by Kathi Daley
Fifth Night
by
Kathi Daley
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2018 by Katherine Daley
Version 1.0
All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.
I want to thank the very talented Jessica Fischer for the cover art.
I so appreciate Bruce Curran, who is always ready and willing to answer my cyber questions, and Peggy Hyndman, for helping sleuth out those pesky typos.
And, of course, thanks to the readers and bloggers in my life, who make doing what I do possible.
Thank you to Randy Ladenheim-Gil for the editing.
And finally I want to thank my sister Christy for always lending an ear and my husband Ken for allowing me time to write by taking care of everything else.
Table of Contents
Books by Kathi Daley
The Writers Retreat Residents
Townsfolk
The Victim
The Suspects and Witnesses
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
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The Writers Retreat Residents
Jillian (Jill) Hanford
Jillian is a dark-haired, dark-eyed, never-married newspaper reporter who moved to Gull Island after her much-older brother, Garrett Hanford, had a stroke and was no longer able to run the resort he’d inherited. Jillian had suffered a personal setback and needed a change in lifestyle, so she decided to run the resort as a writers’ retreat while she waited for an opportunity to work her way back into her old life. Since then, she has found a home on Gull Island and has decided to stay and work with Jack running the local newspaper.
Jackson (Jack) Jones
Jack is a dark-haired, blue-eyed, never-married, nationally acclaimed author of hard-core mysteries and thrillers, who is as famous for his good looks and boyish charm as he is for the stories he pens. Despite his success as a novelist, he’d always dreamed of writing for a newspaper, so he gave up his penthouse apartment and bought the failing Gull Island News.
George Baxter
George is a writer of traditional whodunit mysteries. He’d been a friend of Garrett Hanford’s since they were boys and spent many winters at the resort penning his novels. When he heard the oceanfront resort was going to be used as a writers’ retreat, he was one of the first to get on board. George is a distinguished-looking man with gray hair, dark green eyes, and a certain sense of old-fashioned style that many admire.
Clara Kline
Clara is a self-proclaimed psychic who writes fantasy and paranormal mysteries. She wears her long gray hair in a practical braid and favors long, peasant-type skirts and blouses. Clara decided to move to the retreat after she had a vision that she would find her soul mate living within its walls. So far, the only soul mate she has stumbled on to is a cat named Agatha, but it does seem that romance is in the air, so she may yet find the man she has envisioned.
Alex Cole
Alex is a fun and flirty millennial who made his first million writing science fiction when he was just twenty-two. He’s the lighthearted jokester of the group who uses his blond-haired, blue-eyed good looks to participate in serial dating. He has the means to live anywhere, but the thought of a writers’ retreat seemed quaint and retro, so he decided to expand his base of experience and moved in.
Brit Baxter
Brit is George Baxter’s niece. A petite blond pixie and MIT graduate, she decided to make the trip east with her uncle after quitting her job to pursue her dream of writing. Her real strength is in social networking and understanding the dynamics behind the information individuals choose to share on the internet.
Victoria Vance
Victoria is a romance author who lives the life she writes about in her steamy novels. She travels the world and does what she wants to who she wants without ever making an emotional connection. Her raven-black hair accentuates her pale skin and bright green eyes. She’s the woman every man fantasizes about but none can conquer. When she isn’t traveling the world, she’s Jillian’s best friend, which is
why when Jillian needed her, she gave up her penthouse apartment overlooking Central Park to move into the dilapidated island retreat.
Nicole Carrington
Nicole is a tall and thin true crime author with long dark hair, a pale complexion, and huge brown eyes. She has lived a tragic life and tends to keep to herself, which can make her seem standoffish. Initially, she didn’t seem to want to be approached for any reason. It didn’t seem she would fit in, but she has shown signs of softening up a bit now that she’s gotten to know everyone, and has even agreed to attend a few of the group dinners the writers share from time to time.
Garrett Hanford
Garrett isn’t a writer, but he owns the resort and is becoming one of the gang. He had a stroke that ended his ability to run the resort as a family vacation spot. He has lived on Gull Island his entire life and has a lot to offer the Mystery Mastermind Group.
Townsfolk
Deputy Rick Savage
Rick is not only the island’s main source of law enforcement, he’s a volunteer force unto himself. He cares about the island and its inhabitants and is willing to do what needs to be done to protect that which he loves. He’s a single man in his thirties who seldom has time to date despite his devilish good looks, which most believe could land him any woman he wants.
Mayor Betty Sue Bell
Betty Sue is a homegrown Southern lady who owns a beauty parlor called Betty Boop’s Beauty Salon. She can be flirty and sassy, but when her town or its citizens are in trouble, she turns into a barracuda. She has a Southern flare that will leave you laughing, but when there’s a battle to fight, she’s the one you most want in your corner.
Gertie Newsome
Gertie is the owner of Gertie’s on the Wharf. Southern born and bred, she believes in the magic of the South and the passion of its people. She shares her home with a ghost named Mortie who has been a regular part of her life for over thirty years. She’s friendly, gregarious, and outspoken, unafraid to take on anyone or anything she needs to protect those she loves.
Meg Collins
Meg is a volunteer at the island museum and the organizer of the turtle rescue squad. Some feel the island and its wildlife are her life, but Meg has a soft spot for island residents like Jill and the writers who live with her.
Barbara Jean Freeman
Barbara is an outspoken woman with a tendency toward big hair and loud colors. She’s a friendly sort with a propensity toward gossip who owns a bike shop in town.
Brooke Johnson
Brooke is a teacher and mother who works hard in her spare time as volunteer coordinator for the community. She met Jack and Jill when she was a suspect in the first case they tackled.
Sully
Sully is a popular islander who owns the local bar and offers lots of information about the goings-on in the community. When Blackbeard manages to escape for a day on the town, one of the first stops he always makes is to see his buddy Sully.
Quinten Davenport
Quinten is a retired Los Angeles County Medical Examiner who is currently dating Gertie. Although retired, Quinten is more than happy to help the Mystery Mastermind Group when they need a medical opinion, and his presence provides stability to them.
The Victim
Bobby Boston
Bobby was a twenty-nine-year-old firefighter with the Gull Island Fire Department. Six months ago, he was found dead in his car by his twenty-five-year-old wife, Abby. It appears as if Bobby committed suicide. He left a note stating he had been responsible for a man’s death and was unable to continue living with his guilt.
The Suspects and Witnesses
Abby Boston
Abby married Bobby four years ago, just before moving to Gull Island, where he had gotten a job with the Gull Island firehouse. Initially, Abby worked as a preschool teacher, but two years ago, her sister, Tammy, and Tammy’s husband, Toby, were killed in an auto accident. Abby was named legal guardian for Abby’s four children, aged three to ten, quit her job, and became a full-time mom. Seven months ago, just a month before Bobby died, Abby found out she was pregnant with the couple’s first biological child. Now, Abby is due to deliver in just seven weeks. The company that held Bobby’s life insurance policy has refused to pay because he committed suicide, and Abby’s small savings are about to run out. She has received a letter of eviction from the bank and is desperate to prove Bobby didn’t commit suicide before she, her nieces and nephews, and her unborn child, are thrown out on the street.
Laurie Olson
Laurie, Abby’s best friend, insists Abby and Bobby were a committed couple who had simply been suffering a rough patch when she became pregnant unexpectedly. She does not believe Bobby committed suicide
Sam Petrie
Sam is a fellow firefighter. He was hired shortly before Bobby, and while the two got along, they both were ambitious and had entered into a rivalry of sorts. Sam claims Bobby was already stressed with the responsibility of raising his wife’s nieces and nephews, and when he found out about the baby, it put him over the edge.
Captain Roy Oliver
Captain Oliver was Bobby’s fire chief. At the time of the investigation of Bobby’s death, he told the deputy assigned to investigate the case that Bobby was a hard worker and a good man, but he had been dealing with some severe emotional distress for several weeks before the beginning of an arson spree.
Pop Seaton
Pop was the first victim of the arsonist. He owned a fishing boat that was destroyed while it was in dry dock for repair. No one was injured, and Pop had insurance to replace the boat he had lost.
Jasper Wells
Jasper was the second victim of the Gull Island arsonist. He lost a barn that was, fortunately, empty because it had been undergoing renovation. No one was injured, and Jasper had insurance to rebuild the barn.
Hillary Tisdale
Hillary owned the local bakeshop until it burned to the ground on the third night of the arson spree. The bakeshop was closed, so there were no casualties, but the building was completely destroyed. Luckily, Hillary had adequate insurance, which she has used to relocate.
Hannah Smith
Hannah was the fourth victim of the Gull Island arsonist. She was a struggling artist who had set up a studio in the detached garage behind her house. The artwork and the building were destroyed, but the house was saved, and no one was injured. Hannah had recently been invited to show her work at a gallery in New York, so she’d taken out an insurance policy on the paintings just days before the fire.
David Long
David was the only human casualty of the Gull Island arsonist. On the fifth night of the spree, the arsonist burned to the ground the house belonging to a family who were vacationing in Los Angeles. David was a friend of the family who was staying in the house and was unable to get out before smoke overtook him. It was generally assumed, given the fact that the arsonist seemed to have chosen unoccupied buildings with adequate insurance, that he didn’t know the house was occupied and didn’t mean to kill the man sleeping inside. The suicide note left by Bobby seemed to confirm this.
Chapter 1
Monday, January 22
“Hi, everyone,” the young woman with a rounded belly on a stick-thin frame, long blond hair, and large haunted eyes, began. “My name is Abby Boston. Brit asked me to come here tonight to tell my story.” She nervously glanced at Brit Baxter, the youngest member of the Mystery Mastermind Group, which met every Monday evening at the Gull Island Writers’ Retreat. It looked like the poor girl might flee, but Brit smiled encouragingly. Abby nodded at her, and then turned once more to face the group. “As you may know, my husband, Bobby, died six months ago, leaving me to care for my nieces and nephews on my own.” Abby rubbed her huge stomach. “Baby Tammy, to be named for my late sister, will be joining us shortly, and I’m terrified. You see,” Abby glanced around the room, her eyes filling with tears, “after Bobby died, I got behind on my mortgage. I received a notice from the bank last week saying I either neede
d to get my loan up to date or vacate the house.” Abby’s eyes met mine. My heart was breaking for the young woman who had lost first her sister and then her husband. “I don’t have the money to pay the bank and I don’t know where the kids and I will go if we lose the house. I spoke to Brit about my dilemma and she said you all might be able to help.”
“Are you looking for a donation?” asked Alex Cole, a fun and flirty millennial who made his first million writing science fiction when he was just twenty-two.
“No, sir.” Abby shook her head vigorously. “I’m not looking for a handout. The kids and I will find a way to make it on our own.”
“So why are you here?” asked Victoria Vance, a romance novelist and my best friend.
“Bobby had an insurance policy. He took it out when my sister was killed and her kids came to live with us. He worked as a firefighter, and a fisherman on his days off. Both are high-risk jobs, and he wanted to be sure we’d be taken care of if anything happened to him. The problem is that the insurance company is refusing to pay. There’s a stipulation in the policy that they won’t in cases of suicide.”
That seemed a pretty standard condition to me. “What exactly are you asking?” I wondered.
“I need for you, Ms. Hanford, and your group, to prove Bobby didn’t commit suicide. I need you to prove he was murdered.”
I paused to consider her request. I didn’t know a lot about the case, but I did remember when Bobby Boston died. It seemed Deputy Rick Savage, Vikki’s boyfriend and a friend of the group, had been the one who investigated, and he’d determined there was no evidence to rule the case anything other than a suicide. Of course, I hadn’t known Rick back then; I’d just moved to the island when Abby’s husband had been found dead, so I didn’t have the background to have a firm opinion about it.