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

by Sonia Parin

  “We’ve looked at the footage we got from Rachael,” he said. “It captured the moment Randal was killed but the killer doesn’t appear in the frame.”

  “But… but. What are you saying, Jack? There has to be something. A lead. A smidgen of information to follow up on. What about the killer’s hand? A shadow. Something. Anything.”

  Jack gave a weary sigh. “Randal staggered back into the pantry, the knife had already been plunged into his chest. That’s what I’m saying and that’s all the camera caught.”

  “Did his lips move? He might have uttered the killer’s name. What about his eyes. Did they look as if he couldn’t believe what was happening? If his lips are moving then you should get a lip reader to look at the film.”

  “He’s gasping for breath.”

  “He didn’t say anything? Not even Rosebud or forty-two?”

  “Forty-two?”

  Eve rolled her eyes.

  “Oh, I get it.”

  “Thank you. I almost had second thoughts about dating someone who doesn’t understand the reference to The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. It’s a classic.” She looked out the window in time to catch Matthew on the phone. “You need to get Matthew to reveal the name of the person he’s taking orders from. He revealed it to me, but you have to make it official and follow up on it. Threaten him with a lengthy prison sentence if he doesn’t cooperate.”

  “This is what I get for keeping you in the loop.”

  “Think of me as your voice of reason. Or your echo since I’m sure you already planned on shaking the information out of Matthew. Let me rephrase that because it smacks of police brutality. A tactic I know you’d never resort to.”

  “Yes?”

  “What?”

  “You were going to rephrase it.”

  “Oh… Use your powers of persuasion.” Matthew was still on the phone. She watched him stab the toe of his boot into the sand. A sign he didn’t like what he was hearing? What could Marina be asking him to do? “So did you get anything useful from my neighbor’s security camera? I’m assuming you’ve managed to get access to it all now.”

  “I was wondering when you’d ask. It took some doing. Mrs. Harvey wasn’t the least bit helpful. I’m coming over and bringing what we have. I’d like you to look at it and see if you can recognize anyone.”

  Jack was asking for her input? “Are you saying you have footage of someone coming into the house?”

  “Yes. But it’s very dark. You’ll only see a shadow of a person but you might be able to recognize a trait. Maybe the way the person moves. Anyway, I’ll see you in a couple of hours.”

  Eve hugged the phone against her chest.

  “What’s wrong?” Jill asked.

  “I’m not sure. It’s strange to hear Jack ask me for help. What if I heard wrong?”

  “What does he want you to help him with?”

  “There’s something in the footage from Mrs. Harvey’s security camera. He thinks I might be able to see something he’s missed.”

  “Why so surprised? You knew this day would come.”

  Eve smiled.

  A burst of laughter and clapping had them both turning to look out the window toward the beach.

  “They’ve finished.”

  Ricky Sheffield stood on a rock and thanked everyone for their hard work.

  “For someone whose only job was to wrap up the movie, he’s done very well for himself.”

  Matthew came up to the house. He stood outside for a minute wiping his feet before striding in.

  “Looks like it’s done and dusted,” Eve said.

  “Yes. I just came in to tell you we’re all going into town to celebrate so we won’t have lunch here. We’ll most likely not be here for dinner either. I’m going up to tell Marina.”

  Eve waited until Matthew went up the stairs. “I don’t trust him. He lied to us by omission yesterday when he didn’t tell us Marina wasn’t in her room. I’m thinking she has something on him and he was in her room searching for it. What could she use as blackmail?”

  “Photos of him doing something he shouldn’t?”

  Eve clicked her fingers. “Yes, but what? What is he most concerned about?”

  “At this point? Probably his life.”

  “I’d be more inclined to say his job. You said so yourself. He told me everyone was out to impress Ricky Sheffield so they could secure their next job. So what could put his job security in peril?”

  “We don’t know much about the director so we can’t even guess.”

  “Yes we can. And yes… we do know stuff about him. We know he’s Catherine’s ex-husband and we can assume he wants her back. We also know he wants to resurrect his career. Think. Think.”

  “You said Randal had accused Catherine of flirting. What if there’s proof?”

  “Matthew and Catherine? Flirting? Yes. That would do it. And it wouldn’t be difficult to get incriminating proof of the two together. Anyone on the set could have snapped a picture and sent it to Marina. We’ve already labeled her a control freak. I wouldn’t be surprised if she has several people under her thumb. What would she do with that information? Threaten to show it to Ricky Sheffield?”

  “Are you tempted to search her room?”

  “No. I couldn’t do that. It would be a breach of something or other. Trust.”

  “What’s a little breaching of unspoken rules when you could end up getting to the bottom of this murder? If she goes out to celebrate, we could go into her room to check on her towels. She’d want to have fresh towels. There’s no harm in then casting our eyes around.”

  “We’d have to look inside drawers. I’m sure that’s a no-go zone. And finding blackmail material wouldn’t confirm her involvement in the murder.”

  “They planted a nanny cam in your pantry. I think you reserve the right to poke around.”

  “Okay, we’re off now,” Matthew called out from the doorway.

  Eve nearly jumped out of her skin. “Enjoy yourselves.” She waited to hear the door close. “Do you think they heard us?”

  Jill shook her head. “Come on. They’ve all cleared out now.”

  “I don’t know. What if they come back?”

  “Are you losing your nerve?”

  “I’m weighing the pros and cons. I don’t think I can take an encounter with an irate Marina.”

  “I’m grabbing some towels. You can keep watch while I go in.”

  “I think you’re calling my bluff.” Eve fell in step with Jill. “Wait. What if we’re being set up? Matthew made a point of coming in and telling us they were all leaving. He hasn’t done that before. And do we actually know Marina went with him? I didn’t see her leave.”

  Jill shrugged. “We’ll knock first. If she doesn’t answer, then we’ll know the coast is clear.”

  “You’re becoming very assertive, Jill. Maybe we should wait for Josh. He took some food over to Mira’s. He should be back soon.”

  “Absolutely not. He’ll talk us out of it.”

  Eve grabbed a handful of her sweater and followed Jill into the room.

  “So far, so good. Or bad. I don’t see anything incriminating. How about you? Do you see anything?”

  She stood on the threshold and sent her gaze skipping around the room. “Nope. Now let’s go.”

  “You are jumpy. What’s up with that?”

  “Maybe I’m battle weary. Murder stopped being a random mishap after the second time. What if it becomes a recurring event? I’m setting myself up for it. Inviting strangers into my house. The odds will stack up against me.”

  “You might have to look at a complementary career as a sleuth. Your inn could become the one stop place to commit a murder and get caught. Hey, you could use that to promote your place. You could call it the Cat and Mouse Inn, the place to kick back, relax and test their skills. It could turn into a cash cow for you.”

  “Jill Saunders, always the optimist.” Eve looked at the collection of skin care lotions on the dresser. “Sh
e has something in common with Catherine.”

  “Yes, expensive tastes. Oh, look at this. You can’t possibly object to me emptying the wastebasket. A credit card. And look how mangled it is. You have to put some real effort into twisting it like this. It’s not even expired.”

  “It could have been over the limit. And that can only mean Marina is having money problems. Strange, I thought she came across as someone living within her means.”

  “Because she drives a sensible car instead of a flashy one? That’s a choice. Her weaknesses could be for… gambling or expensive restaurants. Definitely clothes and skin care. First class travel is expensive. There are some airlines offering suites at hefty prices. Why travel in generic first class when you can have a queen sized bed and a butler?”

  “Question. Would she gain from her husband’s death? Yes, of course, she would. She’d be the sole beneficiary.”

  “Is answering your own questions going to become a new habit with you? I thought it was my job to be your sounding board.”

  “Sorry.” Eve hummed. “Do you think she’d be capable to plunging a knife into her husband?”

  “Yes, why not?”

  “So, she sneaked into the island in the dead of night and waited for him… I wonder if Jack checked Randal’s cell for incoming calls. He might have received a message from Marina asking to meet him.”

  Jill gasped. “What if Marina overheard you talk about your neighbor’s security camera? Her first step would be to try and retrieve the footage and that’s why we saw them together.”

  “It all sounds plausible but I think Jack would have looked into it.”

  “Don’t assume. He’s good but… there’s a reason why police have informants and consultants working for them.”

  “What are you doing now?” Eve asked as Jill began pulling the bed covers off the bed.

  “Plumping up her pillows. It’s all part of room service. Hello, what have we got here? I saw her with her cell. She has a snazzy one. What’s she doing with a disposable one?”

  “How do you know it’s a disposable?”

  “I know because at one point my finances were strained and I could only afford one of these little guys.”

  “Now what are you doing?”

  “Jack needs to see it,” Jill said as she tucked it into her pocket.

  “That’s unlawful removal of private property. I’m sure it makes it inadmissible in a court of law.”

  “I think Josh’s by the book rule has rubbed off on you. It doesn’t suit you.”

  “There’s nothing wrong with towing the line. It’s a sure-fire way of avoiding having guns pointed at you. That’s a good enough incentive for me. And the more I think about it, not that I’m really giving it much thought because I have placed all my trust in Jack… Regardless of what Marina has to gain, she wouldn’t do the deed herself. Someone else did it on her behalf.”

  “But you think she’s somehow responsible.”

  “Yes.”

  “I thought you were leaning toward Ricky Sheffield.”

  “No, I think he’s more of a pawn. I’ve been skimming through some of the articles you found about him. He might have been down and out but his movies were always box office hits. It got me thinking outside of my little world and looking at people with a more cynical eye. Assuming Marina is all for the money, as a long-term investment, Ricky would be a safer bet for her than her husband. Randal’s relationship with Catherine was volatile. Filming in previous movies was constantly disrupted by their arguments. That interferes with the bottom line.”

  “Are you suggesting Marina made an investment decision and picked money over her husband?”

  “Yes. It would fit her personality. Cold and calculating. She lost her husband but didn’t waste any time mourning him. Instead, she rushed out here to make sure the film was finished.” Maybe she should look into doing a course in psychology…

  “So, either Marina holds enough power over someone and can coerce them into doing her bidding or she pays well. Which theory are you going to propose to Jack?”

  “I’m only tossing ideas around. See if one sticks.” Eve looked out the window at her neighbor’s house. “After my recent experiences I probably need to come to terms with the fact people are not always what they seem. Never let it be said I don’t look at the bright side… Now I’m thinking we might be wrong about Marina’s motivation. What if she went over to Mrs. Harvey to do some digging of her own? Despite Randal’s cheating, she might have still loved him and now wants to find the person responsible for taking him away from her. Remember, she is a take command type of person and probably thinks the police are not moving quickly enough.”

  “You think she suspects Mrs. Harvey? What possible motive could she have?”

  Eve pointed at herself. “That woman took an instant dislike to me. There’s no explaining it. I’m more comfortable suspecting her than anyone else because she would have the most warped motive. Plain and simple dislike.”

  “Assuming the killer is the same person who attacked me, didn’t you say she’d been looking at you from across the street and when you ran out to see if she was still there, she was?”

  “I hate to say it, but you’re right.”

  Jill laughed. “You wanted her to be guilty.”

  “I just want this to be over so I can get on with the business of setting up my inn.” She looked around the room. “Are we done here?”

  “Yes, but so long as we’re in snooping mode we should move onto Catherine’s room.”

  “And what do you hope to find there?”

  “I feel we’ve been neglecting her.”

  “You’re right. And she did refer to Randal in the past.”

  He wasn’t my husband.

  “The show must go on. What do the French call it? Sang-froid. Cold blooded. She was too quick to cut her loses. It takes a special kind of temperament to move on so quickly.”

  Eve shrugged. “She’s a survivor. You didn’t see me dwell over my ex.”

  Checking the hallway, they moved onto Catherine’s room. “Have we subjected David Davidson to our scrutiny?” Eve asked.

  “Nope. Should we?”

  “He seems to be flying under the radar.” Eve got down on her knees and looked under the bed. “Part of his job is to make sure everything runs smoothly. He wouldn’t like the delays caused by Catherine and Randal’s quarrels. Also, monetary gain would be high on his list.”

  “Yes, but he wouldn’t stand to inherit anything.”

  Eve straightened. “Would it strike you as odd that the contract to lease the house was only in Randal’s name?”

  “Yes. It would. Why haven’t you mentioned it before?”

  “I didn’t think it was significant. Come on. I’ve got the contract in my room. I had a thorough read of it before signing it but who knows, I might have missed something.”

  “That’s a nice quilt,” Jill said when they walked into her room.

  “It’s one of Mira’s. She got it on one of her trips.” She found the lease agreement and scanned it. “Here we are. Lots of legal jargon. Hereby and herewith.” She flipped over to the next page. “His name is the only one that appears on the contract. Who’s going to pay me now?” She retrieved her cell. “I’m calling my lawyer.” A brief consultation later, Eve stared at Jill without blinking. “He was about to contact me. Apparently, Randal Bergstrom won’t be paying me. There’s no money in his estate. Everything was held in trust under Marina’s name. If all the contracts for this film were signed by him…”

  “What?”

  “Hang on. The thought hasn’t fully formed.” Eve tapped her chin, all the while looking at Jill.

  “You’re worried you won’t get paid.”

  Eve threw her hands up in the air and flapped her arms in confusion. “How could I have missed this?”

  “You weren’t to know.”

  “My French stove. I’ve already placed an order for it. I’m going to sue them.”

 
; “That’s the spirit.”

  “I bet anything that snivelling producer knew all along.” Her mouth gaped open. “That’s it. David Davidson. This is what he stands to gain. A windfall. Imagine if all the contracts for the film were under Randal’s name. The film will have been made at no cost. More money for the investors.”

  “Can they get away with that?”

  “If suing them doesn’t get me anywhere, I’ll have them blackballed from every restaurant and catering company from here to the west coast.”

  “Okay, let’s assume David Davidson can get away with not paying any of the production costs. Do you think he’s actually capable of killing for it?”

  “I’m willing to bet on it. In fact, I’m putting all my chips on him being on that footage Jack got from Mrs. Harvey. Jack said it was fairly dark but he could see an outline and thought I might be able to detect a trait. Maybe the way the shadow moves.”

  “And?”

  “And, have you noticed anything significant about David Davidson?”

  “I can’t say that I have.”

  “Well, I have.”

  “What?”

  “He has a nervous tick. He shrugs his shoulder, just the one, for no apparent reason. He makes me think of a prize-fighter readying for a fight. I noticed it when he came up to us the day Randal was killed. I’m surprised you missed it.”

  Jill’s eyes widened.

  “What?”

  Jill’s lips parted, her mouth gaped open but nothing came out. Her gaze was fixed on the door.

  Eve didn’t need to turn around to know someone was standing there. She closed her eyes and called for calm.

  “Jill, is there a gun pointed at my back?”

  Jill gave a stiff nod.

  Again? “I thought so.”

  Chapter Eleven

  “Hands where I can see them.”

  “Someone’s been in the movie business too long,” Eve said as she spread her hands out. She drew in a slow breath but it did nothing to calm the erratic beat of her heart. If she caused a distraction, she could buy Jill enough time for her to duck behind the bed, but that wouldn’t save her. They were on the third floor. Jill stood by the open window. Would she have the courage to jump out? A broken limb was a small price to pay.