Murder on the Half Shell (A Red Carpet Catering Mystery Book 2)

by Shawn Reilly Simmons

  “How would you feel if he wanted to leave with us, come on the road with a theatrical catering crew, see more of the world?” Penelope asked.

  Jonny paused a moment, thinking. “I’d be all for it, to tell you the truth. His mom would miss him, I’m sure. But if it made him happy, and he remembered to come home and visit once in a while…then I think we’d be okay with it.”

  “It’s different here than anyplace I’ve been,” Penelope said. “I was talking to Bradley about going off to college recently.”

  Jonny nodded. “Yeah, you’d like for your kids to stay, make a life close to you, but the options are limited. Which is part of the charm of the island, I guess.”

  Penelope drank her beer and fell silent.

  “I’ll be right back,” Jonny said, eyeing her pint glass and heading out to help his customers seated outside.

  Penelope slid off her stool and went to the ladies room while he was gone. When she returned to the main room, she stopped to look at the picture of Josie up over the bar.

  Jonny walked back in, his arm loaded down with dirty plates. “That’s my mom and me,” he said, nodding up at the picture.

  Penelope smiled. “You were a cute baby.”

  “Another?” he asked, eyeing her glass.

  “Yes, please,” Penelope said.

  He returned to the bar and set a new frosted glass down in front of her.

  “I saw a picture of your mom in a yearbook over at the Inn. She was Homecoming Queen?”

  Jonny laughed. “Yeah, I’ve seen that picture. She and Dad were pretty decked out.”

  “So your parents met in high school?” Penelope asked, relaxing slightly.

  Jonny nodded. “I think they knew each other growing up on the island, but I heard that Dad didn’t really notice Mom until high school. Then he pulled all these crazy romantic stunts to get her attention, leaving flowers at her house, stuff like that.”

  “So they started this place together?” Penelope asked, looking around the Shrimp Shack at all of the old black and white photos.

  “After high school they got married, had me and opened this place. It used to literally be just a shack on the beach when they started. We added on the deck and made other improvements over the years.”

  “It’s a unique spot, that’s for sure,” Penelope said. “Jonny, if you don’t mind me asking, what happened to your mom? I heard she passed away.”

  Jonny paused for a moment, his mood dipping a bit. “Unfortunately, she died in an accident. She didn’t suffer, which is good.”

  Penelope thought Jonny’s words sounded rehearsed, like he’d spoken them many times before. “I’m so sorry to hear that.”

  Jonny smiled wistfully. “Thanks. I was just a baby so I don’t remember her. But that’s what happened. And then my dad died a few years later. Also in an accident, on a boat out in the ocean. My family is very accident prone.”

  Penelope wasn’t sure how to respond to his attempt at levity while discussing the deaths of his parents, so she just took another sip of beer.

  “That one’s going down quicker than the first one,” Jonny said.

  Penelope smiled and polished it off, setting her glass back on the coaster and shaking her head when he asked her if she wanted another.

  “Was your dad by himself out on the boat when he…” Penelope trailed off.

  “Died? Yes, he was out fishing, alone, and then he was gone. Fell overboard, is what I was told. Never found his body either. That can happen too, depending on the currents and how far out he was. Bad luck, really.”

  “That’s so sad, Jonny, I’m sorry,” Penelope said.

  “It was a long time ago,” Jonny said. “I’ve made my peace with it, and I’ve had a good life regardless.”

  “So your father remarried after your mom passed away?”

  Jonny leaned on his fists on the shiny wood bar. “Yep. Got married to Jeanne from the Inn. That’s how it went. They were all friends, back in school, a pretty tight-knit group.”

  “Are you and Jeanne close? She was your step-mom for a little while.”

  Jonny shrugged and smiled. “Sure, she’s a sweet old lady. Honestly, all of that happened when I was really little. By the time I got to school, everything had settled down. All the tragedy was behind me.”

  Penelope nodded and took another sip of her beer.

  “You guys can sit anywhere,” Jonny said to a group of four that came through the front door. They opted for a patio seat and he went out to get them settled.

  Penelope’s phone pinged in her back pocket and she reluctantly pulled it out to look at the screen. There was a text from Francis that read, “All good here. Lunch is cleared. Restocking the trucks now.” Penelope sighed and put the phone facedown on the bar without responding and stared at the small puddle of froth resting in the bottom of her glass. After a few minutes Penelope groaned inwardly and turned her phone back over, swiping it to life. She responded, “Thanks, Francis. Heading back in a few to help close up.”

  Chapter 21

  Penelope walked back down Ocean Avenue to the Inn, feeling much more relaxed than when she headed to Josie’s. She still felt a feeling of dread somewhere deep down, something tugging at the back of her mind, in her gut. She thought about Jonny’s parents both dying so young and shivered, folding her arms loosely over her chest. As she passed by Emilio’s empty building she saw him standing outside on the sidewalk, staring up at the roof. When he saw her approaching, his shoulders dipped and he put his hands on his hips.

  “Chef,” Penelope said tightly. He looked exhausted, like he’d been up all night.

  Emilio shook his head and studied his shoes. “Here we go again. You know, I think the biggest mistake I made was stepping foot on this little strip of sand. This island is beautiful when you look at it from the outside, but I think once you’re inside it might actually be Hell on earth.”

  “Are you sure that’s the biggest mistake you’ve ever made?” Penelope asked sarcastically. “I can think of a couple more.”

  “What are you talking about?” Emilio snapped at her.

  “I think you know. I talked to Summer. I know what you two did back in school, you can stop lying about it now,” Penelope said, letting the disgust she felt slip into her voice.

  “I’ve already told you a million times, nothing happened between me and that little liar, or anyone else,” Emilio said.

  Penelope took a step closer to him and glared. “Watch your mouth. You can’t talk about her that way.”

  “I can if she’s going to keep lying about me,” Emilio countered. “She’s not supposed to be saying anything anyway. If she keeps it up, I can get my money back.”

  “What money?” Penelope asked.

  “The settlement she got from me and the school. I had to pay out part of my severance to her. You’d think that would be enough…got her set up in a nice apartment in the city; heard she has a great job too.”

  “Chef, tell me to my face, and don’t lie, or leave anything out. Did you sleep with Summer Farrington back at school?”

  Emilio pulled his sunglasses from his face and closed the gap between them. “No, I never touched her. Or the other girl.”

  “Christine,” Penelope said, not breaking the stare. “Her name is Christine.”

  “Yeah, Christine,” Emilio said, looking away first. He sighed and stepped away from her, leaning against his empty restaurant space.

  After a few minutes of silence Emilio said, “Let’s see,” he started ticking items off on his thick fingers. “My favorite former student thinks I’m a perv, the future of my restaurant is up in the air because dealing with these island locals is a nightmare, my business partner has been taking showers in my bathroom and don’t forget the little detail about me being accused of kidnapping
two teenage girls. I’ve gone from the top of the world to rock bottom in the space of a few days.”

  Penelope shifted her weight and looked down at her feet. “Shane has been taking showers in your bathroom?”

  “Yeah, he let it slip at that party yesterday that there was a leak in the bathroom upstairs. Yeah, there’s a leak in the bathroom, in the master suite shower that he has no business being in.”

  “So that’s why you attacked him?” Penelope asked.

  “Skinny little bastard, trying to step in my shoes, while I’m in jail, no less. In jail for something I didn’t do, by the way,” Emilio reminded her. He was overheated and angry, and Penelope kept her distance.

  “So, besides the leak in the shower, do you have any proof Shane and Dominique are having an affair?” Penelope asked carefully.

  “No,” Emilio admitted. “She denies it, of course. Dominique says she asked him to stay over at the house because she’s afraid to sleep out there by herself. But she said he slept downstairs on the couch. So how would he know about the leak?”

  “She told me the same thing, that she didn’t like being in the house alone at night,” Penelope said. “Did she have an explanation for him knowing about the leak?”

  “Yeah, she says she asked him to take a look at it the next morning, to see if it was okay for her to take a shower.” A fresh wave of anger seemed to wash over him. “She never even told me she asked him to sleep over. Why would she keep that from me? They’re obviously hiding something.”

  “Chef, maybe it’s as simple as what she’s saying. I saw your reaction at the party. Maybe she just didn’t want to make you angry over something that has an innocent explanation. Don’t you trust Dominique?”

  “Of course I trust her. It’s him I don’t trust. I see the way he looks at her. At all women. He acts like such a tough guy, but I know how he really is. He’s afraid of appearing weak and that makes him angry,” Emilio said.

  “Look,” Penelope said, feeling a surprising wave of pity for her former teacher wash over her. “It’s not my place to say, but if you believe your wife, you should trust her too. Can you let the thing with Shane go?”

  “But how am I supposed to let it go? Shane is entwined in our lives now. We’re married to him, with this restaurant and partnership, all the papers I’ve signed. If everything goes south, I’ll never be able to pay back the money he’s put up for this.” He waved at the empty building.

  “You have to trust you made the right move, Chef,” Penelope said. “And if you haven’t, you’ll have to make another choice to make it right.”

  Emilio’s phone rang in his back pocket and he pulled it out to look at the screen. “Hello,” he said after glancing at the number. “Yes, I’m at the restaurant.” He put the phone down and looked at her. “That was my attorney. Because Sabena Lambert died this morning and they’re amending the charge to negligent homicide.” He shook his head and sat down slowly on a nearby bench. After appearing to be lost in thought for a moment, he said, “I told you. We’re in Hell, Penelope.”

  Chapter 22

  When Penelope returned to the Inn, the first person she saw was Max. He was standing on the front porch smoking a cigarette. When he saw Penelope he smiled and snuffed it in the sand in the large cement urn next to the railing. He was still in costume, although he’d removed his jacket and tie, which were hung across the porch railing. He came down the steps. “There you are. We’ve been worried about you.” He pulled her into a hug and she breathed in the smell of smoke mixed with jasmine.

  “Thanks, I needed that. Where is Arlena?” Penelope asked, stepping away from him.

  “She’s upstairs in your room. She’s furious with Shane for going off on you in front of everyone. The whole crew was bummed out, really. Finding out that girl died and then seeing Shane act like he couldn’t care less and laying into you kind of put a damper on the rest of the day. He wrapped early and sent us on our way a little while ago. Here comes Joey,” Max said, nodding towards the avenue.

  Penelope spun around quickly, the sun catching her eyes at the wrong moment. She closed them and saw red slashes against her eyelids.

  Joey smiled tightly at Max and Penelope. “You guys still working?” He walked over and put an arm around Penelope’s waist.

  “We’re done for the day,” Penelope said. “Let’s head upstairs.”

  When they got to Penelope’s room they found Arlena, Gavin and Sienna sitting on the balcony, bottles of water sweating on the table in front of them, their turn-of-the-century costumes laid across Penelope’s bed. Their faces hadn’t been scrubbed of their heavy pancake makeup yet, which made them look pale and sickly in the natural light.

  Arlena hugged Penelope tightly when she entered. “Shane is a bastard and I told him so. I demanded he apologize to you in front of the whole crew tomorrow or I’d walk. Gavin backed me up,” she said, glancing back out through the glass doors.

  “Thanks, Arlena,” Penelope said. “That means a lot.”

  “What happened?” Joey asked, concern flooding his face.

  Penelope filled him in on the scene downstairs, her voice hitching slightly when she got to the part about Mrs. Lambert blaming her for Sabena’s death. When she finished Penelope sat down on the edge of the bed, careful to avoid the costumes.

  A muscle worked in Joey’s jaw, then his expression softened.

  “I’m sorry you had to go through that.”

  Penelope fought down a lump of emotion, refusing to cry in front of her friends and coworkers. She stood up quickly from the bed and grabbed a bottle of water from the mini refrigerator.

  Gavin and Sienna came in from the balcony and Gavin said, “There she is, the voice of reason on the set.”

  “Gav, let’s go and leave Penelope alone. We’re crowding her in her own room,” Sienna said quietly, lacing her fingers in his.

  “I appreciate your support, all of you,” Penelope said. “That’s why Shane has the reputation that he has. He’s a difficult genius of a director. We’ll all be over it and back to work by morning.”

  Penelope’s phone pinged in her pocket and she pulled it out to read the new text message. It was from Quentin and it read, “911. Cops at the Inn. Want to talk to us again.”

  “This day isn’t done with me yet,” Penelope said. “I’ve got to head downstairs.”

  Chapter 23

  They all descended the wide staircase together into the main hallway. Detective Williams had arrived and was questioning Regan while Francis stood nervously nearby.

  “Where’s Quentin?” Penelope asked. “He just texted me.”

  “The rest of the guys are in the lot locking up the trucks. He said he was going to slip outside and get a hold of you.”

  “I had nothing to do with those girls after I dropped them off,” Regan repeated. “I told you, I left them alone with that Emilio guy, watched them walk into his house and then I left.”

  “Excuse me, Detective,” Penelope said, “I thought you already had Emilio under arrest. Why are you asking Regan about Friday night again?”

  “We still have some questions about the timeline of the night in question, ma’am,” Detective Williams said, turning back to Regan. “You said you came back through town on Ocean Avenue and then went home.” He consulted his notebook and glanced back up at Regan.

  Regan looked at him, his face reddening. “Yes. That’s right.”

  “Well, I just spoke to your father and he stated you didn’t come home Friday night. He said your car wasn’t in the driveway all night and he didn’t see you until later Saturday morning.” Detective Williams spoke softly, in a conversational tone. “Why would your father tell us that, Mr. Daniels?”

  Regan looked like he was going to be sick. Francis stepped closer to him and put a hand on his shoulder from behind to steady him. He re
covered slightly. “Okay, I didn’t go home right after.” He looked at Penelope at the bottom of the stairs and then at the faces of the others who stood right behind her.

  Officer Williams’ voice hardened slightly. “Why don’t you tell me what really happened on Friday night? Did you end up partying with those girls? Maybe you all had a little too much to drink and things got out of hand?”

  “No.” Regan shook his head forcefully. “No, I left them there and then I…decided to have a few beers by myself on the beach and I fell asleep.”

  Penelope looked over at Joey. His jaw was firmly set and he squeezed her hand when she took a step forward and started to speak. “Detective, I did see Regan early Saturday morning, alone, asleep outside of Rose’s beach store.”

  Detective Williams glanced at her. “Are you sure about that, Miss Sutherland?”

  Penelope nodded. “Yes. I saw him around seven thirty.”

  Detective Williams turned back to Regan. “Where were you in between the time when you dropped Sabena Lambert and Rebekkah Flores at the suspect’s house until the time Miss Sutherland found you?”

  “I told you, I was drinking and sleeping on the beach,” Regan said, looking at his shoes.

  “Are you sure you weren’t partying with two underage girls and then padlocking them into a construction site after they passed out?” Detective Williams grilled. He moved further into Regan’s space, edging closer as he spoke.

  “No!” Regan said. “I would never hurt them, I swear.”

  His eyes glassed over; he looked to be on the verge of tears.

  “Detective,” Gavin said from behind Penelope. “Hold on a moment.”

  Penelope and Joey turned to Gavin, who stood next to Sienna, Max and Arlena on his other side.