Prologue to Murder

by Lauren Elliott

Addie nodded and leaned back against the wall, tapping her foot. Jerry sighed heavily.

  “Something on your mind, Officer?”

  He shook his head.

  “Yes there is. What is it?”

  “Nothing, really.” He glanced sideways at her. “Well, just thinking that this used to be such a peaceful, quiet town, but since you moved here, there’s no end to the excitement.” He stifled a chuckle.

  “Are you saying this is all my fault?” She spun toward him.

  “No, no, it’s fun, actually.”

  “Fun?”

  “You know, not as boring.” He turned to her. “Actually, since your arrival, the chief—”

  “Serena, come back here. We’re not finished,” Marc’s voice bellowed from the living room.

  Serena’s voice could have frozen ice. “Yes, we are. I won’t listen to another word of this.” The sound of the slamming door acted as an exclamation point.

  Marc appeared in the dining room, his face flushed. “We can leave now, Jerry. I have everything I need.” He tipped his hat. “Thank you, Miss Greyborne, I’ll let you know of any future developments.” He hardly looked at her as he whisked out the door. Jerry grabbed his evidence case from the floor beside him and followed close on his heels.

  Addie’s mouth gaped open when the door shut. “I guess that’s that.” Spinning on her heel, she headed for the kitchen. She plopped a pod in her coffee maker and leaned against the counter, gasping for air. She straightened her shoulders, shook her head, and paced back and forth as she waited for the brewer to stop. “Darn you, Marc Chandler, how could you be so freaking cold?” She slumped onto a counter stool, sobbing as the coffee maker hissed and puffed.

  * * *

  Addie couldn’t move her arms without pain shooting up her neck. She stretched out her stiff shoulders and winced, opening one eye and then quickly snapping it closed. The sunlight was more than she could take right now. Sunlight? Her head snapped up from the counter. “Oh my God.” She glanced at the wall clock—ten a.m.—a whole hour late in opening. She dashed upstairs, quickly showered, and bolted out the door. In her rush, she dropped her keys, bent over to grab them, smacked her head on the doorknob, and cursed all the way to her car.

  She sped to her shop, reproaching Marc the entire way. If it hadn’t been for his boorish behavior last night, she wouldn’t have wept herself to sleep on the kitchen counter. She rushed through the back door and stumbled into the front of the shop, straightened herself, and walked calmly to the front counter, where Paige was hunched over the desk reading the newspaper.

  “Good morning. How are you today?”

  Paige jerked and slid the paper under the counter.

  “What’s that you’re reading?”

  “Nothing—well, nothing interesting. Sorry I wasn’t working, but no one’s been in yet this morning, so I decided to take a break from sorting.” She looked down, her usual pale complexion flushed.

  Addie smiled. “Don’t worry about it. I keep reminding you that you are permitted to take breaks. I’m not a slave driver. I myself, apparently, needed a bit of a break this morning, too, and overslept.”

  Paige walked around the counter. “Well, I should probably get back to sorting through those new boxes you brought in last week from your attic collection.”

  “Sounds good.” Addie nodded and began rearranging the knickknacks in the display case by the counter.

  “Oh, I forgot. There was a call for you. The message is beside the cash register,” Paige called back from the storeroom.

  Addie reached for the slip of paper, scanned it, and pushed it away from her. “Another canceled book consignment appointment. What’s next?” she muttered, tapping her fingers on the countertop as the doorbells chimed behind her. She straightened her shoulders, smiled, and turned around to greet her first customer in two days.

  “Jeanie, how nice to see you. Come in. Can I make you a cup of coffee?” She motioned to a counter stool.

  “Actually, that sounds wonderful.” Sliding onto a stool, Jeanie placed a letter-paper-sized file box on the countertop. “I’ve been running errands around town since dawn, and I’m exhausted.”

  Addie noted her haggard, pinched face. “I hope, you’re not overdoing it. You’ve had quite a shock to your system.”

  Jeanie shook her head. “I’m fine, really.” Her hand shook as she took the steaming cup from Addie. “I just didn’t realize how much there was to all this death stuff—the paperwork and arrangements. You know, having lost your father and all.”

  Addie sat on the stool beside her and clasped her hand. “Yes,” she whispered. “It is much more work than most people realize.” Jeanie’s dull, puffy eyes reddened with unshed tears. “If you need anything, please let me know. I’m here to help in any way I can.”

  “That’s good to hear, because I’ve come to ask a favor.”

  “Sure, anything. What can I do to help?”

  She removed the lid off the box on the counter. “These.”

  Addie’s eyes narrowed as she inspected the stack of papers. “What are these?” She pulled the top one out.

  “Last night I started to clear out my mother’s house and found these in a trunk in her bedroom closet. I took a quick look through them, and they appear to be her notes for the articles and the book she wrote.”

  Addie thumbed through the top few pages. “What can I do with them that will help you?”

  “I was hoping you could decipher much of what she has scribbled here. There seem to be a lot of old maps and copies of old documents that I can’t make heads or tails of. You said this was your speciality, research.” Jeanie tapped the cover of the box. “So I was hoping you might be able to tell me if there’s information in here that might be worth something? I mean, you know, that I should keep? Or is it all in her article or book already?”

  “Sure.” She looked at Jeanie’s hopeful face. “I’ll take a look through them and see what I can find.”

  “Wonderful.” Jeanie swung her short legs off the stool and stood. “I’ll be off, then. I still have about ten more stops to make this morning.”

  “Well, don’t overdo it today. You need to take care of yourself.” Addie followed her to the door.

  “That’s exactly what I’m doing.”

  Addie shivered at the coldness in her voice, and then smiled. “Yes, I’m sure you are.”

  “I forgot to mention, Mother’s memorial service is tomorrow afternoon at two. I know you said you’d never met her, but thought you might like to know.” She flipped her dark head and marched across the street toward a car.

  “Thanks for letting me know. Yes, I’ll be there,” Addie called out to her.

  She closed the door and noticed a tall man get out of a black SUV parked behind Jeanie’s car. When she opened her car door, he grabbed her elbow, spinning her toward him. Addie gasped and opened the door, stepping out onto the sidewalk, but stopped when it became obvious that the two knew each other. Addie retreated into the shop, her eyes fixed on the couple, who appeared to be in a heated discussion. Jeanie stabbed her finger into the man’s chest and shouted something that Addie couldn’t make out. He spun around and stomped off toward his SUV. Addie’s chest constricted when she saw his face. It was the eavesdropper from the restaurant.

  “Is everything all right?” asked Paige when Addie turned back into the store. “My mother didn’t do or say anything, did she?”

  Addie shook her head and plopped onto a counter stool.

  Paige’s eyes narrowed. “Are you sure?”

  “Yes, everything’s fine. I didn’t even see your mother.” She smiled at her. “I’m just tired I guess.” She began fingering through the papers in the box in front of her.

  “Okay then, I’ll get back to work.” Paige retreated to the back room.

  Addie skimmed the pages and stopped, grabbing one that caught her eye. It was a map of the town, but more detailed than the one June had published in her article. She examined it, her heart r
acing.

  “Paige, can you come here?” she called.

  Paige’s blond, curly head appeared from through the back doorway. “Sure, be right there.” She dropped the books in her hand on a cart and dashed to the front. “What’s up?” She stood breathlessly beside Addie.

  “We’re going to close the shop for the afternoon, and I’m going to take you out for lunch.” Addie retrieved her purse from under the counter. “Plus, we might even have a bit of an adventure while we’re at it.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Addie slid her red and white Mini Cooper into a parking space in front of the Smuggler’s Den restaurant and jumped out. She scanned the rough clay brick and plank entrance façade, her gaze drifting over it to the turf-covered roof. The salt lick of sea air tingled on her tongue, a taste she’d come to love since living in the Harbor.

  “So this was actually built into the hillside?”

  Paige nodded. “As far as I know, but I’ve never been here before, ’cause it’s too pricey for my budget.”

  “It was dark last time I was here.” She started to walk to the front door. “I sure have a better idea now of what was involved in the restoration. It’s amazing to me what they’ve done.”

  A young woman dressed in a seventeenth-century wench’s outfit consisting of a long flowing skirt and off-the-shoulder blouse cinched tight with a colorful sash at the waist seated them at a table in the back. When Addie’s eyes had adjusted to the dim lighting, she surveyed the faces of the diners and didn’t recognize any locals. When she skimmed over the lunch menu, she understood what Paige had said about it being pricey. She felt regret at not noticing the prices when Marc had brought her here. The patrons, she thought, looking around her, must be tourists and perhaps a few of the most elite locals, as the people she knew wouldn’t be able to afford this regularly. She turned her menu over and looked at Paige, who was white-faced reading hers.

  “This is my treat,” Addie said smiling, and took a sip of water from the glass the server had just filled.

  Paige smiled hesitantly. “Okay, if you say so. You’re the boss. Thank you.”

  Addie laughed and watched the wide-eyed girl scan her surroundings. “What do you think? Isn’t it everything I told you it was? The food is amazing, too.” Addie raised her glass in a salute. “To us playing hooky this afternoon.”

  Paige laughed and clinked her glass with Addie’s.

  The server returned with notepad and pen in hand, took their orders and bent her knees in a low sweeping curtsy. Both Addie and Paige fought to stifle their giggles as she departed from their table. “I feel like we’re royalty.” Addie choked out as Paige covered her mouth, nodding furiously.

  “So, Paige,” Addie said regaining some semblance of control. “How are things going? Have you and your mother come to an understanding about you working for me, or is she still convinced that all the crime in Greyborne Harbor since my arrival is because I have close connections to some crime syndicate?”

  Paige shook her head and took a long sip of her water.

  Addie shifted on her chair. It was hard not to notice Paige’s pasty skin and the dark circles etched under her eyes. The girl hadn’t been making this whole getting-to-know-her thing easy, and it didn’t look like today would be any different. She really knew very little about Paige aside from the fact that she and her mother, Martha, had a rocky relationship. She was aware, from her job application, that Paige had gone to Brown University, but that was it. Although, according to Serena, she had lived in Boston for a time with one of her professors and was rumored to have had a child with him. However, Paige had never mentioned a child, so she suspected that part must just be gossip.

  Addie took a deep breath. “You never told me where you finally found an apartment. Is it nice?”

  “It’s okay. Small. But it will do for now.” A look of relief swept across Paige’s face when the server appeared with their meals.

  Addie let out a deep breath and studied Paige’s face as she dug into her Caesar side salad. She looked so young and vulnerable. She just wanted to hug her and tell her she was there for her, but she was all too aware that Paige was holding a lot back from her. The duration of the salad and clam chowder meal passed in relative silence, broken only by sporadic comments regarding the uniqueness of the restaurant’s decor.

  The server cleared the table and placed the bill in the center between them. “I’ll take that, thanks.” Addie scooped it up, smiling at the server. “Also, do you have a pamphlet or a brochure about the restaurant?”

  “Yes, we do.” She smiled and retrieved one from the bar area. “Here, this gives a bit of the history of the Den, and the town of Greyborne Harbor, too.”

  “Perfect.” Addie tucked it into her purse. “Shall we go, Paige? I’d like to take a walk around for a bit before we head back to the shop.”

  Paige followed close on her heels. “Thank you for lunch. I really enjoyed going out with you.”

  “Yes, it was nice.” Addie shielded her eyes from the bright sunlight. “Let’s go around the back here. When we went in I noticed a walking trail, and I’m dying to see where it leads.” She marched toward the railed pathway leading around the bottom of the turf-covered building.

  She glanced over her shoulder to see if Paige was keeping step with her quick pace and stopped when her eyes caught the reflection off the windshield of a black SUV. A shiver of déjà vu raced through her.

  “Is everything okay?” asked Paige, breathlessly catching up to her.

  “Yes, just a little winded. I guess I’d better slow down.” She eyed the SUV over Paige’s shoulder. “Come on, let’s have an adventure.”

  The women followed the railed pathway behind the earth mound concealing the restaurant and were soon standing on the edge of a rock cliff. The graveled path wound along the sharp cliff edge and led them directly under the earth mound to the rocky beach below. Addie looked up the twenty-foot embankment and surmised that the gnarled tree on June’s map had once sat on that cliff top.

  “There it is,” she cried as she scanned the beach.

  “There what is?” Paige looked at her, and then looked in the direction Addie pointed. “That’s just an old cave entrance.”

  “I know it is.” Addie set off toward it.

  “But you can’t go in. It’s closed,” Paige called behind her.

  Addie tripped and stumbled a few times as she made her way over the rock-laden beach and arrived at the blockaded entrance, favoring her right ankle.

  “Don’t worry. I’m not going in,” she called over her shoulder to Paige, who stood unmoving at the base of the pathway that led onto the beach. “I just wanted to see it for myself.” She stood back, eyed the partially concealed entrance, and pulled June’s map from her handbag. She edged backward on the slippery rocks, moving as close as she dared to the crashing surf breaking behind her, examined the map, and looked up, then back at the map.

  “Okay,” she called to Paige. “We should get back now.” She winced and stumbled back toward her, still favoring the ankle she’d twisted on a slippery stone. Addie took a deep breath, shielded her eyes from the sun so she could gaze up at the long, steep, tree-shrouded path they’d come down, and groaned. “Why does coming down always seem easier than the climb back up?” She shrugged her shoulders. “It’ll be a nice bit of exercise for us after that rich meal.” She swept past Paige, ignoring her incredulous stare, and began ascending the trail.

  As they approached a sharp switchback on the trail, a large rock crashed and bounced across the path immediately in front of them, and then another directly behind them. Paige let out a shrill yelp as debris flew up. Sobbing, she crouched down and began rubbing her ankle, her white stocking now red with oozing blood. Addie’s high-alert radar went into overtime as she crouched beside the weeping girl and scanned the slope above them. What dislodged the rocks? Animals, or another sightseer—or was someone deliberately trying to harm them? After examining her injury, she pulled a tissue fr
om her bag and tucked it under Paige’s sock to help stop the bleeding.

  “Come on. Lean on me. We’d better hurry back,” she said, hoping Paige didn’t notice the uneasiness in her voice. “This place isn’t safe. I’m surprised there aren’t any ‘Caution: Falling Rocks’ warning signs posted.” She wrapped Paige’s arm around her neck, keeping a vigilant lookout over her shoulder.

  The two of them hobbled up the path to the parking lot. As they approached it, a wave of relief swept through Addie. Her own ankle had stopped aching. It was amazing to her what a shot of adrenaline and being forced to stretch the muscles out could do, but she knew Paige hadn’t been so lucky and would need medical attention.

  “You sit here.” She helped Paige onto a bench by the door and handed her the last tissue from the travel package. “I’ll see if they have a first aid kit inside.”

  Addie glanced around the parking lot. There was no sign of the black SUV, but she did note a trail of dust hovering over the gravel road in front of the restaurant. She wondered if the incident was another warning to back off, bit her lip, and darted inside, appearing moments later with the restaurant manager, a first aid kit in tow.

  The manager, a pleasant-looking fifty-something fellow, also dressed in pirate regalia, flipped up his black eye patch and took a quick look under Paige’s sock. “You should probably have this looked at by a doctor, miss.” He looked up at her as he cleaned and dressed the wound. “And I’m actually very shocked to hear that something like this happened. We’ve never had reports of falling rocks before.”

  “Really?” Addie’s investigative antennae quivered.

  “Yeah.” He put the final strip of medical tape over the gauze. “I hope you’ll come back though. You’ll both get a meal on the house.”

  “Thank you. We will.” Addie shook the manager’s hand and then guided Paige back to her car.

  “I think I’d better take you to the hospital.” Addie glanced at her passenger’s white face.

  “No, just drop me off at my doctor’s office. He’s just on Second Street, off Main, before the town center.”