“My niece was visiting a friend in the room next to yours,” Alec explained. “And she happened to overhear you talking to your associate on the balcony, discussing the murder. So she immediately called me.”
Jack hung his head. “What a disaster. What an absolute mess.”
“You can say that again,” said Alec with a smile.
“So how about Burt?” asked Chase.
“Who?”
“Burt Scofield. Kirk’s business associate. Was he involved in the scheme?”
Jack didn’t speak for a moment, then finally said, “If I tell you, what’s in it for me?”
“Nothing is in it for you, sonny boy,” said Alec sternly. “Now answer the question.”
Jack looked from Chase to Alec for a moment, then sighed. “Okay, fine. Yeah, he was in on it. He was the one who needed to make sure the insurance money would end up in Kirk’s bank account. He was also helping him set up a new identity, and was gonna drive him to Mexico. They were going to split the money and start a new business over there.”
Chase whistled through his teeth. Now that he hadn’t expected.
“Better arrest the guy before he skips town,” said Alec, and Chase nodded and walked out of the interview room to give the order.
Kirk Weaver had had it all worked out. And if not for his designated hitman to outsource the job to a subpar subcontractor, he’d have gotten away with it, too. And before Chase closed the door of the interview room, he could hear Jack lament sadly, “Take it from me, Chief. If you want things done properly, you gotta do ‘em yourself.”
Chapter 37
Over the course of the next day or so, a series of surprising new replies appeared on the Gazette website, all of them written by Gabi, and all of them answering questions that had already been answered before, but, as Gabi went to great pains to explain in a side note, were the result of the site being hacked, and as a consequence should simply be disregarded. The new replies spread a lot of joy through the small community, and especially in the hearts of the different members of the Poole family.
Tex Poole was in his office when Mrs. Baumgartner, one of his regulars, drew his attention to a new reply to a question he’d posted a couple of days before.
‘Dear Fretful Heart, while it is undoubtedly true that your marriage is a happy one, sometimes you need to spice things up a little, and treat your spouse to that extra-loving care that used to come naturally during your honeymoon. Why not a second honeymoon? Or even a third? Why not take that trip she’s been asking for? Neither of you are getting any younger, so now is the time to treat your lady love to that vacation.’
It was so specific and so clear that Tex couldn’t help but wonder if Gabi was actually a mind reader. Nevertheless, he was smiling as he called up the website of his travel agent, and soon was checking prices of packages for a European vacation for two.
Odelia was in her office, writing an article on Jack and Harlan, when she happened to see that new material had been posted to Gabi’s advice column.
‘Dear Anxious Heart, I’m sure your man loves you and wants to make you happy, but unfortunately sometimes men need a little nudge in the right direction. Also, why don’t you simply talk to him about it? He’s your soulmate, your friend, your partner for life, and if you’re going to be together until death do you part, why don’t you start acting like it and share with him your thoughts, your fears and all of your hopes and dreams? I’m sure he’ll appreciate it and love you even more.’
She sat back, a little stunned. Then she decided that Gabi was right on the money, and picked up her phone to call Chase.
Chase, who’d been typing out his report on the Kirk Weaver murder, to be put on his superior officer’s desk first thing in the morning, looked up when that superior officer stuck his head in and said, with a twinkle in his eye, “Have you checked Gabi’s column lately? I think you’ll find something there that you’ll like.”
And with these mysterious words, the Chief withdrew. So Chase took his phone and called up the Gazette website, and soon his eye fell on a particular posting.
‘Dear Burning Heart, I think you know perfectly well what you have to do, and you don’t even have to wait for the right moment to do it. You popped the question once, and she accepted, which was the luckiest day of your life. Now follow through and set a date for an even luckier day: your wedding. You know she’s waiting for you to take the first step, so why don’t you, stud?’
He let out a bark of surprised laughter. Who was this Gabi, and how did she know so much about him? But just then, his phone chimed, and when he saw it was Odelia, he picked up and immediately, before she had a chance to say something, said, “When are we getting married, babe? I can’t wait to make what we share official, and tell the world.”
“Oh, Chase,” she said after a momentary stunned silence, in which he thought his heart would pounce through his chest. “I thought you’d never ask.”
Marge was idly leafing through a Debbie Macomber book, checking it for marks and creases before putting it back on the shelf, when she suddenly remembered she still had to call Odelia and ask her to drop by that evening and pick up that tub of spaghetti sauce.
Walking back to her desk, she picked up her phone, and saw that her daughter had left a message. ‘Mom, check Gabi. Do it NOW!’
Frowning, she did as Odelia suggested, and saw that Gabi had posted a new answer to a question she’d asked last week. Huh. How weird was that?
‘Dear Bookish Heart, sometimes you don’t have to wait for your significant other to take the initiative but take matters into your own hands instead. You know he wants to go on that trip just as much as you do, but has been putting it off. So simply tell him that if he doesn’t want to go with you, you’ll ask a friend to accompany you on this trip. And by sheer magic you’ll find that all of his commitments will suddenly melt away, and that he’ll be more than happy to follow you to the ends of the world and beyond.’
Smiling, Marge then typed a message to her husband. ‘Just booked a ten-day vacation in Europe for me and Odelia. Hope you don’t mind.’
It didn’t even take five seconds for her phone to start ringing. It was Tex.
Mayor Butterwick wasn’t the kind of person who sat perusing the internet on a constant basis. She had too much work on her plate for that. So it was one of her secretaries who actually alerted her of the fact that there was something on the Gazette website that might be of interest to her.
Expecting it to be news of a more political nature, her eye was soon drawn to a particular piece of writing that was addressed to ‘Timid Heart.’ Stunned, she read on, and half expected it to be another harangue about her preventing Alec from rising to his rightful position as Hampton Cove’s next mayor. Instead, it was something completely different.
‘Dear Timid Heart, if in love you took initiative as easily and decisively as in life or your political career, you would have acted on those instincts about your colleague a long time ago. Yes, he likes you back. How could he not? You’re beautiful, smart, successful, and kind. So take the plunge and ask him out on a date already, will you? This is the twenty-first century, for crying out loud. Women can make the first move.’
She sat back, stunned, then a slow smile spread across her features, and she got up to look out the window. Out of habit, her eyes were immediately drawn to a certain window where a certain man spent his days doing his job.
Should she? Or shouldn’t she? Mh…
And as she narrowed her eyes, she noticed that the man’s office was empty, and so was his chair. Probably out fighting crime, and a warm feeling spread through her chest at the thought of Alec walking the streets, keeping people safe and making sure Hampton Cove was the safest community for miles around. How she admired him for it.