by Leena Clover
“Who’s talking about tearing it down? You have it all wrong.”
“I was there at the town hall meeting last night. I know what you said.”
“All I meant is you need to fix up this place.”
“Look around you. We are bursting at the seams. Most locals eat here twice a day. Tourists visiting town come and eat at our café year after year. Surely that means something.”
“The town wants to win this contest. That’s why they hired me. This particular contest calls for a pretty town. Face it, your café isn’t pretty.”
“Enjoy your lunch,” Jenny spat and went into the kitchen.
Jenny had been smoldering since the town hall meeting. Mandy James and her vendetta against the Boardwalk Café had been the main topic of discussion among the Magnolias that morning. They had banded together and vowed to do anything they could to protect their café.
“I’m glad you’re standing up for me, Jenny,” Petunia said emotionally.
“I don’t understand why she is picking on us.”
“That Mandy James has come up with a long list. We are not the only ones on her radar.”
“She’s being too literal, don’t you think? I love the idea of repainting the light house. It will give the whole town a face lift.”
“She’s got a bunch of ideas for Main Street. Fresh flower beds at every corner, murals on building walls, Victorian lamp posts…she wants to color code the trash cans and benches and provide free bicycles for everyone.”
“Bicycles?”
“She wants to keep the cars off Main Street. People can either walk or borrow one of these bikes.”
Jenny rolled her eyes, making her disdain clear.
There was a knock on the kitchen door and a blonde face peeped in.
“Can I come in?”
“You are from Crystal’s wedding party, aren’t you?” Petunia asked the girl.
“I’m Rainbow,” she said, looking at Jenny. “We met the other day.”
“Of course! Come on in. Do you want a table on the deck out back?”
“I’m here by myself,” Rainbow said hesitantly. “Can I talk to you?”
“Have you had lunch, dear?” Petunia asked, ladling thick tomato soup into a bowl. “Jenny and I were just sitting down to eat.”
Rainbow admitted she had missed lunch.
“Can we eat first?” Jenny asked.
Rainbow nodded and began slurping the tomato soup. Petunia served them hot grilled cheese sandwiches off the grill.
“I never get to eat carbs,” Rainbow exclaimed. “Crystal would kill me for this.”
“How does it matter to her?” Jenny asked. “You can eat anything if you are blessed with a good metabolism.”
“Which I am, thankfully,” the girl said, bringing her palms together and closing her eyes for a second. “It’s all about image. Appearances mean a lot in Hollywood.”
“I’ve heard. But where does Crystal come in?”
“Crystal has allowed me in her inner circle. I have to toe the line if I want to stay there.”
“You mean you’re part of some elite posse which Crystal rules over?”
“The entire wedding party is,” the girl explained. “Other than you and Heather, we are all ‘her girls’. We dress a certain way, and eat according to a diet plan her nutritionist comes up with. Her stylist tells us what to wear.”
“That’s great. So you get free fashion advice from a pro.”
“It’s not fashion advice exactly. We can only wear certain colors, or certain styles on a given day. It’s all coordinated to make Crystal stand out.”
“She’s a star. Isn’t she supposed to be a notch above the rest anyway?”
“That takes work,” Rainbow said.
She clammed up after that, realizing she had spoken too much.
“You are so beautiful,” Jenny praised. “I’m sure you have great things in store for you.”
Rainbow blushed like the young girl she was. She looked longingly at the cupcakes Jenny offered her but refused to taste them.
“What brings you here, Rainbow?”
“You were going to find out what happened to Bella.”
“That’s right.”
“What if it’s someone connected to Crystal?”
Jenny’s face clouded as she looked at Rainbow.
“Is there something I should know?”
“I’m not sure how much you have found out.”
“I’m just starting out, Rainbow. If you know something about Bella, I suggest you come clean. You can talk to the cops directly. Or I can go with you.”
“No cops,” Rainbow said immediately. “I need to keep this quiet.”
“Why don’t you tell me what it is first?”
“Wayne was having an affair with Bella,” Rainbow blurted out.
“What? But he said he didn’t know her.”
“He knew her very well. A bit too well.”
“How long have you known about this?”
“Three months or so.”
“Does Crystal know this?”
“I don’t know.”
“Does anyone else know?”
“I’m not sure, Jenny.”
“Was this after Crystal and Wayne were engaged?”
“Oh yes.”
“How did you find out? Did you come upon them somewhere?”
“Bella used to be my roommate. I moved out when Crystal picked me but I continued to meet Bella.”
“She told you about Wayne?”
“Wayne has a reputation with the ladies. I warned her about him but she ignored me.”
“Did she know about Wayne and Crystal? I understand their engagement has been hush-hush.”
“She did later. But she refused to stop seeing Wayne.”
“What was she doing up there on that plane?”
“I’ve been trying to figure that out. Maybe she wanted to talk Wayne out of it.”
“Do you know her parachute had been slashed? Who would do that to her?”
Rainbow suddenly looked frightened.
“I just wanted to tell you about Bella and Wayne. Can you promise you’ll keep this between us?”
“You need to tell the police about this. According to Wayne’s statement, he did not know Bella at all.”
“That’s a lie!”
“Do you have any proof about this?”
“We went out to dinner once,” Rainbow remembered. “We took some selfies but Wayne made us delete them.”
“He knows you knew about him and Bella?”
Rainbow nodded fearfully.
“We never talk about it, especially around Crystal.”
“Does Wayne love Crystal? Why are they getting married?”
“Wayne Newman will do anything to further his career. So will Crystal. They are made for each other.”
“So neither of them actually loves the other?”
“I’ve said too much,” Rainbow said, picking up her bag. “I just wanted to tell you about Bella.”
“Thanks for coming here,” Jenny nodded, giving her a hug. “And don’t worry. I won’t go telling tales to Crystal.”
Petunia had been cleaning up outside while Rainbow talked with Jenny. She came in after Rainbow left.
“What did she want with you?”
“Nothing much,” Jenny said diplomatically.
She began slicing strawberries for the shortcake she planned to make the next morning. A couple of hours later, she walked to the police station.
Adam Hopkins was out and she decided to head on home. It had been a busy day at the café and her feet were killing her.
Jenny and Star ate dinner in front of the TV, watching Gilmore Girls reruns.
“Skipping your walk today?” Star asked her after the sun went down.
“I would love to but I don’t have that luxury. My pants are getting tighter by the day.”
Star gave her a knowing smile.
“Honey, we both know what your motivation
is behind these evening walks.”
Jenny took the high road and said nothing.
Jenny laced up her sneakers and stepped out of her aunt’s house. She gazed up at the neighboring house and crossed her fingers. Bending down to sniff at a climbing rose, she inhaled deeply and closed her eyes for a moment. Could it all really be hers?
Jenny had never imagined she would be so happy in Pelican Cove.
A bark sounded in the distance and Tank came running up to her. Jenny laughed as he placed his paws on her shoulders, his tail wagging furiously.
“How are you, handsome?”
“Are you talking to me?” a deep voice she had been yearning for all day spoke.
“Of course not!”
Adam grinned and surprised her by taking her arm in his.
“How are you, Jenny? Done any sleuthing today?”
“I do have something to tell you.”
Adam looked astonished when Jenny finished talking.
“I’m not surprised Wayne Newman lied to us. I had him pegged as a fraud.”
“It’s hard to say who the villain is here. Could she have been blackmailing him?”
“That’s possible. But we won’t know that now.”
“At least not until Wayne tells us that.”
“The girl was barely 22, Jenny. She doesn’t seem like she would hold out for money.”
“Maybe she wanted something more. She could have real feelings for Wayne.”
“Is that your woman’s intuition, Jenny?”
Jenny pursed her lips, her uncertainty clear on her face.
“You never know with these Hollywood types. They will do anything to get ahead in their careers.”
“What could Wayne Newman offer her?”
“Name? Fame? A role in his latest TV series?”
“That’s the same one Crystal Mars is in?”
Jenny shrugged.
“I can understand why Wayne didn’t tell us about Bella. He’s about to get married and she’s gone anyway. Why dredge up the past?”
“What if the past had everything to do with Bella’s murder?”
“So Bella tried to blackmail Wayne and he silenced her?”
Adam was quiet.
“It’s not farfetched,” Jenny admitted. “People have lost their lives for less.”
“There’s something you don’t know yet. It could change the whole equation.”
Chapter 10
“Mandy James has commissioned someone from Virginia Beach to paint the welcome sign,” Molly told the Magnolias one morning.
“What a disgrace!” Betty Sue roared. “Why do we need an out-of-towner when we have our own resident artist?”
Star tried to calm them down.
“She must have a reason. I have never painted a welcome sign.”
“You know how to paint, don’t you?” Jenny asked her aunt. “Are you saying you can’t paint ‘Welcome to Pelican Cove’ on a piece of wood?”
“What about the murals?” Heather demanded. “Has she commissioned you for them yet, Star?”
Star shook her head.
“She is going to have the school kids do that.”
“Nonsense!” Betty Sue fumed. “We want art, not graffiti.”
“This guy she hired in Virginia Beach is an award winning artist,” Petunia informed them. “He’s done welcome signs for many towns and these towns then went on to win some kind of award.”
“Oh please!” Jenny snorted.
“Think of the devil…” Heather muttered and tipped her head toward the boardwalk.
Barb Norton was walking purposefully toward the café. Mandy James tagged along. The ladies climbed up the stairs to the deck and sat down.
Mandy James handed over an envelope to Petunia.
“What’s this?”
“Just some work you need to get done in the next few weeks.”
Petunia tore open the envelope and pulled out a sheet of paper.
“New shingles? I just replaced them five years ago.”
“Every building on Main Street needs new shingles. You don’t want to be the odd one out, do you?”
“Has everyone else agreed?” Jenny asked.
“They don’t have much choice,” Barb spoke up. “This is a town decree.”
“What if we refuse?” Petunia asked.
“You will have to pay a hefty fine. Trust me, you don’t want to go that route.”
“Who signed off on that?” Betty Sue asked, holding her hand out for the paper.
Barb gave some lengthy explanation.
“That means nothing. I may have to use my veto power.”
“Don’t you want Pelican Cove to win the competition?” Mandy James asked.
“Of course we do,” Petunia wailed. “But at what cost?”
“I know the people who judge these contests,” Mandy said. “I know what they are looking for. You’re not even close. Pelican Cove needs a complete makeover.”
“So you want us to lose our identity?” Heather scowled. “What good is a prize if we have to mutate into something else to win it?”
“We are just going to gussy up the town, Heather,” Barb Norton spoke. “Surely no one can object to that.”
“Are you done yet?” Betty Sue railed. “I think you should leave now.”
Barb Norton stood up with a huff and dragged Mandy to her feet. She stomped down the stairs to the beach but turned back for a parting shot.
“I am the chair of this committee, Betty Sue Morse. I am going to do whatever it takes to win this contest.”
“What’s going on here?” Star moaned, rubbing her temples. “Barb’s like a dog with a bone. Just give her what she wants.”
Petunia handed over the paper she had been reading from.
“This is ridiculous!” Star agreed after she read a few items on the list. “It’s going to cost a fortune.”
“And I don’t have that kind of money,” Petunia said, looking worried.
“We’ll take a look at it later today,” Jenny consoled her. “We can prioritize some things. We’ll all pitch in, Petunia.”
The group broke up after that and Jenny went out to the cash register. A man sitting at a window table got up when he saw her.
“Are you Jenny King?” he asked timidly. “I have been looking for you.”
The man seemed vaguely familiar to Jenny. He was just a few inches taller than her own five feet four inches and very ordinary in appearance.
“Have we met before?”
“I don’t think so.” He raised his eyebrows questioningly. “Can we talk somewhere?”
Jenny ushered him out to the deck and sat down at a small table.
“How do you know me?” she began.
“My lawyer told me about you.”
Jenny immediately connected the dots.
“You were with Jason that day…”
“That’s right. I’m Ray Fox. Bella’s husband.”
“Husband?” Jenny asked incredulously. “Bella Darling was married?”
“She sure was. We were coming up on our one year anniversary.”
“Why didn’t anyone mention it?”
“Nobody knew,” Ray Fox said. “Bella wanted it that way.”
Jenny could think of a few reasons why.
Ray hastened to explain.
“Hollywood has certain expectations. They want their girls young and single. A struggling actress loses value as soon as she ties the knot.”
Jenny wasn’t sure she believed that. She tried to keep the sarcasm out of her voice.
“Lots of Hollywood stars are married. Some even have kids.”
“I guess you can call the shots when you become a star.”
His face fell suddenly and he looked away. Bella Darling was never going to be a star now.
“What am I thinking?” Jenny exclaimed. “I’m sorry for your loss, Mr. Fox. I didn’t know your wife but I am sure she was a good person.”
“Please call me Ray,” he said softly.
“Bella was the best. She was so young.”
“Was she really just twenty two?”
“She was, unlike some of the gals who just pretend to be so.”
“How can I help you, Ray?”
“Jason told me you are working for Crystal Mars?”
“Crystal has asked me to look into what happened,” Jenny agreed. “I am going to do just that. I will report whatever I find to the police. The truth will come out, Ray, whatever it is.”
“Even if Crystal Mars is to blame?”
Jenny nodded.
“Jason told me you couldn’t be bought.”
“I’m not a professional detective, Ray. I’m just a middle aged divorced woman who is talking to people and asking a few questions. I can’t guarantee what I will find.”
“I am thankful for your efforts, Jenny,” Ray Fox said.
His eyes filled up as he spoke.
“Why would anyone want to kill my sweet Bella?”
Jenny patted Ray on the shoulder and tried to console him.
“Can you tell me something about her?”
“She was the best of friends,” he began. “We were friends first, lovers later.”
“How did you two meet?”
“Sky diving,” Ray said with a smile. “We were both mad about it.”
“So Bella had been sky diving before?”
“She had hundreds of solo jumps under her belt. She went up almost every weekend.”
“And you met her at one of these places?”
“We both got our certifications around the same time. I’m a producer for a sitcom. We connected instantly, being from the industry.”
“Does she have any family?”
“She dropped out of school and ran away from home when she was a teen. Her family wrote her off, I guess. She planned to go back home when she made it big.”
“Surely they tried to contact her?”
“They might have. But Bella never talked about it. I saw her looking at some photos once on Facebook. She shut it down when I asked her about it.”
“I don’t care that they had a falling out. I would want to know if anything happened to my kid.”
“I agree,” Ray Fox said. “But Darling was a stage name. I am not sure what her real name was. She was Bella Darling when I met her. She got her driver’s license changed too.”
“Why did you decide to get married?”
