Foiled (The Belinda & Bennett Mysteries, Book Seven) Read online

  Foiled

  (The Belinda & Bennett Mysteries, Book Seven)

  Amy Saunders

  Foiled

  Copyright © 2019

  http://amysaundersauthor.com

  Smashwords Edition, License Notes

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

  Other Books by Amy Saunders

  The Belinda & Bennett Mysteries

  Cliffhanger (Book One)

  Auf’d (Book Two)

  Drive-Bye (Book Three)

  Overkill (Book Four)

  Misfortune (Book Five)

  Truth or Die (Book Six)

  Royal Ties

  A Royal Affair (Book One)

  The Birthright

  Inborn (Book 1)

  Marked (Book 2)

  Descent (Book 3)

  Standalones

  Biohazard (A Novella)

  The Jester’s Apprentice

  Dead Locked

  Chapter 1

  Another wave pummeled them as Belinda processed his question, everything he just said sinking in as she struggled to keep her face above the rising sea water. It sloshed into her mouth, the salt burning her throat before she could spit it all out. But she managed to grip Bennett’s shirt, looking into his eyes, everything else fading out.

  As much as she’d imagined this moment, and mapped out what she might say, what came out of her mouth wasn’t even close.

  “I thought you would never ask!” she yelled as more water poured into her open mouth. “Yes! Yes, I’ll marry you!”

  Bennett slowly lit up, a full smile, with teeth and everything, spreading across his face. His gray eyes the brightest and happiest Belinda had ever seen them. His lips reached hers, ignoring the rising water.

  “I love you, Belinda Kittridge.” Bennett’s words were garbled as he gripped her tighter.

  “I love you, too, Bennett Tate!”

  Belinda took one more breath before the water covered her face. This wouldn’t be the end; she refused to accept it. No one was robbing her of getting to marry Bennett Tate. No one.

  ~ * ~

  17 Days Earlier

  Belinda swung out, flailing her arm up to the ceiling in a flourish before Bennett swung her back in for a final dip. The band finished the song, all the dancers whooping and applauding. Bennett pulled Belinda back up and she laughed and clapped along with everyone else, Bennett even smiling.

  “I told you this would be fun!” Belinda said above the din. Bennett offered an acknowledging grin, gripping her fingerless, lace-gloved hands and dragged her off the dancefloor back to their table.

  Belinda’s nana clapped as they came forward, breathing heavy with a sheen of perspiration on their faces. Belinda gulped some water before asking, “How’d we look?”

  “Fantastic!” Her nana’s blue eyes twinkled. “And the dancing wasn’t bad, either.”

  Belinda smirked, glancing down at her champagne-colored sequined flapper dress. Somehow the feather in the matching sequined headband had held on through all that twirling. “I guess all the practicing paid off.” She grinned at Bennett, who took a seat next to her. He looked delicious in his gray vest with his shirt sleeves rolled up.

  Bennett had been surprisingly okay with practicing and didn’t even fight her about the twenties-themed clothes for the fundraiser. And while that was nice, it made her nose twitch suspiciously.

  Belinda was about to remark on Bennett’s lifting and dipping skills when Russell Carmichael, an old acquaintance and lawyer in Portside, came sniffing around their table. He’d been helpful in the past with their investigations, but it had been a while since Belinda had seen him. And she knew it had been a long while since Carmichael saw his crush, her nana.

  The skin around Carmichael’s cheeks folded as his lips spread into a wide smile. The light from the crystal chandeliers hanging above them glinted off his square glasses, and he bent over her nana’s offered hand. “June!” he said, beaming. “It’s taken an age for you to return to Portside.” His mouth turned down into a pout. “You promised you’d return in a few weeks.”

  “By my calculations,” Belinda’s nana said, “it has been a few weeks.”

  “Time does go by differently in Europe.” Carmichael smiled again. “Make it up to me, won’t you? With one dance?”

  Belinda watched her nana purse her lips, but her eyes held a gleam. “One,” her nana said. “You’re not roping me into more than that.”

  Carmichael held out his other hand, hoisting June to her feet, then offered his arm. She looked over her shoulder at Belinda and Bennett, giving a partial wink. The band started a slower tune, and June rested one hand on Carmichael’s shoulder, swaying to the rhythm.

  Belinda laughed, leaning toward Bennett conspiratorially. “What do you think?”

  “That you’re flushed from dancing and champagne and need some fresh air.”

  “No,” she smacked his shoulder playfully. “I mean my nana and Carmichael. What are the odds she would marry him?”

  Bennett raised one dark eyebrow. “Slim. But why would you even ask?”

  “Because it’s his tradition to ask her whenever he gets an opportunity.” Belinda glanced back at the two of them dancing. “I don’t see why he’d pass this one up.”

  “I still say the chances are not in his favor.” Bennett took her hand, rising. “And I still think you need some air. Come on.”

  Belinda moaned internally that she had to stand. While the kitten heels she wore were adorable, they were also crushing her toes. But she complied, hiding the wince she felt with every step. Bennett led her out of the ballroom toward the glass doors that led out to a back portico and lawn overlooking the open sea.

  “One second.” Belinda leaned against the wall, pulling off one heel and then the other, sighing with relief at placing her stockinged feet against the Persian hallway runner, and wiggled her toes.

  “Do I need to carry you?”

  Belinda pinched her lips up in indignation. “No.” At least now that her feet were free.

  A thud made them look up as a young woman bounded down the marble staircase to the side. Her short chestnut curls bounced as she hit the landing and took off the opposite direction, not noticing them. “I think that was Ginny,” Belinda said as she took Bennett’s arm. “I never noticed she left the ballroom.”

  Of course, Belinda had been way too busy dancing to notice anyone but Bennett. But it was a little odd the daughter of the family hosting the fundraiser would take off in the middle of it. Unless she figured she’d met her obligations and was off to meet up with her friends. Whatever the case, Ginny was in a hurry.

  Unlike the two of them. They strolled outside, taking in the cooler night air, and taking a minute as they walked across the lawn to listen to the waves lapping below. The fundraiser was held in a turn-of-the-twentieth-century man
sion located in one of the most stunning locations in Portside. Perched back off a cliff, the back of the house looked right over the open Atlantic.

  “No matter how many times I come here,” Belinda said, taking in what they could see in the lights around and outside the mansion, “I’m still amazed. I mean, I’m not crazy about the mansion itself, but the property…” She took a breath of salty air, letting it out slowly. It did feel good after all that dancing despite the nip in the spring breeze.

  Stars twinkled above them, the clouds from earlier in the day clearing out. Bennett let go of her arm, taking her hand and facing her. Belinda followed suit. He caressed the side of her face, his silky gray eyes taking her in. “You look beautiful tonight.”

  She wasn’t sure why, but she flushed, butterflies starting to form in her stomach. Everything from a few moments ago, including the music that penetrated the walls, faded into the background. Now she was zeroed-in on Bennett–the light smile on his face and the way the light shimmered in his eyes and across his espresso-colored hair. He’d told her she was beautiful before. But something about this was…different. And she held her breath, waiting for the next moment.

  Bennett held both her hands now. “It’s strange to think it’s already a year since we met.”

  “Time does fly when you’re having fun.” Or investigating murders, she thought.

  “If you never wandered down that hallway at that party, we might never have met.”

  That was truly an awful thought, in Belinda’s opinion. “Then fortunately for you, I’m a snoop, as you all like to point out to me all the time.”

  “Sometimes it pays off.” He rested his forehead against hers, the spicy smell of his skin making her head spin a little.

  “Can I get that you just said that in writing or on video or something? ‘Sometimes Belinda’s snooping pays off.’”

  Bennett didn’t hesitate. “Absolutely not.”

  Belinda giggled, even getting Bennett to laugh lightly. “We do have fun,” she said. “And someday you will own up to the fact that my snooping does work out.”

  “That is never going to happen. But I love every second we spend together.”

  A warmth spread through her, replacing the butterfly wings flapping in her stomach. His mouth parted to speak again, and Belinda was a hundred percent sure it was important when a woman’s voice cut through the air–and their moment.

  Belinda couldn’t hear what the woman said, but Belinda did watch her run onto the porch and yank on the door. When it didn’t budge, the woman banged on the glass. No one was going to hear that with the music playing.

  With a traded look of disappointment, and possibly irritation in Bennett’s eyes, they knew they couldn’t ignore her. Not with the banging and yelling.

  “Can we help you?” Belinda said once they were near enough to be heard.

  The woman spun around, her narrow face pale and drawn. “I need to speak to Mrs. Felton immediately! And they won’t let me inside.”

  “O-okay.” Belinda had seen the main coordinator of the fundraiser in the ballroom not long before they left. “Did you try calling?”

  “Yes,” she said indignantly. “But they told me she’s not taking calls tonight.”

  “May I ask what’s wrong?”

  The woman drew herself up to her full height, which just barely met Belinda’s eyes. “That’s none of your concern.”

  Belinda traded a glance with Bennett, who looked as unsure as she felt. The woman did seem frantic. After quickly thinking it over, Belinda said, “Fine. We’ll get you inside. But it better be an absolute emergency.” Belinda doubted that Camilla Felton would be pleased otherwise.

  “I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t important,” the woman snapped.

  Belinda bristled, the air colder now on her bare shoulders. “Follow me, then.”

  Bennett trailed behind the two of them, Belinda shuffling along quickly. Maybe, just maybe, they could off-load this odious woman and return to whatever important thing Bennett had to say to her.

  The guards at the front door looked at their “guest” dubiously but didn’t argue with Belinda about bringing her inside. The three of them hurried along the red carpeting protecting the Italian marble floors and eventually found the ballroom again.

  “Camilla was at her table earlier,” Belinda said, reaching for the door handle. The woman snagged it first, her glasses sitting halfway down her nose.

  “I don’t need your help.” The woman threw the door open, marching in a diagonal line for Camilla Felton.

  Belinda drew one eyebrow up as she watched her tromp right through the middle of the dancefloor, yielding to no one. “I think she needs all the help she can get.” Belinda let the door fall shut, taking Bennett’s hands. Now that they’d dealt with that, it was time to get back to more serious business. “Back to the lawn?”

  “Definitely–” Bennett got out of the way right before the door reopened, almost knocking Belinda over.

  Camilla Felton dragged the woman behind her, a man following who Belinda thought worked for Camilla’s company. “Sorry,” he whispered as he passed between them, but he didn’t stop.

  “What were you thinking?” Camilla hissed at the woman, who now seemed at a loss for what to say. Belinda thought she probably should have accepted their help.

  “I was thinking you needed to know.” After saying that, the woman rallied, her shoulders rising again. “They wouldn’t let me talk to you. And we all assumed this counted as an emergency.”

  Camilla sighed, tossing her head back. Some of her honey-colored hair fell around her face, but it was held in place by a black sequined headband. “So it seems,” she said to no one in particular.

  After a moment, Camilla took in a breath and told the woman to wait outside for her. Once she was gone, her colleague stepped closer. “What can I do?”

  “Stay here,” Camilla said, her voice still steady. “Just…try to avoid telling anyone yet.”

  He nodded slowly, his eyes on the carpet. Before they noticed Belinda and Bennett were watching, the two of them slipped back into the ballroom. But before the door shut, she caught the man whisper something else to Camilla. Belinda’s eyes went wide as she was sure he said, “Who do you think killed him?”

  Chapter 2

  Those words stayed with Belinda the rest of the night, though no one in the ballroom knew, or was telling, why that woman had stormed into the ballroom in the first place. People whispered about it, but no one had answers.

  So, she’d come home without a clue as to what all that had been about. On top of it, she and Bennett never got another chance to be alone. At least, not with that original level of romance in the air.

  Belinda sighed, twirling her fork around in the air while she stared at the living room from her seat at the dining table the next morning. She sincerely hoped they’d been interrupted for a good reason. Bennett had been out of sorts the rest of the night, and she’d woken up early from a dream about the messenger woman attacking them on the lawn.

  “I promise you can sit in the living room again soon.”

  Belinda snapped out of her reverie–remembering Bennett in his vest the night before–to find her twin brother, Kyle, standing on the living room threshold. It was Sunday, and with his girlfriend Gisel in New York to prepare for their Caribbean adventure as part of another yachting crew, Kyle was actually hanging around the house.

  Belinda rolled her eyes, still twirling her fork. Besides the fact that she wasn’t paying attention to the boxes, piles of clothes, and navigational charts he’d strewn around the floor, chairs, and couch, she didn’t believe him.

  “What?” Kyle widened his golden-brown eyes at her innocently. “I will. I swear.”

  “Yes, yes, I know. You’ve sworn you’ll clean it up for three weeks straight now.” Sometime after returning home from Australia, Kyle had decided he’d prepare for his next trip in the living room. She twirled the fork in the direction of the mess. “I don’t see an
y progress yet.”

  “I’ve made progress.”

  “Yeah? Where?”

  Kyle snorted defiantly but didn’t answer.

  “Seriously.” Belinda held his gaze, daring him to challenge her. “Show me.”

  “Over there…I put some stuff away…” He wiggled his fingers, aiming in the general direction of the mantlepiece.

  Belinda stared at him long enough to make him uncomfortable, then set down her fork, pushing her plate away. “Here’s the deal. You start making noticeable progress on this disaster zone, or I fill Gisel in on some things I think she’ll find very…enlightening.”

  After staring her down as if testing to see how serious she was, Kyle finally shuffled over to the closest pile on one of the chairs. Figuring she should be visible to encourage him to continue, she got up to refill her coffee mug. While she poured, smiling as Kyle muttered to himself in the living room, Victoria’s number flashed on the kitchen phone, followed by a ring.

  “Hello,” Belinda said, balancing the phone between her face and shoulder as she sloshed cream into the mug.

  Instead of a response, Belinda only heard some breathing and noise like the phone was being jostled around. Pretty sure she knew what was going on, she waited until Victoria finally said, “That was Willa saying hello to her auntie Bels.” Willa cooed in the background. Belinda smiled, picturing her copper-haired adopted niece. “So, how are you this morning?”

  Victoria sounded very pumped for that early, especially now that she had Willa to care for, but Belinda only shrugged a shoulder. “Okay, I guess. I’m policing Kyle right now to make sure he actually cleans up his swill in the living room.”

  Kyle turned to glare at her as he carried a box up the stairs across from the kitchen. Belinda smiled sweetly in return.