Killing the Carnations (A Heavenly Highland Inn Cozy Mystery) Page 7

  “It's nothing personal, Vicky,” he said quietly. “Perhaps you shouldn't have been so nosy.”

  Vicky felt the sharp edge of the blade beginning to prick her skin as he moved it, but before he could continue, the door to Emily's room swung open. A large picture frame came crashing down on top of Jeremy's head, followed by a swift kick to his wrist to dislodge his grip on the knife. Vicky gasped greedily for air as his hand fell away from her mouth. She heard the knife clatter to the floor. She turned to see Aunt Ida standing in the doorway, her hands on her hips, her eyes narrowed and damning.

  “Oh, you messed with the wrong family, honey,” she said flatly and pulled back her foot to kick him again.

  “Ida,” Mitchell said from behind her and pushed past her. He had his gun drawn and trained on the man who was sprawled out on the floor of the corridor.

  “Sorry about killing the carnations,” Aunt Ida said to Emily as she looked at the damaged painting on the floor next to Jeremy.

  “Oh no, Jeremy!” Emily gasped, and covered her mouth with both hands. She was too upset to hear Ida’s apology. She looked horrified. But when she saw the dribble of blood on Vicky's neck, her expression changed. “He tried to kill you?” Emily cried out in horror.

  “He's not the man you thought he was, Emily,” Mitchell said after cuffing Jeremy securely and checking him for weapons. “Look in the bottom of your closet.”

  Emily walked over to her closet and looked inside. When she saw the rolled up pillowcase she picked it up. Inside she found the corkscrew.

  “He put this here?” she murmured quietly. “He was going to set me up.”

  “He tried with Nicholas at first,” Aunt Ida explained. “But then he thought why not let you take the fall?”

  Emily's eyes filled with tears as she hurried over to Vicky. She dabbed at her neck with a tissue she had snatched from the box on her bedside table.

  “I'm so sorry, Vicky,” she said quickly. “I didn't know, I swear.”

  “You knew enough not to tell Mitchell what really happened,” Vicky reminded her. “How did you ever get involved in all of this?”

  Emily sighed as she passed a worried look in Mitchell's direction. She knew that she might suffer some serious consequences. Vicky sat down at the end of her bed and patted the space beside her, while Mitchell looked on.

  “It's time to tell the truth, Emily,” she said firmly. “This isn't a simple matter, a man has died and another man is going to jail.”

  Jeremy was still out cold from the picture frame to his head, and Mitchell had called paramedics to have him evaluated before they transported him to jail.

  “How much did you know about what was going on with Jeremy?” Vicky tried to persuade Emily to speak without giving her too much information.

  “We had a bit of a fling, the last time he was here,” she explained shyly, her cheeks so red that they resembled tomatoes. “He pursued me, and by the time he left he had me convinced that he truly liked me. About a week ago he called to let me know that he was coming back. He wanted to see me, and he asked me to make sure he had his favorite room booked. I did what he asked,” she sighed and shook her head. “Everything seemed fine until Charleston turned up dead. I knew, from how his body was blocking the door, that someone must have used the passageway to do it. I was sure only Jeremy and I knew about it, but I rationalized that maybe someone else knew about it, too.”

  “But you knew better,” Vicky supplied and met the young girl's eyes. “You knew what he had done.”

  “I didn't know for sure,” she insisted. “But when I confronted him about it earlier tonight, he admitted it. He explained the situation, told me that if he hadn't taken care of it, they would have ruined his life. I didn't agree with it,” she said quickly. “But the deed had already been done, and,” she hesitated for a moment.

  “He scared you?” Vicky suggested. It was easy to see how Jeremy could do that, he had terrified her as he chased her through the passageway.

  “I was concerned that if I told the truth he might try to kill me, too,” she laughed darkly as she glowered in the direction of her closet. “Turns out he had other plans for me.”

  “I'm sorry, Emily,” Vicky said gingerly. “You didn't deserve to go through all of this.”

  Mitchell, who had been silently listening for most of the conversation, stepped up beside Emily.

  “Are you willing to come down to the station and make a statement?” he asked her calmly.

  “Yes,” she nodded nervously. “It's what I should have done the first moment I suspected that Jeremy was guilty.”

  Once the paramedics had checked out Jeremy and woken him with smelling salts, he was led out to a waiting police car. He scowled at Vicky and Aunt Ida as he walked past them.

  “Nothing's changed. My lawyer will get me out of this, and I will still end up destroying this place,” he threatened and struggled against his handcuffs.

  Ida and Vicky stared back at him with hardened glares. Neither even batted an eyelid. Jeremy grunted as he was pushed along the pathway. The sun was just beginning to rise, and its light was sparkling on the leaves in the garden.

  “Are you ok?” Mitchell asked with concern. “I was worried about you.”

  “I’ll be fine,” Vicky replied with a sigh.

  “I'm going to take Emily down to the station now,” Mitchell said to Vicky quietly. “We'll talk about your little excursion, later, hmm?” he met her gaze with a quirked brow.

  “How about we talk about those plans instead?” Vicky suggested as she accepted a bandage from one of the paramedics. The cut on her neck was barely more than a scratch but it was still bleeding a little.

  “Hmm,” he repeated and gestured to Emily. Emily reluctantly stood up.

  “Am I going to jail, Vicky?” she asked as she walked past her.

  “I don't know, Emily, just tell the truth,” Vicky instructed, hoping that Mitchell would find a way to keep her out of jail. Emily had lied to her, she had an affair with a guest, and she had concealed a crime, but to Vicky she was still the same sweet, shy Emily who had been such a loyal and important part of the inn for so long.

  “I'll take care of her,” Mitchell promised as he led Emily down the sidewalk to his own car. Vicky was walking with Aunt Ida towards the lobby when she saw Sarah walk out through the lobby door towards her.

  “Vicky?” she asked with shock as she saw the bandage across her sister's neck.

  “It's okay,” Vicky said with a reassuring smile. “Aunt Ida cracked his head open.”

  “Well, it wasn't quite open,” Aunt Ida said with a bit of a huff. “I have to work on my biceps. Or is it triceps? I really don't know,” she shook her head with a wave of her hand.

  “What happened?” Sarah asked as the flashing lights in the parking lot drew her attention. “I thought we were going to discuss this over breakfast?”

  “We still will,” Vicky assured her as the three women stepped inside the lobby. “But don't worry. It's all taken care of. I told you I could handle it,” Vicky said with growing confidence.

  “Seems like you were right,” Sarah laughed and they walked into the restaurant attached to the inn. As they sat down at a table, Nicholas appeared at the entrance of the restaurant. Ida spotted him the moment he did.

  “Oh, look who's here,” she said with a light cluck of her tongue.

  “Who's that?” Sarah asked curiously.

  “That's Aunt Ida's new friend,” Vicky replied with a tiny smile. “They've been sneaking around.”

  “We weren't sneaking,” Aunt Ida huffed as she waved Nicholas over to their table. “Join us for breakfast?” she invited.

  “Actually,” Nicholas winced and then offered Vicky and Sarah a polite nod. “It looks like I'll be leaving tomorrow. The conference is being cancelled, and well, as long as the board approves it, I am going to be the new CEO. So, I do have a lot to get straightened out, now that the truth about Jeremy is coming out.”

  “You already
know about that?” Vicky asked with surprise.

  “You'd be surprised how fast word gets around,” Nicholas chuckled. Aunt Ida tucked her cell phone deeper into her pocket and began whistling a little tune.

  “Aunt Ida,” Vicky sighed and shook her head but couldn't help smiling.

  “If I wasn't so nosy, I wouldn't have saved your life,” Aunt Ida pointed out.

  “How did you know I was there?” Vicky asked curiously.

  “The walls are thin,” Aunt Ida reminded her.

  “It's nice to meet you,” Sarah finally got a word in and smiled at Nicholas. “I'm Sarah.”

  “Nicholas Brendan,” he said as he shook her hand. “I hope that we'll be able to reschedule something similar in the next few months, if you'd be open to that.”

  “Absolutely,” Sarah agreed with a relieved smile.

  “And Ida,” Nicholas turned to look at her with a charming grin. “I was hoping to steal a little of your time today.”

  “I would really like that,” Ida replied with a quick and eager nod. “If you girls don't mind?” she glanced at Sarah and Vicky.

  “Go and enjoy,” Vicky insisted, and Sarah nodded in agreement.

  “I'm sure that Vicky will fill me in on all the details,” Sarah added.

  “I will, I will,” Vicky agreed. Nicholas offered Ida his arm, which she happily took. As they walked away, Vicky turned back to Sarah, prepared to tell her everything from start to finish. Before she could even open her mouth, the doors to the restaurant were thrown open, and Amanda in all her glory came strutting into the restaurant. She had a silk scarf tied around her neck to hide the bruising on it. Vicky braced herself as she knew whatever might happen next would at the very least be dramatic.

  “Vicky?” she said as she walked up to the table. She was wearing a pink flowing gown that looked like it cost more than some cars.

  “Yes?” Vicky asked as she looked up at her. Sarah looked up as well.

  “I just wanted to let you know that what I said about suing the inn, I won't be doing that,” she said quickly.

  “Oh well that's good,” Vicky replied in a neutral tone.

  “Very good,” Sarah added with more gratitude.

  “After what Vicky did for me, it's the least I can do,” Amanda admitted and smiled at Vicky. “If you hadn't been there to save me, I probably wouldn't be here right now.”

  Vicky tried to have compassion for the woman, but it was hard, now that she knew that she and Charleston had been trying to extort money from Jeremy and all she seemed interested in was money.

  “Well, Amanda, I think you should think about your safety just a little more,” Vicky politely pointed out.

  “And she's not the only one,” Sarah added as she pointed to the bandage on Vicky's neck. “I think you are pretty good at putting yourself in harm's way.”

  “I didn't mean to,” Vicky insisted with a sigh. “It just always seems to work that way.”

  “Well, it's not going to this weekend,” Sarah offered a secretive smile.

  “What are you talking about?” Vicky asked.

  “Ladies I'm going to check out today, there are some things I need to take care of. Thank you again, Vicky,” Amanda smiled at her. Vicky was sure it was the most she had seen Amanda smile since she had arrived.

  “I'm sorry for your loss,” Vicky murmured tenderly. She knew that on some level Amanda had to be grieving.

  “Me too,” Amanda admitted quietly. As she walked away from the table one of the managers was waiting for her at the door of the restaurant. He offered his arm, and she gladly took it, still teetering on those impossibly tall high heels.

  “Do you think I should get a pair of those?” Vicky asked as she stared after her.

  “Do you think you could walk in them?” Sarah laughed and winked at her sister.

  “I could, maybe,” Vicky said defensively as she folded her arms. “If I tried.”

  “I don't think you need high heels,” Sarah said sternly. “I think you need a vacation.”

  “A vacation?” Vicky asked and then shrugged. “All I know for sure is that I need a nap. I'm so tired,” she yawned as she said this.

  “Go grab a quick one,” Sarah stood up from the table. “No coffee for you this morning.”

  “Definitely not,” Vicky agreed.

  Chapter Eight

  When Vicky reached the door of her apartment she paused a moment to search through her purse for her key. She usually had it out and ready but her sleepy mind was moving slower than usual. Perhaps that was why she didn't hear the footsteps approaching her from behind. She had just closed her fingers around the metal ring of her keys, when she felt a hand glide over the curve of her shoulder. She shivered at the sudden physical contact that she hadn't expected, but relaxed the moment she felt the familiar touch.

  “Mitchell, you shouldn't sneak up on me,” she chastised as she turned to face him. She frowned as she caught sight of what he was wearing. Mitchell was from the deep south and was a button-down shirt and trousers kind of guy. Occasionally he would wear his uniform, which Vicky did not mind at all. But it seemed that today he had gone home to change and returned in a very strange outfit. He wore a rather loud red and blue Bermuda patterned shirt, and knee-length khaki cargo shorts. As Vicky thought about it, she was fairly certain she had never seen him in shorts before.

  “Well, I didn't want you to try to escape,” he said calmly as he laid his hands on the curves of her hips. Vicky stared up at him, her eyes shimmering with anticipation.

  “What are you up to?” she studied him inquisitively.

  “That's for me to know, and for you to pack a bag,” he smiled and then lowered his voice as he added. “Warm weather clothing.”

  “Warm weather?” Vicky asked with a chuckle. “It's fall...”

  “Vicky,” Mitchell pulled her a little closer, his hands still curved around her hips. “I'm taking you far, far, away from here,” he murmured and kissed her softly.

  “But the inn, and Sarah, and Aunt Ida...” she protested when he pulled away from the kiss. He kissed her again, slowly and sensually. Vicky sighed and rested her shoulder against the door of her apartment. Her body began to relax and unwind as he continued the kiss. When he pulled away this time he gazed deeply into her shimmering, green eyes.

  “Vicky, I'm taking you, far, far, away from here,” he repeated with a mischievous smile. “Now go pack a bag.”

  “But I'm so tired...” she mumbled, trying to hide a yawn despite how eager she was to find out what his surprise was.

  “That's fine,” he nodded. “You can sleep on the way, and I'll make sure you get plenty of rest when we arrive. Do you want some help packing your bag?” he grinned, his words indicating that he was not going to be swayed.

  “All right,” Vicky finally gave in, though she never truly intended to fight it. She was excited, but she was still very tired. She unlocked her door and Mitchell followed her inside. He sat down on the couch in the living room as she ran back and forth collecting what she thought she might need.

  “So where are we going?” she asked in the middle of her frantic gathering.

  “You'll see,” Mitchell replied. His words made her stop suddenly in the middle of the hallway.

  “You're not going to tell me?” she asked, her eyes wide with apprehension.

  “Nope,” he replied and was unable to hide his spreading grin.

  “Mitchell,” Vicky narrowed her eyes. “The vacation is enough of a surprise, but I need to know where we're going.”

  “Somewhere warm,” he replied and settled casually back against the couch.

  “Mitchell!” Vicky growled and stalked over to him. “I need to know where we're going.”

  He locked eyes with her. She could tell from the gleam in his gaze that he understood why she was apprehensive, Vicky liked to know what kind of situation she was facing, but the smile on his lips indicated that he wasn't going to give in.

  “I guess you'll just have
to trust me,” he pointed out as he held her gaze.

  “I do trust you,” Vicky replied with a pout. “I just want to have an idea...”

  “Get packed before we miss the flight,” he laughed and shook his head before looking back up at her. “Just relax, it's going to be wonderful. We need some time away together, away from all of this, where it can just be us. We need a chance to come up for air, and escape the drama. I thought you wanted this, too?” he reminded her.

  “I did,” Vicky replied as she sat down beside him. “I guess I just wasn't expecting it to be so sudden.”

  “Well, it seems to me that if we make plans, something will inevitably come up. The Sheriff is back at work and I ran things by Sarah and she said you'd be thrilled, and that you could have the time off,” he added.

  “Sarah helped you plan this?” Vicky asked with a mixture of amusement and amazement. Her sister usually couldn't keep anything from her.

  “I needed a little advice,” Mitchell explained as he trailed his fingertips along the line of her shoulder, to the curve of her elbow, before settling his hand in hers. “I wanted to make sure it would be a special experience for you. You deserve some happy memories,” he added as he kissed her cheek softly. “And I want to be the one to share them with you.”

  Vicky melted at the tenderness in his voice and the gentleness of his touch. She stared at him for a long moment, wondering how she had ever become so lucky.

  “Go pack your bag,” he reminded her with a gentle squeeze of her hand. Vicky was much more energized as she finished gathering the last of her things. Within a few minutes they were in Mitchell's car on the way to the airport. Vicky questioned him a few more times about the vacation, but he remained evasive and would only wink at her. When they arrived at the airport he hurried her through security to one of the gates, without letting her see the destination on her ticket. Vicky was beside herself with curiosity. She found the fact that he was keeping it a secret very intriguing, and frustrating all at once. She hadn't been so uncertain about where she would be in the next few hours in her entire life. It was thrilling, but it was also a little intimidating.