by Diane Capri
“Andi?”
It was Daniel. He walked with Mayor Hamilton and two other deputies toward the gazebo.
I knew that time couldn’t stand still, but as Sheriff Jackson and I gazed at each other, I kind of wished that it could. Just for five minutes. Just to see what would happen.
He dropped his hand and stood to greet the mayors. He dipped his head to each. “Lindsey, Daniel.”
“Please tell me this is not another murder.” Lindsey tugged at her ear. The lobe was already red. “I can’t cancel the festival, Sheriff.”
“I don’t know what we have yet,” he said. “Doesn’t appear suspicious, but the doc is going to run some tests and do an autopsy.”
“Your deputy is already out there asking people delicate questions.”
“I know. I’m sorry, but I want to be prepared, just in case.”
Lindsey shook her head. “I’m sorry, Sheriff, but I can’t have that. This festival is vital to the island’s economy, and a preemptive investigation will ruin us. Please tell your men to stand down—at least, until you know for sure what happened.”
He stared at her for a long moment, and I thought he was going to argue with her, but instead he nodded. “Okay. We’ll do it your way. For now.” He pulled out his cell phone and made a call.
Daniel walked over to the bench and offered his hand to me. I took it, and he pulled me up into his arms and hugged me. Over his shoulder, I saw the sheriff turn away and walk back toward Brittany’s body, his phone up to his ear.
“I can’t even begin—” Daniel started.
“Yeah, don’t even try to understand.” I gave a little humorless laugh. “Because I don’t.”
He let me go and looked over at Brittany’s lifeless form. He shook his head. “It doesn’t seem real.”
“Did you know her well?” I asked.
He shook his head. “Not at all, really. To give her a nod walking down the street maybe. I think the longest conversation I ever had with her was when I went with you to deliver the contract for the festival.” He grabbed my hand and squeezed it. “Let’s get you out of here.”
“Okay.”
As we came out of the gazebo, I glanced toward the sheriff. “Is it all right that I leave?”
He nodded. “Yeah, just don’t leave town.” His lips quirked up a little at the lame joke, then he went back to examining the crime scene and making more phone calls.
Before we walked out into the maze, I thought about something that I didn’t tell the sheriff. I’d forgotten to mention the argument that Brittany had with some man named Tyler earlier in the day. From the tone and conversation, I assumed they’d had some kind of relationship. I was about to go back to tell him but figured the information could keep until later.
I needed to get out of the maze and go back to the hotel. I’d had enough of death for one day. Actually, I’d had enough of death for a lifetime. There was only so much a girl could take before it all came crashing down, and I felt I was way too close to that crash.
Chapter 7
The sound of knocking at my door startled me awake the next morning. Groaning, I rolled over to face the bedside clock. It was nine already. This was one of the first sleep-ins I’d had in weeks. It was pretty sad to realize that the only time I got a day off was when I stumbled across a dead body.
The knocking persisted, so I assumed it was Ginny at my door.
“Just use your key!” I shouted, too tired to jump out of bed and open the door.
A few seconds later, I heard the telltale sound of plastic going into the lock, the beep of acceptance, then the slight squeaking of the door opening. Then Ginny came around the corner and jumped on my bed.
I groaned again and pulled the blankets over my head.
“Are you seriously hung over?” she asked, while tugging at my blankets to uncover my face.
“You know I’m not a drinker, and yet you kept pouring wine in my glass.”
“I thought you needed it with the day you had.” She flopped down beside me on the bed. “I thought for sure I was going to find Daniel in this bed with you. He was really attentive to your needs yesterday.” She wriggled her eyebrows.
I grabbed the pillow from under her head and smacked her with it. “We’re not there yet.”
She laughed. “I like the word ‘yet’ in there. Gives me hope for your future.”
“He was being supportive, which I really appreciated. He’s a nice man.”
Ginny sighed. “I don’t know how you deal with this stuff so calmly. I’d be a wreck if I had found her.”
“Believe me, it does bother me. I can just compartmentalize it, I guess.” I stretched my arms over my head and yawned. “I feel really bad for June, too.”
“Why? I thought she hated Brittany.”
“Maybe, but I can’t imagine it’s going to be a nice way to win Best Floral Arrangement at the festival this year.”
Ginny nodded. “Yeah, that would suck.” Then she jumped off the bed and pulled on my arm. “Up. We’re going to grab some breakfast, and then you’re going to come with me to enjoy some festivities for once.”
“I need to shower first. And put on some makeup,” I said.
“Then get your butt going!” She yanked the covers off me and tossed them on the floor. “We don’t have all day.”
“Well, actually, we do have all day. Unless you’ve got a hot date or something.” I laughed as I crawled out of bed and headed toward the bathroom. Ginny could always cheer me up. Her optimistic, easygoing nature was something else I cherished about her and always would.
After a nice breakfast of pancakes and fresh fruit and real whipped cream in the restaurant, Ginny and I joined the other festivalgoers out in the gardens of the hotel. Daniel had to return to the mainland, so I wouldn’t be seeing him for a few days. I didn’t plan to admit it to Ginny, but I was glad. I needed a breather, some time to myself. To think.
The sheriff’s unexpected gentleness and offer of support had thrown me for a loop. My head was still spinning. Or maybe it was the five glasses of wine Ginny had encouraged me to drink last night.
We walked through the grounds, pausing to watch a juggler toss fish-shaped bowling pins while riding a unicycle. Then we listened to an eight-year-old fiddler. She had the crowd dancing with her reeling jigs.
I made Ginny stop at the food lane so I could get a bag of hot mini donuts with cinnamon, and then she wanted to do a walk through all the craft booths. She ended up buying four pairs of dangling earrings and a jade bracelet. I bought a candle shaped like a cat and that smelled like cupcakes—I really missed my cats.
I’d been trying to reason with Lois about Scout and Jem, but she wouldn’t budge. She insisted that no animals of any kind could live in the hotel. Of course, she bent that rule for VIP guests who wanted to bring their pets. Why couldn’t she see that Scout and Jem were my family and living without them was torture?
Next up, Ginny wanted to play one of the games and win a giant unicorn like I had. She was very jealous of that thing. I should probably just give it to her. If she didn’t win one herself, then I might do precisely that.
As she tried to toss balls into the wicker baskets, they all bounced out and she said, “I wish some handsome random stranger would come up to me and win me a big old stuffed animal.”
She wound up and threw the last one like she was pitching at a Tigers baseball game. The force alone caused the ball to bounce way up and roll about ten feet on the ground before the guy managed to chase it down.
“I didn’t say he was handsome,” I told her.
The game attendant handed Ginny a tiny pink dog. It looked like a stuffed animal a person could buy in a dollar store for a buck or two.
“But he probably was,” she said as she stuffed the little dog into the back pocket of her jeans.
There was something in her tone that gave me pause.
“What’s happening with Clinton? I thought you two were dating.” We continued our stroll through
the grounds.
“We are,” she said with a sigh.
“But?”
“I want someone to really WANT me, you know? That all-encompassing desire.”
“I’m pretty sure that just happens in the movies.”
“I don’t know. I’ve seen the way the sheriff looks at you sometimes.”
I gave her a look. “Oh, like how he wants to strangle me when I try to tell him how to do his job?”
“No. The looks he gives you when you don’t know he’s looking.”
I shook my head. “You’re definitely seeing things.” I stopped at the flower tent and peeked inside. “I want to see how June is doing.”
The main tent seemed unusually busy to me. I guess death couldn’t keep the flower enthusiasts down, or people were just morbidly curious. What propelled people to slow down and gawk at a motor vehicle accident was the same thing that had them checking out Brittany’s last flower arrangement. The pictures they were taking would be discussed for years to come. I could imagine the dialogue. “Remember when that florist died at the Flower Festival? Well, I was there, and here is a picture of the last flowers she touched. I could feel her spirit in the rose petals.”
A shiver rushed down my spine, and I tried to shake off the sensation even as I craned my neck to get a look at Brittany’s booth. It wasn’t sectioned off by police tape or anything, although I thought it should’ve been until they knew for sure how she died. But they’d posted signs warning DO NOT ENTER and placed a few tables blocking access to Brittany’s cold storage area where she’d kept her flowers. I imagined that the sheriff had likely gone through her personal things to help identify her next of kin.
If only I could get in there, maybe I could see something the sheriff hadn’t, although I had no idea what that would be. It wasn’t that Sheriff Jackson was bad at his job. He wasn’t. He was a good sheriff, actually. But as a civilian, I wasn’t bound by his limitations. Not that I was planning to do anything illegal. I had too much respect for the law.
Ginny caught me wandering in the wrong direction and nudged me back toward June’s arrangement on the main table. As we approached, it was like lining up to see the queen. I got a glimpse of the usually even-keeled redhead, and she was beaming and giggling, like she was holding court. After a few elderly women shook June’s hand, I was able to push to the front. She startled when she spotted me.
“Hey, June. I just thought I’d stop by and see how you’re doing.”
“I’m okay. It helps to have something to do. Something else to think about, you know? Thanks for checking on me.” Her hands fidgeted with the tie on her bright flower-patterned apron.
“Are you sure? Brittany’s death must have been quite a shock.”
She flapped a hand at me. “Oh yes, you’re right. It is quite a shock. I can’t believe it really. Poor Brittany.” Her gaze moved away from me and onto the next person at the table.
I frowned. She didn’t seem affected at all. I knew people dealt with shock in different ways, but June’s almost blasé attitude was a new one for me. She and Brittany were competitors, but I’d believed they were at least friendly with each other on the surface.
“When did you see her last, do you remember?”
She pursed her lips but wouldn’t look at me. “I don’t know. Probably when she fell on the table and knocked her arrangement over.”
“Not after that?”
She frowned. “No.” She smiled at another woman standing next to me at the table who was cooing over June’s floral arrangement.
“Oh, hey,” I said, getting her attention again, “I was wondering…do you have those hot-pink gardening gloves I saw you wearing? I’ve been looking for a good pair and just wanted to see if those would fit me.”
Another hand-flap in my direction. “I haven’t seen them. I think I must’ve lost them somewhere in all this chaos.”
“Really? That’s interesting, because—”
Ginny pulled me away from the table. “What are you doing?” she hissed.
“What? I’m just talking to June about gardening.”
“You were interrogating her about Brittany.”
“No, I wasn’t.” I made an innocent face.
She kept tugging on my arm until we were out of the tent.
“You have no business asking June questions like that. It’s rude, if nothing else.” She frowned at me. “Besides, Brittany died from a heart attack or something. It’s not like she was murdered.”
I gave her a noncommittal nod. “Yeah, as far as we know, that’s right.”
She grabbed my arm and gave me a hard stare. “Right? There was no indication that anything was suspicious.”
“Right.” I fidgeted a bit and crossed my fingers.
“Andi…” She drew out the second syllable of my name for a really long time. “Why are you suspicious about this?”
I shrugged. “You know me. I can’t really let this kind of thing go until I know for sure, one hundred percent.”
She rolled her eyes and huffed. “But you don’t really think June had anything to do with Brittany’s death, do you? I mean, c’mon. It’s June. She wouldn’t even kill a spider. I once saw her save a tiny little green caterpillar. She picked him up and put him on the grass.” She flipped her hair back. “I would’ve stomped on that little sucker.”
I grinned at her dramatics. “I’m not saying June did anything wrong. Just there are some things that are bugging me. Like the fact that the same kind of hot-pink gardening gloves that June has were found near Brittany’s body, and June doesn’t know where hers are.”
“So, maybe both June and Brittany had the same gloves. That’s not a crime.”
“Why were they there, though? And all balled-up like that?”
Ginny threw up her hands. “What does it matter? It’s not your problem to solve. It’s a mystery for the sheriff. That’s his job.” Then she grabbed my face. “Your job today is to have some fun. Do you even remember what that is?”
“I have a slim recollection,” I said between fish lips as Ginny’s hands squished my cheeks.
“Good.” She dropped her hands. “So, now we are going to get ourselves some chocolate-covered cheesecake on a stick. Then we’re going over to the main stage, and we’re going to enter the karaoke duet contest, and you’re going to sing your heart out. After that, if you’re lucky, I will let you take a ride on the merry-go-round.”
“Is it just horses, or are their other animals to ride?”
“I think it’s an assortment of farm animals.” She gave me a huge grin, which made my heart not feel so heavy. Ginny was my ray of sunshine and joy. She always had been. I could count on her to cheer me up, no matter what had happened in my life. Bad grades (which only happened once, mind you), bad breakups (again, only happened once), and every time my parents disappointed me (regularly). She was always there with a smile, a hug, and zillions of ways to let off steam and have some fun.
“It sounds like a perfect date.” I put my arm through the crook of her elbow.
“Better than dating Daniel?” She wriggled her eyebrows as we set off toward the food carts.
“I have no comment.” But my heart was lighter, thinking about Daniel. Not that I’d tell Ginny. She’d hound me even worse if I mentioned it.
Chapter 8
After a fun-filled day at the festival with Ginny, I was feeling refreshed and relaxed the next morning at the concierge desk. Even the tall, spindly woman shouting at me from across the desk didn’t dampen my mood.
“And they wouldn’t give us a table.” She smacked her bony hand down on the desk. My little cup of pens rattled from the impact.
“Mrs. Lee, the reservation I made for you was at seven, not eight.”
She curled her lip. “I know that, but we couldn’t leave the card game when Darryl was winning. How stupid would we have been? There was two hundred dollars at stake.”
I wanted to tell her that an unsanctioned big-roller poker game, which I was p
ositive someone who worked at the hotel had set up in secret, wasn’t a good excuse to miss her dinner reservation or to complain about losing her table.
“Of course. But you can’t expect the restaurant to accommodate you when you arrive more than an hour late. If you had called the hotel, or the restaurant, we could’ve arranged to move your reservation.”
“Well, they should have extra tables for emergencies,” she pouted.
I tried not to laugh at her. Instead, I just nodded. “Yes, maybe they should.” I opened one of my drawers and took out the vouchers for the hotel restaurant. I tore one off and set it on the counter. “I’m sorry this happened. Truly. Here’s a breakfast voucher for you and your husband. Please accept my apology for your inconvenience.”
She frowned at me, looked at the voucher, and I thought for a moment she was going to argue and ask for something more. But she didn’t. She slowly pulled the voucher toward her as if I might snatch it back. “Thank you. This doesn’t make up for our missed dinner, but at least it’s something.”
“I hope you have a wonderful day, Mrs. Lee. If there is anything else I can do for you during your stay at the Park, please don’t hesitate to give me a call or come see me here at the desk. I’m on duty until six.”
Once she had walked away, I took in a deep, cleansing breath. One problem solved, a million to go. I took out the stack of messages and flipped through them. Calls I needed to make to restaurants to schedule reservations, the golf course for tee times, the ferry to set up two romantic sunset cruises around the island. Never a dull moment working at the Park Hotel, for sure. And we definitely had enough work to support two concierges, as I was going to prove to Samuel so I could keep my job.
As I picked up the phone to make my first call, a man approached. He was a hunky black dude. Muscles, shaved head, brilliant smile, and a tight t-shirt showing off his abs to die for. He had the most unusual, piercing green eyes I’d ever seen, which made me wonder about his ancestry. If I’d been in the market for a date, I’d have snagged him in an instant. Which made me think about Ginny. He was just her type.
