by J A Whiting
He knelt beside her and touched her shoulder. “Are you okay?”
Giving a shaky nod, Claire looked into his eyes. “I didn’t trust you, you know. I thought you might be working with Freeman.”
“I know. But I’m not.” One side of Fuller’s mouth turned up.
“I bet a lot of people don’t trust you,” Claire kidded him.
Fuller smiled as he helped Claire to her feet. “I’ll have to work on that.”
Officers had tended to Freeman’s bloody shoulder and Claire’s face clouded as he was put on a stretcher by emergency personnel and taken out of the townhouse, moaning and wailing over his injury.
Claire felt no sympathy for the monster who was responsible for so much misery.
“How did you know? How did you know Freeman was here?”
Fuller said, “We didn’t know it was Freeman who was here, we only suspected.” He paused as a huge grin brightened his face. “You can thank two fine Corgis for alerting us.”
Claire’s eyebrows shot up.
“The dogs were outside a deli-market just a few blocks down the hill from here carrying on like it was the end of the world. The guy in the building called ‘911’ and asked the dispatcher to send help to you. He also asked them to notify me.” Fuller eyed Claire. “I understand a call came in from a former judge, as well. You have friends in high places, Ms. Rollins.”
“Claire! Claire!” A familiar voice shouted and the woofs of dogs rang out from the open front door where several officers stood blocking the entrance.
“Let them through,” called Fuller.
Tony rushed in behind the running Corgis and when he spotted Claire, his face looked like melting candle wax as he grabbed her in a hug and crumbled into tears of relief. The dogs leapt and danced and barked with joy around them and Claire bent to hug her rescue dogs, the word now having more than one meaning.
Alex Freeman, his law partner, Elan Johnson, two high-level police officers, and a dozen other men, some from Fast Freight, were arrested and charged with so many counts of wrongdoing that it boggled the mind. The secret laptop in Freeman’s closet held thousands of words of incriminating evidence and when Claire was asked how she knew the laptop was there, she fibbed and told law enforcement she had seen him hiding it when she arrived for an appointment. When Detective Fuller heard her explanation, he eyed Claire with a raised eyebrow, but didn’t ask her anything more.
When Melody Booker heard the news that Freeman has been arrested, she emerged from hiding in a friend’s beach cottage that had been closed up for the season. Melody and Merritt had been working together to bring down Alex Freeman and his secret operation and they had been hiding together at the beach.
On the day when Merritt went back to her apartment, the young women decided to mail Melody’s notebook to Alicia’s husband for safekeeping. Because they couldn’t access money from ATM machines or use credit cards in case their accounts were being monitored, Merritt, knowing the risks of returning to her building and ignoring Melody’s pleas not to leave, made the decision to go home to retrieve some cash she had there. Freeman had a man watching the building. The man made his move when Merritt drove into the garage.
Claire, the dogs, Augustus Gunther, and Nicole clustered around a tiny table on the sidewalk outside of Tony’s deli enjoying the sunshine and the lovely breeze that was chasing the humidity out of the city. Tony came outside carrying a tray of cold drinks for his friends. A bowl of water for the Corgis, and any other dogs that happened by, already sat on the sidewalk near the entrance to the store.
“I’d like to make a toast,” Tony said, “to my friends and to my store. Tomorrow I’ll be hosting an all-day buffet for my friends and customers who have supported me for so many years. I leave with a heavy heart.” Tony cleared his throat. “But I am truly thankful for the more than fifty years I’ve been able to work here.”
The building had been sold and Tony was closing the deli at the end of the week. The burly man raised his glass of ginger ale and the others joined him in lifting their glasses just as a man, well-dressed in a dark grey suit carrying a briefcase, walked up and spoke.
“Excuse me. Tony Martinelli?”
Tony turned to the man with a serious expression. “That’s me.”
“I represent the McGready Group, a financial institution here in Boston.” The man removed a leather folder from his briefcase and handed it to Tony. “Congratulations, Mr. Martinelli.”
Tony looked at the folder in his hand. “Did I win something?”
The man chuckled. “You might say so.”
Tony appeared dumbfounded and the man explained. “Mr. Martinelli, an anonymous person has purchased this building.” He gestured to the brick structure which housed Tony’s deli and his apartment. “On your behalf.”
Tony stood there with a blank face.
“Do you understand, Mr. Martinelli? This building belongs to you now. You are the owner.”
Tony’s mouth dropped open. “Me? How? Who?”
“Anonymous, Sir.” The man pointed to the folder in Tony’s hand. “The papers inside hold a copy of the deed and some other financial information. The name of the attorney who will be assisting you is also inside. Please contact him to set up an appointment for your signature and to go over the details. Congratulations, again.” The man nodded to Tony and to the small group sitting around the table and then he strode away.
Tony turned to his friends, flabbergasted. “What just happened?”
Lady and Bear wagged their tails and let out happy barks.
Claire and Nicole hooted with joy and jumped up to give Tony a hug while Augustus beamed at them from his seat. When Claire glanced over at Augustus, the older man raised an eyebrow at her, and she only smiled and shrugged.
“Anonymous?” Tony sputtered. “Who would do such a thing for me? Who has the money to do such a thing?”
“Maybe the neighborhood got together and raised the money?” Nicole speculated.
“You have many wealthy customers,” Claire said. “Someone just gave you the gift of a lifetime.”
Tony looked at Augustus. “Is this above-board? Can a person gift a building to someone?”
“A person most certainly can.” Augustus smiled broadly. “And someone just did.”
Tony made eye contact with each of his friends. “Who could it be?”
Claire laughed. “Unknown, but you better be extra nice to everyone who walks in that door, just in case that is the person who did this for you.”
“You will have to turn your going-away party tomorrow into an I’m-staying celebration.” Augustus raised his glass and made a toast. “To places filled with good friends and good fortune. Congratulations to you, my friend. You are well-loved.”
When what just happened finally hit him and he realized that he would never have to leave his store or home, tears of joy rolled down Tony’s wrinkled cheeks. His friends teased him good-naturedly and as they made guesses about who might have arranged the unbelievable gift to Tony, someone walked up and joined the group.
“Celebrating?” Detective Fuller asked with a smile.
Everyone’s face turned serious when they saw the law enforcement officer.
“Is something wrong?” Claire asked with worry tinging her words.
“Everything’s good. I just went by your townhouse and no one answered my knock so I thought you might be here. What’s going on?”
Tony explained the fabulous news that someone he knew had anonymously purchased the building for him.
Fuller congratulated Tony and then laughed. “I wish I knew your friends.”
Pulling up a chair, Fuller joined the group and the conversation was pleasant and light. While he scratched both dogs’ ears, Fuller turned to Claire. “You mentioned a while ago that you were training for a triathlon. I imagine you haven’t had much time for exercise lately. I’m feeling a little out of shape and I feel like I need a goal. Getting ready for a triathlon would fit the bill. Would you
mind a training buddy?”
Claire looked into Fuller’s dark brown eyes. The terrible events of the past few weeks had made her suspicious and wary of the man and she was happy that her concerns about him had been completely false. She sensed that Fuller was smart and kind and loyal, and she wanted to have him in her life ... as a training partner, a friend, or maybe someday, something more.
With a warm smile, she held her hand out to the detective and they shook with one another. “I wouldn’t mind at all. It would be great to have a training buddy.”
The dogs woofed their agreement as warm little sparks danced along Claire’s arm from the touch of Ian’s hand holding hers.
Thank you for reading!
Author’s Note:
If you’d like to know the information that influenced the idea for the crime in this story, please do an internet search on: Susan Taraskiewicz.
May her killer be brought to justice and may her family find peace.
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Books By J. A. Whiting
CLAIRE ROLLINS COZY MYSTERIES:
Good Fortunes (A Claire Rollins Cozy Mystery Book 1)
A Claire Rollins Cozy Mystery Book 2 - Coming
LIN COFFIN COZY MYSTERIES:
A Haunted Murder (A Lin Coffin Cozy Mystery Book 1)
A Haunted Disappearance (A Lin Coffin Cozy Mystery Book 2)
The Haunted Bones (A Lin Coffin Cozy Mystery Book 3)
A Haunted Theft (A Lin Coffin Cozy Mystery Book 4)
A Haunted Invitation (A Lin Coffin Cozy Mystery Book 5)
The Haunted Lighthouse (A Lin Coffin Cozy Mystery Book 6) - soon
The Haunted Valentine (A Lin Coffin Cozy Mystery Book 7) – Feb-Mar 2017
And more !
SWEET COVE COZY MYSTERIES:
The Sweet Dreams Bake Shop (Sweet Cove Cozy Mystery Book 1)
Murder So Sweet (Sweet Cove Cozy Mystery Book 2)
Sweet Secrets (Sweet Cove Cozy Mystery Book 3)
Sweet Deceit (Sweet Cove Cozy Mystery Book 4)
Sweetness and Light (Sweet Cove Cozy Mystery Book 5)
Home Sweet Home (Sweet Cove Cozy Mystery Book 6)
Sweet Fire and Stone (Sweet Cove Cozy Mystery Book 7)
Sweet Friend of Mine (Sweet Cove Cozy Mystery Book 8)
Sweet Hide and Seek (Sweet Cove Cozy Mystery Book 9)
And more !
OLIVIA MILLER MYSTERIES:
The Killings (Olivia Miller Mystery – Book 1)
Red Julie (Olivia Miller Mystery - Book 2)
The Stone of Sadness (Olivia Miller Mystery – Book 3)
About the Author
J.A. Whiting lives with her family in New England. Whiting loves reading and writing mystery stories.
Visit me at:
www.jawhitingbooks.com
www.facebook.com/jawhitingauthor
www.amazon.com/author/jawhiting
