by Sonia Parin
Mira shifted to the edge of her seat. “Could I use your laptop, Eve?”
“Sure. I’ll get it for you.” Eve found the laptop in the kitchen. As she took it in, she asked, “Are you thinking of hiding out here this afternoon?”
Mira snorted. “I’m going to try to book myself into a cruise.”
“That’s the spirit,” Eve said. “I should do the same. Keep myself busy so I don’t worry myself sick thinking about my parents cropping up when I least expect them. So, when are you thinking of taking a cruise?”
“With any luck, right now. Sometimes, there are last minute cancellations…”
“Mira! You want to escape? And leave me here, alone with them?”
“They’re your parents.”
“And she’s your sister.” Shaking her head, Eve snapped out of it. Someone, somewhere would be receiving dreadful news. Her heart went out to them. Maybe there were relatives who’d filed a missing person’s report and the case had remained open all this time. At least, they would finally get closure.
Eve dug out her cell phone and called Jack. When he picked up, she said, “Is there any chance a family member might have reported the victim missing?”
“Hello, Eve.”
“Jack, I know you’re a busy man. So, I’m trying to cut to the chase.”
“We’re looking into missing persons, but I don’t think we’ll come up with anything. If one of the previous tenants had been reported missing, everyone on the island would have found out about it.”
True. Although… Jack appeared to think the victim had been a previous tenant. Eve’s mind went in the opposite direction. A previous tenant might be the killer and the victim might be someone who’d been reported missing. “Sorry, I guess I should have bounced the idea around with the others before bothering you.”
“You never bother me, Eve.”
Eve smiled and brushed her fingers across her eyes. “So, have you come up with any leads about his identity? I know it’s probably too soon to get news from the medical examiner.”
“There’s not much we can do until we get a proper identification. We just don’t have the manpower for guesswork. Which means, I might not have much to do later on so, if you’re free, we could go to dinner.”
“Thank you. That’s precisely what I need.” With any luck, she’d be able to take her mind off her parents and enjoy the evening.
Lauren finished her coffee and stood up. “Thank you. That was lovely. I’m going to head back to the office and…” Lauren raked her fingers through her hair. “I don’t know… Keep busy, I guess. I can’t stop thinking about that poor person, dying there. Alone. And, possibly killed. That’s a scary thought. We might be living with a killer among us.”
Not for the first time, Eve thought.
Chapter Five
Eve slipped into her sage green dress and ran a comb through her hair. Jack would be arriving at any minute now. Doing a final check, she made sure she didn’t have any stray threads hanging loose from the hem and made her way downstairs.
While she continued to live with Mira, she had set herself up in a room at the inn.
Her step faltered. Staying with Mira had been sensible… convenient, she thought. Moving into the inn had also been sensible and convenient. But was it more? Had she subconsciously set something into motion… a transition, in order to eventually move out of Mira’s house? Shrugging, she continued down the stairs. When her relationship with Jack moved to the next level, she’d have to make decisions. For all she knew, she might end up with a third place to live in.
There were several guests enjoying their pre-dinner drinks in the living room, a light tune playing in the background, their conversation lively but not too loud.
Working in a busy restaurant, she’d become accustomed to background noise. During the short time she’d been running the inn, she’d come to appreciate the slower pace. Even the guests seemed to take things easier. Then again, they were on vacation.
Someone must have said something amusing. Everyone laughed. Eve heard glasses clinking. And then… she heard Mira.
Turning the corner, she strode into the living room. Sure enough, her aunt had joined some of the guests. Seeing her, Mira took a quick sip of her drink and strode up to her.
“You look lovely.”
“Thank you. Um, Mira… Don’t take this the wrong way, but… What are you still doing here?”
“When I couldn’t book myself into a cruise, I decided to stay here.” Mira lifted her chin. “I am not going back home until your parents leave the island.”
“What will you do if they find out about the inn?”
“William Hunter is too full of himself to bother talking about anyone else. There’s no reason for your parents to ever know.”
“So, you’re seeking refuge at the inn. Is that why the curtains were drawn at your house?” Eve patted Mira on the back. “I think we’ll need to sit down and talk about this. We can’t live in fear of my parents dropping in on us.”
Sighing, Mira agreed.
Hearing a car approaching, Eve said, “It’s Jack.”
“Are you sure?” Mira closed her eyes. “Fine. Yes. We need to talk about it all and work on a plan. After all, we’re grown-ups and I shouldn’t live in fear of my sister dropping in on me.”
“Actually, I’m glad you’re here. Do the guests know about today?”
“No, they all went out fishing,” Mira said. “As far as I know, no one has gone into town.”
“Good. I don’t want anyone worrying. Samantha is finishing up for the day and Jill will be on tonight but I’d feel better if she had someone helping her… Just in case.” The day’s events suddenly caught up with Eve. Taking Mira’s glass, she drank deeply. “Right… Well. I’m off on a date.” Albeit, a working date. Even if she tried, she wouldn’t be able to keep her mind off the dead person she’d found in her store.
By the time she reached the front door, Eve had reached a decision. She would not bring any of it up during dinner. The night would be about relaxing with Jack.
Shelby showed them through to Eve’s favorite table near the fireplace; close enough but not too close.
Jack surprised her by avoiding any mention of the day’s event. However, he did ask an awkward question.
“As I drove to your place, I realized today I met your parents for the first time.”
Eve gave him a small smile. “We don’t give out prizes for that, Jack.”
Jack took her hand in his. “Okay. I know better than to ask.” He gave her a reassuring smile. “Let’s order. Any suggestions?”
“Everything is always good at Shelby’s Table. Your choice depends on what you feel like eating.”
When he studied the menu, Eve noticed the moment he came across something he didn’t recognize. “Stuck?”
“Shishitos.”
“Peppers. They have a distinctive flavor.” Eve tilted her head in thought. “Lively and sweet with a hint of smokiness.”
“Is there anything you haven’t tasted?”
“I’m sure there is. Remember, unlike Mira, I haven’t traveled around the world.”
“Ready to order?” Shelby asked.
Jack nodded. “Okay, I’m having the steak, no surprise there, with peppers and eggs.”
Roasted deckle, shishitos, soft egg, confit potato, romesco. Sounded good to Eve. “I’m going to have the Chopped Buffalo Steak.” She rather liked the idea of goat cheese, shiitake and peppercorn sauce. “Oh, and the chocolate soufflé, please.”
Half an hour later, they had managed to have a pleasant chat without any mention of the body in her store. Eve had also noticed Jack hadn’t brought out his cell phone.
What if it rang?
Would he answer?
Yes, she’d expect him to pick up. If he made an effort to ignore it, she’d insist he needed to take the call. However, she hoped it wouldn’t ring…
Her mind cleared and, for the briefest moment, she felt as though she did
n’t hold a single thought in it. But it didn’t last.
Eve had an epiphany; a clear understanding of how her life would unfold. Death and murder would always be with her because, one way or another, Jack would always be in her life. Being with someone in the business of crime fighting meant she’d never be excluded from the unsavory aspects of life. Jack would always be working a case and she would be right there, supporting him in any way she could.
Taking a sip of her wine, she watched him enjoy his steak. “You savor every mouthful. I never noticed that about you.”
“The combination of flavors is exceptional. Taste it.”
He didn’t wait for Eve to help herself. Instead, he organized a mouthful onto his fork and offered it to her.
“You’re right. It’s delicious.” Another thought wove into her mind. She loved Jack. She’d known it for a long time.
Detective Jack Bradford was one of the good guys. He stood for truth and, wherever possible, he gave victims a final say. Eve decided, right there and then, she would never again complain about her stroke of bad luck.
When his cell phone rang, he looked at her, holding her gaze long enough for Eve to think he wanted to savor the moment before he switched over to business mode.
Eve nodded. “You should answer that.” She watched him take the call. As he listened to the information, a small wedge formed between his eyebrows.
“Coffee?” Shelby asked.
Eve couldn’t take her eyes off him. She answered with a nod. “Thanks, Shelby.” If he excused himself, Eve would stay behind and let the evening linger on.
Jack’s mouth set into a grim line as he continued to listen. Eve knew he was taking mental notes. Occasionally, he wrote something down. For right now, she thought he would only focus on the victim’s name. She assumed the call had been made to update him.
When he set the cell phone down, he didn’t put it away.
“Will you stay for coffee and chocolate soufflé?” Eve asked as she wondered how long it would be before they could sit down to dinner again.
Instead of driving back to the inn, they headed straight to Mira’s house.
Moments before arriving at Mira’s, Jack broke the silence. “I could taste something other than chocolate in the soufflé.”
It took a moment for Eve to unglue her lips. “There was a hint of orange liqueur,” she said. “Maybe some cardamom.”
The car headlights brought the house into view. Seeing the curtains drawn, Eve smiled. She would sit down and talk about it with Mira tomorrow. For now…
“Are you coming in?”
“Let’s sit outside for a while. It’s cool but bearable and I need to clear my head.” He parked the car. Sighing, he sat back for a moment and appeared to come to some sort of decision. Rounding the car, he opened the passenger door.
“Thank you for tonight, Jack.” They strode toward the front porch but, at the last minute, Jack guided them toward the back of the house where they settled on the deck chairs. “Drink?” Eve offered.
He nodded so she went inside and poured some cognac. As she handed him the glass, he looked up.
“The victim’s been identified as Phillip Manningham.”
The previous tenant.
Eve settled down next to him. As she took a sip of her drink she listened to the gentle lapping of the waves against the shore.
A seagull glided down and landed on the beach. It stood there, looking out to sea.
To her surprise, Jack asked, “Any thoughts?”
“I assume you’ll be contacting his family.” If he had any. “How long has he been dead? Did the ME say?”
“Over a year. They’re still trying to pinpoint a more precise date.”
Eve had trouble believing it. “And no one noticed him missing in all that time?”
“No.”
How could that be?
Eve came into contact with people every day. If anything happened to her, someone would raise the alarm.
She took a pensive drink. Over a year ago, she’d trekked out to Rock-Maine Island to visit Mira and had found her aunt missing. She’d left without saying a word to anyone. Anything might have happened to her. Luckily, Eve hadn’t had to file a missing person’s report because Mira had turned up. If Eve left the island without telling anyone, Jill wouldn’t waste a second. She’d contact Jack straightaway. “Had he been estranged from his family?”
“We’ve only just discovered his identity so we don’t know if he had family.”
Eve had the impression Jack had decided to spend the evening just thinking before rolling up his sleeves and getting down to business.
He’d never before shared information or discussed a case without Eve prodding him to the point of badgering him.
“Friends,” she said. “Acquaintances. Someone must have noticed him missing.”
“We’ll try to determine if he had any immediate family. Then we’ll try to locate anyone who might have come into contact with him.”
If he had family, Eve thought, they can’t have been close. Or even kept in touch.
“There must be people in town he knew.” Jill had said she couldn’t remember him, but someone had to, surely. “How old was he?”
“Mid-forties. I’ll know more tomorrow.”
“I’ve lived on the island for a year and there are people I might not recognize if I saw them elsewhere.” She shrugged. “I see them in passing but I don’t come into direct contact. I guess the mind needs to make connections before storing something.”
Eve thought of Pete Dresden and his wife. The hardware store owner must have had some sort of contact with the victim. If not an ongoing relationship then a casual one. Surely, they would know something about Phillip Manningham’s final days.
Eve shrugged. “When his lease ended, he must have stopped by the realtor’s office to hand in his keys and get his deposit back. I know their records have been lost, but someone at the office must remember something about him. You should be able to narrow down the time of death. And… if there had been something strange, surely someone would have noticed. I only need to draw down my eyebrows for someone to ask what’s wrong with me.”
“No one would ask if you always walked around with furrowed brows. Maybe Phillip Manningham was a perpetual worrier and everyone was used to seeing him like that.”
“Well, he didn’t put himself in that hole in the wall. Someone put him there and then sealed the room.” Eve couldn’t help wondering why someone would dispose of the body the way they had. They lived on an island. Why not drag the body to the beach and let the current do its job? Or bury it. There were plenty of secluded areas.
When she shared her thoughts with Jack, he laughed.
“Are you, by any chance, planning to get rid of someone? You seem to be well-informed.”
“It doesn’t take a genius to come up with those solutions,” Eve said. “Why keep a body entombed in a building someone else is going to eventually lease? The smell alone…” Eve broke off.
“Yes?”
“The space had been closed up but not entirely sealed. Corpses decompose and even I know there is an unpleasant odor attached to that.”
“Lime.”
“As in green lemons?”
“No, as in lime cement. The whole body was covered in it. The ME said it helped mask the smell. There was also a lot of sand, presumably to soak up moisture.”
They fell silent.
Eve watched the seagull. It had moved away from the shore and had settled down for the night.
“That sounds like a deliberate attempt to preserve him,” Eve murmured. “What about cause of death?”
“Blunt force trauma.” He tapped the back of his neck. “Someone hit him hard enough to crack his cranium.”
Someone? A man. A woman?
“Not just a hairline fracture. We’re talking about the back of the head completely smashed.”
And then, the killer dragged the body into the nook and decided to seal it in. �
��The killer wanted something. A reminder. There you are, closed in, locked up, entombed… right under everyone’s noses.”
“You and Jill are going to have a field day trying to figure this one out. Make sure to share your findings.”
“Are you poking fun at me?”
He smiled at her. “You’re my go-to person for thinking outside the box.” He took her hand and drew her to her feet. “Let’s call it a night. I have an early start tomorrow.”
While Jack kept himself busy trying to fill in the blanks, Eve would…
Sit down with pen and paper and draw up a plan for her new business venture. Everyone would expect her to dive right into it and start snooping around, but she had no intention of becoming involved.
Chapter Six
The rapid knock on the window startled Eve. She stilled and strained to hear. Jack had already left for work. Thinking the store would still be out of bounds to her, she’d lingered at Mira’s house to enjoy a leisurely breakfast.
She heard Jill call out, “Eve.”
Eve surged to her feet and rushed to open the back door.
Jill rushed in. “If you keep this up, we’ll need to agree on a secret door knock.”
“Funny, ha-ha. Come on in. Make yourself at home.” She closed and locked it behind her.
Jill took her coat off and pulled out a stool. “Breakfast? Yes, I’d love some, thank you. I stayed up half the night working on theories.” She waved a notebook. “And I took notes.”
“Whatever for?”
Jill gaped at her. “You found a body in your store. It didn’t get there all by itself so we’re going to look into it.”
Eve’s eyebrows curved upward. “We are?”
“Of course. It’s what we do.”
Eve gave her a breezy wave. “The police will take care of everything. After all, that’s what they do.”
“Aren’t you the least bit curious?”
“As much as the next person. But I’m an innkeeper, not a detective.”