Lantern Beach Mysteries Box Set

by Christy Barritt

  He studied her more closely. “Does this have anything to do with that raft?”

  She waved a hand in the air. “Don’t be silly. Who knows where that came from? Probably Cuba.”

  He nodded slowly, and Cassidy wasn’t sure if he believed her or not. “Well, hypothetically speaking, a boat could cover a lot of ground—water, I should say—in four days. Would it be coming from the north or south?”

  “Let’s say the south.”

  He pulled something from his drawer. It was a nautical chart. “Objects usually deflect to the right in the northern hemisphere.”

  She gave him a questioning look.

  “It has to do with something called geostrophic currents. I can explain if you’d like, or you can trust me on it.”

  “I’ll trust you.”

  “Good choice. Anyway, if you were to start down in Florida, off the coast, the current would naturally want to carry you out into the ocean. In fact, some people claim that there are vessels out there that have been afloat for centuries.”

  “Really?” Cassidy found that hard to believe, but Clemson seemed to know what he was talking about.

  “It’s true. But that’s neither here nor there. On a day with moderate wind and average ocean currents, I’d guess a vessel set adrift would make it about ten miles.”

  “Ten miles? That’s . . . not very impressive.”

  “However, I do need to add that the ocean had been stirred up lately, so I’m willing to say in four days—recently—that vessel might even travel twenty miles a day.”

  “So eighty miles?” Cassidy asked.

  He nodded. “Between forty and eighty. It’s really hard to predict.”

  She glanced at his map. “So what’s between forty and eighty miles south of here?”

  “Anywhere from Cape Lookout to Topsail. Maybe even down to Wilmington.”

  “Good to know.”

  “I hope that helps.”

  She nodded. “It really does. Thank you so much.”

  She added more facts to her mental list of suspects, motives, and clues. Every little bit she discovered helped, and she never knew when one piece of information might be exactly what she was looking for to solve the case.

  Chapter 15

  Cassidy returned to her house to check on the ladies after she left the clinic. She was happy to see they were all up and dressed and looked ten times better than they had the day before. Even Kat was sitting on the couch with her bandaged foot propped up on the coffee table. They’d pulled all the blinds down and drawn the curtains, making it unusually dark in the house. But it had been a smart move.

  “It’s just me,” Cassidy said. “I wanted to check on you all.”

  “We’re good.” Rose sat on the couch, her legs curled under her, with one of Cassidy’s mystery novels in her hand. “You don’t need to worry about us, Ice Cream Woman.”

  She looked so normal, so ordinary. Cassidy’s gut twisted. She knew Rose was far from normal.

  “I’m not worried, I’m just asking,” Cassidy said. “Do you need anything?”

  The ladies glanced at each other.

  “There is one thing,” Rose said, her gaze hooded. “Trina lost something while we were on that raft. It was a locket her grandma gave her when she was a kid.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that,” Cassidy said.

  “There’s more to it,” Rose continued. “We overheard the men talking one day, and they shared the coordinates of the island. We wrote them down and stuffed them in the locket. If we could find the locket then . . .”

  “You could find the island, and the police could stop whoever is behind this,” Cassidy said. “At least, that’s the way it should work.”

  “She thinks it may still be in the boat,” Rose said. “You have any way of finding out?”

  “I think I know where the boat is,” Cassidy said. “I’m just not sure they’re going to let me look at it. But I’ll see what I can do.” She wouldn’t mind examining that raft again anyway. And she knew just the person to help her.

  Rose stared at her, that standoff expression in her eyes. “I guess I should say thanks. We owe you.”

  “You don’t owe me anything,” Cassidy said. “But I appreciate the thank you.”

  Ten minutes later, Cassidy picked up Serena and explained the plan to her.

  “So I’m doing a story on that raft and I need pictures?” Serena repeated, blinking rapidly as if trying to compute everything.

  “That’s right. Do you think you can do that?”

  Serena shrugged, her eyelids still fluttering. “I guess I can try. But why do you want to see that raft so bad?”

  “It’s just a hunch,” was all Cassidy could offer.

  Serena pushed up her oversized glasses. Today, the girl had dressed in homage to Lois Lane with her hair pulled into a bun, glasses, and a dark suit. However, they were on Lantern Beach, so the suit consisted of pressed shorts and a quarter-sleeve blazer.

  Strangely, Serena pulled off the look.

  Life was never boring when that girl was around.

  They pulled up to the station, and the receptionist ushered them back to Quinton. His eyes lit when he saw them.

  “If it isn’t Chastity.”

  Cassidy scowled and didn’t bother to correct him this time. Thankfully, Serena jumped in. “I’m with the Lantern Outlook, and I’d really love to see that raft that washed ashore.”

  He stared, a halfway stupefied look on his face. “Why?”

  “Because this is one of the most exciting things to happen on the island since . . . since . . .” Serena’s voice trailed off.

  “That drug bust a few weeks ago,” Cassidy finished.

  Quinton nodded, as if the explanation made sense. “The raft really isn’t a big deal. After the Coast Guard looks at it, it’ll probably be sent to the waste management facilities. You know, the landfill.”

  “Then it’s not a big deal if we see it?” Cassidy batted her eyelashes for extra effect.

  Quinton grinned that dopey grin he always sported when a pretty girl gave him attention. “I probably should run it past the chief.”

  “Where is he?” Cassidy twirled her hair again, a little more of her self-respect dying a cold, hard death.

  Quinton shrugged. “Someone tagged his car.”

  “What do you mean?” Serena asked.

  “You know, they spray-painted it,” Quinton said. “Wrote Bozo on it. He’s pretty sensitive about that.”

  “Then maybe it’s best if we don’t bother him,” Cassidy said. “He has more important things to worry about right now. I’m sure he trusts the decisions of his very capable officers.”

  Quinton’s shoulders seemed to poof at her compliment. “I guess you can look at it real quick—before the Coast Guard gets here.”

  “The Coast Guard hasn’t seen it yet?” Surprise rippled through Cassidy at the announcement.

  Quinton shrugged. “They weren’t too interested at first—especially since there was no body on board. But we got a call last night saying they’d be coming by.”

  It sounded like Cassidy and Serena were just in time.

  “We’ll be quick,” Cassidy said.

  Serena raised her camera. “Just a few pictures. You’ll never know we were here.”

  “Well, I can’t see where it would hurt anything.” Quinton shrugged and motioned for them to follow.

  They scrambled behind him, down the hallway and out a door at the back of the building. A fenced-off area greeted them, and in the center of the cement block sat the raft.

  As waves of heat rose from the ground around them, they walked toward the vessel. In the background, Cassidy could hear a band—maybe the local high school?—practicing for the Fourth of July, the sound of America the Beautiful stretching through the air.

  While Serena snapped photos, Cassidy scanned the inside. Finding a locket in this thing would require a near miracle. Most likely, the piece of jewelry had fallen out. Even if it hadn’t, Cas
sidy couldn’t exactly climb aboard the vessel since it was on a trailer. The whole thing looked like it would collapse if the wind blew in the right direction.

  Now that Cassidy knew the story behind it, seeing it did something to her. She imagined Rose, Trina, and Kat piecing this together out of things they found at the house. She imagined the bravery it took for them to put this in the ocean and set adrift, unsure where they would end up. Only knowing that anywhere was better than that island.

  Cassidy had to help them. Investigating was just so much harder without the resources only accessible to professionals. Then there was also the fact that she didn’t want to blow her cover.

  “This is some boat, huh?” Quinton said. “You wouldn’t catch me in this thing in the ocean. No way. It would be like a floating coffin, in my opinion. Don’t quote me on that.”

  “Maybe being in this boat was a better alternative to staying where they were,” Cassidy said.

  “Better than who staying where they were?” Quinton asked.

  “Whoever was inside.” Seriously how this guy had ever made it through the police academy was beyond Cassidy’s comprehension.

  “What’s going on here?” a deep voice said behind them.

  Cassidy turned and saw a man in a Coast Guard uniform standing there. The man looked like the in-charge type, especially with that scowl on his face and his square jaw raised high in the air.

  Quinton’s eyes grew large, and he straightened until he was as stiff as a corpse. “Chief Petty Officer Savage?”

  “That’s right. And who are all of you?” Savage’s gaze pierced each of them.

  Cassidy had faced far more intimidating men and come out alive to prove it.

  “We’re from the local newspaper,” Cassidy said, since no one else was talking. “This is more exciting than most of the stuff that happens here in a year. We’re used to Dale Johnson’s truck getting stuck in soft sand while four-wheeling or stories about anglers who let the big one get away.”

  Savage’s gaze darkened even more. “Maybe you should stick to those stories. I didn’t approve of this being released to the media.”

  “We weren’t aware you had to approve of anything. We just thought this was something the ocean spit out.”

  “We don’t know anything about this raft yet. And that’s why a story in the newspaper is a bad idea.” He glanced at Quinton. “Now, I’d really like to inspect this.”

  “Of course,” Quinton said, his cheeks reddening. “Ladies, I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”

  Cassidy frowned. She hadn’t found Trina’s necklace. And, at this point, she wouldn’t. But at least she’d tried. Somehow, that didn’t feel like enough.

  “Well, did you get what you wanted?” Serena said as they sat in Cassidy’s sedan outside the police station.

  Cassidy shrugged, watching as a truck full of fireworks drove by. “I can’t say I did.”

  “That Coast Guard guy was pretty cute.”

  “If you like the intense type.” Serena liked every type.

  The girl glanced at her watch. “As much as I’d like to sit here and watch you chew on your thoughts, I have another interview I have to do. With Martin Chaser this time.”

  “Martin Chaser? The racecar driver?”

  “He’s the one.”

  Cassidy turned her keys in the ignition, cranked the AC, and pulled onto the highway. “When did he get into town?”

  Serena shrugged and tapped her finger against her lip. “That day the boat washed ashore. Why?”

  Cassidy tried to piece a timeline together in her head. “When did they ask him to be the grand marshal?”

  “When Niles Shepherd—he’s the one coordinating the parade—heard Martin was in town, he asked him right then. I guess it was supposed to be Chief Bozeman’s father, but he had another engagement that popped up, so he canceled.” Serena narrowed her eyes with thought. “Why do you want to know?”

  “I’m just trying to figure out how things work here in Lantern Beach.”

  “Well, good luck with that. Aunt Skye always says this island has more secrets than Alcatraz.”

  The thought wasn’t comforting.

  Cassidy pulled to a stop in front of her house and Serena popped out, her car keys in hand.

  Cassidy glanced at her watch. The timing was perfect since she had to pick up her inventory.

  “It was fun, Cassidy. I’ll take over at three!” Serena yelled over her shoulder. “Wish me luck with Martin Chaser!”

  Could Martin Chaser be the Cobra? It was a long shot. But whoever the Cobra was, he had money, power, and connections.

  Martin Chaser . . . he was a racecar driver. He lived off taking risks. He’d shown up at just the right time.

  He was someone to keep in mind, at least.

  But right now, Cassidy needed to switch vehicles and head out to pick up her fudge bars and bomb pops.

  Chapter 16

  Cassidy spotted just the person she’d hoped she’d see down at the marina. Jimmy James.

  Though Cassidy may have suspected the dockworker of being involved in a missing persons case not too long ago, he also seemed like the type who might be in the know when it came to shady dealings in the area. Not to say he was shady. At least, he wasn’t supposed to be anymore. That was what Ty had told her.

  She parked Elsa in the lot and hurried from the vehicle. Thankfully, she had a few minutes to spare before her own delivery was due. As usual when she was here, the scent of fish and saltwater and motor oil mixed in the air, creating a distinct smell she was likely to never forget. Those things, coupled with the squawking of birds overhead crying out for food, and the murmuring of seafarers around her, created a unique environment. Seattle had its own bigger version of this with Puget Sound, but this place had a different feel. Quainter, she supposed.

  She watched Jimmy James as she approached, noting again that the man had a somewhat amped-up Popeye appearance with his bulging arms and beastly build.

  “Hey, there,” Cassidy called.

  He looked up, recognition lighting his gaze.

  “Hey. You’re Ty’s friend. How’s he doing?” Jimmy James asked, unloading some boxes from a large skiff.

  “He’s hoping to go home today.”

  “Glad to hear that. What can I do for you?”

  “I have a delivery I need to pick up.” She casually tucked her hands into her pockets.

  “I’ll check the clipboard in a minute. Let me just grab a few more of these boxes.”

  “Sure thing.” Cassidy stepped back as more guys unloaded supplies for other area merchants. “I have a question for you. You see any shady characters around here the past couple of days?”

  “I work at the docks.” His eyes sparkled. “I always see shady characters.”

  At least he had a sense of humor about it.

  “I’m looking for a guy with a cobra tattoo,” Cassidy said.

  His eyes widened. “I can’t say I’ve seen it.”

  “Why did you react then?” His eyes had clearly shown recognition.

  “No reason.”

  “Jimmy James . . .” The man’s appearance would rattle most people, but Cassidy had learned not to be intimidated by people. She would have been a terrible detective if she was.

  He paused and heaved the box in his hands up higher. “Look, I’ve heard about a guy who has that tattoo. He calls himself the Cobra.”

  Her pulse spiked. This might be her first real lead. “When did you hear about him?”

  “I haven’t always been on the straight and narrow. The Cobra is pretty well-known in some circles. He’s a power player. I’d stay away from him if I were you.”

  “I actually need to find him,” Cassidy said.

  “Did you just hear a word I said?”

  Cassidy shrugged. “I did. But this is important.”

  “What’s so important?”

  She’d actually thought this one through. “I heard he ripped off my ice cream truck.”
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br />   Jimmy James chuckled, and the sound turned into a full-out laugh. “You’re joking, right? It’s like the person who steals candy from a kid? Certainly he has more important things to do than steal ice cream.”

  Well . . . that could be true. “No one’s going to rip me off, Jimmy James. I want to know who this guy is, and I want to find out if he stole from me.”

  His smile faded. “I don’t know what to tell you. I saw him from a distance.”

  Why was it that no one ever saw this guy close enough to make out any details? “Is there anything you can tell me about him?”

  “He hurt himself. Had a bandage on his arm. That’s all I know.”

  At least it was something. “If you hear anything else, will you let me know?”

  “I’ll think about it.”

  She gave him a look.

  Jimmy James shrugged. “You’re Ty’s friend. I don’t want to put you in danger. You have no idea who you’re dealing with.”

  She wanted to argue. But she couldn’t. Because here she was Cassidy Livingston, the ice cream lady. No one could know that she used to be Cady Matthews, the big-city police detective.

  Just then, Elsa started singing “Michael, Row Your Boat Ashore.” As always, her timing was impeccable.

  Jimmy James chuckled again. “When you going to get that truck fixed?”

  Cassidy shrugged. “I’m not sure. She makes life more interesting.”

  Like she really needed her life to be any more interesting.

  “Now, about my ice cream . . .”

  With her new supplies loaded into her truck and a few minutes to spare before she needed to start her route, Cassidy pulled out her phone.

  She typed Martin Chaser’s name into her search engine. She knew it was a long shot that she’d find anything interesting, but she didn’t have a lot of options. She was already pushing it with the questions she was asking, and if she wasn’t careful, she was going to blow her cover.

  Blowing her cover would mean she’d need to leave. Find a new name. A new identity and a new place to stay. It would mean leaving her new friends. Leaving Ty.

  The thought caused her heart to twist.