by Nic Saint
And with those words he strode off, leaving Reece to contemplate the nature of crime and punishment in Happy Bays.
He directed his gaze at his fellow inmate, seated on a bench in the next cell. The toothless old gentleman gave him a wide grin. “Settle in, mate,” he croaked. “This is the best place in town.”
He studied the man carefully and echoed, “Best place in town,” trying to register the same anguish he thought he saw on the man’s face.
“With a nice breakfast thrown in in the morning.”
“With a nice breakfast thrown in in the morning,” he repeated.
“That’s right.” The old man slapped himself on the chest. “Nothing but the prison life for me, mate. Free food, free lodgings, free clothes. Nothing but the best!”
Reece nodded seriously. Yeah, if he could emulate this poor sod in a starring role, he was accepting that Oscar come March. He’d have to lose some weight, of course, shave his head, grow a beard…and the rest could be done with make-up and a pair of dentures.
He settled back on his bench, repeating “Nothing but the best.”
“That’s right!” his compatriot giggled. “Nothing but the best!”
Matthew McConaughey, he thought, here I come.
Chapter 51
Suzy felt the loss keenly. Mary Long wasn’t merely her employer; she was a personal friend. And to make matters worse, soon she would lose her beloved Happy Bays Inn too, as she was fairly certain that Rob and Ruth would waste no time selling it to the highest bidder.
A couple of months ago she’d already met Jason Donovan, son and heir of the Donovan fortune, when he came round to see if Mary and Alistair wanted to sell. He said he had big plans for the inn, big plans indeed. In fact he wanted to turn it into one of his flagship resorts.
Suzy had taken an instant dislike to the man and she’d said as much to Mary. Now, however, she was pretty sure young Donovan would come sniffing around these parts again, like a vulture circling its prey.
She’d spent half the night crying her eyes out. Who would kill a sweet, wonderful woman like Mary Long? It simply wasn’t possible to be that evil—that a mind could be that twisted.
Her first inclination had been to accuse Rob Long, and when Virgil interviewed her she’d intimated these suspicions. But then Virgil told her Rob had a solid alibi and couldn't possibly be the culprit.
This surprised her, for she’d long harbored a strong resentment against the man. For never visiting his parents. And for plotting with his sister to sell the property.
Then, when morning came, she’d pulled herself together with an extreme effort and had stepped from the room. The running of the inn had now fallen on her shoulders, at least for the time being, and she would have to make the most of it. The other members of the staff would look to her for leadership, and she’d be damned if she would let them down in this, the inn’s darkest hour.
The guests would need to receive their wake-up calls, breakfast, lunch and dinner needed to be prepared and served, beds needed to be made, rooms cleaned, and reservations honored. They couldn’t break down now and neither could she.
So she held her head high, buried her grief deep inside, and walked along the corridor. As the maître d’hôtel she was the only member of staff who slept on the premises and she was usually the first one up and about, taking care of odd jobs here and there and devising the schedule.
And she was just walking along the second floor, wanting to have a word with Giselle about the cleaning, when that same Giselle came cannoning into her, storming from a room and screaming her head off.
“Murder!” the portly maid screamed. “Murder!”
At first Suzy wondered if this was perhaps a belated response to what had happened last night, but then she glanced into the room Gisele had sprung from and saw the dead body lying in a pool of blood.
Oh, God, she thought. Will it never end?
Chapter 52
Virgil Scattering was reading his morning paper while sipping from a cup of coffee and eating a bagel. This was always his first task of the day, a habit he’d developed since joining the force. A news article in the entertainment section attracted his attention.
‘Hot Potato! Reece Hudson Arrested in Backwater Town.’
He almost spat out his coffee when he saw that the article contained a picture of himself, apparently taken at the last police ball, when he’d been festooned with a party hat and a reindeer nose. Beneath the ridiculous picture the caption read ‘Arresting Officer Virgin Spatterling.’
His face took on a deeper shade of mauve when he realized this little farce would haunt him for the rest of his days. And indeed as he looked up he saw that Louise Rhythm, junior police officer, was just at this moment tacking the same article on the police bulletin board for the whole world to see.
“Take that down!” he cried, but Louise merely gave him a cheeky wink and went on her way.
And it was as he was striding over with furious steps to take the article down himself, that he heard the hubbub coming from the hallway. He looked up to see a woman who looked familiar homing in on him, like a drone on a Middle Eastern terrorist.
“Are you Virgin Spatterling?!” she vociferated furiously.
His sizable chin jerked up like a battering ram and he corrected tersely, “My name is Officer Virgil Scattering. And who might you be?”
The woman had reached him and drew her face up against his, until they were mere inches apart. He could see the red flecks dotting her eyes and wondered if it was sulfur he smelled on her breath.
“I’m Dorothy Valour and I’ve been informed that some idiot answering to the name Virgin Smattering has had the gall to arrest my fiancé!”
“If you’re referring to Mr. Hudson, he has indeed been detained for crimes committed and will in due course be arraigned.”
“I want to speak to the man in charge of this loony bin!” the woman cried. “Where’s your manager?!”
“This is a police station, ma’am. We don’t have managers.”
She jabbed her finger against his collarbone with some force and he frowned, wondering if this was cause for an arrest on the grounds of assaulting a police officer. “I will have you fired! You don’t go around arresting my fiancé!”
“Your fiancé was in breach of the law, ma’am. And if you’re not careful you might find yourself in the same predicament.”
They’d been joined by the rest of the police station and he was not about to lose face in front of his colleagues.
Once again she jabbed him with a surprisingly sharp and bony finger. “I demand that you release Reece Hudson right now.”
“I’m afraid that is out of the question,” he insisted stubbornly, getting fed up.
“You. Horrible. Little. Man!” Each word was accentuated by a stab.
That did it. With a swift movement he flipped the woman around, jerked her hands to her back and applied standard issue handcuffs to her wrists.
“I’m placing you under arrest—”
“What?! You can’t do this!”
“—for assaulting a police officer. You have the right to remain silent—”
“I’ll have your badge for this, you stupid, stupid man!”
“Virgil? What’s all this?”
The voice belonged to Chief Whitehouse, who’d been attracted by all the noise. Virgil indicated the woman. “This woman has attacked me, sir.”
The chief raised one eyebrow. “Physically or verbally?”
“Both, sir.”
“Are you this idiot’s manager?”
The chief drew himself up to his full height. “I am the chief of police.”
“I want you to fire this moron! I want you to fire him right now!”
The chief and Virgil exchanged a glance. “Put her in the cooler, son,” the chief suggested. “Give her some time to think things through.”
“Will do, sir,” acknowledged Virgil gratefully, and started propelling a berserk Dorothy Valour in the direct
ion of the cells.
“You can’t do this! Do you know who I am?!”
As she passed, the chief gave her a look of appraisal. “I think you will find that your behavior may be tolerated wherever it is you come from, but not here in Happy Bays, lady. We don’t tolerate contempt of cop. Not from movie stars and not from…internet people.”
A round of applause broke out behind him, as Virgil’s colleagues appeared to second this motion from their superior officer. Virgil nodded his gratitude to the chief. “I couldn’t have said it better, sir.”
“Oh, and Virgil? Once you’ve put away Miss Valour, you better head on over to the Happy Bays Inn. There’s been another murder.”
Chapter 53
“I don’t think this is the right way, honey.”
Felicity wondered where Alice was taking her. They were sneaking through a field of brambles and she wasn’t liking it one bit.
“Trust me. I know this place inside out,” Alice replied. “I used to hang out here as a kid. Whenever Dad was supposed to babysit me during the holidays he just let me wander around on my own.”
Suddenly a building loomed up in front of them. “Is that…”
“The police station,” Alice confirmed.
“Hey. That’s clever.” They’d simply circled round and had now arrived at the back of the gray-bricked building. She could see a series of small windows and to the left a car park with several police vehicles.
Alice pointed. “That’s the cell block. That’s where they must be holding Reece.”
Felicity nodded admiringly. “You really do know your way around here.” Then a thought occurred to her. “Don’t tell me you want to spring Reece from jail. Cause I forgot to bring my dynamite.”
“No, of course not. Just want to see how he’s holding up.”
Love, Felicity thought, will make a woman do crazy things. She wondered why she was going along with this. But then Alice was her friend and she needed to stick by her through thick and thin, even when she was obviously about to make a fool of herself. “Which window?” she wanted to know as they approached the building.
“Not sure. Let’s find out.”
They hurried over and pressed their backs against the walls of the cell block. Then Alice quickly ducked her head up and peeked in through the window. Bars had been placed beyond the glass, making it obvious this was no ordinary room.
“Do you see him?” Felicity asked, still ducking down and checking left and right for any sign of Happy Bays’s boys and girls in blue.
“Nope. Just old Vic Gulley.”
“Probably drunk and disorderly again.”
“Yeah, probably. Let’s try the next one.”
They moved and Felicity was feeling the adrenaline pumping through her veins. This was kinda fun, she thought. Alice repeated her performance and this time she loud-whispered, “Bingo!”
“Now what?”
A tapping on the window was her response and Alice’s cheerful, “I think he saw me!”
The small window was opened from the inside and Reece’s voice sounded. “Hey, Alice. What are you doing here?”
“Just thought I’d bring you this,” she said, and shoved a paper bag full of bakery goods through the bars.
“Gee, thanks,” Reece said, the gratitude clear in his voice.
“Thank Felicity. She makes this stuff.”
“I know. Bell’s Bakery & Tea Room. Greatest pastry in the world.”
Felicity rose from her crouched position. She’d been intending to keep a low profile, but now she couldn’t resist. She popped her head up next to Alice’s. “Thanks.”
Reece grinned. “And there’s the baker herself. Won’t this get you into trouble?”
“Nah,” said Alice. “We do this all the time. When are they letting you out?”
Reece’s face clouded. “Your father told me I need to go before Judge Lockhart, apparently a very tough disciplinarian.”
Alice snorted. “Judge Lockhart? He’s a teddy bear. He’ll kiss you on both cheeks, tell you never to do it again, and send you on your merry way. When are you due?”
“Right about now, I guess.”
“Don’t worry about a thing,” Alice said, her voice soft. “Just hang in there and you’ll be out in no time.”
“Thanks, Alice. That’s nice to hear.”
The two gazed into each other’s eyes for a moment and Felicity was getting the uncomfortable feeling she wasn’t wanted nor needed at this lovers’ tryst. But just then there was a commotion behind Reece and a furious woman was practically dragged into view by an equally irate Virgil.
At the same moment Dorothy Valour locked eyes with Reece, Virgil caught sight of Alice and Felicity.
“Reece?”
“Dorothy?”
“Alice? Fee?”
“Uh-oh.”
Instantly, both Felicity and Alice dropped from view.
“Do you think we’re in trouble now?” asked Alice.
Inside the cell, a loud voice demanded, “Who are those two women, Reece?! I demand to know who those women are!”
Felicity winced. “Yeah, I think we’re in big trouble.”
Chapter 54
Reece hadn’t expected to see his fiancée. When he’d switched off his phone the previous evening he’d hoped for some respite from the demanding socialite and now here she was, about as mad as a wet cat and twice as loud.
“I demand to know who those women are!” she repeated, as if it was a mantra given to her by her Transcendental Meditation guru.
“No one,” he said. He wasn’t about to feed Alice to this crazed psychopath. Not after she brought him that delicious pastry.
Dorothy narrowed her eyes. “So that’s why you switched off your phone! That’s why you didn’t want to connect! You have one of your skanks here! Who is she, a childhood sweetheart? I knew it! I knew it!”
While Dorothy raged on, Reece wondered not for the first time why he’d ever agreed to marry this woman. He must have had a brain fart when he proposed.
But instead of duking it out with her he simply plunked himself down on the hard wooden bench, picked out a donut and started chewing away. He knew from experience that once Dorothy got going it could take a while. And nothing he said or did would stop her.
He eyed Virgil, who’d joined them in their cell and stood gazing out the window, trying to ascertain whether Alice and Felicity were still out there. The policeman turned around and gave him a look of such compassion he almost got teary-eyed. He stored it away in his memory bank for a later date. This was Oscar material, pure and simple.
“Come on,” suddenly spoke Virgil, and took him by the arm.
“Where are you taking me?”
The policeman gestured to Dorothy. “Away from her.” He gently steered him to the door, led him through, and locked it behind them.
“Hey, what about me?!” Dorothy yelled. “You can’t leave me here!”
Virgil was quick to respond. “I can and I will.”
“Reece!” Dorothy yelled, suddenly remorseful. “I didn’t mean all that. Get me out of here. Reece! Sweetheart! Darling! Honey!”
“I’m sorry, Dorothy,” Reece said, “but the engagement is off.”
“But Reecie! I didn’t mean it when I told that reporter your career was over! I was just getting back at you for ignoring me!”
Virgil murmured, “She’s a real piece of work, that one.”
He started to lead Reece away, then caught sight of the donut. “Is that one of Bell’s?”
“Yeah. Want one?”
“Don’t mind if I do. Thanks.”
“You’re welcome, officer.”
“Virgil.”
“You’re welcome, Virgil.”
“Reece! Come back here right this instant! Your career is over, you hear me? Over! Come back here you little turd!”
The heavy iron door clicked into place, and Reece sighed with relief. He realized he’d just been sprung from prison in more ways than one.
“Let’s get you out of here, Mr. Hudson,” said Virgil as he led his charge along the corridor.
“Reece, please, Virgil.”
“Right you are, Reece.”
Chapter 55
The meeting had been called by Alice and seven participants now sat around the coffee table in Mary Long’s living room. The place was a little bit spooky, Alice thought, but then that was exactly the reason they were here. And why Suzy had agreed to smuggle them in, even though the room was off-limits and cordoned off with yellow police tape.
The murder of Mary Long had shocked the small community of Happy Bays even more than Alistair’s had.
Whatever Alistair’s positive traits had been he’d always been Mr. Grumpy and his death, however shocking, hadn’t elicited as much emotion as Mary’s had.
Mary Long had been beloved by all and her death couldn’t go unpunished.
Alice’s gaze traveled over the antique furnishings decorating the room, and her eyes fixed on a painting of the Happy Bays Inn that was the room’s centerpiece. Alistair himself had painted it years ago, and it depicted the inn in all its splendor, lush greens, a blazing sun and a vivid sapphire sky as its backdrop. It was an invigorating sight, and she could imagine Mary and Alistair had been immensely proud of the inn.
Felicity sat to Alice’s right and Bettina, Mabel and Marjorie had also joined. The newcomers today were Reece Hudson and Felicity’s mother Bianca. Together, Alice had decided, they needed to crack this case.
Another murder had taken place, already the fourth, and it was time to put a stop to this madness.
“I think we can all agree that Mary would have wanted us to convene here,” she opened the meeting.
“She was a wonderful friend,” murmured Bianca, who’d been dabbing at her eyes. “I will miss her terribly.”
“We will all miss her terribly,” echoed Bettina. “Even though we had our differences, she will be sorely missed.”