A Killer Tail

by Addison Moore

  “Your wicked work. What makes you so sure Thomas and Wyatt killed your fiancé?”

  “Because he told me so himself.”

  “Who told you? Channing?”

  “Yes.” She nods with wild eyes. “We spoke as he was going out that night. He said he wanted out of that crazy cult they had dragged him into. He was going to speak to his superiors, Wyatt and Thomas, and tell them he wanted out. He said being a Skulls man wasn’t what he wanted. He said it was dangerous and they were doing dangerous things.”

  “Why didn’t you take this to the police?”

  “You think I didn’t? Both Wyatt and Thomas were interrogated and nothing came of it. But I knew. I knew in my heart they rejected Channing’s plea to leave their devilish cult and they killed him instead. We never found the body.” She shakes her head. “Can you imagine? Losing the love of your life and not knowing what his final fate was? Wyatt and Thomas suffered personally over the years because of it. It chained them together. Thomas confided in me that they had done something horrible in their youth and that they were determined to take it to the grave. Don’t you see, Bizzy? It was Channing’s death they were hiding. And my God, I didn’t even change my name when I started fishing around the two of them. That’s how little they cared for Channing. We were engaged to be married that following year. Both Wyatt and Thomas knew Channing was engaged. They knew about me, and I darn well know they had heard my name a time or two. They not only took Channing away from me, they robbed me of the children and grandchildren I could have had. They killed entire generations of people who would have been born from our love. They were ruthless destroyers of all that could have been. Of course, later on, neither Thomas nor Wyatt ever put the two of us together. Not that I gave them a reason to. I befriended them. And when Wyatt needed money, I made sure it happened.”

  “Why all the financial tap-dancing?” I shake my head. “Why not just cut to the Grim Reaper?”

  She tips her head back and her smile turns black in the shadows. “Now what fun would that have been? I needed them to trust me. Wyatt trusted me. He appreciated me. I’m the one that helped him fund his dream, after all. And that night of the anniversary party when I lured him to the back, he didn’t question what I needed. I waited until he bent over to pick up a book I dropped, and then I plunged the knife into his back. And when he stood up to face me, I let him know that I was doing it for Channing. I let my rage take over as I finished him off. He couldn’t fight me. My anger was too strong.”

  My mind flashes back to my initial meeting with Brooklynn that night. “You wore all black—long sleeves. You had on red pointed shoes. Those triangular footsteps in the back of the store… they belonged to you. The knife was dripping with blood and you knew exactly where to put it. How? And how on earth did you keep your hands clean?”

  “I simply asked Wyatt where the murder weapon was. It was really that easy. And, of course, I wore gloves, Bizzy. I’m no fool. I put them in my pocket once I was through. After Wyatt staggered out for help, I stepped over to the register while Thomas went off to commit a crime of his own.”

  “The book.” I close my eyes a moment. “You convinced him to steal it that night.”

  “I convinced him we would be playing a gag on Wyatt that night. Thomas wanted the book. After all was said and done, I told him to keep it. I was hoping the sheriff’s department would eventually find out he stole it, and trace the killing to him as well, but that hasn’t exactly panned out for me.”

  Gatsby growls. That’s enough, Bizzy. Let’s get back and find Jasper. She’s a dangerous woman. I don’t like you here alone with her.

  My chest bucks. “You needed Thomas to trust you, to appreciate you, too. Because he was next.”

  Her lips curl at the tips. “No, Bizzy. You are.” She bends over and picks up a book as thick as a dictionary and strikes me against the side of the head with a powerful blow.

  Gatsby lets out a few riotous barks and I stagger, trying my best to regain my footing.

  Another blow erupts. This time right over the top of my head and I land on the floor, laid out, as I try to get my bearings.

  “What’s going on?” a male voice bellows from behind as Thomas heads over and attempts to snatch the book from Brooklyn’s hands.

  “She knows you stole the book from the glass case.” Brooklynn’s voice hikes with a false note of fear. “She said she was going to pin Wyatt’s death on you. I know you didn’t do it, Thomas. I was defending you. She wants to destroy your future by locking you up behind bars. We need to get rid of her.”

  “Get rid of her?” Thomas inches back.

  “Thomas,” I moan. “Not true. She killed Wyatt. It was revenge.” My voice comes out lower than a whisper. “Channing Neville,” his name whistles from me. “She was his fiancée.”

  “What?” Thomas steadies his eyes on Brooklynn. “Where is she getting this? Is this true?”

  I crawl up on all fours and command that my body rise as I wobble on my feet.

  “It’s not true.” Brooklynn’s voice wavers. “She’s a liar. She says she’s determined to help her boyfriend solve this case. She just wants it over and she’s trying to pin it on you. We need to stop her, Thomas, before she stops everything I have planned for you. Think of our future.”

  “What do we do?” Thomas sounds conflicted as he shoots a look my way. But I’m weak, seeing double, and I’m afraid I’m in real danger.

  “Put her in the back of the truck.” Brooklyn takes a few jagged breaths. “We’ll take her somewhere and dump her.”

  Thomas nods. “I know how to get rid of a body. Believe me when I say they will never find her.” I’ve done it before. Channing. Why did she have to mention him? How does this woman know? What does she know? Brooklynn is right. She’s dangerous. She’s about to ruin a perfectly bright future. And here I thought I was in the clear with Wyatt gone for good.

  Thomas starts for me, and Gatsby bites down hard on his arm.

  Thomas lets out a wild cry as he flings the dog away from him.

  “Dammit, Gatsby. You’re always inserting yourself where you’re not needed.” He stomps my way. “I’m sorry, Bizzy. I didn’t come this far to have you ruin things for me.”

  “What about Wyatt?” The words come from me breathy. “She killed him. She confessed. And she’s going to kill you, too.”

  Gatsby charges back full force and knocks Thomas down like a domino from behind. I jump out of the way and snatch the book from Brooklynn’s hands and slam her over the temple with it.

  Brooklynn falls to the ground like a ragdoll and everything in me ceases at the sight.

  “Oh God, I killed her.”

  No sooner do I say the words than Brooklynn’s leg swipes my feet from under me, and I hit the back of my head hard on the concrete below.

  A horrible sound comes from deep within me as she and Thomas work their hardest to drag me into the back of that moving truck.

  Gatsby barks up a thunderous storm before he turns and takes off, taking all of my hope along with him.

  “No.” I struggle to break free from Brooklynn’s hold, but Thomas picks me up and lands me in an empty box before the two of them run out of the back of the truck. Thomas retracts the ramp before I can get myself out of that cardboard quicksand he landed me in. And just as I manage to land on my feet, Brooklynn slams the steel gate closed and I’m engulfed in darkness.

  It looks like it’s curtains for me—literally.

  The sound of faint barking picks up again.

  Bizzy? It’s Fish. Sherlock is getting help.

  The moving truck begins to jerk as the engine fires up. It’s thrown into reverse and I tumble toward the front of the truck and trip over a stack of boxes. The truck moves left then right. The sound of wild barking erupts and I lift my head a notch, trying to discern if it’s one dog or two.

  Gatsby! Fish screeches so loud I’d swear she actually said his name out loud.

  The truck turns slowly before thrustin
g forward with a start, and I fly toward the back of the truck, slamming my head into the side of this steely wonder. The truck begins to take flight just as a hard thump knocks against it and the driver slams on the brakes, sending me flying toward the front again.

  Gatsby! Fish cries out once again.

  “No!” I shout just as the truck takes off and a box topples on my head.

  A loud pop vibrates through the truck and the entire vehicle depresses on its left rear.

  I try to get up, try to sit up, stand up, but it feels as if the universe is spinning out of control, and just like that, the world fades to nothing.

  Chapter 18

  Gatsby is fine.

  It was the first thing I asked as I came to. And thank God. It turns out, he wasn’t hit by the truck. He hit the truck himself in an effort to stop it. If anything, Gatsby is a true blue hero.

  Jasper was right there as they loaded me into the back of an ambulance and so were Emmie and Leo.

  Having a book thrust at your head, along with a box full of paperbacks, can land you a nice little concussion. Although, at the moment, there doesn’t seem to be anything little about it.

  It’s the next afternoon and Jasper and I are lounging under a large canvas cabana, usually reserved for the inn’s guests, but at the moment there are over a dozen erected along the sand.

  Jasper wraps an arm around me as we share a doublewide lounger. “You need some water? A snack? Can I get you a book? Do you want to take a nap?”

  A soft laugh bounces through me as I pull him close.

  “I just need this.” I land my lips to his. “And this.” I steal another kiss. “And a little bit of this.” My lips press to his and we linger.

  “Lucky for you, you’ll get a lifetime supply of all the above.” He pulls back and winces. “How about a fresh ice pack?”

  “Yes. But only if you let me go with you to get it.”

  He helps me up and we stride out of the cabana as I gingerly place a wide-brimmed hat over my head. It’s an unreasonably searing day, with the threat of hitting triple digits, and the cove is filled with beachgoers. Both Jasper and I have donned our bathing suits. Mine is mostly for show, considering I won’t go near the water, but I’m wearing a thin cover-up that doubles as a short dress, and Jasper still has his T-shirt on.

  Fish runs by with Sherlock and Gatsby as they speed back and forth in front of us.

  Nice to see you up and around! Gatsby barks as he runs by.

  “Hero!” I shout after him. “It’s his new officially unofficial name.”

  Emmie and Leo head this way. Emmie still has an apron wrapped around her waist, and Leo is clad in his deputy’s uniform.

  “Get back in the shade!” Emmie herds us all onto the patio and under a big umbrella. “I brought you lemon tarts.” She holds up a small bag brimming with lemony goodness.

  “Thank you,” I say as she hands them to me.

  “Can you believe you caught another one?” Emmie shakes her head. “Scratch that. I totally believe it. You’re like a crime-solving ninja. My very own best friend is kicking killer’s behinds and taking names.”

  “Not just killers,” Jasper adds, pulling me in. “Bizzy brought down a book thief and the dating duo who robbed the register and the ground safe.”

  It’s true. Thomas was arrested with multiple charges brought up against him—the theft of that first print run Agatha Christie and the attempted kidnapping of yours truly. Jasper says they’re working on getting a confession from him concerning Channing Neville.

  Brooklynn was arrested for the murder of Wyatt Sanders. The things she did to me were piddly in comparison, but those charges are lingering, too.

  Stormy and Dax were arrested for theft.

  And basically, the only suspect who walked away free was Molly Shay. For all of her psychotic behavior, she turned out to be the sane one. That says a lot.

  Emmie lifts her brows my way. “A triple header, Bizzy? You’re really stepping up your game.”

  Gatsby and Sherlock run up and twirl around our legs as they pant from their impromptu run along the sand.

  Leo gives Gatsby a healthy pat to the side. “I hear you’re up for adoption, buddy. Are you up for coming home with me?”

  Gatsby gives a cheerful bark. If Bizzy says it’s okay, then it’s fine by me.

  I give a wry smile. “It’s fine by me if you’re game, Leo. It looks as if Gatsby’s found a forever home.”

  Sherlock gives a little whimper as Fish hops over to Gatsby and locks her front paws around one of his hindlegs. The entire lot of us shares a warm laugh at the sight.

  Leo. Fish mewls. I’ll never speak to you again unless you bring him around. She lashes her tongue over his fur. I’ve licked him. He’s mine.

  “Aww!” Emmie coos. “It’s as if she’s in love with the guy. Can’t say I blame her.” She hugs Leo. “I’m so excited. I can’t wait to get Gatsby and Cinnamon together for playdates.”

  Sherlock barks. Hear that, Fish? You’ll have to compete with a dog.

  Fish lets out a riotous yowl in his direction. I don’t compete. I challenge.

  Emmie’s phone pings. “Ohh, that’s my timer. I gotta run in and take another batch of those lemon tarts out of the oven.” She reaches over and offers me a quick embrace. “I’m so glad you’re doing better. You really gave me a scare. I think you’re going to give Jasper a heart attack every minute if you keep that up. I’ll see you both later. And you, too, Gatsby! Welcome to the family!”

  She takes off and Leo looks my way. “I’m glad you’re safe, too, Bizzy. If you don’t mind, I’ll pick up Gatsby after my shift. I’ve got another couple of hours.”

  “That’s fine,” I say. “And I’ll volunteer to babysit any time you want, and I’ll open Critter Corner services up to you for free any time you need it as well. That way, he can hang out at the doggie daycare right here at the inn while you’re at work.”

  “Sounds like a deal I can’t pass up.”

  “And Leo?” I give a sheepish smile. “I meant what I said. I’m glad you’re with Emmie. In fact, I couldn’t think of a nicer guy for my bestie.”

  Jasper sheds a short-lived smile. “Don’t break her heart and make us come after you.”

  Leo holds up his hands and laughs. “I have only the best intentions, I promise you that. He looks to Jasper. “How do you like that? We ended up with a couple of best friends.”

  Ironic since Leo and Jasper were once best friends until Camila Ryder decided to sever that relationship with her body. Okay, so Leo was to blame, too.

  Leo nods my way, acknowledging the fact.

  Jasper’s chest expands. “You know, I can honestly say, I approve. I’m ready to let the past die where it belongs, in the past. I think this is a good place for us to make a clean start.”

  Leo’s brows lift with hope. “You mean that?”

  “Yes.” Jasper nods. “I mean it. You were like a brother to me, Leo. I think we’ve moved far enough away from that nightmare. Not to mention the fact you and Bizzy share a gift that bonds you. And, I like the idea of having you in my life again. I forgive you. It’s done.”

  Leo stares him down for a moment, and for the life of me, I can’t read his expression.

  “Come here.” Leo pulls Jasper in and offers him a firm embrace. He pulls back and swallows hard. “As much as I wanted your forgiveness, I didn’t think I’d get it. I’m not sure I would have given it. You’re a bigger man than me.”

  Leo gives Gatsby a big pat and a kiss to the head. “I’ll see you all later. Rest up, Bizzy. I foresee a lot more double dates in our future.”

  “Looking forward to it,” I call out as he takes off for the inn.

  “Bizzy!” a high-pitched woman’s voice penetrates through all the summer squeals and screams of excitement going off at the beach and we turn to see not one, but three, familiar faces headed this way.

  Georgie and Juni are wearing see-through baby blue kaftans with the outline of one-piece ba
thing suits underneath them. And then there’s Macy.

  I groan at the sight as I lean in toward Jasper. “I don’t know if I should cover your eyes or cover her body.”

  What body? Jasper lands a careful kiss to my cheek. I only see you.

  “Bizzy Baker.” Macy steps up in a red string bikini and matching patent leather heels as she does a slow spin. “First one to find the butterfly gets to kiss it.”

  “Eww,” I say as she juts her bottom our way so we can get a better look. Sure enough, her itty-bitty bikini bottom allows for it to be displayed magnificently. “You’ve healed nicely.”

  She spins and makes a face. “Jasper told me this morning how you were responsible for the arrest of my tattoo artist and his girlfriend. Now who’s going to do my other cheek?”

  Georgie lifts a finger. “I know a guy. And if you bring him a six pack, he’ll do the work for free.”

  “Sounds reputable,” I say.

  Juni looks my way. “Do you know what else sounds reputable? A vacation. The Fourth is right around the corner. Mom says you’re off to Honey Hollow.”

  “You’re not coming with us?” I ask.

  Juni makes a face as she shakes her head. “I’m giving Spike another shot at making me happy. He’s got a cruise set for Alaska. I figure while the three of you are roasting in Vermont, I’ll keep cool by checking out the glaciers.”

  Macy sucks in a quick breath. “That’s right! We’re going to Honey Hollow!” She does an odd little tap-dance and all sorts of loose parts start to wiggle and jiggle.

  Jasper politely turns his head, and I reward him with a kiss.

  “Sherlock and Fish are coming, too. Lottie already said we were all welcome at her mother’s B&B.”

  Georgie snaps her fingers. “The haunted bed and breakfast! How I can’t wait to see Carlotta again.”