Eve Lloyd's A Deadline Cozy Mystery - Books 1 to 5

by Sonia Parin

  Eve sent her gaze skating around the front of the house and got out of her car. “There’s no one around. No squad cars that I can see. We’re not doing anything illegal. I have Abby’s permission to access her property.”

  “Are you talking to me or to anyone who might be listening?”

  “Yes to both. And it takes my mind off ghosts.”

  Jill grabbed hold of her arm. “I’m not letting go.”

  “I was going to suggest you stay right behind me, but next to me is fine.”

  The house had taken on an eerie feeling. It felt too quiet. Quiet with an edge of trepidation. Almost as if the entire house had suddenly held its breath in anticipation of what would happen next.

  At the foot of the stairs, Eve looked up. “Ready?”

  “Yes, I have my running shoes on.”

  They made their way up to one of the rooms on the first floor where Abby had said she’d stored some of her aunt’s boxes.

  “I didn’t like what I found the last time I opened a door. Here’s to second time lucky.” Eve eased the bedroom door opened and peered inside. “I never thought I’d feel so happy to see an empty bed.”

  “Now for the big test of courage,” Jill offered. “Opening the closet door.”

  “There are only boxes in there.”

  “Right, then again, someone might have heard us coming in and they’re right this minute hiding inside this particular closet.”

  “Thanks, Jill.” The palms of her hands felt clammy. She wiped them against her sweater and before she could chicken out, she drew the closet door opened. “See, boxes. Actually, pretty hat boxes. I’ve only ever seen those in movies.”

  Jill yelped. “And spiders.”

  “Here, you carry these ones.” She wiped the cobwebs off and handed them to Jill. A few of the hat boxes were empty, so she set those aside at the same time making a mental note to ask Abby what she planned on doing with them. They were certainly much too pretty to discard. In the back, she spotted what looked like an old trunk small enough to carry. She opened it.

  “Wow. Packed full of letters. We’ve got our work cut out for us.”

  They loaded their hoard in the car and drove back to Mira’s place.

  “I’m surprised you didn’t take another look at the crime scene.”

  “It’s still fresh in my mind. Thanks very much.”

  As they drove back to Mira’s house, Jill glanced over at the back seat. “Even if we don’t find something, this is going to be fun. I always enjoyed history at school. It’ll be exciting to get a glimpse into another era.”

  Eve nodded. “Who knows what we’ll discover about Helene. I might start keeping a journal. Years from now, someone will stumble on them and read all about my adventures,” Eve said as she parked the car. “How about we go in and have a cup of coffee to revitalize ourselves first.”

  They strode in, Eve carrying the heavier trunk while Jill followed with a couple of the hat boxes.

  Hearing voices coming from the kitchen, Eve stopped abruptly.

  She didn’t recognize the male voice.

  Gesturing to Jill to leave the hat boxes in the hallway, she set the trunk down.

  “Hello,” Eve said as she strolled into the kitchen. She glanced at Mira and recognized the police officer who’d been assigned to the beach. “Here we are, back again as promised.”

  “I asked Officer Matthews to join me for coffee,” Mira said, “He ended up helping me sort out a character.”

  Officer Matthews smiled and gave a small shrug. “My sister’s a big fan.”

  “Don’t you think he’d make a wonderful pirate?” Mira asked.

  “How are your sword fighting skills?”

  “A bit rusty. My brothers and I grew up pretending we’d been shipwrecked on the island. I’m sure I can brush up my skills for Mira.”

  Eve brought out a plate and stacked some cookies on it.

  “Oh, I was wondering where those were.” Mira took the plate, held it out for Officer Matthews and then helped herself to a cookie. “Did you get your shopping done, Eve?”

  Ah yes, her cover story. “No, I couldn’t find what I wanted. It doesn’t pay to be fastidious about the chocolate I use.”

  “You should suggest it to the store. They might bring it in for you.”

  “I’ll do that next time. Jill, would you like a coffee?”

  Jill seemed to be captivated by the police officer. “Um, yes... yes. Thanks. I’ll help.”

  “I thought he’d never leave,” Eve said.

  “I’m sorry he did. Officer Matthews has very nice eyes. He seems easy-going but he doesn’t say much.”

  “You might have had something to do with that. He couldn’t take his eyes off you.”

  “I didn’t notice.”

  “You were too busy looking at him. First chance you get, you should go out there and have a chat with him.”

  “I wouldn’t know what to say.”

  “Ask him what he’s getting up to on the weekend. If he’s single, he’ll likely tell you he’s hanging out with his friends and that usually means the male variety.” Eve washed the coffee mugs and dried her hands. Why would she assume it only meant the male variety? Timothy had said he was catching up with “my friend”. She made a mental note to bait him into revealing more about “his” friend. The more she engaged him in conversation, the more chance she’d have of picking up a quirky trait. She hadn’t noticed anything unusual in the way he expressed himself. These days, she knew gays couldn’t be stereotyped and few displayed giveaway signs. “I’m trying to remember a line from a book... how does it go? You should leave him in no doubt of your interest or something along those lines.”

  “Pride and Prejudice. I thought you weren’t well read.”

  “Mira has a copy on the coffee table. I read a few pages at a time until I finally finished it.”

  “Wow, that’s two whole books you’ve read since you arrived.”

  “I haven’t exactly been bitten by the reading bug, but I am getting better. Anyway, now we have the place to ourselves. Let’s see what treasures we can unearth from these hat boxes.” A couple of hours later Eve sat back. “There’s a Henry mentioned several times but no surname.”

  “I’ve come across Henry too,” Jill said, “It’s all in reference to conversations.”

  Eve picked up another journal. “I must have the early entries. Helene talks about him as if from a distance. She describes the clothes he wears and his manner. Courteous. Good humored. Friendly.”

  “She talks about his garden in this one and how he invited her to cut flowers from it while he’s away.”

  “Oh, I have a reference here to his return.” Eve set the journal down. “I need thinking fuel. Coffee?”

  Jill nodded.

  While she waited for the kettle to boil, she tidied up the kitchen and put some meat to marinade for their evening meal.

  Glancing out the window, she saw a man approach Officer Matthews. They had a brief chat and then Officer Matthews left. His replacement, Eve guessed. When this was all over, and if Jill hadn’t made any headway with Officer Matthews, she’d invite him over for afternoon tea as a thank you.

  “I’m guessing they had something going on here,” Jill said and strode in waving a journal. “Helene says she took a picnic basket over to Henry’s and they spent the afternoon fishing. His conversation was lively and full of stories about his business endeavors in the city.”

  Eve clicked her fingers. “I get the feeling all that should mean something. It’ll come to me. Here’s your coffee.”

  They settled back down to reading and taking notes.

  Eve shook her head. “Helene was one gregarious woman. Every day she called in on someone for a chat.” Any one of her neighbors or friends could have had access to an extra key. How would they ever sift through the long list of names they’d compiled?

  Jill sighed.

  “What?”

  “I guess we can cross Henry off the li
st.”

  “Why? Did he die?”

  “No. He returned to the island... married.”

  Chapter Nine

  On the way to work the next day Eve remained on guard, still keeping an eye out for anyone paying too much attention to her. She made a point of going in early to town and wandering up and down the main street, making herself as visible as possible.

  You want me, here I am, she thought.

  It gave her the peace of mind she needed. No one would have any reason to go skulking around Mira’s house.

  Unlike the day before, time flew by and before she knew it, the day’s baking had been taken care of.

  Timothy had been busy showing a new baker the ropes. With Jonathan McNeil still away and the business never slowing down, Barbara had explained, they needed someone else on hand.

  Once she had everything prepped and ready for the next day, Eve packed up and headed home. The night before, she and Jill had made an inroad into Helene’s journals and letters but had hit a dead end with the announcement of Henry’s wedding. Eve hoped Jill had had more luck today.

  Lost in her thoughts, she only got as far as unlocking her car when a hand clamped around her shoulder.

  Startled, Eve swung around.

  Blondie. Back again.

  “I want a word with you.”

  Eve braced herself.

  “You’re not a tourist,” Blondie growled.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “The other day, at the marina. It was you pretending to be a tourist. You got me to hold your sunglasses.”

  “You must have me mistaken with someone else. Of course, I’m not a tourist. I live here.”

  “Why were you pretending?”

  “You’re clearly upset.”

  “Too right I am. You put the police onto me.” Her mouth was set in a hard line. Her eyes looked as if they might pop out.

  Eve tried to remain calm. “Hypothetically, let’s say I did. If you have nothing to hide, then you have nothing to worry about.”

  “You keep sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong, you’ll get what’s coming to you.”

  “Is that a threat?” Blondie had said it loudly enough for passersby to hear and Eve noticed several people turn to watch.

  Blondie jabbed a finger against her chest. “Stay away from me. You hear?”

  “Loud and clear.” She watched Blondie swing away and storm toward her car. When she drove off, she must have sunk her foot on the accelerator. The car disappeared in only a matter of seconds.

  “What was that all about?” a woman asked her.

  “Slight misunderstanding,” Eve said, her voice shaking slightly.

  “For a moment there, we thought we’d have to jump to your rescue,” someone else said.

  “Thank you.” It was actually a good feeling to know she could rely on passers-by to assist her. She must have stood there for a good fifteen minutes trying to calm down. Possibly longer. She looked up and saw Barbara Lynch cross the street to her car and drive off. Eve checked her watch. It was close to lunchtime and Barbara sometimes went home for lunch. When Eve got in her car, Eve lost track of how long she sat there. Her hands shook and her mouth felt dry.

  On the way home, she still felt so shaken from her confrontation with Blondie, she missed her turn into Mira’s street. By the time she realized this, she pulled over the side of the road and gave herself a few more minutes to calm down.

  She’d never in her life been involved in an argument with a stranger, or anyone else. She hadn’t known what the woman could be capable of. For all she knew, she might have been carrying a concealed weapon.

  Feeling slightly better, she turned back.

  Then half way to Mira’s beach house, Eve heard police sirens.

  They appeared to be headed her way.

  When she saw them approaching in the opposite direction Eve’s heart gave a hard thump against her chest.

  She sat up straighter, her hands clenching the steering wheel.

  “They’d better not be headed to Mira’s place.” She put her foot down on the accelerator, her teeth gritted. When she saw them drive past the turn-off to Mira’s, she forced herself to slow down. Seconds later, they drove past her. She couldn’t be sure, but she thought she saw Jack in one of the cars.

  “This can’t be good.”

  When she arrived at Mira’s house, she found Jill on the front veranda.

  “I heard the sirens. Are you okay?” Jill asked.

  Just barely, Eve thought.

  “What do you think that was about?”

  “No idea. I guess we’ll find out soon enough or not. I can’t understand why the police are being so cagey. Why haven’t they released the name of the victim?”

  “We should organize a petition,” Jill suggested.

  “That’s right, go ahead, have fun at my expense.”

  “I’m only trying to lighten the mood. You seem to be a bit on edge.”

  “I have good reason to be. You’ll never guess what happened to me so I’ll tell you.”

  They sat in the kitchen, Eve sipping from a tall glass of water.

  Jill shook her head. “I can’t believe Blondie confronted you. Talk about holding a grudge. She must have been simmering since the day before.”

  “The woman has a vile temper.”

  “Well, you did put the police onto her.”

  “That’s no excuse. I’m a nervous wreck. I even missed my turn-off coming home.”

  Jill smiled. “Here’s something to cheer you up. I’m going on a date with Josh.”

  “Who’s Josh?”

  “Officer Matthews.”

  “Fast work. How did that happen?”

  “I did as you suggested and asked what he was getting up to on the weekend. He said he had no plans. I told him I was in the same boat so he asked if I wanted to catch up for a drink.”

  “A drink? Not dinner?”

  “It’s a start.”

  “I suppose if all goes well, you could suggest grabbing a bite to eat. Keep it nice and casual. No pressure.”

  “It’s been ages since I went on a date. But now for the big news.” She held up one of the journals. “Henry’s marriage was short lived. His wife ran off.”

  “That is good news. For us, at least. How did Helene feel?” Eve didn’t think they’d find a straight out declaration of her feelings for Henry. She suspected something had happened between them, but they would have been discreet about it.

  “She doesn’t say. In fact, she stops mentioning Henry. There’s a lot of stuff about his garden blooming.”

  “That could be a euphemism for her increasing interest in him.”

  “You’d think if something had happened, they would have married.”

  “Not if Henry remained legally tied to his first wife. Maybe that’s the reason why Helene never married. I feel we’re onto something here. But we still don’t know who Henry is. I went to sleep thinking about it last night. Mira says she uses that trick to work out plot problems. When she wakes up in the morning, she finds the solution just comes to her.”

  “And did it work for you?” Jill asked.

  “No. Maybe I need to practice.” A movement outside caught her attention. Officer Matthews had come to stand by the back kitchen door. Eve stood up. “What do you think that’s about?” A knock at the front door sent a shiver of apprehension up her spine. “Something’s up. I can feel it.”

  She opened the door to Jack.

  “Eve.” He strode in, Detective Mason Lars a few steps behind him.

  “Whatever you think I did, I didn’t do because I was at work this morning.”

  “What time did you finish?” Jack asked.

  “You’re kidding me.” He looked deadly serious. His brows had drawn down and his expression had taken on that deadpan look she’d come to recognize. Official. On duty. No-nonsense.

  “Eleven o’clock.”

  “And you arrived fifteen minutes ago. I
t takes less than ten minutes to drive back from town. It’s now one o’clock. Did you take the scenic drive home?”

  “I... I had a run in with someone.” She didn’t want to own up to being at the receiving end of Blondie’s wrath. Jack had already warned her about keeping her distance. Not that she would’ve been able to avoid Blondie. She’d been determined to confront her. “There were witnesses.” And not a single one she could actually name but she’d recognize them if she saw them. Or would she? Eve had been so shaken by her experience she might actually struggle to describe those few people who’d commented on her run-in.

  “Also, I stopped to chat with a couple of people.” And that was the honest truth.

  “Did you stop anywhere else on your way home?” Detective Mason Lars asked.

  Her throat felt tight and the words she pushed out sounded strained and hard. “What’s this about?”

  Jack lifted an eyebrow to indicate she should just answer the question.

  “I... I didn’t exactly stop somewhere. Well, I sort of did. I missed the turn-off into Mira’s street so I had to double back. I guess you could say I was taken off course.”

  “How far off course?” Mason Lars wanted to know.

  “A couple of miles. I was distracted.”

  The detective folded his arms across his chest. “Where you anywhere near the lookout point?”

  The lookout?

  She’d been staying away from that part of the island. The last time she’d been there, she’d nearly been pushed off the edge. She tried to think of where she’d come to a stop. It had probably been near the lookout.

  “I might have been.”

  “Did you happen to encounter Miriam Holloway?”

  “Who’s she?”

  “She’s the woman you approached at the marina and asked to hold your sunglasses. She says you came after her.”

  “Me? She’s the one who threatened me. And... And I have witnesses to prove it. Right there in the middle of town. I thought she was going to hit me. She threatened me.”

  “When did that happen?”

  “Today. After I left work. She ambushed me. That’s why I was late coming home.”

  “Did you report it?”

  She should have. “No.”