Beth was taken aback by this revelation and both the girls could barely recollect Johnny and Jessica ever dating. Was it possible that he still held such a powerful grudge after all of these years and enough so that it would drive him to commit murder? Johnny had always acted as a local hero in Rockaway Beach, rushing to the aid of any resident that had an emergency and saving many lives, it was difficult to see him taking one. Jessica on the other hand, insisted there was a much darker side to Johnny and she had seen it up close and first hand.
It was Jessica that insisted they question him immediately, as she was suddenly extremely emotional and upset about the subject. Beth couldn't blame her for wanting answers after what she had just been through and the three girls vowed to stand by each other. With Marcus being cleared of all suspicion of guilt, Diana suggested that it might not be a bad idea to ask him to come along or to fill him in on what they had found out. After all Johnny had tried to blame the bakery specifically but had also placed partial blame on Marcus’ shoulders. The man, no matter how much Beth disliked him, had a right to defend himself against these allegations.
Marcus was startled by the sudden female invasion at the door of his room but he greeted the ladies with a smug grin on his face. Disgusted, Beth pushed passed him into his room with Diana and Jessica following after. “To what do I owe this pleasure?” Marcus asked Beth as she scowled at him. She wasted no time spelling out the story to him, not bothering to edit the parts where she suspected he was the killer, or that she had known he cheated during their relationship.
Beth could care less about remaining cordial or maintaining their business relationship anymore, she just wanted this nightmare done and over with as soon as possible. When she got to the end and told Marcus of how her and Beth had overheard Johnny with the bride and grooms parents and that she believed he was trying to frame the three of them for Ryan’s death. Marcus was already enraged and begun to bicker with Beth over how she could possibly believe he was capable of murder. Sure he had a wandering eye while they had been dating but that certainly didn't mean he was a criminal. After several minutes of watching the two bicker and yell back and forth an exasperation Jessica stepped in, breaking up their argument. The sound of Jessica yelling startled and silenced the group almost immediately, previously she had barely spoke above a whisper, seemingly frail and weak. She got the group to focus once again, filling them all in on the details of her and Johnny’s relationship.
At the time Jessica had seen Johnny as a fling, not realizing how strong his feelings had been for her. While she wasn't apologetic for loving Ryan, she did regret how they had treated poor Johnny. Ryan and Johnny had been friends without so much as the blink of an eye, stealing Jessica away from him and then pretending as if he had never known Johnny at all. Eventually, the three reconciled, Johnny swearing that it was all water under the bridge. Johnny and Ryan rekindled their friendship after college when Johnny retired from being an EMT in the city and moved back to Rockaway Beach. The friends even coached the town’s junior football team together. Johnny had been more than just a guest at the wedding but had also been a groomsman.
Ryan had considered him a close personal friend and while Jessica felt sympathetic of Johnny’s hurt feelings, this had been a cold and evil act. More so, Jessica knew one of Johnny’s deepest and darkest secrets. When he had returned to Rockaway Beach initially, Johnny had remained locked away in the basement apartment of his Uncle’s house, supposedly nursing a terrible injury. It was around this time that Jessica was working part time as a barmaid at the local tavern. She had been on shift one night when Johnny’s Uncle Scott had been a patron at the bar. Having one too many, the old man lingered at the bar until almost closing. When the night had slowed down, Scott struck up a conversation with Jessica, confiding in her his worries for his nephew Johnny. Scott told Jessica that ever since returning from New York, Johnny had remained secluded from everyone; even his own uncle and wasted his days away drinking. Johnny had fallen into a deep depression and wouldn't give word to his Uncle as to why or what had caused it. It had in fact been Jessica who had initiated Johnny and Ryan’s reconciliation. She felt sorry for her old friend and his recent run of bad luck and thought perhaps he could use some friends in town to help pull him out of his rut. Before she made the suggestion to Ryan however, Jessica went to visit Johnny herself.
Jessica knocked lightly on Johnny’s apartment door, unsure of what she would say once he opened it. She was shocked at the shadow of a man who answered the door. The second she stepped inside she was greeted with the stench of stale booze and body odor, but still she followed him determined. Although it was still early in the day, Johnny already had a considerable buzz on and wound up pouring his heart out to Jessica. Johnny had indeed been injured on the job in New York but he was not the hero that he masqueraded himself to be. He had a slew of meaningless relationships after Jessica had broken up with him, each one ending in disaster and heartbreak. After the years went on Johnny begun to believe he was doomed to be alone forever and became bitter. He developed a drinking problem, though at the time of his accident he would hesitate to admit to such. He went to work early one more still buzzed from the previous night, Johnny admitted to Jessica that this was not the first time he had done so either but it was the one time that had changed everything.
Johnny was out driving in Brooklyn when he fell asleep behind the wheel of the ambulance and had caused a terrible crash, killing his ambulance passenger and the driver of the car he hit. Upon a breathalyzer and investigation it was determined that Johnny had been legally drunk at the time of the crash and he was immediately dismissed from his position, narrowly escaping criminal charges as a result of his willfully stepping down. He hadn't told a soul not even his Uncle Scott and he swore Jessica to secrecy. Her heart broke from him and she kept her promise not telling a soul, although upon first meeting up with Johnny again it was quite apparent to Ryan the man liked to drink more often than not. The more and more the two men hung out with each other the more chipper Johnny began to seem. He would only drink on occasion and when he did stuck to only a beer or two. For all intents and purposes, Jessica had been duped into believing that Johnny was a changed man.
Marcus let this information sink in a moment. His first instinct was to find Johnny and beat the truth out of him but unfortunately the justice system frowned upon such things. Jessica, the girls and Marcus wanted justice for Ryan and Johnny had to pay for his crimes. Johnny having worked in the big city knew his way around a crime scene and more importantly how to cover his tracks. There was no way he would outright confess to his crimes so the group needed a way to force him into a confession in front of witnesses. With Johnny already having placed the seeds of doubt and blame in the minds of the bride and groom’s parents and who knows how many of the other guests, the group would have to act fast. They decided to split up, now having free access to the tunnels through Marcus’ room. He would accompany Diana in searching the tunnels while Jessica insisted that they focus on finding exactly what it was Ryan had eaten that was poisoned. She set out with Beth to question the rest of the wedding party, figuring the groomsmen would be more receptive to answer Jessica’s inquiries over anyone else’s.
Marcus’ jaw dropped when Diana revealed the passageway to him. He couldn't believe that he had stayed in this room for so many days and had never bothered to look about at how ornate and interesting it truly was. In his business and exhaustion he hadn't had very much time to explore the castle at all now that he thought of it. It was a shame as once this ordeal was over he never intended to return to the castle again. They took their time examining the first tunnel, careful not to miss a single inch. One would stand near the motion sensitive light while the other searched the areas that it illuminated before moving on to the next. This process would take some time but they had to be sure they missed nothing. It would be some time still before the police arrived and none of them would be able to rest easy knowing that the killer was still fre
e, or that he had been intently targeted them.
Beth and Jessica moved from room to room and while each guest was eager to extend their condolences and all were careful to drop hints of their innocence as well. None of the guests could remember anything out of the ordinary just as they had told Johnny before. They were a bit confused when the girls questioned them about Johnny’s behavior specifically, but reported nothing but good cheer and normal behavior from their friend. He had not at any point mysteriously disappeared or snuck off nor had he been acting strange. He seemed genuinely happy for his friend’s marriage and in good spirits the entire weekend. They spoke well of his character as well, as Johnny had come to be seen as somewhat of a local hero, even if his biggest rescue to date in Rockaway Beach had been a cat from a tree. It seems as their questioning of the quests would lead to a dead end but both Jessica and Beth had far too much invested in finding out the truth to give up their quest.
When Marcus and Diana reached the end of the first tunnel they hesitated on moving forward. Marcus wished to search Johnny’s room before heading to the next tunnel but Diana was hesitant. She feared that Johnny would discover them snooping about and be the cause of their own demise. Marcus reassured her that he would protect her if they were caught and pointed out that if they were to find any incriminating evidence this was the most likely of places. He was not careful in tossing the room, in his anger and hatred for the man and exasperation over finding nothing Marcus couldn't care less if he was caught. Let Johnny dare confront him or place blame on him or the girls, Marcus would tear his throat out right then and there, regardless of legal consequences. They searched through every article of clothing, in every corner and behind every painting, coming up empty handed.
Diana produced the map that revealed the second tunnel which was under the carpet. Cautiously they both entered although was Johnny caught sight of his disheveled room he would know that they were on to him and more than likely would also know in which direction they had went. They would have to search the tunnel carefully but quickly this time. Several hours had passed since they began their search and Beth and Jessica would more than likely already be on their way to the kitchen where they all agreed to meet up after completing their search. Marcus’ anger and impatience in searching the room had cost them their cover and there wasn't much time left. If Johnny suspected a single thing was amiss he would be certain to rid of all evidence and look to tie up any loose ends, potentially even costing them their lives for what they knew.
Midway through the tunnel the pair were beginning to feel defeated. Perhaps Johnny had already had the foresight to rid of all the evidence, he certainly had the time and access to various parts of the castle to do so. There was no telling how much of a determined criminal he had been. It was then they heard footsteps echoing through the corridor and as they saw lights in the distance the sound grew near. Someone had followed them through the tunnel and the steps sounded too heavy to belong to either Jessica or Beth.
Putting his finger up to his mouth to indicate she must be quite, Marcus instructed Diana to remove her shoes and run as quickly as she could. Not having navigated the tunnel with Beth earlier, Diana began to panic that they had missed their exit and would be caught at a dead end. They came upon a set of stairs and hearing both Jessica’s and Beth’s voices from above, knew they had narrowly made their escape. They emerged from the tunnel panting, not bothering to explain to the girls what was wrong as they pushed the heavy kitchen table over the latch door to keep whomever had been in the tunnels with them from exiting in the same way. Catching on to what was happening Beth and Jessica moved about the kitchen in search of items to arm themselves with. Beth opened one of the cabinets happening on a particular sight. As far as she knew and had been informed Castle Havier did not have a regular on site baker. A fact that had been confirmed because the castle happened to order all of its bread and baked goods from the gingerbread House itself. Three times a week kitchen staff from the castle would come into town and pick up a fresh delivery. This was further confirmed when Jessica had booked the castle for the event and had been informed that she would have to provide her own desserts and baked good as that service was not inclusive in what the hotel offered. Jessica informed the manager that she had both The Gingerbread House and Buon Appetito in mind for the wedding and for a hefty sum the hotel would allow the companies use of the kitchen. A fee, Jessica pointed out that she didn't mind paying for excellent service. Beth graciously thanked her friend but now was hardly any time for compliments. The group listened closely; standing still and alert as they heard the heavy footsteps from the underground passageway grow louder. Jessica muffled her own scream with her hands as they watched someone try the latch door. Unable to get the door open, the footsteps retreated yet again. Whoever it was definitely wasn’t paying any mind to being discreet or in sneaking, a fact in which of some unknown reason frightened Beth all that much more. She felt a chill as she knew it was only a short matter of time before the owner of those footsteps came bursting through the kitchen door meaning them all harm.
Beth held in her hand the evidence that they had been searching for this entire time. She gathers the group to share her discovery and upon its reveal they were all taken a little aback. Beth held a small and seemingly innocent bottle of sprinkles, but Beth knew it was far from such. Being that there was no on site baking done on the castle grounds it was quite odd that there would be a sole container of sprinkles in the kitchen cabinet. One could argue that the sprinkles were forgotten there from a previous party or guest but given the hefty fee for kitchen rental it was not very likely. Most people in town who would be baking their own cake for a party rather than hiring a professional would be even less likely to spring for the high cost. Besides, Beth, Diana and Marcus had utilized every inch of that kitchen and the three of them could recall that particular set of cabinets had gone unused and empty. Beth was also sure that while such sprinkles did so happen to match the color scheme of the wedding perfectly, not a single one of her recipes she had planned out contained sprinkles.
Diana’s face lit up like a Christmas tree once she connected the dots. She had thought Johnny’s quick responsiveness to the break in at the bakery had been odd to begin with but she speculated that perhaps the incident at the bakery hadn't just been a coincident at all. Nothing had been missing or damaged because that had never been the culprit’s intention at all. Everyone who had ordered from the bakery, birthday cake or otherwise, had been greeted by both Beth and her notebook. She was typically the one responsible for the creative and artistic aspects of their creations and her notebook is where she did all of her brainstorming. Seeing as almost everyone on the island had ordered from The Gingerbread House at some point since its opening, it was common knowledge that the notebook contained recipes and design ideas created by Beth.
Diana was willing to bet that the culprit had broken in so that they could peep at the meal plan for the wedding, also knowing that an every organized and prepared Beth would have written down every detail before the girls set off for the castle. It was probably how the killer knew what color sprinkles to procure. Trashing the kitchen had more than likely been an afterthought. A distraction to help hide the evidence in plain sight so that no one found the sprinkles before the police did. No one would believe that the item did not belong to the girls, after all they were bakers. Who else would sprinkles belong to?
Jessica looked pale and suddenly stumbled, looking as if she may fall. Marcus rushed to her side to steady her but Jessica pushed him away so that she was left to directly face Beth. “Did you say that none of your recipes contained sprinkles?” Are you sure that you couldn't have brought this along by mistake?” Both girls assured Jessica that this was not the case. They had checked and double checked their inventory for the party. Knowing that because of the storm they would not be able to return to the bakery in case they had forgotten something. Besides, they didn't even carry these types of sprinkles at the bakery. Upon hearing
this, Jessica almost really did fall to the floor, this time not refusing Marcus’ hand to keep her steady. “He meant to kill us both” she muttered, still loud enough for them all to hear. Jessica didn't have the time to explain what she meant as Johnny stumbled through the kitchen door, visibly drunk and brandishing a gun.
“That’s right I meant to kill you both” he slurred “and I still intend to.” Johnny raised the gun and to the best of his ability in his drunken state, took aim at Jessica. Marcus moved in her path as she screamed, preventing Johnny from taking his shot. “Get out of the way!” Johnny yelled to Marcus but the man refused to budge. Thinking quickly, Beth knew she had to come up with a plan to distract Johnny long enough so that one of them could overcome him and hopefully knock the gun from his hand. Beth had always viewed Johnny as a "know it all" and that he couldn't resist proving how much smarter he was than everyone else. Beth decided to play these faults against him. Playing ignorant, Beth drew Johnny’s attention away from Marcus and Jessica and unto herself. She questioned his motives and in an even bolder act, questioned his ability to get away with such an elaborate crime. Just as she had hoped, Johnny couldn't help but take the bait. Lowering the gun he began his monologue with ease as if he had rehearsed his speech before.
The Alpha Billionaire's Unexpected Baby: A Billionaire BWWM Pregnancy Romance Page 57
