Scones and Scofflaws Read online

  “Right, makes sense.” She looked around the room. “So do all the lifeguards work out here?”

  Jason shook his head and shut his eyes for a moment. He let out a breath and opened his eyes. “You didn’t find me here to ask about the gym.”

  “No. Right.” Anna shifted onto her other foot and straightened her jacket. “Actually… uh… I need to ask you about Richard Gormley. I understand you know him and his wife?”

  “Richard and Susan?” Jason wrinkled his brow in confusion and tossed the towel over one shoulder. “Sure. So?”

  “It’s just you didn’t mention that. I mean, I didn’t know you knew them.”

  Now Jason was looking at her like she was insane. “When would I have mentioned that? While I was chatting you up in the bar? Or when you were tipping off the cops about the club?”

  “Right. No.” Anna looked down at her hands, clasped tightly in front of her. “Look, I am really sorry about that.”

  “Sure.” Jason took a few steps back toward the mat. “I got a few more sets to do. Is that all?”

  “No, it’s not. I’ve heard from other people that you have some… well, to be blunt, some anger management issues. And from what I saw…” She raised both hands in a question.

  “Yeah,” he mumbled, grabbing the towel again and wringing it between his hands. “So what? I’m working on that. What’s that got to do with you.”

  “You were angry at George, you told me that yourself.”

  “Are you kidding me?” The redness started from his neck and slowly spread up his face. “Are you serious? You think I killed George?”

  Anna took a step back, looking around the room to assure herself that there were plenty of other people there who could come to her aid if necessary. None of them seemed to care about Jason’s angry outburst. Maybe they were used to it from him.

  “I didn’t kill George.” He spoke through tight lips, but his voice was relatively calm. “Why would I do that?”

  “Because you’re a friend of Richard,” she answered in a quiet voice. “And I’ve heard that Richard really didn’t like George Hedley.”

  Jason scoffed. “I know him, sure. But I’d hardly say I’m friends with him and I certainly wouldn’t kill for him.” He headed back to the mat. “Plus, Richard and Susan are fine. They didn’t want George dead.”

  Anna let out her breath as Jason’s color returned to normal. “George’s partner, Paul? He thinks you’re a hit man. For the mob. And that you worked for George.”

  Jason turned back to her and laughed loudly. “Seriously? Wow, you are full of fun information today.”

  Anna joined his laughter. “I know, funny right?” It was funny. Right?

  “Look. Anna. Clearly you and I are not going to be friends. So just tell me what you want to know and let me get on with my workout.”

  “Okay.” Anna stepped closer to the mat where Jason was now getting a feel for the amount of weight he had on the bar. “Where were you on Tuesday night, when George checked in?”

  He looked her in the eye as he answered. “I was at the club. You know that. I told you I saw George that night.”

  “Were you there all night?”

  Jason shook his head. “I got their later. Earlier, I was at a bar with some friends. Ask your buddy Luke. He can vouch for me.”

  Anna couldn’t hide her surprise at hearing that. “Why were you with Luke?”

  Jason gave her an inscrutable look, then shrugged. “I was with a bunch of guys. It’s just something we do every Tuesday night.”

  “We?”

  “Yeah. We. All the guys from the football team.”

  “What team?” Anna asked in frustration, not understanding what he was saying.

  Jason dropped the bar back into its holder with a sigh and walked back toward her. “Our high school?” he said, as if speaking to a child. “Over the years, guys who’ve graduated but are still around, we meet up on Tuesdays. To share stories, talk about the old days, you know.”

  “You went to high school with Luke?”

  “Not at the same time,” Jason answered, his focus back on his reflection. He flexed the muscles in his chest, checking himself out. “He graduated a few years before me. But we were both on the football team. He helped me out a bit when I made the team, coached me, that sort of thing.”

  “So you’re friends?”

  “Really not.” Jason’s eyes shifted between his own reflection and the weight bar, clearly losing interest in this conversation. “Turns out your buddy Luke is a liar and a traitor.”

  “Oh.” Anna gulped and felt her hands tighten into fists. She definitely did not want Jason worked up again. She’d find out about Jason’s past with Luke some other way. “So then how about Wednesday morning? Where were you then?”

  Jason glared at her, his anger returning. “I wasn’t anywhere near your B&B before Saturday. Got it?”

  “Got it.” Anna put both hands up in front of her, acquiescing to his statement without challenging it. “So, does Luke know your secret?”

  It was amazing how visibly Jason’s anger could rise. Anna watched the redness creep back up from his neck. “He does now,” he said in a low voice. “Thanks to you.”

  “I’m really sorry about that,” Anna said, but Jason wasn’t listening. He’d returned to the bar and his weights.

  Anna tucked her hands in her pockets and left the gym. She could think of an awful lot of reasons why Jason couldn’t possibly have killed George. He had so many people who vouched for him and his character. She’d met his aunt herself. Even the fact that he was with Luke the evening George checked in.

  But she couldn’t shake the thought that he still had one very big reason why he might have done it. Not for Richard Gormley, but for himself. To keep his secret.

  42

  Anna hooked her jacket over the coatrack by her front door and sighed. Now what? She stared straight ahead where the doorway to Aunt Louise’s rooms stood dark. She walked closer, putting a hand against the wall to steady herself, and closed her eyes. She really needed to go into those rooms. This was getting ridiculous.

  A soft touch against her leg reminded her that she wasn’t alone. She bent down to Tough Cookie, who purred as she walked circles around Anna’s ankles. She tickled the cat behind the ears as she picked her up, hugging her close. Tough Cookie relaxed into the embrace, her purrs deepening until her whole body seemed to shudder with them. Anna held her closer, feeling Tough Cookie’s vibrations like a massage against her chest. She waited a moment, enjoying the feeling, then loosened her hold.

  The cat opened her eyes wide and stared at Anna.

  “Oh no, now what?” Anna asked the cat. “What are you trying to tell me now?”

  The cat was prevented from answering by a loud crash from the fourth floor. “Oh good, Luke’s here,” Anna said as she put Tough Cookie down. “You’ll have to tell me later.”

  She found Luke back in the Royal Room, picking up paint cans that must have somehow gotten knocked over. Empty paint cans, thank goodness.

  “Hey Luke,” she said to get his attention when he didn’t seem to have noticed her. “Do you have a minute?”

  “Hey.” He glanced over at her. “Give me a sec to clean this up, I’ll meet you down in the kitchen.”

  Anna trotted down to the kitchen to put some tea on and wait for him. She paused as she passed the mirror in the front hall, smoothing her hair and straightening her sweater.

  She sat at the kitchen bar, her hands wrapped around a mug of peppermint tea, waiting for Luke. Her feet tapped against the metal bar that ran around the leg of the stool about six inches off the ground. Why was she nervous? She was just waiting to talk to Luke.

  Her nervousness dissipated as soon as he entered the room. He came straight over to her and enveloped her in his arms, squeezing her close to his broad chest. She let herself relax against him, taking comfort from his strength.

  Finally, he pulled back and looked her in the eye. “Is there
any tea for me?”

  “Of course.” She laughed as she slipped off her stool to get his drink. She felt his eyes on her as she moved around the room, reheating the water, letting his tea steep.

  Once back on her stool, two mugs of tea in front of them, she looked up at him.

  “How can I help?” he asked.

  “Ha!” She let out a laugh that sounded more like a cough. “I really wish you could. But… I don’t know.” Could she tell him about her investigation? He clearly wanted to help. It would be so easy to tell him everything, let him advise her. Take care of her. “It’s about George and his death.”

  “Of course.” He nodded as he took a sip from his mug.

  “I found some things out,” she started. Then stopped. If she told him about her investigation, told him everything, surely his desire to help her would take over. He’d do whatever he needed to do to keep her safe. And she didn’t want him to take over. “I wanted to ask you about Tuesday night,” she said instead.

  “Tuesday? The night George and the other guests checked in?”

  “Jason said you saw him out that night. At a local bar.”

  “That’s right.” Luke put his mug down and rested one hand on her leg. It felt good. “I go out with that group every couple of Tuesdays or so. Just to rehash old stories, you know how it is.” He grinned and she felt herself smiling back at him.

  “Did you see Jason the whole time? I’m trying to figure out if he could’ve come back here, slipped in and… you know…”

  “Poisoned George?” Luke asked with amazement. He shook his head. “Of course I didn’t see him the whole time. I wasn’t keeping an eye on him or anything. He could have slipped out, come to your house and made it back again without being missed.”

  “How about Wednesday morning? I don’t know where Jason was on Wednesday morning.”

  Luke shrugged and leaned a little closer to her. “I don’t know where he was. He wasn’t at the gym, I can tell you that. I was there early. And,” he said, grinning again, “lots of people can vouch for me, if you’re wondering.”

  Anna blushed. “I wasn’t, I promise.” She felt herself leaning in toward him, watching the sexy wrinkles around his eyes as he returned her gaze, the muscles of his shoulder moving under his T-shirt. Whatever he was doing at the gym, it was working.

  “Jason seems to think pretty badly of you. What’s that about?”

  Luke grinned and Anna felt a shiver pass through her. “He’s just sour because he didn’t make quarterback for the team. Back when he was still in high school, I helped coach him for the tryouts. When he didn’t make it, he blamed me. Thinks I told the coach he wasn’t good enough.”

  “And did you?” Anna whispered.

  Luke leaned even closer. “I told the coach the truth, what I really thought. I always do.”

  “Hello?” A voice called out as the doorbell jangled. “Anyone home?”

  “Crap.” Anna almost fell off her stool as Luke leaned back suddenly.

  Detective Walsh pushed through the door from the lounge. “There you are. Oh good, Luke Arnold. Just the man I’m looking for.”

  Luke stood and the two men faced off, eye to eye. “What can I do for you, detective.”

  “Just a few questions, if you have some time?” Walsh kept his voice pleasant, but Anna was pretty sure Luke didn’t really have a choice about whether or not to answer the questions. “I understand you spend a lot of time here, at this house.”

  Luke nodded but added nothing more.

  Walsh waited a beat, then continued. “So you were here when the guests checked in on Tuesday? When George Hedley checked in?”

  “I was here, but not for long. I washed up my tools and left while Anna was getting all her guests settled.”

  “Uh-huh,” Walsh muttered, making a mark in his notebook. “And can you tell me where you were later that evening and the next morning.”

  Luke threw an amused look at Anna. “I think I can just about remember that.”

  As Luke filled Detective Walsh in on everything he’d just told Anna, she found her mind wandering. To Patrolman Evan Burley. Why wasn’t he here with Detective Walsh? She didn’t know if she felt relieved or disappointed. She blinked as she shook her head. She needed to get her mind straight about the men in her life. She couldn’t like both of them, could she? Plus, the last thing she needed was another boyfriend.

  When she brought her attention back to the kitchen, Detective Walsh had finished questioning Luke. He stuffed his notebook into his pocket and put a hand down on the counter top.

  “I appreciate you answering my questions. You’ve verified what we already knew. And that tells me that you do not have an alibi for the night George checked in. We checked with other men you were out with that night. No one is willing to swear that you were there all evening.”

  “That’s ridiculous.” Luke said. “Why would I kill George Hedley?”

  “What?” Anna jumped up. “What are you saying? Luke may not have a watertight alibi, but he has no motive.”

  Walsh shifted his attention to Anna briefly, then addressed Luke. “I’m going to need you to come down to the station with me. We’ve got a few more questions to ask you.”

  Luke threw his hand in the air. “Fine. Let me grab my jacket.” He slammed out of the kitchen and Anna could hear him stomping toward the coatrack.

  She grabbed Detective Walsh before he could leave, holding on to his arm. “What are you doing? Why? Luke didn’t kill George. I know it!”

  Walsh raised his eyebrows. “You do?”

  “Well”—Anna released her grip on the detective—“I can’t prove it. But I’m sure of it. He just wouldn’t. Plus, he had no reason to.”

  “That you know of.”

  Anna took a step back. “What are you saying? Luke didn’t even know George.”

  “Is that what he told you?” Walsh asked sharply. “Did he tell you he didn’t know George Hedley?”

  Anna’s eyes opened wide. “No, he didn’t need to tell me. I mean, if he did know George he would’ve told me that.”

  Walsh stared down at her, his gaze fierce, his face set in a firm mask. “Luke Arnold may not have known George Hedley. But he knew Paul Murphy. Very well.”

  “Everyone around here knows everyone else.” Anna pointed out.

  “But not everyone is related to the one person who benefits the most from George’s death. And not everyone had easy access to this house and George’s room. And not everyone—”

  “Stop!” Anna cut him off. “You’re taking the close connections everyone has in this town and twisting them around, making them seem… nefarious. Just because Luke is somehow connected to Paul doesn’t make him a killer.”

  “It’s a lead. And I follow every lead.” Walsh said. “Which is why we’re going to interview him. To get at the truth.” He frowned down at Anna. “We will find the truth, don’t you worry. And”—he held up a hand—“don’t get involved.”

  43

  “I can’t tell you how glad I am you’re here.” Anna hugged Sammy again, for at least the fourth time in the past ten minutes.

  As soon as Sammy had heard the panic in Anna’s voice over the phone, she’d asked an employee to cover the bakery and had dashed over to be with her friend. They now huddled on the sofa in the lounge, Anna in tears, Sammy doing her best to comfort her.

  “I’m glad I’m here, too, honey.” Sammy put an arm around her friend’s shoulder. “Mark can handle the bakery this afternoon. It’s really just a matter of closing and cleaning up at this point. And I could tell you really needed me.”

  Anna gave her one more hug. “I can’t believe they arrested Luke.”

  “You said he wasn’t arrested. Just brought in for questioning,” Sammy reminded her.

  Anna shrugged and wiped a tear from her eye. “What’s the difference? They clearly think he killed George.”

  Sammy raised an eyebrow. “Are you really sure he didn’t?”

  “What?�
� Anna almost screamed the word. “How could you ask that? Of course he didn’t.”

  “Okay, sorry, sorry.” Sammy put an arm around Anna once more. “I just… I needed to ask, that’s all.”

  “Well, I’m sure.” Anna’s eyes narrowed. “I’m not so sure about that beast, Jason, though. You saw how angry he can get. He could do anything in a rage.”

  “I agree with you there,” Sammy answered with conviction. “I hope I never have to see him again.”

  Anna sniffled and looked over at her friend through lowered lashes. “Are you sure? Cause I was kind of hoping…”

  “Hoping what?” Sammy asked, a warning in her voice. “You do not want to go find Jason, do you?”

  “Well…” Anna sniffled one last time, then sat up straight. “Why not? He must have told that detective that Luke didn’t have an alibi. He’s clearly trying to pass the blame on to someone else. And he definitely hates Luke. Doesn’t that just scream guilt?”

  Sammy bunched her lips up as if about to ask a question, but said nothing.

  “And we know he has a secret he wants to keep,” Anna added.

  “True.” Sammy let out a breath. “But that doesn’t mean we should talk to him. We should leave that to the police.”

  Anna stood. “The police who think Luke did it? They’re not going to talk to Jason again. They think he’s this helpful guy who pointed them in the direction of Luke.”

  Anna put her hands on her hips and stared down at her friend.

  Sammy stared back and didn’t move.

  “Fine, then I’ll go myself.” Anna ran to the coatrack and grabbed the field hockey stick she’d left leaning against the wall the other night. “But this time, I’m taking this.”

  Sammy laughed out loud. “Why? In case he wants to play field hockey?”

  Anna narrowed her eyes and glared at her friend. “If I’m going to go confront Jason, I want to have something to defend myself with.”