by Leena Clover
“I’ll be right there,” he promised as he hung up.
“What’s the matter?” Jenny asked, quirking an eyebrow.
“Nothing for you to worry about,” Adam said. “See you later, Jenny.”
Jenny watched him hurry out and wondered if it was something related to Tyler Jones. She got her answer soon enough.
The kitchen phone rang just then and Jenny rushed to answer it. Jason Stone’s voice came through.
“They just took my client in for questioning,” Jason told her. “He swears he is innocent.”
“Who’s your client? What are you talking about, Jason?”
“It’s that troubadour fellow,” Jason explained. “He hired me last night.”
“Do you mean Ocean?”
“That’s the name he goes by,” Jason said with a sigh. “I need you, Jenny.”
“I don’t see how I can help.”
Jenny had been involved in solving a few murders in the past couple of years. She wasn’t a professional but she managed to get involved for some reason or the other.
“I need to check this guy out,” Jason said. “You’re the only one I trust.”
“I’ve got a lot on my plate now, Jason,” Jenny protested. “Have you forgotten I have a wedding to plan?”
“Just talk to him once,” Jason said. “Feel him out. I trust your instincts.”
“Adam will flip if I go to the police station now.”
Jason paused for a minute.
“You don’t have to go there. Let me go and see what’s happening there. I’ll bail him out if necessary. Why don’t you come to my office after we get back? You can talk to him then.”
Jenny agreed to talk to the troubadour once he was done with the police.
The Magnolias arrived at their usual time. Jenny placed a plate of truffles before them.
“What’s this?” Betty Sue asked suspiciously. “Don’t you have anything to eat?”
“Muffins are just coming out,” Jenny assured her. “I’m trying my hand at these chocolates. Why don’t you try one?”
“You don’t have to tell me twice,” Heather said as she popped a truffle into her mouth.
She closed her eyes and moaned with pleasure.
“These are so sinful,” she crooned. “You have surpassed yourself, Jenny. These are better than your baked goodies.”
Molly and Star were also sucking on the delectable chocolates.
“They just melt in your mouth,” Star said. “Where did you learn how to make them?”
“I watched a few videos online,” Jenny said modestly. “Then it was trial and error.”
“Are you going to sell these in the café?” Betty Sue asked, picking up her third truffle.
“I might,” Jenny said. “I’m thinking of making small gift boxes with these. The tourists can buy them as souvenirs.”
“I know what!” Heather exclaimed suddenly. “They will make great party favors at your wedding.”
“That’s a great idea, Heather,” Molly said. “We can wrap these up nicely and place them on each table. The guests are going to love them!”
“So you like them?” Jenny asked.
“We love them, sweetie,” Star assured her.
“These are made with orange liquer,” Jenny explained. “I’m making some with roasted almonds and raisins. And white chocolate.”
Jenny was feeling excited. She had created recipes for a dozen different truffles. She couldn’t wait to try them all out.
“Wait till you hear the scoop of the day,” Heather said, taking the last truffle from the plate. She paused dramatically until she was sure everyone was looking at her.
“Tyler Jones was a trust fund baby.”
“What does that mean?” Molly asked.
“I mean he was loaded. He was richer than any of us can imagine.”
“How do you know that?” Jenny asked, her hands on her hips.
“The Pelican Cove grapevine, of course,” Heather said. “The masses haven’t been idle.”
“Why did he sing on a street corner if he had money?” Star asked. “I don’t believe it.”
“Why shouldn’t he?” Heather asked. “It’s not like he had to earn a living. I guess he was living his dream, entertaining people with his music.”
“Whatever the reason, it didn’t end well for him,” Molly said seriously.
“They arrested that bearded guy this morning,” Heather continued.
“You know that too?” Jenny burst out. “How do you find out these things?”
“I have my ear to the ground,” Heather said primly. “I’m surprised you didn’t know that, Jenny.”
“Ocean seemed like a mature guy,” Molly said. “Why would he kill Tyler?”
“Turf wars,” Heather said matter-of-factly. “Gangs do it all the time.”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Heather,” Star said. “Those two young men didn’t belong to a gang.”
“But they were fighting for their turf,” Heather said. “You were there at the town hall meeting. Didn’t you hear what they were saying?”
“Tyler did want to drive Ocean out of town,” Molly said slowly. “The opposite happened.”
“I think Ocean took care of the problem,” Heather said, widening her eyes meaningfully. “He’s sly, that one.”
“Think before you speak, Heather,” Jenny said. “Don’t malign someone before you know the whole truth.”
“What do you care?” Heather asked, pouring herself a cup of coffee.
“Ocean hired Jason as his lawyer.”
“And you are going to help Jason prove his innocence,” Heather said. “You better not get too busy for wedding planning, Jenny.”
“Relax, I’m just going to talk to him.”
“That’s what you always say,” Star quipped. “And then you end up in a ditch by the side of the road.”
“That happened one time,” Jenny said. “Ocean seems like a harmless guy.”
“A harmless guy who might have strangled someone with a guitar string,” Molly reminded her. “I hope you will be careful, Jenny.”
The Magnolias joined Molly in expressing their concern. Jenny assured them she would take care of herself.
“Stop!” Jenny held up her hands. “You worry too much. Let’s talk about something else.”
“Like the fall festival?” Molly said. “They didn’t bring it up at yesterday’s meeting. Wonder if we are still going ahead with it.”
Betty Sue’s needles stopped clacking.
“Of course we are,” she said. “Pelican Cove takes pride in its festivals. The fall festival will go ahead as planned on the last Sunday in September.”
“And we are still having the concert?” Star asked.
“Oh yeah,” Heather said breathlessly. “Ace Boulevard is coming to town.”
“Ace Boulevard?” Jenny asked. “Aren’t they an 80s band?”
“Not just any band, Jenny. They have five gold records to their name. They topped the charts for three years running. Ace Boulevard ruled the eighties.”
“But they must be old,” Jenny said, scrunching up her face.
“You know the average age of people in this town?” Heather laughed. “They are perfect for us.”
“I had cassette tapes of all their albums,” Molly said, her eyes gleaming. “This is quite a coup.”
“We did say we were going to make a big splash this year,” Heather reminded her. “The Bayview Inn is booked solid for the month of October.”
“You better start making plenty of these chocolates,” Betty Sue told Jenny. “And what about your special menu for the fall festival?”
“I’m still working on it,” Jenny said.
“Something with pumpkin?” Molly asked eagerly. “I love pumpkin.”
“I do have something in mind,” Jenny said evasively. “You’ll find out soon enough.”
Jenny’s phone buzzed and she glanced at the screen quickly. She pressed the talk button and spoke for a cou
ple of minutes.
“Jason wants to see me at his office,” she told her friends.
“Go ahead,” Star told her. “I’ll take care of lunch.”
“Thanks, Auntie,” Jenny said. “I should be back before that. The sandwiches are ready and so is the soup. The cookies are ready to go in the oven.”
“I know the drill, sweetie,” Star assured her.
Jenny chose to walk along the beach, enjoying some fresh air as she hurried to Jason’s office. It was barely two blocks away. The August sun was hot but the breeze flowing over the ocean made Jenny shiver.
Jason Stone had a visitor.
“You two know each other, right?” he asked, nodding at the tall, bearded man who sat before him.
“I saw him at the town hall meeting,” Jenny explained, “but we haven’t been formally introduced.”
She extended a hand toward the man called Ocean. He shook it and gave her a small bow.
“The police asked him the usual questions,” Jason reported. “They let him go now but Adam seems very keen on detaining him.”
“I am their top suspect,” Ocean said calmly.
“You don’t seem worried,” Jenny observed.
Ocean shrugged.
“I know I am innocent. The truth will prevail.”
“I would try to be a bit more practical,” Jason cautioned. “Why don’t you tell us something about yourself?”
“That’s against the troubadour code,” Ocean said. “The troubadour is a man of mystery, an enigma. The only way he communicates with his people is through his poetry and music.”
“Man of mystery, huh?” Jenny smiled. “What are you, James Bond?”
“Let’s start with your real name,” Jason said. “I’m sure the police asked you that.”
“My name is Ocean,” the man said. “That’s exactly what I told the police.”
“This kind of attitude will work against you, man,” Jason warned. “Where are you from?”
“Planet Earth,” Ocean replied. “Any place where the sun shines is my home.”
“Where were you born?” Jenny asked. “Are you from around here?”
Ocean had to answer that one.
“I come from a faraway land, the land of the setting sun.”
“You mean you are from some place out west,” Jenny said. “And you traveled cross country to come to Pelican Cove. Why?”
“I go where the road takes me,” Ocean told them. “I don’t look at maps or make a plan. I take any turn that takes my fancy.”
“So you came here by chance,” Jenny summed up. “That doesn’t explain why you are so keen on staying on.”
“I like the place,” Ocean said. “Is that hard to believe? It’s a beautiful town.”
“Where did you say you were staying?” Jason asked. “You’re not at the Bayview Inn, are you?”
Ocean shook his head.
“Let me guess,” Jenny said. “It’s against your code to tell people where you live.”
“Do you have a phone?” Jason asked. “How will I get in touch with you?”
“I don’t believe in being addicted to those death traps,” Ocean said. “The radiation from a cell phone can fry your brain.”
Jason was looking helpless.
“You will have to be more forthcoming if you want Jason to help you,” Jenny warned. “He’s a great lawyer but he can’t save you unless he has all the facts.”
“All you need to know is I didn’t kill my fellow troubadour. He was just a kid.”
“Why were you fighting with him then?”
For the first time since Jenny had seen him, Ocean looked a bit irritated.
“He pushed me! I almost broke my hip. I walked away without saying a single word.”
“Did anyone see him push you?” Jason asked.
“We did,” Jenny confirmed. “So did a bunch of other people.”
“That’s good, I guess,” Jason said.
“Good or bad,” Jenny reasoned. “People will remember Tyler provoked him.”
She turned around to look at Ocean.
“How do we know you didn’t go back to get even?”
Chapter 5
“Are you sure you have the right address?” Heather asked Jenny.
The two girls were driving to Richmond to visit Tyler’s family.
“It’s the one Jason gave me,” Jenny said. “I asked Adam to confirm it but he refused to speak about it.”
“I bet he’s mad you’re butting in.”
“I’m not,” Jenny said. “We are just doing the neighborly thing. We are offering our condolences to a grieving family.”
“Stick to that story,” Heather snorted. “Why are we going there, exactly?”
“Ocean is the only suspect the police have so far,” Jenny said. “I need to find out more about the victim. The logical approach is meeting his family.”
“Let’s hope they don’t drive us out,” Heather said grimly.
Jenny entered the city of Richmond and followed directions to Riverside Drive. She had looked it up on the Internet. It was supposed to be a posh area. Houses in the neighborhood cost upward of a million dollars. Nothing could have prepared her for the sight that greeted them though.
A wide drive took them to a plantation house that must have been built in the antebellum days. The stone façade and tall Grecian columns would have impressed anyone. Jenny and Heather stared with their mouths hanging open.
A butler answered their knock.
“We are here to offer our condolences,” Jenny spoke up, trying not to be daunted by the inscrutable man towering over her.
“The family is not home for visitors,” the butler said dourly.
“We are from Pelican Cove,” Heather said. “We saw Tyler the day before he … err, passed.”
The butler hesitated before giving in.
“This way please.”
He walked down a wide foyer covered in a Turkish carpet and ushered them into a wood paneled room. Tall glass windows channeled in the warm sunlight. Jenny could see the James River gurgling in the distance.
The butler left without a word.
“That’s one scary dude,” Heather said, laughing nervously.
Jenny motioned her to be quiet.
Half an hour passed without anyone showing up. Jenny had almost decided to get up and leave when she heard someone dragging their feet in the foyer.
A shriveled old man with a shock of white hair shuffled into the room. He wore a three piece suit in a steel gray shade. He flashed a smile at the girls, his gleaming white teeth taking over his tiny face. Jenny guessed they were dentures.
The butler arrived and helped the old man into a wing chair near the fireplace. He made sure he was settled in before leaving the room.
“What brings you here, my dears?” the old man asked in a feeble voice.
A maid came in pushing a trolley loaded with a tea service. She poured tea for everyone and placed a delicate China cup in Jenny’s hands. Jenny recognized it was a really expensive brand. Apparently, the Jones family was rich enough to use fine porcelain every day.
Jenny took a sip of her tea and hesitated. The old man gave her an opening.
“You knew my boy Tyler?”
“Not exactly,” Jenny said honestly. “He spoke at our town hall meeting. The next day, he was gone.”
The old man pulled a white linen handkerchief out of his pocket and dabbed at his eyes.
“He was the joy of my life. He was a good boy. Too young to be taken from us in this manner.”
“Jenny’s looking into what happened to him,” Heather spoke up.
The old man sat up straighter.
“Are you some kind of detective?”
“No,” Jenny admitted. “I just meet people and talk to them.”
“She’s being modest,” Heather interrupted. “Jenny has helped solve quite a few murders in our town.”
“Find out who killed my boy,” the old man said suddenly. “I can p
ay you whatever you want. I will give you a blank check right now.”
“I don’t do it for the money,” Jenny said, feeling uncomfortable. “A friend of mine is representing one of the suspects. He wanted me to look into the matter.”
“So you just want to collect evidence that proves this man’s innocence?” the man asked shrewdly.
Jenny shook her head.
“I want to find out the truth. That’s what I do. If Ocean, that’s this other man, if he is guilty, so be it.”
The man’s hand shook as he picked up his teacup and took a sip.
“How can I help?” he asked. “You must have come here for a purpose. What do you want from me?”
“I want to know more about Tyler,” Jenny said immediately. “Everything you can tell me about him. Leave nothing out.”
“I can do that,” the old man said, bobbing his head up and down.
A faraway look appeared in his rheumy eyes. Jenny let him take his time.
“Tyler had a kind heart. He was always doing things for other people.”
“Did he always like music?”
The old man’s face broke into a smile.
“He started playing the violin when he was six. He began piano lessons a year later. There wasn’t an instrument Tyler didn’t play. His fingers could create magic.”
“He sang too, didn’t he?”
“He didn’t sing until he was much older,” Mr. Jones said. “He joined the choir. He sang like an angel.”
“Why didn’t he pursue a more traditional form of music career?”
“I don’t understand,” the old man said, his eyes clouding with confusion.
“You know Tyler was a troubadour?”
“That’s a word I haven’t heard in decades. You mean those gypsy like singers who go around singing for their supper?”
Jenny nodded.
“Why would my boy do that?” Mr. Jones asked, surprised.
He waved a hand around him.
“He had all this. He could feed a hundred people every day and not feel the pinch.”
“Mr. Jones,” Jenny said gently. “Tyler came to Pelican Cove as a troubadour. He even applied for a six month permit. He used to stand in the town square and sing all day.”
It was obvious Mr. Jones didn’t believe them. The tea cup in his hands rattled as his hands shook and his face set in a grimace.
“You wouldn’t lie to me, would you? Are you trying to sully my boy’s name?”
