A Hole In One

by Judy Penz Sheluk

“I planned to tell him, and then time went on and it was like, now I can’t tell him, because he’ll think I’ve been lying to him all this time.”

  Not telling wasn’t exactly a lie, but Emily knew that Kevin would have seen it that way. He lived in a very black-and-white world.

  “Did Marc threaten to tell Kevin about the baby if you didn’t give him money? That hardly sounds like a guy trying to make amends.”

  “The only amends Marc Laurentian would make would be the ones that directly benefited him.

  The man was pond scum.”

  Pond scum was an interesting choice of words, given where the gun was found. “Do you think Marc knew Kevin? Before coming to see you, I mean?”

  “I’m positive they never met. To say Marc and I weren’t close would be an understatement. The day I left home was the happiest day of my life.”

  “What about Luke Surmanski?”

  “I don’t know if Marc knew Luke, but I’m sure Kevin didn’t know him. He would have told me.”

  “So you don’t think Marc was trying to send a message, renting the houseboat in Kevin’s name?”

  “A message? No. It was just the sort of sadistic game that Marc would play to mess with my head.

  He always was an asshole.” She wiped away a tear. “I’m sorry. I came here looking for answers. It looks like you don’t have any for me. At least none that I want to hear.”

  Long after Chloe left and the shop had closed for the night, Emily sat in the store as if Chloe’s answers might come to her.

  They didn’t.

  Arabella arrived at Levon’s without calling him first, and was thankful to find him alone. She wasn’t sure what she would have done if Gilly had been there.

  He answered the door, barefoot and bare-chested, his jeans skimming the wood floor. The man wasn’t playing fair.

  “Arabella. I wasn’t expecting you. Not after…” He let the sentence hang.

  “Not after Gilly came in with a key,” she finished for him. “That’s why I’m here.”

  “Because Gilly has a key? I mean, she had a key, when we were dating, but she gave it back. At least, I thought she had. Maybe I asked for it back and didn’t follow up. Or maybe she made a copy. The point is—”

  “The point is Gilly has a key, which means she had access to your safe. And your gun.” Levon blanched, then nodded. “Why didn’t I think of that?”

  “You might have, eventually, at least if you started thinking with your head instead of with your hormones. Did she know where to find the combination?”

  “Yes. I showed her the gun when she was telling me about using an authentic shotgun start. She was fascinated by the history.”

  “I’m sure she was. Did she see you open the safe?”

  “Yes, now that you mention it. She would have noticed me checking the back of the safe for the label.”

  “That’s something you need to tell Merryfield.”

  “You don’t think Gilly killed—”

  “I don’t know what to think. Maybe she stole the gun and gave it to the killer. Maybe she’s the killer. All I know is Luke Surmanski is in jail right now under suspicion of murder. Maybe he’s innocent or maybe he isn’t, but the police should have all the facts.”

  Levon sighed. “I suppose you’re right. I just don’t have to like it.”

  47

  Arabella opened the door to the Glass Dolphin and was surprised to find Emily sitting in the same clothes she’d worn the day before.

  “Whoa. You look bad. Were you here all night?”

  “Yes.”

  “What on earth did Chloe tell you?”

  Emily filled her in, making sure not to leave anything out, including her own unwelcome conclusion.

  “Let me get this straight. You believe that Marc Larroquette had something on Luke, and that’s the reason Luke rented him the houseboat without proper ID and a credit card?”

  “I don’t want to believe it, but I’ve already called Hudson to run the idea by him. He can’t imagine what Marc could blackmail Luke over. Then again, he hasn’t known him that long either. We both took what he told us about himself at face value. I feel so stupid.”

  “First of all, it’s conjecture on your part. Second of all, we all have things we’d rather not have people know about.”

  “Blackmail-able things?”

  Arabella thought about her life so far. There were a few things she’d rather not tell the world, but nothing she’d pay money to stop from getting out. “I don’t know.”

  “What about your recent evenings with Levon? Anything worth blackmailing you over?” It was a pathetic attempt at humor, but at least Emily was trying.

  “I’m afraid I feel every bit as stupid as you. I did spend the night at Levon’s house, twice. I blamed it on cognac, but if I’m being honest, a part of me thought we might be able to get past the past.”

  “And did you?”

  Arabella sighed. “No. You’d think I’d have learned by now. Of course, Levon denies it, but I’m sure he is—or was—still seeing Gilly Germaine, even though they’ve supposedly broken up. As a matter of fact, when I called him a few days ago to see how he was holding up, I heard Gilly’s voice in the background.”

  “She might have stopped by for another reason.”

  “That’s what I tried to tell myself. But a couple of days ago, I was getting ready to leave when Gilly opened the front door. With a key. Levon said, ‘It’s not what it seems,’ to me, meaning Gilly having a key wasn’t what it seemed. And I looked at Gilly and said, ‘In case you were wondering, it’s exactly what it seems.’”

  Emily laughed. “I would have loved to see the expression on her face. But if you’re so ticked off with Levon, why did you go there yesterday?”

  “Because if Gilly had a key, she could have been the one to take the gun from his safe.”

  “And you couldn’t tell him on the phone?”

  “I wanted to see the expression on his face.” She wasn’t about to admit, not even to herself, that part of her wanted to see him again. “He promised to call Merryfield and tell him, not that he was happy about it. He doesn’t believe Gilly shot Marc or Trent.”

  “And you do?”

  “Not really. But she might have stolen the gun for whoever did.”

  “That would make her an accomplice, but it doesn’t make Luke look any less guilty. Luke could have been the one she stole the gun for. Any other theories?”

  “Levon admitted Gilly was fascinated by the history of the gun, the connection to the British military, and the North-West Mounted Police. Maybe she stole it because she loves guns. She did insist on using a real shotgun at the tournament, after all.”

  “And then someone stole the gun from her, shot two men, and tossed it in the pond. That’s a lot of gun stealing.”

  “I know it’s a stretch.”

  “Ya think?” Emily flushed. “I’m sorry, that came across wrong. I didn’t sleep much last night.”

  Arabella looked at her friend with concern. “You really do look dreadful. Go home and get some rest. I’ll look after the shop today. I promise to call you if anything comes up.”

  Emily meant to go home, but her stomach grumbled, and she realized that her last meal had been lunch the day before. She decided to grab breakfast at the Sunrise Café. Coffee and an order of French toast with maple syrup would go down nicely. Against her better judgment, she picked up the latest issue of Inside the Landing from the newspaper box outside the diner.

  Kerri St. Amour’s report about the murder of Trent Norland and Luke’s arrest ran under the headline Antique Gun Found In Pond. It filled the front page and continued on page three, where head shots of Luke and Trent dominated. She had even managed to find a photo of Luke that made him look like a criminal, whereas Trent’s looked like the sort of professional shot you’d find on a business website.

  Fran brought her a coffee. “I only had time to read the headlines. Fill me in on the details. And don’t forget to che
ck out her blog. Might as well get all the gossip.”

  She’s outdone herself this time, Emily thought, leaving the paper open on the table and pulling up

  Outside the Landing on her phone to read the latest entry, posted just this morning.

  A HOLE IN TWO!

  Golfers will tell you that a hole in one is a rare occurrence, as is a single murder in our little town. But we now have a hole in two.

  Marc Larroquette scored A DEADLY BULLET hole in his chest at the Miakoda Falls Golf and Country Club. Yesterday Trent Norland was shot and killed, his body found by a dog walker on the trail behind the third hole of the golf course.

  Levon Larroquette, the estranged son of Marc, was originally suspected of the first murder, but police now have another man in custody. Ironically, the suspect, Luke Surmanski, owner of Luke’s Lakeside Marina, was one of the co-sponsors of a hole in one prize at the charity golf tournament.

  The prize, a jet ski, was also sponsored by Arabella Carpenter and Emily Garland of the Glass Dolphin antiques shop.

  Readers will remember that Carpenter is Levon’s EX-WIFE. This blogger has discovered that Emily and Luke have been in a relationship for some months.

  The message Kerri was relating was clear: Luke, Levon, Arabella, and Emily were in cahoots somehow, and had left Luke holding the bag.

  “Kerri St. Amour at her finest?” Fran asked as she set down the plate of French toast.

  “She’s all but accusing Levon, Arabella, and me of being murder partners with Luke, who I am sure is not guilty.”

  Fran gave her a sympathetic smile. “I know you really like him, hon, but the police must have some evidence to be holding him in custody. Has he gotten bail yet?”

  “I don’t think so.”

  “I rest my…wait a second. Is that man in the photo Trent Norland?”

  “Yes, why?”

  “Because that’s my ‘BLT double bacon, mustard, no mayo’ guy.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Positive.”

  Emily forgot all about being hungry and tired. She asked Fran to doggie bag the French toast minus the syrup, and poured some medium roast coffee into a to-go cup from the help-yourself bar while she waited. She needed to talk to Arabella. Now.

  She power-walked to the Glass Dolphin, arriving to find Arabella happily sorting Heidi’s quilts; a couple of quilts had already been hung up, looking more like works of art than something to put on a bed. Arabella looked up, surprised.

  “It’s tomorrow already?”

  “No.” Emily put her toast and coffee down, and handed Arabella the paper. Arabella skimmed through the content quickly.

  “I was reading this at the Sunrise Café when Fran noticed the photo of Trent Norland. Turns out that he’s the ‘BLT double bacon, mustard, no mayo’ guy. Which means—”

  Arabella sat down. “Which means Trent Norland is…was…almost certainly Norrie.”

  “My thoughts exactly.”

  “We need to call Walker Lawrence.”

  The door chimed. Both women looked up. Elvis had entered the building.

  48

  Walker pulled a press back chair next to Emily and Arabella and sat down heavily. “Heidi Jacobs passed away last night. She went peacefully, with me by her side. I wanted to tell you both in person.”

  “Oh my god,” Arabella said, fighting back tears. “I thought she had more time.”

  “That’s what she led me to believe, too, but in reality, her cancer was far more advanced than she had let on. She made a new will last week. She bequeathed her house and property to Golden Rescue. Heidi had been fostering golden retrievers for them until she got sick. She was incredible with dogs, and they would often send her their most challenging rescues to get ready for adoption. The funny thing is, Heidi never owned a dog. She said she couldn’t bear to have a dog die on her.”

  “What a wonderful legacy,” Arabella said.

  “There’s more,” Walker said. “She also left the bulk of her antiques to Arabella Carpenter and Emily Garland, co-owners of the Glass Dolphin, to be sold at their discretion.”

  Arabella couldn’t believe it. They barely knew Heidi. She glanced at Emily and saw her surprise mirrored on her friend’s face.

  “She was very impressed with you and your store.”

  “But she’d never been in the store,” Emily said.

  “No, but a good friend of hers has been. He recently bought your marble clock.”

  “Windsor Scott?” Arabella asked, thinking of the number of times he’d been in, sometimes buying, sometimes just stopping by to chat.

  “One and the same. Seems he told Heidi all about your store, long before she even met you. Once she did…well, remember, you reminded her of herself twenty years earlier? She didn’t have children or family. To Heidi, you turning up that morning at the antiques mall in Thornbury was an omen. When you treated her with such respect at her home, not trying to rip her off, intent on being fair on the pricing, she knew her instincts were right.”

  “I don’t know what to say,” Arabella said. “Me either,” Emily said.

  “There’s nothing to say. You’ll have to wait until probate clears, of course, but you’re certainly welcome to go to the house and do a complete inventory. There are a handful of items that will go to others on the list, myself included, although I plan to gift you the items she left to me.”

  Arabella frowned. “Why would you do that?”

  Walker tried to smile, and didn’t quite succeed. “That’s the other reason I’m here. It’s about Trent Norland.”

  “If you’re here to tell us Trent Norland was Norrie, the man you started FYSST with, we’ve already figured it out.” Arabella told Walker about Fran recognizing his photo as the BLT guy. “I’m sure Betsy at The Hanged Man’s Noose will confirm it, as well. What we don’t understand is why you didn’t tell us. You had to know he was there the day that Marc Larroquette was shot. Why keep that from us?”

  “I suspected that Trent had shot Marc, but I didn’t have any proof.” Walker shook his head. “Trent was a very troubled individual. I thought FYSST could save him. I was wrong.”

  “What did Marc do to Trent?” Emily asked.

  “Marc was a blackmailer, as I’m sure you’ve found out. He may have stopped gambling, but he wasn’t above making a living on the backs of other people’s secrets, even when it came to his own stepdaughter, Chloe. He also knew something about Luke Surmanski’s past—enough of a something that Luke agreed to rent a houseboat to him without proper identification. Using a boyfriend’s name— a boyfriend that happened to be Emily’s ex—was him being a sick bastard.”

  “You knew about all of that and didn’t say anything when we were in Thornbury?” Arabella asked.

  “Like I said. I had no proof, and I’m guessing about Luke. Then a week ago Trent came to me, looking for advice. He told me that he and Gilly Germaine were planning to rip off the Kids Come First charity. The golf tournament was a sham.”

  “A sham?” Arabella thought about the silent auction items so carefully selected by their donors.

  How could Gilly have considered doing such a thing?

  “Certainly some money would have found its way to the charity’s coffers, but by no means all of it. Marc found out about their plans—I have no idea how, but he was one very resourceful blackmailer. Trent begged me to help him.”

  Walker managed a bitter laugh. “As if I was going to help bail him out yet again. I told him to go to the police with Gilly. Technically, they hadn’t yet committed a crime. Trent said he had a better solution.”

  “And you think that solution was killing Marc?” Arabella asked.

  “Imagine this scenario. Marc tells Trent he’ll meet him at the third hole before the tournament starts. No one is going to suspect Trent of anything. As the hole in one insurance guy—a job he managed to secure with Gilly’s help just days before the tournament—being there early was the responsible thing to do. Marc asks for a piece of the a
ction. Trent says no. The two argue, and Trent shoots him.”

  “We’re pretty sure Gilly stole Levon’s gun,” Arabella said. “She had a key to his house, and from what we can gather, Levon had either told her the combination or had it written down somewhere. Are you saying she took the gun and gave it to Trent?”

  Walker nodded. “Levon had told her the gun was worth at least a thousand dollars, and maybe more. He was even naïve enough to tell her that it came with the original ammunition.”

  “Levon told me that isn’t as unusual as you might think,” Arabella said, not sure if she was helping or hindering Levon’s case. “Ammunition can be sourced a number of different ways, it is easily made, and many antique shooters make their own ammunition.”

  “Levon taught you well,” Walker said with a smile. “In addition, the original chambering of .476 caliber allowed a number of different calibers to be used. Some of those can still be purchased as specialty ammunition manufacturers are still producing them…I’ve owned a couple of antique firearms in my time, as well.

  “But back to your original question. Gilly made the mistake of telling Trent, and he dreamed up a plan to buy Marc’s silence for the gun. He claims that he had brought the gun to the meeting, not to shoot Marc, but as payment for Marc to stay quiet. The problem was Marc recognized the antique gun as Levon’s. Instead of accepting it as payment, he challenged them. Was the gun theirs, purchased from Levon, or was it stolen? The two scuffled, and the gun went off.”

  “So it wasn’t pre-meditated,” Arabella said. “He could have told the police everything.”

  “Could have, sure, but Trent figured Levon would get the blame, given his past relationship with his father. Nice guy that Trent was, he had no problem letting Levon take the fall for it. Trent wiped the gun down to remove his fingerprints, and then hid the gun inside the jet ski. It was a risk, but a calculated one. He knew he’d be able to go back to the jet ski once the police cleared the scene, and he gambled that the police wouldn’t find it. But even if they’d found the gun, he figured either Luke or Levon would be the ones suspected. Luke because it was his jet ski or Levon because it was his father.”