When I reached the living room, I saw Jessica standing up in front of our couch with her brow furrowed.
“What’s the matter?” I asked.
Jessica pointed at the front door. “Who is that?”
As I turned my head toward the front of the house, I heard a loud knock at the door.
I clutched my chest, startled. Not just because of the knock. But also in response to who I saw peering through my window.
It wasn’t an old friend. Instead, it was Amanda Hartley. And she didn’t look happy.
The fifty-two-year-old had been a suspect in the last murder case that my husband and I worked on. But after a thorough investigation, Amanda was eventually cleared of any wrongdoing and the real killer was arrested. It had been a few months since the book had been closed on that case. Which made Amanda’s presence at my door all-the-more puzzling. What was she doing here?
I had a feeling that I didn’t want to know the answer. But as much as I wanted to ignore her, I knew that she wouldn’t go away.
That said, before I headed to the front door, I needed to speak with my daughter first.
I turned to Jessica and gave her very specific directions. “Call your father right now. Tell him that he needs to come home immediately.”
A look of panic washed over Jessica’s face. “Why, Mommy? Who is that?”
I placed my hands on Jessica’s shoulders and stared deep into her eyes.
“Just go in the kitchen and call your father. And don’t come back out here. Got it?” I asked.
Jessica nodded and then rushed into the kitchen.
Amanda pounded on the door again. “Come on out, Sabrina. I know you’re in there. I can see you through the window.”
I reached over and grabbed my purse from the coffee table. Inside my purse was a can of pepper spray that I always kept on me. In all my years of carrying the spray around, I had rarely pulled the can out. This was an unwelcome exception.
I moved toward the door slowly. “What are you doing here?”
“There’s something I need to tell you,” Amanda said.
I stopped in the entryway and didn’t open the door. “Fine. What’s on your mind?”
As I looked at Amanda through the window, I saw outrage in her blue eyes. But I also noticed something else. Her eyes were completely bloodshot.
“Aren’t you going to come out?” Amanda asked.
“Are you drunk?” I asked.
“What does that matter?”
“To start, it’s only two o’clock in the afternoon.”
Amanda shrugged. “So what? There’s nothing wrong with a few drinks.”
I stared deep into her eyes. “True. But I think you’ve had more than a few.”
“Are you going to come out here or not?” she snapped.
I shook my head. “I’m not moving until you tell me what you’re doing here.”
“What are you, afraid of me?”
“You didn’t answer my question,” I said. “Why are you here?”
Amanda’s focus turned to the can that I was holding. “Is that pepper spray?”
“It sure is.”
Amanda scoffed. “What do you think I’m going to do to you?”
“I don’t know. That’s the problem—”
She cut me off. “No. The problem is that you ruined my life.”
My eyebrows knitted. “I don’t know where you got that from.”
“How about the fact that my husband won’t speak to me?”
“I’m sorry things are rough for you right now, but—”
“Rough?” She cackled. “Try unbearable. I’ve lost everything.”
“Look. I’m sorry to hear that you aren’t on speaking terms with your husband, but I had nothing to do with that.”
“That’s where you’re wrong. All those questions you asked during your investigation. Those things you said to my husband. They drove a wedge between us.”
“I don’t think you’re remembering things correctly. Your husband had already thrown you out of the house before the investigation began. You’re the one who cheated on him with Wally Tuttle.”
“Sabrina, you don’t get it. When you began meddling in my life, I was in the middle of trying to win Jim back. And your investigation was the final nail in the coffin of our marriage.”
“Stop blaming me for something that wasn’t my fault,” I said.
“Except this was your fault,” Amanda said. “Just like you’re to blame for me losing my job.”
I shook my head. “No. I’m not going to let you pin that on me. I heard you were fired because you showed up to work drunk.”
“And why do you think I started drinking so much? If ruining my marriage and costing me my job wasn’t bad enough, you also falsely accused me of murder.”
“I never accused you of murder. All I did was question you about a number of suspicious details in your life.”
Amanda scoffed. “You can phrase it however you’d like. It’s not going to change the truth.”
“In case you’ve forgotten, I had every reason to have suspicions about you.”
She smirked. “Just keep telling yourself that.”
I lost my patience. “That’s it. I’ve let you say your piece. But there’s no reasoning with you. So it’s time for you to leave. Now get out of here.”
She snarled at me. “Stop telling me what to do.”
“I want you out of here,” I replied. “Don’t make me say it again.”
She shot me a glare. “You have a lot of nerve.”
“Not as much as you do. How dare you come to my house?”
She fired back at me. “How dare you ruin my life?”
“Amanda, you really need to stop blaming other people for your problems,” I replied. “Now I’m going to say this one last time. Please leave.”
Amanda shook her head. “You can’t tell me what to do.”
“I sure can. This is my house and you’re not welcome here. So get lost.”
“We’re not done yet,” Amanda said.
Unfortunately, my words were having no effect on her. I needed to take action. So I opened the front door and pointed the can of pepper spray at her.
“I’m not going to tell you again. Walk away while you still have the chance,” I said.
Amanda shot me a glare. “I’m not afraid of you.”
“You should be,” I said. “As a matter of fact, you should be terrified. Of both me and my husband. Wait until David gets wind of this conversation. Let me tell you, he’s going not going to react well to you showing up on our doorstep looking for trouble. Now back away.”
Amanda looked at the pepper spray, then at the look in my eyes.
“I’m going to give you until the count of three,” I said.
The moment I began counting, Amanda backed away. “Fine. I’ll leave. But I’ll never forget the way you ruined my life.”
***
I watched Amanda closely as she staggered away from my house. Thankfully, she kept walking and didn’t turn back.
Once she was gone, I took a few moments to calm myself down.
Then, just as my heart rate began to stabilize, Jessica came up behind me. “What was that about?”
I was so startled that I nearly jumped out of my shoes.
“What are you doing, sneaking up on me like that?” I said.
“I’m sorry,” Jessica said.
“I told you to stay in the kitchen,” I said.
“I know. It’s just that I overheard you and that lady talking. What was all that about?”
“It was just a misunderstanding,” I said.
Jessica stared deep into my eyes. “Mommy, tell me the truth.”
“The truth is that I need to speak with your father—immediately,” I said.
Chapter Two
I had a brief phone conversation with my husband David. A few minutes later, he caught up with Amanda on Peach Street. While David confronted Amanda, I remained at home with my daughter
, impatiently waiting for an update.
It was a little over an hour before my husband’s car pulled into the driveway. I couldn’t help but wonder what had taken him so long. While David got out of his car, I ran out to the front yard, anxious to hear his explanation.
“What happened?” I asked.
David put his hand on my shoulder. “Don’t worry. After the way I read the riot act to Amanda, she’ll never pull something like this again.”
“How can you be so sure?” I said.
“Because I set her straight.”
I squinted. “But what if she doesn’t get the message?” I asked.
“I told you. Everything is going to be fine,” David said.
I looked deep into his eyes. “David, this is me you’re talking to. You don’t have to put on a good face for me. Just tell me the truth.”
“Amanda is back at the police station, spending some time in the drunk tank.”
“Don’t get me wrong. That’s great—for now. But what about when she sobers up?”
“Like I said, I scared the daylights out of her. And if she’s not terrified enough now, she will be when the judge grants a restraining order against her. Soon she won’t be able to come within five-hundred feet of anyone in our family.”
My eyes widened. “Wow.”
“That should give you peace of mind.”
I took a deep breath, but didn’t say a word.
He stared deep into my eyes. “Honey, doesn’t that make you feel a little bit better?”
I stared out into the distance. “When I began investigating murder cases, I knew there were risks involved. But I didn’t realize those risks would continue long after the case was closed. And I certainly never thought a former suspect would show up on our doorstep months later, looking for trouble.”
“I hear you,” David said. “Thankfully, Amanda was just drunk. Things could have turned out much worse.”
“Trust me. I’m keenly aware of that,” I said. “This was bad enough. Imagine if Amanda had a weapon.”
“Let’s just be glad that she didn’t.”
“I am. At the same time, I can’t help but wonder—what do we do now?”
“I told you. This is taken care of.”
“Yes. For now—”
David held his pointer finger up. “No. For good. Honey, Amanda isn’t going to bother us again.”
“I’ll bet. The problem is, Amanda isn’t the only former suspect who has a bone to pick with us. I can name dozens of other suspects who blame us for ever interviewing them.”
“Look. I know you’re panicked—”
“Aren’t you?” I asked.
“No.”
“How is that possible?”
“Because I know we’re going to be fine.”
“How can you say that with certainty?”
“Sabrina, don’t you know that I’ll do everything in my power to keep you and Jessica safe?”
“Of course. The problem is, we aren’t always together at the same time.”
“That’s why I’m going to make a few changes going forward.”
“Like what?”
“I’m going to make sure you have all the tools and training you need to protect yourself. Okay?”
“David, no part of what happened today is okay,” I said. “But when it comes to the safety of our family, I will take all the tools and training that you can offer.”
“All right. It’s settled then.”
“In the meantime, let’s go inside. I need to take a breather.”
“Trust me. You’re not the only one.”
“At least it’s over now,” David said.
“Yes, this incident. But there always seems to be another surprise around the corner.”
“Honestly, after everything we just went through, I’d prefer not the think about the future.”
“Fair enough. Instead, why don’t we count our blessings?” I said.
“Sure thing,” David said.
Chapter Three
Much to my relief, a number of days went by without any further incidents. That said, if things did get hairy again, we would be prepared. David made sure of that. He signed me up for a self-defense class. He also ordered a stun gun for me. Although, I prayed that I’d never have to use it. But after what happened with Amanda, it was important to be safe rather than sorry.
David figured that all of those precautionary measures would calm my nerves. Yet on Sunday morning, I woke up completely rattled.
Surprisingly, the altercation with Amanda wasn’t the culprit. Something else was at play. And it made me tremble. I sat up in bed and stared out the window, trying to work through my anxiety.
While I did that, David rolled over in bed and saw me staring out into the distance.
He spoke to me with concern in his voice. “How long have you been up?”
“Just a few minutes,” I said.
“Are you still thinking about Amanda Hartley? Because I told you, that’s taken care of—”
“I’m not thinking about Amanda,” I said.
“Then what’s on your mind?”
“Don’t worry about it.”
“It’s too late for that.” He moved over on the bed and sat up beside me. “Now tell me, what’s going on?”
“Today is my sister’s birthday. Or, it would have been, if she were still alive.”
He put his arm over my shoulder. “No wonder you’re so emotional.”
“You’d think that at this stage of my life, I wouldn’t get quite as worked up by her birthday. I mean, she’s been gone over twenty-seven years.”
“Sabrina, I think it’s completely natural to still be worked up. And I imagine that will never change.”
“You’re probably right.” I got choked up. “I miss her so much.”
“Oh, honey.”
“The crazy thing is, she’s been dead longer than she was ever alive.” I shook my head. “To think she was only nineteen when she was killed…what a tragedy.”
David nodded. “Yeah. She was so young.”
“During the time she was alive, though, we managed to create so many great memories.”
“You sure did.”
I stared out into the distance again. “That said, I can’t help but wonder what her life would be like right now if she was still alive.”
“I’ll bet she would have gone on to do some great things.”
“I think you’re right. Which makes it even sadder that she’s gone.” I put my head in my hands.
Just then, while I was a complete emotional wreck, my eleven-year-old daughter streamed into the room, full of exuberance.
“Yay. Beach day,” Jessica said.
David grimaced as he turned to our daughter. “Jess, I don’t think we’re going to be able to make it to the beach today.”
Jessica became deflated. “But you promised.”
“I know,” David said. “And I’m sorry to go back on my word. But it’s just a bad day to hit the beach.”
Jessica looked out the window. “What are you talking about? The weather is great.”
“Look. We’ll go to the beach another day,” David said.
“But it’s going to get really cold soon. There are only so many beach days left.”
“Jess, can you just give your mother and me a minute?” David asked.
I looked at my daughter and saw how badly she wanted to spend the day at the ocean. The disappointment in her eyes really pulled at my heart strings. The longer I stared at her, the more I found myself coming around to her line of thinking.
“Actually, a beach day isn’t a bad idea,” I said.
David eyebrows rose. “It isn’t?”
I shook my head. “No. As a matter of fact, it might be just what I need.”
David looked long and hard at me. “Are you sure about this?”
I became pensive for a moment and then replied, “Yes.”
“Okay,” David said.
Jessica threw he
r hands up. “Yay.”
***
Riding on a wave of my daughter’s unbridled excitement, we headed to Treasure Cove Beach. The moment my toes touched the sand, a smile came to my face. There was nothing quite like the beach during the off season. The summer crowds were long gone, leaving the beach to the locals to enjoy. It was such a quiet day that my family had a large stretch of coastline all to ourselves. Talk about a magical experience.
In addition to being incredibly fun, those carefree hours by the water also managed to take my mind off of losing my sister. What a welcome change.
That said, Jessica wasn’t completely absent from my thoughts. But instead of flashing back to the bad memories, I only focused on the good ones that we had shared. After all, my sister was always a strong believer in cherishing every moment. And the days she spent at the beach were some of her favorites.
It turned out my daughter and my sister shared more than just the same name. The older my daughter got, the more she reminded me of my sister. They were both kind, exuberant, and had a way of diving headfirst into life. In an increasingly jaded world, it was nice to see such positivity.
So ultimately, even though I had woken up that morning wanting to avoid thinking about my sister, Jessica ended up being on my mind for a good chunk of the day. The big difference was that rather than mourning her death, I spent my time honoring her life. Which, all told, was a pretty good way to celebrate her birthday.
Chapter Four
The next day, I woke up feeling energized. To the point where I almost didn’t need a coffee to start my day. But I headed over to Daley Buzz anyway. I knew my good friends would be there and I wanted to chat with them.
When I arrived at the coffee shop, Shannon Marlowe and Kelly Hogan were both sipping on lattes. I went over and joined them.
Shannon’s eyes were wide. “This latte is so good.”
“Enjoy it while you can,” I said. “We’re only going to be serving it a few more weeks.”
Shannon’s eyes widened. “Please tell me you’re kidding.”
“You know it’s seasonal,” I said.
Shannon grimaced. “It shouldn’t be. Why not let us savor pumpkin spice all year round?”
Mysteries of Treasure Cove Cozy Mystery Boxed Set Page 37