by DS Butler
The lack of motive for Boris killing Madeline did put a hole in my theory. I could see him being responsible for Bernie’s murder because he was the sort of person who wouldn’t let something like that go. He was obsessive and not the type of man to forget a grudge easily.
“It doesn’t sound like you’ve got much evidence at all,” Loretta pointed out unhelpfully.
But she was right. We didn’t have any evidence or clues, and now I had two ghosts on my hands. I really needed to do something drastic to force the killer to come forward and show their hand.
But how could I do that?
“What if Madeline was killed because of something she knew about Bernie’s murder?” I suggested.
Madeline frowned and shook her head. “But I don’t know anything.”
I mulled things over for a moment and came to a decision — a reckless decision, but one I thought I needed to make.
“I’m going to announce publicly that I know why Madeline was killed.”
“Why would you do that?” Bernie demanded. “Don’t you think that’s a little dangerous? And where exactly are you planning to make this announcement?”
I nodded confidently. “The diner. Today.”
Loretta looked at me as though I were mad. “What’s the point of that? The killer probably won’t be in the diner when you make your announcement.”
“You’re forgetting one very important thing, Loretta,” I said. “Word will spread quickly. This is Abbott Cove we are talking about, after all.”
CHAPTER 26
I left the ghosts in the back room and walked around to the front of the diner. Their warnings were echoing in my ears. I knew that they had a point. Perhaps this was taking an unnecessary risk, but desperate times called for desperate measures.
We weren’t getting anywhere, and I didn’t know how long Bernie and Madeline could wait. If we took too long to solve their murders, did that mean they would forever remain in their ghostly form like Loretta?
I didn’t want to take that risk.
The diner wasn’t busy, but I saw that the Townsends were sitting at one table, Maurice and his wife at another, and Old Bob was sitting in his usual seat by the window.
The Townsends, at least, would make sure that word spread around town like wildfire. That was one part of my plan I had faith in.
I cleared table two and carried the dishes through into the kitchen.
Normally, Sarah would be whistling and humming along to some tune in the kitchen, but today she was quiet. I knew hearing the news about Madeline had hit her hard. It wasn’t that they were particularly close, but it was horrible to think we’d had yet another Abbott Cove resident murdered under our noses.
I picked up Mr. and Mrs. Townsend’s chicken salads and carried them out into the diner.
Usually, they would have tried to talk my ears off, but they still weren’t particularly happy with me after the Christmas tree incident, so I managed to get away quickly.
All the tables were now clear, and I decided now was the time to make my announcement. I walked up to Archie and spoke in an unnecessarily loud voice as I said, “As soon as I finish my shift, I need to go straight to see Chief Wickham. Dr. Madeline was killed because of something she knew, and I’ve found out what it was.”
Archie looked horrified. “Oh, goodness. That’s awful. What did she find out?”
“I can’t tell you, Archie. It’s too dangerous. What if the killer comes after you?”
Archie clamped a hand on his forehead. “What about you? Perhaps you had better go and see Chief Wickham now. There’s no need to wait until the end of your shift.”
That wasn’t part of the plan. I needed to make an announcement to drive the killer out into the open, I didn’t actually have anything to tell Chief Wickham.
“Oh, no, I can’t do that because…” I frantically tried to think of a good reason. “Chief Wickham isn’t in his office at the moment. I’ll be fine to wait until the end of my shift.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the Townsends leaning over the table, whispering to each other, and I knew that the plan had been set in motion.
Archie shook his head. “Are you sure? It sounds rather dangerous to wait.”
I nodded, thinking maybe I should have brought Archie in on the plan.
I passed the next few moments pouring coffee and gazing anxiously out of the window. The Townsends had left almost immediately after my announcement, obviously wanting to get on with spreading the gossip.
I was serving Old Bob a coffee refill when Boris entered the diner.
My hand trembled so much I sloshed some of the coffee onto the table.
“Oh, I am sorry,” I said to Bob, grabbing a napkin.
“No harm done,” he said helping me to mop up the mess.
I gulped and walked across the diner, back to the counter, feeling Boris’s eyes boring into me.
“Hello, Boris,” I said plastering an awkward smile on my face. “What can I get you?”
“Coffee. Black,” he snapped and then went and sat down at table five, staring at me the whole time.
I wasn’t sure what I expected him to do next, and I was starting to think I hadn’t really thought through this plan properly. Was he going to threaten me? Warn me off?
Did this mean that Boris was the killer? Had he come to the diner to try to discover how much I knew?
But just as I had come to the conclusion that Boris Barrymore had to be the murderer, Terry Woods pushed open the door to the diner. He looked even more terrifying than Boris. Terry shot me a dark look.
I placed my hands on the counter to steady myself and felt my knees practically knocking together as Terry Woods approached.
“I hear you’ve been investigating again? Quite the little sticky beak, aren’t you?”
Before I could reply, Archie intervened by putting a hand on my shoulder and saying coldly to Terry, “Can I help you?”
As Terry placed his order, he continued to glare at me.
So now I had two options: Terry Woods and Boris Barrymore.
My attempt to narrow down the suspects hadn’t worked as well as I had hoped.
My gaze darted between Terry and Boris. They both looked menacing, but I couldn’t decide which of them could be the killer.
Just a few moments later, Sandy Crouch came into the diner, and I almost laughed. Now I had all three suspects here at once.
My plan was officially a terrible one.
But at least Sandy didn’t glare at me. In fact, she was practically glowing with excitement as she walked up to the counter.
“You look like you’re in a good mood, Sandy,” Archie commented after he sent me to the kitchen to get some more lemon muffins.
“That’s because I’m off on holiday soon. A fresh start is just what I need.”
I took the chance to dart into the back room as Archie served Sandy.
“Well, what do you think?” I asked the ghosts.
“They all seem suspicious to me,” Loretta said.
That wasn’t what I had hoped to hear. I looked between Bernie and Madeline. “What about you two? Has seeing Boris, Terry or Sandy prompted any memories?”
Madeline shook her head. “I don’t understand. I can’t see why any of them would have a motive for killing me.”
Bernie shrugged. “I’m sorry, Harper, but I can’t remember anything else, and the more I think about it, the more I think none of them could have killed me.”
I sighed. “Great. Then this whole thing was a waste of time, wasn’t it?”
Bernie nodded. “It looks that way.”
I wasn’t prepared to give up just yet, though. I was still convinced it had to be Boris Barrymore. There was something about him that made me think he would never forget what Bernie had done to him. The problem was, I had no way of proving it.
“Right, well, I’d better get back to work. Keep an eye on them in case they reveal anything,” I ordered and then left the back room.
As I did so, I saw Chief Wickham and Joe step inside the diner.
They looked stern as they approached the counter.
Surely, I couldn’t be in any more trouble? I just needed to play it cool, I thought. There’s no reason to think they’re here for anything more than a drink and a snack. This was a diner, after all, I told myself.
I smiled brightly at them. “Coffee and a muffin?” I offered.
“No,” Chief Wickham said. “Harper Grant, I am arresting you for interfering in a police investigation.”
It took a moment for Chief Wickham’s words to sink in. Arrested! Me?
“You can’t!” I said.
Chief Wickham beckoned me forward with a crooked finger. “I think you will find I can, Harper.”
“Oh, goodness. Stay calm, Harper. I will tell Jess what’s happened,” Archie promised.
Bernie came hurtling out of the back room, whirling round in circles. He was livid. “This is an abomination! Don’t worry, Harper. I’ll come and break you out of jail!”
Good grief. That was the very last thing I needed.
“No, don’t do that!” I said.
Joe thought I was talking to him. He put his hand on my shoulder. “Sorry, Harper, but this is for your own good.”
CHAPTER 27
“I think this has all been some kind of misunderstanding,” I protested, trying to turn around and look at Chief Wickham.
Joe kept his hands firmly on my shoulders as he led me outside, pausing only to allow me to shrug on my coat.
“If you would just hear me out,” I said. “I really think Boris Barrymore killed Bernie Crouch. He is obsessive, and I’m sure he’s held onto this feud with Bernie over the years. Something must have tipped him over the edge recently.”
“What?” Joe asked, frowning as he waited for me to button up my coat.
“Sorry?” I asked, noticing that Chief Wickham was too furious to even look at me.
“What do you think tipped Boris Barrymore over the edge?” Joe asked.
Ah, well, that was an interesting question — one I didn’t know the answer to yet.
“I’m still working on that.”
Joe shook his head, and Chief Wickham said, “Get into the vehicle, Harper.”
“You can’t really be arresting me… I haven’t done anything.”
Chief Wickham spun around to look at me. He took a deep breath, expanding his barrel-like chest, and roared, “You didn’t do anything? You’ve been poking your nose into this investigation right from the start, and today, we found you standing over Dr. Madeline Clarkson’s dead body!”
“To be fair, I wasn’t exactly standing over her body…” My voice trailed off as Chief Wickham’s eyes bulged and he gritted his teeth.
Joe shook his head to warn me to stop talking, but unfortunately, I didn’t take the hint.
“I don’t really know anything about Madeline’s murder. I just said that I did so that the killer would be forced to make a move.”
Chief Wickham barked out a laugh, and Joe said, “And what exactly do you think the killer’s next move could be, Harper? Did you even consider you might be the next victim?”
I bit down on my lip. It had been a stupid thing to do, but nobody liked to admit when they were wrong, including me.
“I suppose you’re right.” I looked down at the floor, trying to look contrite.
“That’s not going to work, Harper,” Chief Wickham barked. “Get into the car now. If you don’t hurry up, I’ll use the cuffs.”
Boy, I really had managed to get on the wrong side of Chief Wickham.
Joe opened the door to the police cruiser, and I got inside and buckled up. It seemed a little silly as the chief’s office was within walking distance, but I wasn’t going to point that out. I had annoyed Chief Wickham and Joe enough already.
Before he shut the door, Joe asked, “Why are you so fixated on this? You should have just let us do our jobs, Harper. We can’t stand by and let you become the next victim. The chief is doing this for your own good.”
Before I could reply, he slammed the door.
I sat meekly in the back seat and watched as a crowd gathered outside the diner. Word would spread quickly that I had been arrested, and before long, Grandma Grant would hear about it.
I closed my eyes and groaned. That would not be fun for anyone.
Joe marched me inside the police station, past the reception desk and Chief Wickham’s office, and straight into the holding cells.
There were only three cells set against one wall. The small rooms contained a tiny window, a bench with a thin mattress on top, and a stainless steel toilet and sink set behind the wall.
The heavy doors were made of metal and painted cream.
Joe nodded for me to enter the first cell.
It was slowly starting to sink in that I had really been arrested, and was going to be locked in a cell.
I gulped as I stepped forward, and Joe pulled the door shut behind me.
After he had shut the door, I heard a metallic click as the key turned in the lock. All of a sudden, I felt claustrophobic.
Joe opened up the small, rectangular hole in the door.
“Are you going to be okay? I’ll move my files and paperwork down here and work in the cell block rather than in my office,” Joe said gruffly. “So there’ll be someone out here at all times. Don’t worry.”
I was too shocked to say much. I’d pretty much given up hope that I’d be able to reason with the chief and Joe.
Chief Wickham had firmly made up his mind. I wasn’t going to be able to persuade him to let me go free anytime soon.
Still, they couldn’t hold me for long, surely. At least, I hoped not.
“Do I get a phone call?” I asked, suddenly remembering that was something people always asked for on cop shows.
“Do you need to call someone?” Joe asked. “I can arrange for you to have a phone call.”
I thought it over for a moment. Archie had said he was going to let Jess know what had happened, and I didn’t really want to call anyone else. The only other person I could have called was Grandma Grant, and I’d prefer her not to find out. I’d never live it down.
I shook my head. “Never mind,” I said. “I don’t need a phone call at the moment. You’re not going to hold me for long, are you?”
Joe muttered a reply I didn’t quite catch.
I turned in a circle, looking at the small jail cell. My eyes fixed on the toilet, and I frowned. “I think this toilet is broken.”
“Why? What’s wrong with it?” Joe asked, unlocking the door and then poking his head inside to look.
“There’s no toilet seat,” I said.
Joe rolled his eyes. That’s the type of toilet we have to use in the cells. There can be no loose objects because they’re dangerous, so no toilet seats.
I must have looked horrified because he sighed and said, “When you need to go, I’ll take you to the ladies’ restroom.”
I nodded. It wasn’t an ideal situation, but it was better than using a jail cell toilet.
“When can I get out?” I asked.
“When we decide it is safe. Honestly, Harper, what were you thinking?”
I didn’t have a chance to reply because Chief Wickham marched over to Joe and shut the door firmly.
“Joe, you’ve got work to be getting on with. Get back to your office. I’ll stay with Harper and make sure she is safe.”
Joe left, and Chief Wickham gave me a stern look through the small hole in the door before he went back to work.
He kept the peephole open, so I could just about see him on the other side of the room. He made himself busy, shuffling papers, and then sat down at a desk directly opposite my cell.
I sighed and went to sit down on the mattress.
It was hard and bumpy, and I really hoped I wasn’t going to be sleeping there all night.
A few minutes later, Bernie swooped in followed by Madeline.
Both ghosts fl
oated through the jail door. I was impressed with Madeline. She had picked up the technique quickly.
“Don’t worry, Harper. We will have you out of here in a jiffy. Now, did you see where they put the keys?”
I shook my head frantically, trying to communicate that I didn’t want Bernie to break me out of jail. I didn’t dare speak because Chief Wickham would be able to hear me.
“Don’t worry,” Bernie said confidently. “I’ll find the keys.”
He floated through the door before I could stop him.
I heard the telephone ring on the desk outside the cells, and then I heard Chief Wickham tell somebody he would be right out.
A couple of seconds later, his face appeared in the small rectangular box in the door, and he said, “Stay out of mischief, Harper. I won’t be long. I just have to leave the lockup and go back to the main area of the station for a moment.”
I nodded, and after Chief Wickham had left, I looked at Madeline.
“You can’t break me out of jail, Madeline. I’ll get into even more trouble.”
“I know,” she said. “I did try to tell Bernie that, but he’s a man on a mission. There’s just no talking sense to him when he’s like this. You’ll have to persuade him to abandon his plan.”
I moved closer to the door and peered out through the rectangular peephole, trying to spot Bernie. I saw him beside Chief Wickham’s desk rifling through an open drawer.
“Bernie,” I hissed. “Stop that now and come over here.”
Bernie looked around surprised and then said irritably, “Just a minute. I’m looking for the keys.”
“Well, stop looking for them! Come here now.”
Reluctantly, Bernie stopped searching the drawer and floated over to the cell, passing through the solid metal door.
“I need you to listen to me. The chief and Deputy McGrady were right. They are only trying to keep me safe. Announcing that I knew Madeline’s secrets was a daft thing to do. I wanted to help you both, and I was frustrated that we weren’t getting anywhere, but I shouldn’t have done it, and I don’t want you to break me out.”
Bernie's shoulders slumped. “I was looking forward to being part of a prison break.”