Free Killing the Carnations (A Heavenly Highland Inn Cozy Mystery) by Cindy Bell Page B

her, one hand still placed firmly on the door.
    “ Charleston wanted to meddle in my future, in my retirement plans,” Jeremy explained. “I was going to make him CEO, set him up for life, but that wasn't enough for him. He and his greedy fiancée wanted more. They wanted everything I had saved up to live out my life in luxury, now why would I give that to them?”
    “ Because they had something on you,” Vicky replied, her heart racing. She knew that if Jeremy was willing to tell her so much, then he had no intention of letting her out of that room alive. “What was it Jeremy?” she pressed. “Were you hiding some dark secret?”
    Jeremy sighed and rolled his eyes. “It takes a lot of money to get where I am. More than I've ever had. So I borrowed some from the company, just to give myself a little cushion. I didn't want to have to work until I was dead. But, when I wanted to retire too early, Charleston got suspicious. He started looking into my finances, the company's finances, and one day he just walked into my office, plops the proof down on my desk, and declares that he owns me.”
    Jeremy balled his free hand into a fist. “No one owns me,” he said sternly. “But I'm a reasonable man,” he added, his tone softening. “I made him an offer, he could take over my position, no questions asked, he could keep pilfering some extra money off the top and set himself up for a luxurious life, too. At first, he was fine with it,” Jeremy admitted. “But then suddenly he wants more. I think it was Amanda that put the idea in his head. So, he asked for too much. He paid the price,” Jeremy shrugged a little.
    “ But how?” Vicky asked, trying to prolong their conversation. “How did you get in here to kill Charleston? How did you have an alibi?”
    “ You don't even know your own inn, do you?” he chuckled. Suddenly they heard voices out in the hall. Vicky didn't have time to try to figure out who they were as Jeremy grabbed her harshly by the arm and thrust her towards the wall. Instead of slamming into the wall however, he nudged the portion of the moulding that opened up the hidden door, and flung her inside. Then he jumped inside with her, and closed the door behind him. He lunged towards Vicky, and she knew this was her last chance to escape. She began to run down the corridor. As she ran she banged on the wall, hoping to get someone's attention. But she knew that everyone was sleeping, and the security and police officers would never hear her.
    She was terrified as she heard his pounding footsteps behind her. She recalled the way his hands had been around Amanda's throat, and knew that she would be next. As she neared the end of the corridor she hoped she would be able to get into Emily's room. Maybe Mitchell and Emily would still be there. But Jeremy was gaining on her, and she couldn't get her feet to move any faster. She wished then that she had been a little more cautious, but it was too late for that. She knew that Jeremy had everything to lose if he allowed her to survive. As she neared the doorway that would open into Emily's room, she had no idea where the lever was to open it. She had found it by accident the last time, and she wasn't having that same luck this time.
    “ This is it,” Jeremy said as he slowed down, knowing that she was trapped. “When I stayed here last year, Emily showed this place to me. She made sure the room it opened into was empty so that she could use the passageway. One day I caught her coming through the wall. We shared the secret then. I had no idea how useful it would become to me,” he grinned. “Sometimes things just work out for the best,” he added as he withdrew a short but sharp knife from his pocket. Vicky opened her mouth to scream, but Jeremy placed his hand over her lips to silence her.
    “ These walls are pretty thin,” he mumbled and placed the blade against her neck. Vicky swung at his hands and tried to knee him in the stomach, but Jeremy was