“What about Ron?” Margot asked.
“Questioned him.” Rexton shook his head. “He’s a dead end—pardon the phrase. Turns out that Ron Durk is an actor. He was hired by Jenny Blane to accompany her to this resort. He wasn’t very clear on the details, but he did know that Jenny wasn’t happy when he showed up. Mentioned something about the fact that his headshot was dated and he was much older than what she’d been looking for.”
“She wanted someone closer to her age. Maybe to play the role of boyfriend better?” Margot asked.
“That’s what I think. It was clear that she wasn’t here for the resort itself, but Ron couldn’t give us helpful information about why she was here. He said that she was gone most of the day and only did a few things with him.”
“So she’s working with Chris,” Margot said, almost to herself.
“Now that I know all of what’s going on,” Rexton said, his gaze displaying his displeasure, “I’d say that is accurate. She was apparently in CeCe’s cabin for a reason—we found the cleaning supplies so she was obviously the one cleaning it—but it looked like someone could have lured her there to kill her.”
“Maybe she’s outlasted her usefulness,” Margot mused.
“You think Chris is cleaning up?”
“I think he’s realizing that his games aren’t working,” Adam said, “and he’s stepped up his efforts.”
“So you think that CeCe’s in danger then?” Rexton said, looking between Adam and Margot.
“I think she’s been in danger this whole time,” Margot said, taking a deep breath, “but now more than before.”
“I’m sorry,” Alice said, coming up behind them with a tray holding cups of steaming coffee. “I didn’t mean to eavesdrop but I couldn’t help hearing you mention Chris.”
Margot smiled kindly at the young woman. “I promise I didn’t out you to the Wilkinsons.”
“Oh, I’m not worried. I understand. I mean…after all that’s happened.” The tray shook in her hands and Adam stepped forward to take it from her, setting it on a side table.
“I know it’s upsetting,” Margot said kindly, “but we’re getting to the bottom of this.”
“That’s good.” She nodded, a shaky hand pushing back a strand of her hair. “I just… It’s all so crazy. You really think Chris is behind these terrible things?”
“We’re not sure, miss,” Detective Rexton said. “But any information you can tell me about this young man would be very helpful.”
“I mean, there’s not much to tell. I’ve known Chris since I was a young girl. He’s just a few years older than me. He never was very nice so I didn’t spend much time around him, but he is really smart. I know that for sure.”
“What do you mean by that?” Adam asked.
“I don't know, he’d always be messing around with computers and things like that. He made dumb choices and got into lots of trouble, but when he wasn’t partying, he actually did some pretty amazing things.”
“Like what?” Margot prompted.
“Well, he created the whole computer system for the resort. The scheduling system, the cabin authorization logs, and even an app that employees can use for recording their duties and things like that. It’s the same one they’ve used for years.”
Margot sat up straighter. “He created the system?”
“Yeah…” Alice looked between Margot and the detectives. “Why?”
“Oh no. What time is it?”
“Uh, quarter to three,” Rexton said, his frown deepening. “Why? What’s going on?”
“We need to go. We need to get to the Wilkinsons. I have a feeling that the meeting with their lawyer isn’t going to happen as scheduled.”
Chapter 13
In a rush of movement, Margot, Adam, and Detective Rexton rushed out of the dining hall and through the lodge. Startled, people turned to watch them, some of the officers stopping what they were doing to follow their leader to the back of the lodge and up the steps to the Wilkinsons’ apartment.
“Is there another way up to this apartment?” Rexton asked in a hushed tone.
“No,” Alice said. She’d been caught up in the rush to get to the apartment, something Margot was thankful for now.
“But there are cameras,” she said.
This halted Rexton five steps from the top. “We need to cut that feed.”
“We don't have time,” Margot pleaded. “I saw the Wilkinsons’ schedule when Stan checked it for their appointment. It was set for three and I have a feeling that Chris won’t let them go through with changing the will.”
“I’m inclined to agree with you,” Adam said. “Here, let me go first.”
Rexton stepped aside and Adam and Margot rushed up the steps. Adam knocked. “Stan, Lela? We’ve got an urgent situation that needs your attention.”
“We’re—busy,” came a strained reply.
Margot looked to Adam and then shook her head. This wasn’t good.
“It’ll only take a second.”
Adam tried the door and found that it was unlocked, something Margot was extremely grateful for, and they stepped into the darkened apartment.
Margot took in the scene before them. A dark-haired man stood in the middle of the living space, a gun pointed at Stan while Lela huddled next to him.
“You must be Chris,” Margot said.
The man’s eyes narrowed and his gaze flickered between Adam and Margot. “Who are you? How do you know who I am?”
“My name is Margot and this is my friend Adam.”
“Margot. You’re CeCe’s friend.”
“I am,” she said, taking a step toward him.
“Stop. Don't come any closer.”
“Hold on now,” she said in a calming tone. “There’s no need to make hasty decisions. I hear that you are good with computers.”
He frowned, his gaze shifting again to the side then back to Margot.
“Yeah. So what?”
“So, let me tell you what I think is happening here.” She paused but not to let him speak, only to take a slight step to the side and effectively make Chris follow her movements. “I think you found out about your parents’ new chef, their pride and joy, and you started to sense that your inheritance was in danger. Surely you knew that there were problems—your parents had banned you from the resort—but perhaps you still thought they would allow you to inherit. Let the past go, perhaps. Or maybe forget they even had a will that you were named in. Either way, you finally started to see that your standing with them was threatened.”
He didn't speak, but she took another step to the side.
“I think you saw CeCe as an opportunity. Get her away from your parents so they would be less likely to change their will. I also think you made a connection with Jenny. Somehow, maybe in the time between when you used to live here and when you decided to come back, you convinced her to join with you.” Margot paced to the side even more, noticing the way Chris turned his head to watch her. “Maybe you even promised her part of your inheritance, but either way, you got her to clean CeCe’s cabin and plant things there that were supposedly from her ex-husband Rick.”
“You don't know what you’re talking about.”
“Don't I, Chris?” she asked, looking him in the eyes and stepping to the side again. “You couldn’t let a stranger have what was rightfully yours. You couldn’t stand to see your parents embrace someone else when they banned you from the resort.”
“So? It wasn’t right,” Chris said, the gun slipping down a few inches. “I am their son, and what? She’s just some woman they hired. How was I supposed to sit by and let them give what was rightfully mine to someone else?”
“Oh, Chris,” Lela said, her voice wobbling.
“Quiet, Mom.” He clenched his jaw. “I had a good plan. Jenny bought it too, thought I’d give her half of everything. She had no idea.”
“So you found out about CeCe’s past,” Margot prompted.
“Yeah, I was friends with her ex-
husband. He used to brag about how he followed her around, leaving her little notes and gifts. He knew it freaked her out so I thought I’d use his confession to my advantage. Seemed like a good idea to use that as a way to get her to leave. I mean, she holed up after he’d started harassing her the first time, it made sense she’d do it again.”
“But she didn’t,” Margot said.
“No. I tried everything, but she wouldn’t leave. I had to do something.”
“So, you killed Rick.” Margot said it bluntly, hoping to startle him, and it worked. A crazed look entered his eyes.
“I did. It was the only way. He had to die.”
The next second, at the same time Chris dropped the gun a few more inches, Adam lunged out of the corner he’d slowly moved into. He collided with Chris, tackling him around the middle and taking him flying back over the antique white couch. They crashed onto the other side of the floor in a tangle of limbs.
Margot rushed to Stan and Lela, pulling them out of the way at the same moment that Detective Rexton and his officers came barging through the door. Two armed officers immediately rushed to where Adam had Chris pinned down.
“Chris Wilkinson,” Detective Rexton said, “you are under arrest.”
“How about seconds?” CeCe asked, standing in front of the table where Margot, Adam, and Detective Rexton sat in the back of the dining room the next morning.
“I couldn’t even think about seconds without needing to run five miles,” Adam said, hand on his trim waist.
“How about you, Sal?” she said, a sly grin on her face.
“As much as I wish I could eat more, there’s no way I’d find anywhere to put it all.” He smiled, shocking both Margot and CeCe, who shared a look over the detective’s head when he turned to look at Adam. “But it was mighty fine.”
Once they had apprehended Chris, Detective Rexton had suddenly become a different person. It was as if the stress had brought out the worst in him, but with the resolution of the difficult case, he’d relaxed some. Margot had to admit she liked this version of the detective much better.
“I’m glad you liked it,” CeCe said, beaming.
Margot let out a deep, satisfied breath watching her friend finally begin to relax. It had only been a day, and yet that had already made a big difference.
“You’ll all be happy to note that Chris is under lock and key and the case against him is strong.”
“I don’t know if I’d say happy,” Margot said, watching as CeCe sat down to join them, “but I am glad. It’s difficult to think of Stan and Lela having to deal with this, but I’m so glad that it’s all come to a close.”
Rexton nodded. “Very true.”
“Can you tell me what happen?” CeCe asked.
Rexton looked as if he was about to say no, but then the corner of his mouth came up in another uncharacteristic smile. It would seem as if CeCe had captured the detective’s attention.
“Once he realized we had him on tape, thanks to the extreme sensitivity of the Wilkinson’s’ recording devices, he confessed pretty quickly.”
“When I heard of Rick’s death,” Margot said, sending a glance toward CeCe, “I had a feeling we were dealing with someone who had undergone a psychotic break or something of the sort.”
“Yes, you’re right. He saw the need to take Rick’s life as essential to his mission. Thankfully, he hadn’t considered killing his parents—though I have no doubt he might have sought that as an option if all else had failed.”
“But he was responsible for Darren and Jenny’s death?” CeCe asked.
“Yes.” Detective Rexton tossed his napkin on his plate, leaning back. “He said that he’d just come out of CeCe’s cabin when Darren caught him. He acted quickly and sadly ended Darren’s life, but again, he justified it with the thought that he was accomplishing his personal mission. He turned on Jenny because that had always been a part of the plan.”
“But how did he get up here in the first place?” CeCe asked.
“It turns out that—”
“There’s a cabin, further in the woods. Isn’t there?” Margot asked.
“Yes. How did you know?”
“The same way I knew he had put that snake in my cabin. I was on the trail ride with Bubb and he’d told me a little bit about the area. Said there was a cabin off in the woods, but only people who really knew the area would know where it was. I had no way to prove it, but I had a feeling that he could have been staying there. I suppose if you look at the back of the clearing behind CeCe’s cabin, you’ll find a small trail that will lead to it.”
“And what about the snake?” Adam asked, looking intently at Margot because he knew she hated snakes.
“On that same ride, Jenny’s horse had reared up due to a snake in the path. I was beginning to suspect there was more to Jenny at that time because she’d told me she didn’t know how to ride, but she’d handled that horse like a pro. And then when she lied about being lactose intolerant to one of your officers, it again made me suspicious.”
“Yes, she was connected with Chris because of a short term in prison that he did when he was younger. They’d stayed in touch—when she wasn’t in jail—and therefore made a perfect accessory to his plan. Unfortunately, she didn't know his true intention.”
“So sad,” CeCe said, running her finger over the rim of her coffee cup.
“Well,” Rexton said, standing up and pulling on his hat. “I just want to say that, despite what I first thought, you were a big help, Missus Durand.”
Margot smirked. “Why thank you, Detective Rexton.”
“Sal,” he said. Then he turned his gaze toward CeCe. “Missus Baxter, it’s been a pleasure. Thank you kindly for inviting me for breakfast. Despite the circumstances, it’s been nice getting to know you.”
“Same to you, Detective Rexton.”
“It’s Sal, remember?” he said with a grin and a wink.
“Then it’s CeCe,” she replied with an equally happy smile.
Margot’s eyebrows rose as Sal leaned down. “Maybe I could take you to coffee sometime.”
CeCe giggled like a schoolgirl, blushing thoroughly. “I’d like that.”
He nodded then spun around and left the dining hall, whistling a happy tune.
“Well, that was unexpected,” Margot said.
CeCe giggled again. “You can say that again.”
“I’m not sure what just happened,” Adam added, looking between the two.
“Looks like Sal conquered his distrust of CeCe and I to come out the other side with a friend.”
Adam shook his head, but CeCe leaned over toward Margot. “I can’t thank you enough.”
“I had nothing to do with the detective’s advances,” Margot said with a grin.
“Oh, you know what I mean. For helping me with figuring out this whole thing. I…I can’t believe what happened, but I am thankful that you were here to help me.”
“Greed is a funny thing. It affects so many,” Adam observed.
“Do you really think it was only greed, though? I think that, somewhere in Chris’s mind, he saw CeCe as taking over his rightful spot here at the resort. He went about it completely the wrong way, but I think he just wanted to make things right with his family.”
“That seems a little naive, doesn’t it?” Adam asked.
“Not completely. Either way, he was wrong and will serve the punishment for his crimes.”
“Margot, I’m sorry for ruining your vacation.”
Margot laughed, thinking of how she was destined to experience vacations that involved mysteries. “I would rather help out a friend in need than anything else. Thank you for finding a way for us to stay an extra day.”
“It was no problem. Stan and Lela wanted you to stay for another week, but I knew you’d want to get back to your bakery. But I figured I could convince you to stay for one extra day.”
“You’re right,” Margot said, laughing. “I convinced myself that the shop would be all right for one
more day without me, but I don’t think I could stay away for much more.”
They chuckled at this, both knowing how much she loved her shop and hated to be away from it for too long.
They chatted for a little while longer then rose to say good-bye. Margot hugged her friend tightly, asking her to stay in touch, and especially to let her know how the coffee date went with Detective Rexton. Assured that she would, Margot and Adam walked out of the lodge into the splendor of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
“Do you feel like you’ve missed seeing the beauty around you since you’ve been so focused on helping CeCe?”
“Yes and no,” she said, taking him by the hand and pulling him gently toward the small path that led up to the vista point she’d come to on her first day at the resort. “Yes, in that I would have liked to spend more time here with you.” She looked around at the beauty and took a deep breath. “But no, in the sense that I’m glad I could help CeCe. I hated to see her so afraid, and the Wilkinsons too. I’m glad they’ve found each other.”
“Me too. It sounds like CeCe is the right choice to take over the resort. Who knows? Maybe she’ll want a pastry chef on staff.”
“And leave my bakery? Adam Eastwood, you know me better than that.”
The rich sound of his deep laugh made her smile even more as he slipped his arm around her shoulders. They took in the view in silence and Margot thought again of her shop. She missed the community of North Bank. Her regulars like Bentley and the other residents from the neighboring senior living communities, as well as her part-time helper Rosie.
“No,” she said, resting her head against Adam’s shoulder, “I think it’s time to go home.”
Boating and Bodies
Chapter 1
Bright sunlight glinted off the striking blue-green water of the Potomac River. Margot leaned back, eyes closed and face upturned to the late September sunshine. It was a cooler day, something she was immensely grateful for after the streak of hot and humid weather they’d had the last few weeks.
Margot Durand Cozy Mystery Boxed Set: Books 4 - 6 Page 19