Page 8

Chapter Eight

Abigail had gone to check on Tommy in the carriage house, and Mara headed to the kitchen to check on breakfast prep. It had been a long day, but I wanted to see if I could pull fingerprints from the meat clever.

I’d run into Henry in the hallway. He was still busy interviewing the guests, to see if they could find out who had been near Angie when she was hit. I told him to ask Mrs. Carthage if she had seen anyone behind her.

Before I went to our makeshift lab downstairs, where the big kit was, I grabbed my puffy coat from our room and then headed toward the kitchen.

“Where are you goin’, lass?” Caleb asked as he sauntered down the hall. “Would you like to share a nightcap?”

I couldn’t remember the last time someone had asked me for a drink.

Oh, wait. Yes, I did. The first man I’d dated after my husband died had been a killer. As in: murdered people and tried to kill me.

While I had respect for older women who dated much younger men, I had a feeling Caleb only wanted a warm body. That and he smelled of whiskey and regret.

“Busy,” I said. “But maybe you can help me with something?”

He stumbled a bit as he approached me. “Anything, lass.” He slurred the last word, and it sounded more like “lash.”

“Do you have any idea why someone would want to hurt Angie?”

He snorted with laughter.

My eyebrow may have gone up an inch or so. “I don’t find the fact that someone is trying to kill one of my best friends funny.”

He waved a hand as if that was even funnier.

I crossed my arms. “Why are you laughing? Angie could have died from poison or the injury to her head. Where were you, exactly, when she was hit?”

He cleared his throat. “You can’t think that I—” He snorted again. “You’ve got it all wrong. Golden boy marrying a punk rocker is the best thing that has happened to me in years. Dad has been so angry with my brother, he’s been off my back.” He laughed again. “When bribery didn’t work, he tried to blackmail Damien into giving up his bride.”

“You’re joking.”

“Nay. Ask him. Dad threatened to take away the keys to the kingdom, and my brother told him to stick them up his arse. I got to see that one at a family dinner. Didn’t know my bro had it in him. Dad’s been a fumin’ mess ever sense. It’s been glorious.”

Damien’s father had threatened him. If he’d do that to his own son, what might he do to Angie?

Mrs. Carthage might have been covering for her husband earlier, or she was clueless to her husband’s machinations. She’d told Ewan they were in their room all night. But had they been?

Damien had mentioned canceling the wedding. He’d said it was so that whoever was trying to kill his bride would stop—but was he afraid his father might succeed with an evil plan?

Maybe his father had made good on his blackmail threats.

“Is there anyone else who might want to stop the wedding?”

“A host of my brother’s exes. But I don’t think any of them are in attendance. Except for one, and I think she’s a lesbian now. Deirdre wasn’t interested in hanging out with me. I’d been doing her a favor because I usually never bother with my brother’s castoffs.”

Such a charmer, this one.

“I can’t imagine why she’d turn you down.” I grinned. “If you’ll excuse me, I have more important things than you to deal with.”

I wasn’t normally so rude, but it didn’t matter. I don’t think he understood what I said. I’d almost reached the kitchen when a woman stepped out with a tray.

I nearly bumped into her, but stopped and leaned against the wall. “Sorry,” I said, reaching out to help her keep the tray level.

“Oh.” The crystal and assorted dishes clattered. “I dinnae see ya there,” one of Angie’s stepmothers said. I still couldn’t remember all their names. Only that the youngest was the one currently married to her dad. I think this one was the second wife, or maybe the third.

“That looks good.” I stared down at the tray.

“Aye, I thought Angie and her beau might need something to eat.”

I couldn’t stop my eyes from narrowing, but I forced myself to smile.

“Angie is resting. I just came from there. Damien had just brought her a tray.”

“Oh.” She frowned. “I just love that girl so much, and I hate that all of this is happening.” Her disappointment appeared genuine. “I put together some of her favorites. If you’re worried that I’ve done something to the food, a woman named Mara checked it over. She and the man who owns this castle have been overseeing everything that happens in the kitchen.”

“I’m sure it’s all fine, but Angie needs her rest. I’ll let her know you were thinking of her.”

She glanced down at the tray. “I guess I’ll have some wee snacks for later.”

“I like the way you think.”

She frowned again. “Is it true about Robbie? I never liked that boy. He was bad news from the start. Do ya think he may have killed himself on purpose, to ruin the wedding?”

I might have thought that if there hadn’t been someone else with him in the tower. And if someone hadn’t hurt Angie an hour or so ago.

“I’m running tests,” I said. “Do you have any idea who else might want to hurt Angie?”

“Not a soul. How could anyone not love our wee lass? She was the best thing about my marriage to her father. I adore Angie and her ma. After I found out he was cheating on me, I had nowhere to live. Angie convinced her mother to take me in until I could find my feet. Who does that? Takes in an ex’s soon-to-be ex. Did I say that right?” She laughed. “That stepdaughter of mine is an apple that didn’t fall far from the tree. Thankfully, she takes after her ma and is nothing like her da.”

There was no mistaking the kindness and love in her voice. I glanced at the hands holding the tray. They were slightly wrinkled, and she had a mole on her left hand. I put that information on a shelf in my brain to write down in my notebook later.

“Well, thank you for looking after our girl.” She lifted the tray a little higher. “We’ll be more on guard now. It’s been a long day, but hopefully tomorrow will be better.”

“Hopefully,” I said.

She wandered down the hall, and I mentally checked her off my suspect list. While she had no love for the ex, it was obvious how much she cared for Angie.

I rounded the corner to find Mara, Abigail, and Ewan, deep in conversation. The kitchen was huge, as in I’d seen hotel kitchens that were smaller, and it was beautiful, with concrete countertops, or “benches” as they called them here; navy cabinets with brass handles; and several stoves and ovens.

Steel prep tables, like the one Robbie lay on in the downstairs freezer, had been spaced throughout.

My friends were in the far corner, in front of two enormous Sub-Zero refrigerators.

As soon as Mara saw me, the heated conversation ceased.

“What’s going on?”

They glanced at each other.

I crossed my arms and focused on Abigail. She was terrible at keeping secrets from me.

“Well?”

“Ewan thinks we should cancel everything. Mara and I don’t see the sense. No one will be able to leave for another day or two, and Angie and Damian have spent a small fortune on this wedding. If they don’t want to cancel, we shouldn’t interfere.”

I agreed with them.

“And what is your reasoning?” I asked Ewan.

“I don’t know,” he said. “Maybe because someone is trying to kill a friend of ours. Angie could have died. Mara could have as well. And we already have one murder to solve. I’m with you on that now. While we don’t have the evidence, we do have someone trying to kill Angie. If the wedding is canceled, then whoever is trying to kill her might give up. Someone doesn’t want her marrying Damien.”

“So what? They should cancel everything they’ve planned for the last two years and give in to the threats?”

“Yes, if it keeps her alive.”

I sighed. He had a point, but Angie would be devastated.

“We need to find the killer,” I said. Ewan started to speak, and I held up a hand.

“Just don’t. We are stuck here, and we might as well go through with the wedding. If we don’t keep these people busy with preparations and the parties planned, the whole place will go mad. Think about it. If they cancel, then everyone is just sitting around wondering who the killer, or killers might be.”

“Aye, you make a fair point.”

“We’ll have to be extra careful and keep an eye on the bride and groom. We’ll make sure they’re never alone, and we’ll double-check their food and drink.”

“Does anyone else think it’s suspicious that only Angie seems to be the target? My first instinct is that it’s someone in Damien’s family,” Abigail said.

She didn’t talk as much as the rest of us, but when she did, the point was well made.

Ewan shook his head. “They are a well-respected family, and I can’t see them resorting to murder.”

“I heard the father threatened to blackmail his son,” I said. “I wouldn’t be so sure about that.”

“From whom?”

“Caleb.”

Ewan grunted. “He only looks out for himself. Probably just trying to lay blame so he can get away with one of his schemes.”

“Why would he do that?” Mara asked.

“Believe it or not, he’s a bit too much like his father, if you ask me.” Ewan crossed his arms. “I wouldn’t put it past him to commit murder if it suited his purpose.”

I told them about what Caleb had said.

“The key to the kingdom is a big deal,” I said. “And Damien basically told him that he didn’t care. It might have pushed his father to murder—or at the very least, to hire someone to do it.”

Ewan crossed his arms. “Aye. We’ll take another look at the family.”

I shrugged. “Just leave Angie and Damien alone for now, okay? Don’t upset them with talk of canceling. She is stressed enough, and has had enough trauma in the last twenty-four hours for a lifetime. And she needs to rest.”

“What about someone else in their family?” Mara asked. “That side all looks like serial killers to me, with their beady eyes.”

“Mara,” I chastised.

“She’s not wrong,” Abigail said. “That one uncle of Damien’s who squints all the time gives me the creepers.”

We all laughed.

“I don’t know much about the rest of them. I’ve been trying to get information through our radios, but the storm has knocked out everything,” Ewan said. “I’ve no communication with our station anymore.”

Great. We were on our own.

“Except for Damien’s father and mother, everyone else seems to love the bridal couple,” Mara added. “At least, publicly.”

“Don’t forget Tiffany and Marianne,” I reminded them.

They nodded.

“Mara told me about them,” Abigail said. “They’ve already made enemies of the household staff with their demands.”

That didn’t surprise me.

“Did your men find anything suspicious in the bridesmaids’ rooms?”

Ewan shook his head.

“We need the internet so we can at least look up these people on social media to find out more about them,” I said.

“Not going to happen anytime soon,” Ewan said. “Although, if we can get through on the radio, I’ll have one of my men take a gander. Just give me a list of your suspects.”

Something niggled at my brain. “Have we talked to all the bridesmaids and groomsmen? When we were questioning people, many of them were still passed out from the party.”

“What are you thinking?” Abigail asked.

“Motive and opportunity, right? The person who put the antifreeze in the water had to be at the hen party to make certain Angie drank from that bottle. A woman, right? Mara, I wish you could remember something from last night.”

“Everything is fuzzy.” She frowned. “I’m sorry I’m no help. I feel awful about it.”

“Why don’t you go through the events step by step,” Ewan offered. “Elizabeth made hot chocolate. I’ll get us some.”

“Do you need help?” Abigail asked.

“I’ve got it,” he said.

I didn’t want to tell him we’d just had some with Angie. And I didn’t see how the questions coming from him would make a bit of difference. But he was at least willing to discuss possibilities, which was a far cry from the last time we’d investigated a crime.

Five minutes later, we had cups of cocoa with homemade marshmallows. I had no idea marshmallows could taste so good. Ewan knew us all a bit too well, as he laid a plate of iced sugar cookies in the shapes of bats, jack-o’-lanterns, and ghosts on the table.

I grabbed a bat cookie.

“Mara, don’t try too hard to search for answers,” Ewan said. “Tell us what happened before the dinner last night. You were in the kitchen. Did you see anyone who might have been near where the drinks were stored?”

“Just the staff,” she said. “Your housekeeper, Elizabeth, had everything under control. People buzzed around like bees making honey. I checked on Jasper a few times and asked if he needed help.” She smiled. “He told me to get lost, though perhaps not as sweetly as that.”

We all chuckled. Jasper was obsessive about his work.

“Everyone was new to me in the kitchen, so I couldn’t tell you if there were strangers. But I don’t remember seeing anyone near the fridges where they stored the waters and drinks. And certainly no one like the picture you showed us of the victim.”

“Are you sure?” I showed her the picture of Robbie again. “Do you remember seeing him? Maybe somewhere else in or around the house?”

She pursed her lips. “I don’t think so, but there were a lot of people coming and going.”

“What about the dinner? Did you overhear any conversations?” Ewan asked.

“I heard pieces of a lot of different conversations. Remember, several family members were loud. It was your typical Scottish dinner.”

I had been surprised by how casually everyone viewed the arguments between family members.

“One of the groomsmen—is his name Byron? Or Ryan? They all have the same sort of names. It’s so confusing. Anyway, he kept trying to corner Damien at the cocktail party, but Angie kept pulling the groom away.”

“Interesting,” I said.

“Why is that?” Ewan picked up a cookie.

“On my way out to the garden, I saw Damien and Byron, if it’s the same guy, arguing in the hall. I was lost, so I can’t tell you where I was in the house, but they’d been talking about someone who owed money or something. Damien promised he’d take care of it.”

“I’ll follow up on that,” Ewan said.

“Oh. Mr. and Mrs. Carthage had one of those whispering arguments that people do during cocktails,” Mara added. “If evil eyes could kill, Mr. Carthage would be dead. She was angry at him. Probably for the way he’s been treating Angie.”

“Did you hear anything they said?”

“They were closer to Abigail on that side of the table. After working in the pub, though, you pick up on body language quick. There were some harsh words that passed between them.”

“Abigail?” Ewan asked.

“I was so worried about Tommy being in a new place, I didn’t pay attention to those around me. Angie’s Uncle Clyde was right next to me. He told stories about his farm. He’s hard of hearing and spoke loudly.”

“When you were at the hen party, was there any particular moment that stands out?” Ewan asked.

“Everyone was a bit topped off after dinner,” Mara said. “As you know, there were a lot of wines served. Wait!” She snapped her fingers. “The bridesmaids, Tiffany, and Marianne—the ones Em talked to—were having a fight.

“Before the hen, I went to our room to change into my party shoes. By the way, does anyone know what happened to my shoes last night?”

I smiled. “I put them in the closet for you. You were saying?”

“Thanks,” she said. “Tiffany and Marianne were arguing before the hen. Something about a special gift.”

Finally, some new information.

“Did they say anything else?”

“Not that I can remember. When they saw me, they stopped and went into a different room.”

“That’s suspicious,” Abigail said.

I nodded.

“They were also there for most of the party,” Mara said. “At least, as far as my memory goes. They got their nails done with Angie, so they both have the same polish.”

He glanced at his notebook again. “They said they left the party together.”

“They are each other’s alibi,” I added. “That screams suspect to me.”

“You aren’t wrong,” he said. “From the information you’ve gathered, they are the two people Robbie was in contact with the most.”

“I know you’ve thoroughly vetted your staff, Ewan, but money talks. My bet is still on Mr. Carthage. A man who blackmails his son might be capable of anything. We can’t rule out that he might have paid someone, maybe even one of the women in Damien’s family, to feed Angie that bottle. Or even one of your staff. They could have paid someone to get hired here.”

Everyone was silent as we stared at Ewan.

“Point well made.”

“Abigail, how about you?” I asked. “Did you see anyone suspicious?”

She shrugged. “Until Ewan came and got me last night. I stayed with Tommy except for the cocktails, dinner, and only an hour of the hen. I didn’t see anyone suspicious.”

“Oh, wait,” I said. “Jasper put Robbie near the garage, and he carried a container with blue liquid.” I read from my notebook.

“What?” Ewan’s voice deepened. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Don’t be upset. I talked to him before the dinner tonight. I showed him Robbie’s picture, and he remembered seeing him near the garages or carriage house.”

“Okay, but we can’t be certain it was antifreeze he carried,” Ewan said. “We build the case on facts.”

We all stared at him.

“I’d say that his carrying the same thing that poisoned him is a pretty good fact.” I stuffed the rest of the bat cookie in my mouth to keep from saying what I really thought.

“Except we searched the property and didn’t find any antifreeze missing,” Ewan said. “My staff keeps track of every item that goes in and out of this house. Angus, who keeps care of the garage, measures everything, and he doesn’t make mistakes. All the antifreeze was accounted for.”

I huffed. “Really? He measures how much antifreeze is used in the garage?”

“Yes, every ounce.” Ewan set his cup down. “He runs this property and is responsible for the budget. Ask anyone. He’s a tough one on knowing exactly what comes in and goes out. He accounts for every penny.”

“But what if that part of the story is premeditated?” I asked.

“What do you mean?” Ewan frowned.

“I’m not sure. I have so many ideas rolling around in my head. The killer would have to know how much to use. It’s a very messy way to murder someone, and it might not have even worked. Like with Angie and Mara, who only had trace amounts.

“If he brought the antifreeze with him, then your staff wouldn’t know if it was missing.”

“Right,” Ewan said, “but we would have found the containers somewhere, and there is no evidence of that or the water bottle. And why would he poison himself if he brought it to the premises? There’s no logic there.”

He wasn’t wrong. I had the urge to beat my forehead on the table, I was so frustrated.

I didn’t.

“We need to know more about Robbie, and I feel like—and this is coming from the circumstances of the poisoning, and the attack on Angie—that we may have another man and a woman behind this. As in we may have two or three killers in play.”

“My vote is Damien’s dad,” Mara said. “You might be right about him hiring someone to off poor Angie.”

“I don’t disagree, but Ewan is right. Murder? Would he risk his reputation like that?”

“Caleb might,” Mara said. Then she made a funny face. “You’ve heard some of the stories Angie shared. He seems intent on destroying the family name. What better way than to kill the bride and her ex? Maybe make it look like a murder-suicide.”

“Have you been rewatching Vera with the doctor again?” Ewan asked.

“Yes,” Mara and Abigail said at the same time.

He shook his head but grinned.

“It’s our thing,” I said. “And those shows are helpful.” Angie was another one who would hang out with us on Saturday nights when she was in town. We’d binge five or six episodes of our favorite mysteries, eat snacks, drink wine or cocktails, and talk about everything.

I’ve had great friends in my life, but never ones I connected with so quickly. I’d never had a squad, which is what Mara called our group of friends—that or the Scooby-Doo gang.

We were there for one another, no matter what was going on. As someone who had only moved to Scotland three months ago, I thanked the universe daily for these friends.

“Okay,” Ewan said. “We keep an eye on Damien’s family, the bridesmaids, and … anyone else?”

“How about your staff?” I asked. “I mean, could there be an inside person? I’m sure everyone who works for you on a regular basis has been thoroughly vetted, but maybe you had to hire extras to handle so many guests?”

He frowned. “It’s a possibility, but as you know, murder is personal.”

“He could have hired an assassin,” Abigail said.

Once again, there was a long pause.

“Right, but antifreeze is an odd choice for poison, even for an assassin. I said it earlier. The person pulling the strings knew how easy it was to kill with antifreeze. That it tasted sweet and probably the victims wouldn’t notice.

“Maybe we need to focus on the first death. There were no external wounds or outward or inward signs of violence. The real question is, did he drink the poison on purpose, or did someone give it to him?

“I’m thinking murder because I feel certain—and no, Ewan, I don’t have proof—he was here to disrupt the wedding. But something happened once they arrived. He could have changed his mind, or the killer decided to go in a different direction,” I reasoned.

“The obvious person to kill Robbie would be Damien,” Abigail said. “He’s a nice guy, but he loves Angie so much. I mean, we should all be so lucky to find someone who cares about us that much. But if the ex was here to make trouble …”

“Or Angie’s family,” Mara added. “I wouldn’t put anything past those stepmothers and her mom. They are kind of wild. I could see any one of them killing someone to protect her.”

She had a point. That had been reiterated tonight by her mother and the second stepmother.

I flipped through my notebook. “Right, and the bridesmaids. Like I said earlier, Angie’s friend Tiffany dated the victim. She says Angie stole him from her. And Marianne is the cousin of the victim. I can’t imagine she’d want him dead, but that doesn’t mean she didn’t bring him to the premises.

“They had motives for revenge.”

“Go, Vera.” It was comical the way Abigail and Mara said it at the same time, with fist pumps.

“I talked to them tonight. Marianne mentioned her cousin had been through rehab in America. He had a good job. She thought he’d moved on. She did mention he was dating someone, but she didn’t know who.”

“Maybe it was Tiffany,” Mara said. “They might have been working together to get back at Angie. You’re right. That’s a lot of motive.”

Ewan grunted. “I’d hoped we’d narrow the list of suspects, not add more.”

“So, we divide and conquer,” I said. “We’ve talked to several of the guests, but I say we go about this in a more organized way to follow up with some of these suspects.”

“That’s what we’ve been doing,” Ewan said under his breath.

“I believe she means in a non-constable sort of way. She found out so many details at the mixer just by talking to Tiffany and Marianne. Casually chat them up, but don’t give anything away, right?” Mara asked.

“Yes,” I said. “People put walls up with the police, but we’re just friends of the bride and groom who are curious about the families, and the people who are here.”

“It’s dangerous,” Ewan said. “If Em is right, we are dealing with killers. You might slip and say something wrong.”

Abigail snorted. “It isn’t like we haven’t done this sort of thing before.”

“Aye,” Ewan said. “But if you accidentally let the killers know we’re on to them, Angie may not be the only one who is in danger.”

“Is it sad that I find it exciting, except for the part where they hurt our friend, that we have a new murder to solve,” Mara said.

“This is no joke,” Ewan’s hands fisted. “You must be careful. I have a few of my men here and they will help, but until the storm lifts, we are on our own.”

I smiled.

“What?” he asked.

“You aren’t telling us to butt out. It’s nice.”

“Would it do any good if I asked you to let me handle it?”

My friends snorted.

“Exactly.” Ewan smirked.

“I need to get back to Tommy,” Abigail said.

“How is he doing?” I asked. I hadn’t seen him since we arrived.

“He’s in heaven. Ewan’s gardeners have taken him under their wings. Angels, they are,” she said. “They’ve been working in the covered garden. I’ll never get him away from this place.”

“He knows more about flowers than the four of them put together,” Ewan added. “Trust me, it goes both ways. I’ve already seen them repotting a few of the new roses in the conservatory per Tommy’s instructions.”

I laughed. Mara’s younger brother was the reason my garden was so beautiful. Even in the cooler weather, we had blooms. We never lacked for fresh flowers in my office or my house.

Ewan had most likely made sure Tommy was happy and occupied. The way he cared for the people in Sea Isle, was one of the things I admired most about him—even though he annoyed me often.

“I’m heading down to the dungeon to test this for fingerprints.” I pulled the plastic bag with the mallet out of my bag.

“Give it to me,” Abigail said. “After I check on Tommy, I’ll use the kit. I’m too awake to be good for anything else.”

“Are you sure?”

“Aye,” she said.

I handed her the bag. “Thank you. I could use some rest.”

After grabbing a couple of cookies to take with us, Mara and I headed back to our room. I kept my eyes open for anyone in the halls, but guests seemed to be tucked in for the night.

“Is it just me, or is this beautiful place creepy at night?” Mara asked.

“I feel the same way.”

We shivered.

A loud creak sounded down the hall, and we stopped. The lights flickered. We looked at each other and then took off in a walk jog, our arms crooked together.

I opened the door to our room, and we rushed inside.

“Ahh!” Mara screamed.