“So you were also against the development?” Leanne asked.
Peter nodded. “Yes. I’m obviously pro-development, and I think places need to change with the times, but I also think Enchanted Enclave is somewhere special. It hasn’t been completely overdeveloped yet like so many other places. You just need to look at places like Waikiki to see how much of the feel of a place can change when there’s too much development. I used to spend every winter on Oahu, but it’s just too commercial now, so I go to Kauai instead. Development shouldn’t mean making as much money as humanly possible. When you’re developing tourism infrastructure, it should be about managing the balance between giving people the opportunity to come visit at an affordable price with supply but also about maintaining the spirit of the place that brings people there in the first place. That said, in my worst nightmares I never imagined someone would kill Barry over this development.”
Peter shook his head sadly. “Barry might have let his greed and vision take over a little bit, but it didn’t mean he deserved to die.”
“We agree,” Leanne said. “We were trying to figure out who might have wanted to kill Barry, because he didn’t deserve this end. And honestly, I don’t like knowing we’re living on an island with a killer.”
“Completely understandable,” Peter said. “I don’t like living with that knowledge, either. Frankly, I’d look at Sean Ingraham. I think he was the most vocally opposed to the project.”
“We’ve spoken to him; he’s the one who suggested we talk to you,” Leanne said. “Sean swears he didn’t kill Barry.”
“Well, apart from Sean, I’m just not sure who would have been so opposed to the project that they would have killed him.”
“I’m guessing you also don’t know what he was doing down at the site that early in the morning.”
“Oh, that I do know,” Peter said. “The whole crew had refused to show up. I warned him it was going to be a problem, that if he hired locals they were going to revolt no matter how much he offered to pay them, but he wouldn’t listen to me.”
“Wait, none of the guys he hired showed up at all?”
“That’s right. I didn’t know at the time, but he left me a voicemail at five that morning. He was super pissed off and told me he was at the site. It had to be just a few minutes before he was murdered. He said he’d shown up and none of them were there. He called six different guys and got no answer.”
That was certainly interesting. It made me think of Hugo who had said that was likely to happen if Barry used locals. Maybe Hugo was one of the workers and instead of refusing to show up, he had shown up and taken advantage of the fact that he and Barry were alone and killed him.
“Peter,” a woman said warmly, coming up to him. I didn’t recognize her, either.
“Tammy,” he said with a friendly smile that reached his eyes. “How are you? Let me buy you a coffee.”
The conversation between Peter and Leanne was obviously over as Peter ordered a couple of lattes, and the two of them went to one of the tables in the corner.
“Do you know the spell to eavesdrop on people?” Leanne asked me quietly as soon as they walked off, and I shook my head.
“No, sorry.”
“Ok, let me go ask Kaillie.”
“Who is that?”
“Tammy Peters, one of the municipal councilors. I want to know what they’re talking about.”
Leanne rushed to the doors leading to the kitchen at the back of the café, and a moment later she came back out with Kaillie following right after her.
“Ok,” Kaillie said. “Let’s listen in. I don’t like using magic near non-magical folks, but I’m sure we’ll be forgiven if it’s to try and find a killer.”
She pulled her wand out from her apron and discreetly pointed it in the direction of the table by the window where the developer and politician were talking. Kaillie muttered a spell, and a moment later, my eyes widened as I could hear the two voices as if they were still standing at the counter right in front of us.
“This isn’t good, Peter,” Tammy said.
“I know. But listen, I told you it was a bad idea. This was always going to come back on you.”
“Oh, please. How was I supposed to know Barry was going to be murdered?”
“You couldn’t. But you can’t have thought things were going to end when they broke ground, right? There are so many people in this town opposed to that hotel. It can’t be a surprise to you that things went bad. I’m the first to admit I also didn’t expect them to get this bad.”
“Exactly. Besides, it’s not like everyone in town was opposed to the project. Ariadne was coming in to talk to me every week. The Chamber of Commerce was officially in favor of the development. They all wanted it. They wanted it to go forward.”
“Right,” Peter said. “But let’s not pretend that you did it entirely out of a feeling it would be good for the town.”
“I don’t know what you’re implying,” Tammy sniffed, and Peter leaned forward.
“You know exactly what I’m implying. Don’t play dumb with me.”
“You don’t know anything,” Tammy hissed. “I voted my conscience, and I voted what I thought was best for the town, and anyone saying otherwise is being slanderous.”
“You had to have heard the rumors.”
“Of course I’ve heard the rumors,” Tammy snapped. “Do you know how it feels to give my life to public service in a job considered part-time where I make twenty-five grand a year and have to spend half my life dealing with people who want me to do things for them? I deserve better after everything I’ve done for this town.”
“I know you do, Tammy,” Peter replied. “I’m just saying, maybe don’t go out and buy a new Tesla anytime soon.”
“I wasn’t going to,” Tammy snapped. “I don’t need this paternalistic crap from you, Peter. I know you think you’re looking out for me, but I can handle myself. Now, what did you want to see me about? You can’t have organized this meeting just to tell me to be careful.”
“No, of course not. Look, I know Barry is dead, and everything is going to take a while, but if you hear anything about what’s going to happen with the land, I’d really appreciate it if you could give me a heads up. I could make it worth your while.”
“Oh?” Tammy said. “What are you thinking of doing with the space if you get it?”
“I think a set of low-rise apartment buildings could be wonderful. I’m thinking two stories, maybe three. Ocean views for all the units, so it would be a small development but at a high price point. It might not attract locals so much as investors but because there would be fifteen units tops, we can sell it as being much friendlier to the town.”
“And you came to me because I’m one of the councilors who voted in favor of the hotel plan.”
“Exactly,” Peter said, flashing Tammy that casual smile of his. “We both know that you’ve probably taken a hit with the populace here. What better way to get in their good graces than by showing you’re in favor of my new project which will take the same land but add far fewer new units to it and, more importantly, units that locals could buy?”
“Right, because you’re totally going to price your brand new ocean-view luxury homes at prices locals can afford,” Tammy said, raising an eyebrow at Peter.
“Well, some of us, maybe. You know, there are a few people here in town who have been successful. But either way, we both know you need to get yourself on the right side of a development right now. Push it as recognizing that you were wrong about the hotel and that you’re going to help the town with a development that matters.”
Tammy bit her lip, nodding slowly, obviously considering Peter’s words. “That makes sense. What’s your timeline?”
“It’s going to take a while. There’s probate to deal with, and I’m pretty sure it’s going to be kind of messy. Barry had a couple of investors in the project, though, so they’re going to want to sell the land and get the money out of it. Then I’ll jump in, an
d I hope to be done in seven months.”
“Ok,” Tammy nodded. “I’ll think about it. I’m not making you any promises.”
“No, not so early, of course. We’ll stay in touch, though. You might want to get out ahead of this – I’ve got a feeling there are quite a few people who are going to ask even more questions than before now that Barry is dead.”
Tammy glared at him. “Don’t pressure me into this, Peter.”
He raised his arms. “I don’t mean to pressure you. I’m just telling you what I’m hearing. People are asking questions about how the development got approved in the first place.”
“People have been asking questions about it for months,” Tammy replied. “There’s been no evidence of wrongdoing discovered by either me or my colleagues.”
“Right,” Peter said. “I’ll be in touch.”
Tammy stood up and left, and Peter bussed her mug then came back to the counter and ordered another cup of coffee for himself. I figured that was the end of it, but about two minutes later, another customer came in and sat at the table that Tammy had just vacated.
Chapter 12
“That’s Heather Drake,” Leanne whispered in my ear. “She’s the woman on the council who voted against Barry’s hotel.”
“Hi, Peter,” Heather said, but I could tell from here that her smile didn’t reach her eyes.
“Heather,” he said. “How have you been?”
“One of my constituents was murdered. It’s not been the best week.”
“Understandable, of course,” Peter replied solemnly. “In fact, it’s about that that I wanted to speak with you.”
“Oh?”
“I’m trying to buy the land Barry was developing, and I want to put some luxury homes there. Just a small building, only two stories.”
“The word ‘luxury’ makes me think you’re going to be targeting a market that doesn’t live here in town for these homes.”
“For some of them, sure. But we have rich people here in town, too. In fact, we all know a few older people who have those big houses on big plots of land that are worth a ton. A few of them might be looking to downsize their home but don’t want to give up their lifestyle.”
“And it’s extra convenient for you because that way you get to pick up those big plots and sub-develop them into a bunch of townhouses instead.” Heather was seeing right through Peter’s slick sales pitch.
“Hey, if they’re willing to sell to me, I’m not going to say no if the price is right,” he said with a shrug. “Kids these days aren’t looking for an acre lot with a house built in the seventies and that hasn’t been updated since. They want something that’s easy to maintain, with a sense of community, and I’m more than happy to give them that. But at any rate, remember that I’m doing all of this for the good of the community.”
“As long as it’s good for your bank account, too.”
“We all need to put food on the table. So, what do you say? Does this sound like a project you can get behind?”
“I’m not making any promises now,” Heather replied. “Show me a plan, and I’ll consider it. If I think it’s in the best interest of the residents of the island, I’ll vote for it when it’s brought before the council.”
Peter leaned close to her. “Look, I know you can’t be bought, but you have to know that two of your co-workers aren’t quite the upstanding citizens you are.”
“Your point?”
“Who do you think it was?” Peter asked. “You have to have an idea.”
Heather glared at him, the look so cold it would have made a polar bear shiver. “Do you honestly think I would tell you even if I had an opinion? You and Barry, you’re the same. You pretend to care about the community, but the reality is you just care about making as much money as possible. I know you would do anything it takes to make a buck. Heck, if it made you money, I wouldn’t put it past you to kill Barry yourself.”
“What the-” Peter practically roared, but he stopped short as he realized how loudly he’d just spoken and that everyone in the coffee shop stopped to look at him. The volume was so loud in my head, where the noise had been amplified from the spell, that an instant headache pierced through the space behind my eyes. Peter turned, gave everyone a quick wave of apology, and then turned back to Heather.
“What are you talking about?” he hissed at her, and Heather leaned forward.
“Don’t think I don’t know that you would do anything for that land. I know you tried to buy it off the former owner, but Barry outbid you. It’s prime real estate, right on the water, and as much as you pretend to be a man of the people, all you ultimately care about is cash in your pocket. I don’t put it past you at all to have killed Barry. You wanted to see if the build would be stopped by a legal challenge, and your plan was to run in then and buy the land off him. And when that failed, you decided to get rid of him, knowing the financiers backing the project would want to get rid of the land as soon as possible.”
“That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard,” Peter sputtered. “How on earth did you come up with that fairy tale?”
Heather shrugged. “Word gets around. I’m not sure I’m the only one who heard it, but I’m not the only one who thinks it might be a possibility.”
“You’re insane. Barry was my friend. Just because you’re a communist hippie who thinks anything that remotely resembles capitalism needs to be squashed into the ground doesn’t mean I killed my friend. Besides, when he was killed, I was at home in bed with my wife. I couldn’t have killed him even if I wanted to.”
Heather shrugged. “Whatever you say. But listen, I’m not putting my reputation on the line for you. Not right now, not ever. So send in some official documentation when you get the land, and then I’ll let you know if I support your plan. But a word of advice: add in some more reasonably priced units that people who work here can afford, and you’ll be much more likely to get my vote.”
With that, Heather stood up and left, and the three of us turned to each other.
“I never even thought of Peter as a suspect,” I whispered quietly.
“Well it sounds like he has an alibi,” Leanne replied.
“Right. Well, now that they’re gone, I’m going back to the kitchen,” Kaillie said. “We’ll talk about this later.”
As if right on cue, another customer chose that moment to walk through the door, and Leanne and I went back to serving, the conversations we’d just overheard running through my head as I tried to make sense of what we had learned.
I served the customer with a smile and then turned to Leanne. “Maybe we got the motive all wrong.”
Leanne sighed. “What I do know is we have too many suspects.”
“Agreed.” Between Sean, Hugo, Evan Wood – who we hadn’t even spoken to yet – and now Peter, our list of suspects was growing when I was really hoping we’d be able to whittle it down a bit.
By the end of the day I still had no idea who killed Barry Blackburn, but at least Cleo had made it back to the coffee shop just after closing, looking safe and sound and covered in far fewer burs than the night before.
“So how was your time outside?” I asked as I flipped the chairs onto the table in preparation to mop the floor. Cleo deftly jumped up onto one of the upside-down chairs and stared at me from the middle of it.
“I’ve established myself as the dominant species in the majority of the downtown core,” Cleo announced, carefully licking one of her paws.
“I hope that doesn’t mean you killed anything,” I said, narrowing my eyes at her.
“What kind of ruler would I be if I murdered my people without a trial? I plan on being a just and benevolent leader. No, an errant crow decided to test my authority, and I may have swiped at him, but he learned his lesson without any harm coming to him. The deer are the most understanding of the creatures I’ve come across; they are inherently docile and kind to their new queen.”
“Well, that’s nice for you.”
“
Exactly. Now that I have established my base of support, I simply need to find out what it is my country needs from me. How can I help them?”
Ok, I had to admit, of all the ways this plan of Cleo’s to become the ruler of the animals here in town could have gone horribly wrong, her leadership style didn’t seem to be one of them. She certainly seemed to be more of a Mufasa than a Scar, and I was proud of her.
“That’s the right attitude to have,” I said, smiling.
“Exactly. A good ruler has to make life better for those living under her.”
“I’m curious, though, have you actually told the other animals that you’re their queen?”
“No, of course not. They automatically recognized my regal nature and will do my bidding when asked.”
“Ok,” I said. I had my doubts, but Cleo seemed happy for now, so who was I to rain on her parade? I wasn’t going to be negative and tell Cleo she was wrong and couldn’t do it just because it was what I believed. After all, there was nothing saying that I was right, either. If this was her goal, I was going to do whatever I could to help her achieve it. Within reason, of course.
“Anyway, I just came by to let you know how I’m doing. You have yoga class tonight, right?”
“Ugh, I do,” I said with a groan. I’d completely forgotten that I’d agreed to go with Leanne after work.
“If you let me back out, I’ll be back at the house by sunset.”
“Ok,” I said. “Have fun and be careful.”
“A queen’s job isn’t fun,” Cleo sniffed as she darted out the door and back out into the street. I shook my head and laughed as I watched her strut down the sidewalk, attracting stares from passers-by. Whatever Cleo was doing, she seemed to be happy, and she didn’t seem to have killed any wildlife, so I was happy if she was happy.
Chapter 13
The next morning the three of us arrived at the coffee shop just before Aunt Debbie, who gave us a quick wave.
A Cauldron of Hot Coffee: Enchanted Enclave Mysteries Books 1-3 Page 37
