Margot Durand Cozy Mystery Boxed Set: Books 4 - 6

by Danielle Collins

  “Do you think Dexter is ever coming back?”

  Adam looked down at her, surprised. “Didn’t you ask him?”

  “I didn’t want to bother him or nag him. I’m not his mother,” she said, laughing because sometimes she felt just like that. “I just worry. And I do have to admit that maybe it would be better to hire someone to replace him if he’s going to be gone much longer.”

  “It didn’t work out with Kellen?”

  Margot’s gaze flew up to his and then she laughed, seeing that he had been teasing her.

  “No, it didn't. She’s working at the senior living facility. Bentley’s even bringing her cookies.”

  “Lucky girl,” Adam mused.

  “No, I need someone who can help with the baking.”

  Adam’s hand slipped around hers and squeezed gently as they came to the gate that led down to the private section of the dock. “I think you should search for someone.”

  “Do you know something I don't?”

  “I don’t. I promise.” He looked deeply into her eyes. “But I know that you were less stressed when Dex was around and I think that was good for you. To take time off and not have to carry the burden of all the baking on your own. And it doesn’t hurt to advertise.”

  Margot nodded solemnly. Maybe Adam had a point. Maybe she should look into hiring someone else to replace Dexter. She could always say it was a trial period and then reassess after a few months. If Dexter were back by then, she’d let the other person go.

  “All right. You’ve convinced me.”

  He grinned and was about to lean down to kiss her when a voice interrupted them.

  “Can I help you?” It was James Peck.

  “Yeah,” Adam said, pulling back. “Adam Eastwood. We met a few days ago.”

  “You’re that detective, right?”

  “Yeah. Was wondering if I could ask you a few questions.”

  Jesse looked to Margot then back to Adam. “Sure. I guess. Come on down.”

  As they walked down the ramp to the dock, Margot took in the surroundings. It seemed as if the same watercrafts filled the slips on the dock. Nothing looked different from the last time they were there.

  They followed James to a small floating area attached to the dock that looked a little like a raft and a little like a seating area.

  “Welcome aboard,” James said, grinning. “It’s a little joke. We use this space for when Mister Henry has guests aboard the yacht. He likes to have a welcoming area but the rest of the time, I allow men who work in the private dock area to use it as a break station. Have a seat.” He motioned to plastic chairs set up under a large light blue umbrella.

  “Thanks for letting us take up a little bit more of your time.”

  “I’m surprised you’re back down here, actually. I’d heard a rumor that Elliot’s death was being ruled an accident. Never seen this much investigation for an accident.”

  Margot studied James’s expression, but he showed signs of genuine concern.

  “That’s true, but I’m a detective, and sometimes I can’t ignore when my gut is telling me there’s something more going on.”

  “I hear that.” The man nodded and looked at Margot then back at Adam. “What can I tell you?”

  “I’m just curious about Elliot. I’ve heard some varying reports about him. You said you thought pretty highly of him.” Adam’s statement came out sounding like a question.

  “To be honest, I know that Elliot wasn’t liked much by many people.” The admission seemed to cost James. “It’s true that he was headstrong and occasionally a little prideful, but there were some great qualities to him as well. I guess most people just didn’t get the chance to see that.”

  “But you did?” Margot asked.

  “I did.” He offered a small smile. “He was down here a lot. Spent a ton of time on the water, so we got to talk pretty often. He was a stickler about safety and his craft being in tiptop shape. I was just the hired hand, so what could I say to that? But hey, he wanted things done a certain way, so I followed through with that.”

  Adam and James continued to talk, but Margot’s thoughts trailed off. If he was such a stickler about safety, then why had he gone out on the water at night? Surely that couldn’t be safe. Had he meant to harm himself? Was suicide the answer all along?

  Adam was wrapping up his questions when Margot spoke up again. “Mister Peck, is it possible that Elliot was depressed?”

  “You know, that other fella—Detective…”

  “Mabry,” Adam supplied.

  “Right, Detective Mabry asked the same thing. And, in thinking back, I could see that. I’d see him come down here all hung up on something. He was having a rough time of it, for sure.”

  That was the first time anyone had said that about Elliot, at least to Margot’s knowledge, but Adam gave her a look that said they needed to go. They stood and James walked them to the gate leading to the other side of the dock.

  Margot was walking along, almost lost in thought, when she tripped, nearly falling into the water. James’s hand went out to catch her, holding tight to her arm in a strong grip. He let go when she regained her balance.

  “Sorry about that,” he said sheepishly. “I should know better than to leave my gear out.”

  Margot looked down to see what she’d fallen over. A wetsuit, fins, and a diving mask. She’d have to be more careful when she walked the docks again.

  “No problem,” she said with a smile.

  Adam took her hand as they walked up the deck and leaned down to whisper into her ear. “Let’s hope we have better luck with the best friend, because this is looking more and more like a suicide.”

  Adam and Margot walked into the dingy bar that sat one block away from the marina. It was cluttered with old fishing memorabilia and had the scent of old beer and peanuts wafting about. Margot wasn’t excited about being here, but she was thankful Adam was by her side.

  “Sorry about this place,” he said to her in low tones. “But you’ve got to go where the evidence leads.”

  She smiled back in agreement as he helped her onto a stool at the bar.

  “What’ll it be, folks?” the bartender asked, his weathered features pinched as if he couldn’t believe they’d want to be in the bar.

  “Nothing, but I am looking for a Drake Sylvester.”

  The barkeep nodded in the direction of the corner then turned away as if to say, This is none of my business.

  Adam sent Margot a look then made his way toward the man slumped in the corner.

  “Drake Sylvester?”

  The man looked up, blinking. “Yeah?”

  “I’m Detective Adam Eastwood. This is my…friend, Margot Durand. We’d like to ask you a few questions.”

  “About what?” He sat up straighter and looked between them. “Am I in some kind of trouble?”

  “I don’t know. Should you be?”

  Drake looked affronted by this. “Nah. I haven’t done anything wrong.”

  “Good. Then you have nothing to worry about if we ask you a few questions.”

  Drake’s gaze looked to Margot again and she could tell he wanted to ask why she was there—a valid question—but instead, he looked back at Adam. “What’s this all about?”

  “Your friend, Elliot Henry.”

  Concern creased the man’s eyes and he shifted in his seat. “What about him?”

  “Mind if we join you?”

  Margot admired the way that Adam took charge of a situation, inviting themselves to sit was just his way of putting Drake at ease but also taking the lead in the situation. When Drake merely shrugged, Adam pulled out a high stool for Margot and then he sat, propping his elbows on the table.

  “Look, this isn’t an official investigation—yet—but I have heard some pretty disturbing things about you and Elliot.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “About the fact that you had a fight the night of his death. Why don’t you tell me about that?”

>   “A fight? Man, that wasn’t anything. We got into it all the time. It was dumb. Just a misunderstanding about something. Elliot got all bothered about it and he came at me. He may have been good at some things, but that didn’t include boxing.”

  “So you hit him.”

  “Yeah. Knocked him back a bit and then someone kicked him out. He started it.”

  “Were words exchanged?” Adam’s gaze didn't waver.

  “Aren’t they always?” Drake took a sip of the amber-colored liquid in his glass and shook his head. “If you’re trying to get me to say I wanted him dead, you’d be wrong. I don’t. What I do want is to be left alone.”

  “Was Elliot drinking that night?” Margot asked. Her gentle tone seemed to draw Drake out.

  “Nah. I mean, he never drank. Said he ‘had an intolerance to alcohol’ or something like that.”

  “Never?” Adam pressed.

  “No. God’s honest truth. He wouldn’t touch the stuff.”

  Adam shared a look with Margot. They both knew about the toxicology report and how it had reported a high level of alcohol. Either Elliot had decided to drink for the first time in his life, possibly due to the stress of thoughts of suicide, or someone had forced him to drink.

  “You see…” Adam leaned forward. “I believe you about the drinking, but I’m having trouble believing you about not saying something to him.”

  Drake shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He reached up and scratched at his nose, a telltale sign of deception.

  “I’ve got a witness who says you threatened your best friend’s life.”

  Now Drake looked pale. “W-witness?”

  “So, if you’re not being straight with me, there’s an easier way to do this.”

  “There is?” His words came out strained.

  “Sure, we’ll just take you down to the police station until you feel like telling us the truth.”

  “Nah, man.” Drake looked around. “I can’t be seen going down to the police station. I work at the country club and they will not be cool with me being arrested.”

  Margot almost wanted to correct him with the reality that it wouldn’t exactly be an arrest, but she kept her mouth closed. It wasn’t her place to volunteer information anyway.

  “Then tell me the truth.” Adam’s tone turned from conversational to direct.

  “Right. Uh, okay, so maybe I did say something…”

  “Like?”

  “All right, I said I’d kill him, but—”

  “Threatening a man who ends up dead. This isn’t looking good for you, Drake.”

  “No, you’ve got it all wrong.”

  “Enlighten me.”

  “He was threatening to go to Kellen.”

  “Kellen Smith?”

  “Y-yeah.” Drake looked shocked that she knew whom he was talking about. “Her and I are, you know, dating.”

  Things were starting to make sense now.

  “So you’re dating Elliot’s ex-girlfriend and what? He wanted her back?” Adam asked for clarification.

  “Yeah, even though he dumped her.” He shrugged. “But she’d told him she didn’t want him around, didn’t want him near her, really. But he kept coming around. He’d always show up at the club or down here at the docks and she’d get so mad. She always left, but still…he was bugging her and I wouldn’t stand for it.”

  “You chose your girlfriend over your best friend then, is what you’re saying.”

  “It wasn’t like that. I mean, you’ve got to understand Elliot. He turned into the world’s biggest jerk. He’d leave his friends with the tab all the time, was always running off to do something, and was just acting weird. I don’t know what was up, but he wasn’t fun to be around anymore.”

  Adam leaned back from the table, his eyes narrowed as he took in Drake sitting in front of him.

  “I’m going to tell you what’s going to happen,” he said, making sure that all of Drake’s attention was on him. “You’re going to stay in town, not make any plans, and you’re going to be available for questioning should you need to be. Understand?”

  He nodded, not saying anything. Adam stood up, pulling the chair out for Margot.

  Drake nodded again, then said, “Okay. But I didn’t kill him.”

  “I didn’t say you—or anyone—did,” Adam said, getting a strange look from Drake. “But all the same, I’ll find out if someone had anything to do with his death, and that’s a promise.”

  Chapter 9

  They walked out of the bar into the fresh air and sunlight, which Margot was extremely grateful for. Still, the meeting with Drake had given them much to consider.

  “I’ve got to be honest,” Adam said, slipping his hand around Margot’s, “I didn't expect him to be dating the victim’s ex-girlfriend. I wonder when that relationship started.”

  “You said victim,” Margot pointed out, looking up at Adam with an arched eyebrow.

  “While I still don’t have either the okay from the chief or the proof that this is more than an accident or a suicide, I feel—in my gut,” he added with a wink, “that something is off about all of this.”

  “The alcohol in the system and the swimmer’s bracelet?”

  “Yes. Too much that doesn't fit to make me feel all right sitting back and letting it go.”

  “So what’s next?” They walked down the street to one of their favorite cafés along the water. They would grab lunch now and then she would have to go back to the shop since she’d had a special order to be picked up in the morning.

  “I’d like to talk with this Kellen girl,” he said, holding the door open for her.

  Margot agreed. “Now that I know she wasn’t just Elliot’s ex-girlfriend but that she was dating the man who was heard to have a fight with him, I think my questions will have changed for her.”

  “Your questions?” he asked, looking amused.

  “Well, she was up next on my list now too.”

  He laughed and turned toward the counter where a young girl, likely just out of high school, was waiting to take their order. They ordered roast beef sandwiches, chips, and iced tea that they took out to a table overlooking the water. Setting aside conversation of murder and whodunit, they enjoyed a peaceful lunch and caught up on things normal couples would usually talk about.

  Tossing their sandwich wrappers into the trash, they walked hand in hand back to the bakery.

  “So, pick you up at four-thirty so we can catch Kellen before she leaves work?”

  “Sounds perfect,” Margot said, smiling at the fact that he knew she’d want to tag along with him. It was also a smart move on his part though, since she already knew Kellen and could use that familiarity to establish a rapport with the girl.

  When they reached the bakery, Margot went to the back so as not to get caught talking with one of the many customers that filled the front room. Since Adam would be coming back to pick her up, she needed to get her orders ready for the next day and do as much prep beforehand as she could so that in the morning, things would go more smoothly.

  As she was kneading sweet dough, her mind slipped to the thought of hiring another assistant. She couldn’t help but feel as if she was betraying Dexter, and yet she couldn’t keep up this pace much longer. It was funny that when she’d finally decided to hire an assistant, she’d done all of the things she did now, but after Dexter’s amazing work, she could easily see how much it helped to have someone who knew what they were doing in the kitchen with her.

  The peace of mind she had when she went away on a vacation or to visit her sister in California was improved by having someone in the kitchen who could handle the workload. She didn’t exactly expect to find someone quite that competent again, but maybe she could find someone who could do morning prep work or take over mid-morning and give her a few extra hours off.

  Margot rested her hands on the cool countertop and laughed. What she really wanted was more time to investigate, but there was no g
uarantee that there would be another case around the corner. Maybe Adam had been right. Maybe she did want to be a private investigator.

  And yet, the idea of actually calling herself that—aside from the formalities that it would involve—seemed unlikely. And, at the heart of it, she didn’t want to meddle in people’s affairs. Cases just seemed to fall into her lap. Perhaps it was a title that she wanted. Not so that she could brag, but so that—in a situation like they’d faced at the bar that very afternoon—Adam could call her an investigator rather than just a friend. Still, it wasn’t a good enough reason and she felt foolish for even having thought of it.

  For the rest of the afternoon, she buckled down and fulfilled her order for the next day along with a few additional items that would keep well until the next day. Then she did her prep and had time to sit down for fifteen minutes before Adam arrived at the back door, knocking because they had closed half an hour earlier and she’d locked everything up.

  He smiled when he saw her and reached up to brush his fingers lightly across her cheek. “Flour.”

  “The curse of a baker,” she said with a laugh.

  “That’s a curse I can live with.”

  She smiled and reached for her purse and sweater. Then they headed to Adam’s car.

  “To the senior living complex then?” he asked.

  “Yes, she should be there. I called ahead.”

  “And tipped her off?” he asked, jokingly.

  “Of course not. Who do you think I am?”

  “Only the perfect partner, so I have faith that you knew what you were doing.”

  She laughed at his obvious flattery. “You really will need to be careful. Les is going to start fearing for his job.”

  He shrugged nonchalantly. “I think he’ll understand our partnership.”

  The way he said it made Margot suspicious, as if Adam had talked to Les about this. And yet, why would he?

  “Ready to go?”

  She blinked out of her thoughts and nodded. “Yes.”

  When they were in the car and headed to the senior living complex, Adam explained what he’d done the rest of the day, mostly paperwork for another case he’d just wrapped up. Margot found her thoughts drifting, though she tried to keep up with what he was telling her. The thought of having another assistant distracted her, though.