Out of the Blue

By Judith Sawyer

Alicia Redding-McGilvary, a casualty-room nurse from London, is vacationing alone on the French Riviera during the last few weeks of the summer, 1995. While sunning herself on the beach of a secluded Mediterranean Sea inlet connected to the DuBois Inn Bed and Breakfast, she spots a luxurious yacht moored a short distance from the shore. As Alicia studies the yacht, she observes a man on the deck dumping a blue bundle into the sea. The sound of the splash Alicia hears as the bundle hits the water causes her to shiver and she wonders what was in the bundle. While still thinking about the bundle, Alicia notices that the man on deck is peering at her through binoculars, and waves to him. The man does not wave back.

Without realizing it, this sighting is about to send Alicia on a perilous journey filled with murder. What would you do if you were to be confronted by buried treasure and modern-day pirates? Alicia enlists the help of Esther DuBois, the owner of the Inn, in assisting Inspector Felix Grenier and Detective Frank Louis of the Toulon police to untangle the mystery surrounding the bundle thrown overboard. Together the four solve a crime spree perpetrated by two life-long criminals, John Harrow and Andrew Smith.

The perpetrators leave a path of murder and clues from Rouen to the Riviera to the orchards and vineyards of the Loire Valley. Travel with Alicia from the Netherlands to Toulon, Marseilles, Cassis and Cannes as she puts the pieces of the puzzle together for the police.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tellwell Talent
• Release date: Jan 31, 2023
• ISBN: 9780228841944

Judith Sawyer

Judith Sawyer is a retired registered nurse living in Manitoba, Canada. Spanning 30 years, her career has included nursing in intensive care, with the federal government of Canada and in the Netherlands, where she wrote her own Dutch-English dictionary for personal use. This is her first writing endeavor in fiction and it is not surprising that this book belongs in the mystery, suspense and crime-solving genre. Growing up reading Nancy Drew and Agatha Christie novels, Judith has always been a fan of mysteries, suspense and sleuthing.

Book preview

Dedication

For Linda, my original twin, though I no longer live the life of a swami walking barefoot over hot tar, I remember you still.

For Kristine, my next of twin, I no longer sit under the swami dryer bonnet waiting on curls. Thank you so much for the editing.

For Christa, my next of kin, this one is for you.

For Ben, forever and always, dare to dream.

Chapter 1

Azure sea and white sand stretched as out far as Alicia could see, and the warm breeze stroked her skin as though to calm spirits and buffet melancholy. If only Sean were here to enjoy this view, she thought, sorrowful tears pricking her eyes. The accident scene again flashed through her mind, and she saw the death of her beloved husband. Sadness washed over her like a wave lashes the shore. What will I do? she asked herself. How will I get through this?

Alicia and Sean had been vacationing, traveling from their hotel in s’Hertoganbosch in the Netherlands to this cottage on the Cote d’Azur. They left their home in London one week earlier and were excited to begin their discovery of the southeastern coast of France. They had never been to the Riviera before but were assured of a great holiday by friends. Friends had also recommended a brief stay in s’Hergotanbosch to start their vacation. Alicia and Sean were thrilled by the prospect of seeing the sites in the medieval Netherlands city. Both had been delighted by St. John’s Cathedral, with its corner stone laid in the 1100s and floor lined with graves of long-ago dignitaries. As if viewing the fantastical art of Hieronymus (Jeroen) Bosch was not enough for Alicia’s love of beauty, the Boulevard of Broken Dreams festival, in full swing in s’Hertoganbosch at the time, appealed to the love of performing arts for both.

The sun was shining brilliantly late on an August morning when Alicia and Sean set out on the ‘Highway to the Sun’ in a rented car. Sean was at the wheel. Alicia opened the sunroof to let in the warm sunshine as a companion to the mood of happy anticipation enveloping them. Having made their way into Belgium, they had stopped in Liege for a small bite and to marvel at yet another medieval city. The accident happened as they were crossing the street to return to the car. A strong gust of wind removed Alicia’s hat. She ran to catch it while Sean stood on the edge of the street, just off from the corner curb, to wait. It was then that a delivery truck barreled around the corner and ran at Sean. Witnesses later said that his attempt to move out of the truck’s path came too late. They stated that the force of impact sent Sean flying like a rag doll. He landed nearly twenty feet away sustaining various broken bones, internal injuries, and severe head trauma. He died on scene.

Nearly a block away, Alicia managed to clutch her hat and turned to make her way back. She saw the commotion where she had left Sean but was unaware of what had happened. Upon hearing the whines of sirens, she increased her pace to a run, anticipating that her skills as a Casualty nurse could be needed. She reached the corner just as the ambulance arrived. Dismayed that she could not locate Sean, she made her way to the ambulance to offer aid. Glancing down she screamed as she saw her beloved lying motionless, covered in blood. Before the paramedics could catch her, Alicia was by Sean’s side, frantically searching for signs of life. There were none.

The next two weeks were a blur. Numbness mercifully cloaked Alicia, enabling her to return home with Sean, make funeral arrangements and cancel remaining vacation plans. Family and friends who had gathered to comfort Alicia suggested postponing the vacation stay in France rather than canceling. They advised that a stay by the seaside could give her time for healing. Alicia reluctantly agreed that spending time where she and Sean were expecting a wonderful holiday might offer some closure. And that is the reason newly widowed Alicia now sat on the beautiful, secluded beach and cried in grief over her loss.

Her tears had dried, and Alicia stared out to sea. She was surprised to see a yacht moored a short distance from shore. It had not been there when she had settled in her spot on the beach. What a beautiful boat, she mused, I wonder why it’s moored here in seclusion? Such a splendid yacht should be out in sea traffic to be admired by everyone.

As she was watching, a man emerged from the yacht’s cabin carrying a large package wrapped in something blue, like a blanket. He carried the object oddly to the boat’s side as though he was holding moving cargo and appeared to struggle with it a bit. Alicia startled when the struggle ended abruptly with a noticeable splash and the blue bundle quickly disappeared under water. Sounds like a person being tossed overboard, she thought, then laughed a little at herself. She hoped her morbid thoughts of meeting death at any minute would subside with time. Returning to admire the yacht, Alicia saw the name Maryanne barely discernible on the side of the yacht. She assumed that the man on deck was the yacht’s owner and wondered whether he had named it after someone he loved, like a wife or daughter.

Alicia turned back to the book she had brought to the beach. She had a light lunch as well, made for her and insisted upon by the cottage owner. The elderly woman, Madam DuBois, also a widow, had taken Alicia under her wing after learning the tragic circumstances for her seaside visit. Alicia appreciated the woman’s kindness but had not felt much like eating since Sean’s death. She grabbed a half of the salmon salad sandwich and began eating. The sandwich was certainly delicious on fresh baked bread and Alicia’s appetite perked up. She was having difficulty, though, concentrating on the book, and looked up to find the man on the yacht peering at her through binoculars. She waved a greeting to the man, despite the vague unpleasant feeling she had at being watched. The man did not wave back. He set the binoculars down and went about hoisting the anchor.

What an odd man, Alicia thought. It looks like he was anchored in this secluded inlet to drop something overboard and now he’s going. Kind of creepy, and definitely unfriendly. Alicia shrugged and returned to reading. She had chosen the Agatha Christie novel from Madam DuBois’ collection because, as a mystery, she did not think the book involved a deep love story. The novel would have at least one death due to a murder that was waiting to be solved by the heroine, Miss Jane Marple.

Murder. Alicia thought about the charge of vehicular homicide facing the truck driver who had killed Sean and the pending trial in Liege. Given the opportunity to attend, she had all but decided that her fresh wounds were not up to listening to evidence of the enormity of Sean’s injuries. She learned from the coroner that Sean had died as a result of massive head trauma. The truck driver’s excuse for driving at such a reckless speed around the corner was that he was late to make an important delivery and had chosen a shortcut route to get to the drop off. As he was unaware that the posted speed in the area changed to a lower one, he continued at the same speed as he had driven earlier in the route. Did Alicia need more information than that?

Alicia sighed and glanced at her watch; she was surprised to see it was nearly 4:00 in the afternoon. She had been on the beach since noon. She wondered where the time had gone as she packed up and made her way back to the cottage with lounge chair and bag in tow, noticing that the yacht had vanished. Back to the cottage where Sean should be too, she thought, and renewed sorrow filled her eyes. They had many plans that were to be unrealized. It had never occurred to her that their time together would be so short.

The aroma of supper on the stove filled the cottage as Alicia entered the doorway leading to the main hallway and her room. She placed her beach chair in the proper receptacle in the hall, placed her towel in the large laundry bin that stood waiting for guests, and continued to the kitchen with her dirty lunch containers. Alicia arrived in the kitchen and sat down on one of the antique stools at the kitchen island, saying hello to Esther DuBois. Guests this late in the season were sparse; she and Madam DuBois were alone in the cottage.

Hello Alicia, dear. I hope you had a nice relaxing afternoon on the beach? replied Madam DuBois as she turned to look at her guest. She noted the reddened puffy eyes that spoke of recent tears and clucked to herself. Esther DuBois was a small and spirited woman of 75, with white hair and merry blue eyes that missed little. She was British, not French. She had married her French-Canadian husband during the second world war when he was stationed near London before D-Day. Following the war, Esther and her Claudey settled on the Canadian prairies in Manitoba. Esther and Claude planned on selling the farm and retiring to the south of France where winters are not so brutal on older bones declared Claude.

When Claude passed away, Esther was determined to live the life they had planned. She sold their farm and used the proceeds to buy a quaint cottage with guesthouse on a secluded inlet beach near Toulon. Inside, the stone cottage was more like a large villa, with five bedrooms, a spacious kitchen, a cozy sitting room with fireplace and alcove-turned-reading nook furnished with enough shelves to house a small book collection. Once she saw the inside, Esther decided that the cottage must become a bed and breakfast inn. With the addition of bathrooms to accommodate guests, and by occupying the guesthouse herself, Esther turned the 18th century cottage into a successful business.

During the last 10 years, Esther had had few guests who tugged at her heart strings as strongly as Alicia. As much as she missed sharing her life with Claude, having met Alicia and learning of the circumstances of the postponed booking, Esther was grateful that she and Claude had 40 wonderful years together. She felt Alicia’s close grief at once, and decided she wanted to help the young widow heal.

Tonight’s dinner will be one of Claudey’s favorites declared Esther. Chicken stew served in pastry puffs. You will love it! And for dessert we have delicious gelati from the Italian shop. I picked it up the last time I was in Toulon and have been impatiently waiting to try it. Lemon meringue. With homemade ginger cookies. Yum!

Alicia smiled at her. What a dear this woman is. Even if Alicia had little appetite for dinner or for company, she was determined to clean her plate simply out of gratitude. I’m looking forward to it Madam DuBois, said Alicia sincerely.

Alicia, please call me Esther. Madam DuBois is so formal and unnecessary as we are the only two here, remarked Esther.

Alright Esther. I would like that very much. It’s friendly. Do I have time to change out of my swimsuit before dinner?

Esther nodded assent and turned back to the chicken pot on the stove. Dinner will be ready in about 10 minutes dear.

Alicia got up and strolled to her room. Opening the closet, she looked at her wardrobe and picked out a comfortable pair of slacks and tee shirt to wear. In the bathroom she quickly washed her face, tied her hair into a ponytail, and put on some mascara and lipstick. She surveyed herself in the mirror and was pleased to see that the mascara hid the puffiness of her eyes. The deep green color of her tee shirt matched them. She remembered that it had been one of Sean’s favorites, and he often requested her to wear your eyes today love. Tears welled up in Alicia’s eyes, and she chastised herself. Remember that tonight will be cheery, she said to the mirror and walked out of the room, closing the door behind.

Dinner in the dining room was a delight. The delicately seasoned chicken stew was so tasty, and the pastry puffs melted in Alicia’s mouth. As a side dish, Esther had prepared a tossed salad of butter lettuce, baby spinach and sweet bell peppers from the cottage garden dressed with an oil and balsamic vinaigrette. Alicia felt that she had eaten enough to burst, but when Esther brought in the desert, she acquiesced. The ginger cookies were the perfect accompaniment to the light lemon flavored gelati. Alicia felt her energy return with the strong freshly pressed coffee and was more than happy to help Esther clearing the table and tidying the kitchen.

Esther invited Alicia to join her in the sitting room where she had set up a small bottle of Tia Maria liqueur to have with the remaining coffee. A chilled bottle of Sauvignon Blanc from a local winery lay nestled in a golden ice bucket. Waterford crystal liqueur and wine glasses sat gleaming on a delicate gold tray beside the ice bucket. Cheeses and strawberries, also from the cottage garden, were placed invitingly on a wooden cutting board.

Wow Esther. This is lovely. You went to a lot of extra trouble to make the evening special. Thank you.

Esther waved her hand as if to say think nothing of it. I’m glad you like my surprise. Sometimes we all need to spoil ourselves. Now, tell me about your afternoon on the beach dear.

Alicia proceeded to tell her about the view of sea and sand, and how the warm sun and breeze felt as if they were there to comfort her. She told the older woman about how much she missed Sean, and how she wanted him to share the moments with her.

Esther listened attentively and then asked, How long were the two of you married?

Five years’, replied Alicia tearfully. We were planning to start a family after this vacation."

I’m so sorry dear. That is heartbreaking. Claude and I had one daughter. It had been a difficult birth and our Natalie died within days. I was never able to have another child. Medical care lacked a lot in those days. I miss Claudey still, some times more than others. But you will heal in time Alicia.

Thank you, Esther. I am so sorry for your losses, too. It’s truly kind of you to share such personal memories with me.

It was a long time ago dear. I don’t cry anymore over the loss of a child, but I never forget her.

Esther and Alicia sat in silence for a few minutes, both lost in their own thoughts while sipping on the liqueur. Suddenly Alicia remembered the yacht and the strange creepy man on board. She told Esther what she had seen.

How very odd, said Esther. We seldom see yachts in this inlet. Sometimes sailors who are a bit lost come up to the cottage to get directions for Toulon and the marina. One time a yacht moored here to enjoy the beach until I informed the captain that this is a privately-owned beach for the guests at the inn. He was most embarrassed and offered to pay me for the trespass. I accepted his apologies and money. Everyone on board the yacht came ashore, and, in the end, we had a splendid party. I got to know the yacht’s cook while we made the refreshments for all the guests. Great fun. But I wonder what the guy threw overboard this afternoon?

Alicia shrugged and said she had no idea. She described the blue bundle again and related how oddly the man on board had carried it. Both women agreed it was most unusual. The evening passed with lighter pleasant conversation and stories. At midnight, Alicia said goodnight and retired to her room. She had a restful sleep for the first time since Sean had passed away.

Chapter 2

Alicia awoke the next morning to the sound of male voices and the smell of fresh coffee and cinnamon. She didn’t recognize the voices, but she knew the aroma of Esther’s cinnamon buns and her stomach growled in anticipatory hunger. She jumped out of bed, washed her face and brushed her hair and teeth. Donning a pair of jeans, her comfy sweatshirt and sneakers, Alicia raced down the stairs to grab a bun and coffee while they were fresh and hot.

Alicia, come join us for coffee and breakfast Esther greeted her as she rounded the hallway corner into the kitchen. Alicia grabbed a cup and poured herself some of the strong and wonderfully aromatic brew, adding a dollop of fresh cream. Smiling at the others, she plopped herself into a soft chair at the table and spied the deliciously fresh baked cinnamon buns.

She was reaching for a bun when Esther interjected with introductions. Alicia, dear, this is Inspector Grenier and Detective Louis from the Toulon police. They are out here investigating an apparent drowning of a woman whose body washed ashore this morning.

Washed up on our beach here? Alicia asked as a shiver ran through her. She was thinking of the strange man who had tossed the blue bundle into the inlet from his yacht yesterday.

No, Madam. replied Grenier, Her body was discovered about 5 miles up the coast from here. We are asking people in the area for any information. The woman has not yet been identified. The coroner says that the drowning victim had not been in the water for more than a day. Madam DuBois tells us that you saw a strange yacht moored here a short distance from shore yesterday. Can you please give us the details of what you saw?

Alicia nodded in agreement and began to tell the officers of the strange event she had seen the previous day. She had just started her recollection of what happened when Detective Louis interrupted with a question. Madam, can you describe the man’s appearance and what you noticed about the yacht and bundle he threw overboard?

Of course, Detective, and please call me Alicia. Well, the yacht was large and white, with a double-decker cabin. The name Maryanne was painted on the side. I saw the man, as I said, come from the cabin carrying a bundle that appeared to be wrapped in something like a blue blanket. It looked to be three or four feet long, awkward and heavy as well, as he struggled a little carrying it. I saw him heave it over the side. This produced a rather noticeable splash and the package disappeared under water in an instant. It startled me.

I saw the man on board but no one else. He appeared to be tall and muscular, with longer dark hair. He had no beard or mustache that I could see. I was a distance from him though. I’m not sure how long the yacht was moored there. I did not see the yacht there when I arrived on the beach at about noon. I can’t clearly say what time I first saw the yacht but I’m guessing it was around 2:00 because shortly after he dropped the bundle overboard, I started eating my packed lunch and reading a book. I looked up once to see him peering at something with binoculars. I waved to him, but he did not return the wave. I felt that he was looking directly at me, but as he didn’t wave to me, I could have been mistaken.

When Alicia was finished relaying her story, she saw the Inspector and Detective exchange glances. This piqued her curiosity and she was about to ask if she’d said something relevant to the case when Grenier spoke directly to her. Alicia, you have given us an important clue. The woman’s body was wrapped in, as you said, a blue blanket weighed down with some stones. The stones were not heavy enough to keep the body under water. We now believe that her body drifted with the tide and current from here yesterday to where she washed up this morning.

Esther and Alicia gasped simultaneously. Oh my, cried Alicia, that must mean she was alive when she went into the water. How tragic.

This time it was Louis who spoke to Alicia. Yes, but how would you know this?

Alicia explained that the officers had informed them the woman had drowned, and that the coroner had estimated the body had been in the water for a day or less. She went on to say that she was a Casualty nurse, and in her experience, people who drowned were known to have water in their lungs. It would be the cause of their death. She deduced that if the woman had drowned, she would have had water in her lungs, and for that to have happened, she had to have been alive at the time she went into the sea. Both officers looked at her incredulously and nodded.

Indeed, Alicia, the woman did have water in her lungs. The coroner, also, informed us that she would have been alive when she went into the water replied Grenier. With this, he took a sip of coffee and reached for a cinnamon bun. Alicia found she was no longer hungry and sat staring into her cup. Esther’s brow furrowed as she looked at Alicia, her concern being how well Alicia would cope with this talk of death.

The officers left within the hour, and Alicia went up to her room to lie down. She fell onto her bed and began to shake. She had witnessed a murder yesterday. Fear gripped her as she wondered whether the man on the yacht had seen her on shore and that she waved to him. Had he seen her reading and assumed that she had seen nothing? This was her hope.

Tears rolled down Alicia’s cheeks once more as her thoughts turned to Sean. They had met at work seven years earlier; she had just turned 25 and Sean was approaching 30. Sean McGilvary worked as a paramedic for the local ambulance service. He was tall and handsome and considered to be a good catch by many. Alicia and Sean frequently worked the same shifts and soon struck up a friendship, in a short period of time, they were dating and inseparable.

There had been times since his passing when Alicia had wanted to die as well. These were the moments when her veneer of numbness fell away, and she became vulnerable to the acute pain of loss. Such despair prompted Alicia to take an indefinite leave of absence from work to take care of her own emotional well being. More recently she had adopted the philosophy that she must go on because Sean had not had a choice. She viewed her fear of possibly being discovered by the killer as a witness to murder as a positive milestone in her healing.

Alicia rose to look out the window. There was a perfect view of the beach and inlet from her room. She had chosen the room for this reason. Her gaze floated to the spot on the beach where she spent yesterday afternoon. She allowed her eyes to roam from her earlier perch to the spot she estimated was where the yacht had moored. Alicia was staring at the spot, remembering the splash when the object tossed overboard hit the sea’s surface, and how she’d imagined it sounded like a body hitting the water. To realize that it might well have been a body dumped into the seas sent another shiver through Alicia.

As she continued to stare at the mooring spot, her eyes caught sight of a glint on the still water of the inlet. What is that? she wondered. Her gaze followed the glint as it came closer to shore and noticed that there was also a glint in a sand embankment about 50 yards from where she sat yesterday. Alicia hadn’t noticed that yesterday and decided that she would head back to the beach to check it out. She glanced at her watch, noting the time was 10:30, about an hour and a half earlier than when she arrived on the beach the day before. Today there was a chill in the morning air, and Alicia decided that it was not an ideal day for sunbathing or swimming, so she