by Leena Clover
“Aren’t you going to Richmond today?” Star asked.
Jenny nodded.
“I was planning to go after lunch. We are going to be super busy, judging by the breakfast crowd.”
Jenny’s prediction proved to be right. She made dozens of sandwiches and salads while Star ladled endless bowls of seafood chowder. Both women were exhausted.
Jenny put her feet up on a chair as she wolfed down her own sandwich.
“Look at those cracked heels,” Star clucked as she stared at Jenny’s feet. “How many times should I tell you, Jenny. You are going to be a bride. You need to take better care of yourself.”
“Maybe we should have a spa night,” Jenny said grudgingly.
“I have a better idea,” Star said. “Let’s all go to that day spa in Cape Charles. We need to do a test run before your wedding anyway. We can book all your bridal treatments there if you like the place.”
“Sounds pricey.” Jenny made a face.
“It’s your wedding,” Star said. “You can afford to spend a bit.”
“Whatever you say, Aunt,” Jenny sighed. “I wonder what’s keeping Heather.”
“I’m right here,” Heather said, sweeping in.
She was grinning from ear to ear.
“Bobby Joe came out of his room to get coffee. I said hello to him and he said hello back.”
“Shouldn’t he?” Jenny asked.
“Oh Jenny! You don’t get it. Bobby Joe Tucker spoke to me! It was my big fan girl moment.”
“You sound as mad as the rest of the town,” Jenny said. “They are going to shell out the big bucks needed for his gig.”
“I know!” Heather beamed. “We are going to be famous. People are already asking each other where this island is where Bobby Joe Tucker is hiding out at.”
“Shouldn’t you get going?” Star reminded them.
Jenny took off her apron and freshened up a bit. She asked Heather to drive, pleading exhaustion.
Heather kept up a monologue all the way to Richmond. Jenny napped fitfully, barely hearing anything Heather said. Two hours later, Heather wove her way through downtown traffic to the more upscale River Road area.
The Jones residence loomed over them, reminding Jenny once again of Tyler’s exclusive background. The butler greeted them with a smile.
“Mr. Jones will be happy to see you.”
“Actually, we were hoping to talk to Tyler’s cousin.”
“Master Billy is a bit indisposed,” the butler said, clearing his throat.
“This could be important,” Jenny told him.
“I will see what I can do,” the butler promised.
Jenny had remembered to bring a big box of her truffles for Mr. Jones. She hoped he liked chocolates.
Billy Jones waddled in fifteen minutes later, looking like he had just got out of bed. He looked freshly showered but his eyes were bloodshot and his mouth was set in a frown.
“What do you want from me?” he grumbled.
“We need your help,” Jenny began. “I hope you don’t mind answering a few questions.”
Billy spotted the box of chocolates and tore it open. He popped a couple of truffles in his mouth and chewed noisily.
“This is good stuff,” Billy spoke, his teeth smeared with chocolate. “I don’t suppose you get these in that hick town of yours?”
“Jenny made them herself,” Heather said curtly.
“You don’t like Pelican Cove?” Jenny asked Billy.
“Never been there,” he drawled. “Tyler was crazy about that place though.”
“We know you visited the Rusty Anchor a few times,” Jenny said to him. “The bartender recognized you.”
“Why would you lie about going to Pelican Cove?” Heather asked.
“I don’t want my Dad to find out,” Billy said, looking over his shoulder.
“We won’t tell him anything,” Jenny promised. “Will you talk to us?”
Billy pulled his shirt down over his ample belly and frowned. He gave them a brief nod as his mouth settled into a pout.
“Okay.”
“What were you doing in Pelican Cove?” Jenny asked a straightforward question.
“Tyler and I grew up together, in this house,” Billy told them. “I am a lot older than him but we were buddies while growing up. Very few kids in class were as rich as us. We got kind of isolated.”
Jenny and Heather got caught up in Billy’s story.
“What I’m saying is, I was used to looking out for Tyler. He told me everything he did. He wanted to write music for the rest of his life. My dad didn’t want that, of course. When Tyler found this little island in the middle of nowhere, he was excited. He said they would let him play his songs all day long. He was happy.”
“Based on what we learned, your father found out about it,” Jenny told him.
“That was my fault,” Billy admitted. “I let it slip. I went there to warn Tyler about it.”
“What were you afraid of?”
“My father has a lot of influence,” Billy said. “He would have made sure Tyler packed up his guitar and came home. I just wanted to give Tyler a heads up. We did that for each other all the time.”
“Was Tyler going to come home with you?”
Billy shook his head.
“He was really fired up this time. He said people loved his music. He asked me to book a recording studio here in town. He was going to go all out with his song.”
“Eddie at the pub told us that Tyler drove home every night?” Jenny asked.
“That’s right,” Billy laughed. “He tried roughing it out for a couple of nights. Get the authentic experience. But he wasn’t cut out for it. Said he could bear standing in the sun all day but he needed his feather bed at night and fresh squeezed orange juice in the morning.”
“So why did you go to the Rusty Anchor to talk to him?” Jenny asked. “You could have talked to him right here?”
“I wanted to see what the fuss was about.”
“Surely you had heard him sing before?” Heather asked.
Billy’s manner changed abruptly.
“I don’t have to explain myself to you.”
“Did you need a change of scene?” Jenny asked diplomatically.
“Hey, it’s summer. And there’s not much to do here. So I wanted to get some beach action. So what?”
“So you took a road trip with Tyler and worked on your tan,” Jenny said with a smile.
“Nothing of that sort,” Billy said, shaking his head. “I drove there in my own car and came back on my own. Tyler didn’t want to let on he knew me.”
“Do you drive that Ferrari in the garage?” Jenny asked impishly.
“Sometimes,” Billy said noncommittally. “Sometimes I take the Porsche.”
“What did Tyler drive?” Jenny asked.
“He wanted to look poor,” Billy said, fighting off a yawn. “He borrowed our housekeeper’s ancient Toyota. Took him hours to get there in that trap.”
“You and Tyler were brothers, right?” Jenny asked. “Did you fight like brothers too?”
“Who said we had a fight?” Billy asked sullenly.
“You were seen arguing with Tyler at the pub,” Jenny said softly. “What was that about?”
“It was between us,” Billy said. “Family stuff.”
“Tyler’s gone,” Jenny reminded him. “And I am trying to find out who had it in for him. This is not the time to withhold information.”
Billy looked around before leaning forward. His voice had dropped to a whisper.
“It was that girl.”
“What girl?”
No one had mentioned a girl in connection with Tyler until now.
“Must be some local chick,” Billy said with a frown. “Tyler was crazy about her.”
“What was the problem?”
“She was a gold digger,” Billy said flatly. “They all are. She just wanted Tyler’s money.”
“How can you be so sure?” Heather
asked. “And wait a minute, how did she know Tyler had money?”
“Tyler let it slip that he was coming into money very soon. That’s when she started acting smitten.”
“Was she hoping to marry Tyler?” Jenny asked.
“I don’t know,” Billy said. “My guess is she was going to blackmail Tyler. His whole street singer cred was based on him being poor.”
“What were you arguing about exactly?”
“He wanted to bring her here to meet the old man. Not a good idea!”
Jenny couldn’t determine whether Billy was right about the girl.
“Do you know her name?” Jenny asked. “Did you meet her yourself?”
Billy shook his head.
“Tyler was very protective about her.”
Jenny looked up at the sound of shuffling feet. A voice could be heard grumbling outside. Mr. Jones came in a few moments later, followed by the butler.
“Jenny King!” he exclaimed. “Were we supposed to meet today?”
He glared at the old retainer.
“Why didn’t anyone tell me she was here?”
Jenny picked up the open box of truffles.
“Do you like chocolates? I brought these for you.”
The old man stared suspiciously at the box she held out. His hand shook as it hovered over the box. He finally made a choice and picked one up. He popped it in his mouth tentatively and a smile lit up his face.
“Who makes these?” he asked. “I want to invest in this company.”
“Jenny made these herself,” Heather supplied. “You can say they are home made.”
“You can make a fortune with these,” Mr. Jones told Jenny. “They are that good. Why don’t you make an appointment with my office? I will ask my assistant to make a project plan. We can produce this on a large scale and sell them all over the country.”
“Thank you Mr. Jones,” Jenny blushed. “But I am not here to sell the truffles.”
The old man’s face fell as he snapped back to reality.
“Have you made any progress, Jenny?” he asked with a quaver. “Do you know who killed my boy?”
Chapter 17
Back home, Jenny got ready for dinner but her heart wasn’t in it. It had been a while since she had spent any quality time with Adam. So she should have been excited about their date. But her mind kept drifting back to the troubadours and the fate that had befallen them.
Her search for Tyler’s killer hadn’t led to any new suspects. Now Ocean had met a similar fate. Jenny wondered if their profession had anything to do with the tragedy. Was there some kind of music hater out there who had a silent vendetta against singers? The idea seemed ridiculous even as she half heartedly considered it.
Adam would be no help in discovering anything about Ocean. Jenny was sure he would fly off the handle if she mentioned either crime during dinner. She reminded herself to stay away from the topic.
Adam had reservations at their favorite restaurant a couple of towns away. His eyes darkened as he gazed at Jenny over a plate of Beef Bourguignon.
“Just a few more days to go, Jenny,” he said softly. “I can’t wait.”
“Me neither,” Jenny said honestly.
Apart from the unsolved issue about their living arrangements, Jenny was looking forward to wedded bliss with Adam.
“How is the wedding planning coming along?” Adam asked. “Have you thrown any tantrums yet?”
“Not much scope for that,” Jenny said, spearing a piece of thyme and lemon scented roast chicken. “We have kept everything pretty simple. I just need to order my dress.”
“Isn’t that supposed to be the most difficult?” Adam raised his eyebrows.
“I have been busy,” Jenny said apologetically. “There’s so much going on.”
“Are you still playing Nancy Drew?” Adam asked irritably.
His visage had changed from romantic to grouch in a fraction of a second.
“There’s very little to find,” Jenny said honestly. “There are hardly any suspects and no motive. You should know. Your top suspect turned up dead.”
“I was wrong about Ocean,” Adam said readily. “Not entirely though. He wasn’t completely blameless.”
“What do you mean?”
“I told you we ran a background check, remember? His real name was Daniel Garcia. He is from California.”
“I think he mentioned that once,” Jenny nodded. “Not his name. Where he is from. I did think that Ocean was an assumed name.”
“Daniel Garcia has a record as long as my arm,” Adam said grimly. “He was involved in a lot of petty crimes. Confidence schemes, petty theft, blackmail. The police found it hard to track him because he was always on the move. Wonder how he landed in Pelican Cove.”
“He may have been a crook,” Jenny said. “But I believe Ocean was good at heart. He was just trying to survive.”
“What are you saying, Jenny?” Adam asked angrily. “It is okay to steal if you are doing it for survival?”
“I didn’t mean that,” Jenny said quickly. “I mean Ocean didn’t deserve to die like this.”
“Don’t tell me you are going to look for his killer too?” Adam said with a groan.
Jenny said nothing. She had already decided that she would try to find out what happened to Ocean.
Adam and Jenny were both quiet on the drive back. Jenny figured Adam wasn’t too happy with her when he didn’t stop for a walk at their favorite beach.
Jenny slept well that night and woke before her alarm went off. She reached the café on time and hummed a tune as she baked muffins for breakfast. She flung the doors open at 6 AM and greeted her first customer of the day.
“Good Morning, Captain Charlie. Here is your coffee and your chocolate chip muffin. All packed and ready to go.”
“You seem chipper this morning,” the old sailor said with a smile. “Counting down to the big day?”
Jenny blushed.
“I am so busy here I barely have time to think about the wedding,” she confessed.
“I know what’s keeping you busy,” Captain Charlie said with a glint in his eye. “No luck this time, eh?”
“Are you talking about Tyler?” Jenny asked. “You are right. I am stumped. No suspects and no motive.”
“What about that other fella?” Captain Charlie asked. “Heard he was done in too.”
“You heard right,” Jenny nodded. “Did you know Ocean?”
“Talked to him a few times,” Captain Charlie said with a nod. “He was camping out in the woods by my cabin. He had me over for a pint.”
“I thought he was living out of his van,” Jenny said.
“It’s more like a bus,” Captain Charlie explained. “What they call a camper van. He had a bed inside and everything. But this weather, he just put out a sleeping bag and slept under the stars. Said it was the best sleep a person could have.”
“Did anyone else visit him while you were there?”
“I don’t think so. He didn’t know anyone locally. Said his friends were drifters like him, driving around the country. They met once every year, at a different location. They were meeting at Corpus Christi in November.”
Jenny said goodbye to Captain Charlie and went inside. Star arrived as she began mixing batter for her blueberry pancakes. Breakfast was a blur and Jenny barely had time to gulp some coffee down.
The Magnolias arrived at 11, ready for their mid-morning break. Heather was smiling again. Betty Sue was muttering as she clacked her knitting needles.
“Her head’s in the clouds,” she said to Jenny. “What am I going to do with this girl?”
“Bobby Joe said Hi to me again,” Heather crowed. “I think we are going to be friends.”
“Why haven’t we seen him around town?” Jenny asked.
“He’s busy working in that bus of his all day,” Betty Sue said. “Goes straight to his room when he comes into the inn.”
“What about his meals?” Jenny asked. “Surely he must eat somewh
ere?”
“His meals are brought in by special delivery,” Heather told them. “He has hired a chef in Virginia Beach. He prepares everything according to Bobby Joe’s eating plan. He follows a strict diet.”
Molly had come in behind the Morse women.
“He has to, I guess,” she cooed. “Have you seen his abs?”
“Not really,” Heather giggled.
Molly joined her.
“Do you think he will take his shirt off at the concert?”
“He won’t,” Star interrupted them. “That’s another ten thousand bucks we can’t afford.”
“Are you saying he …” Jenny was speechless.
The girls dissolved into a fit of giggles again until Betty Sue rapped her hand on the table. Jenny went in to get coffee.
“When are you going to choose a wedding dress, Jenny?” Heather asked as she licked chocolate off her fingers. “Time’s running out.”
“How was your date with Adam last night?” Star asked, playfully poking an elbow in Jenny’s side. “Is he getting impatient?”
“You know Adam,” Jenny sighed. “He wants me to stop sniffing around.”
“Did he tell you anything about Ocean?” Heather asked eagerly.
“Ocean was wanted in several states,” Jenny told them. “He duped a lot of people, it seems.”
“That bearded oaf?” Betty Sue asked. “Why am I not surprised?”
“He was like a cuddly bear,” Heather said. “And he played bad music. I listened to him a couple of times, right there on the beach.”
“The music must have been a disguise,” Jenny said brightly. “He entered towns as a troubadour and got to know the people.”
“You think he had some devious scheme in mind for our town?” Molly asked. “We are well rid of him, in that case.”
“He didn’t deserve to die, Molly,” Jenny said. “No one does.”
“You are turning into a big old softie,” Heather said. “I think being a bride is doing that to you.”
Someone hailed them from the beach and the ladies looked up to see Jason waving at them. He bounded up the steps and handed over the baby carrier to Jenny.
“Hello Emily,” Jenny chuckled, pinching the baby’s cheeks.
“We were just talking about your client,” Jenny told Jason. “Do the police have any suspects?”
