The Inn at Holiday Bay Books 10 - 12

by Kathi Daley

  “I guess it was important to her that the sisters really have a chance to get to know one another before they divvy up her stuff and go their separate ways.”

  “It does seem that way.”

  “Does it seem to you that they are all getting along?” I asked.

  “So far. In fact, they were animated and smiling when they left for their afternoon event. I think they are really having a lot of fun with the whole thing.”

  “I hope so after all the effort their grandmother went to.” I looked toward the front of the building. “Lacy is coming with an armload of stuff, so I guess I’ll go and help her. See you this evening.”

  Once Lacy and I had loaded her car with both the stuff she’d rented and the stuff she’d purchased, we headed toward the antique store. When I’d first come to Holiday Bay, Lacy had been so good about taking me around and helping me find the perfect items to furnish the inn. I’d say by this point, furnishing the inn was pretty well finished, but Lacy ran a side business refurbishing furniture and was always looking for her next project.

  “While I was inside the store waiting for the owner to find the canes and top hats he’d told me about, I got a call from Lonnie,” Lacy informed me. Lonnie was her contractor husband. “I guess when he went by the preschool to pick the twins up, he ran into Ryan Steadman, who was there to pick his girlfriend’s daughter up.” Ryan was the bank president. “Ryan told Lonnie that he’d heard that Daryl Prater’s wife had filed for divorce.”

  “I guess I’m not totally surprised. It does seem like his handling of the investment that went belly up has become quite the headache for her, especially given the fact that the investors who lost their life savings have decided to go after her money.”

  “Lonnie said that Daryl has been spending a lot of time in the bar.”

  “Maybe he figures he can try to drink his troubles away.”

  “Maybe, but it seems that spending all your time in a bar will only lead to more troubles rather than helping you with the ones you already have.”

  I supposed that was true.

  “I really have no way of knowing if Hollander’s death is related to the fact that he was representing Daryl and his wife in the lawsuit brought forward by the group who lost their cash, but it does seem that the shoddy investment has led to heartache for a lot of people.”

  I supposed I had to agree with that.

  “Just yesterday, Velma told me that the financial mess created by the whole thing has put a lot of tension in what had previously been solid relationships,” Lacy added. Velma owned the local diner and was usually up on all the current gossip.

  “Which relationships?” I asked.

  “I guess that Craig and Ava Murray are in couples counseling because of the stress created in their marriage after they lost all their money, and Jason Oliver actually got into a fistfight with Darby King last week since Jason apparently blames Darby for introducing him to Daryl in the first place.”

  “I guess the loss of such a large amount of money would bring about a certain loss of security, which I imagine could lead to short tempers.” I paused to think about it. “Jason is a bit of a hothead, but I’m sort of surprised to hear that Darby was involved in such a thing.”

  She turned into the parking lot of the antique store. “Based on what I heard, Darby threw the first punch.”

  “Really?”

  Lacy nodded. “Jason and Darby ran into each other after bowling leagues let out earlier in the week. Jason said something to Darby about the lawsuit and that he hoped Hollander’s death wouldn’t mess things up for them. Then Darby said something about Hollander just doing his job and being sorry the man had died. Jason made a snide comment about attorneys in general, and Darby hauled off and punched him. I guess the two went at it until the owner of the bowling alley got in the middle of it and broke it up.”

  I frowned. “That seems odd. Why would Darby punch Jason just because he made a snide remark about attorneys? It’s not like he’s an attorney.”

  Lacy shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe Darby wanted to punch Jason anyway, and the discussion about Hollander just gave him an opening. I suppose my point in this conversation is that tensions are high. The fact that Daryl didn’t do nearly as much time as the folks he hurt the most thought he should have hasn’t helped the situation. And then top that off with the fact that Hollander seemed to be doing a good job protecting the wife’s money as well. I think there are a lot of folks who hoped that the wife’s money would make things right.”

  I wasn’t sure that any of the suspects Colt had looked at could be considered a strong suspect with means, motive, and opportunity, but there did seem to be a lot of folks out there with strong emotions who might have been driven to an act they wouldn’t have previously considered. Hollander did seem to take on clients who were unpopular with the masses. Maybe it would be a good idea for Colt to broaden his suspect list. Of course, there were other angles to consider, as well.

  During the approximately seventy-five minutes we spent in the antique store, Lacy was able to find a dresser, a bedframe, a coffee table, and a set of barn doors she was very excited about. Once she’d paid for everything and arranged for shipping, we set off toward Holiday Bay.

  “You know,” I said as we drove north. “I’ve been thinking about the idea that maybe the reason Hollander was murdered had nothing to do with his career as an attorney. As far as I can tell, there are so many people who might have had a beef with him due to his propensity to defend people who really are guilty and don’t deserve to get off that I’m not sure a lot of time has been spent looking at folks with a different motive.”

  “Like what?” Lacy asked.

  I frowned. “I’m not sure. Initially, it seemed like the killer must have been someone from the play’s cast or crew since Hollander was murdered while at the theater. Based on the angle of the blow to the head and the force with which it was delivered, Colt determined that only four men had the height and strength to deliver the blow. Justin Marlow was sitting in the audience with other parents at the time of Hollander’s murder, so he had plenty of alibis. Karl Grafton had stepped out into the hallway to make a phone call, and while no one remembered seeing him, his phone records indicate that he was indeed on the phone at the time of the murder.”

  “Of course, if the person on the other end of the phone was in on it, then Karl could have made the call and then left the line open to provide an alibi while he killed Hollander and dumped the body,” Lacy pointed out.

  “True.”

  “I wonder if Karl had a motive.”

  “I don’t know Karl all that well, but I suppose it might be worth our time to dig around a bit.”

  “I thought you were going to stay out of this one,” Lacy said.

  “I was. I am. I’m not going to get involved specifically, but I might talk to a few folks who knew Karl. Just to get a feel for things.”

  Lacy rolled her eyes. “So who else from the cast and crew did Colt look at?”

  “Scotty Crabtree. Scotty told Colt he went into the men’s room during the time when Hollander was killed, and as it turned out, one of the kids claimed to have seen him as he came out. I guess they even walked back to the stage area together.”

  “But Scotty could have killed Hollander before going into the men’s room,” Lacy said.

  “That was my thought as well, although, like Karl, I’m not sure if he had a motive. Also, like Karl, I think I’ll chat with some folks. See what I can turn up.”

  “Anyone else on Colt’s list?”

  “George Manheim. He told Colt he went outside for a smoke during the window of time it was determined that Hollander died, but unfortunately, for George, no one saw him. George didn’t have an alibi, but he didn’t appear to have a motive either, so I think he’s pretty far down on Colt’s suspect list.”

  Lacy merged onto the road leading to Holiday Bay. “So Colt started with four men from the cast and crew with the height and strength to hav
e hit Hollander over the head at the angle he was hit. So far, he has eliminated Justin Marlow, but if you allow for special circumstances, it seems that Karl Grafton, Scotty Crabtree, and George Manheim could all have done it.”

  “Basically.”

  “If Karl was on the phone at the time of the murder, it seems that knowing who he was on the phone with would be key. Did Colt mention who Karl called?”

  “No. He didn’t say, and I didn’t ask. I’ll try to find out.”

  Lacy appeared to be thinking things over. “Hollander came in late. He waved at me to communicate that he’d arrived, and then he headed down the hallway. I assumed he was going to either wash up or change his clothes. Whoever killed Hollander must have done so right away. It was probably only about fifteen or twenty minutes after Hollander arrived that I sent you to look for the turkey and the absentee cornstalks.”

  “True. And I didn’t see or hear a thing.” I frowned. “Ariella was lying down in the cast room after her bout of sugar overload,” I said. “If Hollander had gone into the cast room, she would have seen him.”

  “Yes,” Lacy agreed. “She would have.”

  “He may have headed toward the men’s room, but Colt seemed to think he was killed in the room where he was found. It sort of feels like he intentionally went into the rehearsal room for some reason, and then someone snuck up on him.”

  “Why would Hollander go into the rehearsal room?” Lacy asked.

  “I have no idea. Maybe if we knew the answer to that question, we could figure out who killed him.”

  “Maybe.” Lacy slowed a bit as she pulled up behind a slow-moving truck. She tapped her fingers on the steering wheel as she appeared to be working things through in her mind. The furrow across her brow seemed to indicate that her thoughts weren’t coming together easily. “So Hollander shows up late for rehearsal, and then for some reason, he heads directly to the rehearsal room,” Lacy eventually said aloud. It appeared she was still working things through in her mind, so I didn’t say anything. “After he arrives, someone comes up from behind, hits him over the head, and kills him,” she continued. “The killer opens the trap-room door with the intention of dumping him inside, and while the door is open, the turkey gets in.” She sped up a bit as the traffic cleared. “The killer knows he doesn’t have time to worry about the bird, so he just leaves him there. He cleans up whatever blood there is, and then what?” she asked.

  “He goes to the men’s room to wash up,” I said.

  Lacy nodded. “That makes sense. He washes up, and then as he’s coming out, he runs into one of the kids. He realizes the kid will make a good alibi, so he waits and walks back with him.”

  I raised a brow. Lacy’s theory did make sense. “But why would Scotty kill Hollander? For this scenario to work, we really need a motive.”

  “I don’t know,” Lacy admitted as she turned onto the road that would take us to the inn. “But I suppose you can discuss our theory with Colt and then let him look into things.”

  “Yeah. That might be best. I really don’t have the time to get pulled into this one. Can you believe that Thanksgiving is less than two weeks away, and then we’re full-on into the Christmas season?”

  “It does seem that things are moving right along this year. Are we still going tree cutting the day after Thanksgiving?”

  “I think so. I spoke to Colt and Georgia spoke to Tanner, and they’re both on board. I guess we’ll have to see how things actually work out when it gets closer, but at this point, you should plan on it. Is Lonnie taking the whole week off again this year?”

  “He is. It’ll be nice to have some family time. We’ve all been running in different directions lately.”

  “I guess with six children and two businesses to juggle, it’s easy to get pulled in different directions.”

  Lacy stopped in front of the cottage, putting the car in park but allowing it to idle. “I need to get going, so I won’t come in. Call me if you hear anything about the case.”

  “I will.” As I prepared to get out, I unlatched my seatbelt and opened the passenger side door. “Colt might be by later. I’ll try to get an update.”

  Lacy smiled. “It seems like things are good between the two of you.”

  I grinned. “Things are really good. I’m not sure why we waited so long to move things forward, but now that we have, things are better between us than they’ve ever been.”

  She took my hand in hers and gave it a squeeze. “I’m really glad to hear that. Lonnie and I consider you and Colt to be our closest friends. It does our hearts good to see you so happy after everything you’ve both been through, and Lonnie and I both hope that you and Colt have a long future ahead.”

  “Thank you. Your friendship means a lot to me.”

  Colt and I had both been through a lot, but I was happy to say that I felt settled for now. I really had no idea where the future might take us, but I’d decided a while back that rather than wondering what might come next, I’d simply enjoy today and let tomorrow take care of itself.

  Chapter 6

  I called Colt after Lacy left. We decided he’d come to the cottage for dinner. Georgia planned to head over to Tanner’s once she got dinner served to the guests, and the kitchen was put to rights. So I figured Colt and I would have an opportunity for a quiet evening with just the two of us. Ramos and Molly had both been standing near the door for the past ten minutes, so I decided to take them out before Colt arrived. I grabbed the leashes, which I always brought along just in case I needed them, and then I bundled up in my new red parka and red knit cap and set out down the bluff trail. The temperature had definitely dropped over the past few days. I wouldn’t be at all surprised to find that the first snow of the season was right around the corner. I loved Holiday Bay during all the seasons, but I supposed that fall was my overall favorite. The beautiful colors provided by the trees that grew in the area were not to be outdone. And then there were pumpkins to pick and apples to gather. It really was a magical time, yet I still found a growing excitement for winter when those first flurries of snow appeared in the air. I’d lived in San Francisco for most of my life before moving to Holiday Bay, so I’d never lived where there was snow before I’d moved here. Now that I lived in an icy climate, I found I enjoyed it quite a lot. Well, at least during the early months of winter. A white Christmas was magical. A white Easter, not so much.

  Once the dogs had been given a chance to run around and do whatever it was they needed to do, I headed back to the cottage. I hung the leashes on a peg, tossed a log on the fire, and then turned the oven on and placed the casserole Georgia prepared earlier inside. Soft music played in the background, so I lit a few candles to add to the ambiance. Georgia had decorated the mantel with orange lights and fall garland, giving the small cottage a warm and cozy feel.

  By the time Colt arrived, the casserole was close to being done. I poured myself a glass of wine and then grabbed a beer for Colt, who kissed me sweetly before slipping off his muddy boots, removing his jacket, and then accepting the beverage.

  “How was Portland?” he asked, walking across the room in his stocking feet.

  “It was fun. I was mostly just along for the ride, but I think Lacy accomplished what she set out to accomplish.”

  “I wonder if she found the coffee table I’ve been talking to her about.”

  “She did buy a coffee table at the antique store, but she didn’t mention what sort of plans she had for it. I guess you can call and ask her.”

  “I’ll see her this weekend. I’ll ask her then.”

  Colt slipped onto a stool at the bar while I tossed a salad to eat with the casserole.

  “I spoke to Lonnie during my drive out here,” Colt said. “He wanted to warn me that you and Lacy spent the day theorizing, and I should expect an ambush.”

  I smiled. “Well, there might be an ambush later, but I was thinking we’d get around to that after Georgia leaves for Tanner’s place.”

  Colt grinned back.


  “But as for the other,” I added. “Lonnie was right. Lacy and I did discuss the murder while we were driving, and I do have some input and a few questions Lacy and I would both love to have answered. I figured we’d eat first, and then we can talk, and once that is done, we can move onto the other.”

  “Let’s talk while we eat,” Colt suggested. “I’m feeling anxious to move onto the other.”

  I opened the oven and pulled the casserole out. “Fine with me. I’ve been feeling a little anxious myself.”

  The casserole Georgia made was delicious, although I’m not sure that Colt or I really enjoyed it to the extent that we should have. It had been a week since Colt had been able to spend the night at the cottage, which, based on his overnight bag, seemed to be what he planned to do. I really enjoyed the nights we spent together, and I had to admit that the questions relating to the murder case that had seemed so important while I was talking to Lacy somehow didn’t seem nearly as important by this point. Still, I had promised Lacy I’d talk to Colt, and we did need to eat, so the other was going to have to wait, anyway.

  “So Lacy and I did spend some time going over the facts as we know them while we were driving today,” I started off. “I can’t say that we came up with anything earth-shattering, but we did discuss a possible timeline where Scotty could be the killer.”

  “Okay. Tell me what you talked about,” Colt said, shoving a large bite of the casserole into his mouth.

  “We know that Hollander showed up for practice late,” I jumped in. “He waved at Lacy to let her know he was there, but then he continued down the hallway. Initially, she thought he was heading to the cast room to change into his costume, but Ariella had eaten too many jelly beans and was sick, so she was lying down on a cot in that room. If Hollander had come in while she was there, she would have seen him, so he must not have gone into that room.”

  “That’s a good point. Go on.”

  “About twenty minutes after Hollander arrived, I was sent to find the missing turkey. While looking for him, I found Ricky, Robby, Timmy, and Joshua in the prop room using arrows as lightsabers. They admitted to letting the turkey out, but none said a thing about seeing Hollander or anyone else in the room where the turkey was being kept or in the room where they were playing. The prop room is at the end of the hallway, right before you get to the rehearsal room where Hollander’s body was found. It seems possible Hollander could have walked down the hallway past the prop room, and the boys wouldn’t have seen or heard him since the door was closed, assuming he went into the room freely, and there wasn’t a struggle of any sort.”