East Pender Boxed Set: Cozy Mystery Series Bundle of Books 1-14 Read online

  “Did you give her what she asked for?”

  “No. I think I would have, for old times’ sake, if I had had something to give, you know? But I barely had two pennies to rub together myself. Not that she believed me, but she was always one that thought the world owed her everything. She left in a huff, didn't even ask me how I was doing. Funny how you can be so close to someone and then have them be so distant, almost like our time together didn't matter,” he said, with more than a hint of sadness.

  Ellen remembered seeing the two of them together. At the time they had seemed very much in love, but it had become clear Tilly only wanted to be with Jack when he had status and ambition. She was not content to stick by him when the going got tough, and Ellen knew that that was no kind of love at all.

  “It still matters. It just makes you remember the mistakes you made and prepares you for what comes next in life. You should be proud of yourself Jack and all you have accomplished.”

  When she pulled up outside his house he looked at her with an appreciative smile and she was afraid he was going to burst into tears again. But, instead, he leaned over and gave her a tight, warm hug. Ellen was taken by surprise because Jack was not usually the type to display such affection, but she responded by hugging him back. She watched his stride as he walked into his house and shut the door behind him. She was glad in knowing he would be safe for at least one night. But as she drove away there was a grim portent in the air, for she knew something strange was afoot in East Pender. She would have to use everything at her disposal to figure out what was going on because it wasn't just the safety and reputation of an employee at stake, but those of a friend.

  Chapter 3

  The following day, Ellen was glad when Jack turned up for work in the morning. It showed he was not so affected by this latest event that he had retreated into his shell and become a recluse. For a long time after his disaster he virtually became a hermit, rarely leaving the house. It took a long time for him to be able to show his face around town again because of the shame he felt. Ellen knew what fear could do to a person but she was pleased Jack hadn't given into the threats Chris had made. The worst thing to do was let a bully know they were having their intended effect. The people in the cafe mumbled and whispered to themselves, often glancing in Jack’s direction, and it was clear they harbored their own theories and fears as to what had happened. A few of them even came up to Ellen, sidled against her and, in hushed whispers, asked her why she still was letting Jack work there when he had been accused of stealing.

  “I have the utmost faith in my employee and if you disagree with my policies you are free to go elsewhere,” she said in a huff.

  She was getting tired of having to defend Jack from the many judgmental people who seemed quick to side with Chris. For Jack's part, he remained dignified and did his duty with his usual professionalism, ignoring the speculation that he overheard.

  Ellen had arranged to meet Kelly for coffee before the dinner rush hit and while she was driving Andy called her. Ellen put the phone on speaker and tossed it on the passenger seat.

  “What's all this business about the fight outside your cafe yesterday?” he asked.

  “Did Chris see you in the end? I don't know what's going on but it all strikes me as rather odd and something isn't adding up. Can we talk about it?”

  “I wanted to talk to you first, actually. This Chris seems adamant that Jack stole jewelry and he says he has an eyewitness to prove it. I'm going to have to bring him in for questioning so we can get to the bottom of this.”

  Ellen glared at the phone and wished Andy could see her facial expression.

  “I'm just about to meet Kelly for coffee. Can you delay that and meet us so we can talk about this face-to-face? There's something not right here and I don't want Jack to undergo any more stress than he already has. He's not at fault here and if anything you should be talking to Chris about assault.”

  “This is a tricky situation Ellen, and I have to go by the law.”

  “I know, but please, I'm just asking for half an hour or so.”

  She could almost feel the frustration on the other end of the line. Ever since she and Kelly had become consulting detectives with Andy their friendship had been put to the test. She got the impression that some people in his department didn't necessarily like the fact he was giving cases over to people who weren't official detectives. She and Andy often had butted heads over a few matters. She often relied on her intuition and took that as the starting point, whereas he was much more methodical and went through the evidence until the truth presented itself. Both methods had their pros and cons, but the difference in philosophy sometimes created some conflict.

  “Okay, I'll come and see you,” he eventually said with a heavy sigh. Ellen smiled and accelerated toward Kelly's place.

  Kelly had been working in the morning so she was wearing paint-stained clothes. Ellen always found it amusing when she saw Kelly looking such a mess, as usually she took pride in her appearance.

  “Are we on the case again?” Kelly asked as she went into the kitchen and started making coffee.

  “We'll see what Andy has to say first,” Ellen said, and as if on cue Andy knocked the door.

  Ellen skipped over and opened it, and welcomed him in. She flushed as she smelled the strong scent of his aftershave and looked admiringly at his new haircut. He was looking even more handsome than usual. They greeted each other and exchanged some pleasant conversation before they headed into the lounge and broached the subject of Jack's arrest.

  “You know,” Andy began, “I appreciate everything you have done in helping me but I don't always have to come and talk to you like this.”

  “I know, but I am sure Jack is innocent. If you can offer me proof otherwise then I will get him to turn himself in, but right now you know there's not a shred of substantial evidence against him. All you're going to do is set him back. You know as well as I how much he's changed; you can see it yourself. Do you really want to lock him up when you can't be sure if he's done anything? Hasn't he been through enough?”

  “Ellen, just because people have been through a lot doesn't mean they can get away with anything. Why are you so sure he's innocent?” Ellen sighed and leaned back in her chair.

  “I'm sure you know the broad strokes of what happened but there's a lot more that he told me since we work together. I'm sure he wouldn't want this being public knowledge but it seems like I'm going to have to tell you. He lost everything he had in the failed business venture. Then as a result of that, he spiraled downward into gambling and drink and depression, but it wasn't just because he lost all his money. His parents died around the same time. I think he felt guilty, like it was the stress that he caused that killed them, and ever since then he hasn't been the same. I know what it's like to lose parents. It's this hole in your life. I mean, they're the one constant ever since you're born. You never really imagine a world without them because it seems so incomprehensible to you. Even when they're sick or they're getting old...you know rationally that they're not going to be around forever but there's still a part of you that won't accept it.

  On top of all that Tilly left him and he was alone in the world. No house, no job, no parents to even put a roof over his head. If he had stolen then I would have understood it, without condoning it. When you become desperate you start becoming capable of things you previously thought were inconceivable, but he didn't. And if he didn't steal then, why would he steal now? It doesn't make any sense,” was her impassioned plea.

  She composed herself afterward. Talking about the death of parents brought back the way she had felt after her own had died all the emptiness and confusion that came with it, and the deep feeling of ennui.

  “She's got a point,” Kelly said, “I mean, she knows him better than anyone and she's a good judge of character. I'm inclined to believe her if that's what she thinks.”

  Andy pressed his lips together and flicked through his notebook.

  “It's
just not in his character. I don't know why Chris is accusing him and I don't know when these things got stolen. I'm sure Jack didn't have anything to do with it and if you arrest him you're just wasting time that you could be spending looking for the real thief.”

  “I agree with all that. I really do, but the fact remains we found these at the crime scene.”

  He pulled out his phone and showed her a picture of Jack's horn-rimmed glasses. Ellen's face fell.

  “I am sorry but this is evidence and I don't really have a choice but to bring him in.”

  “They could have been planted!” Ellen said.

  “Why would anyone want to plant them, Ellen? Sometimes the simplest explanation is the correct one. I know you want to think the best of him but even the best of us have moments of weakness. I'm not saying this is definitive proof but it's more to go on than your intuition. As highly as I regard your expertise I am beholden to the law and the evidence, and right now the evidence is pointing to him.”

  Ellen glanced at Kelly and tried to think of some other argument that would persuade Andy to stop this line of inquiry. She knew in her heart that Jack wasn't responsible for this, she just wished she could prove it by whipping out some evidence like Andy had done. Ellen pressed her hand to her forehead and pinched the bridge of her nose.

  “All I can tell you is Jack isn't the type to lose something. If he was actually responsible for this crime then he wouldn't have left anything behind, he's too thorough and fastidious for that. Every day I see him working and he goes through the same routines and processes. Please, just give me a little time to try proving it isn't him. I'm asking you as a personal favor to me,” she said, walking toward him and placing a hand on his arm, squeezing it slightly.

  She knew it was wrong to try playing on his emotions like that but it was the only way she could think of to buy Jack some much-needed time. Andy shook his head and looked at her.

  “I can give you a day,” he said, reluctantly.

  Ellen smiled and hugged him. His phone buzzed and then he said he had to leave. Ellen walked him to the door.

  “Look, I'm sorry about this. I'm just trying to do what's best by the law,” he said.

  “I know, and I hate that we have to argue about it but I hope you'll see I'm right,” she replied, and they shared a warm smile. He was about to leave when he hesitated.

  “Something on your mind?” she asked.

  “I don't mean to overstep my bounds...but are you okay? It's just that when you were talking about Jack and how he felt after losing his parents...I got the impression that you were speaking more from your own experience than his.”

  “I guess I was,” Ellen said, rolling her lip in between her teeth.

  “Well, I just wanted to say that if you ever need someone to talk to about it, you know you always can call me.”

  “Thanks Andy,” she said, and for a moment there was a spark of attraction, a flicker of tension, a moment where time seemed to stand still.

  And then he walked to his car and it disappeared, the only evidence of it the lingering feeling in Ellen's heart. When she returned, Kelly was standing there with a raised eyebrow.

  “Lovers’ tiff?” she said with a mischievous look on her face.

  “Don't even start with that,” Ellen said, collapsing on the lounge.

  “So you really think Jack is innocent?”

  “I know he is; I just need to prove it.”

  “Well, we have a day, so we'd better start thinking. What are your current theories?”

  “I have none. I don't know who would want to frame Jack for this. He hasn't done anybody any wrong. At first I was thinking it was just a misunderstanding but the fact that somebody went to the effort of stealing his glasses and placing them at the scene of the crime...”

  “Did he mention to you that he lost them?”

  “No. We should ask him when they went missing. Perhaps we'll be able to narrow down a timeline of events and we can put everything in order. Tomorrow is going to be a busy day.”

  “I know the cafe is going to get busy around dinner time, but do you want to grab a bottle of wine and plan for tomorrow later?”

  “That sounds like a perfect idea,” Ellen said.

  She left Kelly for a little while and went back to the café. Of course, she didn't mention any of this to Jack because she didn't want to worry him any further. He continued working diligently while Ellen wracked her brain, trying to piece together the events that led to this unfortunate situation. A woman's jewelry had been stolen. Jack's glasses had been found at the scene of the crime, and then Chris had violently confronted Jack. She felt as though she was missing something but she just couldn't quite see what. She started feeling the pressure of the following day.

  If she wasn't able to prove Jack was innocent then the evidence would point to him. Then, just as he had put his life back on track, he would have it all taken away again. No matter how strong a person's resolve she didn't think anyone would be able to survive having everything taken away twice. And, for all his composure, she knew Jack well enough to see he was getting stressed. It was in the little things, like the way he glanced around nervously, or fiddled with a pen while he was standing by the cash register. Her heart went out to him because all she wanted was for him to be able to enjoy life and move on from the events that had plagued him. She felt a kind of kinship with him because they both had suffered the loss of their parents in quick succession. She had enough self-awareness to question whether she was letting that blind her rational thought process, but in the end concluded that she was not.

  Chapter 4

  After the dinner rush Ellen went back to Kelly's, who had changed into something more suitable. She'd also showered and the smell of lavender greeted Ellen as she walked in.

  “How was Jack?”

  “As you'd imagine. I feel bad for him because it's all anyone can talk about and he's having to stand there and act as though he can't hear.”

  “I'm surprised you've still got him working, would have thought this entitled him to some days off.”

  “Trust me, I tried but he said he'd rather work. I think he's afraid that if he disappears then people will think he is guilty. Plus he's scared of Chris coming back. So at least if there are other people around there won't be anything violent happening.”

  “Not that that helped last time.”

  “No, but hopefully Chris has had a chance to calm down and think rationally about what he's doing. Attacking people won't bring his mother's jewelry back any more quickly.”

  “Did you ever meet her?”

  “Oh yes, she's been in the cafe a few times. I think she even popped along to one of Jack's book club meetings. I imagine Chris must have got his temper from his father because she's the sweetest woman you ever could imagine. She's always offering to help me in the cafe when it's busy. I keep having to tell her she doesn't work there, but she won't take no for an answer. I wonder what she thinks of Chris. It's such a shame, really. I suppose when you have a child like that you can't do anything but love them even though you can see they're not acting as you would want them to.”

  “He's an only child as well, isn't he?”

  “I believe so. Just him and that woman, at least he's a devoted son, I suppose. Better to act like that than not care that somebody stole from his mother. Maybe there is some good in him, deep down.”

  “All this talk about parents makes me think I should go visit my own.”

  “How long has it been since you've seen them?”

  “Oh, I don't know, a few months I suppose?”

  “Months!”

  “Well, you know what time is like for me. It tends to come and go and then, before I know it, a whole year has gone by. I will get to seeing them, though, once this is over.”

  “You'd better. I never visited mine enough and I always regretted it at the end. By the time I came back they were too sick to do anything, really. So my last memories of them were as frail and weak peopl
e, but I don't want to remember them like that.”

  She spoke in a harsher tone than she intended. Kelly felt chastised, and quickly made it clear she would indeed go to see her parents as soon as she had the opportunity.

  “I think I'm ready for some wine,” Kelly said, and went to the cupboard in the kitchen. But when she opened it she cursed.

  “I knew I forgot something!” and bemoaned her lack of planning. She sighed at Ellen, who rolled her eyes.

  “I guess we're going for a trip to the store,” she said, and began pulling on her coat.

  When the evening twilight set in the temperature dropped rapidly. The stars glittered and glowed overhead while the large moon hung high in the sky like a lantern. Most people at this time were either in their homes or at the pub, although a few young couples were enjoying a romantic stroll. Ellen envied them somewhat because it had been a long time since she had enjoyed such a wintry thrill. It was a short drive to the store, but on the way Ellen asked Kelly something that had been playing on her mind for a while.

  “You always give me grief about not doing anything with Andy, but what about your love life? Isn't there anyone in town who catches your attention?”

  “Please Ellen, there is no man in this town who can handle me,” she said, throwing Ellen a look.

  “Anyway, I don't have time for that. My art comes first and all art requires sacrifice. Relationships only ever end one way anyway, and I'd rather avoid all that mess. My life is fine as it is,” she said. Ellen gathered that that was the end of the conversation.

  Usually Kelly was willing to talk about anything endlessly, but when it came to her personal life Ellen found she often was unwilling to share. Now that she thought about it she realized Kelly rarely spoke about her youth or her life before she knew Ellen, aside from a few vague details. All Ellen really knew was Kelly had some parents and she was a successful artist, but that was about it. Perhaps that was why she first had been drawn to Kelly as a friend, she mused. She never could resist a good mystery. But she couldn't waste her time thinking about that because she had enough on her plate already.