When Murder Comes Home by Shana Frost

Author:Shana Frost
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: murder mystery romance, romantic murder mystery, amateur woman detective, small town murder, romance whodunnit, romance murder mystery, Scottish murder mysteries
Publisher: Shana Frost
Published: 2020-10-31T16:00:00+00:00

A WHILE LATER, CALLAN stood. ‘Thanks for the meal. And let me know what ye find about the knife.’

‘Dagger – it was a dagger.’

Callan performed a mock salute and strode out.

He had a way of walking, Aileen mused. As if there was something not quite right with his right leg...

‘Aileen.’ Samantha Grant walked towards her and took her hand. ‘Richard’s feeling a bit under the weather; could you please fix a tray for him that I could take upstairs?’

‘Sure.’

Aileen was done with all her chores by half past nine, an incredible feat for an innkeeper who provided dinner for her guests. Though perhaps it was something to do with the lack of guests who ventured out of their rooms, Aileen thought, rolling her eyes.

Almost as if they’d heard her, Martha Smith and Anne Grant appeared on the stairs.

‘Mrs Smith. Mrs Grant.’ Aileen’s smile was forced.

‘Oh, we were just about to head to the drawing room!’ Anne informed her.

Martha nodded. ‘Yes, we discovered a joint interest in baking bread!’ She laughed.

Anne waved a rectangular pouch. ‘I’ve got recipes with me. We’re sharing.’

On that happy note, the two walked down as Aileen went up.

Her rooms on the upper floor were as she’d left them. She sighed. She craved a bath, but the dagger was more important.

Perhaps hiring someone to cook would be a good idea – then she’d have more time to do research. She’d barely had a chance to think anything more about it since this afternoon...

Budget, came the flat response.

The phone buzzed; it was Callan.

‘Hello.’

‘Did you check your safe?’

‘The safe? Oh! I completely forgot about it.’

‘Check it right now,’ Callan’s voice boomed through the line.

She opened her closet, removed a drawer out and inserted the key in.

‘It hasn’t been used in forever. No one even knows about it except for Siobhan.’

Callan didn’t respond.

The thick steel door took some effort to pull open. The safe was a tiny one, but Siobhan had come to Loch Fuar with very little.

Aileen studied the contents and smiled at the stack of letters her grandmother had preserved. She knew they were love letters from her grandpa.

And the dust-covered maroon box – the pseudo diamond engagement ring Aileen’s father had told her about. The story had made Aileen’s romantic heart sigh.

Her grandfather hadn’t been a rich man, so he’d purchased a stone that looked like diamond, designed the ring for his lady and then asked her to marry him.

‘It’s all in place,’ she assured Callan.

‘Are you sure? If there’s jewellery, did you open the boxes?’

‘Everything seems to be covered with a thick coating of dust. Won’t there be fingerprints if someone had opened the safe?’

Callan’s voice held annoyance. ‘Open the boxes, Aileen.’

She sighed petulantly, frustrated. ‘Hold on,’ Aileen ordered as she balanced the phone between her shoulder and ear. Reaching for the dusty velvet box, she pulled it open.

Her gasp was loud down the phone.

‘It’s gone!’ she cried. ‘Grandma’s engagement ring’s gone!’

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