Murder So Sweet (A Sweet Cove Mystery Book 2) (7 page)

Angie walked into the lobby of the resort and went to speak with one of the registration clerks on duty.

“Could you tell me if Mr. Victor Finch has been a recent guest here?” Angie questioned.

“I’m sorry, but we aren’t allowed to give out information on guests.”

Angie sighed. She should have thought of that. Privacy laws would forbid such information being shared with the public. She would have to speak to Chief Martin and let him know that Finch was in town a couple of days before the murder took place. “Thank you, anyway.” She stepped away from the counter and headed for the front door. She checked her phone for messages with any updates on Mr. Finch’s condition, but there was nothing. Angie’s stomach clenched with anxiety. She worried that she might have put a permanent spell on the older man.

Wondering how to reverse what she’d done to Finch, she walked outside and crossed the lawn of the resort to go and sit where her grandmother’s cottage used to be. She stretched out on the grass and watched the waves crashing against the rocks. She could see people strolling on the beach below the point. Some brave souls were jumping around in the icy waves. Angie nearly shivered thinking about how cold the ocean water would be this early in the season.

Her mind puzzled over the two Finch brothers and their estrangement. She couldn’t fathom bearing a grudge so great that it kept her away from her sisters for over fifty years. Pondering who could have killed Finch and why, Angie rested back on the sun-warmed lawn and looked up at the bright blue of the sky. She closed her eyes and was lulled by the gentle thrumming moving through her veins. It only took a few minutes for her to fall asleep.

***

Angie sat bolt upright and gaped at her surroundings trying to get her bearings. She blinked from the glaring sunlight and put her hand up to shield her eyes. Remembering why she’d left the Victorian, apprehension gripped her. She rubbed her forehead for a minute, and then stood up, brushing the grass from her butt.

“Angie!” Josh Williams called to her from across the lawn. “What a nice surprise.” He grinned. “I never know where you’re going to turn up.”

Josh’s smile sent warm shivers across Angie’s skin.

“I took some time off from helping Ellie with the B and B. It’s so nice out. I felt like a long walk to get some exercise. I ended up here.” Angie gave Josh a sheepish grin. “I fell asleep.”

“Well, it’s no wonder.” Josh stepped closer. “You’ve been working so hard with the bake shop closing and the bed and breakfast starting up. Not to mention everything that happened surrounding Professor Linden’s murder.”

Angie sighed. “You heard about the candy shop owner? Mr. Finch was killed.”

Josh nodded. “That was a terrible shock.”

“Did you hear Courtney and I found him?”

Josh’s eyes widened. “What? You found him? Angie, I’m so sorry.”

Angie loved the sincerity and caring in Josh’s voice.

“Listen, do you have to get back right away? Can you have lunch with me? We’ve both been so busy. It would be nice to just sit and talk.”

Angie’s long lashes fluttered over her blue eyes. “I’d like that.” She looked down at her jeans. “I’m not dressed for the restaurant though.”

“The restaurant doesn’t open until later in the afternoon. We can eat lunch in the café.”

Josh and Angie went into the resort’s cafe and took a table by the windows looking over the Atlantic Ocean.

“How are things here? Have you cleared up the issues with the manager?” Angie sipped her ice water.

Josh leaned forward and lowered his voice. “I don’t know. He talks a good game, but I’m not sure about him. He seems … distracted. He does unexpected things. He was out of touch with the resort for an entire day. No one knew where he was. He was supposed to be here. The assistant manager tried to call him, but he never picked up. He showed up the next day. Never gave a reason for his absence. I’ve discussed it with him, what our expectations are. There have been other things, too. Nothing is enough to remove him from the position, but if it keeps up, we might not have a choice.”

“He came well-recommended?”

“Yes, highly. But the guy working for us doesn’t seem like the one with the great recommendations and resume.” Josh looked across the room and nodded. “That’s him speaking with the hostess.”

Angie glanced over. A tall, slender, man dressed in what appeared to be an expensive suit stood next to the hostess going over some papers. The man was middle-aged with dark brown hair. Some gray showed at his temples. “He looks very professional and polished.”

“His name is Andrew Flynn. He’s worked all over the world. Davis and I thought we hit the jackpot getting a guy like this to run the resort. Now I’m not so sure.”

Their meals arrived and the subject changed to other things. Angie enjoyed spending an hour with Josh. It almost made her forget why she had left the Victorian. Just as that thought entered her mind, her phone buzzed.

“Go ahead,” Josh said. “Check it.”

Angie lifted the phone from her pocket and looked at the text.
Come home.

“I need to get back.” Nervous tension made Angie’s heart pound. She wished her sister had sent a little more information than only a two word text.

Chapter 10

Angie jogged the miles from the point to the center of Sweet Cove and she slowed to a walk as she turned on to Beach Street. Her leg muscles were tight and her lungs burned. She realized she needed to get more regular exercise.

By the time she climbed the Victorian’s front porch steps, her breathing continued to be quick and labored, but now the reason wasn’t because she had been running. Angie didn’t know what awaited her inside the house. Twice on her way home, she’d stopped and texted Ellie and Courtney, but neither one replied. Her heart hammered. Her stomach clenched with worry as she reached for the doorknob, turned it slowly, and tip-toed into the foyer.

Angie looked into the living room and her heart jumped into her throat when saw Mr. Finch sprawled on the sofa. Her hand flew up to her mouth to stifle a gasp. A blanket haphazardly covered Finch and a cold compress lay across his forehead. What Angie could see of his face was ghostly pale. His eyes were closed. She thought he looked like he was dead.

Euclid and the black cat were perched on the back of the sofa watching over Finch.

The soft click of shoes on the wood floor caused Angie to turn towards the hall. Ellie came into the foyer carrying a tray with a glass of water and a cup of tea on it. She put an index finger to her lips indicating the need for quiet.

Angie nodded.

Ellie went into the living room and placed the tray on the coffee table. She went back into the foyer and took Angie by the elbow steering her down the hallway and into the family room at the back of the house.

“What’s been happening?” Angie asked. “How’s Mr. Finch?”

Ellie sat down on the comfy sofa. “He seems fine now. I think the spell or whatever it was is over.”

Angie blew out a sigh of relief.

“He wanted to search the house for you. Courtney came down and corralled him in the living room. She told him you would be angry if he didn’t behave.”

The corners of Angie’s mouth turned up and she couldn’t keep herself from chuckling.

Ellie frowned. “Yes. Laugh. I was a nervous wreck.” She pulled her long blonde hair over her shoulder. “After three hours of his foolishness, he suddenly got a headache and collapsed on the sofa. Courtney and Jenna stayed with him. He fell asleep, but had wild dreams. He was calling out, thrashing.”

“Oh, no.” Angie felt awful for causing Finch’s ordeal.

“At last, he calmed. He’s been quiet. I think he’ll be okay when he wakes up.” Ellie shook her head. “Our poor guests, the Foleys. Mrs. Foley wanted to call an ambulance. She was sure Finch had lost his mind, or he’d had a stroke. I made up a story that Finch had a strong reaction to a new medication.”

“What clever thinking. You handled the whole mess perfectly.” Angie praised her sister. “Where are Jenna and Courtney?”

“They’re in Jenna’s shop working on the jewelry.”

Euclid and the black cat appeared at the entrance to the family room. Euclid let out a howl. Ellie and Angie jumped.

“Finch must be awake. Euclid and the other cat have been watching over him.” Ellie stood up and headed for the living room with Angie following behind. Ellie said over her shoulder, “We need to name that cat. And why is she always trying to get into my office?”

“Is she? I didn’t know.”

“She meows at the door until I let her in there,” Ellie said. “She’s obsessed with that room.”

They approached the living room.

Mr. Finch was sitting up on the sofa rubbing his forehead. A lock of his gray hair hung over his face. He lifted his tired eyes as the girls and the cats hurried towards him. Making eye contact with Finch, a quiver of worry shuddered down Angie’s spine that maybe the spell hadn’t let go of him, but his voice was soft and his facial expression remained flat when he saw her. Angie let out the breath she had been holding tight in her lungs.

“How are you feeling, Mr. Finch?” Angie wondered if Finch would remember the feelings he had experienced for her.

“I had a headache. It came on quickly.” He reached for the glass of water.

“Can we get you anything?” Ellie sat down in the chair next to the sofa.

Finch gulped his water and set the glass back on the tray. “I think I’d like to go up to my room. Perhaps take a shower.” He glanced around looking for his cane.

Angie spotted the cane partially hidden under the sofa. She bent and lifted it off the floor. She passed it to Mr. Finch and as they both held on to it, a wave of dizziness washed over her. Angie sucked in a short, quick gasp. Her vision darkened until she could only see through a small hole.

She pictured herself standing at the top of a long staircase. A man’s voice shouted, but the sound was muffled. The anger in the voice was directed at her. Adrenaline pulsed through her veins. The voice shouted again, closer this time. Someone came at her. His hands clutched her neck and pushed her backwards. In slow motion, she plunged down the staircase, her spine cracking against each tread of the stairs. Pain flashed in her back until it consumed her.

In the void, a tiny pin prick sparkled and expanded until Angie’s vision fully returned. A breath of air escaped her throat. She released her hold on Mr. Finch’s cane.

“Are you okay?” Ellie gave her sister a strange look.

“I think I’m getting a headache. I felt dizzy for a second.” Angie took a quick look at Mr. Finch.

He pushed himself off the sofa, holding tight to his cane. Ellie took Finch’s arm and the two walked to the front staircase.

“Be careful on the stairs,” Angie called to them as Ellie helped Mr. Finch up to his room.

***

The four sisters sat on the sofas in the family room each holding plates with slices of pizza and portions of fresh salad. Angie made the pizza after she’d had a nap and a shower. She wanted to cook something normal, something that no one would have a weird reaction to. She was careful not to put any intentions into the dough.

“Next time you attempt a spell, you need to keep focused on your thoughts.” Courtney bit into her pizza slice. “Don’t let extraneous ideas surface while you bake.”

“I didn’t realize,” Angie said. “At least now we know that things wear off, it’s nothing permanent. Thankfully.”

Jenna said, “Still, you’ll need to be careful when you bake. Make sure nothing slips from your mind into the food.”

“I’m just glad Mr. Finch is okay.” Ellie grabbed a napkin from the coffee table.

Angie told her sisters what the cab driver said about Finch arriving in Sweet Cove two days prior to the murder. “I distinctly remember Finch telling me that he’d only just arrived on the morning of the murder.”

Courtney sat up. “Why did he lie? Did he kill his brother?”

Jenna looked at Ellie. “You clean his room everyday. Look through his things. See if you can find any evidence. Maybe he has a shirt with blood on it.”

“I’m not looking through his things.” Ellie stabbed a piece of lettuce with her fork. “That’s completely unethical.”

“So is murdering your brother,” Jenna said. Her legs were curled under her, the dinner plate balanced on her knees.

“Something happened to me when I passed Finch his cane today.” Angie told them of the vision she had of being shoved down a staircase.

“What was that about?” Ellie’s face had worry lines creased across her forehead.

“Was it a warning?” Jenna turned concerned eyes to Angie. “A premonition?”

Angie shrugged. “I don’t know. I’ll just be careful around stairs for a while, I guess.”

“Wait.” Courtney’s eyes widened. “Was Finch holding the cane at the same time you held it?”

“I think so,” Angie said. “Yes, I handed it to him, so we both had our hands on it at the same time. Why?”

“Could the vision have been from Finch? Like a memory, transmitted to you through the cane?” Courtney said.

The three girls’ faces were blank. They thought about Courtney’s idea.

“Maybe?” Angie said with a soft voice.

Jenna said, “Maybe the image crossed into your mind because Finch had recently been under your muffin spell.”

“Why does everyone have powers surfacing all of a sudden?” Ellie looked like she had eaten something bad. “Is it this house?” She glanced around the room, a worried and frightened look on her face.

“I don’t have any powers.” Even though Jenna was trying to reassure her sister, she sounded slightly disappointed in her lack of abilities.

“It’s not the house,” Courtney said. “It’s us.” She reached for another slice of pizza.

Ellie put her empty plate on the coffee table. “Why don’t you just ask Finch again if he was in town prior to the day his bother was killed? Maybe it’s just a misunderstanding.” Ellie picked up her glass of lemon water. “And then you could ask him, oh by the way, have you ever been pushed down a flight of stairs?”

“He might find that an odd question.” Angie smiled. “I think I’m done pestering Mr. Finch.”

Angie’s phone buzzed with an incoming call.