Sea, Sky & Skeleton

by Carolyn L. Dean

  “I think my face is frozen,” Jennifer commented as she pulled the passenger door shut. “That wind’s really fierce today.”

  Amanda put the key in the ignition and stopped. She could tell Jennifer was watching her, waiting.

  “Are you okay?” Jennifer asked.

  Amanda nodded and eased the key out, putting her hands in her lap. “Jennifer, we haven’t talked about Nelson King at all, and I just wanted to be sure you’re okay.”

  A coldness came over Jennifer’s face. “Why wouldn’t I be?” she asked, pulling the collar of her coat around her flushed ears. Turning away a bit, she looked out the front windshield at the deserted parking lot.

  “I’d heard you used to go out with him, that’s all. That you had a–“ Amanda wanted to say the word ‘baby’, but at the last moment she chickened out, “– relationship together.”

  Jennifer’s scoff was full of bitterness. “If you could call it that. He wasn’t much of a person, let alone a boyfriend.” She paused. “I don’t miss him.”

  An uneasy silence hung between them in the cramped interior of the car. Amanda could see that Jennifer was thinking back on things, but she was surprised when Jennifer finally spoke her mind.

  “He never really wanted me, and he never really wanted anything that went with me.” She glanced at Amanda. “I figure that by now you know about what happened when we were together.” Amanda’s silence seemed to confirm her suspicions, and she looked out the front window, her tone resolute. “When he found out I was pregnant he made it very clear that he was done. Bastard left me to handle everything on my own.”

  “I can’t imagine how hard that was for you.”

  Jennifer’s laugh was bitter. “More than you know…” she said, her voice trailing off. “We’d been doing fine as long as everything was fun for him. He always had to be in charge, like he knew everything.” She looked at Amanda. “You know, I was with him when he bought his boat, the Summer Sky. Stupid guy actually believed everything the seller said about the motor and didn’t check it before he paid him. It took him two months to get it up and running enough to take out fishing.” Jennifer finally turned away, eyes down, her attention on something distant. “He was a rotten boyfriend.”

  Amanda couldn’t let it go. “I just don’t understand it.”

  “What don’t you understand?”

  “About you.” Amanda could sense an immediate wariness in Jennifer, but she kept pressing.

  “You seem to know a lot for someone who never went to college.” Her gaze was even as she attempted to keep her voice calm. “I mean, you beat the crap outta that hit man who tried to kill us. I’ve never seen anyone with martial art skills like that, except maybe on TV in a world-class competition.” She could see a hardness pass over Jennifer’s normally open face. “Want to tell me about how you learned how to do all that?”

  “Two years of Tae Kwon Do and a brown belt, remember?” Jennifer leaned back in her seat, her eyes still fixed on Amanda. “It’s not a big deal. You go through life, you learn things.”

  In all the time Amanda had known Jennifer, she’d never seen this side of her, so distant.

  “Did you learn your knife skills at Tae Kwon Do, too?” Amanda saw just the slightest reaction flicker across Jennifer’s calm face. “You know, when I first moved here they said you spoke Russian and that is why you visited the lady next door. Now, I’m starting to wonder if that was part of the cover-up about your father, or if you really do speak Russian like a native.”

  Staring at each other, the two women were locked in a small world of their own making, each waiting for the other one to crack.

  Amanda was the first to break the silence. “Jennifer, how much did you actually know about your father’s underworld dealings?

  Jennifer’s eyes flicked away. “Does it matter?” There was a world of pain in her voice. It said more than any words she could’ve spoken.

  Amanda nodded. “Yes, it’s a matter of trust. I don’t know if I can trust you.”

  The sigh Jennifer gave sounded like it came from the bottom of her being, as if she was exhausted. “Amanda, I give you my word of honor that you can trust me. I know you’ve got questions, but I can’t answer them all for you. What you should know is that I would never do anything to hurt you or the Inn.” She glanced up, her voice shaking a bit with emotion. “I love my time there. It feels like home to me.”

  Amanda looked at Jennifer’s anguished face, seeing the tears brimming in her eyes. “Is there anything that I need to know that’s going to affect your time with me or the Inn?” Even though she was hoping she could work with the young woman, if it was going to endanger her life or her business she’d have to let her go.

  “No.” Jennifer’s voice was firm. “I swear.”

  Still thinking, Amanda slid the key into the ignition and started the car. The ride home was quiet, both women going back over their strange conversation, and wondering if they’d be able to move forward as a team together again.

  Chapter 18

  “I promise not to turn your hair pink.”

  Amanda laughed as Lydia tied the plastic cape around her neck, protecting her clothes from stray bits of cut hair. “Well, I appreciate that, but since I just came in for a haircut, I think I should get to walk out with the same color hair I walked in with.”

  “Yep, you will.” Lydia sorted through her combs and scissors. “It’s about time you came to see me. I know you wear your hair kind of long but a good trim will get all the damaged ends off.”

  Lydia was right. It was Amanda’s first time in Lydia’s beauty shop, and it felt good to relax for a bit and have someone else fuss over her. She could feel the tense muscles in her neck and back relaxing as Lydia laid her head back in a deep ceramic sink and washed her hair. Once the conditioner was on, Lydia started gently massaging her scalp, running her hands back and forth. If Amanda could’ve purred, she would have. She’d nearly forgotten the simple pleasure of having someone else dote on her, even if it was because she was paying them. Closing her eyes in near bliss, she gave in to the sensations, loving the feeling of the warm water cascading over her head, rinsing out the conditioner. Head finally wrapped in a towel, she shuffled back to Lydia’s salon chair, where the hairdresser expertly combed through the tousled mess.

  “Just a trim? You sure you don’t want something more…extreme?” Lydia asked but Amanda turned her down.

  “Just a trim today. I think I’ve had enough adventure for a while.”

  Looking in the mirror as Lydia used her comb to lift up a section of hair and expertly trim the ends, Amanda was almost surprised by her reflection. She’d been so busy with everything lately it felt as though she was looking at a stranger.

  It was the same eyes that had seen her pay hundreds of dollars to LA hairdressers for barely visible haircuts, the same lips that had kissed men in the hopes of finding true love, the same worried line between her eyebrows that said she wasn’t getting any younger. It felt odd that she’d changed so much since she’d come to Ravenwood Cove and met the people here, as though her face and her appearance should somehow be altered by all the ways her life had changed.

  Lydia obviously knew what she was doing, moving from side to side of her hair as Amanda shut her eyes in a rare moment of relaxation.

  A couple of deep breaths and her mind began to wander.

  Until she felt something sharp against the side of her neck, pressing against it insistently.

  Amanda’s eyes flew open, only to see Lydia standing beside her, pushing the tip of her razor-sharp shears against the yielding skin of her throat. Motionless, Amanda tried to not even breathe, afraid that any small movement would drive the deadly scissors into her neck.

  “Lydia…”

  “Don’t talk. You’ve done enough talking.”

  Amanda could only move her eyes, watching Lydia’s anguished face in the mirror. The façade of friendliness and business-like chatting was completely gone. Her eyes were brimming wi
th unshed tears, her body stiff as if in anger.

  “You framed her! You framed her and you had no reason to do it, none at all.”

  Amanda tried to keep her voice quiet and low, even though adrenalin was making her heartbeat race. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Lydia. Can’t we calm down and…”

  “I’m not going to calm down, Amanda. You think you know so much in this town, do you? Did you know that Petunia had her entire store ransacked by police after you told them you’d found a cell phone there?

  Petunia. Oh, no.

  “Do you know that she never had that guy’s cell phone? Of course you do, because you planted it there. Why on earth would you do something like that to Petunia?” Lydia was almost sobbing. “She’s so sweet.”

  “I didn’t plant anything at her place, Lydia, I swear. Put the scissors down and…”

  The sharp edge pressed a bit deeper, “And what? We’ll talk? Is that what you did to Petunia? Or did you just have the phone yourself and then you took it straight to the cops? Did you know she’s closed up her shop so she doesn’t have to see the looks people give her because they think she had something to do with Nelson King’s death?” She paused. “Did you know that she’s my stepsister, and that she gave up a successful real estate business to move here? She only came to Ravenwood Cove to help me out after I’d told her I had cancer?”

  Amanda gasped at the pain, feeling a thin trickle of liquid running down the side of her neck. “I didn’t know that. I’m sorry, but I honestly did not do anything but take Nelson’s phone that was on her counter. I gave it to the police as possible evidence. I have no reason to frame Petunia!” All semblance of calm was gone. Amanda was pleading for her life, worried that any second Lydia was going to press just a bit more and Amanda would die a bloody death.

  By now, Lydia’s emotions had boiled over. “How could you ruin her life like that?” she sobbed and caught Amanda’s eyes in the mirror. Seeing the anger and anguish there, Amanda knew she was going to die.

  And then an angel strolled into the salon, pushing a squeaking walker and wearing a hot pink velour pantsuit.

  “Lydia! What the hell do you think you’re doing? Stop that this instant!”

  Amanda had never seen Mrs. Granger move so quickly, practically galloping across the salon, Meg following close behind.

  “She framed Petunia!” Lydia’s voice was firm, but for the first time Amanda saw a trace of doubt on her face.

  Mrs. Granger’s face was full of controlled fury. “Don’t be an idiot. Of course she didn’t frame Petunia! She had no reason to! Someone’s trying to play us like a bunch of puppets, and there’s no way we’re going to let that happen. Right?”

  Lydia’s eyes flicked to the adamant old lady. “I…she had Nelson King’s phone and took it to the cops…”

  There was a brief instant where Lydia’s scrambled thinking overrode her desire to keep the scissors in place and Amanda twisted sideways out of the chair. Tangling in the plastic cape around her, she fell to the floor, but Lydia was still standing, scissors seemingly forgotten in her hand. Mrs. Granger’s words seemed to have some effect on her.

  Meg grabbed the pair of scissors from Lydia’s unresisting hand. “Sit here,” she ordered, her normally cheerful face solemn as she pointed to the empty salon chair. “We’re all going to be very calm and get this out in the open. We’re going to start by telling the cops everything we know–“ she turned toward Amanda, who was unsteadily pulling herself to her feet, “–but first we’re going to get Amanda a band-aid. That work for everybody?”

  Mrs. Granger dug frantically through her black purse, pulling out two band-aids. “Here, honey, use these. I keep ‘em in case my skin tears. I bruise like a peach these days, ya know.” From her fumbling words, Amanda could tell Mrs. Granger had been more scared than she’d let on.

  Meg was already dialing the police station as Amanda guided Mrs. Granger over some chairs. “Let’s all sit and calm down.”

  The old lady plopped herself on the seat of her walker and glared at Lydia. “She’s lucky you’re tellin’ me to calm down. I have half a mind to walk over there and just punch her right in the kisser.”

  ***

  No matter how heartfelt Lydia’s pleas were and no matter how strongly she argued that she was just trying to protect her stepsister, George Ortiz wasn’t swayed at all. “It’s called assault with a deadly weapon, Lydia. Witnesses saw you and no matter what your motive, you can’t do that. Now, we’ve already read you your rights and I suggest you tell everything to your attorney.”

  Watching her being led away in handcuffs, Amanda felt both relief and sadness. Lydia had made a terrible mistake that had nearly cost Amanda her life, and she didn’t forget that, but it was apparent that in Lydia’s mind she was doing it to protect one of her family. Petunia hadn’t been seen around town since the police had searched her shop, but listening to Lydia’s crazed tirade, Amanda had to wonder about some of the details.

  Either Petunia was lying and she’d known about the cell phone in the florist shop, or she’d been a victim of someone planting the phone and knowing that it would be discovered and turned in as evidence of her link to Nelson King’s death.

  Driving home, thinking it over, she began to think Mrs. Granger was right.

  Someone was playing with them.

  Chapter 19

  It was a tough day for Amanda. She’d had no idea that she’d go from being well-liked and greeted everywhere to having people stare and walk by silently on the street.

  Lisa had been almost apologetic when she had told Amanda that the front page of the Ravenwood Tide was going to be all about Lydia’s arrest. Amanda hadn’t really understood why Lisa had seemed so concerned until people made their opinions very clear. Like the tide, public opinion ebbed and flowed, and this time it had retreated from Amanda. Apparently, Lydia wasn’t the only one who was wondering if Amanda had somehow planted or manufactured the evidence linking Petunia to the death of Nelson King. It didn’t help that Lydia was a long-time Ravenwood Cove resident who was well-liked in town.

  When Amanda stopped by Ivy’s to meet Meg for a cheeseburger, the normal buzz of conversation slowly died down as she walked in. Glancing around, she could see several people looking at her, or whispering to the person they were sitting with. Amanda felt a flush of heat rush to her face, aware that nearly every eye was on her as she walked to the booth where Meg sat.

  “What’s with the attitude?” Meg, sometimes so clueless, wondered aloud. She glanced around the lunchtime crowd. “Did you run over someone’s cat or something?”

  Amanda took a deep breath and picked up the menu, even though she didn’t need it. “They think I got Petunia in trouble, which made Lydia get in trouble.”

  “What? That can’t be it,” Meg said, staring down the people who were openly looking at Amanda.

  She grabbed Meg’s hand. “Just let it be. I’m a newbie here in town and Lydia’s been here for years. It’s natural that they’d want to protect her.” Meg sat back, pouting and unrepentant.

  “Hey, I thought Andrew was meeting us here,” Amanda commented, realizing that Meg’s new boyfriend was nowhere in sight. Her statement brought a grimace from Meg.

  “He’s a jerk and a loser.”

  Amanda was immediately sympathetic. “Um, of course he is. What did he do?”

  “He said he needed a keyboard player in the band, so he started going out with some bimbo named Sheila.” Her lip quivered. “She has really big keyboards.”

  “Big keyboards?” Amanda tried to keep from bursting out laughing. “I’ll bet.” Seeing Meg’s frown, she patted her hand. “It’s all right. It’s not like you loved him or anything, was it?”

  Meg seemed to think about that for a split second, then grinned. “No, I don’t. Thanks for reminding me.”

  Seeing her friend Meg’s normally-cheerful demeanor reappear, Amanda relaxed. It was rare that Meg wasn’t hopeful and positive about things, and seeing
her smile made the world right again.

  “So, I have a new plan,” Meg said, leaning forward as if it was a secret. “I know who I want to date next.”

  Amanda leaned forward, too, smiling. “Do tell.”

  “I’ve decided I’m going to ask out Derek.”

  Amanda’s eyebrows went up in surprise. “You mean Derek? James’ brother, Derek?”

  All smiles, Meg nodded. “He’s local, he’s incredibly cute, and he’s a fireman. How perfect is that?”

  What Meg had neglected to mention was that James’ older brother had a well-deserved reputation as a ladies’ man, cheerfully working his charms whenever he could get the chance. More than one heart in Ravenwood Cove had been broken by his flirting and romances, and Amanda could smell impending disaster all over Meg’s plan.

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

  Meg frowned. “Why not? He’s a good guy, and I’m not exactly hideous. We’d be perfect together!”

  It was a phrase Amanda had heard several times before, when Meg was trying to convince her why her latest boyfriend had been heaven-sent for her. “He is a good guy, but James said that he’s been spending all his spare time up at the ranch, helping out while their dad’s recuperating. Their dad’s doing much better, but I don’t think he’d have time to date right now.”

  And if he broke my sweet friend’s heart, I’d have to kill him, she thought to herself. Derek was a very handsome playboy. He probably wouldn’t think twice about how his flirting might be interpreted as meaning much more than he intended.

  Meg was obviously considering Amanda’s statement about Derek being too busy to date. “Well, pooh,” she said, obviously put out. “There’s nobody else in town I can think to ask out.”