A Deadly Engagement

by Danielle Collins

  Both Margot and Adam held a collective breath. Then—

  “What are you doing here?”

  “That’s him,” Margot whispered. “The man who took Bentley’s keys. Russ Soto!”

  Adam nodded, but turned his binoculars back on the motel.

  “Where’s my father, you yellow-bellied—” Ben cut his words off, his voice louder due to the wire taped inside his shirt, providing a clear, resonant sound.

  “You got a lot of nerve coming here,” Russ said. “But I suppose it doesn’t matter if you see him now. By six, I’ll have my money and you’ll be a fugitive wanted for the murders of two men.”

  “About that,” Ben said. “I had nothin’ to do with either of their deaths.”

  “I know,” Russ said, his cruel laughter grating through the speakers.

  “Why’d you do it?”

  “You know why.”

  “So two innocent lives are worth revenge on me?” Ben sounded genuinely disturbed by this.

  “I wouldn’t exactly call Frank and Terry innocent. Besides, they got what was coming to them.”

  “How’d you manage it?” Ben asked.

  Margot cringed, knowing that this could be the evidence they needed but also knowing that it would be difficult to pull off a full confession from a man who had an agenda—and a vengeful one at that.

  “The same way I managed everything else. Better—and smarter—than you.”

  “Except that time in Palm Beach.”

  Margot cringed again, this time at the blunt reference to what started all of this.

  “You’ve got a lot of nerve,” Russ said. “Coming in here when your dear father is in the other room.”

  “You may have a gun on me,” Ben said, letting them in on the situation without making it obvious, “but I feel like I’ve got a right to know. Why involve my father at all?”

  “He’s my retirement plan.”

  “Retirement? Come on, Russ. People like us don’t retire.”

  “We are nothing alike,” the man spat. “And I do plan on making my way to a beach somewhere with your father’s money and you behind bars. The evidence they’ll have against you is sure to be overwhelming. I’ve made sure it is. You won’t see the light of day—probably ever. And that will be just the right retribution for what you did to me all those years ago.”

  “Just let my father go,” Ben said, his voice cracking with real emotion. “He’s done nothing to you.”

  “No,” Russ agreed, “he hasn’t, but I think having him here with your demise so close at hand is just the icing on the cake. Now, let’s get going.”

  “What?”

  “You heard me,” Russ said, his voice hardening. “You’re going to pick up the ransom money and deliver it to me or else your dear daddy’s not making it out of here alive.”

  “You’re going to kill him like you did Frank and Terry?”

  “I’ll kill him and anyone else who gets in my way. They’re all just pawns anyway—just like Frank and Terry. Did you know that Terry begged me to let him in on this? That was right before I knocked him out and…well, I’m sure you heard about the car.”

  “That’s what we need,” Adam said, then keyed in his mic. “Ready teams one and two. You are a go.”

  Margot leaned back and watched, and listened, as the scene played out before her. Ben backed out of the room with his hands up, then suddenly he was on the ground as a team of SWAT agents swept in and apprehended Russ.

  Not even a shot was fired, but Margot felt as if her heart would leap out of her chest.

  It was over, and Bentley was all right.

  “He’s gone.” Adam rushed toward Margot and Bentley at the back of the emergency vehicle where he was being checked over for injuries, even though he insisted he was fine.

  “What?” Margot stepped toward Adam.

  “Ben. He’s gone.”

  “How is that possible?” Margot said as Adam steered her out of Bentley’s hearing.

  “I don't know. In the mess of everything, I think the person who was supposed to apprehend him got distracted by Russ and…he’s gone.”

  Margot couldn’t believe it. How Ben had managed to slip away in the tumult surprised her, even though it shouldn’t. He was a skilled conman. It made sense, even if she didn’t want to admit it.

  She felt as if she was partially to blame. After she’d roped Dexter into contacting Ben, she’d also used his skills to hack the video footage from Cassie’s shop since she hadn’t heard back from Adam if his techs had found anything. And that was where they had struck gold. Dexter’s computer program was able to zoom in on the matches Russ had used, which led them to the motel.

  She had then conjured the plan to send Ben in to talk with Russ and get his recorded confession. He’d made a bargain with the police that, should he do this for them, gaining him absolution of murder, they would reduce his sentence. He would still face charges of theft being leveraged from The Garber, but it would be better than a lifetime in prison.

  Then again, if she stopped long enough to truly think about it, she should have guessed that Ben would pull something like this. Even the thought of reconnecting with his father hadn’t been enough to keep him around.

  “I’m sorry, Adam,” she said as he pulled her into an embrace.

  “It’s not your fault. I’m just… Well, who knows.”

  “What do you mean?” she said, leaning back.

  He boasted a lopsided grin. “As much as I don't like that guy—he’s so cocky—I happened to go back over the thefts he’s known for.”

  “And?” she said, intrigued.

  “Every time he’d been involved, suspicious sums of money wind up donated to a cancer research facility or a children’s hospital. He’s never taken anything that couldn’t be replaced and each person he’s stolen from has been fully repaid by their insurance company.”

  “Adam,” Margot gasped, her jaw dropping. “You admire him.”

  “I wouldn’t go that far,” Adam said, shaking his head. “He’s broken the law and that is certainly not all right. But…” Adam shrugged. “I suppose I’m a sucker for a Robin Hood story.”

  15

  Margot made her way toward the bakery. It was early afternoon on a Sunday and Julia had called her, frantic for help on a special order she’d taken on Saturday, not realizing she couldn’t get all of the baking done in time.

  Despite the fact that all Margot wanted to do was take a long bath and possibly watch a romantic comedy, she had assured her friend that she would come down and help. Stifling a yawn, Margot smiled to herself, knowing that Bentley was now safe and sound back in his apartment with new locks, even though Russ was locked away in jail and would be for a very, very long time.

  Aside from the fact that they had Russ’s admission of guilt, they’d also found plenty of evidence in his hotel room. There had also been signs that he was planning on planting evidence to point to Ben’s involvement in the murders.

  Ben. Margot shook her head as she walked down the street toward the narrow walkway that led to the back of the shop. He’d disappeared and had never even spoken with Bentley. It was a sad to think they’d never gotten their reunion, but there was nothing Margot could do about it.

  As she turned the corner, a hand went out and pulled her to the side of the building. Her Krav Maga senses kicked in and she was about to attack when her mind registered what her eyes were seeing.

  “Ben?”

  She looked around immediately, shocked to see him standing there.

  “I’ve got about two minutes before you call the police,” he said, his eyes narrowing, “if I’m guessin’ right.”

  “And what are you guessing about?”

  “That you’ll give me two minutes to get out what I need to say.”

  “Two minutes, then I’m calling Adam.”

  Ben’s half-smile caught her off guard. “I don’t think you’ll need to do that. But I did want to say thank you.”

  “I didn’
t mean for you to get away, if that’s what you’re thanking me for.”

  “Oh, I knew you wouldn’t let me go. I just mean, thank you for carin’ about my father. It’s obvious he cares for you too.”

  It was on Margot’s mind to ask him what he meant by that, but she stopped herself. Maybe it was better not to know.

  “Will you keep an eye on him, though? Since I can’t.”

  “I will,” she said, touched that he would ask despite the odd circumstances of this conversation.

  “And just know that I would never hurt anyone, nor would I steal from those who couldn’t afford to have a few things missing.”

  “You realize that doesn’t make up for—”

  “I know,” he said with a light laugh. “But it makes me feel better that I’ve told you that in person. Now go have fun.”

  She frowned, wondering what he meant, when the back door of the bakery opened and she heard Julia call her name.

  When she looked back, Ben was gone. How does he keep doing that?

  Shaking her head and wanting to tell Adam about seeing Ben, she walked the rest of the way, calling out to Julia that she was almost there.

  When her friend came into view, Margot was shocked to see her wearing a bright yellow dress with a black cardigan. Margot immediately felt disheveled in old jeans and a pullover sweatshirt, her hair pulled back into a ponytail.

  “What’s going on?”

  Julia grinned. “For a sleuth like yourself, I'm ashamed. Come on.”

  Confused at her friend’s odd behavior, she followed her to the door and stepped inside, her eyes needing to adjust to the dim light. Then, before she knew what was happening, a cheer of “Surprise!” went up and the lights came on in a brilliant flash.

  “What…?”

  Then Adam’s smiling face filled her view. He was dressed in a suit and had a bouquet of roses in his hands.

  “Adam. I— What’s going on?”

  His grin spread and he handed her the roses, then took a step back, giving himself enough room to kneel in front of her.

  “Margot, I know I’ve already asked you this once, but I thought—for the sake of our friends here in North Bank—that I’d ask you again. Will you marry me?”

  Blushing and feeling tears press against her eyes, she nodded, glancing around the room. Bentley stood next to his neighbor Anita, Rosie Mae next to them. Then there was Les and his fiancée, Julia and Dexter, and a few of Adam’s coworkers next to them. Finally, Margot saw Tamera and George, both beaming their encouragement.

  Then her eyes found Adam’s hazel ones again and she laughed. “I’ve told you this once already, but for the sake of our local audience…” She looked up and winked, the action receiving laughs all around. “I’ll say it again. Yes!”

  Adam shot to his feet and slid the ring on her finger. Standing close so only she could hear, he whispered, “I’m sorry I made you wait so long. Now you never have to hide this again.”

  Her heart filled with love for this amazing man and her local friends who were more like family. Thoughts of Ben slipped from her mind as she received Adam’s warm embrace, though she did wonder briefly if they’d ever see the rogue thief again.

  Something told her they probably would.

  Thanks for reading A Deadly Engagement. I hope you enjoyed reading the story as much as I enjoyed writing it. If you did, it would be awesome if you left a review for me on Amazon and/or Goodreads.

  If you would like to know about future cozy mysteries by me and the other authors at Fairfield Publishing, make sure to sign up for our Cozy Mystery Newsletter. We will send you our FREE Cozy Mystery Starter Library just for signing up. All the details are on the next page.

  At the very end of the book, I have included a couple previews of books by friends and fellow authors at Fairfield Publishing. First is a preview of Up in Smoke by Shannon VanBergen - it’s the first book in the Glock Grannies Cozy Mystery series. Second is a preview of A Pie to Die For by Stacey Alabaster - it’s part of the popular Bakery Detectives Cozy Mystery series. I really hope you like the samples. If you do, both books are available on Amazon.

  Get Up in Smoke here: amazon.com/dp/B06XHKYRRX

  Get A Pie to Die For here: amazon.com/dp/B01D6ZVT78

  FAIRFIELD COZY MYSTERY NEWSLETTER

  Make sure you sign up for the Fairfield Cozy Mystery Newsletter so you can keep up with our latest releases. When you sign up, we will send you our FREE Cozy Mystery Starter Library!

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  After you sign up to get your Free Starter Library, turn the page and check out the free previews :)

  Preview: Up in Smoke

  I could feel my hair puffing up like cotton candy in the humidity as I stepped outside the Miami airport. I pushed a sticky strand from my face, and I wished for a minute that it were a cheerful pink instead of dirty blond, just to complete the illusion.

  “Thank you so much for picking me up from the airport.” I smiled at the sprightly old lady I was struggling to keep up with. “But why did you say my grandmother couldn’t pick me up?”

  “I didn’t say.” She turned and gave me a toothy grin—clearly none of them original—and winked. “I parked over here.”

  When we got to her car, she opened the trunk and threw in the sign she had been holding when she met me in baggage claim. The letters were done in gold glitter glue and she had drawn flowers with markers all around the edges. My name “Nikki Rae Parker” flashed when the sun reflected off of them, temporarily blinding me.

  “I can tell you put a lot of work into that sign.” I carefully put my luggage to the side of it, making sure not to touch her sign—partially because I didn’t want to crush it and partially because it didn’t look like the glue had dried yet.

  “Well, your grandmother didn’t give me much time to make it. I only had about ten minutes.” She glanced at the sign proudly before closing the trunk. She looked me in the eyes. “Let’s get on the road. We can chit chat in the car.”

  With that, she climbed in and clicked on her seat belt. As I got in, she was applying a thick coat of bright red lipstick while looking in the rearview mirror. “Gotta look sharp in case we get pulled over.” She winked again, her heavily wrinkled eyelid looking like it thought about staying closed before it sprung back up again.

  I thought about her words for a moment. She must get pulled over a lot, I thought. Poor old lady. I could picture her going ten miles an hour while the rest of Miami flew by her.

  “Better buckle up.” She pinched her lips together before blotting them slightly on a tissue. She smiled at me and for a moment, I was jealous of her pouty lips, every line filled in by layers and layers of red.

  I did as I was told and buckled my seat belt before I sunk down into her caramel leather seats. I was exhausted, both physically and mentally, from the trip. I closed my eyes and tried to forget my troubles, taking in a deep breath and letting it out slowly to give all my worry and fear ample time to escape my body. For the first time since I had made the decision to come here, I felt at peace. Unfortunately, it was short-lived.

  The sound of squealing tires filled the air and my eyes flung open to see this old lady zigzagging through the parking garage. She took the turns without hitting the brakes, hugging each curve like a racecar driver. When we exited the garage and turned onto the street, she broke out in laughter. “That’s my favorite part!”

  I tugged my seat belt to make sure it was on tight. This was not going to be the relaxing drive I had thought it would be.

  We hit the highway and I felt like I was in an arcade game. She wove in and out of traffic at a speed I was sure matched her old age.

  “Ya know, the older I get the worse other people drive.” She took one hand off the wheel and started to rummage through her purse, which sat between us.

  “Um, can I help you with something?” My nerves were starting to get the best of me as her eyes were focused more on her purse than the road.


  “Oh no, I’ve got it. I’m sure it’s in here somewhere.” She dug a little more, pulling out a package of AA batteries and then a ham sandwich.

  Brake lights lit up in front of us and I screamed, bracing myself for impact. The old woman glanced up and pulled the car to the left in a quick jerk before returning to her purse. Horns blared from behind us.

  “There it is!” She pulled out a package of wintergreen Life Savers. “Do you want one?”

  “No, thank you.” I could barely get the words out.

  “I learned a long time ago that it was easier if I just drove and did my thing instead of worrying about what all the other drivers were doing. It’s easier for them to get out of my way instead of me getting out of theirs. My reflexes aren’t what they used to be.” She popped a mint in her mouth and smiled. “I love wintergreen. I don’t know why peppermint is more popular. Peppermint is so stuffy; wintergreen is fun.”

  She seemed to get in a groove with her driving and soon my grip was loosening on the sides of the seat, the blood slowly returning to my knuckles. Suddenly I realized I hadn’t asked her name.

  “I was so confused when you picked me up from the airport instead of my Grandma Dean that I never asked your name.”

  She didn’t respond, just kept her eyes on the road with a steely look on her face. I was happy to see her finally being serious about driving, so I turned to look out the window. “It’s beautiful here,” I said after a few minutes of silence. I turned to look at her again and noticed that she was still focused straight ahead. I stared at her for a moment and realized she never blinked. Panic rose through my chest.

  “Ma’am!” I shouted as I leaned forward to take the wheel. “Are you okay?”

  She suddenly sprung to action, screaming and jerking the wheel to the left. Her screaming caused me to scream and I grabbed the wheel and pulled it to the right, trying to get us back in our lane. We continued to scream until the car stopped teetering and settled down to a nice hum on the road.