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

by Sonia Parin

  “What did she say when she threatened you?”

  “I can’t remember the exact wording, something along the lines of me getting what I deserve if I didn’t stop snooping around.”

  “You should know she’s thinking of pressing charges,” the detective warned her.

  Her mouth gaped open.

  “Why?”

  “We won’t know for sure until she’s checked out at the hospital. She suffered a severe blow to the head.”

  “But she’s otherwise all right?” Eve asked, her voice shaking.

  “She was lucid enough to name you as her attacker.” Detective Mason Lars slipped his hands inside his pockets. “Ms. Lloyd, would you like to revise your statement?”

  “I didn’t realize I had made a statement.”

  “Where were you between eleven this morning and one o’clock?”

  Eve sunk down onto a chair. Had she spent an entire two hours trying to calm down after her altercation? It would be her word against Miriam Holloway’s.

  “At this stage we should advice you we saw you driving away from the lookout point.”

  Eve shook her head. “I didn’t. I didn’t do anything. I... I missed my turn-off. Miriam Holloway attacked me in town and I was upset.” Eve knew she was rambling. She also knew she didn’t have a leg to stand on. Surely her word had to count for something. “What was she doing at the lookout?”

  “We haven’t had a chance to ask her.”

  Eve held up a finger. “There’s a path leading from there to Abby’s house. It’s not the most direct route, but it’ll get you there. Maybe she’s been keeping an eye out on the place.”

  “So you didn’t lure her there.”

  “Why would I do that?” Outrage rose to her throat. “I’m trying to stay away from the woman. Now I have more reason than ever before. She’s got it in for me. She knows I tricked her into holding my sunglasses and she’s trying to get back at me for that. I, on the other hand, have no reason to justify attacking her. I’d have to be psychotic to do that.” Her eyes danced between Jack and Mason Lars. “You can’t seriously think I’d be capable of physical violence?”

  Mason Lars gave a small shrug. “Maybe something she said triggered your dark side.”

  “And maybe you have nothing better to do with your time.” She folded her arms. “I dare you to find a shred of solid evidence to prove I attacked Miriam Holloway.”

  “You sound angry.”

  If she didn’t stop gritting her back teeth, she’d ground them down. “You did that on purpose. Were you trying to incite me into violence?”

  Jack was the first to loosen his hold on his straight face. “Eve. You really need to stay away from her. This only goes to prove it.”

  Chapter Ten

  “There are plenty of entries for over a dozen Miriam Holloways online, but nothing on our Miriam. It’s odd because most people have some sort of social media presence, even if they’re not active.”

  “She’s not going to make it easy for us.” Eve raked her fingers through her hair. What role did Miriam play in the murder? Why did she want Eve to stop snooping around? Eve decided Miriam had only been angry about her meddling. She looked through the notes they’d compiled. Ideally, she would have liked to spread them out but she couldn’t let Mira know what they were up to. Not that her aunt would disapprove, but she might worry about Eve putting herself in danger.

  “Barbara at the bakery said Jonathan McNeil catches up with an old school friend who visits at this time of year. I’m new to the island, but you’ve been here longer. Have you ever seen Miriam before?” Were Jonathan and Miriam lovers? No, that didn’t make sense. Miriam wouldn’t be old enough to have been a school friend.

  “No. But I’ve never had reason to notice strangers.”

  Eve slid to the edge of her chair. “She’s staying on a yacht. I wonder if there’s some way of finding out if the yacht was here last year. The marina would keep a record but I doubt they’ll hand over the information.”

  Jill gave a slow shake of her head. “Don’t.”

  “Don’t what?”

  “Don’t go to the marina. What if Miriam is out of hospital? Haven’t you learned your lesson?”

  “There’s only one way to find out. I’ll ring the hospital and ask about her condition.” When she ended the call, Eve grabbed her car keys and cell. “We’re in luck. They’re keeping her in for another night. If I’m not back in an hour... call Jack.”

  Eve had no idea how to get the information she wanted about the yacht but she knew the opportunity would present itself.

  “Why not just tell Jack about your suspicions?” Jill asked, “Let the police handle it.”

  “I’m not sure I’m talking to him. He was very underhanded yesterday. I didn’t appreciate him making me think I was a suspect or that he’d think me capable of physical violence.”

  “You’d risk your life because of a grudge?”

  “The moment I sense my life is in danger, I’ll back away. There’s no reason for anyone at the marina to suspect me.”

  “None that you know of,” Jill said under her breath. “I suppose there’s no talking you out of it, so I’ll sit tight and keep myself busy with Helene’s journals.”

  At the marina, Eve strolled around the way a tourist would. Or even a local. As far as she knew, there were no laws against walking along the pier. She approached the marina office. The door was open but she didn’t see anyone inside.

  A computer sat on a metal desk. She had no reason to step inside the office, and she didn’t think she’d be able to come up with one if someone caught her rifling through the desk. As for the computer...

  It was most likely password protected.

  Eve gave the office another cursory glance and continued along the pier.

  No one stopped her.

  Coming up to the yacht she’d seen Miriam Holloway head toward, she noted the name.

  The Sea Fairy.

  Compared to the ones at either side of it, it looked big.

  “Hello.”

  She turned and saw a man emerge from a boat.

  Eve waved.

  “Are you looking for someone?” the man asked.

  He looked to be about Eve’s age. Same build as Jack but not as good looking as him. “No, just having a look around. I’m new to the island and still finding my way. I’ve been here for a few months but only now thought of visiting this end of the island.”

  “I’m Rob Knightly.”

  Eve introduced herself, again thinking she wasn’t doing anything wrong.

  “This is a large boat,” she said pointing to The Sea Fairy.

  “It’s a yacht.”

  “And what’s the one next to it?” she asked trying to play it safe and show a general curiosity.

  “That’s a cabin cruiser, like mine.”

  “Do you take yours out into the open sea?”

  “Sure, but I don’t go too far.”

  “If you wanted to go far, which one would you need?”

  “The Sea Fairy would do.”

  “I suppose it comes with all the perks to make the voyage comfortable. Any idea who the owner is?”

  “Haven’t met them personally and I haven’t seen them around much. They keep to themselves.”

  Them?

  “Husband and wife?”

  He chuckled. “Maybe, I don’t know.”

  He wasn’t much help.

  “I suppose you have people mooring here on and off.”

  “And then there are the regulars like me.”

  Eve looked away as if in deep thought. “So... a boat... sorry, a yacht like this comes in and docks for a while and then what?”

  “Takes off for some other place. Down to Florida or the Caribbean. Some people keep to a regular schedule, cruising from one place to the other and then back again, like The Sea Fairy.”

  “So, it’s been here before.”

  “I saw it last year. That’s when I first came to live here.
”

  Could she assume it had been the same time last year?

  “I suppose those who can... do.”

  “Yeah, something like that. Nelson’s back from lunch. If you want to know more, he’d be able to help you. He’s the manager here,” he said and pointed toward the marina office.

  “Thanks.” Eve didn’t know how she’d wrangle the information out of Nelson but she couldn’t go home empty handed. Once Miriam was released from hospital, Eve would have to keep her distance from the marina.

  She wouldn’t get another chance and she couldn’t walk away with only a few snippets of information, she insisted. After the risk she’d taken, she needed something solid to go on with.

  She wished she had Mira’s imagination. Her aunt would be able to spin a tale convincing enough...

  Eve smiled and strode back toward the marina office.

  She stood by the door, again trying to look like a tourist. Catching Nelson’s attention, she widened her smile. “Hi.” She introduced herself and brimming with fake confidence, she told him a tale about her aunt sending her on a scouting trip. “Half the time I have no idea what she’s talking about. She’s a writer. You know, they live in their own world. Anyway, she wants me to do some research for her but I don’t know anything about boats.”

  “What sort of information is your aunt after?”

  “Well, she’s writing a suspense thriller and the hero is a sort of modern day pirate. He goes from seaport to seaport, stealing from wealthy widows or something along those lines. My aunt’s a stickler for facts, so she wants to know if yachts are likely to come in at the same time each year?”

  “Why would she want to know that?”

  Eve had hoped he wouldn’t ask. “Your guess is as good as mine. I think she probably wants to give her hero some strange character trait where he’s always sticking to a strict schedule, you know, like a personality disorder or fixation. I suggested he could be docking in the same place every year because it’s his birthday and he likes to celebrate it in the same place. You know, because he’s nostalgic. The thing is, my aunt likes to stick to reality as close as possible. So, while she makes up the stories, she wants them to have a hint of realism. So, her fictional characters have to behave in a way a normal person would.”

  Nelson brushed a hand across his chin. “There are a couple of yachts coming in every year. It’s not unusual.”

  “Is The Sea Fairy one of them?”

  “That’s one of them, yes.”

  “And it comes in at the same time every year?”

  He nodded. “Stays for a month and then leaves until the following year.”

  “Maybe he comes in for his birthday. Does the owner have parties onboard?”

  “No. Gabe Stewart is a bit of a loner. He goes away for a month, then he comes back to his yacht and leaves. Although, this year he came with a girlfriend. She’s been around a bit. Come to think of it, I haven’t seen her today.”

  Girlfriend? Did Nelson have proof they were together? Had he seen them holding hands... or had he merely jumped to conclusions? “I wonder if she’s the woman I had a chat with in town yesterday. She mentioned having a boat here. Her name was Miriam. She was lovely.”

  “That’s the one, Miriam. Do you want me to tell her you came by?”

  “Oh, no. Thanks. I’ll call in on her some other time.”

  Eve had to force herself to stick to an easy stride. Inside, she wanted to whoop with joy. Finally, she had a name.

  Gabe Stewart.

  He had to be the victim.

  The police still hadn’t released any details, not even the name of the victim, but it made sense. It had to be Gabe. He came to the island every year.

  Nelson hadn’t noticed him missing because he didn’t expect to see Gabe Stewart for another month.

  Now she had to find out where Gabe Stewart stayed on the island. And how did Miriam Holloway fit into the scheme of things? Was she a traveling companion? His girlfriend, happy to stay behind while Gabe got up to who knew what? Well, Eve had some sort of idea of what he got up. It had included handcuffs.

  She was half way back to Mira’s place when her mouth gaped open.

  Could Gabe be the friend who came to visit Jonathan McNeil every year?

  Time to find out where Jonathan McNeil lives, Eve thought. Barbara had mentioned his house was close to the lighthouse.

  She was so lost in her thoughts she didn’t pay any attention to the car driving toward her. It registered only as a blur. Her mental radar would have blipped only if it had been a black sports car. But it had been an SUV, like hers.

  Checking her watch, she called Jill.

  “Did you break the case?” Jill asked.

  “I got some answers but they only lead to more questions. I thought I might drive down to the lighthouse and check out the houses in the area. See if I can spot the house Jonathan lives in. It’s silly. I should wait until tomorrow and ask Barbara or Timothy. I’m sure he’d know. Or... silly me, we could check the phone directory. That should give us an address.” Eve brushed her hand across her forehead. Her head was crammed with so much she hadn’t been able to think of the simple solution until now... “How about you? Did you have any more luck with Helene’s journals?”

  “I think you’re right about her using euphemisms. It’s winter time and she goes on about how warm she feels and how she’s never been so happy.”

  “No more mention of Henry?” Eve asked.

  “No. It’s as if he ceased to exist.”

  Eve tapped her steering wheel. Her thoughts wandered away...

  Back to the SUV that had been going in the opposite direction.

  Why would she think about it now? There hadn’t been anything distinctive about it.

  She mentally sifted through the vague memory and tried to reconstruct what she’d seen. She hadn’t paid that much attention to the car. It had been a blur. Yet the image of the SUV driving by stilled in her mind. Like a snapshot frozen in place. She didn’t know if she could trust her memory. The image she held in her mind could be any number of cars she’d seen that day, that week...

  Yet in that split second, she’d seen something that had stuck.

  The sunglasses.

  Large... oversized sunglasses.

  She’d seen them on a woman who’d come into the bakery.

  “Are you all right?” Jill asked, “I thought I heard tires screeching.”

  “I forgot to check on something. I’m going back to the marina.”

  She didn’t drive into the parking area. Instead, she stopped by the side of the road, her engine idling. From there she scanned the parking area for the car she’d seen, but before she could find it she saw the woman step off one of the boats.

  The Sea Fairy.

  The woman with the oversized sunglasses strode back along the pier carrying a small backpack and got in her car. When Eve saw the car moving, she ducked.

  It took all her willpower to wait two minutes before following the black SUV all the way to the bridge that separated the island from the mainland. Once over it, it became easier to follow. Eve remained calm, even when she left enough distance for another car to merge in between them. Because of the height of the SUV, she could keep her eye on it without having to strain or stress.

  As traffic became heavier, she took more care to stay close but not too close.

  When the black SUV switched lanes, Eve stayed where she was. When she saw it indicating a turn, she again waited, taking her time to ease into the next lane.

  Five minutes later, she saw the hospital in the distance.

  “I can’t risk it.” She tried to argue with her voice of reason but the best argument she could come up with failed to convince her. Sure, she’d come all this way and it wouldn’t kill her to be more daring, but she knew the woman with the sunglasses had come into the bakery and had been looking directly at her. She’d already had one run-in. She didn’t want to incite another one.

  Another piece of
the puzzle, she thought.

  The woman was somehow connected to Miriam Holloway and Gabe Stewart. She’d had access to The Sea Fairy. She knew Miriam well enough to take her a change of clothing. At least that’s what Eve assumed was in the backpack.

  Eve’s heart thumped with wild expectation. She had to be onto something big here. If only she knew what.

  Chapter Eleven

  “I give up. What good is hindsight when it’s slow in coming?” Eve crumbled and collapsed onto the table, her head just missing her plate of sunny side up eggs.

  “Are you all right there, Eve?” Jill asked as she worked her way through her breakfast of bacon and eggs. “Give me a sign of life.”

  Eve lifted a finger.

  “Now tell. What’s on your mind? You know what they say, better out than in.”

  She struggled to sit upright. “Yesterday I should have gone back to the marina and...” she waved her hands in the air, “I don’t know, I could have said I’d thought I’d seen... Gabe Stewart’s wife... sister... or whoever... whatever that woman is, drive in and wondered if she was still around. The marina manager would have confirmed one or the other and I’d now know who the woman with the oversized sunglasses is. Instead, I’m thumping my head on the table. I wish people would stop cropping up in my life, at least the ones with murderous intentions.”

  Jill took a sip of her coffee. “So why didn’t you go back to the marina?”

  Eve brushed her hands across her face. For a long moment, she listened to her breathing. “It didn’t occur to me at the time. I think I used up all my bright idea cards. Now it’s too late and who knows, if I go back there, Miriam might already be back from the hospital and I know better than to poke that beast again.”

  Jill picked up her cell.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Taking action. I’m looking for the marina’s phone number. You could call and ask if... Miriam is back and...” Jill’s eyes danced around the room, “Oh... you could say you can’t remember the name of the other woman, but if she’s there, you might drop by...”

  “It’s worth a try.”

  “Here we go. I’ve dialed. The rest is up to you.”