by J A Whiting
“I know.” Angie brushed back a piece of hair that had fallen out of her ponytail. “It will never be the same. We had so much fun here with Nana.”
“Let’s walk over to the spot.” Jenna stood up.
Angie nodded. They left their bikes in the sand and walked along the path. Their nana’s former parcel of land now straddled between a section of the park and part of the resort’s property. The girls stood on the spot where the cottage used to be and watched the gulls swooping over the rocky coastline. Blue waves crashed against the rocks.
“At least the area where the cottage once stood is open space and not covered over by that thing.” Jenna waved her hand towards the resort building. “We can always come and sit where the cottage used to be.”
Angie could feel a tingling under her skin as though a low-voltage electric current was running through her body. Every time she visited the place where Nana’s cottage used to be, she experienced the same sensation. “Do you feel funny when you stand here?”
Jenna shrugged. “How do you mean?”
“I don’t know. I feel … like something humming through me.”
“You mean like emotions? Longing for the past?” Jenna asked.
Angie said, “Yeah. That must be it. I just get a funny feeling when I come back here.”
Jenna put her arm through Angie’s. They sat on the ground and reminisced about their childhood summers spent on the point and chuckled about silly things they had done.
Jenna breathed out a big sigh. “Everything changes, I guess.”
“That’s for sure,” Angie said, her voice tinged with sadness.
They sat for a few more minutes admiring the view when they heard footsteps approaching behind them. They turned to see Josh Williams coming towards them.
“I thought it was you.” He smiled at Angie. “It’s a beautiful day.”
“Oh. Hi.” Angie stood up. Even though she found Josh attractive, Angie wasn’t thrilled to see him. It was his and his brother’s fault that she was losing her livelihood by not renewing her bake shop’s lease. He seemed interested in her, but she knew she could be misinterpreting his intentions. It was kind of a weird and awkward situation. “We’re out for a bike ride and stopped for a break. This is my sister, Jenna.”
Jenna stood up and shook hands with Josh.
“It’s nice to meet you.” Josh gave Jenna a pleasant smile and then turned back to Angie. “Would you like to come in to the resort? Have a drink or something to eat?”
“Um, no. But, thanks.” Angie was surprised that Josh was inviting them to have a drink with him. “We’ll be getting back on the bikes in a minute. We haven’t finished our ride.”
“We’ve recently upgraded the resort restaurants. I think they came out great. Maybe you can come by another time. I think you’ll like the changes.” Josh smiled at Angie. “I’d like your opinion.”
Angie’s cheeks tinged with pink from Josh’s attention. Despite her attraction to him, she couldn’t help shake the feeling that he was almost an enemy. She wondered why Josh would want her opinion. “Well, we’ve never been inside the resort so we don’t know what it looked like before.”
“You’ve never been inside?” Josh looked disappointed. “Why, not?
“I….” Angie started to speak but didn’t really have an answer.
Jenna said, “We’ve sort of avoided the resort. Our nana owned one of the original cottages that used to be here on the point. Nana couldn’t afford to buy the land, so the town took over her house. Then everything got sold to your family. We used to spend summers here with our nana.” She shrugged.
“I’m sorry.” Josh seemed sincerely saddened. “It must be hard for you to see the changes.”
Angie watched Josh. She was wary of him. Their two families seemed to be at odds. She knew the Williams family wasn’t to blame for her nana losing her cottage, but they profited from it and, years later, they were kicking her bake shop out of the building they recently purchased. It seemed that the people in Angie’s family were always the ones on the losing end of things. Now the Williams brothers were trying to get their hands on the Victorian. Maybe she was wrong, but money and financial gain seemed to be the overriding motivator in that family. A flood of annoyance shot through her body. They won’t get the Victorian from us, no matter how hard they try. Angie attempted to tamp down her feelings, but she was prickling with the injustice of things.
She looked straight at Josh. “We missed you last night.”
Josh looked puzzled. “Last night?”
“Your brother paid us a visit. I wondered why you weren’t with him.”
“Davis visited you? Where?”
“At the Victorian,” Angie said.
Josh shook his head. “I didn’t know he was going to see you. What did he want?”
Angie cocked her head to one side and raised her eyebrows. I bet you know what he wanted. She put a smile on her face. “Is this the good cop, bad cop routine?”
Josh’s forehead scrunched in confusion. “What do you mean?”
Angie said, “You know, one brother plays the bad guy and the other one is the good guy. The good guy gets the victim on his side. Then they both go in for the kill.”
Josh’s facial muscles tensed and his eyes narrowed. “What did Davis say to you last night?”
“Maybe you should ask him.” Angie picked her bike helmet off the ground and Jenna did the same. “You might want to ask him why he didn’t tell you what he was up to.” Angie started to walk away, but thought of something and stopped. “Your brother was talking to Professor Linden a few minutes before she died. On her porch. Were you there with them as well?”
“What? He was? Are you sure?”
“That’s what I heard.” Angie wondered if Josh was trustworthy. She wondered if he was playing her, pretending he didn’t know what Davis was up to. Thoughts flashed through Angie’s mind. Why wouldn’t Davis have told Josh that he was making an offer for the Victorian? What was Davis talking to Professor Linden about? Was he pressuring her to sell? Could Davis Williams have poisoned the professor?
“Maybe you need to have a chat with your brother,” Angie said over her shoulder as she and Jenna headed off to their bikes.
Chapter 9
Because Professor Linden had no living relatives, she had requested in her will that her body be cremated and buried in a nearby cemetery, and that no formal service should be held. Angie thought it would be important to arrange a gathering of the professor’s friends and acquaintances for an informal remembrance reception. She decided that she would host it at the Victorian providing tea, coffee, cold drinks, hot and cold appetizers, and desserts, and that she would invite all of the bake shop’s regular customers as well as people the professor knew from town organizations.
When Angie was planning the event, she talked to Tom about it at the bake shop one morning. Tom said, “You know, Angie, the professor’s killer may very well show up at the reception. Do you want him in your house? Do you want to take that chance?”
“I thought that might happen,” Angie told him. “I intend to be vigilant, watching and listening as I act as host. I wouldn’t mind if you were on the lookout too for anything that might seem off.”
“I’ll keep my eyes and ears open.” Tom winked at Angie. “Chief Martin might decide to hire us on as detectives.”
“He could do worse,” Angie said, smiling.
***
The day of the reception was warm and sunny and the girls opened the windows to allow a fresh, light breeze to enter the living room and dining room spaces. Ellie and Courtney had come to Sweet Cove for the weekend so all four sisters were on hand to help with the remembrance gathering.
The living room opened to a glassed-in sunroom and there was plenty of room for people to stand, sit and mingle in the first floor rooms and on the wraparound porch. Angie put out an incredible spread of miniature quiches, savory meatballs in gravy, scalloped potatoes, French bread pizza slices, and a number of differe
nt dessert treats. She also created a parfait bar for people to make their own ice cream sundaes with fresh whipped cream and assorted toppings, including the professor’s favorite hot fudge sauce from the bake shop.
A few people offered to say a few words telling about the professor’s generosity with her time and money to improve and care for the town of Sweet Cove. A framed picture of Professor Linden and a glass vase containing a variety of spring flowers had been placed on a side table. More people than Angie expected congregated in the house to mingle, chat and share reminiscences.
Angie and her sisters moved about the rooms tending to the needs of the guests. When Angie turned around, she saw Josh Williams walking towards her. She had the urge to run away from him, but it was obvious that she had seen him and to try to avoid Josh would have been rude, so she gave him a slight smile and a nod of the head.
Josh’s eyes held Angie’s as he stepped close to her. “It was very kind of you to have a remembrance for Professor Linden.” Even though Angie was trying to be wary of Josh, she couldn’t deny the spark of attraction between them.
“Oh, it was the least I could do.” Warmth spread through Angie’s body from being so close to Josh. She could smell the fresh scent of his soap. “I’m glad there’s such a large turnout.”
Josh lowered his voice. “I spoke to my brother about what you told me the other day. It turns out, Davis wanted to buy the Victorian and the reason he hadn’t spoken to me about it was because he hoped to purchase it for me as a gift.”
“A gift?” Angie’s eyes widened in surprise.
Josh nodded. “He was planning to give it to me for my birthday.”
“That would have been quite a gift.” Angie wondered if Davis really wanted to buy the house for Josh or if he was just telling his brother that to conceal his real reasons. Angie wished she wasn’t so suspicious of Davis Williams, but his personality seemed cold and he was hard to read. His manner as a hard-driving businessman was a turnoff.
“It would have been an extremely extravagant gift,” Josh said, “but Davis is like that. I know it must be hard to believe, but he can be very sentimental. We only have each other now. Our parents are gone. Davis is very generous to me. He’s always thinking of my welfare. That’s why he was talking to Professor Linden the day she died. He was asking if she would be amenable to an offer for the house.”
“It seems that Davis is a very good brother to you.” A twinge of guilt picked at Angie for being so distrustful of Davis.
Josh stepped a bit closer to Angie and her heart did a little flip. “Honestly, I’m glad Davis wasn’t able to make the purchase from you. It was excessive and it would have made me uncomfortable, although I do appreciate his attempt to make me happy. I love Victorians, always have. I hope to own one someday.”
Angie thought back to running into Josh on Robin’s Point near the resort the other day. She felt sheepish about the accusatory tone she had used when telling Josh about Davis’ interactions with her when he came to make the offer on the Victorian. Discovering that there was no malicious intent on Davis’ part made Angie feel like she had falsely accused him. She wanted to make amends.
“Well, maybe later, if you’d like, I’ll give you a tour of the house since you’re interested in Victorians,” Angie told Josh. “I’m still getting to know it myself. We’ve only been here a short time and there’s so much to the place.”
Josh beamed. “I’d love that. Thank you, Angie.”
When Josh said her name, she was surprised at the flash of heat that surged through her body and she hoped her reaction wasn’t obvious to him. Flustered, Angie wanted to move away from Josh, so she stepped to the side and as she did, she saw Attorney Ford come through the front door. Angie’s face took on a worried expression.
“Are you okay?” Josh noticed the abrupt change in Angie’s body language and he followed her gaze. “Is something wrong?”
Angie pulled herself together. “No. I’m fine. I’d better see to the refreshments. I’ll talk to you later.” She took a deep breath as she hurried to the tables to check if the food needed replenishing.
Jenna moved close to Angie. “Did you see who just came in?” she whispered.
“I sure did. I don’t know why, but he unnerves me. He always seems like he has something he wants to say to me, but then holds back. See if you can listen in on his conversations. Ask Tom to do the same. I’m going to the kitchen to refill this platter, and try to calm my nerves.”
***
Angie returned to the dining room and placed the freshly-filled platter on the table. She glanced around at the guests. Euclid was sitting on top of the dining room cabinet looking none too pleased that his home had been invaded by a group of strangers. The gathering showed no sign of slowing down. People chatted, ate and drank, and groups formed and re-formed as the town residents moved about the large rooms. Angie spotted Betty Hayes, the real estate agent, and crossed the living room to strike up a conversation with her.
“Can I get you anything?” Angie asked.
Betty turned to Angie. “Oh, Angie, no, thanks. Everything’s lovely. Well done.” She held a dessert plate with a slice of almond cake.
“I’m glad you could come. I’m sure the professor would have appreciated it.”
Betty put her hand to her throat. “Oh, that poor woman. Poisoned. Can you imagine?”
Angie said, “It’s quite a shock. I keep expecting her to come into the bake shop every morning….” Her voice trailed off. “When did you see the professor last?” Angie knew very well when Betty last saw the professor but she wanted to hear what Betty might say.
“That very morning, the day she died. I saw her at your shop. We had a short chat. It was so busy that day.” Betty looked off across the room for a few seconds. “I sat at her table for a few minutes. We talked, just about the usual things, the weather, gardening, the tourist season starting up. Next thing I know, I hear she’s dead.” Betty looked straight at Angie. “I just couldn’t believe it.” Betty put a forkful of cake in her mouth.
“Did she seem worried about anything that day?” Angie questioned.
“No.” Betty’s words were slightly garbled from chewing the bite of cake. “She seemed herself. I was always at her to sell this Victorian. Why on earth would she keep such a thing? It was nonsense for just one person to live in this big house. Anyway, I asked if she was ready to put it on the market. Of course, she said ‘no,’ so we just talked about what was going on in town, nothing important.” Betty looked over at the professor’s photograph on the side table and she frowned. “How could this happen in our little town?”
“Did you actively discuss marketing the Victorian for her?”
“My, yes, of course, I did. It’s what I do. I am a real estate professional. This house would offer a huge commission. Anyone would want to represent this property. I would be thrilled to be the listing agent. I encouraged the professor to sell, to make her life easier.” Betty shook her head. “You know her father lived in Sweet Cove when he was growing up? He left the town and moved to Boston before his mother died.”
Angie had no idea why a ripple of tension zinged her stomach when Betty mentioned the professor’s father.
Betty went on, “The professor grew up in Boston. She told me that her father was a city man. He didn’t like a place like Sweet Cove. There wasn’t enough action for him here, not enough stimulation. He couldn’t get away from here fast enough, the professor said.”
“I didn’t know he grew up in town,” Angie said.
“Well, he did.” Betty took a step closer to Angie and smiled sweetly. “Are you thinking of selling the Victorian, by any chance?”
“No.” Angie couldn’t help the corners of her mouth turning up at Betty’s incessant attempts to list a property. “I’m going to stay here.”
Betty’s smile fell away and her voice was flat. “Oh.”
Angie thought that since Betty knew a good deal about what went on in town that she might be a
good resource for helping to find out who might have poisoned the professor. “Did you ever hear the professor arguing with anyone? I wonder why someone would kill her. What motive could someone possibly have?”
“Sometimes she’d have disagreements with people. Being a town selectman, that’s to be expected, though. But none of that is reason to kill someone.”
“Did you ever hear of any threats made to her?” Angie wondered if Betty might have heard some gossip since she worked with so many people in town.
“No. My, goodness. Threats?” Betty frowned.
“Well, someone wasn’t happy with her,” Angie said.
Betty spoke in a hushed tone. “What do you think of that new lawyer?”
Angie stiffened. “Why do you ask?”
“He seems very stuffy, if you want my opinion, and not very pleasant either. How will he ever attract business with that personality?” Betty eyed him standing on the other side of the room.
“Have you had dealings with him?” Angie hoped Betty had some information about him.
“Not directly. I will, soon, no doubt, as people will use him for their real estate closings.” She made a face. “I wish there was another lawyer in town. He just seems so…odd.” Betty licked the fork in her hand. “Did you make this cake? It’s delicious. I’ve never had almond cake that tasted so good.”
Angie was about to answer when Betty said, “The professor didn’t like him either.”
Angie’s eyebrows went up. “The lawyer? She didn’t like him? Why, not?” A strange sensation fluttered through Angie’s body.
“She went to him for something or other. She said he didn’t seem too eager to help her.” Betty scraped the last cake crumbs from her plate.
“Help her with what?”
“Oh, look.” Betty turned her attention to the foyer. “There’s Davis Williams. I need to speak with him.”
“Betty.” Angie put her hand on Betty’s arm. “What did the professor go to the lawyer for?”
“Hmmm….” It was clear that Betty was ready to put her claws into Davis Williams. “Oh. Um. I don’t recall.” She handed Angie the dirty plate and fork.
