by Maci Grant
Blu headed for the local side.
There wasn’t a visible division between the two, but where the sidewalk ended was usually where the wealthy didn’t venture. She didn’t really visit this area either, as it wasn’t where most of the shops and places she took the kids were.
A few people stood outside a convenience store as she approached. One was an older man, the other was a lanky teenage boy.
“Good afternoon.” She nodded to them.
“What’s so good about it?” The teenage boy wiped at his eyes.
“Sorry, miss, he’s just upset.” The older man put his hand on the boy’s shoulder. “He was one of Sam’s junior lifeguards.”
“I’m very sorry. It was a tragic accident.” Blu frowned.
“They’re all lying!” The boy stood up from the wall of the building and glared at her. “It wasn’t an accident! Sam would never have gone in the water if it weren’t safe. I know that someone did this to him!”
“Tommy, you’ve got to calm down. This lady has nothing to do with any of this. Please excuse him, miss, he watches too many of those detective television shows.”
“She is exactly who is involved with this. Who else do you think would murder someone and make it look like an accident? You work for one of the rich summer families, don’t you? Which one of them murdered my friend?”
Blu took a slight step back. “I’m sorry, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Tommy, that’s enough!” The older man scowled at him. “Those tourists keep this town afloat. Have some respect. You’re going to have to let go of this nonsense. Chief Pitman already told you that there was no sign of foul play. What more has to be done to prove you wrong?”
“Wait.” Blu reached out and touched Tommy’s arm. “I found it hard to believe too, Tommy. He was such a skilled swimmer—and a good person. I can see why you’re upset and why you want to believe that it isn’t true.”
“It’s not true!” Tommy shook her hand away. “It’s an outright lie. Now the town will go on believing that Sam was reckless or stupid. He was my teacher. He taught me about the power of the water—and to always respect it. He made sure that we all understood that the moment we stepped in the water, we put our lives at risk.” He took a deep breath and shook his head. “He was always smart enough not to make any bad decisions. But this—this isn’t how he was supposed to die. It just isn’t fair.”
The older man grabbed him by the curve of his neck and pulled his head against his shoulder.
“I know it, Tommy, I know it. But harassing this woman isn’t going to change anything. Inventing a murder isn’t going to bring Sam back.”
Chapter 7
The word “murder” hung in the air as Blu stepped past the two and into the store. There were a few more people inside, though none appeared to be shopping. It looked more like they were just sharing conversation. Blu noticed the girl behind the counter appeared to be about Sam’s age. She had red hair and her eyes were swollen—as if from crying, Blu guessed.
“Hello.” Blu set down a pack of gum on the counter.
“Hi,” the girl squeaked out. She rang up the gum. “Seventy-nine cents.”
Blu pulled out a dollar and handed it to her. “Are you going to the memorial tonight?”
“I doubt it. We’re not usually invited to that sort of thing.”
“What do you mean?”
“Have you seen what they’ve done to the beach?” She shook her head. “Sam would be livid over all of those decorations cluttering the sand. He hated parties on the beach, even when it was just us locals with a fire pit.”
“I didn’t know that about him. Did his girlfriend feel the same way?”
“Girlfriend?” The girl brushed her hair back over her shoulders. “Oh, you mean Kayla?” She shook her head. “No, they would argue about it sometimes. Kayla liked to party and have fun, Sam was just always thinking ahead. I guess that’s why they broke up.”
“They broke up recently?” Blu took her change from the girl.
“Yeah—just a few days ago. Kayla was real upset. She and Sam had been together since grade school.”
“Did they fight a lot?”
“Never. In fact the break-up surprised her so much that she thought he was joking. She got really upset when he made it clear that he wasn’t.”
“Hm. Why do you think they broke up?”
“Why do you want to know?” She stared hard at Blu. “Are you writing an article or something? Maybe you should write about all the things the women on the other side of town tried to get him to do. That’s probably why they broke up.”
“Oh, was Sam seeing someone else?”
“Look. I’m not going to say anything bad about a dead man. Sam was a good guy. But he fell on some hard times. I know he needed money and I know he had a lot of offers on the table. That’s all I’m going to say.”
“Offers?” Blu shook her head, hoping she could get just a little more information out of the girl. “What do you mean?”
“For private parties—you know—personal attention. They hide it well, but those women are wild. You should know.” She smirked. “Or maybe that’s why you’re asking?”
“No, not at all.” Blu frowned and picked up her pack of gum. “Thanks. If you don’t mind, where do you think I can find Kayla? I’d like to give her my condolences.”
The girl looked at her for a moment and then nodded. “She’ll be at the Beach Bum.”
“Thanks.” Blu turned and walked out of the convenience store.
Tommy and his father were gone. In fact, the entire street was empty. Could Sam’s death really have been a murder? She hated to think about the possibility, but there it was right in front of her. Tommy made a lot of sense, and it seemed that everyone who knew Sam didn’t believe it was an accident.
She walked down the road toward the bar. Several of the nannies enjoyed their weekends off there. She knew it had a reputation for being a little rowdy, but nothing too out of hand. She had never been to it, but here was a first for everything.
When she reached the Beach Bum, she took a look at its plain exterior. It was blue—perhaps in an attempt to match the water—with no windows on the front. The only thing that indicated its name was a small placard above a plain wooden door.
Blu pulled open the door to the bar. It was still pretty early in the afternoon, so she didn’t expect to see many people inside. The light was dim, some classic rock played on the radio, and there was a distinct smell of peanuts and beer. Blu hadn’t been in a bar since her college years, and even then, she hadn’t spent much time in them. She blinked a few times to adjust to the light.
“Can I help you?”
Somehow she hadn’t noticed the man until he was standing right in front of her. The first thing she saw was the large metal keg in his hands. Then her gaze followed his hands up along his thick muscular arms.
When her eyes made their way to his face, she had to take a slight step back. He was handsome in a rugged way, with a crooked nose, rough square lips, and a few wayward locks of dark brown hair splayed across his forehead. But there was something about him, something past his face, past his half-smile, past even the glimmer in his dark eyes, that gave her a jolt.
Was it familiarity? Had she seen him somewhere before? At the grocery store? On the beach?
“We’re not actually open for business at the moment.” He squinted at her. “Did you want a drink or something?”
Blu realized she’d been staring at him for much longer than was appropriate.
“Oh, I’m sorry. The door was open, so I just assumed…” She shook her head. “I don’t need anything.” She started to turn away, but noticed a petite blonde sitting at the end of the bar. She paused. “Actually, maybe I could have a beer?” She thought asking for a water would be strange.
“Sure, no problem. Just give me a minute.”
Chapter 8
The guy lugged the keg behind the bar.
Blu
tried not to notice the way his muscles rippled beneath his tight t-shirt. It was odd to her to notice a man this way, as most of the time one man was just like another to her—something to admire from a distance. She continued to watch him as she took a seat beside the other woman at the bar. The guy could have been in his late twenties, but it was possible that he was older—not that it mattered.
“Bottle or glass?” He looked across the bar at her.
“Bottle.”
“Light or dark?”
Blu scrunched up her nose. “Dark, I guess.”
He tilted his head to the side and fixed her with a look. Then he put a bottle of beer down in front of her. “You look like a red.”
“A red?” She glanced over at the blonde beside her. She had a frothy beer in front of her. Blu fought the urge to ask her if she was old enough to drink.
“Beer.” He grinned. “It’s a type of beer.”
“Oh, okay.” Blu managed a smile. When it came to social interaction, especially when she didn’t expect it, she often struggled with the right thing to say. “Thanks.” She pulled out some money to pay for the beer.
“No, sorry, can’t accept that since we’re not actually open. Besides, on a day like today, we all need a drink.”
Blu was surprised. She kept the money gripped tightly in her hand. Then she turned to look at the woman beside her.
“Kayla?”
The woman turned to look at her. “Excuse me?”
“I’m sorry. I thought you might be someone I was looking for.”
“My name is Shawna. Kayla left a little while ago.” She stood up from the bar. “I guess she’s the town celebrity right now.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because Sam is dead. Now everybody feels bad for her.”
“Shawna.” The man behind the bar spoke with a warning tone in his voice.
“What?” Shawna shrugged. “I thought this was the one place in this ridiculous town that I could tell the truth without getting shushed by the powers that be.”
“I’m not shushing you, I just think you should be careful.”
“Of her?” Shawna grinned at Blu. “Oh, he must think you’re one of the fancy ladies. I can see why—in that pants suit.” She giggled.
Blu looked down at the hunter green outfit she wore. It was technically a hand-me-down from her employer. She thought it would be appropriate for the memorial.
“But you’re not, are you?” Shawna leaned closer to her. “You’re just the help.”
“Shawna, cut it out.” The man behind the bar leaned his hands on the top of it and glared at Shawna.
“It’s true. You just gave a freebie to a nanny.” She laughed.
“My name is Blu.” She looked from Shawna to the bartender. “And she’s right, I am a nanny. I’m sorry if I gave you the wrong impression. I’m happy to pay for the beer.”
“Don’t listen to her nonsense. I don’t care who you are or what you do.” He held out his hand to her. “I’m AJ.”
Blu smiled and shook his hand. The moment she touched his hand she felt that familiar jolt again. She pulled her hand away and looked at her beer.
“Are you going to drink that?” He grinned.
She picked it up and took a sip. For beer, it was quite good.
“So why were you looking for Kayla?” Shawna turned on her stool to face Blu.
“I’m not sure really. I heard that she was Sam’s girlfriend. I guess I wanted to tell her how sorry I am for her loss.”
“Oh, did you know Sam?” Shawna crossed her legs. “Most of the nannies do.”
“No. Not really. But he saved me yesterday, along with a young boy. It’s so sad.”
“It is.” AJ nodded. “Sam will be missed.”
“Especially by Kayla. Poor girl got sideswiped by him dumping her and now she’ll never have the chance to set things right with him,” Shawna said.
“Why did they break up?”
Shawna pursed her lips. She looked over at AJ for a moment and then back to Blu. “I’m not sure. He told her that he thought they just needed a break. Yeah, right.” She rolled her eyes.
“Shawna.”
“AJ, it’s a bunch of BS. You and I both know that he was hooking up with someone else.”
“I’m sorry, my little sister is not one to respect the privacy of others.” AJ shook his head.
“Oh, it’s fine. Who keeps secrets around here?” Blu smiled. “I did hear something rather troubling, though.”
“What’s that?” AJ rested his hands on the bar again.
“Well, there was this boy outside the convenience store. Tommy?”
“Oh, Tommy.” Shawna cringed. “Yeah, he’s taking it very hard—poor kid.”
Blu didn’t point out that he was only a few years younger than Shawna. “He seems to think that maybe it wasn’t an accident.”
“You be careful what you say.” AJ’s friendly demeanor vanished.
Blu looked at him with surprise, in that his attitude could change so fast and that he took the liberty of speaking to her so sharply.
“Excuse me?”
“You’re a nanny. You should know better. Rumors like that can get you fired.”
“What rumors?”
AJ’s jaw seemed to clench tighter. He picked up a rag and began wiping down the already clean bar.
“Tommy’s not the only one who thinks that something else happened to Sam.” Shawna stood up from the bar stool as she spoke. “But what does it matter? No one is ever going to consider it anything more than an accident. Money covers up everything around here.”
“Are you saying that you think someone wealthy did this?” Blu looked over at AJ, who turned his back to her.
“What do you think, AJ?” Shawna smiled. “What does good old Uncle Paul have to say about it?”
“Shawna. Seriously, drop it. If there was any evidence he’d be looking into it.”
“Would he?” Shawna shook her head. “Forget the beer. I’m going to meet up with some friends.” She turned and walked out of the bar.
Chapter 9
“Uncle Paul?” Blu took another sip of her beer as she directed the simple question to AJ.
“He’s the police chief.” AJ shrugged. “Shawna and several of her friends have a theory that Sam got involved with the wrong person and ended up dead. You know—they’re young, they’re looking for drama.”
“And you, AJ? What do you think happened to Sam?”
AJ grimaced. “I think that it doesn’t matter and looking into it can only make things worse.”
“Really?” Blu frowned. “You don’t care if he was murdered?”
“Of course I care. I just know that nothing will be done about it.”
“Please, the wealthy go to jail too.”
“Not in this town they don’t.” AJ picked up his sister’s untouched beer and drank it down. “Trust me, Blu, it’s better this way.”
Blu stood up. “I don’t think so. If there’s a chance that Sam was murdered, then someone should be looking into it.”
“No one will.” He met her eyes.
“I will.” Blu set the money she still clenched in her hand down on the bar. “I’m not going to let a man’s death be swept under the rug because it’s the convenient thing to do.”
AJ looked from the money to her. “Good luck. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” He turned away and completely ignored the money on the bar.
Blu bit the tip of her tongue to keep from telling him what she thought of his opinion. One of the biggest issues she’d faced while studying journalism was the concept that the truth was sometimes better left undiscovered. Yet she couldn’t help herself for needing to find out the truth.
Her heart pounded as she walked out of the bar. She could hear music drifting from the beach. Her stomach churned.
What if Shawna was right? Sure, some of the wealthy that she’d encountered acted as if they were above the law—but murder? Why would anyone want Sam dead?
When she arrived at the beach, she made her way to the section that had a black and red ribbon marking a good portion of it.
A security officer stopped her from entering into the area.
“Private memorial service.”
Blu raised an eyebrow. “This is a public beach.”
“Today it’s private.”
Chelsea bounded over with a wide smile on her face. “It’s alright, James, she’s on the list.” Chelsea waved Blu past the ribbon.
Blu shook her head. “Chelsea, you’ve outdone yourself.”
“Oh really, do you think?” She smiled proudly. “Whatever I can do to give back, you know?”
“Oh, that reminds me.” Blu reached into her purse and pulled out the check. “Rachel wanted to contribute to the fund for the family. It is for the family, right?”
“Yes, of course, and boy, do they need it. Sam’s parents couldn’t even afford the flight to come to the memorial.”
“He’s not from here?”
“He is, but his parents moved a few states away. I guess they lost their house or something.” She shrugged. “You know how that goes. Anyway, they’ll be rolling in it now, won’t they?” She winked.
Blu swallowed back her disgust. It was hard to stomach Chelsea’s perky nature at a memorial. But she knew it wasn’t intentional. That was just how Chelsea was—always perky.
“Did you invite some of the locals?”
“No, why would I do that?”
“Because he grew up here. He lived and worked here.”
“Oh, I know, and I’m sure they’ll do their own memorial at some point. I mean, why wouldn’t they if they cared about him? But this is more for those lives he touched—you know, those of us from the summer homes.”
“I see.” She did her best not to say another word. There was no reason to argue the point.
As Blu walked further along the sand she saw several white chairs set up, as well as speakers that played sad soft music. There were flowers on the ribbon, and flowers that littered the sand. When she saw the balloons tied to some of the chairs she cringed. Balloons by the water? It seemed like a very bad idea.
