A Twist In The Tail

‘This is a small town and unless I am out of touch, if there is something juicy to talk about, there are certain circles where you can let the secret out and it will be around town in no time.’ Iona glanced at me and I nodded.

‘Good,’ Ron said. ‘Here’s what we need to do. We’ll start a rumor that you’ve found a clue to the killer’s identity. It’s in the West wing where Charles was killed.’

‘And the killer will come to find it before the police!’ Iona said.

I frowned. ‘That won’t work, the killer isn’t just going to waltz into a guesthouse full of people.

Ron’s eyes gleamed. ‘Not with a guesthouse full of people. But everyone knows that you don’t serve dinner. Can you arrange something in town where your guests get a discount somewhere tomorrow night? We’ll help make sure everyone goes out to take advantage of it.’ Ron pointed to the clam bag. ‘You know, like you made it so obvious that there was a special at Salty’s.’

My cheeks prickled with heat. Had I been that obvious? Is that why Ron and Iona had gotten takeout? Oh well, it all worked out in the end. ‘I think I can arrange something. Tony down at the Marinara Mariner owes me one.’

I could maybe get him to make a special twenty percent off coupon for the guests in exchange for making sure no one ever found out about him and Tina. Blackmail? Sure. But it was for a good cause.

‘And one more thing to make it irresistible,’ Ron said. ‘When you are spreading the rumor, make sure it is known that you will be out of town until the next morning, but the guesthouse will remain unlocked so that your guests can come and go after dinner.’

‘Okay,’ I said.

‘Good, maybe if you can get that rumor started tomorrow morning, we can have our killer in handcuffs by tomorrow night.’

‘Sounds good,’ I said. ‘I know exactly where to start.’

Twenty

The next morning I was up with the gulls. Looking at them through the kitchen window, I wondered if they would stop dying off once Stella was in jail. There were only two over her deck now and I swear a month ago there would be six or seven in the morning.

Now what for breakfast? I wished I hadn’t spent so much time trying to come up with the best way to spread the rumor and sweet-talking Tony into getting me coupons last night. Mom and Millie had picked them up and were supposed to deliver them here any minute.

I was rummaging through the recipe file—still no sour cream coffee cake —when I heard a tap on the kitchen door.

Mom and Millie were outside with sneaky looks on their faces, glancing back behind them and whispering. I motioned for them to come in and the door squeaked as Millie opened it. I made a mental note to oil the hinges later on, or whatever one did for squeaky doors. I had enough going on right now.

Millie presented the special coupons from The Marinara Mariner. ‘Tony made these up special, just like you asked him to.’

‘He was very nice to us.’ Mom leaned in and whispered. ‘Didn’t want us to tell his little secret.’

The cats trotted over and purred at Millie’s feet while she fed them some sort of fishy smelling treats. I didn’t have those types of treats here for them and I wondered if she’d been holding out on me and keeping the most savory treats for herself so she would still be their favorite.

Millie scowled at the stove, peeked in the oven and then turned her frown on me. ‘You haven’t started breakfast yet?’

‘I was just trying to figure out what to cook.’

Millie glanced at her watch. ‘It’s almost seven thirty, not much time to make something.’ She pressed her lips together and glanced at the pantry. ‘Hmm… I know. Do you have any breakfast ham?’

I glanced in the fridge. Two ham patties sat wrapped in their plastic covering. ‘Yep.’

‘Good, then we’ll make Ham and Cheese Muffin Puffs. It will only take twenty minutes and the guests love them.’ Millie rushed into the pantry and grabbed the Bisquick. ‘Get out the ham and some eggs, milk, cheese and olive oil.’

I did as I was told and twenty minutes later the kitchen was filled with the smell of homemade biscuits. Millie pulled golden biscuits with pink dots of ham and gooey cheese out of the oven. I added a fruit bowl and milk and cereal and we headed to the dining room where the guests had already gathered.

Ron and Iona shot me a knowing look. Tina gave me a nervous glance. About the only one I didn’t have a secret with was Ava. She was looking around with a twinkle in her eye as if she was onto the fact that there were questionable goings on at the guesthouse.

‘I have a nice surprise for everyone,’ I announced, after I’d laid the food out and they were milling about the buffet table making their selections. I held up the coupons. ‘The Marinara Mariner has offered a wonderful 50 percent discount on dinner between 7 and 9 tonight for guests of the Oyster Cove Guesthouse only.’

‘The food there is wonderful,’ Ron said.

‘That’s a good deal,’ Iona added.

‘Marinara gives me heartburn.’ Ava squinted at the coupon.