by Amber Crewes
A large glass desk stood in the middle of Kirsty’s office. It matched the decor perfectly, but from her position in the chair, Meghan could see one drawer that was not made of glass. It was dark and unsightly, and amidst the splendor of Kirsty’s office, it did not match the decor.
“That’s strange,” Meghan thought to herself. “Why would Mrs. Matchy-Matchy have one ugly desk drawer?”
Meghan rose from her chair and began rummaging through the glass drawers of Kirsty’s desk. It was brimming with files and documents, but everything was for Kirsty’s sorority alumnae chapter, medical files, and the deeds to the Fishers’ three houses.
“I wonder what she’s put into the ugly drawer?” Meghan thought aloud as she tried to slide it open. The drawer was locked, but Meghan pulled a bobby pin from her hair and jammed open the lock. She pulled out a single black folder. It was thick, and as she opened it, papers fell out and onto the floor.
“Oh no,” Meghan whispered, hoping that Kirsty would not find her with paperwork on the floor. “What are these?”
Meghan read the first piece of paper she retrieved from the floor. It was a bill from a casino in Monaco for over three hundred fifty-thousand dollars!
“What on Earth,” Meghan muttered as she looked at the next piece of paper, a receipt for a hotel in Colombia. The receipt was in Vince’s name, and Meghan continued rummaging through the papers. Each paper was a bill or receipt for an extravagant hotel and casino. Meghan did not understand. The Fishers were well off, but they weren’t wealthy; Karen had told Meghan that most of Kirsty and Vince’s money was tied up in a fancy nursing home for Kirsty’s ailing mother, and that while the couple presented themselves well, they were not as prosperous as they had been in years past. How were the Fishers affording such magnificent excursions if their money was an issue? Meghan wrinkled her nose in confusion.
Suddenly, Meghan was struck with clarity. She glanced down at the bottom of each piece of paper and found the same signature: THE FISHER FOUNDATION. She gasped. The Fishers had been taking money from their own charity to pay for these elaborate trips, and Meghan had proof! What if the Fishers had also used Vince’s role as the most prestigious attorney in town to somehow cheat the Bishops of their wealth? What if the Fishers had arranged for the murder? Meghan hastily gathered the paperwork back into the file; she could sneak out with the information and turn it over to the police!
“I know what you two did,” Meghan said to herself, furrowing her brow as she stuffed paperwork back into the file folder.
“Oh, do you?”
Meghan looked up. Vince Fisher was standing in the doorway, a hand on his hip and a sneer on his face.
10
“WHAT ON EARTH are you doing going through my wife’s office?” Vince demanded as Meghan’s hazel eyes widened.
“I….I……,” Meghan stammered.
Seeing the concerned look on Meghan’s face, Vince softened. “I’m sure you didn’t mean to snoop,” he said carefully. “I’m sure it was just an accident. Why don’t you put that folder back right now, and let’s have a little chat?”
Meghan’s hands were shaking, and she placed the folder back into its place.
“Good girl,” Vince said. “Come, sit down.”
Meghan stared at Vince, and he smiled back at her.
“I don’t know what you think you saw in that file,” Vince began. “But those are private documents. Let’s just forget all about this and go have a glass of champagne with my wife! She’s very excited that the Bishops left their money to our foundation, and I’m sure you would like to wish her well.”
Meghan narrowed her eyes at Vince and folded her arms across her chest. “I don’t really understand why the foundation is paying for such fancy trips when as of yesterday, it was nearly in financial ruin,” Meghan said, gesturing at the drawer where she had returned the file. “It’s pretty convenient that the two of you stumbled into this money at just the right time, isn’t it?”
Vince rose to his feet and stood directly in front of Meghan. He smiled, but the smile was menacing; Meghan could see the disdain in his eyes, and his pupils grew small as she peered down at her.
“So it’s going to be this way, huh? Don’t say I didn’t give you a chance to pretend like I didn’t find you snooping,” Vince said. “You’re smart enough. You saw the files. You know what happened.”
Meghan glared up at Vince. “You fixed their will to leave their money to the foundation to cover up for you and your wife!”
Vince shook his head. “Have you met Kirsty? She had nothing to do with this. I started gambling a few years back. Things turned sour. I handle the finances for the foundation, and it was easy to shift some money here, there, and everywhere I needed it.”
Meghan glowered. “You reworked the will and stole their money to cover up for your mistakes. You killed the Bishops at your own event!”
Vince shook his head. “Meghan,” he said. “I had to do what I had to do. I didn’t want to kill them; Brian and Amy have always been a nice couple. But, sometimes, when you’re desperate, you have to do things you don’t want to. They were my best chance to restore the foundation, and it worked!”
Meghan rose to her feet. She was standing nose-to-be with Vince, and she could feel his hot breath on her face.
“Sit down,” Vince growled. “You will not ruin this. I’ve done too much. I’ll be disbarred. I’ll lose my business.”
“I’ve already lost my business because of you!” Meghan yelled. She lunged, grabbing for Vince’s neck. Vince ducked out of her way, and Meghan crashed into the glass desk in the center of the room.
“You stupid girl!” Vince snarled. “I gave you a chance to walk away from this, but you’ve made your choice. I’ll end you like I ended the Bishops!”
Vince ran toward Meghan, his fists in front of his face. He reeled back his left fist and pushed it into Meghan’s head.
“Stop!” Meghan screamed. She leaned over and kicked, but she did not manage to strike Vince. Vince wrapped his hands around her neck.
“That’ll be the end of you,” Vince said. He squeezed Meghan’s neck tightly, and she struggled to breathe. Slowly, his grip tightened, and Meghan began to see black spots. She could feel her heart beating furiously in her chest, and her body was hot. Vince’s fingernails dug into her neck, and she could feel the skin breaking.
“Goodbye,” Vince whispered as he squeezed even tighter.
The black spots in Meghan’s vision grew, and soon, she was consumed in the darkness. Her consciousness was slipping away, and the memories of her time in Sandy Bay flashed before her eyes. She thought of how much she adored her friendship with Lori, how kind Karen had been to her, and how she would never realize her dream of turning Truly Sweet into a wild success. Meghan let out a soft moan; this was not the ending she had expected...
11
“WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?” Meghan heard Kirsty wail.
There was a loud crash, and just as Meghan began to drift into unconsciousness, Vince’s grip on her neck immediately loosened. He clumsily tumbled on top of her.
“Officer Irvin! What are you doing?” Kirsty screamed. Meghan blinked open her eyes and saw Jack Irvin standing over Vince with the handle of a teapot in his hands. The body of the teapot lay in pieces on the floor, and it was clear that Jack had broken it over Vince’s head.
“Get off of my husband! Explain yourself!” Kirsty screeched at Jack. Vince rubbed his head; there was blood pouring from a large gash on his forehead, and he moaned.
“Meghan!” Jack cried out. “You!” Jack yelled down at Vince. He quickly removed a pair of handcuffs from his belt and secured Vince’s arms.
“What is happening?” Kirsty sobbed as Jack restrained her husband. “Officer Irvin? Why is my husband in handcuffs? What is going on here?”
Jack shook his head. “Ma’am,” Jack began solemnly. “We’ve had our eye on Mr. Fisher for the last few months; we’ve been monitoring Vince’s accounts, along with the
accounts of your foundation, and things were not adding up. There’s been an odd trail of money in and out to several casinos around the world, and from what we’ve pieced together, Mr. Fisher is at the center of one of the biggest scandals of money laundering, illegal casinos, and embezzlement in the history of the Pacific Northwest.”
“That’s impossible!” Kirsty declared. “We are pillars of this community! We have been servants to the people and charities of Sandy Bay for years! This is a mistake!”
Jack shook his head. “From our records, it’s clear that Mr. Fisher has had a gambling issue for several years. We found that he has been siphoning money out of the Fisher Foundation accounts, Mrs. Fisher.”
Kirsty’s eyes grew wide. “He….took from our charity?”
Jack nodded.
“My charity has been in the red,” Kirsty whispered, her voice quivering. “Vince said the money ran out because I made a mistake with the accounts. He said it was my fault. I was so relieved to get the money from the Bishops because it put the Fisher Foundation back on top….”
Jack shook his head. “No, Mrs. Fisher. From what the investigators learned, Mr. Fisher is responsible for a considerable sum of the Foundation’s money disappearing, not you.”
Kirsty glared at her husband. “Vince. Is this true?” Vince said nothing, and tears began to stream down Kirsty’s cheeks. She threw a hand to her forehead and fainted, her small body hitting the floor with a loud thump.
“What is going on in here?” Karen yelled as she bustled into the room. “I went out for fifteen minutes to eat my snack, and I come back to this? What is going on?”
Jack glared down at Vince. “Mr. Fisher here has a lot of explaining to do to his wife and the authorities,” he said.
“And the Bishop twins,” Meghan said softly. Jack turned to stare at her.
“What did you say?” Jack asked.
Meghan nodded. “He told me everything. He killed the Bishops and rearranged their will to exclude their sons. He was going to use the money from their estate to cover his tracks with the Fisher Foundation.”
Karen’s eyes glimmered. “That’s my girl,” she said quietly.
Jack nodded at Karen. “Can you check on her?” Jack asked, gesturing at Kirsty. “You were a nurse, and she fainted.”
Karen checked Kirsty’s pulse and gently shook her. “Come on, Kirsty,” Karen cooed. “Let’s get up, girl!”
Kirsty’s eyes slowly opened, and as she saw her husband in handcuffs, she narrowed her eyes. “This explains everything!” Kirsty shouted. “This explains why you were always gone away on business! I thought you were having an affair! All of this time, you were traveling to casinos overseas to gamble, and you used our foundation money to do it? You are horrible, Vince! I am disgusted! I am ashamed!” Kirsty dramatically raised a hand to her forehead and slumped against the couch. “How will I ever recover from this filth?”
Jack looked sadly at Kirsty. “I’m sorry, ma’am,” he said. “We will need to seize your documents, as well as your husband. I will, however, promise you that your name is now officially cleared; you are no longer a suspect in the murder case.”
Kirsty glared. “Well, that just solves everything, doesn’t it? I am ruined! Vince, I will never speak to you again! I’m calling a lawyer tomorrow, and you will have nothing left after I am through with you!”
Jack whispered into his radio, and suddenly, ten police officers burst into the room, led by Officer Nunan.
“Good work, son,” she said to Jack.
Jack shook his head. “Meghan figured it out. She put the pieces together.”
Officer Nunan turned to Meghan. “Well, then! Good work, Ms. Truman. Well done.”
Meghan smiled weakly; her neck hurt from Vince’s hands, and she was bleeding from where his nails cut her skin.
“Officer Irvin, radio an ambulance,” Officer Nunan ordered. “Let’s get this criminal out of here, and let’s get this hero checked out!”
The ambulance arrived, and as Meghan was loaded into the back, Jack walked alongside her gurney.
“You really showed us what you’re made of,” Jack said in admiration. He reached over and gently touched Meghan’s hand. “Get well soon, Meghan,” Jack said. “You’re a hero today, that’s for sure!”
Meghan closed her eyes, happy to be safe, and happy that the killer had been found.
“Yeah,” she replied to Jack as she was lifted into the ambulance. “I really was.”
12
TWO WEEKS AFTER THE ENCOUNTER with Vince, Meghan had returned to work at Truly Sweet. Thanks to a glowing article about her bravery in the face of the killer, business was booming once again, and Lori had also returned to work.
“It’s nice to be back,” Lori said cheerfully as she tied her apron on for the first time in nearly a month. “I’m ready for things to be quiet around Sandy Bay!”
Meghan nodded. Her first months in Sandy Bay had been anything but quiet, and Meghan ached for a sense of normalcy. She secured her own apron and stepped up to the counter.
“I just can’t believe how he poisoned them,” Lori said. “It’s terrible! Who would have expected Vince Fisher would have poisoned the Bishops with a little piece of peppermint gum?”
Meghan shrugged her shoulders. “It’s crazy,” she said. “I heard a witness came forward after Vince was apprehended and said he saw Vince slip Mr. Bishop some gum in the men’s restroom right before the event ended! The police tested the gum during the autopsy, and they determined it was poisoned. Thank goodness no one else tried it!”
Lori looked down at the counter, her eyes filling with tears. “Amy tried it,” she said.
Meghan turned to hug Lori. “It’s okay now,” Meghan said. “The killer has been caught. Business is good again! The Weeks Group even restored their original order! It’s all going to be fine, Lori.”
Lori nodded, and the pair got to work. Just as Meghan finished the final touches on a black forest cake, she heard the chime of the little silver bells on the front door. Jack Irvin, dressed in street clothes, walked through the door with Dash, his dog.
“Meghan,” Jack said kindly. “Mind if we chat a minute?”
Meghan felt her cheeks grow warm, and she bobbed her head up and down. “Let me get something for you,” she said. Jack sat down at a table, and Meghan joined him a moment later with a large slice of the black forest cake.
“For me?” Jack asked.
“It’s the least I could do,” Meghan said. “You gave so much information to the reporters, and thanks to their article, everyone knows that my cooking had nothing to do with the death of the Bishops! You said so many nice things. Thank you.”
Jack smiled weakly. “It was the least I could do,” he said. “The police department knew your desserts had nothing to do with the murders, but since the rumor was going around, we had to let it fly. We hoped the killer would eventually let his guard down since everyone in Sandy Bay seemed to blame you. I’m so sorry, Meghan.”
Meghan shrugged. “Everything is fine. Let’s just forget about this mess. Go ahead, enjoy your cake! I even brought something for Dash!”
Meghan placed a dog-shaped cookie in front of the dog, and Dash tore into it, pieces flying everywhere.
“I’m glad to see that someone likes my treats!” Meghan said, laughing as Dash inhaled the treat. “He’s so sweet. It makes me think of getting my own dog.”
Jack grinned. “I know a lot about dogs,” he said. “Maybe we could talk about them sometime? I could help you when you’re making the decision about which one to buy?”
Meghan beamed. She was blushing, but she didn’t care. She lowered her eyes, and then glanced back up at Jack. He was still smiling at her.
“That would be great, Jack,” she said.
“Wonderful! It’s a date!” Jack said.
“It’s a date,” Meghan replied.
The End
Thank You!
I really hope you enjoyed reading about the characters in
Sandy Bay as much as I had writing about them! If you did enjoy reading about Meghan Truman’s first murder mystery, please consider writing a review. It’s always a pleasure to get feedback from readers like you no matter how short or long. Other cozy mystery readers will find value in knowing what you liked about this book. I have to admit that your review does make a big difference and is a great way to support me so that I can do what I love and that is bringing you, my dear reader, more fun adventures from Sandy Bay. Many thanks in advance for your support and I hope to see you soon!