Hospitality and Homicide

by Lynn Cahoon

  “I don’t keep secrets from Greg, but you’re right, he won’t approve. I just don’t think I have it in me to not investigate. I really like figuring out puzzles.” I paused at the office door.

  “Then you have your hands full with this one. I’ve never seen such a mystery.” He paused at the door. “Thank you for stopping in. I really enjoyed our talk.”

  As I drove back home after stopping at the Big Bun for my well-deserved lunch, I thought about Doc Ames. His wife had died a few years ago and he seemed lonely. He was older than me, but maybe Sadie would be a perfect match for him. Her thing with Pastor Bill didn’t seem to be making any progress so maybe I should throw a dinner party for Sadie, Doc Ames, Greg and Justin and Amy. Or Harrold and Aunt Jackie.

  Happy with my matchmaker idea, I whistled as I drove back into South Cove. When I reached the cove, I slowed, even though I figured Esmeralda would be holding court at her house. She did most of her fortunetelling appointments on the weekend. Instead, she stood on the bluff. I pulled the car over and got out. “Are you okay?”

  When she turned to me, I saw the tears on her face. “He’s alive. I know he’s alive. But now, everyone thinks I’m crazy.” She threw a bag out into the ocean.

  “What’s that?” I walked over to stand next to her.

  “Food and water. I’ve been putting peanut butter sandwiches and chocolate bars in baggies. I throw out three a day along with a bottle of fresh water, hoping he at least gets one. My luck the fish around here are eating them before it even gets close.” She started walking toward my car. “Mind driving me back? I’ve got a session at four.”

  “Sure.” I followed her to the car. “Look, everyone knows you are worried about the child, but don’t you think it’s time to accept the obvious?”

  “What does it hurt for me to have hope? I screwed up one family’s lives by giving them false hope. Now I know I’m right and no one will believe me anymore.” She climbed into the car, shut the door, and stared out her window. Apparently, the conversation was over.

  When I paused outside of her house, she looked at me. “You’re carrying a heavy load. You need to release one of your burdens and just make a decision. Yes or no, Greg’s still going to love you.”

  She didn’t give me time to respond but I watched her walk toward her house. Her clients were waiting in the car. They got out and hugged Esmeralda. She had people who believed her, no matter what she thought. As I pulled into the driveway, I wondered if I should believe her too.

  Emma and I got ready and ran as soon as I got into the house. She’d been denied her fun for too long. Only a few people were on the beach so I unhooked her leash when we got there. As we ran, she played in the shore and I knew a bath would be in her future.

  Coming up on the cove, Emma dashed to the rock wall, barking. I followed, calling her name, hoping she wasn’t on the trail of a sea lion. Those things were mean, especially when confronted by a barking dog.

  No sea lion greeted me. Emma stood at the mouth of a small cave. The tide had started to fill the area and where the cave opening was, you’d have to swim to get in or out of the cave when high tide hit. “Come on girl, let’s go home.”

  Emma stood, pointing to the cave entrance and continued to bark. I noticed an empty baggie floating on top of the water. Esmeralda’s care packages. The sight made me feel sad. I clicked her leash on and pulled her away from the cave’s edge. If we stayed here too much longer, the tide would be filling the cove too.

  Emma strained at the leash and barked one more time. Then she gave up and followed me out of the cove. When we got home, I showered, pulled the ice cream out of the freezer and settled into the couch to study for next week’s finals. I had one project to turn in and two tests. The good thing was my project was done. It just needed to be attached to an e-mail and sent, but I was hesitant to send until the last minute. I guess I thought a brilliant idea might hit between now and Wednesday. I made a pact I’d send it tomorrow before my brunch with Amy. That way, all I’d have is the two exams.

  Emma had dried out by lying in the sun on the back porch and now she lay content at my feet. My phone buzzed with a text. I read it aloud to Emma. “Dinner tomorrow? I can’t make it a total No Work Sunday.”

  I texted back a happy face and a “sure.” I could study Tuesday for Wednesday’s exam. Dinner with Greg would give me time to tell him about my meeting with Doc Ames, before the rumor mill filled him in. I swear, I could have dinner with a long lost relative and by the time the news got to Greg, the guy would be Brad Pitt. Not that I would mind having dinner with the guy. I put my phone down and returned to my notes.

  The next morning, instead of reviewing the material one more time, I decided to run. Emma needed the exercise and between work and my finals, this might be our last chance until next weekend.

  The beach was completely empty and the sea gulls were playing and diving into the water. They were also looking for any leftover food the party crowd had left last night. The trashcans and the recycling bins were filled to the brim. The city workers would be here soon, but I had time to run with Emma off her leash before they got here. I’d hate to have it get back to city hall that I was breaking the rules. Then Greg would have to talk to me about the infraction. Again.

  We made our way to the cove and for a second time, Emma took off for the cave. I followed, although not as fast this time as I didn’t think there was a sea lion nearby. Emma was more interested in what was in the cave.

  The tide had receded and now I saw more of the bags and empty water bottles. I picked one up thinking it must have been bashed against the rocks and leaked out. But no, this one had the seal open. The strange thing was the cap was back on the bottle. A slip of paper seemed to be inside. I opened the bottle and turned it upside down, dropping the paper into my hand. I unrolled it and in a deep black charcoal were the words, “Thank You.”

  I stepped into the cave area, not believing what I was thinking. I walked until I came on a cavern too small for me to walk any farther. Emma sniffed the top of the entrance and whined. “Hold on, girl.” I clicked her leash on and then did the one thing I hadn’t expected. I called into the darkness. “Hello? Is anyone there? Thad? Are you there?”

  I waited listening, but only heard the waves slapping on the rocks. Feeling stupid, I called out one more time. “Thad, if you’re there, you need to answer me.”

  Still just water lapping against the rocks. I turned to go and then I heard it. A small voice from deep inside the cave called back. “Hello? Who’s there?”

  “Thad, is that you? I’m Jill Gardner. I run the bookstore in town. People have been looking for you.” My heart felt like it was beating out of my chest. Could this really be happening? Had Emma found the little boy?

  “I’ve been calling but no one heard me. My throat hurts so bad. Can you get me out of here?” Panic filled his voice rather than hope.

  “Hold on. I’ve got to go out on the beach to get a signal to call the police. Then I’ll be back.”

  “Wait.”

  I paused already three steps toward the entrance. “What? I can’t get a signal in here.”

  “You’re coming back, right?” He paused, then asked what he really wanted to know. “You are real, right?”

  “I’m real all right. Just give me a couple of minutes and then we’ll be getting you out of here.” I heard his okay, then ran for the entrance. The trash crew were on the beach and I ran over to the truck. “Do you have a radio? Can you reach the police station?”

  “Sure, what’s wrong, lady, did someone hurt you?” The driver of the truck opened his door and leaned out toward me.

  “I’m fine. The little boy who was lost, he’s in the cave, right over there.” I pointed to the entrance. “We need to get him out before the tide comes in again.”

  The man got on his radio and after relaying the message, he parked the truck and waved me over to him. “Show me where he is, maybe I can get to him.”

  I’d just re
ached Greg’s voice mail and I quickly left a message, hoping he was on his way with the rescue crew. Then I reentered the cave and went back to the scared Thad.

  CHAPTER 16

  It took less than an hour to get the right equipment down to the beach. The boy had fallen into a crevasse and his foot was stuck. Toby used the jaws of life to crack the opening just a bit wider so they could free Thad’s foot. As soon as it released, at least how Toby told it, Greg had pulled the kid up and out of the cave faster than a sling shot. Toby had told the story several times as they waited at the Bakerstown emergency room for Thad’s parents to make their way back to South Cove from the city.

  The kid looked like he’d been on a desert island too long, his body looked wasted away, but the doctors were reluctant to do more than give him an IV to rehydrate him before his parents came and made a decision on surgery for the broken foot. Apparently, a specialist was coming in from San Francisco to make the final determination.

  I just wanted to give the kid a hot bowl of soup and a sub sandwich, but since he might be going under the knife, I could see how that would be a bad idea.

  “Maybe I should go home?” I leaned into Greg as we sat in the hospital’s emergency room. “Emma’s probably thinking I abandoned her.”

  “You rode up with me, remember?” Greg rubbed my arm. “I can’t leave until the parents get here, but I could have Toby give you a ride.”

  Toby grinned. “I have the cruiser. You could ride in the back.”

  I leaned into Greg. “I guess I can hang out for a while longer.” Just as I said it, Esmeralda pushed the door into the waiting room.

  “You found him? He’s alive?” She stood in front of Greg, her eyes wilder than her hair.

  Greg put a hand on her shoulder. “Actually, Jill found him and yes, he’s dehydrated and a little scared and probably has a broken foot, but he’s alive.”

  She leaned down and kissed me on both cheeks. “I didn’t think you believed me. Thank you. I thought it was going to be like last time. I couldn’t deal with that, not again.”

  I patted the crying woman’s back. “Emma was the one who found him, not me. You should be thanking her.”

  “Believe me, I will.” Esmeralda wiped her eyes and looked up as the waiting room doors opened again. Mr. and Mrs. Coltrane stood at the opening, not moving. “Come in, he’s alive.”

  Thad’s mother burst into tears and ran into Esmeralda’s arms. “Thank you. Thank you for not giving up on him.”

  The nurse came from the desk. “Come with me, the doctors want to talk to you before you see your son.”

  The parents left and Greg stood. “Time to go. I can call and get the paperwork finished tomorrow. Tonight, they need to be a family again.”

  Esmeralda sat down. “I will wait for them. They may need guidance with decisions.”

  “Your call. You aren’t on my clock.” He eyed Toby. “Not like you. Back on patrol, Mr. Killian.”

  “Tim’s covering me,” Toby responded, but he stood as well. “A hero’s work is never done.”

  “More stories to tell your girls,” I said as we were walking out.

  Toby paused. “One thing, there’s a woman coming in to talk to you about Sasha’s, I mean, the open position. She’s going to use me as a reference, but seriously, don’t hire her. I think she’s just using the spot to get closer to me.”

  “You think you’re all that?” I shook my head. “People need to eat, Toby. Maybe she’s just looking for some extra money?”

  “Go ahead and interview her and I think you’ll see it. At least, I hope you will.” Toby stopped at his cruiser. “She kind of scares me.”

  I waited until I was inside Greg’s truck to laugh. “A woman who scares Toby? Maybe I should hire her strictly on that point?”

  “If you do, you’re more evil than I thought.” He put his arm out of the open window and relaxed into his driving position. “So what have you been up to?”

  “Why? Who told you?”

  Greg laughed. “Told me what, that you were investigating? Honey, there’s been a murder in town. Of course, you’ve been investigating. I just want to know what you’ve found out?”

  “Mainly nothing. I went to talk to Doc Ames because he and Walter went to school together. And other than being freakishly smart, but leaving college early, I’ve got nothing.” I sighed and stared out my own window. “I hate to say it, but I think my sleuthing skills are rusty. I got nothing.”

  “Well, don’t feel bad. I’ve got the same. A big bag of nothing.” He looked at his watch. “And I’ve got to get ready for my Monday morning meeting with John so he can tell me what a complete loser I am.”

  “Seriously? He’s that negative?” I’d known that our district attorney wasn’t the most fun person to be around, but that seemed excessive.

  “He will be happy about finding the Coltrane boy. I guess the parents are big contributors to his campaign.” Greg reached over and squeezed my hand. “This is one time I’m glad you didn’t keep your nose out of an investigation. I can’t believe the kid was there all the time.”

  “I guess the searchers just never went into the cave. Maybe the entrance was flooded when they came by.” I shrugged. “Who knows. And I didn’t find him, Emma did. She’s the one who kept going back to that spot. Esmeralda kept the kid alive by throwing out those care packets. I can’t believe she knew just where and when to throw them.”

  “The spirits told her,” Greg said.

  I glanced over at him, but he wasn’t smiling. “You believe that?”

  “I believe some magic kept that kid alive until Emma could do her thing. What, you run there three, four times a week, and she never picked up on the smell before.” He shrugged. “We had dogs out there when he first disappeared. Why didn’t they catch his scent? It’s all a crapshoot. I’m just happy this case turned out better than I’d imagined.”

  “One mystery solved, one to go.” I watched the waves as we drove down Highway 1. As we came up to the South Cove turnout, I saw Mandy’s produce stand was busy. I tried to figure out if Toby had talked to Greg about the wallet. I was pretty sure Josh hadn’t. “So what do you think of our new shop?”

  “The clock guy?” Greg shrugged. “He’s actually kind of weird. He came into the station the other day just to meet me. I guess he’s concerned about foot patrols on Main Street. He thinks uniformed officers walking down the street makes the place look unsafe.”

  “That’s not what the research says.” I shook my head. “You showed him the study that the council used to get financing for the extra hours, right?”

  “I did, he’s just a little tightly wound. Kind of like his clocks. I think if you’d put a real name to it, he’s paranoid. I think it’s going to be fun having him in the mix. Not.” Greg pulled the truck into my driveway. “Sorry about No Work Sunday. I’ve got to go back in.”

  “I kind of figured that. Maybe Amy will have dinner with me, since we missed out on brunch.” I’d remembered to call Amy on the way to the hospital. She’d probably want the full story sooner than later. Greg opened my door and pulled me into a quick kiss, then walked me to the gate.

  “Tell Emma she deserves a puppy treat for this one. I’ll have to make a special trip into the Pampered Pet for something good.” He paused. “Just as soon as this case is over.”

  “Yeah, yeah, I’ve heard that excuse before.” I watched him leave and then went up to the porch. Typically, he made sure I got inside before pulling out of the driveway. He must really be in a hurry today. I took my key out of my running jacket pocket and went inside.

  Amy was up for dinner so I changed and walked into town to Diamond Lille’s. Amy had already arrived and was at our table when I walked in. The other diners stood and clapped when I opened the door. Shouts of “Great job” and “Good for you” echoed through the dining room. When the clapping died down, I shook my head.

  “I’m not the hero here today. It’s Emma, my dog. I just followed her lead.” As I ma
de my way through people who wanted to shake my hand or pat me on the back, Amy watched, her face lit up in a wide grin.

  “How’s it going, hero?” She pointed to the iced tea sitting in front of my spot. “Carrie thought you might be thirsty.”

  “The girl is psychic. Or we’ve eaten here way too many times.” I took a long sip, still conscious of the room and the people watching me. “Are they eating yet?”

  Amy glanced around the room. “Most of them. You have to admit, what you and Emma did was nothing short of a miracle. Everyone had written the kid off as dead, especially after yesterday’s search turned up nothing.”

  “Again, I didn’t do anything except follow Emma’s lead. Yesterday, she took me to the cove too, but I couldn’t see inside the cave because of the water. Today I saw the bottles that Esmeralda had thrown out from the cliff.” I rubbed a drop of humidity off the outside of the glass. “I haven’t been letting her off the lead for a while since there always seems to be someone on the beach while we’re running. If I hadn’t…” I let the words fall.

  “No thinking about that.” Amy looked over toward the counter. “Don’t look now, but Lille’s on her way over.

  Lille Boyle was the owner of Diamond Lille’s and a royal pain in the butt. She had a history of banning local residents from eating at her place for the slightest infraction, so I tried to keep on her good side. The only problem was that Lille didn’t have a good side. Or if she did, it was a small sliver of her personality.

  “Hey, Lille, what’s going on?” I decided to confront the woman head-on. Show no fear kind of thing.

  “I bet you think you’re pretty special finding that kid and all.” She glared at me.

  “Honestly, it was luck we even found him. And mostly, it was Emma.” I could throw my dog under the bus, since she wasn’t allowed in Diamond Lille’s anyway.

  “Well, you tell your dog that she’s pretty special. I’ll send home a hamburger for her.” She started to walk away. “Don’t be too hard on Harrold for not believing Esmeralda. Agnes spent a lot of their money on fortunetellers when she was ill and she still died. Oh, and tonight’s meal is on the house.”