Sandie James Mysteries Box Set

by Tessa Kelly

  I leaned my elbows on the narrow sill and watched Liam stride over to his bungalow. Duffel bag slung over his shoulder, he opened the door with his key and disappeared inside.

  Beyond that, Ashley’s cabin was also clearly visible, standing at the edge of a small copse of pines and ashes that fringed the base of the cliffs. Since Marlowe wasn’t tied up out front, I figured Ashley had to be home.

  There was the sound of an approaching motorboat, probably Vincent and the others returning from their scuba trip. Just in time for the wedding. Confirming my guess, Carl appeared a minute later walking from the direction of the dock, hair wet and a towel slung over his shoulders.

  Satisfied with what I’d seen, I stepped away from the window and stretched my neck, stiff with tension. Then I headed back into the hallway. Taking the emergency staircase, I ran downstairs and headed straight for the staff bungalows.

  Ashley opened the door on the second knock. Her beaming smile turned into a look of surprise when she saw me, making me wonder if she’d been expecting someone else. She recovered quickly, though.

  “Hey, Sandie! What are you doing here? Thought you’d be getting dressed for the wedding.”

  “There’s still time,” I said. “Just wanted to come by and get Marlowe. My sister and I decided he’s got every right to be at the ceremony, as long as he behaves of course.”

  Marlowe, needing no invitation, scurried over and around Ashley’s legs and planted his front paws on my knees, wagging his tail like he hadn’t seen me in a week.

  “Well, good for him!” Ashley reached behind the door and handed me Marlowe’s leash. “I just hope he can stay still. I’ve had to keep an extra eye on him when he’s not on a leash. He keeps trying to run away.”

  “Oh, no. Sorry if he caused you any trouble. Probably sensed Kathy and I were close and it was getting him agitated.”

  “Actually, he wasn’t running to the hotel,” Ashley said. She waved in the direction of the pines and the cliffs. “He kept trying to go that way. I thought, maybe he was smelling squirrels or something.”

  I frowned at the cliffs and the small grove, wild nature reclaiming its ground just mere feet from the hotel. Then I shrugged. “Well. Thanks for keeping an eye on him these past couple of days. You’ve been a real help.”

  I bent to secure the leash to Marlowe’s collar, then straightened again and stood looking at Ashley.

  Her eyebrows rose a little. “Was there something else you wanted?”

  There was. The real reason I’d come there. I decided not to beat around the bush.

  “Listen, some people in the wedding party have been talking. Well, gossiping, actually. About you and Timothy. I wanted to ask you about that, if it’s okay.”

  She blinked, staring at me in apparent confusion.

  “The first night that Timothy got here,” I said, “is it true that he made a pass at you?”

  “Oh.” She wrinkled her nose like she smelled something bad. “Well...yeah. He did. If my dad was still alive, he would’ve chased him off with a toilet plunger. I would’ve done it myself, if he wasn’t one of the guests. But I made it clear I wasn’t interested. He was just one of those guys, kind of a sleazeball.” Suddenly, her eyes widened and she gulped. “I guess I shouldn’t say that stuff about a dead guy.”

  “That’s all right, you were just being honest,” I said. “And I promise I won’t tell anyone.”

  Ashley smiled. “Well, I should go. I still got a whole bunch of things to do this afternoon.”

  Left alone with Marlowe, I stood for a few moments, looking around. To my right were the guest bungalows, appearing quiet and empty, though I knew two of them had occupants. To the left, the grassy lawn sloped toward the beach. I glanced down at Marlowe, and he stared up at me with ears at attention. Like a soldier awaiting orders from the captain.

  “Was it really just the squirrels?” I asked.

  He rose to his feet with a low whine.

  I nodded. “Let’s take a walk down there and you can show me.”

  We strolled to the beach at a brisk pace. It had to be brisk, because Marlowe was pulling hard on the leash, following some scent only he could feel.

  I allowed him to tow me along as he trotted with his nose close to the ground. A part of me was more than a little doubtful. Could be, I was wasting precious time following this hunch, and our stroll would end with me staring down a literal rabbit hole. But, just on the off chance...

  A few moments later, we ended up at the end of the beach, where the cliffs jutted out into the sea. Marlowe didn’t stop there. Tail rigid with tension, he showed every intention of wanting to keep going.

  Remembering the incident on the ferry, I tightened my grip on the leash. “You can’t go any further, buddy. There’s nothing there, just water and rocks.”

  He glanced back at me, wet nose twitching, and pulled on the leash again, insistent on dragging me into the surf.

  “Fine. Have it your way.” I gave the leash some slack and he immediately waded in up to his chest into the foamy waves. And still he wanted to go further, pulling me toward the rocks. With a sigh, I kicked off my sandals and followed him.

  We waded in the shallow water until the cliff wall barred our way. Marlowe edged along its side, the water getting deep enough so that he had to swim and I was in up to my waist. I stepped carefully, watchful out for possible pits and depressions in the sand. Then we were around the cliff’s edge and I stopped short, staring into the mouth of a dim cave.

  The waves splashed and buffeted me, trying to knock me off balance. Holding on to the rock for support, I inched closer to the entrance of the cave, tall enough for an adult to enter without needing to bend. Beyond the entrance, the cave was about the size of a living room, with the floor entirely hidden under water, which ebbed and flowed with the ocean’s breathing. The uneven walls rose up to a low, jagged ceiling, glistening dark.

  Marlowe was already moving forward, eager to explore.

  “You’re right, buddy.” I kept my voice light to offset the blood drumming in my temples. “We’ve made it this far, found a cave we didn’t know existed. Might as well go in and look around.”

  Stomach clenched in anticipation, I took several cautious steps into the cave, keeping close to the wall where the water was only up to my knees. The uneven floor sloped gently toward the center, where the water seemed deep.

  Cold. Too cold for this time of year. Then again, this was the north and no tropical island.

  Scanning the dim space around me, I edged further in. I wasn’t sure what I was looking for, just knew with a kind of inexplicable certainty that it was there. Like a beacon shining a light on something that had been in my mind all the time without my knowing it.

  And then, I saw it. Against the far wall where the light was dimmest, the water ebbed, revealing the tops of two glistening rocks standing close together, with only a narrow space between them. Before they were covered up again, my eyes caught the glimmer of something else that was not part of the stone.

  Marlowe had gone on ahead. Climbing out of the water onto a narrow stone shelf that ran along the wall, he padded back and forth, his nose twitching toward the spot where the rocks were.

  I edged over and plunged my hand into the water. My fingers closed around the target. There were two objects, wedged in tightly, and it took me several moments before they were free of the stones. The first came out slowly, then the other.

  I lifted them out of the water and held them up to examine in the dim light, struggling to keep my footing and hold Marlowe’s leash at the same time.

  “Good job, buddy.” My whisper echoed around the stone walls, making it sound louder I meant it.

  The objects in my hands were a diver’s mask and a black wetsuit. A man’s wetsuit, judging by the size of it.

  My heart pounded as every separate and seemingly unrelated part of the mystery that had me stuck was suddenly pulled together into a whole, guided into place by the things clutched in my ha
nds.

  “Marlowe, I know what happened that night.”

  His tail stopped wagging and he growled. This, and the slight change in the movement of the water, were the only warnings I had.

  The next moment, thunder exploded behind me, splitting my head in two. Sparks flew from my eyes but were immediately extinguished again as a curtain of blackness fell on the world.

  The cave floor whooshed up from under my feet, shooting me off into the coldness of space. Higher and higher up, it closed around me like a frozen cocoon.

  Then, there was nothing.

  Chapter 21

  I woke up to a pounding headache, coughing and spitting salty water I didn’t remember drinking. My pillow was as hard as stone. And cold. Ice-cold. The rest of me was soaking wet.

  Unacceptable. What kind of a hotel would let their guests sleep on sodden sheets? Will have to write a complaint to the Travel Bureau when I get home.

  Was there a Travel Bureau, with agents in black suits and hair all slicked back? They took shoddy hotel owners into small, windowless rooms for interrogation...

  No. That didn’t sound right. I must’ve been thinking of something else.

  Still, someone better be out there to straighten out this mess. Will have to find them as soon as I get up.

  I tried to lift my head off the pillow, but moving it shot a lightning bolt through my brain. It hurt just trying to open my eyes.

  What was my hurry? The wedding was still hours away. No one would mind if I got an extra hour of shut-eye.

  No dice. There was now a wet tongue licking my face. My nose, my cheek.

  Liam?

  I grimaced and tried to push him away.

  Over my ear, the morning alarm began to growl.

  Stupid alarm. I just need a few more minutes. Please!

  The alarm kept growling, persistent. Weird. Since when did alarms make sounds like that?

  Someone must’ve come into my room and set it to that ringtone to play a joke on me. Or to annoy me. In which case, it was probably Jennifer. She must’ve soaked the sheets, too.

  The growling got louder.

  They wouldn’t let me sleep in peace. I should just get up.

  I made another colossal effort and finally opened one eye. From a few inches away, two brown ones stared back at me. As I gasped, they blinked and sprang back, then moved closer again. Shiny, wet stones set in a brown and white furry muzzle. The muzzle split open in a toothy grin, letting a long pink tongue hang loose as it panted. I squinted at it.

  “Marlowe? Why aren’t you with Ashley? She promised me she’d watch you.”

  Okay. This was just incompetence, letting my dog loose. I didn’t like to be one of those customers, but negligence was unacceptable. I should definitely complain to someone.

  Slowly, ignoring the fiery spears in my brain, I turned my head and stared around.

  I was lying half-submerged in water, with my cheek resting on a stone ledge. Stone walls surrounded me, dimly lit by the light coming in from the entrance several feet away.

  The cave. I had come here with Marlowe. I was looking for something. What?

  Blinking water from my lashes, I stared at the dog. He blinked back and pawed the hard stone. His tail twitched.

  Oh, right. I found a wetsuit. I hadn’t really known I was looking for it until I was holding it in my hands, and everything suddenly started to become clear. Then came the darkness.

  Someone must’ve hit me with a heavy object from behind. Which meant... someone had followed me in here. Didn’t want me knowing something important. My hand went to the jade necklace, and I gave it a squeeze with stiff fingers, then nodded at Marlowe still watching me intently. “I know. Sandie is good. She’s making real progress.”

  Looking down, it occurred to me I was still sitting in water, and the water was still freezing.

  I put out a hand and braced myself against the wall, then scrambled to my feet. Holding on with one hand, I touched the fingers of my other hand to the back of my head where it hurt the worst. My fingers came away with droplets of blood on them.

  I thought back, concentrating as much as my battered brain would let me. There was a vague recollection of water closing around me as I fell. At the time, I thought I was being shot into space but it had to be water because... because that just made more sense.

  Right.

  So, I was hit on the head from the back and fell face-first in the water. I should’ve drowned but, somehow, I woke up with my head on the dry ledge.

  My eyes found Marlowe again. I felt with my fingers down my neck and shoulders. My shirt seemed to be torn in places at the back, like it had been ripped by something sharp. Dog teeth. Marlowe must’ve dragged me out of the water after I had fallen.

  The little genius.

  How long had I been passed out? Minutes, seconds, hours...

  Who cares?

  I was alive, thanks to Marlowe.

  “You’re getting prime rib tonight,” I told him. “Cooked rare, just as you like it, and with all the fixings.”

  Turning, I slowly made my way to the two stones where I’d found the wetsuit. Behind me, Marlowe gave an anxious bark.

  “I know,” I muttered. “I doubt my assailant left the suit behind, but I have to check. Just in case.”

  Sure enough, the small gap between the stones held nothing but water. Still, the evidence couldn’t have gotten far. Unless I had been passed out longer than I thought, the killer wouldn’t have had the time to get away with it. Not yet.

  “Come on, Marlowe. We need to get back to the hotel.”

  I struggled along the cave wall. It seemed to take me forever to reach the entrance. I had to walk slowly for the pounding in my head. But at least the dizziness was subsiding. By the time we made our way back to the beach, I could walk without the support of the cliff. Halfway to the hotel, I saw Kathy and John running my way.

  My sister’s eyes were wide with concern. “Sandie, where’ve you been? We’ve been looking all over for you. You’re a mess... Oh, my God! You’re bleeding!”

  I grabbed her forearm for support. Next to us, John stared at me looking pale and troubled.

  “What time is it?” I asked. “Did I miss the wedding?”

  “Supposed to start in less than half an hour,” Kathy said. “What happened to you? Your forehead is all scraped up.”

  I touched the spot she was staring at. “I must’ve hit it on the rock when I fell.”

  “You fell from a rock? Where? How?”

  I managed a smile. “I’m okay. Really. I could use a towel, though.”

  “I’ll get it.” John spun on his heels and headed to the hotel at a run.

  Leaning on Kathy, I reached the terrace where I fell into the nearest wicker chair.

  John came hurrying back with a dry towel and a snifter of brandy. I gulped it down, its warmth spreading through me with a vivifying effect.

  “We need to clean that cut,” Kathy insisted. “Let’s take you upstairs.”

  She helped me up. I wrapped the towel around my shoulders and looked at John. “What’s the name of the restaurant where your nephew works?”

  “Carl?” He frowned. “Cervelles au Beurre Noire. Why?”

  I shook my head. “I’ll explain later. Kathy’s right, I gotta get cleaned up first. While I’m upstairs, would you gather everyone in the dining room? Including the sheriff and Ashley.”

  “The groundskeeper?” His eyebrows rose.

  I nodded, hoping Henry and Geraldine would forgive me for making them postpone the wedding again. “Yes. Everyone.”

  Chapter 22

  Twenty minutes later, having showered, changed, and treated my head with the antiseptic, I came downstairs again.

  John and Kathy, true to their word, had gathered everyone in the dining room. Sheriff Watkins and the deputy arrived at the same time as I did. The sheriff made straight for his nephew who began whispering in his ear, looking furious.

  All other eyes were on me. All, exc
ept Liam, stared apprehensively. Some appeared skeptical or hostile. Eric and Majandra sat a distance from each other, carefully avoiding eye contact. I noticed with a pang of guilt that Henry and Geraldine were dressed in everyday clothes, which meant they must’ve taken off their wedding attire after John told them about my request.

  Jennifer crossed her arms and turned to her uncle. “I know you and Geraldine like to humor her, but this is going too far. You should be getting married right now. Why are you letting this attention-stealer take your spotlight?”

  “Because we want to hear what Sandie has to say,” Henry told her firmly. “As you said, Jennifer, it’s our spotlight, which means we can share it if we believe it’s important.”

  “If Sandie found out what happened to Timothy, we should all know,” Leonie added quietly from the other table.

  Susan and Vincent rolled their eyes, but Carl nodded in agreement.

  Arms crossed, Jennifer sat back and stared me down with a look that was probably meant to reduce me to ashes. “Well? You’ve got your cheerleaders doing everything you want. Get on with it, at least. What are you waiting for?”

  “I’m waiting for Ashley,” I told her calmly. “As you can see she’s not here yet.”

  The others looked at each other in surprise.

  “What’s the groundskeeper got to do with this?” Carl asked, looking worried for the first time.

  “Be patient. You’ll know in a few minutes.”

  He gave me a frowning stare.

  There were footsteps on the terrace, and Ashley came in. She wore her usual khaki shorts and a polo, but she’d taken off her cap, letting her blond hair spill over her shoulders. She stopped in the doorway and gave the room a sweeping look, seeming undecided.

  “I was asked to come here,” she said. “I’m not sure why.”

  I gave her an encouraging nod. “Thanks, Ashley. Just take a seat. There’s an empty chair next to Susan.”