Scones and Scofflaws Read online

  Eoin nodded, his eyes wide, but said nothing.

  “Cat got your tongue?” Anna said, smiling.

  Eoin shook his head no. “Sorry,” he whispered, then ran back out to the porch.

  In the kitchen, Anna put a few cookies and Eoin’s lemonade on a tray and carried it out to him on the front porch. At least he seemed to enjoy just hanging out at home reading. But she was definitely going to have to find some things for him to do this summer. Fun things. Kid things.

  Her mind was toying with the idea of children’s activities as she crossed back through the front hall when the sound of a tile saw from upstairs brought her back to reality. Her current, customer-free reality. Luke was still at work. Maybe she should let him go? She wouldn’t be able to pay him if too many more guests cancelled. She only had six other reservations right now. She’d been hoping to get more quickly, but that didn’t seem likely now.

  She felt a clawing at the pit of her stomach, a sensation she remembered far too vividly from the stressful days at graduate school.

  No. She stood up and tucked her phone into her pocket. She wasn’t giving up yet.

  Grabbing safety goggles and a large mallet from the mud room, Anna went outside determined to tackle the next project on her list.

  The ramshackle wooden shed stood about thirty feet away from the house in the side yard. At one point it had been painted a bright green with dark green edging, to match the colors of the main house. Now, the colors were faded, the wood worn and splintered. The same fate that awaited the rest of the house if Anna couldn’t earn the money to keep it up. She looked up at the house, admiring the colorfully painted gables, the typical Victorian excess of the multifaceted roofs and asymmetry of the bay windows. It was beautiful, in an awkward, colorful, exuberant way. And Anna wanted to keep it that way.

  Anna remembered the old shed from her childhood, from the many weekends and summer months she would spend in Cape May with Aunt Louise watching over her. She and Sammy used to hide behind the shed when they played hide-and-seek in the yard. Anna had made the mistake once of hiding inside the shed. Only once.

  She could still remember the fear in Aunt Louise’s eyes when she came running out of the house to grab Anna and pull her out of the shed. As a child, she couldn’t understand what Aunt Louise had been so upset about. Why shouldn’t she try to find a hiding spot among the heavy spades, sharp rakes and rusty saws? Now, years later, she still felt guilty for scaring poor Aunt Louise so much, even if it hadn’t been intentional.

  She put a hand on the rotting wood and felt it give beneath her touch. Back then, the shed had been unsafe because of what it held. Today, it was unsafe all on its own, even standing empty.

  Anna grabbed the mallet in both hands, pulled her arms back and swung with all her strength. The heavy head of the tool sank easily into the old wood, leaving a wide, splintered hole.

  Anna took a step back and looked at what she’d done. She grinned. And took another swing. Then another.

  She felt the sweat pouring down her face as she attacked the old shed, but she didn’t care. With each swing, she felt her tensions lighten. This — she grunted — was for Mrs. Hedley. She took aim and swung again. Grunt. That one’s for whoever wrote that horrible article. She rubbed a hand over her face and felt the sawdust building up on it. She must look a mess. She didn’t care.

  Another swing — another heavy grunt — she heard the loud crack of an internal beam breaking in half and the wall collapsed inward. She kept swinging, attacking each of the walls, breaking them down into splintered wood.

  Each cracking sound, each splintered piece of wood made her feel stronger, safer. She laughed to herself and it felt good. She let the head of the mallet fall to the ground and laughed again.

  Still smiling, she turned to look around the house, then froze, the mallet still in her hand, her vision blurred by the sawdust that had accumulated on her goggles.

  Mrs. James and Mrs. Santiago stood at her gate, watching her, their mouths agape. Anna didn’t know them well but had met them once or twice around town. She raised a hand to offer a friendly wave, but both women frowned.

  Mrs. James leaned close to Mrs. Santiago and whispered something, then both women shook their heads and scurried away.

  Oh fudge.

  Now her neighbors not only thought she was an accidental murderer but a violent one as well. With Mrs. Santiago and Mrs. James involved, the news would spread through the close-knit community of the Our Lady Star of the Sea parish like wildfire.

  If she were going to have any chance of saving her business, the police needed to come up with the real reason George Hedley died, and soon.

  14

  Anna raised her head when she heard the creak of the wooden gate, wondering what else could possibly happen today.

  “Oh, Anna.” Sammy ran up the flagstone path and sat next to Anna on the porch step, wrapping her arms around her friend. “Look at you! What happened?”

  Anna grinned and leaned into her friend. “Nothing, really. I was just working on the shed.”

  Sammy leaned forward to look around the side of the house, where the old shed lay in splinters and dust. “I see that. Looks like you won that round.” She held Anna at arm’s length and examined her. “At least I think so. You look a mess.”

  Anna could only imagine what she looked like. She’d simply dropped onto the porch step after her nosy neighbors had run off. She could still feel the sweat drying on the back of her neck and knew she was covered head to toe in dirt, sweat and sawdust. Unlike her friend who was, as always, perfectly dressed and made up. Anyone seeing Sammy now, her embroidered peasant shirt hanging loose over stylish jeans and high-heeled ankle boots, her silky blond hair catching the light, would never realize this was the same woman who could be found at 5 a.m. every morning covered in flour and whipping up bread, cakes and muffins in the sweltering heat of her bakery kitchen. Now, her baby blue eyes glistened at the sight of her best friend clearly in despair.

  Anna picked up the mallet from where it had fallen next to her. “Who knew running a B&B was such dirty work?”

  “Come on, let’s get you cleaned up.” Sammy helped Anna up and walked behind her to her room on the fourth floor. On the way, Sammy peeked into the Royal Room. “I see you still have the luscious Luke working for you?” She wiggled her eyebrows as she spoke.

  Anna gave her friend a sideways look. “I’m not going to justify that with a response.”

  Sammy threw her hands up in despair. “But why not?” She asked, carrying on a conversation they’d had many times before. “You can see as well as I can he’s gorgeous. And he clearly likes you.”

  “And he works for me.” Anna opened her closet door and stood staring at her clothes. Nothing looked right. “How unprofessional would that be, to get involved with someone I hired?”

  Sammy walked over and nudged her friend gently out of the way. “Don’t get dirt all over your clothes. Go get washed up. I’ll find something for you to wear.”

  Anna left Sammy digging through her closet with relief as she stepped into her bathroom. She spent longer than she should have simply standing under the hot water, letting the uplifting scent of her Eucalyptus body wash clear her mind and raise her spirits. When she was clean and comfortably wrapped in a fluffy bath sheet, she reentered her room. Sammy had laid out a pair of jeans, sweater and silk scarf.

  Anna was dressed and sitting at her vanity when Sammy reappeared carrying a steaming mug.

  “Here, I made you some peppermint tea.” Sammy placed the mug at Anna’s side and flopped down onto the bed. “Now tell me about it.”

  Anna paused for a moment, not sure where to start. “George died at the table,” she started, then stopped. “But you know that. The police think, I mean, his wife thinks, and maybe I did, I don’t know… I didn’t kill him, did I, Sammy?”

  “Of course you didn’t. Now, start again, and this time tell me everything.”

  So Anna did, from the moment
George arrived at Climbing Rose Cottage to the moment Mrs. James and Mrs. Santiago whispered about her in the street. She explained about packing up George’s room and how furious that had made Mrs. Hedley, how guests were already cancelling and how she just didn’t know how much longer she’d be able to keep pretending to run a B&B if she didn’t have any guests.

  “Oh Sammy, I really need the truth to come out about how George died,” she ended, looking down into her now empty mug. “And heaven help me, I hate to say this….”

  She looked up at her friend, who nodded encouragingly. “Say what?”

  Anna frowned as she felt tears come to her eyes. “It’s just, I almost hope his death wasn’t accidental. Because if it was, then that means something here, something I did, killed him.”

  Sammy jumped up from the bed. “That’s a ridiculous thing to say. For all you know, he had a heart attack. There’s no way you can be blamed for that.”

  “Mrs. Hedley is convinced that if he’d been back at home under her eagle eyes, she would have saved him.”

  “Well that’s just nonsense and you know it. Come on.” She grabbed Anna’s arm and pulled her up. “We’re going out. You clearly need a break. First the death, then your cousin. Speaking of, where is he?”

  Anna followed Sammy back downstairs and out to the porch, where Eoin was tucked into a chair around the corner, reading. He looked up at the sound of their steps, his expression vague. As soon as he saw Sammy, he smiled. Just like a man, Anna thought. Even as an eight-year-old.

  “Eoin, this is my best friend, Ms. Sammy Shields. Sammy, this is my cousin Eoin.”

  “Eoin,” he corrected her, as Anna had come to expect, but this time his voice had a dreamy quality to it. His eyes were fixed on Sammy.

  Sammy laughed. “Right. I won’t even try. It’s so nice to meet you. I understand you’re here for the whole summer?”

  She grabbed another chair and pulled it up next to his.

  Eoin practically glowed. “I am,” he said in his high pitched voice, his Irish accent adding a trill to his words. “I’m excited to see Cape May. I’ve been reading about the town, about the history and… em… geography. Now I get to spend even more time here with me Cousin Anna.”

  He then launched into an explanation of how he had been scheduled to visit in June, but his school burned down, but he’d already passed all his tests, so his parents sent him earlier than expected and Cousin Anna hadn’t received any of the messages warning her. He didn’t seem to stop to take a breath.

  Sammy laughed again, but Anna simply stared. “Why don’t you talk to me like that?”

  Eoin turned his face toward her, but kept his eyes case down. “Sorry,” he whispered.

  “Shh.” Sammy put an arm around him. “Come on, we’re taking Cousin Anna out to have some fun. And I guess you’re going to come with us. You can’t stay here alone.”

  “I don’t know, Sammy. I’m not really up for much,” Anna said.

  “Let’s do the wine and cheese thing, we always like that. We could go to that winery in North Cape May. They have a fire pit, that’s always fun.”

  Anna stopped and snapped her fingers. “Wine and cheese. Yes! I knew I remembered that name from somewhere. It’s near the cheese shop.”

  Sammy, who had already stepped off the porch, turned back to Anna. “Okay, what’s that look for? What name? What are you thinking?”

  “Nothing, nothing,” Anna reassured her. “It’s a great idea. But let’s go to the other one, the winery in West Cape May. That’s near the cheese shop we like anyway. Remember? We used to go there all the time.”

  “All right, that sounds good.” Sammy looked at Anna with suspicion clearly painted on her face. “But why do I suspect there’s more going on here than just wine and cheese?”

  15

  Anna leaned forward over the glass case, her eyes scanning the rows of options. Brie… blue… Camembert… Manchego… Stilton… this was her favorite cheese shop for a reason.

  She felt Eoin at her side and looked down at him. He’d clasped his hands together in front of him and was leaning forward so his nose almost touched the glass case. His eyes moved back and forth in amazement over the array of cheeses. He looked up at her and grinned, then turned his attention back to the cheese.

  “What do you think?” She turned to Sammy, but Sammy had just stuffed one of the free samples into her mouth. “Sorry, bad timing! I’m leaning toward something with a stronger flavor, maybe a Stilton?”

  Sammy shrugged as she chewed. “Why not that and a brie, mix it up a bit.”

  “Perhaps with one of our fig jams?” Manny, the shop owner, offered. “They go very well with the brie, in particular.”

  “Thanks Manny, you’re a genius.” Anna smiled at her friend. “This way we can pair them with a bottle of white and a bottle of red.”

  “How are things going for you Anna?” Manny asked as he wrapped up their selections. “I understand you’ve been having some trouble.”

  “You could say that,” Anna responded without making eye contact.

  “Oh no, don’t go there.” Sammy, who’d just passed one of the samples to Eoin, jumped into the conversation. “The whole point of this afternoon is to get our minds off what happened. Yes, Manny, it was bad. A man died in Anna’s house. But it wasn’t her fault. You know that,” she chided the man, who looked hurt.

  “Of course it wasn’t. I would never think that,” he said. “Anna, please, I’m so sorry.”

  Anna waved a hand. “It’s okay, Manny, I know you were asking because you care. This is a big deal, though. I don’t think I’ll just be able to take a few afternoons off and get over it.” She looked at Sammy. “Sammy, no one’s ever going to forget that someone died at Climbing Rose Cottage. Never.”

  “Maybe not, but they will get past it. People must die at hotels all the time.”

  “Well, a Cape May B&B is hardly just a hotel,” Manny chimed in. “I don’t think that’s a fair comparison.”

  “Manny’s right. I need to get this case wrapped up. Fast.”

  “Case?” Manny asked, clearly confused. “Did you want a case of something?” He looked around his shop.

  “No, sorry, it’s nothing.” Anna laughed. “This is all. Thanks Manny,” she added as she grabbed Eoin and guided him out the door.

  “Okay, now what?” Sammy asked, and Anna could tell from her tone that she was worried.

  “Look.” Anna pointed across the street.

  “What am I looking at?” Sammy asked as her eyes scanned the single-story row of shops and offices that filled the block. “What?”

  “There.” Anna pointed to the office on the end. Only a small sign over the door indicated the name of the business, Varico. It didn’t look as if they were trying to attract customers.

  “What about it?” Sammy asked, still confused.

  “That’s the business. The one where George Hedley worked and that Richard Gormley sold a few years ago.”

  “And…?” Sammy dragged out the word, her confusion turning to concern. She shifted her weight onto one leg, put a hand on her hip and stared at Anna.

  Eoin stood between the women, silent, his owl eyes moving back and forth between them as they spoke.

  “And we need to find out what it is. And why it’s connected to both of my guests. The living one and the dead one. Don’t you think it’s weird, the connection between the two guests?”

  “Not necessarily.” Sammy maintained her pose but shook her head at her friend. “It’s a small town, after all. People are connected.”

  “Come on.” Anna reached for her friend’s hand. “Let’s go find out.”

  “Oh no.” Sammy shook her head and backed away. “No, no, no. Why would we possibly go there. Anna, you need to relax. You’re not thinking straight.”

  “Sammy, the only way I will ever be able to move beyond this is when the truth comes out. If someone did kill George, I need to know.”

  “Don’t you mean the police ne
ed to know?” Sammy asked, but had already started following Anna.

  “Hey, Luke was just telling me that everyone needs to accept help now and then. So, the same thing must apply to the police, too, right?”

  16

  The office’s reception area looked out onto the parking lot and across the street toward the cheese shop, so the young man sitting behind the desk must have seen them pointing, arguing and eventually coming over. The front wall was comprised entirely of windows, including the glass door that offered more resistance than she’d expected. Sammy had had to help pull, in fact, making their entry into the office less than elegant.

  By the time the three of them were standing in the small space, the young man had stopped whatever he’d been doing and sat there watching them. “May I help you?” he asked with surprise. Apparently they didn’t get many drop-in visitors.

  Anna looked around frantically, trying to get any sense at all of what this office was. She saw no posters or flyers, no brochures or even posted rules that would give her a clue. Sammy didn’t seem to be doing any better, as she simply took a step back and pushed Anna forward.

  “Yes, hi,” she started nervously. “I’m here because of George Hedley.”

  “George.” The young man’s face fell, his head tipping to one side as his eyes moved to something on the edge of his desk. Perhaps a picture, Anna thought. She felt a pang of regret for having barged in like this. But she was here now, no point turning back.

  “I’m so sorry for your loss,” she said, meaning every word.

  “Are you friends of his?” the young man asked.

  Anna took a breath. “Sort of… well, that is to say, I didn’t know him very well. But I thought…” she cut herself off, not quite sure where to go with this.

  “We’re hoping you have some information about the funeral,” Sammy jumped in and Anna shot her a grateful look. “We didn’t see anything posted.”