by Molly Dox
Panda Pepper, Poppy’s brother, walked into the office. “Hey, is Dad around?”
“He’s in the back. What’s going on? Is there any interesting news?” Poppy asked.
“I knew you’d ask. I didn’t do Sal’s autopsy, but Bill did. You’ll never guess what he found in Sal’s stomach…” He paused for the full effect.
“What?” They both chimed waiting for the answer.
“He found the tip of a human finger. Looks like Sal might have bit the guy’s fingertip off. Shame about Sal, he was a good guy.” Panda shook his head and then headed to the back to see his father.
“A fingertip?” Poppy thought of Cherry’s sudden trip to the ocean, along with the bandage on her finger. Could she have had something to do with it? She couldn’t see Cherry overpowering Sal, but less had surprised her in the past.
Chapter 4
The memorial service was held at the Chapman Funeral Home, not too far from the theme parks. While plenty of families were riding rides and watching shows at the popular amusement parks in Orlando, Poppy, Reggie, and her family were headed to pay their respects.
They weren’t sure if it would be a big service or small, but thankfully they’d gotten there early. The parking lot was already filling up. Entering the funeral home, they headed to the room that was set aside for Sal’s family and friends. The walls and carpet were a muted color and sprays of flowers adorned the hallway on small platforms. With a closed casket, they chose to put a framed photograph on top. People waited in line to give their condolences to the family.
Poppy spoke softly. “I’m so sorry for your loss. I’ve been going to Sal’s shop for ages.”
The family thanked her for coming. At the end of the receiving line, a woman held a tissue in one hand and tucked her other hand under her protruding baby belly. She was so far along in her pregnancy that it looked like she might go into labor at any time.
“I’m sorry for your loss,” Poppy offered. “Is that…” she stopped herself.
The woman sobbed. “She’s due in three weeks; now she’ll never get to meet her father.”
“Oh sweetheart, I’m so sorry.” Poppy’s heart broke on hearing the news. After offering her condolences, she moved to the back of the room, finding a seat in the last row. The stackable chairs were a mustard gold color, matching the carpets and the curtains.
Reggie, Panda, and her father followed suit and made their way to their seats. Martin fidgeted, not sure he wanted to stay. Leaning over to Panda, he whispered, “I want to go home. I feel weird here. The guy tried to kill me. I paid my respects, but I’m not staying. He doesn’t deserve that.”
Panda groaned and leaned over toward Poppy. “I’m going to take Pops home. He’s rattling on about Sal trying to kill him again. I don’t want him to cause a scene.”
Poppy nodded and watched as her brother and father left the room. Toward the door behind her, not seated, a man stood emotionless. He didn’t go up and talk to anybody. He just stood there with his hands shoved in the pockets of his trench coat. Who was he? He glared at Poppy who looked at him too long. Spooked, she turned around. She’d play it off like she recognized him later, and see if she could pull some information from him.
Glancing around the room, something caught Reggie’s eye. Reggie nudged Poppy. “Isn’t it a little warm in here to be wearing gloves?”
Poppy looked toward where Reggie was tilting his head to get her to look. The man wore a black leather jacket, not the fake pleather type, but a nice leather piece he’d spent good money on, and a pair of matching black gloves. He found a seat, not making contact with the receiving line, and settled in. By the time the service was over and Poppy turned around, he was already gone. Who was he?
Poppy hustled outside, trying to catch the man to talk to him. She’d use the same line on both men if she could find them. The man with the leather jacket was catching a smoke, just outside the doorway. He was still wearing his gloves.
“Oh, there you are. You look so familiar. Do I know you?” She smiled, trying to look as innocent as possible, and not like a lady prying for information.
“I don’t think so, lady.” He wasn’t interested in a conversation.
“No, no. I think I met you. Are you…”
“I’m Sal’s partner, Bill Hopkins.” The man finally said still not interested in getting into a conversation with the woman.
“Oh.” She looked disappointed. “I’ve never seen you there. I go in all the time.” Why didn’t he go up to the family? He seemed disconnected.
“Silent partner,” he corrected. “I handle the money. Anyway, lady, I need to run. Thanks for the business.” Turning away, he walked to his car.
Poppy scanned the area, looking for the other man. He was nowhere to be found. She sighed and went back to find Reggie. On entering the building, in the hallway that went off from the room they’d been in, she heard voices. It sounded like an argument. She tip-toed a few steps over and leaned slightly to try to see around the corner. It was the pregnant woman from the receiving line and the man with the trench coat. She could only see their backs.
“You’re his brother. You tell them. They hate me already,” she whined to the man.
“I’m not saying anything until we know for sure. If the DNA says it’s my kid, then I’ll tell them. I’m not making unnecessary trouble. They’re already mad at me for the big fight between me and Sal. I couldn’t even stand up there with my family. I swear, my mom is about to disown me.” He trailed off. “Anyway, until we know for sure if it’s mine or his, my lips are sealed. You know I’ll take care of you either way. I love you.”
She whispered something and then patted him on the shoulder with one hand. “I should go.”
Poppy spun around and headed out the door. She’d wait for Reggie at the car. Oh boy. This was turning into some soap opera circus. Her heart lodged in her throat as she quickened her pace. If they saw her snooping…no, no, they weren’t paying attention to her. They had their own problems. Sal’s girlfriend was sleeping with Sal and his brother? Was there jealousy involved? Did the brothers end up in a fight that got out of hand? Did Sal find out? Did his brother want her to tell him?
It was a balmy night with too much moisture in the air. Normally, this time of year was more comfortable, but a heat wave pushed through and was sticking around for another couple of days according to the weatherman. Reggie wiped his brow and waited for Poppy. When she showed up, he saw the fire in her eyes.
“Have I got something to tell you,” she said.
“I figured you were up to no good,” he answered with a laugh, then shook his head. “What were you up to?”
“Well, the first guy, the one you pointed out to me; that was Sal’s business partner. He said he’s the money guy, but I couldn’t get any more info out of him. And then, I was heading back in to look for you when I heard a hushed conversation.”
“Which means it was private…”
“Which means, I couldn’t help but eavesdrop a little bit,” she corrected. “But, when you hear what I learned, you’ll be glad one of us is nosy.”
“Okay, princess, what did you dig up?” Reggie teased Poppy, though he enjoyed seeing her excited this way.
“Sal’s girlfriend, I can’t remember what her name is. Did you catch it?” She got sidetracked trying to think.
“Dianne, Diana, Dana, something like that. I heard her say it, but I was still talking to the person before her.”
“Okay, anyway, it doesn’t matter. She was talking to Sal’s brother, and they were fighting about the baby. She doesn’t know if it’s his or Sal’s!” Poppy’s eyes flickered with anticipation.
“You don’t say?” Reggie took in the news. “This could be important.”
“Are you thinking that it might have been a crime of passion?” She waited anxiously to hear his thoughts.
“Well, it would be a good motive, though without evidence it’s hard to say. What about his hands? Did you notice his fingers?” R
eggie thought back to the news Panda had shared from the autopsy results.
“No. It’s like it was hide your hands day. I didn’t see hers, the partner’s, or the brothers.” She wished she’d thought of a way to get a look at their hands. It was too late now. They were already heading home.
Chapter 5
The following week, Poppy and Reggie headed over to Reggie’s house. Opening the door, he turned to Poppy. “Are you ready?”
“As ready as you need. Are you sure you want to do this?” She wanted to make sure he was okay. It was going to be emotional to take apart his life like this.
“I have to do this. Enough time has passed,” he admitted.
“Okay then, let’s get to work.” Poppy was ready to tackle the project. Once she’d finished check-outs at the resort, she left her father in charge. She’d go back for check-ins. In the meantime, they’d start the process of cleaning out Reggie’s house.
“I’ve got contractor bags in the kitchen and have a small dumpster being dropped off in the driveway later this week. For now, we could maybe bag up her things, and we can drop them off in the donation bin.” Reggie looked away.
Poppy walked over and gently put her hand on his arm. “Do you need to talk? Are you okay?”
“There’s no easy way to do this, so let’s just get it done.” He sighed. “And, thanks for being here. It helps a lot.”
“Anytime, you know that. Why don’t you go sort out some other stuff, and I’ll go through her things,” Poppy suggested.
“Sounds like a good plan to me,” he said, turning toward another room.
They’d been married for years. Gracie Jane was Reggie’s life. Losing her took the wind out of his sails. But a year had passed and he was ready to move forward. Poppy started the process, cleaning out drawers and the closet, bagging up clothes and shoes. Maybe they’d help somebody in need. They’d drop the bags in the donation bin on their way back to the resort.
Reggie found his way back into the bedroom and saw that Poppy had made a lot of progress. It was odd to see everything bagged up, but what else could he do? When he died, they’d do the same thing, collect his things in bags and move on. Just like that, all those mementos, things that were important to him, they’d just be things that had to be bagged up and forgotten about. “Thanks for your help.”
She nodded. “I’m almost finished here. Do want help with anything else? Do you want me to start on the kitchen cabinets? Are you keeping things, donating them?”
“I know it’s foolish, but I just want to get rid of most of the stuff. I’ll replace them at a later date. It makes more sense to store them, but then I’d just have to sort things again. I don’t need much to get by. Let’s box up some of the stuff, and I’ll set a pile aside for donation. I’ll have a truck do a pick-up when we finish.” He walked out to the kitchen, Poppy following him. Pulling out a kitchen chair, he sat. “How did I collect so much stuff?”
“You have a lifetime of things here, it accumulates. Everybody has more stuff than they realize. I dread cleaning out my stuff at times. We don’t even know what to call it, so we call it stuff…and the pile of stuff gets bigger and bigger. Next thing you know, you’ve got some trinket you got on a trip or a gift somebody gave you, or it was on sale so you picked it up just in case you needed it later.” She sat across from him at the table.
Reggie’s voice softened. “You’ve made this past year so much easier. I don’t know how to thank you.”
“We’re glad to have you at the resort. You’ve become family. It’s not like you’re leaving anytime soon,” she teased. “No, seriously, we love having you around.” She wanted to say I love having you around, but it felt odd after going through his dead wife’s belongings.
Reggie cleared his throat. “Well, you’ve become special to me. Just so you know.”
Poppy smiled. “You become special to me, too.” They both knew they’d grown closer, but getting over that hump, moving to the next step seemed like foreign territory.
Chapter 6
When Cherry Jones showed up at the office to check-out, something seemed fishy. She wasn’t due to check out for a few more weeks, as she was a snowbird, and it was in the middle of the night.
Bzzz! Bzzz! The buzzer on the door at the front of the office kept going off. Poppy rolled over in bed. Maybe if she ignored it they would go away. Bzzz! Bzzz! Nope. Guess not. Poppy groaned and climbed out of bed, slipping a robe over her nightgown. Padding out to the entrance, she looked through the window first and saw Cherry Jones pacing in small circles.
Poppy opened the door “Cherry? What’s going on? Are you okay?” She rubbed her eyes, trying to force them to stay open.
“I’ve got to go. Something came up.” She was fidgety, in a hurry. “Here’s the key. Is there any chance I can get a refund for the time I didn’t stay?”
“Not right now,” she said, eyeing up the woman suspiciously. “I’ll mail you a check.”
“Right, I could use the cash now if you have some to spare.” It was worth a try.
“We don’t work that way.” She didn’t like what was going on. Something felt off.
The woman hemmed and hawed, and then finally gave up. She turned to leave, not saying another word. Poppy was betting if she wasn’t at her door looking for money, she wouldn’t have stopped at the office at all. She would have slipped out in the middle of the night, not saying a word.
Poppy locked the door and trudged back to her room. Nope. Sleep wasn’t happening. Now she was curious. What was Cherry running from? Had her past caught up with her, or did she have something to do with Sal?
Poppy changed into jeans and a t-shirt, slipped on her shoes and headed to Cherry’s camper unit with a flashlight. She wanted to at least make sure the woman left the camper in good condition. She didn’t know what to expect from that one. Cherry Jones ran hot and cold while she’d stayed at the resort. Of course, there was that whole mess with her ex-husband, which would explain some of the oddities.
Poppy unlocked the camper with her master key. Walking inside, it seemed clean enough. She poked around a bit, seeing some things had been left behind. She checked the cabinets. On one of the shelves, shoved to the side was a dark wig and sunglasses. What was she doing with those? She made a mental note to get the unit cleaned up and ready to rent out again in the morning. For now, she was heading back to bed.
When the morning came around, it was way too early as far as Poppy was concerned. Settling in with a cup of coffee, she started her morning by looking through the books. When the police officer arrived looking for Cherry Jones, Poppy suddenly understood why she’d fled town in a hurry. She was wanted for writing bad checks again, and made haste to disappear.
One of the other things on Poppy’s agenda for the day was to talk to Sal’s girlfriend. Not that it was her business, but she thought it would be nice to drop off a small gift for the baby, and if she was there and they happened to talk, would that be a bad thing? She just needed to ask her dad to fill in once again. Maybe getting extra help wouldn’t hurt, now that her father was getting older. And, quite honestly, every time she left him in charge it made her nervous.
Or she could stop trying to dig her nose in where it didn’t belong and let the police handle the suspects. It wasn’t her business, it wasn’t her life, and yet she couldn’t help wanting to know more. She’d known Sal for years. He was part of the community. It was still odd to think that he was gone. She wondered if the shop would close, or if someone else would take it over.
Now, the only thing she had to do was figure out where the girlfriend lived. She’d need to poke around a bit. She wasn’t completely sure where Sal lived. Sure they’d kibitz back and forth when she stopped in, but she couldn’t remember if he’d mentioned it in the past. Who might know?
“Hey Dad, do you know where Sal lived?” She scratched her head, pondering the thought.
“Yeah, he’s down on the Old Padget’s farm,” he started. “You know the one; they k
nocked the house down, rehabbed the barn, and made a development around it.”
“Oh yeah, down on Castle Rock, right. Huh, I never realized he moved in there. For some reason, I had him more to the south,” she said.
“Yeah, he used to be, but he sold his condo and picked up a house a couple years back. We used to talk about the ballgames, and somehow we started talking real estate or something. Shame he tried to kill me. He was a good guy.” He shook his head.
Poppy sighed. Why was her father convinced Sal tried to kill him with the crabs? She ate the same crabs that night and was fine. Panda was fine too. For some reason, her father had it stuck in his head, and it wouldn’t lodge loose. She thanked her father, and made plans to run to the store to pick up a baby gift and then see if she could narrow down which house was his. No wait…Reggie would know.
Reggie answered his cell phone, surprised that Poppy was calling. “Is everything okay? I’m at work.”
“Fine, it’s fine. I was wondering if you could do me a teeny, tiny favor. Could you get me Sal’s address? I want to drop off a baby gift to his girlfriend. She’s been through so much.”
“Mmhmm, what is this really about?”
“Reg, please, just this one time,” Poppy begged.
“I’ll have to call you back. I’m not calling dispatch over the radio with this one. People will want to know why I’m looking up a dead man’s address.” Reggie sighed and hung up the phone. He really shouldn’t be doing this, but somehow he couldn’t say no to Poppy. She was his Achilles heel.
When the call came through, Poppy jotted the address down, squealed a thank you, and then was out the door.
First making a pit stop at a big department store, Poppy picked up a receiving blanket and an outfit. Grabbing a gift bag, she’d put it together in the car, removing the tags. Getting out to her weathered TrailBlazer, she fixed up the gift bag and headed toward Castle Rock Road. Her pulse was racing. She drew in a deep breath and then let it out, trying to calm her nerves. There was something about the adrenaline spike she loved, but it wore her out just the same. She knew she shouldn’t be getting involved, and yet…it was the most interesting hobby she’d had in ages. It beat the tar off of fixing up the mini golf course at the resort.
