by Sonia Parin
“Go on. Ruin it for me.”
“For starters, he didn’t know about the baby. As for Alicia’s drowning... He really thought it was an accident. Valentine convinced them all Alicia had become hysterical and had tried to kill her. Valentine had only just announced her engagement to William and she said Alicia had tried to warn her off him.”
“And they believed her?” Jill asked.
Jack shrugged. “That’s their story, and they’re sticking to it.”
“What’s going to happen to William?” Eve asked.
“He withheld vital information so he’ll have to answer to that, but he can afford the best legal counsel so I doubt it’ll cost him much.”
“How do they feel about Valentine now?” Eve couldn’t imagine they’d be happy about her lying to them all these years.
“They’ve cast her adrift. She too can afford legal representation.” Jack finished his coffee and smiled at Eve. “Are you going to join the other dots?”
Eve rolled her eyes.
“Come on, you can do it.”
The cigars, Eve thought. “I’m really having trouble with that one. The entire box poisoned with ricin? Valentine would not have wanted to kill William. She’d already killed Alicia to get her out of the way.” Eve looked over at Jill who shrugged.
“I’m all out of ideas too.”
Eve tapped her chin. “I remember we wondered about the cigars William smoked.”
Jack nodded.
“Am I getting warm?”
“Maybe.”
“You said he always carried two cigars with him.” If she wanted an answer, she knew she had to ask the right questions. “There’s something about his cigars that set them apart from all other cigars.” The man drank exclusive water. He led an exclusive lifestyle. “The lure of the forbidden,” Eve mused. “Cuban cigars?”
“Rolled by hand and smuggled in specially for him. He never smokes any other cigar and only one person knew that.”
Valentine.
“She overheard Elizabeth organizing the purchase and delivery of the water so she had the box delivered to the company with an enticing bonus to deliver it.”
“Where did she get the ricin from?” Jill asked.
“Mira’s editor said with the right instructions anyone could make it. I somehow doubt that,” Eve said.
“Valentine paid an old boyfriend who works as a chemist to produce it for her. With enough money you can buy just about anything.”
“But why did she decide to kill him now?” Eve asked.
“You were right about Stew Peters. He kept them in line and he enlisted Julia Maeve to help him. Every now and then, he’d play at pulling the rug from right under them, threatening to reveal everything he knew to the police. Valentine decided to take matters into her own hands.”
“And now it’s out in the open.” Being in the newspaper business would help William cover it all up. Today’s news would become a distant memory in no time.
Jack looked down at the floor and then at Eve. “Are you pressing charges against Elizabeth Rogue?”
No, she couldn’t. “I think she’s gone through enough and she still has some way to go. Has she found out who her father is?”
“They have to run a paternity test, but William insists he is her father.”
“Argh! I hate the man. He’s deliberately thwarting my attempts to dislike him.”
Epilogue
“You’re in luck. The sun’s shining and there isn’t a single cloud in the sky.” Jill pirouetted around the living room. “We have two more days to go and then the doors will officially open to your first paying guests.”
Meanwhile, they had the entire population of Rock-Maine Island to entertain. Every surface in the kitchen was filled to capacity with trays of food. Eve had been baking since the crack of dawn and loving every minute of it.
Eve put down her copy of The Bugle. She’d been scouring the local newspaper looking for Eleanor Parkinson’s first article about the inn to no avail. Either the town chronicler had kept her word and had decided to write a sanitized version of events, or she was biding her time, waiting to catch Eve by surprise. Either way, if anything ever happened to Eleanor Parkinson, Eve knew the finger of suspicion would be pointed directly at her. “I have to admit, I was a little apprehensive at first thinking no one would want to come.” Eve pushed back the curtain. “Who are all these people? Anyone would think I’d hired a crowd.”
“They’re all locals.”
“Really? I only recognize a handful. I’m almost afraid there won’t be enough food. You can’t possibly know all these people,” Eve said.
“Did you just use your wary tone?” Jill laughed.
Three deaths at her inn. Strictly speaking, they had taken place at the house she had transformed into an inn.
Once she opened the doors to the paying guests, she could start with a clean slate. Eve nibbled the edge of her lip. “That woman looks suspicious.”
“That’s Claire Owens. She’s a teacher. I can vouch for her. I’ve known her all my life.”
People had been arriving in droves since mid-morning. Thinking there might be some interest in walking through the inn, Jill had suggested having some entertainment for the children, hence the pony rides, clowns and face painting.
“I have to admit, I’m feeling a little uncomfortable having so many people I don’t recognize walking through.”
“You’re afraid there’s a killer out there staking out the place.” Jill pointed toward the end of the front yard. “I have people posted strategically around the inn. See, there’s Josh. He and his police buddies are keeping an eye on everyone.”
“Who’s that woman by the pony rides?”
“That’s Marcia-Lee. She’s a regular visitor to the island. Oh, look. She brought her granddaughter, Shayna, with her. She’s adorable.”
“Yes, she is gorgeous. Do you think I’ll ever become a granny?”
“Nothing is going to go wrong, Eve. Put it out of your mind.” Jill nibbled the tip of her thumb. “Granted, the granddaughter could be a decoy used to distract us while Marcia-Lee snuffs someone out.” Jill laughed. “Actually, I can vouch for her too.”
“Are you sure?”
“Absolutely.”
Eve pointed at Elsie McAllister. “Elsie’s headed straight for Marcia-Lee. I still don’t trust Elsie to keep quiet. And look, she’s handing out pamphlets. I bet they’re for her Sisters in Crime Book club. I have a good mind to ban her from the inn. We should intercept her. You have to admit, Elsie has a perfect cover and she could be looking to enlist someone’s help to carry out the perfect murder.”
“You need a distraction, Eve. Look over there. There’s Roger McLain. Didn’t you say you were going to give him an earful of your angst for suggesting you would single-handedly bring shame upon the town?”
“I certainly did. Come on, let’s grab a tray of cupcakes. One of them might find their way to his face.”
“Oh, I love that. Food fight.”
* * *
The Merry Widow
A Deadline Cozy Mystery - Book 8
About this book
What can possibly go wrong when Eve Lloyd leaves her friend Jill in charge of the Seabreeze Inn and takes a day off to drive to the mainland with her aunt Mira? Well, despite being under strict orders to not buy any more furniture for her inn, she falls in love with a Quaker chair… or two, and some old cameras. Eve knows she’ll be in trouble when she returns to the inn, but she doesn’t count on landing in trouble because of a couple of chairs and some old cameras. The chairs lead her to the discovery of a body and the cameras set her up as bait for a killer on the loose. Add to that a happy-go-lucky hostess intent on drinking her way through a cellar full of champagne, a blackmailing ring and Jill’s reluctance to leave her side. For once, Eve Lloyd has her back to the wall and no suspects to point her finger at.
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Chapter Sixteen
“I want to change the name of the inn.” Eve inspected the bottom of a vase and sighed at the hefty price tag. “Yesterday’s Trash must be making a fortune,” she said under her breath. Setting the vase down on the display table, she inspected the other items only to find her attention drawn back to the pretty floral design. It would look lovely in the front parlor or the library, she thought.
“I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that,” Jill said.
Eve smiled. “In that case, I’ll have to repeat myself until you do. I want to change the name of the inn.”
“Why are you even thinking about the inn?” Jill grumbled, “You’re supposed to be enjoying your day off. It’s nearly lunchtime. Go discover a new restaurant.”
Eve switched the cell phone to her other ear. “Do I detect a note of dissension?” Thinking she might want to come back to the vase later, she moved it to the back of the display table.
“I know what this is really about. You’ve only been away two hours and you’re already checking up on me,” Jill complained. “Everyone and everything is fine at The Sea Breeze Inn.”
“There it is again. Your voice hitched. I can’t have my loyal employees disapproving of me.” Eve smiled. The inn had been up and running for a solid month without a single mishap. After working without a break, Eve had suggested going for a drive to the mainland. Mira had been complaining she’d written herself into a corner and so had jumped at the idea, saying they should make a day of it. That had triggered a lengthy discussion about what they might find appealing since Mira didn’t care for shopping and neither did Eve.
Jill had come to the rescue saying there were art and craft galleries, cafés and any number of antique stores that didn’t necessarily require them to make purchases.
They had spent a week planning their trip and Eve had thrown in a surprise for Mira. While Eve had promised to immerse herself in the moment and enjoy her outing, she hadn’t been able to resist calling to check up on Jill who’d been left behind to take care of business at the inn.
Eve lifted her chin and smiled. “If I want to change the name of the inn, I will.”
“What’s wrong with the Sea Breeze?” Jill asked. “I like it. It rolls off the tongue.”
“You just shortened it, that’s what’s wrong. How is one supposed to know you’re referring to an inn and not talking about the weather?”
Jill used her warning tone on her, “Eve.”
“Yes?”
“Are you bored? Is that what this is about?”
After her recent experiences and close encounters with murder and mayhem, Eve thought she would welcome boredom with open arms. There had been a third death at her inn. She shook her head and shoved the thought out of her mind. “I made a hasty decision and I should be allowed to rectify it.” Sighing, Eve cast her gaze around the antique store Mira had included on their to-do list. Everywhere she looked, she saw something of interest.
“The inn’s been opened long enough for people to become accustomed to the name,” Jill said. “You can’t change it now.”
Eve harrumphed. “Who says? What if it changes hands? The new owners might want to re-launch it with a new name.”
“Eve, are you selling the inn?”
Before she could answer, Eve heard a bark in the background. “Why is Mischief barking? What’s going on there?”
“Josh is refusing to share his burger with him. Something I would not have to deal with but, of course, you needed your peace of mind. Happy now? We have an off-duty police officer on call at the Sea Breeze Inn and a grumpy Labrador.”
Eve heard more barking in the background.
“Make that two grumpy Labradors,” Jill complained.
“Don’t you want to hear my suggestions for the inn’s new name?” Spotting a Quaker chair she decided she simply had to have, Eve strode toward it. When she saw a woman making a beeline for it, she said, “Hang on a second, someone is about to steal my chair from right under my nose.”
“I thought you’d decided you had enough furniture.”
Eve hurried her step and swerved in time to avoid colliding with a display table. She reached the chair a second before the woman. Just to be on the safe side, she clamped her hand on it and mouthed an apology, “Sorry.”
“Are you squabbling with the customers?” Jill asked.
Ignoring Jill’s question, Eve said, “To think I almost talked Mira into skipping this store and going straight to lunch. I love it. It’s full of gorgeous knick-knacks. Where could we display a collection of old cameras?”
“Huh?”
“I never realized they were so beautiful. I’m looking at one. It has this sort of accordion thing happening. I think we could set up a display case somewhere.”
“Put it down, Eve.”
“Why?”
“Because I am under strict orders from you to tell you to put it down. Last week you made an executive decision to keep the inn clutter free.”
“But it’s beautiful.”
Jill chortled. “According to your instructions, I am now supposed to remind you the staff have been told to refuse to dust anything you bring back with you. You told them so at our last staff meeting.”
Had she really said that? “I’m overriding my orders.”
“According to further instructions, quote: In case I suggest overriding the order, feel free to call the bank and cancel the credit cards. End quote.”
“Fine. Have it your way.” But nothing would stop her from buying the chair. Craning her neck, Eve searched for Mira. When she spotted her, Eve waved. She really wanted to take a closer look at the cameras on display but she couldn’t afford to lose her chair. She could see the other interested buyer hovering nearby, no doubt ready to pounce on the chair at the first opportunity. If she could get Mira to stand guard over it, she’d be able to take a closer look at the cameras and everything else.
“So what name were you thinking of?” Jill asked. “And, yes, I’m trying to distract you away from the cameras.”
“The Carousel. The Sea Breeze is too obvious. We’re on an island and the inn sits right by the sea.”
“Are you dwelling again? It sounds to me like you are. A carousel brings up images of going around in circles. You can’t possibly still think there’s going to be another murder at the inn.”
“I’m not,” Eve said.
“Try saying it with more conviction.”
Eve rolled her eyes. “There’ll be no more murders at the inn.”
A woman nearby gasped.
“What was that?” Jill asked.
“The sound of more disapproval.” Spying a shelf full of blue and white vases, Eve took a step only to stop. She couldn’t leave her chair behind…
“I think you should hurry back to the island where you can be contained,” Jill said. “You’re a danger to the wider population.”
“It’s remarks such as that one—” Eve shook her head. “Never mind. Mira and I should be home later tonight.”
“And you will arrive empty-handed,” Jill warned.
“Yes, I will.”
“What about Mira?” Jill asked, her tone wary.
“I’ve never heard your mom nag. Where’s this attitude coming from?” Eve asked.
“See what you’ve driven me to become?”
She heard Mischief barking again. “I should let you go. It sounds as though you have some more nagging to do.” Eve disconnected the call and waved to Mira again but her aunt now appeared to be deep in conversation with a woman.
Lifting the Quaker chair, Eve decided it was light enough to carry, so she made her way over to the vases. Each shelf had a label and description and she spent the next few minutes reading up on the different types of blue and white porcelain.
She picked one up just as her cell phone rang. “Hello.”
“Put it down, Eve.”
“Oh, for heaven’s sake. Hello, Jack. Shouldn’t you be busy hunting down
criminals?”
“Jill just called to say you’re up to no good. What’s going on?” Jack asked.
“Nothing.”
“Why did she give me instructions to tell you to put it down?”
“You know Jill. She tends to be overly dramatic.”
“Actually, I’ve noticed she’s acquired that trait only recently. I wonder why?” Jack mused.
“You should ask her yourself. I told her she’d become a nag and she nearly bit my head off.”
Jack chuckled. “So how are you enjoying your day off?”
“So far, so good.” Eve bit the edge of her lip. If she told Jack about all the wonderful items in the store, he’d probably report back to Jill and Jill would jump in her car and hunt her down. Or worse, she’d actually go ahead and have all her cards canceled. “Are you too busy fighting crime to come to dinner tonight?”
“I’ll try to squeeze you in,” he said.
Seeing Mira approaching, Eve disconnected the call, “I’ll see you tonight.”
“Who was that?” Mira asked.
“Jack. He’s missing me.” Eve smiled and pictured Detective Jack Bradford chuckling as he got on with his police business.
“What did he want?”
Eve shrugged. “Jill recruited him to… Oh, never mind.”
“These are pretty,” Mira said and picked up one of the blue and white vases.
Eve smiled. “I’ve already mentally selected several of them. They’d look great on the mantelpieces or in a display case.”
Mira laughed. “Jill gave me strict instructions to tell you to put it down, Eve.”
Eve pursed her lips. “I don’t care what either of you say, I’m taking this chair. Do you think it’ll fit in the back of the car?”
Sighing, Mira said, “You’re forcing me to become an accomplice. Okay, I’m game.”
“Thank you for suggesting this store, Mira. I love it. I should go pay for this and then we can go find a place to have lunch.”
