Murder at Jade Cove (Cedar Bay Cozy Mystery Book 2) by Dianne Harman Page B

she waited for someone to
respond, she once again admired the beauty of Jade Cove. When Jeff’s parents
had originally built the house, they designed it so the front of the house
overlooked the cove. A circular driveway surrounded it. The view was simply
spectacular. In a few moments Marcy opened the door and said, “Kelly, how nice
to see you. I wasn’t expecting you. I spent a couple of days in Portland at my
sister’s home and just got back. I’m forgetting my manners. Please come in.
Would you like a cup of coffee?”
    Sure you were staying at
your sister’s , Kelly thought. Probably better not tell her I saw her with Gabe. I’m
sure she’d lie and tell me it was someone who looked like her. Well, I’ll see
what I can find out.
    “No thanks. Marcy, I want
to express my condolences. I came by the other day, but you weren’t here. I
feel so badly for you and Brandon. I know nothing helps at a sad time like
this, but I brought you some cookies.”
    “Thanks, Kelly. You’re
right, nothing really helps. I was in Portland when my sister called me about
Jeff’s death and I drove straight home. Brandon came in from Corvallis and
spent the night here at the ranch. He returned to school the next day after we
made the funeral arrangements. Since Amber’s death was so recent, he didn’t
feel like he could go through another funeral and I agreed with him. That’s why
we decided not to have a funeral, but instead, simply had Jeff’s remains
cremated. I think it’s probably better for him to concentrate on football and
his studies and I’m hoping that will help take his mind off the tragedy.”
    “That’s a good plan for
Brandon, but how are you doing? This had to be a shock. I know Jeff had started
divorce proceedings, but even so, his murder had to come as a huge shock to
you.”
    “Him filing for divorce
and his murder – yes, they both came as a shock. I never thought Jeff and I
would be divorced. I loved him dearly and I was always faithful to him. I
understand from several people that Jeff thought I was having an affair with
Gabe Lewis. He’s the lumber guy who lives up in Sunset Bay. Jeff had always
been jealous of him because Gabe and I were once engaged to be married. That
was before I met Jeff. Jeff never forgot about it. He became obsessed with the
idea I was having an affair with Gabe. Really, it was just a figment of Jeff’s
imagination.”
    Sure it was, just like you
and Gabe were a figment of my imagination yesterday when the two of you came
out of the Hilton with overnight bags, Kelly thought.
    “I’ve seen Gabe a few
times over the years. He came to see me the other day when he heard that Jeff
had died. He offered to give me some money if I needed any. You know he’s very
wealthy. I told him I was fine, but I’d keep it in mind and if I did run short
I’d let him know. Nice to have friends like that, don’t you think?”
    “Yes. That was a very nice
thing for him to do.” Particularly when according to what I read, the guy is
having serious financial problems of his own.
    “From what I recall, he’s
in the lumber business, isn’t he?”
    “Well, that’s putting it
mildly,” Marcy said, smiling. “In this area of the state, he is the lumber
business. He owns a huge lumber mill and thousands of acres of timber so, yes,
I guess you could say he’s in the lumber business.”
    “I’ve been reading there’s
been a drop in lumber prices the past few years and the industry is in a
mini-recession. I understand buyers are importing lumber from Canada because
it’s much cheaper to buy lumber there, even though it has to be transported a
greater distance. Has his business been affected by those developments?”
    “Not from what he’s told
me. In fact, when Gabe first came to see me after Jeff’s death, he wondered
what I was going to do about building the hotel and spa. I told him I’d received
calls from several people who were going to help Jeff finance the construction,
but