Redmond grinned. The dam was breaking and the flood was sure to follow.

  “I only wanted us to be together,” Karen continued. “But we had to have something to live on and at our age we couldn’t start over with nothing. We needed something to get us started in our new lives. We couldn’t stay in the town we lived in, not with his mother being so vindictive and his wife sure to be out for revenge, no matter that she hated him. Ralph had his salary from the company, and then a miserly pension after he stepped down. After she pushed him out, rather. His mother would never have continued to support him if he disgraced the family by leaving his marriage. In favor of a divorced, childless, fast-food clerk in her fifties, of all things.” Karen began to cry. Deep, wracking, sobs, full of self-pity.

  “He changed his mind about leaving his wife,” Rose said, her voice perfectly calm, sounding as though she were discussing the breakfast menu at the B & B. “You followed him to his son’s wedding, expecting him to make the official announcement to his family that weekend. Weren’t you worried Sophia or Regina would recognize you and wonder what you were doing here? Or even Ivan.”

  I couldn’t see Karen’s face but I could hear the anger in her voice as she spat out the words. “Sophia never came to the office; that Ivan would never look a sandwich-maker in the face. His mother’s a sharp-eyed old thing, though, and I think she recognized me when she saw me at the B & B, but she doesn’t have enough interest in anyone or anything outside of her own circle to so much as stop to wonder what I was doing there.”

  “I spent many years of my life as a servant,” Rose said. “Much the same. I doubt my employers would have noticed me if they saw me lying in the street calling for help, or care if they did happen to recognize me. Never mind that now. You convinced your friends to come on this supposed bridge vacation with you, and then. he couldn’t go through with it after all. And so . . . that made you angry. I’m sorry, dear, but that’s a common story. My own husband conducted affairs for years. Always stringing them along. Always dumping them in the end. Eventually, I decided to take it upon myself to break the pattern once and for all. If you get my meaning.”

  “I believe I do,” Karen said.

  “Wow, I never realized what a good liar your grandmother is,” Simon said.

  “It’s coming as a shock to me, too,” I said.

  “Love the way she causally implied she murdered your grandfather,” Bernie said. “I’d believe her, if I didn’t know firsthand how devoted they were to each other.”

  “Shush,” Redmond snapped.

  “No,” Karen said. “He didn’t change his mind. He never meant to leave with me, and I finally realized it. All the time we’d been together, I’d been giving him what money I could. He told me he was putting funds aside as well. I thought we were building a nest egg to use to start our lives together. You must think I’m mighty stupid, Rose.”

  “Naïve, foolish perhaps, but no, not stupid. You’re not the first woman to be lied to, and who wanted to believe the lies.”

  “I did love him, but . . . when I realized not only did he have no intention of leaving his family for me, he intended to use my hard-earned savings for his own ends . . .”

  Silence filled the room.

  “I’ve said too much. You won’t tell anyone about this conversation, will you, Rose?”

  “I promise, I will not repeat a word.”

  “My friends and I should have left the next day, the day after he died. Laurie wanted to, but I was worried questions would be asked as to why we left abruptly. Maybe I wanted to stay to see how the family behaved. Remind myself what an awful bunch they are. And that he was, in the end, no better. I’d like to go now, please.”

  “I have enough.” Amy Redmond pushed the button on the machine. “Time to end this. The finer points can come later in an official interview.”

  I got to my feet and scooped up my helmet, feeling quite satisfied with the results of our evening.

  “Another successful case.” Bernie leapt to her own feet with a shout and such enthusiasm her chair fell over and crashed to the floor. She yelped and then froze, eyes wide in shock, hands to her mouth.

  “What’s that?” we heard Karen say. “Is someone listening in there?”

  “Mice in the walls, I suspect,” Rose said calmly. “Such a poorly constructed building. Political corruption, they say. I’m feeling ever so much better. Time we were off.”

  “You tricked me,” Karen yelled.

  Redmond, Bernie, and Simon headed for the door. They collided with each other in a bundle of bodies. But I’d been closest and I made it into the hallway first.

  I burst into the game room. Karen was standing, looming over Rose, her fists raised. Fear crossed Rose’s face and she cowered in her chair, one hand scrabbling for her cane.

  “Hey!” I shouted. “Get away from her.”

  Karen swung around. Beneath the large frames of her glasses, her eyes bulged, and her face was a bright, furious red. Veins stood out in her neck. “You!” she screamed at me. “Stay back. All of you. I don’t know what you think you heard, but I’m not going to jail because of a crazy old woman’s need to gossip.” She turned again and lunged at Rose. I ran across the room, my only thought of protecting my grandmother.

  “Lily!” Simon yelled.

  “I’ve got this, Lily,” Amy Redmond said. “Get out of the way.”

  Karen O’Keefe grabbed Rose’s cane and wrenched it out of my grandmother’s hand. She raised the cane high.

  With a mighty yell, I swung my own arm before she could get the weapon into position. I hit the side of her head with the motorcycle helmet. It made an almighty crunch. Karen dropped to the floor. And there she lay, moaning.

  Chapter 25

  “Another line to add to my résumé. Supplier of defensive weaponry,” Simon said.

  We were in the kitchen of Victoria-on-Sea, and I was getting the breakfasts started.

  We hadn’t been needed for much last night, not after the felling of Karen O’Keefe. Redmond arrested her on the spot and called for backup. She’d be around, the detective told us, to get our statements this morning.

  Bernie, full of restless energy, had been on the doorstep of Victoria-on-Sea when Simon and I arrived to open the kitchen, and Rose, equally full of restless energy, had put in an appearance only minutes later. As for me, I’d slept the long, lovely sleep of the innocent.

  Edna burst into the kitchen at the same time as Rose. “The police have made an arrest in the murder of Ralph Reynolds.”

  “Is that so,” Rose said.

  “You don’t seem at all surprised, any of you,” Edna said. “I’m therefore guessing it will not come a surprise to tell you the alleged killer was a guest at this very establishment.”

  “Shocking what people get up to these days. Lily, is my tea ready?”

  “Give me a minute, Rose.”

  “Why don’t I get your tea,” Edna said, “as everything seems to be under control here. Bernie’s making the fruit salad. Simon’s mixing muffin batter, and the sausages and bacon are already on. Sausages and bacon. And it’s not even Sunday. Éclair under the table and Robbie on top of it. All appears to be right with the world.”

  “So it is,” I said. “We’re going to need a good deal of coffee this morning. Detectives Williams and Redmond will be here shortly to speak to Karen’s friends and the Reynolds family, fill them in on what’s happening. It’s not going to be easy for them to hear why Ralph died.”

  “What did happen?” Edna asked. “Why did he die?”

  Rose, Bernie, and Simon looked at me. “Okay,” I said. “I can tell you what we know, because all of this is hearsay and guesswork. The police still have to build a solid case they can take to court. One of the bridge players, Karen, the one with the black glasses, was having an affair with Ralph. She expected him to leave Sophia for her.”

  Edna snorted.

  “Yeah. Same old story. She came here, this week, thinking he’d be making the big announcement to his family after Greg’s wedding. No doubt she expected to be formally introduced to his children and likely had some idea of spitting in Sophia’s face. Literally or figuratively. That she had to come under the pretext of being with her bridge group, indicates to me she must have known, even if only deep down, he wasn’t likely to welcome her popping into his family time. Otherwise, it would have been enough for her to come to the Cape by herself, and stay at another place until Ralph sent for her. Cheaper too as she paid for two rooms here, not one. But come she did, and under the pretext of a bridge get-together. I didn’t see her and Ralph together at any time, so he might not have even known she was here. She and her friends didn’t check in until Thursday afternoon. That night, following the shower, I overheard Ralph and Greg arguing at the cliff edge. Ralph offered Greg a hundred thousand dollars not to marry Hannah.”

  “Wow!” Bernie said. “You never told me that. What did Greg have to say?”

  “He turned his father down flat and walked away angry. What other people said was right: Ralph did threaten the happiness of Jenny’s daughter. But it wasn’t Jenny who killed him.”

  “Why did Karen care who Greg married?” Edna asked.

  “She didn’t. Not in the least. After Greg left his dad, I saw that someone else had been listening to the conversation. A shadow in the deeper shadows. No one I could identify.”

  “Karen,” Bernie said.

  “Yes. She knew Ralph didn’t have much money in his own name. He and Karen had been saving for a long time, so she thought, in order to have sufficient funds to get them started on their new life once they were officially together. Then she heard Ralph offer Greg what she realized was her own life savings. At last Karen’s carefully constructed house of cards fell apart. She realized Ralph not only didn’t intend to marry her, he had no hesitation in using the money she’d handed to him for his own personal ends.”

  “So she killed him,” Edna said.

  “Yes. I confess I feel sorry for her. He strung her along for what must have been years. She had her hopes for the future pinned on him, not to mention allowing him to manage her savings. And then . . . she finally understood he intended to betray her.”

  “She didn’t have to kill him,” Edna said.

  “No, and there my sympathy for her ends. Anyway, to continue, the police assumed all along he’d been killed by someone he had no worries about inviting into his room for a drink. I guess, and it is only a guess, she tapped on his door and said, ‘Surprise!’ He invited her in, offered her a drink, probably pleased at the chance of a little fun and games with his lover in a room directly across the hall from his unloved wife and hated mother. I have the feeling Ralph Reynolds wasn’t too terribly bright.”

  “Men never are,” Bernie said. “Not when it comes to what Lily so modestly calls fun and games.”

  “I take offense at that,” Simon said with a deep growl and a serious frown. “I like to think I’m not so single-minded as to welcome a killer into my room.” Then he grinned at me. “Except perhaps when it comes to Lily.”

  I blushed. Rose choked. Bernie snorted with laughter, and Edna simply smiled. Éclair thumped her tail on the floor, and Robbie hissed at her.

  “Once Karen was in his room, drinks served, and he was lying back on the bed, maybe with his eyes closed, maybe even drifting off, it was easy enough for her to dump something in the bottle. She probably poured herself a small drink also, and had enough of her wits about her to wipe her prints off the bottle and Ralph’s glass and to take her own glass with her. Easy enough to get rid of it. I’m going to assume it’s currently at the bottom of the ocean.”

  “Why didn’t she leave after he died, do you think?” Edna asked. “Surely she’d want to get as far away as possible.”

  “She said she was worried it would cast suspicion on her. I think she simply wanted to know what was going on.” I thought of Karen, listening around corners, peeking into rooms. Curious, I’d believed, because she was interested in how the police worked.

  “Perhaps, in her own way, she was in mourning,” Rose said. “And she wanted to be near him.”

  “That might be,” Simon said. “Human emotions can be conflicting things.”

  I took the muffins out of the oven. “Better do another batch,” I said. “If Detective Williams will be here this morning.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Simon said.

  “I hear voices in the dining room,” Edna said. “Time to get to work. One question, first. Was it Karen who attacked Sophia the other night? And if so, why? No harm was done.”

  “I don’t know,” I admitted. “Karen knew Sophia didn’t love Ralph, and vice versa. I don’t know why she’d want to frighten her.” I took off my apron. “I’ll pop into the dining room this morning. Make sure everything’s okay.”

  Laurie, Sheila, and Marie had taken their seats in the sun-filled room. They sat quietly, staring into their coffee cups.

  “Hi,” I said. “Everything okay?”

  “Not really,” Laurie said. “We got a call from the police last night. Do you know about that?”

  “I’m aware of what happened, yes.”

  “Karen’s been arrested. For killing that man. I can’t believe it. Surely, they’ve made a mistake. She didn’t even know the guy.”

  I said nothing.

  “I thought she was acting odd this week,” Sheila said. “But we didn’t know her well, not outside of bridge, so I suppose I didn’t know what was odd and what was just being normally weird.”

  “You’re due to leave today,” I said. “Our reservations book is full, but I can speak to my grandmother and see if she can make some adjustments if . . .”

  “No, thank you,” Marie said. “We won’t be staying. We talked it over after the cops called. We decided I’ll stay an extra day or two, to try to see Karen and ask if there’s anything I can do. Sheila and Laurie have jobs and families to get back to, but I own my own business so I can take the time. Your house is truly lovely, but it’s expensive, and a place to enjoy oneself. I won’t be staying on for pleasure. I’ve found a room in a motel on the highway and made a booking.”

  I had nothing to say to that, so I simply wished them a good day and left them. Edna took my place. “Good morning, ladies. We have an egg-white frittata on offer today as well as the usual full breakfast. Today’s muffins are apple and cinnamon.”

  No one from the Reynolds family came down, and breakfast service was finished by eight thirty. Bernie had a sudden inspiration for her book and rushed home to jot the idea down. Simon helped Edna wash up what few dishes there were before returning to his plants. Rose, accompanied by Robert the Bruce, settled herself at the reception desk to await the arrival of the police.

  Éclair and I went home.

  Chapter 26

  I did not go back to the house to talk to the police. Rose later told me they spoke to Sophia and Regina in turn, and then to McKenzie, Greg, and Ivan. Sophia and Regina went upstairs together, not exactly leaning on each other for support but not hurling accusations and insults at the other, either. Shortly thereafter, the family checked out and departed. Regina, Sophia, Ivan, and McKenzie were going home. As were Dave, Jenny Hill, and Samantha. Greg would stay in North Augusta and wait until his father’s body was released. He’d taken Jenny’s place in the hotel she was staying at with Hannah.

  * * *

  I was alone in the tearoom kitchen at nine o’clock that night, getting food ready for tomorrow. I’d given Cheryl and Marybeth a rundown of events when they arrived, and then spent most of the day barely noticing what I was baking. The entire situation was all so terribly sad. Dysfunctional families, broken lives, nasty people, bad feelings, liars, and vengeful lovers.

  I had one short break, when Simon came into the kitchen in midafternoon. He carried a rough bouquet of short-stemmed roses, purple lobelia, and leaves of green hosta, and handed it to me.

  “How nice,” I said. “Marybeth, can you find a place for this on a table in one of the alcoves.”

  “It’s not a table setting,” Simon said. “It’s for you, Lily. Come with me.”

  “I can’t leave, Simon. We have a full house.”

  “Ten minutes. Marybeth?”

  “We’ve got this,” she said.

  Simon took one of my hands, and I carried the flowers in the other. All we did for ten minutes was walk together down the winding garden paths, admiring the plants, listening to the sea, feeling the hot sun on our heads and arms. And that was all I needed.

  “Lots of things I considered doing in my life,” Simon said as we headed back to the tearoom. “Tech company billionaire. Prime minister. Nuclear scientist. Astronaut. Rock star.”

  “Close protection officer.”

  “Instead, I chose to be a gardener so I could bring people moments like this. I know you’re bothered by what went on here, Lily. As am I. The nastiness, the sheer unnecessary meanness of some people. Life seems not worth living sometimes. And then—there are roses.” He lifted my bouquet and pressed it to my face. I took a deep breath and the crazy, messed-up world spun back into its proper orbit. And I was happy.

  * * *

  I rarely try making anything I haven’t done before when the tearoom’s at our busiest, but tonight I made an exception. Maybe I needed to focus my mind on something different. I found a recipe for a Battenberg cake I’d been wanting to try. Battenberg is a complicated cake to make, as it consists of two different cakes held together with jam and topped with marzipan, but the pink-and-cream checkerboard pattern is attractive and it looks beautiful as part of the sweets offering at tea. I took out my equipment and ingredients and got to work.

  I was slipping the cake batters into the hot oven when a car turned into the driveway and a few minutes later a light tap sounded on the kitchen door.

  I pulled off my oven mitts and opened the door. Amy Redmond stood there. “I figured I’d find you here, Lily.”

  “Come in. Would you like a cup of tea? I have some chicken salad fillings in the fridge, and I could quickly put together a sandwich for you.”