The Curse of Raven's Cliff

Leah poked her head through the swinging door. “Better hurry with the food. The natives are restless.”

“You’re busy, let me help you get this food out before your customers start shouting.” He lifted a tray of scrambled eggs and the basket of biscuits and left the room through the swinging doors.

More intrigued than she cared to admit, Jocelyne grabbed the pancakes out of the warmer and the tray of condiments and followed. What had he found and why come to her?

ANDREI STOOD BACK WHILE Jocelyne arranged the food on the buffet, placing serving spoons and spatulas within easy reach. He admired her smooth efficiency and easy smile for the guests, finding himself envious of her attention.

The customers waited patiently in line until she’d finished. Andrei, with less patience than the hungry patrons, stood by the kitchen door, arms crossed over his chest, his toe tapping the wood flooring of the elegant old house. He’d been here for breakfast on one or two occasions, but he wasn’t here about food. He was here on business. Although the scent of bacon and pancakes were making his mouth water.

Finally, Jocelyne stood back and announced, “Help yourselves.” With that she grabbed her hot pads and hurried toward the kitchen, leaving the pretty blond worker to fill glasses.

Andrei held the door for her and as soon as it closed behind them, he dug in his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. “Are you familiar with a plant called henbane?”

Jocelyne reached for the color picture of an ordinary-looking plant. “A little. I know that it’s dangerous. A person can die if given a lethal quantity. The pagans used it in Medieval Europe as a painkiller and sometimes as a poison….” She glanced up at him. “Why do you ask?”

“Do you know of anyone who might have access to it?”

Her brows drew together and her teeth chewed on her bottom lip. “It’s not something you can find easily in the States—” Jocelyne froze, her eyes widened and she shook her head. “No way. She wouldn’t.”

“Who wouldn’t what?”

She spun on her heels and flew toward a door at the opposite end of the kitchen, flinging it wide to reveal the entrance to a lower level beneath the house. Before he could stop her, she was racing down the steps into the darkness.

For a split second, panic seized Andrei’s chest and he rushed for the doorway, staring down into pitch black. A light flickered below and Jocelyne’s silhouette appeared.

“Wait.” He took the steps two at a time, catching the bottom step with the edge of his heel, stumbling before he could right himself.

The innkeeper’s red-haired daughter was nowhere in sight, but her footsteps echoed against the damp walls.

In the back corner of the sprawling subterranean room were long tables stretched out beneath fluorescent lights. Jocelyne hurried along the rows of greenery flourishing in the underground greenhouse.

Was she on to something? Had she found his source of the drug used on the four victims of the Seaside Strangler? Andrei hurried to catch up to her.

When she stopped before one plant, her face turned an alarming shade of white. “This is it…” Her voice came out in a whisper and she handed him the sheet of paper, pointing to the plant that was the exact replica of the picture he’d pulled from the Internet. “This is henbane.”

“Well, Ms. Baker. Seems we have a problem.”

“Oh, Mom, why do you have such a dangerous plant?” The self-assured and self-proclaimed independent woman, who’d had Andrei scratching his head since he’d met her, turned a sickly pale green and sank toward the floor in a dead faint.

Chapter Four

Strong, warm arms held her against a solid wall of muscles. Seems she’d been here before. Jocelyne opened her eyes and stared up into dark brown eyes, hooded in the shadows of the overhead lights. “Did I do it again?”

“Uh-huh.” He pushed a strand of her hair away from her face. “You’re not such a good advertisement for a holistic healer.”

“Shut up.” She pushed away from him and attempted to stand. Her knees refused to hold her weight and she fell back into Andrei’s lap. Despite the coolness of the basement’s musty interior, her cheeks heated. “My blood sugar must be low.” Only a healthy breakfast and maybe some dry toast would make her better.

He set her to the side on the cool stone flooring and rose to his feet, extending a hand to her. “How many months along are you?”

In one swift tug, he had her up on her feet.

The rush of air in her face and blood to her legs made her stagger and fall against his chest. “What business is it of yours?”

“A man kinda likes to know a few details when the woman with him faints into his arms. Twice.”

Jocelyne pushed away from him and smoothed a hand over the baby growing inside. “Six months. I’m six months along.”

“And the father?”

“Dead.”

“I’m sorry.” And the bad thing was that he really did look sorry. The grow lights cast a reflection in his dark eyes, turning them to glowing ink.

“Me, too.” She’d just discovered she was pregnant the day before he’d been killed in a subway accident. They’d only been engaged for one night. Before she found out she was pregnant, she’d been considering moving out because the spark wasn’t there anymore for her. Had there ever really been a spark, or had she settled for companionship over coming home to an empty room?

“Jocelyne?” Andrei bent and peered into her face. “Are you sure you’re all right?”

She pushed a stray hair out of her face, sweeping aside six-month-old memories with the wave of her hand. “Yes, yes. I’m all right.”

His eyes narrowed as if he didn’t believe her, but he straightened and stared back toward the corner lit by the grow lamps. “Unless you know of another local source of that plant, I’d venture to guess that someone has been harvesting from this garden to drug the victims.”

Jocelyne stared at the lighted corner, uncontrollable cold overwhelming her body, almost as if a hideous creature lurked in the dark corners poised to crawl out after unsuspecting young women. She used to play hide-and-seek down here. Now all she could think of was the monster who could have been sneaking in to steal her mother’s herbs. A shiver shook her so hard, her teeth rattled. “You don’t think my mother’s capable of murder, do you?”

Andrei shook his head. “The victims were all strangled. It takes a lot of strength to strangle someone and then load them into a boat.”

“My mother is strong.” She didn’t know why she was giving him reasons to suspect her mother. The townsfolk already thought Hazel was a nutcase. Had she crossed the line of mild mannered to murderer?

“But she probably doesn’t have the strength it takes to lift a body. No, she’s not the killer, although it doesn’t take a lot of strength to be an accomplice.”

“As much as my mother loves this town, I can’t see her hurting anyone in it. If she is an accomplice to murder, she probably doesn’t know it.”

“Based on our brief acquaintance, I don’t think your mother has it in her to hurt others.”

He strode the full length of the basement level, studying the steps and the small windows positioned high on the walls that were on ground level from the outside. Very little light leached in through the dirty panes, casting a hazy glow two to three feet out from the glass. “Is there any other way in or out of here, besides the steps coming down from the kitchen?”

“No.” Jocelyne followed Andrei, her head reeling with the possibilities. “As big as the basement is, it only has the one set of steps down into it.”

“I don’t think a grown man could crawl in and out of the windows, but I’ll have a look at them from the outside.”

“So, you think someone has been sneaking down here stealing my mother’s herbs?” She leaned on a sturdy wood floor joist attempting a casual pose, when all she really needed was something to hold her up from the bombardment of frightening thoughts bearing down on her. “Who?”

“Good question. Does your mother lock the basement door?” Andrei stood with his back to the steps leading up to the kitchen.

“Only at night. It’s left open during the day. We keep extra supplies and spices down here.” She pointed to a shelf near the staircase stacked neatly with linens, pantry staples and bins of potatoes, carrots and onions. “Anyone could come down here.”

Andrei scanned the contents briefly before his glance shifted back to the staircase. “We’ll need to make a list of people who frequent the inn.”

“Besides the tourists, there are quite a few Raven’s Cliff residents who come here on a regular basis, not to mention the boarders who live here at the inn.” She reached around him for a pad of paper kept on the shelf. Caught up in trying to remember every person who could have come down these steps, she didn’t realize how close she’d come to the cop. As her hand closed around the pad, her breast bumped into the man’s rock-solid chest, sending what could only be described as an electric jolt through her system.

Startled by her reaction, Jocelyne jumped back, the pad clattering to the floor. “I’m sorry. I’ll just—” She bent to retrieve the pad, her cheeks burning, but Andrei’s hand was there first and she touched the back of his long, sturdy fingers. Another shock raced through her hand up into her arm and she lurched backward into a stack of baskets, sending them toppling over onto the stone floor. When her foot hooked a basket handle she pitched forward, landing hard against the person she’d been struggling to get away from.

Andrei caught her, a low chuckle rumbling in his chest. “Are you always this nervous around men?”

“No.” Not men. Just you. What was it about Andrei Lagios that had her flustered so badly she was either fighting mad, passing out or panting? Whatever it was, it had to stop. She wasn’t interested in this or any man for that matter. Heck, she was six months pregnant and probably looked like she’d swallowed a basketball. What man would be attracted to that?

Jocelyne squared her shoulders and stepped free of Andrei’s hands. “I’ll make that list for you. Upstairs.”

When she emerged from the darkened staircase into the well-lit kitchen, she inhaled the fresh, reassuring scent of biscuits, cleansing her senses of the cobwebs of the basement and the confusion of stumbling into the cop. For several long moments she stood breathing in and out until she had her body and mind calm and in control.

A strong hand on her arm sent all her control flying out the window. “You need to eat something before you pass out again.”

“I will, just as soon as I jot down the names of the people I can remember.”

“Tell you what.” He led her to the table and urged her into a chair. “You sit. I’ll get you a plate of food while you write that list. Then you can tell me all about it while you eat.”

Before she could protest, the door swung closed behind the infuriating man.

Jocelyne could take care of herself. She didn’t need a man waiting on her or treating her like she was fragile or unable to fend for herself. She was an expectant mother and soon would have a baby to look after. She’d darn well better get tough to take care of her child. Pulling her thoughts out of the dining room, where Andrei gathered food, she set a pen to the paper and wrote.

In a few minutes, she had half a page of names. All people she knew or had grown up with. The acids roiled in her empty belly, a sinking feeling killing her appetite. Was the Seaside Strangler one of them?

Her hand hovered over the names of people she knew who frequented the inn. By the time Andrei returned with a plate of scrambled eggs and toast and set it down beside her, she’d finished, the effort exhausting her more than she wanted to admit.

Andrei leaned over her shoulder and peered down at the list.

His proximity made her nerves jangle. The thought of a killer amongst them, coupled with a hunky cop hanging over her shoulder, gave her a panic attack that threatened to overwhelm her. She pushed back, bumping into Andrei as she rose. “I need to finish with the breakfast crowd.”

Andrei handed her the plate. “Take the food with you. You need to eat.” When she took the plate, his hand fell to her arm. “Let’s keep this between the two of us. The less people who know about the henbane the better chance we have of finding our killer.”

“What about my mother?”

“Promise me you won’t tell anyone, including her.”

She nodded, her stomach knotting into a tight clench. If she didn’t get some food in her empty stomach, she’d embarrass herself in front of him.

“Eat. We’ll talk later.” He dropped his hand from her arm and left the kitchen through the back door.

ANDREI STRODE INTO THE RCPD half an hour later, a scowl marring his brow. “Captain!”

“In here!” Captain Swanson shouted from inside his office.

Without acknowledging the other policemen scattered around the building, Andrei made a beeline for the captain, entering his office without waiting to be invited. After he closed the door behind him, he paced in front of his supervisor’s desk. “I found the source.”

The captain leaned forward. “So soon?”

“Hazel Baker has an herb garden in the basement of Cliffside Inn.” Andrei stopped pacing and faced him. “Henbane is one of the herbs she grows in that garden.”

“Hazel Baker.” Captain Swanson leaned back in his chair and scrubbed a hand down his face. “Half the town thinks she’s crazy, but she can’t be the killer. Our only surviving victim identified the Seaside Strangler as definitely male.”

She had been the intended second victim of the Seaside Strangler but, fortunate for her, she escaped.

“That’s right. However the basement isn’t locked during the day. Anyone with knowledge of the hallucinogenic qualities of the henbane could have stolen leaves from that plant.”

“Question is who?” The captain pinched the bridge of his nose.

Andrei pulled a folded piece of paper from his front breast pocket and tossed it on the desk. “That’s a list of people who frequent the inn and the reasons they do, along with the current residents. We need to interview every one of them and get their whereabouts on the nights of Angela’s, Cora’s and my sister’s disappearances. And we need to canvass the staff.”

Just the thought of his sister, Sofia, caused a surge of anger and pain to well up inAndrei’s throat. He swallowed hard past the knot of emotion, the backs of his eyelids burning. Even if he’d wanted to continue, he couldn’t. Instead he grappled with the grief and impotent fury, his fists clenched with the need to kill the man who’d taken the life of his sweet little sister.

Swanson stared down at the list and whistled. “This is a pretty comprehensive list. We’ll get started on the interviews right away. I’ll have Mitch Chapman go after the two boarders, the fisherman Alex Gibson and Assistant DA Grant Bridges. Grant won’t be happy, but too bad. I’ll take Mayor Wells and his assistant, Rick Simpson, myself. They’re touchy about everything since Perry admitted to taking illegal bribes. Not to mention his acquittal in Theodore Fisher’s murder.” Captain Swanson snorted. “Hard to believe a public servant in his position would be so low.”

“Unfortunately, it happens all too often. But I know what you mean. It’s disappointing when an elected official, responsible for upholding the laws, not only bends but breaks them.”

“It gives people the impression that politicians think they’re above the law.” For a long moment the captain stared at the list. When he looked up at Andrei, a steely glint shone in his eyes. “This is the first real lead we’ve had in this case. This could be the break we need.” He smacked his palm to the desk.

Andrei nodded.

“I want you to become a permanent fixture inside Cliffside Inn. I don’t care how you do it, but you need to find out who’s been stealing the plant and nail him.”

The potential for action cleared the blockage in Andrei’s throat, his blood humming in anticipation of capturing the bastard who’d killed Sofia. “Any suggestions on how I’ll hang out at the inn without alerting whoever it is to the fact I’m on to him? Send a cop in there and he’ll back off.”

The captain planted his elbows on the desk and steepled his fingers, his brows dipping low. For two long minutes he sat without speaking.

Ready to rush out and shake the truth out of people, Andrei had to put a cap on his aggression. Instead of marching down to the inn and blowing any chance of making this work, he turned and resumed pacing the length of the office. How could he get inside without tipping off the murderer? For that matter, how could he stay away? There were other women at risk at the inn should the killer strike again.

An image of the beautiful Jocelyne appeared in his head. He could still feel the warmth of her breast pressed against his chest. He was surprised a line hadn’t formed outside the inn. A line of men ready to date the pretty redhead. Her pregnancy was only just beginning to show and, on her trim, lithe body, it made her all the sexier.

Captain Swanson pushed his chair back and stood so fast, the chair rolled away and crashed into the wall. “I’ve got it!”

Andrei stared at the police captain. “Got what?”

“The answer to how you’ll get inside the inn without arousing suspicion.” The captain’s mouth turned up at the corners. “You already know Hazel’s daughter, Jocelyne, don’t you?”

“I only met her yesterday when we discovered Angela’s body.” Andrei shook his head. “Why?”

The older man waved his hand as if encouraging Andrei to find the answer. “She’s single, isn’t she?”

“So?”

The police captain snorted. “Do I have to spell it out for you?”

“Please do.”

A grin stretched across Swanson’s face. “In order to get inside the inn without arousing suspicion, you can pretend to be Miss Baker’s new boyfriend.”

“Do what?”

The captain’s grin slipped into a frown. “You heard me. You’ll pretend to be Jocelyne Baker’s boyfriend. That way you have every reason in the world to be at the inn…at all hours.” A single brow rose over his eye. “Get my drift?”

Oh, he got it all too well. Andrei could already tell how the charade would go over with the independent Miss Baker. “Assuming she goes for this charade, it doesn’t solve the fact that I’m a cop. With a police officer hanging around, the murderer will play it safe and avoid anything that draws attention to himself.”

The captain’s grin slipped and he scratched his chin for another minute, then his smile returned. “I have the solution to that problem as well.”

“You do?” Even before his superior clued him in, Andrei’s stomach twisted. “I get the feeling I’m not going to like this.”

“Sure you will.” Swanson rounded the desk and slapped his hand against Andrei’s shoulder. “Seeing as you’ve been somewhat of a renegade, what with bringing all that Bronx attitude with you to our small town…you and I had a falling-out.”

“I am? We did?” He knew he’d been a bear to get along with since his sister’s death, but going against his captain? Okay, so maybe he had been in his face once or twice.

“That being the case, Officer Lagios…” Swanson rocked back on his heels, the corners of his mouth tipping upward. “You’re fired.”

“I’m what?” Andrei staggered backward and stared at his boss as though the older man had lost his mind. Even the thought of being fired made him burn all over.

“If you’re going to spend time at the inn, it has to be solely on the basis of your relationship with the Baker woman, not as a cop.” The captain spread his hands wide. “You’re fired. Problem solved.”

Andrei could see the idea had merit. Still, he’d never been fired from a job. “Unfortunately, you’re making sense, and I’m not sure I like it.”

“Don’t worry. I’m not really going to fire you. But we have to make it look real enough the entire town buys it. You can’t tell a soul, other than Jocelyne.”

Andrei shook his head. “What about my family?” They wouldn’t be happy.

“Especially not your family. It has to be convincing. We have to make it look like you and I had a major difference of opinion. We can’t have the murderer thinking you’re still on the payroll.”

“I don’t know.” The thought of lying to his family didn’t sit well with Andrei. They’d already been through so much because of him. Moving from the Bronx to Raven’s Cliff had been his idea. Had they stayed in the Bronx, his sister would still be alive, not just another name on the growing list of the Seaside Strangler’s victims.

“If you can think of another way to keep an eye on that inn and that plant, you let me know. In the meantime, you’re fired. Turn in your weapon.” The captain held out his hand.

“You’re taking my gun?” The sinking feeling only got deeper as he handed over the gun to Swanson. His family would be devastated. They were counting on him to bring the Seaside Strangler to justice. Getting fired from the police force would seem like he’d failed yet again.

“I know you have guns of your own. Now, make it look like you’re upset. Yell a little, do something rash. I know you’ve wanted to throw something at me on more than one occasion.” The captain placed a hand on his shoulder. “Trust me, Andrei, this is the only way.”

“You’re assuming a lot if you think Jocelyne Baker is going to just go along with this.”

“You’re good with the ladies. I’m sure you’ll manage. Now, yell.”

Andrei inhaled and let out a long breath. So be it. He drew in a deep breath and summoned all the anger he’d bottled inside over the senseless deaths of the young women thus far claimed by the Seaside Strangler and let it loose on a man he had nothing but respect for.

Captain Swanson handed him a wooden chair. “Go for it.”

His breaths rasping in and out of his lungs, Andrei raised the chair and slammed it against the wall. Let the games begin. “You can’t fire me! I quit!”

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