by Lyndsey Cole
Leona led the way into the café, unlocking the door and walking to her freezer. “The frozen fruit is in this basket.” She pointed to a basket on the right side of her chest freezer.
Detective Cranky lifted the basket out and dumped it onto the counter. “Everything is hard as a rock.”
Annie didn’t dare look at Leona or their laughter would start again. “Yes, good observation. Everything is frozen, Detective Crank,” she couldn’t resist adding.
“How long will it take to thaw?”
Leona shrugged. “A couple of hours.”
Detective Crank started to count the Ziploc bags of frozen strawberries. “We’ll take them and give you a receipt for the fruit.”
“And pay for the fruit?” Leona asked.
“No. It’s evidence. We’ll return it when we’re done.”
Leona choked. “You think I can use the strawberries after you thaw them and rummage through them with your dirty fingers, looking for more diamonds? I’ll need to buy more. Who pays for that?”
Detective Cranky handed Leona a piece of paper, signed, dated and noted that twenty bags of frozen strawberries were confiscated. “Here. This is how it works.” She put all the fruit in a plastic bag and walked out of the café with Tyler trailing behind.
Leona elbowed Annie. “Guess what? I have more fruit in the freezer of the refrigerator. Let’s bring that back to Jason’s house and let it thaw there.”
“You’ve got to be kidding.” A broad grin worked its way across her face. “But we can’t bring it to Jason’s house, JC is still there. She’ll tell Tyler.”
“Good point.” Leona packed those containers of strawberries into her large tote bag. “We can leave it in your car until the coast is clear. Do you want to know what I didn’t tell Tyler or Cranky?”
Annie nodded. “Of course. I can’t wait to hear this.”
“The strawberries I used for Martha’s cheesecake?” She started to laugh before she could even finish her thought. “They came from this refrigerator freezer, not the freezer I opened for them.”
“Well, they didn’t ask if you had strawberries in more than one freezer so you didn’t actually lie to them. Just a bit of clever manipulation.”
They casually walked out to Annie’s car, throwing the tote in the back seat under Roxy’s dog blanket. Annie was happy to see there was still plenty of Very Buried Cheesecake left when they returned to Jason’s house. She made a beeline for a piece and joined the others on the porch.
Bob had Charlie going through all his moves which seemed to be entertaining everyone. He had his head bob and sideways shuffle accompanied by various squawks and songs in his funny parrot voice. It was easy to see why Bob and Harry were attached to the bird but Annie hoped Harry was happier to have Martha in his life instead of Charlie.
Looking around, Annie didn’t see JC and asked Mia where she was. “Tyler came back and picked her and Dylan up a few minutes before you and Leona returned. What was all the drama about?”
“Tyler and his sidekick detective want to check all the frozen strawberries in Leona’s freezer for more diamonds.” Annie leaned as close as possible to her mother’s ear. “They missed a few.”
Mia smiled. “Of course they did. And let me guess, you brought them here?”
“Yup.” Annie saw Leona nod her head toward the door as she left to bring the tote bag full of berries inside.
While everyone talked, laughed and continued to celebrate with more champagne, Annie met Leona in Jason’s kitchen and they dumped the berries into a sink full of warm water.
“This will speed things along,” Leona said.
Jason joined them with three glasses of champagne. “Dare I ask what you two are up to in my kitchen?”
“You probably shouldn’t ask because then you won’t be arrested if Tyler finds out what we did,” Leona answered.
Jason groaned. “I’m guessing he doesn’t know about these berries?”
“Something like that.” Leona started to break apart the partially thawed berries, working faster and faster. “Aha!” she exclaimed, holding up a sparkling diamond. “I knew it. Whoever broke into the café hid them all in the same batch of berries.” She kept breaking apart the berries and placing the diamonds in a small bowl next to the sink.
By the time they were done finding all the diamonds—eight in all—and turned around, the others were quietly watching.
“Camilla is a sneaky one,” Annie said to no one in particular. “With her jewelry making expertise, she must have removed the real diamonds from the stolen jewelry and replaced them with imitations. Possibly no one but John Holland knew the truth, and, well, we all know what happened to him, don’t we.”
“But did she kill John Holland? Was he going to expose her?” Leona asked.
“Matt Austin said Camilla went out in John’s canoe with him the night of the party. Tyler told me the murder weapon was stolen from Flo Austin a week before John was murdered. Camilla killing John makes the most sense, doesn’t it? Let’s hide these diamonds while we come up with a plan.”
“What kind of a plan, Annie? You mean, what jewelry we can have these made into and who gets it?” Leona asked, almost drooling with the thought of finally owning a diamond anything.
“Um, not exactly. I’m certain Tyler and Detective Cranky would be highly suspicious if you or I started to wear diamond jewelry. I’m thinking more along the lines of how to trap Camilla and get to the bottom of all this and maybe make a fool of the new detective in the process.”
Bob, who had been silent since his best man speech, stepped forward. “How about you hide those diamonds in Charlie’s cage. No one would look there, and if they did,” he smirked, “they might end up minus a finger.”
Martha hugged Bob who blushed a deep shade of red. “You’re a genius, brother.”
Harry let Bob do the honors since Charlie was technically Bob’s parrot now. Everyone stacked their hands one on top of the other and promised to keep the secret for as long as necessary.
The only one watching from the background, not in on the promise, was Charlie.
Chapter 23
With the diamonds safely hidden, the wedding festivities were back on center stage. Harry announced that he was taking Martha for a long weekend honeymoon getaway.
“Where are you going?” Annie asked.
Harry, matter of factly said, “Martha’s Vineyard, her namesake, of course.”
Martha was all smiles. “We have a little cottage right on the water. I plan to rent bikes and explore the island.”
“Bikes? You mean motor bikes, right?” Harry asked.
Martha patted his arm. “Don’t be silly. Pedal bikes. It will be fun. We can discuss that when we get there. Now it’s time to head home. What a wonderful day filled with surprises.”
“Surprises. Surprises.” Squawked Charlie from his perch in his cage as Bob carried him out.
After everyone left, Annie and Jason sat on the porch together. “That’s a wedding to remember,” Jason said with his arm around Annie.
“You can say that again.” She yawned and snuggled against Jason’s warm body.
***
The delicious scent of coffee drifted up the stairs of Jason’s house to greet Annie as her eyes opened. She stretched and watched the breeze blow the gauzy curtains away from the window. Pulling one of Jason’s flannel shirts on, she followed the coffee smell to his kitchen.
The house was empty with a note on the counter, Taking Roxy for a walk. Help yourself to the coffee. Annie did just that and decided to dash back to her apartment for a shower and clean clothes.
All she could think about while the hot water pounded on her was the diamonds. Camilla most certainly would want them back, but how long before she discovered they were missing? And what a stupid place to hide them in the first place!
Annie pulled on clean jeans, a t-shirt and her favorite fleece lined sweatshirt to ward off the morning chill. Smokey sat next to a paper just inside her
door which caught her eye and made her smile. Until she saw it wasn’t Jason’s handwriting.
I need your help. Camilla is meeting me to explain about the stolen jewelry. I think you’d like to know the truth also? Will you come to my house? Signed, Katherine.
The scent of her forgotten coffee still lingered in the air as Annie reread the message. Interesting, she thought. What story would Camilla concoct now? Annie knew where the genuine diamonds were so she’d know if Camilla was lying. She grabbed her keys and walked out of her apartment.
Annie checked on the Lake Trail for any sign of Jason or Roxy but saw no one. This couldn’t take too long; she might be back before Jason even missed her. Driving along the lake road, she passed Matt and Flo Austin’s rental house and turned into the next driveway. Katherine waved to her from the dock.
“I’m having my third cup of coffee already and it might be a mistake. It’s making me a little jumpy, or else it’s in anticipation of Camilla’s story,” Katherine explained as she paced back and forth on the brand new dock. “Would you like some?”
The memory of her coffee sitting cold by now on her table made Annie nod at the offer.
“Great. Come on in and I’ll get you some. I also have some of the most delicious raspberry scones.” She laughed. “They came from the Black Cat Café so you already know how wonderful they are.”
Annie’s mouth watered at the thought of a scone and coffee and her stomach rumbled in agreement. “Sounds perfect. So, I found your note. What’s all this about Camilla and the stolen jewelry?”
Katherine handed Annie a steaming cup of coffee and a small china plate with the scone. “We can sit in the sunroom and wait for Camilla. I thought she’d be here by now, but she’s never been particularly reliable.”
Annie followed Katherine into a lovely glass enclosed room filled with tropical plants and comfortable wicker furniture covered in flowery pillows. “Oh my, this room is spectacular.”
“Make yourself comfortable. Now, you asked about the stolen jewelry?”
Annie nodded as she sipped her coffee.
“About six months after Camilla started to work for my husband, a very expensive diamond necklace and earring set was stolen. She had designed it and everyone assumed she just couldn’t part with its beauty. Everyone except John. Since nothing could link Camilla to the theft, the charges were dropped and it was forgotten. With John dead, Camilla panicked and told me she needed to disappear.”
“Is this somehow connected to the blackmailing that you were helping her with?” Annie was positive everything, including John’s murder, was connected, but she couldn’t connect the dots.
“Not exactly,” Katherine said as she stared out the windows toward the lake. “That was connected to something from Camilla’s past but she never told me all the details even though I was helping her come up with the blackmail money. Did she confide in you?”
Annie took a gamble. Maybe if she offered something, Katherine would also give more detail. “Was it connected to her real identity?”
Katherine spun around. “You know? Did she tell you?”
“No. The police figured it out.” Not exactly how it went, but it sounded better than telling Katherine that Jason did some snooping.
A loud bang sounded from the back of the house.
“That must be Camilla. I told her to let herself in. Come on.” Katherine was already through the door and Annie had to jog to catch up.
The main floor of the house sprawled from one room to another as Annie tried to keep her bearings. Katherine opened a door and ushered Annie through, shutting the door behind them.
Something was wrong. Very wrong. The hairs on Annie’s arms rose as adrenaline coursed through her veins. Camilla was lying on her side, tide to a chair with a gag around her mouth.
Annie reached for the door but Katherine blocked it and locked it. “You aren’t going anywhere.” Katherine pushed Annie to another chair and tied her hands around the back before pulling Camilla back to an upright position. She took the gag from Camilla’s mouth and sat down opposite the two bound women keeping a small pistol pointed at them.
“Here we are. How about we get to the bottom of the diamond mystery.”
Annie looked at Camilla who was still dressed in the button down shirt, baggy capris and canvas sneakers from the day before when Annie last saw her. Her hair was a rat’s nest and her face was all blotchy.
“Camilla. You insisted that John gave you the jewelry. Now, there’s only one reason I can think of why he would do that. Care to give me your explanation?”
She shook her head.
“Okay. Here’s my theory. You were having an affair with him and he made the mistake of giving you something that I coveted. When I found out the jewelry was gone, he made up a lame explanation that it was stolen.”
Katherine crossed her legs and jiggled her foot. The gun waved around as her story continued. “I saw how he looked at you. Do you know how hard it was for me to pretend to be your friend? But you, being such a narcissist, never considered my feelings, did you?”
Annie tugged on her hands and worked on loosening the knot as Katherine got distracted with her story. “This is your last chance to come clean with me. Where are the diamonds?”
Camilla’s head slumped forward as she mumbled, “As far as I know, the police have them.”
“You stupid thief. You can’t even hang onto the goods. Well, I guess I can use that to my advantage.”
“What are you talking about?” Camilla asked.
“John’s murder, you ditz. You stole the diamonds and had to kill John because he was going to expose you.”
Camilla’s eyes opened wide. “I didn’t kill him. I loved him.”
Annie heard a dog bark in the distance. She had to keep Katherine talking. “Why did you want me to come here? How do I fit into your plans?”
“Once she moved to Catfish Cove and started to work for you, I was sure you knew what she was up to. You are about the only one who didn’t think Camilla killed John. She’s so needy, she always finds someone to lean on. When you told me you knew about her past, it confirmed my suspicions. So maybe you care to explain about the diamonds.”
“She is telling the truth. The police have them and the diamonds are fakes.”
Katherine stood up so fast her chair fell over backwards. “John would never use fakes in his jewelry. He always used the best. You two are trying to con me.”
Annie noticed a blue canvas bag on a side table. “You were the blackmailer?”
Katherine laughed. “Brilliant, wasn’t it? I blackmailed Camilla and gave her the money to pay me, the blackmailer.” She turned her attention to Camilla. “You didn’t see that coming did you?”
Camilla stammered, “I assumed Matt was the blackmailer, the one after me and the diamonds. I thought he killed John so he could run the whole business. He was always so jealous of John.”
“Framing Matt was my plan B, but if you don’t have the jewelry anymore, there’s no need to keep you around.”
“Your plan B?” Camilla asked, comprehension dawning on her face. “If I didn’t kill John, and Matt or Flo didn’t kill him, it was you? You killed your own husband? Why?”
“He betrayed me. He loved you.” She pointed her gun at Camilla. “He let Matt convince him I could never be a partner. Well, I got the last word, didn’t I? He never suspected a thing when I suggested a romantic canoe ride when the party was over. What a conceited fool he was. I knew he went out with you that night, Camilla, and someone was sure to have seen that.”
Annie felt the rope slip loose but she kept her hands behind the chair. She watched Katherine carefully, hoping for an opportunity to knock her down and run for her life. Patience, she could hear Jason’s voice in her head. She took a calming, deep breath. “What now, Katherine? Two more murders for you to try to pin on someone else?”
Katherine laughed. “So unfortunate that you came here and found Camilla trying to kill me and, being the
hero, you got in the way and somehow you both ended up dead. What a tragic event so soon after losing my husband. Everyone will be devastated for me. The only regret I have is not getting my hands on those diamonds.” She waved the gun. “Let’s go. I don’t want blood all over my oak floors.”
Chapter 24
Annie held the rope together on her hands as they walked in front of Katherine through the house to the back door. Annie’s heart was about to burst from her chest with dread, especially when she saw how wooded and secluded it was out that door.
“Head toward the trees,” Katherine ordered the two women.
As they moved ten or fifteen feet away, Katherine told them to stop. “I’m not such a good shot so that’s far enough.”
A gunshot pierced the momentary silence. As Annie fell to the ground she saw Camilla run. Katherine screamed and dropped her gun. Tyler had her in handcuffs before Annie realized she hadn’t been shot. She stood up and started to laugh and cry from all the pent up emotion when Jason wrapped his arms around her.
“How did you know?”
Jason smoothed her hair. “It was Roxy. When we were headed back to my house on the Lake Trail, she followed a scent from Katherine’s dock and I saw your car.” He held her face between both hands. “I was angry with you for going to her house and deserting me. I had a nice breakfast planned for you.”
Annie fell into his chest. “But how did you know I was in trouble?”
“I didn’t, but I saw the note in your house from Katherine. I called Tyler to let him know where he could find Camilla. We suspected trouble.”
Roxy jumped on Annie. “Thanks. You’re the best.”
Jason answered, “You’re welcome.”
Annie chuckled to herself, not having the heart to tell him she had been talking to Roxy. But she realized Jason was definitely awesome, too.
Behind the scenes with Lyndsey
This summer, a baby sister will be joining Mark and Danny’s family. To give my daughter a much needed rest, I offered to take the boys, five and three, for a day so she could put her feet up and relax. Their first question was, “What will you bake, Mimi?”
