Dear Abby Cozy Mystery Collection 2

by Sonia Parin

  “I’m hungry and hot and, sorry, but I can’t help thinking about myself. Let’s go take a load off,” she told Doyle.

  Abby walked into Joyce’s Café, found a table by the window and sat there shaking her head as her encounter with Gloria Mercer came back to haunt her.

  “Hey, you made it back.” Joyce rushed toward her and sat down opposite Abby. “How did it all go?”

  “I have no idea. Gloria Mercer belongs to another world. Maybe even another dimension.”

  Joyce gave a knowing nod. “Yes, she’s rich. Why do you look so surprised? Do you know how many hectares they own?”

  Abby shrugged. “A lot?”

  “Okay, you’re still relatively new to the area. There are some families that go way back. Sort of like your Mayflower people. First settlers. They all belong to the upper echelons. To them, we’re nothing but plebs.”

  “I get that they have money but that doesn’t explain the woman’s behavior. Unless she leads a highly insulated life and thinks she can buy her way out of anything and everything, there’s just no explaining or understanding the way she acted with me.”

  Joyce tilted her head as if in deep thought. “Those first settler families I mentioned… Well, there might be some inbreeding. There has to be. Who can keep track of who’s who? That could account for her odd behavior. Anyhow, as I told you, she doesn’t come into town. She only drives through it.”

  “Meaning what? She doesn’t deal with normal people?”

  “Exactly.”

  “What about all that shopping she does?”

  “There used to be an ultra-exclusive store in Melbourne not open to the general public. Who knows? There might be more. Come to think of it, until recently, there was a large department store that catered to the snobs.” She gave a casual lift of her shoulder. “They closed. Clearly, there weren’t enough snobs to sustain it.”

  “You are kidding me.”

  “Nope.”

  “It still doesn’t excuse her behavior. What do you do if someone confronts you with the suggestion they have proof of wrongdoing or that you’re involved in something you’d rather be kept secret?”

  Joyce gave her a wry smile. “Deny. Deny. Deny. Even if you provide the proof.”

  “Gloria Mercer didn’t bother asking for it. Oh, and she threatened to contact Sebastian Cavendish.”

  “That figures. They belong to the same world.”

  Abby’s mouth gaped open. “Hello. We’re all breathing the same air.”

  “I doubt it. I’m sure Gloria has the air in her entire house filtered. It’s a fact of life, Abby. Did you know, people who fly first class get more oxygen than those traveling in economy class?”

  Call her naïve, but she believed everyone had been created equal. “Let’s hope Joshua had better luck getting information out of her. He arrived just as I was leaving.”

  “Really?” Joyce leaned forward. “What did he say when he saw you coming out of the Mercer house?”

  Abby grinned. “Since I know we’re allies, I didn’t take his scowl seriously.” Straightening, she looked over Joyce’s shoulder. “You can ask him yourself. Here he is.” And looking thoroughly worn out, Abby thought.

  Joshua drew out a chair and collapsed into it with a weary sigh. “I have just met the most…” He shook his head and pushed out a breath. “Words fail me.”

  Joyce yelped. “Detective Inspector Joshua Ryan is sharing information with us?”

  “I haven’t mentioned the case,” he said. “I’m only referring to the woman I met. I didn’t actually identify her.”

  “Gloria Mercer,” Joyce said.

  He gave a reluctant nod.

  “We were just talking about her. I wanted to know how you felt about Abby encroaching on your territory.”

  Joshua turned to Abby. “Oh, yes. That reminds me. What were you doing there? She’s lodged an official complaint against you.”

  “Me?”

  “Yes, you. She said you tried to blackmail her.”

  “I did no such thing.”

  Joyce grinned. “Deny. Deny. Deny.”

  Joshua gave his tie an impatient tug and loosened it. “I went there to talk to her husband and ended up having to listen to her complaining about a certain snoopy reporter.” Joshua laughed. “She will have words with Sebastian Cavendish.”

  “I fail to see what you find so amusing.”

  “It’s delirium from the heat.” He stood up and removed his jacket. “How did you even manage to get a foot in the door?”

  Abby bit the edge of her lip. “I honestly can’t remember.”

  “Did you threaten her?” Joshua asked.

  Had she? She remembered being firm and determined. “I don’t recall my exact words. I might have insinuated… It all happened so quickly and… and unexpectedly, what with the security gate and having to talk my way in. I’m going to take the Fifth.”

  “We don’t have the Fifth here,” he warned.

  “Then I stand by my earlier statement. I don’t remember.”

  Joshua displayed a mixture of surprise and weariness. “What possessed you to go there in the first place? That’s what I don’t understand.”

  “Um… I’m a reporter and my job is to seek out the truth?”

  Nodding, Joyce said, “Abby is working on a solid theory.”

  “Oh, really? Do share,” he invited.

  “Surely, I’ve mentioned it to you…” She told him about Harold putting the little cars in the model village at the start of the month. “That can’t be a coincidence. He had a system. I’m sure of it. Think about it.” Abby’s voice hitched up. “If George Mercer found out about his wife’s affair, he would have reason to kill Harold.”

  Joyce rose to her feet. “I think you could do with some chamomile tea. You’re getting all worked up, Abby. That won’t do you any good.”

  Neither one spoke until Joyce returned and set a mug in front of Abby.

  “Did you tell Joshua about the pram?”

  Heavens. Abby suspected he hadn’t commented about her affair theory because he didn’t buy it. What would he make of her other hunch?

  “He doesn’t want to hear about it… And, I think I already mentioned it.”

  “No, you didn’t. At least, I think you didn’t.” He brushed his hand across his face. “I think my brain’s turned to soup.”

  “You could show some interest,” Joyce said. “I’m disappointed in you, detective. You know Abby’s far-fetched ideas have paid off in the past.”

  He picked up a menu and studied it. “I show plenty of interest.” He looked up. “Is your air-conditioner on?”

  “Why does everyone keep asking me that? Have you stopped to consider the possibility you might be feeling a different type of heat?”

  Abby and Joshua both stared at her, their expressions blank.

  “Neither one of you have any strong leads,” Joyce explained.

  They both answered, “Oh.”

  Abby grabbed a menu and fanned herself. She had misunderstood Joyce’s meaning, and, by the sounds of it, so had Joshua. She glanced at him and then she stared at him.

  “What?” he asked.

  “Um… I was just counting my lucky stars. I’m so far away from home and it’s Christmas time, but I’ll be fine because I have you guys.”

  “Oh, right… For a moment there I thought you might have cracked the case. Which, despite Joyce’s opinions, I would welcome with open arms because it would mean getting out of this suit and getting into holiday mode...”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Abby walked into the newspaper office and shut the door firmly behind her. “I can’t hear myself think. When are they going to stop?”

  Joyce laughed. “The cicadas are here to stay. Let them have their fun while they can. It’ll be years before we hear them again.”

  Abby set an iced-coffee down in front of Faith and went through the mail. “You’re right. I’m actually starting to enjoy their ear-splitting, high-pitched
intrusive singing.”

  “It is quite deafening. In fact, you can go deaf from overexposure. Maybe that’s just an urban myth.”

  “Now you tell me?”

  “What are you going to do, start wearing earplugs?”

  Abby walked to the window and leaned her head against it. “I should be working on the Christmas issue. Instead, I’m pursuing one dead-end after another.”

  Joyce walked around her desk and went to join her by the window. “I’ve never seen you like this. You’re in a bad state.”

  “You obviously haven’t seen Joshua. Whatever I’ve come down with, he has it too.”

  “That’s interesting.”

  Abby held up a warning finger. “Do not, I repeat, do not read too much into it.” Several months back, she had walked away from a toxic relationship. Her new life in the small town of Eden did not include jumping straight from the fire into the frying pan. Even if the man in question happened to be… Nice.

  She took her phone out and scrolled through the photos. Distracted by her thoughts, she looked at them but she barely saw anything. Then, in a split second, she saw something with a clarity that had been missing before. “Hey!”

  “Did you find something?”

  “I think so… Look at this photo. What do you see?”

  “The main street,” Faith said. “Oh, is that Joshua?”

  “That’s what I thought the first time I saw it. In fact, I pointed it out to him but it took some convincing to get him to believe it couldn’t be anyone but him.” Abby tapped the phone. “Why would Harold put the little police car on the main street? Had he expected trouble? Had he received some sort of tip-off?”

  “Joshua only ever makes an appearance when there’s a serious crime,” Faith mused.

  “That’s right.”

  “Maybe Harold was only making a statement. You must admit, there have been quite a few incidents since your arrival.”

  “Are you pinning them on me?”

  “No, that would be silly. Unless… Maybe someone could provide empirical evidence of your influence on the number of murder cases since your arrival. Then, I’ll most certainly hold you at least partially if not wholly responsible.” Hiding her smile, Faith studied the image. “Do you think someone threatened to kill him?”

  “Either that or there is no rhyme or reason to the little figures. It’s possible I could be reading too much into it.”

  Faith gave a slow shake of her head. “I don’t think so. Look, there’s a little poster announcing the Carols by Candlelight. Harold stuck to facts.”

  Abby dialed Joshua’s number. “Did you get those phone records? You need to find out if Harold spoke with someone else before going into town.” She disconnected the call and sighed.

  “What did he say?” Faith asked.

  “He didn’t pick up so I left a message. Honestly, what if this had been an emergency?” Swinging around, she headed to the back of the office. Moments later, she reappeared wheeling the whiteboard out. “I think it’s time to get serious.”

  “Here’s a thought,” Faith tapped the image of a pram she had stuck on the whiteboard. “What if the pram is symbolic?”

  “What do you mean?” Abby asked.

  “It’s been placed outside the craft store, which belongs to Genie Larson.” Faith tapped the side of her head. “I need to start calling her Genie Garth. Although, I’m willing to bet anything Joyce will soon shorten it to GiGi.”

  “Are you getting to the point?”

  “Oh, sorry. I got sidetracked. I know Genie is on her honeymoon, but what if she’s already pregnant and Harold found out about it? After all, Stevie Garth worked for him. He might have shared the news before leaving. It seems to me that if we can prove it, then we’ll have to take the presence of a police car seriously.”

  “Yes! Yes, I like it. When are they returning?”

  “Any day now. I know Genie didn’t want to leave the store for too long.” Faith stepped back from the whiteboard and huffed out a breath as she sat down.

  They both fell silent until the sound of Abby’s phone ringing snapped them out of their reverie.

  “It’s Joyce. I’ll put her on speaker. Hello, Joyce.”

  “Oh, do I have an audience?”

  “You sure do. Go ahead.”

  “I just spoke with the ex-wives. They came in with the caroling group for a meeting. Anyhow, you were right about them telling Harold about everything happening in town. It took some doing getting the information out of them but, in the end, I managed it with a little threat, something I picked up from Faith. Truth be known, I had no idea so many people relied on my coffee.”

  “Are they still there?” Abby asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Great. Can you ask them about the pram? Faith thinks Genie Garth might be pregnant.”

  “I didn’t know she’d ditched her maiden name,” Joyce said. “Genie Garth has a nice ring to it.”

  Faith held a finger up and mouthed, “Wait for it.”

  “Gigi. I think she’ll like that.”

  Faith pumped her fist in the air.

  “What’s going?” Joyce asked.

  “Oh, nothing much. We just love you the way you are.”

  “What’s brought this on, Abby? Are you homesick? Yes, of course, you’re homesick. I should have thought of it before. You know we’re all going to the pub for Christmas Eve dinner and I’m doing Christmas lunch at the café. But before that, there’s our Carols by Candlelight night and that reminds me, you have to help with the decorations. You see? You won’t have time to be homesick.”

  “Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.” Even though she hadn’t mentioned being homesick. She pressed her hands to her eyes and tried to remember what she’d asked Joyce…

  “I think you made Abby dizzy with all your plans. Can you go ask the ex-wives”

  “Oh, yes. Honestly, I don’t know why you let me prattle on. Hang on a sec.”

  “She can be exhausting,” Faith whispered. “But at least she’s back to her old self again.”

  “Yes, I’m only afraid what will happen if Joshua doesn’t find the killer. I can picture Joyce calling in an exorcist to get rid of Harold’s ghost.”

  Abby stared at the almost blank whiteboard. They’d been at it for over an hour. The office felt cool enough, but in her mind, she could still feel the heat. Maybe her brain had been partially baked.

  “While we wait… Here’s a stray thought. We have a constant body temperature of 98.6F… Let me think, that’s 37C. Anyhow, are we being slowly cooked? If I put a roast in the oven and let it cook at that temperature, it will eventually cook.”

  “We must be insulated from the inside,” Faith suggested.

  Finally, Joyce returned with the news. “No. They didn’t tell Harold Gigi was pregnant. As far as they know, she isn’t.”

  Back to square one, Abby thought.

  Jumping to her feet, Abby walked to the whiteboard and wrote down Harold and Gloria’s name. “We need to confirm their affair. It might be a wild assumption but I can’t think of any other reason why Gloria would try to buy me off. Do you have any idea where she might stay when she goes to Melbourne?”

  “Australia’s grandest hotel. The Windsor.” Faith went on-line and searched for the phone number.

  “You’re going to call them?” Surely, they won’t give out information about people staying there.

  “I have a friend who works at a hotel. She might know someone who knows someone. It’s worth a try.”

  “Is there anything else you want me to ask the ex-wives?” Joyce asked. “I think they’re about to leave.”

  Abby tried to think of something but came up empty. Leaning over the phone, she wondered if the ex-wives had been aware of Harold’s affair. He had been carrying on behind their backs for a long time. But, instead of pursuing it, she decided to let it go. She didn’t see the point and she didn’t want to be responsible for letting them know they had been cheated on.
r />   “No, that’s fine. Thanks, Joyce. See you later.”

  If Faith didn’t have any luck finding out where Gloria had stayed during her trips to Melbourne, Abby thought Joshua might be able to find something in the phone records. With any luck, Harold had made the bookings.

  Abby paced around the office.

  Faith looked up but didn’t say anything because she was on the phone to her friend.

  Grabbing her phone, Abby continued pacing around the office. She needed to ask Joshua a question but didn’t want to interrupt him. In truth, she didn’t want to be responsible for giving him another dead-end to pursue. Abby tapped the phone against her hand. Harold must have had a cell phone on him. Joshua hadn’t mentioned it but maybe he hadn’t seen the need…

  Giving a firm nod, she dialed his number. This time, he picked up. “Harold’s cell phone,” Abby said.

  “What about it?” he asked.

  “I assume he had one on him.”

  Joshua didn’t answer but Abby heard him push out a hard breath.

  “Sorry. I seem to have called at a bad time.”

  “No, it’s not that. I’m just kicking myself. Harold didn’t have a phone on him. Why didn’t I notice?”

  “Um… Maybe he didn’t have a cell phone. You know, not everyone has one. He might have stopped using one when he retired.” She heard the familiar office chatter in the background suggesting he had returned to the police station.

  “I’m just getting someone to check up on it. Since the break-in, I’ve had an officer hovering nearby. There must be a bill somewhere in his house or on his computer.”

  “So, you think he maybe did have a phone?” Abby asked.

  “Yes, and the killer took it.”

  That would mean the killer had been in contact with Harold and had wanted to get rid of the evidence.

  “Send me a text when you find out.”

  “Hang on,” he said. “Have you come up with anything else?”

  “Yes, Faith thinks the pram might have been symbolic. It’s sitting in front of the craft store, so perhaps we shouldn’t expect it to mean more than the obvious. Stevie Garth married so Harold expected him to become a dad soon.”