Sweet Friend of Mine (A Sweet Cove Mystery Book 8) (3 page)

A
s they climbed
the steps to the police station, a biting wind blew across the street and made the girls shiver. They stepped into the warmth of the station’s small lobby. The officer at the front desk nodded to the young women as they removed their gloves and hats.

“Nice and warm in here.” Angie unbuttoned her coat and hung it on the coat rack.

“The chief will be right along,” the officer told them.

As soon as the words were out of the man’s mouth, Chief Martin strode down the hall into the lobby. “Morning.” He waved the girls forward and ushered them to the conference room. “Ryan Allen’s friend is here. His name is Henry Whitaker. Age twenty, goes to school in Boston, studying engineering, same as Ryan. The young man is a little awkward.” The chief lowered his voice as they got closer to the room. “Ready?” The chief opened the door and stepped back so the sisters could enter.

Henry Whitaker sat slumped in the plastic chair on the far side of the scraped metal table and he scrambled to his feet when the three entered. He was tall with sandy blonde hair, cut short to his head. It was clear that Henry Whitaker had a very fast metabolism as he was as skinny as a rail. His brown eyes looked from Angie to Courtney and to the chief and then made another sweep.

“Mr. Whitaker.” The chief gestured to Angie and Courtney and introduced them to the young man. “These are the consultants I told you about.”

The sisters greeted him and shook his hand and they all sat down, with the chief at the head of the table and the girls sitting across from Henry. Henry had a look on his face that suggested that he was surprised at how young the “consultants” were who had arrived to sit in on the interview.

Chief Martin began. “So, Mr. Whitaker, may I call you Henry?”

Henry gave a nod.

“For the record, could you restate your name, age, and your occupation.”

Henry did so using an official sounding voice as if he thought he might be being taped. He sat ramrod straight and his arms were folded and rested on the tabletop in front of him.

“How do you know Ryan Allen?” the chief asked.

“We’ve known each other since grade school. Ryan and his family used to live in Mission River. His parents moved to Sweet Cove once Ryan went to college.”

“Would you describe yourselves as good friends?”

“Yes. We used to hang out together all the time. We’re sophomores now and we go to different universities, but we’re both in Boston and we still get together and hang out.”

Chief Martin gave Courtney and Angie a quick glance encouraging them to pick up the questioning.

Angie shifted slightly in her seat. “When did you last see Ryan?”

“Last night. He drove up to Mission River. We went to a pub.”

Courtney made sure her expression was calm and pleasant. She leaned forward a little. “Did you drink?”

“No.” Henry snuck a look at the chief. “The pub doesn’t serve underage people.”

“Did you have dinner at the pub?” Angie asked.

Henry nodded. “Yeah, we had dinner. We talked about school, how things were going. There’s a dart board in the pub. We played darts for a while.”

“Were there other patrons there at the time?” Angie made eye contact with the young man.

“Oh, sure,” Henry said. “People were eating dinner together, others were drinking at the bar.”

“How did Ryan seem?” Courtney leaned forward a little, resting one of her arms on the table.

“Seem?” Henry blinked, not sure how to answer.

“Yes,” Courtney said. “Did he seem himself? How long had it been that you’d gotten together?”

“At school, we see each other at least two or three times a week. I hadn’t seen him since right before Christmas when we both left the city to go to our parents’ houses for the holidays.” Henry paused. “Ryan seemed like his usual self last night.”

“Was he worried about anything?” Angie looked at the young man with a concerned expression. She wondered if Ryan might have some issue at school that had upset him. “Did he mention any trouble at school?”

“No.” Henry modified what he’d just said. “Ryan did say he was worried about a math class he’d just finished. He was worried he might not have done well on the final exam.” Henry chuckled. “Ryan not doing well meant he got an A minus, not an A. I bet he got the A.”

“What about friends at school? Did he get along with people?” Courtney gave an encouraging smile. “Did he talk about any trouble with any of the guys he hung out with?”

Henry sat straighter. “Ryan always got along with everybody. He didn’t bring up anything about any trouble with anyone.”

“Does Ryan have a girlfriend?” Angie thought she noticed Henry’s cheeks flush a bit when she asked the question, but she could have been wrong.

“There was a girl he liked, but he was so busy with school that he didn’t really have time to date.”

Angie nodded. “Had he ever gone out with this girl or did he just like her from a distance?”

“They were in a lab together. They’d gone out a few times in a group of friends. Ryan never asked her out though.”

“What’s her name?” Courtney glanced at the chief as he wrote things in a notebook.

“Um.” Henry’s eyes narrowed. “Oh, I know. I’m pretty sure it was Bree. I don’t know her last name.”

“What did you and Ryan do after the pub?” The chief asked.

Henry quickly turned towards Chief Martin with a look that seemed almost surprised that the chief had spoken. “Nothing. We both went home.”

“Henry.” Courtney held the young man’s eyes. “Did you and Ryan have anything to drink?”

“No, nothing to drink.” Henry flicked his attention to the chief who was still writing in the notebook and had his head down. “We’re both almost twenty-one, but neither of us drank last night.”

“And what did you do after the pub?” Angie asked the same question that the chief had just posed. She folded her hands in her lap.

“After the pub, we both headed home.” Henry thought for a second. “At least, I did.”

“Did Ryan text you or call you as he was driving home?” Angie asked.

“No.” Henry shook his head. “We talked in the parking lot of the pub for a while, but I didn’t hear from him after that. He did text me when I was asleep. I didn’t see the texts until morning. Ryan said his car broke down. He said he’d get a ride home from someone else.”

“So that was the last time you saw him?” One of Courtney’s eyebrows went up.

Henry’s cheek twitched and his face flushed. “Well, yeah, but….”

“But?” Courtney cocked her head.

Henry gave a nervous chuckle. “I’ll see him again.” His voice sounded flustered. He looked at the chief. “You’ll find him. Ryan must have a concussion or something, right? That’s all it is.”

The chief lifted his eyes from the notebook and gave the young man the slightest of nods.

“Is there anyone you can think of that Ryan might have gone to visit?” The chief used a gentle tone of voice. “Maybe it was a last minute decision?”

“You mean after we left the pub?” Henry’s face had definitely reddened over the course of the conversation. “No.” He shook his head. “Not that I can think of. Ryan didn’t mention wanting to see anyone.” Henry adjusted the collar of his shirt like it was too tight around his throat.

Angie caught sight of a deep red line on the young man’s neck. She looked at Chief Martin as he took an evidence bag out of his pocket. The chief slid the bag across the table. “Do you recognize this?”

Henry pulled the bag closer holding it delicately with his thumb and forefinger and leaned down to look at the item inside the bag. His head snapped up, his eyes wide. “Where’d you get this?”

“Do you recognize it?” The chief asked calmly.

“It’s Ryan’s. It’s Ryan’s ring.” Henry swallowed hard and spoke in a rush. “His mom gave it to him for his birthday when he was in high school. See the engraving?” He pointed to the design on the ring. “It’s a vine. Ryan played guitar. He was in a band all through high school. He’s super talented. The band was called
Vine
.” Henry took another look at the ring. “Was it in Ryan’s car?”

The chief said, “I’m not at liberty to discuss where it came from.”

“Ryan always wore that ring. He never took it off.” Henry’s voice shook slightly as he moved his hands from the tabletop to his lap.

A feeling of unease flicked over Angie’s skin. Staring at the evidence bag, she wondered if someone might have helped Ryan remove the ring from his finger.

“
I
think they were drinking
.” Courtney used a tool to crimp the bead on the necklace she had just strung following Jenna’s design. “I think Henry doesn’t want to admit it for fear of getting into trouble.”

Courtney, Angie, and Jenna sat around the round table in Jenna’s jewelry shop working on different pieces from her new winter collection. Flickering flames danced in the fireplace and Euclid and Circe were curled up on the rug in front of it. Several lamps lit the room with a golden glow. The fire made the space cozy and warm, but occasionally one of the sisters would take a quick look at the flames to be sure they weren’t advancing on them. Last fall, a guest at the Victorian’s bed and breakfast trapped the Roselands in the carriage house before setting the place ablaze and now, each one of the girls was careful and hesitant near fires of any kind.

Jenna sighed. “I have to stop being so paranoid about fire.” She placed multi-colored stones on a felt mat in front of her.

“We all feel the same way.” Angie took another look at the fireplace to be sure the grate in front of the logs was containing the blaze.

Jenna said, “Did you both get the feeling that Ryan and Henry drank alcohol the night Ryan went missing?”

Courtney rolled her eyes. “They’re two twenty-year-old guys. I find it hard to believe that they didn’t go somewhere or maybe sat in one of their cars to have a few beers together.”

“It’s possible that they didn’t though.” Jenna moved some of the stones around on the mat. “What did you think of the friend?”

Angie reached for some silver spacers to put between the beads. “He seemed intelligent, seemed like he wanted to help. I didn’t get the feeling he was making anything up about Ryan.” She pushed her hair over her ear and looked across the room staring into space. “He may have left some things out though. I’m not sure.”

“I think he did.” Courtney tightened the clasp on the necklace and held it up for Jenna to see. “I think he was cautious in his answers. After talking to him, I really didn’t feel like I found out much about Ryan.” She made a face. “Ryan was worried about exams, he liked a girl, he got along with people. The only thing Henry revealed was that Ryan had played in a band called
Vine
and the ring we found near the car belonged to him.” Courtney shook her head. “Most of the things that Henry told us were so generic that he could have been talking about anyone.”

“You’re right.” Angie frowned. “Henry’s answers made Ryan seem pretty vanilla, just an ordinary college guy.”

“Well, you found out Ryan had been in a band.” Jenna pulled her hair into a ponytail to keep it from falling in her eyes as she worked. “Maybe he plays at college. Maybe not in a band, but maybe he jams with people. It might be worth looking into.”

“I wonder if other friends of Ryan’s are home from college.” Courtney carried the necklace to the long table on the far side of the room and placed it carefully in a gift box before returning to her seat to start another piece of jewelry. “Ryan could have met up with someone else. He could have stopped for gas or something and ran into another friend before heading home.”

“We need to speak with the parents.” Angie squinted and leaned closer to the earrings she was making. “We need to get an idea about who else Ryan might have wanted to connect with while he was home.”

Jenna stretched her arms over her head to get the kinks out of her back. “Chief Martin said the family was close so maybe the parents have some information. Maybe Ryan told them things about friends and school.” A yawn escaped from her mouth. “I’m hungry. Where’s Ellie, anyway? I haven’t seen her for hours.”

“She went upstairs to take a nap.” Courtney eyed her sisters. “She won’t help with the jewelry when there’s a fire going. She’s more freaked out than we are about what happened to us in the carriage house.”

Angie put down her tool. “Ellie has told me several times that she “feels” the white stone necklace in the house. I think it’s driving her crazy.”

“It’s in the safe.” Courtney’s eyes were wide. “It’s in that metal box. How on earth could she be feeling it? If she can feel it, does that mean other people can, too?”

Angie shook her head. “I think Ellie is imagining it. She doesn’t want it here and it’s always in the back of her mind.”

During the last case the sisters were involved with, Ellie found some jewelry that used to belong to their mother. Each sister chose some pieces to keep and Ellie picked a white stone necklace. The stone seemed to glow, but only when Ellie wore it. It turned out to have some mystical powers that none of them understood. The B and B guest who set the carriage house on fire wanted the necklace for himself and tried to steal it, but was thwarted, and the necklace still remained in the sisters’ house tucked away in the family safe.

“Ellie is the one who is supposed to protect that necklace.” Courtney shook her head. “She wasn’t the best choice, was she?”

Angie returned to stringing the beads on the wire. “I spoke with Gloria about it. She said that someone will come for the necklace one day to take it away.” Angie frowned. “Gloria told me that the person won’t say that’s the reason he or she is here, but that Ellie will figure it out.” Letting out sigh, she added, “Then Ellie can calm down again.” Gloria owned a hair salon in Sweet Cove. In a surprising turn of events, Gloria knew about the necklace and helped to keep it and the sisters safe.

“Oh, great. I hope whoever comes for it shows up soon. Otherwise, who knows how long we’ll have to put up with Ellie’s nerves.” Courtney paused for a few moments and then looked pointedly at Jenna and Angie. “Mom was wearing that necklace when she died.”

A breath caught in Angie’s throat.

“Don’t mention that to Ellie.” Jenna’s voice was serious.

Courtney said, “Ellie knows Mom was wearing it.”

“Just don’t bring it up. If Ellie thinks mom died because of that necklace she will go nuts.” Jenna’s blue eyes flashed. “Maybe we can discuss it another time, when the whole mess is further in the past.”

“I agree.” Angie’s forehead creased with worry. “Let’s hope that necklace gets out of our possession soon. I’ll talk to Gloria next week to see if she knows anything more.”

Ellie, wearing a pink and white robe, came through the doorway into the room a minute after the discussion about the necklace had finished. “I’m going to warm up that pasta skillet meal that I made at lunchtime. Anyone want some?” She looked warily at the blaze in the fireplace. “Should the cats be sleeping so close to the fire?”

Euclid raised his head towards Ellie, made eye contact with her, and then rested his head back on the rug. The orange boy didn’t have a lot of patience for what he considered people’s silly worries and fears. When bad things happened, Euclid dealt with it and moved on.

The three sisters told Ellie that they’d like some of the pasta. As Ellie was heading to go to the kitchen, she turned to Angie. “Where’s Josh been? I haven’t seen him lately.”

Angie cleared her throat and didn’t look up. “He’s gone with his brother to Australia on business.” Angie’s boyfriend, Josh Williams, had been so busy with work during the past month that Angie had only been out with him a few times and she was feeling insecure and concerned that Josh was losing interest in her. She quickly changed the subject. “Want help with the dinner?”

Ellie declined the offer of assistance and headed off to the kitchen padding softly down the hall in her fluffy slippers.

Angie didn’t want Jenna or Courtney to ask any questions about Josh so she brought up Ryan Allen to deflect the topic. “Do either of you have any feelings about Ryan?”

Courtney and Jenna knew what Angie meant. They all wondered if the young man was still alive.

Courtney glanced at the two cats resting peacefully just a few feet away. “I don’t know. When I think of him, I don’t have anything of substance, just odd, sort of vague sensations of danger.”

Jenna rubbed her temple. “I only have bad feelings about him.”

Angie had a sinking feeling. “Are you still having those dark dreams, where someone needs our help, but you don’t know who or why?”

One side of Jenna’s mouth turned down. “No.”

“When did the dreams stop?”

Jenna looked at her sisters with sad eyes. “Last night.”

* * *

T
he four sisters
and Mr. Finch sat around the kitchen table eating the leftover pasta, green salad, and garlic bread. The cats sat on the fridge keeping an eye on the proceedings hoping that rice pudding and whipped cream might make an appearance after the meal.

Courtney and Angie reported the information about the interview with Ryan’s friend, Henry, in order to bring Ellie and Mr. Finch up-to-date.

Angie passed the bread basket to Mr. Finch. “Are you still having the bad dreams about trying to find someone?”

“No.” Finch removed a slice of bread and passed the basket to Ellie. “They seem to be gone. I slept quietly last night. Well, it took me a long time to fall asleep, but once asleep I was not disturbed by the dark dreams of the past week.”

“Oh,” said Angie softly.

“Not to fret, Miss Angie. Not having the dream does not necessarily reflect negatively on the case at hand.”

“Why not?” Courtney sprinkled parmesan cheese over her pasta. “Wouldn’t it indicate that there wasn’t anything, or
anyone
, needing to be found?”

Ellie’s hand flew to her cheek. “You think Ryan Allen is dead?”

Before Courtney could respond, Mr. Finch said, “The dreams ended because we discovered who we need to search for. The disappearance of the dreams is not necessarily a positive indicator that the young man has passed on.”

A look of relief washed over Ellie’s face. “So you think he’s still alive.”

“That fact has yet to be determined.” Finch adjusted his glasses. “The possibility exists that the young man is no longer with us. However, we shall remain hopeful.”

“What’s the next step?” Ellie asked.

“We need to talk with the parents.” Courtney took a sip of her lemon water.

Angie added, “We also want to find out if there are other friends Ryan might have wanted to meet up with while he was home on break.”

“Maybe the police will turn up some clues from searching the car,” Jenna offered. “Or maybe Ryan will turn up somewhere. He could be hurt from driving into that ditch.”

Ellie ran her finger over the side of her glass. “What did you say the name of that band was that Ryan was in?”

Courtney looked across the table at Ellie. “Vine.”

“Huh.” Ellie tilted her head. “Didn’t they have a song on the radio in the fall?”

“What song?” Jenna asked. “I’ve never heard of that band except that Ryan played in it.”

“I think the song was called “Sweet Friend of Mine.”

Courtney sat up. “I know that song. I loved it. The band wasn’t called “Vine” though. It was something else.”

Ellie scrunched up her face. “But I thought
Vine
had something to do with that song.”

Jenna tapped at her phone. “Let’s see what the internet says.” She scrolled on the screen with her finger. “Here it is. That song rose to number two on the charts last fall. The band was the ‘Darren Lottie Band.’” She shrugged. “Not ‘Vine.’”

Ellie was insistent. “That guy, though. Darren something. He’s from Massachusetts, around here, I think. I read about him in the news when the song got big.”

Jenna picked up her phone to search for him. After a few moments of reading, she turned her eyes from the phone’s screen and blinked. “Darren Wilton. It says he’s from a small town located near the Massachusetts seacoast. He was previously in a band called “Vine.”

Eyebrows shot up around the table. Euclid hissed and Circe arched her back.

Little jolts of electricity pulsed down Angie’s spine.