by Leena Clover
“Are you Walt’s sister?” she asked.
“Emma Cohen,” the woman nodded.
She pointed at a plump, white haired woman seated next to her.
“This is Walt’s wife.”
The attractive blonde seated next to Emma spoke up.
“I’m Heidi, Walt’s other sister. How can we help you?”
“My name is Jenny. I live in Pelican Cove. Actually, I just moved here a few months ago.”
Jenny realized she was babbling and tried to curb herself.
“Let the girl settle down,” Emma said, giving Heidi a stern look.
“Linda wants me to look into what happened to Asher.”
“He was a hundred years old,” Heidi dismissed. “He died.”
“You do know how he died?” Jenny asked.
She wondered if Heidi was being obtuse on purpose.
“I guess he wanted a last hurrah,” Heidi smirked. “He was always an attention seeker, our Dad.”
“You think he took his own life?” Jenny asked. “That’s not what the police think.”
“Do you work for the police?” Emma asked. “Or are you a private eye?”
“Neither,” Jenny admitted. “I’m just doing this for Linda.”
“And what exactly are you doing?” Heidi demanded. “Are you going to browbeat us into admitting something nasty?”
“Of course not!” Jenny said, aghast. “I think we got off on the wrong foot.”
“What do you want from us?” Emma asked.
“I’m talking to everyone in the family,” Jenny explained. “I want to understand Asher as a person.”
“He was an arrogant prick who lived alone and died alone,” Heidi snarled. “That’s all you need to know.”
“Do you agree with her?” Jenny asked Emma.
Emma was quiet.
“Walt said you live near him in Florida?”
Emma perked up.
“We live in the best retirement community. It’s so pretty. We have a big pool and we are just two miles from the beach.”
“Did you think of living in Pelican Cove?”
“Walt and I have always been close,” Emma said. “We bonded after our mother died. I took care of the younger kids, you know, being the older girl in the family.”
“What about you?” Jenny asked Heidi. “Never wanted to live in Pelican Cove?”
“I got out of this shit hole as soon as I could,” Heidi said with relish. “I wanted to see the world. I was a stewardess for an international airline.”
“You weren’t too crazy about your Dad, huh?” Jenny asked bluntly.
“I stopped talking to him the day he married Linda.”
“Surely you were just a child then?”
“I was 14. Plenty old enough to understand he didn’t have to replace our mother.”
“Don’t be silly, Heidi,” Emma sputtered. “That was a long time ago.”
“I never forgave him,” Heidi grunted.
“So I guess you didn’t visit much?” Jenny asked.
“My husband was a pilot. We live in Arizona now. Our kids work on the West coast so there’s hardly any reason to come here. We see Walt and Emma when we go to Florida.”
“We all agreed to come here for the centennial,” Emma added. “We have been planning this for a long time. Daddy was really excited about seeing us.”
“He must have missed his children,” Jenny mused.
“I think Daddy was really unlucky in that aspect,” Emma agreed. “He had eight kids and over a dozen grandkids. But he hardly ever saw them.”
“Don’t forget Hans,” Heidi spit out.
“Other than Hans,” Emma agreed. “But he’s Hans.”
So far, Jenny hadn’t heard a single good thing about the chubby man.
“Did your father have any enemies?”
“He wasn’t that important,” Heidi scoffed. “He was just a sorry old man living in some obscure small town in the middle of nowhere. Who had the time to think about him?”
Jenny realized Heidi had plenty of unresolved issues about her father. She wondered if she had said the same things to the police when they questioned her.
“Can you think of someone who had a grudge against your father?” she asked Emma.
Emma looked thoughtful.
“Let me call for a fresh pot of tea,” she said, pressing a bell. “My mind works better with a cup of tea.”
Chapter 7
Jenny sipped her chilled white wine and sampled the crab cake. She was having dinner with Jason at a fancy seafood restaurant in Virginia Beach. They had been there before and it was fast becoming their favorite.
“You give them a run for their money,” Jason commented as Jenny chewed a tiny piece of the crab cake.
“We get the freshest crabs,” Jenny observed. “Probably better than what these people get.”
“So?” Jason asked, taking a sip of his drink. “Shall we make it official?”
Jenny fought a blush but acted innocent.
“What do you mean, Jason?”
“Is this our first date, Jenny King?”
Jenny’s response was to take a big gulp of her wine.
“Your divorce is final, Nick’s doing fine, you just bought the house of your dreams, the café is doing well … can you squeeze a little bit of time to start dating?”
“We’ve been out to dinner like ten times, Jason,” Jenny argued.
“But you said those weren’t dates,” Jason pointed out. “When do we officially start dating?”
“Do we need labels?” Jenny asked, trying to divert Jason. “Why can’t we go on as we are?”
“There’s a line I won’t cross, can’t cross, unless we are on an official date.”
“Jason Stone, you’re just a big flirt!”
Jason laughed wholeheartedly. Jenny had to admit he looked very attractive.
“You can stall all you want, Jenny, but I’m going to wear you down one of these days.”
Dinner proceeded at a leisurely pace. Jason held the door for her and played her favorite music in the car. They pulled over at the scenic outlook on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel.
A pale yellow full moon rose over the water. Jenny enjoyed the view, letting the gentle waves of the Bay calm her. The inky water shimmered in the moonlight, and Jenny inched closer to Jason, putting her head on his shoulder.
“I’ve never stopped here at night,” she admitted. “It’s a beautiful sight.”
“You know what they say?” Jason whispered. “Virginia is for Lovers.”
Jenny had a spring in her step the next morning. She added a double dose of cinnamon to her muffins and made a streusel topping.
“You’re looking chipper,” Captain Charlie grunted as he picked up his coffee and muffin.
“It’s a wonderful day, isn’t it?” Jenny gushed. “I watched the best sunrise on my way to work.”
Jenny was in the habit of seeing the sun come up over the ocean every morning on her way to work. On a clear day, one could see the big orange ball of the sun splashing the sky in shades of red, pink and mauve.
“How was your meeting with the Cohens?” Betty Sue asked her later over coffee.
Star was sketching something on a piece of paper, barely paying attention. Her head jerked up when she heard the Cohens mentioned. Her hair was windswept as usual and Jenny wondered where she had spent her morning.
“Are you set up by the marshes again?” she asked her aunt.
Star shook her head.
“I’m out by the lighthouse. I’m out of all my lighthouse pictures. They are flying off the shelves this year.”
Star had a small gallery where she sold sketches and paintings of the surrounding area. Summer was a busy season for her, with tourists flocking to buy paintings of the ocean and the marshes.
“Are you putting your new paintings online like I showed you?” Jenny asked.
Star nodded. “I sold a few pieces online this week. I can’t keep up with t
he demand.”
“Demand is good,” Molly said. “You can start a waitlist and offer some kind of incentive.”
“Forget about that for a minute,” Star dismissed. “What’s this about the Cohens?”
“We didn’t get a chance to talk,” Jenny explained to her aunt. “I met Linda again. And I met some of the Cohen kids.”
“Kids!” Heather sniggered.
“Stop it, Heather,” Betty Sue ordered. She leaned forward with interest. “Did you meet Walt?”
“Walt seemed a bit aloof,” Jenny reported. “Heidi was angry. I think she’s been mad at Asher her whole life.”
“You’re missing the point,” Molly interrupted. “Ask her about her date with Jason.”
“We don’t have to,” Heather said, pointing at Jenny. “She’s turning red.”
Jenny walked to the seafood market after work. Chris Williams was stacking shelves. His face broke into a smile when he spotted Jenny.
“Hey Jenny! How are you?”
Jenny chatted with Chris for a while.
“When do I get to taste your crab cakes? Heather can’t stop singing your praises.”
His face clouded over when he spoke about Heather. Jenny wondered if Heather had told him about her crazy dating idea.
“All well?” she asked.
“Has Heather talked to you about us?”
Jenny hesitated.
“She wants to date other people,” Chris burst out.
“I think she’s confused,” Jenny said.
“I’m not,” Chris said strongly. “I was getting ready to propose. This thing has thrown me out of whack.”
“I’m sure Heather loves you, Chris.”
“She has a fine way of showing it,” Chris smirked. “Why is she acting out?”
“You know what I think? I think you should let her have her way.”
“I’ve always imagined growing old with Heather. What if she finds someone else?”
“She won’t,” Jenny assured Chris. “But if you don’t let her do this, she’ll always wonder.”
“What if she goes out with a scumbag?” Chris asked. “I won’t be there to look out for her.”
“She can take care of herself. Maybe she needs to prove that to herself.”
Chris packed a pound of shelled and deveined shrimp for Jenny.
“So I should just wait for her to come back to me?”
Jenny picked up some fresh sea bass and handed it to Chris.
“That sounds best.”
Jenny had a surprise in store for her when she got home. Jimmy Parsons sat on the porch with her aunt. He was dressed in shorts and a faded shirt. His clothes were old but they looked freshly washed. That was quite an improvement. Jimmy himself looked like he had showered and shaved.
“I asked Jimmy over for dinner,” Star said hesitantly. “Do we have enough?”
Jenny held up her shopping bag.
“There’s plenty to go around, don’t worry. Why don’t you two catch up? I’ll take care of dinner.”
Jenny chopped garlic and made a marinade of freshly squeezed orange juice, paprika and fresh dill. The sea bass went into it for five minutes before getting seared in a hot pan. Jenny doused the shrimp in Old Bay seasoning and added a squeeze of lemon juice and oil. She added it to another hot pan.
Star had cooked some brown rice. Jenny made a quick rice salad with blueberries and dill. She sliced the yellow tomatoes Betty Sue had grown in the inn’s garden.
“What’s new with you, Jimmy?” Jenny asked as she served dinner.
Jimmy Parson’s reputation as the town drunk preceded him. But Jenny had no idea what he did for a living.
“It’s tourist season,” he said, biting into a plump shrimp. “Lots of chores to keep me busy.”
Jenny debated asking about the chores. Star came to her aid.
“Jimmy rents out some cottages to the tourists.”
“Oh?” Jenny exclaimed. “I didn’t know that.”
“The Parsons family lost a lot of land in the big storm,” Jimmy said, sipping his sweet tea. “We only have half a dozen cottages now, scattered across the island.”
Jenny understood who funded his drinking habit.
“I didn’t know you had family on the island.”
“My nephew’s wife and kids live here,” he nodded. “He’s away most of the time, working on a rig. My baby sister lives in Atlanta with her husband. We hardly ever see her.”
Jenny was shocked to learn Jimmy Parsons wasn’t the hobo she had thought him to be. She had to learn to look beyond appearances.
Star must have read her thoughts because she gave Jenny a withering look.
“Star tells me you’re looking into Asher’s death?” Jimmy asked. “He was a good man.”
“You knew Asher Cohen?” Jenny asked.
The day was full of surprises.
“We were buddies,” Jimmy said softly. “We went fishing in that creek on his land. We sat around for hours, shooting the breeze.”
“Any idea who did this to him?”
“Asher didn’t take crap from anyone. But he was a fair man. He provided a lot of employment for people up and down the coast.”
“What about his kids? Do you know them?”
“I knew Paul growing up. That’s the youngest of Olga’s kids. He left town as soon as he finished high school.”
“What about Hans? Maria’s son? Did he hang out with you and Asher?”
“That kid?” Jimmy snorted. “He’s married to the bottle. Hangs out at the Rusty Anchor most of the time. Drinks on the job too.”
“I bet Asher didn’t like that.”
Jimmy forked a big piece of fish into his mouth and shook his head vigorously.
“Asher couldn’t stop stewing over it. Called him out for it too.”
“Shouldn’t he have fired him?”
“Blood’s thicker than water, I guess,” Jimmy shrugged. “And Maria would have given him an earful. She’s the only one of Olga’s kids who comes to visit.”
“What about Linda?” Jenny asked. “Do you know her?”
“Jimmy and Linda are the same age,” Star supplied. “Jimmy dated her in high school.”
Jimmy Parsons turned red.
“Ah! It was just puppy love, Star.”
He gave her a meaningful look. A silent message passed between the older couple. Jenny tried to hide a smile.
Star had baked a berry pie for dessert. They sat on the porch, eating big slices of the warm pie topped with vanilla ice cream.
A large yellow Labrador came bounding up the beach. He jumped up on the porch and put his paws on Jenny.
“Tank, you monster! Let me eat.”
Tank butted her with his head and barked happily. A whistle sounded in the distance. Adam Hopkins walked up slowly, barely leaning on his cane.
“Hello everyone. Tank, stop bothering Jenny.”
The yellow lab plopped down by Jenny’s feet and put his head on her knee. She put her plate aside and fondled him.
“Care for some pie?” Star asked.
“I shouldn’t,” Adam said, staring at her plate.
“Why don’t you sit down?” Star laughed. “I’ll bring you a small piece.”
Jimmy seemed uncomfortable in Adam’s presence. He gobbled up his dessert and said goodnight.
“Did I drive him away?” Adam asked.
“Maybe.”
“How’s your little project going, Jenny?”
Jenny didn’t take the bait.
“Very well. What about your investigation?”
“You know I can’t talk about that, even if I wanted to.”
“Have you found a motive yet?”
Star came out with a plate of pie in her hand.
“What happened to Jimmy? Did you scare him away, Adam?”
Adam shrugged.
“I didn’t say a word.”
“You have that effect on people,” Jenny teased. “Most people are intimidated by you.”
Star cleared her throat.
“Did Jenny tell you about her date with Jason?”
“It wasn’t a date,” Jenny protested. “Just dinner.”
“You keep telling yourself that, girl!” Star sighed and went inside.
“How about a walk?” Adam asked.
Jenny nodded. Tank scampered after them. They set off the motion detectors at Seaview. The three storey house Jenny had bought recently lit up like a Christmas tree. The scent of roses and gardenias perfumed the air as Jenny leaned against the gate to admire her new home.
“When do you finish repairs on Seaview?” Adam asked.
“The work’s stalled,” Jenny told him. “They barely started.”
“Oh yes, Cohen Construction is doing your renovations, right?” Adam asked. “I forgot about that.”
“Asher went over the plans himself,” Jenny said sadly. “He was excited. He said he would give it his personal attention since I was involved.”
“Who’s going to oversee the work now?”
“I don’t know,” Jenny said. “I forgot to ask.”
Chapter 8
“How about meeting at the Rusty Anchor later tonight?” Heather asked Jenny. “We need to talk.”
“Have you…” Molly asked, looking interested.
“Later!” Heather cautioned. “We’ll talk later.”
The Magnolias commented on some of the tourists and devoured the lemon blueberry muffins Jenny had baked that day.
“It’s getting too hot,” Star complained, pulling off her paint splattered smock. “I feel like adding ice to my coffee.”
Jenny liked the idea.
“You read my mind. I was thinking of offering iced coffee on the menu. Some people asked for it.”
“That’s it then,” Betty Sue stated, placing her knitting down on the table. “We are drinking iced coffee until summer winds down.”
“Can you make mine a frappe?” Molly asked.
“Well, I’m no barista,” Jenny said modestly, “but I can try.”
The girls met at the local pub that evening. Heather ordered the first round of drinks.
“I did it,” she beamed. “I downloaded one of those dating apps. I created a profile too. Now I just need to upload a picture.”
