When Fortune Knocks

by J A Whiting

  “Have you ever seen Martin lose his temper?” Ian questioned.

  “Lose his temper?” Burns considered. “No, he doesn’t yell or push people around, if that’s what you mean. Martin knows what he wants and he will work in a determined manner to get it, but he uses his persuasive skills and a bit of manipulation to get what he wants. Only a couple of times have I seen him speak pointedly to someone and in those cases, we didn’t pursue working those people.”

  “Do you live in Brookline?” Ian asked the doctor.

  “We live in Connecticut,” Burns said. “I commute here to Brookline.”

  Ian smiled. “Then you had a late drive home after you left the Portsmouth meeting and dinner.”

  Burns’s face looked confused. “I left Portsmouth around 6pm. The traffic wasn’t the best, but it didn’t take that long get to home.”

  “You and Martin had dinner with your investors though, right?”

  “No.” Burns blinked. “We were done by 6pm and the investors had to get to the airport for a flight to the west coast. Martin was staying the night at a hotel. He must have gone out with his date.”

  Claire and Ian exchanged a quick look … and an icy chill rolled down her back.

  25

  Claire sat in her pajamas on the sofa eating a bowl of ice cream with a Corgi asleep on each side of her. Before Ian went into work, they’d had dinner together and discussed their visit to Dr. Burns. Martin’s tale about wining and dining the investors on the night Grace was killed was a lie. His business partner said the meeting ended by 6pm and the investors had to leave in order to catch a flight.

  What was Martin hiding? Why was Jenny in Boston that night? Why won’t she tell Ian what she was doing in the city? Why is Martin lying?

  Ian planned to have Martin come into the station the next morning to have a conversation about his untruths and to uncover the reason for the lies.

  Claire’s thinking about the suspects boomeranged from one to the other leaving her head in a whirl. Did Jenny kill her roommate? Did Harry murder Grace? Were Harry and Jenny working together? What about Martin? He had a gun collection. He couldn’t stop harassing Grace, and his partner said there was no business event after 6pm.

  Staring at the fire, Claire ate the last of the ice cream in her bowl and then let her thoughts wander. The flames dancing in the fireplace, the soft, comfortable sofa, and the dogs’ gentle, rhythmic breathing made Claire’s eyelids heavy, and even though she struggled to keep them open, her sleepy eyes won the battle and she slowly dozed off.

  The buzzing of her phone startled the young woman awake and she looked around the room slightly disoriented from her nap. Grabbing her phone off the coffee table, she read the text, and she sat up to attention. Jenny Harrington.

  Could you come over? Something’s been on my mind and I’d like to run it by you.

  When Claire replied asking when Jenny wanted to talk with her, Jenny answered right away.

  Could you come now?

  Seeing that it was only 8:30pm, Claire decided to go. She changed, put on a light jacket, sent Ian a text to let him know she was going to talk with Jenny, took her pepper spray, and headed out of the townhouse to walk to the North End. On the way there, Claire also texted Nicole and asked if she would meet her at Jenny’s apartment, and her friend agreed.

  The North End was busy with people walking around the neighborhood and with the restaurants bustling. When she made the corner to turn onto the side street to the apartment building, she spotted Jenny sitting on the front steps looking forlorn.

  “Hey, what’s up?” Claire asked.

  Jenny stood, her face looking exhausted and pale. Her shoulders were rounded. “I needed some air. Thanks for coming.”

  “I invited Nicole to come, too. I hope you don’t mind.”

  Jenny shook her head. “That’s fine. She can give her opinion on what I have to tell you. Come on up. Nicole can buzz the apartment when she gets here.”

  Claire and Jenny entered the building and walked down the hallway to her apartment. Jenny took out her key, inserted it in the lock, and turned.

  When she opened the door, there was a loud bang. She jerked back, let out a breath of air, and started to slump forward.

  “Jenny!” Grabbing the young woman’s arm, Claire caught her and slowly lowered her to the floor.

  Blood showed on Jenny’s t-shirt in the middle of her chest, her eyes were closed.

  Claire slipped her hands under the woman’s armpits and for a moment, tried to pull her back from the open door … until she saw a man’s shoes and looked up to see Martin Gray staring down at her.

  Martin wrapped his hand around Claire’s arm and dragged her into the apartment, then he took Jenny by her legs, yanked her inside, and slammed the apartment door shut.

  Claire was breathing hard and fast, and was about to bolt for the rear entrance when Jenny made a raspy sound deep in her throat.

  She’s alive.

  Claire couldn’t leave her.

  “Why don’t you run? Get out before the police come.” Claire glared at Martin before she moved to kneel next to Jenny.

  “No,” Martin told her, his words hoarse and gruff. “Stay where you are.”

  “What are you doing, Martin?” Claire tried to keep her voice firm and strong. “Why did you do this to Jenny?”

  “She figured it out.” Martin pointed the gun at Claire. “You and that cop had to stick your nose into my business. You talked to Everett Burns. He called to tell me you two were asking questions about me and the meeting in Portsmouth.”

  “We talk to a lot of people.”

  Martin lowered his chin and stared at Claire. He kicked Jenny’s foot. “She knows what I did.”

  Claire asked slowly, her tone full of disgust. “What did you do?”

  The man’s eyes were dark and his cheeks were red. His upper lip curled back. “I killed her. That’s what I did.”

  Claire played dumb. “Who?”

  “Grace. I wanted her, but she rejected me. She was so rude. We would have been good together, but she refused to see it.”

  “Did you shoot into Grace’s bedroom?” Claire wanted to get Martin talking to stall for time.

  “I decided she had to die. I gave her plenty of chances. I rented a car and drove down from Portsmouth. I told Jenny my meeting would run late. I left my Porsche in the hotel lot so she wouldn’t notice I was gone.”

  “Then what?” Claire demanded. She could feel her small canister of pepper spray in her back pocket, but it wouldn’t do much good against a man with a gun.

  “I came here. I rang the apartment, but Grace wouldn’t buzz me in. She didn’t know it was me. I went around to the back of the building. I’d been in the apartment plenty of times. I knew where Grace’s bedroom was. I could see her through the windows walking around the apartment. When she went into the bedroom, I shot through the wall. I just wanted to scare her. I waited ten minutes, then I texted her saying I was in the North End around the corner from her building and would she like to join me.”

  “What did she say?”

  “She didn’t answer. I was sure if I frightened her with the gunshot, she’d run into my arms for help. I went to the front door and waited for someone to come in or out, and when someone did, I got in. I got to Grace’s apartment door just as it flew open. Grace was hurrying out.” Martin grinned. “She looked scared to death.” His face turned serious again. “Grace told me someone shot into the bedroom from outside. She was leaving the building to go to a friend’s place.” Martin paused. “She never got there.”

  “You shot her in the apartment?” Claire asked.

  “No. I struck Grace in the head and she passed out. I grabbed the quilt and blanket from the bed to wrap her in. I carried her out the back way and put her in my car. I used the quilt to muffle the shots. I killed her before she regained consciousness.”

  The door buzzed and Martin whirled around to face it, holding his gun in front of him.


  “Someone’s down at the door buzzing the apartment.” Claire knew it must be Nicole. “You’d better run. Go out the back way.”

  “You’re coming with me.” Martin started towards Claire, his eyes looking wild and desperate. Before he reached her, Jenny moaned from the floor.

  Martin aimed his gun at the unconscious young woman sprawled over the wood floor and was ready to shoot her a second time to finish the job before he forced Claire to leave the apartment with him.

  When he turned away to kill Jenny, Claire took her opportunity. She whipped the pepper spray from her back pocket, jumped onto Martin’s back, and wrapped her arms and legs around him. Her arm reached in front and she pointed the pepper spray at his face, pulsing the button to send the liquid flying into his eyes.

  Martin screamed. He tried to aim the gun behind him to hit Claire. Two shots were fired close to her ears, but they missed their mark. He shook and wrenched his back, but Claire held on tight waiting for the pepper spray to take effect.

  If she let go, she knew he’d shoot her point blank. So she gripped tight and kept her head low, all the while keeping Ian and Nicole and her dogs in her mind’s eye … and all the days yet to come with them … if only she could hold on.

  Feet pounded in the back hallway.

  “He’s got a gun!” Claire shrieked.

  Ian ran forward and grabbed Martin as Claire slipped from the man’s back, her breathing ragged and fast.

  “I pepper sprayed him,” she gasped.

  Martin’s eyes were slammed shut, but tears poured down his cheeks from the stinging liquid Claire had sent straight into his eyeballs.

  Other officers darted in, pushed Martin to the floor, and handcuffed him.

  EMTs hurried to tend to Jenny.

  Ian wrapped his arms around Claire and held her tight running his hand over the back of her head. “Are you hurt?”

  “I’m fine. Now that you’re here.” She rested her head on his shoulder, her arms squeezing his waist, wanting never to let go.

  26

  When Martin shot Jenny as she was about to enter her apartment with Claire, a neighbor heard the gunshots and called the police. Shortly after, Nicole arrived and buzzed the door and when no one answered, a feeling of dread ran through her veins. She texted Claire, then called her, and when there was no answer, Nicole called Ian and made an emergency phone call requesting immediate help at Jenny’s building.

  “I would have been lost without you,” Claire told Nicole and Ian.

  “No, you wouldn’t have.” Nicole gave her friend a playful poke with her elbow. “You would have hung on until Martin couldn’t see from the pepper spray.”

  Claire, Ian, Nicole, Ryan, Tessa and Tony, Augustus, Robby and his friend, James, and the Corgis were down by the waterfront with blankets spread across the sand and beach chairs set in a circle. Picnic baskets were full of lunch food and drinks, and they’d brought a net and badminton racquets so everyone could play … except for the dogs who would watch and bark their encouragement.

  “Martin Gray killed Grace because she wouldn’t date him?” Tony asked for clarification.

  “Yes. It seems that way,” Ian said.

  Ian, Claire, Nicole, and Ryan set up the lunch while the others went to play badminton.

  “I also think Martin was furious that Grace told him off when he stopped on a Boston street trying to convince her to go out with him. I think that’s when he decided to kill her.” Claire spread some of the food on a large picnic table. She told them what Martin said to her about shooting into Grace’s bedroom through the wall. “He hoped to scare her into coming outside where he could grab her.”

  “How is Jenny doing?” Ryan questioned while setting jugs of water, iced tea, and lemonade in the center of the table.

  “It was touch and go for a while,” Ian reported. “But she’s expected to make a full recovery.”

  Nicole rolled her eyes. “Physically, maybe … healing mentally and emotionally might require some time and some help.”

  Ian said, “When they were in Portsmouth, Jenny knew Martin was up to something. She discovered Martin had rented a vehicle and she took a ride service car to Boston and followed him to the city. She followed him right to her apartment and she assumed he had arranged with Grace to go out together. Jenny was heartbroken and angry, and she took off. That’s when she twisted her ankle and fell on the sidewalk in front of Robby and his friend.”

  “What a crazy coincidence.” Ryan shook his head.

  Ian continued, “At first, Jenny didn’t believe Martin could be the one responsible for Grace’s death, but slowly, she put it together. Jenny contacted Harry to discuss her suspicions. Harry didn’t believe Martin could have killed Grace. Jenny decided she had to tell someone else what she thought, so she asked Claire to come and talk with her. That’s when Martin broke in and shot Jenny as she was returning to the apartment.”

  Nicole asked, “Harry’s friend told you that Harry was behaving oddly when she went out for drinks with him. Did he explain his behavior?”

  Claire nodded. “Grace texted Harry to tell him someone was repeatedly buzzing her apartment. He brushed it off and told her it was probably some kids playing a prank. When he was with his friend at the bar, Harry kept wondering if everything was okay with Grace. He didn’t want to text her because he was trying to stay away from her. He decided he’d just turn his phone off and stuff it in his jacket to try and remove the temptation to call her. The breakup hurt him terribly and he knew he had to stop talking to Grace in order to get past it. But worry was picking at him all night. He wanted to know if Grace was okay.”

  “That’s so sad,” Nicole said. “Harry must blame himself for not going to check on Grace.”

  “He does,” Ian said. “He’s constantly thinking … what if?”

  “I’d be thinking the same thing,” Claire admitted.

  “I think we all would.” Ryan nodded.

  Under the beautiful blue, sunny sky, the group gathered around the picnic table to enjoy lunch with one another.

  “You’ve signed the publishing contract?” Augustus asked.

  “We have,” Nicole beamed. “All three of us.” She looked at Claire and Robby, her business partners.

  “We’ve already completed three chapters of the cookbook,” Robby announced. “I’m contributing some family recipes I’ve tweaked for use at the chocolate shop.”

  Claire smiled. “It’s going to be great.”

  “Then let’s raise a glass of whatever we’re drinking to the three authors.” Tony lifted his glass of iced tea. “To happiness and success, and to having people you love to share it with.”

  “Here, here.” Ian raised his cup of lemonade and the group cheered and clicked their glasses together.

  “We have something else to tell all of you.” Claire looked as pleased as she could be. “We had to keep it a secret until everything was worked out.”

  “Tell them, Robby,” Nicole encouraged.

  “Well, get ready to toast us again, because we’ve signed to have a weekly television cooking show.”

  “What?!” Augustus’s eyes were as wide as his smile. “How wonderful!”

  The dogs barked and whoops of congratulations went up from the group, and questions were fired at the three bakers from all sides making everyone chuckle.

  “When do you start?” Tessa asked.

  “Not for months,” Claire said. “Episodes have to be planned. The recipes we’ll showcase have to be decided on. It takes quite a while to get all the pieces in place.”

  “Where will you film?” Tony questioned.

  “Right here in Boston,” Nicole told them. “That was a stipulation in the contract that we had to film in the city. We’re running the shop, Robby is finishing school. We can’t go off somewhere to do the show. It had to be here or not at all.”

  “It’s all happened so fast,” Claire pointed out, “we were torn about whether we should do it or not.”

  “Bu
t, we decided to follow our friend, Bob Cooney’s advice.” Nicole looked around the table. “When fortune knocks….”

  Everyone laughed and said in unison … “open the door.”

  After a few more games of badminton, Claire and Ian and the Corgis took a walk along the sandy beach at the edge of the harbor while the others took seats in the lawn chairs to chat.

  “Next time,” Ian said holding Claire’s hand, “don’t go to speak with someone unless I go with you.”

  “You mean people involved in crime cases or just in general?” Claire teased.

  Ian deadpanned. “Anytime, anywhere, any person, no matter the situation.”

  “You’ll be busy following me around then.”

  Ian took his girlfriend’s hand in his. “I don’t mind.”

  With a smile, Claire said, “Neither do I.”

  “I made the reservations for the week in Nantucket,” Ian told her. “The dogs are allowed in the rental house, too.” He looked sideways at Claire. “Are you sure you’re ready to return to the island? I know it holds a lot of memories for you.”

  Claire stopped walking and turned to Ian. She put her hand on his arm. “It does hold a lot of memories and there will be moments when it won’t be easy to be there.”

  Slipping her hand behind Ian’s head, Claire gently brought his lips down to hers and when they finally ended the kiss, she told him, “But I’m ready to make new memories … with you.”

  The Corgis yipped with joy as Claire and Ian held each other and leaned in for one more long, sweet kiss.

  Thank you for reading!

  Books by J.A. WHITING can be found here:

  www.amazon.com/author/jawhiting

  To hear about new books and book sales, please sign up for my mailing list at:

  www.jawhiting.com

  Your email will never be sold, shared, or spammed.

  If you enjoyed the book, please consider leaving a review. A few words are all that’s needed. It would be very much appreciated.