by Thea Cambert
“I assumed so, too,” said Alice, handing the customer her book in a tote bag with The Paper Owl’s logo on the front. “There are tons of them here for the weekend.”
The woman nodded. “I found out all about the conference when we got to town and tried to get a room at the Valley Inn. It’s booked solid with doctors.”
“You know what bugged me most about that woman? She seemed to be sizing me up. I know that sounds crazy, but she kept looking me up and down and sneering.” Alice scoffed. “I probably just imagined that. I’m being silly.”
“No, you’re not,” said Franny. “Hopefully, she was a one-time customer.”
“Oh, I doubt she’d want to come back to this shop,” said Alice. “You could’ve cut the disdain with a knife.”
“Well, I think you handled the situation very well,” said the customer, smiling over her shoulder as she opened the door and headed back out to Main Street.
“Thank you!” Alice called after her.
“She was nice,” said Franny.
“Thank goodness most customers are.”
The bells on the front door jingled again as Ben came in. He held the door for Alice’s last few customers—in this case, a couple with a baby strapped to the dad’s belly. Ben smiled at the little family as they left the shop, and Alice knew exactly what her brother was thinking when he turned his gaze to Franny.
“That could be you two someday,” Alice said with a grin.
Franny giggled. “We have to get married first.”
“We’re in our thirties now.” Alice wiggled her eyebrows at Franny. “Don’t wait too long.”
“You should talk!” said Franny.
Franny and Alice were both thirty and had been friends since the tender age of twelve, when Franny’s family moved to Blue Valley. Alice had been relieved to find a kindred spirit in the midst of middle school, and they’d been inseparable ever since. Owen, also thirty, had arrived in town six years ago, fresh out of culinary school in Nashville, and his amazing breads, cookies, and pastries had set him on the fast track to becoming a beloved citizen of Blue Valley.
“What should Alice talk about? Fill me in.” Owen had just walked through the door at the back of The Paper Owl. The door—fashioned to look like just another bookshelf —led to the hallway that housed the staircase to their apartments. The hallway itself ran behind all three shops, and Alice had been beside herself with excitement when she’d recently had her door remodeled to be a functioning bookshelf.
“The fact that the clock is ticking just as much for her as it is for me,” said Franny.
“The clock? Oh! You mean, The Clock,” said Owen, nodding in understanding. “I don’t have a clock myself, but I’m definitely looking forward to spoiling all your children someday.”
“Okay, enough talk about babies,” Alice said.
“Good. Don’t you two have someplace to be? I mean, some training to do? That regatta’s not going to win itself, now is it?” said Owen.
“He’s right, Alice,” said Ben. “We’ve only got today and tomorrow. We need to get over to the lake.”
“I’ll go change,” said Alice, jogging to the back of the shop.
“Good!” Ben called after her. “Because Maguires’ Magnificent Maelstrom Vortex waits for no one!”
“Who came up with that name for your boat, anyway?” Owen hopped up to sit on the counter and crossed his ankles. “I mean, aren’t a maelstrom and a vortex basically the same thing?”
“Yes,” Alice said, opening the bookcase door. “But, we don’t care.”
“That’s right,” said Ben. “The other boats better watch out for a storm when we blow them all out of the water Saturday morning.”
“Pretty sure you’ll win again this year?” asked Owen.
“Are you kidding? We’ve got the boat. The maneuvers. The tenacity. We’ve won seven years running,” said Ben. “It’s in the bag,”
“We’re not letting go of the Champion’s Cup for anything,” said Alice, giving her brother an air high-five.
Chapter 3
“We’ll decorate the Maelstrom tomorrow night,” said Ben, snapping the buckles of his lifejacket.
“Get her all ship-shape?” asked Alice with a giggle, as she pulled the tarp off the boat.
“Very funny.”
They were standing on Ben’s dock, just in front of his little house. The pedal boat, which was bobbing up and down with the choppy waves the breeze was sending across the water’s surface, was shiny and black, and bore the words Maelstrom Vortex in gold letters across the back, along with a picture of a wicked-looking horned Viking helmet.
“Little north wind tonight. That’s good,” said Ben. “Training in the wind will give us a competitive edge.”
“I hope we have some real competition this year,” said Alice. “It’s boring to win the regatta with too much of a lead.”
Ben and Alice each unhooked one of the carabiners from the two metal rings attached to the dock for the purpose of mooring a pedal boat. They’d been pedaling boats across Blue Lake since childhood, when the family would come out to spend summer Saturdays swimming and picnicking. Alice would never forget the year their dad, Martin Maguire, had taken them out for their first boat ride from the little marina on the lake next to the town dock. The marina, truth be told, was more of a fishing shack, stocked with plenty of bamboo poles and hooks and home to a fleet of a dozen well-maintained pedal boats that were brought into the water every summer and packed safely away every winter.
Ben had decided way back when they were kids that he would someday have his own place on the lake and had never wavered in his resolve to find just the right spot along the shoreline. Alice loved it that Luke had also purchased a cabin just a short distance from Ben’s house, and that she could walk between the two houses via a path that wound through the trees. It made her even happier that Ben and Luke were not only colleagues at the police station, but good friends as well.
“Okay, ready to launch?” Ben asked, stepping into the boat.
“Yep,” said Alice, following her brother aboard. As she took her seat, Alice noticed a small movement down the shoreline, toward the town dock. “Hold it. What’s that?” She reached out to still Ben’s legs mid-pedal.
“What’s what?” asked Ben, looking in the direction of Alice’s focus. “Oh. I see it. Not sure . . .”
“I think it might be a dog,” said Alice. “But, it’s not moving at all. Is it a statue of a dog?”
“A statue of a dog at the edge of the lake?” Ben said. “Right, Alice.” He let out a little snort and shook his head.
“It is dog-shaped,” Alice insisted. “Let’s pedal over.”
“Fine,” said Ben. “I can tell, you won’t be able to focus until we do.”
They pedaled out into the water, hung a sharp left, and followed the arc of the shoreline toward the town dock. Soon, the dog statue came into clearer view—except that it wasn’t a statue at all.
“He just wagged his tail!” said Alice. “It’s a real dog!”
“What’s he doing out here all alone?” asked Ben, turning the rudder to steer them to shore.
The little black and white border collie gave Ben and Alice a quick wag of his tail as they dragged the pedal boat up onto the shore, then returned his gaze to the water.
“Poor little guy,” said Alice, reaching out a tentative hand to stroke the dog’s silky head. “Where’s your family?”
She looked out at the water, but there wasn’t another boat in sight, and the little dog refused to take his eyes off the lake. He did give Alice a grateful lick when she tried to comfort him.
“Sure hope his owner’s not out swimming in this wind,” said Ben, scanning the lake.
“Can we take him home?” asked Alice. “We can’t leave him here all alone.”
“Why don’t we go ahead and practice, give his family a chance to come back, and then when we’re done, if he’s still here, we’ll take him to my house. I’ll make a
few calls to try to find his owner.”
“Okay,” said Alice, giving the dog one last pat on the head. “Now, don’t be afraid. We’ll be right back,” she assured him.
But, when she and Ben got back into the boat, they were surprised that the little dog jumped in after them. He seemed intent upon ensconcing himself on the deck that ran along the stern end of the boat. He sat up straight on full alert, like a furry ship’s captain.
“Well, the extra weight will add resistance,” Ben reasoned as they backed out into the water and turned about.
They picked up speed, pedaling out toward the center of the lake, when the dog jumped up suddenly and began barking. It was then that Alice noticed his green collar had a silver tag dangling from it that had been tucked into his long hair. She squinted into the setting sunlight, straining to read the tag.
“Finn! His name is Finn!” said Alice.
“Hey, Finn, what’s wrong, boy?” asked Ben, who’d stopped pedaling and turned around in his seat to pet the agitated dog.
Suddenly, Finn leapt into the water and began swimming further out toward the center of the lake.
“Hit it, Alice!” Ben said, and they sped off after the dog. They soon caught up and pulled Finn safely back into the boat. Ben opened a small storage compartment between the seats and pulled out a towel, which Alice wrapped around Finn.
“What on earth?” Alice scanned the water’s surface in the direction Finn had been so determined to go. “Oh, my gosh, Ben. What’s that?”
Ben looked where Alice was pointing.
“I don’t know. It looks like—” He stopped short and swallowed.
“It looks like a body,” said Alice.
Chapter 4
It took them some time and a great deal of effort, but within half an hour, Alice and Ben had managed to drag the body of a woman aboard the Maelstrom while avoiding toppling over into the water themselves or losing hold of Finn.
“This is heartbreaking,” said Alice sadly. “This must be Finn’s owner.”
Finn, apparently satisfied that his work was done, sat close to Alice, quietly looking at the motionless form of the drowned woman who lay face-down across the back deck of the boat.
“You brought your cell, didn’t you? Give Luke a call. Tell him to meet us on the shore.”
Alice quickly made the call, shakily telling Luke what had happened, and then she and Ben pedaled furiously to shore—which wasn’t hard with the wind now at their backs.
Alice felt a wave of relief when she saw Luke in the distance, running over from the direction of his cabin. The moment they brushed the shoreline, Ben stood and climbed over the front of the boat, jumping down into calf-deep water to pull it ashore.
Alice waved at Luke, who was getting closer. “Luke!” she called. “Thank goodness!”
“What’s going on?” he called back.
At the sound of Luke’s voice, Finn instantly jumped up and leaped over the front of the boat, landing nimbly on the pebbled ground, and took off running until he met Luke with a wagging tail and soft whimpering noises.
Luke looked momentarily stunned, then bent down to hug the dog.
“Finn!” he said. “What are you doing here?”
Alice climbed out of the boat, and Finn ran excitedly between her and Luke, as if introducing them to one another.
“You know this little guy?” asked Alice.
“We’ve got a body. Looks like a drowning victim,” said Ben, pulling the boat even further onto the shore and going around the side to carefully carry the dead woman to a grassy area where he laid her down.
Alice saw the woman’s face for the first time and gasped. “I know her! I mean, I’ve seen her before. She was in my shop yesterday.”
“Really?” asked Ben. “Do you know her name? Did she buy anything?”
Alice suddenly felt dizzy and braced herself against Ben’s side. “She was . . . She was very rude, actually.” She looked at Luke and saw that he’d turned as white as a ghost. “Wait a minute,” she said slowly. “How do you know this dog?”
“This is . . .” Luke looked sadly at the dead woman, then at Alice. “This is Alexandra Darlington. She’s an ER doctor at Tennessee General Hospital. In Nashville.”
“You knew her?” asked Alice, her heart in her throat.
“She’s . . . She was my ex-fiancé. And this,” he looked down at Finn, who sat obediently at his feet. “This is Finn. He was our dog.”
Chapter 5
Alice had never been so glad to walk out onto her rooftop garden. She flicked a switch and hundreds of twinkle lights came on, illuminating the dusky evening and all of the many plants. It was unseasonably cool for a Tennessee summer night. Alice considered anything below sixty-five degrees downright chilly this time of year—but, to be fair, she required a light sweater even at seventy-five degrees.
“This calls for cake,” said Owen, who emerged from his apartment with a sympathetic look on his face.
“You heard?” asked Alice.
“I told him. Ben called,” said Franny, coming out of her own apartment with three steaming mugs. “I’m so sorry, Alice.” Franny set the mugs down on the café table.
Alice was pleasantly surprised when she took a sip and realized the drink was hot chocolate—Franny’s special recipe, which was swirled with marshmallow cream.
Owen set a bakery box from Sourdough on the table as well. “Wedding cake ideas,” he said, opening the box to reveal a dozen tiny cakes—three each of four different varieties.
“Oh, I need that,” said Alice, taking a deep breath and savoring the smells of frosting and freshly baked, moist cake.
“But first tell us all about it,” said Owen. “What happened out at the lake?”
Alice told them about meeting Finn on the shore and pedaling out, and the shock of finding Alexandra Darlington’s body.
Franny laid a hand on Alice’s arm. “How are you feeling about . . . all of this?”
“Confused,” said Alice. “I don’t know what to think. I’m torn between feeling oddly insecure, knowing that Luke’s ex was a beautiful ER doctor, feeing horrified that she drowned right here in Blue Valley, and feeling upset that Luke cancelled our date Wednesday night—and has been acting strangely. I mean, did he cancel on me to see her?” Alice sighed. “It’s not as though I can logically be jealous of a dead woman. And, I know it’s petty to even have these thoughts. I just . . . feel rattled by this whole thing.”
“Understandable,” said Owen. “But, Luke is a good guy. Anyone who’s ever seen the way he looks at you knows he’s crazy about you.”
“No doubt,” Franny agreed.
“He talked to Ben and me tonight, while we were waiting for the ambulance. About how he first fell in love with Alexandra—how she’d seemed funny and smart and kind. They met during her residency at Tennessee General.”
Alice told them how Luke had said that Alexandra—or Allie, as he’d called her—had graduated at the top of her class and been awarded a prestigious post at the best hospital in the state. How she’d changed over time, to be more concerned with her career and getting ahead than with her relationships. He’d said he wasn’t even sure when she’d stopped loving him—that he sort of just got lost in the shuffle of it all.
“I guess time will tell how this all pans out,” said Alice, slumping into her chair.
“In the meantime,” said Owen. “Take a bite of this.”
He handed out the first cake sample. “This is a vanilla cake with pecan praline buttercream frosting and a dark chocolate ganache filling.”
“Oh, my gosh.” Franny moaned in pleasure. “That is amazing.”
“Owen, this is fantastic.” Alice licked a stray glob of frosting off her finger.
“This is the one,” said Franny, taking another bite. “It’s perfect.”
“No, it isn’t,” said Owen, scrutinizing his own bite. “I’m not quite happy with it. Let’s try this one.” He took out the next set of mini-cakes.
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br /> “Wow! Oh, this is it!” said Franny, closing her eyes as she chewed.
“This is an almond cake with salted caramel-laced buttercream, topped with a layer of caramel-amaretto fondant,” said Owen, thoughtfully tasting the cake.
“I love this one,” said Alice.
“Nope, this isn’t the one,” said Owen. He passed around a third sample. “Raspberry-filled white chocolate topped with milk chocolate macarons.”
Alice bit into the crisp macaron on the top of her little cake. Her eyes widened. “It’s fabulous, Owen! I mean, I would get married just to have this cake!”
“Try this one,” Owen said, taking out the fourth and final sample of the evening. “It’s a pink champagne cake, layered with fresh strawberries, and covered in vanilla bean buttercream.”
“Owen, I can’t decide!” said Franny. “These are amazing. I love them all!”
“Oh, I know they’re amazing,” Owen said with a frown. “But, these aren’t . . . Franny enough. I’ll keep working on it.”
“Well, if you want to keep baking cakes, I’ll be glad to keep tasting them,” said Alice, taking a sip of hot chocolate and snuggling back into her chair. “And, you were right: I do feel a little better now.”
“Alice!” a voice from below the garden called.
“Who—” Owen jumped up and peered over the building’s twinkle light-lined façade. “It’s Luke. He’s standing down on Main Street.”
Alice hurried to Owen’s side and peeked down. “Luke? What are you doing down there?”
“Wherefore art thou, Luke?” Owen called in his best and most dramatic British accent. “Deny the father and refuse—"
“Can it, Owen,” said Alice.
“I tried to call your cell phone, but you didn’t answer,” Luke said. “Can I come up?”
“Go ahead, Rapunzel. Let down your hair,” said Owen with a smirk. Then he whispered, “Told you he’s crazy about you.”
“You’re getting your epic romances mixed up,” said Alice, raising an eyebrow at Owen. “Stay right there, Luke! I’ll come unlock the door.” Alice jogged into her apartment.
