COFFIN COVE a gripping murder mystery full of twists (Coffin Cove Mysteries Book 1), JACKIE ELLIOTT [most recommended books txt] 📗

barrelling into the room, shouting at the top of his lungs, “GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE!” and then Hilstead was running for the front door.

Terry dropped his phone. In the distance he heard sirens. He only had a few seconds. His camera was slung around his shoulder. He popped off the lens cap and aimed it at Hilstead as he ran out of the house.

FLASH. The camera’s automatic flash illuminated Hilstead, and he came to a full stop, shielding his eyes, like a deer in headlights. He was holding a gun, and aimed it wildly, before staggering forward, momentarily blinded. Terry kept his finger pressed down, so his high-speed camera took multiple shots of Hilstead as he made it to his truck. Red-faced, he pulled himself in and accelerated backwards down the driveway, swerving over the lawn and crunching through undergrowth, before he spun the truck round on the road and squealed away.

“Everyone OK?” Terry asked as Harry ran out to join him.

“All fine. Hilstead’s got the gun, though.”

“Ah. It’s out of our hands now,” Terry said as the sound of sirens got nearer, and they could see blue and red lights flashing in the distance. “Did someone mention tea?”

Chapter Forty

“Not too early?” Jim asked.

“No,” Andi said, “come in,” and she stood back to let Jim into her apartment, glad to see he was balancing two coffees on top of a box.

“Where are the muffins?” she asked.

“We’re economizing,” Jim said, placing the box down. He looked at Andi. “You look tired.”

“I was up late writing my article. Terry turned over all the audio he got yesterday to Vega’s team, and they have enough to charge Hilstead. He didn’t actually admit to attempting to kill Brenda, but he threatened to kill Nikos and Adrian, and that’s plenty. Terry sent me a copy. Plus, I got the files from Carol Morin. I wanted to make a start.”

“You ready to publish?” Jim asked.

Andi shook her head, feeling sheepish. “No, I, er . . . promised Vega I’d hold off until he gives me the go-ahead.”

“Really?” Jim raised his eyebrows and said with mock seriousness, “How very responsible of you.”

“Actually, he promised me an exclusive, if I waited.” Andi couldn’t help smiling smugly. “Lucky, really, because he was pretty mad about the surveillance.”

“It could have gone very wrong,” Jim said. “Lucky that Hilstead escaped without anyone getting really hurt. Can I read your draft?”

Andi handed Jim a copy of her article.

Jim sat down, and they both drank coffee in silence while Jim read through Andi’s work.

“This is good,” he said finally, looking up.

“It’s just the start,” Andi said. “Nguyen’s tentacles stretch further than just the fishing industry. He’s the real story. Mason knew it too — Hilstead’s just a thug. Unfortunately for Mason, he didn’t know how far Hilstead would go. My guess is that he confronted Hilstead and threatened to expose him, and, well . . . we know the rest.”

“Any word on Hilstead now?”

“Not yet. Vega has a full-on manhunt underway. If they get Hilstead, they’ll get Nguyen.”

Jim put his coffee down and walked over to Andi’s story wall. Andi watched him. She sensed he had something to say.

Finally, with his back to Andi, he said, “So you were wrong about the connection between the two murders.”

Andi sighed. “OK, I made assumptions. It just seemed too much of a coincidence. But I was wrong. Mason’s murder had nothing to do with Sarah McIntosh.”

Jim turned round to face Andi. “Come here, I want to show you something.”

Andi stood beside Jim as he unpinned and rearranged the documents on the wall.

“See?” he said when he was finished. “There is a connection. But not the one you thought.”

Andi looked at Jim in amazement. “Are you sure? I mean, is this just a theory or . . . ?”

“It’s not just a theory,” Jim said. And he explained to Andi what he had discovered.

“Why didn’t anyone figure this out back then?” Andi asked.

“Mason’s wife was right,” Jim said sadly. “It was easier to think an outsider would do this terrible thing. Even me. I thought I was being objective. I thought I was following the facts, but I was told a story I wanted to believe. And I destroyed a man’s reputation.”

Andi was quiet. She carried that burden herself.

Jim carried on. “You see, everyone knows everyone else’s business in Coffin Cove. I was just choosing to ignore it.”

* * *

“Do you think they’ll get him?”

Harry patted Brenda on the shoulder.

“Don’t worry. He can’t get far. The police are looking everywhere for him.

Brenda nodded. “I know. I just want this over with.”

She wasn’t worried. A police cruiser was stationed outside her apartment block and Adrian had offered to pay for her to go to a hotel. But all she wanted was some peace.

“What will you do now? Will you go back to work for Hades?”

Brenda looked up at Harry. She let her eyes rest for a moment on his familiar weather-beaten face.

“No. It’s not the same. I’m too set in my ways for Adrian. He needs some young blood. I think I’ll go out east and stay with my sister. Take some time out. I’ll rent out my apartment, and who knows? Maybe I’ll start a new life in Ontario.”

“That’s good,” Harry answered. “We all need a fresh start now and again, right?”

Brenda pressed her lips together and willed back tears. What had she expected? For Harry to beg her to stay?

She managed a smile. “That sounds like your plane.” She reached out and rubbed his arm. “Thank you for everything, Harry. You take care of yourself, OK?”

Harry gave Brenda a hug, and she pushed him away quickly, not wanting to cry.

The floatplane chugged to the dock, and Harry picked up his bag.

“Keep in touch, Bren,” he