HELL'S HALF ACRE a gripping murder mystery full of twists (Coffin Cove Mysteries Book 2) by JACKIE ELLIOTT (classic literature books .txt) 📗

Jim looked at her for a moment.

“You look like shit,” he said, always direct. “How are you doing?”

Andi sighed. “I’m fine. I just slept badly,” she admitted. “A nightmare.” She shrugged and then sat silently.

He softened. “Look,” Jim said gently, “you went through a terrible time last year. The occasional nightmare is to be expected, isn’t that what the counsellor said? I know you’re bored with this stuff—” he gestured at the paper in Andi’s hand — “but it keeps your mind busy. Routine is good for you. Cover this festival, and then, if you’re sure you’re feeling up to something more . . .” He took a deep breath. “Look, I don’t think you have any evidence at all to link the Thompsons with Ricky Havers’ disappearance. But I will help you. We’ll start from the beginning and see if we can re-interview everyone connected with Ricky and go where the story takes us.”

Jim got a smile, a spark of the old Andi.

“Sure, sounds good.”

She got up to go and then stopped.

“Jim, there’s something I haven’t told you.”

Here it comes, Jim thought. The envelope. The illegal search.

“Go on,” he said calmly, although he wasn’t sure how he would react.

“About Ricky Havers,” Andi said, “I’ve been helping someone.”

“Who?” Jim said, surprised. He wasn’t expecting this.

“Sandra Havers,” she said.

“Sandra Havers?” Jim echoed. “What do you mean?”

“She came to me after the police couldn’t find Ricky and had no clue where he’d gone. They didn’t close the file, but you know what happens. The file just sits in a box somewhere, and every so often they make an appeal for information. Sandra . . . well, she wasn’t happy about it, and nobody would be. I mean, Ricky Havers was a bit of an asshole, even she says that, but she’s his mother. She’s not going to give up on him. Even if it means the worst-case scenario. So . . .” Andi took a breath as if about to make a confession. “I’ve been helping her. At least, I’ve been trying. So far, I haven’t found anything, and she’s losing hope.”

“Did she come to you, Andi?” Jim asked. “You didn’t go chasing her for a story?”

Andi shook her head. “She said if I could solve the Sarah McIntosh murder, I could help her find out what happened to Ricky.”

“I see.” It was making sense to Jim now. “So, all this obsession with Ricky Havers . . .”

“Sorry, Jim. I know I should have told you, but Sandra wanted everything confidential. You see, she thinks Dennis Havers has something to do with it.”

“Her own husband?” Jim said incredulously. “I know Dennis is . . . well . . . slimy. But to abduct his own son? Why on earth would he do that?”

‘Well . . . here’s the thing,” Andi said slowly, “and we have to keep this to ourselves, Jim — Ricky isn’t Dennis’s son.”

“Shit,” Jim said, stunned.

Andi nodded. “I know. Sandra has never told Dennis, but she thinks he may have found out. He was acting weird before Ricky went missing. Sandra said even the Smoke Room thing was strange. Dennis was always complaining Ricky was lazy and useless, and then he suddenly invests thousands of dollars into a business for Ricky. And it’s weed. Dennis hated weed.”

“Hmm. I thought Dennis was trying to buy the trailer park. The weed shop was a ploy to get the property value down. Smoke ’em out.”

Andi smiled at Jim’s weak joke.

“Sandra originally thought that too. But now she thinks Dennis had an ulterior motive. Maybe he didn’t mean to hurt Ricky, but . . .”

“Something went wrong?” Jim finished for her. “Sounds harsh, though. He raised Ricky. I mean, even if he wasn’t Dennis’s flesh and blood . . .”

“Sandra says it would have humiliated Dennis. He wouldn’t have been able to stand being deceived all these years. She thinks he was furious. She thinks it’s all her fault and now all she can think of is finding Ricky. Alive or dead.”

“Seems hypocritical,” Jim said. “All these years Dennis had his affair with Nadine Dagg. Surely Sandra should be the one who feels humiliated. Has she confronted him about Ricky?”

Andi shook her head. “Not really. She tried when Ricky first disappeared. Dennis didn’t seem concerned. He denied knowing anything about it. But now she’s convinced he knows something. She’s afraid and distraught.”

“So if Dennis isn’t Ricky’s father, who is?”

Andi sighed. “I asked that. It might have been a potential lead. Maybe Ricky found out somehow and went looking for his biological father. It’s a bit of a stretch, and Sandra claims Ricky had no idea. She doesn’t know how Dennis found out either. But she says the identity of Ricky’s father doesn’t matter and can’t be connected to the case. So I had to take her at her word. And I promised to keep it to myself, although I said if you helped me, I’d have to tell you.”

Jim nodded. “You know I’ll keep that confidence. What else have you got so far?”

“Not much. Sandra’s given me a lot of information about Dennis’s business dealings, but I haven’t had a chance to look at it yet.”

The envelope, Jim thought. Now it made sense. He was relieved. It was one thing for a source to hand Andi sensitive material, quite another for her to break the law to get it.

One thought came to him. “Do you still think the Thompsons are involved? Has Sandra shed any light on that?”

Andi shrugged. “I still think they’re both hiding something. Sandra seems to think Summer Thompson and her husband have some history. I haven’t got that far yet.” Andi smiled suddenly, her face lighting up. “It’ll be good to have your help.”

Jim couldn’t help grinning back. “Sure. Go do this interview with Madam Mayor, and we’ll get on with it. Off you go,” and