Emma laughed. Then her expression grew serious. “Sometimes I feel that way, too.”
“I get that it’s a big change for you, honey,” Connie said. “But I’m so glad we didn’t send Gi back. Sometimes the best blessings in life don’t feel like blessings at all in the beginning. We have to grow into the really big ones.”
“Connie’s right,” Gianna said. “I didn’t like getting bossed around as a kid, but now, I couldn’t imagine my life without Connie. A sister is someone who will always be there for you to listen and share your dreams. I always looked up to Connie, and, believe me, you’ll need someone to take your parents’ focus off you when you get a little older.”
“Hmmm, I never thought of it that way. Do you think Victoria will look up to me when we’re older?”
“She already does,” Connie said. “That’s why she copies everything you do. Being a big sister is a huge responsibility. You have an impressionable little mind watching everything you do.”
Emma appeared to consider this possibility.
“Sometimes I just need some space, though,” she said. “She’s literally always there.”
“I’ll tell you what,” Connie said. “Whenever you need to get away, you can come to Just Jewelry. We can work on jewelry, or you can play with Ginger - whatever you want. And when I hire more employees, we can even go to the beach sometimes or out for ice cream. Don’t be afraid to tell your Mom when you need to get away. She’ll understand.”
Emma almost knocked Connie out of her seat with a hug. “Thanks, Connie.”
They finished their conversation with Gianna, and Connie promised to call soon to speak with the twins.
After they hung up, Emma went back to work on her bracelet. She appeared to be thinking while she worked and a few minutes later, she suddenly looked at Connie. “Did you and Gianna plan this conversation so you could try to convince me that I should give Victoria another chance?”
Connie put both hands in the air and laughed. “Okay, you caught me, I asked Gi to call when I knew you’d be here. But it’s only because I care about you, and I want you and Victoria to be as close as Gi and I are.”
Emma smiled. “I’ll think about it.”
“Fair enough,” Connie said. “That’s all I ask. And I meant it. I know what it’s like to need to get away from your baby sister for a little while. You are welcome here any time. We big sisters have to stick together.”
Just then, a young couple walked through the door.
“Emma, do you remember what I said to the last lady who came?”
“About the Fair Trade items and the artisans?”
Connie nodded.
“Yes, I think so.”
“Why don’t you handle these customers then. That way, you can help me in the shop when you visit.”
Emma jumped up and greeted the couple in her most professional tone. Connie stood a few yards behind Emma for moral support. To Connie’s surprise, Emma gave them the spiel just as well as Connie could have, but with some added cuteness. She peeked over her shoulder for confirmation that she had done it right, and Connie nodded and winked.
When the woman bought a couple of pairs of earrings, Connie instructed Emma on how to wrap the jewelry in tissue paper and place it in a bag.
“That was fun,” Emma said as the customers were leaving.
By the time Elyse returned with Victoria, Emma was running the show, with a little backup from Connie on the cash register. Her demeanor had changed, and she even gave Victoria a hug upon seeing her.
Emma told Elyse about all the things she had learned, but refused to show her the progress she had made on the bracelet. Connie and Emma had worked out a little surprise, and Emma swore Connie to secrecy.
As they left, Elyse mouthed, “Thank you.”
Connie was thrilled that she could help. Who knew, maybe in a few years, she could employ young Emma.
Chapter 16
On Monday morning, Connie arrived at Just Jewelry, disengaged the alarm, and tidied up the shop before flipping the sign on her front door to say “open.” She was painfully aware that there were only four days left until her class would meet again, and she had been hoping their last session would feel like friends reuniting for a final visit. But the unsolved murder looming over their heads greatly diminished the warm and fuzzy feeling she hoped to engender. Under the circumstances, she wouldn’t be surprised if nobody showed up.
Connie tried to remain optimistic, but she was having trouble maintaining a cheerful demeanor. When Grace’s shift ended after lunch, Connie thought she was leaving for the day. But she was surprised to see her return a few minutes later with a large cup of mint chocolate chip ice cream.
“I love that you’re trying to cheer me up with ice cream,” Connie said. “But it’s not like I just had a bad date! If word gets out that a man was murdered with my pliers, and that I have a killer in my jewelry-making class, Just Jewelry is toast.”
Grace put an affectionate arm around Connie’s shoulders. “I know ice cream doesn’t solve everything,” she said, “but it won’t make things any worse.”
It was hard to argue with that logic. Connie offered a spoon to Grace, but she refused.
“It’s all for you, honey. I have some errands to run.”
And with that, Grace was out the door, like an ice cream-bearing superhero.
Connie brought her ice cream and her laptop over to the table. With no solid leads on the case, she decided to do an online search for Allister McCue to see if she could come up with anything besides work that would connect him to anyone who was in her class.
It quickly became evident that Allister was a prolific academic writer. There were numerous links to articles he authored, and she even came across a few book reviews. Connie clicked on one of the reviews and was brought to a blog. It seems Allister had a personal blog where he reviewed books.
She scanned through several of them and quickly discovered that Allister wasn’t afraid to tear books, or authors, apart. It crossed Connie’s mind that someone may have killed him over a terrible review. If he broke someone’s career, that could be motive for murder. But since the killer had to have had access to Connie’s pliers, and nothing pointed to anyone in the class, she dismissed that idea and moved on.
She also came across his biography on the university’s website, which noted he was a member of the Admissions Committee. Didn’t Paige say that Mary Ann’s son was denied admission to Florida Sands? If Allister was to blame, that might explain the hatred that Mary Ann had for him.
The sound of the door chime pulled Connie from her thoughts. It was Isabel. She looked like she’d been through the ringer, but Connie wasn’t surprised. Allister’s death certainly turned what could have been a quiet summer on campus into a trying one.
Connie closed out her internet search and greeted Isabel, then went out back to retrieve her rain jacket.
“I would have dropped this by the college,” Connie said, handing her the jacket. “You didn’t have to come all the way here.”
“It’s no problem at all,” Isabel said. “I was actually looking for an excuse to get off campus for a little while, and I remembered that I still hadn’t picked it up.”
“You’re just in time,” Connie said. “We’re supposed to get thundershowers today.”
“We get thundershowers every day this time of year,” she said playfully.
“Very true.”
As Isabel was about to leave, Connie decided it might be her only chance to find out about Mary Ann’s son.
“Isabel, I haven’t been able to get Allister’s untimely death off my mind. It really bothers me that he was killed with my pliers.”
“I hope you don’t think that anyone in the English Department blames you for what happened,” she said. “There is no way you could have known that someone would steal your pliers.”
Even though she knew it wasn’t her fault, hearing Isabel’s words still made her feel better. Connie shook her head. �
�It’s not that. Like everyone else, I’m sure, I just want justice to be served.”
“I’m sure the police will get to the bottom of it. From what I hear, they are still following up on leads.”
“There’s just something that’s been bothering me,” Connie said. “I understand that Mary Ann’s son was denied admission to Florida Sands, and I understand that Allister was on the Admissions Committee.”
Connie could tell by Isabel’s expression that she understood the direction Connie was going in with her questions. The look of understanding on her face was replaced with one of contemplation.
“I never thought of that, Connie, but yes, it’s true. Allister was influential in Ian being denied admission.”
“Did Mary Ann know that?” Connie asked. “I would imagine those proceedings would be confidential.”
“They should have been,” Isabel said. “But one time Allister was in my office talking about how poor Ian’s writing skills were and how he wasn’t bright enough for Florida Sands. I defended him, saying he wasn’t applying to be an English major, but Allister was being a jerk.” She let out a deep breath. “He didn’t realized Mary Ann was seated at her desk. We weren’t positive that she heard what he said but, from that point on, her attitude toward him changed. It was as if she couldn’t stand to be in the same room with him. She tried to hide the fact that she was disappointed he got tenure, but it was obvious that she was hoping he would be denied and would go somewhere else.”
Connie remembered how Mary Ann looked like someone had punched her in the gut while Allister was praising the high caliber of students at Florida Sands. Had she killed him in retribution?
“I’d better get going,” Isabel said, folding her raincoat over her arm. “It’s been a long day, and I have a lot to get done this afternoon.”
When Isabel left, Connie sat on the couch, where she could people-watch through the front window. She was pleasantly surprised to see Elyse stroll down the sidewalk and into Just Jewelry.
“What brings you by this time of day?” Connie asked. By late afternoon, Elyse was usually still working or with her girls.
“I just finished a showing nearby and thought I’d stop by before picking up Victoria from daycare and Emma from volleyball camp.”
“In that case,” Connie said, “I made some of my famous lemonade that you love so much. I’ll get us a couple of glasses.”
“Perfect,” Elyse said, as she let herself drop onto the sofa. “I could use a pick-me-up.”
Connie poured two tall glasses of her famous lemonade, which consisted of the perfect combination of watermelon and lemon juice. It was one of Connie’s favorite healthy mid-afternoon drinks. She brought them out, along with some cocktail napkins, on a white tray with painted hydrangeas.
“Ooh, fancy,” Elyse said. She took a long sip, then placed it on the tray, which Connie had put on top of the coffee table. “I wanted to thank you for talking to Emma on Sunday. Things aren’t perfect, but I’m noticing a definite difference in her behavior towards Victoria.”
It boosted Connie’s confidence to know that she had helped to solve at least one problem this week. “She’ll find her way. She just needs time to adjust. Emma’s a good kid with a good heart.”
Elyse smiled and nodded. “How are you doing? Are you still planning to hold the second session of your jewelry-making class on Thursday night?”
“I’m not sure who will come, but I’ll be here for whoever would like to attend. I’d be surprised if anyone from Florida Sands shows up, though.”
“Well, I will definitely be taking Emma and Gertrude. Emma is excited about finishing her bracelet. She won’t show it to me until it’s finished.”
“Yes, she has a little surprise planned, but you won’t get any information from me,” she said, pretending to zip her mouth and throw away the key.
Elyse laughed. “I wouldn’t dream of it.”
“I was hoping the police would have made an arrest by now,” Connie said.
“I know. Me, too. How is your investigation going?”
“Slowly,” Connie said. She filled Elyse in on what Isabel said when she came by.
“So, who is your strongest suspect?” Elyse asked. “Now that we know it’s not Jerry,” she added with a chuckle.
Connie recounted her conversation with Isabel. “This makes Mary Ann an obvious suspect. If she was angry enough at Allister for contributing to her son being denied admission, it could be her.”
“Have you crossed Abby or Paige off your list?” Elyse asked.
Connie shook her head. “Between Abby’s plagiarism and Allister dating Paige’s mother, they both had a motive.”
“So, besides those three,” Elyse said, “the only other person it could be is Isabel.”
“Pretty much. According to Abby, there were signs that Allister wanted her job.”
“It’s not the strongest motive, but people have killed for less,” Elyse said.
They sipped their lemonade in silence for a few minutes and gazed out the window, watching passersby, until, suddenly, dark clouds moved aggressively across the sky.
“I think that’s my cue,” Elyse said, placing her empty glass on the tray. “If I don’t want to get drenched, I’d better leave now.”
Chapter 17
On Tuesday morning, Abby called.
“I’m so sorry to have to tell you this but, given everything that happened with Dr. McCue, our group is going to discontinue the jewelry-making class. I, for one, plan to come in to finish my necklace at some point this week, but Isabel decided that, given the circumstances, it wouldn’t be appropriate to complete the class.”
A wave of disappointment came over Connie when she heard the news. She pretty much expected that the group would cancel, but she couldn’t help but feel disheartened. Her first jewelry-making class was officially a bust.
“Thank you for the call,” Connie said, trying to hide her regret. “Come by anytime to work on your necklace.”
Abby promised to stop in soon.
Connie sat facing her Wall of Fame and leaned her arms against the sturdy oak table. After her grand opening, she had created a collage of framed photos of friends and loved ones, whom she considered to be part of the Just Jewelry family, and dubbed it the Wall of Fame. It included pictures of her Aunt Concetta, her family back in Boston, Natasha, and friends and customers in Sapphire Beach. All the people in this world and some in heaven, whom she least wanted to disappoint, seemed to be looking back at her with pity.
“I’ll figure something out,” she said, speaking to the group as if it were assembled in her shop. “This is not going ruin my dream.”
She scooped up Ginger, who apparently came to the front of the shop to see who she was talking to, and placed her on her lap. As she stroked the silky fur on top of Ginger’s head, she tried to look on the bright side. She still had Gertrude, Emma, and Jerry. That is, if Jerry didn’t cancel. But she held out hope, since he had a gift to complete for his wife. Besides, he might welcome the chance to get his mind of his brother’s death.
Connie had been so lost in thought that she jumped when she heard the ringtone on her cell phone. It was her second favorite detective.
“Hi, Josh.”
“Connie, I’m glad I caught you. I would like you to look at some evidence we found at the crime scene. There is something we are hoping you might be able to shed some light on.”
“I’d be happy to.” Anything to help get this murder solved.
“Can you come down to the station?”
“I’m sorry, but I’m alone all day in the store, and there’s nobody to cover for me. If it’s time sensitive, you could come here.”
“Okay, I’ll be there as soon as I can,” he said.
About an hour later, both Josh and Zach were sitting at the table in her shop. She didn’t expect to see Zach. After all, it only took one person to show her some evidence.
Before Josh had a chance to pull out the photos, Connie asked,
“Can you tell me if you’re close to making an arrest?” After the group from Florida Sands pulled out of her class, she was more anxious than ever to have the case solved.
“We can’t discuss the details of the case, but we are still exploring leads,” Zach said, still all official in his demeanor. If she wasn’t mistaken, he looked nervous.
“As you can imagine, people are dropping out of my class. Is there anything you can tell me? Does anyone in the class have an alibi?” She was hoping to cross at least someone off her list.
Josh and Zach exchanged a mischievous glance. “Of the people who were in your class, I’m happy to say that Elyse, Emma, Gertrude, and Grace all went for ice cream. After that, Gertrude and Grace talked into the evening. So, they are all off the hook.”
“Well, that’s good to know,” Connie said, matching their sarcasm. “I was afraid that Gertrude and Emma were a dangerous duo.”
Zach shot her an amused look.
“You guys know what I mean,” Connie said, happy to see they had both relaxed.
“We can tell you that Jerry had a solid alibi, which you know courtesy of Gertrude’s follies,” Josh said.
Connie had to laugh. “That was hilarious. You should have been there when Jerry walked into what we thought was his wake.”
“What I wouldn’t give to have been a fly on the wall,” Zach said, laughing.
“Anyone else?” Connie asked.
“It turns out that Paige had an alibi after all,” Zach said. “The preliminary autopsy report determined that the time of death was approximately 11:00 PM. She lives in an off-campus apartment, and when we originally tried to check her alibi, nobody could verify that she was at home. But her next-door neighbor, another student who had been out of town for the night when we initially tried to reach her, was able to vouch for Paige. She saw hers return home at 10:00, and she said Paige’s car was still in her parking spot when she went to bed after midnight. Of the four from Florida Sands, Paige is the only one with an alibi.”
Connie was glad to hear that. Paige was a kind young woman with a promising future, and she was happy to know she wasn’t the killer. “So that leaves Abby, Mary Ann, and Isabel,” Connie said.
Sapphire Beach Cozy Mystery Collection Page 45
