Caught Dead Handed

by Lyndsey Cole

  Hannah shook her head and tried to dislodge the webs.

  Without any luck.

  What was she missing?

  Hannah skipped her morning coffee and, instead, she slipped on her flip-flops and took the dogs for an earlier than usual walk on the beach. They didn’t mind in the least. They still had seagulls to bark at and waves to chase. What could be more fun than that for a couple of dogs?

  Hannah only had too much to think about.

  As a figure approached through the fog, she silently groaned. Having the beach to herself first thing in the morning gave her the chance to organize her day without interruption. But now an interruption was quickly approaching.

  “Good morning, Hannah,” Vanessa called. “I didn’t expect to bump into anyone this early.”

  Hannah stopped and bent down to pick up a polished piece of sea glass to surprise Olivia with when she saw her.

  “I had an interesting chat with Harold last night.”

  At the mention of Harold’s name, Hannah’s ears perked up. “Oh?”

  Vanessa crossed her arms and looked down at the sand. “I couldn’t believe it, but he opened up to me. It might have had something to do with too many drinks on his part, but in any case, he talked a lot about Monique.”

  Hannah rubbed the sea glass between her fingers, trying to be patient.

  “He actually apologized to me for saying her death was my fault and he even accepted part of the blame.” Vanessa looked at Hannah. “He thinks that if he hadn’t pushed her to learn to swim, maybe she wouldn’t have gone near the pool. He wasn’t mad at her like I thought, but he said being back here was distracting for him. Without going into details, he said he had regrets from his past.”

  “Huh. And he still doesn’t recognize you as the model he assaulted all those years ago?”

  Vanessa turned to face the ocean. She inhaled and let out a long, deep breath of air. “I don’t think so. I wanted to tell him. To comfort him. Tell him we’ve all made mistakes, but…I couldn’t get the words out.”

  What was it with these models? As soon as Harold turned on his charm, they seemed to melt in front of him. “What do you make of all that? Was he sincere or only trying to cover himself as a suspect?”

  Vanessa’s hand darted out and rested on Hannah’s arm. “Oh no. It came from his heart. He also said his biggest mistake was cheating on Juliette, not that he didn’t care deeply for Monique,” she added quickly. Her voice got hard. “He said he still loves Juliette.”

  Hannah didn’t miss the change in Vanessa’s voice. “And that doesn’t sit well with you?”

  “I guess it doesn’t. I thought Harold was incapable of love.”

  The dogs ran circles around Hannah. They were getting impatient for her to continue their walk. “What about Gwen? How does she fit into all of this?”

  Vanessa’s eyebrows furrowed into a scowl. “She has always been after Harold. I hope the police are looking into her whereabouts when Monique went missing.”

  “I saw her get into Harold’s car late yesterday afternoon. When did you bump into him to talk to him?” Apparently, Harold had a busy evening.

  She waved her hand away as if the thought of Harold and Gwen together was nothing more than an annoying gnat. “She called him to give her a ride back to the Paradise Inn. I was eating at the Inn restaurant when he saw me.” She laughed.

  “That had to be an awkward moment.”

  “I couldn’t believe it when he sat down across from me. I almost told him to leave.” She shrugged. “But I decided it couldn’t hurt to hear what he had to say. And I was lonely. I wanted someone to talk to about Monique. Someone who had also been close to her.”

  Hannah couldn’t help but wonder where Gwen was now. Was she with Colin? If she went back to the Inn, did she corner Colin into taking her somewhere after all?

  “How long are you planning to stay around?” Hannah asked.

  “Oh, until this is resolved. I need to have closure and,” she lowered her voice even though they were the only ones on the beach, “I’m hoping Gwen gets arrested for Monique’s murder.”

  “Not Harold?” Hannah thought Vanessa wanted revenge for what Harold did to her all those years ago.

  She shrugged. “I guess I’ve forgiven him. I know, it sounds crazy and I can’t believe it myself, but life is too short to hold a grudge.”

  Hannah watched Vanessa as she continued toward the cottages. That was the biggest turnaround she could remember. Maybe Harold had a charming side but it was nothing that she had seen evidence of. Or maybe all these women who were attracted to him had a little bit of crazy in their personality. Hannah suspected it was the latter.

  Nellie and Patches raced down the beach, happy to be moving again. They cut through the path that led through the boulders across from Jack’s house.

  Was it too early to pop in for coffee?

  Pam’s car was in the driveway so Hannah knew Jack would be up and the coffee would be hot. She let herself in.

  “Open the letter, Dad.” Hannah heard Pam’s angry voice coming from the kitchen.

  “Is the coffee hot?” Hannah called so as to give them time to know she was in the house.

  “You are just in time, Hannah,” Jack said. Hannah thought there was more to his words than being in time for coffee. He was probably also happy that she came when she did so Pam would get off his back about the medical lab results.

  Pam glared at Hannah. “Maybe you can talk some sense into this stubborn old man. He certainly won’t listen to me. I have to find a couple of missing persons.” She stomped to the door, slamming it on her way out.

  “Ouch.” Hannah accepted a steaming mug of coffee from Jack. “I guess you haven’t opened the letter yet.”

  “And why is my health anyone’s business but my own?”

  Hannah bit her tongue. It wouldn’t help to tell Jack that of course, his health was important to everyone who loved him, especially his daughter. He would have to figure it out in his own time. She switched to a marginally safer topic. “Is Pam looking for Colin who works at the Paradise Inn, by any chance?”

  “How do you know about Colin?”

  “Ruby told me. He left work yesterday and no one knows where he is. Who else is missing?”

  “The other model. Apparently, when the maid service went in to clean her room, all her stuff was gone but she never checked out or paid her bill.”

  “Does Pam think they are missing together?” That certainly seemed to be a strong possibility as far as Hannah was concerned. Colin was obviously smitten with Gwen, and Gwen could use him to her advantage if need be.

  “She didn’t come out and say it, but reading between the lines, it’s my assumption.”

  Hannah sipped her coffee and frowned. “Your coffee is a little off this morning. What happened?” As a matter of fact, his coffee matched his mood.

  Jack glared at her. “Make your own coffee. Beggars can’t be choosy. Now, get out of here, I have things to do.” He flicked his wrist back and forth as if the motion would sweep her right out the door.

  Hannah got the hint. She knew better than to stay around Jack when he would rather be miserable by himself. Geesh. If he didn’t hurry up and look at his lab results, she’d do it for him to get him over his anxiety.

  “Come on you two. At least you’re always happy to see me.” Hannah patted both dogs and turned toward Ruby’s house, glad to see that the fog was lifting.

  When Hannah walked inside, Olivia was sitting on the floor in the living room with her new treasure box open in front of her. Maisy sat on one side of her and Theodore was propped against a chair on the other side.

  “And this is blue sea glass. I think blue is my favorite color because it matches the sky and the ocean and Cal’s eyes. Cal has nice eyes,” she explained to Maisy and Theodore.

  Hannah smiled. She had to agree with Olivia about Cal’s eyes—blue, kind, and sexy. “I found something for your treasure box, if you still have room?”

/>   Olivia whipped her head around. “Well, it has to be really, really special to get a spot in my new treasure box, Aunt Hannah.”

  Hannah dug in her pocket and handed Olivia the sea glass she found on the beach. She held her breath as Olivia turned it over in her hand and examined it. Would it make the cut?

  “It’s beautiful. I’ll put it right here next to this piece that Cal gave me. You and Cal go together so your sea glass should go together, too.”

  Hannah’s hand pressed against her heart. How did this little girl get to be so insightful? She sat on the floor next to Olivia. “Can I see what else you have in there?”

  “Sure.” Olivia proceeded to point to each treasure and explain where it came from and who gave it to her and why it was special. Every piece had a story connected to the ocean or the beach which made Hannah’s heart sing with happiness.

  When Olivia finished, Hannah asked, “Where’s your mom?”

  “In the kitchen talking to Juliette. They didn’t want me to listen, but I’m really not interested in that grown up talk about modeling stuff. I never want to be a model. I want to be like you, Aunt Hannah. I want to help you run your business when I grow up. I want to dress in shorts and flip-flops and eat all the ice cream I want.”

  Hannah stared at her niece and blinked back the tears of joy that she felt filling up her eyes. She was too choked up to say anything so she patted Olivia’s head before she walked into the kitchen.

  “How can you even think about going back to Harold? He cheated on you, Juliette.” Ruby shook her head with disgust.

  Juliette sat quietly with her head down.

  “Hannah? Talk some sense into her if you can.”

  Hannah sat at the table across from Juliette. Today must be the day that everyone thought she could talk sense into someone else. First, Pam wanted her to talk sense into Jack and now she was supposed to talk sense into Juliette. She wondered why everyone else thought she possessed some sort of special power to convince someone else to change their mind about a decision. Maybe the secret was, if she just let the other person talk and she listened, they eventually solved the problem in their own time.

  “I’m wondering about one thing, Juliette. What happened six years ago between Harold and Candace?” Hannah asked.

  “I told you. She had an argument with Harold and she left.”

  “Did he assault her?”

  Juliette’s eyes widened in shock. “Assault? Not that I’m aware of. I saw her get in her car and leave. She left me a nasty note at the time but I burned it. I didn’t want any memory of her or the horrible things she said to me.”

  “You must remember the gist of the note.”

  Ruby filled a mug with coffee and set it down in front of Hannah. She hoped this was better than Jack’s coffee since she’d only taken one sip of that horrible bitter brew.

  Juliette sighed. “It said something about how I had ruined her chances with Harold and she hoped I had the same fate. There was also a lot of criticism of my figure, my modeling, my…you name it. That’s what I’ve blocked out. I found the note stuffed in my bikini top after she was gone. My bikini top that she cut in half.”

  Hannah’s eyebrows shot up and her jaw dropped. “That sounds like she had some anger issues.” She got up the nerve to try Ruby’s coffee which usually was weak. It was, but at least it wasn’t bitter. “Did you tell Harold about it?”

  “No. Why bother? She left and Harold turned on his charm. We were married within the year.”

  Ruby peeked around the kitchen door. “Olivia is completely engrossed with the new treasure box from Cal. I think he’ll be her favorite person forever.”

  “I gave her a new piece of sea glass and she had to do a thorough inspection before she decided it could have a place of honor next to a piece of sea glass that Cal gave her.” Hannah didn’t tell Ruby about the rest of her conversation about what she wanted to do when she grew up, she’d save that for when Juliette was gone.

  Hannah tapped her fingernails on the table and brought her attention back to Juliette. “Something doesn’t add up.” Vanessa told Hannah a very different story about why she left.

  “She was furious that she got dumped,” Juliette said. “Now I know how she feels since it happened to me when Gwen got hired, just like Candace predicted.”

  Hannah let the conversation taper off. Juliette had her version and Vanessa had hers. Someone was lying. Or not, since there was a good possibility that the assault was kept hidden from Juliette. She might have to try and have a conversation with Harold. But what was the chance he’d admit to assaulting Vanessa when he knew her as Candace?

  Chapter 25

  Jack was busy chatting and sampling Meg’s latest pastry creations when Hannah finally got herself back to The Fishy Dish kitchen.

  And he was in a good mood.

  A tray filled with lemon scones, dainty strawberry tarts, and slices of chocolate chip banana bread sat on the counter.

  Hannah reached her hand toward the tray.

  Meg slapped it away before Hannah even got close. “Close your eyes and I’ll let you have a bite of something.”

  Hannah closed her eyes and opened her mouth. The aroma overwhelming her nose made her salivary glands work overtime. Nothing touched her lips. She opened one eye and took a peek.

  Hannah and Jack were both laughing. “Here. Feed yourself,” Meg said. “Try the strawberry tart first. I think it’s my best creation yet.”

  Hannah didn’t need to be told twice. She nibbled on the edge. The crust was rich and flakey. A thin sweet cream cheese layer covered the crust and made a bed for the thinly sliced strawberries. Her eyes rolled skyward as she inhaled a bigger bite. “This is like a taste of heaven, Meg.”

  Meg beamed with pleasure. “I thought you’d like it. It’s a favorite of one of your guests, too.”

  Hannah stopped chewing. “Which one?” she mumbled through a mouthful of deliciousness.

  “Harold Chandler the la-di-da-Third,” Meg twirled her finger in the air as she said Harold’s name. “He’s been sitting at that picnic table for the last half hour. Didn’t you see him when you got here?”

  “I did and I detoured around the back.”

  “Well, you’d better get out there before he eats everything I’ve made for the guests. He’s already helped himself to a half dozen of the tarts.” She handed Hannah a pot of coffee. “Fill him up with this instead of any more of my hard work.”

  Hannah took the coffee pot, straightened her shoulders, and told herself to not let Harold intimidate her. “More coffee?” she asked in her best, you-are-the-customer voice she could manage.

  Harold held his mug up but kept his eyes focused on the horizon. “It wasn’t supposed to end this way.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “My swimsuit shoot. It wasn’t supposed to end the way it did,” Harold repeated.

  “Well, of course not. I can’t imagine you planned to have your model drown in the pool at the Paradise Inn.” Or maybe he did but hoped it would look like an accident.

  He turned his head and looked at Hannah. “I’m not sure everyone would agree with you about that, but thanks for the vote of confidence.” His gaze returned to the horizon.

  Hannah sat next to Harold. “Can I ask you about your visit with Gwen last night?”

  “Huh? What are you talking about?”

  “Don’t play cute, Harold. I saw her get in your fancy bright red Alpha Romeo. It’s not exactly a car that flies under the radar.”

  “She needed a ride to the Paradise Inn.” He shrugged. “There’s no law against that. Besides, she’s working for me and I wanted to help her.”

  “So you know where she is now?”

  “She’s an adult. I don’t keep tabs on her. I told her I wouldn’t be doing any more photos until this is all sorted out with Monique. I just can’t get myself to concentrate.”

  Hannah could understand that problem since he was probably distracted worrying about whether he’d be a
rrested or not. Maybe that was also why he had to stuff himself with Meg’s delicious strawberry tarts. “She’s missing and you’re the last person to be seen with her.” Hannah had no idea if that was true or not, but it was worth a bluff.

  Harold’s face blanched. “What are you talking about?”

  “Gwen and an employee from the Inn are both missing. I don’t know if they are together or not. I was hoping you might be able to shed some light on the whereabouts of your employee.”

  Harold stood. His mug of coffee was untouched but there were plenty of crumbs as evidence of his indulgence of Meg’s pastries. “I don’t know anything about where she is.” He started to walk away.

  “What about Vanessa?” Hannah asked to Harold’s back.

  “I’m done answering your questions. Go bother someone else.” She watched as he walked to his cottage and went inside. At least he wouldn’t be eating any more of Meg’s strawberry tarts.

  Hannah went into the office side of cottage one, Run on Inn, and closed the door. The warm glow of Great Aunt Caroline’s old oak desk, covered with years of scars, was always a relaxing influence.

  What would Great Aunt Caroline do about all the conflicts surrounding Hannah? Probably confront Harold about assaulting Candace six years ago, tell Jack to get over himself and look at the darn lab report, and force Juliette to finalize her divorce so she and Maisy could move on with their lives.

  But Hannah wasn’t Caroline and her style was so much less confrontational.

  While she daydreamed in her office chair with her ankles crossed, resting on the desk, the phone rang, blasting away any chance for peace and quiet.

  “Holiday Hideaway Cottages,” she answered. “Hannah speaking, how can I help you?”

  All she heard was breathing and was about to hang up but a whispery voice came through the phone line. “I need help.”