“No, sorry,” I said. “At the rate things have been going, I’ll have to start stocking up on a lot more emergency chocolate.”
“You sure are.” He dumped the contents of my purse on the table. “Maybe there’s some in here you forgot about.” Scooter sighed. “Nope, nothing.” He fiddled with my keys. “So was it high school kids who broke into Marjorie Jane originally, or was that Captain Dan?”
“No, Captain Dan had a key. He didn’t need to break in. That was Jack. Jack overheard Captain Dan talking on the phone with a prospective buyer for the compass. Jack told Sandy he was going to get to the compass before Captain Dan did, as payback. So he cut the padlock and searched the boat. That’s how that large winch handle ended up on the floor. He found it when he was tearing the boat apart. Crew-cut guy and his bearded friend must have left it behind when they unloaded the stolen goods.”
“Crew-cut guy and his bearded friend? Who are they?” Ben asked.
“A couple of local bad guys—Fred Rollins and Wayne Grimm. They helped Captain Dan and Jack fence the stolen marine equipment.”
“Oh, Fred and Wayne,” Ben said. “I know those guys. They hang out at the Tipsy Pirate.”
Penny folded her hands together. “Okay, so I understand now why Sandy killed Bob,” she said, sniffing slightly. “But why did she kill Jack?”
“Jack and Sandy had been having problems for years,” I said. Ned and Nancy nodded. “She couldn’t bear to be around him anymore. She blamed him for their money problems. And in her mind, Jack was the reason that things didn’t work out with Captain Dan. She snapped that night. When he got back from the police station, they had an argument on the dinghy dock. She hit him over the head with an oar, and he fell into the water. I’m not sure if she meant to kill him or not, but either way, he ended up dead.”
Nancy pursed her lips. “She tried to frame Ned for that,” she said angrily. She squeezed Ned’s hand. “Thankfully, you found that young couple who could vouch for his alibi.”
“That’s when Sandy really got desperate. She thought I was asking too many questions, so she decided I was going to be her next victim.”
Penny shivered. She zipped up her pink jacket. “I’m so sorry about that, Mollie. I should have known what she was up to. I should have checked that PFD she brought for you to use. I had no idea she had taken the cartridges out so it wouldn’t inflate.”
“It wasn’t your fault,” I said.
“But it happened on my boat,” Penny said. “She even undid the clasps on the lifelines so they’d be loose and you’d fall overboard.”
“You can’t blame yourself. She put sleeping pills in your lemonade.”
Nancy shook her head. “No one is to blame, especially not you. You just put that idea right out of your head. You hear me, Penny?”
Penny nodded, but I had a feeling it would take some time before she could forget the impact Captain Dan and Sandy had had on her life.
“What I want to know is what was in that Styrofoam cooler you found the night Jack was killed,” Ben said. “Was it beer?”
“No, Officer Moore told me it was full of illegally caught fish,” I said.
Ben reached for another beer. “I’ve heard rumors that there’s been some poaching happening lately.”
Ned frowned. “Where did you hear that?”
“At the Tipsy Pirate. Who knows if it’s true or not?” After cracking open his bottle of beer, Ben looked at me with a big grin. “Hey, maybe that’s what you should investigate next, Mollie—the case of the mysterious fish poachers.”
Scooter put his arm around my shoulders. “No way is Mollie getting involved in that. We have enough to keep ourselves busy with all of the boat projects we need to do on Marjorie Jane. She won’t have time for any more investigations. Isn’t that right?”
“Well, there still is the matter of the mysterious green and red lights I saw on the water last week. It could be a—”
Scooter interrupted. “That didn’t have anything to do with aliens. I’m sure those were navigation lights on a boat. They use them at night so you know which way other boats are going, and you don’t crash into each other.”
“Or were they?” I asked. “You’ll have to wait until I complete my report for FAROUT.”
“Another report?” Scooter asked.
“Yep, turns out Lola faked those pictures at Disneyland. Those weren’t aliens hiding in Sleeping Beauty Castle. Those pictures were from the annual staff Halloween party. Some of the guys dressed up as little green men, thinking it would impress Lola. That means the investigative reporter job is all mine now!”
AFTER THE BARBECUE, Scooter and I went back to Marjorie Jane for sundowners. “You wait here in the cockpit. I’ll go down and fix us some drinks,” I said. I listened to Scooter humming away happily to himself while I cut up a lime for the gin and tonics.
It was nice to see my husband so happy. He had received a call earlier in the day about a potential new business opportunity that had him excited about the future. Hopefully, that meant Marjorie Jane wouldn’t be occupying all his time anymore. With Scooter busy, I would be able to put my investigative skills to good use unraveling the case of the poached fish, or look for another story to pursue for FAROUT, or just enjoy a well-deserved rest. It would be a nice change from finding dead bodies. But tonight was for celebrating, not thinking about work.
“Here, take these,” I said, passing him the glasses and a bowl of potato chips. After he set everything down on the table, I told him to close his eyes. “I’ve got a surprise for you,” I said as I set his present in his lap. “Okay, you can open your eyes.”
“But this is a cat,” he said.
“Not just any cat. This is your cat—Mrs. Moto. She’s my belated anniversary present to you. Remember how you surprised me with Marjorie Jane? You told me that I’d love having a sailboat?” Scooter reluctantly nodded while the calico nudged his hand. “Well, now I’m surprising you with your very own cat. See, I even put a ribbon around her neck. You’re going to love her.”
Scooter sighed. I think he knew that I had beaten him at his own game. “Welcome aboard, Mrs. Moto,” he said, scratching under her chin.
“Speaking of surprises, what was in that navy-blue tote bag you had the day you first showed me Marjorie Jane? You said it was something for me.”
Scooter handed Mrs. Moto to me. “I can’t believe I forgot all about that. The bag is somewhere here on the boat.” He went down below and searched for a few minutes before coming back up and triumphantly presenting me with the tote bag. “Have a look in there.”
I pulled out a couple of sailing magazines, a water bottle, and a sweatshirt. At the very bottom of the bag was a small velvet jewelry box. “Is this what I think it is?” I asked.
“Go on, open it.” And there it was, my very own diamond necklace. I took it out of the box and looked at the pendant. “I meant to give this to you on the day we bought Marjorie Jane. See the diamond at the top of the lighthouse? It’s meant to represent the light that they shine to guide mariners safely into port. Lighthouses are a symbol of the way forward. I can’t imagine going forward in life without you by my side,” Scooter said as he put the necklace around my neck.
Yeah, he really did say that. Kind of mushy, but sometimes you need a little mushiness. As we sat in the cockpit with Mrs. Moto by our side, watching the sun go down, I realized that I just might be able to get used to this sailing life.
MOLLIE'S SAILING TIPS
I ASKED MOLLIE IF SHE wouldn't mind sharing a few sailing tips with us. She thought about it for a few minutes while scratching Mrs. Moto behind the ears, then said, “Here's my tip—don't buy a boat.”
After I explained that our readers were probably hoping for a bit more than that, she finally relented and offered up the following advice on sailing terminology.
Sailing Terminology as Explained by Mollie
SAILORS HAVE SOME SORT of secret language which I have a hard time understanding. To help
you out, here are some common boat terms and definitions.
Starboard & Port—It would be far too easy to use “right” and “left,” so sailors say “starboard” and “port” instead. Sheesh. I've got enough problems telling my right from my left as it is.
Bow & Stern—“Bow” refers to the front of the boat, “stern” to the back. Anything near the bow is referred to as “forward,” anything near the stern is referred to as “aft.” Personally, I prefer “bows” on presents, not boats.
Aft Cabin—When I think of “cabins,” the image of a log house in the middle of the woods comes to mind. But, on a boat, a “cabin” is basically a room. We have an “aft cabin” on our boat which we use as our bedroom.
V-Berth—The cabin at the front of the boat. It's named after the pointy part of the boat which is shaped like the letter V. Some people sleep in their V-berths. I don't think Scooter would want to do that after what happened on our boat.
Winch—To be honest, I still haven't figured out exactly how these work. Scooter says that it will make sense once we take our boat out sailing. All I know is that it's used to pull ropes in or out so that you can adjust the sails.
Lines—Scooter just read what I wrote and said that there's only one rope on a boat and it's the one attached to the ship's bell. All other ropes are referred to as “lines.”
Companionway—Entryway that leads from the cockpit down below to the main cabin. I'm not sure why they're called “companionways.” These things are narrow. It's hard enough to fit one person through them let alone you and a companion.
Washboards—Wooden slats that you use to board up the companionway. Some people secure them with a padlock, which unfortunately isn't a match for a determined thief with bolt-cutters.
Lifelines—A wire or cable that runs alongside the deck and is supported by stanchions. It's kind of like a guardrail that is supposed to keep you from falling overboard. My personal experience would say otherwise.
Stanchion—A pole that sticks up from the deck. When you're trying to get around on deck in the dark, it's quite possible you'll run into one of these and get yourself a “boat bite.”
Boat Bites—This is what sailors call bruises. If you're going to spend any amount of time on a boat, you're bound to get a few boat bites. There are tons of things to trip over and stumble into.
PFD (personal flotation device)—These give you buoyancy so that you can float in the water. They're sometimes called “life jackets” or “life vests.” Some have a CO2 cartridge inside which allows the PFD to automatically inflate when you hit the water. At least that's the theory.
VHF Radio—VHF stands for “very high frequency.” This is basically some sort of walkie-talkie that you use to communicate with other boats and call for help. If a murderer is on the loose, having a working one of these sure would be handy.
Galley—A ridiculously small space that you're supposed to cook meals in. Thankfully, we can always grab a bite to eat at the Sailor's Corner Cafe or Alligator Chuck's BBQ Joint instead.
Sundowner—This is one of the few sailing terms that makes sense to me. It refers to a drink that you have when the sun goes down. It doesn't matter what you drink—although we're partial to gin and tonics—just sit back in the cockpit of your boat with your sundowner in hand and enjoy the sunset.
AUTHOR'S NOTE & ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR reading my book! If you enjoyed it, I'd be grateful if you would consider leaving a short review on the site where you purchased it. Reviews help other readers find my books and encourage me to keep writing.
My experiences buying our first sailboat with my husband in New Zealand (followed by our second sailboat in the States), learning how to sail, and living aboard our boats inspired me to write the Mollie McGhie Sailing Mysteries. There's a little bit of Mollie in me.
Be on the lookout for the next book in the series, Bodies in the Boatyard, which will be released in late 2018. You can sign up for my free newsletter to receive updates at: http://eepurl.com/dpy5sv.
I want to thank my wonderful beta readers who were so generous with their time, graciously reading earlier drafts and providing insightful and thoughtful feedback: Alexandra Palcic, Angela Wooldridge, Duwan Dunn, Elizabeth Seckman, Greg Sifford, Liesbet Collaert, Rebecca Douglass, and Tyrean Martinson.
I have been amazed at how supportive the online writing community has been to me during my journey to becoming a published author. I'm especially grateful to the Insecure Writer's Support Group and the Women Who Sail Who Write Facebook group.
The followers of my blog, The Cynical Sailor, have been a huge source of inspiration. Their kind words and encouragement motivated me to publish my first book. I've been fortunate to have made good friends (both virtual and in-person) through the blogging community.
Many thanks to Chris Brogden at EnglishGeek Editing (englishgeekediting.com) for his keen eye, thoughtful edits, and support.
Most of all, I want to thank my family for their support and encouragement. My mother enjoys cozy mysteries and first gave me the idea of writing one of my own. My sister's love of books and her work at her local library inspires my writing. I have two wonderful nieces whose enjoyment of reading reminds me that imagination is something we should nourish in young people. My husband, in particular, played a huge role in turning Murder at the Marina from an idea bubbling away in my imagination into a published book, reviewing endless drafts and providing feedback at every stage of the writing process.
Any many, many thanks to all of my readers. Your support and encouragement means everything.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
ELLEN JACOBSON IS A writer who lives aboard a 34-foot sailboat, s/v Tickety Boo, with her husband. Her cozy mystery series, The Mollie McGhie Sailing Mysteries, featuring a reluctant sailor turned amateur sleuth, is inspired by her own sailing adventures and misadventures.
In addition to murder mysteries, she also enjoys writing scifi and fantasy stories. When she isn't killing off characters, creating imaginary worlds, working on boat projects, or seeking out deserted islands, she blogs about her travel adventures and daily life living aboard a sailboat at thecynicalsailor.blogspot.com.
If you want updates on current and future releases, please see her website at: ellenjacobsonauthor.com and sign up for her free newsletter at: http://eepurl.com/dpy5sv.
You can also follow along on Twitter: @Ellen__Jacobson and Facebook: @EllenJacobsonAuthor.
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