Sweetness and Light (A Sweet Cove Mystery Book 5) (17 page)

Angie didn’t feel tired so she decided to make a cup of tea before following her sisters up to bed.  She put the kettle on and started to rinse off the dessert plates from their late-night picnic when she glanced out the window and noticed movement in the moonlight in the backyard near the pergola.  She turned the sink faucet off and squinted through the window glass trying to see the person sitting in one of the Adirondack chairs under the trellises.  Angie backed over to the stove and turned off the burner, and then she headed out the back door.

She glided with soft footsteps over the walkway that led to the patio under the pergola.  “Can’t sleep?”

Bethany Winston jerked with surprise.  “I didn’t hear you.  Why are you still up?”

“I had something I had to do.”  Angie settled in the chair opposite Bethany.  “I’ve been thinking.”

Bethany looked over at Angie.  “That I’m the killer?”

Angie waited to see if the thrumming would start and contradict her feeling that Bethany was innocent, but there was no warning pulsing.  “I don’t think you’re the one who killed Nelson.”  Angie could see a look of relief pass over Bethany’s face.

“Then who do you think did it?”

“I’m not sure yet.”  Angie pushed her hair behind her ears.  A sudden sense of fatigue washed over her and she let out a small sigh.  “I was at the bar at the resort recently.  I had a talk with the bartender.”

Bethany listened with interest.

“The bartender met Nelson about an hour before he was killed.”

Bethany winced at the mention of Nelson’s murder.

“Nelson came back to the bar after he and your father had been there a bit earlier.  He struck up a conversation with the bartender.  The bartender recalled something that Nelson said to him.”

Bethany leaned forward.  “What was it?”

“Nelson said he didn’t want to hurt you.  He said he didn’t want to marry you any more than you wanted to marry him.  He implied that he wasn’t going to go through with the marriage.”

Bethany’s mouth dropped open.  “Nelson said that?”

“If you two didn’t marry, who would that hurt?”

Bethany tilted her head in thought.  “Well, it would hurt his run for the Senate, so it would hurt Kim, for one.”

“Why Kim?”

“Kim was going to be his campaign manager, and if he won the race, she was to be his Chief of Staff.  She had plenty of experience handling Nelson and that was going to continue in Washington.”

“Who else?”

“It would hurt Nelson’s brother and sister, Geoffrey and Georgia.  They had plans for Nelson in the Senate.  Nelson was going to be their puppet.”  Bethany shook her head in disgust.

“What about Geoffrey?  What do you think of him?”

“He makes me uncomfortable.  I don’t trust him.  He wants to be head of the family company and he isn’t subtle about it.”

“I talked to Georgia at the remembrance.  She seemed odd.”

“Georgia?  Really?  She must have been drunk when you talked to her.  She loves her wine, but she usually knows when and where it’s appropriate to drink.  That woman is shrewd, controlling, and highly intelligent.  The company’s success is because of her, despite what Geoffrey would like people to think.  Geoffrey doesn’t have a chance against Georgia as top-dog of Rider Financial.”

“What about you?  If Nelson called off the wedding, would it have hurt you?”

The corners of Bethany’s mouth turned up.  “No.  It would have made me happy.  It does make me happy.  Nelson was about to call off the wedding.”  She let out a chuckle.  “He was about to stand up for something
he
wanted.  Finally.”

A thought ran through Angie’s mind. 
And that’s why he’s dead.
 

Chapter 23

An unmarked police van pulled into a parking space under a streetlight in the utility lot of the Sweet Cove resort.  Chief Martin emerged from the driver’s seat and opened the back, side door of the vehicle.  Courtney jumped out and turned back to help Mr. Finch as he awkwardly stepped down from the van.  Jenna, Angie, Euclid and Circe exited from the other side.  Ellie made the decision to remain at the Victorian, claiming the B and B guests might need her.

This particular parking lot was used by the resort staff and delivery vehicles and was usually full during the day, but late in the evening, there were only several cars and a few trucks scattered around the spaces.

Chief Martin was dressed in chinos and a button-down shirt.  Angie couldn’t remember ever seeing him out of uniform.  He chose the unmarked police van, civilian clothes, and the time of night to return to the murder scene with the Roseland sisters and Mr. Finch so as not to call attention to their visit.  The chief led the way.  “We can follow this walkway for a while and then branch off to the right.  We’ll end up at the luxury bungalows.  You okay to walk a bit, Mr. Finch?”

“I’m not fast, but I can walk for some distance,” Finch assured the chief.

Courtney held Finch’s elbow and carried a flashlight in her other hand to provide better lighting as they moved along the stone walkways in the darkness.  The cats walked slightly in front of them and Angie and Jenna carried up the rear.

Anticipation pinged in Angie’s chest and her shoulder muscles tightened.  She took a sideways glance at her sister wondering if she was experiencing any nervousness or worry.

The group wound around the resort grounds past shade trees, ornamental bushes and grasses, and flowers planted in beds and potted in containers.  Subtle, decorative lighting enhanced the loveliness of the landscaping.  Private bungalows were tucked here and there in the lush section of the resort.  Angie knew that some of the cottages had private pools in the small fenced gardens behind the structures.  Guests in this part of the resort could even request a personal butler to see to their needs.

Angie’s stomach tightened as they approached the darkened crime scene bungalow.  She tried to breathe slowly and evenly.  The chief removed a key from his pocket, inserted it into the lock, and pushed the door open.  He entered first and flicked the light switch to illuminate the room.

Everyone stepped into the elegant living space and the chief closed the door.  The blinds had already been drawn to block out the curious gazes of passersby.

“So.”  The chief explained the layout to Mr. Finch since this was his first time in the cottage.  The cats listened intently as the chief spoke about where and how Nelson Rider’s body was found.  “I have some other information to share when you are finished in here.  I don’t want to say anything that might influence what you … ah, sense.”

Jenna looked at the chief.  “Were you able to bring the gun for Mr. Finch to touch?”

“The weapon cannot be removed from the evidence locker.  I’m trying to gain access for you, Mr. Finch.  It might take some time.”  The chief shoved his hands into his back pockets and shifted his eyes about the room.  “I guess I’ll go sit over by the door.”  He picked up a small wooden chair from next to the desk and carried it over to the front door, where he placed it, and sat down heavily.

The amateur sleuths stared at each for a few moments and then Angie made a suggestion.  “Why don’t we each walk around and try to pick up on anything.”  The others nodded and each one turned in a different direction.  The cats had already begun to pad about the space.

Jenna was drawn to the bedroom where she’d had a vision of a shadow the last time they inspected the premises.  The linens had been removed from the bed and the mattress stood in the room, empty and bare.  Something about the lonely scene caused grief to stick in Jenna’s throat.  She shook herself and took soft steps over to the bed.  She placed her hand gingerly on the mattress, and waited.

Angie and Courtney walked slowly around the living room.  Mr. Finch moved to the dining section of the bungalow.  A good-sized table and six chairs stood in the center of the area.  There was a decorative rug of muted colors on the floor under the dining table.  Three windows looked out over the back garden and the small pool.  A chandelier hung down from the ceiling.  Mr. Finch shuffled around the perimeter of the table, running his hand over the wood’s smooth finish.

Hearing a strange buzzing in her ears, Angie stopped beside the gas fireplace.  The edges of her vision darkened and she pressed her fingers to her eyes.  Flickers of light in the shape of lightning bolts zipped in her field of vision.  She wondered if it was the beginning of a migraine and she groaned inwardly for not bringing headache meds with her.  Everything seemed draped in fog.  Her hearing became muffled.

There was a knock on the door.  She turned to it.  Another knock sounded.  It wasn’t hard and harsh like a man’s fist hitting the wood.  It was softer, the noise made by a woman’s knuckles.  Angie tried to tell the person to come in, but her throat was tight and no words could escape.  She heard the metallic scratching of a key fitting into the lock.  The doorknob turned and the door opened.  Kim Hutchins entered and called for Nelson.  She was unaware of Angie’s presence.

Angie’s vision dimmed to only a pinhole.  Voices could be heard.  Then the voices grew angry.  Euclid and Circe faced the bedroom and hissed.  Kim Hutchins raced out of Nelson’s bedroom and hurried to leave the bungalow.  The slam of the front door shook the cottage.

Angie’s eyesight slowly returned and with it, a pounding headache.  Chief Martin had his arm around her shoulders.  He led her to the sofa.

“What happened?”  Angie squeaked out the words.

“You stood like a statue.  You seemed to be in a trance.”  Perspiration beaded on the chief’s forehead.

Just then, Jenna stumbled out of the bedroom and made her way to the chair across from Angie.  Her face looked rubbery and white.  “Did you see something?”

Angie nodded.  “I thought it was real, but it was just a vision.”

Courtney, Mr. Finch, and the cats gathered around.  Angie relayed what she’d seen.

“I had a vision too.”  Jenna took a deep breath.  “Nelson was on the bed.  It seemed like he was sleeping.  I heard two other people arguing.  Then a shadow moved over Nelson.  The shadow placed a pillow over his face.  And then I heard the gunshot.”

“Could you see the killer’s face?” Chief Martin looked as pale as Jenna.

She shook her head.

Mr. Finch spoke next.  “As I moved my hand over the dining table, I could feel energy there.  I believe a bottle of pills spilled over and left a trace behind on the wood.”

“Drugs.  Pain killers, no doubt.”  Chief Martin’s eyebrows knitted together.  “Courtney?  Anything?”

“I felt the thrumming.  I had a flash of a vision.  I saw the image of a blonde woman enter Nelson’s bedroom.  I could only see her from the back.  She wore her hair up.  I couldn’t get a sense of her age or see who it was, but she held a gun.”  Courtney wrapped her arms around herself.

Euclid let out a hiss.

Chief Martin rubbed the side of his face.  “We have some footage from the security camera in front of this bungalow.  A woman is seen knocking on the door.  Twice.”

All eyes shot to Angie.  It was what she’d seen in her vision.

“The woman then opens her purse and removes a phone.  She places a call on her cell phone, but it seems that no one answers.  She takes out a key and unlocks the door.  She isn’t inside for very long.  After a bit, she’s seen hurrying from the bungalow.  The images are terribly grainy and her features can’t be seen clearly.” The chief cleared his throat.  “We obtained cell phone records for Kim Hutchins.  As near as we can tell, which is pretty good, she placed a call to Nelson at the same time the woman outside Nelson’s bungalow placed a call.”

“It was Kim who knocked and then unlocked the door.”  Angie shook herself and rubbed her temple.  “Was there any luck tracing all that money that went into Kim’s account?”

“Not yet.  It’s a process that is very time-consuming.”

“So it’s looking pretty good that Kim killed Nelson.”  Courtney leaned back in the chair.

Circe was sitting on her lap.  She let out a low guttural growl.

“Whoa, little one.”  Courtney patted the black cat’s head.  “Take it easy.”

Jenna pondered.  “Piecing it together, it seems that Kim must have been furious that Nelson derailed her career by not running for Senate and because he let her go from her job as his assistant because he had a thing for her that she did not reciprocate.”

Courtney said, “Maybe Nelson gave Kim that huge amount of cash.  Maybe he felt awful that he was damaging her career and wanted to help her by giving her money.”

Angie’s eyes narrowed.  “The bartender said Nelson got a call when he was sitting at the bar.  He took the call and then left in a hurry.  That was shortly before he was killed.”  She looked at the chief.  “Can you find out who called him?”

“We know who called him.  It was his Boston drug dealer arriving in Sweet Cove with a stash of pills for Nelson.  Nelson had run out of his pain killers.”  The chief stood up, a scowl on his face.  “I’ll be talking with Kim Hutchins early in the morning.”

As the group filed out of the bungalow into the darkness, Angie felt a sense of dread running through her veins. Something was off, but she couldn’t quite put the puzzle pieces together.
 

Chapter 24

Angie borrowed Jenna’s station wagon to make her early morning bakery deliveries.  She couldn’t wait to open her bake shop in the Victorian and be able to just walk down the stairs to work each morning.  Backing out of the driveway, Angie saw the plainclothes police officer sitting in an unmarked car across from her house.  He was there to keep an eye on Kim Hutchins until Chief Martin drove over to pick her up for questioning.

Zaps of electricity pulsed down Angie’s spine.  Heading to the resort, anxiety pounded in her chest and she didn’t know why she couldn’t shake the unease.  It seemed clear that Kim was Nelson’s killer.  She had motive and opportunity and was seen entering and leaving the bungalow around the time that Nelson was killed.  Then why did Angie feel something was wrong?

She blew out a long breath of air as she pulled into the resort and drove around to the delivery door.  She parked and lifted the back hatch so that she could remove a long metal tray of baked treats.  She headed for the kitchen entrance.  The door opened and a young man took the tray.  A woman signed the receipt.