Sea, Sky & Skeleton

by Carolyn L. Dean

  Mr. Orwin, normally so quiet, looked worried. “Look, I don’t mean to be rude or anything, but I’m going to need to be leaving soon.” He brightened up. “I’m teaching a class in wood carving at the library at two, if anyone wants to come.”

  Ian nodded. “Already signed up, buddy, and I’ll see ya there.”

  Looking around the circle of townspeople on chairs and sofas in her parlor, Amanda wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry. “Isn’t there anything anyone wants to say about the book we were going to discuss today?” she asked, and the group went silent.

  “I liked it. It was good,” Lydia contributed.

  Truman popped up a hand. “I thought it was a brilliant example of the duality of mankind’s morality, of civilization contrasting with unbridled nature and the underlying desperation we all feel.” He looked around, waiting for a rebuttal. “What did you think of it, Mrs. Granger?”

  “I liked the movie better.”

  Amanda winced, knowing that her friend’s pronouncement was going to get all the booklovers upset, and she wasn’t disappointed. When the phrases ‘didn’t understand the depth of language’ and ‘underlying themes’ came up, she headed to the kitchen for a fresh pot of coffee, knowing that the gleeful Mrs. Granger, so happy to have started such a furor, was having a great time defending her opinion.

  Even if it wasn’t real.

  Chapter 15

  Amanda sighed as she stood outside Petunia’s florist shop. Some people always seemed good at expressing sympathy and helping people after they’d lost someone. Amanda tried but it always felt stiff and awkward, with her constantly wondering if she was doing or saying the wrong thing. She knew she should stop by and see how the grieving florist was doing, but she’d been dreading it. Steeling herself and mentally running over a list of things she could say, she turned the knob and stepped inside.

  The air was rich with the scent of luscious hothouse flowers, and Amanda was surprised to see Ruby, the waitress from Ivy’s, and Thomas Fox, the local pastor, standing at the counter and chatting with a laughing Petunia. Whatever the joke was, it must’ve been good, because Pastor Fox was still chuckling.

  “Amanda! How have you been?”

  She tried to keep the surprise off her face. “Good, Ruby, good. How are you?”

  Ruby picked a bouquet of carnations off the counter. “Doing great. Just getting some flowers for the bud vases at the Café. Well, I’d better be going. Talk to you later,” she said, as she sailed out the door.

  Pastor Fox turned back to Petunia. “I’m going to have to tell that joke to the kids in Sunday school. ‘Right where you left him’. Classic!” he said as he handed over a twenty dollar bill. Petunia carefully gave him his change and he took the peace lily she handed him, bidding Amanda a cheerful goodbye as he left.

  Petunia was still smiling. “It’s so good to see you!” she said, coming around the end of the counter to hug the surprised Amanda. Pulling back a bit, her voice became serious. “Hey, I wanted to apologize for the last time we talked. I was kind of a wreck and you got the brunt of it. I’m not normally such a basket case.”

  “It’s okay. I’m glad you’re doing all right.”

  Petunia gave a small shrug. “I still have my moments, but I’m doing better. It’s not like I was in love with him or anything, but it was still a terrible shock.” She leaned against the counter. “You know the word’s out that I was dating him, right? I’m the hot topic of conversation wherever I go.”

  “No, I didn’t know that was public knowledge. I didn’t tell a soul–“ Amanda protested, thinking Petunia might be accusing her, but Petunia interrupted.

  “It’s okay. It was inevitable, and I don’t think you told anyone. I’m starting to figure out how small towns operate and part of it seems to be that everyone knows everyone’s business. Did you know that my shop’s actually been more busy since people discovered I was dating Nelson? I’ve had practically the whole town come through in the past couple of days.” She smiled. “I had to order in extra flowers.”

  Amanda wasn’t sure what to say. “Well, I’m glad you’re okay with people knowing, and that it’s good for business. Hey, what was the joke you told Pastor Fox?”

  Petunia laughed. “Oh, it’s just a silly kid joke, nice and clean. You ask, ‘where do you find a turtle with no legs’.”

  Remember back to what Pastor Fox had said, Amanda smiled. “Oh, so the punchline is ‘right where you left him’. That’s cute.”

  “Did I tell you the cops came to question me? Me? As if I had anything to do with him going fishing and getting drowned at sea.” Petunia’s face hardened as she picked up a broom and began to slowly sweep the small shop. “They were nice and all but I could tell what they were thinking. Why do they always suspect the girlfriend?”

  Amanda was silent, not knowing how to answer a question like that. Petunia kept sweeping, her pile of curled leaves and bits of dirt growing.

  “I told them every single thing I knew, and gave them the two shirts he’d left and the sci-fi novel. Even after giving them everything they wouldn’t tell me any details about the investigation at all. You’d think as his girlfriend I’d get more respect.”

  Sighing, Amanda could understand Petunia’s irritation but she also knew how the police had to follow protocol. “They can’t talk about it much. I know it’s really frustrating. It’s just to keep the integrity of the investigation.”

  Petunia glanced at her sideways. “It sounds like you’ve been involved in a bunch of investigations in Ravenwood Cove. I had no idea you knew about stuff like this until Ruby told me about what had happened in the past few months around here. You’ve been kind of busy since you got to town, haven’t you?”

  There was a jarring ringing sound from the back room and Petunia instantly set her broom aside. “That’s the plant delivery from Sawyer’s nursery. Do you mind waiting a few minutes while I check it in? It shouldn’t take me long at all, and I’d really love to talk with you some more.” She smiled. “I think we have a lot in common, actually.”

  Amanda smiled back. “I’d like that. Can I give you a hand?”

  Shaking her head, Petunia opened the door to the backroom. “Nah, it’s not that much. I’ll be right back.”

  The little store was quiet and colorful, and Amanda enjoyed looking around at the charming gifts and artfully-arranged bouquets that Petunia had for sale. The counter must’ve been an antique from some other store, and was carved with a leaf and flowers motif, perfect for a florist shop. Running an admiring hand down the carved design by the cash register, a small object caught Amanda’s eye, tucked under a notepad.

  It was the top edge of a cell phone, flipped face down, and the swirling pattern on the custom-made case looked a bit familiar. Using one finger, Amanda slowly pushed the notepad farther back, exposing more of the design.

  Mickey Mouse, hand drawn in ink, posed in a bunch of funny ways.

  Amanda took a deep breath, and slid the notepad completely off the smart phone, trying to make sure it wouldn’t fall to the floor. Even upside down she could read the initials at the bottom.

  N.K.

  Nelson King.

  Petunia had his phone, even after she said she’d given everything to the police.

  Amanda glanced at the back door, hearing Petunia talking with the delivery driver, and offering to sign the invoice. Almost without thinking, Amanda grabbed the cell phone, sliding the notepad back into place as though it was still covering the phone. She dropped the phone into her coat pocket, her heart pounding. She realized that if she left it at the store and told the police Petunia had Nelson King’s phone, it would most likely have disappeared by the time they were able to come get it.

  “Oh, I’ve got to run! I’m sorry, Petunia, but I’ll catch up to you later. Bye!” she said loudly to the empty shop, hurrying toward the door and frantically hoping that she wasn’t going to be stopped. A few paces to the door and her hand was on the knob, twisting it, and she was out on th
e street. Her heart was hammering in her chest as she walked a couple quick steps, then jogged quickly to her car, intent on getting the phone to George Ortiz as quickly as possible.

  As she drove the two blocks to the police station, Amanda’s mind was trying to put together the clues that she might’ve missed before. She’d always noticed that Petunia seemed to have oodles of money to spend on her remodel, and that she drove a brand new Lexus. In most towns that may not have caught anyone’s attention, but in Ravenwood Cove it was a definite anomaly.

  Where did she get her money? Was she somehow tied to the drug smuggling that Nelson King may have been involved with? Why had she lied to the police about turning over everything of his?

  And if Petunia wasn’t going to be arrested, how was Amanda going to explain the fact that she’d just stolen an expensive smartphone right off the counter of her local florist shop?

  Chapter 16

  When it rains, it pours. Or, if you live in Ravenwood Cove, it’s a deluge.

  With the grand staircase fixed, Amanda was happy to have paying guests again. Roy Greeley had been as good as his word and had done an amazing job matching the new parts with the existing staircase, and the first time a young family took their bags up the main stairs, she couldn’t barely hide her ear-to-ear grin. Back in business!

  Happy about her plans for future package deals on the Inn’s website, Amanda spent some time working on the necessary paperwork and contracts for the merchants. The contracts were very simple, just spelling out each party’s responsibilities and what the final split would be for profits. Even though she was personal friends with many of the merchants, she wanted to be sure there were no loose ends that could lead to misunderstandings. Working at her desk, Amanda could hear Jennifer making quiche in the kitchen and sighed happily. All was back as it should be.

  The front door flew open and Lisa stormed in, her expression full of frustration. “Guess what he did now. Just guess!”

  Amanda stopped typing. “I have no idea,” she answered, even though she didn’t have to ask which person Lisa was talking about. She’d never seen her serious friend have outbursts like this before her nephew moved in with her.

  “I found almost two hundred dollars in his wallet. Now, I know that kid didn’t have a dime to his name when he showed up at my place, so where did he get that sort of cash?”

  Amanda stood up to give Lisa a warm hug. “Come into the kitchen and we’ll talk about it. Want some wine?”

  “Can I have it in a bucket to go?”

  Amanda laughed and threw an arm around her friend’s shoulders. “I’ll pack you a doggie bottle, how about that?”

  The wine seemed to help Lisa a bit, and she sagged on the tall chair at the kitchen island. “I’m just not sure what to do about that kid,” she confessed to Amanda, who patted her on the arm in sympathy. “I’m trying to keep him in school, and I’m glad he seems to be doing well working with Truman, but I keep finding things that make me crazy. He’s just so…independent.”

  Amanda tried not to crack a smile. “Like anyone else in your family?”

  Lisa gave her a narrow-eyed glare. “You’re not talking about me, are you?”

  “Maybe.”

  Lisa took a big gulp of her wine. “It’s just so aggravating. Where did he get that sort of cash? What’s he been doing that he’d wind up with that in his wallet? I know darn well Truman’s not paying him enough for Sage to be carrying around almost two hundred bucks.”

  “What did he say when you asked him?”

  Lisa popped her head up. “What?”

  “When you asked him. What did he say?”

  “Well, I haven’t asked him yet.” A look of uncertainty flashed across Lisa’s face. “Do you think I should?”

  “Yes, I do,” Amanda said adamantly. “He’s down at Truman’s today, right? Let’s go talk to him.” She got her coat, and then Lisa’s off the brass coat tree. “I’ll drive. You’ve been drinking.”

  The bookstore was full of an after-school crowd, some buying and some browsing. Amanda could see Sage through the large front window, which was now featuring books that had been burned and banned throughout history.

  Lisa was set to charge through the door, but Amanda put a firm hand on her shoulder before she could jerk the door open. “Let’s be calm, and hear what he has to say,” she suggested.

  Lisa took a shaking breath, then nodded and opened the door. The comfy couches were filled with people looking at books, and Sage was manning the cash register, ringing up some magazines for a pair of blonde high-schoolers who looked completely fascinated by Sage. There was a lot of giggling and wriggling as they talked to him, and when Lisa caught Amanda’s eye and made a gagging motion, Amanda tried not to laugh. It seemed that Sage was a definite attraction at the bookstore, and from the goofy smile on his face it was evident he was loving every minute of it. As the two teen girls walked out with their purchases, Sage suddenly realized that the next person in line was his aunt.

  “Hey! I didn’t expect to see you here! What’s up?” His glance darted between the two women. “Um, it looks like something’s happened. Everything okay?”

  Lisa’s voice was calm. “Is there some place we can talk?”

  Amanda decided it was time to give them some privacy. Seeing Truman working in the connected bike and kite store, she gestured toward him. “I’ll be over here when you’re done.”

  As Lisa and Sage walked toward the back room, Amanda caught Truman’s eye. He was balancing on a chair, trying to attach a large dragon kite to the wall behind the store’s main counter. “Can you give me a hand with this?” he asked, and Amanda jogged over, happy to help. She handed up the dropped hammer and watched him pound the nail in securely, then hang the head of the dragon on it, the long, colorful tail already looped onto strings over the cash register.

  “Thought you’d want to know that Lisa came to talk to Sage, so you’ll need to watch the store,” she said as Truman hopped down from the chair.

  “Yeah, I can watch the till, but what’s up with Lisa coming to talk to him here? Something wrong?”

  Amanda trailed after him, watching him greet the people in the bookstore and finally stand behind the counter. “I think it’s about some money she found that is his. You didn’t pay him some sort of bonus or give him an advance, did you?”

  Truman snorted and gestured at all the people browsing. “Don’t let all the people fool ya. I’ve got more people looking than buying. Where did she find the money?”

  “In his wallet, I guess.”

  Truman’s eyebrows went up. “She was looking in his wallet? Isn’t that kind of an invasion of his privacy?”

  For some reason, Amanda felt defensive of her friend’s actions. Maybe it was because she was trying so hard to raise a boy who thought he was already raised, or maybe it was because she’d seen the terror on Lisa’s face at the thought of her nephew being lost to her.

  “He’s got a family history that’s pretty tough. I think that gives her the right to check on him.”

  Truman lowered his voice and leaned closer. “Look, I know all about bad family histories. I’m just saying that unless he gets some trust, he’s not going to wind up as trustworthy.”

  The backroom door opened and Amanda could instantly tell that the conversation had not gone well. Both Lisa and Sage looked angry and frustrated, and Sage’s face was flushed a mottled red.

  “Truman, do you still have that hundred dollar bill that Sage used to buy the art book?”

  “Yeah. Why? What’s up?”

  Lisa turned to Amanda. “It turns out that Sage found two hundred dollar bills when he was down on the beach last night, after he snuck out of the house. Instead of turning them in to the police, he decided to keep them.”

  Sage put up his hands. “Whoa, whoa, whoa! I didn’t steal anything. I found this money fair and square, and if I go show it to the cops what are the odds they’re going to actually give it back?” He looked at Truman. “My bet
is that they’d use it to buy a bunch of glazed doughnuts for themselves and then when I come back to get it they all say ‘what money?’”

  Lisa was obviously trying to keep her frustration under control. “Look, I know you haven’t always had the best experiences with police, but I know every officer in Ravenwood Cove. If they say they’re going to give it back, then they will.”

  “So, you’re saying you’re going to make me take it to the cops?”

  Amanda interrupted. “No, Sage. She’s saying she trusts you to take it to the cops, and she hopes you trust her that she is telling the truth.”

  Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Lisa trying to mask the confusion she was probably feeling, since she definitely hadn’t expected Amanda to jump into the conversation or say anything like that.

  Sage looked at Lisa, considering. After a long moment his shoulders slumped a bit. “Fine,” he said, conceding. “We can go to the police station if you want, but if I see them eating doughnuts when we walk in, we’re outta there.”

  His aunt nodded her head, a slow smile on her face. “Deal.”

  Chapter 17

  “Sage found money down at the Cove? That’s it. I’m getting my coat.”

  Amanda had to laugh at Jennifer’s determination. “He said he found it last night. I’d be suspicious any early beachcombers would’ve already snapped up anything that floated in at the same time.”

  “Who cares?” Jennifer asked, pulling on her jacket. “Maybe more washed in, and you can’t tell me that everyone who finds money like that is going to tell other people about it.” She pulled the zipper up to her chin. “I know I wouldn’t.”

  Amanda kept quiet on the drive to the beach. She’d been trying to think of a way to start a conversation with Jennifer, but she was worried about what would happen if she did. The Cove was deserted, populated only by seagulls and small sandpipers dancing in the surf. Jennifer and Amanda spent some time poking around the rocks and inspecting every clump of washed-up seaweed for money, but after half an hour of fruitless effort they gave up and headed back to the car.