Chapter 31
CHAPTER 31
“ K imball.” Ransom offers the man an amicable nod right here in Prince Edward Island’s only happily haunted house.
And I happen to know for a fact it’s haunted because I’ve got Merritt Garrett’s ghost haunting me, right this minute.
“Come here,” I say to the tall oaf with his spiky hair and devious grin.
Kimball is wearing a long, dark, wool coat that gives him that British inspector feel, the stubble on his cheeks is graying, his eyes are crinkled with a smile of their own, and there’s an overall affable air about him—there always has been.
I exchange a quick hug with my old friend.
“Wait a minute…” I take a step back and look at Ransom. “Have the two of you met?”
Ransom gives the hint of a nod. “He was a good friend of Merritt’s. And both Quinn and I did our due diligence and spoke to everyone at the bon voyage party.”
“So, you have been investigating,” I say with a note of accusation in my voice and Ransom offers up a baffled expression.
“It’s my job.”
Merritt growls, “Oh please, he and the nitwit with the too-tight bun asked everyone the same three questions. Who, what, and where. Trixie, you’ve done more work with Josie in a ten- minute period than they did with an entire tribe of people in three days.”
I shoot a wry smile to Ransom even though he didn’t hear Merritt singing my accolades. But I quickly grab onto his hand just in case she’s up for delivering a few more compliments my way.
“So, what are you up to?” I ask Kimball. “Are you here to have a spine-chilling adventure?”
He gives a hearty laugh. I can’t think of a single occasion when I didn’t see him having a good time.
That conversation I had with Visalia comes to mind. She did mention that she saw him arguing with Merritt before they boarded the ship. I glance her way, but she turns her head away with a frown. It’s her go-to look, so it’s sort of hard to read.
“I’m here looking to get spooked just like the next guy,” he says with a laugh. “I’d ask what the two of you were doing, but I already know.” He waggles his brows as he says it.
“We were conferring,” Ransom corrects with a brief smile. “About the case.”
“How’s that going?” The smile glides right off of Kimball’s face as he rocks back on his heels. “Any idea who could have killed Merritt?”
“Wouldn’t he like to know.” Merritt glides forward and pokes him in the chest—and her entire fist goes right through him.
He brings his hand to his tie and winces.
Ha! He felt something. Too bad he doesn’t know what—then he’d really be patting his chest as his heart does its best to stop beating.
“We have a few leads,” Ransom tells him. “Unfortunately, due to the delicate nature of the case, I’m not at liberty to discuss it.”
Merritt snorts. “In other words, he’s as clueless as the day he was born. I demand that he be fired from my case,” she roars.
“What?” Ransom lifts his head her way.
“What’s that?” Kimball tips his ear.
Ransom’s chest expands as he frowns my way, then directly at Merritt as if he could see her. “Kimball, try to think back to the day you boarded the ship with her. Did you see Merritt having a disagreement with anyone at all? ”
I lift a brow his way and shoot him a look without meaning to. Sometimes I just can’t hide what I’m thinking, and what I’m thinking is that Visalia witnessed them having it out.
“You know ?” Kimball looks mildly amused before sighing at Ransom. “It was me. Merritt and I had an argument in the terminal before boarding the ship.” He sighs again, this time right at her.
“Go on,” she chides him a touch too loud. “Expose yourself to them the way you exposed yourself to me.”
Ransom and I exchange a glance.
“All right.” Kimball lifts his hands for a moment as if he were surrendering. “I’ll admit it. I fell hard for Merritt Garrett.” He slaps the back of his neck and looks from Ransom to me.
I would say that I couldn’t blame him. I mean, she was a beautiful woman—but had he met her?
“I tried everything I could think of to make her see me, to see us together,” he continues. “But she wasn’t interested.” He gives a weary smile. “She rebuked my efforts time and time again. Apparently, there was someone else.” He shakes his head, stymied. “And for the life of me, I couldn’t get her to tell me who.”
“John Mackenzie,” Merritt says with a sigh and a thousand tiny stars sail out of her mouth.
Geez , she’s still got it bad for the guy.
“I’m sorry,” I tell her and Kimball nods.
“Thank you,” he says. “I feel her loss very deeply.” His forehead breaks out into three thick lines. “I’ve never felt such powerful grief in all my life.” He clutches at his chest. “It was so violent last night, I thought I was going to die myself.”
Merritt bows her head and sniffs. “I’ve felt that grief before.”
Ransom looks from me to Kimball. “I’m sorry about your loss. But I have to ask, why argue about it? If she wasn’t into you, then why not walk away with your dignity?”
I know for a fact Ransom has never had to walk away with his dignity, and I certainly wasn’t going to let him escape either.
Kimball winces a bit. “We weren’t exactly arguing over that.”
“Oh, for Pete’s sake,” Merritt riots. “Isn’t anything sacred anymore? Must you tell them everything, you nitwit?”
I shoot her a look before nodding his way. “Go on.”