by Lyndsey Cole
Her heart tugged with the memories of their romance in the past. Did she still have feelings for Tyler? Was that why she wouldn’t let herself go to the next level with Jason? She sipped her beer, enjoying how it surged through her body, relaxing her. Her hand covered his. All the distractions from the noisy bar disappeared as they shared a look.
Suddenly, a shadow fell across the table. Annie looked up into Jason’s face, his mouth open but silent. Before she could say a word, he turned and left.
Her phone beeped with a message from Leona. Jason is on his way to the pub. Annie responded. Too late with your message. She shut her phone off and threw it into her bag, furious with herself.
Tears threatened to spill from her eyes as she stood up. “I’ve got to go. Sorry Tyler.”
“Wait.” The word hit her retreating back.
In the instant Annie saw Jason’s face, she knew. She had to reach Jason to explain. Or was it already too late?
Chapter 21
Annie rushed from the Catfish Cove Pub and searched for Jason’s car. Nowhere in sight. Panic gripped her chest. Without another thought, she was on her way home with no memory of ever getting into her car.
Cobblestone Cottage and her apartment looked the same as always. The view of the lake in the background calmed her slightly. But as she pulled into the driveway, hers was the only car. Annie hit her steering wheel with both hands. What was wrong with her?
Slowly, she slid from her car and dragged her feet up the stairs to her apartment. Roxy was thrilled to see her but that was small comfort when her heart was in turmoil. Smokey popped through the kitty door meowing for attention and food. Of course the world kept spinning even when Annie seemed to be in a slow motion crash and burn.
Going through the routine of feeding Roxy and Smokey at least gave her something to do before she slumped onto the couch and let the tears stream down her cheeks.
When her phone rang, it brought her back to reality. Her plans with Camilla raced through her pity party as she answered.
“Where are you?” a familiar voice asked.
“Jason? Where are you? I’m home.”
“I expected to meet you at the Harper House. Didn’t Camilla send you a text? She just showed up with Henry Harper the third. You’d better get here.”
Annie panicked. Quickly, she checked her messages and saw one from Camilla. How could she have been so stupid, she wondered, as she pulled herself together and headed out the door.
When she turned onto Harper Hill Road, she slowed down so as not to bring attention to her car. She sighed with relief when she spotted Jason’s car. Quickly, she slid from her seat and jumped into his passenger seat.
He handed her a thermos of hot coffee and an avocado cheese sandwich. “In case you’re hungry.”
Annie set the food and drink between her legs and grasped Jason’s hand, squeezing it. He squeezed back.
“Seeing you with Tyler was quite a shock,” he said but didn’t pull his hand away.
“He’s going through a rough patch and needed someone to talk to. I should have—”
“No explanation is necessary. I know you two are friends.” They sat in silence for several minutes. “This is nice. Sitting here with you.”
Annie darted her head around. “Where’s Camilla? I don’t see any other cars.”
“They drove up and left. Henry must have changed his mind or something. Text Camilla and see where they went.”
Annie sent off a quick message and got an equally quick response. At the pub. Rescue me from HH3!
Annie chuckled. “Oh boy. Camilla needs some rescuing.”
“What’s wrong?” Jason asked, his eyebrows raised with concern.
“They’re at the pub. We better butt in on that party or Camilla will kill me.”
The pub was packed when Annie and Jason walked in. She spied Camilla in a far corner, her eyes darting around while Henry leaned possessively toward her.
Annie pulled Jason’s arm as they weaved through the tables to the back. “Oh, what a surprise,” Annie said as she pretended to have just spotted Camilla. “It’s packed, can we join you two?”
Camilla scooted her chair over as far as possible toward the wall, allowing Annie and Jason to squeeze into the small space between Camilla and Henry.
“What brings you two out tonight?” Camilla asked, a tad of annoyance in her voice that Annie was the only one to catch.
Annie scanned the room. “I don’t know. In hindsight, it would have been much more peaceful to stay home. But it’s nice to see you.” She turned her attention to Henry. “Hear anything new about your granddad’s place?”
Jason covered his mouth, pretending to cough to hide his choke of surprise at Annie’s question.
Henry took his glasses off, taking his time to polish them before answering Annie. “Why would you ask something like that?”
“I know you like to keep an eye on the place,” she said with her chin resting in the palm of her hand and her eyes watching Henry’s reaction.
His gaze darted toward Camilla and he sneered at her. “What have you been telling your nosy friend?”
Camilla patted his hand and fluttered her eyelashes. “Don’t be silly, Henry. It was your grandfather’s house. Of course you’re interested about the happenings there.” Under the table, she kicked Annie. “Oh, and show Annie this beautiful ring you found that belonged to your grandfather.” She pulled his hand toward Annie.
Henry tucked his thumb under his index and middle finger and covered the ring since Camilla wouldn’t release his hand. “Don’t be shy.” She pulled his fingers straight, revealing his gold ring with the same H engraved on it that was on the watch cover Leona found.
Annie traced the H with her finger. “I saw this when you were in the café. It’s quite unusual. How wonderful to have that memory of your grandfather.”
Camilla gushed some more, “And you should see all the other things he found. Right, Henry?”
Henry’s jaw clenched. As soon as Camilla released his hand, he hid it in his lap. He twisted in his chair but Jason had him blocked in.
Annie leaned as far across the table as possible. “Where did you really get this stuff, Henry Harper the third?”
His eyes popped open wide. Voices from the other patrons swirled around the pub. Chairs scraped on the floor, glasses clinked, and music added to the din. Henry’s eyes shifted from Camilla to Jason and back to Annie. “What are you talking about?” He asked with a shaky voice.
“All the jewels. Did you sneak into the house when Claire was in the kitchen and kill her so you could steal what you thought was rightfully yours?”
He stood up, expecting the chair to slide backwards but it didn’t and he fell back into his seat. “Let me out of here. I don’t have to listen to this anymore.”
Camilla grabbed his arm again. “What did you want to show me at the Harper House tonight? You were all gung ho to get me there but we never even got out of the car.”
“You people are all crazy. I didn’t kill Claire.” Desperation filled his words. “Violet Sheldrake’s son has been nosing around and I thought I could catch him in the act. Maybe even with the one thing I haven’t been able to find yet.”
Annie held his eyes in a stare. “And what would that be?”
“My grandfather’s gold pocket watch. It was always promised to me but it disappeared. Larry Sheldrake has methodically searched that house every time he came for a visit.”
Annie sat back in her chair. “Interesting. So you watch the house, waiting for him to find something you want. Was Larry at the house the afternoon Claire was murdered?”
“Yes. And Claire’s son, Cody. He practically ran from the house, driving off in a cloud of dust.”
“And you never went inside? Maybe you and Claire had an argument, you grabbed a knife and stabbed her? Maybe after Cody and Larry left letting you point the police toward them?”
“You can’t prove that.” Henry smirked.
“You called 911, didn’t you?”
Henry’s face went completely white.
“And Bella was inside. She was your grandfather’s dog and you wanted to dump the responsibility. She was inside the house. Who else would have let her in?” Annie certainly didn’t have to let Henry know that Danny had left the door open for the dog.
Sweat beaded on his forehead. “You have to believe me. I did go in, but Claire was already dead.”
Annie pulled her phone out.
“What are you doing?” Henry asked, concern lacing every word.
“Calling Detective Christy Crank. She needs to hear every word you just told us.”
“Not yet. I want to catch Larry at the house. Wouldn’t that be better? Lure him there and then tell the police what’s going on?”
Annie put her phone down. “Do you have a plan?”
Henry wiped his forehead with his shirt sleeve. “It should be easy.” He looked at Camilla. “You can tell Larry I found a stash of stuff hidden in the house and there’s probably more. Then we wait.”
Jason shook his head. “Not much of a plan. If Larry’s the killer, what if he tries to use Camilla as a hostage?”
“I didn’t think of that. What do you propose?”
Annie tapped her fingers on the table. “You put yourself in danger if you want to go through with this. Not anyone else.”
Henry held up both hands. “Wait a minute. I don’t want to risk my life.”
Annie picked her phone up again. “Exactly what I suspected. Okay, then I’m calling the detective right now.”
“No. We have to catch him inside. There’s no proof otherwise.”
“Okay. I’ll see if Martha will help. I’m sure she will if it means helping Abby and Cody. She can drop some hints to Larry or Violet, but instead of waiting outside, you,” she pointed to Henry, “hide inside and wait. You know the house better than anyone. Once Larry goes inside, you can call Detective Crank and tell her what’s happening.”
Henry slowly nodded his head.
Chapter 22
Annie suddenly felt like her body was sucked dry of energy. It had been a long, busy day and all she could think about was how good her pillow and down comforter would feel when she snuggled into her bed.
Jason held her arm as they all walked from the pub. Camilla reluctantly went with Henry.
“Are you sure she’ll be all right with that scumbag?” Annie asked Jason as Henry’s car drove off.
“I think so. He doesn’t have much of a back bone but I don’t think he’s dangerous. Camilla has the upper hand even if she hasn’t figured that out yet.” He opened the driver door for Annie. “I’ll follow you home. Make sure you don’t fall asleep at the wheel in the next seven minutes.”
“Will you tuck me in too?”
“Gladly.” He smiled.
The rest of the evening was a blur as Jason took care of everything for Annie. He walked Roxy, helped Annie to her bed and gently kissed her goodnight. “Pleasant dreams,” he said as he stroked her cheek before leaving. She rewarded him with a smile before completely closing her eyes and falling asleep to Smokey’s comforting purring next to her head.
A loud bang jolted her awake. With her eyes open, she could see nothing but a sliver of light seeping under her bedroom door. Roxy jumped off the bed.
“Wake up, Annie. We need to talk.”
Annie pulled her pillow over her head. What was Leona doing in her apartment at this time of night? And what time was it, anyway?
Her bedroom door burst open letting light and the aroma of coffee reach her barely awake brain. “What are you doing here, Leona?”
Leona pulled the down comforter off Annie, letting it fall in a heap on the floor. “Get up. We have work to do before I open the café.”
The sound of coffee pouring into mugs and the clink of silverware made her sit up and whisper, “Who else is here?”
“Jason.”
Annie pushed herself up onto one elbow before sinking back down with a groan. “Couldn’t this wait until a reasonable hour?”
Leona checked her watch. “Don’t be such a baby. It’s almost six, well, almost five thirty. And, you’re awake now.” She smirked.
“It’s a good thing Jason is here or I’d throw you right out and lock the door.” Annie felt around on the floor for her sheepskin slippers and pulled a fleece over her head.
“How do you think I got in? He has a key, you know.” Leona walked out of Annie’s bedroom. “She’s coming. I hope you made that coffee good and strong. She’s gonna need it.”
A tray sat on her coffee table with mugs, coffee, sugar and cream alongside a selection of pastries. Annie sat on the couch next to Roxy with her legs curled under herself looking from Leona to Jason.
“Well, help yourself. No one is waiting on you,” Leona said as she pointed to the tray.
Annie didn’t budge.
Jason poured himself a cup and one for Annie. “Here you go.”
“Thank you. Will one of you please tell me what’s going on?”
“Here’s the thing,” Leona started. “Danny is getting more and more depressed about being a suspect so I came up with a plan.”
Annie looked at Jason and he shrugged. “I was only hired on because I have a key to the star participant’s apartment.” He lowered his eyes into a submissive puppy dog stare. “And the coffee. Leona bribed me with the goodies.”
With the coffee’s help, Annie was fully awake and she finally laughed at the two of them. “Okay, you’ve got my undivided attention.” She settled comfortably into the cushions, nibbling on a blueberry muffin.
Leona leaned forward, eyes bright, “Jason filled me in on what happened last night with Camilla and Henry. My plan is to speed up Larry’s search of the Harper House. Get him on the fast track so we can get Danny off the hook.” She looked at the other two. “Are you with me?”
“I guess so,” Annie consented.
“We’ll need Martha’s help with this. I want to plan a moving in party for Cody and Abby. With everyone at the house, Larry will have the opportunity to wander around but we’ll also have lots of eyes on him. He doesn’t know anyone is watching him, right?”
“I don’t think so,” Annie answered. “But what if Cody and Abby don’t feel comfortable moving in yet?”
“That will be Martha’s job to get them on board.”
“Abby thinks Cody might be the murderer.”
Leona paced around Annie’s living room. “It doesn’t matter. Once Camilla drops some hints about Henry’s valuables and how there’s still more he hasn’t found, the murderer, whoever he or she is, will feel desperate to find the treasure.”
“I have a better idea,” Annie said. “The gold watch cover. That will be the lure. We can hide it in one of the rooms. Drop a hint that there must be a secret compartment in there that no one was ever able to find.” She paused. “Can Danny make something like that before the party?”
Leona flicked her wrist. “Nothing to it for him. Once I tell him what we need, consider it done.”
“Great. So at the party, Henry talks about the history of the house, blah, blah, blah, and casually mentions how his grandfather always told him about a secret compartment. That should get everyone’s attention.”
Jason had been quiet during Leona and Annie’s back and forth banter. “How about, Danny finds the secret compartment but he doesn’t think it’s his right to look inside. Spread that rumor. I bet the thief and-or murderer will head over before the words even have a chance to drift away on the Catfish Cove breeze.”
Annie and Leona stared at Jason as if they’d forgotten he was in the room. “About time you chimed in,” Leona said. “That’s brilliant. The plan is made and the trap is laid. We need to get the gossip grapevine in high gear.” She headed toward the door.
“Wait,” Annie said. “What’s first?”
“Danny’s coming into the café for his blueberry muffin and coffee. I’ll get him up to speed about building
a secret compartment. Annie, you talk to Martha and Camilla. Give me the gold watch cover. I’ll give it to Danny to hide.” She stood with her eyebrows raised. “Anything else you can think of?”
Annie reached in her tote for the gold cover and handed it to Leona. “Don’t lose this. It’s the key connection to Larry’s gold pocket watch.”
“Right.” Leona slid the cover into her jeans pocket as she let herself out.
Jason carried the empty coffee mugs to the sink. An awkward silence filled Annie’s apartment.
Annie sucked in a deep breath, exhaling slowly as her cheeks puffed out. “Honest opinion. Christy told me she thinks Tyler is still in love with me. Can I be friends with him or should I cut it off completely, for his sake?”
Jason’s brow furrowed. “I didn’t see that question coming. Is that what your meeting was about with him last night at the Catfish Cove Pub? When you two were holding hands?”
Annie stared out the window. “Tyler asked me to meet him for a drink. I had no idea he was going to be so needy.” She turned toward Jason. “I can’t ignore the feelings I once had for him, and I still care about him, but I’m not sure he’s moved on like I have.”
Jason sat next to Annie and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. “You don’t know how relieved I am to hear this. I was upset last night when I saw the two of you, but I made myself wait for your explanation. It’s too easy to jump to conclusions that are usually wrong. As far as your question is concerned, if I was Tyler, I would still want you to be my friend. Do whatever feels right, that’s usually the best course of action.”
“Thank you,” Annie whispered.
“I thought you were going to ask me about this plan you and Leona have concocted,” Jason mumbled into Annie’s hair.
She leaned away from Jason. “Oh? Do you see problems?”
He chuckled. “There are always problems, my dear.”
Chapter 23
Annie hustled into the Black Cat Café to find Leona in a whirlwind of activity. Muffins were cooling on racks, scones were ready to go into the oven, and she was mixing something else with her favorite oldies station blasting in the background. Annie chuckled and was happy to find Leona back to her normal chaotic state of mind once again. Finally.