Annabelle Archer BoxSet, page 75
part #1 of Annabelle Archer Series
“We have statements from two other neighboring boaters who saw him go on board not long before he was found floating in the Potomac.”
I shivered as I thought of a body bobbing in the water. I pulled the foil wrapper off the bottle and unwound the wire cage holding the cork in place. I grabbed a dishtowel from the counter and placed it over the cork while I twisted the bottle away from me. I caught the cork in the towel as it flew out of the bottle with a muffled pop. Another advantage of being a wedding planner: I was very adept at popping bottles of Champagne.
“I just got a report back from the coroner with some strange details,” Reese said.
I pulled two Champagne flutes down from a top shelf and inspected them for dust before pouring. “Strange in what way?”
“Flakes of rust in the head wound.”
“Rust?” I asked, as I walked back into the living room holding two flutes of Champagne. “That’s odd. The last word I’d use to describe anything on board Mystic Maven is rusty. Maybe that proves that the murder weapon didn’t come from the ship.”
“Maybe.” The detective raised his eyebrows. “Champagne?”
I paused as I handed him a glass. “You do drink Champagne, don’t you?”
“Sure, why not?” He took the flute from me. “But I thought you once assured me wedding planning isn’t a glamorous job.”
I sat back down on the couch. “It’s not, but Richard left this bottle in my fridge and your other option is Diet Dr Pepper with no fizz.”
Reese raised his glass. “Then cheers to Champagne on a weeknight.”
I clinked his glass and took a sip. “Weeknights are my weekends anyway.”
“How so?”
I took another drink then set my glass on the coffee table. “Well, I work almost every weekend and all my friends work every weekend, so instead of going out on a Saturday, we go out during the week. While everyone else in the world is saying TGIF, we’re bracing for another marathon starting on Friday.”
“I never thought of it that way. So asking you out for a Saturday night isn’t going to get me very far.”
I felt my pulse flutter. “I thought you were here to ask me about the harbormaster.”
He set down his flute on the coffee table and slid closer to me. “That’s part of the reason. I did want to tell you to be careful. I don’t have a good feeling about some of the people on that ship. And, I’m technically off duty, so this isn’t a purely official visit.”
I ran a finger down his cheek. “Hence the scruff?”
He shrugged. “It was a long day.”
“Don’t apologize. I like it.”
Reese narrowed his eyes at me. “Really?”
Now it was my turn to shrug. “Makes you look a little dangerous.”
He leaned in and ran a finger along my jawline. “And that’s a good thing?”
“I’m learning to appreciate it.”
He reached an arm around my back and pulled me to him so our bodies were flush. I inhaled sharply. He raised his hands to my face and dragged a thumb across my lips. It took every ounce of self-control not to moan as he lowered his lips to mine, kissing me softly, then more urgently. I lifted my hands, brushing my fingers over the stubble on his cheeks then raking them through his hair.
When he pulled back, I realized I’d stopped breathing, and I felt dazed.
“I’m so sorry,” he said as he pulled his phone out of his back pocket, “but that’s my brother’s ringtone.”
I placed a hand behind me on the couch cushion to keep from collapsing. I hadn’t even heard his phone ring. I felt myself pulled back to reality as I watched Reese’s face darken. “Bad news?”
He clicked off his phone and sighed. “There’s been a fire on the ship.”
Good feeling gone.
19
“I thought we’d be riding in a police cruiser,” I said as I slid into the leather passenger seat of a black Chevy Tahoe that still smelled like new car.
“I don’t drive a cruiser,” Detective Reese explained as he got in beside me. “Especially when I’m off duty.”
I ran my fingers over the spotless dashboard. “I guess I’ve never noticed your car before. And we didn’t make it this far the last time you picked me up.”
The keys jingled as Mike put them in the ignition. He twisted to face me. “I’m really sorry. I promise our next date will not happen on the night of a triple homicide.”
I waved him off. “It’s fine. I understand.” I paused. “Our next date? You don’t consider this our first date, do you?”
He grinned at me as he started the car and pulled out onto P Street. “Well, it was something. And the night’s not over.”
I tried not to blush, but I could feel my face reddening. “I don’t know about you, but I don’t consider going to the scene of a fire a great date. It’s right up there with the triple homicide.”
Reese weaved through Georgetown traffic, veering around double-parked cars and taxis unloading passengers. Since Georgetown didn’t have a metro stop nearby, cars filled the streets at all times of the day and night.
I nibbled my lower lip. “Did your brother say if the fire was out or how much of the ship was damaged?”
Reese gunned it to make it through a yellow light. “It was out, but the fire department was trying to determine how it started. He didn’t say anything about damage.”
I wondered how many more things could go wrong before we threw in the towel on this wedding. Between the accidents, the personality conflicts, the dead harbormaster, and now the fire, it seemed as if the wedding gods really did not want this to happen. Or Reese was right and there was somebody desperate on board and getting more desperate every day. But desperate for what?
My mind went to Kristie. I couldn’t help worrying about how she was handling the latest disaster. If we were lucky, no one had told her, although the space healer would have her work cut out for her now. No amount of essential oils could mask the scent of smoke damage.
I leaned my head back against the car seat and let myself take in the lights of the city as we skirted the Potomac River and passed by the iconic curves of the newly renovated Watergate Hotel. I watched the lights from the hotel reflected in the water as we sped underneath the Kennedy Center underpass and approached the Lincoln Memorial from behind. We passed the Washington Monument, illuminated and surrounded by a ring of American flags, and then shot by the Smithsonian Castle and the modern Air and Space Museum before turning to go under the highway, and emerging next to the Potomac again.
Reese swung into the parking lot for the District Marina. Two fire trucks with lights flashing sat closest to the entrance to the long dock leading to Mystic Maven. The neon lights from the nearby fish market added their light to the parking lot and illuminated the men in heavy uniforms, their helmets in hand, milling about the trucks. I leaned forward and stared at the massive white yacht at the end of the darkened dock. No signs of billowing smoke or charred outer hull. That was a good thing.
“Can you please let me take the lead on this?” Reese asked, putting a hand on my arm as I reached for the door handle. “I wasn’t even supposed to bring you with me.”
“Of course,” I said. Maybe the kissing on my couch had mellowed me out, but I wasn’t feeling my usual need to argue with the detective.
He released my arm then reached for it again. “And no calling your friends. I do not want this to become even more of a scene than it already is.”
I felt my defenses kick in. “Hey, now. My friends can behave themselves.”
Reese raised an eyebrow. “Name one.”
I sighed as I thought of how Richard, Fern, and Kate usually reacted in a crisis. “Fine. Mum’s the word.” I held up a finger. “For tonight, at least.”
I followed him past the fire trucks and squad cars gathered around the entrance to the dock. A few officers slapped Mike on the back as we passed, but none said anything about me. He put a hand on my back as we walked the uneven wooden slats of the dock toward the looming yacht. We exchanged our shoes for slippers, then he held my hand as we walked up the wooden gangway. I liked the solid feel of his hand, and I didn’t mind the extra balance on the narrow ramp, either.
When we reached the deck, he dropped my hand and held the glass door open for me. As we stepped into the casual dining area, I smelled smoke but didn’t see any. I pushed the door to the main salon open and instantly knew this was where the fire had taken place.
I put a hand over my mouth and coughed. The scent of char and chemicals hung in the air. “It’s in here,” I said to the detective as he came in behind me.
I spotted Mr. Barbery and the captain talking with their heads together while Daniel Reese talked to a group of firefighters. Mike’s brother spotted us and crossed the room in a few long strides. He greeted me and gave his brother a questioning look.
Mike cleared his throat. “I was questioning Miss Archer when you called. I didn’t think it would be a problem if she tagged along.”
Questioning me? Tagged along? I tried to suppress the irritation I felt at being dismissed as a hanger-on. Not to mention how he obviously didn’t want his brother to know there was anything going on between us. I reminded myself this was his work, and I shouldn’t overreact.
I crossed my arms. “This is my wedding venue, after all. I need to see how much damage we’re talking.”
Daniel motioned for us to follow him across the room to where a pair of firefighters stood in full gear along with Mandy and the captain. “It’s not bad. No structural damage.”
“I’m so glad you’re here,” Mandy said once we’d walked up. “Maybe you can help me figure out how to fix this before the wedding.”
My eyes fell on the burned section of sofa spanning the length of the room. Only two of the silk segments looked damaged, but the fire had reduced the cushions to ash and blackened the fabric on the back of the sofa. Even the walls showed evidence of contact with the flames.
“What happened?” I asked.
She shook her head, her eyes wide. “I have no idea. I was checking the casual dining room—making sure it was set for breakfast tomorrow—when I smelled smoke. I followed the smell and saw the cushions on fire, so I grabbed the kitchen’s fire extinguisher. The flames were pretty high already, but I managed to put them out. By that time, the fire alarms had gone off and the fire department was on the way.”
“The fire alarms didn’t go off before you put out the fire?” I asked.
“The one in this room never went off.” She lowered her voice. “It was only when the smoke reached the galley kitchen I heard an alarm.”
My eyes scanned the ceiling of the room until I located the fire alarm near the center. The plastic casing had been removed, and wires spilled out from inside.
Mandy followed my gaze. “I told the fire department and they checked it out. No batteries and the wires were cut.”
“That’s not good,” I said more to myself than anyone.
The Reese brothers talked with the firefighters while I stood with Mandy, but I heard one of the firefighters use the words “accelerator” and “tampering” and wished I could hear all of what was being said.
“I think this classifies as going above and beyond the call of duty,” Mr. Barbery said when he spotted me and walked over.
I laughed it off. “We’re a full-service wedding planning company.”
He met my eyes. “I appreciate you coming down here at night. I thought my daughter was exaggerating when she talked about you and your colleague, but I can see that you’re as impressive as she says you are.”
I felt my cheeks flush. “Thank you. Kristie has been wonderful to work with.”
Mr. Barbery reached out and squeezed my hand, meeting my eyes with his brilliant blue ones. “Remember, anything you need.” He turned back to talk to the captain, then the two men left the room.
“What are we going to do about this?” Mandy waved a hand at the burned sofa. “Mrs. Barbery refuses to consider moving the wedding even after I told her I can’t find one of my girls.”
“Even after this?” I asked. “Wait. What do you mean you can’t find one of your girls?”
“One of the girls who works under me hasn’t been seen since this afternoon. I told Mrs. Barbery, but she doesn’t care. She claims Caren couldn’t handle hard work and must’ve ditched the job.” Mandy rubbed her forehead. “I know Caren, and she wasn’t afraid of working hard.”
I remembered Caren. She’d reminded me of a smaller version of Mandy and had seemed very attentive to Kristie. “Maybe she left because she was afraid of all the things happening on board,” I said.
Mandy shrugged. “Maybe, but it doesn’t seem like her to run off without saying something. And Mrs. Barbery only seems to care about being on that TV show.”
“If this keeps up, we may end up on the evening news. Is that good enough for her?” I looked around me the second I said it to make sure Mr. Barbery hadn’t come back in. “The only thing I can think of to do is repair and reupholster the couch and paint over the smoke stains on the wall.”
“Is that possible in time for the wedding?”
“Anything’s possible,” I said, “but it won’t be cheap.”
“Don’t worry. Mrs. Barbery will approve it.” Mandy nudged me. “It’s not like it’s her money anyway.”
Not all second and third wives were loose with their husband’s money, but Babs Barbery didn’t strike me as the type to lose sleep over burning through her stepdaughter’s inheritance.
“I’ll have my fabric people come down in the morning,” I said. “I’m assuming your deckhands can handle the painting.”
“I have a feeling they’ll be starting tonight,” Mandy said. “It’s not like any of the crew will be sleeping after a fire on board.”
I didn’t blame her for being nervous. If I had to sleep in the crew quarters in the bowels of the ship, I’d be terrified of being trapped in a fire, too.
“Listen.” I leaned close to Mandy. “Can you talk to the crew? See if they saw anything about this or the murder? I’m sure they’ll say things to you they never would to the police or to me.”
She gave me a quizzical look. “Are you trying to solve the case or save the wedding?”
“Both,” I said. “If we find out who’s behind all of this, the wedding will be smooth sailing.”
Mandy nodded. “Of course you’re right. Sorry if I was rude. I’m just a bit stressed out. I’ll see what I can do.”
Mike came over to me and put a hand on my back as his brother left with the firefighters and captain. “You ready to go?”
“I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” I gave Mandy’s hand a squeeze and felt bad when I saw the worried look on her face. Nothing more I could do about it, though. We already had extra security on board. Not that it had helped.
Mike steered me off the ship and we walked the length of the dock in silence, both of us absorbed in our own thoughts. When we got to his car, he opened the door for me and I couldn’t help feeling pleased. It had been ages since a man opened a car door for me.
When he got in the car next to me, Detective Reese sat for a minute with the keys in the ignition before turning to me. “What do I have to do to get you to quit this wedding and get you off this ship?”
20
“Are you alive?” Kate asked me when I finally answered my trilling cell phone.
I rubbed my eyes and focused on the old-fashioned chrome alarm clock on my nightstand. “Is it really almost ten?” The bright light seeping through the slats of my blinds confirmed the time for me.
“You sound like I woke you up, but that can’t be possible. You don’t even sleep this late after our weddings. What’s going on?”
“Can’t a girl catch up on sleep?” I swung my legs over the side of the bed. It seemed impossible I’d rushed down to the ship with Reese last night because a fire had been set on board. I cringed when I thought about Reese. He hadn’t been very happy when he dropped me off. Mostly because I’d balked at quitting work on the wedding.
“Sure, but weren’t we supposed to deliver hotel welcome boxes today?”
I groaned. I’d completely forgotten I’d told Kate I would pick her up so we could make the rounds of the guest hotels and deliver the elaborate boxes we’d assembled. “How did that slip my mind? And I told Mandy I’d get an upholsterer over this morning.”
“An upholsterer?”
I arched my back to stretch. “There was some fire damage to the sofa in the main salon last night. We need to have someone fix it and make new cushions.”
“I beg your pardon?” Kate said. “Fire? What fire?”
I rubbed my head, feeling too groggy to fully describe the previous night’s events. I also wasn’t sure I was ready to admit to Kate I’d been with the detective when he got the call. I’d have to answer more questions than I knew the answers to. “It wasn’t major. Just the sofa in the main salon. Mandy put it out before it spread.”
Kate gave a low whistle. “More accidents. That can’t be good.”
I didn’t like to think about how bad it could have been. If I thought too hard about it I’d have an urge to quit the way Reese wanted me to. He’d been very persuasive last night when he’d told me the firefighters were convinced the fire had been started on purpose. Even with the acrid scent of ash and smoke, they could smell traces of an accelerant on the remains of the cushions. I wasn’t surprised the small fire had been arson. It fit in with everything happening on board. But to me the fire seemed more like the petulant actions of someone trying to get their way than the dangerous actions of a killer.
He’d clasped both of my hands in his. “Annabelle, these things happening on the ship—a fire, a murder—aren’t minor. And I’d bet my job they’re being done by the same person. You can’t go through with this wedding.”
“And I’d bet my job that quitting a few days before a wedding won’t do my business any favors.”
“Your business doesn’t matter if you end up hurt or killed.”
