by Leena Clover
“He did seem prepared,” Jenny admitted grudgingly. “And sounds like he is passionate about the cause too.”
“He can’t really be against tourism though, can he?” Star quizzed. “He is a business owner too.”
“Most of his customers are locals,” Jenny explained. “How many tourists are going to get an oil change at his garage?”
Back home, Star set up her easel in the garden. Jenny decided to take a nap.
Two hours later, Jenny woke up refreshed. She fired off a text to Adam and confirmed that he was coming for dinner. She decided to make her special paella.
“You can win any man’s heart with your cooking, Jenny,” Star offered as she chopped vegetables. “But not Adam’s. He’s a tough one.”
“I already have his heart,” Jenny said smugly.
“Doesn’t look like it,” Star muttered.
She had never hidden the fact that she wasn’t a big fan of Adam. Jenny worried about their living situation after she got married. She had invited her aunt to make her home with her at Seaview. But would Adam and Star get along?
Adam arrived with a bottle of Jenny’s favorite wine and a bunch of daisies. Jenny melted as soon as she saw the look on his face.
Star pleaded exhaustion and decided to eat in her room.
Jenny and Adam sat out on the patio, sipping wine and watching the sun creep closer to the horizon. The sky was aflame in shades of orange interspersed with pink and purple. The water glistened in the rays of the setting sun.
“Did your hunting expedition yield anything?” Adam asked.
Jenny felt Adam was taunting her. She decided to say nothing about Eddie.
“You were right, Adam. I shouldn’t have bothered those people.”
“You have been an invaluable help to the police many times, Jenny. I will be the first one to admit that. But I think you are stumbling in the dark this time.”
“There does seem to be a dearth of suspects,” Jenny said glumly.
“I say we have the right suspect,” Adam argued. “My money is still on that Ocean chap.”
“You don’t have any concrete evidence,” Jenny reminded him.
“I still believe he is guilty,” Adam insisted. “I won’t rest until I put him away.”
“What about motive?” Jenny questioned. “Ocean is an easygoing chap. What could he possibly have against Tyler?”
“He was jealous,” Adam said. “He just wanted to eliminate the competition. Men have been killed for less.”
“Peter Wilson should be top on your list in that case,” Jenny pointed out. “He was spitting mad at Tyler. He even threatened him.”
“I don’t think Peter did it.”
“You are willing to ignore his past record?” Jenny wondered. “Why, Adam?”
“Peter Wilson has been an exemplary citizen of this town for the past twenty five years. This Ocean chap is an outsider.”
“Is that all?”
“Give me some credit,” Adam sighed. “We ran a background check on Ocean. His movements are highly suspicious. He has been in regions where there were break-ins and robberies. One of the towns he was in had a fire just the night before he left town.”
“You are saying he committed all those crimes?” Jenny asked with contempt. “You are just determined to pin something on him.”
“I have my reasons, Jenny.”
Ocean’s serene face swam before Jenny’s eyes. She couldn’t believe Adam wanted to pin a litany of crimes on him.
“I think you are on a witch hunt.”
“I’m just doing my job, Jenny,” Adam said grimly.
Jenny forced herself to change the subject. She didn’t want to end the evening on a sour note.
“How are the girls? Nicky said they should all be here in a couple of weeks.”
Adam’s girls were doing a summer internship in the city. So was Jenny’s son Nick. Much to their relief, Jenny and Adam’s kids were good friends. They were looking forward to spending a few days in Pelican Cove before going back to college in the fall.
Adam relaxed at the mention of his girls.
“Have you asked them yet?”
“I want to talk to them in person,” Jenny told him. “I hope they will say yes.”
“Of course they will say yes. It’s all they have been talking about all summer.”
Adam’s phone trilled just then, making him frown. He answered gruffly and his mouth hung open as he listened to the voice at the other end.
Jenny leaned forward, waiting for Adam to speak. Adam looked very upset as he stared at Jenny.
“You were right about Ocean.”
Chapter 15
The Magnolias chatted at the top of their voices, guzzling coffee and commenting on the tourists that lined the beach. Jenny felt she was the only one affected by Ocean’s death. Murder, she corrected herself.
They had found Ocean’s body on a deserted beach. Based on initial examination, the police were thinking he had walked into the sea and drowned. He had luckily been washed ashore. Jenny wasn’t sure she believed that.
She felt Heather staring at her and snapped to attention.
“Did you say anything, Heather?”
Heather rolled her eyes.
“I have been asking you the same question three times. Have you heard ‘You are my everything’?”
“Is that supposed to mean something to me?”
“It’s only the name of Bobby Joe’s hit single,” Heather gushed. “It hit the top spot last night.”
“Oh,” Jenny muttered. “I don’t listen to country music.”
“You have to give it a chance,” Heather insisted. “Especially since Bobby Joe is staying right here with us.”
“That does it,” Star said. “He’s not going to sing for us now. He’s too famous.”
“You haven’t even asked him yet!” Heather cried. “He has a big fan base here. Why would he refuse?”
“Let’s go ask him now,” Betty Sue said, struggling to her feet.
“Yes, let’s,” Star said, scrambling up. “I want to get this done before that maniac Barb Norton thinks about it.”
“Too late,” Molly said, nodding at the boardwalk.
Barb Norton and Mandy were walking toward the café.
“Yoohooo!” Barb called out her usual greeting. “Going somewhere?”
“No time to waste, Barb,” Star quipped. “We are on an important mission.”
“Never mind, then. I thought you would want to go with us. Mandy and I are going to invite Bobby Joe Tucker to play at the fall festival.”
“That’s where we are going,” Betty Sue objected. “No need to waste your time, Barb. Go talk to your voters.”
“The voters can wait,” Barb said lightly. “This is more important.”
Then she giggled like a school girl.
“Mandy says this boy is quite the looker. I can’t wait to see him.”
“Have you ever heard him sing?” Heather asked skeptically. “Do you even know what kind of music he plays?”
“Of course I do,” Barb said in a huff. “It’s country with a pop influence. Mandy played his hit single for me. I have been humming it all morning.”
“That’s more than I can say for my grandma,” Heather said grudgingly.
“Who cares if we know his music or not?” Betty Sue spat. “We want to go and talk to him. He is living in my house so there is no doubt I am going.”
“Let’s all go,” Mandy said, trying to placate the older women. “We will look like a delegation and he will feel more welcome.”
Betty Sue and Star joined Barb and Mandy, talking eagerly about how to approach him.
“This is going to be the best fall festival yet,” Heather sighed dramatically. “Just imagine! Bobby Joe Tucker playing in tiny old Pelican Cove!”
“He hasn’t said yes yet,” Jenny pointed out. “I imagine he will charge a pretty penny.”
“I didn’t think of that,” Heather admitted. “I thought
he would just sing for the sake of his fans.”
“That’s not how these stars function,” Molly said practically. “They have to make a living too, I guess. What’s he doing in Pelican Cove though?”
“Living off the grid,” Heather parroted. “That’s what he calls it.”
“I’m going to the Rusty Anchor this evening,” Jenny told them. “I need to talk to Eddie Cotton. You girls coming?”
Heather and Molly promised to meet Jenny later at the pub.
Jenny got busy prepping for lunch. She made a pot full of watermelon gazpacho. The cold Spanish style soup was a summer favorite. Jenny had chucked in some leftover watermelon in it once and it had been a huge hit.
Star came back just in time to help her serve some lunch. She wasn’t looking too happy.
“What’s the matter? Didn’t you get to meet that singer guy?”
“I met him alright,” Star grumbled. “But he’s beyond our reach. There’s no way we can afford to hire him.”
“Didn’t you ask him to give us a discount?” Jenny asked later when they sat down for their own lunch.
Star bit into her crab salad sandwich and shook her head.
“He’s taking a big chunk off his usual rate, apparently. He said he wants to do something for the people of Pelican Cove. But it’s still more than our budget.”
“Guess we will have to hire some other band,” Jenny said. Her eyes flickered with emotion. “Ocean would have done it for free.”
Star helped Jenny clear up and prep for the next day. Jenny drove home with her. She had a couple of hours before she had to be at the pub. She decided to relax in her garden until then. Jenny changed into a pair of shorts and a bikini top and settled into a cabana she had installed in her garden. Putting her arms below her head, she stared out at the ocean. She started to get hot after some time and walked into the water for a quick dip. She almost forgot she needed to go out again.
The Rusty Anchor was packed when she got there. Every table was taken and there was barely a space open to stand at the bar. Eddie Cotton pointed at a battered door. She had never noticed it before.
“It’s a little hidey hole for my special people,” he told her. “The pub gets too crowded in the season.”
Jenny entered a small, darkened room, barely lit by an ancient bronze chandelier. Heather and Molly were seated at a table under it. They both had a glass of wine before them.
“I’ll come back and check on you soon,” Eddie promised.
Jenny chatted with the girls half-heartedly, waiting for Eddie to come back. He arrived with a platter of chicken wings Heather had ordered earlier.
“Do you remember the photos I was showing you?” Jenny asked him. “You said one of them looked familiar. What can you tell me about him?”
“You mean that chubby kid with a paunch? He came here a lot a few weeks ago.”
“Do you remember who he talked to?”
“Was a bit of a weirdo, if you ask me. Picked a few fights over nothin’. Had to warn him to lighten up.”
“Is that all?” Jenny pressed.
Eddie’s face cleared as he remembered something.
“Now that you mention it – I saw him talking to that troubadour a couple of times.”
“Did you hear what they were talking about?”
Eddie hesitated.
“I wasn’t paying attention. I can’t be too sure but I think they were arguing about something.”
Jenny wondered why Tyler’s cousin had come all the way to Pelican Cove to pick a fight with him.
“Do you know what Tyler did after he left the pub every night?”
“Drove home to Richmond,” Eddie said.
“Are you sure?” Jenny asked.
“100%. Talked about what a pain it was driving a couple of hours each way.”
Jenny was stumped. If Tyler had gone home every day, Billy could have easily met him at home. What had he been up to? Had Tyler been in on it?
“Gotta go,” Eddie said before rushing to take care of someone else.
“What’s this, Jenny?” Heather pouted. “I thought we were having a girls’ night.”
Jenny devoted herself to her girlfriends after that. Heather was lamenting the lack of eligible men in Pelican Cove.
“Adam and Chris were the only handsome hunks and you both grabbed them,” Heather said, her tongue loose after her second glass of wine.
“What about Jason?” Jenny asked. “He is as eligible as they come.”
“Ewww …” Heather cried. “Jason is like a brother to me.”
“What about Ethan?” Molly asked, referring to Adam’s brother. “Didn’t he just break up with his girl?”
Ethan Hopkins was a divorcee with no kids. He had been dating someone for the past few years. They had recently had a very public breakup when the girl left him for someone living in the city.
“Ethan’s still licking his wounds,” Heather clucked. “And I have a feeling those two aren’t done yet. City life is not for everyone.”
“He can still be your date for the wedding,” Jenny offered. “He is the best man and you are my maid of honor.”
“I don’t know, Jenny,” Heather slurred. “Those Hopkins boys are trouble.”
“Do you have any other date for Jenny’s wedding?” Molly asked.
“Why can’t I go alone?” Heather challenged. “I am a modern independent woman. I don’t need a man to hold my hand.”
“Bravo!” Jenny clapped her hands. “That’s the kind of spirit I like.”
“Speaking of the wedding,” Molly said. “We still need to talk about flowers. Do you have a city florist in mind?”
“We don’t need a florist, Molly,” Jenny deadpanned. “I want flowers from my garden. My very own roses and gardenias. I can’t imagine any other bouquet for the wedding.”
“If you insist,” Molly said. “I guess that’s one more item we can check off the list.”
“Please tell me you are not baking your own cake,” Heather said drily.
“I want to,” Jenny confessed. “But I am not sure if I will have the time.”
“I know a very good bakery in Virginia Beach,” Molly told them. “Please order your cake from them, Jenny. They are really good.”
“You are skimping on almost everything,” Heather pointed out. “Barbecue instead of caterers, flowers from your own garden … splurge on the cake. Order a lavish four tiered thing. You deserve it.”
“I will set up an appointment for us,” Molly said before Jenny could object. “We need to go cake tasting.”
Jenny and the girls lingered at the pub for a couple of hours. Jenny was ready to call it a night by the time she got home. A bank of clouds had crept up the horizon, shadowing the moon. She spotted a familiar figure on the beach as she parked her car. A large furry body came bounding up as soon as she stepped down. Jenny hugged the yellow Labrador and scratched him below the ears.
“Tank! I missed you!”
Tank had been with Adam through thick and thin. Jenny was besotted with him. He had been staying with Adam’s brother for the past few weeks, keeping him company while he mooned over his lost love. Jenny had missed spending time with him.
Adam walked up to Jenny. He was using his cane again. Jenny wanted to ask if his leg was hurting badly but she forced herself to stay quiet.
“Looks like you had a wild time.”
His tone was clipped and Jenny decided he was definitely in pain. She wondered if he would give in and take a pain pill.
“It was just Heather and Molly,” she said with a shrug. “You coming in?”
Adam shook his head.
“Tank and I need to get back. I have to get up early. I am going to the city.”
“Is everything alright?” Jenny asked, picking up on the tension.
Was Adam jealous of the time she had spent with the girls? They would need to have a talk about it again. She wasn’t ready to be shackled down in any way just because she was getting married to him.
Adam swallowed and sighed deeply.
“It’s official. Ocean was murdered. The news has already leaked out. I thought I would tell you myself.”
“I knew it!” Jenny crowed. “So he didn’t just drown?”
Adam shook his head.
“According to the autopsy report, Ocean was strangled.”
Chapter 16
Jenny wasn’t having a good day. She had barely slept, thoughts of Ocean’s last moments keeping her awake. When she did manage to fall asleep toward dawn, she had nightmares. She woke up drenched in sweat, shaking in fear at some unknown assailant who had been about to choke her.
She had overslept after that and hadn’t reached the café until 6 AM. That meant breakfast had been late. She had to send Captain Charlie away without his muffin.
Star had been on the phone for twenty minutes. Jenny felt her irritation rise. She tried to tune out the one sided conversation and focused on making her stuffed French Toast. Loaded with fresh strawberries, it was a summer favorite at the Boardwalk Café.
Star gave a whoop and finally hung up.
“Guess what?” she crowed, clapping her hands.
“Why don’t you just tell me?” Jenny asked crankily.
“Someone woke up on the wrong side of bed today,” Star said with a smile.
“Star …” Jenny groaned.
“Okay, okay. You will never believe what just happened. The town has agreed to pay that Bobby Joe person. We have one hot concert coming up, Jenny. Right here too, in Pelican Cove.”
“I thought we couldn’t afford him?” Jenny quizzed.
“You know how Barb is when she wants something. She called a meeting of the town council. They just voted to cough up the money.”
“Where is this money coming from?” Jenny asked, sprinkling powdered sugar over a plate of toast.
“From the reserves,” Star explained. “This is historic, Jenny. The town has never dipped in the reserves. The reserves are sacred.”
“What’s so special about this guy then?” Jenny asked with a grimace.
“His song is number one in the country, Jenny. And he is willing to perform it live for the first time. Right here on our beach.”
“He better be worth it,” Jenny muttered.
