“Why? Is she upset with you?” Cassidy knew the answer, but she asked anyway.
“No, I don’t think so,” Annalise said. “It’s just awkward.”
“Well, she doesn’t have any one else here to turn to, does she?” Cassidy watched as her manicurist slathered pale-blue polish on her nails. The color was unlike anything she’d ever wear in Seattle, which made it perfect for her new persona.
“I guess not,” Annalise said. “You know what, Madison? Maybe we should pay her a visit tomorrow.”
Madison mumbled agreement.
If nothing else beneficial came from this, at least there was that.
If the women followed through.
When they were done, Cassidy followed the women into the parking lot, still making chitchat.
To her surprise, they both climbed into the black sedan.
Chapter 27
Since Cassidy felt like she was on a roll, she decided to keep investigating. At least it gave her some purpose while she was here. Besides, this wasn’t just about Sarge and Phil. In some way, it was about Cassidy also. Otherwise, someone wouldn’t have broken into her house.
Now she could add that black sedan to her list. Though Madison and Annalise had been driving it, could it belong to either Stan or Walter? Cassidy had seen the two men and didn’t think either of them matched the man she’d seen on the beach that day at the murder. But she needed to keep that in the back of her mind.
Her next stop was tracking down Sarge’s ex-wife. She remembered the street where she’d seen the woman and decided to head there. Lydia hadn’t been at a particular house, but instead had been walking down the sidewalk toward the beach.
Cassidy dropped her car back at her house and picked up her bike instead. She just needed to keep it upright this time. But it would allow her to explore the streets at a slower pace.
She cruised the streets where she’d seen Lydia, hoping that she might spot the woman. A couple repeats later, there was no sign of Lydia. She did see Mac rappelling down the side of a house, however.
She slowed down and waved. “Hello, there!”
Mac waved back. “Hi, Cassidy. Don’t mind me. I just like to keep my skills up-to-date, in case I ever need them.”
Cassidy smiled. “Sounds like a good idea.”
He bounced down a few more feet. “I agree!”
She hoped when she was older, she’d have the same enthusiasm.
Finally, Cassidy pulled into the beach access parking lot and waited for a minute. The thoughts turned over in her head, and she reviewed her new information.
Another boat had hit Phil and Sarge’s boat, indicating someone else was involved.
Whoever was having the boat fixed had used a fake ID.
The bad guy also could be onto the fact that Cassidy had evidence.
Then there was Lydia, who just happened to be on the island and have a great dislike for her ex-husband.
And there was Stan, who had gone out boating that night also. Was he the man in black? Had he sneaked away from the poker game in order to do the deed? If so, was Walter covering for him?
She chewed on those thoughts a minute. As she did, a woman walking from her house toward a car in the distance caught her eye. Cassidy would recognize the woman’s flaming red hair anywhere. It was Lydia.
If Cassidy was going to talk to her, it had to be now.
Leaving her bike in the public parking lot, she darted across the road, trying not to freak the woman out by ambushing her. But she was already at her Mercedes SUV, and Cassidy knew she didn’t have much time if she wanted to catch her.
Just as her foot hit the driveway, someone appeared from a side yard.
Cassidy’s steps slowed.
Ty? What . . . ?
He ignored her and went straight to Lydia. “Excuse me, ma’am, do you have a minute?”
Lydia froze with her car key raised in the air. When she saw Ty, she smiled with obvious interest. But as her gaze slid from Ty to Cassidy, she tensed again. “Who are you?”
Cassidy gave Ty a dirty look.
“Ms. Berkholder, I know you were married to Sarge Perkins,” Ty said. “I just have a few questions.”
Lydia raised her hands in the air, suddenly pale. “I don’t want any trouble.”
“No trouble,” Ty said. “Just questions.”
Lydia still looked ready to spring. Maybe Cassidy could talk her down off the ledge . . . the ledge that Ty had put her on. Ty should have warmed up to her first. Maybe even capitalized on the woman’s attraction to him. Except he wasn’t like that, and Cassidy deeply appreciated that trait.
“We’re concerned for your safety,” Cassidy said.
“My safety?” Her voice rose in pitch, and her hand flew over her heart. “Am I not safe here?”
“We’re hoping if you answer a few questions, we’ll have a better idea.”
Ty gave Cassidy the dirty look this time.
“Who are you? Do all the cops around here look like they should be actors on Baywatch?” Lydia scanned them both, her gaze traveling up and down and up again.
Cassidy quickly observed Ty’s camo cargo shorts and white surfing T-shirt. Baywatch? No. But Cassidy’s attire wasn’t much better. She’d donned some white linen pants and a blue tank top. It definitely wasn’t a professional look, nor was it meant to be.
“No, we’re not cops. We’re just investigators,” Ty said.
Lydia’s eyes narrowed. “PIs?”
Ty nodded. “Yes, private investigators.”
How was Cassidy going to explain to Ty how she’d discovered Lydia’s presence here? Even more, what possible excuse could he have for being here? How had he tracked Lydia down? Maybe she needed to give him more credit.
Lydia glanced around, as if searching for hidden assassins. Then she leaned closer. “Okay, what do you need to know?”
“I know you had a tumultuous relationship with Sarge,” Ty said, before Cassidy could say anything.
Lydia’s expression darkened. “We did. But I was hoping that would change.”
“What do you mean?” Cassidy asked.
Lydia sighed. “The truth is, Sarge and I came here to Lantern Beach for our honeymoon ten years ago. We loved it so much that we suggested to the group from Hamby Investments that we should vacation here together.”
That was unexpected.
“Okay,” Cassidy said.
“I wanted to get back together with him.” Lydia dropped her voice as tears flooded her eyes. “I realized I loved him, and I came here to tell him that.”
That was also unexpected.
“What did Sarge say when you told him?” Ty asked.
“I didn’t have the chance to tell him. I just arrived on Sunday and by then . . .” She let out a sob. “It was too late.”
Lydia didn’t get here until Sunday? That threw a wrench on Cassidy’s theory. A big wrench.
Chapter 28
“So you got here to Lantern Beach and discovered he was dead?” Ty looked just as surprised as Cassidy felt.
Lydia nodded, visibly shaken. Her hand would hardly remain still as she pushed her hair behind her ear and released a shaky breath. “That’s correct. I had no idea. I thought I was going to surprise him. I guess I was the one surprised.”
Lydia’s dreams hadn’t worked out, and Cassidy could understand that. She’d wanted out of her undercover assignment with DH-7. She’d wanted to resume her life. Move up the ladder with the police. Marry Ryan.
Now she was stuck here for who knew how long. People were trying to kill her. And she was alone.
She needed to ditch this pity party train right here on Suck It Up Avenue. And no, that wasn’t from her Day-at-a-Glance calendar.
“I’m so sorry.” Cassidy lowered her voice as compassion flooded her. “I can only imagine what a shock that was.”
Lydia’s fisted hand covered her mouth. “It was. Things weren’t supposed to work out like this.”
“When was the last time you�
��d spoken to him?” Cassidy fanned her face in the sun. It was blistering hot out today, and all of the benefits she’d received from her time at the spa were disappearing more quickly than the small amount of cash she’d brought with her.
“We’d started talking about reconnecting again about three weeks ago. I was on the fence. But while Sarge was gone, I missed him. I decided we should give our relationship another chance. Now we won’t be able to do that.” Lydia looked away, her entire body tight with grief.
Ty shifted. “Do you think it’s strange he went out for a fishing trip with a storm coming?”
“He was always headstrong. Not only that, but he was as smart as a whip with absolutely no common sense. However, Mr. Hamby did tell me that Sarge told them he would only go out for an hour or so. He thought that would be plenty of time to get back before the water got rough.”
“Why are you still here, Ms. Berkholder?” Cassidy asked. “It seems like you might have left after you heard the news.”
“I want to. Believe me, I do. But I came in from Chicago. I can’t get a flight out of here until tomorrow, so I decided to try and make the best of things.” She glanced at her watch. “Like today, for example. I figure I’ll go parasailing again—in memory of Sarge. We did that on our honeymoon.”
“That sounds like a good idea and a good way to remember him,” Cassidy said. What would she do in memory of the people she loved? She couldn’t think of a single thing, and that realization was just plain depressing.
I gave up my career, but I gained my life. Lisa’s words echoed in her head. What would it be like to do that? To not define herself by her title but by her life?
The thought caused a lump to lodge in her throat.
“Do you know of anyone who wanted him dead?” Ty shifted.
“I don’t know,” Lydia said, her eyes as rimmed with tears as her voice was rimmed with loss. “He was a nice guy. But I do know he seemed upset during the week before he left. We spoke on the phone several times.”
“Why did he seem upset?” Cassidy asked. “Did he give any indication about why?”
Maybe this could be an actual lead! She could only hope. Because this investigation was moving as slow as molasses.
“He said only that something was going on at work,” Lydia said. “He seemed really preoccupied about it. It was worrying him.”
“Did he say what?” Cassidy asked.
Lydia shook her head. “No, he said it would all come to light soon enough. There’s one other thing that’s been bothering me, though.”
Ty stiffened beside her. “What’s that?”
“I’m not a numbers lady, but the past few statements I’ve received about my investments haven’t added up. I wanted to ask Sarge about it and see if he could make sense of why I’m not earning more. In fact, I think I’m losing money.”
“Who helped you with your investments?”
She sighed. “Well, it was Sarge before our divorce. Then I asked for a new financial advisor. Stan took over.”
Cassidy let those words sink in. Maybe she was looking in the wrong direction.
She needed to look at the group from Hamby Investments.
Starting with Stan. Because what those two cops had been saying at the station that day was correct: most murders boiled down to two things. Love or money.
Cassidy waited in the driveway until Lydia had pulled away before turning to Ty.
“What are you doing here?” Irritation rankled her voice.
He jabbed his finger into himself, and his bottom lip dropped as if her question was audacious. “Me? What am I doing here? The better question is what are you doing here? Trying to get the reward money so I won’t?”
“What? That’s ridiculous. Why would I do that?” Her lip dropped this time. That idea was absurd. She just needed to know what was going on, and maybe help Diane in the process.
“Maybe you would do that because you hate me.”
“I don’t hate you.” A scoffing tone lurked in her voice. But at that moment, she realized she didn’t hate him.
They stared each other off.
Cassidy acted uncharacteristically immature around Ty. She knew she did. But he just brought out that side of her for some reason.
“How did you even track down Lydia?” Cassidy asked, trying to connect the dots.
“You’re acting like it’s weird that I’m the one who’s doing this when the strange thing is the fact that you also tracked her down, Little Miss Ice Cream Lady.”
Just as he said the words, jolly music from Elsa filled the air: “She’ll Be Coming around the Mountain.”
Ty’s stare became even more intense. “Who in the world is driving your truck?”
Cassidy’s shoulders tensed before she answered with total and fake confidence. “Serena.”
“Serena? Skye’s niece?” His voice climbed in pitch and . . . was that humor?
“Yes, that’s the one.”
He let out a chuckle and raked a hand over his face. “Why in the world would you get her to drive your truck?”
What kind of question was that? “Why wouldn’t I?”
He stared at her a moment as if flabbergasted. “Because she’s young and immature, for starters.”
“And she’s stalking you.” A smile curled Cassidy’s lip as she remembered that factoid. That’s what it boiled down to, wasn’t it?
“She’s not stalking me.” Ty’s eyes narrowed, all his humor gone.
“Oh, yes, she is. You think when she ran into you at the beach this weekend, it was a coincidence?”
His hands went to his hips. “How’d you know about that?”
“Because she told me.” Cassidy crossed her arms, satisfied.
Just then, the ice cream truck pulled to a stop beside them.
Serena leaned out the window and smiled sweetly. “Hi, Ty.”
He waved back, looking slightly hesitant. “Hi, Serena.”
“How’s it going?” She batted her eyelashes, her gaze totally focused on Ty.
“Just dandy.”
Cassidy scowled at him again. Ty was using her words as a way of sneaking in an opportunity to mock.
“It’s good to see you,” Serena continued, syrup dripping from her voice and stars in her eyes.
“You too, Serena.”
“How’s it going, Serena?” Cassidy asked, interrupting their Hallmark moment.
“It’s great, but we’re going to need to buy more ice cream.” Serena’s voice was enthusiastic—a little too enthusiastic.
Cassidy blinked. “You sold that much?”
“Oh, yeah. Everyone keeps remarking about what a bargain your goodies are.”
“How are they a bargain?” She didn’t like the sound of that.
“A quarter per item? I’d say that was a steal.”
“But they’re not a quarter an item.” Stay calm, Cassidy. Stay calm.
“That’s what you said.”
“When did I say that?”
“You said to remind people that prices were a quarter of what they’d pay other places.”
Cassidy did a mental face palm. “That’s . . . that’s not what I meant.”
Serena shrugged. “Oops. That’s totally what I thought you meant. It was an honest mistake. What should I do?”
Cassidy held it together, but she didn’t want to. She wanted to set Serena straight like a superior officer talking to a rookie. Carefree. Laid-back. Low profile.
“Just continue on with the route,” she finally said. “But pay attention to the prices this time. And don’t back into anyone.”
Her cheeks reddened. “I won’t.” She looked back at Ty and that dreamy expression crossed her face again, almost like their conversation hadn’t happened. “I’ll see you later.”
“Bye, Serena.”
As soon as she was gone, Cassidy turned toward Ty. “She has a huge crush on you.”
“You’re the one trusting her with your goodies.”
“Don’t talk
about my goodies like that.” Cassidy shook her head, realizing how absurd her words sounded.
A grin stretched across his face. “Life here is so much more entertaining now that you’re on the island, Cassidy.”
Cassidy hoped things stayed entertaining. Because her worst fear was that she’d brought trouble with her.
“So, really, how did you know about Lydia?” Ty asked as they walked on the gravel lane back toward Cassidy’s bike.
The sun beat down on them, only cut by the occasional salty ocean breeze. A lifeguard blew a whistle in the distance. Two kites flew overhead—a dragon and a pirate ship design.
She shifted, as if she was uncomfortable. “I just happened to overhear a few things while on my route. I decided, for the sake of justice, to check it out.”
“Interesting.” A touch of skepticism stained his voice. How could someone who was an interior designer and ice cream lady have such a knack for these things?
He wasn’t the only one with questions, apparently. Cassidy turned toward him. “How about you?”
He shrugged, trying not to make a big deal out of it. He had been a Navy SEAL, though, so he’d had some experience with these types of things. “My friend delivers papers. He overheard Lydia talking on the phone to someone while she was in the driveway, and he realized she was connected. I decided to investigate for myself. For the sake of justice,” he added.
Cassidy paused by her bike and studied Ty for a minute. “You have any other leads?”
“Maybe. You?” His piercing gaze didn’t leave hers.
Ty realized they were acting like competitors on the opposite end of the field with a Super Bowl ring as a prize. Though it made for some interesting conversations, maybe it wasn’t the best way to continue building their friendship.
“Maybe,” Cassidy finally said.
He shifted, scooting out of the way as some tourists loaded with inflatable beach toys scurried past. “Look, we should think about working together. For the sake of justice.”
“What about the reward money?” Cassidy asked.
Ty supposed it was best to talk about these things up-front. “We split it.”
Lantern Beach Mysteries Box Set Page 16
