by Diane Capri
“How can I help you, sir?” I asked, giving my standard greeting a lot more feeling than I normally did.
He flashed me a megawatter, and I nearly melted on the spot. “I’ve checked in today. Here on business. I’m sure the restaurants at the hotel are amazing. But, for variety, can you recommend a few others for me to try?”
“Absolutely.” I reached into my desk and pulled out a tri-fold brochure advertising the best restaurants of Frontenac Island and Frontenac City. I opened the brochure and pointed out the one I liked best. “These are all good. But Top of the Lilac is one of my favorites. Steak and seafood, and a farm-to-table menu to die for. Give it a try. You won’t be disappointed.”
“Thank you.” He took the brochure from me, and his fingers touched mine briefly, sending a taser-like shot of electricity through me. And I noticed he wasn’t wearing a wedding ring.
Man, this guy was hot! I glanced around frantically for Ginny, but I didn’t see her. How could I get her connected with him? It would help if I knew his name.
I extended my hand. “I’m Andi Steele. It’s my job to help you with whatever you need while you’re our guest, so feel free to call me anytime.”
“I’ll certainly do that, Ms. Steele. Thank you,” he replied and walked away without offering his name.
I watched as he walked to the elevator, but I couldn’t see which button he pushed. I considered following him to find out his room number, but then I noticed some of the front staff buzzing about, whispering behind hands, and then running off to another employee to pass on the word. Frowning, I watched as Lane speed-walked across the floral carpet over to my desk, his eyes flitting everywhere, as if he were about to get caught doing something illegal, immoral, or both.
He leaned over the counter. “Did you hear?”
“Hear what?”
His expression was a mix of horror and excitement. “June Biddle was arrested for Brittany Gervais’s murder.”
“What?!” My exclamation came out louder than I’d expected, and a few people in the lobby swirled around to look at me.
He nodded furiously. “It’s true. Shannon over at Blossom saw the sheriff take her into the station.”
My heartbeat slowed a couple of clicks, making it possible to breathe normally again, and I frowned at him. “Lane, really. I’m surprised at you, spreading that kind of gossip. Just because the sheriff escorted June to the station doesn’t necessarily mean she was arrested. Or that Brittany was murdered, for that matter.”
He paused for a second, probably realizing I was right. “Well, maybe. But Shannon said June was in handcuffs.” He gave me a satisfied nod, and then he speed-walked back to the front desk.
I couldn’t believe Brittany was murdered. Who would want to kill her? She was a florist, for heaven’s sake.
But if the sheriff was questioning people, then that meant the autopsy must have uncovered something substantial. I took out my cell phone and dialed Sheriff Jackson. It rang three times and then went to voice mail.
“It’s Andi. Call me back right away. There’s a lot of talk going on here at the hotel about June.”
Just as I was putting my phone away, Lois marched across the lobby toward my desk wearing a heavy scowl, like a storm cloud moving in.
“I know. I heard about June,” I said before she could.
She nodded once. “It’s ridiculous is what it is. How dare he take that poor woman into the station in handcuffs! Everyone knows June couldn’t and wouldn’t hurt a fly.”
Lois was upset about her friend, but her annoyance was also influenced by June’s connection to the Park. June was our florist. Had been for years. And as Lois had told me yesterday when we thought June could win the Flower Festival contest, what happened to June was a reflection on the Park Hotel, too.
“Obviously, something about Brittany’s death is suspicious. The sheriff is just trying to cover all the bases, I’m sure.”
“You found her body. Was there something out of the ordinary?”
I shook my head. “I’m not a doctor or a coroner, Lois.”
“You need to find out what is going on.”
“Why me?”
“Because Sheriff Jackson will talk to you. He likes you.”
I frowned. “I don’t know that he likes me—”
“Oh, he does. I can tell, and I know men. Henry thinks so, too.” She fiddled with the pendant around her neck that her husband, Henry, had given her for their anniversary shortly before he died. Lois had been unable to let Henry go. She still talked to him and insisted that he was hanging around the Park, just as he always had.
I wasn’t about to comment on Henry’s opinions, so I stuck with the Parks who were currently alive. “Lois, I’m a little shocked. Normally, both you and Samuel want me to steer clear of anything that might disparage the hotel.”
She arched her eyebrows at me. “This is different. You need to go down to the station right now and help our June. I refuse to believe she’s some kind of cold-blooded killer. The sheriff has made a mistake. A big one. And you need to help him see that. Immediately.”
I cocked my head. “You know that I’m not a practicing lawyer anymore. I can’t be June’s lawyer.”
She gave me a look. “You’re an intelligent woman, Andi. I’m sure you will figure a way around that particular problem. You have done it before when you weren’t supposed to get involved in solving a murder.”
After another round of arguing with my boss that I also lost, I put the “gone to lunch” sign on the concierge desk and headed out to snag a golf cart and head into the village. The next thing I knew, I stood in the lobby of the sheriff’s station trying to sweet-talk Deputy Shawn, who was openly smirking at me.
“The sheriff is busy,” he said, then went back to texting on his cell phone.
“I realize that.” I clasped my hands to avoid snatching the damn phone out of his hand and tossing it across the room. “Could you let him know I am here, please? It’s regarding June Biddle and why she’s being questioned.”
He didn’t bother looking up. “He’s busy, and I’m not about to disturb him.”
“Fine. I’ll wait.” I harrumphed, just to let him know I wasn’t pleased—in case he hadn’t figured that out yet—and then moved to sit in one of the uncomfortable visiting chairs.
He gave me a hard glare and another smirk. “Knock yourself out, lady.” Deputy Shawn and I had a mutual disdain for each other. I knew why I didn’t like him. He was an insufferable nitwit. But for the life of me, I couldn’t figure out why he didn’t like me. Unless it was because I was a complete amateur and I showed him up every chance I got. For that, I was not even a little bit sorry.
Two hours and one numb butt later, I heard the door to the back offices open, and June walked into the lobby. I stood and went to her. Her face was pale, and she looked shell-shocked. I grabbed her hand. It was cold and clammy.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
She glanced at me vacantly, but nodded. I led her to the chair I had been using and got her to sit.
“Wait here for me.”
She nodded again, and I went back to the counter. “Where’s the sheriff?”
Deputy Shawn shrugged.
I’d had enough of his crap. I leaned over the counter. “Sheriff Jackson! Sheriff Jackson, I need to talk to you!”
Deputy Shawn looked at me. “What is your problem? I should arrest you for disturbing the peace.”
“You, you lazy—”
“For Pete’s sake, Andi,” the sheriff came around the corner, “why are you yelling in my station?”
“I want to talk to you, and your deputy here refused to let you know I was here.”
The sheriff gave Deputy Shawn a disparaging look and then gestured for me to come through to his office. Which I did, tamping down the urge to flip Deputy Shawn the bird as I passed on by. What a jerk.
I slid into the visitor’s chair by Sheriff Jackson’s desk as he took a seat behind it, running a hand throug
h his hair. “I assume you’re here because of June.”
“Yes. Lois Park sent me. She says Henry’s upset, too.” Sheriff Jackson cast me an Oh really? glance when I mentioned Henry, which I understood perfectly. But he didn’t interrupt, so I continued. “What’s going on? I thought Brittany died of a heart attack or an aneurysm or something.”
He folded his hands on his desk and leaned forward. “Preliminary tox screen came back. She was poisoned.”
I gasped. “Poisoned? Are you sure? What did Dr. Neumann say?”
He shook his head. “You know I can’t give you particulars, Andi.”
“And you think June poisoned Brittany? Our June? The woman who won’t even stomp on caterpillars?” I asked, unsuccessfully attempting to control my incredulity.
He sighed and rubbed his chin. “We have to start somewhere. June had motive and means.”
I gave him a deadpan look. “You think June—June, for heaven’s sake—would murder Brittany over a flower-arranging contest?”
“People have been killed for less.”
My mouth fell open. “They have? Really? I’m having trouble believing that, Sheriff.”
He leaned back in his chair. “When I worked as a deputy sheriff in Texas, I picked up a domestic call. The boyfriend smashed in his girlfriend’s head with an iron skillet because they were out of eggs and he was hungry. So, yeah, I think someone could kill over a silly little contest.”
That was the first real personal piece of information he’d ever offered to me. It afforded me a brief glimpse of the reason he’d come to this little island paradise. To get away from the domestics and the murder and mayhem, and maybe the Texas heat, too. Too bad crime happened everywhere, even here.
“What did June say to you? Does she have an alibi?”
“Says she was working at her booth and then went for a short walk through the festival grounds.”
“Then someone will have seen her,” I said.
“There have been hundreds of people coming and going throughout the festival. We aren’t going to be able to talk to everyone.” He paused. “Some of those people have already left the island, and we’ll never find them. You know how many day tourists we get here every single day?”
I took in a breath to speak, but he put his hand up to stop me.
“No, we can’t close the island and sequester everyone.”
“I wasn’t necessarily going to say that.”
“What were you going to say, then?” He cocked an eyebrow.
“Have you talked to someone named Tyler?”
Frowning, he opened up his notebook and flipped through the pages. “Nope, no Tyler on my list. Who is he?”
“I’m not sure, but I saw a man named Tyler arguing with Brittany earlier yesterday, during the football match.”
“Boyfriend?”
I nodded. “Ex-boyfriend, I’d guess. Sounded like he’d been calling her and she was avoiding him, and he followed her to the festival to talk to her. Which she didn’t like at all. Seemed like the breakup wasn’t amicable.”
“What did he look like?”
“Tall, about your height, skinny, wavy dark hair.”
He wrote all that down in his notebook.
“What was she poisoned with?” I asked.
He leaned back in his chair. “Not sure. It wasn’t arsenic or cyanide.”
“Easiest thing would be a plant-based poison, considering her profession. A poisonous plant or a concoction of some sort made from plants Brittany already owned.”
He nodded. “Most likely.”
“Which could also make June most likely.” I sighed.
He rubbed at the dark stubble on his chin. “Yeah. Unfortunately.”
“Is she under arrest?”
“Not yet. We’re still gathering evidence,” he said. “And before you ask, we didn’t really handcuff her. That’s a rumor. Nothing more. So, I’d appreciate it if you’d squelch it when you hear it again.”
“Does June need a lawyer?”
He just looked at me, unflinching.
“Please do not tell me that the only lawyer available to her is old man Hobbs.”
He opened a desk drawer and pulled out a business card, which he handed to me. “Call her. She’s on the mainland but will drop everything and jump on the ferry for the right price. Otherwise, Hobbs it is.”
“Thanks.” I put the card into my purse and zipped it again.
I had been struggling with those damn pink gloves. But in the end, the truth would come out. If I didn’t tell him now, and he found out later that I’d known all along…well, that would not be a good thing. He’d never trust me again, and I wouldn’t blame him, really.
I took another breath and forged ahead. “So, you know those pink gardening gloves found by Brittany’s body?”
He tilted his head. “What about them?”
“June had an identical pair. I saw her wearing them hours before I found Brittany in the gazebo. During the football game, actually. When I asked her about them later, she said she must’ve lost them.”
The sheriff nodded, and also sighed, then wrote down the information I provided. He liked June as much as the rest of us did, and I could tell all of this was wearing on him. How could it not?
“Everyone at the hotel is very upset about all of this. June is absolutely beloved by all of us.” I leaned back in my chair and shook my head. “This really and truly sucks.”
“Yeah, it does. But it’s what happens when you live in a small town and get to know people.” He fiddled with his notebook, opening and closing it. “When you first came here, you didn’t know anyone, so it was easy to suspect and question and play crime-solver. You had no stake in the outcome.”
I gave him a side-eye. “Is this where you ask me to apologize for being a jerk to you about how you handled that investigation?”
“No, of course not.” His lips twitched. “I would never ask you to do that, however warranted it is.”
I nodded, my lips slightly twitching as well. I stood to leave. “Oh, just an FYI, your Deputy Shawn is a jackass and not very good at his job.”
He nodded. “Yeah, I’ve come to realize. I’m looking to get him transferred out. But there’s not a lot of trained law enforcement professionals clamoring for this beat.”
“Well, surely you can do better than him.” I walked to the door, put my hand on the knob.
The sheriff said, “But just so you know, I’m not replacing him because he insulted you or has treated you poorly.”
I made a face. “Of course not. I would never think you would make personnel changes just because of me.” I opened the door and left.
I returned to the lobby. I had planned on driving June home and having a long talk with her to get her side of the story. I needed to know that she didn’t have anything to do with Brittany’s death. Because if she had, then Lois had the right to know. Samuel, too. Even though I really didn’t want to be the one who delivered the bad news to either of them.
But when I reached the lobby, June’s chair was empty and she was gone.
Chapter 9
I swirled around and glared at Deputy Shawn. “Where did June go?”
He shrugged. “How should I know? I’m not responsible for everyone’s comings and goings.” Then he went back to his cell phone again.
Instead of launching across the front desk and strangling the worthless twit, I pushed open the main doors and rushed outside. I glanced left and right looking for a curly-haired redhead in distress.
I ran across to June’s shop, careful to avoid a speeding tandem bike running down the middle of the street. I pushed on the door, but it was locked, the closed sign still showing. I banged on the glass. “June! It’s Andi! June, if you’re in there, please let me in.”
No answer. I waited a bit, in case she might have been otherwise engaged, before I gave up. I walked down the sidewalk two storefronts away and ducked into Blossom clothing shop.
Shannon was at the window, pre
tending she hadn’t been watching the sheriff’s station this whole time. I usually didn’t like busybodies, but in this town, it was often helpful when someone like Shannon poked her nose into the sheriff’s business.
“Did you see June leave the station?”
Shannon nodded. “Is she okay? I’d be mortified if I’d been arrested.”
“She wasn’t arrested. The sheriff asked her to come in to answer some questions. That’s it. Big difference between those two things.” I paused. “I’d appreciate it if you set people straight about that when the topic comes up. It won’t help the Park Hotel if everyone thinks our florist was arrested, you know?”
Shannon backed up a step, and I realized that my voice had gotten louder by the syllable. “All right. No need to get upset. I’m as dependent on tourism as every other business on this island is. I know it’s not good for one of us to be arrested. And I certainly don’t want to hurt the hotel.”
“Thanks.” I nodded. “Did you see which way June went?”
“She went down Lilac Street, I think. At least that was the direction she walked.”
I left the shop, jumped into the hotel golf cart I’d parked at the station, and drove it up Market Street to Lilac and then turned right. I passed Chocolat, my favorite chocolate shop, a couple of other stores, and then I was on Main Street. I parked near the Swan Song bar, got out, and walked down the ferry dock, dodging tourists all the way.
Reggie and JC were sitting at their usual little wooden table playing their usual game of chess. I would swear that every time I came down here, the chess pieces were in the same positions. I suspected they were doing more gossiping than playing chess. Today, as usual, they were in the middle of some off-color argument.
“Bonjour, Andi,” JC said, with that twinkle in his eye. I imagined he was quite the charmer when he was younger. He’d probably had a flock of women flapping around him.
“Hey, guys,” I said.
Reggie looked down at my hands. “No strudel for your favorite chess champs today?”
“No, sorry. I’m in a bit of a hurry. Have either of you seen June Biddle in the past hour?”
