by Leena Clover
She held up her hand as Heather and Molly both opened their mouths to object.
“I shortlisted three wedding dresses. Let’s go and try them on one last time. I will make my final choice after that.”
“Shall we go today?” Heather asked eagerly. “The fall festival is two days away and I am going to be busy volunteering tomorrow onwards.”
“I am not missing this,” Molly said. “I am going to call in sick.”
“Molly, you already went in to work this morning,” Heather reminded her.
“But I feel a migraine coming on,” Molly said, widening her eyes. “Don’t even think of going without me, Heather.”
The girls squabbled over what to do. Star convinced Jenny to take half the day off.
“Don’t worry about the café,” Star told her. “I can handle it.”
Jenny insisted on helping her aunt prep for lunch.
“Let’s start in a couple of hours,” she told Heather and Molly. “I will pack some sandwiches for us. We can eat in the car.”
Jenny’s excitement about the trip amped up as she thought about the three dresses she had narrowed down. She covered two platters of sandwiches with plastic wrap and placed them in the refrigerator. She packed some chicken salad sandwiches for their trip, along with potato chips and cookies. She added two bottles of sweet tea to the small basket.
“All set?” Star beamed at her. “Take some pictures.”
“Don’t worry, I am not going to order the dress without consulting you.”
Star’s eyes filled up. Jenny hugged her aunt tightly, swallowing the lump in her throat. Her aunt had offered her refuge when she had been alone and miserable. She would never forget what Star had done for her. She was determined to take care of her aging aunt for the rest of her life. It was the least she could do. Estranged from her own mother, Star was the only family Jenny had other than her son.
“Have fun, sweetie!” Star said, patting her on the back.
Jenny picked up the food hamper and breezed out of the kitchen, ready to hit the road with her friends. A young girl sprang up from a table when she saw Jenny. Jenny gasped at how beautiful she was with her wispy red hair and sculpted face. Jenny guessed she was barely twenty one.
“Are you Jenny King?” the girl asked. “I have been waiting for you.”
Jenny looked into her deep cornflower blue eyes and smiled tentatively.
“Have we met before?”
The girl shook her head.
“My name is Rebecca Brown. I live here in Pelican Cove. I heard you were looking for information about Tyler Jones.”
“I guess you can say that,” Jenny said. “I was just about to leave for an appointment though. Can we talk some other time?”
The girl hesitated.
“I am not sure I will have the courage to come back,” she said honestly.
Jenny made a snap decision.
“Why don’t you come with me? We can talk in the car.”
The girl seemed overawed when she saw Heather and Molly waiting by the car.
“I wanted to talk in private,” she said.
“Don’t worry,” Jenny told her. “I share everything with Molly and Heather. You don’t have to worry about them.”
Introductions were made and the girls welcomed Rebecca.
“The more, the merrier,” Heather said in her usual friendly manner.
“So? How did you know Tyler?” Jenny asked the girl.
“Tyler and I were engaged.”
The girls stared at each other with wide eyes and raised eyebrows. They hadn’t expected this.
“We know Tyler was seeing someone,” Jenny told her. “But we had no idea he was engaged.”
Tears streamed down the girl’s face.
“Tyler was such a gentleman. He proposed when we found out I was pregnant.”
Jenny dropped any pretense of being cool.
“You’re expecting Tyler’s child?” she asked incredulously. “How does anyone not know this?”
“Who am I going to tell?” the girl asked.
“The family, of course,” Jenny cried. “Old Mr. Jones will be very happy.”
“Tyler’s grandpa?” Rebecca asked. “We were going to meet him soon. Tyler adored him.”
“I can give you his number,” Jenny offered.
“Billy said I should wait.”
“You know Billy?” Jenny asked.
“I have met him a few times,” Rebecca told them.
She looked like she had a bad taste in her mouth. Jenny guessed their dislike for each other was mutual.
“What do you do, Rebecca?”
“I am a college student. I was home for my summer break when I met Tyler.”
“What was he like?” Jenny asked.
“Very shy,” Rebecca told them. “You would never have guessed he performed in front of a crowd. He was so passionate about his music.”
“So you like music too?” Jenny asked.
“We had that in common,” Rebecca nodded. “I am going to minor in music. Tyler and I both loved the blues. His own music was a peculiar blend of country and pop.”
“You started dating, then?”
“We hit it off right away. Tyler and I used to meet on one of the beaches after sunset.”
“When did you find out about his background?”
“There were little signs,” Rebecca told them. “His clothes, the really expensive watch he wore, the way he gave away most of the money he earned during the day … he would buy ice cream for the kids or give someone a ridiculous tip.”
“So you realized he was rich,” Jenny said frankly.
“He told me himself,” Rebecca explained. “Right on our second date. He told me about some big trust money that was coming to him in a few weeks.”
Was that the only reason Rebecca had fallen in love with him, Jenny asked herself cynically.
“Why did he tell you that? I guess he didn’t want to come across as a poor musician.”
“He wanted to make it on his own,” Rebecca explained. “He told me it was really hard to do in the music industry. But he had a safety net. He didn’t want me to worry about the future.”
“Was Billy helping him with his music?”
“Billy?” Rebecca asked with disdain. “Billy only helps himself. He came into a big trust when he was twenty five, about five years ago. Tyler said he had squandered it all. Now he was after Tyler’s money.”
“So they didn’t get along?” Jenny asked.
“Not really,” Rebecca told her. “Tyler wanted Billy to take an interest in the family business. He felt that would allow him to focus on his music. But Billy doesn’t want to work at all.”
“How did Tyler get on with his uncle?” Jenny asked.
“Tyler’s parents died when he was a child. His uncle was his big role model. The uncle wanted Tyler to start learning the business.”
“And Tyler didn’t want to?”
“He just wanted to do something on his own first. He had given himself six months. He was hoping to have a hit single in that time. He said he would happily take up the family business after that.”
Jenny remembered how Tyler had been hung up on being the only troubadour in town.
“Do you know why he came to Pelican Cove?”
“Tyler discovered this town by accident when he took a wrong turn. He loved the vibe here. Said this town had become his muse.”
“Was he making a lot of new music?” Jenny asked curiously.
“He recorded a song,” Rebecca smiled sadly. “He was very excited about it. He was looking for a contract with some record label.”
Heather had been driving the car while Jenny and Rebecca chatted in the back seat. She had reached a designer’s studio two towns over. It was going to be their first stop that day.
Jenny took Rebecca by the arm and coaxed her to go in with them. The dress was tried on and pronounced beautiful. Heather took several pictures for Star.
“Are yo
u ready to lock this one down?” Molly asked.
Jenny shook her head.
“I am going to try on all three dresses.”
“Let’s get going then,” Heather quipped. “No time to waste.”
Heather offered to drop Rebecca back in Pelican Cove before heading out to the city. Rebecca agreed gratefully.
“Where have you been hiding all this time?” Jenny asked her. “Why didn’t you come forward before this?”
“Billy warned me to stay under the radar,” she explained. “He said the tabloids would start harassing me.”
Jenny’s opinion of Billy Jones was changing rapidly.
“What made you seek me out now?” Jenny asked.
“You know how active the local grapevine is,” Rebecca said. “Talk was that you were trying hard to find Tyler’s killer. Everyone said you were really good at it. So I was just watching from a distance. Then someone said you have given up.”
“There are no suspects,” Jenny explained. “My wedding is just a few weeks away and the café keeps me busy.”
“You are the only hope I have,” Rebecca pleaded. “Please don’t give up yet. I want to see Tyler’s killer brought to justice.”
“I can’t promise anything, but I will see what I can do.”
Jenny urged Rebecca to go meet the Jones family at the earliest. They entered Pelican Cove and dropped her off in the town square.
“What did you think of that girl?” Heather asked as they sped toward the Chesapeake Bay Bridge -Tunnel that would take them into Virginia Beach.
“She’s so young,” Jenny exclaimed. “She looks innocent.”
“Are you going soft, Jenny?” Molly laughed. “Looks don’t mean anything.”
“What motive could she possibly have to harm Tyler?” Jenny asked. “She was marrying into millions. Now she is alone with a baby on the way.”
“You just have her word for it,” Heather argued. “What if Tyler broke up with her, huh?”
“Maybe that child isn’t Tyler’s at all,” Molly offered. “She could have killed Tyler to get him out of the way. Now she can act the role of the poor widow and extract money from the Joneses.”
“You are both crazy,” Jenny dismissed.
“You taught us well, Jenny,” Heather told her smugly. “Never take anyone at face value. Confirm it from different sources.”
“Billy tried to paint Rebecca in a bad light. She is doing the same thing with him. Looks like they are trying to throw each other under the bus.”
Heather turned toward Jenny as she pulled up in front of a toll booth.
“What if they are both lying?”
Chapter 20
The day of the fall festival arrived.
The town of Pelican Cove was packed to the gills. A sea of people thronged the town square. There wasn’t a single empty spot left to stand on. The Boardwalk Café was bursting at the seams. Every table on the outdoor deck had been taken. People had set up camp chairs on the beach surrounding the deck. They bought food from the front counter and feasted on it at the beach.
Jenny was working like an automaton, helped by her aunt Star and her friends Heather and Molly. Betty Sue presided over the cash counter. Jenny had finally made several batches of truffles in honor of the occasion. Five dozen boxes had been sold out within the hour.
“We are running out of bread,” Heather declared as she tore open a fresh loaf. “Only two loafs remaining.”
“Those are our last ones,” Jenny said. “Let’s finish making these sandwiches and call it quits.”
“People are still coming in,” Star said, taking a peep outside.
“I can’t help it,” Jenny said. “We are out of everything. Time to let our hair down and enjoy the festival ourselves.”
“Have you seen that stage they erected on the beach?” Molly asked. “We have never had anything like it before.”
Jenny shook her head. She hadn’t even gone out on deck all day.
“Bobby Joe’s people had precise instructions on how to build that stage,” Heather told them. “Mandy managed all that.”
“What would we do without Mandy!” Jenny exclaimed.
Star made a face. She had reluctantly delegated any work related to the concert to Mandy.
“This is going to be the best fall festival ever!” Heather crowed.
They were all beginning to get excited about the concert. Finally, the last morsel was served and the Magnolias breathed a sigh of relief. They had all brought dresses to change into for the festival. The girls primped and got ready in half an hour and set off.
The mercury had finally dipped a bit in Pelican Cove, bringing some much awaited cool weather. It was a sunny evening and the crowd was getting excited as the musicians tuned their instruments.
A roar went up in the crowd as Bobby Joe appeared on stage. He started playing his guitar and the crowd erupted in a roar.
Molly stood arm in arm with Chris. Jason wasn’t coming because he hadn’t found a sitter for Emily. Adam was on crowd control duty. Star and Betty Sue were going to relax on the café’s deck and listen to the music from a distance.
Someone tapped Jenny on the shoulder. She turned around, hoping it was Adam. It was Barb Norton.
“Isn’t this great, Jenny?” she tittered. “Don’t forget who brought this famous country music star to Pelican Cove. It was all my idea.”
Jenny knew that wasn’t true but she went along with it.
“This concert is going to be a big boost for tourism,” Barb continued. “How’s the take at the café been these past two days? Better than the whole summer, huh?”
Jenny had to agree with Barb.
“When I am mayor, I will be doing plenty more activities to boost tourism in the area.”
“Thanks, Barb,” Jenny said. “You can count on my vote.”
Barb moved on to tackle her next prospect.
Things were heating up on stage. Jenny wasn’t a country music fan so Bobby Joe’s music wasn’t very familiar to her. But she found herself tapping her foot and enjoying the atmosphere. She realized that was the beauty of a live music show.
There was another tap on Jenny’s shoulder. It turned out to be Peter Wilson.
“You see all this, Jenny?” he demanded angrily. “They are destroying our environment, trashing the beach and the natural beauty of our surroundings.”
Jenny nodded meekly.
“These are the dangers of excessive tourism. This is exactly what I want to curb when I am mayor. No crazy music concerts, that’s for sure.”
“You are right, Peter. We don’t need these crowds.”
“So I can count on your vote, right?” Peter asked directly.
“Sure,” Jenny said.
Peter stood with his arms folded, glaring at the people around him. A couple stopped swaying to the music and moved away.
Up on the stage, Bobby Joe tapped the microphone and cleared his throat.
“Thank you all for coming. This is the one you have all been waiting for. My latest hit single.”
The cheer that went up through the crowd was deafening. Peter Wilson turned red as a tomato. Jenny watched in amazement as he curled his hands into fists and pointed them at the stage.
The music started and the crowd grew quiet as Bobby Joe began crooning. He was barely two lines into the song when Peter let out a loud groan.
“Not this again. I’m fed up of listening to this crap.”
Heather turned around and glowered at Peter.
“This is ‘You are my everything’. It’s top of the charts. Bobby Joe might even win a Grammy for it.”
“So that kid was in cahoots with this goon all along?” Peter demanded.
“What are you saying, Peter?” Jenny asked.
She had lost track of what Peter was fussing about.
“This is the same song that kid who died played all summer. It’s burned into my brain. You know why? Because he stood outside my house and sang that same thing from sunrise to su
nset. The same thing over and over.”
“That’s impossible!” Heather argued. “Bobby Joe released this song just a few days ago. Tyler couldn’t have played it before that.”
“What did I say?” Peter frowned. “It’s burned into my brain. You want proof? Let me show you.”
People around them were beginning to turn around asking them to shush. A couple of security guards surrounded them suddenly and asked them to stop causing a disturbance.
Peter looked like he was ready to burst.
“Let’s go back to the café,” Jenny said, grabbing his arm. “You stay here and enjoy the show,” she told Heather.
Peter Wilson was already pulling a phone out of his pocket. He went into the café with Jenny and started playing a video. He thrust the phone into her face.
Tyler appeared on the screen. He was standing by the gazebo in the town square, playing his guitar. Jenny watched for a while, her eyes widening in surprise.
“This does sound like the song that country star is playing right now,” she admitted grudgingly.
“What did I tell ya?” Peter crowed triumphantly.
“Do you know where Tyler heard this song?”
“He wrote it himself,” Peter told her. “All his music was original. He used to boast about it.”
“It’s actually a great song,” Jenny said. “What is it you don’t like about it?”
Peter looked abashed.
“It’s a good song,” he said reluctantly. “Even I can see that. But you listen to anything twelve hours a day, day after day after day, it begins grating on your nerves. Know what I mean?”
“I think so,” Jenny said.
She was trying to figure out how Bobby Joe had got hold of Tyler’s song. Peter made it easy for her.
“So what? You think that hotshot country star stole this kid’s song?”
“Sure looks like it, huh?” Jenny said. “I’m going to find Adam.”
She didn’t have to go too far. Adam burst into the café just then, looking for her.
“What’s going on, Jenny?” he bellowed. “Heather said it had something to do with Tyler Jones?”
Jenny quickly brought him up to speed.
“Let’s wait for the show to be over,” Adam told them. “I will bring him in after that.”
Captain Charlie barged into the café next.
