Sweet Friend of Mine (A Sweet Cove Mystery Book 8)

by J A Whiting

  “I think he did.” Courtney tightened the clasp on the necklace and held it up for Jenna to see. “I think he was cautious in his answers. After talking to him, I really didn’t feel like I found out much about Ryan.” She made a face. “Ryan was worried about exams, he liked a girl, he got along with people. The only thing Henry revealed was that Ryan had played in a band called Vine and the ring we found near the car belonged to him.” Courtney shook her head. “Most of the things that Henry told us were so generic that he could have been talking about anyone.”

  “You’re right.” Angie frowned. “Henry’s answers made Ryan seem pretty vanilla, just an ordinary college guy.”

  “Well, you found out Ryan had been in a band.” Jenna pulled her hair into a ponytail to keep it from falling in her eyes as she worked. “Maybe he plays at college. Maybe not in a band, but maybe he jams with people. It might be worth looking into.”

  “I wonder if other friends of Ryan’s are home from college.” Courtney carried the necklace to the long table on the far side of the room and placed it carefully in a gift box before returning to her seat to start another piece of jewelry. “Ryan could have met up with someone else. He could have stopped for gas or something and ran into another friend before heading home.”

  “We need to speak with the parents.” Angie squinted and leaned closer to the earrings she was making. “We need to get an idea about who else Ryan might have wanted to connect with while he was home.”

  Jenna stretched her arms over her head to get the kinks out of her back. “Chief Martin said the family was close so maybe the parents have some information. Maybe Ryan told them things about friends and school.” A yawn escaped from her mouth. “I’m hungry. Where’s Ellie, anyway? I haven’t seen her for hours.”

  “She went upstairs to take a nap.” Courtney eyed her sisters. “She won’t help with the jewelry when there’s a fire going. She’s more freaked out than we are about what happened to us in the carriage house.”

  Angie put down her tool. “Ellie has told me several times that she “feels” the white stone necklace in the house. I think it’s driving her crazy.”

  “It’s in the safe.” Courtney’s eyes were wide. “It’s in that metal box. How on earth could she be feeling it? If she can feel it, does that mean other people can, too?”

  Angie shook her head. “I think Ellie is imagining it. She doesn’t want it here and it’s always in the back of her mind.”

  During the last case the sisters were involved with, Ellie found some jewelry that used to belong to their mother. Each sister chose some pieces to keep and Ellie picked a white stone necklace. The stone seemed to glow, but only when Ellie wore it. It turned out to have some mystical powers that none of them understood. The B and B guest who set the carriage house on fire wanted the necklace for himself and tried to steal it, but was thwarted, and the necklace still remained in the sisters’ house tucked away in the family safe.

  “Ellie is the one who is supposed to protect that necklace.” Courtney shook her head. “She wasn’t the best choice, was she?”

  Angie returned to stringing the beads on the wire. “I spoke with Gloria about it. She said that someone will come for the necklace one day to take it away.” Angie frowned. “Gloria told me that the person won’t say that’s the reason he or she is here, but that Ellie will figure it out.” Letting out sigh, she added, “Then Ellie can calm down again.” Gloria owned a hair salon in Sweet Cove. In a surprising turn of events, Gloria knew about the necklace and helped to keep it and the sisters safe.

  “Oh, great. I hope whoever comes for it shows up soon. Otherwise, who knows how long we’ll have to put up with Ellie’s nerves.” Courtney paused for a few moments and then looked pointedly at Jenna and Angie. “Mom was wearing that necklace when she died.”

  A breath caught in Angie’s throat.

  “Don’t mention that to Ellie.” Jenna’s voice was serious.

  Courtney said, “Ellie knows Mom was wearing it.”

  “Just don’t bring it up. If Ellie thinks mom died because of that necklace she will go nuts.” Jenna’s blue eyes flashed. “Maybe we can discuss it another time, when the whole mess is further in the past.”

  “I agree.” Angie’s forehead creased with worry. “Let’s hope that necklace gets out of our possession soon. I’ll talk to Gloria next week to see if she knows anything more.”

  Ellie, wearing a pink and white robe, came through the doorway into the room a minute after the discussion about the necklace had finished. “I’m going to warm up that pasta skillet meal that I made at lunchtime. Anyone want some?” She looked warily at the blaze in the fireplace. “Should the cats be sleeping so close to the fire?”

  Euclid raised his head towards Ellie, made eye contact with her, and then rested his head back on the rug. The orange boy didn’t have a lot of patience for what he considered people’s silly worries and fears. When bad things happened, Euclid dealt with it and moved on.

  The three sisters told Ellie that they’d like some of the pasta. As Ellie was heading to go to the kitchen, she turned to Angie. “Where’s Josh been? I haven’t seen him lately.”

  Angie cleared her throat and didn’t look up. “He’s gone with his brother to Australia on business.” Angie’s boyfriend, Josh Williams, had been so busy with work during the past month that Angie had only been out with him a few times and she was feeling insecure and concerned that Josh was losing interest in her. She quickly changed the subject. “Want help with the dinner?”

  Ellie declined the offer of assistance and headed off to the kitchen padding softly down the hall in her fluffy slippers.

  Angie didn’t want Jenna or Courtney to ask any questions about Josh so she brought up Ryan Allen to deflect the topic. “Do either of you have any feelings about Ryan?”

  Courtney and Jenna knew what Angie meant. They all wondered if the young man was still alive.

  Courtney glanced at the two cats resting peacefully just a few feet away. “I don’t know. When I think of him, I don’t have anything of substance, just odd, sort of vague sensations of danger.”

  Jenna rubbed her temple. “I only have bad feelings about him.”

  Angie had a sinking feeling. “Are you still having those dark dreams, where someone needs our help, but you don’t know who or why?”

  One side of Jenna’s mouth turned down. “No.”

  “When did the dreams stop?”

  Jenna looked at her sisters with sad eyes. “Last night.”

  The four sisters and Mr. Finch sat around the kitchen table eating the leftover pasta, green salad, and garlic bread. The cats sat on the fridge keeping an eye on the proceedings hoping that rice pudding and whipped cream might make an appearance after the meal.

  Courtney and Angie reported the information about the interview with Ryan’s friend, Henry, in order to bring Ellie and Mr. Finch up-to-date.

  Angie passed the bread basket to Mr. Finch. “Are you still having the bad dreams about trying to find someone?”

  “No.” Finch removed a slice of bread and passed the basket to Ellie. “They seem to be gone. I slept quietly last night. Well, it took me a long time to fall asleep, but once asleep I was not disturbed by the dark dreams of the past week.”

  “Oh,” said Angie softly.

  “Not to fret, Miss Angie. Not having the dream does not necessarily reflect negatively on the case at hand.”

  “Why not?” Courtney sprinkled parmesan cheese over her pasta. “Wouldn’t it indicate that there wasn’t anything, or anyone, needing to be found?”

  Ellie’s hand flew to her cheek. “You think Ryan Allen is dead?”

  Before Courtney could respond, Mr. Finch said, “The dreams ended because we discovered who we need to search for. The disappearance of the dreams is not necessarily a positive indicator that the young man has passed on.”

  A look of relief washed over Ellie’s face. “So you think he’s still alive.”

  “That fact has yet to
be determined.” Finch adjusted his glasses. “The possibility exists that the young man is no longer with us. However, we shall remain hopeful.”

  “What’s the next step?” Ellie asked.

  “We need to talk with the parents.” Courtney took a sip of her lemon water.

  Angie added, “We also want to find out if there are other friends Ryan might have wanted to meet up with while he was home on break.”

  “Maybe the police will turn up some clues from searching the car,” Jenna offered. “Or maybe Ryan will turn up somewhere. He could be hurt from driving into that ditch.”

  Ellie ran her finger over the side of her glass. “What did you say the name of that band was that Ryan was in?”

  Courtney looked across the table at Ellie. “Vine.”

  “Huh.” Ellie tilted her head. “Didn’t they have a song on the radio in the fall?”

  “What song?” Jenna asked. “I’ve never heard of that band except that Ryan played in it.”

  “I think the song was called “Sweet Friend of Mine.”

  Courtney sat up. “I know that song. I loved it. The band wasn’t called “Vine” though. It was something else.”

  Ellie scrunched up her face. “But I thought Vine had something to do with that song.”

  Jenna tapped at her phone. “Let’s see what the internet says.” She scrolled on the screen with her finger. “Here it is. That song rose to number two on the charts last fall. The band was the ‘Darren Lottie Band.’” She shrugged. “Not ‘Vine.’”

  Ellie was insistent. “That guy, though. Darren something. He’s from Massachusetts, around here, I think. I read about him in the news when the song got big.”

  Jenna picked up her phone to search for him. After a few moments of reading, she turned her eyes from the phone’s screen and blinked. “Darren Wilton. It says he’s from a small town located near the Massachusetts seacoast. He was previously in a band called “Vine.”

  Eyebrows shot up around the table. Euclid hissed and Circe arched her back.

  Little jolts of electricity pulsed down Angie’s spine.

  7

  Angie and Courtney met Chief Martin at the police station. The sisters wanted to make a professional impression when they met with Ryan Allen’s parents so decided to dress in trousers, boots, and blazers. Angie wished the conference room of the station was a less harsh environment with its overhead lighting, metal tables, and plastic chairs. She always dreaded having to meet with someone who had just lost a loved one and thought that a police station should have a more comfortable room for sad occasions like that.

  The sisters shared a look of apprehension as Courtney knocked on the conference room door. The chief opened it and nodded. He then turned and introduced the sisters to Mr. and Mrs. Allen who sat side-by-side at the large metal table. Untouched coffee cups sat on the table in front of them.

  The couple appeared to be in their late forties or early fifties. Mrs. Allen’s short brown, feathered hair was mussed and sticking out in spots like she hadn’t brushed or combed it since her son had gone missing. Her eyes were bloodshot and she held a squished tissue in one hand. Mr. Allen’s hair was cut close to his head. His jaw was tight and he sat ramrod straight in his chair as if he could control the hand of fate by keeping his emotions in check. He looked shell-shocked as his eyes twitched about the room finally settling on Courtney and Angie as they took their seats at the table.

  “We’d just like to go over a few things.” The chief sat next to Angie and faced the parents. He spoke gently. “We’ll ask some questions that you’ve been asked before so please bear with us. It’s just part of the process.” He opened a leather folder. “Would you mind going over the events of the night when Ryan called you.”

  Donna Allen gave a little moan and dabbed at the corners of her eyes.

  Bob Allen ignored his wife, cleared his throat, and nodded at the chief. “Ryan called us shortly after midnight. We had just gone to bed.” He took in a long breath as the memory of that evening’s events rolled over him. Mr. Allen coughed and when he raised his right hand to his mouth, Angie could see little red cuts on his fist.

  Mr. Allen went on. “Ryan said the car had gone off the road and was in a ditch. He told me he wasn’t hurt, just a little shook up by the surprise of it. He’d tried to get the car back on the road, but the embankment was steep and he couldn’t manage it. It was cold and he wanted to get home thinking we could call a tow truck in the morning.” The man reached for the cold coffee in front of him and took a swig of it. “My wife and I got dressed and we headed out. Ryan said he was in Mission River, close to Silver Cove. He tried to tell us exactly where he was, but if you know that road, it’s just trees on both sides, not many landmarks.”

  Angie spoke. “How did Ryan describe his location to you?”

  “He said he was near the line between Silver Cove and Mission River so we drove in that direction. My wife had him on the phone. Ryan said he was freezing and to keep warm, he would start walking south towards Sweet Cove so we should watch for him walking along the road. We drove into Mission River a ways and didn’t see him anywhere so we turned back and drove in the other direction figuring we’d missed him somehow.”

  Courtney looked at Mrs. Allen to confirm what she’d heard. “You had your son on the phone as you drove around?”

  Mrs. Allen gave the slightest of nods.

  “How did he sound?”

  Mrs. Allen seemed not to understand the question.

  “Did he seem himself? Did he sound confused? I wonder if he might have bumped his head on the dashboard or on the steering wheel when the car left the road and that might have made him disoriented.”

  “He sounded normal.” Mrs. Allen wrung the tissue and pieces of it shredded between her fingers. Chief Martin put a box of tissues in the center of the table.

  “Was he upset about going off the road?” Courtney didn’t think Ryan could sound perfectly normal after running his car off the road and having to call his parents late on a cold night to come and get him.

  Mrs. Allen’s face was blotchy. “He wasn’t upset, really. Annoyed, maybe.”

  Angie asked, “Did he talk about how he’d spent his evening?”

  The mother rubbed her chin. “Ryan met his friend, Henry. I’m not sure what they did.”

  “I think the plan was to go out to eat.” Mr. Allen interjected.

  “Have you talked to Henry since that night?” Angie questioned.

  Mr. Allen answered. “We called Henry after we lost contact with Ryan. Henry was asleep, but answered his phone after it rang a few times. He told us that he and Ryan parted ways a little after midnight. He hadn’t heard from him since. Now that I think back, Henry said they’d gone to a pub. We didn’t speak long. I was ready to call the police at that point.” The man shifted in the uncomfortable plastic seat. “We haven’t talked to Henry since.”

  Courtney looked at the mom and before speaking, made sure there was nothing accusatory in her tone. “Could you tell us, did Ryan drink on occasion?”

  The woman opened her mouth to speak, but Mr. Allen cut his wife off and replied to the question. “Ryan and I would have a beer once in a while if we were home watching sports. I imagine he and Henry would do the same if he was at Henry’s house. Ryan never drank to excess.”

  “How about the night he went missing?” Angie saw the mother flinch at the word ‘missing.’ “Did Ryan sound like he might have had a few drinks?”

  Mrs. Allen shook her head. “No. He sounded normal.”

  Angie asked a follow-up question. “What did you talk about when you were on the phone with your son that night?”

  The father had a stern expression on his face and seemed to be losing patience. “We were trying to locate him. We were becoming frustrated, driving up and down the road unable to find him. We weren’t having a pleasant chit-chat. Our interactions were about where the heck Ryan was.”

  “Did you take the phone at any point or did Mrs. Allen
stay on the phone with Ryan the whole time?” Courtney looked from one to the other.

  “I took the phone for a minute. I was getting annoyed. It’s a straight line to Mission River from Sweet Cove. I didn’t understand why we couldn’t find him.”

  “Did you have words with each other?” Courtney could see the man becoming agitated and she didn’t know what the cause was aside from the obvious worry over his son. Was Mr. Allen aggravated by having to answer so many questions or was he concerned that they would think he and Ryan had a fight while on the phone?

  Angie picked up on why Courtney was asking. The thought passed through her mind that Ryan and his father may have gotten angry with each other, Ryan might have cursed at his father and hung up on him and that was why the call ended. She watched the father’s face for any sign that he might not be forthcoming.

  Mr. Allen’s cheeks looked flushed. “No, we didn’t have a fight, if that’s what you mean.”

  Angie took over the questioning. “So you drove around for some time without being able to locate Ryan.” She paused for a few moments and turned her attention to the mother. “How did the phone call end?”

  Mrs. Allen swallowed. “I heard Ryan curse. Then the phone went dead.”

  “Did you try to call back?” Angie used a soft voice.

  Mrs. Allen nodded. “I called back several times. He didn’t pick up.” Tears began to form in the corners of her eyes.

  Angie wanted to ease the tension in the room. “Can I refresh your coffee? Or can we get you some water or a cold drink?”

  “May I have some water, please?” Mrs. Allen asked quietly.

  “Why don’t we all stretch for a few minutes.” Chief Martin stood. “I’ll have a pitcher of ice water brought in.” He opened the door to encourage the Allens to stretch their legs.

  The couple stood. Ryan’s mother rubbed her lower back and then walked out to the hall with her husband. An officer poked his head in and asked the chief to come speak with him.