by Ellery Adams
Olivia finally reached the table positioned on a raised dais at the front of the room. This was the reserved seating for the board members. She dropped her purse and umbrella onto the floor, put her hands on her hips, and surveyed the audience. The majority of the crowd behaved as though they were at a social gathering. Raised voices and hearty laughter boomed from wall to wall. Those who had gathered to hear how the board would vote appeared to be growing more and more irritated at the feistiness of the Heidi St. Claire fan club.
Someone waved from one of the front rows and Olivia recognized Laurel’s sheen of blond hair. The Bayside Book Writers were seated together. Harris gave Olivia a hesitant thumbs-up while Millay saluted her. Having spoken to all three of them after leaving the Ocean Vista condos, Olivia knew her friends were prepared to spend the next hour observing the townsfolk seated around them. Haviland glanced at the audience a few times and then darted over to Grumpy and began to sniff his boots.
“Ain’t no bacon stuffed down my socks, good buddy,” Grumpy said and patted Haviland on the head. “Though I reckon my shoes smell like a kitchen, hm?”
Grumpy’s work boots reminded Olivia of the tracks in the sand near the lighthouse keeper’s cottage. She turned back to the townsfolk again but could only see the feet of those seated in the first row.
Even if Rawlings brings me the collar, will Haviland be able pick up the scent in this crush? Olivia’s worries were interrupted by the arrival of Mayor Guthrie, who was flanked by two policemen. Walking behind that trio were a man and a woman wearing sunglasses. Olivia only caught a glimpse of the pair before the room exploded in a chorus of high-pitched screams and the cops quickly leapt in front of their charges.
Haviland, disturbed by the yelling and shrieking, retreated behind the table. Olivia took her seat and pulled the poodle against her, crooning into his ear. It seemed to take ages before the mayor appeared behind the podium and Blake Talbot and Heidi St. Claire settled into a set of reserved seats in the front row. As the burly policemen took up their positions at the end of each aisle, holding out stiff hands to stop the further encroachment of the hysterical young girls, a third made his way to Olivia’s side. Wordlessly, he handed her a paper grocery bag and then joined his fellow officers.
Olivia peered inside. Haviland’s collar rested inside a sealed plastic bag.
“Attention, please!” Mayor Guthrie shouted into the microphone. “Girls, please! Quiet down! Stop screaming! PLEASE!”
Somehow, the decibel level dropped enough for the mayor to speak without hollering. His cheeks were already flushed with heat and self-importance.
“I understand that many of you are excited by our special guests.” The mayor beamed and Olivia was impressed by his tact. Clearly, Heidi St. Claire was the star attraction, but by using the word “guests,” he made certain to include Blake Talbot as one of Oyster Bay’s honored visitors. “Miss St. Claire has graciously informed me that she is willing to sign autographs after our meeting is adjourned.” Here, Guthrie had to pause while the girls went wild again. “So if you’d care to wait outside while we conduct our business ... ?”
“No way! It’s totally raining!” one of the older girls argued.
Olivia looked toward the row of windows lining the outer wall. Indeed, a steady rain had begun to fall, leaving slashes of water against the glass.
“It’s blowin’ sideways,” Grumpy stated. “Lightnin’ will be comin’ along shortly.” He smiled at his wife, who had nabbed an aisle seat in the third row. “Guess Dixie was right about there bein’ fireworks tonight.”
Seeing that none of the girls or their parents intended to wait in the hallway or on the building’s covered portico, the mayor called the meeting to order. As he made a few incidental announcements, Olivia’s gaze repeatedly swept over the crowd. She saw many familiar faces, including Wheeler from Bagels ‘n’ Beans, Annie from the B&B, and surprisingly, Officer Cook dressed in plainclothes. The young lawman was leaning against the wall, chewing on a plastic straw. He looked utterly bored, but Olivia could see that his eyes never stopped roving.
“Good boy,” Olivia murmured and Haviland’s ears perked up. “I was talking about Cook. I would never use such a simple adjective to describe you, Captain.” She smiled as the poodle licked her palm and turned her eyes forward again.
Finally, Guthrie yielded the mike to Ed Campbell, the chair of the Planning Board. The loan manager was all smiles as he quickly reviewed the minutes from the previous meeting. Wasting as little time as possible, he reiterated the Talbot Fine Properties proposal to build the community of Cottage Cove and then called for a vote. Unlike the previous meeting, the Planning Board didn’t have to open the floor for public opinion, so Olivia rose and announced, “I would like to suggest a revision to this proposal. One that would preserve the Confederate cemetery.”
Ed Campbell had been anticipating the suggestion, yet he still frowned as he surrendered the podium.
Olivia succinctly explained how the majority of the board was in favor of the housing development, as long as the graveyard was protected and more storm drains and green space were added. She watched Blake Talbot as she spoke, but it was difficult to tell what he felt without being able to see his eyes. However, when she suggested relocating the putting green, the muscles in his jaw tensed and his lips compressed into a tight line. He was clearly unhappy about the counterproposal. Heidi, who had removed her sunglasses upon sitting, put her hand on her boyfriend’s and gave it a supportive squeeze.
I wonder if he knows about Max yet, Olivia wondered.
According to protocol, Ed had to call a vote on the original proposal, but all the members voted nay except for him. Shrugging with exaggerated resignation, he asked for a second vote to support Cottage Cove as long as a representative from Talbot Fine Properties agreed to the changes. None of the board members took advantage of their opportunity to voice an opinion on the proposal except Marlene, who raised her objections over the destruction of what she described as an irreplaceable ecosystem.
“Despite how people-friendly the new park would be,” she remarked with quiet passion, “it cannot replicate the environment currently inhabited by dozens of plant and animal species!”
By now, the audience had grown tired of the topic at hand. The girls began to twitter with increasing volume over the staccato of the driving rain. Mayor Guthrie shot nervous smiles in Blake Talbot’s direction while Ed Campbell stuck out his freckled forearm and tapped on the surface of his watch, rudely signaling for Marlene to wrap things up.
Ignoring him, she began to list the names of the bird species that used the current park as their nesting grounds.
Olivia continued to scan the faces of those before her. As her eyes came to rest on Heidi St. Claire, the starlet glanced to her right and her expression of polite boredom instantly transformed to one of shock. Her mouth fell open and her eyes grew round and dark with distress.
In a blink, Heidi had her face under control, her dull gaze once again resting on the American flag. Her training as an actress served her well, but Olivia’s sharp eyes didn’t miss how the young woman was lacing her fingers together so tightly that her hands trembled with the effort.
Who scared you? Olivia leaned her body forward. She could feel her heart swelling as the blood rushed through her body. It was as though every part of her being was suddenly aware of the killer’s presence in the room.
And then, she saw him. He was a man she knew by name, a man she’d spoken to, a man she’d smiled at, and he was easing his way out of the room along the side wall. Obviously, he hadn’t wanted Heidi to see him, but she had.
I don’t understand, she thought wildly. Why would Heidi recognize him?
As Marlene continued to point out the flaws of the new park from the perspective of a snapping turtle, Olivia dialed Harris’s cell phone number. She willed him to meet her eyes as she held her own phone to her ear and tried not to slide her gaze to the left, where the murderer’s retreat had been tem
porarily blocked by a trio of girls holding poster board banners reading, “WE ❤ HEIDI!!!”
Harris noticed Olivia and reached into his jeans pocket for his phone.
“Olivia?” he whispered.
“Can you find out if Heidi St. Claire is the actress’s real name? Right now?” Olivia murmured, pivoting away from the audience and the inquisitive arch of Grumpy’s eyebrows.
“You should ask one of her fans after the meeting. I bet they could tell you her favorite color, bra size, and blood type. Why are you asking me?” Harris clearly thought Olivia was losing her mind.
“Don’t you have one of those phones that connects to the Internet? I need to know before I order Haviland to track down and attack Camden’s murderer.”
Harris didn’t reply, but Olivia saw him swallow hard and then nod. Hanging up on Olivia, he leaned against Millay and spoke into her ear. Paling, she shot Olivia a sharp look of alarm and grabbed the phone from Harris’s hand.
Olivia struggled to feign an interest in Marlene’s monologue, but the words buzzed around her head like circling flies. She looked out the nearest window, where the outline of the closest building was obscured by the heavy rainfall. Thunder growled over the ocean and a single branch of lightning sparked in the charcoal sky.
Just as she was about to check on the killer’s position again, her phone vibrated in her hand and words surfaced in the silver window. Harris had sent her a text message but Olivia had no idea how to retrieve the thing. She frantically pushed menu buttons and then forced herself to stop and inhale a deep breath. As the sound of the rain seemed to penetrate the room, Olivia located her in-box and read Harris’s message.
Atlas Kraus is Heidi’s father, the message read.
Atlas Kraus was the killer and he was in this room. Not only that, but his next victim was most likely in the front row and Cook was eyeing Olivia suspiciously. Yet where was Rawlings?
Olivia decided to act. She reached into the brown grocery sack and, not caring how much noise she made, pried open the evidence bag. Placing the collar beneath Haviland’s nose, she whispered a command in his ear. “Haviland. Smell.” As soon as he obeyed, Olivia pushed back her chair and snapped her fingers, causing Haviland to prepare himself to track the scent. Marlene stopped speaking, but Olivia gave her a sheepish smile and pointed at the poodle, as though he were to blame for their rude and abrupt departure.
She hadn’t distanced herself from the podium by more than ten feet when she heard Ed Campbell grab the microphone with an anxious laugh. “You’ve raised several valid points, Marlene, but I think it’s time to vote now, don’t you?” Without waiting for an answer, Ed joked, “Ms. Limoges? Could you cast your vote before you run off?”
Making sure to meet Officer Cook’s alert gaze, Olivia called an “aye” over her shoulder and then continued toward the opposite end of the room, following Haviland’s lead. To her relief, she noticed Cook circling around the back. Together, they’d corner their quarry.
As soon as Olivia reached the end of the first row, she bent over and cupped her hands, directing her voice at her poodle. “Haviland!” Pointing up the aisle, she commanded, “Find and attack!”
At the same moment Olivia was delivering her orders, Ed Campbell had announced the acceptance of the Cottage Cove proposal and was striding forward to shake hands with Blake Talbot. Ed then handed over the portable microphone and invited Blake to say a few words. Blake rose and took Heidi’s hand. As the power couple turned to face the audience, it was as though a switch had been flipped. The girls recommenced their shrieks and squeals of devotion and surged forward, their camera flashes glittering like stars.
In the raucous confusion, the killer slipped from the room. A flash of black fur passed through the doorway immediately afterward. Haviland was in pursuit.
Olivia was not the least bit gentle as she shoved aside one crazed girl after another in a desperate attempt to see where her dog had gone. When she burst out of the room and into the hallway, she slammed right into Cook.
“Where is he?” she yelled.
Cook didn’t pause to talk and Olivia ran with him until they reached an intersecting corridor. “I radioed the chief. Every exit’s covered. This guy’s going nowhere.”
“I meant Haviland!” Olivia shouted. It was one thing for the poodle to confront the killer in a packed room with armed policemen nearby and quite another for Haviland to assail the man in some darkened room, or worse, outside in the blinding rain. “He could get hurt.”
Jerking open an office door, Cook stepped inside and swept the room with his flashlight. A voice crackled through his radio. “He’s not running,” Cook declared with a satisfied smirk. “Stupid bastard. We’ve got him now.”
Olivia ran to the windows overlooking the square and peered outside. She saw nothing but the shadows of tree trunks and the rain-blurred foliage.
“He won’t run because his agenda isn’t complete,” Olivia said as she pushed by Cook. “His fourth victim is back in that room.” She yanked on the knob of the next door. It was locked. “I think he wanted to make sure none of those little girls got hurt, but he’s not going to leave until he’s done what he came here to do.”
“But then he’s definitely gonna get caught,” Cook insisted smugly.
Olivia grabbed the policeman’s arm. “That’s why he’s so dangerous! He doesn’t care! He’s going to see this thing through no matter what!” She pulled on another door and called, “Haviland! HAVILAND!”
“Olivia! We’ll help you find him!” Several running feet stopped short behind her. Laurel, Harris, and Millay had arrived.
“Leave this to the police, folks,” Cook commanded, but the writers ignored him and quickly decided to search for Haviland in pairs. Her lips quivering as she spoke, Laurel bravely volunteered to accompany Olivia.
Olivia had never wanted to hug another human being as much as she wanted to embrace Laurel at that moment. She could see the stark terror in her friend’s eyes, yet Laurel grabbed Olivia by the hand and started toward the men’s restroom as though she were a warrior preparing to walk into an enemy ambush.
After a pause, Cook charged ahead of the two women. “The chief will skin me alive if I let anything happen to you, Ms. Limoges,” he remonstrated sharply and ducked into the bathroom.
By the time they’d checked the bathrooms, the crowd was clearly moving out of the building to the location where Heidi agreed to sign autographs. Ushered down the hallway by their parents and a pair of officers, the actress’s fans milled forward, their unhindered enthusiasm roaring down the hall like the waters of a flash flood.
Cook shouted a warning into his radio and Olivia couldn’t help but wonder where he’d been hiding the device. Then, despite the fact that she rarely picked up her pace beyond a brisk walk, Olivia ran.
Laurel easily kept stride with her, and together, the two women burst out the double doors onto the portico a few yards ahead of the first group of fans. A dozen policemen were gathered around the perimeter of the porch, their shoulders taut, jaws clenched, and hands on holsters in preparation to draw their weapons.
“Did a black poodle come out here?” Olivia asked the nearest officer.
“No, ma’am,” the man replied, looking past her toward the doors.
Olivia followed his gaze as the girls began to stream out into the open air. “Then the killer’s still inside!” she shouted at him. Seeing he did not plan to respond, Olivia ran to Cook. “Haviland didn’t come out. That means—”
“We need to go back in!” Cook immediately parted the crowd, his lips pressed against the radio’s speaker.
“Stay here!” Olivia told Laurel and followed in Cook’s wake.
Elbowing through the departing crowd, Cook approached a fellow officer and spoke hurriedly to him. Olivia couldn’t hear their exchange but interrupted anyway. “He’s got to be after Blake or Heidi. We need to get them out of here!”
The second officer jerked his head toward the meeting room. “
Chief said to keep them in the meeting room until these civilians had cleared the building.”
“Where is Rawlings?” Olivia demanded as the remnants of the audience walked past them.
The officer shrugged, but he looked worried. “He hasn’t responded to our calls. Must have turned off his radio for some reason.”
As they stood there, the last stragglers exited the building and the cops decided to join the ranks of those guarding the young celebrities. They never got the chance to re-enter the meeting room, however, for Heidi St. Claire strode into the hallway, brushing aside Mayor Guthrie’s protests. “I promised to sign autographs!” she declared in a haughty tone she seemed to have acquired since Olivia first listened to her speak at The Boot Top.
“Come on, Heidi. Who cares if you blow off these hick kids?” Blake’s tone was petulant. He pushed his sunglasses onto his forehead and grabbed his girlfriend by the arm. “Look, something’s happened to Max. He didn’t show tonight and he never even bothered to call. Finding out why he blew me off is more important than what you promised the peasants.” When she didn’t respond, Blake glanced nervously around the hall and then leaned over to whisper in Heidi’s ear.
She scowled and shook him off. “No way am I going out the back! I gave my word to those fans and I plan to keep it!” She pulled away from him and walked more purposely up the hall.
Suddenly, one of the closed office doors flew open as Heidi passed by. A man emerged from the doorway and raised a gun, taking aim at Blake Talbot’s chest. The primed policemen reached for their weapons but were seconds too late. Instinctively, Olivia reached out for Heidi, as though to pull her to safety.
The next few seconds passed as though everyone in that hallway were moving underwater.
Olivia saw the mouths of the lawmen part as they prepared to shout orders. She watched Blake’s eyes widen in surprise and fear. As she had not yet turned, Heidi didn’t know what was happening behind her back and had time only to experience confusion.
