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Liar, snickered his dick.
Shut up! Thorn replied.
CHAPTER 6
JESSICA
The Lighthouse Bed & Breakfast was located at the opposite end of the town from Jessica’s home. It was set up on a promontory and had served as a warning beacon for fishermen and sailors for more than two hundred years before it was decommissioned twenty years ago and allowed to fall into disrepair. DeeDee Hicks had seen a bright future for the dilapidated building.
DeeDee had worked to renovate it and created a luxurious and exclusive retreat known for its impeccable service, lavish amenities, and secluded atmosphere. She catered to the wealthy and those seeking privacy, making it an enticing destination for many. It was considered one of the best B&Bs in the state, if not in the entire northeast region. The B&B served as a focal point for the north end of town, anchoring a vibrant restaurant and high-end shopping section. There was even talk that one of the cooking competitions was thinking of using the town as a backdrop for a season.
Jessica had been relieved that DeeDee had a room open and thrilled when it was the one with the best view and most privacy. She’d headed up to the B&B with a renewed sense of purpose and a far calmer state of mind. Fiona had been right to suggest a staycation at the Lighthouse. She could feel the tension leaving her body as she drove up the winding drive to the top of the bluff where the lighthouse and the B&B sat.
For all its grand reputation, the B&B was run by DeeDee and a single staff member. The gal relieved DeeDee at the front desk and worked as the housekeeper. Generally, people were expected to handle their own luggage, although DeeDee did provide them with an antique baggage cart and if her gardener was there—he came twice a week—he would often help if needed. But for all its rustic charm, it was rare for the B&B to not be full. Even in the harsh Maine winters, DeeDee was open and serving guests except from noon on December 24 to noon on January 2.
Parking in the small, covered lot adjacent to the main building, Jessica grabbed her well-worn satchel bag which could hold several days of everyday clothing but more than a week of writing clothes, and her laptop bag. Yep, two bags were all she needed. No luggage cart necessary. She walked up the path to the main entrance and smiled as she saw DeeDee waiting for her.
“I thought I saw your car coming up the drive. That thing is truly gorgeous.”
“Thanks. I love it. I have a few splurges in my life, but inheriting the house with no mortgage goes a long way to finding ways to spoil myself.”
“Well, those who work hard, deserve it, especially if we’re the ones doing the spoiling.”
“You are singing my song,” teased Jessica.
She liked DeeDee a great deal and saw her not only as a contemporary, but as someone who was an entrepreneur. Someone who’d had a dream, seen an opportunity, and gone for it. Jessica realized she really needed to cultivate DeeDee as a friend. She was pretty sure they had a lot in common and could be of support to one another, even if it was only emotional support.
DeeDee led her over to the front desk. “I took the liberty of basically getting you registered. The only thing I didn’t fill in was your name. I didn’t know if you’d want to be incognito or not.”
“Jessica Murdoch is fine, but I am going to mostly keep to my room.”
“That’s not a problem. I’ll have breakfast and the evening appetizers delivered to you. Most of the restaurants, especially at this end of town, are happy to deliver for lunch or dinner. Just let me know how we can make your stay more enjoyable.”
DeeDee handed Jessica a reproduction skeleton key. The locks and keys looked antique and as if they were the same vintage as the building, but they weren’t. They had sophisticated electronic components that made the rooms incredibly secure. The same key worked on the French doors leading to the outside from the suite as well as those that led into the lobby and dining room. It was state-of-the-art but had a certain charm to it.
Once she’d gotten settled in her room, taking her clothes from her bag and putting them away in the antique dresser, she set up her laptop so it would be ready to go. As they lived at different ends of the harbor and town, Jessica decided to treat herself to a walk along the windy shoreline that was familiar yet seemed new and different.
Ensuring she’d locked the door to the hallway, she crossed the room and exited through the French doors, pulling them closed and locking them. A lot of the coastline was elevated and rocky as it rose up from the sea, but at low tide, there was usually sand on which to walk. Jessica pulled off her boots, tied them together and then slung them around her neck, walking into the wind and raising her face to the afternoon sun.
After her walk she went back to her room, sat down and wrote effortlessly for more than five hours. The walk and the new surroundings seemed to have broken through that block she didn’t want to acknowledge, and she went to sleep that night sleeping like the dead.
She woke when it was still dark out, decided to slip out of the B&B and head for her very favorite coffee shop down on the docks. The place wasn’t fancy and didn’t cater to tourists. This was straight up black coffee and homemade muffins. She’d have a more civilized breakfast when she got back to the Lighthouse. Right now, she wanted to huddle up on the seawall and watch the fishing boats head out to sea just like they had for hundreds of years. Oh sure, they were far more modern, and it was a whole lot safer, but still there was a romanticism to making a living from the sea.
Jessica walked back to the B&B just as the first rays of the sun started to crest the eastern horizon. She’d expected to see minimal lights on at the Lighthouse and instead was greeted by an array of flashing lights. She heard a siren screaming in the dark as it raced up the long driveway. What the hell had happened?
Instead of going through the front, Jessica walked to the French doors into the lobby and let herself in. The lobby was chaos. Other guests as well as DeeDee and her assistant were trying to get people to calm down, giving them coffee as well as things to snack on until DeeDee could get to her kitchen.
DeeDee spotted her and ran over to her. “Jessica, thank God. When I couldn’t find you, I thought something had happened.”
“Please tell me all of this commotion isn’t because you thought something happened to me.”
DeeDee turned around as if seeing the furor for the first time. “I wish. Gregory Thompson is dead.”
“Dead? How? Where?”
“I don’t know about the how or even the when—presumably after you left this morning—but I found him in your room.”
Jessica took a step back. “Well, he wasn’t here to see me, and he certainly wasn’t in my room when I left.”
