We hurried around a couple people and kept him in sight. He turned down the sidewalk and walked onto the dock. So Dorothy and I continued down to the dock too. We paused when we got to the edge. He was talking with a man beside a boat. Of course Dorothy and I tried to act casual so that they wouldn’t look over and notice us watching him. I knew he would recognize us right away, but he’d probably think we’d followed him because of the parking space. The men talked and I wondered what their conversation was about. After a couple seconds they started walking so we followed them. To my surprise they stepped up to the bench where Justin was sitting. He was still there and apparently had been waiting on the men. Megan was there too now. Dorothy and I stepped over to a bench hoping that they didn’t spot us.
“Whose idea was it to kidnap the guy anyway?” the man who we’d followed asked Justin.
Justin looked at Megan, but I couldn’t hear what he said.
“What are the odds that his granddaughter would be murdered at the very time we’d planned to kidnap him?” the guy with the boat said.
So the kidnapping hadn’t been related to Kristin’s death at all.
“Do you think someone will pay ransom?” the guy we’d followed asked Justin.
Justin shook his head and my stomach turned. So they’d kidnapped him and now they had no one to pay the ransom. What would happen to Mr. Grant? Justin handed the men the Grant Jewelers bag and then they walked away. When Megan and Justin stood from the bench, Dorothy and I were hot on their trail.
“We have to follow them,” Dorothy whispered.
“I plan on doing just that,” I said.
Chapter Forty-One
Justin and Megan picked up Annie. I had to admit I hadn’t seen that one coming. We followed them back to the marina where they met up with the man in the black Porsche. Justin and Megan had dropped her off beside what I assumed was Annie’s car. Once Annie finished talking to the man, we followed her down the sidewalk.
“What do you think she’s up to?” Dorothy asked.
“I don’t know how involved she is with this, but the fact that she is talking to the man who was in Mr. Grant’s house doesn’t look good for her. We’ll follow her if possible,” I said as we walked across the parking lot.
Annie paused once and looked back. Dorothy and I rushed over beside a car to block her view.
“Do you think she saw us?” Dorothy asked.
“I don’t think so,” I whispered as if she would hear me.
Finally, Annie turned around and continued toward her car. We’d have to be more careful so we didn’t get caught.
“If she knew we were following her she would freak out,” I said.
“She probably would freak out over a lot of things,” Dorothy said.
We followed Annie out of the parking lot and across town. I was getting better at following people because this time I had no problem keeping up with her.
“Where is she going?” Dorothy asked as Annie turned into a parking lot.
There was a small building that looked like it had several separate offices inside. Annie parked in front of to the doors, so I pulled into a space at the back of the parking lot. I had a great view of her though. I’d be able to watch every move she made. Annie sat in the car and talked on her phone for a minute and I began to wonder if she knew Dorothy and I were watching her. Maybe that was why she wasn’t getting out of the car.
Finally, she climbed out from behind the wheel. She flung her purse strap over her shoulder and marched up to one of the doors. Annie took a key out and shoved it into the lock. She looked back, then stepped through the open door.
“This is our chance. Let’s go see what she is doing,” Dorothy said.
We made our way across the parking lot, weaving through the parked cars. I kept glancing over my shoulder because at this point I didn’t know what to expect. We reached the building and noticed there was a window next to the door. I knew it was for the office that Annie had gone inside. Would we see anything when we looked in? I knew Dorothy was anxious to find Mr. Grant and I hoped that we found him soon.
Dorothy and I stepped over to the window. I leaned close and peered in. A gasp escaped my lips when I saw Mr. Grant inside the room. He looked as if his hands were tied behind his back.
“What is it?” Dorothy asked as she leaned close. I knew she wouldn’t be happy when she saw him. “Oh, my heavens. What has she done to him?” Dorothy clutched her chest.
“I think she’s holding him against his will.”
Dorothy had been right all along—Annie was a bad person. Now I had to figure out how I was going to get Mr. Grant out of there. I couldn’t just break in. There was no telling what Annie would do to him. She was obviously crazy.
I pulled out my cell phone.
“What are you doing?” Dorothy asked.
“I’m going to call Jake. He needs to get over here right away and arrest her.”
Dorothy nodded. “Yeah, I hope he gives her the business.”
When Jake answered, I told him where we were and what was going on. Of course he didn’t believe me at first. But seriously, would I make up something like kidnapping? I knew it was crazy, but after the events of late he shouldn’t have been too surprised.
I clicked off the phone and said, “He’ll be here soon.”
“What do we do in the meantime?” Dorothy asked.
That was an excellent question. Unfortunately, I didn’t have an answer. I’d better think of something quick. What if Annie did something to Mr. Grant before Jake got there?
Finally, I decided that I would call Annie’s phone. She wouldn’t know that I was standing right outside her door. I punched in her number.
Dorothy was staring at me with wide eyes. “I hope this works.”
“Me too.” I nodded.
“Maggie, what a surprise to hear from you,” she said with a sweet voice, as if nothing was wrong.
“I followed you, Annie. I need to speak with you. I’m right outside and I can’t believe you didn’t see me trying to get your attention,” I said sweetly.
I hoped she wouldn’t think anything was wrong.
“Oh,” she said with a huge pause. “I’m sorry I didn’t see you. You said you followed me?”
“Yes, I’m beside your car. Can you come outside?”
At this point, I thought she was a little suspicious. But I knew she was also curious.
“Sure, I’ll be right out,” Annie said sweetly.
“What do we do now? What will we say to her when she comes outside? If she comes outside,” Dorothy said.
I hadn’t thought that far in advance. I’d just have to wing it. I hoped that something good came to mind.
“I’ll figure out something,” I said, trying to make Dorothy feel better.
Finally, the door opened and Annie appeared. She looked at me expressionless. I smiled, trying to act as if nothing was wrong. I just had to keep her busy until the police arrived.
Chapter Forty-Two
“Hi, Annie,” I said.
When I glanced over, I noticed Dorothy wasn’t standing beside me. Where had she gone? That was when I spotted her going into the office. Oh no, I had to keep Annie from turning around and seeing Dorothy. Apparently, Dorothy was going to save Mr. Grant.
“What do you want to ask me?” Annie asked.
I stared at her for a moment trying to think of something good to say. “Do you know if Mr. Grant had any friends that he may have left with?”
She scowled as if she couldn’t believe that was what I had bothered her for. She shook her head and ran her hand through her hair. “No, I just can’t think of anyone that he would have left with, but maybe he decided he needed a vacation,” she said causally.
I stared for a moment. “Yeah, that’s possible.”
Annie knew that wasn’t the case and the way she was staring at me let me know that she knew that I knew too.
She looked over her shoulder and I worried that she would catc
h Dorothy with Mr. Grant. What was going on inside the room anyway? Annie looked at me again. “I don’t know exactly why you are here,” she said.
I knew she was growing extremely frustrated with me. “I told you why. I wanted to talk with you.”
Annie scowled and I knew that the charade was over. I looked at the door and she followed my gaze. She knew at that point that I knew who was inside that office. Just as she was about to turn around and run back into the office, Jake pulled up.
He jumped out with his gun pointed at her. “Don’t move,”
Annie lifted her hands into the air, but didn’t say a word.
Jake rushed over and handcuffed Annie. “Where’s Dorothy?” he asked.
That was when I stepped around Annie and moved toward the door. “She’s in the office with Mr. Grant, but I want to make sure she’s okay. I don’t know if anyone else was in that building when she went in.”
Jake motioned for me to stay back. Another police officer was with Annie.
When we stepped close to the door, Dorothy and Mr. Grant emerged from the room.
“Dorothy, are you okay?” I asked.
She smiled. “Everything is just fine. I had a hard time getting the rope off Mr. Grant.”
“Thank you again, Dorothy.” He smiled widely. Mr. Grant looked tired, but otherwise in good condition. Dorothy had actually saved Mr. Grant.
Just when I thought things had settled down, the man who had been at Mr. Grant’s home showed up. He was the one who had cut us off and had stolen our parking spot and now he was here.
He casually climbed out of his car and locked its doors. I guessed he was afraid someone would steal it because he obviously hadn’t seen the police standing there. He walked up to Annie’s car. That was when he glanced up and noticed us staring at him. I don’t know how he’d missed the police cars.
The man stared at us in his panicked state. He looked like an animal who was ready to run. I knew he was going to take off soon. He froze on the spot, then in one swift motion, he turned around and ran off. He sprinted across the parking lot with the police chasing closely behind him. It wasn’t long until they’d tackled him. He was down on the ground and in handcuffs within seconds. The officers pulled him up from the concrete and then dragged him back over to where we stood.
Mr. Grant and Dorothy stood next to each other. They were whispering and looking into each other’s eyes. He smiled widely and I knew he was so grateful that Dorothy had saved him. By the smile on Dorothy’s face I knew it made her feel equally good that she had been there for him. I didn’t know what would become of their relationship, but I thought they made a great couple. I hoped they would soon be an item.
“Please put her in the back of the cruiser.” Jake gestured toward Annie.
Annie had been the mastermind behind this failed kidnapping attempt. She’d wanted to get a ransom for Mr. Grant. Apparently the police had been close to discovering her scheme, but not quickly enough. They had to move a lot faster if they wanted to keep up with Dorothy and Maggie.
Maggie Thomas, P.I. was on the case and the police would just have to catch up to me. I didn’t think Jake wanted to hear that though.
I prayed that when I went to the office today that the craziness would be over. Dorothy was already there when I stepped in the door. She even had a coffee and pastry waiting for me.
“You look awfully bright and cheery this morning after what happened last night,” I said.
Dorothy smiled and waved her hand through the air. “It’s a beautiful day to be alive.”
I quirked a brow. That was definitely not like her. Something was going on and I knew she was up to something.
“What’s going on, Dorothy? What do you want?”
She smiled. “Oh, nothing. By the way, Mr. Grant called this morning and he wants to stop by and thank you.”
I smiled. “Now I know why you’re smiling.”
She blushed. “Don’t be silly. That has nothing to do with it.”
“Whatever you say, but you have the hots for Mr. Grant. I bet I’m not the reason why he wants to come by here today.”
She couldn’t hold back the smile. “He is a very nice man.”
“And not bad-looking either, huh?” I asked.
She beamed again. “So what about Jake? That was one hot kiss he laid on you.”
I shrugged, trying to act nonchalant. “Oh, that reminds me.” I glanced at my watch. “I’m supposed to meet him. We’re going for a quick walk along the beach. You don’t mind, do you? I’m sure you can keep Mr. Grant company until I get back.” I winked.
Dorothy waved her hand and pushed to her feet. “I don’t mind at all, dear, not at all. As a matter of fact, I got you something.” Dorothy walked over to me and pulled something out of her pocket. She opened the top on the lip gloss and then proceeded to smear it on my lips. She reached up and fluffed my hair out. “Now, go and have a good time.” She winked.
I stared at her for a second, then shook my head and walked out the door.
I definitely had a spring in my step. The sun shone down and a warm breeze drifted from the nearby water. With my coffee in hand, I was headed to meet up with Jake. His kiss had been on my mind a lot. When I reached the beach access where Jake and I were supposed to meet, I stopped in my tracks. Police tape was draped across the area. What was happening?
I stepped closer for a better look and spotted an officer. “Excuse me, what happened? Can I get to the beach from here?”
Before he answered, someone grabbed my arm and I spun around.
Jake stood behind me. “Maggie, I need to talk with you.”
“What happened? Why is there police tape around the beach access?” I asked.
He stared for a beat, and then said, “There was another murder. I hate to ask this, but where were you last night around eleven?”
Acknowledgements
To my son, who brings me joy every single day. To my mother, who introduced me to the love of books. To my husband, who encourages me and always has faith in me. A huge thank you Anh Schluep for loving Maggie and Dorothy as much as I do. And to the readers who make writing fun.
About the Author
Rose Pressey is a USA Today, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble Top 100 bestselling author. She enjoys writing quirky and fun novels with a paranormal twist. The paranormal has always captured her interest. The thought of finding answers to the unexplained fascinates her.
When she’s not writing about werewolves, vampires, and every other supernatural creature, she loves eating cupcakes with sprinkles, reading, spending time with family, and listening to oldies from the fifties.
Rose suffers from Psoriatic Arthritis and has knee replacements. She might just set the world record for joint replacements. She’s soon having her hips replaced.
Rose lives in the beautiful commonwealth of Kentucky with her husband, son, and three sassy Chihuahuas.
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Murder is a Beach (Maggie, PI Mysteries) Page 20