Sapphire Beach Cozy Mystery Collection

by Angela K Ryan

  “I remember the tension between them at the jewelry-making class,” Elyse said.

  “And didn’t you say that Paige and Allister had dinner at Gallagher’s?” Grace asked.

  “Yes. Paige may have been the last person to see Allister alive. She claims that Allister was talking with Jerry when she drove away, but if she is the killer, she’s not going to admit to being alone with him at the end of the evening,”

  “She could easily have pretended to drive away and then followed him to the beach and killed him,” Elyse said.

  “Allister’s murder had to have been premeditated, because whoever killed him stole my pliers to use as a murder weapon. But if Allister followed Paige into Gallagher’s, as Paige claims, she couldn’t have been planning his death, because she couldn’t have known that Allister would follow her.”

  “Again, unless she was lying,” Elyse said. “Maybe she invited him to meet her there and made it look like he followed her.”

  “Right. Either Paige is blatantly lying, or she is innocent,” Connie said.

  Connie downed her last sip of pineapple juice. “Or it could have been Isabel or Mary Ann. They both had motives, as well, and access to the pliers. Abby thinks that Isabel was afraid that Allister was after her job, now that he had tenure. It seems she voted against him. And, according to Abby, Allister was less than kind to Mary Ann at work. She also said that Mary Ann and Allister had a falling out, but she didn’t know all the details.

  “Unless Abby’s making up stories to save herself,” Grace said.

  “Could be. One thing is for certain. Now that we know that Jerry is innocent, the killer has to be someone from the Florida Sands group.” Connie stroked her chin. “I need to find a way to talk to them again.”

  “How are you going to manage that?” Elyse asked.

  She thought about inviting the class back for a tutoring session, but with the increased workload in the English Department, she doubted that anyone would come.

  “I’m still working on that.”

  Chapter 14

  Connie set her alarm for early Saturday morning so she could go for a paddle before work. Until she hired another employee at Just Jewelry, mornings would be her only opportunity to enjoy the outdoors. Which worked out okay since, this time of year, the afternoon sun was oppressively hot. Grace would be in the shop by 9:00, so if Connie was running a few minutes late, it would be no big deal.

  She went down to the underground garage to get her powder-blue paddleboard, paddle, and matching lifejacket from her storage unit, attached the board to the dolly, and wheeled it down to the beach. It was a calm morning, which bode well for Connie. Although she had taken her board out regularly since she bought it in March, she was by no means an expert. She had mastered the art of turning and could even navigate some of the waves that came her way from speedboats and jet skis without immediately tumbling into the water, but that was about the extent of her skill set. Not that falling into the warm, blue-green waters of the Gulf of Mexico was the worst thing in the world. A dunk in the water, intentional or unintentional, provided a welcome relief from the scorching sun.

  Leaving her dolly, towel, and cover-up on the beach, Connie fastened her lifejacket and dragged her paddleboard into the water. She knelt on the board and paddled out into deeper waters, then stood up like a boss. A smile immediately came to her face as the warm breeze pushed back her shoulder-length dark hair. Fortunately, Connie’s olive skin meant that it took longer for her to get sunburnt.

  The water was refreshing as it splashed on her legs while she rhythmically paddled her way along the coastline. She usually paddled to the left, which brought her in the opposite direction of downtown, but this morning she decided to change it up and glided along the water toward her shop. Hmmm, maybe she should make this her new method of commuting. It was certainly more enjoyable than sitting in the Boston traffic she had fought for so many years. Connie wondered for a moment how Ginger would take to riding to Just Jewelry on a paddleboard but quickly dismissed the idea. A wet dog with sand clinging to her belly would not be good for the cleanliness of her shop.

  Between the rhythm of her paddling and the occasional seagull or two gliding past her, Connie’s excursion had just the effect she had been hoping for. All thoughts of Allister’s murder disappeared from her mind, and instead her heart filled with gratitude for the blessings that surrounded her.

  That is, until the pier came into view in the distance.

  She had always admired the weather-beaten wooden structure towering above the Gulf and jetting out towards the horizon. Was she now forever destined to associate that pier with tragedy?

  Giving her shoulders a reprieve from the paddling motion, Connie sat on the paddleboard and tucked her legs beneath her. As the board floated up and down with the waves, she let them carry her slowly towards the shore, while her gaze remained fixed on the pier. “If only you could talk. What would you tell me?” she whispered.

  Of her four suspects - Paige, Abby, Isabel, and Mary Ann - none of them seemed like a killer. But then again, it wasn’t like murderers were known to act in any specific way. Otherwise, they would be easy to catch.

  With the second session of her two-part class due to take place in five days, Connie was anxious to have the mystery solved. At this rate, the only students left would be Gertrude and Emma.

  The sun was getting stronger, so Connie jumped off her board and dunked under the water. Then she rested her arms on the board and let the waves gently rock her, as if she were in a cradle.

  Usually the ocean water back home in New England was still quite cold in late June, but here the water temperature had already climbed into the mid-eighties. Despite its warmth, it still cooled her off. Connie felt sufficiently refreshed to paddle home.

  She arrived in the shop a little after 9:00, and Grace was thrilled that she took the time for a paddle. “I saw you head out with your paddleboard this morning while I was having coffee on my balcony, so I came in a little early, just in case.”

  “What would I do without you?” Connie asked.

  “I hope you never have to find out.”

  Connie wholeheartedly agreed.

  In between the occasional customer, Connie and Grace chatted the morning away, discussing everything from the latest news on their own families to Emma’s struggles accepting the changes in her family life. Although they were technically working, it felt more like a day off than a workday. Despite everything, life was good.

  As the morning turned into early afternoon, the conversation inevitably turned toward lunch.

  I’m tired of sandwiches,” Connie said. “How does an entree from Gallagher’s sound? My treat.”

  Grace nodded in agreement. “Sounds wonderful.”

  Connie pulled out a menu she had stored behind the checkout desk and decided on a southwest chicken and rice bowl. “Gallagher’s bowls are huge. This ought to hold me over until I get home tonight.”

  Since Grace would be leaving in a couple of hours, she opted for a chicken Caesar salad.

  Grace called in the order while Connie fastened Ginger’s leash. Then she threw her pocketbook over her shoulder, which seemed to be getting heavier by the day. I’ve got to empty this thing out, or I’m going to injure myself, she thought.

  “I’ll be back in about a half hour. I’m going to take Ginger for a walk before picking up our lunches,” Connie called out as she exited through the back door.

  Since Grace was minding the store, it was nice not to have to worry about staying within view of the front door. Connie and Ginger strolled through the streets that ran adjacent to the beach, then headed in the direction of the pier. It was so hot that if felt like she was walking through an oven. Connie thought about turning back, but she resisted the urge, since Ginger needed the exercise.

  When they reached the short street that led to the pier, Connie allowed Ginger to pull her toward Friendly Scoops, where the dog apparently remembered that Emily kept a bowl of wate
r for four-legged passersby. Seeing Ginger take a drink reminded Connie that she was beginning to get thirsty, as well. Since she hadn’t thought to bring a bottle of water, she went inside to buy one. She looked around for Emily but, not seeing her, she took her water to a bench in the shade facing the pier to breathe in the fresh air. She still had a few minutes left before her order at Gallagher’s would be ready.

  While Connie was relaxing, she caught sight of an energetic little boy admiring Ginger from a bench a short distance away. He asked his mother if he could go pet the dog, but the mother was too busy trying to pacify a crying infant to bring him over. “When I get your brother to stop crying, if the dog is still there, we’ll go say hi.”

  Seeing the disappointment on the child’s face, Connie brought Ginger over to them, leaving her cumbersome purse on her own bench, since it wasn’t too far away. “Hi, I’m Connie, and this is Ginger. She’s very friendly.”

  The woman gave Connie a grateful smile as the boy sat on the ground to play with the dog. Ginger, of course, basked in the attention.

  “I’m Tammy, and the dog lover here is my son Jacob. And this noisy little guy is Jack.”

  Jack finally stopped crying, so Tammy put him back in his stroller.

  “Mom, can we get a dog like Ginger?” Jacob asked.

  But Connie could tell from the exhausted look on Tammy’s face that that wasn’t happening anytime in the near future.

  “How about we talk about it when you get a little older?”

  He looked up at Connie and sulked. “That means no.”

  After chatting for a few minutes, Connie excused herself. She went back to her bench and pulled her phone from her purse to check the time. It had been about a half hour since Grace called in the food order, so it should be about ready. As she slipped the phone back in her purse, she noticed a folded sheet of paper that she didn’t remember seeing before, resting on top of her wallet. The paper was clean and unwrinkled, as if someone had just placed it there.

  What on earth is this? she asked herself, unfolding the typewritten note. She held in her hand what appeared to be a limerick. Confused, she read the poem:

  A jewelry maker in Sapphire Beach,

  Has a desire to teach.

  If she seeks to expose,

  She should stay on her toes,

  Or like Allister, she’ll be dead on the beach.

  Connie could practically hear the blood pumping through her veins as she looked around for any clue as to who could have left the strange, but clear, note. But there was nobody in the vicinity who looked familiar or suspicious. She took a few steps and scanned the boulevard in both directions. Still nobody.

  The family she and Ginger had visited with earlier was still at the same bench. Connie asked Tammy if she had seen anything, but she hadn’t. Of course, how could she have with two young children to keep an eye on?

  After searching for a few more minutes, Connie took a picture of the note and texted it to Josh and Zach, then left.

  Within seconds, Josh had responded: Zach’s working on another case, but I’m on my way to Just Jewelry.

  Connie immediately returned to the store. She didn’t want to worry Grace, but she had no choice but to show her the note. With Josh on his way, she couldn’t hide it.

  After Connie did her best to relay what happened, Grace snatched the note from her hand to examine it. She shook her head. “I don’t like this one bit. This means that the killer was following you this afternoon.”

  Connie didn’t want to mention it, but she couldn’t help but notice that the killer had waited until she was near the pier to make his or her statement. That couldn’t be a coincidence.

  “Tell me everything you did today, Connie,” Josh said, as soon as he arrived. “Don’t leave out anything.”

  Connie did her best to recount the events of what, until a few minutes ago, she had considered an uneventful day.

  “I don’t like this at all,” Grace said. “Who knows how long this person has been watching you?”

  “I have to agree,” Josh said. “You need to be extra vigilant until we catch this person.”

  “It seems clear that the killer is from Florida Sands,” Grace said. “Why else would they have sent you a limerick?”

  “And a bad limerick at that!” Connie said. “I was thinking about that, too. Maybe the person wanted me to think it was someone from the English Department. Being a professor and English majors, it seems that if it was Isabel, Paige, or Abby, they could have written something a little more eloquent.”

  Josh chuckled. “I’m sure the person didn’t spend a lot of time polishing their work. They weren’t trying to win a literary award; they were just trying to send you a clear message.”

  “Unfortunately, they succeeded,” Grace said.

  Josh pointed toward Connie’s laptop. “I’ll need to check out whatever surveillance footage you have. Why don’t I take a quick look now?”

  They each pulled up a chair around the table, and Connie opened the security software. Josh fast forwarded through the day, but nothing looked out of the ordinary.

  Josh asked Connie to send him the video file, which she did on the spot. “I’ll take a closer look later, but I don’t think there’s anything here.”

  Suddenly, Connie remembered mentioning to Mary Ann on Monday that she had sent the police surveillance footage of the night Allister was killed. “Do you think the person kept their distance from the store because they knew that I had security cameras? I did mention it to Mary Ann when I talked to her last Monday.”

  “A lot of downtown shops have cameras. Whoever did this might have just assumed that you did, as well. But I’ll keep that in mind.”

  So would Connie.

  Shortly after Josh left, taking the limerick with him, Gallagher came in with the women’s lunch order. With all the activity, Connie had completely forgotten about their food.

  “I saw the police car parked in front of your shop, so I figured you forgot about lunch.”

  After they caught Gallagher up on what had happened, he insisted that lunch was on the house. “It’s the least I can do after the rough day you two have had.”

  Although it was long past the end of Grace’s shift, at first she refused to leave Connie alone in the store. However, after Gallagher promised to check in on Connie periodically, she finally relented.

  Chapter 15

  After the 7:00 Mass on Sunday morning, Connie texted Elyse. Is Emma free today?

  Are you dumping me for Emma now?

  Haha, very funny. I was wondering if you could bring her by the store for a tutoring session. I have a plan that goes beyond jewelry making.

  After a few minutes, Elyse’s response came: Sounds mysterious, I love it! Emma would love to come. She is so excited. We are going to the 11:00 Mass, and I’ll drop her off right after. Your timing is perfect. She could use some time away from Victoria.

  Elyse arrived just before 12:30 with two sandwiches and two bags of chips, one for Connie and one for Emma. Connie had insisted that Grace take the day off, since she worked extra hours on Friday, thanks to the funeral mix-up, and again on Saturday because of the limerick incident.

  “Thanks for lunch,” Connie said, unwrapping the turkey and swiss sandwich as if she hadn’t eaten in days.

  “No problem. You two have fun. Josh got called into work, so Victoria and I are going for a swim. I’ll be back in a couple of hours.”

  After eating their sandwiches, Connie cleaned off the table and pulled out some supplies, while Emma showed her what she had accomplished so far.

  As they were about to get started, a customer came through the door. Connie greeted the woman, told her a little about the shop, and pointed out the Fair Trade section. “You can read about our international artisans if you would like to learn more about them,” she said, pointing to the framed photos and biographies scattered throughout the section.

  While the customer was browsing, Connie reminded Emma of what she had
taught her last Thursday in class, then went to the register to ring up the customer, who chose a bracelet from Ecuador. Connie thanked her and returned to Emma, who was making decent progress.

  About 1:00, Connie’s cell phone rang, indicating that her sister was trying to reach her via FaceTime.

  Gianna was right on time.

  Connie had filled in her sister on Emma’s struggles adjusting to having Victoria in the family and asked her to call once she put her three-year-old twins, Hannah and Noah, down for a nap.

  “It’s my sister, Gianna. Would you like to meet her?”

  Emma nodded enthusiastically, so Connie pulled up a chair next to Emma and accepted the call.

  “Hi Gi, I’m here with Emma. She’d like to meet you.”

  “Hi sweetie, I’m Gianna,” Gi said, waving to Emma.

  Emma waved back. “Hi Gianna.”

  “I’m teaching Emma how to make a bracelet,” Connie said. Emma held up her creation for Gianna to see. “She is quite talented.”

  “You’re learning from the best,” Gianna said.

  Emma smiled.

  Connie said to Emma, “Gianna is not only my sister, she is one of my best friends. But it wasn’t always that way, was it Gi?”

  Both women laughed, and Gianna shook her head violently back and forth. “She used to torture me when we were kids.”

  “Yeah, sorry about that, sis. But you have to admit, it helped make you the strong, no-nonsense woman that you are today.”

  “Yeah, thanks for that,” Gi said, sarcastically.

  “I have a little sister, too. Her name is Victoria,” Emma said. “She’s cute but really needy. She always wants something. It’s kind of a drag sometimes. I can never be alone with my parents, and we always have to go home early.”

  Gianna looked thoughtfully at Emma across the fifteen hundred miles that separated them. “I can see how that would be a drag, especially when it’s thrown upon you all of a sudden.”

  “I don’t remember this,” Connie said, “but our parents tell us that I used to ask if we could send Gianna back when we were little.”