A Twisted Fate (An East Pender Cozy Mystery Book 3)

by Leona Fox

  “And I know you seem to think there's some kind of connection between the two of you but it is just a coincidence. She's not you, and you're not her.”

  Ellen knew Kelly was making sense but there was still a niggling feeling that something was amiss and she couldn't quite put her finger on it. Perhaps the heat was affecting her more than she thought, and all she needed was a pleasant night's sleep for everything to be fine again. When Andy called she answered, and told him she was at Kelly's and he was welcome to come over. It didn't take long for him to appear and when he opened the door he and Ellen hugged tightly.

  “You look more relaxed than earlier,” Ellen said.

  “Being out of that uniform makes a world of difference,” he replied with a grin.

  He was wearing shorts and a loose T-shirt, although it was so hot his temples sparkled with sweat. He eagerly accepted the drink that Kelly offered him upon entering. He and Ellen sat next to each other and she rested her head on his shoulder for comfort, breathing in his scent.

  “You okay?” he asked.

  “She's just suffering from the same affliction that is plaguing all of us. I tell you, there's going to come a time when this town is going to go crazy. That's what always happens in this heat. We're not built for it and it sets off something inside us, something we can't control. I hate to think it but this Ella girl might just be the first of many.”

  “I sincerely hope you're wrong about that,” Andy said. Ellen pulled herself up, as if to disprove Kelly's theory, and asked Andy what was going on.

  “Well, why don't you tell me what your thoughts were when you saw the crime scene? So far we have what looks like a break-in and a missing occupant.”

  “It's not certain the two are related, but I would imagine they are. Unless somebody knew she wouldn't be home and that's why they broke in. But I saw inside the house and it just...I don't know, something didn't seem right.”

  “In what way?”

  Ellen searched her mind for the right words. There had been something about the house that had struck her as odd, and something about the way Gregory acted as well. Yet, she didn't know if that was actually true or if it was simply a case that the heat was playing with her mind and had impaired her judgment.

  “I can't be sure, but to me it felt like the crime scene was too...too clean for a break-in. Yes, the door was kicked in but the place wasn't ransacked. So unless the person knew exactly what they were looking for and where it was...So my first instinct, given that Beatrice said she was supposed to be meeting Ella, is that somebody kidnapped her and tried to make it look like there had been a break-in.”

  Andy pressed his lips together and nodded, a stony look on his face. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a plastic bag, which held within it a torn shred of cloth.

  “Beatrice identified this as one of Ella's shirts. She proved quite helpful.”

  “She seemed like a sweet kid. I'm surprised Gregory shouted at her so violently.”

  “Maybe there's more to her than meets the eye, but I think he was distraught about his sister. But I have a feeling this shirt was torn on purpose and not by accident,” he said as he and Ellen continued talking about the case.

  Andy idly passed the piece of cloth to Ellen so she could look at it, and she in turn passed it to Kelly. As Kelly was looking at it, however, she opened it and Scampy came up to her, sniffing the air near the bag. But Andy immediately snatched it away.

  “You know you're not supposed to do that! This is evidence,” he said, glaring at Kelly. Both women were shocked at how vicious his words were.

  He apologized instantly, and exhaled, rubbing his eyes. “I'm sorry, I haven't been sleeping much recently and this case reminds me of one I worked on a long time ago.”

  “In what way?”

  Andy looked haggard and weary, as though he was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.

  “There was this kid, he was only about ten, and he went missing one day. I was only a sergeant at the time and I was the one who took the call from his parents. I still can hear the fear in his mom's voice. We started combing the area and looked for any clue. These things, you know, the longer they last the worse it usually is. So we were trying our hardest to get out there and cover as much of the area as possible, but it...you know...we...we never found him.” The last few words were choked out and he seemed to have aged decades in a matter of a few seconds.

  Then Kelly exclaimed, “I know who you are! You're Clive Dunlop.” Andy glowered, rose, and stormed out of the room without saying another word.

  Ellen glanced at Kelly, who quickly added, “The character in his brother's book, that's the one who is based on Andy,” she said as Ellen quickly ran to catch up with him.

  “What's the matter?” she asked. Andy stood in the doorway.

  “You know what the matter is, you've read the books,” he said.

  “Yeah, so what? It's not you, it's just a character.”

  “It is me. Why do you think I left my last assignment? Nobody ever would let me forget it. The only reason people here never could work it out is because they didn't know about the case. They only see me as some sort of hero cop who never can do anything wrong.”

  “That's because you are,” Ellen said, moving toward him and reaching out to squeeze his arm.

  She softened her tone. “I can't imagine how you feel but that case was a long time ago and the character in that book was written by your brother. Your life is written by you. And Kelly won't tell anybody so everyone can keep on guessing,” she said.

  She was trying to reassure him it all would be okay but it wasn't having any effect. She could see that by the look on his face.

  “Yeah, everything is a long time ago but it never seems to go away,” he said, and went to leave.

  As he did so, since the door was wide open, Scampy ran between the both of them and disappeared into the night. Ellen cried out after him and ordered him to come back but it had no effect. The dog's barks faded as he got farther and farther away. Ellen started running after him but Andy held her back.

  “I'll go get him. You just stay here,” he said and, before she could argue, he was off, disappearing into the night as well.

  Chapter 4

  “Did you hear anything from Andy?” Kelly asked.

  She had made a rare venture out of doors to the cafe, where Ellen was fretting because Scampy still was missing.

  “He called me at about one in the morning saying it was too dark to follow any tracks so they would continue the search in the morning. A missing girl and now a missing dog, maybe this town is going crazy in the heat,” Ellen said, trying to inject some humor into her day but it came off as dry and lackluster. Kelly looked at her with great sympathy.

  “What do you think made him run off?”

  “I don't know. Who knows with these animals? Maybe he smelled his soulmate or something, or just something tasty to eat.”

  “Andy was pretty quick at leaving as well, wasn't he?” Kelly commented, sipping on her iced tea.

  A few other people were in the cafe but on this sleepy morning most people were still in their houses or working, trying to make it through the day without collapsing into a dreamy haze.

  “Can you blame him? Someone finally worked out his secret,” Ellen said, with more than a hint of an accusing tone directed at Kelly, who seemed oblivious to it.

  “Anyone could have put two and two together really, once that particular information came to light.”

  “He was really sensitive about it.”

  “I can't blame him really,” Kelly said, and Ellen looked at her with an inquisitive expression, trying to prompt Kelly to continue.

  Kelly put her glass down on the table and looked at Ellen with great incredulity. “You have read the books, yes?” she added.

  “Well, I've perused one or two of them. I mean...I've tried reading them, especially when I found out one of the characters was based on Andy, but the trouble with those thrille
rs is the criminals always seem so much more interesting than the main characters. To be honest, once I couldn't see which ones were like Andy I just gave up on them. They're predictable as well. Anyone can figure out the plot within the first few chapters. His brother is a decent writer I suppose, but he lacks some of the flair and poetry that I prefer in my fiction.”

  “Are you sure you don't want to go to the book club?” Kelly asked, furrowing her brow.

  “Anyway, if you had read more then you'd see why Andy is upset. Do you remember the character of Clive Dunlop?”

  “You mentioned that name yesterday. It rings a bell but, no. I wouldn't be able to tell you anything about him, maybe he was in one of the books that I didn't read? I imagine if there was a character based on Andy I would know it instantly.”

  “Well, that's just the thing. Aside from the case that never got solved I never would have put the two of them together. Clive was the cop who had been stuck behind his desk because he was traumatized by an old case, one that he never solved, and he kept going back to it and back to it.”

  “Oh my gosh,” Ellen said as she remembered the character. “Yes, now I know, he was just in the background wasn't he?”

  “Yeah, he was a supporting character, but he was in every book until...well...”

  “What? What happened to him?” she asked. Kelly twisted her head this way and that, debating in what way to frame her discourse.

  “I don't know at what point you dropped off, but Clive always was being reminded of his greatest failure and he never could recover from it. At one point he helped out on a case and it reminded him of the one that basically destroyed his career. It led him to breaking down and drowning in bottles of whiskey. He started pushing everyone away until he was all alone. Then they asked for his badge. The last thing we saw was him with a bottle of whiskey in one hand and a bottle of pills in the other.”

  “Wow, that's dark.”

  “Yeah, I can't imagine what Andy's brother was thinking, writing him like that, but aside from the actual incident I don't know how there are any two similarities between the character and Andy. Clive was weak and depressed, kind of pathetic really, the way that Andy's brother wrote him anyway, nothing like Andy. He obviously was able to rebuild his career and come here and he seems pretty well put together,” Kelly said.

  Ellen was chewing her lip for she was well aware that sometimes people saw only the darkness when they looked at reflections of themselves. If Andy still was haunted by his greatest failure then he well could have seen too much of himself in this Clive Dunlop. If that was the case then there was a shadow cast over him that Ellen hadn't seen before. As close as they had grown there was something he had been hiding from her after all this time; not that she could blame him, for there were things she had been hiding from him as well. She thought perhaps it was time for them to have an honest conversation and reveal the deep, inner truths that had remained hidden for too long.

  But, as always, there was never a good time for these things because right now there was a missing girl and a missing dog that needed their help, the sooner the better.

  Ellen returned to the counter and adjusted the picture of Scampy she had placed there. It included a note asking for any information and the promise of a reward. The people who had come in that morning all stared at it and asked the same question, “Is your dog lost then?”

  None of them had any answers to offer, not that she really expected any so soon. She was more afraid of someone coming in and reporting they had seen a dead dog. Every time somebody spoke to her about the picture her heart was seized by fear. To try taking her mind off things she glanced around the walls and looked at all of Kelly’s artwork. There were landscape paintings of East Pender, and some portraits of Scampy and of herself and Scampy, which Ellen hadn't wanted to put up because of modesty but Kelly had insisted. As she looked at them she had to admit her friend was incredibly talented. She was a little envious that Kelly had a passion and that she was able to make a living off of it.

  “Are you ever going to do anymore of these?” she asked.

  Kelly looked around and it took her a couple of moments to understand what Ellen was talking about.

  “Oh? Those old things? I'm sure I'll get to them eventually. I just find it so difficult to work in this heat, it saps my creative energy.”

  “Don't you get bored though, just doing nothing? I don't think I'd be able to handle that.”

  “It's called taking joy from the pleasure of simply existing,” Kelly said. Ellen knew she never would understand such a laid back way of thinking.

  She already was looking forward to getting to the tail end of the heatwave. Then she would be able to get back to running and have energy to do things again, and rid herself of the haze that had seeped into her mind.

  The doorbell chimed and the women looked up. Ellen stiffened when she saw it was Gregory, and watched him with a wary eye. But he looked different than when she had seen him the other day. His face wasn't twisted in anger and he didn't look like he was bristling for a fight. Under his arm he carried a wad of posters and he placed them on the counter as he looked at Ellen. When he saw her he flinched a little as he recognized her from the previous day.

  “Ah, um, I guess I should apologize for the other day. I hope you understand, though. It was quite a traumatic thing to see. I wasn't myself. I'm sorry,” he said. His voice was low and rumbling and as he spoke his eyes darted furtively around the room, never resting on anything for too long.

  “It's okay, I can't imagine what you must be going through.”

  “It's terrible. I just don't know who could have done this or why. Just to know that she's out there somewhere. I mean...I don't know if she's being fed and taken care of or if she's just been left somewhere...” he said. His voice trailed off as the consequences of that train of thought were unspeakable.

  “I know, but people are looking for her. If she's out there they'll find her,” Ellen said, offering him a reassuring smile, which he returned.

  “I wondered if I could just give you this poster of her, just in case anyone comes back with any information? I've been putting them all around town. I don't know if they'll do any good but I figure it can't hurt. It helps to be doing something rather than just sitting there helpless.”

  “Of course, I'll put one right here next to my own,” she said, and Gregory noticed that Scampy was missing.

  “Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize your dog had gone missing.”

  “It happened last night; just ran out the door to goodness knows where. Guess that's animals for you,” she said, laughing softly.

  “Listen,” she continued, “do you think I could ask you a couple of questions about your sister?”

  “I don't see why not,” Gregory said.

  “Was she alright? I mean, I don't want to pry, but I know what happened to your parents. Something similar happened to me and I know what it can be like. I just...I don't want to be insensitive, but are you sure she wouldn't have run away by herself?”

  Gregory's face hardened. “No way, not Ella, not at all. She had everything to live for. She even was talking of going back to the city soon enough so she could get back to work. She liked it here but she wasn't going to stay here forever. It was too quiet for her. She liked to be in the city, it made her feel alive.”

  He spoke the last word without thinking and a terrifying expression came over his face. Ellen gulped, and Kelly shot a look at her. Gregory chewed his lip and the color drained from his face. An awkward silence descended upon them for a few moments.

  “Have you spoken to any of her friends? Did they have any information?” Ellen asked. Gregory's face hardened a little.

  “No...no, none of them have.”

  “What about Beatrice? You two seemed to have a little history.”

  “Yeah, well, I don't know if she'll prove to be much help. She's one of those people who seems nice, but once you've turned your back she'll twist the knife in. Ella was just too
nice to see that,” he said, and then his phone started ringing.

  He shot an apologetic look at Ellen as he answered the call and moved away, turning his back to the women. However, he had not moved out of earshot. They could hear only fragments of the call though, for he kept his voice low. From what she could hear Ellen surmised that he owed someone a great debt. The tone of his voice was strained and when it was over he stared at his phone for a moment before his entire body shook with a heavy sigh. When he turned back to face Ellen she saw desperation in his eyes.

  “Thank you for all your help with this,” he said.

  “We've all got to help each other out, that's what East Pender is like. Is...everything okay?”

  “Yeah, yeah, it's just...there's never just one thing going wrong you know? But I don't have the energy to do anything else right now other than think about my sister.”

  Ellen wanted to probe him to try finding out what the call had been about but Andy came in the door, glistening with sweat, and before she had a chance to say goodbye Gregory had gone.

  Andy took out a handkerchief and wiped the sweat from his brow as he pulled out a seat next to Kelly and sat down. Ellen brought him a glass of iced tea, which he almost drained completely as soon as it met his lips, and joined them.

  “Any news?” she asked, leaning forward.

  “No, I'm sorry,” he said, “there's no trace of either of them.”

  “Do you have any leads?” Kelly asked. The question was met with another heavy sigh.

  “Nothing.”

  He banged his fist on the table and sent the glasses rattling, and everyone else in the cafe turned to face them. Ellen looked shocked. Andy apologized instantly and returned to the usual calm demeanor that Ellen associated with him.

  “Andy what's going on?” she asked softly, but the police chief looked away from her.

  “I just wanted to come in here and get a bit of a break from the heat. I'd better get back out there, though. Time is ticking.”

  He immediately rose and made his way to the door but Ellen chased after him and pulled his arm back.