The Ties That Bind (Sarah Woods Mystery Book 11) (7 page)

Chapter 14

When I woke up the next morning, Carter was sitting in the chair next to the bed fully clothed. “Good morning.”

I sat up in bed and wiped my eyes. “What time is it?”

“Nine-fifteen. I thought I’d let you sleep in.”

Carter didn’t have anything in his lap. No cell phone, laptop or newspaper. Not even a cup of coffee. “What are you up to? Meditating or something?”

“I was watching you sleep.”

I laughed. “That doesn’t sound very exciting.”

He came to sit on the edge of the bed and placed a hand on my leg. “I’m sorry I fell asleep on you last night.”

“No need to apologize.” I inspected the wound on his temple. The bruising was worse. “How do you feel this morning?”

“Fair, but I need more aspirin. I didn’t want to go into your purse without permission.”

“From now on you have my permission to go into my purse whenever you need something, okay?”

He caressed my leg as an impish smile spread across his face. “I owe you a massage, by the way.”

His touch sent a wave of warmth up my body. It would be so easy to take his hand and pull him on top of me. We could linger in bed for another hour or two and have a little fun but the timing wasn’t right. I could sense that he felt the same way. I shook those thoughts from my mind and tried to focus on business. “So what are we gonna do about Jason?”

Removing his hand from my leg, he stood up and headed to the other side of the room. He slid the curtains open to let in the sunlight. “We’ll have to assume that Jason knows more than we think he does, which means he probably knows we’re staying here.”

“You think we should leave and check into a different place?”

“No. We’ll just be more careful, that’s all.”

“So we’re not giving up?”

He raised an eyebrow. “You know me better than that but if you’d rather bow out, I understand.”

“I’m not bowing out,” I said. “Jason has basically confirmed that someone else is behind Nina’s murder. But is it Perry?”

“So far he’s the only one with motive. If Perry and Jason know each other, Perry could have warned him about us or vice versa so, from now on, we need to assume that Perry is on to us.”

“What do you mean? Are you saying we should just level with him? Tell him why we’re here?”

Carter shook his head. “Not yet. We’ll see how it plays out.”

I glanced at the clock on the nightstand. “Shit, we were supposed to go down for our complimentary meet and greet breakfast.”

“How long will it take you to get ready?”

“Give me five minutes,” I said, heading to the bathroom. “I’ll just brush my teeth, wash my face and run a brush through my hair.”

Ten minutes later we were downstairs in the dining room where a buffet table had been prepared. The smell of bacon and eggs, freshly baked muffins and coffee filled the air. A few quests still lingered, but their plates were nearly empty.

“Good morning.” Mary Garcia greeted us as we entered. “You made it just in time. Please help yourselves to the buffet.”

“Thank you,” I said. “Sorry we’re running late. We overslept.”

Mary gave us a knowing smile and a wink, as if she understood that a little morning nookie was expected. “We’re pleased you could make it. Our guests are like family and we want to take the opportunity to meet each and every one.” She gestured to a large round table where three people sat with coffee mugs in front of them. Everyone except Perry. “My husband Glenn, my son Graham and his wife Zoe. My other son Perry seems to be running late this morning.”

“We’ve already met Perry,” Carter said. “And he makes a helluva martini.”

“Wonderful.” She glanced at her watch in consternation. “I’m sure he’ll be along shortly.”

Her last comment was laced with sarcasm and I got the impression she was not pleased that her son had skipped out on the meet and greet. Her deftly disguised irritation made me wonder if this was something he did often, a small display of rebellion.

“Everything smells divine,” I said. “I assume your husband is responsible for this amazing spread?”

Mary smiled with pride. “Yes. I sincerely hope you will enjoy what he’s prepared this morning. After you’ve made a plate for yourself, I invite you to join us at the community table.”

“Great,” Carter said. “Thank you so much.”

As I surveyed the buffet table, it was hard to imagine that only one person was responsible for such an extensive menu. Eggs Benedict, scrambled eggs with cheese, crispy bacon, plump sausages, home fries, grits, hash browns, fresh fruit, oatmeal, yogurt, and an endless arrangement of muffins, croissants, cinnamon rolls, bagels and sweet breads. For an Inn that only had five rooms to let, I wondered how much food was ultimately wasted every day?

My mother’s words repeated in my ear from when I was younger;
there are children starving in Africa.
Which doesn’t really mean much to a child who is forced to eat liver and onions. I would have gladly sent my dinner to Africa for all those starving kids. “Chef Glenn must have help in the kitchen. One man could not build this wall of food in a day.”

Carter chuckled as he piled on more hash browns. “It’s a bit over the top, isn’t it? But I have to admit, I’m in heaven.”

When we sat down at the table, the Garcia family graciously introduced themselves in turn.

Chef Glenn stood up to shake my hand graciously, his smile like a movie star. His stare and handshake lingered a moment longer than it should have and I guess I was flattered. Weren’t chefs supposed to be fat? Not Glenn, he had the body of a runner. Long and lean.

Next was their son Graham the accountant. He was cute, but in a nerdy sort of way with his button down shirt and wire rimmed glasses.

Graham’s wife Zoe we had already met the first night of our arrival as our hostess and waitress. She quickly got to her feet and offered to fetch us a fresh pot of coffee.

“I’d love some coffee,” I replied. “If it’s not too much trouble.”

“It would be my pleasure.” She made her way toward the kitchen. “Be right back.”

Just as Zoe disappeared, Perry shuffled into the dining room looking like a zombie. His head was bent forward and his clothes were wrinkled. His hair was uncombed, a cowlick shot out from the back of his head.

Mary Garcia gave her son a disdainful glare. “Nice of you to join us, dear.”

Perry did not respond, instead he went straight to the buffet table and prepared himself a plate.

Mary fumbled with the cloth napkin in her hands, offering Carter and me a shrug. “My son has had a difficult year. Please forgive him.”

Chef Glenn cleared his throat, ready to break the awkward silence. He turned his attention to me and Carter. “So where are you folks from?”

“Bridgeport, New Hampshire,” I said. “It’s about a four hour drive north.”

“Did someone recommend us to you?” he asked. “Or did you find us over the internet?”

I looked at Carter to let him answer.

“I did a search online for the most romantic retreats within New England. This one was at the top of the list.”

“We make that list every year,” Mary said boastfully. “Did you read the article that Conde-Nast Traveler did on us? Oh, you must read it. They did such a fabulous piece.”

“I believe I did read it,” Carter said. “Is it true this place has been in the family since 1935?”

“Quite true.” Mary’s posture straightened and she seemed a few inches taller than her husband sitting down. “My grandmother and grandfather purchased the property for a thousand dollars. The structure was dilapidated, so my grandfather fixed the place up with his own hands. He was a carpenter by trade and my grandmother was a gardener. It took them almost a decade to open the Inn for guests. Then my mom and dad took over along with my two aunts. They kept it going and made a promise to my grandparents that it would always stay in the family. It’s our legacy and we are so proud that our children will carry on the tradition.”

Graham’s eyes were glazed over as if he’d heard his mother’s speech one too many times. He turned his head, looking toward the kitchen, probably wondering when his wife would be back with the coffee.

Carter and I continued to eat our breakfast while Mary went on to explain how the Inn had changed over the years. Eventually, Zoe returned from the kitchen with a tray. She filled two mugs of coffee for me and Carter and refilled her husband’s. “Sorry it took me so long. I wanted to brew a fresh pot.”

“Appreciate that,” Carter said holding his coffee mug up to her before taking a sip. “It’s delicious.”

When Zoe sat back down next to her husband, she didn’t seem to relax. Almost like she knew she’d have to get up again soon to do something. I got the impression that she didn’t get the chance to sit down very often because a lot was expected of her. No wonder she was so thin. Poor girl barely got a second to herself. I wonder if she knew what she was getting into when she married Graham. Perhaps all of it was tempered by the fact that the trust fund was waiting for them.

When I looked around the room I realized Perry must have taken his plate back to his room to eat alone. I thought it was kind of rude but, then again, I couldn’t really blame him. He must be sick of hanging out with family.

Zoe jumped up to clear everyone’s empty plates and took them to the kitchen.

Mary leaned toward us expectantly. “I’m so pleased you were able to join us this morning. What do you have planned for the day?”

“We might take a hike,” Carter said. “Or maybe we’ll just visit more antique stores.”

“Perfect,” she said. “Might I suggest you take a drive up to Mount Lunar? The views are spectacular.”

“Maybe we’ll do that,” he said, grabbing my hand to leave. “Thank you for breakfast. It was nice meeting everyone.”

Chapter 15

As soon as we got back to the room, Carter said, “Is it just me, or was that a strange conversation during breakfast?”

I lay down on the bed, feeling lethargic and bloated after eating all that food. “What do you think of the Garcia family?”

“Mary rules the roost, that’s for sure.” Carter lay down on his back, scooting close to me. He stared up at the ceiling with his head resting on the pillow. “Her controlling nature is resented by her family. They do exactly what she says because they’re all afraid of her. Especially Zoe.”

“How can you tell?”

“Did you see the way she got right up to make our coffee? First of all, the coffee probably wasn’t gone. Second, she could have come back out while the coffee was brewing but she stayed in the kitchen.”

“Maybe she had things to do in there?” I said.

“I observed her facial expressions while Mary was boasting about the family legacy. I can tell Zoe has contempt for her mother-in-law. She puts on a good show because she doesn’t want to get chastised, but she doesn’t want to be here, just like the rest of them.”

“Perry certainly seems like he wants nothing to do with his family. Especially his mom. He’s gonna get an earful today for being so rude at breakfast.”

Carter sat up and reached into his luggage. “There’s a new toy I’ve been wanting to show you. Cost me an arm and a leg.” He produced a small, microfiber pouch and placed it on the bed as I sat up to inspect it.

“What is it?”

“Open it up and take it out.”

I loosened the tie and a black box slid onto my hand. When I opened it, a miniscule object, no bigger than a pea, was nestled inside. “I’ve never seen anything like it. What does it do?”

“It’s a voice activated recorder. It only has three hours of battery life but it works with magnets. I haven’t actually tried it yet to see how it works.”

“How much did this cost you?” I asked, in awe.

“Too much. That’s why I’m almost afraid to use it.”

“How much?” I persisted.

“Four grand.”

I gasped. “Holy crap.”

“No kidding. Anyway, I’m thinking we need to take this investigation to the next level and shake things up a bit. When we go to the bar later today, I need you to be a little flirty with Perry after a few glasses of wine. Nothing too obvious, but you need to place this on his watch. Preferably on the side where the dial is.”

“Okay,” I said. “And then what?”

“We tell Perry the truth. That Bernice Chapman hired us to look into Nina’s death. If Perry is involved, he’s going to panic when we mention Jason’s name. He will probably try to contact Jason and when he does we’ll have our answer.”

“Brilliant.” I removed the device from its cushioned bed and held it up close to my face. “Let’s say I manage to get this on him without him knowing, how do we plan to get it back?”

“We’ll worry about that later.”

I glanced at the clock. “It’s only 10:30. We have a few hours until the bar opens. “What do we do in the meantime?”

Carter opened his laptop. “I’m going to look up Larry’s Heating and Plumbing and find out where he’s going to be today.”

“Need my help?”

“Not really. Maybe you could go find Zoe and see if she has anything to say about Nina. Perhaps the two girls became friendly in the short time Nina lived here.”

I grabbed the room key and a bottle of water from the fridge. “Wish me luck.”