Festival Turmoil (Sweetfern Harbor Mystery Book 7) Read online

  Marilyn stared at him, thinking his words didn't make complete sense. "Someone like you? What does that mean, exactly? It's funny, but I realize I don't know very much about your past, dear. Where were you born, for instance?"

  "I was born in New Mexico, but I told you my father was in the service and we constantly moved around. There's nothing else of note to tell you." He paced a few steps and turned to her. "I need a good brisk walk in the cold air."

  "It's time for bed. What in the world moves you to go out in the cold night? Let's go down to the sitting room and drink something hot in front of the fireplace instead."

  Richard waved his hand impatiently. "I don't need a hot beverage. I need fresh air." He needed a stiff drink, too, but after years of resisting that old habit, he dismissed the thought.

  He took his winter jacket off the coat tree in the corner of the room. Marilyn looked at him. Maybe her sister had been right in advising her not to marry him, stating there was something not right about the man.

  Richard headed past the sitting room. Voices floated from the room as he went out the front door. He stood on the top step of the porch and breathed deeply. There was a lot to think about. He walked to the seawall and back several times and then decided his wife must be asleep by now. By the time Richard returned inside, the sitting room was empty. He glanced at his watch, which read eleven-thirty. He was finally relaxed enough to sleep well and soon his head hit the pillow in a deep sleep.

  After an evening of conversation, Brenda had finally coaxed Jenny to go bed. Despite her protests, the young woman had fallen asleep before Brenda could even finish putting away their tea mugs in the kitchen. She pulled the blankets up to cover Jenny and went into her bedroom to get ready for bed. Mac and Bryce were still out and she didn't expect to see either until morning. Brenda was glad that they could concentrate on the crimes knowing Jenny was safe with her. She was pleased for sleep after a day of tending to Jenny, and fell quickly into dreamland when she lay down.

  The next morning, Brenda awoke and realized Mac was not there. She felt his side of the bed. It was cool and the sheets were not even disturbed. She sat up and sorted her thoughts. She was sure she would have known if he had come in late. She was sensitive to movements and noises, even of the slightest nature. Brenda decided to shower and dress. To not disturb Jenny, she would have her first cup of coffee downstairs. When she came into her living room, she was surprised to see the couch had been made up and folded back into place. Jenny had left a note on the coffee table.

  Brenda - I'm going to my shop. I feel much better today, much stronger. I need to meet with the officer at my shop to determine for certain if anything is missing. I promise I will be back around mid-morning, right after I pick up a change of clothing from home. -Jenny.

  Brenda felt panic after reading the message. She wanted Jenny right there with her like she had promised Bryce and Mac. She wasn't sure whether to call Mac and alert him, or trust Jenny's instincts. However, Jenny was a grown woman after all, and a business owner with pressing matters to deal with. She decided Jenny would be fine for now.

  Allie came in the door just as Brenda got to the bottom step. The young woman's face was flushed from the cold. She smiled brightly. Brenda groaned inwardly and for the hundredth time wondered how anyone could be so cheerful so early in the morning.

  "I brought donuts from Sweet Treats to get you started this morning, Brenda." Allie set the box on the counter and unlocked the office door. "Today will be a great day since Phyllis and William are coming home."

  That did perk Brenda up. She missed Phyllis. They always had early morning coffee together and talked about the day ahead. Together they could slowly wake up in peace.

  "I will be so happy to see them safely back home," Brenda said. "Let me know the minute they get here. I'm going to the dining room to have a little breakfast if you need me."

  Two guests were ahead of her at the buffet. They had been the first ones downstairs each of the three mornings since they booked into the bed and breakfast. The woman told Brenda their plans for the day. It seemed they were ready to do more exploring. After she finished her meal, Brenda went into the kitchen.

  Chef Morgan was sipping coffee. "Have you seen Mac this morning?" Brenda asked her.

  "The last time I saw him he was going up the back steps an hour or so before I left last night. He must have left pretty early this morning, if you haven't seen him."

  Brenda looked at her chef and asked what time she saw him. Morgan said she had stayed later than usual to prepare some food ahead for the crowd expected after the Winter Festival. A deep foreboding swept through Brenda. She had been up last night with Jenny, and Mac had not come into the apartment. She thought he must have come home to the bed and breakfast but then been called out again before he made it upstairs. Even that notion didn't sit well with her since she knew he would generally check on Jenny and her before leaving again.

  Brenda went into the small alcove off the main hallway and closed the door. She called Mac. There was no answer except for his voicemail. She then dialed Bryce.

  "Is Mac with you, Bryce?"

  "No. I haven't seen Mac since last night, when he headed home. Didn't you see him this morning?"

  "I didn't…" Brenda swallowed. She felt a cold feeling in the pit of her stomach.

  Bryce picked up the panic in Brenda's voice and told her he would be right there. Bryce tried to calm down so he could think clearly by the time he got to the bed and breakfast.

  "Brenda, keep calm. For Jenny's sake and for yours, no one should expect the worse before the facts are sorted out." Brenda thanked Bryce for the reassurance as they ended the call and she sat down to wait for him, tense and silently clutching her phone for reassurance.

  Chapter Four

  Victims

  By the time Bryce arrived at the bed and breakfast, Brenda had called Chief Ingram and apprised him of the situation. Bob Ingram had known Mac Rivers most of his life. It was highly unlike his detective to not check in with his boss or with his own wife. The fact that Mac’s own daughter’s shop had been broken into only increased the questions in his mind. The Chief called the two officers at Blossoms and when told Mac had not been there, he became more worried. He radioed Bryce and told him he would meet him at the bed and breakfast in five minutes.

  Brenda met Bryce in the foyer and they went upstairs to her apartment for privacy. “Where’s Jenny?” Bryce asked, looking around.

  Brenda showed him the note. Bryce’s eyes darted around the room again as if to make sure Jenny wasn’t sitting there as he expected. He quickly called one of the officers at Blossoms and told him that when Jenny arrived to tell her to stay there until he came for her. The officer told him he had been there for several hours and hadn’t seen her.

  “Perhaps she went somewhere else,” Bryce mused.

  “The note did say she needed a change of clothing. Maybe she went home first? Maybe she’s still there…” Brenda realized both her husband and step-daughter were possibly missing. There was no logical reasoning to any of it at the moment. “Send someone to Jenny’s house.” Bryce nodded and radioed to the dispatch officer at the station, and a police officer was sent to the Rivers home.

  Brenda paced in a tight circle, but knew answers would not come immediately. “In the meantime, let’s look for any more signs of Mac. My chef Morgan said that Mac came in and went up the back stairs around eight last night. Jenny and I didn’t see him at all, which means he may never have made it all the way up to the apartment.”

  At that moment, Chief Bob Ingram came into the room. Brenda told him about Jenny and Mac. The Chief told Bryce to search the back stairwell and anywhere in that area. “Be careful and don’t disturb anything we might need as evidence later.” Then he saw how white Brenda’s face had turned. “Don’t worry, Brenda, he may have gotten a call and gone back out before he had time to make it all the way up. Your chef could have had her back turned and not noticed he went back out.”
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br />   Brenda nodded. She followed Bryce and the Chief down the back hallway to the stairs. Bryce held up his hand for them to stop and be silent. Soft moaning came from somewhere nearby. The Chief turned back to Brenda and told her to wait where she was. Brenda’s stomach was in knots and she stood frozen in the hallway, listening.

  The officers proceeded down the hallway, which appeared empty, until another moaning sound filtered out from behind a closet door. Bryce yanked it open to find Detective Mac Rivers crumpled on the floor. The fresh, livid welt on the side of his head caused Bryce to immediately dial for emergency services. He told the dispatcher to come to the back of Sheffield Bed and Breakfast. He then turned to Chief Ingram.

  “I have to go find Jenny. She may be in danger.”

  Brenda shoved the officers aside and gasped when she saw Mac in a heap on the floor of the supply closet. She quickly knelt down beside him and called his name several times. His eyes fluttered and he attempted a reassuring smile. As soon as the brief exchange ended, his eyes closed again and he fell into unconsciousness.

  “Mac, Mac,” Brenda called to him. “Please wake up, Mac.” Chief Ingram gently touched her shoulder. Her tear-filled eyes threatened to overflow.

  “Brenda, leave him where he is until the paramedics get here. He will be fine once he wakes up completely. That knot on his head will be painful and he’ll have to deal with that. He will be fine,” the Chief repeated. He hoped he told the truth. Sirens could be heard as the ambulance crew arrived and trooped in through the rear entrance.

  Both stood up and let the medics take over. Brenda sprinted back to the apartment to grab her coat and then followed the paramedics down the back stairs to the ambulance. Chief Ingram called another officer to escort the ambulance and told him to take Brenda with him to the hospital.

  “Brenda, I’ll be at the hospital as soon as we’re finished here. We have a crime scene to process and when one of my officers has been assaulted, I will leave no stone unturned. I will personally oversee the crime scene processing,” Bob Ingram told Brenda, his mouth set in a firm line.

  Brenda nodded, still a little numb with shock. She realized that most guests had no idea that anything was amiss. Some had already left for the day or were eating a late breakfast. Allie Williams ventured upstairs just then and the Chief told her to keep mum until further notice. Her stricken eyes met Brenda’s and she hugged her boss tightly before letting her go. No words were exchanged. There were no appropriate ones that could be voiced.

  In the squad car, Officer Patrick Simpson attempted a conversation that hopefully would distract his boss’s wife. He pointed out the beauty of the snow and when they passed the park he commented how beautiful the winter decorations looked. Brenda returned a faint smile and found she wanted to face what was going on rather than discuss meaningless topics.

  “I hope his condition isn’t too bad,” she said. She had to start somewhere, she thought.

  “I’m sure he will be fine. I saw his eyes flutter open and shut. He’ll come to completely and be back to his old self before you know it.”

  “That’s what I’m hoping. Is there any word on where his daughter is yet?” Brenda almost chided herself for forgetting that officers had been sent to look for Jenny at her house.

  “I know everyone is looking for her. I’m sure she is fine, too. I understand she was on her way to her shop. It’s a shame when I think about what’s going on in this peaceful little town. Everyone is looking forward to the Winter Festival but they’re worried, too. Something’s going on but don’t you worry, I’m sure we will solve it soon.”

  Brenda was relieved when they arrived at the hospital. All protocol was set aside when they learned an officer of the law had been assaulted, and Mac was taken to a private room right away. When Brenda came to the doorway, several doctors were examining Mac. She knew he was going to be all right when he protested having to be in bed.

  “I’m fine. Just let me out of here so I can get back to work.”

  Dr. Young’s voice was more reassuring to Brenda than to Mac. “You’ll be back at work once we know you aren’t going to collapse on us again.”

  Chief Ingram came up behind her. “That sounds like he’s going to be fine for sure. You can come in with me, Brenda, while I ask Mac questions. I hope he knows who did this to him. I believe whoever attacked Mac has a lot to do with the petty crime wave around town.”

  As it turned out, no doctor was going to allow Detective Mac Rivers to leave the hospital before the next day, and then only after a thorough examination. His concussion was serious and they were concerned that a blood clot could have caused him to pass out, so they were planning to scan him thoroughly.

  Brenda held Mac’s hand while the Chief questioned him about his attacker. Mac forced himself to numb the feelings of pain and finally shook his head slightly.

  “I didn’t see who it was. I just know that one blow like that had to come from someone strong and either my height or perhaps taller.”

  “Did you pick up any notable odors, like cigarette smells, or perhaps an after-shave, anything like that at all?”

  “I remember coming up the steps and I was almost to the small landing where the stairs turn before continuing up. Just as I stepped around the corner to the next set of steps, I felt the blow to my head. Whoever it was either followed me up quietly or came from that narrow closet at the landing from behind me. I take it he dragged me on up and threw me in that closet.” Brenda squeezed his hand tighter. “Don’t worry about me Brenda. I’ll be fine. Obviously, whoever it was meant to scare me. If he’d wanted to kill me, he had the privacy and time to do so.” Brenda shuddered.

  The Chief had already gotten the report from one of his officers who interrogated the chef Morgan. She had not seen anyone come in the back entrance except for Mac, who she thought had gone upstairs. She had seen no one come back down and leave by the back door either. She explained she had been in the dining room part of the time after she saw Mac, who had waved to her before going in. Back in the kitchen, she worked at the table near the pantry with her back to the entry. She heard nothing at all.

  Brenda spent the entire day with Mac while he endured a battery of tests and bloodwork. He finally insisted she leave long enough to get something to eat in the cafeteria. She realized then that she had not seen Bryce since he left to help look for Jenny. Brenda agreed to get something to eat, not wanting to tell Mac about Jenny just yet.

  She told the officer stationed at the door of Mac’s room that she was leaving for a few minutes. At the elevator, Bryce stepped off just as she was ready to step on. His face was drained and his eyes held fear and worry.

  “What’s wrong, Bryce?”

  “We can’t find Jenny anywhere. Is Chief Ingram still here?”

  “He left for a half hour and will be back. What did you find out, Bryce? You look white as a ghost.”

  He held out a clear plastic evidence bag with a note inside. “An officer found this in the closet where Mac was left.” He held it while Brenda read it. “This is a warning,” she read out loud, “to remind you that you caused hell to rain on me when you made sure I went to prison.” Brenda didn’t speak. Bryce put his arm around her shoulder.

  “I know Mac wants out of here but the doctors say no to that. You have to convince him we’re doing everything we can,” Bryce said. “We’ve assigned two officers who have worked on cases with Mac to investigate who may be out to get him. It has to be someone recently freed.” He wrung his hands. “I have to find Jenny.”

  Brenda’s heart beat faster. She could only nod her head. All appetite left her and she went back to the room with Bryce, who thought he should make an appearance before returning to look for his fiancé again. Just then, Chief Ingram came down the hall and Bryce turned to give him the news and hand over the note after he reinserted it into the evidence bag. Together they paused before going into the room and mutually agreed not to tell Mac they still hadn’t found his daughter. Brenda knew he would
soon wonder why Jenny hadn’t come to see him. Brenda had attempted calls to her with no results.

  Brenda left Mac’s room when more officers arrived. She said she wanted to go home and get her own car plus extra clothes so she could spend the night at the hospital with Mac. Everyone knew her well enough to not protest her plans. Officer Simpson again accompanied her home. As they drove away, Brenda glanced at her watch. It was four in the afternoon and no one had located Jenny Rivers yet. She knew before night fell she would have to tell her husband his daughter was missing.

  Brenda barely heard the attempts at conversation from Officer Simpson as he drove through the streets of Sweetfern Harbor. Something nagged at her about her guests. If the assailant had gotten inside the bed and breakfast, then it was very likely a guest or staff member who did this to Mac. She dismissed her staff. Everyone had been checked thoroughly before she hired them. The references included criminal background checks. None had any encounters with the law except traffic tickets or a similar minor infraction. Besides, she could not think of anyone on her staff who would be tall or powerful enough to manage such a blow to Mac’s skull.

  She asked Patrick to let her out at the rear entrance of the bed and breakfast and thanked him. “We’ll find whoever is responsible, Brenda,” he said.

  She nodded. “I know you will, but the sooner the better. We must find Jenny above all.” His heart was heavy when she spoke the words. Officer Simpson nodded, well aware of the priority.

  Brenda entered the back hallway. As she passed the entrance to the back stairwell, she averted her eyes rather than glimpse the crime scene tape. She opted to continue down the hall and use the front stairs. The reminder of what had happened to Mac was something she wasn’t ready to face yet. From the sitting room, she heard Rachel Wellington’s voice. From the deeper-toned response, she knew Thomas was with her. She decided it was most important to continue business as usual for her guests, so she ducked her head in and greeted them. Both looked surprised to see her but quickly regained their composure. In answer to her question, they told her they didn’t need anything. Brenda turned and left them.