“I took a year off from college to pursue a passion I knew I would never be able to fulfill when I came back to Augustin. I was slated to take over the inn, and that was non-negotiable with my father. Even an award-winning cookbook wasn’t enough to dissuade him from his dream for me.”
Sherry watched Ginger’s face sag. “Life gets in the way of dreams sometimes.”
Ginger managed a slight smile. “Maybe this place going bankrupt is for the best. Who knows? It’s not too late to write a sequel. Desserts. I even have a title picked out. Sweet Temptations.”
“I’d buy that.” Sherry retrieved the book from Pep’s hands. He left a smear of glaze on the edge of the book. “Have you had enough?”
Pep nodded.
Sherry returned the cookbook to Ginger. “Would you mind if Pep and I took one more look around the barn?”
“Not at all. You might need an umbrella. The wind has shifted to the east, and that usually means storms.
“Be careful to turn off the lights on your way out. I’m trying to keep the critter population down in there. I think they’re attracted to lights. Excuse me. I see my brother.” Ginger raced to the library entrance. “Addison?” she called out before disappearing.
“Oxana just texted. She’s in the barn,” Pep said.
They hustled out of the library and down the hallway toward a set of French doors that led to the veranda and barn. “This is my secret route in and out of the building.”
“Look, there’s room one ninety-one. Door’s open.” Sherry poked her head inside the door. “Not a room. It’s a supply closet. Why was Ginger sending Roe to the supply closet? Doesn’t make any sense. Unless Ginger couldn’t think fast enough on her feet to cover for Uri and threw out the first number that popped into her head.”
“What does make sense, at this point?” Pep asked. “Let’s keep moving. Oxana’s waiting.”
When they left the main building, Sherry glanced skyward. The weather had followed Ginger’s prediction. The swollen gray clouds burst open with torrents of rain. Flashes of lightning, followed by explosions of thunder, filled the sky. Sherry and Pep perched under a slim overhang, considering opportunities to make a mad dash down the path. No such moment came.
Sherry turned to her brother. “We’re going to be electrocuted out here.” Her words fell flat when Pep bolted for the barn.
Flashback to when Pep coaxed Sherry to the top of a high-dive platform at the public pool. Their parents had warned her not to attempt the jump. Pep talked her into it. Decades later, she could still feel the pain of the belly flop from that height. “Here we go again.” She leapt off the protected slate slab the moment an explosion of thunder rattled the ground. She clutched her aching stomach, tucked her head down, and sloshed through the deepening puddles. She traced Pep’s footsteps into the barn, where she came to a sliding stop on the moist wood floor. Her canvas sneakers squished water out from the inside when she took a step forward.
“Oxana?” Pep called out.
A boom of thunder cracked. Wallboards shuddered.
“Oxana?” Sherry motioned for Pep to follow her to the back of the barn.
The single bulb over Oxana’s desk was lit. It swung with the vibration of the thunderclaps, giving life to the shadows cast by the giant vertical beams holding up the ceiling.
Sherry patted her back pocket. “Can you try calling her? I left my phone in the car.”
Sherry’s hands curled into balls after a flash of lightning so intense, it filled the interior of the barn with a blinding white light. She shut her eyes in anticipation of the explosion of noise to come. She didn’t have to wait long. She lunged forward and dug her nails into Pep’s forearm.
He cried out in pain.
Before she could release him, the single light went out. Sherry’s mouth dropped open and she felt Pep’s arm stiffen.
“Pretty bad storm.”
Sherry’s stomach iced over. “That wasn’t Oxana,” she whispered.
“Who’s there?”
Sherry’s head jerked back with the ferocity of Pep’s words.
Pep held up his phone’s flashlight. The beam was so narrow that, as he swept the light around the room, Sherry had trouble deciphering what she could make out.
“I said, who’s there?”
“It’s . . .”
A clap of thunder smothered the reply.
“Let’s get out of here.” Sherry yanked on Pep’s arm. A flashlight beam emerged from behind the wall separating Oxana’s desk and her storage area. The light revealed only a black silhouette of someone walking toward her and Pep. The bobbing topknot of hair gave away her identity.
“Ginger,” was all Sherry could manage to whisper.
“We’re looking for Oxana,” Ginger said.
“We? Are you with someone?” Pep asked.
The lightning was easing up, which left the barn interior unlit for longer periods of time.
“Addison’s in here somewhere. He knows this building in and out, even in the pitch dark.” Ginger’s tone grew distracted and distant. “Recently, he’s been spending longer and longer amounts of time in here, like he did when we were kids. I’m afraid Addison isn’t taking my plans for the future very well. I’m very worried about him. He puts on a brave face, but I know he’s having trouble adjusting to the possibility of the inn closing. He never was good with change. The inn’s been his home base for his entire life. Only his fishing trips to Maine get him out of town.”
“What about you, Ginger? Are you sure you’re giving this situation enough thought? I mean, I’m positive there are alternatives to saving the inn.” Sherry squinted to get a better look at Ginger’s expression. “Desperation can lead to rash decisions. Take your time.”
Heads turned in the direction of the sound of footsteps coming from behind the wall.
“Sherry makes a lot of sense.” Addison drew near. “There’s a good chance the murders of Fitz and Vilma could have been a result of your decision to sell the inn.”
“Sherry didn’t say that,” Pep said.
“Have you seen Oxana?” Sherry asked. “We were supposed to meet her here right now. The weather may have changed things.”
“I’m here,” a voice called out from just inside the barn doors. A thin stream of light aimed at the floor approached. Sopping wet footprints illustrated the route. “I’m glad you all could make it.”
“Oxana. You invited all of us?” Ginger asked. “What’s going on?”
“I’ve been away.” Oxana grabbed a handful of hair and squeezed. Water cascaded to the floor. A remaining drip trickled down her forehead. “Had to think.”
“Sounds like she’s quitting, like everyone else. Ginger would probably have let you go soon anyway, to save money,” Addison said. “Your resignation doesn’t require such a big audience, does it?”
“Vilma sent a message,” Oxana said.
Sherry’s throat constricted. “Vilma’s gone.”
“Vilma found killer.” Oxana’s accent strengthened. “I read note in Mr. Trembley’s room. I try to work on my English by reading everything. Note was in the garbage anyway. I had to ask Vilma what word in note meant.”
Sherry shivered as a flash of lightning illuminated the barn. The pitch black returned, as did a blast of thunder.
“Ginger?” Sherry called out.
The woman had disappeared under the cover of darkness.
“Oxana, are you sure you want to do this?” Pep asked. “Why don’t we take a walk over to the main building?” Pep reached out to guide Oxana forward.
“I’d like to hear what she has to say.” Addison peered to his left, then to his right. “I have a pretty big stake in having the killer caught. I’m afraid it’s my sister. She’s in a tough situation, and I think she took out her desperation on Fitz. He was the one who was taking down Maine Course Foods, and that would, in turn, take down the man Ginger relied on for her future. Am I right, Oxana?”
“Let’s go, Sherry,” Pep said. �
��Oxana, we’re going back to the main building.”
“What’s the rush? I have some questions for Oxana. First being, what note?” Sherry’s voice took on a tone of urgency. She turned to face Addison. “Ginger didn’t do it. You know she doesn’t have an evil bone in her body.”
“Really? Then where has she run off to?” Addison said.
“Sherry!” Pep grabbed Sherry’s arm and pulled her toward the barn entrance.
“What is it? Why are you acting like this?” Sherry demanded.
When they reached the barn door, a crack of thunder halted their progress.
Sherry put her hand on the door to steady herself. She turned to face Pep and whispered, “Just go along with me. I know what I’m doing.”
“You guys all right in here? I saw lights that looked like flashlights out here and couldn’t believe anyone would venture out here in this storm.” The man in the dripping wet raincoat slid the hood off his head. Roe. “Need help?”
Another rain-coated body emerged from behind him. When the hood was lowered, Kelly’s face beamed a smile. “We were taking our last walk together before we check out tomorrow. We got caught in the downpour. So romantic, right, Bunny Rabbit?”
Chapter 28
“Was romantic, until we were nearly struck by lightning.” Roe fidgeted with his flashlight. “You all look like you’re heading out. Hope we didn’t interrupt. We were checking to make sure no one was caught in the blackout. Looks like you all were. Thank goodness for flashlights. Anyone seen Ginger?”
Glances were exchanged, but no one replied.
“She was here a minute ago,” Addison said after an awkward gap of silence. “Then we started talking about the murders.”
Kelly gasped. “I don’t want to hear about murders when the lights are out. This barn is chilling enough.”
Addison continued. “Oxana was telling us she found a note in your guest room, Roe. In the trash can. She hasn’t told us what the note says yet.”
Roe eyed Kelly. “Please, don’t. I don’t want to spoil the surprise.” He turned to Oxana. “Please, Oxana. It was only a rough draft. I haven’t finished the final copy.”
“Surprise?” Oxana cocked her head. “The scribbled note about water and murder?”
Addison took two steps toward the barn door. He cupped his hand around his mouth and bellowed, “Ginger!”
“No, no.” Roe pulled Kelly closer to his side. The petite woman was a rag doll in his grip. “I thought you meant my note to Kelly expressing my love.”
Kelly hugged Roe with all her might.
“You must be talking about the note I found in the tackle box I bought from Addison. Looked like something he scribbled down. I just tossed that in the garbage.”
“I read it,” Oxana said. “Instructions to murder someone without a trace. ‘Drowning’ was circled. I had to ask Vilma to translate.”
Addison arched forward, as if he were gut punched. When he straightened up, he had a gun in his hand. A scream caught in Sherry’s throat.
“Check the box,” Sherry uttered in a choked whisper.
Addison pointed the gun at Roe’s head. “I’m holding you right here until I can get ahold of the police. Don’t even think about moving a muscle. Kelly, back away. Your boyfriend’s a murderer.”
Kelly sidestepped toward Sherry.
Roe made a weak attempt to reach out for Kelly. “This is ridiculous. I didn’t kill anyone. Get that thing out of my face.”
A deafening noise rose from the back of the barn.
Sherry stared into Addison’s eyes. “Addison, Roe didn’t do it. Put the gun away before someone gets hurt. I want to show you something.” Sherry reached into the front pocket of her corduroy barn coat, the coat she always chose to wear when she needed pockets large enough for keys, a phone, and miscellaneous sundries.
Another tremendous thud came from the back of the barn. Roe aimed his phone’s flashlight at the noise. Dust was billowing from the floor across the room, where something had crashed down. Before Addison could refocus on Sherry, she pulled her homemade deer repellent out of her pocket. “Look what I brought. Deer repellent for the garden. Works wonders. See?” She pumped the trigger and hit Addison squarely in the eyes.
Addison screamed and swatted wildly at his face with the hem of his shirt. Pep kicked the gun out of Addison’s flailing hand. The weapon landed halfway across the room and slid into the darkness.
“Follow me.” Pep steered Sherry out the door.
Someone attempted to hold Sherry by the hem of her shirt, but she managed to squirm away from the grip. Outside the barn, the rain had let up, but the saturated ground sucked each step deep into mud, requiring herculean strength to move forward.
“Hurry up,” Pep called out to Oxana. He made a right turn into the entrance of the corn maze.
Sherry’s stomach somersaulted as she peered over her shoulder. Roe and Kelly were struggling to keep up. Kelly’s short legs and ankle-length skirt were slowing her progress. When Sherry rounded the corner of the first maze wall, Pep was clinging to a protruding cornstalk.
“Addison loves gingersnaps,” Sherry said to her panting brother.
“I know. I saw him take two handfuls every morning.”
“Ginger’s one of the best home cooks in the county.”
“Again, I know. She just showed us her cookbook.” Pep tripped and nearly went down. “Oh! Now I understand.”
Sherry heard voices closing in. She winced as the sound of squishy footsteps competed with the sound of the driving rain. Pep put his arm across Sherry’s midsection and secured her against the maze wall, out of sight of the entrance. Sherry recoiled when she heard her name uttered by a female.
“Sherry, are you in there?” An airy whisper grew closer.
“Ginger, we’re in the corner. Over here,” Sherry said.
Ginger, with Kelly in tow, rounded the maze entrance. They tucked themselves beside Sherry.
Roe backed in. “He’s looking for the gun. I lost him in the barn.”
“I did my best to distract Addison. I’m who’s haunting the barn,” Ginger admitted. “I didn’t want to believe my brother could do what he did. I believe you very nearly were his next victim, Roe. He wanted you gone because you were turning on Uri. You were either going to take the murder wrap or be murdered.”
“I’m so sorry,” Sherry offered. “This didn’t go exactly as planned. If Addison was the guilty party, as I suspected, I had hoped he’d confess, and that would be the end.”
Pep caught his breath. “Ginger, how did Fitz know Addison loved gingersnaps when he wrote his shrimp wrap recipe?”
Ginger shook her hooded head. Rainwater splashed Sherry in the face. “Good chance Fitz read my cookbook. You know, it was a best seller, back in the day. The cookbook has a story about Addison stealing my freshly baked gingersnaps faster than I could make them.”
“And Fitz knew Sherry always reads her competitors’ recipes,” Pep said.
“Addison’s pocket fisherman had traces of my car’s paint on it,” Sherry said.
“Is that what was in the bag Eileen left on your doorstep?” Pep asked.
“Yep. Eileen’s note inside the bag said she thought he needed the pole back to finish a job he had obviously started. How right she was.”
Sherry pressed her back against the wall. “Addison must have been threatening Fitz for some time now. So much so that Fitz hatched a plan to expose his killer, in the chance the threats turned to violence.”
The lines on Ginger’s forehead deepened. “Lyman came to the inn looking for information about the cook-off a couple of weeks ago, under the guise of being a spice distributor.”
“Obviously, to look into whether Fitz was competing,” Sherry said, “so he could serve Fitz. If Addison spoke with Lyman while he was here, Addison may have learned Fitz would soon be legally bound to testify against Shrimply Amazing. But why would he care?”
Pep hung his head. “I’ve seen Addison a number o
f times in Portland. The night I met Uri and Roe, Addison was the one called to escort me off the property. Seems he was as on-call for Uri as Roe.”
Ginger frowned. “Addison loves the freelance life of contract work. He works just enough to get by.”
“He had your financial support. Makes for an easy life.” Sherry hoped she hadn’t overstepped with the comment. “Stressful for you, though.” She braced for a return attack.
“Huh. That hurts to hear,” was all Ginger came back with.
“I’m as guilty as you, not wanting my kid brother to grow up,” Sherry said.
“I thought I was instrumental in getting Addison employment as Shrimply Amazing’s fishing expert during the cook-off,” Ginger said. “Turns out he was already working for them. I knew he made trips to Maine. I gave him money for lodging, with the promise of repayment. Figured he was fishing. That’s what he loves. He was so angry when I told him I couldn’t afford to fund his trips anymore.”
“He was angry at Fitz for potentially taking down Shrimply Amazing. I bet he wanted Fitz gone for some time because he knew too much. I’m also afraid Addison was targeting both of us in the corn maze. Me, for sniffing around,” Sherry said.
“And me for what he saw as a multitude of sins, the worst being pulling his financial plug,” Ginger said. “But, how did you come to suspect Addison?”
“I began to suspect Addison when I showed him the fishhook Vilma had given Oxana,” Sherry explained. “His reaction was so bland to something he cherished. I couldn’t get it out of my mind. It would be like me turning up my nose at a gift of European white truffles.”
“You’re spot on,” Ginger said.
“I’m so sorry.” Sherry put a hand on Ginger’s back.
“This all explains how easily Uri slipped into my life. Uri’s courtship was all Addison’s doing. My brother wasn’t even trying to save the family inn. He only wanted to endear himself to Uri to guarantee his fake contract-fishing job. The plan collapsed when Uri became aware the inn was in financial trouble, and I had no money to offer his ailing business. Out of desperation to keep him interested, I offered all I had left, my retirement savings.” Ginger hung her head. “I’m an idiot.”
Eat, Drink and Be Wary Page 23
