The Milburn Big Box Set

by Nancy McGovern

  “Not that I can think of.” Laura looked down at her menu. “They’ve changed the dishes.”

  “And maybe Tonya could have said she thought she knew who it was just to make herself look innocent,” Faith said.

  “Ooh, I’m having this one,” Laura said. “Tell me this doesn’t sound like heaven. Savory garlic-rosemary pancake with roasted corn, avocado, bacon and melted cheese.”

  “That does sound good.” Faith tried to look over the menu, but her eyes just wouldn’t focus. She looked around, hoping she would see Tonya come bustling over, but she did not. She just couldn’t concentrate on reading at all, so randomly thrust her finger on one of the lines of text. “Courgette-stuffed pancakes with feta, red pepper and chicken,” she read. “That’ll do fine.”

  Stephanie and her mother appeared together a short while after, Stephanie with the drinks, and Tonya with a displeased look on her face.

  “Hello, girls,” Tonya said, the smile she was flashing quite obviously fake. “We’re extremely busy right now. What can I help you with?”

  “Sorry, Tonya,” Laura said. “We’ll just be quick.”

  “Let me just take your orders,” Stephanie interjected, a pen already to her pad.

  Tonya waited impatiently as Faith and Laura ordered, then pulled up a chair from an empty table nearby and sat down. “Shoot.”

  “When we were at the Sheriff’s Department, you said you had an idea of who could have killed Joanne,” Faith said, getting right to the point. “Who?”

  *****

  Chapter 18

  “I don’t want to throw names around,” Tonya said, getting up from her chair.

  “Please,” Faith said desperately. “It’s not throwing names around. It’s just that… Deputy Valdez thinks I did it.”

  “And she didn’t,” Laura said.

  Faith nodded. “I swear I didn’t. Please, we won’t go spreading it around. We just want something to look into. We need to find out the truth.”

  Tonya let out a deep breath and sat down, adjusting her stylish purple peplum jacket. “All right. But this does not get repeated, do you hear? I’ve told the Sheriff already, but I don’t want my name spread around, right? Otherwise you might just find me dead next. You’ve seen what he did to Ellis already.”

  “Who?” Laura pressed.

  Tonya leaned forward and whispered, “Josiah.”

  Faith nodded, thinking back to the previous night, as she and Nathan had met him on the beach. He had certainly been heading out of Paradise Point at the exact time Ellis was due to lock up. “But why would he want to kill Joanne?”

  “Because he wanted her spot. He had his beach shack, but he wanted one near the swimming pool area, so he’d get the customers from the pool and the beach. Joanne’s is… was… is actually very close to the swimming pool, but there are a bunch of trees blocking the access from that side. He’d said he wanted to take over her place and cut those down. And he’d pay for her to build a new place somewhere else in Paradise Point.”

  “She would have hated that,” Laura said.

  “Yes, indeed,” Tonya said. “But he wouldn’t quit. That’s why he was always flirting with her, trying to butter her up. I mean, no offense to the lady, but she’s… she was… not his usual type, is she? He’s usually gallivanting around with hot twenty somethings in bikinis.”

  Faith remembered something. “But didn’t Lula say Josiah wanted a treehouse style addition to his beach shack? Why would he do that if he was planning to expand? And what’s happening with Joanne’s place now? Has he put in an application for it or anything?”

  Tonya shrugged. “That’s none of my business. Ellis takes care of all that. And…” she said darkly, looking all around them. “I expect that treehouse thing is just a big cover up, like that’s what he was really interested in, not Joanne’s place.”

  Faith’s pocket was vibrating. She had a look at her phone to see it was Nathan calling her. But she didn’t have time for his jokes and flirting. She set it on silent, let it ring out and thought over what Tonya had said. “Hmm, I see what you’re saying. Maybe we should go talk to him.”

  Tonya shook her head. “I wouldn’t, if I were you. He can be volatile. You might find yourself… Well, I just wouldn’t. It’s light now, so it feels safe, sure. But who knows what might come for you after dark?”

  *****

  Full from their delicious pancake meal – not only had they each enjoyed their own savory choice, they’d also shared a pancake loaded up with vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce – Faith and Laura made their way back to Slice of Paradise.

  “I think we should go talk to Josiah,” Faith said. “Maybe we can squeeze something out of him.”

  “Are you crazy?” Laura shook her head. “Isn’t it enough that we pass the information onto Tyler?”

  “Deputy Valdez already knows,” Faith said, frustrated. “I wish you’d stop calling him Tyler. He might be your crush, but he wants to throw me in jail.”

  Laura sighed. “He doesn’t want to throw you in jail, he just—”

  “He just might have to,” Faith snapped. “Fine. If you don’t want to come see Josiah, I’ll go by myself.”

  Laura was exasperated. “You can’t do that, Faith.”

  “Can’t do what?” a voice said as they turned the corner. They found Deputy Valdez himself standing in front of them, his face like thunder. “Miss Edwards,” he said to Laura, “please excuse us. Miss Franklin, I need to bring you in for questioning.”

  Faith’s heart began to beat out a wild, terrified rhythm. “Again? Why?”

  “New information,” he said cryptically. “Now come along.”

  Faith swallowed hard. Laura’s eyes were wide with terror. “But… but… what about the tearoom? What about Nathan?” She didn’t even know what she was saying, in her panic. She slipped her phone out of her pocket to see over 11 missed calls from Nathan.

  “Nathan was questioned inside your café by the Sheriff,” Deputy Valdez said. “Laura, you will also be questioned there. Most interesting that you mentioned him, though.”

  “Why? Why is it interesting?”

  “Come along,” he said gruffly, “or I’ll be forced to take more extreme measures.”

  Faith let out long, deep breaths, and sucked in air through her mouth. “I’m coming,” she said, knowing if she resisted he’d keep on pushing and the whole thing would end in disaster.

  “And give me that,” Deputy Valdez said, snatching her phone and dropping it into his own pocket.

  “But Tyler,” Laura pleaded, “Faith didn’t do anything wrong!”

  He looked at her with a condescending affection. “Don’t worry, Miss Edwards,” he said. “I’ve got this all under control.”

  “No you haven’t!” Faith couldn’t help blurting out. “I didn’t kill Joanne.”

  “Calm down, Miss Franklin,” he said in an eerily cool voice, “or I will have to handcuff you.”

  “No, don’t do that!” Laura pleased. “Seriously, Tyler, she’s totally innocent.”

  Faith tried more deep breathing, but the world seemed to be closing in again.

  “The autopsy result came back,” Deputy Valdez said. “Joanne Cobb was indeed poisoned by the cherry on top of your cupcake. Let’s go down to the Department and talk this out.”

  Faith followed along behind him, exchanging the most desperate look of her life with Laura, who returned the look. They were powerless, Faith realized. Totally powerless.

  *****

  “Yes,” Faith said, feeling like it was all over. “Yes, Nathan and I were inside the park after closing time. We thought we would get there in time, but when we reached the gate it was already locked.”

  “By which point Ellis Pittman was lying unconscious just outside the gate,” Deputy Valdez said, striding around the interrogating room. “But you’re expecting me to believe you didn’t see him.”

  “We didn’t, honestly,” Faith said. “We didn’t look closely, I guess.
Right away we started looking for somewhere to get out, and Nathan found one.”

  Deputy Valdez spun around and stared directly into her eyes. There was clearly something significant about what she had said, though she had no idea what. “How long did it take him to find somewhere to climb over?”

  Faith shrugged. “A couple minutes, I guess. Not long.” She watched his face, worried. “Why?”

  “I am inclined to believe your story. But your friend Nathan has lied. He said that you and he were not inside the park taking a walk on the beach, but you had come out of the park before closing time, and had gone to a stretch of the beach not included in Paradise Point to… spend time together.”

  “Oh,” Faith said, struggling to find something to say. That must have been why Nathan was ringing her, to get her to change her story so they didn’t look guilty. “He really shouldn’t have lied,” she said eventually. “But I think he was just trying to protect me.”

  “Protect you from what? Being found out as the murderer? As one of Ellis Pittman’s attackers?”

  “No! He was trying to protect me from this,” she said, putting her head in her hands. “From being suspected.”

  The Deputy yanked up the phone receiver and dialed a number. “Sheriff, sir. Yes, I think we should arrest Nathan Edwards.”

  “No!” Faith said. “He didn’t do anything wrong!”

  “Obstructing the course of justice,” Deputy Valdez said into the phone. “Excellent. Can I arrest Faith Franklin also?” His face had been hopeful, but screwed up into annoyance. “Why not? I’d say the case is open and shut… But there’s enough evid—…All right, chief. Yes, sir… I’ll be down to come and help you now.” He turned away from Faith and kicked the desk. “You’re free to go. The park is being closed again for the day, so you should go home. Take your cell phone from the table.”

  “You can’t arrest Nathan,” Faith said, her chest feeling like it might burst. “Please, he’s totally innocent!”

  “I said you’re free to go, Miss Franklin,” Deputy Valdez said, his voice like a knife, slicing through the air.

  Faith knew it was useless. She left and walked out of the Sheriff’s Department feeling numb. It was like the world wasn’t real. She wished she could cry, but no tears would come. She couldn’t holler, or weep, or get on the phone to Laura and tell her to tell Nathan… But what would she even tell him?

  “I’m sorry,” she whispered, wishing somehow her words would be carried on the warm Florida breeze and end up brushing against his ear. “I’m so, so sorry.”

  *****

  When Faith got home, the first thing she did – even before checking up on her kitties – was to pick up her jogging sneakers from by the door and hurl them across the room. She felt a quick buzz of release as they hit the far wall and fell on the floor, but it only lasted a moment. The apartment felt too small, too cramped, like the walls were closing in on her and soon she’d be squished by it all.

  She flopped on one of the armchairs, wishing that she could cry. But it just didn’t happen. “Nimbus?” she called out, looking forward to him curling up in her lap. “Cirrus?” Maybe it would bring her a bit of joy to watch him chasing his own tail, or batting his plush mouse about with his soft paw. But no kittens came running. “Fine, then,” she said, annoyed, but then instantly began to feel worried.

  She got up, her brow furrowed, her head banging with what felt like the beginning of a migraine. Maybe they were in the bedroom. Sometimes they liked to curl up in the bottom of the closet when Cirrus had worn himself out by playing too much. But when she pulled the mirrored door to the side, only a few pairs of shoes were in the bottom. No kittens.

  “Cirrus? Nimbus?”

  Her heart was really beginning to start beating by then. She rushed quickly into the bathroom, checking behind the door, in the laundry basket, even in the shower, but there was no sign of them.

  “Nimbus! Cirrus!” she kept calling over and over, rushing to the kitchen. She opened every single cabinet, in case by any crazy chance they’d managed to paw their way in and now couldn’t get out. But why weren’t they mewing? Whenever she called their names they usually responded. The more she looked, the more the horrible feeling of dread at the pit of her stomach grew, telling her: They’re gone.

  “Cirrus!” she called, pulling back the curtains in a frenzy. “Nimbus!” she shouted, pushing up the armchair in case they were both snuggled underneath, asleep. But there was nothing. Finally the tears came, and she collapsed on one of the armchairs, crying as if her heart would break. Where were her beloved babies? Why, oh why had Nathan been arrested? Grandma Bessie had had a fall since she’d arrived. Someone had been murdered. Someone else had been attacked until blood was drawn and they’d been splayed out unconscious. It seemed everything Faith touched was crumbling into dust. Everything went wrong when she was around.

  A knock at the door sounded, and she stood up, feeling her stomach drop into her shoes. She flung open the door, her tears blurring her vision, and said, “Fine, Deputy Valdez, I’m here. Arrest me.” Then she wiped her eyes, saw Laura’s concerned face, and gave her a huge hug, bursting into tears all over again. “Nathan got arrested,” she said, though since she was half-sobbing, half-talking, it didn’t come out so clear. “And the kittens… I don’t know…” She was overcome with the rottenness of it all, so it was hard to speak. “They’re gone!”

  Laura spoke in a soothing voice, leading Faith back to the chair. “Come on, let’s get you sitting down. Now, I know about Nathan, because I was there. We’ll talk about that in a minute. I want to tell you first that the kittens are fine.”

  Faith looked up, wiping her eyes again and making her blurry world come back to normal. “They are?”

  Laura smiled sadly. “Yes. And I didn’t mean to give you such a shock. It was supposed to be a nice surprise. But with all that’s going on right now… Anyways, you wanna come see?”

  “Of course!” Faith said. She hadn’t quite realized how much she loved them and needed them until she’d come back and found them missing.

  *****

  Chapter 19

  There was a garden outside the back of the apartment building, which was little more than a plain lawn lined by trees.

  “Nathan’s been bugging my dad for ages,” Laura said. “You know, to let him landscape it properly. He said he needs a proper portfolio with pictures, so that higher paying clients will hire him. I guess he can use the tearoom garden for that now.”

  “If he ever gets out,” Faith said darkly.

  “Tyler will see sense eventually.” Laura said it breezily, but Faith could hear a note of doubt in her voice.

  “Well, he’s taking an awful lot of wrong back routes to get to sense.” Faith knew her metaphor hadn’t quite worked, but that was the last thing she cared about. She felt thoroughly miserable. “I know that for some crazy reason you like that guy, so I’ve tried not to be too harsh, but I have to be honest, he makes my skin crawl.”

  “Over here,” Laura said a little too loudly. “I want you to see something.” She took them over to the shady space between the trees at the far end of the garden. As they made their way through the foliage, a huge cage came into view, like the kind used for birds or monkeys at the zoo, where they’d have plenty of space to fly or swing around.

  Faith frowned at the luxurious cage. “What’s this?”

  “Look,” Laura said, pointing at a far corner. They’d been in the glare of the sun and it took a couple of moments for Faith’s eyes to adjust to the darkness of the deep shade. But soon she saw there were various rocks placed all throughout the bottom of the cage where it met the grass, making some kind of animal playground. Plus there were plenty of toys and pieces of climbing equipment. To be honest, it looked like an animal wonderland.

  And when Faith looked at where Laura had pointed, she saw one huge ball of gray fluff and two cute, squashed up faces with their eyes closed. “Aww!” she whispered, not wanting to wake them up.
“My babies. They look so happy.” She looked all over inside their new little world over again, taking in all the activities they must have been doing to wear their tiny selves out – climbing up the rock mountain, grabbing at the ball that swung from a rope, pouncing on what looked like a squishy ball that squeaked and lit up…

  “Oh, and I laid out a feast for them,” Laura said. “Sardines and cat treats and a little bit of milk and some cream cheese.” She laughed. “But all that went almost as soon as I put it down this morning. They made a beeline for the sardines.”

  Faith looked from her happy sleeping kitties, to Laura. “Did you…” She gestured at the cage, “Did you do all of this? This morning?”

  Laura shrugged modestly. “Well, we had this cage from when my dad had a pet monkey, way back. I just… well, I made a couple of modifications. Since you said you felt bad about leaving them in the apartment all day. I even wanted to put some plants in, like their own mini little Paradise Point.”

  “Without the murder,” Faith said, jokingly, then let out a deep sigh. “I shouldn’t have said that.”

  “I guess you have to laugh or you cry.”

  Faith put her arm around Laura’s shoulders in a side hug. “Thank you so much. I love it.”

  “You’re so welcome,” Laura said, hugging her back. “Well, it’s kind of as an apology, you know. I feel like… well, I should have been more supportive. I was just letting… fear get in the way of things, I guess. I promise, I’ll do everything I can until both you and Nathan are off the hook.”

  “Speaking of that,” Faith said, “I think we should go talk to Josiah. You know where he lives?”

  “I can ring Sandy and find out. Why? Because of what Tonya said?”

  Faith watched her little kittens sleeping, oblivious to all the madness that was going on around them in the tiny Paradise Point community. “Yep. And Nathan and I saw him last night when we were at the beach. He was there at exactly the same time.”