by Sonia Parin
“Don’t panic. I’m calling from Jill’s phone.”
“Yes, I figured as much. Were you trying to test my detecting skills?”
“No, we’ve been talking and, brace yourself, we have a theory.”
He chortled. “Another one? How dead am I this time?”
“Can you be serious for a moment, please?”
“Go ahead. You have my full attention.”
She took a moment to sort through her thoughts. “We think Rob Greer killed his nephew and, we think he…” She glanced at Jill who gave her an encouraging nod. “We think he’s working with Bernice Glover.”
“That sounds complicated but... quite feasible. Tell me the rest.”
When she finished telling him their theory, she heard a chair scraping the floor. “Where are you going?”
“To get your phone.”
“Why?”
“Because I need to send a text.”
Eve leaned toward Jill and whispered, “He’s going to pass the information on to Phil Forrester.”
“How do you think Rob Greer and Bernice met?” Jill asked.
“Who knows? Maybe she worked at a casino.” Eve leaned forward. “You missed our turn.”
“Nope.”
“Where are you going?”
“To Bernice’s place.”
“I thought you didn’t know where she lived.”
“And I thought it best to keep the information from you,” Jill whispered.
“I heard that. Why would you mislead me?” She held up her hand. “Don’t bother trying to come up with an excuse. You were trying to keep me from going to see Bernice. And now, you’re speeding across the island to get to her. Turn back. I don’t think it’s a good idea.”
“Do you actually believe Phil Forrester will take your theory seriously?”
Eve looked down at the phone. “Jack’s still talking to him or sending him a long text.”
“Aha! For all you know, Jack is stuffing his face with your cookies and having a good laugh eavesdropping on our conversation.”
“Jack wouldn’t do that.”
“What wouldn’t I do?” Jack asked.
“Oh, there you are. What did Phil Forrester say?”
“He’s going to look into it.”
“Is he going to go see her?”
Jack sighed. “That’s not exactly the way things are done, Eve.”
“Well, excuse me, Mister Detective. Perhaps you might enlighten us. Jill wants to know how Bernice might have met Rob Greer.”
“That’s just the sort of information Phil Forrester will try to dig up. If there’s a connection, he’ll follow the lead.”
“In other words, he’s not going to proceed until he has a solid lead.” Eve made a point of looking at Jill in the hope that she might listen to reason and turn around.
“That’s… right,” Jack said, his voice filled with caution. “What are you two up to?”
“Nothing. We’re… driving back to Mira’s. We have dessert and roast beef.”
Just before reaching town, Jill made a turn. It soon became obvious she wanted to avoid the main street and intended going around town. Quite possibly to avoid being seen by someone who might identify the car and trigger the island grapevine.
“Are you taking the scenic route?” Jack asked.
“I don’t know what’s come over Jill. She’s driving at a snail’s pace.” Eve grabbed hold of the first thought that came to mind. “Hang on, she’s pointing at the gage. I think we’re running low on gas and she wants to make it last. Does that even work?”
“Something tells me you’re up to no good, Eve. Here’s Mira. Maybe she can talk some sense into you.”
Jill made a turn and, as she approached the main street from one of the side streets, she slowed down. Eve watched her taking her time and assumed she wanted to make sure no one would see her making a turn away from town.
She waited for a gap in the already sparse traffic and finally turned.
“Eve, this is your aunt speaking. Turn around and come home.” A second later, Mira lowered her voice to a whisper. “Sorry, I had to say that. Jack was standing nearby. Now he’s stepped out.”
“Before you say anything, Jill hijacked the car and is holding me against my will. She’s suffering from some sort of delusion and thinks we’re going to catch Bernice in the act.”
“I’m glad someone’s taking action,” Mira said. “I think the detective has been barking up the wrong tree.”
“I’m sure he’s following police procedure. We all seem to be on the same page.” Eve filled her in on their theory.
“You’re right, it doesn’t make sense,” Mira agreed. “I spoke to quite a few people today. Bernice mostly kept to herself. These last couple of days, she’s been going out for long drives. Cynthia said she saw her drive out of the island several times.”
Mention of the café owner had Eve lifting her chin and harrumphing.
“Do you think she might have driven out to meet with her accomplice?” Mira asked. “She might have one…”
“Good thinking, Mira.”
Jill shifted and straightened. Her hands tightened around the steering wheel until her knuckled showed white. “I knew it. We’re onto something here.”
Yes, Eve thought. They were following a trail full of suppositions. “How far out of town does she live?” Eve asked.
“The next block.”
Eve looked ahead and saw a car pulling out of a driveway.
Jill slowed down. “That’s her. She’s leaving.”
The car headed toward them. A moment later, they saw it drive by.
“That was Bernice.” Jill pulled up.
“What are you doing?”
“Turning around.”
Eve reached into the back seat to make sure the dogs didn’t lose their footing. “Please tell me you’re not going to follow her.”
“Okay.”
Eve groaned. “I think we should go home. We don’t want to spook her.”
“And I think we need to find out where she goes when she leaves the island.”
“Jill, forget everything I said. It’s all nothing but a theory based on creative supposition.”
Jill shook her head. “You noticed Bernice’s odd behavior. It has to mean something.”
“I might have read too much into it.”
“Don’t underestimate your observation skills, Eve.”
Eve snorted. “There’s nothing unique about them. Everyone on the island excels at it. Everyone’s always noticing something odd about me.”
“It wouldn’t hurt to see where she’s going,” Mira said.
Jill followed Bernice along the main street, leaving a discreet distance between them.
They were halfway across town when Eve spotted a familiar car headed toward them from the mainland.
Oh, heavens…
“Jill, that’s Phil Forrester.”
“Oh, I wonder where he’s going. Hey, you don’t suppose he’s headed toward Bernice’s place…”
They cleared the town and were now headed for the bridge.
Jill smiled. “Looks like Bernice is slowing down. Why is everyone afraid of the bridge?”
“It felt a little shaky when we crossed it today,” Mira said.
Eve glanced over her shoulder. “Brace yourself. I see Phil Forrester’s car.”
“Is he following you, Eve?” Mira asked.
Jill leaned forward slightly. “Should I try to lose him?”
“Please don’t,” Eve begged. “In fact, if he catches up to us, you should let him through.”
Jill’s mulish expression suggested she might not be so amenable to the idea.
“Eve, Jack wants to talk to you,” Mira said. “I’ll put you on speaker.”
Great, now she had an audience.
Jack cleared his throat and employed his most commanding tone to say, “Eve, I have Phil Forrester on the other phone. He’d like to know what you’re doing.”
“Mira, is Jack brushing his hand across his face?” Eve asked.
“Oh, yes. He looks frustrated. I think I should make him a cup of chamomile tea.”
Jill yelped. “He’s tailgating us.”
Eve turned to look over her shoulder and saw Mischief and Mr. Magoo looking out the back window too. “Jill, Phil Forrester is waving his fisted hand at you. I think you should pull over and let him through.”
“Nope. There’s only room for one car on the bridge and I have first dibs.”
Eve saw the flash of light first and then she heard…
“Eve, is that a police siren I hear?” Mira asked.
Chapter Twenty-Four
“The criminal is the creative artist; the detective only the critic.”
Gilbert K. Chesterton
Rock-Maine Island bridge
Jill fumed, “Please stop making excuses for him. I don’t care what you say, Phil Forrester is a bully.”
“You had to let him through, Jill. He has a siren,” Eve reasoned. “And I think you should put more distance between us. You don’t want him to know we’re following him.”
“We’re not following him. We’re following Bernice. And if I drive any slower, I’ll have to stop. Not even my granny drives at such a geriatric pace. Look at her…”
All three cars were driving at a snail’s pace across the bridge.
Eve looked out of the passenger window and then shrunk back into her seat. She could hear the bridge groaning…
Glancing over her shoulder, Eve saw Mischief and Mr. Magoo had their noses pressed against the window, their tails wagging. At least they seemed to be enjoying themselves.
“What’s that noise?” Mira asked. “Sounds like someone’s stomach growling.”
“Did you hear it?”
“How could I miss it?”
“It’s the bridge.”
“Oh, dear,” Mira said, her tone worried. “So many cars crossed that bridge today going to the cemetery and then back to the island… I hope it hasn’t loosened something.”
“Jill, it’s not too late to turn back,” Eve said. “There’s no traffic behind us. You can reverse out.”
“We’re nearly there.” Jill’s fingers tightened around the steering wheel.
Eve swung back. The road behind them remained clear. “Please. Reverse now.”
Suddenly, a big truck appeared.
Eve hung out the window and waved her hands. “No. Go back. Go back.”
The truck came bearing down the road toward the bridge. She could tell the driver wasn’t about to slow down.
Eve grabbed hold of the door handle.
Good heavens.
The cars were moving so slowly, she could easily jump out but she’d have to get the dogs.
The bridge groaned again.
That’s when Eve panicked. Reaching across, she slammed her hand on the car horn.
Phil Forrester responded by breaking.
“No. Don’t stop,” Eve hollered. “Move. Move.” Sticking her head out of the passenger window, she hollered again, “Move.”
Instead, he came to a full stop.
Not that he had a say in the matter because the car in front of him had also stopped.
Eve swung back and waved her fist at the truck behind them. He’d come to a screeching halt and showed all signs of impatience. The engine rumbled and he inched closer to them. “Reverse. Reverse,” she shouted.
The driver had his radio on so loud, she doubted he could hear her. But, surely, he could see her.
Jill poked her head out of the driver’s window. “What’s she doing? Hey, she’s running.”
“What?” Eve jumped out of the car. She could see Bernice running away from her car which now sat at an angle. “She’s blocked the way.”
When she saw Phil Forrester jump out of his car and head toward Bernice’s car. Eve ran up to him. “Did she take the keys with her?”
He nodded. “Do you think you can put the car into gear and steer it while I push?”
With her heart thumping all the way to her throat, she jumped in the driver’s seat and glanced back to wait for Phil Forrester’s signal only to see another car driving onto the bridge.
Jill let the dogs out of the car and hurried them along to safety. Hurrying back, she went to help the detective push the car.
When they got it across and off the bridge, the detective ran back to his car and took off after Bernice.
Seeing Jill trotting away, Eve grabbed hold of her. “Are you crazy. Walk. Don’t run.”
The bridge groaned, grated and creaked.
“Do you think it’s going to make a difference?” Jill grabbed her hand and broke into a sprint.
Eve’s heart punched against her chest.
Just as they jumped in the car, they heard something snap.
They both leaned forward and Jill got them moving. Then the truck behind them pushed against the bumper.
“Pedal to the metal,” Eve yelled. “Floor it. Floor it.”
They cleared the bridge right along with the truck while the other car managed to reverse back.
Jumping out of the car, they stood watching the bridge, their breaths coming hard and fast.
“I think it’s going to hold,” Jill whispered.
“I’m not so sure…” Eve said just as the bridge groaned again. Then it appeared to settle. “Okay. Maybe… it’ll be fine.”
Jill turned and looked toward the road ahead. “What now? I don’t see the detective’s car and she can’t have run all that far. Do you think someone picked her up?”
“I think she did that deliberately,” Eve ground out. She swung back toward the car and reached inside to get the phone. “Mira? Are you there.”
“Yes, we’ve been here all along. What happened?”
“I think you might need to get an inflatable boat and come and rescue us. There’s no way I’m crossing that bridge again.”
“Are you alright?”
“Yeah…” She managed a smile.
Just then, a truck came roaring toward the bridge.
Jill rushed to stand in the middle of the road and waved her arms. The other truck driver joined her.
As the truck reached the bridge, they held their breaths.
“Eve, what’s going on now?” Mira demanded.
“Nothing… Oh… hang on.”
The bridge emitted a painful groan. Then, in slow motion, it began to tilt.
Eve rushed up to Jill and pulled her back.
They both stared as the truck roared across the bridge, music blaring from the cabin.
The driver must have noticed something. Suddenly, the truck appeared to fly across.
As soon as it cleared the bridge, it came to a screeching halt.
They all held their breaths again.
Jill gave a stiff nod. “It’s going to hold. I’m sure it will.”
This time, the groan sounded more like a scratchy whine.
Something else snapped.
The truck driver who’d pushed them to safety shook his head. “Timberrrrr.”
“Eve!” Mira croaked.
“About that inflatable boat...”
Eve and Jill stood near the abutment, tilting their heads slightly.
“Would you say that’s a forty-degree tilt now?” Jill asked.
“Whatever it is, it looks worse than it was ten minutes ago.” Eve shook her head. “This is all on Ken McLain. He skimped. I bet he used substandard timber.” She flapped her arms. “We could have died.”
She turned and saw Phil Forrester standing on the opposite side of the road talking on the phone, while the police combed through the woodland area. Bernice had to be hiding somewhere.
A helicopter hovered nearby.
Several policemen were inspecting Bernice’s car.
She had no idea what they hoped to find.
“Did you see any cars drive by when Bernice took off
?” Eve asked.
“No, I was too busy getting the dogs to safety and rescuing your car. It all happened so quickly.”
“She must have called someone. That’s probably why she drove so slowly. She wanted to buy herself some time.”
It didn’t make sense.
She’d have to go into hiding now.
Jill bent down to pat her dogs. “She’s definitely guilty. Otherwise, why would she run?”
“Yes, but what did she hope to gain by it? She won’t be able to lay claim on…” Eve’s shoulders lifted and dropped, “whatever she hoped to get.”
Bernice Glover must have had a plan, she thought.
Eve understood how, in the confusion of the moment, they had lost sight of Bernice. But the police had spread out and they still hadn’t found any trace of her. They’d even brought in a sniffer dog.
“What now?” Jill asked.
Eve looked at her phone. “We have to wait and see what happens. Who knows how long it’ll take to organize a ferry or a boat.”
“Maybe we should drive to the pier,” Jill suggested.
Eve grumbled. “I didn’t even see which way she headed.” She walked up to the road. “She couldn’t have gone left because she would have been exposed. The road runs along the beach.” Turning to face the opposite direction, she nodded. “She must have gone right. That copse of trees would have provided enough cover for her.”
“Everyone complains about those trees,” Jill said. “They block visibility. But no one wants to make an official complaint because the obvious solution is to cut them down.”
Eve checked her phone again.
No news from Jack and Mira had disconnected the call saying it would be best to keep the line clear.
How long did it take to organize a boat? There were plenty of fishermen on the island.
She looked up at the sky. The last time the bridge had collapsed, the police had flown into the island on a helicopter.
“Did you just whimper?” Jill asked.
“No.”
“I’m sure you did.”
“Fine… Yes, I probably did.” She swung around and glared at the bridge. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say Roger McLain finally found a way to get me off the island for good.” She stabbed her finger at the island. “Where are the rescue boats? Where is everyone? They must know the bridge is out of action.” She yelped. “They’re probably holding one of their secret town meetings to decide how they can exploit the situation. Once this is over, I will demand to see the minutes.”