by Nancy CoCo
“I’m so sorry,” I said. “I didn’t realize anything was wrong. Tori and I . . . well, we’ve not been exactly speaking.”
My aunt turned toward me and dabbed at her tears. “Yes, Victoria told me that you were the one who found her as she tried to resuscitate that poor dead woman.”
“I did,” I said. “Please know that no matter what Tori thinks, I never once thought she would harm Barbara.”
“She doesn’t think you do,” Uncle Alex says. “She told us that you let her stay with you when the power went out at the cabin.”
“Unfortunately she only stayed one night,” I said. “There was a break-in at the McMurphy. Tori was very brave and helped me catch the thief.”
“I’m the one who arrested her for the incident,” Rex said. He handed my aunt June a glass of water. “It was a misunderstanding. I saw her standing over a man with a knife to his throat. I did what every good cop does. I neutralized the situation and asked questions after.”
“Tori blamed me,” I said. “And I blame me as well. You see, I thought the man was a thief and gave him the opportunity to copy my key.”
“You what?” Rex said.
“I thought he would take the key to the hardware store and make a copy like he did with the other keys,” I said. “I had Mr. Devaney at the hardware store ready to catch him. But he didn’t go to the hardware store.”
“And you thought you were wrong,” Rex said.
“I thought he suspected what I was up to,” I said. “Victoria told me it was a bad idea and she was right.”
“I don’t understand,” Aunt June said.
“He copied the key with a 3D printer and broke in,” I said. “Someone could have been badly hurt but Tori saved us and then Rex arrested her for it. She was hopping mad and blamed me.” I swallowed hard. “She took her things and stormed out.”
“Victoria is a bit of a hothead,” June admitted. “She gets it from her father.”
Uncle Alex crossed his arms. “She gets her strength from me as well. I’m certain whoever has her is wishing they didn’t.”
“Someone has my baby,” Aunt June wailed.
I took the water glass from her and she buried her head into Uncle Alex’s shoulder.
I patted her back.
“I’ve backtracked her actions as best I can,” Rex said. He leaned against his desk. “She must have gone back to the cabin. An investigation of the cabin showed us that someone cut the power. There was some sort of break-in and struggle. It’s why we are sure she is missing.”
“Why would anyone do that?” Uncle Alex said. “Everyone knew we kept a spare key outside.”
“I told you we should have never done that!” Aunt June said and smacked him with the back of her hand.
“I think Tori had the locks changed,” I said. “The last time I saw her she was talking to Trent Jessop and they kissed.” I crossed my arms, still feeling vulnerable about it. “Trent told me that Victoria came to him because she wasn’t feeling safe. She had a death threat so Trent sent a guy over to change the locks at the cabin. Supposedly Tori was thanking him.”
“Supposedly?” Uncle Alex repeated.
“I’m dating Trent. He told me the kiss was Tori thanking him.”
Uncle Alex looked at me for a moment as if to contemplate whether I would have harmed Victoria.
Rex cleared his throat. “We believe she was investigating Barbara’s murder when she got too close to the killer.”
I raised my hands. “I haven’t seen her since. I didn’t know she was missing until Rex notified me.”
“How long ago was that?”
“Sunday afternoon,” Rex said. “Trust me, we haven’t stopped searching. We know every hour counts.”
“Oh please, please don’t tell me they killed her. I couldn’t take it.”
“I don’t think they would,” I said. “Everyone on the island loves Victoria. They wouldn’t risk the wrath of the islanders.”
“But they killed Barbara.”
“We think it was unplanned. Barbara caught them in the act of vandalizing the Butterfly House and they must have fought. Whoever did it picked up a garden trowel and stabbed Barbara and then ran out.”
“So what are they doing with Tori?”
“Do you think Victoria might be hiding somewhere?” I had to ask.
Everyone looked at me as if I lost my mind. I shrugged. “She might be hiding from the killer.”
“Why wouldn’t she just come to me?” Rex asked.
“You arrested her twice,” I pointed out.
“No,” Aunt June said. “She would have called us. She wouldn’t put us through this.”
“What can we do?” Uncle Alex asked.
“I need a list of people and places Victoria might go. Anyone she may have told you she was talking to in the last week.”
“I can do that,” Aunt June said and took the pad of paper and pen from Rex’s hand.
“I hope you’ll both stay at the McMurphy,” I said. “I’ve got a room on the second floor waiting for you and can have your things brought over.”
“We have the cabin,” Uncle Alex said.
“It’s still under investigation,” Rex said. “I think it would be best if you stayed with Allie.”
“Fine,” Uncle Alex said.
“Thank you,” Aunt June said.
“We’re going to find her,” I said and patted my aunt’s hand. “Rex and his team are awesome.”
“I have to believe that,” Aunt June said. “She’s my only baby.”
“I’ll see she gets home,” Rex said. There was a promise in his tone, but I noted he didn’t make a promise with his words.
* * *
Tori had been missing for more than forty-eight hours. They say in a murder investigation the first forty-eight hours are crucial. In missing persons, every hour counts. I called Sandy in to make fudge as I couldn’t focus on fudge making. I had slept only a few hours last night and then badly.
Mal barked to be let out. I pulled on jeans, a T-shirt and jacket and took her out into the alley. The sun was breaking over the horizon. There was a note taped to my back door.
Mal did her business and I took the note down and read it.
“Return the diamonds if you want to see your cousin alive.”
A chill went down my spine. I hurried back inside and locked the door. Whoever did this could have been out there while I was out with Mal. Stupid of me to go alone. It was habit really.
I called Rex.
“Yeah, Manning” He sounded as if I woke him up. I looked at the kitchen clock; it was five AM.
“Rex, it’s Allie.”
“Are you okay?”
“Yes and no,” I said. “Someone left a ransom note taped to my back door.”
“I’ll be right there,” he said.
“I’ll put on the coffee,” I agreed.
Jenn wandered into the kitchen in her pajamas, her hair sticking up and her eyes bleary. “What’s going on?”
“Someone left a ransom note on the back door,” I said and pointed to the note lying flat on the counter. “Don’t touch it.”
“Don’t worry,” Jenn said and treated the note as if it would bite her. “So Tori was officially kidnapped. Why did they wait so long to send a ransom note?”
“I don’t know. Maybe the original intent had nothing to do with ransom. Either way, they want the diamonds back now,” I said. “But I don’t have them. Rex does.”
“Whoever left the note has to know that.”
“I know. It was in the paper that I turned the diamonds in.”
Jenn pulled a mug out of the cabinet and poured herself coffee, interrupting the flow. “That means they know that you and Rex are friends. They’re counting on you to get the diamonds back.”
I got a phone call. Frowning, I saw that the caller was Trent. “Hello?”
“Allie,” Trent said. “I got a ransom note for Tori.”
“Wait, what?”
“Someone left a ran
som note taped to my door this morning,” Trent said. “They want two million dollars to see Tori again.”
“That’s not right. I got a ransom note as well asking for the diamonds.”
“What diamonds?”
“The ones I found smuggled into the packaging at the Butterfly House. I thought you knew about them.”
“Right. I remember now.”
“So each of us got a ransom note. Why? Are there two different people taking credit for Tori’s disappearance? Or one person who thinks we aren’t talking to each other?”
“I think we need to talk to Manning.”
I frowned. “Yes, he’s on his way here. I bet he’ll want to see both notes and compare them. Does yours tell you where to send the money?”
“No.”
“Mine doesn’t tell me anything about where to send the diamonds, either. They must plan on more notes or a phone call.”
“I’ll be right over and bring my note,” he said. “Don’t answer the phone until they can set up a trace.”
“Won’t the kidnappers know we’d do that?”
“Sure, but maybe they think they can play divide and conquer. I’m going to head out now. Don’t answer the phone unless it’s me or Manning.”
Trent hung up.
“What was that all about?” Jenn asked.
“Trent got a ransom note, too. He’s coming over here to give it to Rex. Should we call Shane?”
There was a knock at the door and I peered out to see Rex standing on the deck with his hat in his hand. I opened the door. “Hey, come in.”
“Good morning,” he said. “Hello, Jenn.”
“Hi, Rex.”
“Tell me what happened.”
“I took Mal out this morning and I noticed this note on my back door.” I pointed at the note on the counter. “I pulled it off the door and put it here, then called you.”
“So Tori has been kidnapped.”
“Maybe,” I said. “Weirdly, Trent just called. He got a ransom note, too.”
“For Tori?” Rex narrowed his eyes and shook his head in disbelief.
“Yes, he’s bringing it now. Maybe we can compare the handwriting.”
There was a knock at the door and I opened it up to see Trent standing there. He looked gorgeous in a pale blue polo shirt and jeans. “Hey, Allie,” he said and bent to give me a kiss. But I took a step back. He frowned.
“Rex is here to compare the notes,” I said and opened the door wider. Trent came in. Jenn sent me a look like Why did you brush off a kiss from your boyfriend? I narrowed my eyes at her. She was supposed to be on my side about this thing. I was still mad at Trent for kissing Victoria. That didn’t change just because she was missing.
I was aware of a weird tension in the room between the two men. It was subtle but odd. “You got a note?” Rex asked Trent.
“Yeah. This was left on my door.” Trent pulled out his note. He had placed it in a plastic bag. Unlike my note, which was handwritten, his note was printed on a printer.
Rex frowned. “These don’t look authentic,” he said. “It looks as if someone is trying to scam you both.”
“What if the people who killed Dan are the ones who took Tori?” Jenn asked. “It’s not so farfetched since they want the diamonds.”
There was a knock at my front door. I went over and peered out. My aunt and uncle stood in the hallway. I let them in.
“We heard you got a ransom note,” Uncle Alex said.
“Wow, word spreads fast,” I said. “Come on in. It seems I’m not the only one who got a ransom note. So it’s a bit confusing.”
“Who else would have gotten a note?” Aunt June asked. She blinked at Trent. “Hello, Trent. What brings you here so early?”
I glanced at my watch. It was eight AM already, which might be early to some, but for me it was midday. “Trent also got a ransom note.”
“Why would Jessop get a note?” Uncle Alex asked.
“Good question,” Rex said.
Trent cleared his throat. “I was helping Victoria with her investigation. Whoever left the note must have thought we were involved.”
I hated how my gut twisted at Trent’s admission. “Well you knew I wasn’t the only one to see you two kissing.”
Rex and Jenn sent Trent dirty looks.
“Nothing was going on between us,” he said and put his hands up as if we were about to shoot him between the eyes. As much as I would like to, Rex was watching.
“Why didn’t I know you were helping Tori with more than finding a locksmith?” I asked.
“Because Tori asked me not to tell you,” Trent said. “I agreed because I didn’t want you getting involved in yet another murder.”
“I am already involved,” I said and put my hands on my hips. “You lied to me about why you were on the island and didn’t tell me.”
“No, I didn’t lie,” he said. “I did have a horse buyer who wanted to fly in to see my horses.”
“You just skipped the part about helping Tori.”
Trent didn’t say anything.
“When was the last time you saw Tori?” Rex asked. He had his arms crossed over his chest and his legs spread wide as if to intimidate.
“The day after we kissed,” he said. “She told me that Mrs. Gilmore’s mahjong group knew something about Barbara that might have gotten her killed. She planned on confronting the ladies.”
“She was gone the next morning,” Rex said.
“We talked to the mahjong group,” I said at the same time as Jenn. “Jinks,” we both said again.
“What did they tell you?” Trent asked
“Nothing specific,” I said.
“Just that Barbara blackmailed a lot of people,” Jenn said.
“That she was a master manipulator and they weren’t surprised that someone killed her,” I said. “Maybe we should go back and find out if they talked to Tori.”
“No one is talking to those ladies except me,” Rex said. “Is that understood?”
“What about the ransoms?” June asked. “We don’t have the diamonds or two million dollars.”
“We need proof of life,” Uncle Alex said.
“What you all need to do is sit tight and wait for further contact,” Rex said. “I’ll have the state police send out their negotiating team and wiretap your phones. In the meantime, my team and I will talk to the mahjong group. I recommend you all stay in the McMurphy. Trent, you have your phone on you in case they call?”
“Yes,” Trent said.
“Anyone in this room who gets a call, let it go to voice mail until we can get the experts out here with the proper equipment. Do you understand?”
“I do,” I said. Jenn, Trent, my aunt and uncle agreed.
“Good,” Rex said and picked up the two ransom notes. “I will messenger these over to Shane’s office in St. Ignace. He should be able to find any links between the two. If we have a copycat, I need to know sooner rather than later.” Rex put on his hat.
“Wait,” Uncle Alex said. “Shouldn’t we be trying to raise the money? I mean even with proof of life, there’s no guarantee they won’t hurt our daughter if we don’t give them what they want.”
“I agree,” Rex said, surprising me. “Let people know you are trying to raise the money. That way the killer will think you will meet their demands.”
“And when we don’t?”
“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”
“I don’t like it,” my uncle said. “You are playing Russian roulette with my daughter’s life.”
“Tori already did that when she started to investigate. Now, stick to the plan. Do not deviate unless I tell you to. Is that understood?”
“Yes,” we all said.
Rex left through the back door. Jenn looked from me to Trent to my aunt and uncle. “Who wants omelets?”
I wasn’t hungry. Too many things could go terribly wrong. All I could do was hope and pray that, when we get proof of life, we got a picture of Tori h
olding a newspaper, not a picture of some cut-off body part.
Maybe I did watch too many crime shows on television . . .
Chapter 23
My phone didn’t ring. It took four hours for the equipment to arrive and for the police to set it up. With all the coming and going, I figured whoever taped the note on my door had to know what we were doing.
I paced in my apartment. My Aunt June sat in a chair and twisted a tissue that she would use to dab at the tears that kept falling. Uncle Alex was in the office with Jenn contacting people about borrowing the two million dollars.
Trent went back to his place where similar equipment was being setup on both his cell phone and the house phone. Officer Brown was with me, Brent Pulaski was with Trent, and Rex continued to supervise the investigation into Tori’s whereabouts.
Frances and Sandy ran the McMurphy and the fudge shop as if nothing unusual was happening. I felt as useless as a newborn baby. Whenever I was upset or worried, I made fudge. So I spent the time experimenting with new flavor combinations. Bubblegum Fudge seemed happy. Jawbreaker flavored fudge was colorful even if it took forever to crush the jawbreakers into tiny pieces. I used a hammer to get my frustrations out.
Finally, finally the phone rang. The door to the apartment was left open and at the sound of the ringer, everyone came rushing in. I grabbed the phone and waited until the policeman pointed at me and picked up the land line.
“Hello, this is Allie. How can I help you?”
“If you want to see your cousin alive, you will give me my diamonds back.” The voice was warped as if the person spoke through a machine.
“Who is this?”
“I want my diamonds or your cousin dies.”
My aunt gasped. Officer Brown held up his hand to silence her.
“How do I know she’s not already dead?” I asked as I followed the script. “Put her on the phone. I want to talk to her.”
“No.”
“Put her on the phone,” I said again. “I can’t do anything unless I know she’s still alive.”
“I’ve sent you a text.”
My cell phone vibrated and I opened the text. There was a picture of Tori holding the Wednesday morning newspaper. It creeped me out that he had my cell phone number. “This is the morning news. How do I know she’s still alive?”
