Teaberry Invitational

by R A Wallace

  Maya looked hesitant.

  “You should try it on.” Julia carried the dress to the back and waited for Maya to follow. After Maya went into the dressing room, Julia returned to the front of the store. Giselle was finishing a sale with another customer.

  “Did she find something?” Giselle asked.

  “I hope so. It must be hard learning how to shop by yourself,” Julia said.

  “What do you mean?” Giselle watched as another group entered the store.

  “Her mom passed away a few years ago,” Julia said before crossing the store to greet the new customers.

  ***

  “Have you heard anything?” Gil Ressler stood next to Van Haskins and watched some of the players practicing their swings.

  “Not much. I talked to the lady that cleans my bungalow. She didn’t seem to know anything,” Van said.

  “I still can’t believe anyone would kill Jay,” Gil said.

  “Really?” Van watched as Celine Brothers hit a fade.

  “What? You’re saying that you can?” Gil kept his eyes on Celine to see if she repeated the shot.

  “He wasn’t the nicest guy on the planet, but he wasn’t the worse either.” Van made a mental note when he saw Celine hit another fade. It would be something to discuss with Phoebe during the broadcast if the situation presented itself.

  “That’s exactly what I mean. What if Jay wasn’t the target?” Gil asked.

  “What?” Van turned to Gil.

  “Someone was murdered. What if it was some random thing? The killer is still out there, right?”

  “Good point.” Van looked around. “Maybe I should go check on Phoebe.”

  “I think I saw her going to her room.” Gil turned back to the players.

  Van walked toward the bungalows. It had taken a long time for the police to clear the area and allow them to return to their rooms. Van was almost to Phoebe’s bungalow when he saw her standing out in front of it with two of the players.

  “Hey,” Phoebe greeted him.

  “Hey. What’s going on?” Van joined the group.

  “We’re talking about dinner,” Paolo said.

  “It was so busy at the restaurant here last night, some of us were thinking about trying somewhere else,” Phoebe explained.

  “I found a flyer in my bag when I got back from some shopping earlier,” Angela said. She showed him the flyer.

  Van turned to Phoebe. “What are you thinking?”

  Phoebe narrowed her eyes at him. “Why?”

  Van knew she was too smart to fall for anything he might make up so he didn’t bother trying.

  “Gil just pointed out that there’s a killer on the loose. I was thinking maybe we’d be safer in groups.” Van watched as Phoebe’s mouth opened for a moment before closing. He shrugged. “Just saying.”

  “I think you have a good point,” Paolo said as he turned to his wife.

  Angela nodded her agreement then gave a finger wave as she and Paolo walked away.

  Van waited for Phoebe’s response.

  “You’re right.” She put her hand on his arm. “Thanks.” Her eyes went past Van and saw Wes watching them from the other end of the sidewalk. She dropped her hand.

  Van didn’t have to turn around to know what happened.

  “Do you want to go somewhere else for dinner tonight?” he asked her.

  Phoebe shook her head. “Your lady friend will be here. You won’t be able to talk to her if we go somewhere else.”

  Van turned in time to see Wes walk away.

  ***

  Jodie tried to stand on her toes and look over the small group of people in front of them. She gave up and turned to look at Dion. He didn’t have any problems looking over everyone else.

  “How is the restaurant?” Jodie asked.

  “It looks good to me,” Dion said. “There are a lot of players from the tournament here. We might have to wait a while to get a table for ourselves.”

  “What are you thinking?” She could tell by the look on his face that he had an idea.

  “We could ask to sit with some of the players,” Dion suggested.

  “And interview them during dinner?” It was brilliant. “Who can you see?”

  “The Corbetts are here. Rudy works for an online tech magazine,” Dion pointed out.

  “So he’ll forgive us if we try to combine work with pleasure. Can you catch his eye?” Jodie asked.

  Dion stepped around the group in front of them and waved to Rudy. He motioned to Jodie and the two vacant chairs at Rudy’s table. Rudy nodded. Dion reached for Jodie’s hand and signaled to the hostess that they were going to join someone else.

  “Thanks, we appreciate this,” Jodie said as they took their seats. She set her small purse on the table in front of her.

  “It looks like a nice restaurant,” Lacey said. “It’s pretty busy.”

  “And it smells amazing,” Dion said.

  He and Jodie placed their drink order when the waiter appeared by their table.

  “Will you two mind if we ask you some questions while we eat?” Dion flashed them both a smile. “We could use a few quotes for the articles we have to turn in.”

  Rudy and Lacey laughed.

  “He told me you were going to say that,” Lacey said.

  “We’ll let you relax a few minutes before we grill you,” Jodie teased.

  “We were actually just talking about the incident this morning.” Rudy leaned back in his chair and draped his arm behind Lacey.

  “There’s been a lot of that going on.” Jodie leaned back as their drinks arrived so the server could set the wine glass in front of her.

  “It’s pretty scary.” Lacey cradled her water glass.

  Jodie reached for the menu in front of her. When she lifted it, her purse slid to the floor. Before she could bend to retrieve it, someone swooped in.

  “You don’t want to lose this,” Avery said with a chuckle as he passed the purse back to her.

  “I do not, thank you so much.” Jodie set her purse between her and Dion on the table so it wouldn’t get in the way again.

  “Have you heard anything?” Dion asked them.

  “I haven’t but I can tell you it’s pretty upsetting. It’s going to be hard to focus on the tournament not that I’m using that as an excuse for my bad performance lately,” Lacey said with a grimace at her husband. “It’s a good thing you love me or I’d be worried you’d trade me in for another partner.”

  Chapter Eight

  Dena pushed her cleaning cart past the bungalows toward the far end to begin her daily routine. As she neared the bungalow where Jay Kerns had been found, she skirted around it, unwilling to run the cart over the same spot where the man had been found. She knew it was silly, she just couldn’t help herself. She’d seen the man several times since she’d begun working at the golf course. She still couldn’t believe that something like had happened.

  The bungalows were mostly empty at this point in the morning. The occupants were either on the golf course for a last-minute practice session or had gone into town to do some shopping. It sounded like a wonderful way to spend a Sunday morning. As she neared the final bungalow, she saw a couple of teens approaching her from the opposite direction.

  “Hi, guys.” Dena stopped to position her cart in front of the bungalow.

  “Hello, Mrs. Baker,” Cole said. “I didn’t know you worked Sundays too.”

  “The boys are at their father’s this weekend.” Dena began gathering the supplies from her cart that she would need. “You haven’t heard anything more about the death here, have you?”

  She watched as the two boys shared a look.

  “No, ma’am,” they both responded. She wondered why they said it so quickly.

  “Did you know the man?” she asked. Maybe the death had upset them?

  “Not really,” Tucker said.

  “We saw him here a couple of times, that’s all.” Cole shrugged.

  Their eyes tracked past her.
She turned and saw the golf instructor waiting for them.

  “Maybe Wes knows something about the murder?” Dena said, mostly to herself.

  “No, he doesn’t,” Tucker said quickly.

  “There’s no reason why he should,” Cole added just as quickly then he motioned to Tucker. “Come on. We need to go.”

  “How do you know her?” Tucker asked as they walked away.

  “One of her kids is the same age as my brother. They go to school together.” Cole’s long legs ate up the sidewalk quickly.

  “What should we do about Wes?” Tucker picked up speed to keep up with Cole.

  “Nothing. There’s nothing we can do. Just keep your mouth shut,” Cole advised. “That’s the best way we can help him now.”

  “But the police…” Tucker lowered his voice as they neared Wes.

  “Have already questioned us. We’re in the clear. You just need to focus on your work now,” Cole said quietly.

  “Good morning.” Wes zeroed in on Tucker as they approached him. “You’re with the Kapturs this morning. You’d better get started. They’re waiting for you.”

  Tucker looked down at his assignment sheet before stuffing it in his pocket. Iva and Dee Kaptur. He hadn’t worked with them yet. He stopped in the supply room to grab his things and took off to meet up with them. He found a couple he guessed were in their forties or so. He could feel the tension between them as soon as he stopped to introduce himself.

  “We’re hoping you know the secret to winning on this course,” Iva said as Tucker lifted the golf bag.

  “I’ll try my best,” Tucker said as he matched steps with Mr. Kaptur.

  Iva stopped and turned to look at his wife.

  “Are you going to stand there and daydream about Paolo or are you coming with us?” Iva demanded.

  Tucker turned without thinking to check on Mrs. Kaptur and saw her glaring at her husband. She started to say something then her eyes shot to Tucker and she stopped. After shaking her head, she began walking behind them.

  “You need to keep your head in the game,” Iva shouted back at her.

  Tucker thought the distance between them grew even more and wondered if she would change her mind and walk away from them. As they continued to walk, Mr. Kaptur began moving faster. Tucker figured it was going to be a long morning.

  ***

  Jodie watched as some of the golfers met up with their caddies and headed off to play. She thought Wes handled the caddies well, much better than she would have thought given his background.

  “He’s whipping them into shape,” Dion said next to her.

  “Hopefully, everything will go smoothly for the tournament,” Jodie agreed.

  “After a murder, it’s hard to go anywhere but up from there,” Gil said as he joined them. “Have either of you heard anything else about that?”

  It wasn’t the first time Jodie had heard the question. She’d even asked it herself more than once.

  “It’s a little spooky,” she said. “Knowing that someone was killed barely yards away from where you sleep.”

  Dion shifted his focus to her quickly. “They’ve increased the security here. The police have also been patrolling the lots regularly. Look.”

  Jodie followed his gaze. She watched as the patrol car cruised through the closest parking lot. She didn’t care. It was still spooky. Time to change the subject.

  “What have you been up to?” she asked Gil.

  “Before this?” He watched a group of tournament players touch base with each other as they met up for a practice game. “I’ve been branching out a little lately. I started lecturing at one of the local colleges.”

  “Seriously?” Dion looked at Gil.

  “Yeah. Maybe now that I’m in my forties people think I know what I’m doing,” Gil joked. “There’s a lot going on with sportscasting now. It isn’t like it used to be. The students are even taking classes to learn all about mobile apps.”

  “That’s where it’s at,” Jodie agreed. “You have to keep up with the times.”

  “Or you’re out of a job because your competition does,” Dion added. “And forties isn’t that old.”

  Jodie grinned. “Said the guy who hasn’t reached it yet. Unlike me and Gil.”

  “I’ll be there in a few years,” Dion said. “I’ve been focusing a lot on audience analytics.”

  “Knowing what kind of stories to push out given specific circumstances,” Gil said with a nod.

  Avery interrupted him as he joined the group. “It’s all a bunch of baloney. In our business, people just want to read about their star athletes, no matter what the sport. End of story.”

  Jodie didn’t agree with him on the subject of sports journalism but also didn’t want to indulge in the futility of arguing with him.

  Gil didn’t back down. “Social media is pushing the envelope. You have to be able to navigate the waters and know all the protocols.”

  “Or be out of a job,” Dion repeated.

  Avery laughed. “You fools can waste your time on all of that. I’ll focus on what the readers want.”

  “How are you planning to deliver it to them if you don’t know anything about current technology?” Gil asked.

  “It’s been luck that has gotten you the jobs you’ve had so far.” Avery waved to a foursome taking off for a game. “The only kind of social media you need to know about is the one where you can reach out to shake someone’s hand. You have to know the right people. That’s how you’ll sell your stories.”

  “Speaking of stories,” Gil said. “I should go finish the one I’m working on before I go into town.”

  “I was thinking of going to town too,” Jodie said with a glance at Dion.

  “Might as well enjoy the time off while we can,” Dion agreed.

  “I’m headed there also. Then it’s back to some old-fashioned writing. In the end, it’s what we all do, right?” Avery said before walking away.

  ***

  Leah ran her hand over the arm of the rocker and then gave it the slightest push. It began rocking rhythmically.

  “That is nice,” Lacey said as she admired the antique rocking chair.

  “What are we going to do with a rocking chair?” Rudy stopped next to her to watch as well.

  “I don’t know. I just like it. What do you think?” Lacey asked him.

  “I think we’re going to have to figure out how to get a rocking chair home,” he said dryly.

  Lacey laughed. “No, I haven’t made up my mind yet. I don’t know why it calls to me so much. It just does.”

  “Maybe you should sit it in while you’re here,” Leah suggested as she moved away from them. “I’ll leave you two alone so you aren’t feeling pressured while you check it out.”

  Lacey lifted her brows to ask Rudy a silent question. He nodded his agreement so she took a seat.

  “This is nice,” she said as she rocked slowly.

  “We can think about it over something to drink, if you’d like,” he suggested.

  “The tea place at the end of the building?” she asked hopefully.

  “We can check the tea place out and talk about the rocking chair.” He held out his hand to pull her up from the rocker. “It’ll give me time to figure out how we’re getting it home if you decide you want it.”

  “Tea sounds good right now,” she agreed. “What are you going to get?”

  “There’s a coupon on the flyer for an energy drink. I’d like to try it,” he said as they passed Leah on their way out. They nodded to the Russos as Paolo and Angela emerged from Togs.

  “How did the antique store look?” Angela asked.

  “Don’t buy the rocker,” Lacey said with a laugh as they stopped to speak with the others. “I’m still thinking about it.”

  “I saw that rocker,” Phoebe said. She laughed when Lacey called from behind her not to buy it and continued her way to Tea & Thyme.

  The door opened just as she reached it and Avery stepped out. “After you, milad
y,” he said.

  “Always the gentleman,” Phoebe said as she passed into the store.

  Chapter Nine

  He lifted the top part of the plant box and carried it out of the shed. As he crossed the yard, Noah kicked the ball one last time and came running toward him.

  “Dad! Dad! What’s that?” Noah asked.

  His sister Mia ran over to join him. “It’s the box for the plants. Right, Daddy?”

  “That’s right, sweetie. We’re going to try a little experiment this year.” Justin set the top part of the planter on the ground near the deck and walked back into the shed for the bottom part.

  “What’s that for?” Noah asked.

  “This is the bottom part. It holds water.” Justin carried it up to the deck and set it in a corner.

  “Why do you want water?” Noah asked.

  “For the plants, silly.” Mia hopped up the steps of the deck.

  Noah scowled at her. “Dad?”

  “Yeah, buddy. It’s for the plants.” Justin carried the top part up and set it on the bottom.

  “They grow in water?” Noah asked.

  “They drink the water,” Justin said. “They grow in dirt.”

  Noah looked inside the empty planter box. “There’s no dirt in there.”

  “We need to buy some,” Justin told him.

  “We could dig it up in the yard,” Noah suggested.

  “Mommy wouldn’t like that,” Mia said.

  Justin laughed. “No, she would not.”

  He walked back to the shed to close the doors.

  “Where are we going to buy the dirt,” Noah asked.

  “We’ll go out to the nursery where Jax works,” Justin said as he led the two of them into the house. “Remember? That’s where they sell the plants.”

  Justin stopped at the guest bathroom and flipped on the light.

  “You two need to wash your hands then watch a little television while I work on lunch,” Justin told them as he quickly washed his hands.

  He left the two of them and passed through the kitchen into the addition they’d added for Lauren.