Deception Cove (A Rainshadow Novel) Page 15

  Because there was no evidence, Aldwin thought. Thanks to a useful item of Alien technology that killed without a trace. But he didn’t say it out loud. He and Ethel had been over this territory a thousand times in the past year. Ethel had run up against one thing her money had been unable to buy—the criminal justice system. Which was actually rather astonishing, in Aldwin’s opinion. A year ago he would have bet good money that with Ethel Whitcomb pushing for an arrest, the system would have obliged. It had come as a bit of a shock when Alice North had walked free. Evidently not everything was for sale down there at the Resonance City PD. He would have to keep that in mind.

  “I just cannot comprehend Drake Sebastian entering into an MC with that woman,” Ethel said. “Everyone knows the Sebastian men don’t do MCs with their mistresses.”

  Aldwin cleared his throat. “The family standards may be slipping. There was that divorce a while back. The Sebastians tried to keep it hushed up, but everyone in their circle knew about it.”

  “Yes, I know,” Ethel said. “But this tacky MC coming on the heels of that dreadful scandal just makes it all so much worse. Drake’s mother, Samantha, must be furious. I can’t even imagine what Drake’s grandfather is thinking. And as for Drake, it’s no secret he is set to take over the business next year. Why would he embarrass his family like this?”

  Aldwin was quite certain he knew the answer to Ethel’s questions. There was only one logical reason why Drake Sebastian would have gotten himself involved in an MC with Alice North. It was the same reason that Fulton had married the woman. The Sebastians had concluded that they needed Alice’s assistance to find the crystals. The fact that Drake had whisked her off to Rainshadow immediately after the ceremony said it all. Not like the island is any woman’s dream of a honeymoon paradise, he thought.

  He did not want to contemplate what would happen if Drake was successful. If the Sebastians found the two crystals, they would also find the Dream Chamber and the bitch, Zara Tucker. That could not be allowed to happen. Aldwin knew that Zara would take him down with her in a heartbeat.

  It was all falling apart. Aldwin was now in survival mode. He hoped that Rainshadow blew sky-high and soon, taking Zara Tucker with it. The biggest mystery in this whole mess was why he had allowed Tucker to drag him into the project in the first place.

  The panicky feeling was getting worse. He was not claustrophobic, but Ethel’s study seemed to be closing in around him. It was getting hard to breathe.

  “You’ve got other things on your mind, Mrs. Whitcomb,” he said gently. “We can discuss the plans for the new wing of the museum some other time.”

  “Yes,” she said, bleak and bitter. “Some other time.”

  “I’ll see myself out,” he said.

  Ethel did not respond. Aldwin left her standing at the window as she gazed out at the spectacular view.

  Chapter 24

  “THE FIRST STEP IS TO MAKE A LIST OF MEN WHO MIGHT be vulnerable to Zara’s talent,” Drake said.

  “That shouldn’t be difficult,” Fletcher said. “Not that many people left here in town, and between the four of us we know them all.”

  They were gathered in Looking Glass Antiques. It was early morning but the sky was once again dark and heavy. Alice knew there would be no sun that day. The lights were still off, leaving the shop steeped in shadows. The place was crammed with antiques, and all of them had a paranormal provenance. The combined currents that emanated from the objects infused the atmosphere with a faint, hair-lifting buzz.

  Alice stood quietly, lounging against a counter with Houdini tucked under one arm. Drake laid out his plans to Charlotte, Rachel, Jasper, and Fletcher. She was glumly aware that she had nothing to contribute to the strategy. Her brief moment of feeling like a member of the group had dissipated. She could not assist with the task of winnowing down the list of suspects because she was not well acquainted with anyone on the island. She had no talent for aura reading, like Rachel. And she had only arrived yesterday, so she could not determine various timelines and alibis. The best she could do in a pinch was bend a little light and vanish. She was just the magician’s assistant.

  Drake was the magician in this situation. He had taken charge with the ease of a natural leader. No one had even blinked when he had announced that he had a strategy and he wanted help implementing it. Alice had the distinct impression that the others were relieved that someone had a plan. There was nothing worse than sitting around waiting for disaster to strike.

  “Are you sure you don’t want to bring Officer Willis in on this?” Rachel asked.

  “I wish we could,” Drake said, “but I don’t think we should take the chance. Unfortunately, for now he’s on the list of suspects. He’s an ideal target for Tucker—young, single, male, and well positioned to know what is going on here in Shadow Bay.”

  “What about Myrna Reed?” Charlotte asked. “I know that Slade trusts her. She’s been a police officer here on Rainshadow for years. She knows all kinds of secrets.”

  “Her input would be valuable,” Drake said. “But informing her of this project would put her in a difficult situation with Kirk Willis. In addition, because of her close ties to the community, we can’t be sure where her loyalties lie. She might feel bound to protect some of the people on the list. For now, this stays with the six of us.”

  “Understood,” Jasper said.

  “I agree,” Fletcher added. “We’ll get started on the list immediately.”

  Charlotte looked at Drake with a speculative expression. “What happens if we come up with a likely suspect?”

  “I’ll have a short conversation with him,” Drake said.

  Jasper raised his bushy brows. “And if he isn’t feeling chatty?”

  “He’ll tell me what I want to know,” Drake said without inflection. “I’m sure of it.”

  Jasper nodded, satisfied. “You need any help with that conversation, feel free to call on Fletch and me.”

  In that moment, Alice glimpsed a few of the hard edges under the surfaces of the two retired ghost hunters. They might be an artist and a gallery owner now, but they had survived for years in the underground catacombs. It was tough, dangerous work and it had left its mark on both men.

  Drake smiled. “Count on it, you will be in on that conversation.”

  “That’s it, then,” Charlotte said. “We’re all on the clock here, not that any of the clocks in town are working. Let’s get started on our list. Rachel and I can supply the names of all the men staying at the B-and-Bs.”

  Houdini chose that moment to wriggle free of Alice’s grasp. He made it up onto the counter and started examining a display of marbles.

  “While you’re working on that,” Drake said to the group, “I’m going to start a few rumors in town.”

  Rachel raised her brows. “Rumors about what?”

  “I want to get the word out that, thanks to Alice, I’ve got some old North family records that describe a method of de-escalating the unstable frequencies generated by the crystal Keys.”

  Jasper nodded. “Trying to build a fire under whoever is behind this?”

  “No harm in giving our man an incentive to move quickly,” Drake said.

  Charlotte shot him a thoughtful look. “You’re making yourself a target.”

  Drake’s smile was cold. “One I’m hoping Zara Tucker won’t be able to resist.”

  Fletcher smiled. “This is a pincer-move. Between us narrowing down a list of suspects and you setting yourself up as a target, we’re going to force someone’s hand.”

  “That’s the idea,” Drake said.

  There was a short silence. Alice heard a small noise behind her. She whirled around in time to see five colorful glass marbles roll across the counter.

  “Houdini, no,” she yelped.

  She dove for the marbles and managed to snag two. The other three sailed off the edge of the counter and landed with three loud, sharp cracks on the wooden floor.

  Houdini chortled euphorically.


  Alice looked at Charlotte. “I’m sorry. Are they, uh, very valuable antiques?”

  Charlotte smiled. “Don’t worry about it. I’m sure the marbles will be fine.”

  “If they aren’t, send the bill to the Foundation,” Drake said.

  Charlotte laughed. “Deal.”

  Alice whisked up Houdini and started toward the door. “If you’ll excuse us, I have to get to work.”

  Everyone, including Drake, looked at her with varying degrees of surprise.

  Drake frowned. “Where are you off to?”

  “You could say that I’m engaged in some behind-the-scenes work,” Alice said.

  Chapter 25

  THE LUNCH RUSH HIT EARLY.

  “More like the morning rush took a coffee break and then turned into the lunch rush,” Burt Caster grumbled. He angled his head toward the tables where a number of people were still drinking coffee and chatting with neighbors. “Some of these folks never left after breakfast.”

  “People are bored,” Alice said. She stacked the last of the newly washed plates on a shelf. “I think that may be one of the problems with being under siege. There’s not much to do.”

  “Except eat.” Burt opened a cupboard and eyed a row of industrial-sized can goods. “Good thing the Foundation is picking up the tab for all the food costs here and down the street at Madge’s place until they get this business in the Preserve settled. Lot of the folks we’re feeding couldn’t afford to dine out three times a day, I can tell you that.”

  “Seems to me it’s the least the Foundation can do under the circumstances,” Alice said. “Besides, any way you look at it, a few days’ worth of free meals is just pocket change to the Sebastians.”

  “That may be true,” Burt said. He closed the cupboard door. “But at the rate things are going, we may have to start rationing canned soup. Which reminds me, the power has been off for almost a week now. I managed to keep the freezer going for a while with my old amber-based generator, but it gave up the ghost two days ago. We need to start using up the frozen food and fast. Figure it won’t last more than another day at best.”

  “I’ll go downstairs and assess the situation,” Alice said. She wiped her hands on her apron and headed toward the steps that led to the basement. “The kids will be thrilled when we tell them they have to eat ice cream for dinner tonight.”

  “Whatever you do, don’t leave the locker door open any longer than necessary.”

  “I won’t,” she promised.

  “And Alice?”

  She paused in the doorway. “Yes?”

  “Thanks for volunteering to help out here in the tavern. I don’t mind telling you, it’s been a tough few days. Betty, my waitress, and Carl, my bartender, both made it off the island in the first wave of evacuations. I’ve been holding down the fort alone since they left. Feels like all I do is work eighteen hours a day, get a few hours’ sleep, get up, and repeat the process.”

  “I’m just happy to have something to do,” Alice said. “Nothing worse than doing nothing in circumstances like this. Besides, I’ve done a fair amount of food-and-beverage work in the past.”

  Burt nodded approvingly. “Yeah, I can tell you’ve had some experience.” He reached up to a shelf and took down a large can of tomato sauce. “Sure hope Sebastian and Attridge get back here soon. That fog was worse than ever last night.”

  “Drake has a plan to put a stop to what’s happening inside the Preserve,” Alice said.

  Burt glanced over his shoulder, his brows elevated. “Is that right?”

  “It has to do with some information he found in the old North records,” Alice explained.

  Burt’s expression lightened. “Yeah?”

  “You’ll be hearing more about it soon,” she assured him in her best breezy accent.

  She grabbed a small amber lantern and started down the steps. An eager chortle behind her made her pause and look back over her shoulder. Houdini was in the doorway. He fluttered down to where she stood and then zipped past her to the bottom of the stairs. He disappeared into the shadows of the basement. She followed him on down.

  Burt had cause for concern about supplies. Many of the shelves holding canned goods, boxes of cereal, and crackers were less than a third full. Some were already empty. She did not want to think about what might happen if Drake’s plan did not work. She also did not want to think about what would happen if it did work. She was quite certain that Drake could take care of himself, but the knowledge that he was deliberately making a target of himself unnerved her.

  She crossed the concrete floor to the frozen food locker and used both hands to haul open the heavy door. Cold air rushed out. She could tell that the temperature was well above the freezing point.

  She carried the lantern into the locker and set it on an empty shelf. The yellow glare cast odd shadows among the packages of frozen goods.

  Houdini chortled and raced in after her.

  “Suit yourself,” she said. “But it’s still pretty cold in here.”

  She pulled the door shut, wrapped her arms around her midsection to ward off some of the chill, and looked around, taking stock. The packages of frozen meats, pizza dough, and other items were all starting to show signs of thawing. She moved closer to one shelf and poked at a carton of ice cream. It gave slightly.

  “The ice cream won’t last another day,” she informed Houdini. “Definitely ice cream for dinner tonight.” She went to the shelves that held the hamburger meat. “Some of this will last another twenty-four hours or so if we keep the door closed, but no longer.”

  Houdini scrambled up onto her shoulder and muttered.

  “I warned you it was cold in here,” she said. She took down a large package of hamburger meat. “We’ll need this for dinner.”

  Reasoning that the remaining items might stay colder longer if she positioned them closer to one another, she started rearranging the shelves. Although the temperature was no longer freezing, it was the equivalent of working in a refrigerator. The chill was starting to get to her.

  “Should have brought gloves,” she told Houdini. She reached for a large carton of partially thawed sausages, struggling to push it up against the remaining packages of meat. When she got it moved, she saw that there was another bulky, oddly shaped object behind the sausages.

  Houdini rumbled a warning. She knew that growl. Hurriedly, she stepped back, her breath tightening and her senses spiking.

  “What is it?” she asked, scanning the interior of the frozen food locker for threats.

  Houdini growled again. Then she saw what had focused his attention. A man’s shoe extended out from behind one of the cartons of sausages. A terrible dread descended on her.

  She made herself push the next carton aside. The eyes of a very dead, partially frozen man stared back at her. The face was horribly familiar.

  Chapter 26

  “HIS NAME IS SAMSON CRISP,” ALICE SAID. “HE WAS THE private investigator I told you about, the one I hired to look into Fulton’s death. No wonder he never got back to me or bothered to send me a bill. I feel absolutely terrible about this. All the time I was thinking he had scammed me he was in that freezer, dead. And it’s probably my fault.”

  Drake watched her stalk past him as she made another circuit of the small space. He was seriously annoyed by the distress and the guilt that he saw in her eyes.

  “Alice, pay attention. This is not your fault.”

  “But I’m the reason he wound up on Rainshadow,” she said.

  “He was a professional. You employed him to investigate the murder of a very wealthy man. He had to know that might be dangerous work.”

  They were in their room at the Marina Inn. The location was the only place Drake could think of that guaranteed them some privacy. News of the discovery of the body had flashed through the tiny community like lightning. The rumors that Alice had been acquainted with the victim had riveted everyone’s attention. Kirk Willis and the town’s only doctor, Ed Forester, had
taken charge of the rapidly thawing Crisp. Forester had made it clear up front that he was a family practitioner, not a forensic pathologist, but he had agreed to examine the body to see if he could determine the cause of death.

  Drake was sprawled in one of the room’s two chairs, mostly because it was the only way he could stay out of Alice’s path. She had begun pacing the room almost as soon as he had gotten the door open. Every so often she started to fade a little around the edges, enough so that he had to use some energy to bring her back into focus.

  Houdini was hunkered down on the window ledge watching Alice. Whenever she went past his perch, he made small, comforting noises.

  “I had no idea that Crisp had come here,” Alice said. “He never told me that he planned to do that.” She came face-to-face with a wall, spun around, and started back toward the opposite wall. “He must have traveled here to see if he could verify my version of events.”

  “That’s a possibility,” Drake said. Personally, he had his doubts.

  “I must say, Crisp’s investigation was certainly a lot more thorough than I gave him credit for,” Alice continued. She locked her hands behind her back. “I expect that when he started asking questions, he alerted the killer, who followed him here and murdered him.”

  “When confronting new facts, the first rule is, don’t jump to conclusions,” Drake said. “We don’t know for certain what Samson Crisp was doing here on the island.”

  Alice stopped and turned to face him, startled. “It’s obvious why he was here.”

  “No,” Drake said evenly. “Nothing is obvious, not yet. But we may know more when we read his notes.”

  Alice looked at the leather-bound notebook on the table. She had notified Drake first after discovering Crisp in the freezer. Drake had done a quick search of the body before Kirk Willis and Myrna Reed had arrived. He had found the notebook inside a waterproof pocket of Crisp’s trench coat. Making an executive decision, he had quietly confiscated it before Willis and Reed got to the restaurant.