DUNE, DOCK, and a DEAD MAN: A Ravenwood Cove Cozy Mystery

by Carolyn L. Dean

  Lisa had been watching all of this with serious attention. “How do you feel?” She asked, her face showing her concern.

  “Like hell, thanks for asking,” Amanda joked, wishing her voice didn’t come out in a hoarse croak. “What happened to me? How long have I been here?”

  She tried turning her head to see Lisa better but the room swam up in a disconcerting way and she felt her stomach lurch. Lisa grabbed her hand.

  “Stop moving. You’ve got a concussion and it’s going to take a while to heal. You need to take it easy for a bit.” She pulled up a chair and sat close to Amanda’s head.

  “You’ve been here for about eighteen hours.” At Amanda’s surprised reaction, she continued. “You don’t remember what happened at Jennifer’s house?”

  Amanda thought back to being that Jennifer’s little cottage and slowly she started remembering that something had jumped at her and hit her on the head. It almost seemed like a dream, except that she could still feel the throbbing at the back of her skull.

  “Something… Someone attacked me, right?”

  Lisa nodded. “Yes. You’re lucky Jennifer was able to call 911 so quickly because that bash you got on the head was no mistake.” She shifted in her chair. “Jennifer said she saw someone running from the back door, by the kitchen.”

  “Can you help me sit up a bit?”

  “Only if you let me know if it’s too much for you. I think everyone in town’s been up here,” Lisa said, plumping a pillow and slowly leaning Amanda forward so she could slip it behind her. “George and James have been here, Jennifer and Meg brought Mrs. Granger, and even Roy Greely and Mrs. Mason stopped by. Let me know if that pillow doesn’t work out,” she added, keeping a close on eye on her friend.

  “But everybody’s okay? Who was the guy that hit me?”

  Lisa grimaced and settled into her chair with a magazine. “You’re not going to like it when I tell you.”

  “Tell me.”

  “James says he’s pretty sure it was Richard Loomis.”

  “Richard Loomis? That weird guy who stayed at the inn?”

  “Yeah, the mystery man himself. If he is who James thinks he is, apparently he’s got a police record a mile long. From the state of the rest of the house, he was definitely looking for something at Jennifer’s place.”

  Amanda’s mouth went dry. “Something of hers, or something of her father’s?”

  Lisa’s face was deadly serious. “Nobody knows, but Mr. Peetman’s old bedroom and Lisa’s room were both ransacked and it looks like he’d started going through stuff in the kitchen and Jennifer’s purse, too.”

  “I knew there was something weird about that guy.” Amanda tried to sit up further but the room spun and she clutched at the railing on the hospital bed to keep from falling, Lisa grabbing her hand at the same time.

  “Stop that! You need to rest. Now lie back down and I’ll tell you everything.”

  “I can’t rest,” Amanda said, almost babbling. “Who’s going to take care of the Inn? If I stay here – “

  “If you stay here you get better,” Lisa said firmly. “There’s only the couple from Alberta right now, and they’re already all checked in and happily exploring the tide pools at the beach. I think they’re enjoying themselves and they said they planned to drive down highway 101 later on, so they’re covered. I’ll take care of whatever they need, and Jennifer told me you hired her, and that she’ll take care of the Inn, too.” Jennifer smiled. “So let us do the work and the worrying, and you lie there, okay?”

  Amanda did what she was told, gratefully settling back into the pillows and waiting for her friend to tell her the rest of what happened.

  Seemingly satisfied that Amanda was comfortable again, Lisa continued. “James is doing some investigating about who this guy is, and he doesn’t think that Richard Loomis is his real name. He says it’s gonna take some digging to confirm his identity but he’s alerted the authorities all over the area to keep an eye out for him so hopefully they’ll be able the get to the bottom of why he was in the Peetman’s house.”

  Amanda closed her eyes, trying to stop the room from spinning. “We’ve got to figure this out, Lisa. With everything that’s happened, I just get the feeling that there’s still terrible danger, and people are going to get hurt.”

  “Hey, you almost wound up getting dead. Quit worrying about other people and just get better.” Lisa reached over and took her friend’s cool hand in hers. “James is on the case, and everything can wait until you get out of here.”

  Amanda focused on her friend’s words. James was on the case. That was good, but she still felt like a ruthless killer was on the loose.

  Chapter 14

  It was two more days before Amanda was well enough to go home, wheeled to the hospital door by James, Meg trailing behind carrying the three bouquets of flowers she’d received while in the hospital. Mrs. Granger was already ensconced in the backseat of Meg’s car, anxiously watching James help Amanda into the passenger side, and she leaned forward to gently pat Amanda’s arm several times as she buckled her seatbelt. The ride home was nearly silent, and by the time Amanda was up the stairs and safely in her own comfy bed she was absolutely exhausted. Meg pulled the quilt around her tired friend and laid a gentle kiss on her forehead, before clicking off the light and pulling the door shut so she could sleep. Just before she drifted off Amanda felt the sudden weight of a familiar friend on the covers, and her last thought was that Oscar was definitely eating too much because he was getting kind of fat.

  The next morning bright sunshine streamed through the window, the heavy drapes that she normally pulled shut having been left wide open. As soon as she slid out of bed she could tell that an uninterrupted night’s sleep had been very good for her and that most of her old energy had come back.

  A bit of breakfast and some food in Oscar’s bowl, and she was ready to face her day. Scrolling through her texts, she tried to ignore the continual glare she was getting from her big orange cat, due to his bowl being empty far sooner than he would’ve liked.

  “Sorry, sweetie, but you’re starting to look like an ottoman,” she told the unrepentant cat.

  She hadn’t had the energy to keep up with all the well-wishers who had sent messages and cards, and when she saw that the most recent text was from James she called him back and gave him permission to come over in half an hour.

  Hearing his knock, she slid off the kitchen stool and was walking to the door when he stuck his head inside and looked around.

  “You’re up.”

  “Yes, I told you I’d be ready. Want some coffee?”

  He clicked the heavy front door shut behind him and grinned mischievously. “Sure. I have a surprise for you.”

  “Is it the head of Richard Loomis on a plate? I think I’d like that as a surprise, please.”

  He took his coat off and hung it up, then followed Amanda to the kitchen. “A bit bloodthirsty this morning, aren’t we?”

  “My head still hurts, so I get to be as bloodthirsty about that guy as I want, thank you very much.” She set out a couple of spoons. “Have you figured out who he really is yet?”

  James was already pulling two mugs out of the cabinet by the sink. “I have my suspicions but can’t confirm anything yet. I can tell you that if I’m right, he’s a very dangerous man.”

  “Ya think?” Amanda pointed to her head and James burst out in a laugh when Amanda cracked a smile.

  “If I’m right-“ he continued, “-he’s part of the group of criminals that Peetman worked for.”

  “So he’s in Ravenwood Cove, looking for something?” Amanda sat on one of the stools and James poured her a cup of coffee, then one for himself.

  “I think so.” He took a sip of his drink, the silence between them comfortable and welcome.

  “So, you said you had a surprise for me?”

  James nodded. “Yep, let me get it.” He jogged out to the foyer and rifled through his coat pockets, bringing back a folded se
t of papers.

  “I’ve got the toxicology panel results. Thought you’d want to hear what the medical examiners found out.”

  Amanda felt her breath catching in her throat. If they were going to solve this mystery they were definitely going to need more pieces of the puzzle to fit together and maybe this was one of them.

  “What did they discover? Anything new?”

  James flipped through the papers. “The heart medicine is a common one, called Digoxin. It’s been around for ages. Now, we know that he didn’t have a prescription for any drugs except sleeping pills but the search of his hotel room didn’t turn up anything except some smutty magazines and about an ounce of marijuana.”

  “So no trace of the Digoxin?” James shook his head. “No, but I did learn something about the drug. It turns out that too much of it won’t just kill you, but before you die it can lead to hallucinations and confusion.” Amanda’s mouth dropped open in shock., Her thoughts instantly going back to what Ian had said about Anderson Bowles’ behavior when he had rented the boat, how he had been confused and talking about seeing strange colors.

  “Somebody overdosed him? On heart medicine?”

  “Looks like it.”

  “Was that the reason he stripped naked? Was he hallucinating?”

  “With this drug, it’s very possible. It affects judgment and vision, as well as the heart. Toxicology came back with traces of marijuana in his system and heart medicine. That was it. No brain tumor found at his autopsy, nothing else that we could find that would cause him to behave strangely.”

  Oscar hopped up onto the stool next to James and looked at him expectantly, finally jumping into his lap. James looked a bit startled, then started to pet the happy cat, who instantly began to purr loudly.

  “What’s up with Oscar? He’s never done that before.”

  Amanda’s eyebrows were raised over her upturned coffee mug. She set it down on the counter.

  “He’s sucking up to you. I just put him on a diet and he’s ticked off at me.”

  James laughed. “I wondered why he was getting so chunky lately after he’d been so thin. Maybe you should’ve named him Garfield.”

  “Maybe I should stop feeding him so many table scraps.”

  “Probably a good idea.”

  Amanda’s eyebrows furrowed in thought. “James, if he didn’t have a prescription for Digoxin, is there any way to find out who takes that medicine? Here in town, I mean.”

  James shook his head. “Nice try, but no.”

  It was obvious Amanda was still mulling over the information he’d given her. “So, if he was overdosed, how would the killer get the medicine into something that Bowles would eat or drink? He had to have a method, right?”

  “You’re right that he’d have to have a method, but we just don’t know what that is yet. Also, you’re forgetting that it may not be a he at all. It may be a she. Statistically, you’re forgetting that women are more likely than men to poison someone to death instead of using violence.”

  Amanda bristled at his words. “I’m not forgetting anything, and I’d consider poisoning someone a definite form of violence, wouldn’t you?” She took a deep breath and continued. “Are you trying to say that Meg is a suspect? Or someone else?”

  “Look, I like Meg, I really do, but she’s definitely one of the people who had a motive to kill him.”

  Amanda grabbed the cream and strode to the refrigerator, glad to have an excuse to gather her thoughts for a moment. She finally turned toward James, her face serious. “I already asked her.”

  “You already asked her what?”

  “If she killed him.”

  There was a space of one heartbeat, then two, and James finally spoke.

  “What did she say?”

  “She told me she didn’t kill Anderson Bowles and I believe her. She’s not the type, James. I know it.”

  The expression in the detective’s eyes was one of regret. “I’m sorry, Amanda, but I’ve got to have more than that to go on before I can scratch her off the short list.”

  “Now you’re talking like a detective, not like a friend who knows her. Come on, James! Can you actually picture that sweet girl doing something as extreme as killing a man?”

  “I’ve seen innocent-looking people do worse.”

  “Did you know she was the first friend I ever made in Ravenwood Cove? She’s stood by me in thick and thin, James, and I’m trying to do the same for her.”

  “I appreciate that, but it doesn’t carry much weight in a murder investigation.”

  “So you’re not going to believe me?”

  He sighed. “I believe that you think she’s innocent, and that you believe her. Amanda, that’s not enough for me to go on.”

  Amanda could feel her face flush in frustration and anger.

  “So she’s still on your list.” It was a statement, not a question.

  James nodded. Seeing how upset Amanda obviously was, he stood and carried his coffee mug to the sink, rinsed it out, and set it on the counter.

  “I think I’ll let myself out.”

  “That’s probably best.” She watched from the kitchen as he retrieved his coat and opened the front door.

  “If you need anything let me know, Amanda. I’m still here for you.”

  And with a soft click of the front door, he was gone.

  Chapter 15

  For the hundredth time in about a day, Amanda marveled at the efficiency and cheerful nature of her first employee, and thanked her lucky stars that she’d had the good sense to hire her.

  Jennifer had spent a busy morning setting out the morning buffet and then effortlessly greeting and helping every guest who came downstairs for their homemade breakfast. Whether she was making sure everyone’s coffee cups were filled or telling knock-knock jokes to the children, she seemed to be completely at ease. Her soft voice and shy smile made even the guests who hated mornings perk up, as if her cheerful demeanor was easing them into their day. A yellow apron tied around her waist, she moved from the refrigerator to the sink to the kitchen island with natural grace, and Amanda knew everything was under control so she headed outside to do the morning chores.

  It took almost an hour to do a bit of garden maintenance and to make sure the chickens were fed and watered. Sometimes, she liked just puttering around the huge yard, even if it was raining.

  It gave her some time to think. Sometimes, she got the impression that Jennifer knew more about what was going on than she had told anyone. Amanda would see sort of a haunted look in her eyes as she was washing the dishes or vacuuming stairs, when she thought Amanda wasn’t looking. Amanda had been putting off talking with her about it, but today most of the guests were checking out and the couple that wasn’t had told her they were heading to a local cheese-making factory for the day, so she screwed her courage to the sticking point and decided that today was the day.

  She found Jennifer upstairs, whistling wordlessly and putting new, feather-filled duvets on the freshly-made beds. With the weather turning chilly it was time to put another layer of fluffy warmth on the beds for their guests.

  Amanda hesitated in the doorway. She’d thought over what to say to Jennifer but now that she was actually going to bring up such a painful subject, she wasn’t exactly sure how to start the conversation.

  “Jennifer? Can I have a word with you?”

  Her employee spun around, a trace of fear on her face. “Um, sure, Amanda. What can I do for you?”

  “Don’t worry; it isn’t anything bad. I just wanted to talk to you about what happened at your house and see if we can figure out what Loomis was looking for.” She sat down on the bedside chair next to the full laundry basket and started folding bath towels while she talked. “I’m not the cops, Jennifer. You can trust me.” She kept her eyes carefully on what she was doing, not wanting to see Jennifer’s panicked expression. “I know you loved your father, even if you didn’t like what he had done. I mean, what he’d done for a profession. I’m just
wondering if you know more than you are telling anyone.” She plopped the folded towel on the nightstand and picked up another one from the basket. When she finally looked up she was surprised to see the hard anger in her friend’s eyes.

  “I can trust you? You seem to hang out with the cops a lot lately.”

  Amanda knew immediately she was talking about James, and bristled a bit at the implication. “Just because I talk with them doesn’t mean that I have to tell them everything I know.” She set the towel down and stood up, preferring to be on her feet while talking. “I’m on your side, Jennifer. I’m trying to figure out this whole mystery just like you are and trying to figure out what’s really going on in this town. We still don’t know who killed Anderson Bowles and with everything that we know about Loomis I think it’s time you set your cards on the table.” She locked eyes with Jennifer, hoping that the strength in her voice conveyed the need for Jennifer to come clean.

  There was a pause while her normally-meek employee considered what Amanda had said, and then Jennifer finally asked, “Okay, what do you want to know?”

  “What was Loomis looking for at your house?”

  Jennifer gave a final flick of the duvet to float it over the bed and then smoothed it into place.

  “My father kept a copy of all the financial records for the people he worked for.”

  Amanda was shocked. “You mean all the records? The ones he was in hiding about? I thought all the guys he worked with wound up in jail.”

  “Not all of them, and that was the reason that he was in hiding for years. Those financial records, well, a full file was never actually given to the police. He just gave them what he had to and kept some information back in case he needed a bargaining chip later. When he returned to Ravenwood Cove, he told me that he had sent the guys who never went to prison a message, that he still had information that could put them away but that he needed to be left alone in his last few months. He told them that the information would die with him.” Jennifer tried to control the sudden quivering of her voice. “But that was a lie. He told me the location of the evidence as he was dying. The problem is, when I went to go get the records they weren’t where he told me they would be.”