Sister Sleuths Mystery Box Set

by Rayna Morgan

  "I'm not talking out of school; he's candid about his experience. He understands the perils of being a cop and the effect it can have on a person's marriage. He's counseled police officers all over the county, not just in his division, helping them recover from failed relationships. He gets the most satisfaction helping cops keep their marriages intact. I think it's made him a better leader to his squad in a way; knowing he fell victim to his own demons and overcame them makes him seem more human to the people serving under him. They know they can confide in him without being judged. It makes him a valuable leader."

  "I heard of his reputation before I asked to be reassigned."

  "Where did you do your training?"

  "Up north, closer to my family."

  "What brought you here?"

  "You've been honest with me, so I'll share something I usually don't. I had problems with my precinct supervisor. Rather than get involved in a lawsuit for harassment, I opted to ask for a transfer."

  "Shouldn't you have filed charges and exposed him?"

  "I worried about rubbing too many people the wrong way and gaining a reputation as a problem child in which case I wouldn't have gotten the nod to be a detective. I needed to establish myself as a team player who fits into the organizational culture, or my career could have been severely limited. I didn't want to give him that satisfaction. But believe me; he understands in no uncertain terms if I ever hear of his coming on to another female officer, or any other unwilling woman for that matter, I will make his life a personal hell."

  Maddy didn't doubt this woman would carry out her threat. She admired her, as she was sure Tom would if he gave himself the chance to find out more about her.

  • • •

  Bound and gagged in the boat’s cabin, Lea struggled to maintain a clear head. Think like Dad. What would Dad do?

  Repeating the mantra over and over, she sat up, leaning far enough over her knees to allow the bag to slip over her head. Twisting and turning, she pulled her arms under her feet and raised them in front of her. Her hands were still bound, but she felt more in control after freeing her feet and loosening the gag from her mouth.

  She prayed Gracie would disobey her command to 'stay'. The dog had always been protective of Lea and had an uncanny sense of knowing when her master was in trouble. She needed Gracie's help now in the worst way. She sent out all the mental energy she could muster. Come on, girl; I need you.

  Her eyes scanned the room for something sharp enough to cut the rope binding her hands or to use as a weapon. She pulled open drawers searching for a utensil to release the locking mechanism on the door. She hurriedly raised the window shades to give herself a chance to attract attention from the dock.

  The sound of heavy boots accented by a distinctive limp coming toward the boat sent her spiraling into despair until she heard barking she would recognize anywhere. The second the cabin door opened, she yelled, “Gracie, over here.”

  Her captor turned, distracted by two growling dogs nipping at his legs. "Get out of here mutts."

  Lea gasped, hearing a thump and a whimpering yelp. Burning anger pulsed through her. "I'll kill him. If he hurts either of those dogs, I'll kill him."

  She zeroed in on her captor’s back as a target and head butted him as hard as she could. He staggered across the stern of the boat.

  Gracie leaped high into the air as though catching a Frisbee, thrusting her legs in front of her to knock the man off balance. With arms flailing, he reeled forward, tripping over Spirit and falling head first into the water.

  People came running down the dock alerted by the sound of water splashing like a whale being beached followed by sputtering and screaming. "Help. Somebody help me. I can't swim."

  With her hands still bound, Lea nuzzled the dogs, tears streaming down her face.

  • • •

  Maddy had been flipping through pictures for more than an hour when she finally saw the face she had hoped to dispel from her memory forever. Pat Fisher leaned out the door and hollered. Tom ran into the room, snapping his cell phone shut, his face flushed with excitement.

  "I've found him," Maddy said proudly, tapping her polished nail on one of the snapshots.

  "So has your sister, with the help of the dogs. He's apparently half drowned but alive and kicking. Let's go."

  • • •

  Two police cars and an unmarked patrol car were parked haphazardly in the Marina lot in front of the bait shop. Fishermen and boaters were standing on the docks taking it all in. People living in the mobile home park across the street heard the ruckus and came over to see what was going on.

  The center of attention was a dour-looking man wrapped in a blanket. Water puddled at his feet. He might have looked like the victim of a boating accident except for his hands handcuffed behind his back. The dogs remained on guard sitting at attention beside their master.

  Midway through recounting her adventure to Tom, Lea looked up to see Paul's car speeding through the parking lot.

  "Oh, oh," Maddy warned. "Would hate to be in your shoes right now, Sis."

  "Did you call him?" she asked, glaring at Tom.

  "He had a right to know," Tom shrugged. "You know how he worries about you."

  "I would have preferred to tell him in a time and place of my choosing. Him seeing me in the middle of this chaos will make it appear worse than it is."

  "Things don't get much worse than almost being killed," Maddy suggested.

  Paul leaped out of his car without closing the door. He wrapped his arms around her, anxiously searching her face. "Are you okay?"

  "I'm fine. Everything's under control."

  "Thanks for letting me know," Paul acknowledged his friend before staring down his wife, "but I would have expected the call to come from you."

  "I didn't want you to worry," Lea responded meekly.

  He glowered at Maddy. "The only way you can stop me from worrying is for you and your sister to stop getting in these situations."

  Tom interrupted, "Save it for later, Paul. Let me get the rest of the details from Lea and then you can take her home. Maddy, why don't you drive your sister's car home for her and take the dogs. The excitement's pretty much over. I'll pick you up at your sister's house when we're done and give you a ride back to the station."

  Maddy flipped off a salute. "Roger that, Commander. See you at the house."

  "You know where I keep the dog treats," Lea said, throwing a set of keys to her sister. "Be sure you give them some. They earned them."

  • • •

  The police cars with the prisoner in tow left the scene. Lea told Tom everything which had transpired including the terrifying scene outside the Wine Shoppe. The Detective bristled when he heard the threats the thug issued against Maddy. "The dogs may have saved more than your life today. They may have thwarted his plans to go after your sister."

  Paul listened to their exchange, shaking his head in dismay. "How could you not tell me about this when you came home last night?"

  "Because I knew what you'd do."

  "If you mean talking you out of pulling this crazy stunt, you're darned right I would have stopped you."

  "Then Tom wouldn't have had an airtight case against that hooligan like he has now."

  "Unfortunately, it'll be your word against his as to what threats were issued," Tom said, "or if he had a serious intent to carry out those threats."

  "You've got to be kidding," Paul exclaimed. "You mean he could get away with threatening to kill my wife?"

  "Take it easy. That's not what I said. Don't worry; he'll be charged. The important thing is this gives me the leverage I needed. Without the Stage Manager's cooperation, all I had before was Maddy's after-the-fact arrival at the scene of the assault. Now he's compounded possible felony convictions."

  "Was he acting on his own or did someone order him to snatch me?" Lea asked.

  "If he was acting on his own, he's made some serious mistakes his boss is not going to be happy about. If he was follow
ing orders, he didn't execute them successfully. In either case, he's up a creek without a paddle. It should give me a lot better chance of getting him to turn on his boss. I appreciate the breakthrough this has given me, even though it came about in a pretty crazy fashion."

  "See, Paul," Lea said, resting her arm on Paul's shoulder to calm him. "I helped Tom's investigation, and now Maddy's safe."

  "Does that mean you and your sister are willing to leave the dirty work up to Tom from now on?" her husband asked hopefully.

  "That's not what I said," she answered, winking at Tom before weaving her arm through her husband's, pulling him toward his car.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  That evening, Lea felt a tremor of excitement as she and Paul walked into the hotel where the Pre-Opening Dinner was held. The hotel, within walking distance of the Theatre, was the closest facility large enough to accommodate twelve tables of eight people.

  It was fun dressing up, something they seldom did in the laid-back beach community of Buena Viaje. She wore a blue V-neck short cocktail dress which accented her svelte figure and peaches and cream complexion. Swirls of red hair tumbled over her shoulders.

  Only people attending the Pre-Opening Dinner wore formal attire. People attending the performance would be dressed more comfortably in jeans, khakis, or casual summer dresses, the standard fare of an oceanside resort. Lea knew half way through the production she would be sliding the three-inch uncomfortable high heels off her feet.

  She stole a quick glance at her husband, looking classy in a light gray suit and purple shirt. Paul drew the line at wearing a tie and wore the shirt open at the neckline.

  She slipped her hand into his. He gave her a wink and squeezed her hand. "Sorry Tom couldn't make it to the dinner, but he'll be here by the time the play starts."

  "He wouldn't have liked putting on a suit,” Lea shrugged. “His idea of dressing up is changing into a clean pair of jeans."

  Paul laughed. "What makes you think he even owns one? The only time I've seen him in a suit and tie was at his wedding. I don't ever expect to see that again."

  "You mean Tom in a suit, or Tom getting married again?"

  "Neither."

  Always shy walking into a roomful of people, Lea clung to Paul's arm as they entered the dining hall where they were greeted by sounds of people conversing, hors d'oeuvres being served, and the clinking of wine glasses.

  A feature of the Pre-Opening Dinner was that the host of each table was one of the principal actors, the director, or one of the co-producers, affording the patrons an opportunity to meet the production bigwigs up close and personal. Spotting Art Patton waving at them from a table near the front, they headed in his direction. "Happy to see you. I'm so glad to have you at my table. Margaret won't be joining us, of course, since she's catering the event. Let me introduce you to the others in case you haven't met."

  • • •

  Soup dishes were being replaced with salad plates when Margaret Patton stopped by their table. She leaned over Art giving him a kiss on the cheek before moving around the table saying a few words to each person. She put one hand on Paul's shoulder and one on Lea's as she leaned in closer. "Sorry, I can't join you at the table. I hope you're enjoying the meal."

  "The soup was delicious."

  "The secret’s in the mushrooms I use. I'll give you the recipe if you like."

  "She would," Paul chimed in, and they all laughed.

  "Enjoy yourselves. I'll be at the Theatre to see the play. Maybe the four of us can go to the Landing for a nightcap afterward."

  "We'd love to. We'll meet you in the foyer."

  • • •

  Lea recognized the young woman moving from table to table pouring wine. "Hi, Dianne. This is my husband, Paul. Paul, meet Dianne Thomas, the Director's Assistant.

  Paul accepted the woman's weak, clammy handshake. "Pleased to meet you."

  "I'm surprised to see you serving," Lea remarked.

  "The Director lets me serve at Pre-Production and Auction Dinners. He knows it's a special treat for me." She lowered her voice and color tinted her cheeks. "Even though I work with actors a lot, I'm still star-struck over celebrities. I love seeing the VIPs all decked out on opening night." She leaned closer to Lea and whispered. "There's a woman at Julia's table wearing a necklace rumored to be worth more than one hundred thousand dollars."

  "Probably on loan from one of the jewelers in return for dropping his name," Paul scoffed.

  Lea fingered her simple gold chain. "I'll take my replica any day because it's from you."

  Squeezing Dianne's hand, she said, "Break a leg with the production."

  "Thanks. It should be a great show."

  "Break a leg?" Paul asked as Dianne walked away.

  "It's bad luck to wish them good luck."

  "She seems to be a nice girl," Paul commented. "Perhaps a little on the shy side for a director's assistant."

  "Yes, her demeanor was even more self-effacing when we met. She seems more animated tonight."

  Art raised his voice so everyone at the table could hear. "It's time for the mushroom presentation. Ever since Barrett's Renaissance Faire days of using mushrooms to get high, although I think I can safely assure you he no longer uses them for that purpose," Art's offside comment made everyone at the table laugh, "he's considered them a sign of good luck. The fact they're his favorite food delicacy adds to his pleasure. At every Pre-Opening Dinner, a ceremony is held in which Julia presents her husband with a plate of succulent mushrooms which he devours with great gusto. The gesture is meant to ensure the production will experience great success."

  As the overhead lights dimmed, Lea noted Julia remained seated at her table. She also noted the look of surprise from the principals when Chad entered the room from the kitchen carrying a tray with a platter of mushrooms. He walked directly to the table which the Producer hosted.

  Barrett rose smiling, nodded slightly, and removed the plate from the tray. As he turned back to his table, the color drained from his face. A gasp rippled through the room, emanating from the hosts of the other tables.

  "Oh, dear," Art moaned.

  "What's wrong?" Lea asked.

  "There," Art pointed toward three lighted candles at the Producer's table.

  "What does it mean?"

  Art lowered his voice as Lea and Paul strained to hear, mesmerized by the flames of the tapers. "Having three lit candles on stage is considered bad luck. It's said the person nearest to the shortest candle will be the next to marry or the next to die."

  Lea and Paul zeroed in on the candles. The shortest one was directly in front of Barrett's plate.

  • • •

  The play was in the latter part of the second act with only a few minutes remaining. Maddy had delivered her lines perfectly so far. She listened for her lead-in to be shouted by the two main characters.

  "How dare you threaten me in my own home, Harold. I won't stand for it."

  "I'm warning you, Miles. If I catch you with my wife again, I'll kill you."

  "Let me ring for my maid who will show you out. This conversation is over." Maddy heard the tinkling of a hand bell, her cue.

  Walking rapidly on stage, she recited her final line, "You rang, Sir?"

  The next moment seemed to Maddy to last an eternity. She could have heard a pin drop anywhere in the Theatre. She had worried so much about forgetting her lines, she hadn't considered what she should do if the other actor failed to deliver his line.

  She watched in horror as Barrett Mason clutched his throat, grabbing wildly at the air, cursing with an unscripted query, "Damn you, have you already done it?"

  • • •

  Barrett buckled over, retching. After seconds of stunned silence, the curtain swooshed across the stage. The audience was silent, confused by seeing the curtain brought down before the final act concluded. One or two people applauded; the rest of the patrons turned in their seats whispering to their neighbors.

  Art Patton stepped from
behind the curtain. "Is there a doctor in the audience? We have someone in need of medical attention. Please, a doctor."

  A gentleman seated on the aisle stood and hurried up the stairs disappearing behind the curtain.

  After several moments, the Director's Assistant walked on stage, her face ashen, and the microphone in her hand shaking. She spoke in a quavering voice. "I'm sorry to …"

  A man in the back of the Theatre called out to her, "Can you speak up, Miss? We can't hear you."

  She pulled the microphone closer to her mouth, glancing to the sidelines as if looking for help. A high pitched screeching of the mike set Maddy's hair on end. Trying to compose herself, Dianne Thomas continued. "I'm sorry to announce there's been an accident. One of the actors has fallen terribly ill. An ambulance has been called. I don't think we'll be able to continue."

  Maddy backed away from the fallen actor turning to the audience and calling loudly, "Tom … Tom Elliott. Are you there?"

  "Is there a problem?" responded a familiar voice.

  Chad turned to Maddy. "Who are you talking to?"

  The voice from the audience spoke again. "I'm with the police. Is this part of the play or a real emergency?"

  Maddy answered in a trembling voice, "This is definitely not part of the play, Tom. I think this man is dying."

  A wave of murmurs rose from the crowd. Some people stood up, running into the aisle, blocking Tom's way.

  Tom's voice roared over the crowd as he took the steps to the stage two at a time. "Everyone. Please take your seats. Sit still and do not panic. I repeat. Do not panic or leave the area. We'll have this straightened out momentarily."

  After conferring with the doctor, he lowered his voice and gave the temporary Stage Manager directions. "Call the local police. Tell them there's a Detective in the house and an ambulance is on its way. If I need their help, I'll call them on my radio."

  They all turned to watch the medics place the man on a stretcher as Julia Mason rushed on stage in time to see her husband's body convulsing. "My god, what's happened?" she shrieked, flinging herself over the limp form. The medics pulled her away. "We've got to leave right now, ma'am. Your husband's lapsing into a coma."