Addie strained to see in the darkness at the back of her garden. The trees bent and whipped with the shifting wind, and for a moment between the billowing branches, she caught a glimpse of a glowing light at the back of her property, near what would be, the cliff edge.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Addie raced up the porch steps, snatched her phone off the kitchen island as she dashed past it to the front hall, grabbed her jacket from the coatrack, stepped into her boots, and raced back down the hall and out the back door. Breathless, she paused on the bottom step and tried to focus her eyes in the moonless night. The trees swayed in the gusting wind, and again she caught a glimpse of the glowing orange light. By the woodsy scent heavy in the air, there was no question that it was just as she feared. A fire. Even so, judging by the size, it hadn’t grown since she first spotted it a few minutes ago. A sense of relief rushed through her—it didn’t appear to be a forest fire.
Her fingers tightly gripped her phone in her jacket pocket, and her common sense screamed at her to call the fire department. She couldn’t bring herself to do it, but her curiosity was piqued. She knew high-school students were still off for Christmas break, and ten to one the group she and Simon had spotted earlier had discovered her little hideaway back here. Relatively isolated from the rest of the world, it appealed to partiers. She convinced herself that if she channeled her dearly departed grandmother, she’d be able to put an end to it without involving the authorities and wasting half her night filling in a police report. She took a deep breath to set her inner grandmother firmly in place and trekked through the snow mounds across the yard toward the grove of trees bordering the cliff.
Hopefully, she could keep the element of surprise for the full effect that her appearance would have on the teens. Stealthily she crept closer to the light source. The woodsy aroma became stronger, and she could distinctly hear the crackling of a large bonfire that sent sparks floating upward and dancing on the wind gusts over the treetops. She grasped the trunk of a tree and peered from behind it but could only make out the silhouette of one person crouched in front of the campfire.
Careful not to snap a twig beneath her feet, she edged closer. Her hand held ready on her phone to call 911 if she needed to. She kept her ears pricked for any sound that would indicate how many of them there actually were, but the crashing of the waves on the rocky beach below and the crackling and hissing of the wood in the flames were the only sounds. The wind shifted and swirled the smoke into coils around the fire pit. The figure rose and moved around the blaze to the other side. The firelight clearly reflected off the intruder’s face.
“Bill!” she gasped.
He jumped back, tripped over a piece of wood, and careened backward, landing hard on the frozen ground.
“Oh no.” She darted over to him and helped him to his feet. “Are you okay? What on earth are you doing here? Paige saw you down on Marine Drive not long ago.”
“Miss Addie, I didn’t mean no harm.” He rose to his feet and brushed snow from his tattered jeans. “Are you gonna call the police on me?”
“No, but why are you here of all places, and how did you get up here so fast? You don’t have a car.”
“I take that path up from the beach down there.”
“You’d have to be a mountain goat to get up that.”
“It’s not so hard once you’ve learned the way and done it a few times.”
“A few times? How long have you been camped out here?”
“I got nowhere else to go. I can’t go back to the shelter, and that fireman is always chasing me off when I do find someplace warm to sleep. I thought you wouldn’t see me back here. I’ve been really careful not to light the fire until I saw your lights go out.” He hung his head. “But tonight, I was cold and thought . . . well, never thought you’d come and check it out on your own.” He raised his head and fixed his eyes on hers. “You know, Miss Addie, that was darn right foolish of you to come back here by yourself. What if it hadn’t been me but someone who wanted to do you harm? You know you can’t be too careful these days.”
“I know it was foolish, but this is my property, and when I saw the light, I thought at first it was a forest fire, but then I remembered seeing a group of kids walking up the hill. I thought it was them partying.” She shoved her hands in her jacket pockets. “But that doesn’t matter. I’m so glad it is you.”
“You are?”
“Yes, I’ve been looking for you. I was worried sick.”
“You were worried about me?”
“Yes, I was and have been ever since we found that man behind Martha’s. After the police discovered the blood by the rock crag where you’d been camping, I was worried that—”
“I didn’t kill that guy if that’s what you’re thinking. I ain’t hurt anybody or anything since . . . I come back from Vietnam.” He dropped down on a log he had placed as a seat beside the fire pit. Clasping both sides of his head with his hands, he began rocking back and forth. “You can ask Miss Martha. She knows me. I don’t like killing.”
“It’s okay.” She patted his shoulder. “It’s only that you had told me there was someone else on the beach that night, but you wouldn’t tell me who it was. I was afraid that someone saw you, too, and that’s why you were hiding.”
Bill shook his head vigorously. “No, no, I can’t say.” He sat with his arms locked around his shins, rocking, but wouldn’t look at her.
“Please, the police think it was Martha, and she could go to jail for a long time. You don’t want that, do you?”
He shook his head.
“Tell me . . . who was there? Who killed the man?”
“Is Miss Paige and her little one safe now?”
“Yes, why? Were they in danger?”
“Then it’s okay. The police will find out the truth, and Miss Martha didn’t do it. You don’t want me sticking my nose in. It’ll only cause more trouble for them.”
“What are you talking about? Help me to understand what happened.”
“Nothing. Go away, just Addie.” He buried his head in his knees and sobbed.
“Bill, did you hurt that man on the beach that night to keep Paige and Emma safe from something?”
His head shot up, and he fixed his blurry eyes on hers. “No, I told you I ain’t hurt no one, nothing since the war. I couldn’t ever again. Leave me be now.”
“At least come back to the house. I can give you a warm meal and bed, and then we can talk again in the morning.”
“No, ma’am.” He began rocking again. “It’s all good now. If Miss Paige and her little one are safe, I got nothing more to say.”
Addie stood up and stared down at Bill, who was sniffling and rocking. It was no use to press him any further. He had shut down. She had seen him do this before. She glanced over at the stack of firewood he had collected and at the makeshift lean-to he’d built. The corner of some old blankets stuck out from the edge of it. At least, he would be warm and safe tonight. Whoever he was afraid of would hardly find him camped back here.
She started back to the house, his words about Paige and Emma being in danger playing over and over in her mind. The images of the clues she’d written on the board came back at her all jumbled and distorted. Nothing about any of this made sense. What am I missing? She stepped into the warmth of her kitchen and stopped short.
“Hi, Cuz.” Kalea gave her a finger wave from the island. “Were you over at Serena’s?”
“Nope, I wasn’t.” Addie kicked off her boots.
“You’re probably surprised to see me sitting here, drinking tea like our earlier disagreement never happened, aren’t you?”
“I did say you had a week, so not really.” Addie grabbed the kettle beside the stove, shook it, and plugged it in. “I am surprised, though, that you appear to be so chipper after the words we had this evening.”
“I came back and waited up for you to tell you . . .”
“Tell me what? That you’re leaving before the end of the week
?”
“Not really.” Kalea took a sip of her tea and studied Addie over the cup’s rim. “To tell you that you were right.”
Addie stared in disbelief.
“You know, what you said about honesty being the best policy.”
“So, you finally came clean with Jared, and he’s dumped you, and the business deal is off. You came back to beg me to forgive you for being such a deceitful little wit—”
Kalea took a sip. Her eyes danced with amusement. “No, exactly the opposite.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean that you were also right about Jared not being stupid enough to become involved in a business transaction without checking his client out.”
“And?”
“And he’s known all along that I wasn’t the lady of the manor”—she waved her hand in the air—“and that the house and bookstore are actually yours, and I was penniless and living off your charity.”
“I don’t get it. If he knew, why was he willing to invest in your little charade? What did he expect to get out of it?”
“Duh, me obviously.”
“In what way?” Addie’s brow rose in concern.
“He was testing me to see how much integrity I had and when I would come clean with him. That’s why he got so upset when he left tonight. You had given me the perfect opening to tell him the truth, and I didn’t. He was disappointed, and he was ready to pull the plug on the dress shop deal, but I told him the whole truth. We talked about why I did it and how out of control it became. It was just a silly way to impress a man I liked, but I never thought it would go as far as it did. I was scared and didn’t know how to get out of it.” She sucked in a deep breath and grinned at Addie.
“And just like that”—Addie snapped her fingers—“all is forgiven?”
“Not exactly. He made it clear that he’s not giving me the money. It’s a loan, a business transaction, and he has set strict payment dates and everything, but yes, the shop is mine.”
“Well, I’ll be.” Addie’s jaw dropped. “You always do manage to come out on top, don’t you? Even after you lie and—”
“Want to hear the best part?” Kalea said with a little giggle.
“There’s more?”
“It seems I didn’t only buy the dress shop on the main level, but the building it’s in, and on the second floor, there’s the cutest, to-die-for, one-bedroom apartment.”
“You’re kidding? Is it vacant, or are you going to be tossing some poor unsuspecting tenant out so you can move in?”
“That’s part of the beauty. It’s been empty for almost a year. Mellissa and Keith got tired of being landlords when the last renter caused so much trouble with unreasonable demands.”
“That means you can move in anytime?”
“Only if I want to pay rent until I take possession of the building, so . . .”
“So, you’re asking me to give you an extension here. Is that what this is all about?”
“Yes,” Kalea squeaked.
Addie stared at her cousin. On one hand, the woman had finally come clean and was attempting to clean up the mess she’d created. Though Addie could never approve of Kalea’s tactics, she was still the only family Addie had. Her mind jumped back and forth between digging in her heels and giving in to the puppy-dog eyes staring back at her.
“Well, is it possible?”
“If Jared is so into you and is willing to forgive your charade, why isn’t he helping you out with the accommodation issue?”
“He offered to book me a room at the hotel where he’s staying, but I don’t want to be indebted to him any more than I already am. I do have some morals believe it or not. I would prefer our relationship develops naturally and not because I owe him.”
“Well, I guess that’s progress for you.”
“Addie!”
“Sorry, I shouldn’t have said that. I just remember a past incident where you had no issue with being a kept woman.”
Kalea’s porcelain skin turned crimson.
“Okay, as long as you start buying your own food and stop eating the food I have put away for special occasions for Simon and me.”
“Does that mean I can also come back to work at the bookstore until the deal’s done, too? I will need to make some money to buy my groceries.”
“Don’t push it. A roof over your head is all I’m offering.”
“Okay, agreed. But what will I eat?”
“I’m sure Jared won’t let you starve. After all, you’re into him for a lot of money, and if you die of starvation, how would you ever pay him back?” Addie headed down the hall. She needed a good soak in the tub. There was just too much coming at her all at once, and her mind and body needed numbing.
Chapter Thirty
Addie trotted down the back stairs and across the yard toward Bill’s campsite, a large thermos tucked tight under her arm. It was her hope that after a night’s sleep, a steaming cup of her favorite brew might loosen Bill’s tongue and persuade him to open up to her. His overt concern for Paige and Emma had wreaked havoc on her mind all night. She needed to know what kind of danger he thought her friend and her little girl were in.
When she got to the clearing along the cliff top, her hopes plummeted. His shelter was dismantled, and the rocks he’d used to ring the fire pit were scattered randomly over the area. Except for the mishmash of footprints in the blown snow, there was no sign that he’d even been there.
Addie plodded back to the house and halfheartedly prepared for work as her mind raced. The fact that Bill was on the run again scared her. He knew something other than who else was on the beach. He’d mentioned Paige had been or still was in danger, and her chest tightened recalling his words. How could she face her assistant this morning without letting something like that slip out and scaring her even more than she already was? No, she had to think of a way to flush Bill out, and on the drive to the bookstore, it hit her. Who, besides the stranger on the beach, was Bill most afraid of? It was the fire department that also kept him on the run, and they knew all his preferred hiding places.
She swung into her parking space in the alley and made a grab for the straw bag on the seat beside her. When nothing but air swept past her hand, she remembered the other reason she couldn’t sleep last night. She missed the warm little body nestled close to her, and her heart ached now as though she had just lost her best friend forever. Fighting back tears, she marched to the front of the store.
“Good morning, Addie,” Paige chirped, and looked up from a stack of books she was loading onto the book trolley. “It’s a beautiful day, isn’t it?”
Addie eyed her assistant warily. “Is everything okay with you?”
“It couldn’t be better. I had a wonderful time last night. Logan sang me a love song.” She swooned with a giggle. “Mom’s lawyer called and wants to meet with her at eleven. Fingers crossed it’s good news, and that whole thing about her not being able to reach the icicle means the charges against her are going to be dropped.”
“Yes, fingers crossed,” Addie said hesitantly.
She didn’t have the heart to tell Paige that the call from the lawyer’s office was no doubt about something else. He wouldn’t have kept poor Martha in suspense and just outright told her the charges had been dropped, but then again, what did she know about legal matters? Perhaps he needed her to sign something for the courts. But it was clear that Addie wasn’t going to be able to keep her mouth closed about Bill’s comment much longer—her tongue wasn’t going to be able to take all the chomping. She had to go by the firehouse to see if anyone there besides Logan could give her any other ideas about where she could look for Bill. If Paige was in danger, she needed to tell Marc, but until she knew what kind of danger, he’d say it was useless information and hearsay and to come back when she had more.
“Paige, it seems quiet this morning. Would you mind if I ran a quick errand?”
“Of course not, you’re the boss. You can come and go as you like.”
“I know, but I don’t like to take advantage of that, so it’s always nice to check. You might have an appointment or something, too.”
“Nope, all’s good. Oh, by the way, did you ever find Bill last night?”
Addie froze. She couldn’t lie, but if she told Paige the truth, she would have to tell her what he said. “Actually, I’m just heading to talk to some people who might be able to tell me where I could possibly find him today.”
“I sure hope they can help. Then the DA would have to drop the charges against Mom for sure if Bill can identify who he saw on Saturday.”
“That’s what I’m still hoping to find out because, to be honest, I’m at a complete loss with this. Because every suspect I have on the board has a police-confirmed alibi, and for the life of me, I can’t think who should be on there that’s not.”
“Even that witch, Amber Carr, his latest girlfriend?”
Addie shook her head. “It’s airtight. She was at the inn at the time of death, and there are witnesses. No, I’m pretty sure it had to have been someone I’ve already discarded as a possibility—” Cliff? Could it be him?
“Addie? You were saying?”
“Oh yeah, sorry, I just had a thought. Maybe it was a random attack. After all, there were a lot of people in town who answered the town council’s call-out for volunteer drivers. Who knows”—Addie shrugged—“maybe Brett saw something, like a drug deal or a fight going down on the beach Saturday, and just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
“That’s a possibility. But why was the body moved to the back of the bakery?”
“That’s a good question and pretty much blows my random act out of the water, doesn’t it? Whoever killed Brett knew the family history, or at least had witnessed the public arguments, and used his murder and the placement of the body as a direct hit on your mom. I’ve got to go. I need to find Bill before whoever is behind this finds him first. If that happens, we’ll never discover the other person’s identity.”
A Page Marked for Murder Page 22