Texted Allie. The whole school probably knew before first period.
Then their parents.
Then their friends.
What about the attacker? Did he know Tommy survived?
Chapter 20
There was a quiet tap on the back door. I spied Rudy’s face through the window and waved him in.
“Hi, Rudy,” Helen said.
He did a little bow to her and then looked in Tommy’s direction. “Good morning to the both of you.”
Tommy glanced up and gave him a quick wave.
“Madam Kelly, is okay I help get ready for the festival tomorrow by weeding flowers beds?” He held up a garden trowel.
“That would be wonderful. How nice of you to offer.” The plethora of flowers and shrubs could employ an army in a never-ending battle to keep the garden neat.
“I want talk with you about couple of plants. Would work now for you?” His Russian accent was heavier than usual.
“Now’s fine.” I got up and joined him.
Once outside, Rudy asked, “How is the boy? We heard what happened.”
We? Did all the Silver Sentinels know?
“He seems to be doing fine.” I looked at him. “How did you find out?”
“Mary’s son called her.” He shrugged. “She called me. We have phone tree for getting to everyone fast.”
Of course. It made sense the Sentinels would have an efficient communication system.
“You said you wanted to talk about a couple of plants.”
“Pretend. Wanted to ask about the boy.”
“Thanks for helping with the garden.”
He nodded and bent down to pick up a small foam kneepad and he walked to the flower bed closest to the tent’s skeleton parts. His once-black turtleneck matched his faded, heavy cotton trousers. Rudy dropped the trowel and the pad and then carefully lowered himself to the ground. Kneeling, he began to dig and pull weeds.
I went back into the work area and sat across from Tommy. He was about done with his breakfast. “Yesterday when there was the confrontation with the young thugs, as Allie called them, there was some mention of Allie’s e-mail address being used, and you were going to change the password so it didn’t happen again.”
Tommy nodded. “We talked about a new one as soon as we got back here. We made it Spreckles13.” He grinned. “The name of her new kitty and her age.”
“Did you tell anyone her new password?”
“No.” He looked at me, hurt in his eyes. “I would never do that, Miss Kelly.”
“I didn’t think you would.” I touched his arm. “I’m sorry, Tommy. I had to ask. Someone sent you a phony e-mail, and we have to find out who.”
“It’s all right.” He didn’t look at me as he pushed the remaining soggy cereal around in his bowl.
I didn’t think it was all right. I didn’t want him to feel bad, but I had to know how his attacker had gotten the information.
“Was anyone nearby when you and Allie were discussing the new password?”
“Only grown-ups.”
Only. Adults didn’t count.
“Do you remember who?”
He cocked his head to the side. “Phil, Andy, and Jason.” He pointed a slender finger in the direction of the worktable. “And Daniel was putting food away.” He shrugged. “That’s all I remember.”
“Did Charlie, the water deliveryman, come while you were talking about the password?”
He frowned and then his brow cleared. “Yeah. He changed the bottle next to Allie. She had to move for a few minutes.”
All the people I thought could’ve taken the BlackBerry had an opportunity to hear the two kids. Any of them could’ve been involved in the attack on Tommy.
I breathed deeply. “Whoever tried to hurt you last night must have had a reason. Let’s go over the last few days, starting with yesterday. Think back to what you saw or heard.”
Tommy turned to his mom. “Can I eat the cupcake now?”
Helen walked over and rested her hands on his thin shoulders. “May I,” she gently corrected him. “Half now, half later.”
“Thanks!” He plucked a piece of cupcake and popped it in his mouth.
“So, what did you do yesterday?” I pulled him back to the topic at hand.
“After Allie and I changed her password, I did some homework, then went to the post office for my mom.”
“Did you see anyone you know?”
He pinched off another piece of the pastry. “Yeah.” He looked at the ceiling, chewing on the cupcake. “The water guy was talking to Andy near the hardware store across from the post office.”
“You mean Charlie?”
“Yeah.”
Was there some kind of connection between the two of them? Or was it only casual conversation? “Then what?”
“I came home and ate.” His face clouded over. “Then I got the e-mail I thought was from Allie.”
“Let’s go to the day before yesterday,” I quickly said. “Start with the evening.”
He thought for a moment. “I had dinner, finished my math, watched TV, and went to bed.”
“And earlier in the day?”
His face lit up. “Allie and I went to Noah’s Place for ice cream. I love the banana chocolate fudge.”
I laughed. “Sounds good. I’ll have to try it.”
He began pulling the paper off the cupcake.
“You’re doing great, Tommy. Just keep working back through the day.”
“I went to the market for Mom.” He stopped. The expression on his face closed like a slammed door. “I really need to go do my homework now.” He squirmed in his chair. “Can we talk later, Miss Kelly?”
His face had gone pale; his eyes had an owlish look. An expression he’d been wearing a lot lately. But his jaw was clenched. That was new. Tommy, stubborn?
He knew something and wasn’t telling. I was torn. Should I keep questioning him or let it be for now? He’d had a tough night. I didn’t want to upset him, but someone had tried to kill him. “How about just a little more of the day?” I urged.
“I need to go.” He pushed his cupcake away with only a small portion eaten. “Mom, I don’t feel like having any more now.”
“Okay, sweetheart. I’ll wrap it up for you,” Helen said. “How was it?”
He lit up like a Christmas tree. “It was cool. There’s even pieces of chocolate inside. Jason’s cool.”
Tommy had plucked pieces from all around the sides, leaving his name intact.
The distinctive rattle of Daniel’s bus came closer, and gravel crunched as he parked.
Daniel swung the door open. “Good morning.”
“Hi, Daniel. See what Jason made for me.” Tommy pointed to the prized treat.
Daniel walked over and peered down. “How great is that? It even has your name on it.”
“Yeah. And it has chocolate inside.”
“And we know chocolate’s good, don’t we?”
“We sure do,” Tommy said.
Daniel turned to me. “Is there anything in particular you want me to work on today?”
“Yes. I’d like you check out the locks on the doors and windows in Helen’s cottage and research what it will take to get an alarm put in.”
“I can check the cottage now, if that works for you and Helen.” He glanced in Helen’s direction.
“That’s fine with me,” I said.
Helen nodded.
“I need to go home and work on my report.” Tommy slid off the stool and headed for the door.
“Tommy,” Helen called after him. “Do you remember what Deputy Stanton said last night about one of us being present?”
Tommy stopped. “Yeah. You, Daniel, or Miss Kelly need to be with me. But I’m only going next door to our house.”
“Let’s follow the policeman’s orders.” I hoped by making it sound official it would take the sting out of the situation. “We can talk to him about it when he comes this morning. Daniel’s working over there,
so we’ll be doing what the deputy requested.”
“Okay.” Tommy shrugged. “C’mon, Fred.”
The dog pulled himself up and trotted after the boy.
“I’m going to have my work cut out for me keeping up with the dynamic duo.” Daniel followed them out the door.
I picked up the remaining dishes on the table and put them in the sink, thinking about what the deputy had asked us to do. Right now we could trust no one.
“Tommy asked Phil to help him with his project,” I said.
Helen bent to put a dish in the dishwasher. “He’s such a kind man.”
“And one of us needs to be there when he’s working with Tommy.”
She snapped upright. “What do you mean?”
“Deputy Stanton said one of us three was to be there at all times.”
Helen shook her head from side to side. “But it’s Phil. He wouldn’t hurt anyone.”
“I don’t think he would, either.”
Ours eyes locked. Helen’s face drained of any remaining color.
“We have no idea who tried to hurt him,” I added gently.
“You suspect even people we know?” Her voice quavered.
“I don’t think it’s about being suspicious of everyone and filling our lives with fear.” I searched for the right words. “I think it’s about being careful and not making exceptions.”
Helen thought for a moment, then nodded. “I understand.”
Phil burst into the room, humming. I recognized musical notes from “Never on Sunday.”
“Where’s my student?” He gave an upward flourish of his right arm. “I’m ready to teach him the real stories about the Greek gods and goddesses.”
“He left a few minutes ago to work on it in the cottage. Your timing is perfect.”
“Fantastic.” Phil left, following in the tracks of Daniel, Tommy, and Fred.
“I’ll go over and share with Daniel what we talked about,” I said to Helen. “Then we can catch up on tonight’s guests.”
“Sounds good.”
“Helen, the inn’s full tonight. I want you and Tommy to stay in my room.”
“Oh no. We couldn’t do that. That’s not right.”
I went over and stood next to her. “What’s right is for you and Tommy to be safe. I need to be on site, so I can pull a roll-away bed into the small conference room.”
“Absolutely not. You can stay in our cottage.” She stopped for a moment. “Unless you don’t feel safe there.”
“I’m not worried about myself. Tommy’s the one in danger. I don’t want to intrude in your home.”
“Fair’s fair. If we use your room, I want you to have mine.”
“Deal. I’m going to go talk to Daniel now.”
A loud knock on the door changed my plans. Stanton stood outside.
“I’ll go talk to Daniel.” Helen wiped her hands on a dish towel.
Maybe he had some information. Or better yet, maybe they got the guy. “Great.”
I opened the door. “Good morning, Deputy Sheriff Stanton.”
“Same to you, Ms. Jackson.”
“Would you like a cup of coffee?”
“Very much so.” He sat on one of the stools and put his hat on another. Deep lines etched his face.
I poured the coffee and handed it to him. “Any news?”
“No. We searched the area and found nothing.” He took a sip and stared into the mug. “I came to ask Tommy some more questions.”
“Let’s go in the study first, and I’ll fill you in on what I’ve found out.”
He looked at me quizzically. “Playing detective, are we?”
I knew the heat filling my face ushered in a beet-red blush. Darn. “I’m trying to help figure out what happened . . .” I stammered. “I’m not being a detective . . .” I took a deep breath and willed myself to be calm. “I want to find answers to Bob’s death and the attack on Tommy. I have a stake in both. So does the company I work for.”
Deputy Stanton chuckled. “Hold on. No reason to get riled up.” He took another drink of his coffee. “Anything that helps to find who attacked the little boy is appreciated.” He rose. “I look forward to hearing what you know.”
We settled ourselves in the inn’s office, and I brought him up to speed about Allie’s password, how everyone in town seemed to know what happened, what Tommy told me about his activities, and my suspicion he was holding something back.
“Deputy Sheriff Stanton, we have three crimes we’re sure of so far—the theft of the BlackBerry and my being shoved, abalone poaching, and the attack on Tommy.” I paused. “I really feel the events are connected in some way.”
The deputy shrugged. “I’m listening.”
“We know Helen, Jason, Andy, Phil, and Daniel were here when the BlackBerry was returned.”
The officer nodded.
“Suzie knew about the return because of my conversation on the phone.” I paused. “Charlie was in earshot when I talked to Helen.”
Deputy Stanton jotted down notes.
“Charlie showed up not long after with a delivery.” I drummed my fingers on the desk. “They were all here when the kids changed the password, except for Suzie. She couldn’t have e-mailed him. That lets her out of the attack on Tommy and, if the incidents are connected, she didn’t steal the BlackBerry.” The face of last night’s frightened mother flashed through my mind. “And, of course, Helen’s not a suspect.”
Deputy Stanton shifted in his chair. “If we go with your train of thought, we’re considering five possible suspects—Jason, Andy, Phil, Charlie, and Daniel.”
No. It couldn’t be any of them. I didn’t want it to be any of them. I shook my head in disbelief. And Daniel was on the list.
It couldn’t be Daniel.
Could it?
Chapter 21
My mind raced through the events of last evening. Relief surged through me. “It couldn’t have been Daniel. He didn’t have time to get to the headlands to attack Tommy.”
“How do you figure?”
“I called him at home. Between the time I talked to him and when we made it to the headlands was about ten minutes, fifteen tops. Fred began baying as soon as we hit the trail. Tommy said the people arguing above him stopped when they heard the dog. Daniel lives too far away to get there that fast.”
“Okay. I’ll buy that. Daniel’s off the hook for the attack on Tommy and if, I repeat if, the two events are related, he didn’t steal the BlackBerry.”
“That leaves Andy, Phil, Jason, and Charlie.” I shook my head. “I can’t imagine any of them doing it.”
“If criminals looked like crooks, my job would be a piece of cake.” He laughed.
The deputy stood and picked up his mug. “Have you seen any of them today?”
I nodded. “All except Charlie. They came to find out how Tommy was doing.”
“Do you know where they are now?”
“The last I knew Phil was at the cottage helping Tommy with a report about Greece. Daniel’s with them. I don’t know about the others.”
“I’ll go talk to him.” Deputy Stanton opened the office door. “And as I said, I want to ask Tommy some more questions.”
I grabbed my coffee and followed him out. “You’re welcome to use this room.”
“Thanks. I might take you up on that.”
As we entered the kitchen, Mary fluttered in carrying a wicker basket covered with a red-checkered dish towel.
“Deputy Stanton, Kelly, what perfect timing.” She smiled, and her dimples popped into view. “I have something for you.” Mary pulled back the cloth, revealing saucer-sized chocolate chip cookies.
The fresh-baked smell triggered my crave button. I’d just eaten, but my taste buds convinced me starvation was close if I didn’t eat one of those monster treats dotted with chocolate pieces.
“They’re still warm. That’s when they’re the best.” She held the basket out to Deputy Stanton.
“Don’t mind if I do.” He
picked one up and took a bite. “Delicious. Glad I didn’t leave earlier.”
“Thanks, Deputy.” Mary blushed, dimples working overtime.
I didn’t try to resist this time. Chocolate chip cookies and coffee together were number one on my list of self-indulgences.
“Ditto what Deputy Stanton said about delicious.” I followed the bite of soft cookie with a long sip of coffee. Heaven.
The officer picked up his hat. “Got to go.”
“Wait. Take some with you. I know you’ve had a long night, and you have a lot ahead of you today.” Mary placed the basket on the counter.
“I’ll get something to put them in.” I pulled open a drawer, took out a plastic bag, and handed it to Mary.
She placed six of the oversized cookies in it and handed the baked goods to the deputy.
“Thanks. These’ll definitely help me through the day.” He put on his hat and headed outside.
I looked through the back door window. He put the cookies in his patrol car and then walked toward the cottage to find Phil and Tommy.
“I thought Tommy and Helen might like something to cheer them up a bit.” Mary put the remaining cookies in a bowl on the counter.
“That’s thoughtful of you.”
“Honey, I noticed the yellow roses in the side yard are in bloom. They’re my all-time favorite flower.” She pulled a paperback from the side pocket of her purse and held it up. “Would you mind if I sat next to them awhile and read my book?”
The cover depicted a young woman with long blond hair blowing wildly around her and a stern-looking, tanned, well-buffed man watching her.
I smiled. “Stay as long as you like.”
Mary took a note from her purse and placed it next to the gift.
“I’ll come out with you. I want to see how Rudy’s doing.”
“Rudy’s here?” Mary asked in her soft voice, raising her eyebrows.
“Yes. He came over to clean the garden beds for the festival.”
“Oh, he’s such a sweet man.”
As we approached, Rudy stood and dusted off his pants.
“Good morning, dear ladies.”
“Hi, Rudy.” Mary walked over to a bush exploding with flowers. “These are the ones.” She pointed at the magnificent blooms.
A gentle breeze enveloped me in perfumed air. “Their fragrance is wonderful.”
Murder at Redwood Cove Page 12
