A Whale of A Murder, page 1
A WHALE OF A MURDER
CAPE COD COZY MYSTERIES (BOOK 5)
ANGELA K. RYAN
JOHN PAUL PUBLISHING
Copyright © 2025 by Angela K. Ryan
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Publisher’s Note: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Locales and public names are sometimes used for atmospheric purposes. Any resemblance to actual people, living or deceased, or to businesses, companies, events, institutions or locales is completely coincidental.
Cover Design © 2024 MariahSinclair.com
A Whale of a Murder/Angela K. Ryan. -- 1st ed.
ISBN: 979-8-9913260-7-0
CONTENTS
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Sneek Peak: Banana Slit
Sneek Peak: Condos and Corpses
About the Author
CHAPTER 1
Cassie sipped her morning coffee from an Adirondack chair on the deck of her Cape Cod beach house and watched the sun rise over the Nantucket Sound. It was still early June, so it would be a couple of weeks until the high tourist season began, but the population of the seaside town had already begun to swell.
Her gaze settled on a young couple strolling along the seashore. They passed a man casting a fishing rod from a folding chair near the water’s edge.
Cassie drained her coffee mug and stepped down three wooden stairs and onto the thick, cool sand. A breeze blew gently through the sand grass on the dune to her left. She stood in front of her deck breathing in the fresh, crisp air and couldn’t wait for her first summer in Sand Dune Shores.
She returned the friendly wave of the couple as they passed, and her eyes settled on a boat gently gliding along the horizon. Even from a distance, she recognized it as the Tail Chaser, a local whale-watching boat owned by Eli Wethersfield. Cassie smiled when she recalled his boisterous personality. The last time she saw him was when her brother and father visited a couple of weeks ago and the three of them indulged in one of Eli’s whale watching tours.
Her mind drifted to the empty canvas waiting for her in her home studio, and she couldn’t resist the chance to paint on such a beautiful morning. Since moving into her new beach house a couple of months earlier, she had been painting prolifically, filling her workshop with new pieces. Once she solved the case that had brought her to Cape Cod in the first place, she planned to sell her work in local galleries.
For now, though, she needed to stay under the radar. She didn’t want Red, the man she believed had framed her friend John Seewald for art theft, to learn she was on the Cape. She’d been helping John investigate the case when the car accident happened, the one that took his life and temporarily stole her memory.
Walking into her workshop, which was the other half of the duplex connected to her living space, she gathered everything she needed to set up on the porch and capture the scene before her: a drop cloth to protect the boards, paints and brushes, and a canvas on the easel. Then she began painting the exquisite sunrise.
About an hour later, she put aside her partially finished painting, strolled to the water’s edge, and stood next to the fisherman, who was now looking out onto the water towards the Tail Chaser.
“That boat has just been drifting around out there for the past hour,” the fisherman said. “It doesn’t look like anyone is at the helm.”
Cassie observed the boat for a few seconds. It was now much closer to the shore than when she had begun painting. She estimated about fifty yards out.
“You’re right. Why do you suppose Eli is out there just drifting?”
The fisherman shrugged. “Don’t know. But I’ve been here since shortly before sunrise. At first I thought he might be doing some sort of sunrise whaling expedition, but the boat hasn’t gone anywhere.”
Cassie extended her hand to the man, who had a slight pot belly, thick, dark hair, and the beginnings of a beard. “I’m Cassie, by the way. I’ve seen you out here fishing some mornings at sunrise. I just moved to the neighborhood.”
“I’m Jed,” he said, shaking her hand.
The young couple who had been walking the beach approached them.
“Excuse me,” the man said. “We couldn’t help but overhear your conversation. I’m Mike, and this is my wife, Beth. We’ve been watching that boat, too. It’s as if there’s nobody on board.”
“I wonder if we should call the Coast Guard,” Beth said.
“I know Eli, and he would be furious if we made a big deal over nothing,” Jed said.
Cassie glanced back at the boat. “It’s not that far away. Why don’t I grab my kayak and take a paddle out there before we call the police.”
“Do you have a second kayak?” Jed asked. “I’d be happy to go out there with you. Eli is a friend, and I’d feel better seeing for myself if he’s okay.”
“I do. Come on,” Cassie said, gesturing for Jed to follow her.
They went to Cassie’s beach house, where two kayaks, life vests, and oars were stored beneath the porch. She and Jed pulled them out, dragged them to the ocean, and climbed into the kayaks. Cassie slipped her cell phone into a plastic bag and dropped it into the kayak’s front hatch to keep it dry. Within moments, they were paddling steadily toward the Tail Chaser.
The Tail Chaser continued to drift toward the shore, so it only took about ten minutes to arrive at the boat. Jed was breathing so heavily that Cassie said a silent prayer that he didn’t have a heart attack.
“Eli!” Cassie called out.
There was no response.
She called him again. “Hello? Eli?”
Jed called out next in a low, barreling voice, but there was still no response. “Should we climb aboard?” he asked. “It’s going to be tricky, but I think we can make it by way of that swim platform.”
Cassie glanced at his pot belly and decided she was their best bet. “Let me see if I can get up there first.”
Jed seemed pleased with her suggestion.
She paddled toward the stern, where the swim platform was located. Her kayak nudged the fiberglass with a soft thud. She reached for the metal rail, which was slippery against her wet palms.
Jed followed behind her in his kayak.
She tossed the painter line of her kayak to Jed, pulled her phone from the hatch, and stuffed it in her pocket. Then she hauled herself up. Her bare foot slipped when she caught the edge of the boat, but she managed to catch the hull and pull herself aboard.
“Nice job!” Jed called from the kayak below.
“Thanks. I’ll take a look around first.”
But she didn’t have to go far before she realized why the boat had been adrift. When she walked toward the cabin, she saw Eli lying on the edge of the bow, still and unresponsive, with a thick rope wrapped around his neck.
She raced over to him as best she could, while ensuring that she wouldn’t slip, and felt for a pulse, but his blue lips and pale skin told her that she wouldn’t find one.
“What’s going on up there?” Jed asked.
She had nearly forgotten that he was with her.
She slowly stood up and walked toward the edge of the hull. “You’d better come up here, Jed. It’s not good.”
Jed hastily tied his kayak to the back of Cassie’s, then tossed her the line from hers so she could secure it to the side of the Tail Chaser. Once it was fastened, she grabbed his arms and did her best to steady him as he clumsily climbed aboard.
She led him to Eli’s body. Jed gasped, then put his face in his hands. Once he composed himself, he bent down to check his pulse.
“It’s no use. I already checked. He’s gone.”
CHAPTER 2
Cassie yanked her cell phone from her pocket and dialed 911. She explained the situation as best she could, and the operator assured her that the assistant harbormaster, Steve, who was out patrolling, was on his way.
Ten minutes later, a boat stopped next to the Tail Chaser and Steve, a fit man with a crew cut and bronze skin, introduced himself while he skillfully pulled himself aboard. Then he dropped a rope ladder with plastic rungs down the side of the boat. “What happened?” he asked, scanning the boat. His eyes stopped when he spotted Eli lying on the deck.
“I was fishing from the shore and noticed that the Tail Chaser appeared to be drifting aimlessly,” Jed blurted out. “Cassie here lives on the beach, so we took her kayaks out to make sure old Eli was all right. Unfortunately, he wasn’t.”
“He must have been attacked at some point during the night,” Cassie said. “I was out on my deck just after sunrise, and his boat was already there. Jed was fishing and would have noticed if another vessel approached his boat.”
Steve looked at Jed, who gave a curt nod. “She’s right. He had to have been attacked before sunrise. Otherwise, I would have noticed.”
“Was it normal for Eli to take his boat out at night?” Steve asked.
“I’ve never seen him out this early, and I’m out fishing most mornings. I’ve lived just down the street for nearly ten years.”
“I’ve never seen the Tail Chaser out this early, either,” Cassie said. “Although I only moved to the beach about a month ago. But as far as I know, he didn’t usually run sunrise tours.” She pulled up his business online. “Just as I thought. According to Eli’s website, all his tours are in the late morning or afternoon, with one sunset tour on Fridays. And there were no passengers on the boat, so he obviously wasn’t conducting a tour.”
“I wonder what he was doing out here alone,” Steve said.
Cassie was wondering the same thing.
Another boat approached, this time carrying Detective Rick Blaney and another member of the Sand Dune Shores Police Department. They also climbed aboard.
“The harbormaster, Lyle, called while I was on my way into work. What happened here?” Rick asked.
Cassie and Jed caught Rick up to speed. By this time, the sun was growing warm in the sky.
“Neither of you saw anyone approach the boat?” Rick asked.
Cassie and Jed both shook their heads.
“We each only got to the beach around sunrise,” Cassie said. “The boat was just drifting around the whole time I was painting.”
“And I arrived just before sunrise,” Jed added. “Only a few minutes before Cassie. I didn’t see anyone approaching or leaving the boat. Whatever happened must have taken place during the night.”
“It looks like he’s been dead for at least a few hours,” Rick said. “But the coroner will be able to tell us for sure. He’s on his way.”
“Is it okay if I leave now?” Cassie asked Rick. “I’ve told you everything I know, and I’m supposed to meet Jake for breakfast.”
“Just leave your contact information with us,” Steve said.
“I know where to reach her,” Rick informed Steve. “Besides, this is fewer than three nautical miles from shore, so we’ll be taking over the investigation.”
“I know I can speak for Lyle when I say that you can count on our help if you need it,” Steve said. “Eli was a fixture in the community. It’s quite a loss.”
“I know,” Rick said. “A lot of people will be grieving.”
Jed gave his contact information to Rick, then climbed down the boat and into his kayak. This time it was easier, thanks to the ladder Steve had dropped down the side of the boat.
Cassie climbed down and settled into her kayak, and she and Jed paddled side by side in silence, with far less urgency than on their way out to the boat.
Cassie wasn’t sure if she should try to cheer up Jed or leave him alone in his thoughts. “You mentioned you were friends with Eli. Were the two of you close?” she asked after a few minutes of silence.
“We became friendly over the years. I met him shortly after I moved to Sand Dune Shores ten years ago,” he said, keeping his gaze straight ahead. “My wife and I make it a point to take one of his whale-watching tours every summer, and that’s how we got to know each other. He was a kind man but a little rough around the edges. He liked to keep to himself, but we would often meet for a beer at the marina.”
“What was he like?” Cassie asked. She had met Eli a few times, but she wanted to give Jed a chance to talk about his friend.
“He had a fantastic sense of humor, especially on his tours. He loved to make puns,” Jed said.
“What were your favorites?” Cassie asked, remembering how much her father and brother had appreciated Eli’s humor when they took one of his tours.
A smile broke across Jed’s face. “I laughed every time he greeted his clients with a hearty, ‘Whalecome Aboard’ or ’Whale, hello there!’”
Cassie chuckled, remembering.
“My wife’s favorite was, ‘This is looking to be a fintastic voyage.’”
“I took one of his tours a couple of weeks ago, but I first met him at the Sand Dune Inn,” Cassie said, remembering the tall and wiry man with sun-bleached hair, weathered skin, and eyes the same blue-grey color as the Atlantic Ocean. “I run the gift shop there and the owners, Jake and Elizabeth, introduced me when I first arrived in town. He always wore a baseball cap that was embroidered with a humpback whale and the words, ‘Protect our Oceans.’”
“He called that his lucky cap,” Jed said. “He was an environmentalist to the core. He was on a bunch of committees and often stood outside the supermarket getting signatures for one cause or another.”
“It seems obvious that he was murdered. Do you have any idea who might have done that to him?” Cassie asked.
“I wish I could tell you more, but I didn’t know much about his personal life,” Jed said. “I mentioned he was a strong environmentalist. He had a way of being blunt and opinionated about those issues. I saw his temper flare a time or two when he heard about people disrespecting marine life. He genuinely thought of the whales as his friends.”
“So, you’re thinking it could be connected to his environmental endeavors?”
“It’s the only thing I can think of, but I really don’t know.”
“I’m truly sorry for your loss, Jed,” Cassie said as they approached the shore.
“Thanks. Detective Blaney was right. A lot of people are going to miss him.”
They exited their kayaks and pulled them onto shore. Then Jed helped her haul them back to her beach house and push them under her porch. “I’d better go,” he said. “My wife is probably wondering what’s taking me so long.”
Jed walked back to the shore and collected his chair and fishing rod. Then he left via the public access pathway to the right of Cassie’s house.
Her puppy, Artie, who was half Maltese and half Shih Tzu, was waiting for her in the living room when she returned. His large eyes looked confused when he saw her walk in. She bent down and scratched his head. “I’m so sorry, little guy. I had an emergency. I’ll take you for an extra-long walk to make up for leaving without you.”
It was still early, so she had some time before meeting Jake for breakfast. She took her painting supplies back to her studio and fastened Artie’s leash. They walked to the end of her short street, Starboard Lane, and turned right onto Cranberry Avenue. They continued weaving through the neighborhood until she reached her friend Sydney’s new house. Sydney, who wrote children’s books for a living, was sitting on the porch, typing on her laptop.
When she spotted Cassie and Artie, she closed her laptop and came over to greet them. “Aren’t you a little late for Artie’s morning walk?”
“I had a bit of an adventure this morning,” Cassie said. She gave Sydney the quick version of what took place.
Sydney grew pale, and her eyes filled with sadness. After a moment, her gaze fell to the ground. “I can’t believe it.”
“I didn’t realize you’d take the news so hard, or I would have broken it to you more gently. Did you know Eli?” Cassie asked.
She nodded slowly. “Eli Wethersfield was my mother’s cousin.”
“I had no idea,” Cassie said. “I’m so sorry for your loss. Were you close?”
“He liked to keep to himself, but he would come to our house on holidays from time to time or to visit with my mom. She’s going to be really upset. I should tell her in person before she hears it from someone else.”
“Of course,” Cassie said. “Call me later.”
“I will,” Sydney called as she disappeared back inside her house.
CHAPTER 3
Cassie and Artie headed toward the Sand Dune Inn so she could meet Jake for breakfast, but first she stopped by her beach house to grab her sketchbook. They were planning to discuss their investigation into Red, and she knew they would want to, once again, examine the sketch she had drawn the previous week based on the description of a gallery worker who encountered Red.
With her sketchbook in hand, she and Artie crossed the street to the Sand Dune Inn. Jake was waiting for her in one of the lighthouse-patterned armchairs in the foyer. He stood as they approached and gave her a gentle hug, then reached down to scratch Artie behind the ears.
