Sweet Friend of Mine (A Sweet Cove Mystery Book 8) (5 page)

“
W
hat’s wrong
, Miss Angie?” Mr. Finch looked up from his newspaper, his bushy, gray eyebrows scrunched together in concern. Euclid and Circe sat on the refrigerator and looked down at the pretty young woman.

Angie removed her heavy coat and sank into the seat opposite Finch. Resting her elbow on the table and holding her chin in her hand, she frowned.

Jenna had just poured two mugs of tea and carried one to Mr. Finch. “You want tea, Angie?”

Angie declined.

Jenna sat with them. “How was your lunch with Josh?” She looked at her sister out of the corner of her eye.

“It was confusing.” Angie pushed herself up. “Josh seemed happy to see me and apologized for being absent lately. He’d just returned from a trip overseas and in the middle of lunch, his assistant came in and told Josh that his car was waiting and he needed to get to the airport, so he left. He was disappointed and so was I. We both thought we would have a few hours together.”

“When will Josh be back?” Jenna asked.

Angie’s eyes widened. “I don’t even know.” She shook her head. “Before Josh left, he told me that he needed to talk to me when he got back. Then Betty showed up in the dining room to meet a client and she came over and asked me if the resort was being sold.” A cloud settled over her face. “Are they selling the resort? Is that what Josh needs to tell me? If they sell it, then Josh will never be in Sweet Cove.”

Mr. Finch placed his mug on the table. “If the Williams brothers sell the resort, then your Josh will have plenty of money to buy a home here in town.” Leaning forward, he continued, “I have seen the way that man looks at you, Miss Angie. I don’t believe he will be leaving town.”

Angie stared at the older man and her mouth broke into a smile. “Mr. Finch, thank you for always making me feel better.”

The two cats trilled their approval.

Jenna chuckled. “I have nothing to add to Mr. Finch’s statements.”

Angie stood up. “I’m going to bake something. Mr. Finch, it’s your choice. What would you like for dessert tonight?”

“You know, I have a craving for ginger snap cookies. I would like to have them along with a dish of the coffee ice cream that is in the freezer.”

“Then that’s what we’ll have.” Angie crossed to the kitchen island and took out the necessary ingredients and a large stainless steel bowl. “Did you work at your house today?” she asked Jenna.

“I did some painting. The living room is coming along. It’s looking good.” Jenna and Tom were renovating a big old house just two doors down from the Victorian. “I’m happy to see things coming together.” Jenna talked about the many things left to accomplish in the house. “Tom and I are talking about eventually moving into one of the carriage house apartments so we don’t have to wait for our house to be finished before we get married.”

Angie smiled. “So that’s why Tom is doing such a good job rebuilding the carriage house.” Angie measured and mixed the ingredients for the cookies while Jenna and Mr. Finch sipped their tea and read the newspaper. When Angie slipped the first cookie sheet into the oven, Finch put his section of the paper down on the table and faced the two sisters.

“What are your thoughts on the case?” Finch asked.

Angie folded her arms across her chest and leaned against the kitchen island. “A few days have passed since Ryan went missing.”

Jenna took the empty mugs to the sink and rinsed them before putting them into the dishwasher. “It’s not a good sign, but it’s not hopeless.”

The front doorbell rang.

“Is Ellie expecting new guests?” Angie wiped her hands on a dish towel.

“I don’t think so.”

“I’ll go.” Angie walked down the hall and into the foyer. A vase of flowers sat in the center of the dark wood table in the middle of the space. A cream, cranberry, and green area rug covered part of the gleaming wood floors. Angie opened the door to find Henry Whitaker standing on the front porch, his shoulders scrunched up against the cold. The tip of his nose was as red as a beet.

“Henry. Come in.”

“Sorry to bother you. Do you have a minute to talk?” Henry eyed the beautifully furnished foyer and dining room off to the right. “You own this place?”

Angie nodded and took the young man’s coat. “My sisters and I live here.”

“You have more than one sister?”

“I have three.”

Jenna and Mr. Finch came to see who rang the bell. Angie introduced them and then gestured to the living room. “Would you like to sit down?”

The four people took seats. Euclid and Circe sat across the room staring at the visitor. Euclid had a scowl on his face. Henry looked sheepish and he took a glance at Jenna and Finch.

Angie noticed Henry’s hesitation. “It’s okay. Jenna and Mr. Finch know everything that’s been going on. Both Jenna and Mr. Finch consult for the Sweet Cove police department.”

Henry seemed to relax just a little. “I’m worried about Ryan. I thought he’d turn up by now.”

Euclid hissed.

Trying to ignore the cat, Angie nodded, deliberately staying quiet in the hope that Henry would say more about his concerns.

“You think he might have taken off and didn’t tell anyone?” Henry’s expression was hopeful.

“It’s possible.” Angie wasn’t sure if it was probable though. Ryan would have had to have some means of transportation and his car was left at the bottom of the embankment.

“I hope so.” Henry looked down at his hands. “I hope that’s what happened. Maybe Ryan’s just gone off somewhere and he’ll be back soon.” Some beads of sweat formed on Henry’s forehead.

Angie asked, “Did you want to ask me something else about Ryan?”

Henry swallowed and looked at Angie with wide eyes. “No, well yes, I wanted to tell you something.”

Angie looked at Henry in an encouraging way.

“You asked if we drank that night.” Henry took quick looks at Jenna and Mr. Finch. “I wasn’t truthful. We had a couple of beers. They were in my car. We sat out in the pub parking lot.” Henry hurriedly added, “We’re both almost twenty-one. We didn’t get drunk or anything. We were both fine to drive. I just wanted you to know. I don’t know. It probably won’t help to know, but with Ryan still missing I wanted to be upfront about things.”

The fur on Euclid’s back rose up.

“Why not tell Chief Martin?” Jenna asked.

Henry lifted his skinny hand and gave it a slight wave towards Angie. “I wanted to talk to you. I didn’t want to get into trouble with the police for drinking.” He gave a shrug. “I suppose you’ll have to tell the chief, but I just didn’t want to be the one to do that.”

“I understand. Thanks for telling me.” Angie nodded and then decided to ask Henry some questions. “You mentioned that Ryan played in a band when he was in high school. Are you a musician, too?” Angie asked.

“Me?” Henry blinked. “No.”

“Did you know the members of the band Ryan was in?”

“Some of them. Yeah.”

“Did Ryan keep in contact with them after he left for college?”

“I’m not sure. He might have. Probably.”

Angie asked, “Do you know Darren Wilton? He was in the band with Ryan?”

“Yeah, sure. Darren’s a few years older than us. He has a new band. They’re doing really well. They’ve been on the radio.”

Angie gave a nod. “Does Darren still live around here?”

“He moved to Boston, but he comes back here pretty often, I hear. He and his folks lived in Silver Cove.”

“Do his parents still live there?”

“I don’t think so.”

“How did Ryan and Darren get along?”

“Okay, I guess. They worked on the music all the time. They weren’t best friends or anything… more like business partners.”

“Why did the band break up?”

“Some guys were going to college. Some guys wanted to head to LA, New York, Boston.” Henry shrugged. “You know, people had different agendas. Ryan’s father would have had a fit if Ryan didn’t go to college. Mr. Allen wasn’t much for Ryan pursuing music as a career.”

“Was that something Ryan wanted to do, pursue music?” Jenna spoke up. “Did he have hopes for a music career?”

Henry turned to Jenna. “I think he would have liked to. Ryan was good, really good. He wrote songs, was a terrific musician.”

“How did your friend get on with his parents?” Finch sat in the upholstered chair holding his cane in front of him between his knees.

“The usual.” Ryan shrugged a shoulder. “He knew what his dad expected so Ryan knew what to say and do to appease him.”

“Was Mr. Allen overbearing with his son?” Jenna asked.

“Mr. Allen had been in the military. He was used to taking and giving orders. He acted that way with Ryan. He was strict about who he hung out with, was strict about girls. I got the impression that Mr. Allen thought things should be a certain way and expected everyone in the family to step up and make it that way.” Henry shrugged. “Very different from my family.”

“Did Ryan resent it?”

“He didn’t talk about it. That was the way it was with his dad, not much he could do about it.”

Angie asked, “Did Ryan date in high school?”

Henry shifted his eyes away and looked out the window. “Some.”

Angie suspected that Henry was trying to avoid the subject. “Was there someone he liked at school?”

Henry ran his hand over his short hair. “He dated a girl for a while, until his dad forced him to stop.”

“Why did he make Ryan stop?” Jenna tilted her head in question.

Henry made a face. “Mr. Allen thought the girl was too low class. That’s what he said. He didn’t want Ryan getting stuck with some girl who was beneath his son.”

“So Ryan stopped seeing her?” Angie wondered if the young man would give up on someone just to please his father.

“Ryan did what he was told. That girl wasn’t right for Ryan anyway. She took too much of his time.”

“What was her name?” Angie had the slightest feeling that maybe Ryan hadn’t stopped seeing the girl at all.

“Charlotte. Charlotte Breeze.”

“Does she still live around here?” Jenna leaned forward in her seat.

“I don’t think so.” Henry checked the time on his phone. “I’d better get going.”

Euclid glared at the young man as he made his way to the foyer.

Angie wasn’t sure why, but she had the distinct impression that Henry knew where Charlotte Breeze lived … and that it might be helpful to the case if they found the young woman.

T
he Roselands
and Mr. Finch settled on the family room sofas with bowls of popcorn to watch a movie. Euclid sat with Courtney in the easy chair and whenever he flicked his orange plume of a tail, it hit softly against her cheek. Circe curled up between Finch and Ellie.

“It sounds like Henry knows more than he’s saying.” Courtney held her popcorn bowl on the arm of the chair.

“I would have to agree,” nodded Mr. Finch. “But what exactly it is that he is holding close is a mystery.”

Jenna looked at the two felines. “The cats seemed very wary of him.”

Angie said, “I noticed that, too. Euclid was especially suspicious of him. Circe didn’t take her eyes off of Henry, just watched from a distance.”

“Maybe the cat jury hasn’t come to any definite conclusions about him yet.” Courtney held a piece of popcorn so that Euclid could lick the butter from it.

Just as Ellie was about to hit the button on the remote to start the movie, the front doorbell rang.

Ellie groaned. “Oh, come on. Who could this be?”

Angie pulled her old sweater around her shoulders. “I’ll go.” She reluctantly walked to the foyer with the two cats trailing behind.

She opened the door and stared with surprise at the young man standing on the porch. The attractive man was tall and slim and Angie guessed he was in his mid-twenties. He wore his dark brown hair slightly longer and had bright, blue eyes.

He smiled politely. “Ellie Roseland?”

The man looked familiar to Angie, but she couldn’t place him. “Ellie’s in the other room. Would you like to speak to her?”

“I was told she runs the bed and breakfast. I’d like to rent a room, if one’s available.”

Angie stepped back so he could enter. “There are a few rooms vacant. Who was it that recommended you try us?”

“Betty Hayes, she’s a Sweet Cove Realtor.”

Euclid and Circe sniffed the man’s shoes and trouser legs.

“What nice cats.” He bent to pet the animals’ cheeks. Straightening, the young man looked around the foyer and at the carved wooden staircase and then glanced into the dining and living rooms that were situated off the foyer. “What a beautiful place.”

It dawned on Angie that she’d seen this man sitting with Betty at a table in the dining room of the resort earlier in the day. “We know Betty well. Weren’t you at the resort with her today? I think I saw you there.”

“Did you? Yes, Ms. Hayes and I had lunch.” The young man glanced around. “I’d love a place like this.” He made eye contact with Angie. “Do you have any interest in selling?”

Angie raised an eyebrow. “Did Betty Hayes tell you to ask that question?”

“What? Oh, no, she didn’t. She’s working with me to find a place in town.”

Angie realized she hadn’t introduced herself, so she extended her hand. “I’m Angie Roseland.”

The young man’s eyes sparkled. “Darren Wilton.”

Angie’s jaw dropped. “The musician?”

Darren gave a shy smile. “Yeah, that’s me.”

“What are you doing here?” After speaking, Angie realized that her words could be considered to be way too nosy, but Darren didn’t take offense.

“I’m originally from the next town over. I live in Boston now, go out to LA a lot, but I love this area. I come back all the time.”

“You want to buy a place here?”

“I’d like a getaway, maybe something with a little privacy and with plenty of room to build a music studio.”

Ellie wandered into the foyer from the hallway. Her long, straight blonde hair hung over her shoulders. “Oh, hello. I’m Ellie Roseland.”

Angie introduced Darren to her sister. “Darren would like a room.”

“Darren Wilton?” Ellie smiled and shook his hand. “I loved your song. It was on the radio all the time last fall.”

Darren almost blushed. “Thanks.” He chuckled. “We need another hit though, can’t just become a one-hit-wonder.”

“I’m sure you’ll have plenty more. Why don’t I show you the rooms that are available and you can pick the one you’d like?” Ellie started down the hall to her office to get the keys and registration forms. “Are you hungry? We have evening snacks set out.” She pointed to the buffet table in the dining room.

“I’m starving actually.”

“We have tea, coffee, and hot chocolate in the dining room, too.” Angie walked him over to show where everything was. “We have beer and wine, if you’d rather that.”

Darren requested a glass of red wine and Angie went to the kitchen and returned with it. The cats jumped up onto the top of the China cabinet and sat at attention watching Darren as he nibbled the sweets that he’d put on his plate.

Wearing sweatpants and an old sweatshirt, Courtney came in from the hall. “What’s cookin’? Are you coming back to the family room? Who was at the door?” Once she’d moved around the corner, Courtney spotted Darren at the table. “Hi. I didn’t realize we had a new guest.”

Introductions were made.

Courtney tilted her head. “Darren Wilton, the musician? Cool.”

Darren grinned and wiped a bit of frosting from his lip. “I don’t usually get recognized unless I’m in LA.”

Courtney sat down across from him. “What brings you to Sweet Cove?”

“I’d like to buy a place here. I was meeting with Betty Hayes today.”

“You must have heard about the missing person from town?” Courtney assumed that news had traveled and that Darren must know that his former band member was missing.

Darren’s face clouded. He took a swallow of his wine and set the glass down on the table. “I heard about Ryan. That’s really the main reason I’m back. I wanted to talk to the police, see what they’d discovered, offer any help I could give.”

“Did you speak to Chief Martin?” Angie asked.

“I did.” Darren nodded. “He also suggested I come here for a room.”

Ellie returned with several keys and sat down next to Angie. “I’m sorry about your friend.”

“I really can’t believe that Ryan is missing.” Darren’s voice was almost a whisper. “I was shocked when I heard. I was about to leave for LA. I postponed the trip.”

“You were in a band together?” Ellie questioned.

“Yeah.
Vine
. It was a good group. We learned a lot from each other, expanded our skills.” Darren had a faraway look on his face. “Life is funny, isn’t it? You just never know.” His voice trailed off.

“How did the band members get along?” Angie had poured herself a cup of tea.

“We all got along. Oh, sure, there were occasional gripes over musical differences, but we worked them out.”

“Were you and Ryan good friends?” Courtney asked.

Darren blinked fast a few times. He reached for his glass and took another long swallow. “We’re like brothers.”

Angie couldn’t help one of her eyebrows shooting up. Henry had told them that Ryan and Darren weren’t really friends, only business partners. That bit of information didn’t jive with how Darren was describing the relationship. Pondering which person wasn’t telling the truth, Angie took a quick look up at the cats. They still sat at attention listening to what was being said.

“Did you keep in touch with each other after Ryan went to college?” Angie asked.

“Sure. I’d moved down to Boston. Ryan goes to college in the city. We get together a lot, work on music together.”

“Do you have any idea where Ryan could be?” Angie held her hands in her lap.

Darren’s eyes went wide, and then he sadly shook his head from side to side. “No, I don’t. I wish I knew.”

Courtney asked another question. “Did Ryan ever mention any trouble he was having with anyone? Was he in any kind of trouble?”

Darren took a deep breath. “Ryan never said anything about any trouble. He worked hard at school. He was doing well.”

“Did Ryan want a musical career?” Angie watched Darren’s face closely.

“I think Ryan would have given it a go, but his
dad
didn’t want that. I think Ryan wanted to get his degree because that’s what his father wanted for him. After he gets it? Who knows?”

“Have you met Mr. Allen?” Ellie questioned.

“Only briefly, just a couple of times.”

“What did you think of him?”

“He was cordial, just said a few words, really.” Darren finished off the chocolate cupcake that he’d taken from the buffet. He made eye contact with the three sisters sitting around the table with him. “Do you think they’re going to find him?”

“We have to be hopeful.” Ellie nodded.

“If you don’t mind, I think I’d like to see the rooms now. I’m beat.” Darren pushed his chair back and stood up. “Thank you for the wine and desserts.”

Ellie led the way up the staircase to the guest rooms.

Courtney leaned close to Angie and kept her voice quiet. “We have two different stories here. Henry says that Ryan and Darren were only business partners. Darren appears to be very upset over Ryan going missing and he says that Ryan is like a brother to him.”

Angie looked over at the staircase. “Which one is telling the truth?”