by Sonia Parin
“They did? Whatever for?”
“I have no idea. I only remember hearing Mira talk about the Duchess of Richmond holding a ball on 15 June 1815, the night before the battle. It turned into quite a social gathering.”
Jill laughed. “So, if we’d known this would happen, we could have organized a picnic by the marina.”
Ten minutes later, Jack appeared.
“I guess they got away,” Jill murmured.
“That’s a hasty conclusion.” Eve tried to read Jack’s expression. He looked focused and serious. Which could mean anything.
They waited until he reached the car before winding down the window.
“Did you catch them?” Eve asked.
He nodded. “They’ve been taken into custody. We handed them over to the coast guard.”
“How? Where?” Eve asked.
“They were about to board a boat.” He nodded. “We have them.”
Jill yelped. “For stealing a car?”
“No, the wife really lost it. She didn’t take it too well and she blamed her husband for getting caught because he couldn’t wait another couple of days before killing Todd Emerson. I guess we’ll find out the details soon enough when the mainland police interrogate them.”
Eve sat up and braced herself. “Are you suggesting they planned this all along?”
Jack brushed his hand across his chin. “Let’s just say they have been busy.”
“But they looked so innocent.” Eve looked out the window and wondered if she should rethink the whole idea of running an inn and letting strangers stay under her roof.
“Fact is, they’ve been busy for a long while now.”
“What? Hang on… Do they have anything to do with David Bergstrom’s cold case?” Eve asked.
“How did you know about that?”
Eve gave a woeful shake of her head. “The real pertinent question is why I didn’t know about it. I wish you’d mentioned it before, Jack. Do you have any idea what Mira has been going through?”
Jack looked away and back again. “I guess David didn’t mention it. Well… It wasn’t for me to say.”
“That’s no excuse. You could have dropped a hint.”
Jill nudged her. “He didn’t know David had kept it all under wraps. Give Jack a break.”
Jack grinned. “Am I forgiven?”
“Yes, of course. It’s so close to Christmas, how could I not forgive you, but I might bring it up again after the holidays.”
Jack climbed in and said, “Where to?”
“Home, James. Take us home. Although, this feels like a bit of an anticlimax. We were never in real danger.”
“None that we know of,” Jill said.
Epilogue
Eve walked into the inn and set the last of her shopping bags down. Somehow, she’d managed to talk the local store owner into revealing he had extra stock for emergencies. It hadn’t been easy. She’d had to bribe him with an offer of a free lunch at the inn and two nights stay for his mother-in-law visiting in the new year.
Jack came up behind her and covered Eve’s eyes with his hands. “Close your eyes. I have a surprise for you.”
Eve smiled. “Am I going to like it?”
“You’re going to love it. I promise.”
As they reached the kitchen, Jack removed his hands.
Laughing, Eve swirled around. “Okay… What’s the surprise?”
“Listen.”
“I don’t hear anything.”
He walked her through to the sitting room. “Look out the window.”
“What am I supposed to see out there? I just came in. I didn’t see anything.”
“Didn’t you notice anything when you drove in?”
Eve sighed. “I tried not to. Making the best of the situation is hard work.”
Jack walked her through to the front parlor and pointed toward the street. “What do you see?”
“Nothing. Oh…” Eve jumped on the spot. “Where are the cars?”
“It’s an early Christmas gift, Eve. I organized a ferry to take everyone to the mainland and then buses to drive them off to their respective homes. They left early this morning while you were out.”
“You mean, I have my empty inn back?”
He nodded.
“Details. How? When?”
“You were baking up a storm, so I drove into town and had a friendly chat with Roger McLain. I told him what needed to happen within twenty-four hours and…” He swept his arm around. “Here, it is. You are once again closed for the holidays.”
She wrapped her arms around him and cocooned herself in his embrace. “You could not have given me a better gift. From the bottom of my no longer heavy heart, thank you.”
“But wait, there’s more!”
* * *
“That’s what he said?” Jill asked.
Eve gave a vigorous nod. “He didn’t give me any more details. He only said I should expect another surprise.” Eve stepped back from the table and admired their handy work. “Traditional red and green for the table setting worked a treat. I particularly like your sprigs of holly arrangement.” Eve checked her watch. She wanted to get started on the tree but would have to wait until after lunch when they could all settle in the sitting room.
“Someone’s coming.” Jill hurried over to the window and gasped. “Oh, you’ll never guess.”
As Eve rushed to join her by the window, Jill swung around, grabbed hold of her arms and pushed her back. “No. I’m sure this is all part of Jack’s surprise so you have to cover your eyes.” Jill called out, “Mira. Come out of your writing cave. You need to be here for this. Oh, and close your eyes.”
“Jill,” Mira said as she strode out of the den, “I swear the more time you spend with Eve, the less sense you make. Has there been another murder?”
“Far from it. Come on. Stand next to Eve and close your eyes.”
“I hear the front door opening,” Eve said. “Mischief and Mr. Magoo have rushed to see who it is. They sound excited.”
Jill clapped her hands. “Okay. On the count of three, you can open your eyes.”
Eve and Mira both opened their eyes. Seeing David Bergstrom standing in front of them, they both pursed their lips, folded their arms and lifted their chins.
“Oh,” Eve said, her tone expressing the indifference she wanted to feel but didn’t because she rather liked the surprise. “Hello.”
“How did you get here?” Mira asked. “I didn’t hear the helicopter.”
David Bergstrom gave her an apologetic smile. “Jack insisted, saying I’d already spoilt the surprise by telling you to expect a surprise so he asked the helicopter pilot to land near your place. Jack picked me up and drove me here.”
Eve softened her tone a little when she asked, “Are you here for Christmas or is this only a brief visit? I’d like to know how many people I’m cooking for.”
“I’d like to stay,” David said. “But that depends on whether or not I’m forgiven.”
“Only if you tell us every single detail of your investigation,” Eve said.
Without taking his eyes off Mira, David agreed.
“Oh, go on,” Mira said. “You’re already here so you might as well stay.”
* * *
Eve poured everyone more coffee.
“It was my last case. I’d already postponed retiring twice. Finally, I had to give up on it. The trail had gone cold, and I had to file the case, but I never accepted it.”
Eve stirred some sugar into her coffee. “I cannot believe that sweet looking couple had been on a killing spree.”
David’s gaze lowered. “Their sweetness is what makes it all the more embarrassing for me and horrendous for the crimes they committed. They evaded capture for three years.”
“What prompted you to look at the case again?” Jill asked.
“Ken McLain alerted me to a recent murder. He saw a few similarities to previous unsolved murders. Thinking I might be interested, he asked if I wanted to d
o some consulting work.” He turned to Mira. “I’m sorry, but once I opened the case again, I couldn’t let it go. I would have told you but, from one day to the next, I didn’t know how long it would take and I just didn’t want to give you any empty promises.”
Eve’s gaze shifted over to the corner where David had put his surprise gift for Mira. Before turning his attention to the cold case, he’d put his retirement time to good use by making a rocking chair for Mira and had organized to have it helicoptered in. That had been the surprise he’d told her to expect.
Still… That didn’t get him off the hook.
While Mira smiled at him, Eve decided to give David a good dressing down. Mira worked on a constant deadline and if he wanted to be in her life, he needed to learn to toe the line and not disrupt… Eve raked her fingers through her hair. She’d think of something appropriate to say to him. For now, she was simply too happy to see him again.
Eve didn’t need to ask for more information about the case because Jill beat her to it. “Did they break and tell you why they killed Todd Emerson?”
“That’s what made this case so difficult. Motive. They did target him and had been following him for several days. A while back, we labeled them the holiday killers. Lily and Bradley Hopper enjoyed stalking their victims for days. They made their encounters look casual until they looked too coincidental. Lily, in particular, enjoyed seeing the rise of fear in their victim’s eyes. When they found themselves stranded at the inn Bradley Hopper couldn’t resist the temptation.”
“So, that story about driving into town to do some last-minute shopping had been a ruse?” Jill asked.
“I’m sure they planned on doing some of that too. To quote Bradley Hopper, getting stuck on the island raised the degree of difficulty and excitement. He positioned himself out on the rocks just in case Todd Emerson checked his window before turning in. And he did. When Bradley told us this, his eyes lit up. He hadn’t expected his plan to work, but it lured his prey outside. Todd wanted to confront him. By then, he’d been obsessing about seeing Lily and Bradley everywhere he went. Suddenly, they were at the inn.”
“But what motivated them?” Eve asked.
“He blames his mom. Apparently, she had a fixation with Christmas and kept the entire house decorated throughout the year. Bradley Hopper grew to hate the holiday season because it reminded him of his Christmas obsessed mom.” David Bergstrom shook his head. “Those two are a match made in hell.” David smiled. “I saved the best till last. Lily faked her pregnancy.”
“That’s something you could have left out. I feel foolish enough already for having thought of them as sweet.” Turning to Jack, Eve asked, “So, why did Rob Reeves make a run for it?”
Jack looked at Josh. “He took us on a wild goose chase.” He tipped his head back and sighed. “Rob Reeves is a kleptomaniac. When Josh said we wanted to have a word with him, he thought he’d been caught red-handed.”
“What?”
“Every time he visited his friends, he had the habit of taking something. Todd Emerson had already been suspicious of him. Mira did a great job picking up on that.”
“Did… Did he take something from the inn?”
“Quite a few things, actually. He cleaned out your camera display. Don’t worry, we’re holding them as evidence but I’ll make sure they’re all returned to you.”
“I hope so. You know what it cost me to get them.” She poured everyone more coffee. “So, your cold case is solved, David,” Eve said. “Do you have any others?”
“No, that’s it for me. I’m in full retirement mode now. No going back.”
“That’s good to hear.” At last, Eve thought. They were officially closed for the holidays. “Is anyone interested in helping me with the Christmas tree? We can have some Christmas Stolle and hot chocolate.” Eve smiled at Mira. “With extra tiny marshmallows courtesy of Jack.”
They all rose and followed Eve to the sitting room and were about to start hanging the decorations when the doorbell rang.
“If it’s a stray Tinsel-Toner or Yule-Tider tell them there is no room at the inn,” Eve called out as Jill went to answer the door.
She returned moments later with Helena Flanders and Abby Larkin.
“We couldn’t wait until dinner,” Helena said. “The whole town is talking about it but we want to hear your version of events.”
“It all started when Mira wanted tiny marshmallows for her hot chocolate…”
“Are you sure?” Mira asked. “I think it might have started with you singing Deck the Halls.”
David cleared his throat and began humming the tune. The rest joined in with a cheerful rendition. Jack tended to the fire. Jill handed some candy canes around. Mira sipped her hot chocolate with tiny marshmallows…
Yes, Eve thought, despite everything that had happened, this would be the best Christmas ever.
* * *
I hope you’ve enjoyed this collection of cozy mysteries. Next in the Eve Lloyd A Deadline Cozy Mystery series: Killer Spring
Preview - Killer Spring
Book 11
Sunrise, Rock-Maine Island
Eve brought the car to a stop and reached into the back seat for her basket. “There’s nothing I love more than a bright, sunny day. It puts an extra bounce to my step or should that be spring? Yes, spring. Add to that market day, and I’m in heaven.”
“Sunny day?” Jill croaked. “What are you talking about? The sun hasn’t come up yet. You lied to me. You said it was after six. It’s five in the morning and still dark.”
Eve refrained from saying she could have judged for herself… if only she’d been wide awake. “You know what they say about the early bird. Aren’t you glad you came with me? There’s nothing more exciting than catching the first glimpse of a sunrise. We’ll get some coffee first. Perhaps that will cheer you up. Can you take the other basket, please?” When Eve opened the back-passenger door, Jill’s Labradors, Mischief and Mr. Magoo, burst out, their tails wagging, their tongues lolling. “See, they’re happy to be here and look how pretty everything looks. It feels like Christmas in springtime with all the lights twinkling.”
Jill shielded her eyes and looked up at the floodlights. “I don’t know what I ever did to deserve this,” she grumbled. “I’m surrounded by morning people and pets.”
Eve smiled. “Please don’t make me regret bringing you along. Although, I shouldn’t complain since your 25-year-old sluggishness makes my 30ish years look positively resplendent.”
Jill yawned and stretched. “This is about me being your alibi. Admit it.”
Eve lifted her chin. “I don’t need one. Actually, since that sounds like an admission of guilt, I have no idea what you are talking about.”
Shaking her head, Jill laughed. “Lately, whenever you step out of the house you peer out the window first and then rush to the car. That strikes me as the odd behavior of someone who is trying to make sure there isn’t someone hiding behind the bushes waiting to ambush them or, to be more precise, a dead body for you to trip over.”
“Did you have a late night?” Eve asked. “Or did you just get out of bed on the wrong side? You sound grumpy.”
“You seem to forget, I worked the nightshift at the inn.”
Laughing, Eve said, “That doesn’t really qualify as work. You get paid for sleeping in the downstairs room just in case there’s an emergency. Did someone wake you up?”
Jill’s voice hitched and filled with indignation, “Yes, you did, at the crack of dawn.” Shaking her head, she rolled out of the car. “I just don’t understand you. Yesterday, you said you had all the ingredients you needed for today’s baking.”
“I want to cheer up Mira. She’s been working hard and deserves a treat.”
“Let me guess, Mira has a deadline and her new book is giving her trouble. She does it on purpose,” Jill murmured.
“Pardon?”
“She grumbles out loud so you’ll hear her and do exactly what you’re doing right n
ow. In other words, Mira has you wrapped around her little finger and I still don’t understand why we have to come here so early. Actually, I only really need to know why I’m here.”
“I’m being practical. In case something ever happens to me, you need to know what to do and where to shop. I have worked hard to establish certain standards at the inn and I wouldn’t want them to slip.” Eve headed toward her favorite stall. “Wallace Greenaway is always first in with the rhubarb and I want to test a few pies before introducing them to the menu. And before you complain and say I could have purchased them at any time during the day, I want to get the pick of the crop and avoid the crowds.”
“And that’s another reason why I don’t like market day,” Jill complained. “The roads get clogged up with everyone coming in from the mainland. Half the produce here comes from there. Why do they have to invade our island?”
Eve nodded in agreement. “I knew you’d eventually find your way to understanding me. That’s another reason why we’re here so early. People from the mainland won’t be here for hours.”
“Oh, yeah? Look around you. I don’t recognize any of these cars.”
Eve looked around and gaped. “Oh, heavens. Where did they all come from?”
When Mischief and Mr. Magoo bolted toward the stalls, Eve grabbed hold of Jill’s elbow and tugged her along.
“Hang on. What about the coffee you promised me?”
“Come on, forget about the coffee. I don’t want to miss out on the best rhubarb. Just as well. Look, there’s a line for coffee.” Eve sniffed the air. “I think I smell pie. That means Wallace is already here. I want to test the waters and see if he’ll share his recipe with me. Come on. We’ll get the coffee later. I promise.”
“FYI, I’m keeping track of all your broken promises. And… When did Wallace start making pies?”