“We haven’t had a murder in this county for a couple of years, and I hope to keep it that way.”
Lacey glanced over her shoulder at the front door. “I know this is last minute, but if you haven’t had dinner, come join us. From what I saw in the kitchen, Richard prepared enough food to feed us and then some. I’d love to hear how this area has changed since I moved away. I always had fond memories of living here.”
“Since my cooking is lousy, I’m not going to pass up that offer. I’ll take Mick home then come back.”
“Great. I’ll let Richard know we’re having another guest for dinner.”
As Ryan cut across their yards, avoiding any flowerbeds, out of the corner of his eye, he caught a movement in the shadows of dusk. He stopped and stared at the rear of the carriage house. He walked closer. He didn’t see anyone, but then Mick started growling.
Chapter Two
A short, stocky figure, dressed in black, shot out of a crevice of darkness at the far end of the carriage house and ran toward the small cliff at the back of the property.
Ryan dropped his dog’s leash. “Stay, Mick.” He charged across the yard after the suspicious man who had at least a fifty-yard head start.
The runner changed directions and plunged into the thick vegetation between his place and the acreage owned by the bed and breakfast. By the time Ryan chased him through the wooded area and emerged a few feet from the twelve-foot drop-off, the man had hopped into a motorboat, started its engine, and drove in the direction of Annapolis. The deep shoe prints near the water’s edge indicated that the intruder must have jumped from where he had been and landed in the small sandy cove.
The only thing Ryan glimpsed was the all-white boat with its name, Sea Princess, printed in black across the aft. The smaller lettering underneath was too hard to read. As he watched it speeding away, he dug his cell phone out of his pants pocket and called the station.
When Deputy Blake Simmons answered, Ryan identified himself. “A man was hanging around the bed and breakfast and ran when I headed toward him. He got away in a boat about twenty feet long called the Sea Princess. He was going toward Annapolis. Check into it. Something was fishy about him, no pun intended.”
“I will. Do you think he could be part of the burglary gang?”
“Possibly casing the house, although I don’t think the two we have in custody have used a boat as a getaway vehicle, but maybe they’re changing things up since we caught a couple of them today.”
Ryan made his way down the cliff, used his phone to take a photo of the shoe print in the sand, then hiked back to Mick and resumed his trek to his house. On his return to the bed and breakfast, he studied the area where he caught sight of the guy. Again he took pictures of what appeared to be footprints of tennis shoes similar to the ones at the small cove. Why had the stranger been hanging around the carriage house? There were two suites in the small building, all signs of its original purpose gone. He tried the door. Locked. To be on the safe side, he intended to check inside later.
* * *
“He’s here!” Shaun yelled from the foyer.
Lacey cringed. She was glad she wasn’t in the same room as Mrs. Bell, who no doubt disapproved of screaming and kids. As she walked toward the entrance hall, Lacey realized she only had three weeks to teach her son to be quiet as a mouse. Maybe the carriage house was the best place for them to live. She would check it out. She remembered it as a garage with rooms where items no longer wanted by her parents were stored as well as an empty attic running the length of the building where hay used to be stored in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
She entered the reception area.
“Can I come over and see Mick?” Shaun asked the sheriff. “I’ve wanted a dog forever. We could never have one in New Orleans. But now we have a great big yard for one.”
Ryan glanced up at her, his dark eyes twinkling. “Sure you can come visit Mick, but only if your mom says it’s okay.”
Shaun whirled around toward her. “Did ya hear? I can play with Mick until you get me my own dog.”
“Hold it right there. We haven’t talked about that yet. We aren’t going to rush into anything. Hon, you have to remember in a few weeks there will be guests here all the time, and we can’t just do what we want.”
“I thought we owned the house. Why can’t we?”
“This isn’t only a home but a place of business.” Tonight she would need to set up rules. If she didn’t spell out exactly what he could and couldn’t do, Shaun would go his merry way—like when he hid outside in the shrubs earlier because she hadn’t made it clear only the first floor of the house was to be used for the game.
“But why—”
“Did you wash your hands?” she interrupted, hoping to take his mind off of getting a dog.
Shaun stared at them. “I did—I forgot to use soap.”
“Go. Mrs. Bell said dinner is in ten minutes in the dining room.”
While her son darted past her, Lacey moved forward. “I’m afraid Shaun is going to be at your house every day the minute he sees your car there. All the way here this morning, he talked about finally getting a dog. Now I’m not so sure.” She glanced from side to side and lowered her voice. “Mrs. Bell doesn’t seem the kind of person who would like a dog underfoot.”
Ryan chuckled. “She comes across prim and proper, but she loves Mick. Occasionally, when I can’t make it home at night, she’ll go over to my house, walk him, and feed him for me.”
“So she isn’t really prim and proper.” She would have used the words, cranky and cold.
“Well, when it comes to running this place, she is serious and focused. When she became manager a few years back, she was elated. She didn’t want to let Mr. Hopewell down.” Ryan cleared his throat. “I need to check out the carriage house, preferably before dinner.”
“Why? Is something wrong?”
“A while ago, I caught a man lurking around it, and then when he saw me, he ran. We’ve had a burglary ring working this area.”
“And you think the man was casing this place?” She headed in the direction of the kitchen where the Bells were. “There’s a set of keys in the office off the kitchen. I’ll grab the ones to the two suites at the carriage house while you explain about the man to Mr. and Mrs. Bell.”
Lacey retrieved the key and paused to take in the neat and orderly office. She had to admit she was intimidated by Mrs. Bell and couldn’t see the woman any other way than stiff as a board with eyes that could freeze her. That image in her thoughts caused laughter to bubble to the surface as she reentered the kitchen.
“Mrs. Bell, the sheriff and I are going out to look at the carriage house to see the two suites.”
“Harriet, we won’t be long. I don’t think he broke in, but I want to make sure.” Ryan gave the manager a smile.
And the woman grinned back.
That was the first time Lacey had seen that expression on her face.
Shaun raced into the room. “Wait for me! Where are we going?”
Lacey looked at Ryan, and he answered, “I understand the suites in the carriage house have been renovated, and your mother’s going to give me a quick tour before dinner.”
“I’m coming, too.” Shaun planted himself between Lacey and Ryan.
“As long as you don’t touch anything.”
Her son opened his mouth to say something.
Lacey hurried to finish. “Or you can stay here and help Mrs. Bell put dinner on the table.”
Shaun’s eyes grew round, his eyebrows shooting up. “I won’t touch a thing,” he said in a sober voice.
Lacey pressed her lips together. She’d found something that might keep her son’s “enthusiasm” contained. The old saying, “a bull in a china shop,” definitely fit Shaun. He was growing so fast, his mind wasn’t keeping up with his long legs and arms.
At the carriage house, she handed the keys to Ryan, who opened the main door into a short hallway with a suite on ea
ch side. They entered the one on the right first, exposing a large sitting area, bedroom, and bathroom. A big bay window overlooked the front of the property. While Ryan, with Shaun’s help, went through the suite, she peered outside toward Ryan’s three-story white-bricked Colonial-styled house. Its clean, straight lines seemed to fit what she’d seen of its owner. They all toured the second set of rooms, similar to the first one except that its bay window afforded glimpses of the water through the trees along the back of the yard. When they finished, she looked at Ryan and mouthed the word, “Anything?”
Ryan shook his head. “I don’t know about you, Shaun, but Richard is a terrific chef. My mouth is watering just thinking about what he’ll be serving us.”
“What?” Shaun asked as they traipsed to the main house.
“Beef Wellington.” Ryan opened the back door to the kitchen and allowed Lacey to go in first.
“Great! I like beef, especially a hamburger.” Shaun dashed through the kitchen for the entrance into the dining room.
“It’s a little more than…” Ryan chuckled. “I guess he doesn’t care.”
“He might when he sees it. I’m praying he doesn’t show his disappointment. He isn’t into fancy dishes.” Before joining Shaun, Lacey stopped Ryan. “Did you see anything that concerned you at the carriage house?”
“No, but I’ll walk around it again on my way home tonight.”
Ryan held a chair out for Lacey and then scooted it in for her. He took the seat across from her. “Richard, the Beef Wellington looks delicious. I know this is one of your signature dishes, but I’ve never had it.”
The chef grinned. “I always love hearing that. I thought in honor of our new owner’s arrival, I’d prepare it for dinner.” He raised his water glass. “To Mrs. St. John and the young master.” Richard glanced at Shaun.
Her son turned beet red.
“I appreciate the special dinner, Mr. Bell.” Lacey took the platter he handed her with the Beef Wellington in the center and the potatoes and wilted greens circling the main dish.
“Richard, please.”
Lacey scooped the food onto her plate then onto Shaun’s. “What I’ve seen of the renovations looks great. The first floor shouldn’t take too much longer. When does the contractor think it will be done?”
“The first floor in a couple of days. He had a painter sick today. Tom Avant called and told me a while ago that he had to let that man go. It seems he isn’t sick after all but left town. Until he hires another one, the work will progress more slowly.” Mrs. Bell passed the platter to Ryan.
“Will that delay our reopening?” There was so much Lacey needed to learn. “I’ve painted before and could pitch in if needed.”
“Nonsense. Everything is being taken care of.” Mrs. Bell cut her meat and took a bite.
Lacey gripped her fork. “I realize you’re very efficient, Mrs. Bell, but I’m willing to help where needed.”
“That’s not your job.”
Lacey gritted her teeth to keep from saying something she would regret. Mrs. Bell had been running the bed and breakfast for years and didn’t want anyone treading on her territory, but Lacey couldn’t sit and do nothing. She’d always worked hard to support herself and Shaun. She would quickly go stir-crazy if she didn’t.
“I like this a lot, Richard. Can you put the meat between two pieces of bread like a hamburger?”
Lacey nearly choked on the sip of tea she swallowed at the exact time her son spoke. Mrs. Bell’s face turned redder than Shaun’s had a few minutes earlier.
“Little kids shouldn’t call him Richard.” The manager shot to her feet. “Excuse me. I forgot the butter.”
“But, honey, we don’t need…” Her husband’s voice faded into silence as his wife disappeared into the kitchen.
Shaun’s eyes glistened with unshed tears. He stared at the empty seat then at Lacey. “I thought he said I could.”
Richard smiled. “I did. It’s okay, if your mother agrees.”
“We’ll talk about it later. My son is right. This is delicious.”
Shaun lowered his head and stared at his lap.
Silence fell over the table. Thick. Stifling.
Richard rose. “I’m going to check on Harriet. She may need help carrying the butter in here.” He winked at Shaun and grasped the boy’s shoulder briefly as he passed him on the way to the kitchen.
Ryan’s gaze caught Lacey’s for a few seconds before he said, “Shaun, you mentioned something about starting school on Monday. What grade are you in?”
* * *
In the living area of the Garden Suite, Ryan stood at the picture window that spanned the length of one wall while Lacey said good night to her son. In the distance, a few twinkling lights across the bay sprinkled the darkness. The backyard gardens, especially the rose bushes, would dominate Lacey’s view during the daytime. In the past when the bed and breakfast wasn’t full, he’d sat on the patio with Harriet and Richard as the sun went down. But lately, since the renovations started, that had been rare. The Bells had worked hard to make this place one of the best along the Eastern Seaboard.
When the couple returned to the dining room table without the plate of butter, the tension had eased when Richard regaled them with stories of some of his earlier disastrous attempts at cooking. He even managed to get a smile from Shaun toward the end.
“I can’t wait to have my tea tomorrow morning on the patio. Laura, my sister, and I used to do that when the weather was nice. We felt so grown up.”
Ryan rotated slowly toward Lacey who crossed the room and stopped next to him. A vanilla scent teased his senses. Upstairs during dinner, it had competed with aromas from the food, but now it stood out, centering his full attention on the pretty woman before him.
“Is Shaun okay now?”
“Better because Richard was great at putting him at ease. Is Mrs. Bell always like she was?”
“No, but I imagine she’s concerned. When she heard Mr. Hopewell died, she took his death real hard. Change is hard for Harriet.”
“It’s for me, too, but this should be a good move for us, even with her attitude. We didn’t live in a safe neighborhood. I’d been trying to save money to move somewhere else, but my late husband had a lot of debt that had to be repaid.”
“I’m sorry. How long ago did he pass away?”
“Three years but I finally managed to pay everything off a couple of months ago, and then Mr. Hopewell left me this bed and breakfast. I was sure things were starting to look up for Shaun and me. I need this to work out.”
“Don’t let Harriet get to you.”
“I won’t, but I realize I should have a word with her. I’m not looking forward to that meeting. I don’t want her to leave here, but neither do I want to walk around afraid to say or do anything. Nor do I want that for Shaun. He was so excited to have a house to live in. We’ve been living in a tiny, one-bedroom apartment.”
“Is your sister one of the owners, too?” He could remember Laura’s attempt to get his attention while growing up—like making him cookies. As though he wouldn’t be able to tell that there had been more salt than sugar in them.
“No, she and her husband have a good life in Colorado. She asked me to come and stay with them when they moved into their big house six months ago, but they don’t have any children, and she’s never wanted any. I didn’t think that would be a good fit for Shaun and me.” One corner of her mouth quirked. “By then, I could see daylight at the end of the tunnel.”
“You said you wanted to talk to me about something.”
Her forehead crinkled, and worry filled her beautiful crystalline blue eyes. “Yes. With that guy lurking around and burglars in the area, I’ve been thinking about what I should do. When guests start coming in a few weeks, I want this house safe for them.”
“First, I hope to have caught the rest of the burglary ring by then. We have two of them in custody. I’m not familiar with the security system, but I can take a look and make suggestions
to upgrade if needed. The use of cameras might be something you could look into.”
She released a long breath, some of her concern fading from her expression. “Thank you. I was hoping you would volunteer. All I know about security is locks on the doors and windows.”
“That’s a start, and yes, I’ll help you. I’d rather prevent a crime than have to solve it. I’ll check into it before the bed and breakfast reopens.”
“I’m glad you live next door. When I was a little girl, I loved living here. I have such fond memories of this place.”
“That’s why I chose to return home. We’re near Washington D.C., but most of the time it seems to be hundreds of miles away.”
“Did you live in Washington?”
A lifetime ago. One he wanted to forget. “Yes, for seven years. I worked for the FBI. I was recruited right out of college. When my mother decided to move to Florida to be near her sister, I thought I would live here and commute. Have the peace and quiet this place offers and still do my job working in a counter terrorism group.”
“What changed your mind?”
“I have my doctorate in psychology with an emphasis on criminal behavior. I discovered I needed a balance in my life. Being sheriff allows me to still serve the community, but it also gives me that balance. My job isn’t totally dealing with criminals dedicated to hurting people and destroying this country.”
“I’m glad. I can only imagine what studying criminal behavior can do to a person. In my neighborhood in New Orleans, I saw my share of felons.”
He wanted to ask her more about her life before coming here to live, but he noticed a slump to her shoulders and a tiredness in her eyes. “I’d better go. Mick will be wondering why I got to have all the fun while he stayed home.” He walked to the door, put his hand on the knob, and glanced back. “I hope Shaun will come over and play with Mick. He’d love the attention.”
“Who? Shaun or Mick?”
He stepped into the hallway. “Both. I’m going out by the patio. Make sure the outside door is locked behind me.”
Deadly Legacy Page 2
