Oh, Fudge!

by Nancy CoCo

  “We can’t put any meaning into it,” Rex said.

  “But we don’t have the diamonds or the two million. If they check before they let her go then they will kill her.”

  “Trent has the money,” Rex said. “The bills are marked so there is no way they can spend it without getting caught.”

  “I have fake diamonds,” I said and held up the small bag of bling the porter had brought over. “But it will take too much time to check if they are real or not.”

  “What shall we do?” Jenn asked.

  “I’ll contact the coast guard. They can keep an eye on any vessels that move around the island. Allie, go leave the fake gems where they instructed. I’ll have plainclothes policemen in the area. Do not stay at the park. Come immediately back here. Do you understand?”

  I swallowed hard. “I understand.” I grabbed the diamonds, put Mal on her leash, and went out the back door. The walk to Turtle Park took up a great deal of the time allotted. I wish I had ridden my bike, but I wanted Mal with me. I checked my watch as I dropped the bag in the trash at the entrance to the park. I was two minutes late. Two minutes that may be detrimental to Tori’s health.

  I noted four men near the park cautiously looking around. They could all be policemen or one could be a kidnapper. There was no way to tell.

  “Come on, Mal,” I said. “Let’s go home.”

  We walked back. My heart raced and my hands trembled. I got into my apartment to find most of the policemen had packed up and gone.

  “Well?” My aunt grabbed me the minute I walked in.

  “I was two minutes late,” I blurted out. “So I don’t know.”

  “Did you see Victoria?”

  “No,” I said. “I only saw four guys. I don’t know what happened after I left. I walked straight back here as Rex instructed in case I was being watched.”

  “My baby, my baby.” Aunt June sat down hard on the bar stool and sobbed into her hands.

  I looked at Jenn; she looked as stricken as I felt. Officer Brown stood silently near the doorway. I looked at him. “Did Trent make his drop on time?”

  “I’m waiting for word from Office Manning,” he said.

  I bent down and let Mal off her leash. She went over to her water bowl and took a long drink. Mella was in Jenn’s lap. Jenn stroked her for comfort. Frances came in through the doorway.

  “Any word?” she asked.

  “Nothing,” I said and sat down hard. “I was two minutes late.”

  Frances put her hand on my shoulder. “You did everything you could. I’m sure between Rex and his men and the coast guard, they will find her.”

  The waiting was the worst part. Minutes dragged by like hours. Finally, a call came through Officer Brown’s cell phone.

  “Brown . . . yes . . . okay. I’ll let them know.” His face was stoic and we all held our breath. “They found Victoria.”

  “Yes!” We all jumped up.

  “Wait, is she okay?” my aunt asked, breaking into our celebration.

  “The kidnappers threw her into the lake with her hands tied.”

  “Oh my goodness.” June sat down hard and put her shaking hands to her mouth. “Is she alive?”

  “Yes,” he said. “Barely. She managed to tread water until the coast guard found her.”

  “Where is she now?”

  “She’s been life-flighted to Cheboygan. Rex asked me to take you there now.”

  I grabbed my purse.

  “No,” Officer Brown said. “Just Victoria’s parents. She is in critical condition and they don’t want to tire her. We need her to tell us everything she knows.”

  “But I can’t just stay here and wait.”

  “You have to,” Officer Brown said. “It’s for the best if you act as if nothing is out of the ordinary.”

  “Why?”

  “We haven’t caught the kidnappers yet.”

  “So they got away with the money?”

  “And left the fake diamonds,” Officer Brown said. “It’s as if they knew what was real and what was not.”

  “But we didn’t tell anyone the diamonds weren’t real.”

  “Except the porter and the shopkeeper and everyone working the case. . . .”

  “You mean the kidnappers have a mole.”

  “We certainly hope not, but Rex isn’t going to take any chances. Only Tori’s parents will be allowed to leave. Everyone else will be debriefed.”

  My aunt and uncle headed out the door with Officer Brown. “I’ll porter your suitcases over to Cheboygan,” I said. “Please tell Victoria that I love her.”

  They closed the door and Jenn and Frances and I sat in silence for a moment. I was lost in my thoughts. Whoever had done this was still out there and could strike again.

  Chapter 25

  “Tori’s in a coma,” my aunt told me when I called for an update. “She had a lot of water in her lungs and they drained them. The doctors put her in a coma until they know if she has pneumonia.”

  “I’m so, so sorry,” I said.

  “What is the update on the kidnappers?”

  “Rex tells me that they got the money, but not the fake diamonds. Either they knew the diamonds were fake or they weren’t able to pick up both ransoms or perhaps they saw the cops. The diamonds might have even been a decoy.”

  “A decoy?”

  “Yes, they have to know that the police department has limited staff, so they could have used the diamonds as a way to split up the staff.”

  “Ah, as a distraction.”

  “Yes,” I said and sighed. “I’m just glad we got Victoria back. What are the doctors saying?”

  “They are keeping an eye on her and she may be in a coma for a few days. There is no real way to tell, but they think she will recover.”

  “I can’t imagine what she went through,” I said. “I can’t wait to find the people who did this and see that Tori gets justice.”

  “We feel the same way,” Aunt June said. “I’ve got to go now. Take care, Allie.”

  I hung up the phone. It was early evening and Jenn and I sat with Frances and Douglas in my apartment. I had made a cold pasta salad for dinner and we all had a glass of wine.

  “What’s the prognosis?” Frances asked.

  “Tori’s in a coma,” I said. “They had to drain fluid from her lungs. The biggest worry is pneumonia.”

  “I can’t believe they tossed her in the water with her hands tied,” Jenn said. “It makes me want to strangle them.”

  “Tori’s strong and a good swimmer to be able to tread water with her hands tied,” I said and sipped my wine. “Rex recovered the fake diamonds. But they got the money.”

  “Two million is a lot of money,” Douglas said.

  “Trent and his family came through with the marked cash.”

  “I certainly hope they are able to recover the money,” Frances said.

  “Oh I’m sure the kidnappers will see that the bills are marked. There is no way to spend it. I’m still convinced this has to be connected to Barbara’s murder,” I said. “Rex said he ruled out Irene. That means it is far more likely that Barbara caught the smuggler in the act of tossing the Butterfly House.”

  “You aren’t seriously thinking about investigating,” Frances said. “Not after what they did to Victoria.”

  “I think I should investigate because of what they did to Victoria,” I said. “Someone has to pay.”

  “I think you should let Rex take care of that,” Frances said.

  “Let’s change the subject,” Jenn said. “When are we going to have a wedding?”

  “Jenn,” I admonished. “Tori is in the hospital.”

  “And safe.”

  “There’s a killer and kidnapper on the loose.”

  “And Rex will take care of them,” she said and turned to Frances and Douglas. “How about three days from now? That will give us time to reschedule everything and for the baker to make a new cake and the caterer to create new hors d’oeuvres.”

&n
bsp; “Oh, I’d quite forgotten about the food in all the fuss,” Frances said.

  “That’s what you have me for,” Jenn said. “I donated the cake and hors d’oeuvres to the St. Ignace homeless shelter. I’ve also talked the vendors into charging only for cost on the second round.”

  “Thank you,” Douglas said. “My pocketbook thanks you.”

  “That sounds fine to me,” Frances said and patted Mr. Devaney’s knee. “Is that all right with you?”

  “I’d say tomorrow, but then you wouldn’t get the cake and such that you want,” he said. “I guess three days will have to do.”

  “Perfect,” Jenn said and clapped her hands. “I’ve reserved the park again so there is nothing further for you to worry about.”

  I smiled at my friends, but didn’t feel happy inside. With a killer on the loose, there was still a chance that something could go terribly wrong at the wedding. It made me want to find them even more. Could I catch a killer in the next two days?

  Early the next morning while I was making the day’s fudge, I put together a suspect list in my head. Sean Grady was still a suspect as far as I was concerned. He didn’t work alone. Although his partner Dan was dead, I believe there was someone else higher up on the food chain. Someone who needed to smuggle diamonds to keep up their lavish lifestyle.

  Someone with an accomplice who was able to kidnap Victoria and distract the police long enough to get away with $2 million.

  That was a lot of people on a small island. Someone had to know something. As I said before that someone was probably at the senior center. I made an extra batch of salted pecan dark chocolate fudge. Then once the senior center opened, Mal and I went for a walk with a basket of bribes in hand.

  “Hello, Allie,” Mrs. O’Malley greeted me at the door. “I see you brought a friend to visit us.” She bent down and gave Mal a pat on the head.

  “Oh, what a cute puppy,” Mrs. Green said. Mal jumped up and did a twirl, then sat down and lifted her paw to shake. Mrs. Green clapped her hands in delight and shook Mal’s paw. “You are a smart one, aren’t you?”

  “I’m sorry to hear about Victoria,” Mrs. O’Malley said. “How is she doing?”

  “She is in intensive care,” I said. “They are watching her for pneumonia.”

  “Oh, poor thing,” Mrs. Green said. “Who would do such a thing?”

  “I was wondering if you all might know,” I said. “I know you hear the local gossip first.”

  “Well”—Mrs. O’Malley took me by the arm and dragged me over to the craft table where five ladies worked on crochet squares—“we were talking about that this morning.”

  “We heard that they kept Victoria on a yacht.”

  “Yes,” I said and pulled out my phone. “Here’s a picture they sent us as proof of life.”

  “Oh no!”

  “Poor dear.”

  “I had no idea!” They all responded with tsks and worried looks.

  “Don’t look at Victoria. Look behind her,” I encouraged. “Do any of you recognize the inside of the boat?”

  “It could be any paneled yacht,” Mrs. Green said.

  “I’ve seen that rug before,” Mrs. O’Malley said.

  “Really?” I felt my excitement grow. “Was it at someone’s home or in a boat?”

  “Well, now I can’t remember.” Mrs. O’Malley frowned.

  “Oh.” Disappointment filled me and dropped my posture. “What do you remember about the rug?”

  “Where did I see it?” Mrs. O’Malley looked at her friends as if they could help her.

  “Let me see that,” Mrs. Finch said as she came to the table. I showed her the picture. “That’s the Sikeses’ boat.”

  “Wait, Wanda and Fred Sikeses’ boat?” I said. “Are you certain?”

  “I’m sure,” Mrs. Finch said. “Agatha Sikes was my best friend. Back in the day we used to take the boat out all the time. She bought that rug at a flea market in 1975. The chair was part of the original dining set in the yacht.”

  “Oh yes, that’s where I saw it,” Mrs. O’Malley concurred. “I remember now. They used to have parties on the yacht. Before Agatha died. None of us have been invited since. The younger generation. They have no regard for their elders.”

  “Why would the Sikeses kidnap Victoria?” Mrs. Green asked. “It doesn’t make any sense.”

  “No, it doesn’t,” I said. “Perhaps someone borrowed their boat.”

  “It could be one of their employees,” Mrs. Finch suggested. “We have marina workers who take care of our boats. Perhaps they were having work done and one of those workers kidnapped your cousin. If I were you, I’d go over there and ask Wanda. She might be horrified that such a thing happened in her boat.”

  “I agree,” I said. “Thank you all so much for your help.”

  “Don’t forget to leave us the fudge,” Mrs. Finch said when I turned to walk away.

  “Oh right.”

  “What kind did you bring us this time?” Mrs. O’Malley dove into the box and pulled out a one-inch-sized piece.

  “It’s ultra-dark chocolate and salted pecan,” I said.

  “Yum,” Mrs. Finch said.

  “We talked about nuts,” Mrs. Albert said.

  “You don’t have to have any,” Mrs. Finch said.

  I smiled. “Enjoy, ladies.”

  “When are you going to bring us gents some fudge?” Mr. Oxford shouted from the card table in the corner.

  “Next time,” I said. “For now, ask the ladies to share.”

  “No way,” Mrs. O’Malley said. “Those old coots didn’t do anything to deserve the fudge.”

  “Come on, Mal,” I said to my pup and pulled her away from Mrs. Hamilton’s lap. She was enjoying the old woman rubbing her behind the ears.

  We left the senior center and headed straight for Wanda Sikes’s house. I knew I didn’t like Fred Sikes. I wondered if he was the one behind it all. He certainly had the shipping company that could have smuggled the diamonds. Perhaps Victoria got too close. Or maybe it was as simple as Mrs. Finch suggested. Maybe someone who worked for the Sikeses was behind the kidnapping and possibly the murders.

  I knew I couldn’t go to Rex without proof. It occurred to me that it would be better to find the Sikeses’ boat and get inside to take a picture of the interior. If it matched, then Rex would have to investigate.

  Chapter 26

  Luckily the marina was on the way back to the McMurphy. I was proud of myself for not going straight to the Sikeses’ home. This was better. Safer.

  The marina was filled with yachts coming and going. I flagged down a young man in a white polo and khaki shorts with a logo on the shirt. The logo said SKIP’S BOAT REPAIR.

  “Excuse me,” I said as we approached. Mal jumped up on the boy and he reached down to pat her head.

  “Who do we have here?” he asked.

  “This is Mal,” I said. “She’s a bit friendly.”

  “Oh, right, you are Allie McMurphy, aren’t you?”

  “Yes,” I said and drew my eyebrows together. “How did you—?”

  “Know? Easy. You and this pup have quite the reputation. Didn’t you drag some girl out of the marina last month?”

  I felt the heat of a blush rush up my cheeks. “Yes, that was us.”

  “You are such a smart pup, aren’t you?” He rubbed Mal behind her ears. “I’m Matt Alvin.”

  “Hi, Matt,” I said “Nice to meet you. The logo on your shirt—do you work for a boat repair company?”

  “Yes.”

  “What’s that like?”

  “Good work, but tough sometimes.”

  “What kinds of things do you do?”

  “We work on engines, clean the boats, fill up the gas tanks, work on rigging, anything that is part of the maintenance of the boats.”

  “Are you the only company that works on the boats?”

  “No, there’s us and then Owens. But the really cool people choose us,” he said with a wink. “Are you thinking
about getting a boat?”

  “No, I was wondering about the Sikeses’ boat. Do you work on that? I believe it’s kind of old.”

  “Sure, yeah, it’s a classic seventies yacht. We specialize in the older boats. The Sikeses are basically hands off on the maintenance of the Scoundrel. That’s the name of the boat.”

  “Do they take the boat out very often?”

  “Once or twice a season,” he said. “I understand that before the old lady died, the family used to take the boat out at least once a week. But Mr. Sikes is too busy, and his wife, Wanda, isn’t interested in water sports. It’s a shame really. Old beauty like that needs to go out in the water at least once a week to keep it up and going.”

  “Do they ever have anyone else take the boat out?”

  “Sure, a boat like that needs to run out on the open water. We usually take it out for a spin around the island just to keep things oiled up. It’s good for the engine.”

  “Is that the Scoundrel over there?” I walked Mal down the docks toward the older boat on the end of docks.

  Matt followed me. “Yeah.”

  “Can I see the inside?”

  “Why?” he asked. “Are you working on a case?”

  “A what?”

  “You know, one of your investigations? Did something happen on the Scoundrel?”

  “I don’t know,” I said. “No, I was just at the senior center and they were telling me about the parties they used to have on the boat. They told me they thought it hadn’t been remodeled since the seventies.”

  “Well, that’s true,” Matt said. “It’s kind of like a mini museum to the era. I’m sure they won’t mind if I showed you inside.”

  I picked Mal up and Matt helped us up on the deck. The boat had a beautiful teak deck and was two levels plus the inner cabin. “I’ll give you the basic tour,” he said. “The main deck was built for parties. You see the deck and the inner cabin are the same size. That way they could move in and outside as the weather permitted with the same number of people.” He walked me through the covered middle deck that had a bar in the corner and a couple of bar tables with chairs. They were bolted down and looked like they were straight out of a time capsule.