“You realized the three of them were working together again,” Sam said. “And for a few days they would be in one place in Burning Cove.”
“All I could think of was that I finally had the opportunity to punish all three of them for what they had done to Virginia. I pretended to book the ocean voyage so that Maggie wouldn’t find out what I was going to do.” Lillian looked at Maggie. “I didn’t want you involved in any way. You made it easy for me because you had already decided not to attend the conference.”
“Because I found out Emerson Oxlade would be there,” Maggie said.
Lillian shut her eyes briefly. When she opened them, there was a sheen of tears. “I didn’t have any intention of getting anyone killed. I just wanted to punish those three dreadful people. I wasn’t at all sure my plan would work, but I had to try.”
“It occurred to you that Aunt Cornelia might have the power to label the Guilfoyle Method a fraud,” Sam said.
“If Aunt Cornelia advised her thousands of loyal readers not to allow themselves to be fooled by the Guilfoyles, it would do a lot of damage to the Institute,” Maggie said. “If she moved fast and struck at the very beginning, there was a chance the business could be destroyed before it got up and running, before it attracted the attention of celebrities. Oxlade’s reputation would have gone down along with that of the Guilfoyles.”
“I still don’t know if it would have worked,” Lillian said. Her mouth twisted in a humorless smile. “They were in the dreams-and-drugs business, and nothing sells better. Nevertheless, I decided to try.”
“You had a problem, though, because you knew Oxlade and the Guilfoyles would recognize you if you showed up at the conference in Burning Cove,” Maggie said. “So you hired Phyllis Gaines to play the part of Aunt Cornelia.”
“That turned out to be a mistake, obviously.” Lillian shook her head. “Actors.”
“Phyllis really got into her role, and the next thing you knew, the news that the famous Aunt Cornelia was seen partying at the hottest nightclub in Burning Cove was in the papers,” Sam said.
“I was stunned,” Lillian said. “I underestimated the public’s fascination with Aunt Cornelia. When the photo of Phyllis at the Paradise Club went national, all I could do was hope you wouldn’t notice, Maggie, or, if you did, trust that you wouldn’t try to confront her. After all, you knew you couldn’t prove she wasn’t Aunt Cornelia without revealing my real identity.”
“I couldn’t ignore the imposter or the blackmail threat,” Maggie said. “I had to do something.”
Lillian gave her a wry smile. “Because you’re Maggie.”
“Yep,” Sam said. He exchanged a knowing look with Lillian. “Because she’s Maggie.”
Maggie glared at him. He ignored her.
“I was following the news from Burning Cove as best I could in the Keeley Point paper,” Lillian continued. “When I read a woman had died at the conference, I didn’t know what to think. It was just a tiny headline, so I told myself it had nothing to do with my plan. Then the news that Aunt Cornelia had been exposed as an imposter and had left town hit. That made the front page here. It was on the radio, too. Phyllis was home by then. I called her and she told me she had been confronted by a private investigator from Adelina Beach. She said there was a woman with him. The description matched you, Maggie.”
“You realized I was in Burning Cove and I was not alone,” Maggie said. “I had brought a private detective with me.”
“I knew I had lost control of the situation,” Lillian said.
“Don’t feel bad,” Sam said. “That happens a lot around Maggie. You get used to it.”
Maggie shot him a repressive look. Sam was oblivious.
“The next thing I know, Oxlade is dead and the Guilfoyles have been arrested,” Lillian said. “I’m so sorry you were dragged into the mess, Maggie. Please believe me when I say I never intended for you to be put in danger.”
“I know that,” Maggie said. “The Guilfoyles and Oxlade and the Institute went down in flames and people died, but not because of what you did or didn’t do. They destroyed themselves with the help of a blackmailer named Beverly Nevins.”
“The murder of Virginia Jennaway lit a long-burning fuse,” Sam said. “Took a while for the explosion to occur, but in the end, it did.”
Lillian looked at him. “I hadn’t thought of it like that. It’s almost enough to make one believe in the Traveler. He will kill for you, but there’s a price.”
“We both know there is no such spirit as the Traveler,” Maggie said.
“I’ve been afraid to return to Adelina Beach,” Lillian said. She looked at Maggie. “I couldn’t face you. You had freed me from my nightmares, and I had lied to you and very nearly got you killed. I didn’t know what to do. But deep down I sensed you would find me and I would have to explain everything.”
“And now you have,” Maggie said. “So stop fretting. Your readers need you. It’s time to come home to Adelina Beach and go back to work. You were born to write the Dear Aunt Cornelia column.”
“Sounds like good advice, if you ask me,” Sam said.
Lillian’s eyes glittered with tears. She smiled a tremulous smile.
“Yes, it does,” she said. She got to her feet. “I’ll go pack.”
Maggie smiled. “Sometimes people really do take good advice.”
Lillian paused. “This is probably none of my business, but I think I should tell you that something about the two of you feels very right.”
Sam was amused. “Got some advice for us, Aunt Cornelia?”
“I don’t think you need it,” Lillian said. “I have a feeling you’ve already figured it out on your own.”
Sam looked at Maggie. “Yes, we have.”
Maggie stood. “I’ll help you pack. It’s a long drive to Adelina Beach. We should get on the road.”
“What’s the rush?” Lillian said.
“For one thing, I want to get back to my novel,” Maggie said. “I’ve been away from it for too long. I have so many new ideas for the characters and the plot.”
Sam shuddered. “Words that send chills of dread down the spine.”
Maggie laughed, joy and certainty stirring her senses. “There’s another reason we have to go home. Sam and I have an appointment at the courthouse in a few days. Lots to do to prepare for the wedding.”
Lillian looked at her with understanding and something akin to wonder.
“You’re getting married?” she asked. “You, of all people?”
“Of course.” Maggie smiled at Sam. “I found my hero—a man who isn’t afraid of me or my dreams.”
Sam laughed and got to his feet. He walked to where she stood and brushed his mouth lightly, intimately across hers.
“I love you but I am not entirely fearless,” he said. “I’ll do the driving on the way back to Adelina Beach.”
Maggie patted his arm and looked at Lillian. “Poor Sam has a delicate stomach. He gets carsick easily unless he’s the one behind the wheel.”
Lillian gave Sam a knowing smile. “I see.”
“Sam is not the most exciting driver in the world, but you can trust him to get you to your destination,” Maggie said.
“That’s all that matters, isn’t it?” Lillian said. “Trust is everything.”
“Absolutely.” Maggie smiled at Sam and was warmed by the heat in his eyes. “It’s everything.”
About the Author
Amanda Quick is a pseudonym for Jayne Ann Krentz, the author, under various pen names, of more than fifty New York Times bestsellers. There are more than 35 million copies of her books in print. She is also the author of the Ladies of Lantern Street novels and the Arcane Society series.