Murder on the East Coast: A Cedar Bay Cozy Mystery

by Dianne Harman

  “Come in, Ryan,” she said, continuing to rapidly blink as she stepped away from the door. She saw Ryan’s hand go to his waist as his other hand violently pushed the door back as forcibly as he could, catching Clint off guard and causing him to lose his balance in his drunken condition and drop his gun. Kelly reached for the Logan Family History book and threw it at Clint, hitting him squarely on the side of his head with the heavy book. It seemed everyone in the room was in a flurry of motion. Ryan drew a gun from a holster attached to his belt, while Megan picked up Clint’s gun. Kelly reached over and took it from her trembling hands.

  “Don’t move, mister,” Ryan shouted in a loud commanding voice. “You’ve got two guns on you, and as soon as the police get here, there will be more. Stretch your hands out in front of you. I want to see them. I’m calling the police chief. I play golf with him, and he happens to be a friend of mine.”

  Within minutes the room was filled with men and women in blue uniforms. Clint was handcuffed and taken away by two policemen. As he left, Kelly heard him say, “I demand to call Mother. You have no idea who you are dealing with. I’m Clint Logan of the Boston Logans. My mother will have her lawyer get me out on bail as soon as I make the call.”

  The burly policeman who was behind him said, “Don’ think so, pal. Judges take a real dim view around here of people who are charged with three counts of attempted murder, plus the three people in the hotel room tell us you also admitted to a double homicide back in Virginia. Don’t think being a Boston Logan will do you a bit of good. Know there’s a Logan airport in Boston, and even if it was named after your family, still wouldn’t help you here. Pal, you’re toast, and you’re gonna be toast for a long time.”

  The hotel corridor was filled with curious guests and onlookers. For the next hour Kelly, Megan, and Ryan told the police chief and his detectives what had happened. Kelly gave the piece of paper with the threat on it to the police chief. When the last one had left, Kelly turned to Megan and said, “How are you doing? You’ve been through so much in your life, and now this. I wanted to be the one to tell you about your mother and do it in a kinder and gentler way. I’m so sorry it didn’t happen that way.”

  “I don’t know what to think,” Megan said as tears stared to roll down her cheeks. “I’ve never been happier than when my mother and I were reunited, and now this. It’s as if something precious was given to me and then brutally ripped away.”

  “Megan, why don’t you come home with me tonight?” Kelly said. “I live in Cedar Bay which is about two hours from here. I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to be by yourself tonight. A friend of mine is picking me up, and I have three dogs who would like to do nothing more than make you feel good. You can call court tomorrow and tell them you’ve had a family emergency, but I think you need a little time to let all of this settle in.”

  “Thank you. That’s really kind of you. Actually the judge who’s in charge of the trial I had scheduled for tomorrow and Friday had a family emergency and canceled all of her cases for the next two days. If you’re sure it wouldn’t be an imposition, I think I’d like some company. Let me pack my things, and I’ll check out.”

  “Kelly, I’ll check out for Megan. You stay here with her. I’ll see you downstairs in a few minutes,” Ryan said.

  “Wait a minute, Ryan. Do you always carry a gun?”

  He smiled sheepishly and said, “No. I had a call last night from a man named Sheriff Mike Reynolds. Think you know him. Anyway, he said you had a tendency to get into dangerous situations, and he’d feel a lot better knowing I was carrying a gun when I was with you. It’s a good thing I had it because we sure didn’t know when we put Julie’s gun in the trunk of my car that we’d need one.”

  “Well, he promised he wouldn’t make that call, but under the circumstances, I’m glad he did.”

  “Me too, and I think it was kind of fitting that the book you threw at Clint was the Logan Family History. Sort of karmic justice,” he said with a smile on his face as he opened the door and walked out.

  While Megan was packing, Kelly texted Liz who said she was on her way and she also texted Mike saying the case was solved, and she was bringing Julie’s daughter, Megan, home with her. She told him she’d give him all the details when she got home.

  CHAPTER 25

  Liz pulled into the driveway and immediately the front door opened and Rebel, Lady, and Skyy raced out to greet Kelly, followed by Mike who put his arms around Kelly and kissed her. He stepped back, looked at Megan and said, “You must be Megan. Excuse the dogs. They’re just a little excited at the moment. I’m Mike, Kelly’s husband. Welcome to Cedar Bay. The boxer is Rebel, the yellow lab is Lady, and the German shepherd who’s running around in circles and still has a lot of puppy in her is Skyy. Let me get your bag.”

  “Thanks, Liz,” Kelly said. “I really appreciate you driving over to Portland to pick me up. I promise I’ll return the favor. Say hi to Doc for me.” Kelly had been responsible for Doc starting a new life in Cedar Bay and Liz, his wife, was part of that happy story. Although it had been several years earlier, they were still close, and Doc remained one of the regular lunchtime customers at Kelly’s Koffee Shop.

  Kelly, Megan, and Mike walked into the house followed by three very happy dogs. Having Kelly back was great, but even better was having a new person around they hoped they could get to play with them. Since belly rubs were their favorite thing, they were sure this stranger would know what to do when they rolled over on their backs.

  Mike walked down the hall and said, “Megan, here’s the guest bedroom. There’s an attached bathroom. Let us know if you need anything. I don’t know what happened tonight, but it looks like you could use a good night’s sleep. The good news is the dogs would love to make a new friend. The bad news is they will probably be in your room until you shoo them out and close the door, and please, feel free to do so.”

  “Kelly, Mike, thank you so much for letting me stay with you. I really am tired. I think I’d like to go to bed. I hope the dogs understand. I promise I’ll give them some attention in the morning.”

  “Megan, you do whatever feels good to you,” Kelly said. “Feel free to sleep in. We’ll both be around in the morning. I’ve already arranged for someone to handle my coffee shop. I don’t have to go back to work until next week. Let me get you some fresh towels for you.”

  She started down the hall to the linen closet when Mike stopped her. “I decided to be a good host, and I’ve already done that. I don’t know what happened, but I think you probably need a little rest as well. You look tired and ought to head off to bed, but first let’s go into the other room, and you can tell me everything.”

  “Mike, you have no idea how good it is to be home. That poor young woman. She found her mother and only a couple of weeks later, she loses her mother. By the way, thanks for calling Ryan. He saved our lives.”

  “Well now, isn’t that just swell? How can you offhandedly say someone saved your life? If I played a part in that, I’m glad, but I would like to hear exactly how he saved your life and what led up to it.”

  Kelly spent the next hour telling Mike everything that had happened from the time she’d ended her call to him the evening before to Clint’s arrest and then her trip to Cedar Bay with Megan and Liz. When she was finished she said, “So, Mike, what do you think?”

  “I think Megan was very lucky you happened to call her, and I think you and Megan were very lucky I happened to call Ryan. There is one thing that’s concerning me.”

  “What?” Kelly asked, as she stretched and yawned, the climactic events of the day starting to catch up with her.

  “You didn’t say anything about Mrs. Logan. Do you know if she’s been told that Clint’s in custody? If he’s called her, I can’t believe that kind of news would be good for someone in her condition.”

  “Mike, with everything that’s happened in the last few hours, no, I didn’t even think to call her. I wonder if she knows. It’s late back there w
ith the time difference, but I think I’ll send a long text to Celia about everything that’s happened. At least if Mrs. Logan has been told, Celia will have the facts.”

  “I think that’s a good idea, and I have another idea which you may not like.”

  “If you say it that way, I probably won’t, but go ahead, shoot,” Kelly said.

  “I think when you text Celia you should tell her that you and Megan are flying to Boston tomorrow. Lower your eyebrows, Kelly, and let me finish. Anyway, Clint and Megan are her only relatives that we know of, and I imagine Clint is going to be spending a long time in prison, either here in Oregon or in Virginia, depending on what the prosecuting attorneys decide to do about the charges pending against him.

  “I think you should tell Mrs. Logan in person about Clint and also introduce her to Megan, the granddaughter she’s never met. Think about it while I let the dogs out.”

  He returned a few minutes later, and said, “Well?”

  “As much as I don’t want to do it, I probably should. I’ll ask Celia if it would be all right for us to come and tell her to make a reservation for us at the Parker House for tomorrow night. I can fly back Friday, and Megan can decide what she wants to do after she meets with Mrs. Logan.”

  “I think that’s a good idea, but if I were you, I’d make the travel arrangements now. Celia’s probably in bed and won’t look at your text until tomorrow morning. If she says it’s not a good idea to come, all you have to do is cancel the reservations.”

  “Do you think I should ask Megan if she even wants to go? Maybe she’d like to forget about the whole family thing.”

  “I don’t think you should wake her, and as strongly as she pursued finding her mother, I can’t believe she wouldn’t want to meet her grandmother, particularly, since other than her uncle Clint, that’s her only other biological relative. If for some reason it turns out she doesn’t want to go, at least you’ll have your reservation, but I do think you owe it to Mrs. Logan to tell her exactly what happened. I’m sure the story she’ll get from Clint will be much different. My schedule at work is clear for tomorrow morning, so I can take you to Portland. See if you can get an early flight.”

  “Okay. I’ll get started. Why don’t you go on to bed? I’ll be there as soon as I make the flight reservations and text Celia. Oh, there’s one other thing I need to do.”

  “What’s that?”

  “I need to text Stephanie and tell her what happened. She was going to schedule a meeting with Sophie tomorrow afternoon and find out why she went to Norfolk. I was going to meet with them. Guess that’s unnecessary now, but I am curious why she went.”

  “Okay, I’m off to bed. Welcome home,” Mike said as he walked down the hall.

  CHAPTER 26

  Kelly’s text message alert went off at 5:00 the next morning. She reached over and read the message Celia had written.

  “Yes, please come and bring Megan. With her health issues, Marcy has been concerned she’d never have the chance to meet her granddaughter. Clint called last night and told Mrs. Logan to hire an attorney for him. He said there had been a misunderstanding. She said she wanted to talk to you first and told me he sounded really strange. She was planning on calling you this morning. I think I need to read her your text before you get here. At least she’ll have a chance to absorb what has happened, and knowing that her granddaughter is coming to meet her will probably help boost her spirits. Text me with your flight arrangements, and I’ll have Jasper pick you up at the airport, and forget about the Parker House. We have more empty bedrooms in this house than we know what to do with.”

  Kelly texted her back with their flight arrival information and went into the kitchen to make a pot of coffee. The flight she’d made reservations on left Portland at 8:00 a.m., so there wasn’t much time to spare. Getting dressed, packed, and grabbing a cup of coffee for the drive would take up the next forty-five minutes.

  She knocked on Megan’s door and opened it. “Megan, I’m sorry to wake you, but I need to talk to you,” Kelly said.

  “What is it?” Megan asked groggily.

  “Since you said you were free the next few days, I took the liberty of making plane reservations for us to go to Boston. I’ve been in touch with your grandmother’s caregiver, and I want to tell your grandmother what happened with Clint in person. Her caregiver told me your grandmother is very anxious to meet you. Given her state of health, I feel time is of the essence. We really don’t have much time. Our flight leaves Portland at 8:00 this morning. Mike will drive us to the airport. You need to get dressed and packed. Coffee will be ready in a few minutes. Is there anything you need?”

  “No, not really,” Megan said, now very much awake. “I can’t believe I’m going to meet my grandmother. Are you sure it’s a good idea?”

  “Absolutely. If it wasn’t, I never would have made the reservations, and I probably couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t tell your grandmother about Clint in person. See you in a few minutes.”

  Kelly walked back into the master bedroom, bent over and gave a sleeping Mike a kiss. He opened his eyes and smiled at her. “Mike, it’s kind of like that fairy tale. When I kissed you, you woke up. Remember which one it was?”

  “I think it was Sleeping Beauty, but don’t quote me. Do you have to sound so chipper this early? The sun isn’t even up yet.”

  “I heard from Celia, and the trip is a go. Megan’s getting ready, and we need to leave in about half an hour. I made coffee. You need to roll out of bed and get ready to drive us to the airport. Sorry to desert you again, but you were right, I do need to tell Mrs. Logan in person everything that’s happened.”

  “Kelly, I just thought of something. I wonder when Ryan is planning on telling Mark about his windfall. Do you know if he even has Mark’s contact information?”

  “No. Let me text him. Since I know Mark, maybe I should be the one to tell him.” She quickly texted Ryan and received an answer a few minutes later just as she stepped out of the shower. “He must get up early,” she said. “Mike, he asked if I would tell Mark he’s to receive Julie’s entire estate including the house and the ten million dollars. When I return from Boston I’m to give him Mark’s contact information, and he’ll take care of all the legal probate details. Wow! What a day this is going to be.”

  “What are you doing now?” Mike asked as he watched her hurriedly typing on her cell phone.

  “I texted Mark and asked him if he could meet me at Mrs. Logan’s around seven this evening. I told him it was very important. Ahh, he’s already texted me back and said yes. Hurry, you need to get dressed.”

  The three of them left the house at five forty-five and easily drove to the airport in far less time than it usually took. Of course, being in a black and white sheriff’s patrol car with the red lights activated and the siren blaring probably helped.

  “Ladies, I’m going to drop you off rather than go in with you. I need to get back to Cedar Bay, but I’ll sure be thinking about you today and tonight,” Mike said. He took their luggage out of the trunk, kissed Kelly warmly and then kissed Megan on the cheek. “Be safe. Kelly, I’ll see you tomorrow and Megan, I hope it won’t be long before I see you again, too. Goodbye and good luck.” He got back in his patrol car and slowly pulled into traffic.

  “Well, Megan,” Kelly said as they walked into the terminal, “It’s going to be interesting to see what this day brings.”

  CHAPTER 27

  Kelly and Megan landed at Logan Airport in Boston at 4:30 in the afternoon, local time. They easily retrieved their luggage from the baggage carousel and walked towards the door. As soon as Kelly opened the door she saw Jasper standing next to the black limousine, waiting for them.

  “Jasper, thank you so much for picking us up. Megan, I want you to meet Jasper, your grandmother’s driver. Jasper, this is Megan, Julie’s daughter.”

  For a moment Jasper stood perfectly still, seemingly dumbstruck as he looked at Megan. Then he said, “I’m sorry for staring, Miss
Megan, but I feel like I’m looking at Miss Julie. You’re the spitting image of your mother. I’ll get your luggage and put it in the trunk,” he said as he opened the limousine’s rear door for them.

  Twenty minutes later the limousine pulled up in front of the Logan mansion. Megan stared at it, wide-eyed. Kelly thought she saw a drape in one of the windows pulled back slightly and wondered if Mrs. Logan or Celia had been looking out the window watching for them.

  Kelly glanced at Megan and saw how nervous she was. She reached over and put her hand on Megan’s arm. “Just relax, it’s going to be fine. Trust me. Your grandmother is a lovely woman.”

  Before Kelly and Megan could knock on the front door, it was opened by Celia. She hugged Kelly and looked at Megan. “Of course you’re Julie’s daughter. I’d know you anywhere. Come, I need a hug from you, too.” They walked into the hallway and Celia said, “Your grandmother is in the drawing room. I must tell you, Megan, she’s very nervous about meeting you.”

  “You’re kidding. You think she’s nervous! I’ve never been so nervous in my life. What if she doesn’t like me or something?”

  “Trust me. She’s been waiting for this moment for a long time, although with everything that’s happened, it’s rather bittersweet.”

  They entered the drawing room, and Kelly saw Marcy’s small frame seated in a chair at the far end of the room. Her piercing blue eyes took everything in, and in a strong voice she said, “Child, please come here. I want to see my granddaughter.”

  Kelly and Celia hung back as Megan slowly walked over to her grandmother. They looked at each other for a moment and it was very apparent to both Kelly and Celia that each of them was struggling to hold back their emotions. Finally, Mrs. Logan said, “Child, it’s customary in Boston for grandchildren to give their grandmother a hug and a kiss. Please, won’t you come here?” Tears ran down Megan’s face as she embraced her grandmother who was also crying. Kelly didn’t realize she was crying until Celia handed her a handkerchief. Several long moments went by and no one spoke. Megan and Marcy simply clasped hands, smiled at each other, and continued crying.