by Lyndsey Cole
Meg’s hand covered her heart. “That’s so kind of you, Chef Belair.”
Jerry scowled and moved next to Meg. Hannah couldn’t miss his possessive posture.
“Hey. Anybody here? Can a hungry guy get some food around this seafood joint?” Cal called from the front of The Fishy Dish.
Meg patted Chef Belair on the back. “I better get back to work. I don’t want to have any unhappy customers.”
“No, that’s not good for business, Ms. Meg.” Chef Belair promised to come back some time to check Meg’s chowder before he left town.
“I’ll bring you some more frozen haddock, okay?” Jerry asked Hannah.
Hannah could see the desperation in his face. “Okay, a few more boxes. Bring them to the freezer,” she said before she hustled to take Cal’s order.
“What would you like?” she asked.
“Hmmm. I don’t see what I’m really craving anywhere on the menu,” he replied without taking his eyes off Hannah. “But I’ll settle for a baked haddock sandwich with extra tartar sauce, sweet potato fries, and a large iced tea.”
“Hungry?”
“Uh huh, and done at Ruby’s house. Finished up. She checked everything and she seems happy with my work.”
“How about Olivia? Is she happy too?”
“Oh yeah. I made a little four-poster bed for Theodore in her new bedroom and she thinks that’s the best thing she’s ever seen. I wish everyone was so easy to please.”
Jerry walked by balancing several boxes of frozen fish in his arms. “I’ll take care of this, Hannah.”
She followed him anyway. “I want to make sure to keep everything in the right rotation. You know, use up the oldest ones first. I hate it when something gets lost in the freezer.” The top box slipped off and opened when it hit the floor. Hannah picked it up. “This wasn’t taped very well; I’ll use it first.”
With the fish organized, Jerry handed Hannah the bill. “I was hoping I could get a check today. Here’s the total for everything this week.” He pointed to the balance due.
“I’ll get it done when we finish for the day.” Hannah was annoyed. She helped Jerry out by taking extra and he demanded payment while she was busy with customers.
He didn’t move.
“Okay?” she asked.
“I could use the check now.”
“I’ll drop it off at your warehouse later, Jerry. I need to check all the bills and my paperwork is in my office.” She tilted her head, daring him to push again for payment.
“Fine.” He turned and left.
“What was that about?” Meg asked after Jerry stomped out of The Fishy Dish.
“I think your boyfriend is having a cash flow problem.”
“Wait a minute. He’s a friend, but let’s not put that other label on it yet. Why do you think he’s having money trouble?”
“He wanted a check right now for all the unpaid invoices. I promised I’d stop by later and drop it off. Oh, and there’s one open box of frozen haddock that you should use first. It’s right by the door.”
Hannah picked up the order for Cal and brought it to the front. He was leaning with his back against the counter, staring at the ocean. Hannah tapped his shoulder. “Your food is ready.”
Cal swung around on the stool. “This sure is a gorgeous spot. I was thinking—”
“Uh oh, that always seems to cost me money,” Hannah teased.
“Forget it then, but it’s a great idea.” Cal picked up his sandwich with both hands and took a big bite. Tartar sauce squirted out the side and ran down his chin. He wiped it away with his forearm. “Yum. Meg sure does have the magic touch with her cooking.”
Hannah laughed. “You should have been here when Chef Belair was giving her pointers. I was impressed how well she kept her comments to herself.”
“I saw him leave and was wondering if you learned anything from your chat with him.” Cal took another bite of his fish sandwich.
She leaned on the counter. “It’s strange. He had a good reason to kill Gavin. His knife was the murder weapon. And yet, the police didn’t arrest him. I wonder why not?”
“They must have another clue pointing in another direction,” Cal suggested. Changing the subject, he asked, “Want to come to my boat tonight? I’ll make dinner. Just the two of us.”
Hannah smiled. “That sounds wonderful. I’ll drop off Jerry’s check on the way.”
“I’m heading home to clean up and relax. Come anytime. I’ll have a bottle of wine waiting and my special chicken, avocado salad. And,” he paused, “I might even tell you my great plan for your business.”
“Besides the ice cream window?”
“The ice cream window is nothing compared to my latest idea.” He winked, slid off the stool, and ambled to his truck.
She couldn’t take her eyes off his well-proportioned backside.
Before he climbed in he blew Hannah a kiss.
A hand rested on Hannah’s shoulder, drawing her away from her daydreams. “Looks like someone’s got plans for tonight.”
Hannah jumped. “Hey, don’t sneak up on me like that.”
Meg laughed. “What are you so jumpy about?”
“I didn’t even know I was until your hand touched me.” She shrugged. “I guess it’s all the tension from the last few days. You know,” she waved her hand through the air, “Sally White and her parents, Sean Payne with his awful plan to use Sally’s story to make his article sell, Gavin’s murder, Jack ending up in the hospital, and I guess Jerry really annoyed me when he demanded I pay him on the spot earlier.”
“I’ve been thinking about that, and it definitely is odd.”
“Does he think I’m a bad risk? I always pay my bills.”
“I’ll give him a piece of my mind or else he can forget about our business. He’s always reminding me that we barely buy enough to make it worth his while to stop in.” Meg’s eyes blazed with anger.
“Never mind. I shouldn’t have said anything. Anyway, I told him I’d drop a check off and I don’t want this aggravation to ruin my evening with Cal.”
Meg straightened the condiment containers at the counter. “What did you make of Chef Belair’s story? Were you in the kitchen when he talked about the police checking all his footwear the night of Gavin’s murder before they released him?”
“What? I didn’t hear anything about that.” She pursed her lips. “There was a lot of blood in the cooler and he’s admitted that the murder weapon was part of his knife set. Did he manage to sneak out barefoot when he was away from the blood? Tiptoe out of the restaurant and ditch those shoes someplace that the police never found?”
Meg laughed. “Chef Nico Belair barefoot? That’ll be the day.”
“I suppose so, but still, it makes you wonder about him.”
Meg pushed Hannah out of the kitchen.
Literally.
With both hands on Hannah’s back, Meg guided her out the door while giving her advice. “Go get cleaned up for your date with Cal. You need to get your crazy theories out of your head. And don’t let anyone sidetrack you, for a change. And, one last comment, if you don’t drop the check off for Jerry tonight, he’ll survive until tomorrow or the next day. You are the customer, Hannah, don’t let him bully you.”
Hannah turned around. “Thanks, Meg. For everything. I don’t think I let you know how much having you here is a big part of why The Fishy Dish is starting to make a profit. And how you always manage to say the right thing at the right time to keep me grounded.”
Meg dismissed Hannah’s comments with a flick of her wrist. “Just doing my job.”
Hannah chuckled. “But, you know, Chef Belair did have some great advice to improve that clam chowder of yours. Those perfectly diced potatoes has to be the secret.”
Meg flicked her hand towel at Hannah. “Get out of here before I hand you my two week notice for making a comment like that.”
Hannah could hear Meg laughing as she walked away from the Fishy Dish toward her cottage
.
The office door was open and someone was sitting inside.
She grimaced.
Her shower would have to wait.
Chapter 22
Leah tilted her head slightly when Hannah entered. “I’ve come to check out; settle my bill.”
“Okay. Is everything all right?” Hannah scooted behind her desk and sat down. She pulled up Leah’s information on her computer.
Leah gazed into space, not focused on anything.
“I’m not sure.” Her comment filled the room like a dark thundercloud with the threat of a looming disaster.
“I couldn’t breathe when Sally disappeared,” Leah continued. “My world was on hold but everything around me continued as if nothing had changed for anyone else. When she called and I picked her up, touched her face, smelled her sweet scent, I assumed everything was all right.” Leah focused on Hannah’s face. “But I don’t know. She went into that kitchen of The Chowder House Thursday night. What happened in there?”
“What did Sally tell you?”
“She said she didn’t see anyone, left, and waited for Jan.”
“Do you believe her?”
“Of course I do, but how about everyone else? It sounds bad. So that’s why I’m not sure if everything is all right. You see, until that dark cloud of uncertainty blows away or opens up and rains the unthinkable on me, I won’t know how this is going to end.” Leah sat motionless again.
“How about Matt? How’s he taking all this?”
Leah grunted. “He sits in his chair staring at the T.V. but it’s not even on. He hasn’t said anything to me since I told him this was all his fault. If he forgave his sister, this never would have happened. I wish I didn’t say it but I can’t take it back and he may never forgive me now. I know he can hold a grudge forever.”
Hannah’s heart broke for Leah but she knew nothing she said would help. Listening was all she could offer for the moment.
“Sally’s afraid to stay in the house with him. She thinks he killed Gavin because she saw him come out of the restaurant. She said to me, ‘I didn’t kill him, so Dad must have.’”
“Are you sure you want to go check out and go home?”
“We won’t be home. Essie said we could stay in her guest room. Sally is already there. Sleeping like only the young can.” Leah slowly rose from the chair. “We’ll be fine.”
Right, Hannah thought, she could say it out loud a hundred times but no one would be fooled by the words. She handed the bill to Leah. “You can stay another night if you want to.”
“No thanks. I can’t stand to think I might bump into that reporter and the woman pretending to be Sally’s Aunt Jan. I’m afraid of what I could do to her for how she lied and manipulated Sally. She’s a despicable person and he’s a vulture, circling until he spots a target. I don’t want to be that target.”
Leah handed her credit card to Hannah and waited quietly.
“I hope it all works out for you and Sally,” Hannah said as she returned Leah’s card.
“Not for Matt?”
“Yes, Matt too.” What she left unsaid was that she hoped he wouldn’t be arrested for murder and that he could figure out a way to forgive himself.
Hannah watched Leah struggle with her suitcase. That weight must have felt like nothing compared to the weight on her shoulders. She turned away but wasn’t quick enough to escape another visitor.
Samantha skipped along the path with her hand up in the air. “Yoo hoo, Hannah. Do you have a minute?”
I can’t believe my bad timing. “Sure, Samantha. A minute is about all I have.”
“So, I was thinking.”
Hannah shut her eyes and counted to three. Slowly.
“I’ve been going over and over what I saw when I opened the door of the freezer the night Gavin was murdered.”
Hannah nodded. She stood on her porch instead of inviting Samantha inside to sit down and hoped she was one step closer to her hot shower.
“The knife wasn’t in Gavin’s chest but it was obvious he had been stabbed. It was ugly. Remember all the blood?”
“Thanks for reminding me. I’ve been trying to get that image out of my head. So, what’s your point?”
“Well, Chef Belair said he left without one of his knives. Maybe someone had already taken it out of his set. Did he say he returned for his knives? I wonder if he left, returned for his knife set, and never checked if one was missing.”
“And someone happened to go inside after he left the first time? Like Sally or Matt? Is that what you’re thinking?” Hannah asked.
“Exactly.”
“An interesting theory. If I bump into him, I’ll double check if he left and returned for the knives.”
“Want to join me for a drink in town? We could brainstorm some more.” Samantha’s eyes twinkled.
“Not tonight. I’ve—”
“Got a hot date?” Samantha finished Hannah’s sentence for her.
“Yeah, with my shower.”
“Oh. Nothing more exciting than that?” Samantha sounded disappointed.
“And then I’m heading to Cal’s boat.” Hannah grinned. “Just the two of us.”
Samantha wiggled her eyebrows. “Lucky you. Maybe I’ll see if Jack wants some company. We could hash over old times when Caroline was running this place. By the way, I’m sure you’re making her proud with what you’ve done around here.”
“Thank you. I was never sure I’d be able to fill her shoes.”
Samantha put her hands up. “Slow down, don’t get carried away. I didn’t say anything about filling her shoes. You have a ways to go before that happens,” she teased.
Hannah finally managed to close and lock the office door before she went through into her cottage. She decided it would be much nicer to have a completely separate cottage for herself at some point in the future. She had enough land and it would provide a lot more privacy.
As the hot water streamed down, she imagined her own space—she would set it up on the highest spot so a big picture window would give her the best view of the ocean. A counter would separate a living room-kitchen combination, her bedroom would have skylights, and a bathroom with a Jacuzzi would be in the back. Of course, she needed a porch with a hanging wooden swing covered in colorful cushions.
Dreaming was free, she told herself.
The hot water helped to wash away some of the tension that had settled in Hannah’s core. She smiled at the thought of spending time with Cal. Where was this relationship headed, she wondered. Did she have time for her business and a boyfriend? Would she have to choose? Well, one day at a time for now.
She pulled on a clean pair of jeans and her I’m Really a Mermaid t-shirt, knowing it would make Cal laugh. She braided her long wet hair and even added starfish studs in her ears. Why not? She slipped her feet into her flip-flops.
As she headed out the door with Nellie, she sent a quick text to Cal, be there after dropping check off for Jerry.
Cal replied, wine is waiting and he added a smiley face with hearts for eyes.
She slid behind the wheel of her old Volvo station wagon with a wide smile at the prospect of her evening.
Darn, she forgot her keys in her cottage and had to run back for them. “Be right back, Nellie.”
With her keys in her hand, Hannah was finally good to go.
When she returned outside, Matt White was leaning against her car. Nellie, inside, barked and jumped from one side of the back seat to the other.
The hairs on Hannah’s neck stood up. What was he doing here?
“Where did my wife and daughter go? Are you hiding them someplace?” he demanded when Hannah was within five or six paces. No greeting, no smile, just an angry question.
“Hello Matt.” Hannah fiddled with her keys. “Leah paid her bill and left. That’s all I know.” She hoped he couldn’t tell she was lying.
“You’re lying.” He stepped closer to Hannah.
She stepped back, suddenly wishing Nellie was ou
tside rather than stuck in the car.
Nellie barked more frantically.
The anger in Matt’s eyes made her wonder if she would be the next body found in Hooks Harbor. She shivered at the thought.
Hannah pulled out her phone. “I’m calling the police, Matt. Is that what you want? To have them help look for your wife and daughter?”
He knocked her phone away. “Where’s Leah? I’ve been at home waiting for her.”
“What did you do when you went inside The Chowder House the night Gavin was murdered, Matt?” Hannah felt that the only way to diffuse his anger was to match it with her own.
His mouth fell open. “Who told you that?”
“Sally saw you go inside. Did you murder Gavin? That’s what your daughter thinks.”
Matt’s shoulders slumped. His whole body sagged. “No, I didn’t kill Gavin. I never saw him. I suppose that’s a good thing or who knows what I would have done.”
“Why did you go inside?”
He shrugged. “After I dropped Leah off here, I planned to drive around to cool off but my car ended up behind the restaurant. After a while, I decided to go inside, tell Gavin what I thought of him.” He looked at Hannah. “The place was empty and I left. I didn’t kill him, but I can’t say I’m sorry he’s dead. Now, I just want to get my family back. Apologize to Leah and Sally. I was a fool to hold that grudge for so long and now Jan is gone and I can’t even tell her I’m sorry. What a waste.” He kicked the sand with his toe.
Hannah reached out and touched his arm. “You need to wait for them to come to you. Give them some space. They’re hurting too.”
He nodded. “Maybe you’re right.” He turned and got into his car.
Hannah sucked in a big gulp of air, let it out slowly, and waited for her heart rate to settle. She hadn’t felt that scared for a long time.
Her phone beeped with a message from Cal. Everything OK? thought you’d be here by now.
Minor delay. On my way to Jerry’s now.
Nellie licked Hannah’s face when she slid into her car. “Yeah, he was kind of scary but I don’t think he killed Gavin,” she told her dog.
The pier where Jerry had his wholesale fish office was deserted. A few gulls stood one-legged on the pylons. Boats bobbed on the water. A few people walked along the shoreline enjoying the calm evening.
