HELL'S HALF ACRE a gripping murder mystery full of twists (Coffin Cove Mysteries Book 2), JACKIE ELLIOTT [best ereader for graphic novels .TXT] 📗

Summer nodded. “Yes, Inspector. And I know she was in the office yesterday because I’ve already checked.”

“Good. OK, carry on.”

Vega knew they would verify everything, but he wanted Summer to tell him everything she knew first.

“I wasn’t expecting Jade back for dinner, as I knew she was going to that awful belly dancing thing at the Fat Chicken. So I watched some TV, but I thought she’d be back by midnight. I fell asleep on the sofa, and when I woke up, she still wasn’t home, and it was about one o’clock in the morning.”

“Did you try to call or text?”

Summer shook her head miserably.

“I wish I had, but I thought she might have stayed with Hephzibah or something . . .” She trailed off and looked at Vega. “The thing is, Inspector, she’s a grown woman, not a teenager. I didn’t want to be fussing, and we agreed when we moved in together, we would give each other space, so I didn’t want to seem . . . hysterical . . .” She put her head in her hands.

Vega reached out and patted her hand. “I would have done the same. This morning? Nothing from her?”

Summer raised her head. “No. I expected her back for a change of clothes before work, but she’s been busy and stressed, so I left it again, and then when I went to get a coffee, I heard about poor Nadine, and I just thought she must be talking to you. I saw her car in the city parking lot. I went home and expected to see her. I knew she would be distraught about Nadine. It’s so terrible. And then, when I didn’t hear anything, I went down to her office and the lady on reception said Jade hadn’t been in all day. I came straight here, thinking she might be in an interview or something . . . but she’s not and now I’m really worried, Inspector. This isn’t right. She would never just go off, not with everything going on . . . Something terrible has happened, hasn’t it?” The last words were a whisper.

Vega decided to be straight with Summer.

“It doesn’t seem right, I agree. Let’s not panic, but Matt here is going to ask you a few more questions about Jade, so we can circulate a description. Her car is still in the parking lot?”

Summer nodded.

“Right, so she’ll be on foot . . .”

Summer finished for him, “Or in someone else’s car.”

“That is possible,” Vega conceded.

There was a knot in his stomach. He didn’t want to frighten Summer, but with four murder victims, he feared for the young mayor. And he was convinced, even without solid evidence, that all four victims were connected somehow, and Jade must be part of this puzzle. So he leaned forward and said, “Summer, you have to answer me honestly. I can’t do my job if you don’t, and time is not on my side. So, I’m going to ask you once: is there a connection between Jade and Ricky Havers?”

Summer’s reaction was confirmation. She physically flinched, as though Vega had slapped her.

Damn that woman, Vega thought. Andi was right.

“Summer, let me have it now.”

“A long time ago Ricky Havers assaulted . . . no, raped my daughter.” The words came spilling out as Summer clasped and unclasped her hands. “It ruined my daughter’s life, Inspector. She never told a soul, not me, not anyone, until she got some counselling last year. She always hated visiting me here at Coffin Cove, but last year she told me why. She was very angry, Inspector.” Summer looked at Inspector Vega, almost pleading. This was it, he thought. What was it Dennis had said on the phone? My son wasn’t an angel. He did things to people.

She continued, “She was angry because Ricky had that damn Smoke Room store, right in my backyard. Whatever shady deal Dennis was cooking up, that store was causing daily problems. We — that is, the trailer park residents — we petitioned, but Dennis was mayor, and whatever he wanted, he got.” Summer sounded bitter. “Jade was so angry. One night it all got too much. She took my gun.”

Vega couldn’t help but raise his eyebrows.

“A gun? What did she do, Summer?”

“She never meant to hurt him. She just wanted him to admit what he had done. Acknowledge it. She confronted him. But I got there, Inspector, and although she fired, the shot went wide — she wasn’t used to guns.”

But knew enough to load one, Vega thought. He was transfixed, but he was aware PC Beaufort was scribbling this down.

“Was he hurt, Summer?”

She shook her head.

“He fell. They were both on the roof of the Smoke Room and Ricky lost his footing and fell. But I’m sure the worst that happened to him was a sprained ankle. Jade and I ran home. She was so . . . I don’t know. The next morning, we both expected the RCMP to come knocking. But they didn’t, and I drove past the Smoke Room to see if he was hurt badly, but he wasn’t there. We assumed he decided not to report Jade because he didn’t want anyone to know what he did to her. I’m certain Jade wasn’t the only one.”

“But then Jade decided to run for mayor?” Vega said, almost to himself. “And Ricky went missing.”

The fall explained the broken ankle and clavicle, he thought. And there was no way Ricky could move far with those injuries. Somebody must have taken him.

“Jade wanted to tell the RCMP. But it would have hurt her candidacy, so I persuaded her not to,” Summer said. “It was my fault, Inspector. I should have known something was wrong when she was a teenager. I failed her. She wanted to be mayor because she hates injustice of any kind. And Dennis and his cronies have been running this town into the ground