by Lyndsey Cole
“Your service? You mean, as a private eye?” Hannah wasn’t at all sure that Rochelle was in need of a live-in private investigator. She might be more in need of a lawyer, depending on how this drama played out.
“No!” Samantha laughed. “Cleaning the stalls.” She flexed her arm muscles. “I could use the exercise, and that little Shetland pony is about the cutest thing I’ve ever seen. Wouldn’t Olivia just love to come visit her?”
“Huh, not a bad idea; but wait until we find out who Al’s murderer is. I don’t think you want to move in here with suspicion still hanging over Rochelle and Mack.”
“Good point.”
They left the apartment together, Hannah looking for Cal and Samantha keeping her eyes peeled for Joey. No one was in the barn.
They checked outside. Hannah’s heart sank. “It looks like Joey made a mad dash with Detective Crank’s cruiser gone. I wonder how he escaped from Cal.”
“I’ll drive by Joey’s house and see if I can pick him up there,” Samantha said. “That flashy car of his won’t be hard to spot.”
Cal’s truck was still parked outside the barn but Hannah didn’t see any sign of him. She looked up and down the barn aisle wondering where he could be.
She heard a rustle and a moan coming from the farthest stall. All the horses should have been outside so she couldn’t figure out what made the noise. With tentative steps, Hannah approached the open stall door. Her heart sank. Cal lay in the dirty shavings, on his side, as he tried to push himself up.
Hannah rushed to him. “What happened?”
“Joey rammed me with the wheelbarrow. If I had seen him coming I could have braced myself, but he got me right behind my knees.”
Hannah wrapped her arm around Cal’s waist and helped him stand. Rage flooded through her veins. “That lazy good-for-nothing better be heading far away with all his new-found money if he knows what’s good for himself.”
“Wait a minute, Hannah. Joey told me something interesting.”
“What? That he killed his own father, knocked Rochelle over the head, and stole the money from her car?”
“No. Last night Nate showed up and asked Joey if he could use his boat.”
“Why?”
“Hey, don’t forget that we’re talking about Joey. As far as he’s concerned, he and Nate are like this.” Cal held up one hand with his middle finger wrapped around his index finger.
“What did Nate need with a boat?” A sudden chill flooded her body when the only possibility sank in. He didn’t stay at her cottage, so where did he go? “Do you think he went to find Great Aunt Caroline?”
“You should check. I have to finish here, so get Meg or Jack to go with you and check on her.” Cal held Hannah’s arm. “Don’t go by yourself.”
“Okay. I’ll go to Jack’s house. I want to talk to him anyway.” Nellie and Patches wagged their tails when Hannah got in the car. She backed up and swung around to drive out of the Lowes’ driveway. Everything around her was a blur as she focused straight ahead and tried to piece the puzzle together.
When Hannah arrived at Jack’s house, Olivia was outside playing with Maisy. Maisy raced over to sniff Nellie and Patches before she twirled in happy circles and got them to chase her. “Where’s Jack?” Hannah asked Olivia.
“He’s coming right out. He said to stay right here with Maisy, but since you’re here, can we go to the beach?”
“We’d better wait for Jack or else he’ll wonder where you disappeared to.”
“Mom took me and Petunia to the first pet—” Olivia looked up at Hannah. “What’s the word?”
“Therapy.”
“Therapy meeting. They don’t want us to bring her back.” A tear slid down Olivia’s cheek.
Hannah crouched down to Olivia’s level. “Oh, honey. It’s okay. Petunia is still the best potbelly pig in town. Maybe the group you went to only trains dogs. Is that it?”
“Uh-huh. Can I bring Maisy?”
“Sure. That’s a great idea. She’s small, friendly, and with some training, she’d make a great visitor to comfort people.”
A smile spread across Olivia’s face. “That’s what Mom said, too.”
“I have a surprise for you.” Hannah wanted to distract Olivia from her disappointment about Petunia.
Olivia’s eyes opened as wide as the sand dollars in her treasure box. “What is it?”
“Well, how would you like to visit a farm that has the cutest pony?”
She clapped her hands together and jumped up and down. “Now? Can we go right now?”
Hannah laughed. “No. I can’t take you now, but maybe this afternoon.” She heard Jack’s front door close.
“It looks like someone managed to cheer up our sad little girl. How’d you accomplish that?” Jack walked over and held his hand out toward Olivia.
“With something that every little girl loves.”
“Fishing?”
“Ha-ha. Rochelle Lowe has a Shetland pony. I told Olivia we could visit this afternoon.”
They walked across the street to the path through the big boulders that led to the beach. Olivia released Jack’s hand as soon as her feet touched the sand. She raced along with the dogs, as free as the birds and as happy as any little girl could be.
“So, what’s going on, Hannah?” Jack asked. “That little worry wrinkle is showing up on your forehead.”
Hannah’s finger rubbed her forehead. “You can see that?”
“No, but I can read your face and it’s telling me something happened.”
“Nate borrowed Joey’s boat last night. I’m worried that maybe he went to find Great Aunt Caroline.”
“Why aren’t you checking?” Jack’s normally brusque voice held worry. He shooed her away with both hands.
“Cal insisted that you to go with me, but . . .” Hannah nodded toward Olivia.
“Right. I’m stuck here until Ruby gets home.” Jack held both of Hannah’s arms and stared into her eyes. “Listen, Caroline is tough and my gut tells me she’s fine, so just get over there and find out if Nate is there and if he is, get rid of him.”
“Get rid of him?”
“I mean, tell him to leave. After you find out what he wants.”
“Can I leave the dogs with you?”
“Take Nellie. Leave Patches. It will make you feel better to have her with you.”
Hannah whistled. Nellie looked back at Hannah, then at Olivia. It was obvious she was torn but she finally ran over.
“Come on, girl, we have a job to do.” Hannah and Nellie went to the car.
As she started driving, Hannah wondered what she would do if Nate was at Great Aunt Caroline’s cottage. She hoped she wouldn’t have to figure that out.
Twenty-Five
Caroline’s cottage looked the same as always. It was tucked among the evergreens and blueberry bushes with a sliver of the ocean visible from the side. When Hannah rounded the corner, the full ocean view hit her.
Along with a small boat moored at the foot of the land in front of the cottage.
Her heart raced.
Nellie whined.
Hannah wished she had the key to unlock the back door so she could enter without being seen, but that wasn’t an option.
Without any further hesitation, she pushed the front door open. Two sets of eyes flew up from their intense conversation to stare at her. Tea and an empty pie dish rested between Caroline and Nate.
“Hello, dear,” Caroline said in her casual voice. “Care to join us?”
Nate didn’t smile.
“Apparently, you told Mr. Allen that I was expecting him for tea.” Wrinkles appeared next to Caroline’s eyes and her lips lifted at the edges. She patted the cushion next to Fred. “Come and sit down. Fred won’t mind sharing.”
Nellie nosed Nate who rested his hand on her head. This small gesture upset Hannah. Nate was the bad guy. Why didn’t Nellie sense that?
Hannah slid between the coffee table and the couch, sitting next to Caroli
ne with Fred not giving an inch of extra room. Ungrateful cat.
Caroline set her empty plate on the table. “So, what brings you here this morning, Hannah?”
Hannah shifted her gaze to Nate. He remained silent. His face betrayed nothing.
“I heard you might have a visitor and I decided to join you.” Her eyes never left Nate’s face. “How did you get here, Nate? I didn’t see your car outside.”
“I’m full of surprises,” he replied. “By the way, Ms. Holiday, you are a very respectable cook.” He set his plate on top of Caroline’s. “Your great aunt has been singing your praises all morning.”
“All morning? How long have you been here?” Hannah slid forward, ready to confront this intruder.
Caroline patted her leg. “Don’t worry, dear, Mr. Allen has been a perfect gentleman. He explained that he needed a place to stay for a night and, well, what could I say?” She held her hands out, shrugged, and raised her eyebrows.
“No, is what you could say. Why is he here?”
Nate stood. “I think it’s best if I leave now. Your hospitality was much more than what I expected, Caroline.”
“Sit down, Nate. You need to explain what happened. Hannah, get comfortable and listen instead of jumping to the wrong conclusion.”
Nate sat.
Hannah clenched her jaw.
Caroline gave each of them a serious glare. “Don’t think this is an endorsement of your innocence, Nate. I’m a believer that everyone should have an opportunity to give their side of the story. The facts will prove who is telling the truth.”
Hannah pulled Fred onto her lap and waited for Nate to begin.
“Okay. This is what I told Caroline. Only because she asked and seemed ready to actually listen to me,” Nate explained. “I came to Hooks Harbor for revenge. There’s no question about that after what Al did to me ten years ago.”
Hannah pulled her phone out.
“Put that away Hannah; let him finish.”
“Not revenge as far as killing anyone, which I think is what everyone here assumed. I wanted the money he got away with and I wanted him to sweat and worry . . . wonder what I was going to do.”
Hannah grudgingly admitted to herself that what Nate said was reasonable.
“The problem was, when I went to Al’s house, Cal,” Nate looked at Hannah, “was there so I had to disappear. I watched his sleazy son slink off to who knows where but I wasn’t interested in that little good-for-nothing. As I made myself sink into the shadows, I saw Cal drive off and Al came storming out of his house. He was obviously fit to be tied but I had no idea why.”
Nate took a sip of his tea.
“I followed him to the marina. Okay, I said to myself, this was getting interesting so I stayed back out of the way. Al went into what I now know is Cal’s boat, but he never came out. I waited for a bit, not too long, before I saw someone wearing a dark hooded jacket walk down the dock to the same boat Al had disappeared into. This person jumped on the back, was inside for, oh, maybe fifteen minutes, then left in a hurry. While I tried to figure out what to do next, I heard a siren and I decided that whatever was going on wasn’t going to be good for me to be a part of.”
“Who did you see?” Hannah asked.
“I’m not sure.”
“Samantha told me you know who killed Al.”
Nate chuckled. “I did tell her that but only because it was my way to get her to help me. She wanted information from me and I wanted her to tell me where you were so I could put some pressure on you.” He shrugged. “It worked. That’s when I found you on the beach.”
Hannah sucked in her bottom lip. “You expect us,” she glanced at Caroline, “to believe this story? You could be telling us anything. You just admitted you lied to Samantha.”
Nate stood. “I didn’t think you’d believe me. I don’t know why I even tried.”
“Wait a minute, Nate. Tell Hannah what happened last night when you met Rochelle.”
Nate stared at Hannah. “We argued. She offered me half the money but I laughed at her. I told her I wanted it all and gave her until today to get it. Then I left, but . . .”
“Go on,” Caroline encouraged.
“This could be bad for me but I guess I have to start trusting someone.” He sat again, letting out a long, slow sigh. “I drove around for a while before I went back to your parking lot. I was sure Rochelle would be gone and I’d be able to go to my cottage and get some sleep.” He looked from Hannah to Caroline. Caroline nodded. “Rochelle’s car was still in the parking lot but I didn’t see her anywhere. I panicked and was afraid that if I stayed at the cottage I’d be the first suspect in her disappearance so I used Joey’s boat and came here.”
“We made a deal, Hannah,” Caroline said, indicating she meant herself and Nate. “Nate promised not to reveal anything about me since I let him stay here.”
“Caroline is the perfect hostess,” Nate added. “You’re a lucky person, Hannah.”
That comment came right from his heart. Wow, Hannah was stunned into silence. This part of Nate’s story lined up completely with the facts that she knew. Was the first part of his story accurate, too?
“I have some questions,” Hannah said.
Nate nodded.
“Joey has come into some money. Where did he get it?”
“That’s the thing. The little sleaze acts like he’s dumb as a bag of rocks but I think he might be sharper than anyone realizes. First, he showed me he had a thousand dollars to whet my appetite. He said I had to prove I could help him grow the money, so I did. I turned it into five thousand with the help of a, um, friend I won’t name.”
“If he has all of Al’s money, why is he even doling it out in bits and pieces? He could just say he doesn’t know anything about it and wait for you to disappear.”
“I’m not disappearing without what’s rightfully mine, and I suspect Joey is smart enough to realize that.”
“Or, the guy it got stolen from?” Hannah raised an eyebrow.
“No, he’s dead.”
“Huh? You told me you needed the money to save your life.”
“Okay. You caught me on that one, but that was when I first arrived. I thought I could put on some pressure here and there, scare everyone, get the money, and disappear. But Al had to get himself killed. That ruined all my plans. I’ve had to readjust as I go.”
“Joey said he’s got more money today. Did he knock Rochelle out and steal the money from her car?”
“She actually had money in her car? How much?”
Hannah decided this was information she would keep to herself. She wanted to know what Nate knew; she wasn’t interested in giving him any information. She still didn’t trust him. “I don’t know.”
“I’m supposed to meet Joey today when I bring his boat back, but I don’t trust him as far as I can throw him.” Nate flexed his muscular arms. “Which would be a considerable distance in case you have any doubt.”
“One more thing, Nate,” Hannah said, ignoring Nate’s display of machoism. “Did you give Joey a car?”
Nate’s eyebrows disappeared under his shaggy haircut. “Why would I do that?”
“That’s what he told me.”
“Listen, if you want to know what I think, Joey is just like his dad. He’s playing everyone against each other and he’s expecting to waltz out the other side with the money while someone else does time for his crime.”
“What crime?”
“I don’t know. But think about it. Where did he all of a sudden come into money? Did he find his old man’s stash? Did he steal from Rochelle? Whatever his game is, I have the sinking feeling he keeps dropping statements to send the police after me. Follow Joey to find the money.” Nate stood. “I have to get his boat back.” He turned toward Caroline and tapped his fingers to his forehead, saluting her. “Thank you, dear lady, for showing me there is some hope for humanity.” He also reached down to pat Nellie. “And you are a sweetheart.”
The door cl
osed. “What do you make of all that?” Hannah asked Caroline.
“Nellie likes him. There has to be something good in that man.”
Hannah let the conversation replay in her head. Most of what Nate told her matched information she’d already heard from Rochelle but not what she heard from Joey. Where did he get this stash of cash? And what about his fancy car? Hannah needed to have a chat with Mack.
Twenty-Six
Mack’s truck was in the same spot in front of the barn as it had been when Hannah arrived earlier in the day. Cal’s truck was gone, but Samantha was in the barn.
“Oh, finally. I wasn’t sure where to look for you.” Samantha motioned for Hannah to hurry up. She held a piece of paper out to Hannah. “Take a look at that.”
Hannah pulled Samantha out of the barn. She wasn’t going to take anything for granted at this place and she felt like it was less likely they would be overheard outside. She looked at the paper. “I don’t understand.”
Samantha jabbed her finger at the car information on the registration form. “I got this out of that fancy schmancy car Joey is driving. See? It belongs to Rochelle.”
“Huh. Something doesn’t add up. Joey told me that Nate gave him the car but Nate said he didn’t.”
“You’ve been talking to Nate?”
Oh boy, Hannah should have kept that tidbit locked in her head instead of letting it out of her mouth. She flicked her hand. “It doesn’t matter, but what does matter is I can believe that part of Nate’s story.” She looked at Samantha. “Let’s go have a talk with Mack about this registration.”
Samantha grabbed Hannah’s arm. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. When I was looking for you, I heard Mack and Rochelle talking in the tack room. Their voices came through an intercom or something because they weren’t in the barn.”
That confirmed Hannah’s unease about being spied on. “There’s something strange with that intercom. It wonder if it stays on all the time. What did you hear?”