Killer Colada: a Danger Cove Cocktail Mystery (14 page)

"Do you think he's telling the truth?" I asked Vernon as he drove us back to the tavern.

"My gut instinct is telling me yes."

"That's the impression I got too."

Which left us back with our own theory that someone else had entered Pandora's house through the rear and had then murdered her in the five minutes Ruby and I were sitting outside her house. But how could the murderer plan it so precisely to make it look like Tim had done it?

Vernon was obviously thinking the same, because he said, "Everyone knew of Tim and Pandora's history. If someone wanted to kill her and pin it on someone else, Tim would be the perfect scapegoat."

"It had to be Ian. He's the only other person with a motive."

"But we're just left with more unanswered questions. How could Ian have known Tim would be there if it was Pandora who made the call? And it sounds like it was, by all accounts. I'll get my contact at Seattle PD to call me as soon as they've analyzed the cell we found for prints, but let's assume she did call Tim."

"Ian was seen in the area the day before Pandora died. Maybe he was watching her. Watching the house. Waiting for an opportunity to do it. Maybe it was just lucky for him that Tim was there that day. He could've been intending to kill her anyway and make it look like a burglary gone wrong or something. We know he was in Danger Cove that day, because of the speeding ticket. He could've parked the car somewhere, approached on foot from the rear, using the cover of the woods, then when he saw or heard Tim inside the house, he was offered the perfect opportunity to frame him."

"Maybe. But what about the pentobarbital that was stolen from Adam Whittaker's vet clinic?"

"Neither Tim nor Ian would need to steal it since they could easily pilfer it from their own businesses. And it's too much of a coincidence that the very drug used to kill Pandora was stolen a few weeks before."

"Lester could be right about one thing. It could be a red herring, designed to throw people off the scent from finding the truth and make it point to a random killer."

"Ian must've stolen it to point the finger at someone else if he was ever arrested." Vernon tapped the steering wheel thoughtfully. "If Lester won't compare Ian's prints with the ones left from the vet's, we'll just have to try to find some other evidence that proves it."

When we arrived at the tavern's parking lot, I spotted Harvey in his rental vehicle.

He jumped out of it with a bouquet of stunning red flowers in his hand. "Wow, nice hair! It looks gorgeous."

Before I could say thanks, Vernon patted his gray hair. "Thanks. Are those for me?" He grinned at Harvey. "You shouldn't have. People will talk." He pressed a hand to his chest in an overdramatic way and fluttered his eyelashes.

I elbowed Vernon and laughed.

Harvey laughed back, then shuffled from foot to foot, cheeks flushing. "Um…well…actually…"

Vernon chuckled again. "I'll leave you guys to it." He limped into the tavern, leaving us alone.

"They're for you." Harvey held out the flowers. "To say sorry for breaking our date tonight. And for neglecting you lately."

I took them, my smile widening. I sniffed the spray of lush red amaryllis. "They're gorgeous. Do you know what they mean?" I'd always loved nature, and when I'd been volunteering at a women's empowerment project in India, I'd met a local woman who knew all about the ancient and mystical meanings of various flowers.

"Um…no. But they looked nice."

"According to an old legend, the woman this flower is named after was shy and timid, and fell in love with a guy called Alteo, but her love was unrequited."

"Really? What happened?"

"Apparently, she tried to win him over by giving him something he wanted most."

"Oh yeah?" He gave me a sly grin. "And what would that be?"

"Not that!" I playfully swatted his arm. "No, it was a unique flower. One that had never existed before. So she consulted an oracle, and he told her to dress in white and appear at Alteo's door every night for thirty nights."

"That doesn't sound so bad."

"Yeah, but she had to pierce her heart every night with a golden arrow."

Harvey winced. "Ouch. That's a little extreme."

"Big ouch, because when Alteo finally opened his door to her, all he found was a red flower, which had been made from the blood of Amaryllis's heart."

"Pretty tragic."

I nodded, sniffing the flowers again, wondering if it was a sign from the Universe. Was Carmen Amaryllis? Appearing at Harvey's door late at night dressed in white, her love unrequited? Or was I?

"George, the guy in the flower shop, never mentioned all that." Harvey pulled me toward him, and I molded to his warm, firm body. God, I'd missed him lately. "I really am sorry I've been so busy. I've only got a few spare minutes before I need to go back to Seattle and document the piece of hull I found."

"You must be so excited." I pulled back, staring into his sea-blue eyes, wishing I could stay there and drown in them forever. "Carmen told me."

"Yes. First the bell and now a section of the hull. With any luck we'll find more soon. This is the bee's knees!"

"The bee's what?"

"Bee's knees. I guess you'd say amazing or awesome."

"Oh, right." I laughed. "You Brits have some really weird sayings."

"What, and you Americans don't? I still can't get over the whole fanny thing."

"Huh?"

"You call an arse a fanny, right?"

"No, a butt!"

"See, this is what I'm talking about." He chuckled. "A fanny is a…" He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"A what?"

"Your bits and bobs."

"
What
? Bits and bobs? Omigod, you crack me up. I don't have a clue what you're talking about.

"You
know
. Your lady bits."

I slapped a hand to my forehead. "Seriously?"

"Yeah."

"So if I said I had a fanny pack, that'd make you laugh, right?" I grinned.

He threw his head back with laughter, slapping his knee. "Hilarious!"

"What about if I fell on my fanny?" I smirked

"Well, I'd say I hope you didn't break it." He raised a suggestive eyebrow, then glanced at his watch. "Oh, bum, I have to go."

"Bum? That's like a Brit version of fanny, right?" I laughed again.

"Yeah, I think we could be here all day at this rate." He grinned, but the humor sparkling in his eyes died away as they searched mine. There was something serious in them now, something I couldn't read. He paused for a moment, taking hold of my hand not grasping the bouquet. "Look…about Carmen…" He paused, looking away shyly.

My heart clenched in anticipation of what he was going to say. That he and Carmen were getting back together? That he still loved her? That they were much better suited because they did the same job? Spoke the same language?

"Yoo-hoo!" A familiar voice shouted behind me.

Talk of the devil.

Carmen strode toward us, looking stunning, as always. "I thought I heard your voice." She beamed at Harvey and glanced at the bouquet I was holding. "Oh, are they for the funeral of that woman who was killed?" She pulled a sad face, which, like most of Carmen, seemed fake. Before I could correct her, she said to Harvey, "How did you get on? You haven't finished cataloguing everything already, have you?"

"No, I just popped back to speak to Hope. I'm headed back there soon."

She touched Harvey's arm and let her hand linger there. "While you're here, I've just found something
very
interesting I want you to take a look at." She had an excited gleam in her eye. "Come on." She gently took Harvey's hand and led him away.

Harvey glanced at me as she propelled him forward. He mouthed the words
I'll give you a bell
.

Which in Harvey's language meant he'd call me.

I watched them go, a nervous knot curling up in my stomach as Carmen's hand still clutched Harvey's, disappointment and jealousy welling up inside. What had he been about to say?

I stomped into the tavern, head down to avoid spotting them looking all cozy together outside the garden area.

"Nice flowers!" Ruby said from behind the bar as I swung open the door.

"Hmph," I said, sniffing them again. They were beautiful. And so was Carmen.

Argh! Go away, negative thoughts!

"What does that mean?" she asked.

"It's obvious Carmen's after Harvey. And it seems like we're drifting apart, and…" I slumped down on the stool, leaned my elbows on the bar, and rested my chin in my hands, staring at an ancient scratch in the wood.
And I'm in love with him? And I'm worried about getting my heart broken again? And…

Ruby enveloped me in a hug. "You know, not everyone in this world is going to like you. Some people are meant to come into your life as a reminder to watch the company you keep. Everything we go through is a lesson. There's something to learn from every situation. And the lesson here is that if you focus on your enemies and your weaknesses, you'll be defeated by them." She rubbed a comforting hand up my back.

I nodded into her shoulder. Hadn't the tarot cards said something similar? "Yes. You're right."

"I always am." She chuckled.

"No you're not. You just think you are," Vernon muttered as he rounded the bar. "And you're especially
not
right about thinking a tofu omelet tastes anything at all like eggs! That's what she was feeding me for breakfast this morning. It's gross!"

"Blah, blah, blah," Ruby muttered. "It was so gross you wolfed it down and left nothing on your plate." She let go of me. "Anyway, Moaning Minnie here has been filling me in regarding your sleuthing." She jerked her head in Vernon's direction.

"Yes," I said, grateful I had something to concentrate on other than Harvey and Carmen.

"So you really think Ian did it?" She shook her head. "If he is guilty, it puts me in an awkward position now. I've finalized the arrangements for Pandora's funeral this morning while you were out, and I was going to phone him and let him know, but now I feel a bit…well, awkward."

"I can call him for you and let him know what's happening," Vernon suggested. "We don't want to let it slip we think he's a suspect at this stage."

"Would you? Thanks." She exhaled a relieved breath. "It must be terrible for Tim, being accused of murder for the second time, if he really is innocent."

I thought about Jenna again. How she'd just vanished without a trace. Everyone had said Jenna wouldn't have left without saying good-bye to Pandora, so something bad must've happened to her, and I definitely believed now she was dead. But if Tim hadn't killed her, Ian was definitely looking like the favorite. I'd been convinced Jenna's disappearance had something to do with Pandora's death. But what? And how? After all this time, with a cold trail and no evidence, I guessed the only way we'd find out would be if Jenna's body was finally discovered, and that looked desperately unlikely after twenty years.

I slept badly that night, thoughts and images invading my dreams. Pandora's lifeless eyes. Tim's pleas. Ian's statement that he hadn't seen his mom in years. Harvey's dimples. Carmen's beauty. Harvey and Carmen cozying up together in their rooms at the B&B. At one stage, Carmen was floating outside Harvey's bedroom door in a long white gown, her golden hair braided, like an ethereal King Arthur's court princess. Harvey swung the door open, wearing britches, knee-high swashbuckling boots, and a white shirt with poufy long sleeves. He dragged her into his room and threw her onto the bed, all set to ravish her (not that she needed any encouragement). They were in the throes of a passionate, bodice-ripping embrace when her heart exploded, sending red flowers shooting out in all directions before raining down from the ceiling and smothering Harvey.

I awoke in a cold sweat with the early dawn light pushing through a gap in the curtains. I dislodged Zen from his usual position curled on my pillow above my head. He half opened his eyes as if to berate me for disturbing his twenty-two out of twenty-four hours sleep a day. Then he gave a little snore and rolled on his back. Karma was at the end of the bed, twitching, lost in his own dream. I hoped it was better than mine.

I downed a glass of hot water with fresh lemon, staring out at the sunrise edging up over the sea. Then I did a half-hour revitalizing yoga flow, to get rid of my negative energy, and meditated for ten minutes, trying to stop Harvey's and Carmen's faces appearing. After munching down some organic granola with soy milk, I was feeling ready to start the day.

Zen shot out of the bedroom, suddenly wide awake and having a freaky five minutes, scampering across the floor, climbing up curtains, and chasing his tail. Then he flew down the steps to the external door, meowing outside the kitty flap, unwilling to let himself out.

"You can get out yourself, you know," I groaned, but still opened the door for my lazy cat. He leaped through the door like a cat out of hell, and that's when I noticed the envelope on the doorstep.

Somehow I doubted it was a letter from the Good Food Awards letting me know the tavern had won a prize for its culinary delights, because it was exactly the same MO as before. Plain white envelope with my name on it, those familiar blocky letters in bold black pen. I rushed back upstairs to find some rubber gloves that I used for cleaning, donning them and rushing back.

Gingerly, I opened the envelope's flap, wondering if whoever had sent the letter had licked it. Could the police get DNA from saliva? Would Lester even bother checking? Fat chance!

I WARNED YOU! BACK OFF, OR ELSE…

Or else what? I wanted to shout from the doorway into the dawn air, but whoever had left it there was probably long gone now. After locking up the external door again, I walked through to the tavern from the internal staircase and corridor. Flipping the lights on, I tried to forget about the threats and concentrate on getting the place ready to open. I still had hours before I opened up, and my gaze kept straying to the note I'd left on the bar top, ready to take to Lester.

Did this mean we were getting close to finding out who killed Pandora? If it was from Ian, how did he know we suspected him? Was he watching me right now? I peeked out of the window, just to check if anyone was out there, and noticed Carmen, who was already busy working. Whatever Carmen had discovered yesterday must've been interesting if she was back on site at this time in the morning. Had she found more gold coins?

I watched her long, lithe limbs stride across the cliffs as she carried a large plastic box to the storage barn at the back of the tavern, which Harvey had been using to keep his tools in. Then she returned and disappeared behind the privacy tent. A rush of emotions swirled inside. Were those the last flowers Harvey would buy me? Were they some kind of good-bye? Had he slept with her?

My phone let out a relaxing waterfall chime, the ringtone for a text message, and I retrieved it from my bag. It was from Vernon, letting me know his contact had found out that the only fingerprints found on the cell phone we'd discovered were from Pandora.

I switched on the coffee machines and boiled the kettle, making a cup of chamomile tea. Dunking the tea bag in the steamy water, I wondered what that meant. If Pandora had definitely made the call to Tim, asking him to go to her house, why had the phone ended up on the other side of her boundary fence, where it led to the woods? The only logical conclusion I could come up with was that she'd thrown it over the fence herself because she was scared of any repercussions from Tim once she'd lured him there. He'd had her arrested in the past for harassment, and she was probably worried he might try to sue her again.

I unlocked the front door to the tavern and sat outside in the pub garden with my back toward the area Carmen was working in, staring out at the sea and sipping my tea. It was a deep blue today. As smooth as a sheet of glass. Perfect conditions for Harvey to continue his search for the rest of the
Ocean's Revenge
.

I shook my head to steer the thoughts away from Harvey and back to Pandora. I still thought Tim was telling the truth, and some things began clicking into place now. Pandora was dying of an inoperable tumor and probably thought this would be her final chance to discover the truth about Jenna, so she called Tim on the pretense that she had discovered some kind of evidence about Jenna to get him to her house. He was hoping to clear his name. Otherwise he would never have gone near the place. But when Tim arrived, she gave him one last desperate plea so she could get the answers before she left this world, hoping to put Jenna to rest finally. They argued about things. Then Tim left. And in the five minutes we were waiting outside, Ian sneaked in the rear door to the kitchen, killed Pandora for her inheritance, and then vanished without being seen. Just like Jenna had done all those years ago.

Ian had obviously lied when he said he hadn't been to Danger Cove or seen Pandora recently. He was spotted the day before, when I suspected he must've asked his mom for a loan to save his flagging business or fund the gambling lifestyle he was used to. And when she refused, he returned the next day, killed her, and sped out of town, getting a traffic ticket in the process. So how did we prove Ian was actually at Pandora's that day, when no one had spotted him nearby?

I didn't have a clue. It was like searching for a ghost, just like Jenna.

I was so deep in thought that I didn't hear the gate into the garden opening from behind me. It was only Harvey putting a hand on my shoulder, which made me jump into the here and now.

My heart pounded in my chest, my sudden surprise giving way to something that made me warm and melty all over.

"Hi!" I smiled. "You scared me."

"Sorry." He sat down opposite me, making the bench bounce under his weight. "You were miles away."

I stared into his gorgeous eyes. Eyes that were creasing at the corners with a warm smile. He took my hands in his and rubbed my palms with his calloused fingers.

"Where were you?" he asked.

"Huh? When?"

He gave me a boyish, lazy grin, and the dimple came out to greet me. "Just now. What were you thinking about?"

"Oh, right. Um…I was just trying to make sense of what happened to Pandora." I told him what we'd discovered so far.

"Crikey."

"How about you? What's going on with the recovery?" I glanced over my shoulder at Carmen, who was standing up now, stretching her arms above her head and watching us.

Harvey's brow crinkled. "Carmen found something odd yesterday."

"Odd how?"

"You know I recovered the gold and silver coins from the caves underneath here? And Carmen's taken over recovering the skeletons of what we suspect to be some of the smugglers who were trapped inside when the entrance collapsed?"

I nodded.

"Well, she found a piece of silver, but it's not that old and can't be part of the smugglers' haul from 1852, because it has a modern hallmark on it. We're not quite sure how it came to be in the earth around the cave entrance."

"How old is it?"

"I took it to the university to get a second opinion, and they agreed with my estimate. We think it's only about thirty years old."

"Maybe someone dropped it, and it worked its way into the soil over the years. Is it a coin, too, like the others you recovered?"

"No." He pulled a small, sealed plastic bag out of his pocket. "It's a pair of earrings." He handed it to me.

The breath drained from my throat as I stared at them, turning the bag over so I could examine them from every angle to be sure. They were about an inch long, with a little silver feather dangling from the end of each one. And I'd seen something exactly like them before. When I was clearing Jenna's room, I'd found a matching charm bracelet with lots of little feathers on it. These earrings had to have been part of a set. But how did they end up underground? Had Jenna lost them at some point before she disappeared? Had she been to the tavern one day, and they'd fallen out? I could understand accidentally losing one earring, but two? It was unlikely but not impossible. So either she'd lost them here or…

And then a horrible picture tumbled into my head, and I thought I knew.