Strange Tidings

by Ivy Dawson

  “She got greedy. She wanted more out of the deal and threatened to expose the whole thing if they didn’t give her more. They decided that it was better to get rid of her, and make it look like someone was trying discredit Frank’s claim to the fortune.”

  “Sending everyone on a wild goose chase,” Jax said, nodding as Victor explained the plot to him. “Wow. That’s intense. How’s your gran feeling? I can’t imagine any of this is easy on her.”

  “No,” Victor sighed. “She’s a mess. I think she really misses my dad. I think she knew that something was off but just wanted things to be right again so she ignored the truth. I’m just glad it all came out, because it was driving me crazy. I don’t know what I would’ve done if we didn’t find out the truth.”

  “And what about those pictures?” Jax asked. “Why did someone burn all those random pictures.”

  “Oh,” Victor said, nodding as he spoke. “So, it turns out that Estelle immediately knew that Frank wasn’t Samuel. They met after we arrested them. Frank and Karen found out that Estelle was on the ship too and were scared that Estelle would see right through him. So they burnt all the family pictures with Estelle in them, because they were scared Penny would ask Estelle to help identify Samuel. Clearly, none of them knew my gran very well.”

  “So why didn’t you recognize Estelle’s name when Shae asked you about it?”

  “I don’t remember my nanny from twenty years ago. Do you remember anything from when you were four years old?”

  “How did Karen meet Lucien?” Shae asked suddenly. “It sounds like they ran in totally different circles. In fact, it doesn’t sound like Lucien even liked her that much.”

  “He didn’t,” Victor shrugged. “He was just using her to make his dad angry, and she was using him to give her money.”

  “I don’t think she got much out of him,” Jax pointed out. “I mean, he wouldn’t even pay for her manicures. Wasn’t that the whole reason she was caught? Seriously, just wait for your nail polish to dry.”

  “Right?” Victor scoffed.

  “Yes, but how did they meet?” Shae asked.

  “Oh, Remy introduced them,” Victor said, waving his hand dismissively.

  Remy stopped chewing his food and leaned back in his chair, looking warily at them all. His eyebrows were knitted together, and he looked toward the exit thoughtfully.

  “How did you know Karen?” Shae asked, turning to Remy. She nudged Jax’s foot lightly and gestured imperceptibly with her chin toward Remy.

  Jax sat up straighter and studied the man carefully. Remy seemed to sense this and stiffened uncomfortably. He pushed his chair out lightly and Shae knew that he would probably be able to get away quickly.

  “She was a friend of a friend, and I knew that Lucien was looking for a new girl,” Remy said simply, shrugging his shoulders.

  “How are you friends with poor people?” Victor asked obnoxiously, taking a thirsty sip of his beer. “You’re a worse snob than me.”

  “What do you do for a living?” Shae asked curiously.

  “He doesn’t do anything,” Victor said with a shrug. “His dad is Fabien Moretti. He won gold at the Olympics a couple of times.”

  “That’s a big legacy to live up to,” Shae commented, lifting her eyebrow slightly. “Especially if you aren’t into sports.”

  “I don’t like this,” Remy snorted, looking over at Victor. “What is this? An interrogation? Woman, do you ever switch off?”

  “There’s just one thing that’s bothering me about this whole thing,” Shae said slowly, leaning her chin in her palm as she leaned in toward Remy. “Karen had an alibi for Madeline’s murder. And when Lucien was killed, how did Karen surprise him? He knew she was the murderer. How did she catch him out?”

  “A man in love is a funny thing,” Remy said with a shrug. “I don’t know. Victor, make this stop. I’m tired.”

  “Look,” Victor held up his hand tiredly. “This has been a long couple of days. Can we just drop it now? I want to enjoy the rest of my evening. We have to fly back for the funeral tomorrow.”

  “Aren’t you curious?” Shae asked him. “Look how easy it was for Karen and Frank to slip into your world. They just put on a few costumes. They were morons. Karen kept leaving her passport around. How did they meet all the right people? How did Madeline meet Frank? And aren’t you curious about how our killer managed to almost always have an alibi?”

  “I don’t know,” Victor shrugged irritably. “They confessed. I just thought all this was over. Can we drop it? I’m tired.”

  “I’ll drop it,” Shae promised, “if Remy answers one question without lying.”

  Remy snorted again, and leaned away further, turning on his chair so that both his legs were on the same side. He crossed his legs and leaned against the back of the chair trying to appear nonchalant.

  He gave Victor an incredulous look, but Victor just waved dismissively. He was pouting like a petulant child. The man had been through a lot, but he was proving to be an obnoxious brat who was used to getting his own way. Shae was tired of spending time with him and sincerely regretted his invitation to lunch.

  “Just do it,” Victor said, rolling his eyes and waving his hand again. He waved a waiter over and gestured for them to clean up the table. When the waiter started clearing the table, he asked for a dessert menu.

  “Okay,” Remy rolled his eyes too and gestured for Shae to continue.

  “The first question is rhetorical,” Shae told him seriously. “Did you know that they found two sets of prints on the gun?”

  It was a lie. She knew that it could easily be proven, but she was taking a gamble. The feeling in her stomach had subsided, and she knew she was on the right track. Shae was trying to ease the itch in her mind. Something was off with the case, and the answer lay in Remy’s behavior.

  His eyes widened slightly, and he smirked at her. She knew that he was bluffing because the tips of his ears became red and his foot began tapping nervously.

  “Remy, would you let us test you for fingerprints?” Shae asked sweetly.

  “That’s ridiculous,” Remy scoffed. “You’ve gone crazy.”

  “Just do it,” Victor said again, lazily perusing the dessert menu. The waiter waited on the side, looking at the exchange curiously.

  “No,” Remy exclaimed, crossing his arms over his chest.

  “Why not?” Victor asked curiously, lifting his head to study his friend. Finally, he was suspicious too.

  “It’s an invasion of privacy,” Remy insisted, “and it’s insulting! I won’t be treated like a criminal.”

  “We’re just asking you to prove your innocence,” Shae said calmly. “If you prove you’re innocent, then we’ll apologize. And we won’t charge you for the rest of your stay.”

  “That’s a great deal,” Victor said, nodding. “Then you won’t have to pay me back for this.”

  Remy winced, and Shae knew that they had him.

  “Can’t you pay for your own vacation?” Shae asked curiously. “Has the Olympic prize money run out?”

  “Don’t be stupid,” Victor said, rolling his eyes. “His dad invested it all.”

  “Yes, but did he make good investments?” Shae asked, watching Remy carefully. “Or did he lose all his money, forcing his son to look to more creative ways of making money?”

  “Just give them the fingerprints,” Victor said in annoyance. “Then all of this can be over.”

  Remy nodded wearily, and Shae sat back, blinking in surprise. Before they could process anything, Remy threw his drink at Shae’s face and jumped up. He started sprinting toward the staircase, but Jax tackled him before he got too far. The waiter, who’d been waiting for Victor’s order, dropped his notepad and joined Jax in apprehending Remy.

  “Let me go!” Remy shouted, his face turning blood red. “Unhand me!”

  “What?” Victor asked, his mouth agape as he stared at the spectacle in shock.

  “Remy murdered Madeline,” Shae said simply
, perusing the dessert menu lazily. Her job was done, and the irritating feeling at the back of her head was gone. “He probably also shot Lucien. We’ll let the three of them decide who did what in prison. They’ll probably all just blame each other.”

  “Why didn’t Karen or Frank rat him out?” Victor asked, still looking bewildered. Shae almost felt sorry for him.

  “They probably would’ve eventually. Maybe he bribed them to keep quiet.”

  “This is weird,” Victor said in annoyance. “Please tell me it’s over now.”

  “It’s over now,” she told Victor as she decided to order a large slice of strawberry cheesecake.

  Afterword

  Thank you so much for reading Strange Tidings. Please look out for book 5, which will be available soon!

  In the meantime, I’d love to stay in contact so I can let you know as soon as my new books hit Amazon! You can do that by joining by newsletter below.

  https://mailchi.mp/21037e65b9ee/ivydawson

  Until next time!

  Also by Ivy Dawson

  Murder on Board

  Read FREE with Kindle Unlimited

  Shae Jordan is trying to get a fresh start. She wants to take beautiful pictures and see the world, and so decides to take employment on a cruise ship. Unfortunately, life isn’t on a cruise ship isn’t one big holiday, as Shae is about to find out. After her first night, a body is found in one of the main pools.

  The victim is heiress, Nova Ashcroft. It also becomes immediately apparent that it was no accident when they find out that Nova had been stabbed.

  When the Captain approaches Shae and asks her to take a look around, Shae knows where to start. However, members of the crew are determined to keep the whole thing a secret, and surprisingly, so is Nova’s husband.

  Will Shae find the truth? Or will the secret of who killed Nova be lost at sea?

  This is Book 1 in the series...come on aboard and enjoy the clean mysteries, mayhem and humour! No gory scenes!

  Nautical Mayhem

  Read FREE with Kindle Unlimited

  Shae Jordan is struggling to get used to the gruelling pace on board the Princess Araminta. It’s less of a non-stop adventure and more of a never-ending shift. Her new-found routine is quickly shattered when a mysterious face from her past comes to visit and shakes things up.

  Amidst all the uncertainty, Helen Meyer, a bratty socialite is killed in the middle of a massive party. Someone is immediately arrested, but things quickly spiral out of control and Shae wonders if they caught the right person. Tensions rise when she starts investigating, this time without the powerful help of the Captain.

  Will Shae be able to find out what happened before the killer gets away forever? Or will she lose her job in the process?

  Finding the truth is never easy, but Shae is about to discover just how hard it can be.

  This is Book 2 in the series...come on aboard and enjoy the clean mysteries, mayhem and humour! No gory scenes!

  Deadly Stakes

  Read Free With Kindle Unlimited

  Shae Jordan isn’t having a good week. Her customers are rude and entitled, her boss is on her case, and her roommate is being a nightmare. To top it all off, a woman died on board the Princess Araminta.

  Nothing seems suspicious about the death until a family friend comes forward, urging the staff to look into the matter more closely. It isn’t until Shae finds something shocking that she begins to suspect that there’s more to the apparently accidental death.

  Paired with an arrogant First Officer, Shae needs to sift through years of family drama and intricate lies to find out what happened to the young woman.

  Will the truth come to light? Or will Shae be too late? Find out as Shae Jordan faces deadly stakes!

  This is Book 3 in the series...come on aboard and enjoy the clean mysteries, mayhem and humour! No gory scenes!