Dead in the Water (Scarlet Cove Seaside Cozy Mystery Book 1) Page 13

  “Yes, he did,” Liz said firmly, turning to Michael. “I never even suspected you until today. Not until I realised that Frank was dying and Michael would have had no idea.”

  The look of surprise in Michael’s eyes told Liz everything she needed to know; she had been right.

  “Are you going to listen to this, Laura?” Michael demanded. “Who is this idiot, anyway?”

  “She’s the new woman,” Laura mumbled, her eyes narrowed on Liz. “She used to be a detective.”

  “That’s right,” Liz said. “And I’m pretty ashamed to say it took me this long. Michael’s name kept popping up. You had the perfect motive to kill Frank.”

  “To steal his fish?” Michael mocked.

  “No,” Liz said, turning to Laura with a sad smile. “You wanted your wife back. You were tired of seeing another man with the woman you loved, so you plotted to get him out of the way so you could claim Laura for yourself again.”

  “I would never have taken you back,” Laura mocked, her lips twisted. “You were an awful husband. You didn’t care about me, or what I wanted, you just wanted to keep me like a pet. The only reason I stayed friends with you was because I was scared of how you’d react if I dared cut ties.”

  “I love you,” Michael mumbled. “I did it because I love you.”

  A lump rose in Liz’s throat. She slipped her hand into her bag, gripped her phone, unlocked it, and opened the voice recorder app.

  “The night Christopher came in here to humiliate Frank and take his flask away after hearing about his drinking, you saw your chance.” Liz paused and looked down to make sure the phone was recording. “You went to the office before you knew Frank would start. You saw the rat poison, and you put some in his hip flask, knowing the drunk would take it back the first chance he got.”

  “Frank wasn’t a drunk,” Laura jumped in, her anger directed at Liz. “He was sick. He was dying. He drank to numb the pain because he didn’t want to think about it.”

  “I bet you were rubbing your hands together when everyone thought Frank died by accident, weren’t you?” Liz asked, staring deep into Michael’s eyes. “You just needed to wait until Laura ran back into your arms. That was until Adam figured out it was you, so you killed him too.”

  “Why, Michael?” Laura cried. “He was just a boy.”

  “He figured it out!” Michael cried, spitting as he snarled. “He saw me that morning in the office. I lied my way through and said I was looking for money to steal. I thought it would be better than going to prison for murder, but the kid kept his mouth shut for that one. He’d still be alive now if he’d just kept his mouth shut properly, but when he heard Frank was poisoned, he put two and two together and –”

  “Got four?” Liz jumped in.

  “Took him a few days to connect the dots,” Michael said. “He ran in here shouting about knowing who killed Frank the second he figured it out. He should have just gone straight to the police, but he was dense. I followed him outside. I still had my bottle of beer in my hand, so I did what I needed to. I noticed the cameras pointing right at me, so I slipped into the back of the pub. The football kept Shirley distracted. This place still records on VHS, the fools. It was as simple as taking the tape and putting in a clean one. I tossed the thing out to sea after making sure to destroy the film.”

  “Michael,” Laura said, choking back the tears. “I don’t know who you are anymore.”

  “I’m your husband.”

  “No,” she whispered. “The man I married would never have done this.”

  “I did it for us!” he cried, his voice booming. “I did it because we deserved a fresh start.”

  “No, Michael,” Liz jumped in, taking a step forward. “You did it for you. Don’t put that on Laura. She had every right to leave you for a man who treated her better. She wasn’t your possession.”

  “We can still be happy,” Michael cried, stepping forward and grabbing Laura’s hands tightly in his. “Nobody else knows. We can sort this.”

  Liz knew exactly what he meant, but she was not scared of him. She would fight him to the death if she had to, as long as someone heard the recording.

  “Michael, you’re not well,” Laura sobbed, tears tumbling silently down her cheeks. “You need help.”

  “No!” he cried, pulling Laura into a tight embrace. “I just need you!”

  Liz tried to pull him off, but the back of his hand struck Liz across the face. She tumbled to the floor, the contents of her bag flying everywhere. Her phone slid across the floor, stopping by Michael’s foot.

  “You’re recording me?” he cried, letting go of Laura to turn to Liz. “Why would you do that?”

  Michael stamped his foot down on the phone, cracking the screen just as Miles’ picture popped up as he attempted to call her. Michael reached into the back of his jeans and pulled out a pocketknife. With a sharp flick, the glittering blade popped up.

  “I knew it would only be a matter of time until someone else figured it out,” he said, a manic smile spreading across his face as he walked forward, kicking the phone out of the way. “I knew I had to be better prepared than I was with Adam.”

  Liz looked around the room for something she could throw at Michael, but nothing was in reach. She thought about scrambling away or jumping up, but she knew she could do neither fast enough to evade the blade. Liz gulped and closed her eyes for a moment. She thought about Lewis, her husband’s face calming her. If this were really the end, at least they would be together soon.

  Just as Liz was about to accept her fate, there was a loud crack, followed by a heavy thud. Liz opened her eyes, first seeing Laura holding a large marble candlestick over her head, and then seeing Michael slumped lifelessly on the ground, the knife inches from his hand. Liz sprung up and grabbed the knife, and Laura dropped the candlestick with a heavy thump. They stared at each other for a moment, before Laura crumpled against the chest of drawers from which she had grabbed the candlestick. She sobbed into her hands.

  “This is all my fault,” Laura sobbed. “Frank died because of me and poor Adam, he was so young. I was going to tell Michael about Frank’s cancer, but I didn’t want him to get his hopes up.”

  “None of this is your fault, Laura,” Liz said softly. “You didn’t know Michael was capable of this.”

  “What are we going to do? If Michael is dead, his story is dead with him. He was right about one thing when he said no one will believe us.”

  “That isn’t quite correct,” a voice came from the door as it pushed open. Mandy stepped inside, clutching a microphone in her hands. “I was in the bathroom going over my speech when I heard shouting. I came over and listened for a second and when I heard what was happening, I turned this thing on. I don’t really know how it works, but I think everyone downstairs heard enough to testify if they have to.”

  Liz stepped over Michael’s body, just as she heard multiple sets of footsteps rushing up the stairs.

  “Sounds like it worked,” Liz exclaimed. “Mandy, I could kiss you!”

  Shirley appeared behind Mandy, followed by Simon, Christopher, Nancy, Jack, Tim, and a dozen other customers.

  “We couldn’t figure out where it was coming from!” Shirley cried. “We heard everything!”

  “Liz!” Nancy cried, pushing through the crowd and hurrying into the room before grabbing Liz in the tightest hug yet. “We’ve called the police! I can’t believe you faced him like that. I think you’re my hero.”

  Liz smiled over Nancy’s shoulder as Simon pushed through the crowd, his face white as he stared down at Michael as he began to stir.

  “Mind if I step in?” Simon asked sheepishly.

  Nancy smiled and moved away without argument. Simon did not wait for Liz to reply. He snaked his arms around her and hugged her so tight, she was sure she was going to pop. She did not mind though. She leaned into the hug, feeling the safest she had done all day. She closed her eyes and let the seriousness of the situation wash over her as butterflies dance
d in her stomach. When she opened her eyes, she met Christopher’s as he smiled sadly at them. She pulled away from the hug, but Christopher turned and walked back down the stairs.

  “I should have listened to you before,” Simon said with a soft smile, brushing Liz’s fallen strands behind her ears. “I was too distracted by cheese.”

  Michael let out a huge groan as Jack tied his hands behind his back with his belt.

  “At least he’s not dead,” Nancy announced as she helped Laura up off the floor. “I would never have guessed it was Michael. I didn’t even believe you when you said you thought it was him.”

  “I don’t think any of us believed it,” Liz said, looking around at all of the eyes staring at her. “If fifteen years in the force taught me anything, it’s that you should expect the unexpected, and never be afraid to call for backup.”

  As if on cue, police sirens moved in from the distance. Shirley walked into the room and wrapped her arm around Mandy, who had been staring at Michael since opening the door. For the first time since Frank’s death, Liz saw Mandy’s veneer crack, and she began to cry.

  “I think we all deserve a stiff drink,” Liz announced to a sea of nods. “The first round is on me.”

  15

  Michael’s public confession and arrest was all people could talk about in the following days, which gave Liz plenty of time to put the finishing touches to her shop.

  On the morning of the grand opening, Liz found herself in Crazy Waves, fiddling with her hair in the mirror.

  “I couldn’t believe it when I heard him over the speakers,” Polly said, curling another piece of Liz’s fiery hair around a hot barrel. “I thought I was being contacted by the other side. I’m a little bit psychic you know. On my mum’s side, but I definitely have the sight. You can’t trust anyone these days.”

  “I guess not,” Liz said absently, having already completely exhausted the conversation with every person she had come into contact with. “I’m just ready to get the shop open and start a new chapter.”

  “Well, you look stunning, babe,” Polly announced in her usual squeaky tone. “My work is done.”

  Liz did not recognise herself as she looked in the mirror, which she was sure would happen every time she stepped into Polly’s salon. In place of her usual frizz were glamorous, wavy curls, which cascaded softly down her face.

  “Who are you and what have you done with Liz,” Nancy gushed when Liz walked out of the salon. “C’mon. Let’s go and find something in that wardrobe of yours to match this hair.”

  Once back at Liz’s flat, Nancy dug through all of Liz’s clothes, disregarding the majority of them by throwing them dramatically over her head and onto the growing pile on Liz’s bed.

  “What about this?” Nancy exclaimed, holding up an off-the-shoulder number, which flared out at the waist with deep purple and blue swirls that made her red hair stand out. “You’d look so pretty in this.”

  “I wore that on my final date with Lewis,” Liz remembered aloud, her heart swelling. “It’s perfect.”

  “Who’s Lewis?” Nancy asked as she handed over the dress.

  “A story for another day,” Liz said, accepting the dress before shooing Nancy out of the bedroom.

  Liz slipped into the dress, and despite not having worn it for two years, it fit her like a glove. She assessed her reflection in the mirror after slipping into a pair of heels she had borrowed from Nancy after finding out they had the same size feet. She barely recognised herself. She was not sure that she looked like an artist, but she did look like a business owner who was ready to show the world her dream.

  “You scrub up well,” Nancy exclaimed when Liz slipped out of the room. “You look beautiful!”

  “It’s not too much, is it?” Liz said.

  “It’s perfect,” Nancy assured her. “And it’s certain to turn a special someone’s head.”

  “I don’t know who you mean,” Liz replied with a wink. “Are there many people out there?”

  “Oh, a few,” Nancy mumbled, her cheeks blushing as she headed to the door. “You ready?”

  “I think so,” she said, checking herself one last time before spritzing some perfume on her neck and wrists, something she rarely remembered to do. “This is what I came to Scarlet Cove to do, so let’s do it.”

  Nancy opened the door to Liz’s flat and hurried down to the door at the bottom of the stairs. Liz followed her down, the rumble of the crowd much louder than she had anticipated.

  “How many people are out there?” she asked.

  Instead of answering, Nancy opened the door, the bright sun blinding Liz. She shielded her eyes with her hand, shocked to see a sea of faces gathered in front of her tiny shop.

  “Oh my –,”

  “I forgot to tell you,” Nancy said, pulling the newspaper out of her bag. “You’re the front page news this morning, and they mentioned your opening. I made sure to mention it when I spoke to the reporters.”

  Liz took the newspaper and looked at the headline, which read ‘NEWCOMER CATCHES KILLER’, next to pictures of Frank, Adam, Michael, and one of her old police headshots. Laughing to herself, she passed the newspaper back to Nancy and looked back at the crowd, catching Simon’s eyes. He began to clap, then applause spread quickly through the crowd of familiar faces, who were all smiling at her. She spotted Katelyn standing next to Christopher at the back of the crowd; her steely expression and folded arms stuck out like a sore thumb.

  “For the paper,” a young man with a large camera said, jumping in front of Liz.

  She smiled back uneasily at the camera lens as Nancy passed her a huge pair of golden scissors.

  “Would you care to do the honours, Elizabeth Jones,” the photographer shouted over the chattering crowd. “Nice big smile when you do.”

  Liz shuffled to the front of the crowd, never in her wildest dreams having imagined there would be this much interest in her tiny arts and crafts shop. She knew they were there because she was Scarlet Cove’s current hot topic, but she did not care if they were going to buy something. She just hoped she had ordered enough stock.

  Swallowing her nerves, Liz smiled down the camera lens and snipped the red ribbon with one swift chop. The camera flashed over and over as the crowd cheered.

  “I declare Blank Canvas open!” Liz exclaimed as she tossed open the door, glancing up at the hand-painted sign above the window. “Let’s get this party started!”

  It did not take long for Liz’s shop to fill up, and she was happy to see that people were putting things in their basket while Nancy worked behind the till.

  “Surprise,” a familiar voice whispered in her ear as he placed his hands over her eyes.

  “Miles!” she cried, turning and wrapping her arms around him. “I’m so glad to see you. What are you doing here?”

  “I needed to see you were in one piece after that phone call,” he whispered into her ear as he squeezed tight. “You made the national news. It’s all people are talking about back home. Once a detective, always a detective, right?”

  “Retired detective,” she reminded him. “Officially, now. I’m done with murder investigations.”

  “For now,” he said with a wink. “You’ve got yourself a nice setup here. This place looks like it’s good for you.”

  “It is,” Liz said, exhaling heavily. “It really is.”

  “Have you told anyone yet?”

  “Not yet,” she said, knowing he was referring to Lewis. “Maybe I will one day, maybe I won’t. I’ll see.”

  Miles pinched her cheek before floating away, following a tray of cheese nibbles, which was being carried by one of the waitresses she had hired specially.

  Her friend from back home was replaced almost instantly by Christopher, who was clutching a large gift-wrapped square in his hands.

  “Congratulations,” he said, smiling awkwardly. “I got this for you. It’s just a little something.”

  Liz tore back the brown paper, surprised to see a detailed painting
of Scarlet Cove in a chunky gold frame. She could see the castle and the harbour, tiny boats out at sea, and a tiny redheaded figure painting on the beach.

  “Where did you get this?”

  “Katelyn has some contacts,” he said. “I had them paint it especially for you. That’s you, painting, in a painting. I’m not much of an art buff, but Katelyn said it was technically good.”

  “I don’t know what to say,” Liz said, staring dumbfounded down at the picture. “Thank you, Christopher. It’s so thoughtful.”

  “I can’t stay,” he said, before coughing into his fist and glancing over at his sister, who was lingering by the door and looking down her nose into a basket of children’s paints. “I have a business meeting. I just wanted to come and wish you luck.”

  Christopher held out his hand, and Liz gratefully accepted it. She knew it meant that he did not mind that she did not want to date him officially, and that they were going to continue as friends.

  Liz showed the painting to Nancy before hanging it proudly on the wall next to the storeroom door so that everyone who walked up to the counter would see it. Grabbing Paddy from Jack, Liz pushed through the waiters in the storeroom and out into the yard.

  When she was finally alone, she leaned her head against the outside of the building and exhaled heavily, unable to believe she had pulled it off.

  “Penny for your thoughts?” Simon asked as he slipped out of the shop. “I saw you leave. Why are you not enjoying your party? You’re the woman of the hour.”

  “Paddy needed the bathroom,” she said with a smile. “And I think I needed a moment to soak everything in.”

  “Have you tried the cheese yet?” he asked, pushing forward the tray he was holding. “When you asked me to cater your opening, I thought long and hard about what cheese would suit you.”

  “Oh?”

  “A pepper jack Red Leicester,” he said, pointing out the tiny flecks of red in the orange cheese. “A little sweet, a little spicy, and very sharp.”

  “I’m flattered.”

  “Here,” Simon lifted up one of the pieces of cracker from the tray and guided it to her mouth. “I think you’ll like it.”