Killer Spring

by Sonia Parin

  “Dear, Eve. If Jill knew, she would be here.”

  Eve felt a deep blush settle on her cheeks. Jill had warned her not to get involved in Wallace Greenaway and Chad’s feud, but she hadn’t listened. Oh, no… She’d wanted to be the peacemaker.

  “With me out of action, someone has to help Gerard in the kitchen. That’s why she’s not here…”

  Mira smiled and murmured, “A likely story. You probably just don’t want her to say I told you so. So… Where do we start?”

  “We?”

  “Who else? You don’t for a moment think Phil Forrester is going to be any good. For heaven’s sake. He wouldn’t even eat one of your cookies. As far as I’m concerned, he has no confidence in you. He has already made up his mind. You are guilty.”

  “Mira, I think you’re being a little hard on him.” Eve raked her fingers through her hair. “I trust he will do his job.” She glanced at Jack. When he didn’t say anything, she nudged him.

  “Oh, yes. Of course, he will.” Jack helped himself to another cookie.

  “Jack doesn’t sound very enthusiastic or convincing.” Mira tapped her pen. “I think I should call David Bergstrom.”

  Eve sighed. The retired detective lived on the mainland but she thought she’d heard Mira say he’d gone fishing. “Isn’t he down south fishing or something along those lines?”

  “He had a trip planned with a buddy from the force, but his friend broke his hip and is now in hospital.” Mira gestured to Eve. “Phone, please.”

  “The landline is right behind you.”

  “We might be on the move. If I have to leave a message, I don’t want to miss his call.”

  “On the move?”

  “That’s what you do with Jill.” Mira grinned. “You jump into action and there’s no stopping you until you sniff out the suspects.”

  Eve dug inside her back pocket and retrieved her cell phone.

  “As the fine detective said, the more the merrier.” Mira stepped back and placed her call.

  “Do you think the detective will interview Chad’s doctor? He’s bound to have one.”

  “I’m sure it’s on his list,” Jack said around a mouthful of cookies.

  “Are you going to liaise with him to make sure we’re on the same page?”

  He glanced at her and smiled. “Do you liaise with me when you’re on a killer’s trail?”

  “Every step of the way and I’m not actually admitting to ever sticking my nose where it doesn’t belong.” She picked up Mira’s pen and twirled it around. “Information just happens to fall on my lap and I’m always quick to share it with you. Always, by the way, assuming you’ve already reached the same conclusions.”

  “I think you just told me off.”

  Eve grinned. “You know I have a low tolerance for unfairness.”

  Mira ended the call. “David is on his way. He’d just finished reading one of my books and didn’t know what to do with himself. He sounded excited.”

  “My dilemma appears to be one of those gifts that keep on giving.”

  “I gave him a brief rundown. He rattled off a few ideas and, while he didn’t promise anything, he said he should have something worthwhile by the time he arrives. He mentioned a buddy in the force. Detective Ken McLain.”

  “Another McLain?” Eve exclaimed.

  “Oh, do you think he’s related to Roger McLain?”

  “Most likely.”

  Mira tapped her chin. “Now that I think about it, isn’t he the detective who worked my friend’s case?”

  Eve nodded.

  “There you go. I’m sure he’ll be only too happy to help.”

  Eve scoffed. “Because I’m a civilian poking around in business that shouldn’t concern me? Anyway, what sort of information is he going to dig up? We have to trust Detective Phil Forrester will do his job.”

  “Better safe than sorry, Eve.” Mira looked down at the blank page. “Who, what and why. That’s always a good place to start.”

  Eve drew in a deep breath. “Fine.” After a moment, she said, “You’re right. His death couldn’t be an accident. I’ve been thinking… If you have a peanut allergy, you’d be careful.”

  “I would be, yes.” Mira nodded. “Maybe he saw the note. Knowing the cake came from you, he probably decided to trust you.”

  “Why would he do that? He doesn’t know me and vice versa. He’s never eaten at the inn. I doubt he’s even familiar with the menu.”

  “Was. Remember, he’s dead.” Mira tipped her head. “Surely, that’s a sign of your innocence. You still haven’t come to terms with his death.” Mira smiled. “Not that I need any convincing, Eve. I’m on your side.”

  “Well, that’s a relief. And… My cake did not have peanuts.” Eve looked at Jack. “What about you? Are you on my side?”

  “Always.” He dusted off a few crumbs and got up. Going behind the kitchen counter, he rummaged through one of the drawers and pulled out an apron. “So, what’s for dinner?”

  “Are you cooking?”

  “I’d offer to take you out, but the island grapevine must be sizzling by now. I’m sure you don’t want to deal with everyone looking at you. I’m good at taking directions.”

  “Are you? It’s strange. All this time, I’ve never seen you even make a sandwich.”

  “I’m good with bacon and eggs.” He held up a finger, “Oh, and pizza.” Jack picked up his phone. “What will it be?”

  “My hero. Here to protect me from myself and to feed me.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Not your regular pizza night

  Mira’s kitchen

  They waited until David Bergstrom arrived and then ordered pizza. As they waited for the delivery, David told them what he’d been able to dig up.

  “Chad Burrows definitely had a condition and a prescription for the lifesaving adrenaline EpiPen. From the information I’ve been able to get, the police didn’t find anything at his home to verify this.”

  Jack confirmed it with a nod.

  “What about his truck?” Eve asked. “Maybe he kept one in the glove compartment.”

  Jack shook his head. “Nothing.”

  That didn’t sound right. Had someone removed the lifesaving EpiPen?

  Mira got up and started setting the table. “When was the last time he visited his doctor?”

  “Only recently,” David confirmed and shook his head. “He should have had an adrenaline shot with him. That’s an obvious red flag.”

  “Well, that can only mean someone made sure he didn’t have the EpiPen handy.”

  Everyone agreed with Mira’s reasoning.

  David looked at Eve. “Someone might have taken advantage of the cake.”

  “And me,” Eve said. “But no one could have known I would bake a cake and take it to his house.” If Jill had been around, she would have suggested making a list of everyone associated with Chad Burrows. Eve stabbed the table with her finger. “Someone saw me dropping off the cake and took advantage of the opportunity. They made me a target.”

  “Did he live alone?” David asked.

  Mira sat down. “I know he had a girlfriend. I just can’t think of her name.”

  Eve remembered Jill mentioning it. “Bernice Glover.”

  Mira wrote the name down. “Just as well they weren’t married, otherwise, she would be under suspicion.”

  Eve sat back and cast her gaze around the table. “What I find puzzling is why no one has named Wallace Greenaway as a suspect.”

  Mira reached for her hand and gave it a tight squeeze. “He’s too obvious, Eve.”

  “And I’m not?” Eve complained. “He lives next door to the victim. He had the perfect opportunity and he definitely had a reason to commit murder. He’s probably been plotting it for years. Jill said he’d had an ongoing feud with Chad’s aunt.”

  Mira shook her head. “I still think he’s too obvious.”

  Eve shifted to the edge of her chair. “He also has cooking skills. I’m still not convin
ced my cake is responsible for Chad’s death. I’d like to see some proof.” She swung toward Jack. “Where’s my cake? I demand to see my cake.”

  “You’ll be able to tell if it’s a different cake?” Jack asked.

  Eve’s eyes widened with surprise. “Of course.” She studied his expression. “You don’t believe me.”

  “It’s a cake, Eve. They all look the same.”

  “You’ve just questioned my professional integrity and… and savviness. I would recognize my cake anywhere.”

  “I’ll see what I can do.”

  “I hope that means you’ll move heaven and earth to get a sample and show me the photos the police took.”

  “Of course.” Jack kept a straight face but Eve knew he wanted to laugh. “Determining the authenticity and… provenance of the cake will be essential to the investigation.”

  “I can’t tell if you’re taking me seriously or humoring me.”

  Mira smiled. “A little bit of mystery in your relationship will work wonders, Eve.” Mira looked down at her notebook. “Fine, I’ll add Wallace Greenaway’s name to the list but don’t be disappointed when he provides a perfect alibi.”

  Eve glanced at Jack, her eyes narrowed and full of questions. He looked up and smiled at her. Then, he must have read her expression because he mouthed an apology.

  Mira tapped her notebook. “Perhaps we should start thinking about motive. I guess we can list money at the top of the list. Who stands to inherit?”

  Eve tilted her head in thought. “Chad Burrows inherited the farm from his aunt. Who’s next in line?” And how would they compile a list without alerting the police to their involvement? If they started asking questions, the police would find out in no time.

  Eve didn’t want Jack getting into trouble. She knew next to nothing about Detective Phil Forrester. What if he was a stickler for rules?

  “Jill always seems to know who’s who. Do you think she might be able to tell us?” Mira asked. “I knew his aunt, Claire Burrows.” She tipped her head back and closed her eyes. “Let me think… She might have mentioned something about her family…”

  “I’ll ask Jill tomorrow.” By then, the news would have reached her and Eve would have to be creative. Eve looked at Jack. “Isn’t there an easier way to find out if he had any other relatives?”

  “Yes.”

  “Are you going to find out for us?”

  Jack gestured to David. “I still have a job I’d like to keep and, strictly speaking, I’m here to give you a hand because your wrist is sprained. Sorry, Eve. You just have to trust the police will do their job.”

  The doorbell rang and Jack jumped to his feet. “See, I’m being useful and going to answer the door.”

  Eve drummed her fingers on the table. “Phone records.”

  “Yes.” Mira clapped her hands. “We need to find out everyone he spoke with recently.”

  They both looked at David who picked up his phone, saying, “I’ll make a call, but I can’t promise anything. There are only so many favors I can call in.”

  Jack returned with the pizza. Eve drew in a deep breath but she couldn’t bring herself to enjoy the delectable aroma.

  “We can’t have pizza without beer,” she said and went to get some.

  The sun had set. The kitchen felt as it always did. Warm. Welcoming. Comfortable. But not quite the same without Jill…

  As she sat at the table, David ended his call.

  “We should have a list tomorrow.” He looked at Jack and explained, “People Chad Burrows spoke with recently.”

  “Are we allowed to know who your contact is?” Mira asked.

  “If I tell you, I’d have to kill you.”

  Mira’s eyes widened slightly. “You said that with a straight face.”

  David helped himself to a slice of pizza, his expression blank. He took a bite of his pizza and hummed as he chewed. After a moment, he smiled at Mira. “I’ve always wanted to say that.”

  “I’m glad I’m seeing this side to you now before I commit to a relationship with you.”

  Eve exchanged a worried glance with Jack. Mira and David had been an item for months but they hadn’t spoken about making it permanent.

  David’s lips parted. His eyebrows drew down into a worried expression.

  Finally, Mira laughed. “Fooled ya!”

  “Kids,” both Eve and Jack mouthed.

  Smiling, Eve decided her aunt’s light-hearted teasing had been deliberate. Bless her heart, she thought.

  Mira had been using humor to diminish the seriousness of Eve’s predicament. If her aunt had believed her to be guilty, she would have taken the matter seriously.

  Everyone turned their attention to their meal, clearly trying to hold a light-hearted conversation about anything other than Chad Burrows. However, within minutes, the conversation meandered back to the main topic in everyone’s mind.

  Straightening, Mira asked, “Should we liaise with Phil Forrester? While I’m suspicious of him because he wouldn’t eat your cookies, I think it might be a good idea to let him see what you can do, Eve.”

  What she could do?

  Mira rolled her eyes. “This is no time to be modest, Eve.”

  “Something tells me Phil Forrester won’t appreciate my input.” Eve looked at Jack. “How well do you know him?”

  “He’s new to the precinct.”

  “Did you say Phil Forrester?” David asked.

  Eve groaned. “Please don’t tell me his reputation precedes him.”

  David bit into his pizza. After a few more mouthfuls, he looked at Eve and asked, “So, what happened to your wrist?”

  Changing the subject? That could only mean Phil Forrester would be contentious and prickly. Eve looked at her wrist and shrugged. “I ignored the three wise monkeys.”

  Later that night…

  “More coffee?” Mira offered. “Oh, and Eve’s chocolate chip cookies. You must try one, David.”

  “Yes to both,” David said.

  Eve looked at the notebook on the coffee table. Mira had filled only half a page. If Jill had been around, they would have littered the living room with notes, pinning them on every available surface, generating one crazy idea after another.

  David made a point of studying the chocolate chip cookie. “Jack tells me the island grapevine has already spread the news about the death. I suggest we split up tomorrow. Most people recognize me by now. I should be able to start up a few conversations.”

  Mira leaned in and rested her cheek against his shoulder. “Of course, we’ll put in a good word for you, Eve. If anyone dares to say a word against you, I’ll give them a piece of my mind.”

  “Thank you, Mira. I trust people won’t jump to conclusions.” She stopped short of crossing her fingers or knocking on wood. In reality, Eve knew everyone enjoyed the occasional bit of gossip. “I guess Jack and I can make the rounds too. Everyone knows Jack is with the police force but we could let it be known he’s taking time off to help me out. Although, there’s only so much I can do. I have to spend most of the day at the inn.”

  “I’m sure Jill has everything under control,” Mira said.

  “Yes, and I happen to know for a fact she is not happy about it. She thinks I should hire someone and I guess she’s right.” She obviously hadn’t heard about Chad Burrows, otherwise…

  Eve checked her phone. There were no messages from Jill. She took comfort from that until she realized Jill would want to have a face to face confrontation.

  “She won’t be happy,” Eve whispered and once again scrolled through her contacts looking for someone who might be interested in coming to work for her.

  “Eve. Are you listening?”

  She looked up and saw everyone looking at her. “Sorry… What did I miss?”

  “David was just saying this might have something to do with you. We’re working on a list of people who don’t like you and who might want to frame you.”

  Eve looked puzzled.

  “Oh, com
e on, Eve. It can’t be that hard. You’re likeable enough.” Mira gave her an encouraging smile. “But it’s possible someone has only been pretending to like you. Can you think of anyone?”

  She set her phone down. “Just how much of the conversation did I miss? How did this suddenly become about me?”

  Mira wrote Eve’s name on the notebook and underlined it. “Like it or not, you’re at the center of this. Either you’re an innocent and convenient bystander who just happened to turn up at the right time with the cake or Chad was the innocent party who just got in the way.”

  “Are you saying this isn’t about killing Chad but rather…”

  Mira nodded. “You’ve had the finger of suspicion pointed at you so many times, I think someone wants to hit the nail on the proverbial head and send you up the river.”

  “Out of curiosity, how much coffee have you had?”

  Mira looked disappointed. “Oh, I thought you might like our idea. It’s just the sort of theory you and Jill would come up with.”

  Mira had a point.

  What if Chad had been an innocent bystander?

  What if she had been the real target?

  Who could hate her enough to go to so much trouble?

  She gave Mira’s theory some serious thought and, annoyingly, found herself agreeing with Mira.

  “Remind me again why we’re doing this?”

  Mira beamed at her. “Because you can’t just sit back and let the police do their job. It’s in your nature to apply yourself. Because there is something obviously wrong with how the death unfolded. Because—”

  Eve put her hand up. “Yes, yes. I get the gist of it.” She grabbed her phone and stood up. “You’ll have to excuse me a moment. I have a couple of calls to make.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Hit and miss

  The next day, Mira’s kitchen

  Jack set a mug of coffee down in front of Eve. “You got up at the crack of dawn. How did you sleep?”

  “That depends. Do I still look like a deer caught in headlights?” The previous night, they had all decided she might have been the real target. Who could possibly want to go to so much trouble just to make her look like the guilty party, framing her for a crime she obviously hadn’t committed?