Chapter Twenty-four
Audrey looked up from her coffee as she spotted her mother’s car rolling up the long driveway. A slow smile spread across her face. This was perfect.
She pushed away from the kitchen table and darted outside, determined to intercept her mother before she could escape. Jill barely had time to put the car in park before Audrey yanked open the passenger door and leaned in.
“You have exactly thirty seconds before Nana finds out about your relationship.”
Jill groaned. “Can we not do this now?”
“Oh, we’re doing this,” Audrey said, practically bouncing with excitement. “I’m not keeping this to myself another second.”
Before Jill could protest, Audrey turned and marched back toward the house.
Inside, Maggie was at the stove, flipping bacon in a cast-iron skillet. A pot of coffee brewed beside her, and a plate of scrambled eggs and toast already sat on the table.
“Well, look who finally decided to show up,” Maggie said without turning around.
Jill sighed as she stepped inside. “Great. A breakfast ambush.”
“This is going to be fun,” Audrey said, plopping into a chair. “Go ahead, Mom. Tell her.”
Maggie turned, raising an eyebrow. “Tell me what?”
Jill shot Audrey a glare before muttering, “I’m … I can’t believe I have to say this … I’m seeing Mark Haskell.”
Maggie gasped and nearly dropped the spatula. “The Mark Haskell? Oh, Jillian, finally!”
Audrey grinned as her mother visibly shrank into herself.
Maggie clutched her chest dramatically. “That man could prosecute me, and I’d still thank him afterward.”
“Nana!” Audrey burst out laughing.
Jill groaned. “This is exactly why I didn’t say anything.”
Maggie ignored her. “When were you going to tell me? Oh, let me guess—you weren’t.”
Jill sighed. “It’s not a thing. It’s casual.”
Maggie smirked. “Mm-hmm. Sure.”
“Can we move on?” Jill said desperately. “I have actual news.”
Maggie relented, though she looked far too pleased with herself as she turned back to the stove. “Go on, then.”
Jill exhaled. “Mason secured the hotel security footage from Portland. It shows Bradley Comstock leaving his hotel with his overnight bag around 7 p.m. that Sunday—the same time Chips was poisoned.”
Audrey sat up straighter. “So he’s in the clear for that murder.”
“Rock-solid alibi,” Jill confirmed. “He wouldn’t have gotten back to Halibut Cove until 8:30, maybe 9:00 at the earliest. Chips was already dead.”
Maggie pursed her lips. “That’s one murder he didn’t commit. But what about Griffin Mead?”
Jill hesitated. “That’s the big question. According to his receptionist, they worked late. But I have a feeling she’s smitten enough to say just about anything to protect him.”
She leaned closer. “And there’s something else I just confirmed.
The autopsy report found clonidine in Griffin’s system—enough to sedate him so someone could push him into the water.
That’s what killed him. But there were also traces of novocaine in his mouth, which proves he was in Comstock’s dental chair the day he died. ”
Audrey’s eyes widened. “So he was drugged at the office and then drowned afterward?”
Jill nodded grimly. “Exactly.”
Maggie and Audrey exchanged a look, their wheels already turning.
Jill sighed. “I hate that look.”
Maggie smiled innocently. “What look?”
“The one that means you two are about to do something reckless,” Jill muttered.
“I don’t do anything reckless, dear,” Maggie assured her.
Jill folded her arms, skeptical. “Uh huh.”
The next day, Audrey and Maggie entered Dr. Comstock’s dental office. Maggie grumbled the entire way inside.
“Listen, I don’t need the whole cleaning and scraping nonsense,” Maggie announced as they stepped up to the reception desk. “Just one tooth. One lousy tooth. Cracked it eating lobster, and now it’s giving me grief. In and out. Five minutes. That’s it. That’s all I have time for.”
Melanie beamed. “Mrs. Holbrook, I promise Dr. Comstock will take great care of you. Just fill out this quick form—”
Maggie shot her a glare. “Do I have to?”
Melanie giggled. “Standard procedure.”
Before Maggie could argue further, the exam-room door opened and Bradley Comstock stepped out, flashing his signature smile.
“Maggie Holbrook! What a pleasure,” he said, shaking her hand. “I have to say, I never thought I’d see you in my chair.”
“To be honest, I never thought I’d be in your chair,” Maggie grumbled. “As I told you, I liked my old dentist, Dr. Lawry, before he needed to fly south for his arthritis, apparently.”
Bradley chuckled. “Well, I’ll do my best to live up to Dr. Lawry’s legacy.” He gestured for her to follow him. “Come on, let’s take a look at that tooth.”
Maggie sighed dramatically and shot Audrey a look. “If I don’t make it out of here alive, tell Oliver he still owes me money from Christmas. That’s part of your inheritance.”
Audrey smirked as Maggie disappeared into the exam room.
Now was her chance.
Audrey leaned against the counter. “Hey, Melanie, I think I left a scarf here at my last cleaning. Nana knitted it for me last Christmas, so it has sentimental value. Can you check your lost and found?”
“Oh! Sure,” Melanie said. “Hold on. Let me take a quick look.”
The second Melanie disappeared into the back, Audrey slipped behind the desk and pulled up the patient records. She quickly typed Griffin Mead into the search bar.
Appointment date: Thursday, October 25th.
Audrey’s stomach clenched.
The day he died.
That confirmed it.
Before she could read further, a shadow loomed over her.
“What are you doing?”
Audrey’s breath caught.
Melanie stood there, arms crossed, eyes sharp.
Audrey quickly clicked out of the screen. “Oh! I got a call from my insurance company—there was an issue with my coverage, and I just wanted to make sure you had the right information.”
Melanie narrowed her eyes. “I handle all insurance issues. Why didn’t you just ask me?”
“I didn’t want to bother you,” Audrey said with a sheepish smile. “Did you find my scarf?”
“No. Shockingly, it wasn’t there.”
Melanie obviously sensed that she had been sent on a wild goose chase.
Suddenly the exam room door opened, and Dr. Comstock stepped out. “Everything all right?”
Melanie pointed at Audrey. “She was on my computer.”
Comstock’s gaze flicked to Audrey, his expression unreadable.
Audrey feigned an embarrassed smile. “Totally my fault. Just checking on that insurance thing. Didn’t mean to cause a fuss.”
Bradley studied her for a beat too long, then finally nodded. “No harm done.” But his eyes were suspicious.
At that moment, Maggie emerged, rubbing her jaw. “Tell me good news, Doc.”
Bradley smiled. “Unfortunately, you need a root canal.”
Maggie groaned. “I knew I should’ve just let the damn tooth break.”
Bradley chuckled. “Make sure you schedule an appointment with Melanie before you leave.” He flashed a too-white smile as he handed Maggie a small plastic bag.
“A parting gift for you, Maggie. A little something to keep that smile in tip-top shape—travel-size toothpaste, floss, mouthwash, the works.”
Maggie took the bag without looking inside. “How nice. Thanks,” she muttered, barely suppressing a grimace.
“Before you go,” he added, his voice dipping into something more serious, “you really need to come back and deal with that tooth.”
Maggie exhaled sharply through her nose. “I’ll call,” she said, already inching toward the door.
Dr. Comstock tilted his head, studying her like an uncooperative patient in one of his textbooks. “Don’t put it off. I’d hate to have to fit you with dentures.”
Maggie turned back just long enough to smirk. “I came into the world with these teeth, I’m going out with them … same with my hips the doctors keep wanting to replace.”
Dr. Comstock chuckled as she walked out and Audrey followed.
The moment they left the office, Audrey called Jill.
“You were right,” she said as soon as her mother picked up. “Griffin definitely had a dental appointment with Comstock on the day he died.”
“He did?”
“Yep. His appointment was on October 25th—the same day he was found floating in the harbor.”
“That’s … interesting.”
Audrey could hear the gears turning in her mother’s head.
Jill exhaled. “What I find curious is that Comstock didn’t mention that Griffin was a patient when Mason and I questioned him the other day.”
Audrey hesitated.
Jill’s voice sharpened. “And how exactly did you find this information?”
Audrey cleared her throat. “Um. Well—”
Jill sighed, already knowing the answer. “You promised me you’d stay out of it.”
“I promised I wouldn’t interfere,” Audrey corrected. “This was just … strategic information gathering.”
She could picture her mother gritting her teeth. “I mean it, Audrey. No more snooping.”
Audrey crossed her fingers behind her back. “Fine. No more snooping.”
“Promise?”
“Yes, I promise,” Audrey sighed.
Maggie leaned in and whispered in her ear. “Don’t make promises you can’t keep, dear.”
Jill exhaled on the other end of the line. “Okay, I’ll look into it.”
Audrey ended the call, her mind racing.
Why would Comstock omit such an important detail?
And more importantly … what else was he hiding?