by Sonia Parin
“Fine. I guess there’s no point in arguing with any of you.”
When they strode out, they found Josh waiting for them.
“I’ll be taking over bodyguard duty,” Josh said.
Jill clapped her hands. “My hero.”
They all piled into his car and made their way to Mira’s house in silence.
When they arrived, Josh said, “I’d like everyone to stay in the car while I check the house. Is that understood?”
“Yes, officer,” Jill said.
They watched Josh enter the house. As soon as he did, Eve said, “We can’t let him go in alone.” She did not have to say anything more. They all hurried out of the car and followed.
As they reached the front door, Josh appeared. Grumbling under his breath, he said, “The good news is, the house is clear. The bad news… Someone has definitely been here. The back door is wide open. I’ll have to call this in. Is there any point to me asking y’all to stay inside?”
Eve smiled. “We’ll be happy to comply, officer.”
“That’s what you said last time,” Josh murmured.
“If anyone wants me, I’ll be in the kitchen baking,” Eve said and made a beeline for her comfort zone.
Half an hour later, they were all settled around the kitchen table inhaling the aroma of muffins while the police went through the house with a fine-tooth comb.
Mira spoke up first. “Will Jack keep us updated?”
“If he doesn’t,” Jill said, “we can harass Josh.”
Eve drew out her cell phone and discreetly keyed in a message for Jack. Although, she felt sure he would keep her abreast of any news.
Swinging toward Jill, Eve rolled up her sleeves. “I think it’s research time again. I’d like to know more about Derek Tucker.”
“I’m on it,” Jill said.
* * *
Eve showed the police out and thanked them for their efforts. When she returned to the kitchen, she found Jill and Mira huddled over the computer.
“I’ve plowed through every article Derek wrote in the last five years. Then I went further back. He covered a murder trial where a certain Nick “the Lynch” Cooper was indicted for conspiracy to commit murder. That’s the only article that sticks out and might be of interest in the sense that it links him to a hardened criminal.”
“Did he do time?” Eve asked.
“No. He got off on a technicality. Oh, look. Here’s a photo of the Lynch.”
Eve leaned in to look at it. Her finger stabbed at the photo on the screen. “That’s him. That’s him.”
“Who?”
“The man Derek met at the restaurant. Well, he didn’t quite meet him, but the intention had been there. Jack needs to know this. It’ll save me the trouble of sitting down with the police sketch artist.” Eve collected the coffee mugs and hurried to the sink. Since she couldn’t be one hundred percent certain, Eve decided she would let Jack know but she wouldn’t mention her suspicion Nick “the Lynch” Cooper had been the man in the car that had driven her off the road. Mira and Jill had enough on their plate.
An hour later, she had her confirmation from Jack who’d told her Nick Cooper had been sighted on the mainland heading to the island.
“He was picked up by a traffic camera. Several times,” Jack said.
Eve looked over her shoulder to make sure the others were still in the kitchen. “Can you verify the dates? Do they coincide with the nights he met Derek Tucker at the restaurant?”
Jack’s silence had her nibbling the edge of her lip.
Finally, he answered. “They do.”
“Good. So, I trust he’ll be behind bars soon?”
She heard Jack draw in a long breath. “He’s gone off the radar.”
“Pardon?”
“I wanted to bring him in for questioning but he’s now nowhere to be found.”
“I hope ‘nowhere’ is not on the island… if you get my meaning. Nick “the Lynch” Cooper sounds like a hardened criminal. I’ve already had one close encounter with him, I’m sure, and I don’t wish to repeat it.”
“You’ll be safe so long as you remain at the house and, please, listen to Josh. Do whatever he tells you to do. I’ve dispatched another unit to your place. You’re being looked after, Eve.”
“That’s way too much reassurance, Jack.” Should she be really worried?
“Eve.”
“Yes. Yes. I promise.” She disconnected the call. Turning, she bumped into Jill. “Oh.”
“I heard your side of the conversation,” Jill said.
Eve sighed. “I don’t wish to be an alarmist, but we should do as Jack suggests and stay put.”
“I didn’t plan on going anywhere.”
“Not even to give Mischief and Mr. Magoo some fresh air?”
“We’ll manage. They’re happy to be couch potatoes for a while.”
“What’s going on?” Mira asked. “Are we under siege?”
“Were you eavesdropping?” Eve asked.
“I happened to be standing here. Oh, fine. All right, I’ll admit it. When you stepped out of the kitchen, Jill and I followed at a discreet distance. But only because we were concerned you might have been about to do something silly.”
The sound of footsteps coming from the front porch had them all stilling.
“Where’s Josh?” Eve whispered.
“He stepped outside to make the rounds,” Jill whispered back. “I’ll text him.” Within seconds, Jill’s phone alerted her to a new message. “No, it’s not him. He’s on the beach.”
Mischief and Mr. Magoo scrambled toward the front door and launched into a frenzy of sniffing.
“There is something or someone out there,” Jill whispered.
“What do we do?” Mira asked.
Eve would have added something to the hushed conversation, but she’d frozen.
Had Nick “the Lynch” Cooper found her?
For all she knew, he could be a professional hit man. His earlier attempt might have been a warning and, this time, he wouldn’t miss.
As the steps moved along the front porch, Eve, Jill and Mira huddled together and followed.
“He appears to be headed toward the back.”
That could only mean he wanted to try to gain entry from the rear. But Josh had said someone had already broken into the house. Had the same perpetrator returned? Or was this someone else?
Had someone placed a bounty on Eve’s head?
When the sound of footsteps receded, Mira pointed to the side of the house.
Another message came through from Josh. Jill pressed her fingers to her lips. Eve supposed that meant Josh wanted them to be silent. A big ask, as far as Eve was concerned. She had a scream sitting in her throat waiting to burst out.
Feeling helpless, she looked around the room. Eve spotted the fire poker and moved toward it, dragging the others with her. Eve knew the fire poker wouldn’t be of any use against a firearm, but at least she could say she went down fighting.
They sidled up to the door separating the living area from the kitchen. From there, they could see the back door. Luckily, she hadn’t bothered drawing the blinds open. That gave them one small advantage. They couldn’t be seen. However, they couldn’t see out, either… Several seconds ticked by. Eve kept her eyes glued on the doorknob. When she thought she saw it turn, she flinched.
Just as she thought they needed something more than a poker, Jill grabbed a table lamp.
“That’s my favorite,” Mira whispered and grabbed another one.
Armed to the teeth with household weapons, they formed a united front and waited for the perpetrator to make his next move.
Eve felt a bead of perspiration trickling down her forehead. Still huddled together, they took a step toward the door only to stop when they heard a scuffle outside.
Josh called out, “Police. Hands up.”
In the silence that followed, they felt confident enough to ease the door open.
Eve gasped. “Derek?”
“Eve. Can you explain to him I’m harmless?”
“Are you?”
“Of course, I am.” Derek Tucker gave a nervous laugh. “Why wouldn’t I be? You know me…”
“Actually, I don’t really know you. Now less than ever. What are you doing here?”
His hands lowered.
“Keep your hands up where I can see them,” Josh said.
Derek visibly swallowed. “My receptionist said you were looking for me.”
Had he just given her a convenient excuse? She had been looking for him… The day before.
“I saw the car outside but all the curtains were drawn,” he said.
“We didn’t hear you knock.”
Again, he took a deep swallow. His hands dropped but he raised them again. “This is going to sound odd. I heard about the break-in. I… I wanted to see for myself.” He looked from Eve to Josh and back to Eve.
“How did you hear about it? Josh only now called it in. Do you have one of those police scanners?”
Derek shook his head. “I see this is going to take some explaining.”
“And we’re all waiting with bated breaths.”
“I know who did it.”
Chapter Fourteen
When Josh stepped out to make a call, Eve, Jill and Mira stood guard over Derek.
“Could you please put down the fire poker? You’re making me nervous,” Derek said.
Eve gripped the poker tighter. “I don’t want you to get the idea you can overpower us.”
Derek chortled. “I’m sure the police officer hasn’t gone far and he has a gun. Where do you think I’m going to go? What do you think I’ll do?”
“If you’re so uncomfortable, why not just tell us what you know?” Jill demanded.
“That’s right,” Eve said. “Go on. Spill the beans.”
“It’s not as easy as that,” Derek complained.
Eve rolled her eyes. “Either you tell us here or the police will haul you to the station and lock you up for…” she heard the back door open and saw Josh stride in again. “How long are you entitled to detain someone without charging them?”
“Twenty-four hours.” Josh gave a casual shrug. “You didn’t hear it from me, however, it’s not so much the length of time that matters, it’s the quality. You know, what goes on behind closed doors.”
Eve raised her eyebrows slightly. “Really?”
“As I said, you didn’t hear it from me.”
Jill leaned in and, using her most threatening voice, said, “They have ways of making you talk.”
When Josh’s cell phone rang and he stepped outside again, Jill made a grab for Eve’s fire poker but Eve held onto it.
“Talk,” Jill threatened.
“He’s known to police and…” Derek looked at Eve, “I’m betting anything you’ve already identified him. Nick Cooper.”
“Nick “the Lynch” Cooper,” Jill said.
“Yes. That’s him.”
“So, how do you know he’s the one who broke in?” Eve asked.
Derek pushed out a hard breath. “He told me.”
They all stared in silence waiting for Derek to explain the connection.
“I think he needs a prompt,” Jill suggested. “I’d issue a command for Mischief to growl at him, but he’s not a growler. If I tell him to fetch, he will and he always sinks his teeth into whatever I throw at him.”
Far from true, Eve thought. Both Mischief and Mr. Magoo were the gentlest dogs she’d ever met.
“Poke him with your stick. Go on,” Jill urged.
Derek shrunk back. “There’s no need for violence.”
“Then why not tell us everything?”
Derek shifted and looked from one to the other, his eyes beseeching. “It’s not that easy. I have to be careful what I say. There’s a reason why he’s referred to as the Lynch.”
Jill stabbed her finger at him. “In your place, I’d be more worried about us and the damage we can do to you.”
Derek huffed out a hard breath. His shoulders lowered.
Eve couldn’t help thinking of a tortoise. If his head sunk any further, it would disappear.
“He thinks you have something he wants,” he muttered. “That’s why he broke in. Although… I’m not saying he broke in. You might have left the back door open…”
“Right. So, the Lynch shows up at Mira’s house, he notices the back door is open, he grows a conscience and decides to make sure no damage has been done and, in the process, he searches the house.” Yet, nothing had been disturbed. Eve had to give him that… He was a tidy thief.
Jill startled everyone again when she barked, “What’s he looking for?”
“If I tell you that, my life will be worth nothing.”
“Well, that’s silly,” Mira remarked.
Jill agreed. “I will personally make sure to get the word out and let everyone know you sang like a canary even if you don’t say another word. So, what’s it gonna be?”
“It’s a ledger,” Derek muttered.
“Why would he think I have it?” Eve demanded. Her mouth gaped open. She suddenly knew why… “He thinks I found it at the store.” Had she been right when she’d told Jack the space where she’d found the dead body had been a hiding hole? Eve frowned. Had she actually told Jack?
“What’s wrong?” Mira asked. “You look confused.”
She felt it too… “I’ve had so many thoughts swirling around my mind, I can’t remember what stayed in my head, and what came out.” Derek had already implicated himself by meeting with Nick Cooper at the restaurant. Was there another obvious connection? She turned to Derek. “Did Phillip Manningham work for the mob?”
Derek’s gaze dropped.
“Well?”
“He might have done some work for them. I’m not saying he did.”
“Oh, for heaven’s sake,” Jill exclaimed. “You might as well tell us everything. The Lynch is just going to assume you have.”
Right, because they were such tough interrogators.
Handing Jill the poker, Eve swung away and murmured, “I need a breath of fresh air. Keep your eyes on him, please.”
Eve strode out to the back porch and found Josh outside. He’d finished his phone conversation but before he could say anything, his phone rang again.
Eve couldn’t tell anything by his end of the conversation, so she had to wait for him to end the call.
When he did, Eve said, “You don’t need to worry. I doubt the Lynch will come after me again.”
“We don’t know if he’s the one who tried to run you off the road,” Josh said.
“What?”
“That was Jack on the phone. He caught up with Nick “the Lynch” Cooper. He admitted he broke into Mira’s house but he insists he had nothing to do with running you off the road.”
That didn’t make sense.
If not Nick…
“Then who fired at me?”
* * *
Eve stepped back and cast her gaze over her gleaming sink. Seeing a watermark, she gave it a brisk wipe and stepped back again.
“I feel I need to wear sunglasses inside,” Mira said. “You’ve spit polished my house from top to bottom.”
“I assure you I did not use any spit.” But lots of elbow grease, Eve thought. She’d worked up quite a sweat trying to keep busy.
“Has Josh told you when it would be safe to leave the house?”
Safe? Eve didn’t think she’d ever be safe again. Shockwaves were still quaking through her. She’d been attacked. In her own backyard. Not for the first time, Eve thought, but this had been different. More deliberate.
“You’ve puckered up your face. What’s wrong?”
Eve lifted her shoulders and slumped them down again. “From now on, I’m going to have to look over my shoulder.”
Patting her on the back, Mira assured her, “You’ll put it all behind you in no time. You always do.”
“Is that meant to be funny?”
; Mira tried to keep a straight face, but Eve could see laughter brimming in her eyes.
Eve removed her cleaning gloves and washed her hands. “Until Jack calls with instructions, I think we should all play it safe and remain in the house. I don’t mind. In fact, I’ve been neglectful so this is my chance to give your place a thorough clean. I still live here, so I should pull my weight. The inn can run without me for a while.”
“Do you hear me complaining?” Mira asked. “It’s not the first time someone has broken in, but if I’d known I would get a spic-and-span clean out of it, I would have faked a break-in ages ago.”
Josh poked his head in the kitchen. “Jack’s arrived to take Derek in for further questioning.”
“Well, about time.”
“Tell me about it,” Josh said. “I hope Jill puts away her kitchen tongs. She’s starting to scare me now.”
“Did Jack give you any updates? If the mob is after me, I’d like to know.” Eve lifted her chin. “But be warned, I will not go into witness protection.”
“Surely, you don’t think it’ll come to that,” Mira said.
“Mira. A few days ago, I thought I’d be too busy to even scratch my head.” Then her parents had made an impromptu visit and she’d found a dead body in her store.
The story of her life…?
“At some point, I’m going to want to begin a new chapter in my life and it will definitely not involve going into hiding.”
Eve happened to be frowning when she looked up and met Jack’s gaze.
“I hope your new chapter includes me,” Jack said.
“Ah, just the man I wanted to see.” Eve strode up to him and stood toe to toe with him. “I hope you give Derek Tucker the third degree. You can’t imagine what it was like for us to seek refuge in Mira’s house and find him in the process of breaking in. He won’t admit to it, but that’s what he’d been about to do… I’m sure of it. He has a lot to answer for.”
“How so?” Jack asked.
“He knew about Nick Cooper breaking in. Isn’t that called premeditation?”
“Only if he intended being involved in the actual act of breaking in,” Jack explained.
