Eighth Witness
A Writers’ Retreat Mystery
by
Kathi Daley
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2019 by Katherine Daley
Version 1.0
All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.
I want to thank the very talented Jessica Fischer for the cover art.
I so appreciate Bruce Curran, who is always ready and willing to answer my cyber questions; Jayme Maness for helping out with the book clubs; and Peggy Hyndman for helping sleuth out those pesky typos.
And, of course, thanks to the readers and bloggers in my life, who make doing what I do possible.
Thank you to Randy Ladenheim-Gil for the editing.
And finally, I want to thank my husband Ken for allowing me time to write by taking care of everything else.
Books by Kathi Daley
Come for the murder, stay for the romance.
Zoe Donovan Cozy Mystery:
Halloween Hijinks
The Trouble With Turkeys
Christmas Crazy
Cupid’s Curse
Big Bunny Bump-off
Beach Blanket Barbie
Maui Madness
Derby Divas
Haunted Hamlet
Turkeys, Tuxes, and Tabbies
Christmas Cozy
Alaskan Alliance
Matrimony Meltdown
Soul Surrender
Heavenly Honeymoon
Hopscotch Homicide
Ghostly Graveyard
Santa Sleuth
Shamrock Shenanigans
Kitten Kaboodle
Costume Catastrophe
Candy Cane Caper
Holiday Hangover
Easter Escapade
Camp Carter
Trick or Treason
Reindeer Roundup
Hippity Hoppity Homicide
Firework Fiasco
Henderson House
Holiday Hostage
Lunacy Lake – Summer 2019
Zimmerman Academy The New Normal
Zimmerman Academy New Beginnings
Ashton Falls Cozy Cookbook
Tj Jensen Paradise Lake Mysteries by Henery Press:
Pumpkins in Paradise
Snowmen in Paradise
Bikinis in Paradise
Christmas in Paradise
Puppies in Paradise
Halloween in Paradise
Treasure in Paradise
Fireworks in Paradise
Beaches in Paradise
Thanksgiving in Paradise – Fall 2019
Whales and Tails Cozy Mystery:
Romeow and Juliet
The Mad Catter
Grimm’s Furry Tail
Much Ado About Felines
Legend of Tabby Hollow
Cat of Christmas Past
A Tale of Two Tabbies
The Great Catsby
Count Catula
The Cat of Christmas Present
A Winter’s Tail
The Taming of the Tabby
Frankencat
The Cat of Christmas Future
Farewell to Felines
A Whisker in Time
The Catsgiving Feast
A Whale of a Tail – Spring 2019
Writers’ Retreat Southern Seashore Mystery:
First Case
Second Look
Third Strike
Fourth Victim
Fifth Night
Sixth Cabin
Seventh Chapter
Eighth Witness
Rescue Alaska Paranormal Mystery:
Finding Justice
Finding Answers
Finding Courage
Finding Christmas
Finding Motive – Spring 2019
A Tess and Tilly Mystery:
The Christmas Letter
The Valentine Mystery
The Mother’s Day Mishap
The Halloween House
The Thanksgiving Trip
The Saint Paddy’s Promise – March 2019
The Inn at Holiday Bay:
Boxes in the Basement
Letters in the Library – February 2019
Message in the Mantel – Spring 2019
Family Ties:
The Hathaway Sisters:
Harper – Spring 2019
Haunting by the Sea:
Homecoming by the Sea
Secrets by the Sea
Missing by the Sea
Deception by the Sea – Spring 2019
Sand and Sea Hawaiian Mystery:
Murder at Dolphin Bay
Murder at Sunrise Beach
Murder at the Witching Hour
Murder at Christmas
Murder at Turtle Cove
Murder at Water’s Edge
Murder at Midnight
Seacliff High Mystery:
The Secret
The Curse
The Relic
The Conspiracy
The Grudge
The Shadow
The Haunting
Road to Christmas Romance:
Road to Christmas Past
Table of Contents
The Gull Island Cast
The Eighth Witness Cast
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Next from Kathi Daley Books
Preview:
The Gull Island Cast
Jillian (Jill) Hanford
Jillian is a dark-haired, dark-eyed, never-married thirty-nine-year-old newspaper reporter who moved to Gull Island after her much-older brother, Garrett Hanford, had a stroke and was no longer able to run the resort he’d inherited. Jillian had suffered a personal setback and needed a change in lifestyle, so she decided to run the resort as a writers’ retreat. She is currently working at the local newspaper and living with her boyfriend, Jackson Jones.
Jackson (Jack) Jones
Jack is a dark-haired, blue-eyed, never-married forty-three-year-old nationally acclaimed author of hard-core mysteries and thrillers, who is as famous for his good looks and boyish charm as he is for the stories he pens. Despite his success as a novelist, he’d always dreamed of writing for a newspaper, so he gave up his penthouse apartment and bought the failing Gull Island News. He lives in an oceanfront home he built with his girlfriend, Jill, and their dog, Kizzy.
Garrett Hanford
Garrett isn’t a writer, but he owns the resort and is considered to be one of the gang. He has lived on Gull Island his entire life and has a lot to offer the Mystery Mastermind Group. He currently lives in the main house with Clara and her cat, as well as his best friend, a feisty parrot named Blackbeard.
George Baxter
George is a sixty-nine-year-old writer of traditional whodunit mysteries. He’d been a friend of Garrett Hanford’s since they were boys and spent many winters at the resort penning his novels. George is a distinguished-looking man with gray hair, dark green eyes, and a certain sense of old-fashioned style that many admire. He is currently dating museum volunteer Meg Collins.
Clara Kline
Clara is a sixty-three-year-old, self-proclaimed psychic who writes fantasy and paran
ormal mysteries. Clara’s vision that she would find her soul mate living within the walls of the house on Gull Island came true when she met Jill’s brother, Garrett Hanford.
Alex Cole
Alex is a twenty-nine-year-old, fun and flirty millennial who made his first million writing science fiction when he was just twenty-two. He’s the lighthearted jokester of the group who uses his blond-haired, blue-eyed good looks to participate in serial dating. He has the means to live anywhere, but the thought of a writers’ retreat seemed quaint and retro, so he decided to expand his base of experience and moved in.
Brit Baxter
Brit is George Baxter’s twenty-seven-year-old niece. A petite blond pixie, she decided to make the trip east with her uncle after quitting her job to pursue her dream of writing. She has just published her first chick lit novel.
Victoria Vance
Victoria is a thirty-eight-year-old romance author who lived the life she writes about in her steamy novels but has now settled down with her live-in boyfriend, Deputy Rick Savage. Her raven-black hair accentuates her pale skin and bright green eyes.
Deputy Rick Savage
Rick is not only the island’s main source of law enforcement, he’s a volunteer force unto himself. He cares about the island and its inhabitants and is willing to do what needs to be done to protect that which he loves. He’s a man in his thirties who is currently in a relationship with Victoria Vance.
Mayor Betty Sue Bell
Betty Sue is a homegrown Southern lady who owns a beauty parlor called Betty Boop’s Beauty Salon. She can be flirty and sassy, but when her town or its citizens are in trouble, she turns into a barracuda. She has a Southern flare that will leave you laughing, but when there’s a battle to fight she’s the one you most want in your corner.
Gertie Newsome
Gertie Newsome is the owner of Gertie’s on the Wharf. Southern born and bred, she believes in the magic of the South and the passion of its people. She shares her home with a ghost named Mortie who has been a regular part of her life for over thirty years. She’s friendly, gregarious, and outspoken, unafraid to take on anyone or anything she needs to protect those she loves.
Meg Collins
Meg is a sixty-seven-year-old volunteer at the island museum and the organizer of the turtle rescue squad. Some feel the island and its wildlife are her life, but Meg has a soft spot for island residents like Jill and the writers who live with her.
Brooke is a teacher and mother who works hard in her spare time as volunteer coordinator for the community.
Pastor Branderman
Pastor at the Gull Island Community Church.
The Eighth Witness Cast
Gina Portland
The victim: her body was found in the marsh south of Gull Island on January 12, 2016
Ryan Spalding
The convicted killer, and Gina’s ex-boyfriend
Hannah Spalding
Gina and Ryan’s daughter
Nolan Girard
The homicide detective assigned to the case
Donald Drummond
The first witness and a neighbor of Gina’s; it was his testimony that led to Spalding’s arrest
Tina Fairchild
The fifth witness and Gina’s friend
Andy Fallon
The eighth witness and Gina’s boss
Jeremiah Groverson
Saved a bunch of people during a flood and the subject of the first newspaper community-interest piece
Gracie Hartwell
Jeremiah’s daughter
Harvey and Celeste Willoby
Jeremiah’s ex-employer and his wife, who Jeremiah was convicted of killing
Toby Wells
The only witness to the murder of Celeste Willoby
Davis Jagger
One of three men who came across Jeremiah – he recognized him as having worked for Willoby
Malcolm Carlton
Man who died during a home burglary
Barbara Kent
Realtor handling Carlton’s open house
Chapter 1
Monday, January 7
It was Monday, and therefore it was Mystery Mastermind night. Alex Cole, a blond-haired, blue-eyed, fun and flirty millennial who made his millions writing science fiction, stood at the front of the room with an easel and a stack of photos, which it appeared he’d blown up just for this meeting. I picked up a stack of old magazines bearing my name, Jillian Hanford, and set them aside so that the table in front of me would be free for my notepad. I had a feeling that tonight’s mystery was going to be complex given the amount of paperwork Alex had brought with him.
“Go ahead and get started,” I said once everyone was settled around the fire someone had built to chase the chill from the room. It was a blustery evening in early January and the room felt cozy and welcoming.
Alex put the first photo on the easel and pointed toward the man with dark hair and dark eyes who looked to be in his mid- to late-twenties. “This is Ryan Spalding,” he said in a loud, strong voice that seemed to command everyone’s attention. “Ryan is currently serving a life sentence for killing this woman.” Alex placed a photo of a woman with dark hair and green eyes who also looked to be in her twenties on the easel.
“That’s Gina Portland,” said Garrett Hanford, my brother, a gray-haired man in his early sixties, the owner of the Gull Island Writers’ Retreat. He’d lived on the island his entire life and so was more likely than the others to know all the players.
Alex nodded. “That’s right. Gina’s body was found in the marsh just to the south of Gull Island on January 12, 2016. Before her death, Gina was a resident of Gull Island, as was Ryan. The two were no longer a couple at the time of Gina’s death, but they shared a child, Hannah, who was just six months old when her mother was murdered.” Alex held up a photo of an adorable infant, who must be three by now, with chubby cheeks and curly brown hair.
I put a hand to my chest as my eyes froze on the angelic face of the child. I already knew that this case was going to be a heartbreaker however things turned out.
“I remember that case,” Garrett said. “The popular opinion of those living on the island at the time was that the murder was going to go unsolved due to a lack of evidence. I remember that the homicide detective in charge was getting nowhere until an eyewitness came forward after several months and provided a statement that led to the arrest of the baby’s father, who, if I remember correctly, had maintained physical custody of the child since her birth.”
“That is correct.”
“So why did the dad have custody of the baby?” asked Brit Baxter, a twentysomething, blond-haired pixie, and the newly published author of an immensely popular chick lit novel.
“According to what I have been able to learn through interviews with those involved in the case,” Alex answered, “when Gina found out she was pregnant, she planned to have an abortion. Ryan managed to convince her to see the pregnancy through by promising not only to take care of all Gina’s medical and personal expenses while she was pregnant but to raise the baby on his own. When Hannah was born, Ryan assumed physical custody of Hannah but, according to what Ryan told me in the interview I conducted with him at the prison, she never actually gave up legal custody.”
“Okay, go on,” Brit said.
“After Gina gave birth to Hannah, she entered into a new relationship. I’m still digging through the facts, but according to Ryan, Gina’s new man thought that raising a child would be a hoot and convinced Gina to take back physical custody of Hannah. Ryan was, of course, upset after having raised Hannah since she was born.”
“So he killed her to keep the baby,” Brit said.
“That is what a jury determined. As I mentioned before, however, Ryan has maintained his innocence since the day he was arrested.”
“What happened to the baby?” asked Victoria Vance, a raven-haired beauty, my best friend, and a writer of steamy romances.
“
Hannah is currently living with Gina’s parents. When I spoke to Ryan, he explained that he was desperate to get Hannah away from Mr. and Mrs. Portland. According to Ryan, the Portlands are a harsh couple who come down hard on the side of ‘spare the rod, spoil the child.’ Ryan told me that during his time with Gina, she shared horror stories of discipline bordering on abuse, and he does not want his daughter raised in such an environment. As Hannah’s surviving parent, he has tried to transfer custody of Hannah to his sister, Vivian, but as the man convicted of killing the mother of his baby, he doesn’t have any say in what becomes of her.”
“Are you bringing this case to us because you want us to prove Ryan’s innocence, or are you bringing it to us so that we can find dirt on Gina’s parents that would allow Hannah to go to Ryan’s sister?” Brit asked.
“I think ultimately I would like to see Gina’s real killer found so that Ryan can get his life back and Hannah can be raised by a father who loves her. Ryan would, of course, like for that to happen as well, but at this moment his primary concern is to get Hannah away from Mr. and Mrs. Portland.”
“Have you been able to confirm Ryan’s claim that Gina’s parents are unfit to raise Hannah?” Brit asked.
“No,” Alex admitted. “At this point I just have Ryan’s word on that.”
“Is it possible he is just using Hannah to tug at your heartstrings so that you will help him get out of prison?” Brit added.
“Yes, I suppose it is possible, but that isn’t what I think is happening,” Alex answered. “When I spoke to Ryan, I found a man who was deeply afraid of what might become of his child. I found a man who naturally would like to be set free but seemed more concerned that Hannah be raised in a household in which she can grow and flourish and not be disciplined into submission.”
I frowned. “When you say disciplined into submission, do you mean physically disciplined?”