Jan Coffey Suspense Box Set: Three Complete Novel Box Set: Trust Me Once, Twice Burned, Fourth Victim

by Jan Coffey

  “Fabulous—I just love double dates,” Victor said with enthusiasm, taking the chair to Ian’s right and motioning to Brian to sit across from him.

  The older man appeared at a loss for words for a few seconds at the intrusion, but Victor took care of that very quickly.

  “I’m Victor Desposito. This is my friend, Brian Moore. And this is Ian Campbell. No relation to us.”

  “Shawn Hobart,” the man said gruffly, making a production of spreading the napkin on his lap.

  “Your first time at the inn?” Vic asked.

  “No, I’m a regular guest here.”

  “Fantastic.” Vic stirred his mixed drink. “And what do you do, Shawn?”

  “I’m in antiques.”

  “Get out of here!” Vic said excitedly. “You have a store?”

  Ian sat back and watched the older man clear his throat.

  “Yeah, I do.”

  “We must be here for the same auction,” Brian commented to Ian, moving the plates, silverware, and glasses around in front of him to make room for his bottle of beer. “That estate sale Vic was talking about earlier.”

  “When is it?” Ian asked.

  “Tomorrow morning,” Vic answered. “The preview is bright and early at seven sharp. The first item goes up at nine.”

  Ian watched Shawn beginning to sweat. The older man took a long drink of the water before looking anxiously over his shoulder at where Rita was explaining the dinner menu to the Sterns.

  “If you’re a regular here, you must be an old pro at finding your way around these back roads. We’re from Philly. How about if Brian and I follow you tomorrow morning to the sale.”

  “I’m not going,” the man said abruptly.

  Vic’s look of surprise was anything but restrained. “I know dealers who’re coming all the way from Richmond and DC for this thing. The advertisement for it has been running in every trade paper from Maine to Virginia. And we’re…what, an hour away from it, and you aren’t going?”

  “No, I’m not.”

  Victor stared at him for a moment. “Oh, I get it. You have your connections. You got a private preview of the stuff,” he said, looking satisfied with the explanation. Shawn didn’t say anything. “How about giving us directions to the place, then. It’s supposed to be right over the border in Vermont.”

  All eyes at the table turned on Shawn Hobart. The older man stared at the empty water glass before him. For a change, Vic fell quiet.

  “Ask at the front desk. They’ll help you out,” he said finally. His mouth clamped shut, his downward gaze discouraging any more questions.

  Victor and Brian exchanged a look, and an awkward silence descended on the table. Ian watched Kelly hurry into the dining room. She’d changed into a black dress pants and a white button-down shirt with her sleeves rolled up. Her hair was gathered on top of her head. The change in hairstyle made her green eyes large and arresting. She looked slick and smart. She and Rita exchanged a few words.

  “So, Ian…” Vic finally drawled, obviously unable to stay quiet for too long.

  Ian got a sympathetic glance from across the table. He drank from his beer. “Yes, Victor.”

  “Brian and I never had a chance to ask. What brings you all the way from San Diego to Tranquility Inn, here in deepest, darkest New Hampshire?”

  “Vacation.” He said casually. “A little R & R.”

  “Why here? Why not some place with more...?” Vic turned his palm up and searched for the right word. “More pizzazz? You know, you’re pretty hot looking…in a tough, Marlboro-man kind of way. Why not go to the beach or one of the club resorts with those girls in bikinis and guys in g-strings parading around? You know, somewhere where you can accomplish two things at once.”

  “I thought R & R were two things. Rest and recreation.”

  “Vic prefers S & R,” Brian put in with a chuckle. “You know—sex and recreation.”

  “Nice talk,” Vic said in a hushed voice, looking around the room. “There are young families around, you know.” He turned a hundred-watt smile back on Ian. “So, why not some S & R?”

  “Too much trouble. A place like this is exactly what the doctor ordered.”

  Vic picked up on the word right away. “You really mean doctor, don’t you, hon? This is no vacation.”

  “I’m on medical leave.”

  Victor leaned back in his chair and gave Ian a once over. “Must be a head doctor, then, cuz you look pretty good to me.”

  “It’s for stress. I was letting my job get to me,” he said, watching Kelly come across the room.

  “What do you do?” Brian asked.

  Ian returned Kelly’s smile as she reached their table. “I’m a cop.”

  ~~~~

  It shouldn’t have mattered what Ian Campbell did for living, but Kelly had been distracted all through dinner. He was a police officer of some kind. And he wasn’t so much telling the three men at his table what he did; he had been telling her.

  The same knot Kelly had felt form in her stomach when she first met him was back. There was something familiar about him that she couldn’t explain. He talked tough and his actions gave her no inkling about what he thought of her or why he was really here. Still, her hackles weren’t raised. She didn’t feel like running. If anything, she was curious to learn more about him.

  “There isn’t much more to do here, if you want to go up,” Rita said.

  “It’s been a pretty long day for you. Are you sure?” Kelly asked the other woman.

  “I’m sure. I didn’t bring a car today. Wilson is dropping me home. He’s not even close to being ready to leave.”

  Kelly would have sworn that in the two years since she’d been here, she hadn’t seen Rita and Wilson say more than a dozen words to each other. Still, it was a common thing for them to share a ride in from the village.

  “You were great today. I appreciate it.”

  Rita nodded and turned away.

  In the parlor, Kelly was happy to see few of the guests sitting around talking. Janice was on the phone.

  “No, I’m sorry…No, we have no one by that name staying with us,” she said in response to the caller. “No, I’m very sorry. You have the wrong number.”

  “Who were they looking for?” Kelly asked as the older woman hung up.

  “They had us mixed up with someplace down around North Conway.” She motioned to the intercom Kelly left on whenever Jade was napping upstairs alone. “I haven’t heard a peep from her. She must have been exhausted.”

  “Tell me about it. But she had no lunch or dinner. I feel horrible.”

  “She’ll manage. Kids are tough,” Janice said. “How was dinner?”

  “Good. Everyone seemed happy with their meal.” From this angle, Kelly could see Ian Campbell sitting in one of the leather chairs by the fireplace. He was listening to something the shorter of the two men from Philadelphia was saying. The fourth person at their table, Mr. Hobart, had retired as soon as Kelly had taken away the dessert dishes. “I know it’s only three more people, but the dining room seemed so much livelier having extra guests tonight. Maybe if I get Dan to finish painting room five—”

  “Aquarius.”

  “Right, Aquarius. If that gets painted as soon as the Desposito party leaves, we could start renting it out next week. Also, I wouldn’t mind at all having someone staying in the room on the third floor. So long as we warn them about the size and the color.”

  “You’re getting ahead of yourself,” Janice said with a smile, closing the books and putting them away. “Let’s get through the weekend first, then we can talk about it.”

  There was no point in arguing with Janice about such things. Actually, there was no point in arguing with her about anything that constituted change. From experience, Kelly knew that she had to start the ball rolling herself and then tell the older woman later. Heck, all she really had to do was put Dan on the reception desk for one afternoon, and she’d have more extra bookings than they could handle.


  Kelly glanced one more time around the sitting area. It looked as if Ian was getting ready to leave.

  “I need to go up and check on Jade. I’ll come back down later and lock up.”

  “No need,” Janice told her. “Dan’s disappeared somewhere, but I know he’ll be back. Bill went to our place to watch one of his baseball games, but he’ll be back, too. Between the two of them, they’ll take care of things. Why don’t you get a good night’s sleep?”

  Kelly didn’t commit one way or the other whether she was retiring for the night, but said good night to Janice and went up.

  On the second floor, all was quiet. Kelly saw the light on under the door of the suite of rooms where the Sterns were staying, but there was no sound of voices coming out. It was about nine o’clock, and she wondered if they’d gone out or somehow wrestled their two sons into bed early.

  She made a quick check of the bathroom that was being shared on the floor and made sure there were enough towels and other supplies for the guests. Going back down the hallway, she continued up to her own floor. It took a few seconds at the top to get used to seeing both doors—the one to the guest room and the door into her apartment—closed. She’d been spoiled, having the whole floor to herself, and although she never used that room, she enjoyed the cross breeze she usually got in the warmer months with everything open.

  The only renovation Kelly had done to the house since moving back had been in the apartment where she and Jade now lived. She had all the walls knocked out and the ceiling, as well, opening the space beneath the roof. A couple of skylights were added to let in more light. Now, with the exception of a kitchenette and a small bathroom with a shower, the entire apartment was open.

  She liked that the living and sleeping areas she shared with Jade were all one space. The arrangement allowed her to watch over and be with her daughter, no matter what they were doing. It was the two of them, and Kelly hated being separate from her. They were the only family either of them had left.

  The air in the apartment was cool. She looked at Jade first. She was cuddled up with her old yellow blanket, sound asleep. Kelly sat down on the edge of the bed and touched the silky dark ringlets. She caressed her daughter’s cheeks. The little upturned nose creased a couple of times, and the child snuggled deeper under the blanket.

  No real lunch, no dinner, no bath, no cuddling in bed, and no reading of any stories before she fell asleep. The guilt slithered back in. Kelly’s gaze wandered to the end table that separated the two twin beds. Greg’s face smiled up at her; his expression was reassuring. He trusted her. He’d always been confident in Kelly’s abilities. He’d always made her feel that she was doing the right thing.

  “You would have been really proud of her today,” Kelly murmured. “Your daughter was a champion, inside and out.”

  Kelly touched the edge of the picture frame. God, she missed him. It had been so long. It felt as if she and Jade had been alone forever.

  Dozens of framed photographs of all shapes and sizes could be seen on every bookcase, table, and wall. A couple of oversized black-and-white photos of Jade walking in the woods had been fastened to the sloping ceiling. Kelly got up from the bed and walked to the end wall, where she’d arranged and hung so many pictures.

  Greg. Her parents. Greg and Kelly at their wedding. Her mother, Rose, so proudly holding Jade at the hospital when she was only a day old. Greg and Kelly during the cruise, taking their own picture. She looked at the dozens of pictures she’d put up for her and Jade. Even when everyone was alive, their family circle was so small. She wanted Jade to know them. Kelly wanted her daughter to know every loving face.

  A cool breeze coming in made Kelly shiver. She shut one of the windows and was about to close a second one when she saw Ian Campbell walk down the steps from the deck.

  Chapter 6

  Ian stood in the shadow of a tall maple in the grassy area and looked out at the lake. The night was damp and cool, and he pulled on his black cotton sweater. Through the mists swirling overhead, the moon was a cold, white disk hanging in the sky. More like a stage prop than something real. His shoes were wet from the dew, and the smell of the earth filled him with thoughts of his past.

  The distant yip of a coyote startled him. It was a familiar sound to Ian, but he didn’t expect to hear it here. He thought for a moment that he might have imagined it, but an answering yip cut through the darkness from somewhere across the lake. He gazed out in that direction. The forests were black and unbroken, a vast area where a person could walk for days and never see another human being. It was a place where one could die and never be found.

  At the far side of the lake, the fog was not as thick as it had been during the afternoon. Lights were on in the camp. They flickered as the mists broke and then closed up again, tantalizing him. The sky above the camp was brighter where the light dispersed in the fog, giving the place a white shifting glow, like some cheerless, unfixed halo. The coyote’s call cut through the night again. It was closer than before.

  He looked up at the house as the door from the porch opened, and the newlywed couple, Marisa and Dave Meadows, slipped out. They stopped at the railing, talking quietly. Standing in the dark shadows of the tree, Ian knew they couldn’t see him, in spite of the moonlight. They appeared to be disagreeing about something. Finally, the two came down the steps and moved toward the lake.

  Ian edged back a little farther as they went by him. They were not holding hands or showing any of the affection you’d expect from two honeymooners. As they passed, Dave pulled a penlight from his pocket and flicked it on. The grass ahead of them glistened under the beam of light. He handed it to her. When they reached the lake, she took down two paddles from the rack as he turned over one of the canoes and dragged it toward the water’s edge. The hollow sound of the canoe sliding across the grass was muffled. A moment later, she took her place in the bow and switched off the penlight as her husband pushed them off the shore.

  Frowning, Ian watched the canoe glide away, disappearing into the gloom. They appeared to be paddling toward the camp.

  He stood there for a few minutes, listening to the sounds of the night. A pair of owls had begun to call back and forth, each hoot raising the hackles on Ian’s neck. A mosquito landed on his cheek, and he brushed it off. He considered taking a canoe himself, but decided it would be a bad idea to be caught out there.

  From what he could see of the parking lot on the far side of the inn, a number of the guests’ cars were gone. The battered rental truck belonging to Victor and Brian was visible. They were the last ones in the parlor when Ian had left.

  The carriage house where Janice and Bill lived was lit up, though there were no signs of activity. The two cottages by the water were dark. With a look back at the inn, Ian wandered past the one where Dan lived. Reaching the second cottage, he looked in a window but could see nothing. He pulled at the padlock on the door.

  “Can I help you with something Mr. Campbell?”

  Ian recognized Kelly’s voice. His hand dropped from the padlock. Turning around, Ian saw her standing ten feet away. She was wearing a white sweater. In the moonlight, she appeared almost ethereal.

  “Ian. Please call me Ian,” he said before motioning over his shoulder at the cottage. “I was wondering if you kept any kayaks in there.”

  “No kayaks. Canoes are all we’ve got. And a couple of sunfish that nobody takes out. There’s never enough wind to sail them.” She looked over the lake. “Was it my imagination or did someone take out one of the canoes?”

  “The newlyweds,” Ian replied, walking over and standing next to her. “You could at least have given them a private room and bath.”

  She sent him a sidelong glance and didn’t answer. Ian saw the smile pulling at the corner of her lips. A moment later, she glanced back over her shoulder at the inn.

  “Will you stay for a minute?” he motioned to a couple of Adirondack chairs.

  Her look this time was at the third floor of the house. />
  “You know, I don’t think the Meadows couple took any lifejackets. You should stay here for a few minutes, at least, in case they capsize the boat and need help.”

  “Dan told me they took out a boat this afternoon, too. I believe he probably explained all the safety mumbo jumbo to them.”

  “Stay anyway.”

  After a moment’s hesitation, she sat down on the edge of one of the chairs. “Only for a couple of minutes.”

  Ian sat down, too. She looked over the water at the lights coming from the camp. Her eyes glistened in the moonlight. Her cheeks were high and sculpted, her mouth wide and her lips full. With some make-up, he supposed even Victor would consider her a very beautiful woman. But she didn’t do anything to enhance or bring any attention to her features. She did nothing to hide her flaws, either. He stared at the thin scar on her forehead, visible even in this light.

  “You have a beautiful place here. Each season must be so different,” he said before she had a chance to ask any questions.

  “I think the inn is the prettiest on a crisp fall day when the sky is a deep blue and the leaves on the trees are a hundred different shades of red and yellow. The water on the lake reflects the colors like a mirror. I have to say autumn is the nicest time to be here.”

  “You must book up solid during those weeks.”

  “We do. In fact, that’s usually the only time of the year that all of our rooms are full.” She leaned back and relaxed a little. “The way we filled up this weekend is very uncommon. Of course, I really have Dan to thank for that.”

  “He says he’s new this summer,” Ian commented. “Not like the rest of the people working here.”

  “That’s right…thank goodness.” She laughed and then lowered her voice. “I shouldn’t have said that. That was a horrible thing to say.”

  “No it wasn’t.” He smiled. “You inherited the whole bunch of them, didn’t you?”

  She shrugged. “It’s tough finding enough people around here to work. The few year-round residents that we have commute to the big resorts, which pay better. I was lucky to have any kind of crew at all.”