by Sonia Parin
“Like a lamb to the slaughter, I follow meekly.”
They stopped outside the bedroom where Eve had found the body.
“No crime scene tape. I’m almost disappointed.” Jill curled her fingers around the doorknob. “Ignorance is bliss. I’m not hounded by what you found inside, so it should be easier for me to open it.”
“Thank you. You’re a true friend.”
“Please don’t take advantage of the fact.” Jill pushed the door open. They both stood at the threshold, their eyes skating from one end of the room to the other. “At this point, I’d love to say we came, we saw and we found nothing, so let’s go. But you want to be thorough.”
Eve crouched down on all fours and made her way toward the bed, her eyes scanning the floor as if looking for gold dust. “Keep an eye out for anything that glitters or... a piece of paper... or heaven knows, she could have dropped anything.”
“It has to be something she might have dropped outside too,” Jill said, “So we can probably discount anything as insignificant as a strand of hair or an eyelash.”
“When I was trying to cover my tracks about being here and seeing the handcuff on the floor, I told Jack and Detective Lars I thought I’d lost a bracelet.”
“Something delicate enough to fall between the gaps on the floorboards?” Jill asked.
“Yes. Unfortunately, the gaps have been sealed.”
“I would have thought that would be good. Imagine having to prod every gap on every board. We’d never get out of here.” Jill peered behind the bed. “Any luck down there?”
Eve coughed. “I found some dust bunnies.” She straightened and looked around.
“Help me shake the bed. Something might come loose.”
“Good idea.”
Rather than rattle it, they moved it gently and listened for anything dropping to the floor.
“Do you have a theory to go with this foraging expedition?” Jill asked.
“Other than suspecting Miriam of coming in here? No. I wouldn’t even know where to begin.”
“We could retrace our steps and run through the theory of killing Jonathan and doing away with Gabe Stewart.”
Eve brushed back her hair. “When did we decide Jonathan McNeil was dead?”
“We didn’t. It just sort of happened. Anyway, Miriam came in here and found her victim conveniently tied up. All she had to do was put a pillow over his head.”
“And how did she happen to lose something?” Eve shook her head. “It would make sense if there had been a struggle. Maybe the victim grabbed hold of her ear and pulled hard enough to tear off her earring or a clump of hair.”
“Not hair, remember you saw Miriam searching outside. She’d be mad to be looking for a strand of hair.”
“Mad. Desperate. Same thing. And the more I think about it, the more certain I am about Miriam dropping something. She’s been hanging around here for a while. Looking for her chance to get inside the house.”
Jill hummed under her breath. “And she’s right this minute making her way upstairs,” her voice lowered, “A gun in hand because you forgot to lock the door behind you. Cue suspense music.”
Eve jumped to her feet and swung around. “Why did you have to say that?” she whispered and inched her way to the door. Holding her breath, she peered out. She turned back and gestured for Jill to follow. “There’s nothing here. We’ll check downstairs, just to be on the safe side.”
Jill might have been having a bit of fun, but now she had to wonder... Had she left the front door unlocked?
Had she even closed it behind her?
Eve had to fight the urge to bolt down the stairs. It had been stupid of her to leave the front door unlocked. She’d never been so careless in her life. She only hoped she didn’t live to regret it.
Half way down the stairs, Eve stopped.
“What?” Jill whispered.
“I just thought of something.”
“Your timing sucks.”
“Where’s a fire poker when you need one?” She wouldn’t mind running into danger if they’d found something. But they hadn’t. It wouldn’t be fair...
They took a step and then both stopped again.
Eve looked up at Jill. Had she imagined hearing a floorboard creaking?
Jill gave a tight nod.
Yes. She’d heard it too.
When they reached the bottom landing, Jill grabbed hold of a handful of Eve’s sweater. Whatever happened, they were in it together.
Eve had been so focused on taking one step at a time she’d been looking down to make sure she didn’t trip.
Now she looked up.
Again, she tried to remember if she’d closed the front door.
It stood slightly ajar.
She couldn’t remember.
She definitely hadn’t locked it. It didn’t register as something she would have done.
But had she even nudged it closed?
They could be worrying over nothing more than an oversight on her part.
Or...
Jill had been right. Miriam had been playing a waiting game, hoping Eve would return to the house so she could sneak in after her and look for whatever she’d dropped.
Eve signaled to the dining room on the right. She was sure that’s where the sound had come from.
Her body buzzed with a surge of fight or flight adrenaline making it difficult to think clearly. In an ideal situation, she knew it would be better for them to split up, each one taking either end of the house. But nothing would compel her to suggest it. She couldn’t push Jill into a dangerous corner.
It had been her idea to come here. It was now her responsibility to get them out safely.
They should cut their losses and make a run for it.
Eve pinned her gaze on the front door.
Reaching for Jill’s hand, she gave it a firm tug.
But Jill didn’t budge.
Had she been struck by a bout of paralyzing fear?
Reluctant to take her eyes off her target, Eve tugged again. This time, Jill tugged back.
“I found it,” Jill said loudly enough to make Eve jump.
In that instant, she heard the scuffle of feet heading in their direction.
This time, Eve put all her effort into pulling Jill across the short distance to the front door. She didn’t care what she’d found, she only wanted them both out of the house and running to safety before—
“Stop right there.”
Or you’ll shoot?
Miriam Holloway didn’t speak the words, but the intention was there in the way she held the rifle pointed directly at her.
She’d actually brought a rifle with her?
Talk about being prepared.
“You can only shoot one of us,” Eve squeaked and wished she’d cleared her throat first.
“That’ll be enough for me. I think I’ll shoot you. Your friend there is as pale as a ghost. Her legs are about to give way. I doubt she has it in her to run to the door.”
“You don’t have to do this,” Jill said, “You’ll never get away with it and you’ll end up making everything worse for yourself.”
Eve couldn’t believe Jill had managed to speak. Her voice had been firm, determined. In command.
“It’s too late to think of that,” Miriam growled. “Now give it to me.”
“You’ll have to come and get it.”
Miriam’s lips tightened. She made a stiff gesture with the rifle.
Eve knew she wanted her to move away from Jill but nothing on this earth would compel her to obey.
She stood between Jill and the rifle and that’s where she meant to stay.
Then again, her legs felt so stiff she doubted she’d be able to move an inch even if she wanted to.
Just as she should have been thinking of a way out of this mess, all that came to mind was asking Jill what she’d found.
What was worth killing someone over?
“Jill, give it to her,” Eve murmured.
; “No. If she wants it, she can come and get it.”
It? It? What?
“It’s not worth it, Jill.”
“Oh, yes it is. I can’t believe we nearly missed it.”
“Shut up,” Miriam shouted.
“It’s your choice. And if you think about it, you don’t have a hope in hell of getting away with this.” Jill laughed. “There are two of us and that rifle is not loaded.”
How did Jill know that?
“You want to test me?” Miriam took aim.
“At least tell us why you killed Gabe. It’s only fair. You’re going to kill us—”
“Kill Gabe? What the hell are you talking about?” Miriam shrieked.
“It’s a bit late to pretend,” Eve piped in.
“Why would I want to kill Gabe?”
“Oh, come on. You’re not seriously going to plead ignorance. Look at you, all desperate and aiming a rifle at us.” Again, Jill laughed.
Eve silently prayed she would tone it down a bit. She was still the largest and easiest target, but if given a choice, she’d rather not get shot.
“How did you manage to handcuff him first?” Jill asked.
“He asked me to.”
What?
“I didn’t want to do it, but it was part of his sick game.”
Miriam’s voice shook right along with her rifle.
Eve considered her options. She could lunge for it. With some luck, she might be able to get to Miriam before she fired. If she moved quickly enough, Miriam might lose her concentration.
Keep talking, she silently urged Jill.
“Were you guys playing some sort of kinky game?”
“Me? I wasn’t. He was. I warned him. It didn’t feel right.”
The rifle lowered slightly.
Eve knew she had to act now.
Right now, she urged herself and before she could change her mind, she propelled herself forward.
“Drop the gun,” someone shouted.
The command coincided with Eve landing awkwardly right on top of Miriam who struggled like a turtle flipped on its back. Her arms flailed, her legs kicked.
“Get off me,” she shouted.
It took a few seconds for pain to register. As she’d pushed against Miriam, Miriam had reacted by lifting the rifle and the butt had hit Eve right on the chin.
“That’s going to hurt and... bruise. How am I ever going to explain that to Mira?”
“Slide the gun over, nice and easy. Eve. Get off her.”
Jack!
That had been Jack telling Miriam to drop the gun?
Eve twisted around and looked up.
Jack loomed over her. A police officer next to him held a gun aimed at Miriam.
Jill sat on the bottom step of the stairs, a hand on the railing as if she meant to get up.
“Hello, Jack.” Eve managed a smile but only felt half her lips respond. Yes, it was going to hurt. Half her face felt numb. “We caught the killer.”
Jack shook his head. “No, you didn’t.”
“What?”
He helped her up.
Chapter Sixteen
“What did Jack mean Miriam is not the killer? Can someone please catch me up?” Eve turned to Jill who was sipping a cup of coffee. “Where did you get that?”
“The nice police officer gave it to me.” Jill smiled and looked over the rim of her cup at Josh Matthews who hovered nearby.
They’d both been escorted outside the house and now sat in the back of a squad car. Jack had told her to sit tight until the ambulance he’d insisted on calling arrived.
“Not the killer? Was Miriam Holloway even an accomplice?”
“Your lip is swollen,” Jill remarked.
“Yours would be too if you’d been hit with the butt of a rifle. I hope I’m not drooling. I think I’ve lost all feeling on one side of my face. You’ll tell me if I’m drooling, won’t you?”
Jill put her arm around her. “Of course.”
“And why are we sitting in a squad car? I’m suffocating in here.” She jumped out of the car and leaned against it. “I hate this confusion.” She looked down at Jill. “You did very well. You sounded so confident. How did you do that?”
Jill swung her legs out of the car but remained seated. “I’ve picked up a thing or two.”
“Calling her bluff and saying the rifle wasn’t loaded took some guts.”
“A wild guess. I didn’t think Abby would keep a loaded rifle in the house.”
“Abby?”
“Yes. That was Abby’s rifle,” Jill said, “The one that had been hanging over the fireplace.”
Eve frowned. She hadn’t noticed. And she was supposed to be the one with the sharp observation skills.
“Miriam must have grabbed it when she heard us coming down the stairs.”
“So...” Eve scratched her head. “When you said you’d found it, what did you find?”
“Nothing. I just went along with our theory she was looking for something.”
“But... But... How could you have been so sure? And the risk...”
Jill laughed. “Now I know how a magician feels about revealing secrets. All right. I was standing behind you and looked out the window. I saw the squad cars pulling up outside. I thought it would only be a matter of seconds before Jack or someone else burst in like the cavalry to the rescue. So, I figured I’d lure her out. It was a wild guess. We didn’t know for sure there was someone in the house.” She shrugged. “It worked.”
“But we still don’t know what she dropped.”
“A charm from her bracelet.” Jack strode up and looked at Eve’s jaw. “How does it feel?”
“A charm?”
He nodded. “A fairy. Gabe Stewart gave it to her when she came to work for him on The Sea Fairy as his cook. It fell off. That night, it was her job to secure the handcuffs on Gabe.” He looked away. “Here’s the ambulance.”
“I told you I’m all right.”
“It won’t hurt to make sure. You’re going to have a whopper of a bruise. What if you have a fracture?” He lifted a finger and gave her a wordless I told you so.
“So how did you know to come here?”
Just then Detective Mason Lars pulled up in his car. When he opened the back door, Barbara Lynch emerged.
“What is Barbara doing here? I think I suffered a concussion. I’m more confused than ever.”
“Why? You’re the one who figured it all out,” Jack said.
“I did? I feel I’m two steps behind everyone.”
“We brought her here so she could walk us through what happened that night. We followed up on your sighting of her at the fishing cabin when she went to make sure she hadn’t left any of her belongings behind.”
It was Eve’s turn to wag her finger. “You better start talking. If you keep this to yourself, I’ll never forgive you.”
“Can I do my job first?”
“All right. I’ll be waiting at home. I’m warning you. You can’t leave anything out.”
“I need to clear the air. I didn’t solve the case. Jill did. It was her theory.” Eve gave Jill a thumbs up. “Barbara Lynch. Of all people...”
“Why do you sound surprised? You suspected her all along. You were right about her being in a relationship with Jonathan McNeil. And you were spot on about her catching him in the act.” Jill pumped the air in triumph. “Go team Eve Lloyd.”
“You seem to forget, it was you who linked Barbara to Jonathan. Did her fingerprints match the ones on the handcuffs?” Eve asked.
Jack nodded. He gestured with his phone. “News just came in. Jonathan McNeil’s body washed up on the opposite side of the island.”
They all sat for a moment in silence. For once, Eve didn’t have anything to say. She hadn’t known him, but she wanted to believe he hadn’t set out to hurt anyone.
“Every time I asked you about the other set of prints, you were cagey,” Eve eventually said.
“We found fingerprints belonging to three ind
ividuals, not two,” Jack offered. “Yours, because you handled the handcuffs the night before Gabe used them for the last time. Miriam helped him put them on but her fingerprints were smudged. And then there was another set.”
“Miriam helped Gabe put the handcuffs on?”
“She said it was all part of the games he played with Jonathan. He was supposed to come in and find Gabe all tied up,” Jack explained.
“Oh.” Kinky.
“And when Miriam realized she’d lost the charm,” Jack continued, “She knew she had to get it back or else risk being linked to the murder.”
“So, all this means I was also right about Jonathan’s grandfather having a key to Abby’s house because he’d had an affair with Abby’s aunt, Helene.” Eve’s mouth gaped open in surprise. She looked at Jill. “We’re actually quite good together.”
“If you don’t go into the business, you might want to consider writing murder mysteries,” Jack suggested.
“Unfortunately, I don’t have the talent for writing. All those hours sitting at the computer. It would do my head in. I don’t know how Mira does it.” She looked down the hall at the study door that had remained shut all evening. “She’s been at it all day.”
“Don’t you want to know the rest?” Jack asked.
“Oh, I thought you said I’d already figured it out.”
“You did.”
“Okay, I’ll tell you what I think happened and you can fill in the gaps.” She finished her coffee and sat up. “Jonathan had agreed to meet his lover, Gabe Stewart, for their kinky games. It was all part of his annual vacation. Some people dress up as their favorite comic book heroes and go to Comic-Con, others... live out their hidden desires and fantasies. Anyway, Jonathan had been having an affair with Barbara. He’d been leading a double life as a straight man during eleven months of the year. Barbara didn’t like not knowing what he got up to.” Eve frowned. “So Barbara killed Jonathan?”
“Barbara confronted him that night,” Jack filled in. “She said she shot him and he staggered toward the beach.”
Jill nodded. “We had this theory about Barbara surprising the lovers. We just didn’t know how she got rid of Jonathan.”
“Barbara Lynch. A woman scorned.” Eve slumped back. “She must have been right out of her mind with rage. After shooting Jonathan she went upstairs and saw the proof of his betrayal with her own eyes. Am I right?”