COFFIN COVE a gripping murder mystery full of twists (Coffin Cove Mysteries Book 1) by JACKIE ELLIOTT (books for new readers .TXT) ๐
Read free book ยซCOFFIN COVE a gripping murder mystery full of twists (Coffin Cove Mysteries Book 1) by JACKIE ELLIOTT (books for new readers .TXT) ๐ยป - read online or download for free at americanlibrarybooks.com
- Author: JACKIE ELLIOTT
Read book online ยซCOFFIN COVE a gripping murder mystery full of twists (Coffin Cove Mysteries Book 1) by JACKIE ELLIOTT (books for new readers .TXT) ๐ยป. Author - JACKIE ELLIOTT
Brenda nodded and held her hand up to wave. โSure, I will.โ
But as she watched Harry climb into the aircraft, smiling and laughing with the pilot, she knew it was time to let the past go forever.
Chapter Forty-One
Harry drove. Jim sat beside him in the passenger seat. Neither of them said much, and Andi let her mind drift a little as the truck left the tarmac road and turned onto the gravel track that led up to the McIntosh house. As they climbed higher, the trees thinned out and Andi saw the view of the town and the ocean that had drawn Joe to build his house far up here on a rocky outcrop.
In the soft light that transitions day to night, Andi looked down on the lights of Coffin Cove. It looked so peaceful, she thought. Idyllic, almost. It was calm in the cove. The ocean stretched out like dark velvet, with just the occasional flash of light from a can buoy, warning vessels to keep clear of shallow waters.
Andi had submitted her first article to print. Terry sent pictures, including one of the startled, half-blinded Hilstead. Andi checked with Inspector Vega before publishing. She didnโt want to compromise the police investigation, which was now officially a manhunt.
Vega thanked her for her cooperation and promised an exclusive when the time came.
Andi wondered if she should have given Vega a heads-up about their new suspicions about Brian McIntosh. But right now, she reasoned, they knew nothing. They just had a tiny silver necklace and Sueโs grief-stricken theories. It wasnโt even a story yet.
She gazed down at Coffin Cove. At night-time the shadows hid the dilapidated buildings and potholed streets. For a town where everyone knew everyone elseโs business, Andi thought, it kept its darkest secrets well.
Would she stay? She didnโt know. Jim had been skirting around this question, probably wanting to ask, but not sure how. The Gazette had increased circulation a little, and was attracting new advertising โ even businesses from Nanaimo were buying space โ but the newspaper was far from being a viable business. Jim was paying Andi out of his own pocket, Andi suspected. She could probably get hired by one of the big media companies now, maybe on the East Coast.
She sighed. Focus on one story at a time, she thought. Worry about the future later.
โWhatโs up?โ Jim asked from the front seat.
โJust thinking about when I first got here,โ Andi said truthfully. โI thought Iโd be spending the rest of my career reporting on community bake sales.โ
Jim said nothing, but Andi imagined his smile.
โOK, weโre here,โ Harry said gruffly. He parked the truck in the driveway, and a motion light illuminated the yard. Andi could see a hunched figure sitting on the deck, a thin plume of smoke rising from a cigarette.
Harry twisted round in his seat to face Andi.
โHeโs in bad shape, Andi. I donโt know if heโll be sober. If he gets really agitated, we might have to leave it, OK?โ
Andi nodded.
The three of them got out of the truck, and Harry led them up the steps to the deck.
โHarry? Is that you?โ Andi heard a womanโs voice coming from inside the house. Tara, she presumed.
โYes, itโs Harry.โ
A woman with short grey hair and large glasses that framed kind blue eyes came out to the deck. โYouโve brought visitors,โ she said, sounding confused. โHere, wait a minute.โ
She stepped back into the house, and in a moment, the deck was flooded with light.
Andi blinked and refocused her eyes. Joe McIntosh was a shrunken, withered figure. He reminded Andi for a fleeting moment of Fred Harding, his father-in-law. But Fred had a life force, Andi decided, even if it was rage that still burned within him. This man was almost lifeless. The smell of alcohol was strong, and Andi realized that Joe was dousing the last embers of his humanity with booze. His life was over. He was just waiting for physical death to catch up with reality.
โWhat do you want, Harry?โ Taraโs voice was anxious. โWhy is Jim with you? Who is this?โ
Harry introduced Andi.
โSorry to come unannounced, Tara. But we โ well Sue, actually, she found something and it might mean something . . .โ Harryโs voice faltered a little, Andi noticed with surprise โ she had never encountered gentleness from this man before.
โMean something? I donโt understand. What did Sue find?โ Tara demanded. โThat womanโs not right in the head, Harry. You know that. I feel sorry for her, but we have enough on our plate.โ She gestured to Joe. โI donโt think we can take much more, not after all this business with Mason.โ
At the mention of Mason, Joe reacted for the first time. He lifted his head and stared at Harry with watery eyes.
โWhat did Sue find, Harry?โ His voice was strong, but he sounded disinterested, almost, Andi thought, resigned to whatever news might be coming.
โThis.โ Jim stepped forward, opened his hand, and let the tiny silver necklace and cross spill onto the metal table next to Joe.
Joe stared at it for a moment and then turned his eyes away.
โWhat is it?โ Tara pushed forward. โA necklace?โ She picked it up and held it up to the light. โYou think this is Sarahโs?โ she asked incredulously, understanding now what Harry meant. โThatโs crazy, Harry. There must be a thousand silver crosses out there. Sue told you she found it? Where?โ she demanded. โYou know that Sue thought she saw Sarah in town months after she died? She needs help, Harry, not encouragement!โ Tara dropped the necklace. โEnough of this nonsense!โ she almost shouted.
โWait!โ Joe said and turned in his seat to face Jim. โWhere did Sue find it? What did she say?โ
โJoeโโ Tara stood between Joe and Jim.
โOut of the
Comments (0)