“And you resented him for that?”

  “Resentment, envy, similar feelings,” said Channing. He shot me a sharp look. “Why do you care, anyway?”

  I glanced at Blake, who still stood next to Channing. “Want to make sure that a decent guy didn’t come to a sticky end.”

  Channing placed his wine glass down. “You think the younger brother had something to do with it? I let my envy get the better of me and got rid of Blake so I could take over the empire?”

  “I never said that.” I shuffled another step toward the jetty. “Now you mention it, it is a good motive for getting rid of Blake.”

  “I wouldn’t kill my only brother,” said Channing. “I considered punching him a few times, especially when he got a bit smug about how wonderful his life was.”

  “Maybe you punched him on the night he died. Things might have gotten out of hand, especially if you’d been drinking.” I glanced at the empty wine glass.

  Channing reached forward and grabbed my arm. “You’re seriously accusing me of murder?”

  I tried to yank my arm out of his grip, but he held on tight as he dragged me to the edge of the yacht.

  “My brother died down there,” said Channing, pointing to the water. “He couldn’t save himself that time. He wasn’t so perfect that he couldn’t get out of that particular mess.”

  My heart raced as I fought against Channing’s strong grip. From the anger in his eyes, I could be Channing’s next victim, and was determined that wasn’t going to happen.

  “What’s going on?” Helen stood on the other side of the yacht. “Let Lorna go! You’re scaring her.”

  “She thinks it’s okay to accuse people of murder,” said Channing, not taking his gaze from me. “She deserves to be scared.”

  Helen raced over and whacked Channing on the back. “Let her go!”

  “Get away from me!” Channing turned and shoved Helen away, spinning me around as he did so, taking me away from the immediate danger of being thrown over the side.

  I looked around for Flipper, wondering why he wasn’t coming to help and groaned as I saw him throwing up on deck again.

  Dillon stood next to Flipper, a concerned look on his face.

  “Dillon! Help me!” I waved my hands at the ghost dog.

  He jumped to his feet and bounded toward me, his focus on Channing. He leapt as he got close. I pulled myself free from Channing’s grip as they collided. Channing gave a startled yell as he plunged over board.

  I watched in horror as Channing flew through the air, Dillon right behind him. They landed in the water with a hearty splash.

  “No way,” I said, as I swiped hair out of my eyes and stared at Channing as he floundered around, spluttering and cursing.

  “You okay?” Helen grabbed my arm. “Thought you were going over again.”

  “No. Channing was just trying to scare me,” I said. “But you won’t believe this. I just saw Dillon push Channing into the sea. I think he’s the killer. Dillon pushed Blake over board.”

  Chapter 18

  Helen blinked at me several times. “The dog killed Blake?”

  “He must have. I’ve just seen him barrel into Channing and shove him over. It makes sense now, what I felt on my back when I was pushed in. It didn’t feel like human hands, but I couldn’t work out what it was. Now, I know it was dog paws. Dillon jumped up and shoved me in the water, just like he did to Blake and now Channing.”

  “Where is Dillon now?”

  “He went over with Channing,” I said. “But I’m sure he’ll be back. And I need to thank him for saving me. Channing was getting mean.”

  “And Blake?”

  “He was here,” I said, as I looked around the deck. “But he’s gone as well.”

  “We need to get out of here,” said Helen. “Channing will think it was one of us who shoved him over. He’s going to be mad when he gets out of the water.”

  I craned my head over the side of the yacht and saw Channing swimming around. I grabbed a float and flung it at him before we both climbed off the yacht.

  Stopping by the jetty, I saw Channing holding onto the float and kicking his legs as he made his way toward the ladder.

  He glared at me. “I wasn’t really going to throw you over.”

  “You made a convincing show of wanting to do just that.”

  “There was no need for your friend to shove me in, though,” said Channing, his glare going to Helen.

  “Nothing less than you deserved,” said Helen.

  Channing glowered at her. “This suit is designer.”

  “That will make you think twice the next time you go threatening women,” said Helen.

  He swiped water at us. “At least help me get out.”

  “You can manage on your own,” I said, before turning and hurrying away from the jetty with Helen and Flipper. We ignored Channing’s angry shouts as we disappeared back to the car.

  Only once we were inside, did I let out a breath. I still couldn’t believe what I’d seen.

  “Are you sure Channing had nothing to do with Blake’s death?” asked Helen, as we shot away from the marina.

  “As sure as I can be,” I said. “And I saw what Dillon did. I waved my hand at him, and he shot into action.”

  “What do we do now?” asked Helen. “Even if Dillon was alive, we can’t have him tried for killing Blake. It was just a horrible accident, after all.”

  “I guess it was,” I said. “But if that’s the case, then why are Blake and Dillon still around? Why haven’t they moved on if his death was accidental?”

  I puzzled over this as we drove back to the house, Flipper grumbling in the back at having lost yet another meal because Dillon kept invading his personal space.

  As soon as we got inside, we headed upstairs. Dillon and Blake were already waiting for us in the bedroom.

  Blake was shaking his head as Dillon paced along beside him, his anxious gaze on his owner.

  Helen pulled on a sweater. “From the temperature in the room, I’m guessing we’ve still got ghostly company?”

  “They’re both here and unhappy.” I focused on Blake. “You don’t think Dillon pushed you over the side of the yacht?”

  Blake stopped pacing and stared down at Dillon. He petted Dillon’s head and then looked at me.

  “I understand if you’re confused about this whole thing,” I said. “You’re not the only one. I thought someone in this family had killed you, not your dog.”

  Blake started making hand gestures at Dillon. Dillon’s ears pricked up before he went through what looked like a practiced routine. He sat, laid down, rolled on his side, rolled all the way over, and then jumped onto his back legs and put his front paws on Blake’s shoulders.

  “He’s a well-trained dog,” I said. “But that doesn’t help with what happened to you.” Flipper pawed at the bedroom door and began to whine.

  “Poor Flipper,” said Helen, as she opened the door for him. “He is having a rough time with this ghost mystery.”

  “Never seen him behave like this before,” I said.

  Flipper shot out the door.

  I paused as I heard a high-pitched barking. “Or maybe his behavior has nothing to do with these ghosts.” I followed after Flipper. “Sounds like he might be looking for a new friend.”

  We followed Flipper back down the stairs and into Julianne’s office. She stood by her desk, a fluffy gray puppy cuddled to her chest.

  She smiled when she saw us. “Oh, sorry. Didn’t mean to disturb you. I know how late it is.”

  “Is that puppy yours?” I asked.

  “Picked him up this evening.” Julianne cuddled the puppy closer, his black eyes half-closed and his nose almost hidden in all the fluff.

  “He’s a cutie,” said Helen, as she walked over and tickled the puppy under his chin.

  “I’d forgotten how lovely it is to have a dog around,” said Julianne. “When I saw you with Flipper, it reminded me how much I enjoyed their company.”

  “I heard about what happened to your previous dog,” I said to her.

  “Yes, that was sad,” said Julianne. “It still upsets me, thinking about how scared Dillon must have been.” She placed the puppy on the floor. He bounded over to Flipper and grabbed the end of his tail.

  “Don’t do that!” Julianne chased after the puppy, who refused to let go of Flipper’s tail. Flipper tried to get away from the overenthusiastic pup as he chewed and sucked on his fur.

  I picked the puppy off the floor and gently eased my fingers between his teeth, releasing Flipper’s tail. Flipper dashed to the other side of the room before tucking his tail tightly around him and fixing a stern glare on the puppy.

  I passed the puppy to Julianne, and she cooed over him. All was forgiven as soon as she was cuddling him again.

  “Have you thought of a name?” asked Helen.

  “Charlie,” said Julianne. “It was my grandad’s name. He loved dogs.”

  “It’s a good name for a dog,” I said.

  “How did you come up with the name Flipper?” Julianne looked over to where Flipper was washing his tail. “It’s unusual.”

  “He does a trick where he slaps his paws together when he wants a treat,” said Helen. “He’ll do anything for a piece of sausage.”

  “That’s something I’ll have to teach Charlie,” said Julianne. “I want him to be as well-behaved as Dillon was.”

  “Did you train Dillon?”

  “I used to,” said Julianne. “Well, I made use of Taylor’s excellent services to start with.”

  “What sort of tricks could he do?”

  “Just about anything.” Julianne smiled at me. “Much like your dog, give him the right treat and he was happy to play along.”

  I shot a glance at Helen, an idea forming in my head, but she was still cooing over the puppy.

  The office door was shoved open. Honey stood in the doorway, her angry glare fixed on Julianne. She held a piece of paper in her hand.

  Julianne’s eyes narrowed. “You’re still here. I seem to remember I fired you.”

  “I’ve been checking my contract,” said Honey, as she walked into the room. “And you need a genuine reason to get rid of me.”

  “How about you’re incompetent?”

  “I’m more than capable of doing the work I’m given.”

  “How about the fact you and my husband were involved with each other?” asked Julianne. “I’d say you being involved in an adulterous affair is grounds for dismissal.”

  Honey’s cheeks colored, but she held her ground. “My work here has always been of a high standard. And you’ve no proof of an affair. It wouldn’t be right.”

  “At least you have one thing correct,” said Julianne. “What you did with Blake was a disgrace.”

  “At least give me the wages I’m entitled to,” said Honey.

  “You’ll get nothing more out of me,” said Julianne. “Why don’t you pawn the gifts my husband gave you?”

  Blake blinked into view and stood between the two women, concern clear on his face.

  They both shuddered in response to his presence but kept shooting angry glares at each other.

  Blake moved to stand next to Honey and rested a hand on her shoulder.

  I blinked in surprise and stared hard at them. They looked remarkably similar. Honey had the same straight nose and full lips as Blake. I took a couple of steps back, my mouth falling open as realization hit me.

  “Is something wrong?” whispered Helen.

  I nodded, still staring at Honey. “You weren’t having an affair with Blake. He was your father.”

  Chapter 19

  A stunned silence filled the room as I continued to stare at Honey. “You’re Blake’s daughter.”

  Honey’s gaze went to the floor, but then she nodded. “You’re right. He was my father.”

  “That’s not possible,” stuttered out Julianne, as she grabbed the back of a chair. “I met Blake when we were young. I was his only serious girlfriend.” Her gaze ran over Honey and her eyes widened.

  “Did you know Blake was your father when you met at the yacht club?” I asked.

  “I had an idea,” said Honey. “I knew he lived around here and I knew his name. But he was the one to approach me that day. I don’t know; perhaps he felt a connection between us or saw some of my mother in me.”

  “You cannot be his daughter.” Julianne sank into the chair by her desk, still clutching Charlie.

  Blake moved to stand next to her and nodded slowly.

  “I think she is,” I said cautiously. “It makes sense now why you were so close. Blake wanted to get to know his daughter.”

  Julianne frowned, her attention on Honey. She passed Helen the puppy and grabbed a photograph off the desk before jumping up and holding it next to Honey.

  Honey shrank away as if expecting Julianne to hit her. “I’m telling the truth.”

  “But I’d know if Blake had a child. He always said he wasn’t certain about children. We had talked about trying for a family next year. But this...” she waved her hand at Honey. “How is this real? How did Blake meet your mother?”

  “Dad, I mean Blake, told me how he first met my mom,” said Honey. “She’s always had dreams of being a world-class singer and started singing when she was only a kid.”

  Julianne gave an unladylike snort as her gaze ran over Honey again. “From the looks of things, she didn’t do so well.”

  Blake frowned and shook his head, crossing his arms over his chest.

  Honey glared at Julianne. “She did what she could. Mom met Blake one night in a bar when he was playing guitar. He said it was love at first sight. They played together and fell in love.”

  “Blake hasn’t played the guitar in years,” said Julianne. “He kept saying he would get rid of his collection. Although recently, he has mentioned wanting to play again. Now, I know why.”

  “He said the same thing to me,” said Honey. “And he would have continued to play with my mom, but she fell pregnant with me and focused on raising me instead.”

  “Your mom no longer sings?” I asked.

  “She had to give it up,” said Honey. “She used to sing anywhere, pubs, clubs, restaurants, wherever would have her. All the time, she was learning her craft and getting better. But back then, before the smoking ban came into place, she’d often spend hours singing her lungs out in a smoke-filled room. She’s never smoked, but that’s what the doctors believe gave her lung cancer.”

  Julianne’s hard gaze softened a little. “I didn’t know your mom was ill.”

  “Why would you?” said Honey. “You never ask me anything, other than questions to find out what I’ve done wrong.”

  Julianne swallowed. “I only do that because I thought you and my husband were... together.”

  “I know what you thought,” said Honey. “Despite us both telling you nothing was going on, you didn’t trust him or me.”

  “Why didn’t Blake tell me about you?”

  “He was going to but was worried you’d leave him,” said Honey. “There was a brief period when he dated you and my mom at the same time.”

  “So much for true love if that’s the case,” said Julianne.

  “He was young,” said Honey, “and an attractive guy. Mom always said that about him. And he had mentioned you were very persistent.”

  Julianne’s glare returned. “So what happened next?”

  “It was just after you met that Mom got pregnant. They didn’t know what to do. I wasn’t planned, but Mom refused to get rid of me. She told Dad she didn’t want to see him anymore. But that wasn’t true. She still loved him, but didn’t want to tie him down at such a young age.”

  “She didn’t want to stop him from pursuing his own dreams,” said Helen with a sigh. “That was noble of her.”

  I flashed a quick look at Blake. His head was down, his expression sad. It must be hard to discover his first love selflessly gave him up, offered him the chance to do more with his life, without her and a baby holding him back.

  “That’s right,” said Honey. “And Blake was a talented musician.”

  “He was a better businessman,” said Julianne. “He was ambitious in whatever he did. I told him there was no money in music. He needed to focus his passions elsewhere.”

  “So he put his guitars away,” I said.

  Julianne shrugged. “It was for the best.” Her gaze rested on Honey. “So, what did you do?”

  Honey’s eyes widened. “What do you mean?”

  “You realized Blake was your father,” said Julianne. “So you cashed in on the fact he was wealthy. Thought you’d come in here and take everything?”

  “No! I simply wanted to know who my dad was,” said Honey. “He’d been missing all my life. Mom wouldn’t tell me anything about him until a year ago. Since then, I’ve been looking for him, seeing if we could still have a relationship.”

  “But he never looked for you,” said Julianne sharply. “And he’s never mentioned you. Doesn’t that say something?”

  “It says you’re a controlling bitch,” spat Honey, “whose husband is too scared to be honest with her.”

  Julianne glowered at her. “At least his will makes sense now.”

  “What was in his will?” I asked.

  “There was a strange paragraph in there about his children,” said Julianne. “It said, if he had any children, they were to inherit this house.”

  Honey’s mouth fell open. “He left me this house?”

  Julianne scowled. “When the passage was read, I assumed he meant our children. We were considering being older parents, so I figured he was hedging his bets. If we didn’t have children, the house would remain with me. I didn’t know he was alluding to you.” She jabbed a finger at Honey.

  “I can’t believe he left me this house.” Honey stared around the room. “What am I going to do with it?”

  Blake smiled at Honey. He looked happy that he’d been able to do something good for his only child.

 

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