A Clue in the Stew (A Soup Lover's Mystery) (26 page)

Chapter 59

L
UCKY STEPPED CAREFULLY
on each log. She couldn’t afford to slip or make any noise. Ginny was in danger but she was still alive. Had Sylvia gone with her husband and Ginny? If so, Sylvia was as guilty as Derek. There were two of them and only one of her.

She reached the side of the building and ducked under the window. Hunkering down, she crawled toward the open door to the wooden boathouse. The sounds of angry voices came to her. She was sure it was Ginny who had screamed, but now Sylvia’s voice was unmistakable. Sylvia was shouting in a high-pitched tone that could have cut glass.

“You are such a useless . . .”

Then a moan and Derek’s voice. “I can’t. Sylvia, please I can’t . . .”

Sylvia screamed in frustration. “Do I have to do everything myself? What’s wrong with you? You are such a pathetic excuse for . . .”

Derek’s response was muffled.

“Just do it!” Sylvia shouted. “Get in the boat and take the rope and the cement block.”

Lucky heard a loud crash as something hit the inner deck. Then silence and shuffling sounds inside the boathouse. She peeked around the doorjamb and instantly pulled her head back. Ginny was trussed with rope, a gag in her mouth. She sat in a rowboat that had been lowered into the water. The sound of the crash was an oar that had fallen from its slot in the wall. Derek and Sylvia stood on the wooden planking only ten feet away. Derek was kneeling, a thin plastic cord dangling from his limp hand. He began to sob. “Please don’t make me do it again, Sylvia. Please. I can’t. I can’t sleep. I keep seeing—”

“Shut up, Derek,” Sylvia spat. “You are such a worm. You are completely useless to me. Get in the boat.” Derek was quiet now.

“Get in,” she shrieked.

Lucky heard scuffling sounds and then the splashing of water as the boat rocked back and forth in its cradle. She took a deep breath and peeked again. Derek was now sitting in the rowboat. Ginny’s frightened moans could be heard through the cloth gag in her mouth. Sylvia stood, her back to the doorway. Lucky’s heart was racing. There was no time. Nate would be too late. Crouching, she rose to her feet and sprinted across the platform. Sylvia turned on her heel, a look of complete shock on her face. Lucky rushed toward her and wrapped her arms around Sylvia’s body, her momentum carrying them to the edge of the deck and into the water.

The shock of the cold water numbed her body and almost caused her to gasp, but holding her breath, she kicked upward and surfaced. The rain pelted her face and her hair obscured her vision. She pushed her hair away and turned in a circle. Sylvia’s head bobbed to the surface a few feet away. She screamed, “I can’t swim!” Flailing, she reached for Lucky, her nails digging into the skin of Lucky’s arms. Lucky cried out in pain and pulled away. Sylvia sank under the water and a moment later bobbed to the surface, her mouth opening and closing silently, then she sank below the water again. She was drowning.

Lucky took a deep breath and dove into the murky depths. Sylvia was a few feet away, flailing just below the surface. Lucky swam closer and attempted to grab her from behind. Kicking hard again, she lifted Sylvia to the surface. Sylvia clutched Lucky’s arms. Her panic pulled them both under the water. Lucky struggled to rise to the surface but Sylvia’s weight was causing them both to sink. She couldn’t release Sylvia’s grip. Her lungs felt ready to burst. Her ears were ringing and flashes of light appeared before her eyes. Her feet touched the rocky bottom of the pond. Sylvia would drown them both. She couldn’t hold her breath a moment longer. With a last reserve of strength, she raised her knees and kicked Sylvia away. Then she reached out and clutched the back of Sylvia’s jacket and pushed up to the surface. When she felt air on her face, she gasped great gulps. Her chest ached from the effort of holding her breath. Before Sylvia could turn and drag them under again, she kicked hard and swam back to the shelter of the boathouse, one hand clinging to Sylvia’s collar. Once inside, she guided Sylvia’s hands to the first rung of the wooden ladder that led to the platform. When she was sure Sylvia wouldn’t sink again, she scrambled up to the deck. Sylvia, gasping and coughing, looked up, pure hatred in her eyes.

“Climb!” Lucky ordered.

Still choking, Sylvia clung to the wooden slats and began to climb. She had lost her shoes. Her feet were bare. When she reached the platform, she fell to her knees and coughed up more water. Lucky scanned the walls of the boathouse and spotted a coil of rope on the far side. She hurried around the perimeter of the platform and pulled the coil of rope off its hook. She’d have to restrain Sylvia until help arrived. Derek presented no danger. He still sat in the rowboat and hadn’t moved. Of the two, Sylvia was far deadlier.

Lucky turned back with the rope in time to see Sylvia rise to her feet and sprint for the open door. Lucky rushed after her. Sylvia was heading for the car, trying to escape. Slipping and sliding on the muddy earth, Lucky climbed the log stairway. “Sylvia!” she shouted.

Sylvia turned. Her face was distorted in rage, her hands extended, her nails like claws. She rushed at Lucky. Lucky stepped back, protecting her face with her arm. She wasn’t sure she had the strength to fight the woman. As Sylvia lunged again, she stepped aside quickly. Sylvia landed on the muddy ground. Lucky kneeled on Sylvia’s back, holding her to the ground. Sylvia struggled to squirm away but Lucky grasped her hands, wrenching her arms back, and managed to tie the rope around one of Sylvia’s wrists. Sylvia gave one final push and Lucky flew backward. Sylvia leaped to her feet and started to run. The rope was slipping through Lucky’s fingers. Lucky clutched the rope tightly and, with all the strength left in her arms, gave a hard pull. Sylvia’s feet flew from under her. She landed hard. Lucky scrambled over to her and tied both of Sylvia’s wrists behind her back. She dragged Sylvia closer to the car and lashed the rope around the front wheel. Sylvia was going nowhere. The sound of a siren cut through the rain. Nate was coming.

Chapter 60

L
UCKY RETURNED TO
the boathouse. Derek hadn’t moved. He sat in the rowboat, his face slack, his eyes glazed over. Lucky reached down and removed the gag from Ginny’s mouth. She climbed down into the boat and, keeping a close eye on Derek, untied Ginny’s legs and arms. “Can you stand up?”

Ginny nodded. “I think so.”

“Hang on, I’ll get out first, then I can help you.”

Lucky climbed back onto the platform, then turned and reached out for Ginny’s hands. Ginny grasped on and shakily climbed out of the boat and onto the wooden deck. She collapsed in Lucky’s arms. “Thank you.”

“Come sit down.” Lucky led her to the wooden bench built into the side of the boathouse. “Nate’s coming. I just heard the siren.”

“I . . . I was so stupid. I never thought . . .”

“That they were in league?” Lucky asked.

Ginny nodded. She glanced at Derek, who hadn’t moved. “He’s my half brother. I knew it, but I didn’t think he did. I wanted to tell him. How did he know?”

“Lucky!” Nate bellowed, his voice echoing through the boathouse.

“In here, Nate. It’s all clear.”

Ginny began to cry. Lucky put a protective arm around her shoulders as Nate approached. “Nate, I’d like you to meet Georgina Ellers, also known as Ginny. She’s Hilary Stone’s daughter.”

Nate stared at Ginny. “You don’t say!” Nate turned and looked at Derek in the rowboat. He walked to the edge of the platform. “Let’s go, Derek. It’s all over.”

Derek looked up at Nate. “Thank you,” he whispered.

Nate extended his hand and Derek, hesitating a moment, grasped it and climbed up. “Turn around. I’ll have to cuff you,” Nate said.

Derek’s shoulders were slumped. He had given up any struggle. “Where’s Sylvia?” he asked.

“Right outside, waiting for you.” Nate turned back to Lucky and Ginny. “You ladies all right? Anyone in need of medical attention?”

They answered in unison, “No.”

“Great. Follow me. Let’s get out of here. It’s finally stopped raining.”

Lucky glanced down. She was soaking wet, covered in mud and pond debris from head to toe. They stood and left the boathouse. Ginny stumbled but managed to climb the log steps. Lucky followed. As Nate passed by with Derek in tow, Sylvia struggled against her bonds and began to scream insults at her husband. Nate ignored her and pushed Derek up the road to where the cruiser was parked.

When they reached the top of the rise, Lucky saw Elias’s car turn onto the road. He climbed out and hurried toward her. “Nate called me on his way over. Are you all right?”

“Yes. And I am very glad to see you.” Elias reached out to hold her but she pulled away. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”

“I don’t care.” He wrapped his arms around her and held her tight.

Nate looked down to the road below where Sylvia still sat. “I hate to mess up my car. Bradley’ll be here any minute. He can take her in. Ginny, you ride in the front with me. Hang on a minute though.” Nate opened his trunk and pulled out two heavy blankets. He handed one to Lucky and draped the other over Ginny’s shoulders.

Ginny climbed into the front seat of the cruiser. She was silent, her eyes blank. The shock of what she had been through was taking its toll.

They turned at the sound of another vehicle approaching. “Ah, here’s Bradley now,” Nate said.

Bradley pulled to the side of the narrow road and climbed out, picking his way gingerly toward Nate.

“One more down there,” Nate said, indicating Sylvia trussed up at the wheel of the rental car. “Make sure you cuff her first. Don’t take any chances with that one.” He turned to Lucky and Elias. “Lucky, if you want to go home and get cleaned up, you can meet me at the station in a little while.”

“Thanks, Nate.” She had begun to shiver, but she wasn’t sure if it was from standing in cold wet clothing or the aftermath of her fright.

“I’ll drive you back,” Elias said.

“But what about my car?” Lucky protested. “It’s stuck in the mud.”

“We can come back for it tomorrow. Your car’s not going anywhere.”

Lucky hesitated. “I’m disgusting right now.”

“You can say that again.” Elias laughed. “Get in before you catch pneumonia.”

“If you insist.” Lucky sat as gingerly as possible on top of the blanket in Elias’s passenger seat.

He climbed in and, reaching over, wrapped the ends of the blanket around her. Then he backed his car up and pulled onto the road, allowing Nate to exit. He hit the brakes and turned to her.

“Why are we stopping?”

Elias took a deep breath. “I’ve been trying to find the perfect moment for the past two weeks, and it never seems like there is one, so I’m not waiting any longer.” He reached over and wiped mud from her face.

“What are you talking about?”

He pulled the small velvet box out of his pocket and held it open in front of her. “Lucky Jamieson. Will you marry me?”

Lucky tried to speak but the words caught in her throat. Elias watched her anxiously.

Finally, she managed to croak, “Of course.”

“You will?” Elias grinned from ear to ear.

“Yes.” She flung her arms around his neck.

Chapter 61

E
LIAS HAD WAITED
while Lucky returned home and cleaned up. She bundled her mud-soaked clothes in a kitchen garbage bag. They were ruined. She stood under the shower, the heat soothing her aching muscles. A shower had never felt so good. She dressed in a fresh pair of jeans and a sweater and slipped on her flats. Elias waited at the kitchen table, a cup of hot tea ready for her. He looked up and smiled. “Will you promise me something?”

“What is it?” She smiled.

“That you’re going to wear this.” He kneeled on the kitchen floor and removed the ring from its box. “I think I should do this right.” He smiled up at her. “Letitia Jamieson, will you be my wife?” he repeated.

“Absolutely,” she replied.

Elias stood and slipped the ring on her finger. “I just wanted to make sure you weren’t going to change your mind.”

“It’s so beautiful, Elias. I’m afraid to wear it.”

“I
want
you to wear it. No matter what. It’s meant to be worn.” He hesitated. “It was my mother’s. Are you sure you like it?”

“Like it? It’s incredible. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever imagine having anything like this.” She gazed in awe at the diamonds sparkling on her finger

Elias pulled her close and held her tight. She wrapped her arms around him. Neither spoke for several moments. Finally, Elias took her by the shoulders and said, “I better get you to the station before Nate wonders what happened to us.” She thought she saw tears in his eyes.

•   •   •

W
HEN THEY ARRIVED
, Nate was on the phone with the State Police. Derek and Sylvia were being held in the two cells that the station boasted and Bradley was busy manning the phones at the front desk. Ginny sat alone on one of the long oak benches. She had been given a spare deputy’s outfit to change into, but she still clutched the blanket around her shoulders as if she couldn’t get warm enough. Lucky sat next to her and touched her hand.

“How are you feeling?”

Ginny looked up blankly. “I’m fine. I’m still in shock, I guess. I really don’t feel anything just yet.” Ginny swallowed nervously. “You know?”

“Yes. I can imagine.”

Ginny closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “I guess it will all come out now. I know I wasn’t honest with Barbara.”

“Why, Ginny?”

“I wanted to . . .” Her eyes filled with tears. She could barely choke out the words. “I just wanted to meet her. To tell her who I was. To ask her why.”

“Why she gave you up?”

“Yes.” Tears filled Ginny’s eyes. “It’s impossible for anyone to understand. I still needed to know why. I’ve always needed to know why. Was I so ugly or terrible or disgusting that my own mother couldn’t love me even a little bit?” She pulled a tissue from her pocket. “I’m sorry. You’ll think I’m crazy. Maybe I am crazy. I don’t know anymore. I was trying to find the courage to speak to her. Ever since I was little . . . when I lost my parents . . . the Ellers . . . that’s how I found out I was adopted. When they died. They had never told me. After that I ended up in one place after another. People blamed me. I know they did. For what happened to them that night. But I never caused that fire. It was a spark from the Christmas lights and I was too afraid to run upstairs and tell them. I was so scared they’d think it was me. That I had done it. No one wanted me after that. I can’t tell you how many times I fantasized about my real mother coming for me. Taking me to a real home. Loving me and wanting me back.” Ginny shot a glance at Lucky. “You must think I’m pathetic. A grown woman crying about her mother. But when I saw how glamorous and self-possessed she was, I was ashamed. Why would she want me? She didn’t want me then. Why would she want to meet a daughter who’s nothing but a maid, a waitress? I tried, Lucky, I tried, but the words kept chocking in my throat. I couldn’t do it. And then . . . it was too late. Too late to tell her who I was and ask her why.” Ginny wiped her eyes quickly. “Now everyone will know.”

“Ginny . . . honestly, I don’t think anyone in town will think any less of you. I really don’t.” Lucky reached over and grasped her hand. “I can’t make any promises. I’m afraid the whole story will come out. But people will understand why you came here. Why you felt the way you did. You haven’t done anything wrong.”

Ginny looked up and smiled ruefully. “I think being born was the one thing I did wrong.”

Lucky heard Nate’s office door open. He came around the counter and sat next to Ginny on the bench. “You feel up to giving a statement?”

Ginny nodded. “I’m all right.”

“Good. Come on back. You too, Lucky. I’ll make this as quick as possible.”

They stood and followed Nate into his office. On the way in, he told Bradley to bring three cups of coffee in to them. Bradley turned, and watched them curiously. Lucky knew he was dying to find out all the details. She knew the news would spread through town in no time at all.

Nate sat behind his desk and leaned back in his chair. Ginny’s hands were shaking slightly. When Bradley arrived with the coffee, Ginny held the cup between her hands as if to warm them. Lucky was grateful for the hot beverage. She still felt as if she hadn’t warmed up since her struggle in the pond.

“Near as we can figure out, your doctor, Dr. Cranleigh,” Nate said, nodding in Ginny’s direction, “Dr. Cranleigh knew that you’d try to find your mother. She must have been worried about you and went to the Drake House to try to talk to Hilary Stone. By the way, how did you find out Ms. Stone was your biological mother?”

“I . . .” Ginny swallowed, her voice was constricted. “I applied to the Adoption Registry. My mother had never tried to keep her identity secret. That’s how I found out her maiden name, and then after that, it was easy to follow her trail. I was in therapy with Dr. Cranleigh, but when I saw the advertisements in all the papers . . . that she was coming here, I knew I had to take a chance. I knew it would be my only chance to meet her.”

“I see,” Nate said. “Well, I imagine Dr. Cranleigh suspected you might be planning to do that very thing, that you might have located your mother at the Drake House. What she did, trying to talk to your mother, was highly unethical, but it sounds to me as if she was worried about you. Maybe she was hoping to ease the way.”

“I never knew she had been there. I wasn’t working that day and no one ever mentioned it.”

“She never did get to talk to Ms. Stone. According to Barbara Drake, she spoke to Phoebe very briefly but I think Derek interrupted them. When I first questioned him, he told me she was just a fan hoping to meet his mother. Now he’s admitted he suspected it was about you trying to make contact. He had to keep Dr. Cranleigh away from his mother . . . your mother, so he arranged to meet her outside of town, with Sylvia, and you know the rest.”

“How did Derek find out that his mother had given a child up for adoption?” Lucky asked.

“Derek’s completely broken down. He’s admitted he and his mother had been fighting for weeks, since his marriage to Sylvia. I would guess his mother told him about his half sister to punish him. She told him she was disgusted with him and she was trying to locate her daughter. When Dr. Cranleigh turned up, Derek figured she had information she might give to your mother.” Nate nodded to Ginny. He says he asked her to meet him at the pond, but he denies he killed her. He said Sylvia did the deed. They just used the same murder weapon in
Murder Comes Calling
to be clever, or so they thought. Maybe they figured it would look like a crazed fan, imitating the book. Derek claims that was Sylvia’s bright idea.”

“Oh.” Ginny held her hand to her mouth. “It’s all my fault,” she sobbed. “Dr. Cranleigh was trying to help me and it caused her death.”

“When you knew it was your doctor we had found at the pond, why didn’t you come and talk to me?” Nate asked.

Ginny shook her head. “I couldn’t. I just couldn’t do it. I found out from the Partridges one day that a doctor from Salisbury had been killed. Then when I read the newspaper and learned it was Dr. Cynthia . . . I was devastated. But believe me, I never in a million years imagined it had anything to do with me.”

Lucky shifted in her seat. “Nate, I’m curious. Who hired the private investigator?”

“The one who was asking questions at the Salisbury Retreat?”

“Yes.”

“Hilary herself did. Or rather her lawyer. He turned to Ginny. “She wanted to find you.”

“She did? She was looking for me too?” Ginny cried.

Nate nodded. “That’s right.”

Lucky reached out and put a comforting hand on Ginny’s shoulder. “Ginny was right here in an agony of indecision, afraid to reveal herself to her mother, and all the while her mother was searching for her.”

“I’ve been in contact with Hilary Stone’s attorney in New York. Hilary changed her will when she couldn’t buy Sylvia off. Her lawyer hand-delivered the investigator’s report to her New York office, but Hilary was already here in Snowflake. Audra received it at the office and brought the package with her when she came to town.”

“That’s right,” Lucky said. “I remember Audra handing Derek an envelope to give to his mother the night of the book signing.”

“Derek was already suspicious his mother intended to cut him out, so he was curious about the package. Hilary unfortunately never got to see the report. Derek kept it from her. There was even a picture of Ginny’s driver’s license. Derek read the whole report, realized his mother was serious about cutting off the money and told Sylvia. They knew they had to get rid of you and your doctor; otherwise they’d lose everything. He . . .” Nate looked at Lucky. “He had the same idea you did. Find the daughter. But he had the advantage of the investigator’s report. And he saw the sign-in sheet on the front desk with Ginny’s full name, but he didn’t need that since he already had her picture on the license. They were just biding their time. Derek made sure Ginny’s car was out of commission and offered her a ride home. The irony is they had no way of knowing Hilary had already changed her will and left instructions with her attorney.”

“So Derek and Sylvia committed murder for nothing.”

“Right. I don’t think Derek planned to kill his mother that night, but there was an argument. That was the one Ginny heard. He said he didn’t mean to do it, but when she turned away from him, he grabbed the nearest thing—the telephone cord—and strangled her in a fit of rage. On his own, I doubt Derek would have had the wherewithal to do such a thing, but Sylvia controlled him completely. She’s vicious. She was determined to get her hands on Ms. Stone’s money.”

“Nate, the photo of Hilary’s assistant, Phoebe, that I saw in the newsletter. I called you because I thought Phoebe must be—”

“Hilary Stone’s daughter?” Nate asked.

“Yes. Why else would Phoebe be there?”

“According to Hilary’s attorney, Phoebe, her assistant, was the only other person Hilary had taken into her confidence. When Hilary learned Ginny was receiving treatment at the Salisbury, she sent Phoebe up here two months ago to learn what she could. This was weeks before she became so angry at Derek. Phoebe didn’t learn much. She never got to meet Dr. Cranleigh. Maybe she was hoping to connect with friends of Ginny’s, or she was hanging around to talk to people who might have known her there.”

“Why did Phoebe run away?” Lucky asked.

“She found the envelope that contained the attorney’s report. She was alarmed and frightened of Derek so she decided to go straight back to New York to bring it to her boss, Hilary’s husband.”

“How did she find it? You must have searched their rooms.”

Nate shook his head. “I did. Derek shoved it into a stack on Phoebe’s desk when he returned to the Drake House that night after the book signing. Later that night when Phoebe was busy, he brought it to Barbara Drake and asked her to keep the envelope in her safe. He told her it contained an important contract. Barbara remembered it yesterday. In all the commotion, it slipped her mind. She reminded Phoebe about it. Phoebe was confused. She knew nothing about any contract. She read the report, put two and two together and realized she wouldn’t be safe staying at the Drake House with Derek and Sylvia.”

“Who inherits Hilary’s estate now?”

Nate’s eyebrows rose. He turned to look at Ginny and nodded once.

Ginny sat quietly, tears streaming down her face.