Murder in the Shallows

by Byers, Beth

  “She told you she didn’t love you,” Tanner said to Ballard. “She told you she didn’t want to marry you. She loved me. Not him. Me.”

  “She had cold feet,” Ballard shot back. “Given time, she’d have changed her mind.”

  “Men,” Lila muttered to Kate, who nodded. Violet glanced their way, trying to silence them, but Lila added in a louder tone, “I can assure you, sir, your Miss Morgan had a mind of her own. She’d already found you wanting. Bothering her endlessly afterwards would not have engendered caring.”

  “What do you know of it?” Elijah Ballard demanded, scowling at Violet and her friends.

  “I’m a woman. Obviously, I know these things.”

  “Women’s intuition?” He sneered. “Rachael didn’t know what she wanted. She’d have given in eventually.”

  “So you were going to wear her down until she was too tired to say no again?” Lila’s mocking voice made Elijah Ballard flush with anger. He glared at Lila, who only laughed. “Try it with a woman who isn’t a shut-in. See if it works so well for you, idiot.”

  Violet shot Lila a quelling look, but she ignored it.

  Thankfully for the plan, Tanner taunted Ballard again. “She didn’t love you. She never was going to love you.”

  “Enough about the love or lack thereof of my niece,” Mr. Morgan snapped. “She wasn’t murdered. Her heart failed. This is all nonsense.”

  “My son found out otherwise,” Mr. Allen the elder lied. “I paid for that research myself. The lab. Tests. The expert study.”

  “Anything you have is hardly reliable,” Mr. Morgan shot back. “Your son wanted an outcome to support his fairy stories, and you bought it for him. That is all.”

  “I think…” Marcus Irons glanced at Professor Snag and then at the others. “She really was murdered?”

  Hamilton looked at Marcus. “I believe she was poisoned. The slow work of the poison would have imitated her heart failing.”

  “You keep out of this, Mr. Irons,” Mr. Morgan demanded. “This farce has gone on long enough.”

  Marcus swallowed, and Violet wanted to hand the lad a drink, but she didn’t dare interrupt.

  “If Miss Rachael was murdered,” Marcus said to Daniel Morgan. “Then the information I have provides a possible motive.”

  “It means nothing,” Mr. Morgan replied.

  Marcus’s face flushed, but he said, “I cannot do that, sir.”

  “I will see you thrown out of the program.”

  That silenced Marcus.

  “I have an alibi for Mr. Allen’s murder,” Mr. Morgan continued as though he hadn’t just threatened the lad. “By Jove, Hamilton. We had drinks until late.”

  Hamilton studied Marcus, but Morgan’s threat had been too effective and the lad kept quiet, bowing his head.

  “Jeremiah Allen came and found me,” Mr. Tanner told them all. “He found me when I was on one of my rambles. You know about those.” Tanner spoke to Professor Snag and Marcus Irons, who both nodded. “He knew about them too. He wanted something from me. We argued, but when I saw him it was after two in the morning. Perhaps you were with Mr. Morgan at that time?”

  “You know we went to bed long before then, Daniel,” Hamilton said.

  “Did everyone know about your late night walks?” Violet asked Tanner, who glanced around those present and answered, “I think everyone but Mr. Morgan.”

  Violet’s head cocked as she turned to Jack’s friend. A picture of horror rolled out before her with an end she didn’t want to know. “You know what I find most interesting all of the sudden?”

  “I care not,” Mr. Morgan replied.

  “I care,” Jack countered.

  “Hamilton,” Violet told Jack. “Hamilton, Jack, and Emily. If someone was killed with Hamilton Barnes of Scotland Yard in the town, of course he’d be invited to help on the case. The boys here must have been almost rabid after that clever speech of Hamilton’s.”

  Violet turned back to Mr. Morgan, her gaze moving over him. “It was you.”

  “Of course it wasn’t.”

  “You arranged the lecture,” she said, not backing down as he, and his eyebrows, scowled at her.

  “That means nothing more than me supporting my friend. A friendship that is over, Barnes.”

  “You made sure Jack was invited. You even asked us to stay with you even though Jack was going to arrange a hotel. You insisted on it. Why?”

  “They’re my friends. I have a large house. It means nothing.”

  “If that were the only piece, I’d agree with you. And yet, with the water influencing Allen’s body, it would be difficult to accurately guess the time of death. Anyone would assume it would have been soon after he was removed from the reception. Did you tell him to pick a fight with Marcus? With one of your other boys? Somebody started that ruckus at Hamilton’s reception. Were you behind that too?”

  “You are ridiculous, my dear.”

  “So Hamilton and Jack are invited into the case. They already care for you. You’re long-time friends. They knew Rachael personally. Knew of her heart issues. Watched you worry about her. There was no reason to link Allen’s death to hers. What did he know?”

  “There was nothing for him to know,” Morgan told her, glancing at the others as if expecting someone to speak up for him. “Why would I kill my niece?”

  “She wasn’t doing want you wanted,” Violet suggested, knowing that had only been part of it. She was sure—certain—she was right. It was Barnes who was the missing piece, not anything else.

  “Hardly motive for murder.”

  “Maybe not,” Violet agreed. “Except, she was going to leave her gilded cage and go into the world with a man who could hardly give her the comforts you had. She would die slowly, leaving her money to that cad, Nathan. That wasn’t what your family wanted when they entrusted their daughter to you. They wanted you to protect and love her.”

  “I did protect and love her.”

  “Even from herself,” Violet challenged.

  “When necessary,” he snarled. “I’d never have let her marry Tanner. I didn’t need to kill her to stop that.”

  “You know,” Violet told him. “I invited the former fiancé of the man I love here today to help him. I’d do almost anything for him. It isn’t even difficult for me to ignore the wishes of my family—who love me—and choose him. Your niece would have done the same. She allowed your Elijah to think he had a chance with her while making her plans with Nathan. She only needed to wait until he finished with school, and then they’d have been away.”

  “She wouldn’t have left me. You are wrong.”

  “What did you do to your fortune?” Violet asked. “Where did it go?”

  Mr. Morgan stumbled then. It was apparent he hadn’t expected her to change tactics so suddenly.

  “I can find out, of course. I’m good at money.”

  “You’re a woman.”

  “That is also true,” Violet told him.

  “He lost it,” Marcus said suddenly. “He invested heavily with his cash into a scheme and it all fell apart. He was ruined. It was why he let Jeremiah’s father buy the fool’s way into the program. Professor Morgan sent him a list of things they needed, and Allen wrote a check. Simple. Easy. Then Rachael died, and he got most of that too. He had been on the brink of ruin.”

  “You can’t prove any of this,” Morgan snarled.

  Jack stared at his friend. “My God, Daniel. Rachael adored you. How could you kill her?”

  “I didn’t.”

  “Where is your cane?” Jack demanded. “You had it the evening of the reception. I hadn’t realized you’d stopped using it. We’ll find it. It’ll match young Jeremiah’s wound, and it’ll all be over. Now that we know what to look for—”

  Morgan shoved his chair back and ran.

  “Oh, by Jove!” Denny cheered. “Lila, did you see?”

  The door to the hotel suite banged against the wall as it flew open. Denny ran after Mr. Morgan but collided w
ith Jack. Mr. Morgan, however, was tackled by the local police officers that Hamilton had at the ready.

  The rest of them crowded behind Jack and Denny and watched as the local police took Morgan away with Hamilton following after, explaining what had occurred.

  “Sorry about nearly knocking you down, old man.” Denny clapped Jack on the shoulder. “I was feeling a bit high-spirited.”

  “Why did he run?” Victor asked. “He might have bluffed his way through it if he hadn’t run.”

  Violet and Jack glanced at each other and then back at Victor. “The cane,” they said together.

  “Stupid man,” Jack muttered. “He might have gotten away with if it wasn’t someplace we could find it.”

  “He was sure of us,” Hamilton Barnes said. “Sure we’d never think of him. He loved that cane.”

  “We wouldn’t have suspected him,” Jack said, sounding disgusted. “If not for Jeremy. The boy must have gotten at least one thing right to prompt his murder when he was stumbling around investigating Miss Morgan’s death.”

  “Oh,” Professor Snag said, “Jeremiah Allen was right more often than you would think. Lord Pemberton’s son was stealing Jeremy’s money from his rooms. The religion student really did have associations with brothel girls, though running a brothel was a bit far-fetched. Professor Gregory Naveen was removed when the dean realized that he was, in fact, selling his test questions to any student with the means to pay.”

  Violet blinked.

  “Mr. Allen paid attention, read all the journal articles, followed all the cases. He was quite brilliant. Just young and in need of molding.”

  “What did he suspect you of?” Violet asked Professor Snag, remembering that Jeremiah Allen had searched Professor Snag’s office.

  The professor grinned wickedly, his kind eyes twinkling. “I’ll never tell.”

  Chapter 20

  The shoreline curled out into the sea with a stiff breeze over the cool water. Violet held her shoes in her hand, and her skirts were wet at the hem from walking along the shore.

  “That was freezing,” Violet told Jack, grinning up at the mountain of him. His broad shoulders blocked the sun and gave her shade despite the gloriously sunny day. Rouge ran along the sea, barking at the waves. Other than Violet’s spaniel, they were alone.

  Jack tangled their fingers together. “I wasn’t sure I would remember what it felt like to be cold, but that reminded me.”

  His pants were rolled up to his calves, and they were as wet as the hem of Violet’s dress.

  “I didn’t think you would make it while we were still here,” Violet admitted. “I thought you’d have to carry on with the case.”

  Jack shrugged. “The dean shamed Daniel into confessing after laying out the evidence. Once we knew where to look, it wasn’t that hard to find. Daniel had gotten his friend at the journal to invite Ham to write his article and then arranged the event. We found the cane. It matched the wound. The fool even purchased the poison himself. When Emily’s first article was published, a chemist came forward. As soon as we put it all together, we had only to fill in the missing pieces.”

  Violet adjusted her hat, holding it on her head when a stiff wind threatened to carry it away. “I’m sorry it was your friend.”

  “I’m sorry he used our friendship to hide his crimes.” Jack cleared his throat and then took a stone from his pocket, throwing it out to sea. “Emily asked me to forgive her. She said she’d repented her mistake and had always regretted it.”

  Violet knew what his answer had been and the only feeling she had about Jack’s statement was sympathy for Emily Allen. The woman hadn’t recognized what she’d had until it was too late. Violet would not be so foolish.

  Jack turned to Violet, tilting her face to his. “You didn’t doubt me when Emily came around. Even now, you knew I had turned her away.”

  Violet lifted her brow and waited.

  “I doubted you when I saw you with Tomas and saw he loved you. I was so jealous it was like a fire in my gut. I—” Jack thrust his hands into his pockets. “I am always going to be protective of you, Violet. Jealous even. I’m always going to worry that someone will snatch you away from me. It happened with Emily. I know you aren’t her, but I love you so much more than I ever loved her. She broke me. If it were you, Vi, I wouldn’t survive.”

  Violet pressed her lips together, hating the agony that the mere thought of her betrayal put in his voice.

  “I won’t doubt you, not really,” he assured her. “I know you would never actually betray me.”

  “I would never.”

  “I know,” Jack said. “I’m messing this up again. I…”

  Violet waited. She had been determined to hear it again. For it to be all hers this time. No dead bodies, no case, nothing but the two of them.

  “You give me joy.” Jack rubbed his hand over his mouth as if surprised to hear the words coming from his mouth. “And laughter. You’ve taught me to like stupid books like Tarzan and Bulldog Drummond.”

  Violet pressed her lips together to hold back a reply. She wanted the words. All of them. It was only fair.

  “I didn’t know I could love so hard until you.” It was then that he slipped to his knees, taking her hand to press a ring into her palm. “I don’t have poetry, or clever words, or grand romantic gestures. All I can give you is my heart, a solemn vow to adore you the rest of my days, and the very disturbing promise that if you say no, I’ll just keep asking until you’re worn out.”

  Violet laughed a watery laugh. She slipped to her knees in front of him, letting the water wet her dress further as small waves covered their legs. She put the ring on her finger without looking away from his face. It was his expression and his words that she wanted. The love in his gaze.

  “You’ve already worn me down.” She cupped his jaw in her hand, looking into his eyes and seeing her own face reflected back. “I’m already yours. Didn’t you know?”

  “I want the words, Violet. I know what they mean to you. I know what giving them to me will mean to you.”

  She waited, giving him a merry but tear-filled smile.

  He knew what she wanted, and he gave it to her. “Will you marry me, Lady Violet Carlyle? Will you be mine?”

  She let her thumb run over his bottom lip, reveling in this moment. “Yes. Of course I will.”

  Jack kissed her then, fiercely, stealing her breath. He already had her heart, but he took her breath too.

  Violet wasn’t sure how much time passed when Denny called, “Finally.”

  She gasped, pressing her face into Jack’s chest only to tilt her head to the side and peek out to see if Denny was really there. It wasn’t just that fool. It was her twin, Kate, Denny, and Lila. Violet gaped at their grinning faces and then glanced at Jack, who was as surprised as she.

  “We have been waiting and waiting,” Denny said cheerily over the sound of the wind, waves, and birds. “I mean, you couldn’t have taken a few minutes in Oxford to wrap it up? We had to come all the way to Dorset to secure this deal?”

  “Shut up, my lad,” Lila said, elbowing her husband. “You know Violet can be vicious.”

  “I told you he was going to propose,” Denny said, ignoring his wife. “I thought he had us beat with the boat thing. The whole taking Vi off to Oxford was damned clever. Kept us from witnessing his begging, unlike Victor.”

  “It didn’t look like begging to me,” Kate said with a wide smile. “It looked just lovely. We’re sorry. We’re terrible friends.”

  “They knew that already,” Victor told Kate. He was grinning so widely, Violet thought his face just might crack. “Jack’s supposed to be a bright lad. He should have realized we’d follow them down. We all knew it was coming. Even Violet did. Look at her dress. Sets off her hair, makes her cheeks all rosy. Look at her wearing that pink lipstick. It’s Jack’s favorite.”

  “Jack’s wearing it now,” Denny inserted, and Kate bit back a laugh.

  “Careful, my love,” Lila told
her husband. “Jack might decide to teach you a lesson.”

  “We lads have to stick together and give a head’s up when we’re wearing our girl’s lipstick. It’s a man thing, love. You wouldn’t understand.”

  “What is so hard to understand about that?” Lila demanded, rolling her eyes at him. “Sometimes I wonder why I love you.”

  “Wore you down, don’t you remember?” Denny asked her. “Just like Jack threatened. That was my favorite bit.” An excited expression crossed Denny’s face as though he’d discovered a great treasure. “This calls for champagne. Or cocktails. Or champagne cocktails. Definitely chocolates though. Let’s go get some while Jack cleans up his face.”

  Denny went ahead of the others towards where they were staying, and the rest gave the couple one last look before they followed, with Victor even whistling for Vi’s dog.

  “Do we have to keep them?” Jack asked, pushing to his feet and pulling Violet up with him. His arm was firm around her waist, and her feet dangled over the water.

  Violet wrapped her arms around his shoulders. “If we leave them,” she asked Jack seriously, “who would care for them?”

  “So it’s for the good of mankind?” He smiled at her as though there were something precious in her that only he could see.

  “I’m afraid so.”

  He looked back over his shoulder and saw they’d truly left, then he tilted her chin up to him with his free hand. “Perhaps you can make it up to me?”

  Violet endeavored to do her best.

  THE END

  Hullo, my friends, I have so much gratitude for you reading my books and enjoying them. Are there words enough to explain how that feels? Almost as wonderful are reviews, and indie folks, like myself, need them desperately! If you wouldn’t mind, I would be so grateful for a review.

  To my British readers, this book is written in American English. I appreciate your patience with our differences.