Fireside Homicide Cozy Mystery Bundle

by Willow Monroe

  “A cane?”

  “Yeah, he’s with the sci-fi convention. He has a top hat and a long coat with tails,” she explained.

  “Steampunk?” Ross asked.

  Gemma shrugged. “I guess. That’s how Nick described him, too.”

  Ross pulled out a little notebook that seemed tiny in his big hands.

  “Victorian. That’s the feeling I got from his outfit,” Gemma added.

  “Okay.”

  “There’s a guy here with books. I saw him and the general arguing,” Gemma said quickly.

  Ross nodded. “Conrad Bilker. He’s been all over the place hawking some book he’s written and self-published about our corrupt military. He’s been hateful with everyone, including poor old Mrs. Northlake.”

  “You’re kidding. Sweet Mrs. Northlake,” Gemma said.

  “Yeah, he’s a very outspoken man. Her husband, Winter Northlake, was career military, and I think she took offense to Bilker’s theories.”

  Gemma nodded, remembering how familiar Mrs. Northlake and the general seemed when they met behind her. He had even called her by her first name. Perhaps there was a connection between Mr. Northlake and the general.

  “We haven’t interviewed Bilker yet but there might be something there. The Army might have something on him as well,” Ross said.

  “Can I go back out and help Holly?” Gemma asked.

  “Of course you can. Just don’t leave the building.”

  “I promise.”

  “You promised to stay out of trouble, too, but so far you haven’t been able to do that,” he laughed, pulled her to her feet and, finally, into his arms.

  His kiss was tender and demanding, gentle and passionate all at the same time. It sent Gemma’s senses reeling every time, made her knees weak and turned her world upside down.

  The kiss ended and he held her as if he would never let go. “As soon as all of this is over...” he began.

  “You mean, if I don’t go to jail?”

  “You’re not going to jail,” he assured her. “I’ll find out who did this.”

  Just then Ross’s cell chimed softly. Reluctantly he pulled out of her arms and answered his phone. “Ross.”

  Gemma knew from the tone of his voice that he was already back at work.

  “Okay, I’ll be right there.”

  He ended the call abruptly.

  “What?” Gemma asked.

  “They tracked down the phone number that you wrote on the back of your business card,” Ross said, his gaze meeting hers.

  Chapter Six

  “Ross, I swear I thought I was writing down my new cell number,” Gemma told him.

  “Well, this number is attached to a throw-away phone that was last used in Washington DC.”

  Gemma was stunned.

  “How...?”

  “I don’t know. You go back out and help Holly if you want. I’ll send someone to get you when I’m ready to do the interview,” he said.

  And with a quick, reassuring smile, Ross was gone.

  Gemma stepped back out into the hall. It was quieter, somewhat subdued. Yellow crime scene tape partitioned off the small portion of the lobby where the body had fallen and guests gave it a wide berth just like they had earlier. Even the EEMA convention seemed quieter now as guests wandered away for supper after an exhausting first day. The people who were still hanging around seemed tired.

  Holly and her mother were at the table, their dark heads together talking quietly. “Gemma,” Holly said when she saw her.

  “Are you okay?” Holly’s mother Brenda asked. An older version of Holly, Brenda was sleek and sophisticated, her black hair as shiny as silk, her eyes as bright and inquisitive as her daughter’s. These two women were the only thing she had left to call family. They loved her unconditionally but God, how she missed her parents, especially now.

  “Yes, ma’am. I think so,” Gemma told her.

  “We were just talking about getting something to eat,” Brenda said. “Let me get you something, too.”

  “Okay, whatever you guys are having would be fine,” Gemma said.

  “I’ll be right back,” Brenda said and headed toward the main door that led out into the lobby.

  “You’re so lucky you have your mom,” Gemma said to Holly.

  Holly put an arm around her, giving her a little squeeze. “I tell her every day that I love her.”

  They stood there in silence for a few moments. The weight machines clanged in the background. People huffed and puffed while trying out various hand weights. There was an electronic beeping from one of the other machines and the low murmur of conversation.

  Finally Holly broke the silence. “Rumor has it that the briefcase he was carrying was full of money.”

  “It was,” Gemma confirmed, not sure how much she should say.

  “Why would someone carry around that kind of money in this day and age?” Holly mused.

  “No one has a clue. He was obviously planning on meeting with someone that he either owed the money to or was purchasing something from. And obviously it was something he planned on doing without leaving a paper trail.”

  “He had a calendar?”

  “Yes. Today’s date was circled and Northlake Manor written on it.”

  “That’s not much help,” Holly said.

  “I know. That and the fact that one of our business cards was in his pocket with a strange phone number written on the back.”

  Holly snapped to attention. “What?”

  Gemma told her about giving him one of their cards and writing her new cell on the back. “Except it wasn’t my cell.”

  “Do they know who the number belongs to?” Holly asked.

  “It’s a throw-away phone. Last used in Washington, DC. That’s all I know. Since he was a retired general it looks kind of suspicious,” Gemma explained.

  “I can see that,” Holly said. “Will the military get involved in the investigation?”

  Gemma nodded. “Something called CID.”

  Holly seemed to know what that meant and Gemma was glad. She was suddenly too tired to explain one more thing.

  “How has traffic been?” Gemma asked, changing the subject.

  “Pretty good. Lots of interest and a few sales as well as some special orders,” Holly said. She seemed glad for the subject change as well.

  “Holly, we would never sell out, would we? Especially to someone like Loden West?”

  Holly shook her head, her sleek short hair shimmering in the lights. “Never.”

  “Good,” Holly said, then turned to greet a woman who had come up to their booth. She had to work hard to keep her voice steady. It was shaking with tension and exhaustion.

  “I think this thing wraps up around seven o’clock,” Holly said, turning back to them after the woman walked away.

  “Okay,”

  “I thought you were having dinner with Ross so Mitch said he wanted to come out and have dinner with me,” Holly explained. “You’re welcome to join us if you want,” she offered.

  Gemma knew that with Mitch’s busy schedule as the new partner in the law firm where he worked, the couple rarely had alone time. She didn’t want to interfere with that.

  “I don’t think so. I’m whipped,” Gemma told her best friend. “As soon as they interview me, I’m going to take a hot shower and go straight to bed.

  “If you’re sure,” Holly said.

  “I’m sure. You guys probably have lots to talk about with the wedding just a few months away,” Gemma added.

  “June will be here before we know it,” Holly said, her eyes lighting up at the mention of her wedding.

  Gemma noted that she touched her engagement ring lovingly and realized that Holly’s excitement buoyed her own feelings. One of these days she was going to be able to make a choice between Ross and Nick. They’d made it clear that they would give her all the time in the world. In fact, she wasn’t even sure if Ross wanted something permanent. Nick certainly did, even reminded her from t
ime to time that he still had the ring he’d given her when he’d proposed before.

  Then her parents had died in that awful car wreck and Gemma’s life as she knew it was over. She didn’t know what she wanted, so she’d called off the wedding. Nick understood, or at least he agreed that Gemma just needed some time. And then she’d met Ross Ferguson and that put a whole new spin on things.

  Both Ross and Nick were gentlemen, giving her all the space and time she needed to make up her mind. Whether they knew it or not, both of them were making that decision more difficult every day. She had always cared deeply for Nick but Ross was tugging at her heartstrings as well.

  “Gemma, are you okay?” Holly’s voice pulled her out of her thoughts and Gemma’s tummy growled when she saw the chips and drinks Holly’s mother was bringing toward them.

  “Yeah, I was just thinking,” Gemma assured her.

  She had just put the first salty chip into her mouth and took a sip of Diet Coke when a young police officer approached the table.

  “Ms. Stone?” he asked, nodding at Gemma.

  “Yes.”

  “Detective Ferguson would like to talk with you now,” he said, looking a little apologetic.

  “Alright. Lead the way,” Gemma said, her snack and her hunger suddenly forgotten. She snatched up her drink at the last moment and followed him.

  Ross wasn’t joking when he said they had turned one of the conference rooms into a command post. Several landline phones were set up on one end of a long highly polished table with several police officers talking at once. Two other police officers were working on a computer and what looked like a makeshift whiteboard had been set up on an easel nearby. General West’s name was in the center with a circle around it. It looked like he was the center of a wheel with spokes shooting out in varying directions. She saw Conrad Bilker’s name in one of the circles with ‘threats’ and ‘corrupt military’ written underneath. There was a question mark in one with the word steampunk written underneath that. There were two or three blank ones in between and Gemma’s name was written in the last one.

  “So I am a suspect,” Gemma said, when Ross came into the room behind her. He placed both hands on her shoulders and rested his chin on top of her head.

  “Not really. This kind of set up just helps me think. I add details as I find them and...” he ended the sentence by gently squeezing her shoulders. “Come on, let’s get this over with.”

  If Gemma hadn’t been so frightened, she would have found getting a glimpse of the handsome detective in his natural element exciting and sexy. Now, all she felt was dread.

  With his hand in the small of her back, Ross guided Gemma to a small room off of the conference room that had been turned into a makeshift interrogation room with some privacy. In the center was a table with some sort of gadget on it.

  “I’m sorry to have to do this but the CID has been listening in on all of our interviews,” Ross warned her as he motioned for her to sit. “The general was involved in a few shady deals and they’ve actually been keeping tabs on him for some time.”

  “That’s why he made me feel so weird,” Gemma said with a little shiver.

  “He was mostly just a con man, and he was encouraged to retire quietly.” While Ross talked, Gemma watched him manipulate what looked like a miniature flying saucer in the center of the small table.

  “Commander, are you there?” Ross asked.

  “Yes, Detective. You’re coming through loud and clear.”

  “Sir, I’m here with Ms. Gemma Stone. She’s the young lady who found the general’s body,” Ross continued.

  “Carry on.”

  “We will be recording this,” he warned Gemma.

  She nodded.

  “Say that you understand.”

  What? Oh. “I understand.”

  Ross then gave the date and day and the place of their interview. So formal. So official. “Gemma would you state your full name, please.”

  Gemma did as he asked. Her voice sounded surprisingly calm and clear despite the nervousness coiling in her stomach, causing it to cramp.

  “Gemma, if you would just tell us what happened in your own words. Try not to leave anything out,” Ross said.

  “Okay,” Gemma said and began relating the story of how she’d been waiting in line to get their room keys. The commander asked her a few questions while she talked and she explained the EEMA convention and why HealthGems was there. Closing her eyes, Gemma remembered hearing Mrs. Northlake and the general greeting each other like old friends. She told them how the two were sitting on the sofa talking when there was some kind of a disturbance behind the front desk.

  “Was it an argument?” Ross asked.

  “I don’t know. I just know that Victoria Northlake was up there. I think she lost her temper with one of the employees. The next thing I know another man...I found out later it was her brother...”

  “Vince Northlake,” Ross said for the commander’s information.

  “Vince removed her from the area and then Mrs. Northlake followed them,” Gemma explained.

  “Go on,” Ross prompted.

  Gemma took a sip of her drink, took a deep breath and said, “A couple was trying to get in the door with a double stroller. It was so cold and one of the babies was crying. I held the door open for them and let them to go ahead of me in line. And that’s when I bumped into the general and he fell off the sofa.”

  “You had no idea he was dead until that moment?” Ross asked.

  “I thought he was sleeping. When he started to fall, I tried to catch him. He hit the floor. The father, the guy pushing the stroller, felt for a pulse and told me he was dead,” Gemma explained.

  “He’s a paramedic,” Ross told her.

  “I thought he looked like he knew what he was doing.”

  “How did General West happen to have your business card in his pocket, Ms. Stone?” the commander’s voice came through the gadget on the desk as clearly as if he was in the room with them.

  Gemma swallowed hard and then explained how General West had stopped by their table earlier that morning, listened while she explained how the jewelry worked and then how she had given him one of her cards. “I have a new cell phone number but it’s not on the cards so I wrote it on the back for him.”

  “But the number on the back is not yours, is that correct?”

  “That’s what they tell me. I don’t understand it, either,” Gemma explained, hating the defensive sound that had crept into her voice.

  “Did you know there was money in the briefcase?”

  “No, sir,” Gemma answered.

  “They said you asked about it several times after his body was found.”

  “I’d seen him with it off and on all day and when it wasn’t with his...his body, I was afraid someone had stolen it,” Gemma explained.

  Ross reached across the table and put his hands over hers. His touch calmed her somewhat.

  “Had you met General West before today?”

  “No, sir. I didn’t even know who he was until he gave me his card,” Gemma explained.

  “Can you think of anything else, Ms. Stone?” the commander asked.

  Gemma shook her head, realized he couldn’t see her and said, “No, sir. I think that’s all.”

  “Okay. Detective Ferguson, I think that’s all we’ll need right now. Ms. Stone, please do not leave the premises until you’re given permission.”

  “Yes, sir,” Gemma said.

  “We’re keeping everyone on the property until they’ve been properly checked out and cleared,” Ross told the commander.

  “Thank you. Ordinarily we would ask your coroner to send the biological samples from the body to our closest field office but I’m afraid with the weather, that’s out of the question.”

  “We have the ability to process that here, sir,” Ross assured him.

  They ended the call after a few last minute instructions. Ross pushed some buttons on the phone and the little green lights went ou
t. The little space ship went to sleep.

  “Talk to me,” he said, leaning back in the chair, hands behind his head.

  Gemma stated the first thought that came into her head. “I think you guys are placing way too much emphasis on the business card and phone number,” she said almost immediately.

  “I probably shouldn’t tell you this but the number you wrote on the back of that card is from a throw away cell phone.”

  “You told me that earlier,” Gemma reminded him.

  “That number has shown up on several prominent politician’s personal phones threatening them and their families,” Ross told her.

  Gemma gasped. “Ross, I swear, I just wrote down what I thought was my new cell number.”

  “I know. You just transposed two sets of numbers. I can see the pattern,” he told her.

  Gemma felt a measure of relief. “How could someone have shot him right there in front of everyone? I mean that lobby was packed.”

  “Small caliber, probably a twenty-two. They could have used a silencer. Right up close and personal. With all the excitement and talking going on, no one would have even heard it,” Ross explained.

  Gemma thought she would have heard a gunshot but maybe he was right.

  “What do you think is the most important element in all this?” Ross asked, changing the subject. He smiled, but it was obvious he was interested in her opinion.

  “I think that if you find out why he was carrying all that money around and who he was scheduled to meet at Northlake Manor, you’ll get your answers,” Gemma told him.

  “Any theories on who that might have been?” Ross asked.

  Gemma shook her head.

  “Okay, I’m still working to get this solved before the CID arrives. Right now their theory is that you’re working with someone in DC to have the general killed,” Ross explained.

  Gemma opened her mouth to protest but Ross held up his hand.

  “They’re not as open to other possibilities as I am at least right now,” he said with a tender smile. “I just wanted to pick your brain. If you think of anything, you’ll let me know, please.”

  It was a simple request and Gemma truly wanted, to help but she had doubts she would ever figure this one out before the Army arrived.