A Fishy Dish (A Hooked & Cooked Cozy Mystery Series Book 3) (11 page)

Hannah placed her hands on Leah’s knees. “I asked you this before—do you think Matt killed Gavin?”

“It don’t see how it would be possible,” she whispered. “He drove me all the way from The Chowder House and dropped me off. Would he have had enough time to get back before Gavin was killed?”

“Someone saw him sitting in his car out back of the restaurant. It’s less than ten minutes between the restaurant and my cottages, so yes it would be possible.”

“I don’t know. He won’t talk to me about where he went. And what about that chef? Something was off with the fish platter. That’s what got Matt all riled up about to begin with.”

“I never tasted it. Was it undercooked?”

Leah waved her hand. “No, it tasted, I don’t know, old. Like Gavin was pulling something fishy over his customers to save a buck. At least, that’s what Matt suspected.”

“Gavin blamed the problem on the chef and fired him on the spot.”

“Right. The chef was fired
and
humiliated. I heard it all before we left. Maybe
he
was angry enough to kill Gavin; but everyone seems to be focused on Matt as the murderer. I keep thinking, what about the chef?”

“You have a valid point. And Chef Belair was in custody. I don’t know the details, but I suppose the police didn’t have enough evidence to keep him locked up. I haven’t heard that he’s off the suspect list though.”

Leah stared into Hannah’s eyes. “Matt is
not
a killer. Yes, he’s angry. He’s been angry for a long time, but why would he kill Gavin Abbott now? After all these years?”

“Leah, I don’t have the answer. What happened all those years ago between Gavin and Matt? What was so bad that Matt could never let go of his anger? You know, don’t you?”

Leah’s head nodded ever so slightly. “Yes. I think it all boiled down to jealousy. Matt’s jealousy of Gavin’s family—their money, fancy education, easy life. When Gavin dated Jan, Matt lashed out at both of them. He said he never wanted to see either of them ever again.” Leah wiped her cheek. “Jan was scared and accused Gavin of rape. Since she was underage, it would have sent Gavin to jail. He paid her off to leave and drop the whole mess.”

“Was it true?”

“I don’t know. Matt believed it. I think he blamed his sister more than Gavin.”

Hannah hesitated before asking her next question. “Why did Sally ever even consider working at The Chowder House for Gavin? Didn’t she know it would drive her father crazy?”

“I shouldn’t tell you this but I’ve been holding it in for so long; I have to tell someone.” Leah stood up and paced across the small office. She stopped in front of the window. “Sally told me that Jan had been sending her text messages. Jan was desperate for contact with the family again. Supposedly. Sally decided, with the best intentions but full of naiveté, that if she worked for Gavin, she could be the go between to heal our family.”

Hannah couldn’t believe what she heard. This poor girl had the weight of her father’s problems on her shoulders. Completely unfair. Hannah was more determined than ever to go with Sean to meet Jan and try to help end this family’s nightmare.

“Does Matt know any of this?”

Leah shook her head vigorously. “No. I never dared say a word. The problem is, I don’t think he wants to forgive his sister. I don’t think he would know how to let go of the anger. He has to blame someone for all those lost years.”

“Here’s what you need to do,” Hannah said. “Keep an eye on Matt. Don’t let him out of your sight. I’ll meet up with you at the vigil tonight. With some luck, there will be more information by then.”

Hannah didn’t want to get Leah’s hopes up too high. What if Jan got spooked before the meeting and didn’t show up at the Paradise Inn? She couldn’t let that happen.

Chapter 13

Hannah almost forgot about her invitation to Cal’s boat for dinner.

But Samantha hadn’t forgotten.

Or Olivia.

When Cal knocked on Hannah’s office door at the end of the afternoon, she pushed her bills into a box and stretched her arms over her head.

“You didn’t forget, did you?” Cal asked with a mischievous grin on his face.

“Of course not,” she lied. “I needed to finish up this boring paperwork before the weekend.” And squeeze in a visit to the Paradise Inn with Sean Payne, she added to herself.

Cal crooked his finger for Hannah to join him at the window.

Olivia and Samantha sat cross-legged in the sand. Olivia, with her six-year-old knowledge, explained to the white haired Samantha the intricacies of
exactly
how to make a sand castle.

“First, you fill the bucket with sand and pack it in. Tight. Tight. Tight. Like this.” Olivia smashed her little hand on the sand until it was packed.

“Next, you
very carefully
tip the bucket over and pull the bucket off.” She followed her own instructions perfectly. “See?” She looked up at Samantha. “Just like that. Now you try it.” Olivia handed the bucket to Samantha.

Samantha filled the bucket under the watchful eye of her young teacher. With Olivia’s hands helping, Samantha tipped it over and another sand cone stood next to Olivia’s.

Olivia screeched and clapped her hands together. “Good job, Samantha. I taught you everything I know.”

Cal smiled at Hannah. “Samantha stepped up to the plate and kept her eye on Olivia so Ruby could work in the snack bar. Those two are best buddies now.”

The echo of Pam’s warning about Samantha rang in her memory. Hannah had to find out what Samantha was up to before she wheedled her way too far into Olivia’s heart.

“You two are having a lot of fun,” Hannah said. “I think Samantha is an expert sand castle maker now.” Hannah squatted next to her niece. “Olivia, how about I walk you to your house so Samantha can get caught up with her own business?”

“Okay.” Olivia jumped up and brushed the sand off her shorts. “Are we going to Cal’s boat now? He promised.”

Hannah brushed her hand over Olivia’s French braid. “It’s a bit early. I’ll pick you up when it’s time to go.”

Hannah did a mental check of everything she needed to do before the vigil for Sally White started in less than three hours—shower; call Pam, maybe; go with Sean to meet Jan at the Paradise Inn; come back to pick up Olivia and Samantha for dinner on Cal’s boat. It was a full schedule but doable if nothing went wrong.

A hot shower, after dropping Olivia at home, relaxed her tense muscles. The pounding water dulled her senses and washed away all the drama of the day, for the next fifteen minutes, if she was lucky.

With clean jeans and an aqua blue t-shirt covered with a graphic of an ocean wave pattern, she checked her reflection in the mirror. Casual with a local flair.

Nellie woofed. The front door of her cottage squeaked. Hannah felt the small hairs on her neck stand up. “Who’s there?”

“Are you ready to go?” a voice called.

Sean was nervy to walk right into her cottage. Even though the office was attached to her living space, her cottage was private and he overstepped the boundary.

He caught her by surprise before she had time to call Pam to give her a heads up about this meeting with the elusive Jan. Too late now. She would find out as much information as possible and talk to Pam at the vigil. Maybe that was a better plan anyway. Keep a low profile so Jan didn’t get suspicious.

“I’ll be right out,” she answered.

Hannah checked that she had her phone in her bag before she looped it over her head and across her chest. She pulled her long braid free of the strap.

“All set.” She patted Nellie’s head and made a mental note to herself to be sure to lock her door in the future. Especially when she was taking a shower.

“How about you follow me? I don’t want anyone to see us together,” Sean said.

“Fine with me,” Hannah replied. She was more than happy to keep this little rendezvous off everyone’s radar. “I’ll meet you in the parking lot at the Paradise Inn, in about ten minutes.”

Sean shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “I don’t like that idea. Just follow me now.”

“Fine.” She rolled her eyes, hoping he understood she was annoyed. Although, even if he notice the eye roll, he probably didn’t care one iota about her feelings.

Hannah decided she would listen to the conversation between Jan and Sean, absorb the details of the interview, but say as little as possible. She followed Sean’s black Honda Civic into the curved driveway to the Paradise Inn. He found two empty spots next to each other so they could park together.

Sean waited at Hannah’s car door and pulled it open as soon as she turned her car off. This guy was keeping a close eye on her and she didn’t like it.

“Don’t say anything unless Jan asks you a question. I’ll do the talking. Got it?” His jaw was set in a tight clamp as he waited for Hannah’s reply. All his earlier friendliness vanished like the morning ocean fog.

“Got it.”

He took her elbow. His eyes darted around the parking lot. “Jan’s car isn’t here.”

Deputy Pam Larson’s cruiser slowly passed behind Hannah’s car.

“What’s she doing here?” Sean hissed as he tightened his grip on Hannah’s elbow. “That must be why Jan hasn’t texted me yet.”

Hannah pulled away from Sean’s hold. “Beats me. Maybe this wasn’t the smartest place to meet. Whose idea was it anyway?”

“I’ll have to wait for Jan to contact me with a different meeting place.
If
she contacts me.” He hopped into his car and left.

Hannah couldn’t believe what just happened.

Pam pulled into the spot vacated by Sean’s car. The window on the passenger side rolled down. Pam leaned across the seat. “You’re looking a tad confused, Ms. Holiday. Did your reporter
friend
just dump you?”

“What?” Hannah instinctively knew this conversation wasn’t going in a good direction. For her.

“Or should I say
dupe
you?”

“I need to talk to you,” Hannah said, ignoring Pam’s comment. “It’s about Jan. I think I know how to find her.

“Matt White’s sister?” Pam asked with her eyebrows raised.

Hannah nodded.

“Well, I sure am dying of curiosity about that subject. How about you follow me to the police station and we’ll have a little chat about what you think you know.”

Pam’s statement and the smirk on her face worried Hannah. Was Pam setting her up to walk into a trap? She had no choice but to follow the police cruiser and she could only hope that this unexpected
chat
didn’t throw her whole schedule out the window.

Hannah’s mind whirled in circles throughout the whole drive and she barely took in her surroundings. Was there ever really a meeting with Jan? What was Sean’s angle? The way he was treating Hannah had her on high alert and before she knew it, Hannah followed Pam’s cruiser right into the parking lot of the police station.

“So,” Pam began after they were seated in her small office. Hannah had the treat of a hard metal chair that could not
possibly
be more uncomfortable. Most likely the intention. “Before you tell me your plan to capture the elusive Janice Jones, how well do you know your reporter friend, Sean Payne?” Pam asked.

Hannah squirmed in her chair. These questions always ended in a bombshell she never saw coming. “First, he’s not my friend, he’s renting one of the cottages at Holiday Hideaway.”

“Convenient for working together.”

Hannah leaned forward, almost sliding off the slippery metal seat. “We aren’t working together. Why did you jump to that conclusion?”

Pam stared at Hannah.

She tapped her pen on her desk—click, click, click—like a ticking bomb.

“I did some research after you showed me Sean’s drawing of Janice Jones and made a, shall I say,
interesting
discovery. “ She paused her story but not her pen tapping.

Hannah wiggled on the hard seat. She wished Pam would just blurt out whatever it was she wanted to say instead of torturing her.

Click, click, click—Pam tilted her head and never took her eyes off Hannah’s face. “If you aren’t working with the reporter, why would you feed me information about a dead woman? Don’t tell me you’ve been conned by that skinny reporter?”

Hannah felt her jaw drop and hoped it didn’t hit the floor. “Jan is dead? Maybe that’s why she didn’t show at the Paradise Inn.”

Click, click, click—the pen counted the seconds. “Yes, that is an understandable reason.”

“Was she murdered?” Hannah asked, her voice a bare wisp of air.

“Oh no, nothing like that, Ms. Holiday. The real Janice Jones died a year and a half ago.” Pam paused another six steady clicks of her pen. “Who exactly is this woman you
claim
is Sally White’s aunt? Because, obviously, the woman you
think
is Jan, can’t be her.”

Hannah could barely make her vocal chords work. “I have no idea. Sean Payne told me he confronted her after Matt and Gavin argued at The Chowder House, and this morning when she called him, he leapt at the chance to interview her.”