Amanda put a hand up to stop Lisa’s words. “I’ve thought about it, but I’m not selling because this is my home now, and I’m tired of moving every few years. Also, the Inn is the last piece of my family history that I own and if I sell it to someone else they’ll just bulldoze it and sell the land.” She played with the stem of her wineglass, thinking. “I’m not going to just throw it away because someone is trying to push me. I really hate being pushed.”
The next words nearly stuck in her throat. “I don’t have any other real family, so the Inn’s all I have left.”
Meg shook her head, disagreeing. “Sometimes family isn’t the people you grew up with. Sometimes it’s the people you meet who become part of you.”
Amanda sighed. “I wish that were true.”
Oscar chose that moment to try to rub against Lisa’s wineglass, knocking it over onto the white sweatshirt she’d taken off earlier and tossed onto the floor. There was a general outcry and rush of hands to try to keep the dark wine from spilling onto the carpet as they rolled the stained sweatshirt into a ball, trapping the liquid inside.
Disaster averted, Amanda sprawled into a nearby chair, still considering Lisa’s question. “Whatever we talk about here has to stay confidential, okay? I need to talk about this and not worry it’s gonna show up on the front page the next day.” She shook a warning finger at Lisa. “Promise?”
“I promise. Anything we talk about here stays in this room.”
Maybe it was the wine or maybe it was how well her new friends listened, but Amanda spilled out the entire story of how Crescent Crown Company was trying to build a huge retirement resort that would basically take over the entire town. She told them about the fact that Petrie’s hardware store tape had been used to wrap the body, the results of the autopsy, and the letter she’d found. By the time she got to the part about the mayor owning the land that was being considered for the resort, Lisa and Meg both had their mouths hanging open in shock.
“You have got to be kidding me. So that’s what you meant about someone bulldozing the Inn,” Lisa said, and Meg nodded her head in silent agreement.
“I would’ve brought the information to you, Lisa, but I was worried that this sort of news story might’ve killed off the last bit of tourist trade we had, and all the local shop owners would’ve gone out of business.”
“Well, if the mayor didn’t kill Emmett, then who did?”
Lisa sighed. “Brian seems like such a nice guy. I just can’t believe he’d have anything to do with Emmett’s death.”
Amanda poured herself a bit more wine. “I think people can do all sorts of horrible things and still appear to be Nice Guys. Brian told me himself that Emmett had messed with his sister. Protecting family can bring out violence in lots of people and maybe Brian’s one of them.”
“Yeah, but why would he have a beef with the mayor?” Lisa asked, obviously mulling it over.
“Maybe he was getting tired of being told what to do with his store. You know the town council turned down his proposal to expand into a greenhouse, and he’s probably been the most vocal of any of the townspeople about how bad the mayor’s rulings have been for business. Even if there’s been an improvement since all that publicity with the shells and stuff started, maybe he wants more money.”
Meg nodded, obviously agreeing. “She’s probably done all sorts of things we don’t know about anyway. If she’s so sneaky that she’d file a rezoning...whatever it’s called… to get the Ravenwood turned into just a house, who knows what else she’s got up her sleeve?”
Meg picked up her wineglass and took a sip. “You know, the mayor could still be the killer. Maybe someone is trying to shut her up.” She turned to her friend Lisa, who was happily petting the cat. “And here’s a weird thought, but you could be a suspect, too, Lisa. You were the one who wrote that article about what was going on in the town and how the city council wasn’t serving the voters the way they should.” At the instant outcry of protest, Meg threw up her hands as if to shush them, but continued. “You put your anger out there for the whole town to read about, and no one else had done that.”
Lisa scoffed, obviously offended. “I was only writing what most people already were thinking. Anyone who read that article and had a beef with the mayor would’ve had motive, so that means there would be dozens of suspects. Count me out. My way of getting even is what I write, not who I’d poison.”
Oscar’s purring was the only sound in the room as they all digested this statement.
“And what about the letter?” Lisa asked. “If the mayor didn’t kill Emmett, then who wrote that threatening letter?”
“Well, whoever it was, we know it wasn’t my uncle ‘cause the handwriting wasn’t the same. I don’t have any problem with the idea of the cops figuring out who’s behind that letter.”
“Yeah, you wouldn’t have any problem with that because you get to talk to some cute sheriff detective guy, right?” Meg winked at Amanda, who completely ignored her.
“You know that letter bothers me. It said that they wanted my uncle to get out of town. I guess the question is why? How would that benefit the person who wrote it if my family did leave Ravenwood Cove?”
Meg shrugged. “Maybe blackmail, anger, get them out of the way. Maybe they wanted the land, too.”
Amanda flopped back on the floor, frustrated. “Sometimes I think I’ll never figure this out, with my aunt and uncle dead. There must be some way to put the pieces together.”
Always practical, Lisa summed up the unspoken thoughts of them all. “Well, whether the mayor is the killer or not, we now know that someone in town is a potential murderer.” She turned toward her friend, still lying on the floor. “And that means they could be coming after you, too. I don’t like the idea of you being in the Inn all by yourself at night. If you want, I can stay over some nights and keep you company.”
“Me, too!”
Amanda shook her head. “Guys, I really appreciate the offer but I’m okay. Besides,“ she held up Oscar, who looked terribly annoyed. “-I’ve got Oscar to protect me.”
No one laughed at her little joke, and Lisa’s voice was nearly stern when she caught Amanda’s eye.
“Someone’s killed before, and someone’s tried to kill again. They were at that party and it means they’re still in this town.”
“I guess I’ll just have to watch my back.”
“I’m more worried about who’s going to be watching yours.” Lisa’s voice was deadly serious. “And if anyone wants to stick a knife in it.”
Chapter 27
After she waved goodbye to her girlfriends and locked up the Inn, Amanda put on her pajamas and headed to bed. It took longer than it should have to fall asleep, as she thought back over the night’s conversation. She tried counting backwards and doing relaxation exercises but just as she’d drift off the sound of the wind or her own tangled thoughts would wake her. It was probably her imagination, but the Inn seemed to be creaking more than normal in the night wind, flexing as if it was complaining about its age. Snug inside, Amanda could still hear every small noise around her as she tossed and turned, finally waking again just before dawn to the sound of a car door shutting outside. The quiet slam jerked her awake and she shuffled to the window, peering around the heavy drapes to the front yard.
Jennifer Peetman’s car was parked next door at Mrs. Petrovski’s house, the brake lights still on as Jennifer walked around to the driver’s side. Amanda could just make out the Russian lady’s form in the passenger seat, clutching a bag. Instead of opening her own door Jennifer walked to the back and popped the trunk open. Only then did Amanda see what she was carrying in her hand. It was a full-sized shovel, the heavy old-fashioned type, and she quickly stashed it and closed the trunk door.
Why on earth would her neighbor be out with Jennifer at this hour in the morning, and with a shovel? Amanda was suddenly, completely awake as her mind whirled, trying to sort out possibilities. She couldn’t help but flash back to all the
shovels the police had been using as they had dug up the remains in her garden, or the sound of digging as they had sifted through yards of dirt looking for additional clues.
She was short on clues and needed any information she could get. Jerking on her jeans and a loose sweater, she grabbed her car keys and pounded down the stairs, startling Oscar, who had been sleeping on the parlor sofa. By the time she was outside and had jammed the key in the ignition, she remembered that she was only wearing her thin pajamas and slippers. Cranking up the car’s heater to try to dispel the chill, she turned out of her circular driveway and down the hill, following Jennifer’s car. She could just see the tail lights ahead of her, moving at a good clip through the town. Amanda’s heart was thumping as she followed as far back as she could, trying to avoid being seen by keeping as much distance between them as possible while still not losing them.
Jennifer’s little car didn’t seem to be going in any one direction. Even with staying behind her as far as she was, Amanda could tell that the car ahead of her was zigzagging through the streets of Ravenwood Cove. At first Amanda thought that the car in front of her had seen her headlights, so she slowed down and hung back, but after the third time that Jennifer’s car veered off in an unexpected direction, Amanda suddenly realized that it couldn’t be because the driver saw her every time. It was as though Jennifer was trying to evade whoever might be following her.
Like she was hiding a secret and didn’t want to be followed.
Like she had done this sort of driving before.
Amanda could feel her heartbeat hammering in her chest as she realized that whatever her neighbor was involved with, it certainly wasn’t something legal. Hesitantly, she turned off her car lights, trying not to be seen, but the windy night was still dark enough that once she was away from the antique streetlights of Ravenwood Cove’s tiny downtown area, she didn’t have enough light to see the road ahead of her. Jennifer’s tail lights blinked once as they pulled around a corner and then disappeared as the car went down a hill, toward the beach.
Amanda sat the darkness, still-icy air blowing across her thin clothing, and her eyes boring into the night as if she could summon the little car back. After a moment she resigned herself to the fact she’d lost, turned her car lights back on, and made a U-turn toward the Inn.
She doubted she’d get any more sleep that night.
Chapter 28
It felt kind of weird to walk into the hospital clutching a bouquet of carnations, but Amanda was determined. Maybe the mayor was her enemy, and maybe she was the reason Amanda didn’t have any income, but Amanda was never going to get to the bottom of what was going on until she did some more investigation.
Enemy or not, Mayor Sandford may have been poisoned by the same person who killed Emmet, and that meant that she might have clues that Amanda needed.
After stopping at the nurse’s station for directions, she turned left toward the main block of rooms. The halls were empty and smelled faintly of antiseptic. At the final turn Amanda was surprised to find a very familiar figure standing outside the mayor’s hospital room.
“James, what are you doing here?”
His eyebrows went up when he spotted the flowers she was carrying. “I could ask you the same thing. Not going to strangle her in her sleep are you?”
She gasped. “That’s a terrible thing to say, especially after what you said about me being a suspect!” She thrust the flowers at him. “Here! You give these to her. I’ve got better things to do.”
His words stung, but it was easier to be mad and offended than go along with his little jest. He put his hands out to catch her arm as she whipped around, ready to head out the nearest exit. His voice was apologetic when he said, “Sorry, Amanda. I was just kidding.”
She looked at him sideways, still mad. To his credit, he looked suitably contrite so she shook off his hand and stepped back. “Okay.” She took a deep breath. “It still wasn’t funny, though.”
“I can take in those flowers for you if you want. Right now she’s sleeping.” At her answering nod, he pushed open the hospital room door and quietly set the bright floral arrangement on the windowsill.
Amanda couldn’t tear her eyes away from the small, rumpled form sleeping in the bed. Mrs. Sandford looked kind of gray and drawn, as if her age and her unhappy life had suddenly caught up to her. She seemed much less ferocious than usual, and was snoring lightly in between slow breaths.
Flowers deposited, James ushered Amanda outside and silently clicked the door shut. He was watching Amanda’s face, realizing that seeing the mayor in this state must’ve been a very different sort of encounter than Amanda had ever had with the old woman.
“She looks so frail.” Amanda was almost whispering, as if her voice would wake her, even though the door was closed.
He nodded, understanding.
Amanda cleared her throat. “Um, any clue on what happened? Or who might’ve done it?”
“Well, we know that they found a partially-digested piece of candy in her stomach when she was admitted to the hospital. Tests on it showed a strong poison that would only take minutes to affect a victim.”
“Candy?” Amanda looked puzzled. “So it wasn’t the punch?” He shook his head and she continued. “Did you learn anything else about who may have done it? Who would want to poison her?”
James gestured to a group of chairs down the hall and Amanda followed him, plopping down with a sigh. “Look, the mayor isn’t exactly the most popular person in town. Could’ve been a lot of people.”
“Even me?”
James turned toward her, a small smile on his lips, seemingly switching from detective mode to friend. “Doubtful. I was with you in the timeframe when the poison would’ve had to be administered, so I think I can officially rule you out this time.”
The sigh of relief seemed to come from her toes. “Whew! Glad you finally figured that out, Detective.”
He grinned. “Call it a hunch. You would’ve just set your attack cat on her. Oscar’s big enough he could’ve taken her out easy.”
The laugh felt good, cleansing, even if they had had to stifle themselves a bit so it wasn’t too loud for the nearby patients.
“Ravenwood Inn’s Attack Cat. Think I’ll put that on his collar.” Amanda wiped her eyes. “Okay, so if my cat’s been cleared, who are your suspects?”
He was instantly all business again. “According to the lab crew, that poison would’ve taken only minutes so she must’ve gotten it at the party. I’m going to do some more questioning to see if anyone remembers seeing her eat a piece of candy, but right now everyone at that party is on the suspect list.”
“Except me.”
His smile was warm. “Except you,” he confirmed. The smile became a grin. “Maybe.”
She smacked him playfully on the arm. “You know better. So, how is this tied to Emmett’s murder?”
“We’re not sure that it is. This town hasn’t had this much excitement in a long time, but the timing could just be coincidence.” At her look of disbelief he patted her on the arm, trying to calm her down. “I know, I know. It does seem really suspicious but I don’t have anything conclusive yet. Until we know more I can’t rule it out though, either.”
James sprawled in the chair, crossing his long legs in front of him. Amanda couldn’t help but admire his well-worn cowboy boots.
“Waiting for your horse to come strolling by, Tex?”
“Hey, you try growing up on a horse ranch. Means you get boots before you get sneakers. Also, the pointy toes are great for kicking older brothers, as long as you can outrun ‘em after you do it.” He wiggled his boot-covered foot, showing it off.
“I wouldn’t know. I never had brothers or sisters, so I didn’t have anyone to kick.”
James laughed softly. “Lady, you are missing out. Bugging my brothers is part of some of my favorite memories. I never would’ve kicked my sister, but brothers are a whole different ballgame.”
A lone nurse walked b
y on whisper-silent shoes. Once she reached the end of the hall and disappeared down the next corridor James sat up in his chair.
“Amanda, you need to think about this, though. If there is a connection, it means the killer is still around town and for some reason wanted the mayor dead, too. You need to be careful, okay?”
She could see the genuine concern in his eyes, and smiled. “Don’t you worry, detective. I can take care of myself.”
His look was serious. “I hope so, lady.”
Chapter 29
It was warm in James’ arms, and when she pressed her ear to his chest, she could hear a strong heartbeat through his flannel shirt. Amanda snuggled deeper, loving the sensation of being so close to him and him holding her. She tilted her head upward, seeing the gleam in his sea-colored eyes as he pulled her toward him, knowing instinctively he was going to press his lips against hers. She wrapped both her arms around his neck, drawing him downward as his mouth was inches from hers. He hesitated for just a second, opening his mouth to speak, and finally said –
COCK A DOODLE DOO!
Amanda jerked upward and slid out of bed onto the hard wooden floor, her arms still wrapped around the large pillow she’d been sleeping with.
A dream. That damn rooster! He had such bad timing…
There was no sunlight peeking through the heavy curtains, so it couldn’t be daytime yet, and Amanda squinted at her clock. Two fifteen in the middle of the night! It had sounded like Dumb Cluck had stationed his loud, time-impaired self directly under her windowsill again, and he was still crowing his lungs out, only stopping to breathe for a few seconds between blaring like a siren. He’d never woken her up so early before and this time she had absolutely lost patience with him.
“That’s it!” she vowed, picking up a boot so she could hurl it at the irritating chicken. “You’re going in the stew pot, DC!” She jerked the window open and threw the heavy boot as hard as she could, but the neighborhood’s stray rooster veered away like crazy and the shoe missed him by several feet.
BED, BREAKFAST, and BONES: A Ravenwood Cove Cozy Mystery Page 13
