The Inn at Holiday Bay: Boxes in the Basement Read online

  “They are. Nikki knows some of the cast members, so we talked about going. I think Tanner is going as well.”

  Normally, I wouldn’t want to be a third wheel with Georgia and Tanner, but if Nikki was going… “That sounds like fun. What time were you thinking?”

  “The play is at eight, but we talked about having dinner before. Maybe six?”

  “Works for me. Dressy or casual?”

  “Casual. I’m wearing black leggings, boots, and my long red sweater. I think Nikki plans to wear something similar.”

  “The two of you have really hit it off.”

  Georgia shrugged. “I guess. She’s ten years younger than I am, but we have a lot in common. And I think she’s a little bit lonely. She seems to enjoy hanging out around here, and I’m happy for the help with the baking. I wonder if I should do another batch of ginger cookies.”

  I laughed. “Haven’t you already made fifty batches of ginger cookies?”

  Georgia smiled. “I guess I have. But they’re selling well, which is good for the town, and the labels I put on the front of everything I package has everyone talking about the inn. I figure it’s a win-win.”

  “I agree. Keep up the good work.” I looked back down at my laptop.

  “How’s the book coming?” Georgia asked.

  “Really good, although that isn’t what I’m working on right now.”

  “What are you working on?”

  “That thing we promised we wouldn’t obsess over.”

  Georgia stopped what she was doing. “It’s hard to move on without a resolution one way or another. Do you have a new lead?”

  “Not really. I’ve just been thinking about Grayson’s comment about Carrie saying she’d been contacted by someone from her past. Someone she wasn’t thrilled to have heard from. If her baby daddy had shown up, that would make sense, but he didn’t, which made me wonder who her blast from the past really was.”

  Georgia stepped around the counter and sat down across from me. “Any luck in figuring that out?”

  I shook my head. “No. I asked Velma and Lacy if they had any ideas. They each gave me a few names, but none seemed the sort of person who would cause a large degree of stress in Carrie’s life. If she was acting paranoid, this person would need to be someone she was afraid of.”

  “It’s going to be hard to figure this out because we never even met her.”

  “You’re right.” I closed my laptop. “I’m feeling the need for some fresh air. Do you want to come with me to take Ramos for a walk?”

  “I’d love to.”

  ******

  Dinner was fantastic and the play was funny, heartwarming, and all-around adorable. I’d never been part of a small, tight-knit community before. Apparently, I’d been missing quite a lot. I was having the best time. After the play, Tanner suggested we all go for a drink. The bar he selected was classy and elegant and not at all like the Reindeer Roundup. Tanner found us a table near the Christmas tree and we placed our order. I had just taken the first sip of my wine when Chief Wilder walked in. Tanner waved to him, and when he confirmed he was off duty, Tanner pulled up another chair and asked him to join us.

  “Did you just get off?” Tanner asked.

  Wilder nodded. “It’s been a busy day, with all the tourists in town for the Festival. Just a few more days and our peaceful little town will be quiet once again. At least until the next event comes around. Are you all in town for the Festival?”

  “The play,” Tanner answered.

  “You should try to catch it if you haven’t seen it already,” Georgia said. “It was wonderful.”

  “I’m working double shifts until the Festival is over.” Wilder looked at me. “Seems you’ve been busy as well. Grayson Porter told me you went to see him.”

  “I did. I know the mystery of the boxes in my basement has been solved, but I can’t get Carrie Long off my mind.”

  “Yeah, that’s a tough one. I thought the lead about the boyfriend might pan out.”

  “Grayson said Carrie became stressed after she was contacted by someone from her past. When I thought the baby daddy was the guy, that fit perfectly. Now it’s back to the beginning.”

  “Wait,” Wilder said. “Grayson said Carrie told him she’d been contacted by someone from her past?”

  “That’s what he said. And it was someone she wasn’t happy about hearing from. Do you have an idea who it might have been?”

  Wilder took a sip of his beer. “Did Grayson say when it was?”

  “I think he said a week or two before she went missing. You know something?”

  Wilder took another sip.

  “You may as well tell her,” Nikki said. “She isn’t going to let this go.” She looked around the table. “None of us will. Not until Carrie’s found one way or the other.”

  “Carrie’s father was released from prison a month before she went missing. I didn’t know that until today, and I only know it now because I decided to check on his status after the boyfriend was a dead end.”

  It felt as if the whole place grew quiet, which I knew it hadn’t. “Her father was the blast from the past who contacted her,” I said. “I bet he was the reason she drained her savings as well.”

  “Why would she give him money?” Georgia asked. “Didn’t you say he was in prison since Carrie was a little girl?”

  “Maybe he threatened her or her baby if she didn’t give him the money he needed,” Nikki said.

  “Needed for what?” Georgia said.

  “I don’t know,” Nikki said. “He’d just gotten out of prison; he must have needed money.”

  “Say that’s true,” Georgia said. “If her dad did come to her for money and she gave it to him, where is she?”

  No one said a word.

  I looked at Wilder. “Do you know where he is now? Someone must be keeping track of him. Like a parole officer?”

  “I spoke to his parole officer today. He said he disappeared a few weeks after he was released. The last tip they had was that he was seen in Mexico, but it was unsubstantiated.”

  “What now?” I asked. “This feels like a real lead.”

  “I’ve already made arrangements to visit the prison where he served his time. I’ll talk to other inmates in his block to see if he shared his plans with anyone before he was released.”

  Chapter 18

  The next day seemed to drag on endlessly as I waited for Wilder to call. Initially, I sensed he wasn’t going to agree to do it despite my request, but after I badgered him through two beers, he finally agreed, I’m sure just to get me to leave him alone. He’d have to drive to the prison and conduct his interviews, then drive back to Holiday Bay, so I was certain I wouldn’t hear from him until late in the day. Needing a distraction, I walked over to the main house to see how Lonnie and his crew were doing. Only a couple more days of work and they’d be off for two weeks for the holiday break.

  “Wow, the kitchen is really starting to look like a kitchen,” I said after picking my way through the debris at the front of the house.

  “Cabinets are in and we’ll get the countertops in before we take off for the holiday,” Lonnie said. “The doors and windows are in and the painting is done in this room, and the paint and trim is done in both the living room and the game room. I still need to do the tile in the downstairs bathroom, but that won’t take long. Might even get it done tomorrow; then all we’ll need to do when we get back after New Year’s is the flooring and we can move on to the second story.”

  “It looks fantastic. Better than I even imagined. And you got it done so quickly.”

  “Hired on some extra labor. Have you decided on colors for the second- and third-floor suites?”

  “Not yet. I guess I’ve been focused on this floor. I’m not sure if I should do them all the same or have a different color scheme for each.”

  “Just my opinion, but I think I’d create a different feel for each suite. Have you decided about the attic?”

  “I’ll
clear it out at some point after the holiday, but I think I want to create a fifth suite up there as we discussed earlier. In fact, we may use the manager’s suite as a rental and Georgia may stay in the cottage, at least for a while. We talked about doing theme weekends, and having six suites to rent out would make more sense.”

  Lonnie nodded. “I like the idea. I’ve always wanted to attend one of those murder mystery parties.”

  “If you can find a sitter, I’ll comp a suite for you and Lacy when we do our first one.”

  “For that we’ll find a sitter. Might have to divide the kids up into manageable groups if it’s going to be a whole weekend, but I’m sure Lacy’s mom would watch Maddie and her sister would take the twins. I have a cousin in town who would probably watch Sadie and the boys. Just give me plenty of notice so I can get everyone lined up.”

  “Do you have a lot of family in the area?”

  Lonnie smiled. “A bunch. Sometimes it feels like too much, but other times it feels just right.”

  Georgia was in town this morning, so it was a lot quieter when I got back to the cottage than I was used to. I thought about taking Ramos for a walk and had actually gone into my bedroom to find my heavy boots when my cell rang. It was Wilder.

  “So?” I asked. “Did you find out what Carrie’s dad might be up to?”

  “Maybe.”

  “Are you driving? It sounds like you’re on speaker.”

  “Yeah, I’m heading back. I’ll be in the office in thirty minutes. It might be easier to talk in person if you want to meet me in town.”

  “I’ll head your way. I should be there by the time you get back.”

  After I hung up, I looked at my phone. Had Chief Colt Wilder just invited me to his office to discuss an ongoing investigation? I had to admit I was surprised. When we’d talked the previous evening, he hadn’t even wanted to call me about his findings. At least not at first. Although we’d had a lot of fun. Once he began to relax, I could see he was an interesting guy with a wonderful sense of humor. I hadn’t noticed that before, but last night was the first time I’d talked to him in a social situation. Not only had he been relaxed and entertaining, he’d been downright charming.

  I pulled on my jacket and took Ramos out for a quick bathroom break, then texted Georgia to let her know where I was going in case she came home while I was in town. I fed and watered both animals, then headed to my SUV.

  I’d thought I’d beat Wilder to his office, but when I pulled into the lot, I saw his cruiser in front of the building.

  “Afternoon, Peach,” I said.

  “Afternoon, Abby. He said to go on back.”

  “Thanks. By the way, I love your window display. Very festive.”

  Peach smiled. “Why, thank you. I did take some time with it.”

  I made my way down the hallway to Wilder’s office. The door was open, but I rapped on the doorframe anyway. Wilder was on the phone, but he looked up, smiled, then gestured me in. I sat down on one of the chairs across the desk from him just as he was signing off.

  “That was Carl Sandman of the FBI,” Wilder said.

  “The FBI? Are they part of this now?”

  “He’s an old friend who’s looking in to a few things for me. I spoke to a cellmate of Griff Murphy, Carrie’s father, who informed me that Murphy had plans to look up his old boss after he was released. We suspect he was referring to Mickey Boyle.”

  “Who is he?” I asked.

  “A crime boss who operates out of the Boston area. Murphy was convicted twenty years ago for his part in a munitions sale gone bad. Five men died in the ensuing shootout. Murphy was shot but lived.”

  “So how does Boyle fit into this?”

  “It’s long been suspected Murphy was involved in the arms sale on behalf of Boyle, although he never admitted it.”

  “Okay, wait, so Carrie’s father’s name is Griff Murphy but Carrie’s last name is Long. Did she change it?”

  “Her mother changed it to her maiden name after her father was arrested.”

  “Makes sense. So what does this have to do with Carrie?”

  “I’m not sure. At least not yet. But after I spoke to Murphy’s cellmate, I did some checking. I located a very heavily guarded estate about forty miles north of here, belonging to the Boyle family. It was handed down to some cousins after Mickey’s grandfather passed away. The FBI has been surveying the place and has video footage of a man fitting Murphy’s description entering the compound two months ago with a woman fitting Carrie’s description. It’s a long shot, but my gut tells me that Carrie somehow got involved in whatever her father was in to and may be held on the estate.”

  “You need to go get her.”

  “I’m not doing anything. The FBI is working with the ATF, who supposedly has an undercover agent inside. If we can confirm Carrie is being held, we’ll figure out a way to get her out. Until then, I wait.”

  Wait? Okay. I could do that. Wilder was right; there was nothing I could do other than wait. Still, to be so close to finding the girl who’d been haunting my dreams and not know for certain was killing me. “How long do you think it will take?”

  “To find out whether Carrie is alive and still inside, not that long. The ATF has initiated communications protocol with their agent. If we can confirm that Carrie is both alive and being held on the estate, I’ll wait for the ATF to come up with a plan to get her out. That could take a bit longer.”

  “Yes, okay, I guess you wouldn’t want to just storm the place with guns blazing.”

  Wilder grinned. “No, that wouldn’t be the best plan.”

  I sat back in my chair, considering the man across from me. “Why did you invite me here?”

  “Containment.”

  “Containment?”

  “I knew you’d be waiting for my call, and if I told you what I’d found out over the phone, you might take it upon yourself to do something rash.”

  I raised a brow. “Rash? Me? Why would you think that?”

  Wilder chuckled. “My FBI buddy is friends with your FBI buddy. I’ve actually been dialed in on some fairly amusing stories.”

  I actually felt my face turn red. I was going to kill Mike when I next saw him. “That was when I was in college. I’m not a kid any longer. I understand it’s best to think before diving into the deep end. Despite my earlier statement, I don’t even have a gun to use to storm the compound. Well, that isn’t true. I have Ben’s gun. But it isn’t even loaded. I don’t think. I’m actually not sure. But it’s locked away in the lockbox where he kept it.” I took a deep breath. “I’m babbling. I’m sorry. I’m not usually a babbler. For some reason, I’m really nervous.” I looked Wilder in the eye. “Is that weird?”

  Wilder smiled a little half smile. “It’s not weird. You’ve been drawn into the mystery of Carrie Long and you’ve grown to care about her even though you’ve never met her. I find it admirable and charming. I think we’re both hoping she’ll be found and that she’s okay. The waiting’s never easy.”

  “I’m not a great waiter. I tend to be more of a doer.”

  “Which is a good thing,” Wilder said. “Do you have any idea how bad I feel that Carrie may be alive and I’d all but given up on looking for her?”

  “You didn’t know. It did seem as if she took off, as everyone said.”

  “You didn’t believe that and you didn’t even know her.”

  I bobbed my head. “True, but maybe not knowing her gave me an advantage. I’m sure you did the best you could with the information you had.”

  Wilder shook his head. “No. I really didn’t. I had a personal crisis going on at the time Carrie went missing, and I let that affect my judgment. When the detective from the county told me that they’d determined she’d most likely taken off, I shouldn’t have gone along with his determination. If she’s been held all this time and something happens to her, I’ll never forgive myself.”

  I wanted to ask what sort of personal crisis he’d been experiencing but decided not
to. At least not at this point. I could ask Lacy about it later.

  We both jumped when Wilder’s phone rang.

  “Wilder.”

  I held my breath as his frown turned into a smile. “Excellent. I’ll head over now.”

  I stared at Wilder after he hung up. “Is she there? In the compound?”

  “She was. The undercover agent managed to get her out. She’s on her way to a safe house. I’ve been asked to pick up the baby and the aunt and bring them there.”

  I couldn’t help but grin. “Can I come along?”

  Wilder shrugged. “Sure. I don’t see why not.”

  Chapter 19

  It was almost noon by the time I managed to pull myself out of bed the next morning. Of course, I hadn’t gotten home until the wee hours of the morning. I pulled Rufus into my arms and hugged him to my chest. Tears streamed down my face as I remembered the moment when mother and baby were reunited. I think I was sobbing harder than anyone, and I’m still not sure if my tears were of joy for them or of sorrow that I would never be reunited with my own sweet little baby.

  I could hear Georgia in the kitchen. She was still waiting to be filled in on the details. I could hear voices, so I suspected Nikki was there too. I flipped back the covers and headed into the shower. It had been a very long time since I’d shed as many tears as I had in the past twelve hours. I was sure my face was a mess. Hopefully, a long shower and a lot of makeup would hide the turmoil I was still feeling.

  I stayed in the shower until the water ran cold, then pulled on a pair of black leggings and a bright red sweatshirt, fixed my face the best I could with the little bit of makeup I owned, plastered a smile on my face, and wandered out for the cup of coffee I hoped was waiting for me.

  “There she is,” Georgia said with a smile on her face and an extra-large mug of coffee in her hands. “Nikki and I have been dying for you to wake up so we could hear all about it.”