Elusive Heiress: Bayview Murder Mystery: Laura Seymour Cozy Mysteries and Romantic Adventures (Women Sleuths Cozy Mysteries Series Book 1)

by Lauren Berg

  “Are you missing anything?” Amy called.

  “No,” Laura said. “Are you?”

  “Not that I can tell. I’m going to catalogue everything just to be safe,” Amy said as Laura hurried out into the living room. “Where are you going?”

  “I left all my stuff down in the spa, including my phone. I’ve just got to go grab it.” Laura smiled, though her stomach was tied in knots, and it was all she could do not to run for the stairs. She took a deep breath. “I’ll be back up in a minute.”

  “Oh, hey, could you get my shoes? I left them down there, too.”

  Laura waved her hand in confirmation. Her head throbbed as she waited for the elevator to come. When she got on, she passed a couple who appeared to be shaken by the news that the hotel had been robbed. The woman was swiping tears off her cheeks, and the man was hurrying her along.

  The ride to the lobby took forever. Each floor that dinged as she passed made her nerves tighten. She tried to visualize a positive outcome for the situation. She couldn’t. Losing her phone would be as good as getting fired. When Jerry learned that she’d lost all of her notes, he’d go ballistic. If he didn’t fire her, he’d put her on something obsolete like rewriting classified ads.

  “Please, please be there,” she whispered as she ran toward the spa the second the elevator doors opened.

  No one in back of the front desk of the spa yet, so Laura blew right by, heading straight for the dressing room she’d used. When she pulled the curtain back, she saw that her clothes were still in a pile on the floor. She breathed a sigh of relief, and bent to pick her jeans up off the floor. As she reached into the back pocket, she realized that her relief had been premature. The phone wasn’t there. Frantically she dug through the other pockets. When she didn’t find it there, she shook out her other clothes on the floor.

  “It’s not here,” she groaned as she sank to her knees on the floor. Her chest constricted as panic overtook her. When someone realized what kind of information the phone contained, Laura knew she’d be scooped.

  CHAPTER NINE

  That afternoon, after a flood of frustrated tears, and a box of expensive chocolate that Vincent had sent up as an apology, Laura felt slightly better. Amy had poured them glasses of wine, and they’d changed into sweats, just like they’d done in college when they were stressed. Laura knew that her best friend hadn’t done anything like this in a long time, and she appreciated that she was willing to do it.

  Laura tapped her pen against the notebook on her lap. “Who else had access to Edith that day?”

  Amy took a sip of her wine. “The boat captain.”

  “True, but he was tied up and beaten unconscious. He couldn’t have tied himself up.”

  “He could have had an accomplice. You were so convinced earlier that Cain could have been Benjamin’s accomplice, so why couldn’t the captain have one instead?”

  Laura rolled her eyes. “You just want Cain to be innocent so I’ll jump into bed with him.”

  “What? You don’t want him to be innocent?”

  “Of course I do. I like him, a lot, actually. Ugh. He was the only one who knew that the phone survived my fall, and he’s the only person who knew what I had on it. Besides you, I mean.” Laura arched an eyebrow at her friend. “Whatever, I don’t want to talk about him now. Why don’t we talk more about you and Benjamin?”

  “Nice deflection. There’s nothing more to talk about. I told you everything. It was a blip on the radar. It shouldn’t have happened, but it did.”

  “I’m not judging you, Allie. You’re more than welcome to have a relationship with whomever you want. I’m just wondering how we can use your past to our advantage.” Laura waggled her eyebrows at Amy, and the other woman giggled.

  “I think I’ve had too much wine because this is hilarious. It shouldn’t be funny, right?” Amy burst into another fit of laughter, and that made Laura nearly hysterical. The two of them laughed until their sides ached. “My face hurts,” Amy gasped.

  As their laughter subsided, Laura said, “You know, I really need to start interviewing people again. I haven’t actually had a decent interview since I sat down with Vincent Ferrimo. After that my suspect list got a little muddled. I mean, I still include Cain on the list because he had some association with Benjamin, and that guy is violent.”

  Amy nodded. “I still can’t believe he tried to kill you. When we were having our little dalliance, he never acted like that. As a matter of fact he was a pussy cat. I think that’s why Edith married him.”

  “What do you mean?” Laura asked.

  “Well, I think that even though Edith is old, she still likes to be in charge of her relationships. Most of the men she has been married to have had generally the same personality. If you look at a list, it’s easy to see that she’s always been the one in charge. With Benjamin,” Amy paused, “he’s so much younger. I know the media has accused him of using her, but honestly I think it’s the other way around. He’s disposable to her because there will always be another man, ready, willing, and eager to fill the position.”

  “You don’t suppose there was someone waiting in the wings, and Benjamin found out?”

  “It’s possible, but unlikely. When I saw them together I could tell that she was still enamored with him.”

  Laura sighed. “I feel like I’m going around on a carousel that never ends. There has to be something interesting here.” She shuffled through her notes, wishing for the hundredth time that she had her phone. Amy had offered to buy her a new one, but Laura wasn’t quite ready to think about that yet. “I suppose the boat’s captain is the next logical interviewee. Maybe he remembers something that he’d be willing to share. Can I borrow your phone?”

  “Sure. You know, the police want to see me down at the police station tomorrow morning. Do you know when they’re going to want to talk to you again?” Amy handed Laura her phone.

  “Without my phone I have a feeling I’m going to be missing quite a few things. They can always call the hotel, though, so no, I haven’t heard from them again. I’ll be right back.” Laura could feel the tension tightening in a band along the top of her head. She had gotten so wrapped up in the events of the day that she had nearly let herself forget about the police.

  Scrolling through a quick internet search, Laura found the number of the Bayview hospital where it was rumored that the boat’s captain had been taken after he’d been found. She called, and waited on hold for ten minutes. There was a weird cycle of elevator style music playing, mixed with promos for various doctors. Laura found the result disorienting, which she supposed was a good thing when one was stuck on hold.

  Finally an operator came on and put her through to the medical/surgical floor. A gruff nurse answered. “What can I do for you?”

  “I just heard that my … cousin, Kyle Davis, was there. My mom told me what happened to him, and since I’m in the area she thought it would be nice if I came to visit. She told me to check first, though, and make sure he was up for visitors. When are visiting hours by the way? Oh, and can I bring a plant? My mom wants me to bring him a plant.” Laura rambled just long enough that she hoped she sounded convincing.

  The nurse sighed heavily. “Your ‘cousin’ left two days ago. Checked himself out. That’s all I can tell you. Maybe you should call your mom again.” Then she slammed down the phone.

  Laura pulled Amy’s cell away from her ear and stared at it. Maybe that nurse should hook up with Lawrence, she thought. The two of them obviously had a knack for sniffing out reporters ulterior motives, or maybe she was just losing her touch. She did feel ridiculously tired. Pressing her fingers to her eyelids, she shook her head hard.

  “Any luck?” Amy asked as Laura rejoined her.

  “He checked himself out of the hospital days ago. Now what am I going to do?” She slumped down in her chair and sighed.

  “Leave that to me, darling,” Amy said, reaching out for her phone.

  “What are you going to do?”
<
br />   “Hire him to take us on a little cruise around the bay, of course.”

  Laura narrowed her eyes at her friend. “And how are you going to find him?”

  “You know I have my ways.”

  ****

  Laura knew that money talked, but Amy had an uncanny way of getting what she wanted. No matter what, Laura was grateful to her friend for finding Kyle Davis, who was now at the helm of the small yacht Amy had commissioned to take them around the bay. She’d insisted on inviting Cain and a few other guests she knew, and as they set out under the burnished gold of the sunset, Laura almost felt relaxed. She still hadn’t heard from the police, and she felt certain that after Amy’s interview in the morning, her friend would be cleared as well.

  “Listen,” Amy said when they got out onto open water, and the boat slowed. “I’m going to chat up Mr. Kyle Davis and see what he can tell me.”

  “Allie, you don’t have to do that,” Laura said.

  “I know, but I want to. It’ll be fun. Besides, that way you can go hang out with lover boy over there.”

  Laura peeked over her shoulder at Cain who was watching them from the corner of his eyes. “Oh, please.”

  “Whatever, he looks like a lost puppy. Just go talk to him, would you?”

  As they parted, Laura couldn’t help but think her best friend was full of crap. Cain looked nothing like a lost puppy, but she was going to talk to him. Part of her was drawn to him in a way that she hadn’t been drawn to another man in a long time. He was handsome and funny, and he’d saved her life. She was slightly in awe over the fact that he worked for Fuel, and relieved that he didn’t think it odd that she was investigating for a story.

  “Hi,” she said as she approached. After the weirdness of their earlier encounter she wanted to tread lightly. She didn’t need to embarrass herself for the sake of flirting. They could just have a nice, normal conversation, and pretend the rest of the world didn’t exist for a few minutes. “That’s quite a sunset, isn’t it?”

  Cain leaned against the side rail of the boat, and gave her a half grin. “It is. You look pretty.”

  “Thanks,” Laura said, looking down at the black sheath dress that Amy had insisted she borrow. “Um … you, too?”

  “I am pretty, aren’t I?” Cain joked, pretending to sweep hair over his shoulder.

  “Oh, shut up,” Laura said with a laugh. “You know what I meant.”

  “Please enlighten me.”

  Laura’s tongue tied in a huge knot as she stared at him. He turned to look down at her, and something passed between them as their eyes met. Laura could feel the energy flowing, and she just knew that he was going to try to kiss her. He leaned down, and for the briefest second their lips met. It was almost nonexistent, but that butterfly shiver made her world explode.

  “Laura!” Amy’s voice cut through the music and the voices, and the two of them jumped apart.

  Dazed, Laura turned to look at her friend as she approached. “Huh?”

  Amy laughed, and smacked Cain on the shoulder. “Good for you.”

  “Huh?” Cain seemed genuinely confused by Amy, and Laura made a mental note to tell him that Amy could be overbearing at times.

  “What’s going on?” Laura asked, regaining the use of her brain. “What’d you find out?”

  “Well, Mr. Kyle Davis told me everything he remembered about that night.” Amy grinned triumphantly.

  “How’d you do that?” Cain asked. “He won’t talk to anyone about that except the police. Definitely not reporters. Trust me, I tried.”

  “I am not a reporter,” Amy said tartly. “I might have alluded to the fact that if he told me certain things, I might be willing to play a naughty version of truth or dare with him later. Too bad for him, it doesn’t involve what he thinks it does.”

  “Okay, fill us in.”

  “Are you sure you don’t want me to tell you alone?” Amy’s blunt question made Laura pause.

  “No, I’m not sure, but three heads are better than two. Cain might be able to provide some insight.” Laura knew that there was no turning back from whatever had started between them. She could keep avoiding it, but the feelings would pursue her until they drove her crazy.

  “Insight into what?” Cain asked.

  “We’re solving the murder of Edith von Farron before the police,” Amy said in a stage whisper.

  Cain’s eyebrows lifted, but he said nothing. Laura wanted to know what he was thinking, only she also didn’t. The dichotomy of her feelings for him was driving her crazy. She needed to talk to him in private again, no interview situation, and no innuendo, just talking. That would have to wait until she’d figured out what was going on here and now.

  “Mr. Davis says that some men dressed like ninjas boarded their vessel sometime after seven o’clock in the evening. They hit him on the head, and that’s all he remembers. Trust me. If there were more, I’d have gotten it out of him. He didn’t do it, Laura. He was tied up from the beginning, and he didn’t come to until he was in the hospital.”

  Laura frowned. “Ninjas boarded their vessel?”

  “That’s a direct quote.”

  “Who talks like that?” Laura asked. “And ninjas were the best he could come up with?”

  “What do you mean?” Cain said.

  “Please, you don’t think that sounds fishy?”

  “Of course I do, but the ninjas seem like the only true part of the story to me.” Cain shrugged slowly.

  “Why do you say that?” Laura asked with narrowed eyes, her suspicion over Cain’s involvement flaring again.

  “Why make up ninjas? Though I have to say your theory about Edith von Farron being abducted seems a lot more plausible right now.”

  “Well, then, I’m just going to let the two of you get to work,” Amy said as she began to back away, a weirdly happy smile spreading across her face.

  “What was that about?” Cain asked.

  “Trust me, you don’t want to know,” Laura said.

  CHAPTER TEN

  Laura’s head was swimming when they got back to the hotel later that night. She and Cain had dissected everything they knew about the case, starting with what Kyle Davis had said. Her suspicions of Cain hadn’t been abated completely, but she did know that he was a good reporter. He had managed to squeeze information out of witnesses that, if she was being honest with herself, she might have considered trivial or banal.

  None of that helped to answer the ultimate question, though, of what had happened to Edith von Farron that night. The facts made it look as though she’d been killed. Large quantities of blood being found almost always meant an untimely demise for the victim. However, the ninja detail from the boat’s captain made it look like a kidnapping had taken place. Cain had suggested that it had been a botched kidnapping, and the attackers hadn’t known how to handle the situation once it went bad, so they’d killed Edith.

  Laura didn’t think that sounded quite right either. There was a large piece of information missing, but she couldn’t wrap her brain around it. She was sleep deprived and giddy, a bad combination if she’d ever seen one. All she wanted to do at the moment was to go to bed. Amy had stayed behind to chat with Kyle some more. Apparently the two had hit it off more than she had let on. Cain had decided to stay in the café to get some work done, leaving Laura with the alone time she so desperately needed.

  As she crossed the lobby toward the bank of elevators she caught sight of Vincent from the corner of her eye. She suppressed a sigh. It seemed too late to be dealing with his particular brand of crazy. She tried to wish the elevator open, but no such luck was hers.

  “Ms. Seymour,” Vincent said as he approached. “I’ve just received news that I thought might be of some use for your story.”

  “Oh?”

  “Ms. von Farron’s younger brother, Nathan, is scheduled to arrive tomorrow morning. He’s a stingy man, just like his son, but if you could find a way to talk to him, he might prove very useful to your story about Edi
th. They were close at one point in time, though sadly they have grown apart over the years.”

  Suddenly Laura didn’t feel so tired anymore. She thanked Vincent, and climbed into the elevator determined to do some research about this man. Nathan von Farron had come up in numerous searches she’d done about his sister, but other than the fact that he’d been adopted into the family at the age of fifteen, nothing else had jumped out at her.

  Thirty minutes later, Laura realized that she still didn’t know anything of substance about the man. He’d kept out of the spotlight while his sister gravitated toward it. His financial dealings were similarly shrouded. She briefly wondered if he’d been in on Benjamin’s deal, or if the other man had approached him. Nothing online was going to give her the answers she needed. She’d simply have to talk to the man himself. The thought made her frown. She’d have to rely on Amy again for help. If Nathan von Farron was so averse to the spotlight, there was no way he was going to want to chat with a reporter just for the fun of it.

  The door to the suite opened, and Amy stepped in. “That boat captain is a dirty man,” she said, wrinkling her nose. “All he thinks about is sex.”

  “What did you expect?” Laura asked. “You told him you’d play naughty truth or dare with him.”

  “Naughty as in challenges that break the rules,” Amy said.

  “Right, because you clarified that before you extracted information from him.” Laura laughed softly, and then said, “What do you know about Nathan von Farron?”

  “Not much,” Amy said, sitting down on the sofa to remove her heels. “He’s kind of an enigma.”

  “An enigma? From what I’ve read he’s basically been trying to play catch up to his older sister his whole life. This seems like his big chance, but he’ll definitely have to contend with his son.”

  Amy shuddered. “Ugh. Lawrence von Farron is disgusting. I saw him in the lobby earlier, and he asked me if I wanted to go up to his room with him and see his manscaping. I threw up in my mouth.”