Freezer I'll Shoot (A Vintage Kitchen Mystery) (18 page)

“Do you think your ex will follow you?” Jaymie’s mom said to Pam, alarm in her voice.

“No, I covered my tracks. I never told him my real name. He knows me as Lana Jones.”

Jaymie had a moment of worry . . . Lana Jones? That was pretty close to Anna Jones. What if this violent Jack made the connection, or figured it out?

She shook her head, clearing it. She was down to the last word on the list, and when it didn’t work, Jaymie sat back, puzzled. She looked at the list and squinted. As she stared, a pattern emerged. The second letter of each word, in the column of words, spelled
another
word. “Yes! I’ve got it,” she said, and typed in “TabbysMom.” Up popped the welcome screen, and when she clicked on the Guests tab, a booking page popped up, and two names of the guests who would arrive later that day. “There we go.”

“You’re a lifesaver,” Pam said, with a sigh of relief. A boy stomped down the hall without a look in to the three women in the office.

“Noah . . . Noah! Why don’t you say hi, or . . . Okay, you go to your room for a while, then, honey,” Pam said. She lowered her voice and said, “I just don’t know what I’m going to do with him. I sure hope he fits in okay in his new school. The last one didn’t turn out so well; then he and Jack got into it, and he ended up in the hospital . . . Noah, not Jack. That’s when I knew I had to leave.”

At that moment, Jaymie realized how much she was going to miss Anna. Sometimes her friend was scattered, and sometimes she needed help, but she had never been so downtrodden and yet fulsomely forthcoming as Pam. A second later, she felt bad for her thoughts, as she watched the worried face of Pam. For Anna’s sake she would try to help this woman cope. She really did feel sorry for Pam, and wanted to help her, but she sure did miss Anna!

“At least now you’ll know who to expect to arrive this afternoon,” she said, standing.

“Thank goodness! One of the guests has been here two weeks, and he’s left the room in a mess—Anna said he was gone half the time, sometimes for a couple of days, but while he was here he sure generated enough laundry to sink a barge—but now I know who is coming and I can concentrate on getting it clean. I just hope . . . Oh, I
hope
I don’t mess things up too bad!”

“You’ll do fine, Pam. But . . .” She paused; to speak or not to speak? “I hope this isn’t out of line, but . . . you won’t talk too much about your trouble with Jack, especially with your guests, right?”

Pam’s eyes welled up and her lip trembled. What had she said that was so bad? Jaymie wondered.

“Jaymie, I’m sure Pam just trusted us,” her mom said, with a note of rebuke in her voice. “She knew she could confide in us.”

Restraining the urge to roll her eyes, Jaymie replied, “Good. I’m just thinking of her. She was saying she worries that Jack will find her.”

“I’m sure she
meant
well, Mrs. Leighton,” the other woman said, her tone filled with affront. The emphasis in her words showed exactly what she thought of Jaymie’s concern. “I know she’s just looking out for her new friend, the cousin I’ve loved my whole entire life. Jaymie, I promise I won’t
shame
Anna in Queensville.”

“I didn’t mean that!” Jaymie said, shocked to her core by the construct the other woman had placed on her words. “Honest.
You
know that, Mom; I would never say something like that.” She watched the other woman’s face, and glanced over at her mother, who raised her eyebrows. Turning back to her friend’s cousin, she said, “I’m sorry, Pam, if it came across like that. It would honestly never occur to me that any woman should be ashamed of being abused! I just want your safety.”

“It’s all right. I’m sure you didn’t mean it how it
sounded
.”

Jaymie stifled her natural response, and simply said, “I have to get back out to the island. I’m going to check in with Valetta at the store first, but other than that, I’ll be gone the rest of the day, Mom. Are we good here?”

“Yes, thank you for adding in your little bit.”

She stifled the urge to scream and smiled. “Good. Mom, are you coming home?”

“No, I’m going to stay here for a bit and help out Pam.”

Teary eyed, the younger woman hugged her. “Thank you, Joy! I’m a little nervous, meeting new people.”

Oh, now,
there
was a good trait for an aspiring innkeeper! This had disaster written all over it. What had Anna been thinking, choosing Pam to stand in? But then, maybe she hadn’t had many options. How many people could drop their whole life and move cities?

And how soon would Pam’s past catch up to her?

That question haunted her as she returned to the house. But she had her own life to think of, and was not going to let Pam’s troubles overwhelm her!

She went back in to check her email. It had been more than an hour; Nan was always on top of her email, and would have received the article by now. Jaymie hit the log-in button and held her breath and . . . nothing. No answer at all? Maybe Nan had hated it. Maybe it was so awful, she couldn’t even be bothered to comment. Maybe her article was even now being sent around the Internet as a meme for how awful a beginning writer could be.

She took a deep breath and let it out. Or maybe—just maybe—Nan was busy. She logged off.

Jaymie headed back out, with Hoppy on a long tether, and briskly strode the short walk toward the dock, caught the ferry, and then headed back toward the cottage. It had been wrong, she decided, as she walked, to be so judgmental of Pam. It actually took incredible courage to leave your life behind and make a whole new one. Next time she saw Pam, she’d cut her some slack and try to befriend her.

In the cottage kitchen she put down a bowl of crunchies for Hoppy, and walked out the back door. The guys were all sitting in the shaded copse on the new flagstone patio. The whole yard still had a raw, new look, but what a transformation in the few hours she had been gone! There were clusters of young trees, and a planting of three birches, surrounded by low-growing shrubs, their red leaves brilliantly offset by the white bark of the birch. Down in the shade of the grove of alders, there was a lovely irregularly shaped seating area surrounded by lush, new grass.

Daniel waved to her, and Sammy grinned at her stunned expression. The two dads just sat, exhausted, dirty and obviously weary to the bone.

“You guys!” she said, dashing down the deck steps and hurrying across the new, lush sod, toward them. She had tears welling in her eyes, and she wondered whether she was just tired, or was she just so thrilled at how Daniel and the dads had worked together to make such a wonderful transformation to a place she loved so much? “This is amazing!”

Daniel stood and put his arm around her shoulder, pointing out all the fine points of the patio, what stones he had done, what he had learned and how helpful Sammy had been.

“I give you an A on this project!” she said to the teenager.

He ducked his head, and said he ought to get home, since he shouldn’t leave his mom to deal with his dad’s relatives alone all day.

Roger and Jaymie’s dad, Alan, both stood and stretched with identical looks of weariness.

“Do you guys want to clean up here and go to dinner? Or something?” Jaymie asked.

“Honey, all I want is to go home and collapse,” her dad said, putting his hands on her shoulders.

“Dad, I’m so sorry I put you to this kind of work. And Mr. Collins . . . you’ve been so kind about this, but it’s probably the last thing you wanted to do.”

Roger Collins, his broad, weather-beaten face wreathed in a weary smile, clapped his son on the shoulder. “Don’t worry on it, sweetie. It was a good day’s work, and now I look forward to coming out here to relax, next time.” He paused, but then said, “Jaymie, can I talk to you for a minute?”

Daniel looked a little alarmed, but Jaymie followed Roger a little ways away.

“I just wanted to say how much I appreciate how you handled Debbie, compromising, and all that. She doesn’t mean to be difficult. It’s just her way.”

“Mr. Collins—”

“Call me Roger.”

“Okay, Roger, I didn’t want it to become a tug-of-war. My mom can be stubborn, too, and I thought if we gave a little, it would work out better.” What she didn’t add was that she and her mom were both so busy, Debbie was actually performing a valuable service. She left it unsaid because in this case, she didn’t mind Daniel’s parents thinking she had given in to promote their happiness.

“Truer words were never spoken. Now I’m going to go back to Danny’s, and let a hot shower beat the pain out of my muscles.” He limped back to the group. “I just hope I’ll have enough energy for my golf game tomorrow, right, Al? You ready to skedaddle?” he said, to Jaymie’s dad.

The fathers left, but Daniel stayed. He wanted to go with Jaymie to the Ice House for dinner to celebrate the completion of the work, and her turning in her first article, but first, he needed a hot shower. While the water ran, Jaymie tried to keep her mind off the thought that this was the first time she and Daniel had been in the same house alone while one of them was naked. She pondered the differences between Daniel and Zack. Daniel was not the kind to unselfconsciously strip off his shirt and work naked to the waist, but she had noticed that he was not unimpressive, wiry, rather than bulky, in the muscularity department.

The two men epitomized the differences in romance novels heroes. Zack was the brooding alpha male hero, an action guy, a little mysterious, dangerous, tough and ready to handle any situation with a well-placed fist. Daniel was the beta hero, the witty, funny, smart guy who could be your friend and your lover at the same time.

But she knew better than to simplify the two men into romance fiction archetypes. The trouble was, she was attracted to them both for different reasons. She had thought her attraction to the detective was simply physical, but talking to him over dinner she had seen the human side of him, and he was really a very nice guy. Unfortunately.

But Daniel . . . he was the real deal, right? That was what everyone kept saying. He was someone who would stick around for the long run, someone she could count on in difficult situations. And she liked him. She was mildly attracted to him. He was a good kisser, and physically they seemed compatible. And he was naked in her shower right that minute. She thought of all the sexy moves women made in romance novels, how one of the heroines of a contemporary would probably strip down and hop into the shower with Daniel, which would lead to hot lovemaking.

Except, that just wasn’t her.

Instead, she took Hoppy outside and sat on the porch, watching as day turned to evening. Then Daniel came out dressed in clean clothes and they walked to the marina, then to the restaurant. She was taking it slow, she knew, compared to some women, but that was her. And it felt right.

Eighteen

R
UBY AND GARNET
were both there, but busy. The waitress who took their order was not one she recognized, and Jaymie thought Lisa was probably working at Ambrosio that night. She talked about the murder investigation with Daniel. “I feel like I don’t know the players well enough. I’ve been coming to the cottage my whole life, but I only spend a few days here, at the most, and don’t really interact with the islanders as much as I thought I did.”

“What do you think, so far?”

She outlined what she knew, what she guessed, and sighed over what she didn’t know. “For all I know, the police could be preparing to arrest someone right now.” She glanced over at Garnet, who was pouring a beer for one of the locals. “Maybe even one of the Redmonds.”

“Who else is there?”

“I don’t know. You want me to name everyone I’ve considered?” He nodded, so she took a deep breath and named them all, counting them off on her fingers. “Garnet and Ruby,” she said, throwing Ruby a glance. The woman looked deeply uneasy, and kept glancing toward the door. What was that all about? “Evelyn and Sam, Will Lindsay, Sherm Woodrow, and then there are the unknowns, like whomever was dating Urban.”

“Sherm Woodrow?” he asked. “He’s the tart baker’s husband, right? Why him?”

Jaymie frowned off into the distance, trying to solidify her thoughts. “I wouldn’t say this to anyone but you, but . . . well, I just wondered about him tattling about the Redmonds’ sail to Urban. Was he trying to cause a problem between them? And did he use that trouble to . . . I don’t know, make Garnet look guilty?”

“I see what you mean. But if you put Sherm on there, don’t you have to put his wife on, too?”

“I don’t think so.”

“You must have an idea who seems most likely to you, though.” Daniel eyed her and squinted, behind the glinting lenses of his glasses. “I know you do. Who is it?”

She watched him a moment, and said, “I know this is going to sound awful, but Evelyn seems almost the most likely to me. She’s just . . . I don’t know. She seems odd. I hope, for Sammy’s sake, that it’s not her.”

“Me, too. I really like that kid. He’s got a great future ahead of him. I’d hate for the way his dad died to become a burden.”

“Daniel, speaking of fathers, I have a serious question. Why didn’t you ever tell me that your father died, and that Roger was your stepdad?”

Daniel drummed his fingers on the surface of the table. “I should have, I guess. It’s just not something I talk about a lot.”

“Shouldn’t we talk about everything? If we’re . . . if we plan to get serious, I mean?”

“But are we? Are we serious? Are we
planning
on getting serious? And how do you ‘plan’ to get serious?”

Jaymie edged away from the topic, nervous about it for some reason. She had to make some decisions, and she didn’t feel ready yet. Maybe she should just let it go.

Fortunately, their food came just then, and silence fell as the edge of hunger was sated. The attentive waitress, not as chatty as Lisa but better at her job, refilled Jaymie’s iced tea and Daniel’s beer. The conversation, when it resumed, was about food, and then the upcoming family dinner.

Daniel dipped a French fry in a pool of ketchup. “What did my dad want to say to you, when he drew you aside?”

“He’s just happy I talked to your mom and worked out a compromise. We’re going to supply the venue, and she can plan the menu. She seemed happy with that.”

“I’m surprised you would let go of the food side. You like to cook; I figured that would be one thing you’d want to do.”

“What I
want
is for my mom and your mom to get along.”

He rolled his eyes.

“Daniel, I’m serious. If I can facilitate that by giving in on something, while they hold fast, then so be it. This way my mom got what she really wanted, which was to have the dinner at the cottage, and your mom got to control some aspect of it, the food.”

He chuckled. “We both come from families with stubborn women.”

She was happy he didn’t use some other adjective that many used to describe stubborn women; all too often, men called woman like that difficult, or even bitchy. Not that Daniel would use that word. He and his mom seemed to be close. She adored him, her only child.

As Jaymie finished her meal, the house special of the night—an exceptional ground sirloin burger and mixed greens salad—she told Daniel about Pam, though she didn’t go into detail about the woman’s tale of fleeing abuse. “It’s all going to be different. I’m so used to Anna being there, and running over to her place for coffee. I miss her already!”

“I know. You’ll still see her when she comes down to check on Pam. You said she plans to come down, right?”

“That’s her plan. She’s going to stay overnight once or twice a month just to give Pam a break and make sure things are going all right.”

Daniel excused himself to go to the washroom, and as he moved toward the hallway, out of the corner of her eye Jaymie saw Ruby glance around, and slip out the door, a large bag over her shoulder. Everything in her demeanor suggested stealth. She followed the woman out the door to the wooden deck, but Ruby was speeding off toward the marina, not looking either way, but hurrying. Maybe she was taking the ferry to Queensville for something. It was a mystery, but not one she could figure out an answer to. She couldn’t exactly gallop after Ruby and demand to know where she was going, and it was really none of her business, she reminded herself with some severity. She had to stop thinking that she could solve every problem that came along.

Even if the curiosity tugged at her brain until she was cross-eyed.

Jaymie returned and they finished dinner; then she walked Daniel down to the ferry. In the darkness something splashed and a duck, awoken from its rest, quacked indignantly. While they waited, Daniel took her in his arms and kissed her gently, rocking her back and forth; it was kind of like dancing. Then he held her away from him, looking down into her eyes with a serious expression. Uh-oh. When men looked like he did, they had something on their mind; she knew that from experience. She smiled up at him in the halo of light from the dockside lanterns. “What’s up?”

“Jaymie, we’re taking this slowly, I know, but . . . are you still interested? In me? In
us
? I don’t want to be anyone’s safe choice, or second choice.”

She felt a shudder pass through him, and looked up into his questioning eyes, partially hidden behind his glinting lenses. “Where is this coming from, Daniel? What’s going on?”

“Nothing.” He was silent for a moment, squinting off to the horizon. “I just need a little security, I guess.”

“Security? What, like a guarantee? There are no guarantees in life; you know that.” She could see by his expression that she had not reassured him; nor did she really intend to. She wasn’t sure of her own feelings yet, and couldn’t promise anything. “You’ve never struck me as insecure.”

“I care more now, I guess. And when I heard that you had dinner with that cop . . .” He shrugged and gazed down into her eyes. “I’ve just got a feeling, I guess. Promise me you don’t . . . don’t have feelings for him?”

Uh-oh. How to put this without lying, hurting his feelings, or ruining everything that was so good between them? “I explained why I ended up having dinner with Zack. He’s just a casual acquaintance, Daniel, nothing more. Honest. He asked me to have dinner with him another night, and I said no. Would I do that if I was interested in him?”

“He asked you to have dinner? Doesn’t he know we’re dating? Why would he do that?”

His panicked tone suggested she had gone wrong. Why was he focusing on the one part of the statement that wasn’t important? She sighed in exasperation. “Daniel, I said
no
! He’s just new in town and doesn’t have a lot of friends, that’s all.” Why on earth was she having to reassure him about Zack’s nonexistent feelings? Surely that was the least important part of it all. It was what
she
felt and did that was important! She pulled away from Daniel. “We talked, and were friendly, but nothing more. Honest.”

The ferry chugged up to the dock and several people disembarked. Daniel looked torn, but finally said, “I guess I’d better get going. Just ignore what I said, Jaymie. I was just . . . I think I’m going a little crazy, with Mom and Dad here.” He kissed her quickly, ran to the ferry and hopped aboard, waving at her from the railing as it chugged over to Queensville.

She stood and watched as the ferry disappeared into the dark, then appeared again by the lights of the Queensville dock as it approached shore. Was his sudden insecurity completely about Zack, or something to do with his mother? She clearly did not like Jaymie, and who knew what the woman was saying to him when she wasn’t around? And now she was being paranoid. She was going to cut Daniel some slack and stop obsessing. In a thoughtful mood, she returned to the cottage and leashed Hoppy.

“C’mon, fella . . . let’s go for a walk. You need to pee and I need to think.”

She walked through the village part of the island first. Tansy’s Tarts was locked up tight, and Jaymie saw in the windows of the apartment above the unmistakable flickering of a television set. Were her faint suspicions of Sherm just lingering questions? Hard to say. She looped around and walked past the Dobrinskie house, but it was dark. Where had Evelyn and Sammy put her numerous houseguests? She remembered Evelyn’s panicked state in Tansy’s Tarts the morning after the murder; Tansy said she’d help her find vacancies, but if the Dobrinskie family members had come from Canada, they could just as easily stay on the Canadian side of the island.

She looped around and past the Ice House restaurant, then cut down an alleyway and past a Dumpster, where Hoppy had to stop and sniff. “C’mon, fella. This place reeks of fish.”

Movement caught her eye, and she saw Garnet stealthily slipping into the back door of his restaurant. Why the secrecy? Or . . . was he just being quiet for some reason? It was odd, but she shook her head and let it go.

As she walked down toward the marina and dock, though, she pondered the mysterious phone calls and what Lisa, the waitress, had said about the Redmonds’ actions the evening of the murder. Both had been missing for a portion of the evening, it seemed. Both, therefore, had the opportunity to slip out for the necessary length of time to kill Urban Dobrinskie. Ruby had outright said she worried that Garnet had done it. This
had
to indicate something much more serious between them and the marina owner than an insult to Ruby. Did it have to do with Garnet’s desire to buy the marina? Even that seemed ridiculous. Killing Urban did not assure that Garnet would be able to buy the marina, as had been proven true just recently.

There had to be something more.

Little, niggling details, things she had noticed, came back to her. She paused and let Hoppy sniff a light standard. Why was Ruby so camera shy? The woman had positively blanched and skittered away when Jaymie was taking photos, and would not allow herself to be in a picture with the ice chests. Was that normal? Was she really that shy? What could account for that?

She pressed on, waiting for Hoppy to do his job, plastic bag in hand at the ready. Nothing yet. He was prolonging the walk, as he always did, and would probably not stop to poop until they were on their way back to the cottage. As she walked along the dock, she saw a shadowy figure near the marina office, and realized it was Will Lindsay. “Hey, Will,” she said.

He yelped and spun around. “Gosh, you scared me, Jaymie!”

“What are you doing here this late? I thought you were always home by eight?”

“I just forgot some papers.”

She pointedly looked at his empty hands.

“I thought I left them here, but they
must
be in my home office. That’s what happens when you have two offices; you can never remember where you left things.” He bent over, petted Hoppy, then straightened. “What are you doing . . . catching the last ferry back to town?”

“No, I’m staying out on the island another couple of nights. Now that the landscaping is done, I need to clean up the cottage. Valetta is coming out to help. And my new patio furniture is coming over tomorrow.”