Hungry Hostages Read online

  H u n g r y

  H o s t a g e s

  S U N S H I N E B L U F F

  M Y S T E R I E S

  B O O K F O U R

  M A R I L Y N M I G G L E S

  Copyright © 2018 by Marilyn Miggles

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

  C O N T E N T S

  C O V E R

  T I T L E P A G E

  C O P Y R I G H T

  C H A P T E R 1

  C H A P T E R 2

  C H A P T E R 3

  C H A P T E R 4

  C H A P T E R 5

  C H A P T E R 6

  C H A P T E R 7

  C H A P T E R 8

  C H A P T E R 9

  C H A P T E R 10

  C H A P T E R 11

  E N G A G E M E N T E N T A N G L E S N E A K P R E V I E W

  C h a p t e r1

  Sheriff Mali had been right when he said my detective work would land me in hot water one day. He'd said that in the desert and he would say it again before my time as an amateur sleuth would finally be over.

  I was beginning to realise I had been wrong about Mali the whole time, something I was having trouble admitting, even to myself.

  That was until I heard about the petition he was getting signed to have me transported back to New York!

  I heard about it at Lulu's diner that morning.

  Lulu's diner was one of my favourite haunts and Lulu Pine had become like an agony aunt to me now, despite the bright pink hair, long painted nails and bubbly persona.

  I could talk to her better than I could my mom, whom I'd left behind in New York, along with the columnist job I hated and this particular morning I was in desperate need of advice.

  I was confused after my mom kept on telling me I needed to find the 'one.' I had tried a few dates with a couple of guys but they just didn't go anywhere. All this I poured into the kind, understanding ears of Lulu over one of her mean milkshakes and creation traybakes.

  The tray bake in question, was a malteser biscuit base, topped with a chocolate mousse and a whipped bailey's cream. It was just what I had been needing after an earful from my good old mom!

  "Cheer up, Bry. I'm sure your mom means well and has your best interests at heart," Lulu said.

  "I'm sure she does but that isn't what is troubling me."

  "Then what is?"

  "If I will ever find the one, if such a thing exists and if there will ever be a guy I can like enough to marry someday."

  "Oh, you have plenty of time for that. How old are you now?"

  "Twenty-six."

  "See, plenty of time. You'll find someone you want to spend the rest of your life with in time. We always do, I never managed it but I'm sure you will."

  "Wasn't your Pete like that at first?"

  "Oh, yeah. But then things turned sour. That won't happen with you though, Bry. I'm just not the co-habiting type. I never was really."

  "Do you think so?"

  "Of course. You just wait and see!"

  I left the diner that day, still not feeling very reassured and still seething about the petition Lulu had told me about when I arrived.

  ∞∞∞

  Coincidentally, I bumped into Luke Pritchard, while on my way to the shops that afternoon. He was the guy I had almost dated but, like most possible dates, it had never really got off to a good start, much to my mom's disappointment. She had met him once, when she came over from New York and she liked him immediately!

  He just seemed too good to be true to me. I would have preferred a much less charming man myself. My mom said that was the trouble, I was far too fussy and maybe she was right, I was just being too picky!

  "It's good to see you again, Luke. How are things?" I asked, smiling a him.

  "Great actually. I have a new job and I've just started seeing someone," he replied, running an awkward hand through his sandy blonde hair and giving me a sheepish look with his sparkling blue eyes.

  I could feel my face fall but I tried hard not to show it, putting on my brightest smile.

  "That is great, I'm happy for you," I said.

  It wasn't as if I hadn't expected this and I didn't really care that he had got someone else. I just felt that everyone I had dated were settling down, while I could only watch from the wings. First, it was Eddy and Jamie and now it was Luke! What he told me next really put the cherry on top for me!

  "It's Alley," he said quickly, his old fashioned charm telling him to make it as painless as possible.

  "Alley!" I cried out in surprise.

  My first thought was wondering why she had kept this from me, being my best friend and all, that was until I realised she had been away and it probably happened there.

  "It's not what you think. We only started dating a few days ago. She was going to tell you as soon as we got back, only I saw you first."

  "It's fine. Don't worry about it. I am surprised but only because she has waited this long. She has known you a long time."

  "Since school," he said, grining like a Chesire cat.

  "If you see her first, give her my congratulations. I'll probably message her later."

  "I will do. I'm glad you're okay about it."

  "Who me? Oh, of course," I said casually, waving a hand.

  "I'll be seeing you, then, Bry."

  "You bet."

  I stood there waving after him like a fool!

  C h a p t e r2

  I carried onto the shops with a heavy heart. I went into the newsagents on the corner of the street first and Mr Gerald Pickering, the broad shouldered shop owner, with a goaty beard and arms covered in tattoos, was in his usual place behind the till.

  "Morning, Miss Womack. Is it not a lovely day?" He said in his strong Dutch accent.

  "It is, Mr Pickering," I said, not sounding too convincing.

  I was never quite sure if I liked Mr Pickering or not, he always looked as if he was hiding something behind those shifty black eyes of his.

  I walked around the back of some shelves to look for some new writing materials for my newspaper business, one of which was called Sunshine news and the other had all the news from New York called, the New Yorker gazette. I was quite proud of my business that I'd set up from scratch and many of the locals' had told me they appreciated being kept informed.

  A woman's voice broke through the silence and she sounded less than happy.

  "I have a bone to pick with you, Gerald Pickering!" She was shouting.

  There was no reply to this.

  "Don't you walk away from me, you con man! Why didn't you tell me you were married?"

  "Ssh, I don't have to explain anything to you, Elaine!" He cried back.

  "I don't care who hears me! I must have my say!"

  "Later, Elaine. Not while I'm working."

  "Oh, I could scream, you frustrate me so much! Men like you are not worth my time. I'll, I'll..." her voice trailed off.

  "You'll what? There is nothing you can do, dear woman," Gerald replied softly. Nethertheless, it seemed to infuriate the woman even more.

  "I'll kill you someday. I swear," she said under her breath but loud enough for me to hear.

  The next thing I heard was the clicking of her heels on the floor and the door slamming shut with the tinkling of the bell.

  Wanting to be rid of this embarrassing situation fast, I quickly picked up a notepad and a pack of pens and placed them on the counter, watching t
he woman through the glass in the door as she strode towards her car. I didn't recognise her from around town but she was tall and slender, with long, wavy hair that had been dyed red cherry and she held herself like a model. She looked just like the type of woman Gerald Pickering would go for and there must have been more.

  "She wasn't very happy," I joked, trying to alleviate some of his embarrassment. He didn't seem to need it, however. It seemed that nothing embarrassed the man.

  "I can't keep up. I can't even remember what greivance she has with me," he said as he ran the items through the till.

  "Something to do with you being married," I said, a little annoyed by his manner.

  "Oh, that. I might be married but I haven't seen my wife in years," he replied with an unconcerned wave of his hand.

  "Sounds like there's a lot of angry women out there."

  "They'll get over it."

  "I'm sure they will and faster than you think."

  I laughed and left the shop.

  ∞∞∞

  Later that day I got a message from Alley ( no surprise) asking me to meet up with her at the diner to talk about Luke. I didn't think there was anything to talk about but I agreed to meet her for supper. Alley Pine was Lulu's daughter and we often liked to meet up at her mom's diner, where we could feel relaxed.

  I arrived at around seven and she and Lulu were sitting around the counter on high rowed chairs' in hushed conversation.

  "What's all this then? If it's about Luke, don't worry. I am not going to break my heart over him and I know you have been away Alley," I said, trying to break the ice.

  Alley came running towards me, her long blonde hair flowing out at the sides and hugged me tightly.

  "Let go!" I cried, trying to prize her hands away.

  "I'm so sorry, Bry. I didn't mean to go about it so underhandedly," she said as soon as she'd let me go.

  "I know, silly. I only want to know how it happened. You were dead set against him a year ago."

  "Well, why don't the pair of you sit down and talk, while get your milkshakes!" Lulu cried from behind the counter.

  "I'll have a mint and pistachio, please, Lulu," I said.

  Lulu went off to prepare them and me and Alley went to settle at one of the booths by the window, stopping off at the jukebox to pick a song on the way there.

  "Right, I'll just sit here and you can tell me all about it," I said, folding my arms.

  Alley took a deep breath, her innocent blue eyes widening.

  "Where do I start? I mean, you know I went away a week ago and we just kind of kept bumping into each other. We talked more than we had ever done and the next I know we're an item."

  "So, what happened to you not being interested and trying to pass him off on me?"

  "I guess I didn't know him so well then."

  "And there's no Vera anymore."

  "Don't say that because it's not the reason we got together. That would put a dampener on it."

  "I know. I was only saying," I said defensively.

  "So?" Alley said quizzically.

  "So, what?"

  "Are you happy for us?"

  "What a silly question, of course I am. I always thought you and Luke were well suited but you were in denial. You both have sweet tempers and are two charming people. You are cute together."

  "Aww, thanks, Bry. You're the bestest!"

  "I am, aren't I?" I joked.

  Lulu came across with our milkshakes and food orders and we dived into them hungrily.

  C h a p t e r3

  I had an unexpected invitation at the weekend to a town gala (glam dress) charity event. Lulu was catering for it and she'd been asked to invite a friend, which just so happened to be me!

  I admit, I wasn't too thrilled (glam dress not being my thing) and I thought up all kinds of excuses but none of them worked on Lulu. She knew I didn't have much of a social life in Sunshine Bluff, not many did.

  So once again I was roped in for something I was nervous about and I took myself shopping in the nearest city to Sunshine Bluff, Sunnydale.

  "Sunnydale, here I come," I muttered as I stepped out of my yellow Beatle car in the huge parking lot.

  I had done a little online research on the best places in the city to find posh frocks and there was this one in the mall that houses everything I needed for a charity gala of this kind and I headed straight there.

  The shop assistant was very helpful and I managed to get something that I hoped suited me, which she professed over and over it did.

  I drove home with higher hopes than I'd had when I arrived.

  ∞∞∞

  Despite Lulu's constant reassurances that the emerald green gown I was wearing really set off my eyes and figure to full advantage, I still wasn't convinced. The other concern was that it was strapless and I felt like I was constantly pulling it up in case I showed too much.

  "You look beautiful, believe me," Lulu said in the hallway of my house as we were setting off. We were leaving together in Lulu's pink catering van to match her hair, so it wasn't as if it would be a low profile arrival either.

  "Are you sure you're not just saying so?" I asked, stopping to look at my reflection in the mirror, hanging by the coat rack.

  "I'm positive. You're sure to meet the one that you keep on talking about dressed like that. The hairdresser has done a good job with your hair," she said, pointing to my updo that had been woven in ringlets at the back of my head.

  "Well, I can change it now, can I? Let's go."

  Lulu shook her head and we finally left the house.

  We arrived extra early as Lulu had to get set up and there were only the organisers there, who were busy with the arrangements and I sat alone in the corner feeling dumb as I watched all the preparations.

  The guests started arriving in dribs and drabs about twenty minutes later and I was ready for home already.

  I nearly fell off my chair when I saw Sheriff Mali walking through the door in a tuxedo, along with an older woman, with hair the same shade of brown as his and I thought she had a look of him, her jaw set in the same stubborn way he also had. She was old enough to me his mom and I guessed that's who she was.

  They didn't see me and I went off to find Lulu to hear the score.

  "What's the sheriff doing here?" I asked her, while she was taking a breather outside the kitchen door.

  "Somebody has to represent the sheriff's department and I guess he's taken the short straw this time."

  "He looks like he's enjoying every minute of it as well. Who's that with him?"

  "She's his aunt. Always comes out of the woodwork when there's a do like this one. He comes from a rich family, did you know?"

  "No, I didn't actually," I said looking at him through new eyes.

  "Yeah, apparently he broke the mould when he became sheriff. His family wanted him to be

  the mayor."

  "Is that right? That explains why he is always throwing his weight about."

  Lulu laughed and then stopped dead with her mouth open as another guest walked through the door. He was a man with a strong burly frame and long strawberry blonde hair. He hadn't bothered to shave either and although he was wearing a tuxedo, he looked out of place and more like he should have been in prison or something. The woman on his arm looked more glamorous (though cheaply so) in her red, black laced gown and nineteen thirties' styled hat, with a long black feather poking out the top.

  "Who are they? They don't exactly fit the bill," I said.

  "That, Bry, is the notorious Kit Worthington and his wife, Susannah. I heard he had just been released from prison but I didn't expect him to show his face round here again. The cheek of him."

  "What was he sent down for?"

  "For instigating a bank robbery with his gang. He's been locked away for some time but I expect he has the money to worm his way into the good graces of the elite in this town, no matter how it was attained. I read that he was sitting on a fortune when he went inside."

  "I shoul
d interview him for the sunshine news. Keep people informed."

  "I wouldn't if I were you. He is trouble and you don't want to give the likes of him any limelight. He craves it," Lulu replied, sounding rattled now.

  "Calm down, I wasn't being serious. You need to get back to the kitchen, though it's no cooler in there."

  "I'll see you later," she said waving to me.

  I looked around the room and it was worrying that sheriff Mali was the only one here I actually knew. The rest of the guests' were all way beyond my station. I looked across at where Mali was standing by his aunt, who was deep in conversation with another lady of around her age. He didn't spot me at first but I felt his eyes burning into my back as I walked by him to get closer to where Kit and Susannah Worthington were, to try and listen in to their conversation. I was curious about the two of them after what Lulu had told me and I thought I might be able to get a story out of what I heard.

  Suddenly, Mali was standing right beside me and he seemed to have tuned into my thinking right away. Could nothing be hidden from him? I wondered.

  "Evening, Bryony. I presume you know who they are?" He whispered, his lips almost touching my ear.

  "Yes," I snapped back, moving away from him. I glanced across at his aunt and she was intent on watching us. Her expression was not very amused.

  "I didn't expect to see you here tonight. Let alone looking for trouble."

  "I'm not looking for trouble. I'm here as a friend of the caterer."

  "Lulu Pine?"

  "I don't see any other caterers' here."

  "Well, I wouldn't push it with the likes of him. Kit Worthington is a bad lot."

  "Then why do you allow him to mingle with the elite? Maybe it has something to do with the fact that you are one of them. I think that's pretty corrupt myself."

  "It wasn't my idea to invite him here," he replied, sounding deeply offended.

  "You must have the authority to put a stop to it, or am I overestimating your authority in this town, sheriff?"

  "What's that supposed to mean?"