by Zara Keane
“I’ll play fair, as you put it, for twenty-four hours.” He slid a card from his wallet and handed it to me. “Email me your notes and don’t hesitate to call me if you find out anything important.”
I took the card and he took the coffee. With a parting wink and a smile so wicked it made me shiver, Reynolds sauntered out of The Movie Theater Café. Somehow, I didn’t think Sergeant Hottie would prove to be a lazy fool like his predecessor. I might actually have some competition in the sleuthing department. With a smile, I slipped his card into my pocket. This was going to be fun.
After I’d locked up the café for the night, I walked toward Noreen’s car. I’d packed a thermos filled with black coffee, plus four leftover sandwiches from the café. Depending on how long Philomena kept me waiting, I might need provisions.
Lenny was waiting for me, leaning against the rusty Ford with a grin stretched across his face. “Whoa, Maggie. That’s a lot of food. You throwing a party?”
I hesitated a moment before I spoke. Should I tell him? I glanced at his van, parked two in front of my vehicle. Lenny was bound to have the equipment I lacked. And then it hit me. “It’s Thursday,” I breathed. “You’re going alien spotting with Mack.”
“Yeah, dude. That’s why I waited for you.” He bounced on the spot and rubbed his gloved hands together. “Wanna come along?”
“Actually, I was hoping I could borrow some of your equipment. I need to do a bit of…spotting…of my own.”
Lenny looked taken aback. “Uh, sure. What do you need?”
“Binoculars, preferably with night-vision capabilities. The ones I have are only suitable for daylight.”
A frown etched over his forehead. “What are you up to, Maggie? I don’t see you going out looking for aliens.”
I opened the back door and slung my bag and provisions on the seat. “If you must know, I’m going on a stakeout.”
Lenny practically danced on the spot. “Awesome, dude. Want me and Mack to come along? We love that kind of stuff.”
“I think it’d be smarter if I went on my own.”
“Well, that’s charming.” He pulled a face, but the twinkle in his eyes indicated he wasn’t annoyed. “You want my gear but not my help. Come on, Maggie. Let us come along. We’ve never been on a stakeout before. It’ll be totally happening.”
I bit my lip. I trusted Mack to keep his cool, but Lenny had a tendency to get overexcited. This could go very wrong. “All right, but on one condition.”
He grinned. “Name it and it’s yours.”
“I call the shots.” I paused and added, “And the ham-and-pickle sandwich is all mine.”
“Deal. And here’s Mack coming down the street. Dude,” Lenny yelled. “Want to go on a stakeout?”
“Shh.” I held a finger to my lips. “I don’t want the whole island knowing.” Especially not the new cop in charge of the murder investigation. Unlike O’Shea, Reynolds didn’t strike me as stupid. In fact, had the person acting furtive not been my aunt, I might have told him of my suspicions. But until I knew him better and was sure he was competent, I couldn’t risk handing him one aunt on a platter in order to set the other free.
Mack reached the car, laden down with bags filled with soda and an assortment of junk food. “Hey, Maggie. What’s all this about a stakeout?”
“Get in the car, and I’ll tell you on the way.”
“Dude,” Lenny said, eyeing the bags. “Did you get fish and chips from the pub?”
“Of course.” Mack held the bags aloft. “Would I let you down?”
As if on cue, my stomach rumbled loudly.
Lenny laughed. “Still want that ham-and-pickle sandwich? If you’re nice to me and don’t hog the night-vision binoculars, I’ll share my chips. Or fries, or whatever you call them across the pond.”
“Fries or chips, I’ll eat both.” I stuck my tongue out at him and climbed behind the wheel.
“Is that coffee?” Mack asked after he slid onto the passenger seat, indicating the thermos flask I’d placed between the front seats.
“Yes.” I suppressed a smile. “Don’t you guys take hot drinks on your alien-hunting missions?”
“Nah,” Lenny said from the backseat. “We stick to granddad’s poitín.”
It took me a moment to translate Lenny’s Gaelic pronunciation to its English equivalent. Cripes. If Mack and Lenny were drinking poteen, no wonder they were spotting all sorts of weird happenings in the skies.
“So who are we following?” Mack asked. “Please tell me it’s Paul Greer. I never could stand the guy.”
I slid him a look and grinned. “Sorry to disappoint. It’s my aunt Philomena.”
Mack stared at me, jaw gaping. “The librarian? What’s she done to warrant a stakeout?”
“Nothing, I hope.” I sighed. “Look, you guys have to promise me you’ll keep quiet about this.”
“Sure,” Mack said.
“Of course,” Lenny yelled from the back. “Now tell us what she’s done.”
“She’s been acting strange lately. Like, sneaking around after dark.” I bit my lip. “I think she might be seeing Cormac Tate. She’s been seen hanging around the school late at night.”
“Seriously? You believe that blind item Sandra wrote?” Mack shook his head. “Nah. I can’t see Philomena cheating. She and your uncle John are tight.”
“I can’t help feeling this is a bad idea, Maggie. Why not ask Philomena what she’s up to?”
I drummed the wheel. “Because it might have something to do with the murder. And if it does, she’s hardly likely to tell me.”
“That’s crazy talk,” Mack said. “Philomena is no more likely to have killed Sandra than Noreen. Besides, do you want to get one aunt off the hook by incriminating the other?”
“I don’t intend to incriminate anyone. Philomena’s been acting weird ever since I started asking questions about the blind item column.” For all I knew, the cheating blind might not be the problem. Perhaps Sandra had threatened to publish a different item, one that had the potential to do serious damage to Philomena and her family. Noreen had been on Sandra’s list of blackmail victims. Why not Philomena? I didn’t share this thought with the guys. How could I tell them I knew Sandra was a blackmailer without risking them finding out about Noreen’s secret?
I turned the key in the ignition, and the car rumbled into life. “I’m going to drive toward the library and catch Philomena leaving work. Julie said she works late on Thursday evenings.”
Mack eyed me thoughtfully. “I can’t help feeling you know more than you’re saying.”
“I’ve told you everything I know.” About Philomena, at least.
“Come on, Maggie,” Lenny said. “If we’re your partners in crime, we need all the deets.”
“No crimes are going to be committed.” I met Lenny’s eye in the rearview mirror. “Speaking of which, isn’t poteen illegal?”
Lenny and Mack exchanged a guilty look. “Well, you can buy it in the supermarket now.”
“Why do I sense a ‘but’ coming here?”
“Yeah…Granddad’s produce probably doesn’t quite fit the legal status.”
“Oh, fabulous,” I said. “I’m stalking my aunt in a car with illegal liquor.”
“Where’s your sense of adventure?” Lenny beamed. “We’re going on a stakeout.”
I drove toward the harbor and pulled up across the road from the library just as Philomena was walking down the steps toward her car. “Duck,” I said. “I can’t risk her spotting us, or she’ll come over to chat.”
But my aunt was preoccupied and got into her car without so much as a glance in our direction. When she pulled out into the road, I waited a few seconds before following.
We drove all the way to the crossroads at the far end of town, and my aunt took the exit next to Whisper Island’s elementary school. I followed at a snail’s pace. When Philomena stopped in front of the school gates, I eased my car to a halt half a block farther down the street. As soon
as I killed the lights, I whipped out the night-vision binoculars and peered through the lenses.
It was almost ten at night, long after school got out, and all the lights in the building were off. Cormac Tate snuck down the school steps, looking left and then right as if he was scanning the terrain for potential threats. He hurried toward my aunt’s car. My aunt rolled down her window, and he spoke to her, but I couldn’t hear what they were saying. Finally, she nodded and pulled her car into a side street, conveniently out of sight of the crossroads.
“What are they doing?” Lenny said. “Hey, Mack. Pass the ketchup.”
“All you think of is your stomach,” Mack grumbled, but he handed back a packet.
I ignored the boys and continued to peer through the binoculars. Cormac was looking about, a nervous twitch to his shoulders. When Philomena rejoined him, they hurried into the schoolhouse, careful to keep out of the path of the streetlamp.
“Is that it?” Mack asked, perplexed. “She visited Cormac?”
“But did you see how shifty he looked? And how they didn’t step into the light?”
Mack stared at me, a baffled expression on his freckled face. “No.”
“Seriously. Men.”
We waited a full hour before Philomena reappeared. In that time, I ate two sandwiches and most of Lenny’s chips. The guys consumed everything in the seemingly bottomless bags of junk food that Mack had brought along and were making inroads into my supplies.
“Want a swig of moonshine, Maggie?” Lenny asked from the backseat.
“No. I’m driving. And after the amount you’ve consumed, I’m taking you home.”
“Philomena’s coming back,” Mack said, “and she’s alone.”
I jerked my head around and stared through the windshield. My aunt looked up and down the road before walking to her car. She got in and started the engine. After she’d pulled out into the road, we followed at a cautious distance.
“Where’s she going now?” Mack asked as we followed her out the third exit at the roundabout and took the road that led toward the other side of the island. “Is she heading to Noreen’s place?”
“I guess we’ll find out.”
Twenty minutes later, Philomena turned off the road and on to a dirt track that led through the fields near Noreen’s cottage. I killed the lights and followed her. When Philomena finally parked next to the woods, I eased my car to a halt. My aunt stepped out of her car and went to the trunk. To my amazement, she removed a large garbage bag from the back before sneaking toward the woods.
“What the—” I began, but my words died in my throat when our engine backfired, making us all jump.
Philomena, alerted by the noise, whirled around and stared directly at the car.
“Oops,” Lenny said. “I guess we’re busted.”
I let out a groan. “Okay. Let’s play it cool. Why are we in a field, cruising along? We’re taking a detour to Noreen’s. No, wait. We’re alien spotting.”
“I thought you didn’t want to look for aliens,” Lenny said. “You keep telling me it’s ridiculous.”
“I don’t, and it is, but I need an excuse for us being here.” I rolled down my window and plastered a smile on my face. “Hey, Philomena.”
“Maggie?” My aunt squinted through the darkness. “What are you doing here this time of night?”
I switched off the engine and got out of the car. “I could ask you the same question.” I looked her up and down, noting her unusual outfit for the first time. “Wow. Are you wearing running gear?”
“I… Oh, Maggie.” It was too dark to see if my aunt’s cheeks were red, but her embarrassment was palpable. “Promise me you won’t tell anyone. Mack and Lenny, as well.”
“Of course not, but why the secrecy? Isn’t it a strange time to go running?”
My aunt shifted her weight from one leg to the other and clasped her hands. “On a whim, I decided to sign up for the Runathon, but I didn’t want to train where everyone would see me. So I’ve been sneaking out at night to train while John is asleep.”
“Why don’t you want people knowing?” I asked, baffled.
“Because I’m fat, Maggie.” My aunt’s voice had dropped to a whisper. “Not just a little plump, but extremely overweight. I don’t want people seeing me run until I weigh less. And, well, I want to surprise John. He’ll be so proud of me the day of the Runathon if I take part and complete the race.”
My heart ached for her that she felt so self-conscious. Philomena was a nice-looking woman, and I suspected she would be no matter what she weighed. “That’s a lovely idea, but why do you care what people think? If you’re out running, you’re doing something positive for your health.”
“I know, but I just couldn’t face kids making fun of me, or hearing snide remarks from other women.” Her shoulders rounded, she stared at her running shoes. “You know how catty people can be.”
“Hey,” I said softly. “Julie and I go jogging a couple of times a week. Why don’t you come out with us? We’ll stick to the less populated routes if that’ll make you feel more comfortable. And if we run across anyone, so be it.”
Hope warred with indecision on Philomena’s face. “Are you sure I wouldn’t slow you two down? You’re both a lot younger and thinner than I am.”
“We’d love to have you along. Julie will be delighted when she finds out you want to participate in the Runathon. Come here.” I gave my aunt a warm hug. “Keep the faith. You’ll do great.”
She laughed. “Thanks, Maggie. Now, whatever are you and the boys doing out here at this time of night?”
“About that…” It was my turn to resemble a beetroot. “I have a confession to make.”
Philomena raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”
“We were kind of following you.”
“Why?” Her tone was tinged with a mixture of embarrassment and annoyance. “I thought I noticed a car behind me earlier. Not many people are out this late on a Thursday night.”
“I’ve been following up on those blind items.”
“And you thought the one about me having an affair might be true?” Philomena sighed. “I hope you’ll trust me when I say that my reason for meeting Cormac never made it into the blind gossip column. I realize you want to know why we were sneaking around the school so late, but it’s not my story to tell. If you want the details, you’ll have to ask Cormac. And Maggie?” She nodded to the car, where Mack and Lenny were fighting over the poteen hip flask. “Don’t take those eejits with you when you do.”
I laughed. “I won’t, I promise.”
She smiled and gave me another hug. “Now can I finish my workout in peace?”
“I get the message. Have a good run. I’ll call you about setting up a time to train with me and Julie.”
My aunt waved at the boys and took off into the woods.
At least, I thought as I walked back to the car, that was one mystery solved.
Unfortunately, it brought me no closer to discovering who murdered Sandra Walker.
20
On Friday morning, Noreen insisted on giving me the day free. “You’ve been working long hours all week, love. It’s time for me to do my share.”
I glanced up from the sink, where I was washing our breakfast plates. “You needed to be in Cork. I didn’t have a problem running the café on my own. The Two Gerries even told me that my baking is improving.”
My aunt gave a crack of laughter. “We’ll make a baker out of you yet, my girl.”
I grabbed a dish towel and dried the plates. “Seriously, I don’t mind working today. Why don’t you stay home and relax?”
“I’ve had enough relaxing,” Noreen said. “I need the distraction. Anything to stop me from worrying all day. You said you wanted to go back and explore the beehive huts. Take the car and go play tourist for the day.”
I frowned. “How will you get to the café if I have the car?”
“Paddy Driscoll is driving me as far as Smuggler’s Cove. If I need a lift hom
e, I’ll give you a call later. Sound good?”
“If you’re sure it’s okay with you, I’d love to go exploring.” Yes, I wanted to play tourist. But first, I planned to stop by the school to talk to Cormac Tate. Noreen disapproved of me asking questions, so I opted to skip that part of today’s agenda. “Before I leave, I’m planning on looking for Poly again.”
My aunt’s face grew grave. “I’d hoped she’d show up with her kittens in tow. Maybe we have to accept that she’s gone.”
Perhaps we did, but I felt responsible for the cat’s welfare. I’d known she was expecting, and she’d disappeared on my watch.
After Noreen had left, I put away the breakfast stuff and tidied the cottage. Roly followed my every move, meowing plaintively. I reached down to scratch under his chin. “Are you missing your mate? We’ll look for her later. How does that sound?”
Apparently, Roly didn’t approve of “later.” My attempt to vacuum the cottage was hampered by Roly getting under my feet and between my legs. Bran appeared to have picked up on Roly’s anxiety and began to whine and paw at my leg.
“Oh, for heaven’s sake. What is up with you two?” I unplugged the vacuum cleaner and hunkered down to look the animals in the eye. “What do you want me to do? You both ate a huge breakfast, and Noreen took Bran out for a walk. You can’t need anything.”
Roly and Bran clearly disagreed. Roly raced to the front door and sat on the mat, meowing.
I blew out my cheeks. “All right. I’ll play along. Maybe you know where Poly’s hiding.” I bundled up for the outdoors and we stepped outside. Bran and Roly raced ahead, making straight for the barn. “I’ve already searched the barn,” I muttered. “Several times. She’s not in there.”
Bran let out a bark, and I hurried my pace. In the barn, the dog was digging in straw, while Roly observed the action with pricked-up ears. After Bran had made a thorough mess, I saw what he must have smelled. “Poly,” I gasped. “And…four…no, five kittens.”
The mother cat lay in the straw, next to a wriggling pile of kittens. Far from presenting the supreme absorption I’d observed in my best friend Selena’s cat when she’d had kittens, Poly was agitated. She leaped to her feet and paced before me, meowing loudly.
