by Kathi Daley
I could hear him exhale loudly.
“I’m not sure. I got the prints back from those extracted from the window and windowsill. Most of the prints are smudged, and the prints that could be identified belonged to you, Jeremy, Georgia, and Nikki.”
“There is one detail that doesn’t fit with the everyone knows who did it and why theory, and that is the fact that it appears someone is trying to frame Naomi. If they are all in on it, why leave the syringe for you to find? Why not simply dispose of it elsewhere? The fact that it was left in the trashcan in Naomi’s room and that her phone was used to call Alvin shortly before he died, indicates to me that Naomi being a suspect is intentional.”
“While I agree with all of that, to tell you the truth, Naomi’s reaction seems to be the oddest of all. If someone was trying to frame me for a murder, I’d be livid. I’d demand answers and wouldn’t be able to relax until I had them.”
“And yet it appears she partied all night with the others as if nothing happened.”
“I think we need to figure out what the endgame is if everyone is in on it,” Colt said. “Maybe framing Naomi is part of whatever drama seems to be playing out.”
“Are you coming over?”
“I’d like to ask a few more questions before everyone disperses for the day.”
“The group is going sailing. I’m not sure what time they plan on leaving, but you might want to be here when they decide to finally make an appearance. Once they are out at sea, you’ll have lost your chance to speak to them until they get back.”
“Okay. I’ll head over as soon as I can. Don’t let anyone leave until I get there.”
By the time Colt arrived an hour later, the only two to make an appearance were Fiona and Carson. They didn’t look horribly hungover, but they didn’t look chipper by any means. They sipped on coffee and chatted with Georgia while they waited for the others to make their way down. The more I really stopped to consider things, the more suspicious I was about everyone involved. Naomi was Fiona’s sister. Shouldn’t Fiona be as enraged as Naomi should have been about the fact that someone was clearly trying to frame her for Alvin’s murder?
“Do you have news?” Fiona asked Colt.
“Nothing concrete, but I am looking into a few different angles. I have a few additional questions if you don’t mind.”
“Shoot.”
Colt sat down at the table currently occupied by Georgia, Fiona, and Carson. I sat down across from him.
“I’m trying to put together a timeline of events, and after speaking to everyone individually, I find I have some gaps and inconsistencies. I’d like to revisit a few things, including the relationships leading into the weekend.”
“Okay,” Fiona said. “What do you want to know?”
He looked down at his pad. “According to most, Alvin was relatively new to the group.”
She nodded. “Lisa started dating Alvin about eight months ago. None of us, other than Naomi, who made the introductions, knew him before that. While Lisa and I don’t currently have a lot in common and haven’t spent all that much time together in recent years, we have known each other since birth, and I do feel a bond with her. Lisa is only ten days older than me, and our mothers were best friends, so as you can imagine, the two of us were raised like sisters.”
Colt nodded. “I understand that Naomi is your younger sister by four years, and you also have an older sister.”
“Yes. I have a half-sister, Trish. She was born to my father and his first wife, who died when Trish was just nine-months-old. My mother married my father when Trish was six, and I was born three years later, so there are nine years between us.”
“Would you say the two of you are close?” Colt asked.
“I suppose as close as siblings nine years apart in age can be. Trish is married to a Spaniard and lives in Barcelona. I only see her every now and again if she makes a trip to the States or I decide to go and visit her. She hasn’t even met Carson yet, but she assures me she’ll be here for the wedding.”
“So would you say that growing up, you were closer to Lisa than either of your sisters?” Colt asked.
“Oh, absolutely. Our mothers got together almost daily. In many ways, we were raised as sisters. I love Lisa, and we used to be really close, but at some point, I decided that I wanted to have substance and meaning in my life while she was happy to party and travel and basically stumble her way through. In terms of personality, Lisa and Naomi are much more alike.”
“And do they get along?”
“They do now. When we were all younger, Lisa and I were sort of mean to Naomi. She wanted to hang out with us, but in our eyes, she was a baby, so we basically spent quite a few years torturing the poor thing.”
“Torturing?” Colt asked.
“Nothing physical. It was emotional torture. We’d tell her to meet us somewhere and then never show up. That sort of thing.”
His lips tightened. “I see.”
“Of course, once I graduated from high school and went off to college, my relationship with Naomi improved quite a lot. I guess I matured, and when I came home for school breaks, I actually found myself seeking my little sister out. I’d say we’re close now. We still don’t have much in common, but there’s no denying she is my blood. That counts for something in my book.”
“And Lisa?” Colt asked.
“We are friends, but not best friends like we were at one point. When considering female friends, I’m actually closest to Jennifer, and since I started dating Carson and Mike and Ambrosia started dating each other, I find I very much enjoy spending time with Ambrosia as well.”
“But, you still feel bonded with both Lisa and Naomi?” Colt asked.
“I do. Naomi is blood, and Lisa and I share a history. I love them with all my heart. I would die for them if need be.”
“Would you lie for them?”
Fiona made a face that indicated her confusion. “I would. Is that what you think is going on? Do you think I’m lying to protect one of them?”
“Are you?” Colt looked her in the eyes. Carson started to say something, but Fiona placed a hand on his arm.
“No. I am not lying for them, but you are correct in your assumption that I would. I understand why you might need to explore that avenue and don’t begrudge you doing what you need to do, but please be assured I have never been anything but forthright with you and everyone else.”
Colt smiled. “I believe you, but I had to be sure. I do wonder, however, if everyone is being as totally honest as they claim to be, then why is no one a bit more upset by the loss of a friend?”
“Honestly,” Fiona answered, “other than Lisa, of course, none of us liked Alvin. He was stuck up, bigoted, and condescending. He seemed to care about money and little else, and we all suspected he was just using Lisa. The only reason we hung out with him is because Lisa seemed to really be into the guy, and an invitation to Lisa to attend an event required an invitation to Alvin.” Fiona glanced at Carson. “Carson didn’t want to have Alvin as a groomsman, but Lisa pretty much told Carson that if Alvin wasn’t in the wedding party, she wouldn’t be either, and Carson being the observant guy that he is, knew I really wanted Lisa to be part of the wedding, so he asked Alvin.”
“I did say from the beginning that the decision to include Alvin was political,” Carson said.
“Yes, you did,” Colt admitted.
Colt clicked his pen open and shut a few times as he appeared to be considering his next question. Eventually, he spoke. “It seems likely that the person who killed Alvin is someone who is staying with you here at the inn.”
Fiona shook her head. “I don’t believe that. Alvin could be a real tool, and I know that all of us wished Lisa would see the light and dump the guy, but none of us would have hurt him.”
“Do you know everyone well enough to stake your sister’s freedom on that?”
Fiona paused. She glanced at Carson. Finally, she spoke. “What are you getting at?”
&nb
sp; “It appears Naomi is being set up to take the fall, and it seems likely that someone from your group is setting her up.”
“No one would do that.”
“Really? Because it would have been difficult for someone not in your party to have stolen her phone on Thursday evening while you were all partying, make the call to Alvin after everyone was supposedly in bed, kill him and stash him in the shed, and then place the used syringe in Naomi’s trashcan for us to find.”
Fiona paled.
Carson spoke. “I don’t disagree with everything you’ve just said, but like Fiona, I can’t imagine anyone in our party doing any of that.”
“Yet someone did,” Colt said.
“Who, other than Alvin, do the two of you know the least?” Colt asked.
“Stephanie,” they both said.
“Jordan is a friend of mine,” Carson jumped in. “We aren’t as close as Mike and I are, but we’ve known each other for quite a while, so I asked him to be part of the wedding party. He brought Stephanie as his date. To be honest, Fiona and I met her for the first time a week before this trip. She seemed nice enough, so when Jordan asked if he could bring her along, we told him that was fine. Lisa was bringing Alvin, and Mike was bringing Ambrosia, so a precedent of bringing a date had been set.”
“What do you know about Stephanie?” Colt asked.
Carson answered. “Jordan told us that she works in marketing as some sort of consultant. Jordan is a high-end commercial real estate agent, and he met Stephanie through a mutual client. I think they started dating a couple months ago. Maybe less. Like I said, I just met Stephanie for the first time a week before this trip.”
“Do you think they’re serious?”
“No,” Carson said without hesitation. “Jordan doesn’t do serious.”
“So is it your belief that Jordan brought her along because he didn’t want to come alone?”
“Either that, or she heard about the party, and asked him to secure her an invite,” Carson answered.
“That actually seems more likely to me,” Fiona said. “When I spoke to her yesterday during the cocktail hour at the resort, she spent most of the time trying to convince me that I should meet with her professionally when the weekend was over since she was sure she could help me to grow my business.”
Right about that time, Jordan and Stephanie came out of their room, and Colt decided he would continue his interviews in the privacy of the parlor. I wasn’t able to listen in as I had been, so I supposed I’d just have to wait for him to be done and then ask him what he might have learned. Georgia headed into the kitchen, and Jeremy headed out to the garden, so I decided to head back to the cottage. On my way from the inn to the cottage, I noticed Lisa sitting on a bench overlooking the sea.
“It’s a beautiful day.”
She nodded. “It really is. To be honest, when Fiona told me this was where she’d chosen to hold the party, I thought she was nuts, but it is both beautiful and serene.”
“It is. When I moved here from the west coast, I was running from a personal tragedy. I’d been sure there wasn’t enough geography on this planet to outrun what I’d been through, but once I allowed the sea to settle into my soul, I was able to find the solace I needed to heal.” I paused and then continued. “I’m not sure if I’ve said as much, but I am very sorry for your loss. You must be devastated.”
She shrugged. “I guess, but things between me and Alvin weren’t all that great even before we came to Holiday Bay.”
I sat down next to her on the bench. “Oh? You weren’t getting along?”
She shook her head. “It isn’t even that really.” She took a breath and focused her gaze on the sea. “When I first met Alvin, he was charming. He was funny and thoughtful, and he made me feel like the most important person in the world.” A look of grief washed over her face as she continued. “He was kind and considerate, and he’d do all these little things for me to show me how much I meant to him.”
“Oh. What sort of things?” I asked.
“Little things like leaving me a note where he knew I’d find it or sitting through all my favorite movies, even the ones I knew he hated.” She turned and looked at me. “When you grow up in a family with a ridiculous amount of wealth, you learn not to trust people. Very early in life, I found out that most people were only nice to me because of what they thought I could do for them. What I could buy them. Which parties I could get them into.”
“I guess that must have been rough.”
She looked me in the eyes. “It was. It still is. Most of the men I’ve dated expected things from me, but Alvin seemed different. He was very successful in the stock market and had his own money. He paid for things, rather than expecting me to pay as many of the boys and men I’d dated in the past had.”
“But then?” I asked. “I’m sensing a but.”
“But then Alvin started asking for things. Instead of being the one to pay, he claimed his accounts were tied up for one reason or another. At first, I really didn’t care, I have plenty of money, but it wasn’t just that. He started asking me to get him invites to events he would not otherwise have access to.”
“Such as?” I asked.
“Such as private clubs and parties that are only open to those individuals descended from certain family lines. Clubs and parties where those who attend don’t care that you have millions or even billions of dollars if those dollars were earned in your lifetime. The reality is, if you want an invite to certain parties and events, then you best be descended from American Royalty.”
“Such as your family and Fiona’s, amongst others.”
“Exactly.” She turned her attention back out to the sea.
“So, what happened exactly?”
“In the beginning, I wanted to keep our relationship to myself, but then Alvin told me that he wanted to meet my family, so I arranged a dinner. I don’t think my parents liked him much, but as I said, he could be charming, so they didn’t put up too much of a fuss. At least not at first. Then Alvin decided it was time to meet my friends, so I brought him along to a few parties. From there, he began putting pressure on me to get him into private auctions and events, and once he’d cracked that seal, he began pressuring to me to have my father sponsor him at the country club he belongs to.” She turned and looked at me. “Do you know the only reason Alvin was asked to be a groomsman for this wedding is because I emotionally blackmailed Carson into inviting him to be part of the wedding party? I don’t think Carson even liked Alvin, but Carson loves Fiona, and Fiona loves me despite the way I treat her at times, so Alvin got his way.”
She paused, and I allowed the silence to settle in around us. I could sense that she needed to gather her thoughts, and I didn’t want my chatter to get in the way. Eventually, she continued.
“If I’m perfectly honest, I’m afraid that when it came to Alvin, I’ve had blinders on for quite some time. Both Fiona and Naomi tried to warn me, but I was hopelessly in love and wouldn’t listen. I wanted what Fiona and Carson have, and for one moment in time, I really thought I had it.” She turned to look at me again. “But I guess I never did.”
“Did you kill Alvin?” I asked point-blank.
“No. But I did plan to break up with him once the weekend was over. I never said anything about my plans to anyone, but I suspect that Alvin picked up on the fact that I’d finally taken off the rose-colored glasses and wasn’t at all happy with what I found. He was cold and distant before he disappeared. In fact, I looked around for him several times before I passed out cold from all the whiskey I downed, and he wasn’t anywhere to be found.”
“He left the inn?” I asked.
She lifted a shoulder. “I guess. Or maybe he was upstairs. At one point, I thought he might be planning to make a move on Naomi, whose blood is even bluer than mine, but I sort of doubt that she’d have been lured in by his charm. She was the one who introduced us, but she was also the first one to warn me away from him.”
“Do you remember
seeing Naomi during those times Alvin was missing?”
She frowned. “Actually, no. I drank a lot that night, so it’s all a bit fuzzy, but I do remember noticing that both she and Alvin were missing from the group at the same time and wondering about it.” She bit down on her lower lip. “Maybe she was persuaded by his charm.”
Or maybe she actually did kill him, I thought to myself.
Chapter 13
The group was scheduled to head out for their day of sailing at one p.m., so Colt had promised Fiona he would wrap up his interviews in plenty of time. He did say he might want to speak to everyone again at the end of the day, which she agreed to. The group was due to have dinner at the inn, so Georgia, Nikki, and Jeremy were going to be busy between the cleaning and the meal prep. Lacy had called earlier and invited me to come by, so I decided to take her up on it. I was curious what, if anything, Lonnie had learned from the owner of the Chadwick estate.
“Matthew, you leave your brother alone,” Lacy yelled across the yard where her three boys, Michael, Matthew, and Mark, were playing on the swing set while their twin sisters, Mary and Meghan, played in the nearby sandbox. Baby Maddie seemed happy sitting in her toddler swing while Lacy and I chatted. Lonnie was in the garage, tinkering with his truck. For a moment in time, it actually felt like I was part of a large loving family. Not that the family I’d assembled wasn’t great. I adored Georgia, Jeremy, and Annabelle and really couldn’t imagine not having them in my life. But somehow, this was different.
“So was Lonnie able to figure out anything about the secret room we suspect we may have found?” I asked.
“Not really. Unfortunately, he isn’t ready to begin working in that part of the house and doesn’t want to start opening up walls until he has a solid plan, so you may have to wait a couple of months to get the answers you’re seeking.”
“A couple of months?” I complained. “That seems so long.”
“The house isn’t going anywhere, nor is the secret room if there even is a secret room.”
I supposed Lacy had a point, but that was disappointing.
