know what would happen now that the parties were deceased.”
“A contract? There’s a contract, signed by Mary and Alistair?” Bianca wanted to know.
“That’s what this developer claims. It’s obvious he’s a fraud.”
They left it at that, and Alice adjourned the meeting. There was no point in postponing the inevitable conclusion that the team had failed. With a sinking feeling Alice decided they’d better stick to reprimanding speeding drivers, graffiti-spraying kids, owners of pooping dogs and jaywalking pedestrians from now on, just like they’d always done.
Murder, it seemed, was simply out of their league.
Chapter 56
Rob stared before him with unseeing eyes. Now that his dream was finally about to come true he was having second thoughts. The inn had been in his family all this time, founded by his parents and turned into a prosperous business with hard work and a loving heart. They’d done so much and for what? Only to have it all razed to the ground and replaced by some monstrosity?
He found himself wondering what would happen if he stepped in. He shook his head. This was simply crazy talk. He wasn’t ready to run an inn. What about the guests, the worries, and the stress? No, better to accept the offer that was on the table and not have to worry about money for the rest of his life.
Besides, there was Maggie to think of and his sister. They had a say in this as well.
He looked up when Neil Domino entered the room. The kindly old man was sprightly, to say the least, for he entered with a spring in his step and a twinkle in his eye that belied his lined face and white hair. He’d been Alistair and Mary�
�s banker for forty years and had even loaned them the money to start the place.
As a personal friend of the family Neil had been appointed executor of the will, and had invited them to his home office to discuss a matter of some importance. Or so he had said in his urgent request for a meeting.
“Please be seated,” the banker said and took a seat himself behind his ornate mahogany desk, which stood like a stage prop in the center of the room.
He placed a pair of horn-rimmed spectacles on his nose and eyed his present audience over them.
“Rob and Ruth Long?”
“Yes,” murmured both Rob and Ruth.
“And I’m Rob’s wife Maggie,” added Maggie quite unnecessarily.
“Yes, yes,” said the man, turning his attention to the document on the table. “I’ve asked you here on such short notice because I’ve received a letter from the inn’s buyer.”
Rob sat bolt upright at this. “Buyer? What buyer?”
The banker leaned back and eyed them owlishly. “Yes. I wasn’t at liberty to discuss this before, but before he passed away Alistair Long decided to sell the Happy Bays Inn.”
“He what?!”
The white-haired banker nodded. “Alistair wanted to use the money to build a house on Barrow’s Grove. Alas, before negotiations could be finalized he passed away, at which point ownership passed to Mary, and before she could leave instructions, she…passed away as well. So the buyer, I’m afraid to say, has no legal claim, as no final version of the contract exists, only the initial letter of intent as drawn up in my presence on October the fifth last year.”
Rob and Ruth shared a look of shock and surprise. “They never told us. I—I thought they didn’t want to sell.”
“No, well, they wanted to keep this a secret for the time being, seeing as the Happy Bays Inn is such a landmark in the local community, and they expected quite a backlash.” He removed the spectacles. “You see…Rob…Ruth…” He chewed the stem of his glasses thoughtfully, before continuing. “Your mother was not well. She was diagnosed with breast cancer a couple of months ago. She only had a few more years to live, at most. Alistair decided that he didn’t want to spend those years slaving away at the inn, but rather sell the place, use the money for treatment, and spend the remaining years they had together in the dream house he’d always promised her to build.”
