by J A Whiting
“What did you do?” She kept her voice steady.
“I pulled the van over. I grabbed Jade around the throat. She fought me. I had to punch her. She passed out … and then I finished choking her.”
Maggie moaned from her position on the floor and Kyle took a step towards her, but Claire moved slightly to the left to stand between them and distracted the man with a question.
“Did you put Jade in the water?”
Kyle’s glazed eyes looked at Claire and for a few seconds, she didn’t think he would respond, but then his mouth opened. “Yes. I knew where the weights were kept for the lobster boat tours. The combination on the lockers was the same. I used them ... to keep Jade in the water. I threw her sneakers in a dumpster. I put her jacket and her phone and her license in a parking lot.”
“Why did you do it, Kyle?” Claire asked, the words nearly choking her.
A tear traced down the young man’s cheek. “I didn’t mean to hurt her. I just got so mad. I didn’t mean to kill her.”
Claire thought she heard a noise in the salon. Afraid that Kyle would hear it she started to talk. “You need to tell the police. You can’t hide from this. They can help you.”
Kyle stared at Claire.
“Shall we call the police? We can do it together.” Claire lifted her hand holding the phone.
Kyle’s eyes blazed and he lunged. “No!”
Claire sidestepped the hurtling man, reached for the room freshener spray sitting on the cabinet near the sink, and as Kyle came at her with his knife, she sprayed him in the face and brought her phone down on the bridge of his nose.
Kyle screamed from the pain in his eyes and as he slammed his lids shut, he grabbed Claire around her neck and lifted his blade above her head.
In desperation, she closed her eyes, hit the spray button, kicked, and squirmed, and hit the man in the face again with her phone.
Waiting in terror for the blade to strike her, Claire felt Kyle’s grip around her neck fall away and he buckled and slid to the floor.
Pushing away from him, Claire scrambled back against the bathroom wall, when she saw someone at the threshold to the room. Her gaze flashed from the person in the doorway to the man on his side on the floor in front of her. A pair of hair cutting shears sticking out of his side.
“Bonnie,” Claire gasped.
“Are you okay, Claire?” The woman’s body shook violently.
Claire carefully stepped over Kyle and the two women fell into each other’s arms.
“You saved me,” Claire said over and over. “He would have killed me.”
Tears streamed down both of their faces.
Bonnie ran her hand over Claire’s cheek. “I’m so glad you’re okay. I’m so glad I could help you.”
Claire’s phone had fallen to the floor in the fight and could not be seen.
“Can you call 911?” Claire asked as she leaned against the wall trying to catch her breath. “Do you have a phone?”
Bonnie made the call, and then Claire handed her a towel she took from the shelf and instructed the woman to press it against Maggie’s stomach wound.
Claire held a towel in her own hands and for a second hesitated, before banishing the thought of not helping Jade’s killer, and then she kneeled beside the man to try and stop his bleeding.
It seemed like forever before the police arrived along with two ambulances. Maggie and Kyle were hauled into the emergency vehicles and rushed to the hospital. Claire hadn’t realized she’d suffered a gash on her shoulder from Kyle stabbing her with the knife and an EMT tended to it. He suggested Claire be taken to the hospital as well, but she refused preferring to wait until Ian arrived.
When he came through the shop’s front door and he saw Claire sitting in one of the salon’s chairs like she was waiting to get her hair styled, Ian’s face crumpled and he rushed to her side. Pulling her into a hug, he buried his face into the shoulder that wasn’t hurt. “You need to stop doing things like this. I’m the cop, not you,” he whispered.
Claire reached up and ran her hand through Ian’s soft brown hair. “I’ll try to remember that.”
“Where is she?” a young man’s voice asked.
“Let us through,” a woman demanded.
Claire looked up to see Robby and Nicole pushing into the salon. When they spotted her, they dashed to her side and wrapped their arms around her … and Ian.
Ian laughed. “Release me and I’ll get out of your way.”
With tears in her eyes, Nicole looked her friend over, up and down. “You’re okay. Thank everything in the world, you’re okay.”
“I got stabbed in the shoulder,” Claire told them.
“It doesn’t matter,” Robby said trying to lighten the mood. “You’ve got another one.”
Claire noticed Bonnie standing near the door speaking with two officers. One of them gestured to the exit and Bonnie was about to follow him to the squad car when Claire called her name and slipped out of the chair.
“I’m going to the police department to give an official statement,” Bonnie said. “My lawyer will meet me there.”
The officer looked at Claire. “Not to worry. Mrs. Lyons isn’t in any trouble.”
Relief flooded Claire’s face and she reached for Bonnie’s hand. “Thank you. Thank you for saving me.”
Bonnie wrapped Claire in her arms and each woman’s tears fell onto the other’s shoulder.
27
Maggie Burns and Kyle Vallins both survived their injuries and had to remain in the hospital for recovery. Kyle was charged with attempted murder for attacking Maggie and Claire, and he would be charged with the murder of Jade Lyons as soon as the investigation was complete.
Maggie had been in her shop preparing for her clients when Kyle arrived and walked into the salon. Maggie could sense trouble as soon as she saw him. Kyle’s expression was angry, his posture and movements were aggressive, and his breath smelled heavily of alcohol.
Trying to remain calm so as not to provoke the man, Maggie edged around the reception desk and took slow steps towards the bathroom, but when Kyle lunged for her, she took off running. Kyle grabbed her from behind just as she reached the entrance to the restroom, they fought, and he stabbed her multiple times. Maggie fell and passed out.
Kyle heard the three clients arriving at the front door, so he quickly closed the door to the bathroom and waited. The women entered the salon and were puzzled by Maggie’s absence. After waiting about ten minutes, they decided to leave.
Kyle emerged and went into the backroom to have a look outside at the rear of the building and its parking lot. He decided to move his vehicle from a side road to the back lot in order to carry Maggie out to the car.
On his way inside to get the young woman, he spotted Claire coming down the sidewalk and he hurried to hide in a closet.
When Claire went to check out the bathroom, Kyle made his move to attack her, too.
Claire reported to law enforcement what Kyle had told her about Jade’s murder. Ian told her Kyle would most certainly spend the rest of his life behind bars.
A private service for Jade was held one evening on Bayside Beach and Claire and Nicole were invited to attend. Several of Jade’s friends were present, including Maggie who had to use a wheelchair, and both AJ Phelps and Blake Rhodes. It was a lovely service of readings, poetry, music, and the release of a white dove who flew away high over the blue ocean. There wasn’t a dry eye in the group.
Bonnie Lyons stood straight and strong surrounded and supported by her friends and her older daughter, Jeena. Both of the woman’s wishes had been granted … her daughter was found and returned to her and Jade’s killer had been caught and would eventually stand trial.
Claire didn’t know how in the world a family member could grapple with such a tragedy and throughout the service, she desperately hoped that Jade and her family and friends would someday find peace.
“This place looks terrific,” Ian said as he admired the Halloween decoratio
ns Claire, Robby, and Nicole had put up in the new expanded and renovated chocolate shop. Tomorrow was opening day for the new store, but the friends planned a celebration together for the evening before the big day.
Mums, pumpkins, tiny orange lights, a statue of a black cat, witches’ brooms, and cobwebs decorated the space and a long table laden with food stood in the center of the room. The three bakers gave their friends a tour of the new digs and everyone crowed about how great it all was.
Tony and Tessa, Augustus Gunther, Claire and Ian, Nicole and Ryan, Robby and three of his friends, and several new employees and their guests enjoyed the buffet of stew, soups, grilled chicken kabobs, bread, spanakopita, and grilled vegetable paninis, not to mention the festive and beautiful desserts of carrot cake, pumpkin crème brulee, fruit salad, and mini apple cider donuts.
Bear and Lady ate chicken, rice, and cooked carrots from bowls set off to the side, and when they had finished, they licked their lips with long pink tongues and then trotted around the shop greeting the people and accepting pats on the head from the guests who praised the fine dogs for having such good manners and being so adorable.
“It was very fortunate that you encountered Maggie Burns that day on the beach,” Augustus told Claire and Nicole. “The young man panicked thinking he had spilled information to Maggie the night he visited her salon and he went back there to silence her. If you hadn’t met Maggie, well, the outcome would have been quite different.”
“If Claire didn’t go to the salon to talk to Maggie,” Nicole said. “Maggie wouldn’t be alive.”
Claire added, “If Kyle hadn’t gone to kill Maggie, he still would have been discovered because I told Ian what Maggie reported Kyle babbled about Jade the night he dropped into the salon. And Maggie remembered Kyle was driving a van. The police would have interviewed Kyle and found out he was the killer.”
Tony and Tessa joined the conversation.
“It’s also a lucky thing Bonnie came to the salon,” Claire said. “I think Kyle would have killed me if she hadn’t shown up.”
“Why did Bonnie Lyons go to the salon that evening?” Tony asked.
“She wanted to talk to Maggie. She heard Kyle had made a visit to her and Bonnie wanted to ask questions about their conversation,” Claire said. “And I’m very grateful she did.”
Ian came up from behind, put his arm around Claire being careful of her injured shoulder, and looked at her with loving eyes. “And I’m also very glad Bonnie showed up.”
Tessa said, “We never know how a small thing we do or a simple decision we make will impact us and the people around us. We should all be mindful of the ripples we send out into the world and try to do the best we can to make those ripples positive, hopeful, and helpful.”
“Here, here,” Tony said.
The Corgis yipped in agreement.
“Let’s have some music. It’s time to celebrate,” Robby said as his friend turned on the DJ mixing equipment and filled the room with a tune.
Robby and his friends and the new employees began to dance.
Tessa took Tony’s hand and led him towards the makeshift dance floor. “Come on, we can show those young people a few moves.”
Tony looked apprehensive, but he went along to join the dancers.
Bear and Lady stood on their back legs and began to bounce and twirl in circles to the music.
“Okay,” Nicole said as she went to get Ryan. “I’m not going to be outdone by two dogs.”
“I will go stand by the young DJ,” Augustus said. “I love to learn about new technical equipment.”
“Looks like it’s just me and you,” Claire smiled up at Ian. “We’ve been abandoned.”
Ian touched one of Claire’s long curls and took a step closer to her. “I know I’ve said this before, but please don’t let anything happen to you when you’re trying to help investigate a crime. I don’t know what I’d do without you, Claire Rollins.”
With her heart melting from her boyfriend’s words, Claire reached behind Ian’s neck and gently pulled him in for a long kiss.
“Hey,” Robby yelled to Claire and Ian from across the room while showing off his expert dance moves. “I saw that.”
Claire and Ian broke from their kiss and chuckled.
Ian smiled at his sweetheart. “Care to join me in a dance?”
“There’s nothing I’d like more.” Claire took her boyfriend’s hand and they headed over to dance up a storm surrounded by their loving friends … and two sweet Corgis.
Thank you for reading!
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Books/Series By J. A. Whiting
*CLAIRE ROLLINS COZY MYSTERY SERIES
*PAXTON PARK COZY MYSTERIES
*LIN COFFIN COZY MYSTERY SERIES
*SWEET COVE COZY MYSTERY SERIES
*OLIVIA MILLER MYSTERY-THRILLER SERIES (not cozy)
About the Author
J.A. Whiting lives with her family in New England. Whiting loves reading and writing mystery stories.
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