Sunny Side Up (Lake Erie Mysteries Book 1)

by Maureen K. Howard

  “I’m sure you’re right. I hope she remembered to get everything on her list. Do you think we should call her and ask her if she needs it?”

  “Oh, there’s the doorbell. Dinner is served!”

  We spent the rest of the afternoon and evening inside the condo devouring an entire cheese and mushroom pizza with extra cheese, sharing a bottle of California Red, and binge-watching the entire seventh season of Bones on Netflix, even though the weather had finally broken and it had turned into a glorious sunny day. Finally, we were stuffed and bleary-eyed—we had had enough of both pizza and TV.

  “I’m exhausted,” I mumbled. “Let’s get some sleep and figure all this out tomorrow. G’night!” I shuffled down the hall to my room and fell into bed.

  The next morning, I woke up to the rich smell of the Starbucks Breakfast Blend I love so much. I followed my nose into the kitchen where I found June deep in thought, staring intently out the big picture window at the promise of a new day. The sun was just peeking up over the horizon. It was such a beautiful vista that for a second I forgot about the events of the previous day and just stood there in my bare feet silently gazing out at the lawn and the lake beyond. Without wanting to break the mood with words, I headed for the refrigerator where I pulled out a dozen eggs, shredded cheddar, shredded mozzarella, an onion, fresh spinach, and mushrooms. Halfway through my omelet preparation, I went back to the fridge to retrieve a chunk of Swiss cheese. This was definitely going to be another “extra cheese” moment.

  June poured a second mug of coffee, added a splash of cream and two spoonfuls of sugar, then sat at the kitchen table while I finished preparing our breakfast.

  “We need a plan, Francie,” she said to my back. “We’ll need more photos of the fake merchandise and the hiding place. Maybe we can find some more clues or evidence. We need to get some names or addresses so we can identify whoever is behind this whole mess. If we want Morgan to take us seriously and arrest this criminal, we’re going to have to give the police something solid so they can get a conviction and make it stick.”

  I joined June at the table and placed a plate containing a perfectly executed cheesy omelet in front of her. “Yes. Then we can get Detective Morgan to clear up any suspicions about Hamm and prove that the creepy stranger is behind this whole ugly mess. I still haven’t been able to reach Hamm. I’m genuinely starting to worry. I know he said he had a major case issue that came up, but he still should have checked in by now.”

  “I wouldn’t worry. You know how he gets when he’s eyeball deep in a tricky case. It’s always right before you haven’t heard from him and are about to call out the National Guard that he suddenly remembers to check his messages.”

  “I know you’re right. I’m sure he’ll call soon. He always does.” I didn’t sound convinced, not even to myself.

  Chapter Nineteen

  We lingered over our breakfast, discussing what we needed in order to carry out the fledgling plan beginning to take shape. We were just finalizing the last details when June popped out of her chair and exclaimed, “It’s time to go. Grab your bag, Francie! I’ll clear the dishes while you get ready.”

  June was obviously getting antsy to get started. I, as usual, had mixed feelings; I really wanted to get to the bottom of this mess, but I had a bad feeling that things were more complicated than we had first imagined, and I didn’t want me or any of my friends to get hurt trying to do a job that, technically, we were not qualified to do and should leave to professional law enforcement. In the end, I left June to clean up the kitchen, got dressed, gathered up my things, and threw a few potentially useful items into my back-up leather satchel. At the last minute, I went back to my closet, and found my one pair of sensible shoes, shoved in the very back behind a bag of discarded items waiting to be hauled off to the Goodwill store, just in case. Something was telling me that this was going to be a long day.

  Our first stop was June’s houseboat so she could freshen up and change into clean, dry clothes that belonged to her. Walking toward the boat slip, I noticed that June’s “Ahoy Homies” dock mat was askew and caked in mud.

  “June?” She had noticed the same thing.

  “It wasn’t me. I just put that mat out yesterday. It was fresh from the cleaner’s bag.”

  Already, things were going downhill. We glanced about the area, looking right and left for anything suspicious, and gingerly climbed onto the boat deck. The sliding door to the cabin was unlocked, but that wasn’t necessarily alarming. Everyone was friends on the dock and looked out for one another. It was one of the few places left where it seemed unnecessary to lock your doors at night or while you were away. At least, so we thought up until now. I reached down to pick up a newspaper that was rolled up and tossed onto the deck.

  “At least no one stole your USA Today. I know how you get when you don’t get your news fix.”

  “Why do you keep assuming every newspaper you come across belongs to me? I get all of my news online with my tablet. Let me see that. Maybe it’s a clue.”

  June unfolded the paper and held it up in front of her face. I could still clearly see her through the giant hole chewed through the middle of the page. “Those look like teeth marks! Who would chew on a newspaper and then throw it onto your boat deck?”

  “I think I have an idea. After officially meeting Michael and Gunner last summer, that dog seemed to really take a shine to me. I kept finding dog biscuits and bones around my boat. I think it’s Gunner’s idea of a present for me. It seems like this year, he might think I would enjoy Michael’s discarded newspapers. It’s kind of sweet really. Chances are it was the dog who got muddy footprints on my mat and turned it all around. You know, the simple, obvious explanation is usually the right one.”

  “If you say so. Let’s check out the cabin. I need to wash the dog slobber off my hands.”

  June tossed the paper onto the deck chair and slowly pulled the door open to peek inside. The drawers and shelves had clearly been rifled through, and the refrigerator was left open revealing that June’s best bottle of Pinot Grigio was gone. That was obvious because it was the only thing she had stocked in the fridge so far.

  “Well, that’s just plain rude. They could have at least left a note.”

  “And I’m pretty sure the dog didn’t snoop through your drawers and steal your wine.”

  After looking around the cabin, this time more systematically, June concluded that nothing was missing besides the wine. “We don’t need to report this. Someone probably just ran out of wine last night and decided it was better to borrow a bottle from me than to leave the compound and risk getting a DUI.”

  “By the looks of your dock mat, that was probably a wise decision. But, hey, what about your drawers?”

  “Well, if they were looking for wine, they probably needed an opener too. I’m not too concerned. I’ll probably get a call or a text this afternoon when the guilty parties are feeling better. This is nothing new. It’s happened before, you know.”

  “I don’t remember hearing about that,” I said.

  “Well, it wasn’t that big of a deal. Last summer, while you and Hamm were at that drama convention in Las Vegas, I spent a few days up here by myself. I made sure my cupboard was stocked, unlike some people on the dock. After a long day at the beach, and dinner with my dock mates, Ellen and George, I hung out with six or eight friends on the dock until around eleven. By then, I was pretty worn out, so I went back to my boat and was sound asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow. At about 2:00 a.m., I was sure I heard someone walking around in the cabin. I nearly peed my pants, but I stayed in my bed and didn’t make a sound. Pretty soon I heard voices. I had my cell phone in my hand and 911 keyed in all ready to hit ‘send.’ After a minute of listening to whispering and giggling, I finally recognized the voices. Lucky for Jen and Mary Jo, I held off calling the cops.”

  I was standing in the galley, trying to put things back in order and listening to June continue her story from behind closed doors as
she finished getting ready.

  “Those are some friends, sneaking into your cabin in the middle of the night. They could have gotten themselves into a lot of trouble.”

  “Think about it, Francie. We’d have done the same thing under the circumstances. Jen just needed a free refill.”

  “I guess you have a point. Are you about ready?”

  “Yes, I’m ready, but do you mind if I take a few more minutes before we head out? My curiosity has gotten the best of me, and I really want to figure out what was in the gaping hole in the middle of the paper my buddy Gunner left me. It will just take me a second to pull it up online.”

  “Go for it, Madame Sherlock. I’d like to know what Scooby Doo is working on these days, too. You sure attract the good-looking ones, June!”

  “I can’t help it, Francie. Great minds and bodies think alike! Maybe one of these days, I’ll find a stable man who will love me for the catch I am!”

  “Hey, here’s your wine opener. It’s in the drawer right where you always keep it. Either Jen didn’t want to open your wine aboard your boat and risk spilling it, or she couldn’t see what was right in front of her.”

  “It doesn’t matter one way or the other. I just hope she enjoyed it, and next time I see her, I want to hear all about her evening of fun.”

  I finished tidying up the galley and left June to her research for a few more minutes. When she reemerged, she was carrying several papers she had printed off from her wireless printer, looking thoughtful, put-together and confident, the cool, professional journalist that she was.

  “Well, what was the missing article about?”

  “It was about some millionaire from Chicago who died.”

  I craned over June’s shoulder to read the printed pages she was holding. “Was it in a fire? What’s with all these Chicago stories? Do you think it’s the same guy that was in the paper from the market?”

  “I don’t know, but I plan to find out. It says here his super valuable coin collection was stolen, but turned up in the possession of a New York mob boss. The mafia guy claims he took it as payment for a shipment of designer wholesale merchandise. The guy who paid with the coins is wanted for questioning and is suspected of having a partner. They are asking for leads to be directed to the FBI.”

  I straightened my shoulders, paced across the galley, and sat down heavily at the dinette. “Whoa! You don’t think the guy from the warehouse could be the person they’re looking for, do you?”

  “I don’t know. It doesn’t seem like a big-time Chicago/New York criminal could possibly be operating from our little island.” June shuffled through her papers again, scanning the contents for clues. “I guess it could happen, but let’s check things out before we go to the authorities and end up getting ourselves an all-expenses paid stay in the looney bin.”

  “You’re right. This makes getting to the bottom of all of the weird stuff going on around here seem even more important.”

  June folded the sheets of paper in half and tossed them on the end table. “I agree. I’m all set. Let’s get going, and thanks for cleaning up the mess in here.”

  “No problem. It gave me something to do while you got ready.”

  We headed out the sliding glass doors together. June made sure to lock the door behind her this time. “It was nice of Lynn to loan you her jet boat for the day. Having our own transportation will definitely make things a whole lot easier, and speaking of transportation, we need to remember to settle up with the bike and kayak rental places while we’re over there.”

  I fished in my bag, pulled out two envelopes, and waved them toward June. “I’m already a step ahead of you on that one. I figured out what we owed each place and put money in envelopes with their names on them.”

  “How much do I owe you? I’ll pay half.”

  “That’s fine, June.” I tucked the envelopes back into my bag. “I’m not worried. I know where you live. I’m guessing the kayak is probably at the police station. I hope they’re not planning to keep it as part of the investigation. We’ll need to get it back so we’re not charged for an extra day’s rental.”

  “Investigation? Of what, Francie? Morgan probably can’t stop laughing every time he thinks of the two of us hanging on to that thing for dear life. I don’t think he took us too seriously. That’s why we need to go back to the warehouse and get some real evidence.”

  “What about the bike, then? We left it in the trees by the warehouse. We need to get our act together and quit leaving borrowed means of transportation all over the place before we end up getting arrested like those minnow boat bandits. Instead of solving this mystery, we might find ourselves being charged with stealing and lord only knows what else.”

  “Well, if the man in black hasn’t found it yet, it might actually come in handy later. We’ll be able to ride it back into town and return it in person after we finish what we need to do.”

  “Let’s go get the boat and get this show on the road.”

  “Amen to that.”

  My friend Lynn and her husband, Greg, have a summer place right next to ours. She never takes her jet boat out on the lake until the water has warmed up enough to swim in, which usually means the end of June at the earliest, so when I called her to ask if I could borrow it for the day for an excursion over to Kelleys Island, she never hesitated. She left the ignition keys under her front door mat without a single question. They were now in my hand and we were ready to get under way. Piloting a small jet-engine boat was something I had a lot of experience doing; Hamm and I had spent many long afternoons on the bay, tubing and water skiing with the twins over the years, and I knew Lynn kept coast guard-approved personal flotation devices on board. This time, I was prepared.

  I was feeling confident for the first time in several days as we set out on foot to cover the quarter mile distance to the jet boat dock. I was also feeling pretty good about getting a little exercise in to compensate for the emotionally induced extra cheese splurges we’d been indulging in recently.

  “June, could you slow down just a little bit?” I needed a few minutes to ease into this activity.

  As usual, June was eager to get to our destination and had me trying to keep pace with her at a brisk walk, which could almost certainly be considered a jog. I’ll definitely record it as a jog in my Weight Watchers tracking journal; every little bit helps.

  “Hey, Francie, there’s a note here on the windshield. It’s probably from Lynn.” Of course June had reached the boat before me, and she was neither breathing heavily nor perspiring. I was doing both. She handed me the folded paper and waited for me while I dug my reading glasses out of their special inside pocket in my bag and read the note.

  Stay away from the island and mind your own business. You never know what kind of accidents can occur out on the water.

  “What does it say, Francie? Did Lynn leave us any special instructions? Does she want us to pick something up for her?”

  “Not exactly. It doesn’t have a signature but it’s from someone who says we need to stay away from the island. How could anyone know that we were going to take Lynn’s jet boat over to Kelleys? Someone is watching us, June. This is not good. What do you think we should do?”

  “First of all, we need to do exactly what we planned. We need to get back into that warehouse and get the evidence we need to convince Jack to take us seriously. It’s the only thing that will identify whoever is behind all of this trouble and get Hamm’s name off the list of persons of interest.”

  “Okay, I agree that we need to help this investigation along. The police seem to be looking in all the wrong places. Let’s get this over with. Remind me to get a nice bottle of Pinot Noir for Lynn before we get back though. I feel like we are going to owe her more than a tank of gas by the time this day is over.”

  When we got aboard the little boat, the first thing I did was check the compartment where the life jackets were stowed. They were all there. Then, I took June’s camera bag and placed it with my purse and
the tote bag holding the supplies we would need to put our plan into action next to the PFD’s and closed the hatch. We were ready to embark on our day’s mission.

  I turned the key in the ignition and smiled as the jet engine sprung to life. “Put your shades on and sit back for a lovely cruise, June. I’ll have you to the island in no time.”

  “Ahoy, homie!” she shouted above the roar of the engine and the rushing wind.

  Chapter Twenty

  The water was smooth and the air was warm as we prepared to make our way across the lake for the fifth time in two days. The fun seekers planning to spend the day on water skis, Jet Skis, and boats of all sizes had not yet rolled out of their beds to begin their afternoon fun in the sun.

  “June, keep your eyes open for any sinister watercraft. I sure as heck don’t want a repeat of yesterday’s debacle.”

  “Aye, aye, Skipper! I’m on it.”

  As we left the channel, I scanned the water from our position over to the lighthouse, keeping a close eye out for any demented villain speeding out into our path from the other side of the break wall and June watched the waters behind us in case someone approached from behind.

  We hadn’t even gotten to the open water at the end of the No Wake Zone when June tapped my shoulder and pointed toward the beach near the end of the break wall. I couldn’t hear her over the sound of the engine, but I saw that she was motioning for me to slow down. The spot on the beach she was indicating was the same spot that I had found her the night before with Michael and Gunner.

  I put the jet boat in neutral so I could hear what June was trying to say.

  “What is it, June? Is everything okay?”

  “I don’t know, Francie. I think I see Gunner pacing over there on the beach. I don’t see Michael anywhere though. He never leaves Gunner by himself. This seems wrong.”