The Legend of Tabby Hollow (Whales and Tails Mystery Book 5) (5 page)

BOOK: The Legend of Tabby Hollow (Whales and Tails Mystery Book 5)
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I tried not to stare at Cody’s lips while we talked. I wasn’t sure how things would be when we met for the first time after our amazing kiss, but Cody had just kissed me on the cheek like he always did, and he held my hand as we walked like he always did. I didn’t exactly expect him to throw me to the ground and take me right there in the middle of Main Street, but I guess I expected
something
to be different. Maybe I should have suggested that he pick me up at the bookstore or that I meet him at the newspaper rather than at the diner, which was halfway in between.

“Such as?” Cody asked.

“Finn said he spoke to Nora Bradley. She claims she not only had no idea why he might have been in the hollow but she hadn’t seen him for weeks. She confirmed that they’ve been having problems for a while and he’d moved out several weeks ago.”

“Did she know where he was living?” Cody wondered.

“She told Finn she didn’t know and didn’t care. She was pretty sure he was having an affair, although she didn’t have any proof. She filed for divorce last week.”

“Normally, I’d say a cheating husband would provide a motive for the wife, but if she’d already filed for divorce chances are she was ready to move on, so there would be no reason for her to kill him unless she had a less than desirable prenup.”

“Nora brought most of the money to the marriage,” I informed Cody. “I doubt there was a prenup unless
she
wanted one to protect
her
money.”

“It couldn’t hurt to try to find out if the affair rumor is true, and if so, who he was having the affair with. Anything else?”

“Finn said he ran into Ty Poland, who mentioned that Bradley owed him a bunch of money for a dinner he catered a while back. Bradley was dragging his feet about paying him.”

Ty Poland owned a local restaurant and had a sideline catering private affairs.

“Ty seemed to think the mayor was hurting financially,” I added.

Cody frowned. “I suppose we can look into his finances. Did Finn say whether Ty went into any detail about the catering job, like who was in attendance or the purpose of the event?”

“Finn didn’t say and I didn’t think to ask. I’ll follow up with him when I get a chance.”

“Anything else?” Cody repeated.

“No, that’s it. How about you? Do you have any new leads?”

“I spoke to Glenda again,” Cody said. “She remembered that the mayor was supposed to meet with a man who wants to build a shopping mall on the island on Friday.”

“Not that again.” I groaned.

“Actually, Glenda said that when the man initially contacted him, he turned him down flat, citing the fiasco with Bill Powell as the reason. For some reason Glenda wasn’t privy to, Bradley changed his mind and agreed to meet with the guy. When he came in to the office on Monday Glenda asked him how the meeting had gone, but he was vague and noncommittal.”

“So did he work on Monday?”

“That was the other thing I was going to tell you. Glenda said he came in, went straight into his office, where he remained for a couple of hours, and then left, after stating that he wouldn’t be back until the following day. She never saw him again.”

“I sure would like to know what he was doing in his office.”

“Glenda let me in and we took a look around.”

“She let you into her boss’s locked office?”

Cody smiled. “I can be very persuasive.”

Yeah, you can.

“And?” I asked.

“I was hoping to find a flashing neon sign with our answer, but all we found were a few irregularities.”

“What kind of irregularities?”

“Bradley’s desk calendar indicated that he had a meeting the morning he died. It’s unclear who the meeting was with.”

“Did it indicate where he was to meet or what time?”

“He hadn’t written down where he was going, but it did say ‘TLB’ in the ten o’clock slot.”

“TLB?” I thought about it, but off hand I couldn’t think of anyone with those initials. “If TLB stands for someone’s name it could be a relative; the
B
could stand for Bradley.”

“I’m not sure why you’d use all three initials of a person’s name as a reminder, especially if they’re a relative,” Cody pointed out. “I was thinking it might stand for a name and a location. Such as Tom Lee at the beach or Ted Long at the Bayside Restaurant.”

“Yeah, I guess that does make more sense. What else did you find?”

“There was a phone number jotted down on the calendar on the previous page. I tried calling it, and all I got was a recording stating the phone was no longer in service. I checked with a source at the phone company and was told the number belonged to an unregistered cell.”

“You said Glenda mentioned he had a burner phone. Maybe it was his number.”

“Maybe. At this point I’m not sure how that will help us.”

“I guess there’s not much to go on.”

Cody shrugged.

We finished eating, and I hoped he would suggest that we spend some time together. I really couldn’t get that one fantastic kiss off my mind. But instead of pulling me into his arms, Cody paid the bill like he always did, then took my elbow and walked me out the front door like he always did.

“I have some information back at the paper I’d like to discuss with you,” Cody said as we paused on the sidewalk in front of the diner. “If you don’t mind walking over with me I’ll drive you back to the store so you aren’t late.”

I thought it odd that Cody was just now bringing up this information, but I shrugged and agreed to his plan. Cody’s hand felt sweaty in mine as we walked the short distance to the building where Cody worked. If he were anyone else I probably would have simply let go, but holding Cody’s sweaty hand was so much better than not holding his hand at all.

When we arrived at the newspaper Cody let us in through the front door. I noticed he didn’t turn the “Be Back Soon” sign around, but maybe he didn’t want us to be interrupted while we talked. He led me down the hall to his office and closed the door. Then he turned me so I was facing him and put his hands on either side of my face.

He looked deeply into my eyes and said, “I’ve been wanting to do this since I dropped you at your door last night.”

His kiss was…well,
hot, hot, hot
. Unlike the kiss of the previous evening, which had been absolutely perfect if somewhat hesitant, the one today was possessive and powerful. I felt my body begin to shake as he awakened a longing deep inside me.

Eventually—much too soon, in my opinion—Cody stepped back. Then he pulled me into his body, wrapped his arms around me, and held me tight. I could hear his heart pounding against my ear, and if I never had to move again that would be fine with me.

“That was nice,” I whispered.

Cody pulled back a bit and looked at me. He smiled. “Yeah. It was nice.”

“Should we do it again?”

Cody groaned and took a full step backward. “I think maybe we’d better not. At least not now, when you have to go back to the bookstore and I have a paper to get out. Would you like to go to dinner tonight?”

I nodded.

“I was thinking we could try that new steakhouse on the harbor in Harthaven. I hear the food is excellent, and they have a huge menu if you aren’t in the mood for steak.”

I smiled. I realized that going to the steakhouse would require me to dig out a dress and appropriate shoes, but it seemed just right for my first date with Cody as a couple. At least I guessed we were officially a couple. “Maybe we can go back to my place after. We can build a fire and share a bottle of wine.”

“Sounds perfect.”

 

As soon as I arrived back at work I was informed that there was someone in the cat lounge who was interested in adopting one of the kittens I’d brought in with me that day. When I went in I saw Destiny talking to a little girl who looked to be five or six. The room was otherwise empty except for the cats.

“Tara said there was someone who was interested in adopting a kitten?”

“This is Amanda,” Destiny introduced the girl with huge brown eyes and dark ringlets that reached her waist. “She’d like to adopt the white kitten you brought with you today.”

“Wonderful.” I looked around the empty room. “I’ll need to have one of your parents fill out an application.”

“My mom is in heaven,” the girl announced.

“I’m so sorry.” I closed the distance between us and sat down on the sofa next to the child.

“It’s okay. She said God needed her to be an angel. I miss her, but she promised to visit me every night in my dreams and so far she has.”

I felt my heart ache for this brave little girl. “Is your dad here, then?”

“No, he’s at work. I came alone.”

“You came alone? From where?”

“School. I know I shouldn’t leave until it’s over, but I wanted to find out about the kitten. My mom said I could have one.”

“Your mom said you could have one before she went to heaven?” I asked.

“No. She said I could have one in my dream last night. The orange one is cute, but I want the white one. Angels are white.”

“Yes, they are. Does your dad know you’re here?”

“No. He wouldn’t want me to have a kitten. He said we had enough troubles without adding an animal to the mix.”

“I see.”

I looked at Destiny. She shrugged. Apparently, neither Destiny nor Tara knew quite what to do with the motherless child, so they’d had her wait until I got back from lunch.

“I’m afraid I can’t allow any of the kittens to be adopted unless a responsible adult fills out an application,” I informed the girl.

“Oh.” She hung her head sadly.

“How about if we go talk to your dad? I can’t promise anything, but I would be willing to discuss the matter of your adopting a kitten with him.”

The girl smiled. “Okay.”

“You know that having an animal is a big responsibility.”

“I know.”

“And you’ll have to promise to take care of her if your dad agrees.”

“I will.”

“Okay, let’s go see what we can do. Where does your dad work?”

“At the market in Harthaven. His name is Mike.”

“You’re Mike Halloran’s daughter?”

I’d heard that Mike’s wife had died. He and I had gone to the same high school.

“Yes. He’s my daddy.”

I frowned. “Did you come all the way over here from the elementary school in Harthaven?”

“No. The one here. My daddy works in Harthaven, but we live here. We have a yellow house. Yellow was my mommy’s favorite color. She said it made her happy, like the sun.”

“I like yellow also.” I took the girl by the hand. “Let’s go see what we can work out with your dad.”

Chapter 6

 

 

“Do we really have to do this now?” I complained to Ichabod. I’d already showered and dressed in my skimpy red dress and the only heels I owned in preparation for my date with Cody when Ichabod decided he wanted to go outside and he wanted me to follow him.

I was behind schedule anyway, after spending a good part of the afternoon talking to Mike. In the end I was able to convince him to give adopting Angel a try. I promised to take the kitten back with no questions asked if it didn’t work out, and I said I would spend some time with Amanda, showing her exactly how to take care of the young cat. Normally, I’m hesitant to adopt our cats into families where the adults weren’t 100 percent committed, but Mike was a good guy who I’d known my whole life, and I was sure he’d be a responsible kitty parent whether he was enthusiastic about the adoption or not.

Besides, Amanda really got to me with those huge brown eyes and her insistence that her mom had told her it was okay to get a kitten. She even said it was her mom’s idea to name her Angel. I spent at least an hour making sure Amanda had everything she needed to care for the cat and that she knew exactly what to do. I promised to visit them later in the week to make sure everything was okay.

“My feet are going to be filthy,” I complained to Ichabod as I continued to follow him. I’d taken off my shoes so I could walk in the sand and I was tiptoeing around pieces of shell in my bare feet. “I’m going to have to wear tennis shoes with this dress if we don’t go back right now.”

The cat ignored me as he continued to walk down the beach toward a destination only he knew. At least the rain had stopped and the sky had cleared. There was still a chill and a dampness in the air that penetrated the thin material of my dress as if it weren’t even there. No doubt about it, I wasn’t dressed for beachcombing.

“I’m freezing,” I muttered as I hurried to keep up with the cat. “What do you say we do this tomorrow?”

The cat continued down the beach past Francine Rivers’s house. When he darted into the dense shrubbery that grew untamed near the intersection where the peninsula joined the main body of the island, I thought I’d lost him for sure. As I peered into the dense foliage, I heard a rustling just out of my sight.

“Ichabod?”

The cat meowed. I shoved the branches in front of me to the side, tearing my dress in the process. If this cat had brought me here to show me a dead seagull I was going to strangle him. Metaphorically. I would never actually injure the fur baby, no matter how aggravated I was with him. I gingerly stepped into the shrubbery, making my way slowly toward the spot where I heard Ichabod’s cry. I stopped and screamed when my bare foot almost came into contact with the dead and bloated body of Grover Cloverdale.

I jumped backward and landed flat on my butt in the wet sand. Ichabod came over and licked my cheek as I tried to still my pounding heart. Unfortunately, I didn’t have my phone with me, which meant I was going to have to run back to my cabin as fast as my bare feet would carry me to call Finn. Not that speed was of the essence. Grover was good and dead and there wasn’t anything Finn or anyone else could do to change that. It looked as if he’d drowned, which was odd, because Grover couldn’t swim and was terrified of water.

After I made it back to the cabin, I called both Finn and Cody, then headed upstairs to change into warm sweats. My fancy dinner with Cody would have to wait for another night. By the time I finished changing Cody had arrived, and he informed me that Finn had stopped by to let me know he was heading down the beach to retrieve the body.

By the time I’d poured myself a glass of wine Siobhan was poking her head through my side door.

“Did I see Finn’s truck?” she asked.

“Yeah. Grover Cloverdale is dead. I stumbled across his body down the beach. Finn used our driveway to access the beach to retrieve him.”

“Oh, God. What happened?” Siobhan shivered.

“It looks like he drowned.” I handed my sister a glass of wine.

Siobhan frowned. “Grover hated the water. Why would he put himself in a situation where he would drown?”

“That was my first thought when I almost stepped on him.”

I shuddered as an image of exactly what would have happened if I hadn’t been able to stop myself and had actually stepped on him crossed my mind.

“I think I’m beginning to see a pattern,” Cody said after he hugged Siobhan hello and opened the refrigerator in search of a beer. “Bradley hated cats, yet he died in the midst of hundreds of them, and Grover was terrified of water, yet he apparently drowned.”

“Someone intentionally chose methods to kill those men that would feed on their greatest fear or biggest dislike,” I concluded.

“It seems that way,” Cody commented.

I opened the refrigerator and surveyed the contents. It was clear I wasn’t going out for the fancy dinner I’d envisioned all afternoon. My refrigerator was so empty I was certain that if I spoke into it my words would echo. A trip to the market was definitely in order.

“It looks like Danny and Tara are here,” Siobhan said as I closed the refrigerator door and began to peer through the cupboards.

I turned and watched as Siobhan put her wineglass on the table, then hurried out the door to throw herself into Danny’s arms. Siobhan was born between Aiden and Danny and, in my opinion, had the closest relationship with both of them of any of the Hart siblings. There were times growing up when I was jealous of Siobhan and her easygoing relationship with both my big brothers, but today I was just happy she was here and smiling.

I watched as Danny twirled Siobhan in the air. Siobhan is small and petite like I am, but while my curly brown hair, sun-kissed skin, and smattering of freckles makes most people think of me as the girl next door, Siobhan is polished and sophisticated, with straight blond hair, sky blue eyes, and perfectly manicured finger- and toenails.

“It looks like they brought pizza,” Cody said after Siobhan left the room.

“Good. I’m starving.” I closed a cupboard door. “I’m sorry about our dinner. It looks like everyone plans to settle in for the evening.”

“No problem,” Cody answered. “We can do it another time.”

Once everyone made their way back into the cabin, we all served ourselves a slice or two of the cheesy pie. I’m a pizza purist. If given the choice I will always request plain cheese or pepperoni. Tonight I was famished, so I selected one of each.

“You didn’t bring Bandit?” I asked Tara about the kitten she usually brought with her when she came for a visit.

“He was all curled up with Destiny so I didn’t disturb him. Jake is at the house, and the three of them are going to watch a movie.”

“It seems like Jake has been around a lot,” I commented.

“I encourage him to come by. He seems to have a way of cheering Destiny up when she starts to feel down. I really think he’s good for her.”

“He seems like a good kid.”

“He’s really mature and seems to know exactly how to deal with Destiny’s mood swings. And he’s smart too. One of the women who attend a pottery class with his mother told me that he wants to go to Harvard. Destiny hasn’t always made the best choices as far as boyfriends go, but Jake seems like a keeper.”

“I thought they were just friends,” I said.

“They are. For now.”

Maybe Jake and Destiny would find a way to take their relationship to the next level after the baby was born, the way Cody and I finally had. They really did seem to have a connection.

“Do you think Finn will come back by?” Siobhan asked when the conversation had died.

“I’m not sure,” I answered. “I’m sure he’ll want to talk to me at some point, but he’ll need to make sure the body arrives at the morgue and that the next of kin are notified. I suppose it depends how long that all takes, but I kind of doubt he’ll make it back here this evening.”

I noticed Siobhan looked disappointed.

I smiled. Maybe Finn would be my brother after all. We continued to eat in silence for several minutes while the pizza was still hot. I was surprised to see that Ichabod was completely comfortable with the room full of people. Although I’d found him in the hollow, based on his friendly nature and the fact that he tolerated Max, I had to assume he came from a family with kids and other pets. I should really post a flyer in town to let people know I’d found him.

“Okay, so are we thinking that someone is out to eliminate the members of the Island Council?” Danny blurted out. Apparently, he was ready to move on from the topics of pregnant teens and ex boyfriends.

“It’s the obvious link between the two men,” Tara agreed.

“Oh, God, Maggie,” I interjected.

“Maggie is off the island for another few days,” Cody reminded me. “We just need to figure this out before then. I think I’m going to call Francine and Byron, though.”

As of the recent Island Council election, there were five council members: Mayor Bradley, Grover Cloverdale, Francine Rivers, Byron Maxwell, and my aunt Maggie. Two of the five members had died under very strange circumstances in the past four days. If the motive behind the deaths of Bradley and Cloverdale was related to council business, both Francine and Byron could be in real danger.

“Francine is packing up Romeo and Juliet and coming to stay with Mr. Parsons, Rambler, and me until we figure this whole thing out,” Cody announced when he returned from making his call.

I was glad to hear that because Francine lived alone with just her cats for company and protection.

“Byron said he’ll be extracareful. His estate is gated and he has a security system, so as long as he’s mindful of his surroundings when he’s away from home he should be okay,” Cody added.

“Neither of the two men appeared to have been shot, so whoever killed Bradley and Grover must be known to them,” I said. “It seems like in both cases the killer must have gotten up close and personal.”

“How did Grover end up in the water?” Tara wondered.

“We don’t know yet, but Finn speculated that, based on where he was found, he was most likely pushed from a boat. That makes the most sense unless you take into account the fact that Grover would never have voluntarily gotten onto a boat in the first place,” I answered.

“Any more than Bradley would have gone to the hollow,” Tara added.

“I’m beginning to think that being elected to the Island Council comes with an expiration date,” Danny commented.

I knew he meant that in terms of life expectancy rather than the length of the term the council members served. First councilman Keith Weaver had been killed, although it turned out the reason for his demise had had nothing to do with his role on the council, and then another councilman had been removed after he fell victim to a blackmail scheme.

“So where do we start?” Danny asked.

“I guess we should look at what’s going on with the council that might create a motive for someone to want members dead,” I offered.

“We need a murder board,” Siobhan announced.

“A murder board?” I asked.

“Yeah, you know, like in the movies. We can list both men and their connections to each other, as well as anyone who might want them dead.”

“I don’t have a board to use,” I said.

Siobhan stood up. “Maggie has that huge whiteboard in the sewing room.” She looked at Danny. “Help me get it.”

Danny shrugged, stood up, and followed her out the door. Siobhan always had been the type to take charge. I had a feeling our group had a new leader. She really would make a good wife for Finn. She could keep him organized and help him solve crimes. Of course I really didn’t see her doing the actual investigating the way Cody and I often did. Siobhan didn’t like to get her hands dirty. She was more of an idea person.

Danny and Siobhan returned with the whiteboard, colored markers, and sticky notes that could be moved around the board easily.

“Okay, who wants to start?” Siobhan asked once everything was set up.

“Glenda did say Bradley met with a developer who wants to build a shopping mall on the island,” Cody began.

“A shopping mall?” Siobhan smiled. “I don’t see how that’s a motive for murder, but I will say I’m glad to hear it. It’s about time this island finds a way to attract decent shopping.”

“Not everyone feels the way you do,” I explained to Siobhan. “There are a lot of residents who think a large development will ruin our island charm.” I briefly explained all the fallout caused by Bill Powell’s condo project.

“So no mall?” Siobhan looked disappointed.

“Hopefully not,” I answered. “Glenda said that initially Bradley was dead set against the project, but then something happened to cause him to change his mind. At least she
thinks
he changed his mind. All Glenda knew for certain was that Bradley met with the man on Friday. She didn’t know the outcome of their discussion.”

“Sounds like a motive for murder to me,” Tara said.

Siobhan wrote the words
mall project
under Bradley’s name. She’d drawn a line down the middle of the board and written Bradley on one half, Grover on the other. She then set up two columns under each name that said
motives
and
suspects
. She really did have the gift of organization.

BOOK: The Legend of Tabby Hollow (Whales and Tails Mystery Book 5)
8.71Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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