Eve Lloyd’s A Deadline Cozy Mystery Box Set 2

by Sonia Parin

  “I’m sorry to have to ask,” Jack said. “Can you make sure no one leaves the inn?”

  Great. Now she had to hold her unwanted guests captive. “Yes, of course. I’ll… I’ll insist they must stay.”

  * * *

  “Did Jack give you any indication of how long he’ll be?” Jill asked, her teeth chattering slightly.

  Eve nodded. “I heard someone in the background mention a search and rescue helicopter. I wouldn’t be surprised if Jack ends up crossing in a rubber dingy.”

  Jill reasoned, “Surely the coast guard can provide safe passage.”

  “And I’m sure he’s thinking of all the options available to him.” Meanwhile, she had a house full of guests to feed and a corpse to guard.

  “I hope they get here before the tide comes in.”

  “That’s hours away, Jill.” Eve turned toward the inn. “This is the worst time of the year to receive bad news. His family is going to be shattered.” Everyone stood on the back porch watching them. “We need to go back inside now.”

  “Wait.” Jill grabbed her arm. “I think we need to talk about what happened and… what might have happened.” She nudged her head toward the house. “One of them might be...”

  “What?”

  Jill pressed her lips together and puffed out her cheeks. “You’re going to make me say it.”

  Eve tugged her along. “Yes, one of them might be responsible. Then again, he might have wondered outside in the middle of the night and… and suffered some sort of attack. I’d rather not jump to conclusions so close to Christmas. It seems… unseasonal.”

  “We should at least try to find out who it is.” Jill looked over her shoulder. “And maybe we should have switched the lights off on his sweater. He looks odd lying there with those lights blinking.”

  “You covered the body. We can’t see the lights.”

  Jill shook her head. “Yes, but I still know they’re blinking. The lights must be waterproof.”

  Eve strode on ahead, her hands stretching out with the intention of herding everyone back inside the house. No one moved. The Tinsel-Toners were all lined up next to each other. While the Yule-Tiders stood to one side several steps behind.

  “There has been an unfortunate incident,” Eve said. “Who’s missing from your group?”

  “Todd Emerson,” a woman called out.

  Eve did a head count and came up with twenty-three. That meant the pregnant couple hadn’t come into the house yet. Two less people to worry about, Eve thought.

  She gave them all an update, saying the police would be along shortly. “Meanwhile, we need to stay away from the beach. The police have asked that we preserve the scene.” Strangely, Jack had made no such request, which made Eve wonder if he merely expected her to know the drill.

  One of the Tinsel-Toners cleared his throat.

  Surely, they weren’t going to break into a song.

  “We all have an appointment in town,” the Tinsel-Toner said. “As they say, the show must go on.”

  Really? One of their own had died and he wanted to get on with it?

  The Yule-Tiders shifted and murmured among themselves.

  Eve sensed their restlessness about to erupt and turn into an altercation.

  Raising her voice, she said, “The police have asked us all to remain in the house. They’ll wish to speak with everyone.”

  “Why?” a Tinsel-Toner asked.

  “They didn’t say. I’m sorry, I’m only the innkeeper here following instructions.” As she turned, she thought she heard someone murmur something about a mad innkeeper.

  * * *

  Eve closed the door to the adjoining dining room and the sunroom and strode back to the kitchen. “Okay. They’ve been fed.”

  After serving breakfast, Jill had taken up her post by the window, presumably to keep watch over the body. “It’s been an hour. Where is Jack?”

  “You need to take your mind off it,” Eve said. “Chill out. He’ll be here when he gets here.”

  “Are you trying to convince me or yourself?” Jill asked.

  Both, Eve thought. “Samantha just arrived. I’ve asked her to take down everyone’s names. She’ll be discreet about it.”

  Frowning, Jill asked, “Are you suggesting I wouldn’t be discreet?”

  “No.”

  “No, you’re not suggesting it or no, I wouldn’t be discreet?”

  “Yes.”

  Jill frowned at her. “You’re afraid I might give them the third degree.”

  “I actually can’t stop you from going to the dining rooms and… discreetly… conversationally trying to get some information from them. Feel free to do whatever you must do.” Eve prepared a tray. “I’m taking this up to the pregnant couple.

  Jill hurried on ahead and held the front door open for Eve and said, “I’ll wait out here for you. For all we know, there might be a killer on the loose and he might be hiding in the bushes waiting to ambush you.”

  Along the way, Eve thought about what she’d say to the couple. They needed to be informed. When the young man answered her knock at the door, Eve asked to have a word with him in the hallway.

  “Sorry,” he apologized. “Lily slept in. Otherwise, we would have come down for breakfast. By the way, I’m Bradley Hopper.”

  “Just as well you didn’t come down. There’s been an incident and I wouldn’t want Lily to be upset.” Eve filled him in.

  “Do you know what happened?” he asked.

  Eve shook her head. “He might have wandered outside and suffered an attack. We’ll know soon enough.”

  He took the tray from her and said, “I didn’t hear any sirens.”

  “The police haven’t arrived yet. The bridge is still down. Perhaps it might be better if you both stay here for a while. It should all be sorted out before midday. I wouldn’t want anything upsetting your wife.”

  He looked over his shoulder. “Thank you. That’s a good idea.”

  Moments later, she returned to the house.

  “Did you get their personal details?” Jill asked.

  “Oh… No, I guess Samantha will have to go up.”

  Returning to the kitchen, Eve took a moment to gather her thoughts by making more coffee. Then they both sat staring out the kitchen window. By the time they’d emptied their mugs, Samantha had finished collecting everyone’s details.

  “Here’s a list.”

  Eve took it. “The police will really appreciate this.” She turned to Jill. “Do you think you can hold the fort for half an hour? I need to swing by Mira’s and make sure she remembered to have breakfast. She’s been preoccupied with her book and…”

  “Eve, what’s going on?” Jill asked.

  “What do you mean?”

  “You’re going into too much detail. I do that with my parents when I want to avoid something unpleasant.”

  Grabbing her coat, Eve said, “Half an hour. Call me if the police arrive before then.”

  “You’re going to check on Mira.”

  Eve gave a stiff nod. She never worried about her aunt. Maybe, just maybe, they needed to circle the wagons…

  * * *

  Mira waved to Eve from her desk by the window. When Eve entered the kitchen, she heard Mira approaching from the hallway.

  “I’d just picked up the phone to call you,” Mira said. “I’ve been eager for news about your guests. Did they come to blows last night?”

  “No, they all went to bed quietly.” More or less. Eve told Mira about the singing Tinsel-Toner and managed to get a chuckle out of her aunt.

  “I almost wish I’d gone back to the inn with you. I think I’m ready to put aside my work for the year. You have your hands full with your guests. So, I’m thinking I could go there now rather than wait until Christmas Eve. It’ll save you the trouble of dropping in and checking to see if I’ve remembered to feed myself.”

  “Have you had breakfast?”

  Mira shook her head. “Are we already on rations or am I allowed to
have a full English breakfast?”

  Eve bit the edge of her lip. “If that’s what you want, then that’s what you’ll get. Minus the bacon… and the sausages. I took all the bacon and sausages we had over to the inn. But you can have extra toast.” She looked inside the cupboard. “How do you feel about grits? I seem to have a lot of it.” Eve shrugged. “We had that group from Alabama not long ago. They were actually keen to try something new so I was stuck with the grits.”

  Mira grimaced. “How about you serve the grits to the Yule-Tiders and I can have their bacon?”

  Eve foraged through the refrigerator and gave a triumphant whoop. “You’re in luck. I found some bacon.” As she prepared breakfast for Mira, she asked, “Out of curiosity, if you didn’t know anything about me, how would you go about learning more?”

  “I’d ask you.”

  “Let’s say you don’t have that option.”

  Mira stirred some sugar into her coffee. “I’d do a search on-line. Or I’d find someone resourceful.” Mira’s mouth firmed.

  Eve didn’t need to ask because she already knew Mira had just thought of David. The retired detective had been quite resourceful in the past and instrumental in digging up privileged information. Well, no more…

  She set a plate in front of Mira and settled down on a kitchen stool next to her to sip a cup of coffee.

  “I take it you’ve already fed your guests,” Mira said.

  “Yes, I took care of them. I can’t remember the last time I had to prepare twenty-five meals.”

  Mira nibbled on a piece of bacon. “Twenty-five? I thought you’d split the guests up into groups and they were all even numbers…”

  When Eve saw Mira frowning, she surged to her feet and began wiping down surfaces.

  “I’m sure you said there were twelve Tinsel-Toners and—”

  “Yes.”

  “Eve? Has one of your guests checked out?”

  The sound of a low flying helicopter drowned out Eve’s response.

  Looking out the window, Mira said, “That’s a police chopper. I guess Jack is arriving early. I hope he didn’t want to surprise you.” Taking her mug of coffee with her, Mira strode over to the window. “I guess it’s not him. It’s not landing here. What do you suppose that’s about?”

  Eve’s cell phone rang. “It’s Jill.”

  When Eve stood there staring at her cell phone, Mira said, “You might want to answer it then.”

  “Yes, of course.” When Eve answered, she tried to keep her tone conversational.

  Eve nodded as Jill told her the chopper had landed right on the beach and Jack had started working the crime scene because, in Jill’s opinion, they had one.

  “Okay. I guess I’ll see you soon.” Eve slipped the cell phone inside her pocket and continued wiping the kitchen counter.

  Mira cleared her throat. “Are you going to make me ask?”

  Giving a nonchalant shrug, Eve said, “Jack found a way to get to the island.” Leaning against the counter, she drew out the list Samantha had compiled of the guests and studied it. Eve didn’t see any point in rushing back to the inn. She’d only be hovering around, watching the police do their job. Instead, she thought she would do a quick search on-line. She hoped Todd Emerson had died of natural causes. Looking up at the ceiling, Eve sent a silent prayer. Please, please… let him have died of natural causes.

  If Todd Emerson had been killed…

  Eve pushed out a breath. A death at the inn. Only days before Christmas. Looking around the kitchen, she asked, “Where did I leave my laptop?”

  “In the sitting room,” Mira said.

  Eve waited until she stepped out of the kitchen to draw in a calming breath. She didn’t want to have to explain another death at the inn, not just yet.

  Settling down at the kitchen table, she began working through the list of the guests. She had no idea what to look for. No idea and no real enthusiasm for digging up information about a possible killer.

  People died all time. Just because a Tinsel-Toner had died on her beach didn’t mean someone had killed him.

  She came across a few social media posts listing the times and places where the Christmas carolers would be making an appearance.

  “The Tinsel-Toners planned on coming to the island tomorrow.” Why had they come a couple of days earlier?

  Mira sat down next to her. “Maybe they found out the Yule-Tiders were scheduled to come yesterday and they wanted to stoke the fire.”

  “Why would they do that?”

  “Some people enjoy stirring up trouble.” Mira tapped a finger on the list. “I thought you said there were two groups of twelve. Is someone missing from your list?”

  Eve brushed her hands across her face.

  “Eve. You’re going to make me ask again… Has something happened to one of your guests?”

  Eve chortled. “What? Why would you ask that?”

  At the sound of the helicopter, they both turned toward the window.

  “I wonder if the helicopter is ferrying out any of the guests,” Mira said.

  Yes. At least one that she knew of, Eve thought, and he was going out in a body bag.

  Chapter Five

  Before Eve could emerge from her car, Jill jumped in.

  “Finally. I thought you were never going to come back. They’ve taken the body away and Jack is interviewing all the guests. He hasn’t mentioned the cause of death, but I’m going to take a wild stab and say someone hit Todd Emerson on the head.” Jill scooped in a breath and continued, “Also, you’ll never guess, so I’ll tell you.” Instead of telling her, Jill stopped.

  “You want me to prompt you?” Eve asked.

  “I’m debriefing you but you’re not even blinking. You could at least gasp in surprise.”

  “Okay, I’m surprised. Hang on. Why am I surprised?”

  “I watched Jack inspect the body. He paid particular attention to the back of the head. Then he looked up at the officer standing nearby and he nodded as if to confirm his suspicions.”

  “So, you’re not actually sure he’d been hit on the head.”

  “If you’d been here, you would have reached the same conclusion.”

  “Okay. Now can I get out of the car?”

  “No, there’s more.”

  Eve sat back and gave Jill her full attention.

  Lowering her voice, Jill said, “Todd Emerson is the one I heard singing last night. I’m thinking someone with a short fuse decided to shut him up for good.” When Eve didn’t respond, Jill added, “Last night, my back teeth were gritting. But I’m a reasonably stable person so I wouldn’t resort to violence. However, the same can’t be said for everyone else staying at the inn. We’ve already seen them in action. They’re a quarrelsome lot.”

  Jill had a point. They’d had front row seats to the altercation between the carolers. Tempers had flared… “Okay. Let’s be serious for a moment.”

  Jill snorted. “I never stopped being serious. You’re the one who got sidetracked.”

  “Do you blame me?” Eve’s voice hitched. “I have no idea how I managed to avoid having to explain another dead body to Mira. I know she’s onto me.

  “Mira will understand,” Jill said. “This is all out of your control.”

  And yet, Eve couldn’t help feeling responsible. If only she’d put her foot down. If she had refused the carolers shelter, none of this would have happened. Then again, it might have happened somewhere else. Yes, and then it would have been someone else’s problem.

  Eve brushed her hands across her face. “I hope you realize you are a witness.”

  “Me?”

  “Last night, you were woken up by the singing. Did you hear anything that might have sounded like footsteps out in the hallway or maybe a door opening? I haven’t had time to oil the hinges and I know there are a couple of squeaky doors.”

  “My focus was on getting back to sleep.” Jill sat back and closed her eyes. “I’m going to have to think long and hard about that. I on
ly remember being annoyed enough to punch my pillow.”

  “Tell me more,” Eve encouraged. “Did you imagine the pillow was Todd Emerson’s face and if you’d had the chance, would you have smashed your fist into his face?”

  “For starters, I had no idea who it was. I mean… I had a general idea because I could hear the singing coming from the room next to mine…” Jill’s lips parted. “Are… Are you suggesting I’m going to be a suspect?”

  Trying to keep a straight face, Eve said, “It’s the festive season. You’re probably upset because your parents can’t be here for Christmas. You were looking forward to a break and suddenly, there are all these unexpected guests staying at the inn. Being woken up by a caroler singing Silent Night was the last straw. It pushed you over the edge.” Eve rolled her eyes and groaned. “Good grief, I think I just became a suspect myself.”

  They sat in silence for a moment and then Eve murmured, “Everyone has secrets and I’m sure Jack will get to the bottom of this. This will all be over soon. Remember, the bridge is down so...”

  Jill gasped. “The killer is still on the island.”

  Eve drew out the list Samantha had put together and handed it to Jill. “This should keep you busy. Everyone’s names. You’re a whiz when it comes to finding background information. I only got as far as finding out the Tinsel-Toners were not supposed to be here yesterday. They came a couple of days ahead of schedule. I’m guessing they did that to annoy the Yule-Tiders.”

  Jack emerged from the house. He stood on the front porch for a moment and then drew his cell phone out to make a phone call. Seeing Eve, he nodded.

  “Jack will have his hands full,” Eve said. “How about we go in and start preparing lunch?”

  “What if the killer is in the house? Are we going to feed him too?” Jill cringed. “Sorry, I just heard myself.”

  Eve laughed. “I’m glad you said it because it’s the sort of remark I usually make.”

  Jill gave her a comforting pat on the shoulder. “Don’t worry about Mira. She won’t think less of you.”