Footprints in the Sand

by Mary Jane Clark

  Kathy let out a deep sigh. “Of course not,” she said, smiling again. “That’s where you come in, cuz. You won’t mind carrying it for me, will you?”

  “Oh, I see. You want me to be your Pippa Middleton,” said Piper. “Sure. I’ll do anything you want. I just hope my bridesmaid dress makes my butt look as good as hers did.”

  “Aw, Piper.” Kathy laughed as she squeezed her cousin’s hand. “Thank you.”

  “For what?”

  “For helping me enjoy this and for taking my mind off Shelley for a little while.”

  The sun was shining brightly and the sidewalks were already dry when Piper and Kathy came out of the bridal shop.

  “Before we go get something to eat, want to stop at the Women’s Exchange?” asked Kathy. “There’s a mirror I’ve had my eye on, and I think this is the day that the price reduces. That is, if it’s still there.”

  “Great,” said Piper. “I love that place. I’ll look in the book section to find something to read while I’m here.”

  The long, low building was covered in pink stucco. The parking lot in front was full, and they had to wait for a space to open up. They watched from the car as workmen unloaded a truckful of furniture.

  “I hardly buy anything new anymore,” said Kathy. “I always check here first. Sooner or later I usually find just what I want, or something even better than I had in mind. It’s saving Dan and me a ton of money while we’re setting up our place.”

  When they got inside, Kathy steered Piper through the other shoppers to the rear of the store. “What do you think?” she asked, pointing to the mirror hanging on the wall.

  Piper considered it. “I like the shape. Is the frame hand-painted?”

  Kathy nodded as she checked the price tag. “I could wait a few weeks and the price would come down even more,” she said. “But I don’t want to take the chance that somebody else will buy it.”

  “Go for it,” said Piper.

  Kathy gestured for one of the male workers to take the mirror down.

  “It will be up at the front desk when you’re ready to check out,” he said.

  They wandered through the aisles. While Kathy browsed in the china-and-glassware section, Piper selected Tina Fey’s autobiography and two paperback novels from the shelves at the other side of the store. She spotted a necklace she admired in the jewelry department.

  “Would you like to try it on?” asked the white-haired woman behind the counter.

  “Yes. Thank you,” said Piper.

  “It looks good on you,” said the woman as Piper fastened the strand around her neck. “The turquoise brings out the green of your eyes.”

  As Piper observed herself in the mirror, Kathy walked up beside her.

  “Hi, Mrs. Golubock!” she said, recognizing her mother’s neighbor. “I forgot that you work here on Tuesdays.”

  “Hello, Kathy.” The older woman smiled. “Nice to see you. How are the wedding plans coming?”

  “They’re coming,” said Kathy. “In fact, this is my cousin Piper, my maid of honor. She just came down from New Jersey yesterday.”

  “Nice to meet you, Piper,” said Mrs. Golubock. Piper shook the frail, manicured hand the woman offered.

  Golubock. Golubock. Piper tried to remember where she’d heard the name. Last night at dinner. This was the woman who’d seen a man carrying what she thought was a woman’s body into the vegetation near the condo.

  Piper looked at Kathy and waited for her cousin to bring up the subject. But Kathy steered the conversation to the wedding and her hopes that the weather would be good on Saturday.

  Finally Piper took off the necklace. “I’m going to think about it,” she said, ever conscious of her tight budget.

  As Piper returned the necklace to Mrs. Golubock, the woman closed her eyes, wobbled forward, and collapsed to the floor.

  Chapter 19

  Dr. Robbins pulled the last sheet off the prescription pad. As usual, he’d been going through them quickly this morning. Some were for patients he’d had for a long time, and some were for recent referrals. It was gratifying to see how word spread when patients were satisfied.

  He opened his desk drawer, looking for another pad. Finding none, Dr. Robbins immediately picked up the phone to call out to the reception desk.

  “Umiko, I’m out of scrips,” he said in exasperation. “You have to order some more, fast.”

  “I’ll be right there, Cryder dear,” answered Umiko.

  Almost instantly there was a soft knock, and then the doctor’s door opened. Umiko stood there smiling, holding up a small blue pad in one hand and a box of chocolates in the other. “How could you think I would ever let you run out?” she asked coyly. “I’ve ordered more.”

  His frown morphed into a smile as he remembered the Japanese custom on Valentine’s Day. The woman gave the man candy. Next month, on March 14, “White Day,” Cryder would reciprocate with a gift of his own. He had a jade bracelet in mind. “I should have known better,” he said, taking the pad and candy from his wife. He put the new prescription pad in the desk drawer.

  “Don’t forget to lock it,” said Umiko. “We don’t want someone ripping us off again. Those scrips are too tempting a prize for some of our patients. They’d rather have those than one of your precious netsuke.”

  “You don’t have to remind me, Umiko.” He nodded at the door. “How many more are out there?” he asked.

  “Four.”

  “So many?”

  Umiko leaned down and kissed him on the forehead. “That’s what you get for having so many satisfied customers.”

  Dr. Robbins sighed. “They’re patients, Umiko, not customers. I hate it when you call them customers.”

  “Sorry, dear. You’re right, of course.”

  Umiko turned to go back out to the reception area, then stopped and pivoted around.

  “Cryder?”

  “Hmm?” He was straightening the line of small ivory figures on his desk.

  “You haven’t changed your mind, have you?”

  “About what?” he asked absentmindedly.

  “About selling our place to Walter Engel for the Whispering Sands expansion.”

  Cryder’s head shot up. “Absolutely not! First of all, because I know you don’t want to sell, and second, because I don’t want to sell to him. I don’t like the way he conducts business.”

  Chapter 20

  Going over the table-arrangement chart for the wedding breakfast on Saturday, Isaac thought about Kathy Leeds and how sorry he was that this whole business with Shelley was upsetting her right before the wedding. He couldn’t say that he had missed not having Shelley around for the last few days. Her absence made his life so much easier.

  Though Walter Engel owned the Whispering Sands Inn, Isaac had little contact with him. Shelley was his supervisor. She oversaw all the events held at the hotel. If clients wanted a wedding reception, family reunion, business meeting, or some other kind of organized gathering, they booked it with Shelley. It was Isaac’s responsibility to draw up plans for the events and implement them.

  He treasured his job. Isaac loved coming up with an artistic vision and bringing things together. His concepts were always big and lush—in direct opposition to the simple, plain way he was brought up. Isaac liked things lavish and unrestrained. He believed that if you wanted something special, you just had to be willing to pay for it. That’s the way it was.

  Shelley was far more concerned with the bottom line. That was where they always came to professional loggerheads. Shelley offered the client an estimate, and Isaac had to bring the event in under that amount in order for the hotel to make a profit. He did his best, often required to put aside his own creative vision in favor of doing something less expensively. Still, Shelley was forever shooting down his ideas as being too grand and too costly. She was always kee
ping him from doing what he really wanted.

  Though Isaac had stood up for himself in his disagreements with her, Shelley had the final say. If he wanted to keep his job, he had to kowtow to her wishes. He scaled back his plans and tried hard to get more bang for the buck. It had become increasingly frustrating, but he’d found a way to compensate himself for her aggravation.

  It started with the mosaic of the sea turtles. He had long admired its beauty and artistry. But its size and prominence had been a challenge. Isaac had disarmed the security cameras and learned the night watchman’s routine. Pulling off the theft was quite an accomplishment.

  His mistake was in getting sick for a week. Unannounced, Shelley had come to the apartment to drop off his paycheck. Elliott, unaware that the mosaic hanging over the sofa was stolen, let Shelley in. She looked around and left without saying a word.

  When Isaac returned to work, Shelley confronted him, outraged by his dishonesty. He begged her not to tell Walter or the police, and to give him another chance.

  Isaac had already been looking for another job just in case. The Sarasota Ritz-Carlton and the Hyatt had event planners who weren’t going anywhere. Besides, he had no real desire to relocate.

  As he made a note to himself to add a small round table for Kathy’s wedding cake, Isaac knew that without Shelley he could stay right here at the Whispering Sands Inn. Life would be so much easier.

  Chapter 21

  Piper and Kathy ran behind the counter to help.

  “Mrs. Golubock! Roz!” Kathy leaned over the older woman and took hold of her hand. “Are you all right?”

  Roz’s eyes were closed, and all color had drained from her face. Blood oozed from a cut on her forehead. But her chest moved up and down: She was breathing.

  “She really slammed her head against the edge of the counter on the way down,” said Piper. “Someone call 911!” she shouted to no one in particular.

  “I’ll do it!” yelled one of the other exchange volunteers.

  Customers quickly crowded around, craning their necks to see what had happened. Kathy knelt beside Roz, rubbing her hand. Piper tried to remember the first aid her father had taught her. Roz had fainted, which meant that the blood supply to her brain was momentarily inadequate, causing her to temporarily lose consciousness. At least that’s what Piper suspected.

  “Somebody get me something to prop up her legs,” Piper commanded. “Kathy, can you loosen her belt? And is there a first-aid kit around here?”

  A low stool from the display floor was handed across the counter. Piper lifted Roz’s legs above heart level. Kathy opened the first-aid kit that was thrust at her.

  “Take one of those gauze pads and apply some pressure,” said Piper. “Head cuts bleed a lot. Hopefully it’s not as bad as it looks.”

  When Roz opened her eyes, Piper breathed a sigh of guarded relief. The woman tried to raise herself.

  “Don’t get up too quickly, Mrs. Golubock,” said Piper. “Just rest a few minutes.”

  Roz was sitting up when the paramedics arrived. They checked her vital signs and treated the cut. When the blood was wiped away, the abrasion turned out to be relatively minor.

  “Let’s take a ride to the emergency room and have a doc check you out,” said the paramedic.

  “I’m telling you I’m fine,” Roz insisted. “Though I admit that I’m stupid. I didn’t eat any breakfast this morning. I’m so sorry to have bothered everyone like this.”

  After another unsuccessful attempt to persuade Roz to go to the hospital, the paramedic had her sign a document stating that she had denied the offer of further medical treatment.

  “At least you have to get someone to take you home,” said the paramedic. “You shouldn’t be driving.”

  “We’ll take her,” said Kathy. “Roz can go with me, and Piper can drive her car home.”

  “All right,” said the paramedic as his partner packed up the emergency gear. “But remember: Fainting can have no big medical significance or it can be the sign of something more serious. You should have yourself checked out by your own physician.”

  Chapter 22

  Walking to the water’s edge, Brad stuck his bare foot into the now-calm waters of the Gulf. Very cool, but not truly cold. He looked up at the sky. The sun was shining brightly.

  The morning had been dead, but Brad had hopes that the afternoon would improve. It was the season, after all, and the snowbirds would be desperate to get to the beach. Kayaks and paddleboards provided the chance for exercise as well as a suntan.

  He liked having the beach to himself, but he was relieved when he saw people begin straggling onto the stretch of white sand. They carried their towels and chairs and umbrellas, willing to lug all that paraphernalia for the opportunity to soak up some rays.

  He wondered if Piper Donovan would be coming out to sun herself this afternoon. That white skin of hers could use a little color. He’d love to see Piper in a bikini. She might even look better in one than Shelley had.

  Chapter 23

  Piper and Kathy escorted Mrs. Golubock into her town house. Roz held on to the wrought-iron railing as she walked slowly down the few steps that led to the living room. She lowered herself gingerly into the rocker by the sliding-glass door.

  “Maybe we should give your daughter a call and tell her what happened,” suggested Kathy.

  “Oh, no. I don’t want to bother Roberta. She’ll want to get on a plane and fly right down here. I’m absolutely fine. Really I am.”

  “How about we get you something to eat?” asked Piper. “I can run down to Anna’s Deli. What kind of sandwich would you like?”

  Roz shook her head as she gazed out at the water. “No thank you, Piper,” she said. “I have plenty of food in the kitchen. I just have to make sure to eat it. I haven’t had much of an appetite for the last few days.”

  “I think that paramedic is right, Roz,” said Kathy. “You should see a doctor.” She pulled out her cell phone. “I’m going to call Dr. Robbins.”

  “I had a checkup just last month,” Roz murmured. “There’s nothing wrong with me. Nothing physical anyway.”

  “Well, what is bothering you?” Piper asked gently. “Maybe there’s something we can do to help.”

  Roz looked at each of them and realized that it would be a relief to relate what she had seen the other night.

  “Would you stay and have a cup of tea with me?” asked Roz. “I’ll tell you what’s on my mind.”

  Chapter 24

  They learned their lesson the hard way. The giant sand castle they’d spent hours building the day before was completely gone. The seashell-studded turrets and deep moat had been washed away by the wind, rain, and surf.

  “Guys, let’s build another one—a better one,” said the sunburned college kid on midterm break. “But not so close to the water this time.”

  The four fraternity brothers carried their towels and the plastic ice buckets they’d pilfered from their hotel rooms up the beach. They stopped at an area near the vegetation line.

  “This looks like a good place. And the sand is still moist. Great for packing.”

  “Let’s make it twice as big as the one we made yesterday, and let’s get really into it with the decorations. You guys start digging, and I’ll search around for some cool shells and stuff.”

  “Why do we have to do all the manual labor?”

  “Bro, you’re an idiot. You go search for shells, and I’ll stay here with these guys and get the important stuff done.”

  Within an hour they had molded dozens of sand blocks and stacked them in towers of varying heights. One of the boys went down to the shoreline, filled his bucket with water, and blended it with sand. He drizzled the mixture on the tops of the towers to form tall Gothic spires.

  “Hey, dudes, I found a load of shark teeth,” called the one who had gone in search of decorati
ons as he returned. “They’ll be wicked on top of the castle wall, like spikes to keep out the barbarians.”

  When they were finished, they stood back to observe their handiwork and marvel at the architectural triumph.

  “I gotta go get my iPhone,” said one. “I wanna take a picture of this.”

  “Wait! We’re not done yet. We have to dig the moat.”

  Chapter 25

  I can see why you’d be worried,” said Piper, pretending she hadn’t heard the story at dinner the night before. “I’d be terrified, too, if I saw somebody going into the bushes with a body slung over his shoulder.”

  “It’s probably too late now,” said Roz, putting down her teacup. “I should have called the minute I saw it. But I didn’t want to trouble the sheriff’s deputies again.”

  “Again?” asked Piper.

  “Well, I’ve called them several times about one thing or another since my Sam died. I could tell the last time that the officer was just humoring me.”

  “It’s their job to help,” said Piper.

  “Let’s call right now,” said Kathy. “They should know if someone is prowling around here. And, God forbid, what if what you saw had something to do with my friend Shelley’s disappearance?”

  Chapter 26

  A murderous creature loomed ferociously from the screen in the Mote Marine Aquarium lecture hall. The marine biologist at the front of the room continued with his presentation on some of the most dangerous sea life in the world.

  “This is a tiger shark,” explained Dan Clemens. “It’s a savage predator capable of devouring fish, seals, other sharks, and even birds flying above the water. It has powerful jaws that can easily crush a sea turtle or other marine mammal.”

  Dan directed his laser pointer at the shark’s eyes. “Tiger sharks have excellent vision and sense of smell, which allow them to locate a drop of blood in an area the size of a football field.”