Murder On The Sapphire Bay Read online

  When we reached the dining car a few moments later, Olivia marched through the door, and all heads whipped our way. Muttering under my breath, I pushed her into the seat we’d occupied a short while ago. It seemed everyone else had also taken the same seats.

  Tom and his friend sat there, looking at us as if they’d been waiting on our arrival, grinning like buffoons. They were much more presentable, in shirts with dinner jackets, but as they continued staring, with wide eyes and elbows that nudged one another, I resisted an eye roll.

  Olivia shuffled along the seat until she was next to the window, and I sat down beside her, glad to have the aisle seat in case I needed a quick escape.

  “Well, you two look ravishing,” Tom said, gaze drifting across us like he was savouring his next meal.

  I swallowed and took a deep breath. I was ready for a murder mystery, not a sleazy dinner date.

  “Thank you,” Olivia answered. I glanced over to see her smiling. Her cheeks had reddened just that little bit more too.

  I did all I could to stop myself from kicking her under the table. I had to hope she was just lapping up the attention, because if she had a thing for Tom, I was going to have some serious words with her.

  “I’m Tom. And this is my friend Aaron.”

  Aaron gave us the guy-nod, and I could barely make out his face beneath the mounds of hair.

  “I’m Olivia, and this is Peyton.” She motioned towards me.

  I flashed a quick smile. After all, I was going to have to spend the weekend with these guys.

  “Olivia.” Tom swooned, leaning forward on the table. “That’s an interesting name.”

  I couldn’t resist this time, and I rolled my eyes as I turned away, looking for a rescuer.

  As if she could sense my plea, Pam saved me from the awkward conversation when she called the dining cart to attention. “Ladies and gentleman, dinner is served.”

  As if by magic, and like a scene from the Polar Express, waiters appeared everywhere. They were dressed in the finest livery and balancing silver trays expertly. They whisked about the room, setting down glasses, some pouring drinks, while others began to serve the food.

  A figure came into my peripheral. Startled, I looked up to see a man standing at the side of our table. He held the silver tray high and gave us all eye contact before lowering it. A bottle of champagne was settled on its surface.

  I swallowed and stared at it. The cork had already been popped, and I caught the sweet scent of fizz at the bottle’s neck.

  “Champagne?” he asked, voice deep, as he set four glasses on the table.

  I felt Olivia’s hand squeezing my thigh for moral support.

  Across the table Tom said, “Yes, please.”

  I held my hand up. “Not for me, thanks.” I stared down at the table placement, keen to keep my eyes averted and senses dulled.

  Staying sober hadn’t been an easy ride, and having it thrust in my face wasn’t helpful. After my last case, I’d gone to another meeting and spent some time with Adele. It was a much-needed reprieve after what I’d dealt with, and it was always good to keep myself grounded. I was nine months sober and had managed to avoid the temptation, through bad speed dating and alcoholic spirits. I wasn’t going to let this one thing spoil my streak.

  “Come on, lighten up,” Tom whined.

  I glanced up to find him staring at me, grimacing as the waiter filled his flute.

  “No, I’m fine. Thank you.”

  “This is meant to be a bit of fun. Come on, have a drink.” He implored me with his hands while Aaron’s glass was filled.

  “I said I’m fine.” I gritted my teeth to keep from picking up his glass and throwing the bubbly all over him.

  He opened his mouth again, but this time I was saved from any more of his complaints when Olivia piped up.

  “She said she’s fine. And so am I.”

  “You don’t have to do that,” I muttered.

  When I glanced at her, I saw fury crossing her face. Her mouth was set in a grim line as she stared at Tom. If he had any chances before, they were completely blown now.

  “I know. But I am.” She glanced at me briefly, and a smile flickered on her lips.

  “Very well.” The waiter set the bottle back on the silver tray and straightened. “Could I get you ladies anything else?”

  “Just water would be fine,” Olivia said, with a smile.

  The waiter semi-bowed and then moved to the next table.

  Our table remained silent in his absence. I had known Tom was an idiot from the moment I saw him, but he was proving it now.

  I sighed and wistfully glanced around the carriage. We could’ve sat anywhere else and ended up with a couple of fine people rather than these two morons who were clearly only here to have a drink and a laugh, at others’ expense.

  It wasn’t long before dinner was served. A steak cooked just the way I liked it, complete with a roasting pan of vegetables I shared with Olivia. The guys didn’t want any. Instead, they tore into their steaks like animals devouring prey. Nice.

  Around us, the dining cart was filled with small talk from the other tables, people enjoying themselves in anticipation of the murder. I talked to Olivia, while in front of us, the guys were silent. This was turning sour fast. Thankfully, after dinner we wouldn’t have to spend any serious time with them and we could just immerse ourselves in the game.

  That was the reason I’d come here, to do something different and learn to enjoy myself again. For a long time, my only source of enjoyment had been drinking, and even that became habit more than pleasure. Now I wanted to stay sober and learn how to have fun as a young woman.

  It wasn’t long after the sounds of cutlery died, when the waiters returned to take our plates. They worked with an efficiency I admired. There was no way I could’ve carried that many plates without making a fool of myself.

  Dessert was cheesecake, and I tucked into my pudding with vigour as soon as it was set in front of me.

  “While you’re finishing the last of your dessert,” Pam said, breaking the silence, “use this time to get to know yourself and each other’s characters. Talk to each other. Learn your roles and prepare, because soon, the time to band together and find the culprit will be here.” She ended with a flourish and took a seat at the back of the cart.

  It seemed she’d be there for the duration.

  “So,” Tom said, leaning hard on the table hard, “who are you delightful ladies?”

  The table rocked beneath him, and I watched as his full glass careened close to the rim.

  Was this guy ever going to give up? Surely, after the snarl he received from Olivia, he’d learned his lesson.

  Olivia answered for me, cool but polite. “I’m playing Ginny. And Peyton is Evie.”

  Tom nodded as if those names had a particular meaning for him. “I’m Reginald, and Aaron here is Peter.”

  “So what are your background stories?” Olivia asked.

  I sat back, willing to let her take the reins. There was no way in hell I wanted to talk to either of the guys in front of me. Call me on my bullshit, but I didn’t like them from the start, and I wasn’t about to start being false now.

  “I’m a business owner travelling to London in order to secure a new business deal. I’m wealthy and I’ve left a wife and child at home.” Tom smiled pompously, then picked up his glass and took a sip.

  I imagined he thought he looked good.

  As he set it down, he nudged Aaron with his elbow. “Your turn.”

  Aaron sighed and sat forward, hands linking on top of the table. “As Peter, I’m Reginald’s younger brother. I’m here to learn the business, despite finding it terribly dull and boring.”

  I couldn’t help smiling as he flashed a look at Tom. Maybe Aaron wasn’t as bad as his friend.

  “I’m not courting currently, though there’s a young woman in our local village that has my affections.”

  “You talk just like she really did,” Olivia gushed, with a grin, leaning forward, all eyes for Aaron.

  I’d let her have that one.

  “Just playing the game, ma’am.” He pretended to tip his hat.

  Olivia giggled. “Well, like I said, I’m Ginny and I work in the local cloth factory, mending and sewing new garments.”

  Then all eyes were on me. I didn’t want to answer. Didn’t want to do this anymore. Why was it that all my so-called good ideas turned out to involve guys who were just looking for an easy lay? Maybe years ago I would’ve been happy with that prospect, but now all I wanted was to enjoy my life and take each day as it came instead of trying to find someone to jump into bed with at every opportunity.

  “Evie?” Olivia nudged me, the crook of her elbow jabbing my ribs too hard.

  I scowled and took a sip of my water. “I’m Evie, A wife to a local businessman.”

  “My wife, perhaps.” Tom grinned.

  “No.” I shook my head. “My husband is good looking. I host parties and invite only the best people in town and can usually be found at lunch.”

  “Oh a lady of leisure.” Aaron raised his brows.

  “Apparently so,” I mumbled. If only.

  The murder mystery was due to start in an hour with a grisly murder. As the last of our plates were cleared away and the guys across the table drained the champagne from their glasses, I had a little time to muse over what we were doing. The murder mystery, a traditional literary trope and one enjoyed by many. It had grown into a huge phenomenon, with everyone fancying themselves as an expert sleuth. Yet I couldn’t help but wonder why all of the murders had to be grisly?

  My excitement was back now that I could leave the table. At least we could meet new people—characters—and figure out this mystery. We didn’t know how it was going to ha
ppen, or why, or who it would be, and that made it exciting. The moments ahead were ours until the act, and then it would be time to band together.

  I was just about to hurry off to our cabin, Olivia still clambering gracefully as she could from behind the table, when someone stepped in front of me. I was thrown off balance and almost stumbled right into him. A pair of hands came up to steady me, my own flattening against his chest, and as I righted myself, just about to let forth a torrent of abuse—irritation threshold at its maximum—I looked up into his eyes.

  The breath caught in my throat, and my mouth flapped open and closed.

  “Jake,” I breathed.

  The word lit a fire in my belly, something I hadn’t felt since the night I was offered a glimpse at what normal could be.

  He smiled. My eyes flicked down and back up. He looked amazing in his tuxedo. My fingers curled against the same muscular chest I’d kissed all those months ago, his abs hard and supple beneath my fingers.

  “Peyton.”

  We just stood there, staring at each other. Him with that gorgeous smile, and me probably looking like a fool. I couldn’t care. My night had just gotten a whole lot better.

  “Actually, she’s Evie and I’m Ginny.” Olivia barged in, arm hooking mine and drawing me from his grasp. “Who are you?”

  “I . . . I’m Richard.”

  “Well, Richard, in case you haven’t heard, we have an hour to spare before the game begins, so—”

  “Olivia!” I scolded.

  “No, that’s okay. My friends are waiting.”

  He pointed down the aisle, and I turned and saw three guys staring at us. Jake had been at the table down the car with those guys the whole time.

  “Peyton, I’ll catch up with you later?”

  I nodded. “Yeah. That would be good.”

  He offered a final smile and then squeezed past me, his arm brushing against mine, and the smell of his cologne lingering in the air. I resisted the urge to turn around and watch him walk away as Olivia scuttled me forward into the next compartment.

  “Jeez, Olive, did you have to be so rude?”

  “If I remember correctly, he was the guy at my brother’s wedding who fell out of the window while trying to escape a ghost.”

  “Yes. And?” I held my arms out.

  “And he was there when the entire building came out to see that you’d lit a fire on the most famous portrait in that house.”

  I sighed. “Your point being? You knew why I had to do that.”

  “I just don’t think it’s appropriate, that’s all.”

  I wrenched my arm free. “Well, I’m afraid to tell you that I’m a grown woman, and my relationship and life choices aren’t up for debate. It’s up to me who I talk to and who I don’t.”

  She scowled and then turned away as we entered the small compartment and plonked onto the seat.

  She crossed her arms. “Seeing him reminds me of that night, and I hate to be reminded of the fact that the night was ruined because of you.”

  “You’re being over-dramatic, Olivia.” I took a perch on the opposite seat. “Yes, I messed up. Kind of. But it wasn’t my fault. Not really. And the wedding wasn’t ruined. Everyone had a lovely day and an almost full night of sleep.”

  “Peyton, you can’t go there.” She shook her head.

  “I’d like to remind you that I’m an adult and can make my own choices. And if I choose to talk to Jake—and I repeat, talk—then I will.”

  “Fine.” Her arms moved a little higher on her chest, rucking up her dress. “Just don’t get me involved.”

  “I never asked you to be in the first place.”

  She quieted, and I turned away. Olivia was my best friend, and without her help, I never would’ve gotten to the point I was at now but she could be a control freak at times. There was no way I was letting her dictate who I could deal with.

  In an attempt to busy myself and ignore the ice that permeated our compartment, I picked up the handheld mirror and glanced at myself. My cheeks looked flushed, eyes a little brighter. Was it really possible that just seeing him had caused this?

  My memory flashed back to that night, an image of his smile implanted in my brain. The feel of him over me, his bare chest, and the muscles in his arms tense and supple. That snatch of normality. The next morning, —the early hours of the morning to be more precise—he gave me his phone number. The same number that was still at home. Most days I didn’t think about it. and it had become just another fixture in the bedroom but other days, I wondered what could have been.

  He told me to call him if things calmed down. I’d stopped drinking, so some of the crazy had disappeared from my life, but it was far from over. Instead of hiding from the spirits that sought me out, now I was hunting them, and I couldn’t imagine that’s the sort of life he’d meant when he said normal.

  “You’re quiet.”

  Olivia’s voice pulled me from my thoughts, and I caught her eyes in the mirror. Her arms had dropped, and she was leaning forward, watching me. It appeared that the frost had thawed.

  I shrugged and dropped my gaze, snapping the mirror shut, then set it on the seat beside me.

  “You really like him, don’t you?”

  I looked up and sighed. “It was a long time ago. It probably meant nothing, anyway.”

  “Wow, Peyton. I’ve never seen you like this.”

  “Jake was . . . different. He listened to me. We talked. It wasn’t just about sex. It meant . . . I don’t know what it meant.”

  “It meant a lot to you. And the way you were with him just now, that’s how I know you really like him.”

  “It doesn’t matter.” I shook my head. “It was just one night. He probably doesn’t even remember.”

  “I’d suggest, that given the way he looked at you back there, he does remember. And it’s a fond memory.”

  “You think?”

  “And it meant more to you than you’re willing to admit. That’s why you kept his number all this time.”

  “Or maybe I—”

  A scream pierced the quiet of the carriage, carrying on for a few seconds, before dying.

  My eyes snapped to Olivia.

  “What was that?” Her face paled. “It sounded a little too real.”

  “Maybe Pam just hired a really good actor.”

  “Maybe.”

  We sat there for a few moments, in silence, both straining to hear anything else. Rushing feet, a yell to accompany the scream that would announce the start of the game. There was nothing.

  “I’m going to take a look outside.” I stood up, slid the door open, and poked my head out into the corridor, looking left and right.

  “Anything?” Olivia asked, hand resting on my shoulder.

  “It’s quiet.” I bit my lip and continued staring waiting for some flurry of activity.

  That didn’t sound like a fake scream. Was I overreacting? I was already on edge after seeing Jake, and maybe I was too eager to form a conclusion of my own but then again, the woman sounded genuinely terrified.

  Just then, the door at the bottom of the carriage flung open and Pam rushed through, followed by a waiter. Her mid-heels thumped hard against the carpeted floor.

  I felt a sense of relief wash through me. She was going to announce the start of the game when she came across the body.

  But as she ran past me, eyes not meeting mine, I could sense something was wrong. The waiter was close on her heels, tails of his livery flapping as he sprinted.

  I lingered in the doorway and watched the pair continue past our compartment.

  “I don’t think this is part of the game,” I muttered and took off after them.

  Pam slowed as she passed each small compartment, peering through the windows as if searching for something, before hurrying on.

  A second scream cut through the carriage, and my head snapped up. I almost ran straight into the back of the waiter. They were both staring through the glass of a compartment to the left.

  I slowed, then took a deep breath as I turned my head.

  It turns out that the worst I could’ve imagined, wasn’t the worst. The sight caused my heartbeat to accelerate, and my stomach made knots that rivalled a magician’s tricks.

  “Shit,” I whispered.

  “What the—oh, fuck.” Olivia’s hand landed on my shoulder for a second, before she turned away, gasping.

  I couldn’t avert my eyes from the scene. A woman was sprawled across her compartment—too far across. Her insides were mostly out, and her mouth was open in a scream that split her face.