by Sonia Parin
Eve nodded. “Confession is good for the soul. I think Jack and I have a new understanding. He definitely has a new appreciation of our combined talents.”
“Our talents?”
“Did you think I’d take all the credit?”
“I’d prefer it if you did. Jack might forgive your meddling because you’re together, but he might not go so easy on me.”
“On the contrary. Out of the two of us, he thinks you’re the steady one. He trusts you to keep me in line.” Eve folded her arms and pressed her chin down as if in deep thought.
“Is that a pensive look? Should I start retreating out of the room?”
“I’m thinking I might want to start looking around at houses. You know, for my inn.”
Jill held her smile in place even as she asked, “Is this your way of getting your foot in the door with the realtor?”
“Possibly.” She shrugged. “I might as well make the best of it and ask a few questions while I’m at it. I can’t see any reason why we should dismiss Lauren Wright. She had easy access to the property. What if we’re actually looking at a tryst gone wrong?”
“Whoa. Now you’re weaving an epic fantasy. But... I’ll play along. What if you’re right?”
Chapter Fourteen
“A disguise would be good.”
“What did you say?” Eve asked.
Jill brushed her hands along her thighs. “I’m thinking this is too close to home. I don’t personally know Lauren Wright, but what if our paths were meant to cross at some point? What if one day I want to buy a house? Whatever happens in the next few minutes is going to stick. In her mind, I’m going to forever be the crazy person who walked into her office and accused her of murder. Not directly, mind you. But indirectly because I’ll be standing right there next to you when you accuse her of killing Gabe Stewart, as you’re bound to do.”
“Feel better now?” Eve asked.
“Marginally.”
“As far as Lauren Wright knows, I’m in the market to buy a house. If our conversation happens to veer somewhere close to the murder case, then all the better.”
She parked the car and checked her reflection in the mirror.
“I’ve never seen you do that before.”
Eve didn’t answer.
“Hey. You’re nervous.”
“I’m always slightly on edge when I plan to confront a possible killer.”
“Could you wait until she gives us something to raise our suspicions before actually labeling her a would be killer?”
“Okay, I’ll make that my new modus operandi. No more finger pointing until I have a gun aimed at me. Is that better?”
“It’ll do.”
They spent a few minutes outside the realtor’s office looking at the listings. To Eve’s surprise, there were a couple of houses on the island up for sale. Which only went to show she really needed to get out and about more.
“Can you actually afford any of these properties?”
“At a stretch. Although I don’t think I’d be able to buy any of these houses outright. But I can do it without stressing. Besides, the house should be able to start paying for itself if not in the first year, then in the second.”
“Sounds like you know what you’re doing.”
“You forget, I owned the restaurant. Not the building outright, but certainly the business. It had to pay for the overheads.” She gave a small nod. “This will be better on many levels. I’ve lived in a postage stamp sized apartment in the city. The inn will be a different story. And I’m hoping, a better set up. I worked such long hours, it never bothered me that I lived in a tiny apartment, but now that I’ve been living at Mira’s I’m thinking I might want some space. Come on, let’s go in. And keep your eyes peeled for anyone looking and acting suspicious.”
“I’ll keep a lookout for furtive glances and anyone trying to make a quick getaway out the back door.”
“That’s the spirit.”
Wright Realty had a nice ring to it, Eve thought. The reception area had a clean, no nonsense look about it. A couple of modern chairs in a corner with a real potted plant between them and a lovely painting of the seaside told her Lauren liked to keep everything nice and tidy.
“One of your paintings would look great here. I’ll try and slip it into the conversation.”
Jill groaned.
“What?”
“I had this sudden image in my mind of Lauren being carted away by the police and you calling out to her, by the way, I think it would be great to decorate your office with an original Jill Saunders painting.”
“You mustn’t jump to conclusions. She might be innocent.”
Lauren Wright approached them. Dressed in a gray suit and pink blouse, she had an easy, friendly smile. She looked to be over thirty and wore her long honey blonde hair with the ease and confidence of a twenty year old. Eve couldn’t help feeling slightly in awe of her and, if truth be told, she envied her on sight. She was the type of woman who struck her as always knowing what she wanted. Doubt didn’t exist in her vocabulary.
“Hello, I’m Lauren Wright.”
Eve introduced herself and Jill and told her she was thinking of setting up an inn on the island.
“I wish you’d come to see me a couple of weeks ago. I had the perfect property listed right by the beach. Natural light spilling into every room, a large country style kitchen—”
“Abby Larkin’s house.”
“Yes.”
“So, it’s off the market.”
Lauren Wright lowered her voice. “You haven’t heard? There was an incident.” She waved her hand and flicked her hair back. “I do have another perfect house I think you’ll love.”
Eve tapped her chin. “I’d hoped to get a look at Abby’s place. Is there any chance of that happening?”
“Not for a while.”
“Did the police give you strict instructions to pull the house off the market?”
Lauren nodded. “But you can look at this other place today. I have the keys for that one.”
Meaning she no longer had the keys for Abby’s place.
“Out of curiosity, did anyone show any interest in Abby’s place before it was taken off the market?”
“Only one person.”
Eve waited for her to volunteer the information. Unfortunately, Lauren was determined to entice her interest in another property.
“I’m curious about the other interested party. I wouldn’t want to miss out on this house. Just in case it comes back on the market and I happen to miss it.”
“Oh, I doubt he’ll come back.”
“Why is that?”
Lauren Wright again lowered her voice. “Because it was the murder victim.”
Gabe Stewart had wanted to buy the house...
Eve nudged Jill and exchanged a glance.
Had Gabe been serious about buying it? And what did he plan to do with it? Move in with Jonathan?
“I could take down your contact details. As it is, I’m a bit concerned about recent events. It might put some buyers off.”
“Oh, that wouldn’t worry me.” Much. Trying to add credibility to her interest, Eve asked about the other house listed and decided the price put her out of the running. “Let me know about Abby’s place. I’d be interested in having a look before it’s listed again.”
They left, Eve feeling the visit had been a waste of time.
On the way home, she thought about Jack’s reaction or lack of reaction when she’d mentioned the second set of fingerprints on the handcuffs not matching Miriam’s. “I think Jack is withholding evidence from me.”
“How dare he,” Jill said.
“Exactly. It makes my job that much harder.”
“So now what?”
“Now I suggest we take a coffee and cake break. I’ll have to figure out how I’ll get Jack to tell me about his visit with Barbara Lynch.”
At the Chin Wag Café, they chose a table by the window and placed their orders without making an
y more comments about their visit to the realtor.
Eve tried to switch off her thoughts by doing some people watching and Jill settled down to study the menu, which appeared to be new.
“Interesting that Gabe had planned to buy the house.”
Jill flipped the menu over. “Yes. Interesting.”
“I think The Mad Hatter’s Teashop has changed their window display.”
Jill looked out the window. “Yes. We should go take a look.” She set the menu down and took a sip of water. “I hear Willow Manning’s dog had puppies. Are you still thinking of getting a dog?”
“No, I’m thinking about Gabe Stewart buying the house. I’m trying to think of something else, but it keeps hovering in my mind.” Not caring she was sitting in the middle of a crowded café, Eve threw her hands up in the air.
Jill cupped her chin in her hand. “It makes me want to revisit our theory about Barbara being the woman scorned.”
“Did we actually get around to sticking that label on her?” Eve asked.
“We would have, eventually,” Jill reasoned.
“It makes me wonder if Lauren Wright told anyone else about Gabe’s interest in the house. Maybe she dropped by the bakery to buy a cake because she wanted to celebrate the easy sale she could feel coming her way. One thing led to another and Lauren mentioned something about the buyer only coming to the island once a year.”
Jill smiled. “And Barbara put two and two together.”
“It would have been enough for her to become suspicious. I bet Jonathan never told her what he got up to during his vacation.”
Jill frowned. “Did we ever actually establish... with absolute certainty that Barbara and Jonathan are... were... might have been an item?”
They looked at each other for a moment and then they both burst out laughing.
“Okay. So we both tend to get carried away,” Eve said and wiped a tear from her eye.
“It would tie in nicely.”
“Yes, it props up our theory nicely and opens the way for more suppositions. What if Barbara decided she too wanted to look at the house? Lauren showed it to her, Barbara spotted the handcuff the way I did, except she didn’t say anything. That could have been the start of her suspicions.”
“I think we’ve hit a dead end with that theory.”
Later that afternoon, they piled Mischief and Mr. Magoo into the back seat of Eve’s SUV and drove as close as they dared to Abby’s place, getting out and walking the rest of the way to approach the house from the beach.
They encountered a few people out and about, including the walkers, Linda Brennan and Steffi Grant.
“You’d think with so many people about someone might have noticed someone who doesn’t belong here hanging around.”
Jill threw a stick and waited for Mischief to return it.
Eve hadn’t realized how pretty the house looked from the beach. Maybe she could overlook the fact someone had been murdered in it. She’d be so busy setting up the business she might even stop thinking about ghosts and killers.
“I’ve decided I’ll buy the house but only after the killer is caught. I wouldn’t want them coming back to stay and gloat over how they got away with murder.”
She glanced over at the nearby properties. Abby had said the owners lived on the mainland and used the houses only on weekends. Yet she could see someone working in a front yard. Or at least that’s what it looked like to Eve at first. Now that she paid attention, she saw the woman bend down. She appeared to be searching the bushes—
“Is that Miriam?”
“Where?” Jill asked.
“The house next door. Crouching down by that pine tree.”
“I think you’re right. And it looks like she’s searching for something.”
“She’s been hovering around the area enough to maybe... be looking for something she dropped.”
Miriam looked up. Their gazes met and held.
Eve stood her ground but Miriam broke eye contact and beat a hasty retreat disappearing down the street.
“How can I not be suspicious of that sort of behavior?” Eve asked.
“I won’t even suggest you try,” Jill said and threw the stick for Mischief to fetch.
“Now I’m thinking the lookout is nearby.”
“And that’s significant because...”
“Because like us, Miriam might be leaving her car a few streets away to avoid being seen. That day she was assaulted she might have been making her way here.”
“So, the question that springs to mind is...”
“What is she looking for? Did she drop something when she made her getaway from...” Eve raked her fingers through her hair.
“Go on, say it. Abby’s house.”
“Why would she be in Abby’s house? Why? When...”
“Ouch,” Jill exclaimed. “I think I’ve been bitten by your bug. Miriam was in Abby’s house, she dropped something there and now she’s desperate to get it back. And, dare I say it, she was in the house because she is the killer.”
Eve’s gaze strayed to the house and a vivid flashback of the victim assaulted her. “I hate to think I went to all that trouble of getting Miriam to hold my sunglasses for nothing. Jack has a lot to answer for. Her prints should have matched.”
“Only because you want it to tie in with your theory. You must feel inconvenienced.”
“You’ve no idea.” She gestured to the house. “It’s perfect for me but it’s going to take so much work to cleanse my mind of what I saw, I just don’t think I can do it.” She growled under her breath.
“You’re scary when you do that.”
Eve fisted her hands. “I need to do something. Take action.”
“Oh, boy.” Jill sunk her foot in the sand. “I wonder if I can dig a hole big enough to hide in?”
“Come on. Let’s go home. I’m feeling hungry.”
Eve couldn’t let it go.
By dinnertime, she’d worked herself up into a frantic mess, with too many thoughts swirling in her mind.
“Miriam wants to get inside the house. We have to find a way to facilitate that for her.”
“Send her an invitation.”
Eve measured a few teaspoons of tea and poured boiling water into a teapot. “I wonder if she knows I have a key and if she doesn’t, how can we let her know it’s here for the taking? We could set a trap for her...”
“I thought I heard voices,” Mira shuffled into the kitchen. “You two look as thick as thieves. What have you been getting up to?”
“Nothing,” they answered in unison.
Chapter Fifteen
“Breakfast in bed. Is this a practice run for your inn?”
“I’m trying to sweeten you up.” Eve set the tray on the bedside table and drew the curtains.
“I’m still half asleep and I’m afraid I might be dreaming.”
“Take a sip of coffee. That should wake you up.”
“You’re disgustingly perky for this time of morning.” Jill looked at the clock on the bedside table and yelped. “Tell me that’s not the time.”
“Seven in the morning is late for me. Remember, I used to get up at four in the morning to hit the markets for the best produce.”
“And my grandmother used to walk miles to get to school. Yes, I get it. But why am I sacrificing my sleep? Did you wake up with a spark of an idea?”
“Yes.”
“I wish I hadn’t asked.”
“Eat up. Your eggs will get cold.”
“Okay. I’m all ears.”
“We need to scour through Abby’s house. Go through every surface, nook and cranny with a fine tooth-comb.”
“Right. Because the police obviously didn’t do the job properly.”
“I’m not calling them incompetent. But they’re only human. They might have overlooked something. Miriam has to have dropped something there. She’s desperate to find it and I aim to do just that.”
Jill sighed. “That’s a relief.”
“It is?”
“Last night I worried you might be serious about setting a trap by spreading the rumor about you having a spare key to the house.”
“I thought it was a brilliant idea, but I have to think of you and Mira. And I promised Jack I wouldn’t take any unnecessary risks.” Eve leaned against the window. “I think Miriam would have taken the bait. I’m sure it would have worked.”
“But we’ll never know.”
“Unless we find what she’s looking for. Then we’ll have to make that public knowledge and set a crumb trail for her to follow.”
“Sorry to rain on your parade, but what if we do find something? How do we prove it’s Miriam’s?”
“We’ll figure it out when we get there, right after we celebrate finding something.”
“At which point were you thinking of sharing the news with Jack?”
Eve lifted her shoulders. “He should have called me yesterday, but he didn’t. For all I know, Barbara Lynch has been charged with Jonathan and Gabe’s murder and we’ll be wasting our time searching Abby’s house.”
“And you’re too angry with Jack to call him.”
“I’m going to start coming across as too needy. Why should I be the one to always call him?”
“Because it’s all part of your civic duty.”
“Yeah, yeah. Finish up. Shower and get dressed. I’ll be waiting downstairs.”
“Hang on. My date’s on tonight. Can you promise me we won’t end up arrested? I’ve been looking forward to this all week.”
“I promise to have you back in time to spruce you up and give you some big sisterly advice.”
Jill rolled her eyes.
After they finished their search, Eve decided they would open all the windows and let the place air out for a while. The air felt thick. She knew it probably had something to do with the tension crawling through her.
“The most obvious place to start our search is upstairs in the bedroom.”
Jill’s brows curved up. “You said that in one breath.”
“I used it as my momentum,” Eve said from the first floor landing. “It shouldn’t be too bad. I have you with me.”