The slamming of the door echoed on the wind, and he heard her throw the dead bolt. That hadn’t gone well. He’d better leave before Alex arrived.
Chapter 15
The sidewalks of Lavender Tides had only a few window-shoppers strolling along Main Street. Small Victorian storefronts painted in happy colors lined both sides of the street and marched down the hill toward the seashore. The line at the Crabby Pot food truck parked by the pier stretched out twelve feet. The scent of their Dungeness crab cakes made her mouth water.
Shauna waited to cross the street after three cars bearing kayaks on their roofs passed, then waved at a client as she ducked into the sheriff’s office, located in a building built in 1895. The receptionist directed her back to his office, a musty-smelling room with greenish-gray paint that would have fit right in with its original color. The old wooden bookshelves were battered as well and held a picture of the sheriff and his deputies receiving some awards.
Sheriff Burchell rose from behind his desk. He was out of uniform and wore jeans under a long-sleeved red shirt that highlighted his dark good looks. “Thanks for coming down.”
She caught a glimpse of a picture of his wife. “Not a problem. I’d just quit work for the day.” She sat down on the chair opposite him. “Something new about the attack last night?”
“No, but I have some information about the necklace.” He settled some readers on his nose and picked up a paper on his desk. “It seems to be one of a kind and was made by—”
“Dorothy Edenshaw. You already told me, and Pop confirmed it. He didn’t seem to know if she’s still alive. Did you find her?”
Everett nodded and leaned back in his chair. “She’s very much alive and still designing jewelry. She works exclusively out of a shop in Vancouver.”
“According to Pop, she only created one-of-a-kind necklaces, so the one you have has to belong to Mom.”
“I tried to call Ms. Edenshaw, but she didn’t pick up and hasn’t returned my message. I’m trying to find the funds for a trip to Vancouver to speak with her personally.”
She leaned forward. “I’m flying a client to Vancouver tomorrow. There’s room for you or a deputy if you want to tag along.”
He lifted a thick brow. “For free? What’s the catch?”
She caught and held his gaze. “I get to go with you.”
A smile tugged at his lips. “You’ll need to keep quiet and let me do the talking.”
“Okay.” Unless he didn’t ask the questions she had. She’d plumbed her memories and thought she might remember Dorothy a bit. She had been tall and willowy with a booming voice. At least in Shauna’s memory. She’d find out tomorrow.
He picked up a pencil and flipped it through his fingers but remained silent for a long minute. She could see from his knitted brows he had something more to say. “What is it?”
“It’s kind of personal, so maybe it’s not the time to mention it.”
“You can tell me. I don’t plan on keeping any secrets from you. I want to find the killer.”
A blush washed up his neck. “It’s not that. It’s Felicia. She was elated that you stayed to visit with her. The reception in town has been less than kind. People look at her and then at me and wonder why she married me.”
“I’m sure that’s not true.” A feeble response, but Shauna hated to see his hurt expression. She’d heard enough of the scuttlebutt around town to know that was exactly what people wondered. “I really liked her.”
“She liked you, and she could use some friends and a little championing. Would you consider asking her to meet you for lunch sometime? You’re well respected in town, and if others could see you’d accepted her, maybe it would smooth the way for her.”
“I’d be glad to. I could use a friend right now.”
His lips curved and he straightened. “Thanks, Shauna. I appreciate it.”
“My pleasure. But about last night—did you find any other evidence on Zach’s property today?”
“Footprints.” Everett frowned. “It appeared the intruder was lying in wait behind some rocks on the beach. There were knee prints, and then his footprints went back to the steps. He appeared to be running after Zach when he fired at him.”
She gripped the arms of the chairs at the horrific mental image. “He was planning an ambush? So if Zach had continued following him, he likely would have been killed.”
“Maybe.”
There was something in his voice she couldn’t quite follow. Was he hiding something from her? “Who is doing this? I don’t understand what he wants.”
“I don’t have a clue, not yet anyway.”
Not what she wanted to hear. “And Clarence’s death? Lucy’s? Surely there is some news.”
A lock of black hair fell over his forehead when he shook his head. “I do want to talk to you about Lucy’s death. Bannister discovered her, and he has no good alibi.”
“You can’t seriously suspect him. Someone tried to kill him last night!”
“It appears that way, but appearances can be manipulated. I don’t want to leave any stone unturned in my investigation. How well did he know Lucy?”
She didn’t like the suspicion in his eyes. “Very well. We all did. She and Clarence, along with Zach, were often at our home when Jack was alive. We’ve been friends for years.”
“The killer is usually someone known to the victim. And he was one of the first firemen at Clarence’s house too.”
She leaped to her feet with clenched fists. “Sheriff, you’re completely wrong! Zach would never hurt either of them. He wouldn’t hurt anyone.”
One of his brows arched. “You blame him for your husband’s death.”
She barely managed not to roll her eyes. It wasn’t the same thing, not by a long shot. “Well, yes, but only for urging Jack to climb fast. He didn’t deliberately kill him. It was an accident.”
“That’s not what you’ve been saying for a year.”
Maybe she had been overzealous about her hatred, but being around Zach again had started to show her that maybe, just maybe, she’d been wrong. “If you waste time looking at him as a suspect, you won’t find the real killer.”
“We’ll see. I don’t plan to turn a blind eye in any direction. And you’re staying at his house. Be very careful, Shauna. And keep your ears open. You might pick up on something he says.”
“I’m not going to spy on him! He didn’t have anything to do with this.”
“I’ve had two murders in two days, and those are the first ones in my town in over a year. We haven’t had one since Darla died.”
She’d started for the door, but she swung around at his comment. “Wait a minute. She died of a drug overdose, didn’t she?”
He made a face. “My bad. I didn’t mean for that to slip out. The injection that killed her wasn’t self-inflicted. The injection site was on her back in a place she couldn’t have reached.”
“Clarence never told me. Are you sure? Did he know?”
His lip curled. “I’m not incompetent, Shauna. Of course he knew. He and Lucy both knew.”
Her knees felt so shaky she grabbed the back of the chair for support. “Why would he keep something like that from me? And there was never a word in the papers.”
“We managed to keep it quiet. I wanted to investigate in peace.”
“So who killed Darla?”
“I assume her drug pusher. Maybe she owed him money. There was very little evidence, and I never found out for sure.”
“She’d been clean for two years.” This was all more than she could wrap her head around. Maybe Zach would offer some perspective.
Shauna was quiet after she brought Alex home, but the boy made up for it with constant questions to Zach about clocks. At school he’d started to learn about time, and he was full of queries about how it all worked. Zach kept shooting glances at Shauna over dinner. Had Marilyn mentioned his visit? If so, he was probably going to hear an earful once Alex was in bed.
“Mommy,
can I watch Sesame Street?”
“For a little while. It’s bath night, and we need to wash your hair.”
Alex made a face, then raced for the TV remote. Zach had recorded dozens of children’s shows for him on the DVR, and Alex was making his way through them.
Shauna loaded the dirty dishes in the dishwasher. “Thanks for dinner, Zach. I had no idea you were such a good cook. The extent of your culinary skills used to be springing for pizza.”
He carried his soiled tableware to the sink and rinsed them. “After Jack died, I didn’t want to go out much. That meant I had to learn to cook, and I found I enjoyed it.”
Tonight he’d fixed Cajun chicken Alfredo, and his mouth still tingled from the hot spices.
Her green eyes sparkled like emeralds when she smiled. “And Cajun seasoning. I was impressed. Just the right amount too. I might have to revise my opinion about your tenderfoot mouth. You usually don’t even use pepper.”
“I know how much you love spicy food, so I found the recipe today online.”
She ladled the leftovers into a glass dish and put it in the fridge. “Well, I think I need that recipe.”
“Sure.” He eyed the side of her face and admired the curve of her cheeks and her determined little chin. Being around her was starting to really get to him. “Did Marilyn speak to you today?”
She swung toward him with bright eyes. “She did! She even offered me cookies and tea, which is why I was a little late.”
“She apologized?”
“She didn’t unbend that far, but she acted like nothing had ever happened between us. At least she wasn’t still shouting for me to get away from you. That’s progress.” She turned toward the stove. “I think I want hot chocolate. Join me?”
“Sure.” What would she think if he told her he’d talked to Marilyn? It was hard to tell if his attempt was the reason for Marilyn’s sudden warm-up, but he hoped he’d done some good.
She put the teakettle on to warm. “Listen, there’s something I wanted to talk to you about while Alex is occupied. I saw the sheriff today. He still considers you a suspect in Lucy’s death. He also pointed out you were early on the scene of the explosion at Clarence’s too.”
He straightened from putting his utensils in the dishwasher. “You’ve got to be kidding me! After getting shot last night, he still thinks I had something to do with all this?”
“I know. I know. I said the same thing. He said he wasn’t eliminating any avenue of investigation. It’s crazy, but I wanted you to know.”
He went to the corner cabinet and got down the chocolate mix and marshmallows. “Not much I can do about it.”
The teakettle shrieked, and she brought it to where he stood scooping chocolate mix into mugs. “I think we might have to figure this out ourselves. It felt like the sheriff smelled fresh blood and was going to pin this on you.”
Steam curled from the cups as he stirred and tried not to let it bother him. “I don’t believe he’s serious. He’ll get evidence back from the murder scenes and figure it out.”
Her hand brushed his as they both went to grab marshmallows. The shock of touching her made him pull his hand back quickly. “Sorry, you first.”
She dug out a handful of mini marshmallows and dropped them into her mug. “How did Darla die?”
“Whoa, where did that come from?”
“What have you heard? Did you talk to Clarence about it at all?”
Where was she going with this? “A heroin overdose. I’d really hoped she’d kicked it, so her death by drugs hit him hard. Lucy too, of course.”
Her piercing green eyes locked on him, and she had an intent expression. “That’s what Clarence said too?”
“Clarence didn’t talk about it much. I always thought it was too painful. Why are you asking about that now?”
“Sheriff Burchell told me she was murdered. The coroner found an injection site on her back she couldn’t have reached on her own. He’s investigating it as a homicide. The entire family, just wiped out. It can’t be a coincidence that they’re all dead. The same person has to have killed them for a specific reason.”
And now that person was on Shauna’s tail. Zach wanted to shudder, but instead stirred his hot chocolate and tried not to let her see his panic. Would he be able to protect her and Alex?
She blew on her chocolate. “I’d thought Clarence was paranoid for no reason when he talked about how someone was after him. It seemed too outrageous to be true. I should have believed him. Maybe he was looking into Darla’s murder on his own.”
“It’s possible. Clarence was not one to let anyone else do what he thought was his duty. Maybe we need to go through more of the pictures in the box.”
“That odd blob in the bay doesn’t seem likely to be related, does it?”
“I don’t know what’s related and what isn’t, Shauna, but I think you’re right and we need to poke around. Maybe speak to some of Darla’s friends. They might talk to us when they wouldn’t talk to the sheriff.”
Her eyes brightened. “I’m glad you’re with me on it.”
He stopped himself from telling her he was with her no matter where she wanted to go. “Um, I bought some stuff for Alex. I wasn’t sure when you wanted to tell him about the destruction of his toys, so I stashed them in my bedroom closet. I got some stuffed animals and all of his favorite Legos, plus a bunch of Star Wars stuff. I hope that’s okay.”
Her eyes went soft. “Thank you, Zach. You can show them to him now if you like, and we’ll tell him what happened.”
Chapter 16
Rings and Things was in a three-story brick building on Granville Street that looked like it had been built in the late 1800s. Shauna swiped her damp palms on her jeans and tried to shore up her shaky knees as they approached the store. She paused to look in the windows at the exquisite jewelry. All the pieces were very different—some with sea glass, some with diamonds, and others with the same black stone called argillite that had been used in her mother’s necklace. There was nothing exactly like the necklace the sheriff carried, but the style looked similar enough she was sure they were in the right place.
The sheriff held the door open for her, and she stepped onto old brick floors. The ceilings soared overhead with exposed ductwork. The place smelled expensive—a combination of luxury furnishings and high-end perfumes carried into the space by wealthy patrons.
A perky, dark-haired woman smiled their way from behind glass display shelves. More items glittered on shelves beyond her, probably of lesser value but still beautiful. “Good morning. Can I help you?” Maybe a little younger than Shauna, she had the high cheekbones and bone structure of someone with Native American heritage.
The sheriff stepped forward. “I’m looking for Dorothy Edenshaw. Is she here this morning?”
The woman eyed them. “She’s in the design room in the back. Who may I tell her is asking for her?”
“Sheriff Everett Burchell. From Lavender Tides, Washington.”
“You’ve been pestering her.” The friendliness in her face vanished. “I don’t think she wants to speak to you.”
“It’s just a friendly inquiry about a piece of jewelry she might have designed. I’d like to see if she recognizes it. I can go to the Vancouver police instead and ask them to bring her in.”
The sheriff had already told Shauna it was unlikely they’d receive local support, but the threat worked because the woman shrugged. “Let me ask if she’ll see you.” The black swinging door gave an indignant whoosh as she exited into a back room.
Shauna let out the breath she’d been holding. “I was sure she was going to kick us out.”
“Most people don’t want to be hauled down to the police station. It’s much more discreet here.” He bent over the shelves. “Felicia would love this.” He pointed out a beaver etched into a teardrop pendant of argillite. It’s only five hundred dollars. I think I’ll get it for her.”
She wouldn’t have guessed the sheriff made enough money to d
rop that much on a bauble, but she shrugged and turned away to browse another display case.
The door opened, and the woman appeared with an older woman on her heels. The two were clearly related. The shape of their dark eyes was identical, and they both had the same long necks and full lips. Mother and daughter? Shauna met the younger woman’s defiant gaze. Yep, the protectiveness was a sure giveaway.
Shauna looked over the woman’s shoulder and felt a strange sense of déjà vu as she stared into Dorothy’s eyes. She’d seen her before, but when? The older woman wore her salt-and-pepper hair in a long braid that hung over her right shoulder. Her skin glowed with a warm tan, and her dark-brown eyes tilted up at the corners. She wore a loose-fitting dress that came nearly to the tops of her fur-lined boots. The design on the dress looked Native American, though Shauna stumbled at recalling the name of the pattern.
A frown appeared on Dorothy’s face, and she stared back. “Theresa?” She shook her head. “Forgive me, but you look like someone I knew a long time ago. You can’t possibly be her. She’s been dead for many years.”
“My mother, Theresa Duval?”
“Brenna?”
Shauna caught her breath. “I’m Shauna. How do you know about Brenna?” Very few people even knew the baby’s name. “Did my dad mention her?”
Dorothy waved a hand glittering with two rings. “Shauna. Of course, how silly of me. Forget everything I just said. I’m befuddled.”
Shauna could hardly form a sentence with her mouth so dry. Was the name only a slip of the tongue? And something about Dorothy’s manner put her off.
Dorothy’s gaze swiveled to the sheriff. “You have a piece of jewelry you wish me to identify?” She glanced around. “There are no customers right now, so I think we can take care of this quickly enough here.”
In other words, if anyone comes in, please get out. The unspoken command rankled Shauna, but she stepped back and said nothing as the sheriff pulled out the necklace.