The Westport Mysteries Boxed Set

by Beth Prentice

  “Three cups?” he asked.

  “Yes. Riley’s just in the shower, but he’ll be down in a minute.”

  I saw the disappointment flash in Ed’s eyes.

  “Of course. Thanks,” he said, accepting the cup I offered him. “He seems to be getting along with the renovation,” he commented, looking around.

  “I can’t wait for it to be finished.” I sighed.

  “Not everything about the house is bad news.”

  “Really? Wait until I show you what we found today,” I said, thinking about the diaries.

  “Yeah. Where is this blood you called about?”

  “Oh, that’s near the front door, but that’s not all I need to show you.”

  Ed gave me a quizzical look but stood and followed me back into the hall. He knelt down and examined the wall. After swiping at the blood with a swab, he sealed it inside a vial and stood.

  “Do you mind if I take a look around?” he asked.

  “No. I don’t mind. Do whatever you need to do.”

  I silently followed him as he wandered around, checking the windows and doors on the downstairs part of the house. “Nothing else has been disturbed?” he asked.

  “No. Only the second time I found the blood I thought I heard someone on the stairs. Turned out it was my imagination.”

  “Was this door locked on either occasion?” asked Ed, nodding towards the front door that we were walking past.

  “No. I don’t think so. Riley and I were getting ready to go out at the time. It wouldn’t have been locked today either.”

  “You need to keep it locked at all times,” he said, concern flashing in his eyes.

  I nodded. “Where do you think it’s coming from?”

  “I don’t really know. We’ll get it tested and that at least will tell us if it’s animal or human, or if it really is blood.”

  Shock ripped through me at his last words.

  “What? What do you mean?”

  “Just because it looks like blood doesn’t mean it is. It could just be someone trying to scare you.”

  My mind reeled with Ed’s words and immediately jumped to Allison.

  “What else did you have to show me?”

  “Hmm?” I could see Allison doing something like that. She could have easily slipped in the door when no one was around and sprayed the walls with fake blood. She already knew that I was scared in this house so why not amp up the fear a little bit more?

  “You said there was something else you needed to show me,” continued Ed.

  “Oh yeah,” I said, snapping out of my daydream. “We found some diaries. I think you’ll be really interested in what’s inside them.”

  We moved into the kitchen and Ed sat down at the makeshift table.

  “This house certainly has a lot of secrets,” he commented, looking around.

  “Yeah. Sometimes I wish I’d never bought it.” I sighed and sat down heavily on the chair opposite Ed.

  “If you hadn’t bought this house, we never would have met.” Ed gave me a look that could have scorched the floor. I felt my face flame as Riley walked in the room. I saw his jaw flex, but he extended his hand to Ed.

  “Hello again,” he said, with a forced smile.

  “Hi, Riley, it’s a pleasure to see you.”

  I had the distinct impression it was anything but a pleasure. I was really unsure what was happening, so I busied myself getting up and making Riley his coffee. As I stepped into his zone, the air filled with the smell of a fresh shower. I smiled.

  “So, where are the diaries,” asked Ed, switching to official mode.

  “Oh...um...” My brain muddled at the smell of Riley, and mentally I shook myself.

  “I left them in the lounge. Would you mind grabbing them Lizzie,” asked Riley, smiling at me.

  “Sure.” I had the impression Riley didn’t want to leave me in the room alone with Ed for too long. I quietly walked past him and moved through the door to the hallway. The air in here was much cooler and I felt relief wash over me. I hadn’t realized the kitchen had become so hot. Picking up the diaries, I walked back to the kitchen. I attempted to hand them to Ed when the pile slipped and they fell forwards. I went to grab at them, lost my balance and crash landed into Ed’s face, breasts first. And as I had a scooped neckline on my T-shirt, Ed seemed to have a face full of my cleavage.

  I think Riley will be wishing that he’d got the diaries himself, now.

  “Oh my God! I’m so, so sorry,” I spluttered, attempting to stand upright.

  I felt Riley’s hands around my waist as he pulled me back to standing. My face flamed and I wondered if a person could actually die from embarrassment. Ed didn’t seem to mind though. He had a big grin on his face…until he saw the thundercloud on Riley’s. He coughed, and bent to pick up the diaries.

  “It’s okay, Lizzie. No harm done.”

  “No. I’m really, really sorry.”

  “It’s okay. Honestly, don’t be embarrassed. Things like this happen to me all the time.”

  I had a moment of wondering if women threw their breasts in his face accidently or if it were more purposeful than that.

  “Anyway,” said Riley, unimpressed, “if you turn to the last diary and read the entries for the last couple of months, you’ll see why we thought you should see them.”

  Thankfully, Ed turned his attention to the diaries and flicked through them, skim-reading as he went. When he came to the entry date August 28, he stopped and read more intently.

  “Well, that explains what happened I guess,” he said, looking up from the pages. “Now we just need to find out who LGB is. The coroner did lift prints off of clothing on the body, but we haven’t been able to match them to anybody at the moment. He’s probably dead by now, anyway.” Ed sighed and stood up as his radio crackled. “That’s for me,” he said, adjusting the volume so he could hear it better. “Thanks for handing this over to me, Lizzie. I’ll stay in touch and keep you informed of anything we find out about the blood. If it happens again, call me straight away.”

  Ed adjusted his gun belt and I followed him to the door. As he moved into the rain, I waved him goodbye.

  * * * *

  The following Sunday it was dinner as usual at Mums house. It was always a noisy affair, and today the only difference to any other Sunday was that Grandma had invited her boyfriend George, and Molly had been forced to invite Matt.

  As soon as we arrived, I could tell Molly was on edge. Not that I blamed her. Personally, I would have introduced Matt on another night—like during the winter of 2040—but maybe it won’t be such a bad thing. With Grandma and George, Matt may just sneak in under Mum’s radar without too much interrogation.

  “Hi Mum,” I said, kissing her cheek as I walked past. “It’s a full house tonight.”

  Mum gave me a tight smile, her cheeks flushed and her hair standing slightly on end. Maybe she was rethinking her idea of introducing Matt to the family tonight too.

  “Lizzie, I can’t do everything. You need to help me.”

  “Sure, Mum. What do you need doing?”

  “Well, you can lay the table for me. Use the good cutlery, please.”

  Geez, Mum only got the good cutlery out on special occasions. Tonight must be pretty important to her. I wondered who she wanted to impress the most—Matt so he’d marry Molly; or George so he would take Grandma off her hands.

  “Also,” she added, “your grandmother is your responsibility tonight. If she plays up, it’s your fault.”

  “Oh puh-lease,” I said, rolling my eyes. “As if I can control her.”

  “Well, try...and don’t roll your eyes at me, young lady.”

  I moved to the cupboard where Mum kept the good china and cutlery, and pulled out what we needed. Taking it all to the dining room, I laid the table as best I could—considering we were squashing ten people around a six-seater table.

  Re-entering the lounge, I found Grandma holding center stage with George sitting alongside her, looking lo
ve struck. Dad had his head buried in the paper. I guess he was unimpressed with her storytelling.

  “Hi, George, we meet again.” I smiled.

  Riley moved over and extended his hand to George. “How are ya, George?” George took his hand and shook it. As he did, I noticed the white cotton gloves he wore and wondered about it. George must have followed my gaze, as he coughed and gave me a coy smile.

  “Sorry about the gloves,” he said. “I have a skin condition.”

  “Oh, that’s okay. No need to explain,” I said, slightly embarrassed I’d been caught staring.

  Grandma seemed undeterred by my rudeness though, and continued on with her story about Westport ‘back in the day’. I remembered what the old guy at the pub had told Danny.

  “Hey Grandma, how good is your memory?” I asked.

  “Sharp as a tack,” she replied.

  “Do you remember a story about an illegitimate child being born at my house?”

  “How long ago?”

  “About sixty years or so.”

  “Hmmm, let me think...there was a bit of a scandal back in the late forties, but I don’t know whether the girl had the baby or not. I don’t remember where she lived. I just remember a story going around about a girl who was raped and got pregnant from it.”

  “That’s terrible,” said Molly. “What happened to her?”

  “Don’t know. Do you remember that, George?” Grandma asked, turning to him. Up until now he’d been pretty quiet. “You would have lived here back then.”

  “No, no sorry, Mabel. I didn’t live around here then,” he explained, his toe tapping. He was obviously nervous about meeting us all.

  “What about Ronald Smithson? Have you ever heard of him?” I asked.

  “Yeah, I remember him,” said Grandma, her face animated. “He was a butcher—liked to cut up more than cows, if the rumors were true. I remember him because he used to stuff things. Your grandfather, God rest his soul, wanted to take our dog Spot to him to get him stuffed. Once he’d died, of course. Spot probably wouldn’t have liked it much if he’d been alive.” She swished her false teeth around, remembering. “Anyways, I didn’t go for it much. I think once you’re dead you should be buried, not left on the mantle-piece for everyone to pat. ‘How would you like it if I did that to you?’ I said to Grandad.”

  “What was his reply?” asked Danny.

  “He just told me we’d need a bigger mantle-piece.”

  “Why do you want to know about Ronald Smithson?” asked Riley, frowning at me.

  “Oh...um...Ed told me that’s who the bones belonged to.”

  “Ed?”

  “Yeah.”

  “So he’s Ed now, is he?”

  “He told me to call him that.” I shrugged, like it was no big deal.

  Riley looked back at me, his thoughts unreadable. “You are staying out of this, aren’t you Lizzie?” There was an undertone of warning to Riley’s voice, one I probably shouldn’t have ignored.

  “Yep,” piped in George. “It’s best to leave the past in the past. That’s what I say.”

  “I couldn’t agree more, George,” replied Riley.

  I wondered if he was referring to the story of the bones or Allison.

  “Dinner’s ready!” called Mum, not a moment too soon. With the look Riley was giving me, things were starting to get hot in here.

  We all moved to the dining room and found our seats. I will say it was very squashed, but somehow we managed to fill our plates.

  “George, why don’t you tell us about yourself,” said Mum.

  “Not much to tell really,” he replied.

  “Rubbish,” said Grandma, her potato falling off her fork. “You’re just being modest. Why don’t you tell everyone how you were a single dad before it became fashionable?”

  “Now, Mabel. Nobody wants to hear about my boring life.”

  “Of course we do,” said Grandma, enthusiastically. I looked around the table and thought George was probably right.

  “I had a daughter, but she passed away during childbirth. I took the child and raised it as my own.” George shrugged.

  “That’s so sad,” said Mum.

  “It all worked out okay. My granddaughter and I are very close.”

  Mum glared at the three of us. “I’m sure one day I’ll know what that feels like,” she mumbled.

  “What happened to your wife?” asked Matt, speaking up for the first time. Actually to be fair to him, I had seen him trying to add to the conversation, but every time that he went to say something, someone else beat him to it.

  “My wife?” asked George.

  “Yes. The mother of your daughter.”

  “Oh...um...yes...um...she died as well. Giving birth also.” George shifted uncomfortably in his seat. I wondered about it.

  “You poor man. You never remarried?” asked Mum, horrified.

  “No, never met the right woman after that. Anyway enough about me. Pass the potatoes will you please, Mabel.”

  “How old is your granddaughter?” asked Mum. She was a sucker for a sad story.

  “What? Oh, she’s thirty-two.”

  “Does she live locally? Lizzie might know her. They might have gone to school together.” Mum smiled at the thought that the world was really much smaller than we gave it credit for.

  “No, no, she doesn’t live here. She lives somewhere else. Mabel, please pass the bloody potatoes, will you,” he added sharply, dropping his fork to take the bowl she was holding.

  Geez, obviously he really liked potatoes.

  “Have you found anything else out about the bones in your garden, Lizzie?” asked Matt, looking at me.

  “Kind of. Riley found a hidden room under my shed. He lifted the floor and found a box full of diaries and a cat.”

  “What kind of cat?” asked Danny.

  “What kind of room?” asked Matt.

  “Who put it all there?” asked Molly.

  What was this—twenty questions?

  “It was a stuffed cat, a secret room and I’m guessing Avis,” I answered.

  “What did the diaries say?” asked Danny. “Were they filled with secret affairs?”

  “Did they tell you who put the body in the garden?” asked Andrew.

  “Yes, as a matter of fact, they did.” I smiled.

  I heard the appropriate gasp go around the table.

  “Well, who did it?” asked Danny, impatiently.

  “Someone with the initials LGB.”

  “Who’s LGB?” asked Danny.

  “We don’t know. It just said LGB. Apparently he raped Avis, got her pregnant and when Ronald Smithson—owner of the bones—confronted him, there was a fight and Ronald Smithson cut off his hand. LGB returned at a later date and killed him.”

  I watched as George moved and squirmed in his seat. Maybe my story was making him uncomfortable.

  “So all we have to do is find out who LGB is and we’ll have the case solved,” said Danny, curiously.

  “We don’t have to do anything. It’s all been handed to the police, so let them do their job,” said Riley, glaring at me.

  Danny looked at me, raised his eyebrows and mouthed we’ll find him across the table.

  “You know Mabel, I’m not feeling very well,” said George. “I might head off.” Maybe it was all the talk of severed body parts.

  “What? You don’t have to go,” she said to George. She turned to me. “Lizzie, stop telling horrible stories. See George, she’ll stop now.”

  “No really, I think I should go. I’ll call you later tonight.”

  With that he excused himself from the table and left, Grandma hot on his heels.

  Mum turned to me and stared. It was her shut up and behave stare. She was probably worried I’d chase Matt off as well. No need to worry though. Matt was grinning from ear to ear and probably mentally writing his next story.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Monday morning I was woken by Riley’s phone ringing. He rolled out of bed and
answered it. I rolled over, grabbed his pillow and snuggled in. When he came back, he moved to the wardrobe and pulled out his work clothes.

  “Who was on the phone?” I asked.

  “Allison.” My stomach flipped at her name leaving his lips.

  “Oh?”

  “The contract on her house goes through this morning and she needs some work done urgently,” he said, dropping his boxers to pull on his boy leg underpants.

  “So you just change your plans to suit her?”

  “She’s giving me cash.” Yeah, I bet that’s not all she wants to give you, I thought looking at his naked body.

  “It’s only six-thirty. Why are you rushing now?”

  “The contract is supposed to go through as soon as the bank opens and she wants a meeting beforehand, so we can get started as soon as she has the keys.” It all sounded plausible as Riley said it, yet I couldn’t help but think she had an ulterior motive.

  “Oh, I thought we were getting on with the kitchen today,” I sulked.

  “We will...this afternoon. Why don’t you phone Danny and go shopping with him. You still need to make a decision on what bench top you want.”

  I sighed.

  “Lizzie, you were supposed to make that decision a week ago.”

  “I know, I just thought you were going to come with me and help.”

  “Sorry, but I have to go,” he said as he moved to the bed and kissed me. I put my arms around his neck and held on tight. His kiss deepened and it didn’t take long for him to pull the sheets back and jump into bed, his boy leg underpants left on the floor behind him.

  At least he would have something to remember when he was looking at Allison this morning.

  * * * *

  I followed him downstairs and watched as he hunted for his wallet. I moved to make a pot of coffee.

  “Want one?” I asked.

  “No thanks, I’m running late.” He smiled.

  I shrugged. “Just tell Allison that you were making mad, passionate love to me.”

  Riley found his wallet behind the kettle and put it in his back pocket. “Very funny,” he said, smiling again.

  “It’s the truth.”

  “Yes, but I don’t go around telling everybody about my sex life, thank you very much.”