by K. J. Emrick
“Hold on, you two,” he said before they could even make it to his office door. “There’s one more thing.”
He dug through his desk drawer, and came out with two envelopes. One had Darcy’s name on it, the other had Jon’s.
“What’s this?” she asked him, feeling nothing but folded paper inside her envelope.
Jon had already opened his, and now he took out a folded rectangle of colorful images and flashy words. “The Bicheno Penguin Tour?”
It was a brochure for, yes, penguin tours. Right here in Tasmania. Puffy blue and white penguins marched in several of the photos, little wings extended, eyes staring into the camera. When he opened the brochure up to look inside, a purple slip of paper slid out.
“That’s a day pass. My cousin works there. Pulled some strings to get you two in on a VIP pass.” He paused, drumming his fingers against his desk. “I hope I never see either of ya in my town again. Ever. That being said, ya did help solve a crime going on right under my own nose. Consider this a thank you.”
“That’s very kind of you.” Darcy’s voice sounded flat even in her own ears, but it was the best she could muster. Help him? They had helped him solve a crime? If it wasn’t for her and Jon, Alec Beaudoin would have gotten away with murdering a girl just because her heart belonged to another woman!
Jon’s hand on her arm kept her from saying what she was thinking. He didn’t have to say a word. She knew he was right. This was Senior Sergeant Angus Cutter’s town. His department. If he wanted to say that his people solved the whole thing, then what did it matter to them. So long as the bad guy went to prison and there was some kind of peace for the families of the victims.
That was all that mattered.
“Thank you, Senior Sergeant Cutter,” she said instead. “This will be a great way to pass some of our time here. Penguins, here in Australia. Who knew?”
“Lots of things people don’t know about Australia.” There was genuine pride in his voice for his country. “Best place to live in the whole world’s right here. Enjoy the rest of your stay.”
He turned back to the files on his desk and it was obvious that he was dismissing them. He’d said everything he wanted to say. Now he had reports to write and, no doubt, interviews to prepare for.
Leaving Jon and Darcy to enjoy the rest of their honeymoon. That suited her just fine.
Out in the lobby of the police station they found Kevin Powers talking with James Callahan, the reporter. James was busy filling pages in a small notebook. Kevin looked like he was ready to pull his hair out. He obviously wasn’t used to this kind of attention from the media. Darcy knew just how he felt.
“There ya are!” James said, stuffing the notebook and pencil into his back pocket to shake Jon’s hand excitedly. “Can’t thank the two of ya enough for the tip. Big story. Big story!”
“Well, I’d best get back in there.” Kevin didn’t waste any time now that James had his attention on someone else. “The Federal Police are helping out but I don’t want them to do all the work. If there’s anything else while you’re here, give us a call, won’t ya?”
He clapped Jon on the back and gave Darcy a quick hug. “Thank you,” he whispered in her ear. “I couldn’t’ve done this without ya.”
“I’m glad we were here to help,” she told him. Her luck with finding trouble had followed them all the way around the globe, but it had worked out all right in the end.
When Kevin had shut the door into the station behind him, James launched into a hundred different questions for the both of them, most of which they declined to answer. He seemed disappointed, but it didn’t stop him from asking one more, and then one more.
“I really think you should ask Senior Sergeant Cutter all of this,” Jon finally told him, taking Darcy by the hand. “My wife and I are on our way back to the Inn. We have a lot of vacationing to catch up on.”
“Bet ya do,” he said with a wink. “Do me a favor? Tell Dell Powers I said G’day?”
Darcy knew that look in his eyes. It was the same look she gave Jon sometimes. She had to wonder if James even realized he was doing it. Probably not. Love had a way of sneaking up on you sometimes.
“We’ll do that,” Jon promised. “Good luck with your story.”
“Heh. You two stay in town much longer, I’ll bet the stories will write themselves.”
The day was warm outside, the wind blowing strong enough to carry the scent of the pines and the nearby lake through town. People smiled and said hello to them, and G’day, and Darcy leaned up against Jon as they walked.
“So, Mrs. Tinker,” he teased her. “What would you like to do now?”
“You mean after solving not one, but two crimes for the sleepy Tasmanian town of Lakeshore?”
“Exactly.”
“To tell you the truth,” she said, matching her step with his, “I want to get something to eat and then jump into bed so I can sleep. I don’t know if it’s the jetlag or the way we’ve been tramping around the Tasmanian countryside to solve this mystery, but I’m exhausted.”
“Oh,” he said. “I guess that’s all right.”
She was really looking forward to that bed, but if there was something else he wanted to do, she could maybe find the energy. “What did you have in mind, Mister Tinker?”
“Well, I just thought you might like a back massage.” Leaning closer, he added in a whisper, “while we soak in a nice hot tub.”
“Yes please,” she said without any hesitation at all. Jon’s backrubs were magical.
So was this beautiful place. Australia had so much magic in it, so much to see and do. She was glad they would have the time to explore, just her and him, her best friend and husband. It was like she was falling in love with him all over again.
“I’m really glad you came into my life,” she told him impulsively. It was the best way she could think of to put her feelings into words.
Turning her into his embrace, he kissed her gently, and slowly, taking the time to feel every part of her lips with every part of his.
She liked the way he said it better.
They decided to see what Rosie could fix them to eat at the Inn. Darcy was hungry but she could wait for anything Rosie might whip up. The woman was a master in the kitchen. After a leisurely walk they arrived back in time to see George the handyman in the lobby, trying to put the painting of the man with the handlebar mustache back up on the wall.
Dell stood behind the registration desk, leaning on her elbows, just smiling. Darcy knew she was waiting for the inevitable.
From on top of his stepladder, George set the painting on its three hooks. He leaned back, inspecting his work, then nodded in satisfaction and slapped his hands together. “There. See, Dell? Told ya it was only a matter of—”
The painting somehow bounced three inches away from the wall and hung there, comically suspended for an entire second in time, before falling straight down to crash against the floor with a heavy thud.
George stared down at it before throwing his hands up in the air. “That’s it! I give up. Got better things to do with my time than argue with a wall!”
Leaving his ladder and the uncooperative painting where they were, he stormed off into the heart of the Inn.
“Is he going to be all right?” Jon asked Dell.
“He’ll be right,” she promised. “Just give him time. Does this every other day, practically. Has himself a good blow up and then he’s fine again. So. I hear tell you two solved a big murder for the Lakeshore Police?”
Jon tried to shrug it off. “We helped a little. Actually that son of yours was a big help. He’s quite the officer.”
She beamed under the praise for her son. “Too right, he is. I’ve always told him that. Tell you what. You must be hungry, let me set Rosie to making something special. On the house. How’s that sound?”
“It sounds too good to pass up,” Jon told her. “We accept.”
The phone at the desk rang. Dell reached for it, and as she did
it stopped ringing. She picked it up anyway, listened for a moment, and then put the receiver back in place.
Darcy knew what the phone calls were. Or at least, she suspected she did. She could tell that Dell Powers felt the same way. They shared the secret with silent look between them.
Leaving the phone with one last look, Dell came around the desk to where they were. “Anyway. Let’s get you some dinner.”
“Oh.” Darcy had just remembered. “That newspaper reporter, James? He said to say hello.”
“Did he, now?” Dell asked, a wisp of a smile on her lips.
“Actually,” Jon said, “I think his exact words were, G’day.”
Dell laughed at him, hands up to her face. “Why, Jon, you almost sounded like a true Aussie. We’ll get you there yet.”
“Well, we’ve got a town to get back to. We’d love to stay in Australia longer than a couple of weeks, but I think Misty Hollow needs us.”
“If you get into half the things there that you did here, I can believe it.” She laughed again, to herself, and led them out to the dining room.
Dinner was quick, and amazing, and Dell and Rosie sat with them for company while they ate. They talked about the murders and what would possibly prompt a man like Alec Beaudoin to kill. They talked about Senior Sergeant Angus Cutter and everyone’s opinion of the man now that two major crimes had been solved in his town.
They talked about life here in Lakeshore in general, and what life was like back in Misty Hollow. Darcy talked about her bookstore, and her friends, and even found ways to bring Smudge into the conversation.
Both Dell and Rosie were excited to say they had a full slate of boarders coming to the Inn, starting tomorrow. The notoriety the town had earned in the papers for Roy’s arrest had brought business to their doors. It would continue, now, with the charges brought against Alec.
It would all be short lived, until the next big thing happened in Australia, but for now the Pine Lake Inn would reap the benefits. Darcy was glad that good things could come from the bad.
She was glad to have made friends here on this side of the world, too.
After dinner, Jon led her up to their room. That was when they saw the man. For just a moment, the only other guest of the Inn stood in the hallway and watched them. He was a tall man with piercing eyes of silver gray. He smiled, but the smile didn’t touch his eyes.
Then he opened the door to his door and disappeared inside.
Jon didn’t even seem to notice, other than to give the man a nod in greeting. He was too intent on fulfilling his promise to Darcy. A hot bath, time alone, and a long, long back massage that nearly put her to sleep resting against him.
She loved Australia.
“So what do you want to do tomorrow?” Jon asked her.
She opened her droopy eyelids to tiny slits. “Is sleeping the whole day an option?”
“Not if we want to do most of the things we planned on. We’ve already lost two days.”
“Not lost, just taken up with…unexpected events.”
“Well, that’s one way of putting it. Still, there was a lot we wanted to do. Remember?”
His hands were still rubbing circles into those little knots to either side of her spine, and he added little kisses to the nape of her neck where she had pulled her hair forward, out of the way of his magic fingers. “More of this would be nice.”
He laughed softly. “Okay, deal. Sleep, and a back rub.”
“And kissing,” she added.
“And penguins.”
“Yes! Penguins. We should call to see what times they have tours at this Bicheno place. How are we going to get there?”
“Call a taxi,” he said, without missing a beat.
“Isn’t that what got us into this mess in the first place?”
“No. You being who you are got us into this mess. It also helped us solve the murder of three people.” He kissed his way down the slope of her shoulder, making her skin tingle. “I can’t wait to tell everybody this story.”
“You know that makes him a serial killer, right?” Darcy said absently, her voice getting drowsy. “Alec, I mean. You need to kill at least three people before you’re a serial killer. Technically.”
“I know. Guess what else I know.”
“Hmm?”
“I love you.”
His words melted into her, mixing with the warmth of the water and the relaxing motion of his hands. This moment was perfect.
“Sleepy?” he asked.
She nodded, falling back against his chest. “Take me to bed.”
That was all the encouragement he needed.
***
The next morning Darcy woke up rested and ready to take on the day. No matter what she had told Jon about wanting to sleep the day away, now she couldn’t bear the thought of spending another minute in bed. She wanted to explore and find new and amazing places to remember from their trip here. Bouncing up onto her knees she pushed and shook Jon’s slumbering form under the blankets.
“Wake up! Wake up! Let’s go do something!”
“Hmph-mph,” was his answer. She wasn’t sure it was English.
Leaving him there to sleep for a few minutes longer she jumped out of bed in his old t-shirt and her pajama shorts and made for the bathroom. She was going to get ready, right now, and then drag him outside if she had to.
In the bathroom, Smudge was waiting for her on the sink top.
“Well. Imagine finding you here,” she laughed. “How was your flight?”
He twitched an ear at her joke. It was hard to say if he smiled with that kitty-cat face of his. Curling his tail around his paws where he sat, he cleared his throat. “First, I want you to know that it wasn’t my fault.”
“Oh, Smudge, what did you do now?” Somewhere in the most distant parts of her consciousness she knew this was a dream, but by now she’d learned to just go with it. She’d wake up soon enough and find herself still lying in bed with Jon, and that wasn’t a bad thing as far as she was concerned. So for now, she was having a conversation with her cat. “Did you knock that vase of flowers in the kitchen over again?”
“Uh, no. Not this time.” He shifted his feet, staring at her with narrowed eyes. “And you have no proof I did it the last time.”
She laughed and scratched between his ears. “I miss you, Smudge.”
“Me too. Ellen is good people but she doesn’t know much about cats.”
“Give her time. She’ll learn it’s not just about keeping your dish full.” She looked around, half expecting Millie to be here, too. There was just her and Smudge.
“Your aunt didn’t come this time,” Smudge explained. She’s, uh, busy.”
Busy? What could her aunt’s ghost possibly be doing?
“Nevermind that,” Smudge spoke directly to her unspoken question. “I just want you to know it isn’t my fault.”
Now she was getting worried. “Smudge. What are you talking about? What isn’t your fault?”
He sighed a breath out through his nose. “The way she died. It wasn’t my fault.”
“Smudge, you were just a kitten when Aunt Millie died. Of course it wasn’t your fault.” Suddenly she didn’t like this dream. She wanted it to be over. She wanted to go watch penguins with Jon. She wanted to go to Kangaroo Island and swim in the waters around the Great Barrier Reef. She wanted to be anywhere, but here.
Smudge looked away from her and was silent for a long moment. “I have to go,” he finally said.
“Wait, Smudge. Tell me what you’re talking about. What wasn’t your fault?”
One paw in the air, face still turned away from her, he flicked his tail fitfully. “I knew he was bad. I knew it, and I couldn’t stop him.” He turned to her again now, and she could almost see the pain reflecting in his green eyes. “I’ve done a lot of good things in Misty Hollow, Darcy. Tried to be a good cat. But that day…I knew he was bad, and I couldn’t stop him.”
Before she could ask him anything else, he turned an
d leapt from the sink to the small window set high up in the bathroom wall. He vanished right through the glass. He was gone.
“Hey there,” Jon said from behind her, his hands sliding around her waist. “Good morning.”
Darcy jumped, suddenly awake for real and standing in the bathroom with her husband. For a moment she panicked, not knowing if the dream was over or if she was still in its grip. But Jon’s arms were warm, and he was a solid comfort that she could feel, and his voice in her ear told her to be careful or she’d fall.
This was real. She wasn’t sure how she’d gotten in here from the bed, but it was real. Smudge and the dream were gone. The things he’d said… Darcy ran them through in her mind again. What was he talking about? Smudge couldn’t stop him, he’d said. On that day, he couldn’t stop him.
Couldn’t stop who?
“So,” Jon said to her, “since you’re up already do you want to get ready and go exploring?”
She did. She really did. Australia was waiting and she had this time to spend with her husband and she didn’t want to waste any more of it.
What Smudge had said to her would have to wait. Maybe when she got back to Misty Hollow, she’d ask him herself. She had no doubt that it meant something, and that it was important, but standing here right now she had no idea what.
Jon kissed her gently, and it made her put everything else aside. For now, she’d done enough mystery solving. They were on their honeymoon, after all.
Australia was waiting.
-End-
Keep reading for a sneak peek into the new Pine Lake Inn Cozy Mystery Series!
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