Harbour Falls (A Harbour Falls Mystery #1)(94)

When we arrived at Cove Beach, we stowed my car in its assigned garage. But once we reached the dock, we bypassed the ferry. Instead Adam led me to a waiting speedboat.

“Oh,” I said, surprised. I knew Adam had his own private boats, but I’d so rarely seen him utilize them.

“With everything going on earlier, I didn’t have time to wait for a ferry,” he explained. “This is a lot faster anyway. You’ll see.”

And it was. We reached Fade Island in no time at all, docking at the northern end of the island, where Adam’s other boats were apparently kept.

Adam drove me down to the cottage, but I could barely keep my eyes open. I leaned my head on his shoulder, feeling a newfound kinship with this man I loved. Now I truly knew what it must have been like—these past four years or so—for Adam. With the purr of the Porsche engine lulling me to sleep, my last conscious thought was that this is what it felt like to be suspected of a crime you didn’t commit.





Late the next morning, I woke up—alone—in my own bed. But I was all tucked in, even had on the pajamas with the little cartoon dogs and cats. Someone had obviously gotten me out of my bloodstained clothes and into my pajamas. I plucked at my flannel sleeve, smiling. Adam evidently had accomplished the task, all without stirring me from my slumber. Amazing. I really had been exhausted. Not that I felt much better now. But it was a new day, and I couldn’t give up. I took a long shower, dressed, and made my way downstairs. With a strong cup of coffee in hand, I headed into the living room. Just as I sat down, my cell buzzed.

To my surprise the screen display indicated it was Ami. I’d not heard from her in weeks, and I still needed an explanation for her sending Julian to Fade Island, so I answered. “Maddy,” she began. “I’m glad you picked up. I really need to talk to you. It’s important.”

“Yeah,” I replied, “I’d like to talk to you too.” I paused and then let her have it. “Why in the hell did you tell Julian I was in some kind of danger? What were you thinking? Do you know he flew all the way up here to Maine just to see if I was OK? All because of what you said. Hell, Ami, why were you even in California?”

Despite my tirade Ami remained unruffled. “It’s a long story,” she said impassively.

“Well, I’d like to hear it,” I retorted. “I mean, Ami, why would you tell my agent—tell Julian, for God’s sake—that I was in danger?”

“You are in danger!” she exclaimed. “Look at what happened yesterday to that kid in Harbourtown.”

OK, so Ami had heard about Jimmy. In such a small community, the news was probably all over the place by now.

Ami was still rambling, “I mean, what if it had been you, Maddy? What if you were the intended target?”

Now she had my attention. “Do you know something?”—silence—“If you know anything at all, Ami, you have to go to the police. Do you realize they think I killed Jimmy?”



Ami remained quiet but then said in a soft voice, “Actually I may be able to help you. But it’s too dangerous to talk over the phone. We should meet in person.”

“Fine, when?”

“I can make it over to the island in an hour. Meet me at the dock at one o’clock.”

After I agreed, we ended the call. I didn’t have much time. I wanted to tell Adam what was going on, so I tried his cell. But it went straight to voicemail. I thought about leaving a message, but there was too much to tell, so I just disconnected.

How could Ami possibly help? What did she know? These were the thoughts that occupied my mind as I finished my coffee, rinsed out the cup, grabbed my jacket. Shit! I suddenly remembered my Lexus was down at the dock. Since we’d taken Adam’s speedboat and docked on the northern end of the island, I hadn’t even considered my car. But when I opened the front door, resigned that I’d have to walk all the way down to the dock, I got quite the surprise. The Lexus was in the driveway. Adam must have had Nate or Max return it to the cottage sometime within the past twenty-four hours. In any case I was just thankful it was there, so I hurried out, hopped into the car, and turned the key that was still in the ignition.

The drive down to the dock took no time at all. I passed the café, but it was still closed. It was Tuesday, the day Helena was supposed to return to the island. She should be back by now, I thought, opening the café for business. Maybe she’d gotten tied up in Harbour Falls. I hated that I’d lied to her about my real reason for having been in Harbourtown, but I wondered if my remorse would really matter to her.

Detective Mitchell had informed me that the young officer had indeed found Helena waiting for me at the restaurant. But he hadn’t divulged what her reaction had been when she’d been told why I wouldn’t be meeting her for lunch. Had she been angry with me for lying? Or mad that I’d involved her in my mess? Surely she had to be wondering why I’d been at Billy’s. All the players in the Harbour Falls Mystery knew the significance of that place, so it was a certainty she’d put two and two together. Writing a book about the mystery had fallen off my priority list, but solving it was still at the top. Yeah, Helena was no fool, and she’d soon realize why I’d come to Fade Island. I just hoped she could forgive me when she did.



It was after one when I pulled into the parking lot down by the dock. The ferry was just coming in—fifteen minutes late—when I got out of the Lexus. Odd, since the ferries were quite punctual despite the motley crew that operated them.