by Blythe Baker
“You forgot to take these,” she said, handing them to me and pushing past to stretch out on my bed. I took the medicine, set the glass on my nightstand, and stretched out beside her. “I’m glad you’re okay, Aunt Piper,” she said, leaning her head against mine.
“Me, too,” I told her.
“Were you scared?” she asked.
I took her hand in mine. “Definitely,” I admitted. “I was scared when I was rowing that tiny little boat and I wasn’t sure it wasn’t going to sink, I was scared when I couldn’t find Jacob on the ship, and I was scared when Erica and Allison showed up and held us at gunpoint. I didn’t think I was going to make it back home.”
“Why did you do it, then?” she asked.
“There wasn’t anybody else to go get him since my phone was dead and the storm was moving in. I had to get out there because I wasn’t sure he would still be alive today if I didn’t.”
“Promise me something?” she said.
“What?”
“Promise you’ll keep your phone charged from now on?”
“I think I can manage that,” I laughed. Jasper jumped up and snuggled between us. I pulled a blanket up over us, and the three of us fell asleep.
Chapter 20
Wednesday dawned bright and sunny, and the forecasters said we would have clear skies for the foreseeable future. I hoped that was true for my life, as well. I finally had enough energy to take Jasper out for a long walk, and he pranced along beside me with his tongue lolling out as we wound our way through the neighborhood. I realized as we were walking that it had been less than a week ago that the Prestons had checked in to the bed and breakfast. Amazed at how much could happen in such a short amount of time, I took a moment to be grateful for having so many amazing human—and canine—companions to make my life better.
When we got back, Page was listening to the news while she cooked breakfast. The story she was waiting for came on while I was feeding Jasper: “Suspected killers and kidnappers Erica Baxter and Allison Gallagher were transported to the county prison this morning after a day of questioning on Sunrise Island, where they allegedly kidnapped a nine-year-old boy and killed his nanny. The young women were caught after a local innkeeper rescued the boy. The women will be held for arraignment on Monday. In other news…”
Page flipped the radio off, scowling at me as I walked past. “A local innkeeper?” she complained. “So much for free publicity for the bed and breakfast.”
I laughed it off. I was fine with keeping my anonymity.
In the dining room, the Prestons were just finishing up. Without Ms. Greenaway, the three of them were eating together, so they had pushed two tables together. I sat in the fourth chair when they waved me over.
“We’ve decided to check out this morning,” Elizabeth told me. “That way, we can catch the ferry back after we do our interviews with Liam.”
Liam had asked yesterday if he could do today’s interviews on the back patio, and he and the rest of the crew were out there setting up their equipment now. Liam must have eaten already because there were dirty dishes on one of the other tables.
“Shep cleared you to leave?” I asked.
“We got the call about half an hour ago,” Ray said. “We’re ready to get back home and start moving forward.”
“I definitely understand that,” I said with a chuckle. “Just let me know when you’re ready to check out, and I’ll take care of it.”
I got up to leave, but Jacob grabbed my sleeve.
“Miss Piper?” he said. I smiled expectantly in response. “I just wanted to say thank you for saving me, and I’m sorry for breaking your statues and the book in the other room.”
“You’re welcome,” I said. “And thank you for that apology. Can I have a hug before I get back to work?” With a grin, Jacob stood and threw his arms around my waist, squeezing tightly. “You’re gonna be okay,” I bent and said in his ear, and he nodded as he let me go.
As he and his parents got up to go pack, Mrs. Harris came in, clearly in good spirits. With a smile, she stopped the family and looked them all over slowly. “Yes, I see,” she said sagely. “The ghosts said the dark cloud has passed, and I see what they meant. You all walk in the light.” Looking at Jacob, she said, “You’re safe now, boy. Walk in the light.”
The Prestons gazed at one another as if uncertain how to react, so I waved and shooed them out of the room.
Mrs. Harris swooped over to an empty table and sat, waiting for me serve her. “Thank you for that,” I said when the Prestons were out of hearing range.
“I don’t know what you mean,” she said vaguely. “Are you going to bring my breakfast or do I need to get it myself?”
Holding in my laugh, I retrieved Mrs. Harris’s plate from Page, poured hot water into a mug, and dropped a tea bag into the water. I set the mug on her table and then went to clean up after Liam and the Prestons. I let Jasper out of the kitchen, and he stood with his front paws on the windowsill, watching the film crew work.
The family came downstairs with their luggage just as I finished moving their tables back in place, so I helped them get checked out and carry their bags out to the car. Then, they went around back to do their interviews, and I left Jasper and Mrs. Harris in the dining room and headed up to get supplies for the rooms the police had emptied the day before. Now that Erica’s and Allison’s rooms were empty and the Prestons had checked out, I could prepare all of the rooms but Liam’s for the coming weekend’s guests.
Adding a note on my phone to replace the four duvets seized by the police in the past several days, I cleaned and stocked the rooms, leaving the vacuuming for after the interviews. I didn’t want to ruin the interviews by having a vacuum running in the background. I took my time with my work. I always enjoyed having empty rooms after a busy weekend, and last weekend had been particularly eventful, making the quiet that much more enjoyable. I went down to clear Mrs. Harris’s table when I finished, and then Jasper followed me into the kitchen, where I made myself a cup of tea and sat to wait for the crew to finish with the Prestons.
Claire came in to do my makeup while I waited, saying she’d been looking for an excuse to get out of the heat. Now that the rain had stopped, summer had settled on the island in full force, and Claire’s red hair looked like it had absorbed buckets of the Gulf humidity.
“Are you ready to get back home?” I asked.
“I guess,” she said. “Once we get there, it’ll be all editing for a while, and that’s boring.” She shrugged. “I’m a little mad that Liam got the last room here,” she laughed. “My hotel was nowhere near this nice.”
“I’m sure it was a lot less eventful there, though,” I said.
“That it was,” she laughed. “Not a single person was kidnapped or murdered there.”
We both laughed, and then she got to work. She worked slowly, prolonging her time in the air conditioning. When she finished, she said, “Someone will come in and get you when we’re ready. It shouldn’t be too much longer.” I nodded in acknowledgement, and she went back out. Jasper came over and sat with his back pressed against my feet, his signal that it was time for me to rub his back. I complied, sipping my tea and watching through the window.
The Prestons all got up, so I assumed they were done. I went over to wash my mug and heard the back door open. “We’re just going to take a ten-minute break,” Liam said. “Then, we’ll get you out there. Are you ready?”
“Yeah, no problem,” I told him.
“Hey, I was wondering,” he said. “When they release the ship on the mainland, I’ll have to come back down here to get it. Would you want to come for that tour I promised? I know you saw a bit of the ship the other day, but it wasn’t in the best of circumstances, and you didn’t get to see all of it.”
“Yeah, Mason should be back by then. Could he come along? He’d love to meet you, and I know he was jealous about my getting a tour,” I said.
Liam’s face fell a little. “Of course,” he said, f
orcing a smile. He turned to go.
“Hey, Liam,” I said, and he looked back at me. “If I didn’t already have Mason, I would have loved to have dinner with you. Just so you know.”
He gave me a real smile this time. “Maybe next time, then!” He winked, and I laughed.
This time, when I sat in front of the camera, I had an audience. Liam smiled, and said, “Don’t worry about the crew here. We’re just having a conversation, same as last time.”
I nodded, and one of the guys made some adjustments on the camera before nodding at Liam.
“Okay, Piper, I want you to just tell me about what has happened over the past few days. Start with when you saw the body during our interview. I’ll ask some questions as you talk, just to get details or keep you going. Okay?”
I agreed and launched into the whole story for what felt like the thousandth time.
At the end of the interview, I picked up Jasper and introduced him to the camera, waving his paw hello. The crew asked a few follow-up questions, and when they felt like they had everything they needed, they started packing up their equipment. They promised to set up a viewing on the island once they finished putting everything together, and I promised to try to reserve the bed and breakfast for them if they told me far enough in advance when the viewing would be.
When the crew left, I went back and vacuumed the guest rooms, and then loaded Jasper and the blankets into the car. Driving over to Mason’s, I went straight back to the studio to make sure I had put everything back where it belonged and locked everything up again properly. Then, I finally went through the main house, checking for damage from the storm and signs of a break-in, but everything looked fine. I texted Mason to let him know I had finally made it to his house and tossed his mail on the counter.
Then I leashed Jasper, got into the car, and headed into town to see the pirate ship one last time before it was taken away to the mainland across the bay. I took a few pictures, before putting my phone away. Time to just enjoy spending the late afternoon with my favorite dog. As we walked, I thought over the last few days. I was glad to have officially cleared Ed’s name, and relieved Ray Preston hadn’t been behind the disappearance of his own son.
The documentary now had an exciting adventure to work in, and if I understood Liam correctly, they were working on putting together a reenactment of the rescue to include in the film. I realized that, amazingly, Erica and Allison’s actions had gotten them what they’d wanted all along: a spot in the documentary. Their fame may not look the way they had planned, but it would certainly last on Sunrise Island.
I sat with Jasper on the beach, watching as the ship’s anchor lifted and several sails dropped into place. They caught the air, but I knew that they were more decorative than functional, thanks to my time on the ship. The setting sun cast pink rays onto the billowing sails and the ship began moving away. I felt like a chapter in my life was complete, and I looked forward to a quieter weekend ahead. Hopefully our next guests at the bed and breakfast would be less exciting than the last.
When I couldn’t see the ship any longer, I turned and walked back to my car. Jasper and I had better get home and rest, just in case—I never knew when a new adventure would find me!
Want more murder and mayhem? Check out Blythe Baker’s complete list of cozy mysteries!
About the Author
Blythe Baker is a thirty-something bottle redhead from the South Central part of the country. When she’s not slinging words and creating new worlds and characters, she’s acting as chauffeur to her children and head groomer to her household of beloved pets.
Blythe enjoys long walks with her dog on sweaty days, grubbing in her flower garden, cooking, and ruthlessly de-cluttering her overcrowded home. She also likes binge-watching mystery shows on TV and burying herself in books about murder.
To learn more about Blythe, visit her website and sign up for her newsletter at www.blythebaker.com
