Sunny Side Up (Lake Erie Mysteries Book 1) (19 page)

“Then, I’ll just need to tie up the final loose end. I’ll schedule an intimate little cocktail party with Kenneth to celebrate our success. He’ll be so flattered. He’s been salivating after me like a dog in heat since we first met back in Chicago. One quick drink laced with a bit of one of my secret recipes, and I’ll have no one left to connect me with anything. I’ll have to tweak my recipe just a bit, since both of my trial runs were just a little short of success. I still can’t believe that idiot thought he could blow me up on my own golf cart and get away with the money. He could never outsmart me. As soon as I smelled the telltale sweet odor of my fire accelerant, I knew what he was up to and jumped off the moving cart before it caught fire and blew up.

“Anyway, enough of all that. None of it will matter soon. I think it’s time for you to take your final curtain call. Get over to the edge of the boat, ladies.”

This was my last chance. I was probably going to die, but I wasn’t going down without a fight.

I pretended to trip and stumble over the deck chair, falling purposely into the doorway to the cabin. The trip was staged, but the shooting pain in my hip was very real when I made contact with the deck boards. I only had a few seconds to reach into my handbag and grab the first things I felt. I couldn’t see what I had clutched in my hand, and even if I could, I didn’t have time to be picky. It felt like a paperback novel and possibly a set of keys. I shoved the items into the front pocket of my borrowed sweatshirt, and scooted out of the doorway, reluctantly joining June, who was just stepping out onto the narrow swim platform on the back of the boat.

“Okay, ladies, it has been great catching up and all, but I still have so much to do tonight. It’s time for you to go for a final swim.”

“Please, Senora! We’ll drown out here in the middle of the lake. Or die of hypothermia. What about my children? They’re going to be orphans if the horrible things you said about Hamm are true.” I wasn’t acting now; I was begging. My voice was getting weak, and I was trembling.

“Oh, the possibilities! Sadly, I’ll be gone before I can find out the final cause of your ‘accidental’ deaths. And about your kids—don’t worry. They will find a way to survive. It’s ironic, don’t you think, they being twins and all. I wonder which one will end up with all the power.”

“They’re not like you!” I screamed right in her face. “They are nothing like you. They are kind and good. They love each other and take care of each other.”

“Well, there you go, then. At least they have each other, unlike my sister and me. Our paths led to very different places after we were separated at an early age. Oh well. She always was such a drag. As you can see, in the end, it’s the strong one, not the lucky one or even the good one who survives. It’s time to say good-bye now. This little conversation is over. Watch your step!”

Senora’s demented laugh was the last sound I heard before hitting the water. I thought I had fallen face first onto an asphalt parking lot. I imagined myself skydiving without a parachute onto a glacier in Antarctica. There was only cold and screaming, cold and screaming. My arms and legs were flash frozen into useless dead weight. Even if I knew how to swim, my numb limbs were nothing more than anchors pulling me relentlessly down to the bottom of the lake. I was sinking. I recalled that the water temperature was somewhere between forty and fifty degrees, and if my memory was still at all accurate, I could expect to remain conscious between thirty and sixty minutes if I could keep my head above water. That was a huge if. In the best-case scenario, I could survive for one to three hours. I knew, however, that this was a worst-case situation. Soon, I would be dead. And the strangest thing of all was that I welcomed it. The farther I descended, the less I seemed to care about my present or my future. The icy fog in my brain was muddling my sense of time, place, and priority. I didn’t know where June was or even if she was still alive.

But then another sound intruded into my consciousness. The grumbling of the boat’s motor as Senora pulled away seemed to turn into the sweet noise that Beth and Ben used to make when they would put their faces into their bath water and blow bubbles, pretending to be pirates, whales, and mermaids engaging in deep sea adventurers. I fought to keep the picture of my beautiful children’s faces in my mind as I accepted the fact it would be the last memory I would have on this Earth.

And then there were no more sounds; everything was eerily quiet. I remembered then that June had been with me and that she too was forced over the side of her boat. I hoped she would be rescued, but if, like me, she succumbed to the icy water, I hoped that she would be waiting for me at the big wine garden in the sky. So this was it. In one final, lucid moment, I silently apologized to Hammond for ruining everything and asked for his forgiveness. I told him I loved him and waited for the end to come.

And now I couldn’t even die in peace. A terrible pressure on my stomach and chest jolted me back from the brink, forcing me back into the horror of experiencing my last moments of life in agony. Something was squeezing me. Hallucinations were blending with reality. I was certain now that a slimy lake monster had wrapped its tentacles around my waist and was going to sweep me away to its lair. The pressure was getting stronger and stronger until I could no longer bear it. I was going to explode. No one would have to scatter my ashes at my funeral because tiny little bits of Francesca would soon be dispersed throughout the water and air all around and above me. And then suddenly it lessened, and I was being buoyed gently upward, back to the surface of the water. I could see a faint ray of light above me. It grew brighter and stronger until finally my head broke through the surface and I gasped in glorious pain as air entered my frozen lungs. As oxygen made its way to my brain, the first thing I comprehended was that I was miraculously still alive. The second thing I noticed was June’s blond head bobbing barely above the water’s surface, not far from my own. We drifted closer together, and finally in the faintest whisper, I heard June’s voice.

“It’s a boob.”

After greedily sucking in some more air, my foggy synapses began to fire again. My vocal chords crackled as they thawed and struggled to produce the words to verbalize the sight in front of my eyes. “Oh my God June, it is a boob! Quick grab on.”

The useless paperback I had retrieved from my handbag and desperately stuffed into the pocket of my sweatshirt at zero hour must have actually been the second water-activated raft I had bought for the twins at Jewel of the Bay last Friday. It had been activated in my pocket and borne me gently back to the surface. I could probably write a book on the symbolic irony of this whole situation.

Together we clung to the spongy, semi-pornographic, double-D, life-saving raft. Even though we were above water now, the frigid water was slowing our reactions, making us weaker by the second. It was becoming harder and harder to hold on. We had reached the point where it was impossible to speak through our chattering teeth. I looked at June’s ghostly white face and ice-blue lips and assumed that my own face bore the same telltale characteristics of a person very close to her end. It was comforting to be together at least. We wrapped our arms around one another and pressed our bodies as close together as we could to share any tiny bit of warmth we still had in us. It was a little less scary knowing that I was not facing this horrible death alone.

My eyes closed heavily, and I was just drifting into oblivion when bright lights pricked at my eyelids and beckoned me to open them one more time. The lights were bright blue and red, blinding flashes piercing through the blackness, fireworks announcing our arrival to our heavenly hosts. This must be the end. Over the years, I had heard stories and read books recounting near-death experiences. Many people reported seeing a light before they passed, but I had always assumed it would be white light. Well, what did they know? I was dying in living color. June and I wouldn’t have it any other way. The lights were getting closer and brighter. I entwined my fingers through June’s and prepared myself for the end.

“Francie! June! Can you hear us? Francie! June!”

Using my last bit of energy, I cautiously cracked one eyelid open. The water was churning furiously around us, and now it seemed the entire universe was filled with the bright lights. And that’s when the real miracle occurred. Detective Morgan’s face filled my vision. He was leaning over the edge of his police boat, stretching, reaching, trying to drag June off the raft and out of the water. Clifton was there too, and the knock-off guy! I sure wish I could relay this final hallucination to my kids. They would be highly entertained.

“Grab my hand, Francie. Hold on, I’ve got you. You’re going to be okay.”

It took more effort than I had left at this point to realize I was not meeting my maker today. I was being rescued. June was alive. I was breathing and shivering so violently that I, too, must be among the living. The three men had managed to haul both of us into the rescue boat and wrap us in layers of blankets. As soon as everyone was safely seated, Morgan took the rescue vessel full speed ahead back to the mainland.

It was Tuesday morning, I later was informed, when I finally opened my eyes. I was warm and dry, but I wasn’t sure where I was or what new hell awaited me. Every inch of my body ached, and I thought about just closing my eyes and going back to sleep. At least it was quiet in my dreams. But something willed me into consciousness. I cautiously lifted my eyelids and what I saw was my amazingly handsome husband sitting in a chair pulled up right next to my bed. He had a gauze bandage wrapped around his head. His left arm was in a sling, and his right hand was holding tight to my own. He looked absolutely perfect.

“Hamm, you’re alive! I knew it couldn’t be true that Sirena or Senora or whatever her name is had killed you.”

“I’m fine, darling. All that matters right now is that you’re awake. How do you feel? Can I get you something? A glass of water?”

“I have everything I need right here. Don’t let go of my hand please.” My eyes were welling up, but these new tears were tears of relief and happiness. “Oh, honey, I can’t believe I made it. I can’t believe you’re okay. Senora said she killed you.”

“Oh, she tried all right. That’s one bitter, twisted woman.”

I squeezed my husband’s hand, willing his warmth and strength to fill me and heal me. “Tell me what happened. I need to know.”

“It can wait, Francie. Just rest now and get your strength back. I’m not going anywhere. You’re safe now and I’ll be right here.”

“I don’t think I can rest until I find out what really happened.” I didn’t even want to blink. I was afraid I was seeing things again and Hammond would be gone again if I did. “Please. Tell me.”

Hamm took a deep breath, and looking steadily at me with his piercing blue eyes, began his tale.

“Sirena, or actually Senora, called me on my cell phone as I was heading back home Sunday morning. You can imagine how surprised I was to hear her voice. At first I thought something horrible must have happened to you.”

Hamm squeezed my hand a little tighter before he continued. “She said she found my lighter and knew how upset I was about losing it. She said she could tell it was a very valuable piece and that I should stop by her shop to pick it up.”

I had paid a lot for the gift, but I was sure Hamm had no idea of its monetary value. He never price-shopped, so I found it sweet to know the value he placed on the piece was sentimental.

“I really didn’t want to make an extra trip back to the island, but she was very insistent and I was just passing the ferry dock when I got the call.”

I thought back to the ferry trip that June and I had taken that same morning. It was a wonder we weren’t on the same boat. He must have gone over before us because his car didn’t stick out like a clown’s red nose. He certainly would have noticed my old beater sitting in the near empty lot. I was sure that if we had run into each other then, it would have initiated an entirely different sequence of events.

Hamm went on. “She said it would make you very happy if you knew I went out of my way to get the lighter back. Once she read the inscription to me over the phone, I felt like I had no other choice.”

I was getting sleepy again but I willed myself to stay alert so I could hear the rest of the story.

“Senora, who I obviously still thought was Sirena, also said she wanted to show me a captain’s wheel necklace that you had been really interested in when you visited her shop last Friday. She said she could order one and have it engraved with our boat’s name in time for our anniversary.” Hamm looked down at me sheepishly and said, “I took the bait. I made an exception since I know how much you love one-of-a-kind jewelry. I didn’t want to waste any time getting home, but I made a quick decision to take the ferry over. I figured once I retrieved my lighter I would make a stop at the police station to tell Morgan that Sirena had found my lighter, and it was all a big mix-up. I thought he’d appreciate eliminating at least one of the leads he was following. I knew he had some suspicions about me when we talked at the party, but he’s a fair man and I can’t fault him for being thorough.”

“Oh, Hamm, you have no idea how awful it was when I heard him saying you were a suspect not only in the fire but also for murder. I still can’t believe that Sirena’s own sister purposely led her into a trap and murdered her! What did she do to you when you showed up?”

“When I got to Sirena’s shop, she was nowhere to be found. I waited a few minutes and was about to leave, angry that I had wasted my time, when a strange man with a ponytail grabbed me from behind and hit me over the head with something hard. I must have passed out because the next thing I knew I was tied up in a dark, fishy-smelling shack and left, I guess, to die. I had no idea what was going on or why I had been kidnapped. When I woke up, the guy was still there. He forced me to drink something. It didn’t taste bad, but after that, I don’t remember a thing. For the few seconds I was still conscious, all I could think of was you, and just prayed that you were safe.”

“Oh that’s horrible! How did you escape?”

“I’d like to say I pulled a MacGyver and used a toothpick and some bubble gum to get myself out, but as it turned out, Jack Morgan figured out what Senora and this guy were up to and saved the day.”

“How did he put it all together? I only remember bits and pieces of her crazy ranting, but I couldn’t make much sense of it.”

“We all actually owe a great deal to that guy June knows, Michael, you know the one with the German shepherd.”

“Oh, of course, Michael and Gunner. Are they okay? The last time we saw Michael, he was being taken to the hospital. June and I found him near the breakwall and called an ambulance. We didn’t know what happened to him, but there was blood and he was unconscious. We took his dog Gunner back to the condo with us, but by the time we got back after all of the crazy things that happened, Gunner was gone. June called the hospital to check on Michael and he was also gone.”

“Yes, he and Gunner are both fine. They’re heroes really. Michael left the hospital and tracked Gunner down at the condo. He was still a bit groggy from his head injury and the pain meds he was given, but he kept trying to put all of the pieces together. They were walking along the beach, taking the more scenic and private way back when everything fell into place. He knew something was wrong when he saw June’s houseboat leaving the dock in the middle of the night. He tried to catch up to warn you and June about what was going on. He knew June never took the boat out and became immediately suspicious. He wasn’t able to get to the boat in time to see who was driving, but when he reached the dock, he discovered Cliff in the water, barely hanging on to a dock post. He fished him out and then contacted Morgan right away.

“Michael had been following a number of stories about a criminal investigation involving a murdered millionaire and a stolen coin collection. He started following the story in the Chicago Tribune and then several other papers out of curiosity, but he became more seriously interested when he read that the coins were being connected to various underworld collectors and investors, and then he read a related story about counterfeit wholesale merchandise being funneled from Chicago and New York into the Midwest by these same crime rings.”

“Now I remember Senora talking about Chicago and a black market business she was involved in. What else did you find out?”

“It turns out Michael had noticed activity at the old warehouse on Kelleys and began keeping tabs on a suspicious-looking guy who was coming and going quite frequently. The final piece of the puzzle fell into place when his dog suddenly became aggressive toward Sirena. Gunner had loved Sirena since the day she first snuck him one of her gourmet biscuits, but suddenly she couldn’t get within five feet of him without causing the dog to growl.”

“I didn’t know that, or we would have been much more concerned when Gunner attacked Sirena’s sweater. It makes sense now.”

“Michael filled Morgan in on his suspicions, and the detective added it to the information he had been gathering and figured out the rest. When the police showed up to arrest Senora, she was not at her house or the store. I think she was probably already gone when she called me. That left her partner, the guy in black with the ponytail, Kenneth Overmayer. He was still hanging around, trying to decide what to do when Morgan caught up with him. After Morgan told him that Senora had left him to take the fall alone, and he would be charged with murder in the death of Sirena Divine, he caved. He made a deal with Morgan for leniency and took him to the shack where I was being held. Then he outlined to the authorities everything she was planning to do.”

“Thank God. But wait! Where is June? Is Clifton okay? Did Senora get away? Everything is so fuzzy. I really need to get up and get...” I stopped talking and looked around the room, realizing that I didn’t recognize the space. “Where are we?”

Again, Hamm assured me that everything would be fine. He took my hand in both of his, raised it to his lips and gently kissed my fingertips.

“Everything is going to be fine, Fran. We are at the Firelands Medical Center. Apparently you don’t remember the boat ride back, or the ambulance waiting at the marina? At any rate, you’re alive. June is in the room next door. You both were in shock and fighting hypothermia, but with a little rest, you’ll be back to solving crimes together in no time.”

I gave my man a weak smile. “I’m sorry I’m such a moron sometimes. I know I should have listened to you and kept my nose out of everyone’s business, but I can’t just stand by and watch while my friends are in trouble.”

“Well, it’s not like any of this comes as a great surprise. There’s never a dull moment around you, especially when you double the trouble and throw June into the mix. But I wouldn’t change a single minute. Everyone knows you have a heart of gold.”

“Tell me the rest of the story, Hamm. What happened to Cliff? Wasn’t he in the boat when Morgan pulled June and me out of the lake? Things are still a little fuzzy.”

“Cliff is fine. He was checked out by the doctors when you were brought in and after being watched for a few hours, they gave him the green light to leave. He decided to go back home. Turns out he’s a pretty tough cookie in spite of all his society boy attitude, but I think the real source of his pain now is the fact that Sirena is gone. He couldn’t believe that he of all people didn’t notice the change in her behavior after Senora had taken the place of her sister.”

“Well, really, he didn’t know her all that well, and in his defense, none of us noticed any significant changes in her personality and certainly not in her appearance. Where is Senora now? Don’t tell me she got away!”

“She almost did. But Morgan and his team caught up with her at the warehouse. She was trying to salvage any of her counterfeit products and make sure there was nothing left that could incriminate her before she got out of town. They took her into custody and ran her name at the police station. That’s when they found out that she was wanted in Chicago for a whole array of crimes. Morgan called an old friend at his former precinct. He must have some pull over there because it was pretty amazing how quickly they were able to send two officers over to the island to arrest her. She’s on her way back to the Windy City now where she will be in jail for a very long time.”

“I hope she likes orange jumpsuits because she won’t have many fashion options in prison.”