by Lyndsey Cole
“It crossed my mind but my hair is blonde now and my face is different enough from when he saw me six years ago. I’ve put on enough weight that he wouldn’t see me as swimsuit model material and if I have no use to him, I assumed I would become invisible in Harold’s world. The thing is, Monique is a close friend. I couldn’t talk her out of working for Harold so I decided all I could hope for was to stay with her so I could keep an eye on her and protect her.” Vanessa’s hands covered her face. “I failed.”
Hannah reached out to comfort Vanessa. “You did what you could. In the end, Monique is responsible for her choices.”
“I suppose so, but it doesn’t make it any easier to accept her death. Such a senseless end to a beautiful person.”
“Speak of the devil,” Jack said, his eyes on the bright red car that just pulled into the parking lot. “It looks like Harold has returned.”
Hannah stood and moved to her porch railing. “Gwen is waving and running over to meet him. That won’t sit well with Colin. I heard him say he’d be back to pick her up to take her out for dinner.”
“Figures,” Vanessa said. Her voice was sounding a bit slurred. “She’ll chase after whoever she thinks will help her the most at the moment. Poor Colin won’t have a chance if Gwen has her claws out for Harold.”
“There they go. Gwen just climbed into Harold’s car. Do you think she’s safe with him?” Hannah leaned as far forward as possible over her porch railing to get a better view into Harold’s car.
Vanessa flicked her wrist dismissively. “There’s no other competition for her at the moment so Harold will probably turn his charm on. She’ll think she’s got him wrapped around her finger but it’s Harold who has Gwen snared in his web. That’s how he works. Once he zeroes in on a new model, Gwen better get out while she has the chance.”
Hannah had her phone out and to her ear. “Samantha? Meet me in the office as soon as possible. I need some help.” She slid her phone back in her pocket. “Vanessa, are you okay for the rest of the day? I’ve got some errands to run.”
Jack raised his eyebrows questionably in Hannah’s direction. He never missed much.
Vanessa pushed herself out of the Adirondack chair. She reached for the porch railing to steady herself. “I’ll be fine. Just point me in the right direction.” She giggled. “I’m ready to sit on my cottage porch and watch the world go by.”
With Jack and Hannah each holding one of Vanessa’s arms, the three walked down the path. Jack escorted Vanessa all the way to her cottage while Hannah detoured to her office.
By the time Jack returned, Samantha entered from her half of the cottage, looking well-rested. Her eyes danced with expectation of something exciting. She rubbed her hands together. “Don’t keep me in suspense. What’s the plan?”
“Gwen just blew Colin off for his dinner date with her. I think it’s time to grill him on what he knows about her whereabouts when Monique got pushed in the pool. He has his eye on Gwen but, hopefully, he’s not stupid enough to lie for her.”
“Gwen is the murderer?” Samantha asked with far too much excitement in her voice.
“I think it has to be Gwen or Harold and the two of them are together at the moment which we can use to our advantage with Colin.”
“What about Juliette?”
“Or Juliette, I suppose, although I don’t want that to be the case.” Hannah walked out of the office.
“I’ll drive,” Samantha said. She pointed her key fob at her royal blue Mini Cooper. The car beeped and the lights flickered on and off.
“Drop me at my house? You didn’t invite me along on your adventure so I’ll just sit at home by myself.” Jack pouted.
“Do you want to come?” Hannah asked.
Jack grinned. “Thanks for the invitation.” He climbed in the back seat and buckled himself in. “That poor boy has no idea what’s about to hit him when the two of you get him cornered.”
Chapter 23
As Samantha drove to the Paradise Inn, Hannah told her what Vanessa revealed about Harold and how he had assaulted her.
“That piece of scum. He assaulted her and she needed plastic surgery? I can’t believe it.” Samantha took the corner a little too fast and her wheels squealed.
Hannah put her hands on the dash to steady herself. “Slow down, Mario. We aren’t in a race. I checked with Ruby, and Colin is working tonight. She said we’d probably find him out back taking his break.”
Samantha swerved into a parking spot, barely missing the fender of the car she parked next to.
“That was close,” Hannah said as she carefully opened her door. There was barely enough room for her to squeeze out without bashing her door into the other car.
“I think that other driver is over the line into my parking spot. I hope he doesn’t hit me when he backs out.” Samantha slammed her door and headed to the entrance of the Paradise Inn.
Jack and Hannah exchanged a look. She cupped her hand around her mouth. “Remind me to never park near Samantha.”
Jack nodded in agreement.
“Samantha!” Hannah called. “I’m going to walk around to the back on the outside of the building instead of going inside.”
Samantha stopped at the fountain and reversed her direction. “Should we split up in case he tries to make a run for it?”
“Why would he do that? We only want to talk to him.”
“Oh, right.” Samantha clearly sounded disappointed.
Jack dawdled behind them but that was okay with Hannah. If they came on too strong, Colin might get spooked and be less inclined to give them information. She certainly didn’t want him to be on the defensive. “Let me do the talking, Samantha.” In other words, please keep your mouth zipped up tight.
“Why did you bring me along if I can’t say anything?”
“I need another set of ears. You can charm him if you want, but try not to accuse him of murdering Monique.”
“I can do charm.” Samantha swiveled her hips and patted her curls. “Harold complimented my modeling this afternoon, by the way. I think I’m a natural.”
“Well, if I were you, I wouldn’t turn my back on that guy.” Hannah spotted Colin sitting by himself at a picnic table. She made a beeline in his direction.
“Hey, Colin. Do you have a minute?” Hannah stuck her hand in the air to get his attention.
He looked up and grinned. “Sure, about five more, to be exact. Management is pretty strict that we don’t stretch it out. But it’s a decent job. What’s up?”
“Not much. Actually, I’m surprised to find you here,” she lied. “I thought I heard you tell Gwen that you would be picking her up to take her to dinner. Bummer that work got in the way.” Hannah sat next to Colin to be at his eye level instead of looking down at him.
“Actually, she called me and said she wasn’t feeling good so I switched with someone who wanted tonight off. I’m hoping she’ll be better by tomorrow night when I get off work.” He fiddled with his phone, checking his Facebook feed from what Hannah could see from the corner of her eye.
“Sick? That’s a shame. I’m sure I saw Harold pick her up.” Hannah shrugged. “Maybe he was taking her to the doctor or something.”
“Huh? All she had was a headache. Why would she go to the doctor for that?”
“She blew you off,” Samantha said. She obviously ran out of patience to keep her lips zipped. She sat next to Hannah, shoved her with her hips to make more room, and leaned forward to see Colin better. “Don’t you get it? She’s playing you for a fool. Believe me, I’ve been around long enough to know what I have a headache means.”
Hannah jabbed Samantha’s side to get her to shut up. It didn’t work. “I’m sure she has a good explanation.”
Colin’s face lost its goofy grin. “I can’t believe it. She lied to me?”
Samantha patted his leg. “Looks like it, dear. What are you going to do about it?”
Colin stood and paced back and forth. “I’ll tell you what I’m not go
ing to do. I’m not going to lie for her. I promised I’d go to the police station when I got off work and tell Deputy Larson that I was with Gwen when she was on her break. The security camera back there doesn’t work so no one would know if I lied.”
“Except you,” Jack said. He leaned against the neighboring picnic table with his arms crossed. “And when you lie to the police, and they find out, they don’t like it too much.”
“What will I tell Gwen? She’s going to be mad at me if I don’t do this.” Colin looked at Jack, then Hannah, then Samantha.
Samantha stood next to Colin with her hands on his arms. She stared into his eyes. “Listen, dear, you don’t want to ruin your life over someone as shallow as Gwen appears to be. I can tell you’re a hardworking and good looking,” she winked at Colin, “young man.”
“I’ve got an idea, Colin,” Hannah said before Samantha got out of control. “Don’t tell Gwen anything. She’ll assume you will do what you said and leave it at that. Let me ask you this.”
Colin nodded.
“Why do you think she wants you to lie for her? I wonder,” Hannah paused, “is it possible that Gwen followed Monique into the pool area and pushed her in?” Hannah tried to make it sound like she just this minute got the idea that Gwen could be the killer. She wanted to plant the idea in his head if he hadn’t considered it yet. Could he really be that blind, she wondered?
“Gwen?” Colin’s eyes darted from Hannah back to Samantha. “Gwen’s not a murderer, is she?” he whispered.
“Listen, Colin, you should probably stay clear of her until the police get to the bottom of this.” Hannah put her hand on his shoulder. “You don’t want to be connected to the murder in case, you know, she is involved, do you?”
“I…um…need to get back to work.” He jogged back inside as if something was after him and the building would provide a safety net.
“That boy has it bad for Gwen,” Jack said. “I hope he has enough sense to take your advice, but I wouldn’t put money on him making the right choice. He’s young and he has stars in his eyes when it comes to Gwen.”
“He won’t do anything until he’s off work, so we have some time to get more answers.” Hannah started walking back toward Samantha’s car. “It’s time to have another chat with Juliette. She said she scheduled the photoshoot in Hooks Harbor because of unfinished business. It’s time she gives us the details about what that unfinished business is.”
Samantha zipped her Mini Cooper out of the parking spot, narrowly missing side-swiping the car she almost hit on the way into the spot. Hannah sighed with relief. Time for dealing with a parking lot fender-bender was not scheduled into her day.
“What is your latest theory about this mess, Hannah?” Jack asked from the backseat. “If these suspects have shared even half what they’ve told you, Pam must be pulling her hair out.”
“Now that we know more about Vanessa and all that she told us about Harold, I still think he’s the top suspect.” She turned around as much as possible to face Jack. “Harold assaulted Vanessa. He dumped Juliette. He argued with Monique and, if everything is true, she was driving him crazy. Harold does not have any patience.”
Samantha drove into Hannah’s parking lot, stirring up a cloud of dust.
When Samantha was safely stopped, Hannah continued. “And here’s why I think Harold is the likely murderer. With Juliette’s terrible fight with Monique over the dog-napping fiasco, and Juliette in the pool area when Monique went missing, Harold has the perfect person to pin the blame on.”
Samantha put her elbow on the back of her seat so she could see both Hannah and Jack. “The way I see it, if Vanessa comes forward with her information about Harold, Pam will have to give him a good close look. Monique’s death fits right into his abusive pattern toward women.”
“And that’s a problem because Vanessa won’t go to the police. She may have signed a confidentiality agreement or something like that when Harold paid her off.” Hannah opened her door. “I’m going to get the dogs and head to Ruby’s house. If Juliette can remember more details from when she stayed here six years ago, maybe she can be her own best defense since there’s still a lot of circumstantial evidence pointing right at her.”
“Or she’s a good liar,” Jack said.
“That is a possibility. I don’t know her very well but I want to trust Ruby’s sense about Juliette.”
Nellie and Patches were sprawled on Hannah’s porch. Nellie got up and greeted her with a fiercely wagging tail but Patches only managed to raise his head up and howl. “That’s ok, Patches, don’t get up on my account.” Hannah laughed and reached down to scratch behind his ears. “You do know how to get comfy, I have to give you that.”
Her screen door opened from the inside and surprised her.
“Well, look what the wind finally blew home.”
Hannah smiled when she saw Cal’s twinkling eyes. “Have you been here for long?” This was an unexpected but wonderful surprise.
“Not too long. I stopped by to show you something I made. It’s inside.”
Hannah’s stomach growled. Cal didn’t have a large repertoire of cooking specialties, but right about now, anything would satisfy her stomach. She followed him inside and sniffed the air. Her eyes looked at the empty kitchen table. “You didn’t bring food?”
“It’s in your fridge. I still need to cook it, but that’s not what I want you to see.” He pointed to a wooden box about the size of a rectangular baking pan placed exactly in the middle of her coffee table.
The cherry wood was buffed to a deep glassy sheen. Hannah mouthed the letters—O L I V I A—engraved in the top. She looked at Cal. “It’s beautiful. Olivia will be ecstatic, but…”
Cal’s face fell. “No buts, Hannah. I spent hours on this. Don’t tell me there’s something wrong.” He picked up the box. “Did I spell her name wrong?”
Hannah laughed. “No, nothing like that. It just might be a tad too small. Olivia gathers more shells, rocks, and colorful sea glass every time we take a walk on the beach.”
“That sounds more like it’s Ruby’s problem. She may have to put an addition on her house with shelves just for Olivia’s collections.”
“And there’s one other problem. Olivia said you were making her a box with a lock.”
Cal handed the box to Hannah. “I didn’t forget. I can add a lock but I’m not sure she really needs to lock up her treasures yet. If she loses the key, she’ll be one very unhappy little girl.”
“Good point. I think she’ll be so happy with the box, she’ll forget all about whether it locks or not. Let’s call Ruby and tell them to come over to see it.”
Hannah heard feet stomping on her porch steps. “You already called, didn’t you?”
“I couldn’t wait. And I have enough food for everyone as long as burgers are good enough.”
Olivia burst through Hannah’s door, followed by Maisy and Nellie who managed to push in front of Ruby and Juliette. Patches decided to stay on the porch.
Cal held the box hidden behind his back. Olivia moved in a slow circle, her eyes wide and her mouth open. “Mom said there was a surprise here for me, but I don’t see anything.” Her tiny voice was filled with sadness.
Hannah picked up her niece. “Aren’t I a nice surprise? And Cal?” She twirled around so they faced him.
He held one empty hand in front.
“What’s in your other hand, Cal?”
He moved his empty hand behind his back and showed her his other hand which was now empty.
Olivia’s mouth turned down and her bottom lip puffed out. “I was hoping you had my new treasure box.”
Cal slowly revealed the new cherry box from behind his back.
Olivia’s eyes grew.
She reached her hands out.
Hannah put her down and Olivia carried the beautiful box to the table. She lifted the lid. The inside was lined with pink velvet. She looked at Cal. “It’s exactly what I wanted. How did you know?”
Cal sat cross-legged on the floor next to Olivia. She flopped into his lap. “Because you drew a picture of what you wanted, you silly. Do you think you have enough treasures to fill it up?” Cal caught Hannah’s eye.
“Only my favorite and most specialist colored glass and shells will go in this box. My rocks will stay in my old box.” She rubbed the velvet with her fingers. “It’s as soft as Nellie’s ears.”
“I’m glad you love it, Olivia.”
She turned her face toward Cal’s. “As soon as I get home, I’ll show it to Theodore. He’s going to love it, too.”
While Olivia chatted to Cal about what she and Theodore had been doing, Ruby pulled Hannah off to one side. “I got a call from work. Colin never returned after his break.”
This news made no sense to Hannah. “I talked to him while he was on his break and he went back inside when we were done.”
“Well, he may have gone inside, but he walked right out the front door and left.”
“What does this mean?” Hannah asked.
“I don’t know. What did you say to him?”
“I told him that I saw Gwen get in Harold’s car and he shouldn’t go to the police and lie for her.”
“He didn’t go to the police. No one seems to know where he is.”
“Maybe he pushed Monique into the pool and needed Gwen to be his alibi.” Hannah couldn’t believe the words that came out of her mouth. She hadn’t seen this coming.
Chapter 24
The fog that hung over Hannah’s cottage on Tuesday morning made her want to pull the pillow over her face and stay in bed.
But Nellie whined to go out.
“Okay. I’ll get up,” she said to the dogs. “But, if it weren’t for the two of you, I think I’d just call in sick today.”
It was more than the fog that made her want to skip the day, it was all the swirling information in her head surrounding Monique’s murder. When one clue seemed to point toward one person, another tidbit would by revealed to muddy the path— Juliette fighting with Monique about the dog-napping, Harold wanting Monique out of his life, Gwen wanting to be the top model and Harold’s latest trophy girlfriend, and now, Colin disappearing which could mean nothing or it could mean he was trying to help Gwen get what she wanted so he could have her.
