“We both know you’d never take either offer so that discussion is moot.”
“Yeah,” Tori said, feeling defeated—not by refusing the offers, but knowing that she probably would never be able to afford to resurrect The Lotus Lodge.
“If nothing else,” Kathy went on, “you can ask if Lucinda needs a friend.”
“Why would I do that?”
“Because she’s got to be in terrible turmoil with everybody talking about Charlie Marks’s death. And what if, unbeknownst to Paul and Ronnie, she actually was Charlie’s girlfriend.”
“You think she’d be slumming with a guy like that?”
“Who knows? Maybe she was a rebellious teenager.”
“But me bringing up the past could make Lucinda an enemy for life.”
“What have you got to lose?”
“She’s a powerful woman in this county,” Tori reminded her friend. “What if she blackballs me with the bank I deal with, or the Chamber of Commerce, or who knows what other influences she has—from getting me barred from running ads in the Pennysaver to souring my relationships with any or all of my vendors?”
Kathy frowned. “When you spoke to her last week, did you really get the idea she was so ruthless?”
Tori scowled. “She’s very polite—almost guarded. But she did reach out to me.”
“Then you should try to reach out to her.”
“And what about the card? I can’t show it to her if you give it to Detective Osborn. And what if I showed it to Lucinda and she decided to destroy it. Then that could potentially be evidence tampering, and I don’t want to go to jail.”
“We could make a copy of it.”
“I guess. But here’s another question for you. What are you going to tell Osborn?”
“About what?”
“The card. You found it on Tuesday. This is Friday. He’s going to want to know why you didn’t contact him before this.”
Kathy looked thoughtful. “It slipped my mind?”
Tori glared at her. “You made me make a call, now it’s your turn.”
Kathy frowned. “Oh, all right.” She turned and opened a drawer, withdrew a business card and stalked over to the phone that hung on her kitchen wall, then punched in the number. “Yes, I’d like to speak with Detective Osborn.” She paused. “That’s too bad. I’ll call again later. Thank you.”
“He’s unavailable?” Tori guessed.
“Yes. I’ll try again later.”
“What do we do in the meantime?” Tori asked.
“Finish cleaning the kitchen. Then I guess we go back to your place and wait.”
“What about the dry run?”
Kathy shook her head. “I don’t think I’m up to it today. Do you mind if we postpone it until tomorrow night?”
“I’m good with that, but you need to tell Anissa.”
“I’ll text her,” Kathy agreed. “Come on, let’s get this kitchen back in shape. But first,” she said, indicating the plate that still contained half a dozen cookies, “have one or two of these.”
“What for?”
“Strength and fortitude.”
Tori looked at the sunflower seed and chocolate chip oatmeal cookies. She would need more than a couple of cookies to get through her upcoming conversation with Lucinda Bloomfield. But then she figured what the heck—and grabbed a cookie, then went back to loading the dishwasher.
Tori and Kathy returned to the Cannon Compound and changed into more comfortable attire. Kathy put the Valentine’s Day card on the printer/scanner and made a two-sided copy on heavy-duty paper.
Then they sat in the tiny living room to wait.
“Oh,” Tori said suddenly, sitting up straighter. “I forgot to tell you who was waiting for me when I got back from the store this morning.”
“Don Newton?” Kathy guessed.
“No. Rick Shepherd and my cousin Amber.”
“What were they doing here?”
“Snooping around. Amber said something about she’s looking for property in the area.”
“I thought you said she never liked Lotus Bay.”
“That’s what she always used to say.”
“And where is she coming up with the money to buy this property?”
“She was being coy.”
“Maybe she just wanted to rankle you.”
“I am rankled,” Tori admitted. “And just as bad, Shepherd practically threatened me if I don’t sign his contract.”
“Which you aren’t going to do,” Kathy said vehemently. “What did he threaten you with?”
“He wasn’t specific. But he made it sound like I’d be very sorry if I didn’t deal with him.”
“Then maybe Noreen and Lucinda are right about him. And maybe when we talk to Detective Osborn, we ought to mention that Shepherd tried to intimidate you.”
Tori shrugged. Then she remembered something else. She dipped into the pocket of her jeans and came up with the pendant she’d made. “Take a look. What do you think?” She handed it to Kathy.
“Wow—it’s cute.”
“And it was fun to make. I can see myself doing this a lot over the summer when things get slow. And if they don’t sell in the bait shop, maybe I can sell them online.”
“Would you do craft shows?”
Tori shook her head. “That would take me away from the shop. Jewelry making would be a hobby sideline. My summer income is dependent on the bait shop and the marina. In the meantime, I need to find a source for inexpensive, but fairly good quality chains. Women are going to want to wear the pendants right away.”
“I would,” Kathy said.
They heard the sound of an engine outside. Tori got up and headed into the kitchen to look out the window. “It’s the mail truck.”
“Oh, good—go see if the Times of Ward County has arrived. While you do that, I’ll text Anissa.”
Tori hiked out to the mailbox and retrieved its contents. Among the items were the utility bill for both the shop and the house, circulars, a bait catalog, and hot off the press, the most recent issue of the Times of Ward County. Sure enough, the top story was about Charlie Marks.
Tori hurried back to the house and dumped the mail on the counter. “Kath—come here,” she called and began to skim the story. Charlie Marks, aka Mark Charles, had not died of natural causes. Kathy began reading over her shoulder.
“Gunshot?” she muttered in disbelief.
“Yeah,” Tori read aloud. “‘Despite the body’s state of decomposition, a small caliber bullet was recovered from the victim’s chest cavity.’ That sounds revolting.”
“Okay, now the question becomes … who killed him, and why?”
“I wonder if Osborn has any ideas,” Tori said.
Tori’s ringtone sounded, startling them. She withdrew her phone from her pocket and glanced at the screen—it was the same Bloomfield Properties number she’d called earlier.
“Is it her?” Kathy whispered.
Tori shook her head and answered the call, putting it on speaker so that Kathy could listen in. “Hello?”
“Ms. Cannon. Avery Simons returning your call.”
“I had hoped to speak with Ms. Bloomfield.”
“She prefers to communicate in person. She’d like to invite you to meet with her again. Would tomorrow at one be convenient for you?”
Tori hesitated before answering. She didn’t want to look too eager, either. “Well, I did have plans, but I suppose I can make other arrangements.”
“Very good. I’ll let Ms. Bloomfield know. Thank you.” And with that, he ended the call. Tori set her phone on the counter.
Kathy shrugged. “At least you’ll get a good meal.”
“If she doesn’t throw me out before I get to eat it,” Tori griped. “And what am I going to wear? I can’t wear the same outfit I had on last Saturday.”
“You can borrow one of my dresses. You’ll look adorable.”
“I don’t think that’s going to matter to Lucinda.”
&
nbsp; “If you look wide-eyed and innocent, it might make all the difference in the world.”
Tori wasn’t convinced.
The ringtone on her phone sounded once again. She looked down at the instrument and groaned. “Oh no! It’s Gramps. Amber must have gotten to him before I could.”
“Then don’t answer it.”
“I have to answer it,” Tori said and stabbed the call button. “Hi, Gramps,” she called cheerfully, but this time didn’t hit the speaker icon and turned away from her friend. “I’m surprised to get a call from you on this phone.”
“Oh yeah?” Herb’s voice was filled with challenge.
“Yeah, I tried to call you this morning, but it rang and rang—the answering machine didn’t even kick in.”
“We had a power outage last night. It screwed up everything that had a clock—including the answering machine,” he explained, but his voice hadn’t grown any warmer. “Irene and I went to the grocery store this morning, and when we came back I got another call from Amber. She had a lot to tell me—stuff you apparently weren’t prepared to tell me.”
Tori wasn’t sure how to react to that statement, so she said nothing.
“What’s this about a possible buy-out of The Lotus Lodge?”
“Amber told you that?”
“Yes. Now answer me, are you going to sell?” Herb demanded.
“No!” Tori answered
“Then, will you take on a partner?” he accused, sounding just as angry.
“I don’t know. I’ve seen a proposal, but I don’t like the terms. The second offer was almost as bad.”
“You’ve had two offers?” Herb practically shouted. When the property had been for sale for three months the year before, he hadn’t had even a nibble.
“Yes,” Tori said. “I’ve had seven months to think about the situation and it’s obvious that without a big infusion of cash, there’s no way The Lotus Lodge can ever reopen.”
“Why would you even want to reopen that money pit? Your grandma could never make it pay. It nearly killed her doing all that work alone.”
That was the key. Josie Cannon had done all that work alone. As far as Tori knew, they’d never hired anyone to help her. Tori’s father had told what he found to be amusing stories about how he and his sister had shirked jobs at the Lodge that they thought were too boring to do or beneath them. Chores like laundry, cleaning, and vacuuming the little motel’s guest rooms. In their teens, both had found employment away from The Lotus Lodge because those businesses paid better than what their parents could afford to give them.
Both children had left home as soon as they could. And when they’d had kids of their own, they’d dumped them on their parents during the summers instead of paying for expensive camps or other daycare. Even as a child, Amber had been a nasty little piece of work, but Josie had always seemed to bring out the best in her, although it had been obvious to everyone—including Amber—that Tori was her favorite. Maybe because she loved the place so much. Because she was never bored by the rural landscape. Because she had loved to help Josie with the laundry and making every room at The Lotus Lodge pretty again after every guest went home. She’d learned to make beds with hospital corners while Amber refused to help but was jealous of the dollar a day Josie paid Tori.
Years before, there’d been a little convenience store just across the way that sold bread, milk, beer, candy, and chips. Tori would indulge in the latter, and Josie encouraged her to share—even though Amber would usually grab and gobble whatever treat Tori had bought. That was when Tori learned to save her cash, letting Josie hold onto it until it was time for her to leave at the end of the summer. Of course, then her mother made her use that money to buy school supplies. Something, in retrospect, Tori thought her parents should have shelled out for.
There was a reason Tori wasn’t especially fond of her parents and had always thought of Lotus Bay as her real home. And when Tori’s nuclear family had moved to Ohio—ripping her away from her beloved second home—she had become a different child. Less outgoing. Less willing to trust. And profoundly unhappy.
“Tori? Are you still there?” Herb asked.
“Yes, Gramps.” She thought about his question. “Gramps, you might not understand this, but…I really think that reopening the Lodge can be successful.”
“How?” he demanded, his voice hard.
“Because the bay is becoming more of a tourist attraction. Kathy’s inn is going to bring in more business at the south end.”
“From people with money,” Herb said sourly. “The Lodge ain’t gonna attract that kind of clientele.”
“No, but thanks to the Internet, I can market it better than Grandma ever could.”
“She did the best she could,” Herb said sternly.
“Yes, she did. But I have many more tools, and Internet marketing is the way to go. It doesn’t have to be expensive. I’ve already got a website up—”
“Yeah, Irene showed me that on her computer,” Herb grudgingly admitted.
“And I’ve got a Facebook page and a Twitter account for the bait shop. I’ll do the same should The Lotus Lodge reopen.”
“Doesn’t that cost a lot of money?”
“These accounts are free, Gramps. Of course, Facebook will do everything it can to suppress my posts if I don’t take out ads…but I know ways around it.”
“Hmmm.”
“Anyway, you shouldn’t worry about any of this. The Lotus Lodge is my problem now—not yours.”
“Old habits die hard,” Herb said.
Yeah. They did.
“You gave me the property. I hope that meant that you trusted me to make the right decisions on how to go forward with it.”
“You’re right. I was never gonna make the damn place pay. If anyone can make a success of it, it’s gonna be you, girl.”
Tori smiled. “Thanks, Gramps. I’ll make you proud. I swear.”
Herb laughed. “Your grandma wouldn’t like to hear you cuss.”
Tori laughed, too. “I know. We’ll talk again soon, Gramps.”
“And I’ll look forward to your call. I always do.”
“I love you, Gramps.”
“And I love you, too, Tori. Bye.”
The call ended. Tori turned around to see Kathy watching her.
“Sounds like it went better than it could have,” she said optimistically.
“Maybe.”
“I’m sorry, Tor.”
“For what?”
“Well, I know you’ve never said anything, but it didn’t escape me that it was you who bought that winning lottery ticket for your gramps. I know he gave you the whole compound, but … well, he’s got millions. He could do even more for you. He could—”
“Don’t go there, Kath. I gave my Gramps that ticket. It only cost me a dollar—and the computer picked the numbers, not me. He didn’t owe me a damn thing. I’m grateful he gave me what I wanted most: a chance to stay here on the bay. I’m not going to fault him for what he did or didn’t do beyond that.”
Kathy pursed her lips and said nothing for long seconds. “You’re right. We’re both very lucky to get what we wanted most in life at so early an age.”
“That’s right.”
“And we’ll figure out some way to get The Lotus Lodge back on its feet. Thanks to what you and Anissa have already done, it’s in better shape than when we first looked at it last summer. If you do nothing but maintain what you’ve got, when you do get an influx of cash, it will be easier to resurrect it.”
Tori nodded. That was her hope. And maybe with her fledgling broken jewelry business, maybe that day would come sooner than she anticipated. That was if she could entice customers to buy her creations. She thrust her hand into her jeans pocket and fingered the silver and china pendant—her first creation.
She could choose to feel despondent or hopeful.
She chose hope.
23
It was later that evening when Kathy realized that although she’d p
romised to call Detective Osborn with her discovery of the Valentine’s Day card and the list of phone numbers, she hadn’t done so. However, that lack of action hadn’t gone unnoticed by Tori.
“I thought you were going to call the detective,” she casually mentioned as they were cleaning up the supper dishes.
“I was. He’ll be off duty by now. I may as well wait until tomorrow.”
“And what makes you think he’ll be working on a Saturday?” Tori asked.
“Um….” Kathy had no real answer to that question. “I was thinking, maybe it would be better to learn what Lucinda’s reaction to the Valentine’s Day card would be, first.”
“If it’s genuine, that’s immaterial,” Tori declared.
“We don’t actually know it’s legitimate,” Kathy countered. “The way Charlie carried on in high school, he might have bought it himself and had someone sign it just so he could show off. And what if Lucinda says it isn’t legit, and she’s not telling the truth? Maybe they didn’t hang around in school, but it sounds like they could have had a secret relationship afterward.”
“I suppose she could say it isn’t her signature, but would we believe her? We don’t have any reason to think she’d lie,” Tori said.
“Maybe, but now that we know Charlie Marks was murdered….”
Tori shook her head. “I want to believe her.”
“Why?” Kathy asked.
“I dunno. She has a reputation around these parts, but I don’t think it’s warranted. She seems like a genuinely nice person to me. Okay, she is a businesswoman and her terms weren’t especially generous, but they are better than what Rick Shepherd offered.”
“You have nothing in writing from her,” Kathy commented as she wiped down the counter. “And people like Don Newton have said disparaging things about her.”
“Who else besides Don?” Tori asked.
Kathy opened her mouth to answer, but then realized she didn’t have an explanation.
“We know Rick Shepherd has a similar reputation. I don’t consider him a reliable character witness. Maybe we should try to get more information on her. I don’t know who else to ask?”
“You’re sure to get some customers at the bait shop tomorrow. Saturday is your best day no matter what the month. And there’s always Irene,” Kathy offered.
A Reel Catch Page 16
