Deadman's Float

by Christy Barritt

  “The neighbor. His name was Lawrence, I believe.”

  “Let’s go pay Lawrence a visit.”

  Serena thought she was aggressive when it came to these things. But, apparently, she wasn’t. Not when compared to Webster.

  But she couldn’t ignore the zing of excitement that rushed through her blood either. She was investigating a murder.

  This was going to be interesting.

  Chapter Five

  Lawrence Hollingshead was just walking in from the beach when Webster and Serena arrived. His nose was sunburned, and his skin had sand stuck to it, but he looked just as friendly as he had earlier.

  Webster parked in front of his house, and they climbed out to approach him.

  Serena cleared her throat as they paused near his house, stopping him before he could reach his outdoor shower. “I don’t know if you remember me from earlier . . .”

  “How can I forget?” Lawrence looked at Serena’s outfit before giving her a knowing look.

  She shrugged. She supposed it was pretty unforgettable.

  “I want to introduce you to my . . . friend Webster. He is the editor of the Lantern Beach Outlook, and he’s here investigating what happened earlier.”

  Lawrence extended his hand. “Nice to meet you. Lawrence Hollingshead. Down here from Pennsylvania for two weeks. Never expected this kind of excitement, though.”

  “No one ever does.” Webster’s gaze remained focused and professional. “I was wondering if you’d seen anything strange up and down the street since you’ve been in town.”

  Lawrence rubbed his chin and stared off into the distance. “Strange? I don’t think so. Like I was telling the ice cream lady here, there were a lot of people at that house across the street, and they liked to stay up late blaring their music. But there wasn’t much else going on here.”

  “Was there anybody out of the ordinary that you noticed around here?” Webster continued.

  “There’s the ice cream lady.” Lawrence nodded at Serena and let out a throaty, teasing chuckle. “And, of course, the cops came earlier today. The dogcatcher did come up and down the street a few times recently also.”

  Serena glanced down at Sprinkles and rubbed the dog’s head. There would be no dogcatcher for this dog. Had he been out here looking for her little stray?

  She caught herself mid-thought. Sprinkles was not her dog. Somebody else was probably looking for this precious little canine, and Serena would be smart not to get too attached. She was solo on this cold journey of selling frosty treats to overheated beachgoers.

  “That’s good to know. If you think of anything else, please call me.” Webster pulled one of his handy-dandy business cards from his pocket and handed it to Lawrence.

  Serena made a mental note that she needed to get herself some of those.

  “Of course.” Lawrence held up the card between two fingers. “No problem.”

  As they walked away from the man, Serena turned to Webster. “What are you thinking now?”

  Webster pushed up his glasses. “Now I want to see the crime scene.”

  Serena remembered being on that deck, looking down at the pool. She shuddered when she remembered the dead body. It wasn’t every day she saw one of those. But she didn’t argue with him.

  There were no police there to stop them from climbing the steps up to the deck to peer at the pool area.

  “Going into the pool area might be crossing some boundaries,” Webster explained. “There is police tape there, after all. But there’s no police tape up here on the deck. Let’s see if we can find anything.”

  Serena stared down at the pool as they climbed the wooden steps. This time, she was thinking a little more clearly than earlier. She pictured the police officer pulling that body from the water and placing the John Doe on the side of the pool. Pictured the water and blood that had spread on the concrete around him.

  She squinted. On the other side of the pool, she spotted a dark spot on the cement.

  Water would have dried by now. Was that . . . ?

  “Blood?” she blurted.

  Webster glanced at her. “What?”

  She pointed to the area she was talking about and tried to articulate more clearly. “Is that blood?”

  At once, she pictured what happened here. That man must have gotten into an argument with somebody. As a result, he’d probably been stabbed. His body had been pushed into the pool, where he’d later been found.

  Had one of his shoes fallen off in the process? And, if so, how had Sprinkles ended up getting it?

  There were a lot of questions they didn’t have answers to.

  Webster pointed at the sign for Seaside Vacations, the realty company that managed the property. “Do you know anybody who works there?”

  “Actually, one of my neighbors is a housecleaner for them.”

  His eyes lit. “Great. This is your assignment for tonight. I need to see if you can find out the name of the family that was staying here. Can you do that for me?”

  “I can try—”

  “I didn’t say try.” Webster leveled his Superman-like gaze. If she wasn’t careful, he would start shooting his laser-beam eyes at her in a moment. “I need you to do it. Understand?”

  Serena opened her mouth before shutting it again. Had he really just tried to act like the boss of her?

  Ernestine never talked to her like that. Serena’s old editor had let Serena take her own pace when it came to writing these articles.

  But Webster’s stare made it clear that he was serious.

  Was he the type who wanted a clean slate when he started a new job? She’d heard stories of people like that, people who fired the whole workforce when they took over in order to hire their own people.

  “I’ll do my best,” she finally said.

  Webster nodded, as if satisfied with her answer. “Great. Let’s check in with each other in the morning. There’s a restaurant I’ve heard about here called The Crazy Chefette. My aunt’s friend Clemson was talking about it. Can you meet there at eight?”

  “I can, but I usually do my ice cream route around lunchtime and—”

  “That will be perfect then. I’ll see you at eight at The Crazy Chefette. Now, let me get you back to your truck, and I’m going to get back to work. We’ve got to get a jumpstart on this. It’s our civic duty.”

  Serena parked her ice cream truck in front of the little camper she called home. Her aunt Skye had lived here before, but Skye had recently gotten married and, of course, moved in with her husband, Austin. When that happened, Serena had begun renting the space from them.

  The living quarters was actually perfect for her. It was retro and mostly white with a teal stripe running down the side. A deck ran the length of it, complete with a hammock strung in the corner. Inside, there was enough space for a bed, mini-kitchen, and dining room table that converted into a couch. Serena’s aunt had used stencils to create a black-and-white design on the old vinyl floor, and the kitchen cabinets had been painted sea-glass blue.

  It might seem strange to some people that Serena lived in a campground, but it wasn’t entirely unusual for this area. The cost of housing could be astronomical in the vacation community.

  Besides, Serena kind of liked it here with the quirky mishmash of residents. It was simple and she had everything she needed. Plus, the Pamlico Sound was just a short walk away, and the sunsets there were nothing short of amazing.

  After going inside to get a bowl of water for Sprinkles, Serena lay in the hammock. Sprinkles sprang up beside her and turned over on his back, almost like a baby might. She rubbed the dog’s head, feeling like the two of them had been buddies for much longer than they really had.

  How had Sprinkles gotten that bloody shoe? And who did Sprinkles belong to? Why isn’t anybody out looking for their family pet?

  Serena had fully been expecting to get a call from Cassidy saying that Serena needed to bring the dog by for the owners to pick up. But no one had called. If Serena had lost a d
og like Sprinkles, she’d search night and day until she found him.

  As her hammock swung back and forth with the breeze, Serena’s thoughts went to Webster.

  As soon as the man’s image crossed her mind, her muscles tensed. He’d waltzed into town taking her job, and now he was like a tornado as he tried to find answers.

  Serena wasn’t sure which side of him she was more fascinated with. The humble and meek side? Or the superhero side?

  Of course, she didn’t have much room to complain about people having different sides. She was as complex as a twenty-layer cake like her mom used to make.

  And she liked it that way.

  It kept people guessing.

  She rubbed Sprinkles’ head for a few more minutes. Night had fallen, and the stars that stretched above were glorious. There was hardly any light out here to obstruct the view. She could even see the Milky Way dancing across the sky in all its glory.

  Coming to Lantern Beach was one of the best things Serena could have done. She was the kind of girl who took life day by day. Could she stay here forever? She didn’t know. But for right now, this worked for her.

  Her mind wandered back to Webster again. Not that she wanted it to. Her mind just seemed to have a mind of its own. Her mind had a mind of its own? What kind of thought was that?

  Regardless of her illogical logic, Serena remembered his assignment. She hadn’t appreciated Webster’s approach, but she understood where he was coming from. They needed to find out who was staying in that house if they wanted to learn the identity of their John Doe.

  She stretched quickly before standing from the hammock. Sprinkles jumped down beside her and stared up at her, waiting.

  “Come on boy,” she said. “Let’s go find Kai.”

  She walked two rows over and spotted Kai Wilson sitting outside on her porch deck husking some corn, the only light that of the strung-up bulbs crisscrossing on ropes above. The woman had long blonde hair with dreadlocks. She had a Rastafarian vibe, with tanned skin that was prematurely wrinkled. She wore colorful headbands and sleeveless shirts that showed her muscular arms.

  Kai’s eyes lit up when she spotted Serena.

  “Serena girl. What brings you this way? And who is this that you have with you?” Kai eyed the dog and clicked her tongue to call him over.

  “This is my temporary dog, Sprinkles.”

  “Sprinkles is a very cute boy.” She bent down and patted the dog’s head. Sprinkles ate up the attention and leaned into Kai’s touch before coming back to Serena’s side.

  “What brings you by?” Kai asked, continuing to work on her corn. She had three bushels on the ground, and another basket full of shucked corn.

  “I have a few quick questions for you,” Serena started, leaning against an old barrel that served as a stool. “Do you know that big three-story yellow house on Seashell Lane at the north end of the island?”

  “Yes, yes. Of course. That one’s a real bugger to clean. It’s so big that it takes three of us to get it turned over in time for the new guests to come.”

  That didn’t surprise Serena. “Did you hear what happened there today?”

  Kai looked up, her motions slowing. “About the body in the pool? Yes, yes. I heard about that too. Nobody can believe it.”

  Serena shifted, unsure how to ask her next question. So she just dove in. “Were you supposed to clean up there today, by chance?”

  “I was. My manager called at the last minute and told me to leave it alone. Why are you asking?”

  “I was wondering when you’re given your assignments to clean, if you’re given the names of the families who were staying there?”

  She tossed another cob of corn into the basket. “I am. Every once in a while, someone tries to sneak in and pretend like they’re a guest when they’re not. Now, we have the names of the guests who are leaving and the names of the guests who are coming. But I still don’t understand why you’re asking.”

  “I was hoping you might be able to tell me the name of the family that just left.”

  Kai’s eyes narrowed, and she paused, taking a sip of iced tea from a mason jar. “Why do I have a feeling that there’s more to this story?”

  “I was the one who found the body,” Serena said. “I guess I’m just kind of curious about what’s going on.”

  “Oh, yes, yes. That makes sense. I’ll tell you what. I’ll see what I can find out. That information isn’t on me right now, but I did leave it in my locker at the management company. I’ll call you tomorrow when I see it.”

  Serena nodded. That had been easier than she thought. “Thank you so much, Kai.”

  “No problem, Serena. But I will take a Bomb Pop for my efforts.”

  “One Bomb Pop coming up.” Serena grinned. It is amazing what a little ice cream could buy.

  Chapter Six

  Serena woke up bright and early the next morning and got dressed in her outfit of the day.

  Every Friday evening, she planned her entire wardrobe for the upcoming week. That was why on Sunday she’d worn her carhop outfit. Today, her outfit of choice just happened to be a . . . dogcatcher.

  She couldn’t help but think about how appropriate that was.

  She donned the all-white coveralls and matching white cap. To top it off, she’d found a long metal pole at a local thrift store that looked like an animal catching device, especially after she’d glued a loop of rope at the end.

  After taking one last look in the mirror, she glanced at the dog faithfully sitting at her feet.

  “Hey, Mocha.” Serena decided this morning that the moniker was a better name for the dog than Sprinkles. “Don’t worry. I would never use this pole thing on you.”

  Mocha looked at her and wagged his tail.

  The dog had slept at the foot of her bed all night, as if he had done it a million times before. He was pretty much the perfect dog with his pointy ears and intelligent eyes. If the owner didn’t step forward, Serena would have the dog at least two more days. The island vet was only here once a week, on Thursdays.

  When Dr. Varsha arrived, Serena could check to see if the dog had been microchipped.

  Part of Serena hoped he hadn’t. She kind of liked having Mocha around.

  After getting ready, she pulled out her phone and did a quick video for her Instagram and YouTube accounts. Not many people knew it, but online she went by the name of “I Am Quick Change,” and she had fifty thousand followers now. She had enough influence that a few companies had even started sending her products for endorsement.

  It was kind of fun. Serena capitalized on her ability to change her looks by utilizing different clothing, various makeup techniques, and self-taught hairstyles. Every day she tried to do something different to keep her fans entertained. She’d had no idea it would be so popular.

  “How about if you and I go on a quick walk before we meet bossy Webster.”

  Mocha barked in agreement.

  Instead of taking the ice cream truck, Serena decided to walk across the street to the beach. She could follow the shore, and eventually she would arrive at The Crazy Chefette.

  She preferred walking or riding her bike over taking the ice cream truck all over town in her off hours. Mocha seemed game for a walk as he trotted along beside her.

  She did, however, decide to leave her dogcatcher props at home for now.

  As she stepped onto the sandy shore, just as always, she felt right at home. This area just gave her so much peace. She wouldn’t trade that peace for anything—certainly not for the stress of living in her upper middle-class neighborhood back in Michigan.

  Serena had tried so hard to fit in. Now she was just happy to be herself—whatever form that might take.

  Just up ahead, she saw some more shells that had been artistically arranged.

  Her heart rate quickened.

  This wasn’t the same heart image she had seen yesterday. Whoever had designed that must have created something new last night.

  Serena couldn’t
wait to see what it was.

  With Mocha trotting beside her, she reached the informal exhibit and glanced down. Her heart caught at what she saw. Someone had arranged seashells in the shape of a huge sunshine with a gigantic smile.

  Seeing that made a grin spread across her face.

  She pulled out her camera and took a picture. These were too pretty not to document.

  Somebody less skilled might have made the circle uneven or not paid attention to the hue of the shells. But whoever had designed this had. The arrangement was going to bring everyone who saw it a lot of happiness. It was a reminder of hope.

  Even carefree Serena could use a dose of hope at times.

  Serena glanced at her watch. She had only ten minutes until she was supposed to meet Webster. She better get a move on if she was going to make it on time.

  As she walked, she waved to a few early morning people who had come out. A couple people did yoga. A few people jogged. Still others just sat on the shore and watched waves and the sun rising higher in the sky. Although the sun had come up almost two hours ago, the sky was still tinged with pink and light yellow.

  She clicked her tongue, and Mocha began following her. As they reached the boardwalk area, they cut across the dunes, through a parking lot, and then crossed the street. She walked a couple blocks and finally arrived at The Crazy Chefette.

  Her friend Lisa Dillinger owned this place, and it was a favorite among locals and foodies alike. Lisa enjoyed putting together clever, creative recipes that kept the taste buds guessing. The pink and white building looked cheerful and inviting.

  Right before she walked inside, Kai called her with an update. When Serena ended the call, satisfaction rang through her.

  She had something to share with Webster.

  If she decided to share it.

  Serena walked into the restaurant, right on time.

  Stepping inside, she spotted Webster sitting at a corner booth with some coffee in front of him. He looked as prim and proper as ever. Even though they were in a beach town, he was wearing some dark-wash jeans with a solid gray T-shirt.