by Kathi Daley
“No one would do that.”
“Really? Because it would have been difficult for someone not in your party to have stolen her phone on Thursday evening while you were all partying, make the call to Alvin after everyone was supposedly in bed, kill him and stash him in the shed, and then place the used syringe in Naomi’s trashcan for us to find.”
Fiona paled.
Carson spoke. “I don’t disagree with everything you’ve just said, but like Fiona, I can’t imagine anyone in our party doing any of that.”
“Yet someone did,” Colt said.
“Who, other than Alvin, do the two of you know the least?” Colt asked.
“Stephanie,” they both said.
“Jordan is a friend of mine,” Carson jumped in. “We aren’t as close as Mike and I are, but we’ve known each other for quite a while, so I asked him to be part of the wedding party. He brought Stephanie as his date. To be honest, Fiona and I met her for the first time a week before this trip. She seemed nice enough, so when Jordan asked if he could bring her along, we told him that was fine. Lisa was bringing Alvin, and Mike was bringing Ambrosia, so a precedent of bringing a date had been set.”
“What do you know about Stephanie?” Colt asked.
Carson answered. “Jordan told us that she works in marketing as some sort of consultant. Jordan is a high-end commercial real estate agent, and he met Stephanie through a mutual client. I think they started dating a couple months ago. Maybe less. Like I said, I just met Stephanie for the first time a week before this trip.”
“Do you think they’re serious?”
“No,” Carson said without hesitation. “Jordan doesn’t do serious.”
“So is it your belief that Jordan brought her along because he didn’t want to come alone?”
“Either that, or she heard about the party, and asked him to secure her an invite,” Carson answered.
“That actually seems more likely to me,” Fiona said. “When I spoke to her yesterday during the cocktail hour at the resort, she spent most of the time trying to convince me that I should meet with her professionally when the weekend was over since she was sure she could help me to grow my business.”
Right about that time, Jordan and Stephanie came out of their room, and Colt decided he would continue his interviews in the privacy of the parlor. I wasn’t able to listen in as I had been, so I supposed I’d just have to wait for him to be done and then ask him what he might have learned. Georgia headed into the kitchen, and Jeremy headed out to the garden, so I decided to head back to the cottage. On my way from the inn to the cottage, I noticed Lisa sitting on a bench overlooking the sea.
“It’s a beautiful day.”
She nodded. “It really is. To be honest, when Fiona told me this was where she’d chosen to hold the party, I thought she was nuts, but it is both beautiful and serene.”
“It is. When I moved here from the west coast, I was running from a personal tragedy. I’d been sure there wasn’t enough geography on this planet to outrun what I’d been through, but once I allowed the sea to settle into my soul, I was able to find the solace I needed to heal.” I paused and then continued. “I’m not sure if I’ve said as much, but I am very sorry for your loss. You must be devastated.”
She shrugged. “I guess, but things between me and Alvin weren’t all that great even before we came to Holiday Bay.”
I sat down next to her on the bench. “Oh? You weren’t getting along?”
She shook her head. “It isn’t even that really.” She took a breath and focused her gaze on the sea. “When I first met Alvin, he was charming. He was funny and thoughtful, and he made me feel like the most important person in the world.” A look of grief washed over her face as she continued. “He was kind and considerate, and he’d do all these little things for me to show me how much I meant to him.”
“Oh. What sort of things?” I asked.
“Little things like leaving me a note where he knew I’d find it or sitting through all my favorite movies, even the ones I knew he hated.” She turned and looked at me. “When you grow up in a family with a ridiculous amount of wealth, you learn not to trust people. Very early in life, I found out that most people were only nice to me because of what they thought I could do for them. What I could buy them. Which parties I could get them into.”
“I guess that must have been rough.”
She looked me in the eyes. “It was. It still is. Most of the men I’ve dated expected things from me, but Alvin seemed different. He was very successful in the stock market and had his own money. He paid for things, rather than expecting me to pay as many of the boys and men I’d dated in the past had.”
“But then?” I asked. “I’m sensing a but.”
“But then Alvin started asking for things. Instead of being the one to pay, he claimed his accounts were tied up for one reason or another. At first, I really didn’t care, I have plenty of money, but it wasn’t just that. He started asking me to get him invites to events he would not otherwise have access to.”
“Such as?” I asked.
“Such as private clubs and parties that are only open to those individuals descended from certain family lines. Clubs and parties where those who attend don’t care that you have millions or even billions of dollars if those dollars were earned in your lifetime. The reality is, if you want an invite to certain parties and events, then you best be descended from American Royalty.”
“Such as your family and Fiona’s, amongst others.”
“Exactly.” She turned her attention back out to the sea.
“So, what happened exactly?”
“In the beginning, I wanted to keep our relationship to myself, but then Alvin told me that he wanted to meet my family, so I arranged a dinner. I don’t think my parents liked him much, but as I said, he could be charming, so they didn’t put up too much of a fuss. At least not at first. Then Alvin decided it was time to meet my friends, so I brought him along to a few parties. From there, he began putting pressure on me to get him into private auctions and events, and once he’d cracked that seal, he began pressuring to me to have my father sponsor him at the country club he belongs to.” She turned and looked at me. “Do you know the only reason Alvin was asked to be a groomsman for this wedding is because I emotionally blackmailed Carson into inviting him to be part of the wedding party? I don’t think Carson even liked Alvin, but Carson loves Fiona, and Fiona loves me despite the way I treat her at times, so Alvin got his way.”
She paused, and I allowed the silence to settle in around us. I could sense that she needed to gather her thoughts, and I didn’t want my chatter to get in the way. Eventually, she continued.
“If I’m perfectly honest, I’m afraid that when it came to Alvin, I’ve had blinders on for quite some time. Both Fiona and Naomi tried to warn me, but I was hopelessly in love and wouldn’t listen. I wanted what Fiona and Carson have, and for one moment in time, I really thought I had it.” She turned to look at me again. “But I guess I never did.”
“Did you kill Alvin?” I asked point-blank.
“No. But I did plan to break up with him once the weekend was over. I never said anything about my plans to anyone, but I suspect that Alvin picked up on the fact that I’d finally taken off the rose-colored glasses and wasn’t at all happy with what I found. He was cold and distant before he disappeared. In fact, I looked around for him several times before I passed out cold from all the whiskey I downed, and he wasn’t anywhere to be found.”
“He left the inn?” I asked.
She lifted a shoulder. “I guess. Or maybe he was upstairs. At one point, I thought he might be planning to make a move on Naomi, whose blood is even bluer than mine, but I sort of doubt that she’d have been lured in by his charm. She was the one who introduced us, but she was also the first one to warn me away from him.”
“Do you remember seeing Naomi during those times Alvin was missing?”
She frowned. “Actually, no. I drank a lot that night
, so it’s all a bit fuzzy, but I do remember noticing that both she and Alvin were missing from the group at the same time and wondering about it.” She bit down on her lower lip. “Maybe she was persuaded by his charm.”
Or maybe she actually did kill him, I thought to myself.
Chapter 13
The group was scheduled to head out for their day of sailing at one p.m., so Colt had promised Fiona he would wrap up his interviews in plenty of time. He did say he might want to speak to everyone again at the end of the day, which she agreed to. The group was due to have dinner at the inn, so Georgia, Nikki, and Jeremy were going to be busy between the cleaning and the meal prep. Lacy had called earlier and invited me to come by, so I decided to take her up on it. I was curious what, if anything, Lonnie had learned from the owner of the Chadwick estate.
“Matthew, you leave your brother alone,” Lacy yelled across the yard where her three boys, Michael, Matthew, and Mark, were playing on the swing set while their twin sisters, Mary and Meghan, played in the nearby sandbox. Baby Maddie seemed happy sitting in her toddler swing while Lacy and I chatted. Lonnie was in the garage, tinkering with his truck. For a moment in time, it actually felt like I was part of a large loving family. Not that the family I’d assembled wasn’t great. I adored Georgia, Jeremy, and Annabelle and really couldn’t imagine not having them in my life. But somehow, this was different.
“So was Lonnie able to figure out anything about the secret room we suspect we may have found?” I asked.
“Not really. Unfortunately, he isn’t ready to begin working in that part of the house and doesn’t want to start opening up walls until he has a solid plan, so you may have to wait a couple of months to get the answers you’re seeking.”
“A couple of months?” I complained. “That seems so long.”
“The house isn’t going anywhere, nor is the secret room if there even is a secret room.”
I supposed Lacy had a point, but that was disappointing.
“I feel like the house is holding onto all kinds of secrets, and the clues that will lead to the revelation of the secrets are there, just waiting for someone to find them.”
“I don’t disagree,” Lacy answered. “All those rooms connected with a web of hallways that would be easy to get lost in adds to the feeling of mystery. Throw in the old furniture and all those old books, and I’m sure the house has stories to tell. But Lonnie reminded me that he’s there to refurbish the house, not to dig into its history.”
“I guess he has a point, but maybe the owner won’t mind if we continue to poke around a bit. If we’re careful, that is. It seems like, as a member of the Chadwick family and the current owner of the house, he’d be as curious as we are.”
“Perhaps. Lonnie still wants our help boxing up all the books in the library. I suppose that could provide us with an opportunity to poke around a bit. We’ll need to slow down and take things as they come so we don’t get in Lonnie’s way, but I’m curious if this extra room does exist.”
“When Lonnie’s ready to start boxing, count me in. The handwritten journal I found wasn’t the juicy piece of gossip I’d hoped for, but there are thousands of volumes in that room. Somewhere, hidden amongst the literature, there must be something scandalous that someone left behind.”
“I will definitely call you when I have plans to go back to the house.” Lacy handed Maddie a plastic pony, which had her squealing with happiness. “By the way, I ran into Noah and Christy at the market yesterday.”
“How are they doing?” Noah Daniels and Christy Baldwin were prior guests who both moved to Holiday Bay after their visit with us. Noah was the new pastor at the community church who I’d first met in November when he’d been here to interview for the position, and Christy was a young widow with a young daughter named Haley who’d been staying at the inn at the same time as Noah to spend time with Haley’s grandparents. The parents of Christy’s deceased husband had been lobbying for Christy to move to the area so they could be closer to Haley since the death of their son. I got the feeling that Christy was resistant to the idea until she met Noah, and the two of them hit it off.
“They both seem to be doing well,” Lacy said. “Noah helped Christy and Haley get an apartment near the church, where Christy has a new job as church secretary after the woman who’d had that job for the past thirty years decided to retire.”
I smiled. “That’s wonderful. I’m so happy things seem to be working out for both of them.”
“I’ve been thinking about organizing a cookout now that the weather has improved. Christy gave me her cell number, and I promised to call and set up a date and time. Now that they’re living in the community full time, it will be nice to start integrating them into our extended family.”
“I couldn’t agree more. The number of people on the must invite list seems to be growing. I guess it’s a good thing we both have large yards and patio areas.” I glanced at my watch. “As much as I’ve enjoyed sitting here chatting with you, I should get back. I want to be there before the guests return from sailing.”
“Don’t you think it’s odd that these folks are just going about their day when one of the members of their group was murdered?”
“Yes and no. Georgia, Jeremy, and I have discussed the fact that no one seems to be overly upset that the guy is dead. After speaking to everyone and getting feedback from Colt, it seems as if no one really liked the guy.”
“So why was he invited?”
“Politics.” I then gave Lacy a brief description of the situation, including the fact that Alvin was putting pressure on Lisa to be included, so she put pressure on Carson.
“I guess it takes all kinds, although I don’t get it. The guy was a successful businessman with his own fortune, so why did he care so much about a membership at a stuffy old club or being invited to parties thrown by people he didn’t even know?”
“I have no idea,” I admitted. “I guess some folks are after riches, others fame, and others prestige.”
“I guess.”
Lacy picked Maddie up out of her swing, and the two of them walked me out to my car. We said our goodbyes and I headed home. I knew that Colt planned to return well before the guests were due to arrive, but he hadn’t said when. I supposed that at the time he left the inn, he hadn’t known.
When I arrived at the inn, Georgia was in the library, looking at the hundreds of photos that had been taken and printed by the group. One thing was for certain, Fiona wasn’t going to be short of photos for her memory book, although, when all was said and done, I really wasn’t sure she’d want to remember this particular weekend.
“I have to say the gang really came through with the photos,” I commented, picking one up that featured Carson carrying Fiona over his shoulder, caveman style.
“There are a lot, and while some of them are out of focus or feature cut off heads, most of them are really good,” Georgia said. “There are photos of everything, and everyone seems to be included.”
Someone had posted some of the better photos on the boards we’d set up, while others were simply piled on the table. “There are some nice ones of the formal dinner party,” I said, sifting through the pile. I picked one up. “I love this one.” I handed Georgia a photo of Carson watching Fiona with a look of total absorption and adoration while she spoke to Frederick on the night of the dinner party. There was no doubt in my mind that the man was smitten.
“You know,” Georgia said, “based on the clothing worn by the various guests, I bet we can go through and pick out all the photos taken on Thursday. Once we have them separated out, maybe we can use them to start to put together a picture of everyone’s movements that evening.”
“That’s not a bad idea.”
Georgia picked out a photo I’d taken of the group during the cocktail hour. It was a good photo to use as a means of identifying what each person had been wearing. There were a lot of photos to go through, but at this point, we were looking for specific photos. Once we had all the
images captured that first night separated out, we could begin to build a timeline. Most of the photos were taken after dinner, which is when Fiona instructed everyone to begin capturing images, but there were a few taken by folks beginning with the moment the limo picked the group up at the airport. It seemed, in general, the group got along well together. The earlier photos even showed a seemingly happy and smiling Alvin.
“Check this out.” Georgia held up a photo. It was a photo of Fiona, Ambrosia, Jennifer, and Naomi, sitting on the front porch. It was close to dark, but the exterior lights were just coming on, so you could see quite well. I remembered the group gathering on the porch, and had mentioned it to Colt. Of course, not all of the women were present. In addition to the four in the photo, there was the photographer, but there didn’t seem to be any way to know who had taken the photo. There was an empty fifth chair and a half-full glass of wine, so I assumed the photographer had been sitting with the group. In the background, barely discernible in the dark were two people, who, based on size and clothing worn, looked to be men, one tall, one short. The women weren’t paying any attention to them, and I didn’t see any empty chairs where they might have been sitting. It looked like one of the men had a dinner jacket on while the other wore slacks and a sweater.
I looked at the photo of the entire group. Two men wore slacks and a sweater: Alvin and Jordan. Carson and Mike both wore polo shirts with colored denims. No one was wearing a jacket.
“Who do you think this is in the background?” I showed the photo to Georgia, pointing out the two figures in the background.
“It’s pretty dark, and they are awfully far away, so it’s hard to say for sure.” She took the photo and looked at it more closely. “I think this one is Alvin, but I don’t recognize the other guy. Like I said, it’s dark and hard to make out, but none of the men wore a jacket that evening.”
“Could it be Carson?” I asked. “Fiona is with the group sitting on the porch.”