Cottage on Gooseberry Bay: Charmed Summer

by Kathi Daley

  As it turned out, Silvia did have a phone number for Valerie, so I called and asked Valerie if we could chat. She worked at the local sewing and quilting store. She informed me that she’d be there until three, and if I wanted to speak to her, I could show up there at any point until she was off for the day.

  “Yes, I knew Caroline fairly well back in the nineties,” Valerie confirmed after I’d filled her in on the reason for my questions. “You indicated that Brandy already explained that she was a summer-only resident. Her family lived in Seattle but owned a home in the area. Caroline’s mother and brothers came to Gooseberry Bay every summer from about the time school let out until a couple weeks before they went back for the fall semester. During the months they were here in town, Caroline and I hung out almost every day.”

  “Brandy mentioned that Caroline ran in the same run she had and managed to meet the top goal presented by Brewster’s Books for the reading challenge.”

  “That’s right. Caroline was really into running and reading. And she was fast. I think she actually won the Bay to Boardwalk Run for her age group that last year she was here before graduation.”

  “Wow. That’s wonderful. There were a lot of entrants.”

  “It used to be a really popular event. Folks came from all over the state.”

  “Brandy mentioned that Caroline also enjoyed volunteering for local events such as the movie night and the carnival.”

  “We both did. If I’m perfectly honest, I wasn’t really into running or reading, but I did like to help out, so Caroline and I pitched in where we could. Of course, that final summer, Caroline met Justin, and the time the two of us spent together was greatly diminished.”

  “Justin?”

  “Some preppy college boy who blew in on his daddy’s yacht and stayed for several weeks.”

  It sounded as if Valerie was jealous of Justin even now. “So, how did Caroline and Justin meet?”

  “Caroline was working the ice cream booth at the carnival, and Justin came by with a couple of his preppy friends. I’m not sure what Caroline said to him, but it seemed that he was instantly smitten. Once Caroline met Justin, she spent more of her time with him than she did with me. If you’re wondering if that made me angry, yes, it did. I really looked forward to Caroline’s visits each summer, and I sensed that once we both graduated, things would probably never be the same between us. I really wanted that last summer together to be our epic summer, but instead of the long hot days being all about us, it ended up being all about Caroline and Justin.”

  “Did the relationship last?” I wondered.

  “No. A few weeks before Caroline was supposed to go back to Seattle, Justin blew out of town on that fancy yacht of his just as quietly as he blew in. Caroline and I were never as close as we had once been after that point. She was upset and looking to me for comfort, while I was just happy the guy had left.”

  “Brandy mentioned that Caroline came back to the island again a few times after that, although not for the summer.”

  “That’s true. After Caroline and her family went back to Seattle at the end of that summer, I didn’t see her for almost two years. Then when her youngest brother was in high school, they came a few times for long weekends. Eventually, they sold the house.”

  “Did you stay in touch with Caroline after that?” I asked.

  “Not really. In fact, I totally lost track of Caroline until two years ago. She came to the island with her husband and children, and we ran into each other at a movie night. We exchanged emails and phone numbers. I send Caroline a note every now and again, and she sends photos of her kids from time to time.”

  “I’d love to speak to her about that summer. Do you think she would mind if you gave me her cell or email?”

  Valerie paused. “I’m not sure. How about I take your information and pass it on to her. If she wants to talk to you, she can contact you.”

  “That seems fair,” I agreed.

  I left my contact information with Valerie, hoping that Caroline would call. It really did sound as if she might be the woman we were looking for.

  Chapter 9

  When I got back to my cottage and checked my emails, I noticed that I had one from Greta, with a signup sheet from the volunteer dinner held in nineteen ninety-six attached to it. I did a quick check and found that someone named Caroline and someone named Valerie had signed up to bring chips and dip. Since the list only provided first names, it didn’t tell me a lot, but after speaking to Valerie, I was sure that Caroline was the woman I was looking for. Now I just had to wait and see if she called me. Waiting would be frustrating, but waiting was my only choice at the moment, so I changed into my running clothes and headed out with the dogs. Two runs in one day was a lot, so I decided to walk. In fact, a walk along the waterline so the dogs could splash around in the bay seemed like an outing they’d enjoy quite a lot.

  As I walked along the beach, I thought about my client. I could really identify with someone looking for their roots and hoped our search would provide the answers she sought. It was an odd sort of feeling to not feel connected to the people who brought you into this world, and I was sure that Ellery must have questions for which she needed answers.

  I paused when we came to the spot on the beach where the bay curved around to the north. I sat on a large rock and looked out across the vast expanse of icy clear water. It was a beautiful day – the sort of day that demanded that you stop and take a minute to appreciate its perfection. There hasn’t been a single day that’s gone by since I landed in Gooseberry Bay when I haven’t stopped to marvel at the perfection of my life since arriving in town.

  I was about to get up and head toward home when my phone buzzed. It was a number I didn’t recognize, but I’d forwarded the landline at Ainsley Holloway Investigations to my cell, so I answered.

  “Ainsley Holloway,” I said after hitting the answer button.

  “Ms. Holloway. My name is Cora Maddox. I wondered if you had a few minutes to speak to me.”

  “Cora Maddox? Are you Zane Maddox’s sister?”

  “I am,” she confirmed. “I guess you’ve heard that Zane is missing.”

  “Yes, I did hear. I’m so very sorry. Has there been news?”

  “No. Not a bit, and Zane has been missing four days.” She paused, and I waited. “When they first found his paddleboard, I actually thought he might be dead. Zane and I are three years apart in age, so we haven’t always been super close, but he’s my brother, and I love him. When I heard they found his paddleboard floating in the lake, I was inconsolable.”

  “And now?” I wasn’t sure why exactly, but I suspected there was an “and now” around the corner in this conversation.

  “Now I believe Zane to be alive. Alive, but not necessarily okay. I heard all about you from a friend and would like to hire you to find my brother.”

  Okay, I had to admit that I hadn’t been expecting that. “You want to hire me to find Zane?”

  “Yes. That’s what I just said. Deputy Todd is a buffoon. I’ve spoken to him five times in the past four days, and all he will tell me is that it looks as if Zane fell off his paddleboard and drowned. Drowned! Zane is an excellent swimmer. Even if he’d fallen into the water, he’d have found a way to survive. And then there’s the fact that two other boys turned up missing at the same time. There is no way my brother simply fell off his paddleboard and drowned.”

  I found I had to agree with Cora. Given the fact that three boys went missing in three days, it seemed much more likely they were abducted.

  “Are you in town?” I asked, remembering that the sister had been away at college.

  “I just got into town last night. It took me a couple days to arrange for travel from the east coast, but I’m here now, and I plan to stay until Zane is home safe. So will you take the case?”

  I really wasn’t sure I’d have any more luck finding Zane, and hopefully, the others, than Deputy Todd had had. Cora wasn’t wrong when she called the man a buffoon, but
I didn’t think he was naive enough to actually think that Zane had simply fallen and drowned, so chances were he’d just told Cora that to get her off his back.

  “I’d like to speak to you in person before I commit to taking on the case. I can meet you in my office in an hour.”

  “I’ll be there.” With that, she hung up.

  I hurried back to the cottage and changed out of my shorts and into a pair of slacks and a summery top, pulled on a pair of sandals, checked to make sure the dogs had food and water, and then headed back to town. I wasn’t sure exactly what was going on, but three missing fifteen-year-olds, all from the same high school and all the product of a recent personality change, left no doubt in my mind that the three disappearances were linked in some way.

  Cora was early and waiting for me when I arrived. I ushered her into my office, offered her coffee, and took out my notepad and pen so I could jot down thoughts that came to me as we chatted. I asked her a few questions about herself to break the ice and then jumped into the subject at hand.

  “Zane was last seen by your mother late Sunday afternoon. He left the house with his blue paddleboard after mentioning that he planned to meet up with friends. He never returned home that evening and hasn’t been seen or heard from since. His paddleboard was found floating in the bay Monday. Initially, it was assumed that he’d had an accident or possibly a run-in with sea life and was dead. Until the other boys turned up missing, that was a reasonable theory. Since that point, it’s been determined that both Kalen West and Trevor Wilson are also missing. This leads me to believe that the three boys have either been abducted or simply took off together of their own accord. At this point, I don’t have much of an opinion as to which theory might be the more accurate.” I looked directly at Cora. “I guess the first thing I’d like to ask you is whether or not you have an opinion as to what might be going on.”

  She nodded. “I do have an opinion as to whether Zane was abducted or ran off.” She took a breath and adjusted her position as if settling in for a long explanation. “Zane is three years younger than I am. I think I might have mentioned that before. Given the age gap and the fact that I was a girl and he was a boy, we weren’t always super close growing up, but we did have a bond. A strong bond at times.” She hesitated and then continued. “You see, our father can be a brusque and rigid man. I know he’s considered to be a leader in the community, and I’m aware of the fact that most Gooseberry Bay citizens hold him in high esteem, but as a father, he’s a tough man to love.”

  I quietly waited for her to continue.

  “As the older sibling, I tried to smooth things over for Zane when I could. Our father is the sort of man who has very specific expectations for his son, and most of the time, when he was younger, Zane tried very hard to meet those expectations. Zane is an excellent athlete and a hard worker, so the majority of the time, he got on with Dad just fine, but no one can be perfect all the time, so there were times Zane failed, and our father made sure he was made aware of his displeasure.”

  “Was your father physical with Zane?” I had to ask.

  “No. Dad’s displeasure was communicated in the form of psychological torture. I can’t really explain it, but our father has a way of making you feel like a bug who deserves nothing more than to be squashed beneath his feet. Dad was that way with me as well, but as the only boy, Zane had it worse. I tried to be there for Zane when Dad came down on him.” She smiled. “Zane’s room is next to mine. When Zane was seven, he went into our father’s office looking for a toy he’d been unable to find. Dad has a strict rule that no one is to go into his office for any reason, but Zane really wanted this specific toy, so he snuck in, figuring he could look for the toy and then sneak back out before Dad noticed. Of course, our father notices everything, and he confronted Zane, who confessed to entering the room. Our father sentenced Zane to his room for three days with only bread and water to eat and drink.”

  “That’s horrible.”

  “It was. I felt so bad for Zane. I knew his punishment wouldn’t kill him, but it wasn’t going to be pleasant either. I wanted to help, so I borrowed a small handsaw from a friend and cut a hole through the wall in my closet, which I knew was a shared wall to Zane’s closet.”

  “So you could enter his room without your dad knowing.”

  “Exactly. We used that opening to go back and forth all the time when we were growing up. Dad rarely went into our rooms. He didn’t clean or put laundry away, so he never found out about our secret passage. I think Mom knew, but she never let on.”

  “Okay. Go on. You and Zane were allies while growing up. How does this help us find him now?”

  “I’m not exactly sure it will, but I thought it was important that you understand how hard it was for Zane when I left for college last fall. Zane can take care of himself now. It’s been a long time since he was a terrified seven-year-old trying to figure out how to deal with an ogre of a father, but I think my leaving was hard on him all the same. Harder than I thought it would be. Not that he said as much. Zane wanted me to get out of that house, so he supported my leaving, but I did notice a personality change once I’d left. I’m not sure exactly how, but I believe that his disappearance is linked to the changes I’ve noticed when we’ve spoken lately.”

  Okay, the theme of personality change in all three boys had come up before. I picked up my pen and tapped it against the notebook on my desk. “Tell me about this personality change. What specifically did you notice?”

  She shifted in her chair as if trying to find a comfortable position. “I was hesitant to go to college and leave Zane behind, but he assured me that he’d be fine, and at first, it seemed like he was. He made the varsity football team, which made our father happy. He was doing okay in school and staying out of trouble. I spoke to him every week at first and came home at Christmas. Things seemed good, so I began to relax. Our communications with each other significantly lessened after I returned to school after Christmas break. He was busy; I was busy. Life got in the way, and the weekly calls became more and more sporadic. Still, Zane seemed to be doing fine, and then about six weeks ago, he started making comments about meeting someone who was really helping him work through his issues with our father. At first, I didn’t think anything about it. The things Zane said seemed to be positive and life-affirming. He talked about finding his own power and personal growth. He talked about figuring out what he wanted out of life instead of making every decision based on what he thought would lead to the least amount of resistance from our father. It sounded good to me. It sounded like he was growing up and taking charge of his own life. But then, Mom called me in tears a few weeks ago. Zane had quit the baseball team and was failing half his classes. The harder our father tried to bring him into line, the more he resisted. Mom told me that things were becoming tense. She was afraid that things would get physical. I told her I’d come home as soon as school let out for the summer, and I assured her that I planned to spend the entire summer in Gooseberry Bay. That seemed to help a bit. At least it helped her.”

  “So what are you saying?” I asked. “Do you think Zane simply took off?”

  “No. I don’t think Zane took off. If he had decided to run away, he would have let me know. He knew I’d be worried, and I really don’t think he would intentionally do anything to cause me the amount of duress his disappearance has caused.”

  “Did Zane ever use the phrase one life?” I asked.

  She frowned. “Actually, Zane did use that phrase when we last spoke. He said something about only having one life to live and making sure that the one life he had to live was a life of his choosing. Do you think that whatever sort of personal growth thing he was into is related to all of this?”

  “Maybe. I spoke to a woman named Silvia Cromwell while investigating another case I’m working on. Silvia is a counselor at the high school.”

  “I know Ms. Cromwell. She was my counselor as well. Did she have an opinion as to what happened to Zane?”

 
; “Not specifically, but during the course of our discussion, she mentioned the missing boys. She said that she first noticed a strong personality change in Kalen West. She specifically said that he began using terms such as personal power and one life about the same time he began cutting classes and acting out at home. I’m not sure if you know Kalen, but his parents recently split up, and he’s been taking it hard. Ms. Cromwell suspected that it was his parent’s divorce that led to his deviant behavior.”

  “I don’t know Kalen well since he’s much younger than me, but he was friends with Zane, so I know who he is.” She sat forward. “So maybe all three boys met someone who put them on the path to personal power. Maybe their relationship with this person led to their disappearance.” She paused. “Do you think Zane got mixed up in some sort of a cult?”

  “Maybe. It does seem that the link between the three missing boys is their new commitment to personal power and making sure the one life they have to live is the one life they choose to live.”

  “So how do we figure out who this ‘one life’ guru is? How do we find Zane?”

  I sat back in my chair. “I’m not sure yet. Give me a day to think things over. Can you meet tomorrow?”

  “I can. Just tell me when and where.”