Up to No Gouda

by Katherine Hayton

  “I would,” Charlie answered as her sister opened the fridge to find it empty and clicked her tongue in disappointment.

  “Well, this was hardly worth the wait.” Mia stood in the centre of the room, hands on hips, giving the area another slow scan.

  “I’ll just check—” Charlie broke off as she upended the duffel bag contents onto the bed.

  “Charlie! You can’t just go through other people’s stuff.” Mia bent over her sister’s shoulder to inspect inside. “It’s rude,” she sniffed, returning to her previous position.

  “Not as rude as framing someone for murder,” Charlie said as she withdrew the missing kitchen knife from the bag.

  “You should’ve worn gloves,” Mia grumbled a few minutes later. They’d both been stunned into silence by the discovery, but it didn’t last for long. “It’s going to be hard enough to explain to the detective why we’re in someone else’s hotel room. Now the knife’ll be covered in your fingerprints.”

  “If it wasn’t already,” Charlie countered. “After all, if Ryan or Allie Hitchman are trying to frame me for murder, they’d have been careful not to touch the handle themselves.” She pulled at a lock of hair, twisting and releasing it in time with her pulsating thoughts. “I don’t know how we’ll explain it to Detective Wolverton. I can’t even begin to wrap my mind around why a honeymooning couple would have killed Ben and framed me.”

  “What do we—?”

  Mia’s question was cut short as the door was kicked inwards. Ryan Hitchman stood in the entrance, holding a hunting knife and pointing it straight at Charlie’s face.

  “Up against the wall,” he ordered. When they didn’t comply quickly enough for their liking, he banged the door shut with his heel and advanced on them. “Do it now before my fingers get itchy.”

  “Look, Ryan,” Charlie began, her hands held out in a placating gesture, “I don’t know what’s going—”

  “I said up against the wall!” Ryan’s eyes bulged and spittle flew from his mouth in a grisly cloud. “Don’t make me kill you.”

  His lack of control frightened Charlie into compliance. She backed up until her butt rested on the windowsill, hands up in surrender. “You don’t need to hurt us. Just tell us what you want.”

  “Quiet!” Ryan stepped across to the bed and picked up a pair of jeans, sliding the belt free with one hand while the other held the knife. The serrated blade caught the overhead light, reflecting it back with menace. The man’s jerky motions frightened Charlie. In his excited state, he might strike them without thinking, wounding her or Mia.

  “We just came into your room because we wanted to talk,” Charlie said, hoping a neutral conversation would diffuse the situation. “I got your room number from the unmanned reception desk. I remembered how friendly you and your wife Allie were the other day and hoped you’d be able to help me with some tourism information.”

  Her baby sister shot her a look showing Mia thought she’d gone mad.

  “We hiked along one of the trails farther up the road, tonight,” Charlie continued. Ryan was meeting her eyes now, a puzzled frown on his face.

  Good. Keep his attention. Remind him you’re a person, not target practice.

  “There’s an old shoe factory down one track. I thought you might know something about it.”

  “Get those chairs and put them back to back,” Ryan ordered, pointing to the furniture.

  Charlie moved slowly as she dragged them into position, talking all the while. “I thought it might give me evidence about a man I think was involved in Ben Butler’s murder. Did you see an article about him? He was a homeless man who used to come around work and chat with me about the galaxy and the stars.”

  If Ryan was listening to her at all, he gave no sign. “Sit down,” he barked, jerking the hunting knife towards the chairs.

  Mia folded her arms and Charlie shot her a pleading glance. “Do what he says,” she said under her breath. “It’s the only way we’ll get out of here unharmed.”

  Although her baby sister’s chin jutted out, Mia complied and sat with her stony face staring at the wall.

  Charlie tried again. “When we walked up to the site earlier, we couldn’t see—”

  “Be quiet! I can’t think when you’re nattering on at me.” Ryan put the weapon down just long enough to loop the belt around their two upper arms and the chair backs, pulling the leather tight before fastening it. He repeated the bonds on the other side, using the belt he’d been wearing this time.

  Bocconcini danced close to Ryan, unleashing a flurry of barks. The man jumped in startled panic, then buckled the pug’s collar to the belt, fastening him securely.

  Charlie concentrated on her breathing, just as the long hours of her Pilates class had taught her. If she could keep calm, there might be an opening to free her, Mia, and Bocconcini with none of them getting hurt.

  If they could talk Ryan into leaving the room, the belts shouldn’t prove too much of a challenge. As long as she kept panic at bay, there’d be a chance.

  There must be a chance.

  Ryan stepped closer, squatting to look Charlie in the eye. He searched her face, his eyes appearing hungry for information. Finally, he stood again, stepped back, and pointed the knife blade straight at her chest.

  “Where is she?”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Charlie jumped as Ryan yelled his question again. Her head swam. Bocconcini whined beside her and Mia panted.

  “You’re talking about Allie?” she asked in a small voice, terrified of giving the wrong answer.

  “Of course, I’m talking about Allie! What have you done with my wife?”

  Charlie stared at Ryan, only gradually becoming aware she was shaking her head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “You have to! Why else are you breaking in here, trying to steal my things? You must know where Allie’s been taken and if you don’t… If you won’t…”

  He trailed off into silence, swiping his arm angrily across his face to dry up tears.

  “Please believe me, Ryan. I’d never do anything to hurt Allie. As I said, I just came here to ask you questions. I know nothing about what’s happened.”

  Ryan sat heavily on the bed, shoulders slumping. When he placed the weapon to one side, Charlie tried again. “Where did you last see your wife? Can you tell me what you were doing before she went missing?”

  For long minutes, it seemed Ryan wouldn’t be able to. His shoulders shook with hearty sobs and he buried his face in his hands.

  Bocconcini stopped struggling with his collar, sat back on his heels, and gave a low whine.

  “Was it something to do with why you have a knife from my kitchen in your bag?” Charlie asked. “Did you help kill Ben Butler?”

  “No!” Ryan turned a horrified gaze on Charlie, his denial so quick she believed him. “This has all been a terrible mistake.”

  “If you’re not involved in Ben’s murder, how about you untie us?” Mia shifted on the chair in a vain attempt to do it herself. “It’s hard to think well of someone when they’ve got you bound to a chair at knifepoint.”

  “I can’t,” Ryan murmured. “You’re the only lead I have.”

  “But we don’t—”

  Charlie cut her sister off mid-sentence. “We can only help you if you tell us what’s happened.”

  Ryan rubbed his face vigorously, as though trying to perk himself up. “I should never have done it.”

  “Done what?” Charlie asked. She turned in her chair as much as the belts allowed, ignoring the feel of the left one digging into her skin.

  “I should never have listened to Nutty Butler. He’s the one who started all this trouble.”

  “Ben?” Charlie stared at Ryan in shock, then forced herself to ask another question through lips that felt numb. “What did Ben tell you?”

  “On our first day in town, Ben stopped me and Allie on the street and asked us if we wanted to buy drugs.”

  Mia gasped and althoug
h Charlie hid it better, the surprise welled inside her, too.

  “He wasn’t threatening or anything,” Ryan continued. “Not like the drug dealers you see on cop shows or stuff like that. Allie thought it was a hoot, being offered illicit substances in the middle of the day. This township’s so quaint, it just made the whole thing appear surreal.”

  Surreal was right. If Charlie saw a clock dripping off a tree right now, she’d be less flabbergasted. Sure, she’d known Ben had done drugs in the past but that was a long way from selling them in the present.

  “You told him no, I take it?”

  “Of course, I told him no. He guaranteed us the best vacation ever, and I informed him in no uncertain terms that’s what we were already having!”

  Charlie remembered the joyful couple she’d met on the street after her Monday Pilates session. Their shared happiness had been so effusive it seemed to flow off them in waves. A far cry from the tearful mess sitting in front of her now.

  She knew what it was like to lose someone close to you, but that wasn’t all she saw on the bed before her. No. Guilt swelled out of Ryan’s pores like foul grease. Guilt or shame.

  “You went back to see him later?” Charlie guessed. When Ryan nodded in agreement, she felt her stomach turn over.

  “I used to take recreational drugs back when I was younger. Nothing heavy—a few pills here and there—and I’ve never done them with Allie. She’s not that kind of girl.”

  “That’s because she’s a woman,” Mia growled, “with half a brain in her head. How could you even consider buying drugs off a man you didn’t know in a strange city?”

  The twist of Ryan’s lips told Charlie how much he regretted his actions, but her anger didn’t care. “And did Ben sell them to you? Or did the deal go south?”

  “I couldn’t even find him, more fool me.” Ryan scratched at his forehead, ripping open a small scab near his hairline. “Allie slept in the following morning, so I came into town to try again and found out he’d been killed.”

  “If you didn’t find him to buy drugs, then how are you tangled up in all of this?” Frustration rose in Charlie’s throat. Having the story dribbled out in small, reluctant chunks made her want to grab Ryan and shake him.

  “When I returned to the hotel room, Allie was gone.” Ryan’s voice began to break apart, and he wiped his nose on his sleeve. “I looked for a note or something she might have left to tell me where she’d gone and that’s when I found the kitchen knife stuffed in the bag.”

  “You didn’t put it there?” Charlie frowned, blinking rapidly, while Bocconcini danced excitedly on the spot. “Did reception see your wife leave?”

  “Nobody saw her. Later that afternoon, someone slid an envelope under my door telling me to bring the package. But you see”—he turned a pleading face to Charlie—“I never contacted Ben so I got nothing from him. There’s nothing to take anywhere, except for the knife and I don’t think they meant that.”

  “Who sent the envelope?” Mia asked.

  “I don’t know! If I knew that do you think I’d be sitting here with you two instead of getting my wife back?” Ryan launched to his feet and paced the length of the small room. “I’ve been running around town for days, trying to work it out, but I’m almost out of time and I’m still no closer to the truth. When I came back and heard you two in here, I thought—”

  He broke off, sobbing, and Charlie nodded. “Stop that!” she called out in her sternest schoolmarm voice. “There’ll be time for crying and self-pity later. For now, we need to focus on who has Allie and what package they think you have.”

  “I know.” Ryan cleared his throat, staring at them from a face twisted with misery.

  “Well, don’t just stand there, you numbskull. Untie us!”

  Ryan approached, becoming tentative as Bocconcini launched into a frenzy of barking.

  “Stop that,” Charlie told the pug, although she sympathised. She wanted to yell and scream, too.

  As her arms were released, she picked her dog up in her arms, hugging him close and inhaling his magical pug scent. “Right,” she announced with a firm nod while Mia walked to the corner of the room farthest from Ryan. “First things first. Show me this mysterious envelope and letter of demand.”

  He pulled a crumpled note from his pocket, handing it over with shaking fingers. Charlie opened it, pulling out a flyer with an announcement about the King Pawn Gold Event at her ex-husband’s shop.

  On the back, someone had scrawled, “See you there. Bring the package.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Charlie cupped her elbows and leaned forward, her breath clouding the window. Ryan had agreed to meet her and Mia at the shop, prior to attending the Gold Event at King Prawn later in the evening. She’d put the closed sign up already but there wasn’t a sign of the man.

  “Maybe he’s not coming,” Mia suggested, leaping up to sit atop a table. “For all we know, he found his wife and got out of town already.”

  “Could be,” Charlie said, checking her watch again. If Ryan didn’t show soon, they’d have to go to her ex-husband’s shop alone. Even without the secret agenda, it wasn’t a visit she’d enjoy. “But he said he’d let us know if anything changed.”

  Mia snorted, kicking her legs. “And you expect a man who pulled a knife on us to keep his word? Whatever.”

  “I don’t know but I’m staying here until the last minute, anyhow. If you want to go early and eat store-bought, plastic-wrapped cheddar, you go ahead.”

  “Cheese snob,” Mia retorted with a laugh. “No wonder Nick ditched you. He’s far too low-brow for your artisanal tastes.”

  Charlie puffed out her lips. “Don’t let his tacky outfits and rough language fool you. He’s far more attuned to the finer things in life than he’ll ever let on in public. But it doesn’t suit the style of his store, so he keeps it hidden.”

  “Either that, or he does it expressly to hack you off.”

  “That’s a given.” Charlie screwed up her face. “Do you mind if we don’t talk about Nick? I’m done with giving that man mind-space.”

  “Shall I go back to talking about Ryan, the lovely gentleman who held us at knifepoint so I couldn’t sleep a wink last night?”

  Surprised, Charlie turned to survey her sister. Sure, the shock of Ryan holding them hostage had been tense but as soon as the weapon was put aside and they were freed, she’d pushed the fear from her mind.

  Judging from the circles under her sister’s eyes, Mia wasn’t lying. Charlie walked over and gave her a hug. “Come on, then.”

  “What?” Mia narrowed her eyes.

  “Let’s head on home for a decent meal. If being around Ryan makes you uncomfortable, he can sort this out for himself.”

  The relief on her baby sister’s face made Charlie feel like a heel. She should have known without being told, that’s part of what being an older sibling was about.

  Still, Mia didn’t move from her perch on the table. “I don’t understand why anybody would want to meet at the King Pawn. It’s hardly an out of the way place, especially with the invites being strewn around town all week.”

  Charlie tilted her head to one side. She’d been thinking the same all night and still hadn’t come up with a good answer. “It would make sense if Nick had killed Ben, but I can’t see him doing that. Unless his financial situation has gone downhill, he stands to lose a lot more getting involved in drugs and murder than he would by leaving well enough alone.”

  “He could be an addict,” Mia suggested, pursing her lips. “I know people still think of drug addicts as being down and outs but it’s just as likely to be someone who got addicted through prescription painkillers.”

  “It doesn’t seem like Nick,” Charlie said. “When we were together, he’d be out for the count if he had to take Paracetamol. The same with any other over-the-counter medicine. Unless his habits have changed a lot.” She shrugged. It had been a few years since anything like that was her concern. Bad habits could easily hav
e been formed.

  “Uh-oh,” Mia said in a flat voice. “Looks like trouble turned up after all.”

  Ryan stood at the corner of the window, peering inside. Charlie waved but made no move to unlock the door. “I won’t let him in if he makes you feel uncomfortable.”

  “Nah, now that I see him again, he’s a weedy little runt. Perhaps seeing him close-up will make me feel better.”

  Charlie still kept her eyebrows raised as she walked to the door and only released the deadbolt when Mia nodded.

  “Have you heard anything from Allie?” she asked as Ryan shuffled inside, checking over his shoulder with a strained face.

  “Nothing.” Ryan’s voice broke, and he cleared his throat. “There’s been no contact since the envelope.” He stared at his feet while wiping his palms against his thighs. “Listen, I want to apologise for yesterday.”

  If she’d been alone, Charlie would have stopped him, but she glanced at Mia and kept quiet.

  “I should never have frightened you like that or threatened you. I could say it’s because I was half out of mind with grief and worry, but that’s still no excuse.” He forced his gaze up, meeting Charlie’s eyes, then Mia’s. “I don’t want to be the man I was to you yesterday and I’m so, so, sorry for the harm I caused.”

  Mia nodded, accepting the apology and Charlie followed her lead. Ryan appeared no more relaxed, but his face lost a few worry lines.

  “Come on,” Mia said, jumping down from the table. “Let’s go.”

  Charlie lasted ten excruciating minutes in Nick’s company, then fled out the front door of the King Pawn store. Ryan and Mia followed her a few minutes later, standing and staring in the display windows with concerned glances.

  “There’s no way someone’s expecting me to hand over a package with all those people in there,” Ryan said, shaking his head. “This can’t be the message.”

  “You’re right.” Charlie moved to the side of the store, so they couldn’t be seen from inside. “Whatever reaction the message was intended to provoke, surely it wasn’t to come here during the busiest time of the day.”