by Maci Grant
“I see.” Blu sipped her wine.
Chapter 19
Blu’s mind reeled with the information that Brian was feeding her. Was it true? Was he making it all up? She looked at him carefully. “And what if someone were to find out the truth?”
“That can’t happen. That won’t happen.” His eyes hardened as he looked into hers. “People don’t understand our lifestyle—not just friends and family, but business partners. It would ruin Penelope if it got out.”
“So then, you two must have been pretty careful.”
“Always.”
“Did she have a lot of special friends?”
He smiled. “The truth is, I’m the one that takes advantage of our little arrangement a lot more often than she does.”
“So, it was only Sam?”
“Look. There’s a lot of people involved in all of this. It’s easier not to keep track.”
“And you never felt jealous?”
“Sure, sometimes. That’s part of the fun. It heats things up between the two of us now and then.”
“So why were you arguing with Sam on the beach the night before he died?”
Brian tilted his head and looked into her eyes. “You know, Blu, you ask a lot of questions. I think I’ve had enough to drink.”
“Brian, wait—if you weren’t jealous, why were you arguing with Sam?”
“I don’t have to answer that. I wasn’t even on the beach that night.”
“I found your cufflink.”
“That doesn’t prove anything. If it did, I’m sure that you’d be having a conversation with Chief Pitman instead of me.” He stood up from the table. “I’d appreciate it if you kept what I told you to yourself. I wouldn’t want Rachel and Marshall finding out about how you spend your free time, Blu. If you mention our little conversation to anyone, I’ll have to mention that you were here. Understand?”
Blu nodded as she looked up at him. “I understand.”
“Stay out of my business.” He tossed a twenty down on the table to cover their drinks. “If I want your company again, I’ll let you know.”
Blu shuddered at the thought.
As soon as Brian was gone, AJ walked up to her.
“What were you thinking, having a drink with Brian Ross? Now everyone is going to know that you were here.”
“I don’t think so. I don’t think that he’s going to tell.”
“Why not?”
“Because I think he’s the one who killed Sam, and I think he will do anything to keep people’s attention off of him.”
“You think Brian did it? Why?”
“Give me a ride home, and I’ll fill you in.”
By the time AJ dropped her off, Blu had spilled everything she knew about Sam’s death—everything except overhearing a conversation between Kayla and a man on the beach at the memorial. She wasn’t convinced just yet that that man wasn’t AJ, since he’d come out of nowhere right after the conversation had taken place.
AJ parked in the driveway and stared out through the window. “That’s a lot to take in.”
“Yes, it is.”
“So you think Brian is behind it?”
“I think he could be. Jealousy is a strong motive.”
“That it is.” He blew some air past his lips. “That’s why it’s always better to be single.”
“I can agree with that.” Blu grinned. She opened the door and stepped out of the car. “I’ll let you know if I find anything else out.
“Yes, please do that.” He cringed. “When I started to help you, I really thought that Sam’s death was an accident. But the more you uncover, the less likely that seems.”
“I don’t think it was an accident. I’m ready to believe that someone did this to him. The only problem is that there doesn’t seem to be a way to prove it.
“There’s no evidence on his body of assault, although no one was really looking for it. There’s no evidence of someone else being with him at the time of his death. Maybe if the police were willing to investigate, it would be different, but I certainly don’t have the forensic knowledge to be able to determine anything from the body. The ocean will have washed anything usable away anyway.”
She shook her head and glanced toward the empty driveway. Rachel and Marshall still weren’t back from dinner. She hoped that it was a sign that they were having a nice time. “I need to get out of this ridiculous outfit before the family gets back.”
“It’s not ridiculous.” AJ looked at her through the open car window. “Not at all.”
Blu caught his eye, then walked up the driveway. She did her best to walk properly, since she was sure that AJ was still watching her.
When she reached the partition between the driveway and the front door her heel slipped and her ankle twisted. She caught herself on the railing that led up the three steps to the front door. As she lost her balance, the railing sunk into the palm of her hand. For a moment she felt dizzy. It reminded her of the sensation of sinking under the water right before Sam had rescued her and the young boy.
Her thoughts shifted back to that moment and the way she was pulled against his body. She imagined seeing something in the water—a boat in the distance.
“That’s it!” Her eyes widened. “If the water was so calm that morning, there had to be other people out taking advantage of it.”
She rushed inside the house, no longer bothered if AJ had seen her trip. What she needed, to prove that Sam’s death was suspicious, was an eyewitness to say that Sam hadn’t been alone that morning.
Chapter 20
Blu had barely changed out of Rachel’s dress before she heard the front door open and close. The lack of little feet running across the floor told her that the kids must already be asleep.
She stuck her head out of her bedroom door and saw Marshall with Joey draped over his shoulder. He smiled at Blu and put his finger to his lips.
Behind him Rachel stepped through the door with Marley in her arms. Rachel winked at Blu. “They tired out not long after dinner. I think they’ll stay asleep for the night.”
“That’s good. They’ll need their rest for the carnival.”
“You’re still okay with us taking off together tomorrow?”
“Absolutely. Do something fun, okay?”
“Thanks, Blu.” She smiled over the top of Marley’s head and continued down the hall.
Blu closed the door to her room and sat down with her computer. She began researching local boat groups and where she could find the information about who was on the water on the morning of Sam’s death. Once she had the information she needed, she took a quick shower and headed to bed.
With every step she took it seemed she was getting deeper into a situation that she might not be able to find her way out of, but it was too late to turn back now. Sam needed someone to fight for him. It looked like she was going to be that person.
In the morning Blu woke to the children climbing into her bed.
“Mom and Dad aren’t here.” Marley stuck her nose in front of Blu’s. “Where are they?”
“They’re off on a little mommy and daddy trip.”
“Aw.” Joey frowned.
“Don’t worry, we’re going to have a little Nanny Blu, Joey, and Marley trip. We’re going to go see some boats this morning and then we’re going to a carnival tonight! Won’t that be fun?”
“Yes!” Joey jumped up and down on her bed. “I can’t wait!”
“Good. Go get dressed and I’ll get some breakfast ready.”
As the two ran off Blu climbed out of bed. She wasn’t quite sure how she was going to juggle the two kids and her investigation, but she’d have to find a way to make it work.
Blu took the kids along with her to the harbor. She pointed out the sailboats, the ferryboats, and the large fishing boats, as if that was the purpose of their visit. Then she took them inside the office so that they could see how everything worked.
“Good morning.” She smiled at the woman behind the front de
sk.
“Good morning.” She wiggled her fingers to greet the children. “How can I help you today?”
“Well, I have two very curious children with me. I was wondering if you could explain to them how boaters remain safe on the water? I mean, is there a system in place where a boater will call in to let the harbor master know if they are out on the water?”
“Oh yes, we have both an electronic and verbal system in place.”
“Could you perhaps give us an example?” She offered the date that Sam died. “Could you tell us what boats were on the water that morning?”
“Sure; that was a very busy morning because it was very good weather.” She typed on her keyboard and then spun the monitor around to show the kids the screen. “It’s a bit like a game we old people used to play—where we would position our little boats on a grid of pretend water. Only this grid is real water. So each of these little dots represent a boat that is out on the water. Of course there may be more that didn’t report in, but those that do report get a little dot on this grid. We can use a device on their boats called a beacon, to see where the boat is going on the water.”
“Wow! Can you see spy boats too?”
“And subs?” Joey and Marley peered at the screen.
“I can’t say for sure that I’ve ever seen a spy boat or a submarine, but I have seen plenty of sailboats.”
“And what kind of information do you record?” Blu leaned closer. “Like this boat here.” She pointed at the boat on the screen closest to the area where Sam died. “Are you able to tell what kind of boat that is and who owns it?”
“It depends on how accurate and up-to-date the information is that the owner of the boat has sent us, but usually yes. See, if I click on this dot it will pull up the name of the owner, their address, the registration number of the vessel, and the type of boat it is. This particular one is owned by Jeffery Miles and it’s a sailboat. Jeffery—I think—is only about eighteen. He was in one of our young sailor classes, and we teach all of our kids to always report in to the harbor master in case they run into any trouble on the water.”
“Wow, this is very impressive. Isn’t it, kids?” She memorized the address on the screen before the woman turned it back around to face her.
“Yes! I want to be a young sailor!”
“There are still some openings in the summer program.” The woman smiled.
“Please, Blu? Please can I do it?”
“Well, we’ll have to check with your parents first, Joey.” Blu patted the top of his head. She could imagine the amount of pleading that would happen before Rachel would finally give in. “Thanks for your time.” She nodded to the woman and led the kids out of the office.
As they walked toward the car, she typed the address for Jeffery Miles into her phone. It was on the south end of town and would only take about five minutes to get to.
“Alright, guys, we’re going to make a quick stop before lunch.”
Chapter 21
Blu drove to the house, which was directly on the water. It was small and the paint was peeling on the front of it.
As she stepped out of the car, a large brown dog charged toward her. Her heart jolted with fear as the dog jumped up into the air with a loud snarl.
“Duke, no!” A voice came from the side of the house, and a young man appeared in Blu’s line of vision a second later.
Blu was knocked to the ground by the force of the large dog’s paws striking her shoulders. She winced and tried to shield her face from the dog’s mouth. The dog nuzzled his way past her hands and began to lick her cheeks, forehead, and even the tip of her nose.
“Aw!” Joey giggled as he stuck his head out of the car window. “He likes you, Blu!”
“I’m so sorry.” The young man, whom she assumed to be Jeffery, tugged the dog off Blu. “He really enjoys having visitors.”
Blu managed to get to her feet just as Joey and Marley slipped out of the car.
“Careful, kids.” She frowned.
“I promise, he’s really very gentle.” Jeffery crouched down beside the dog and stroked his neck. “You guys want to pet him?”
“Sure.” Joey smiled and began stroking the dog’s fur. Marley hid behind Blu’s leg, still unsure.
“Are you Jeffery?” Blu met his eyes.
“Yes.”
“My name is Blu, and these are the children I nanny for—Joey and Marley.”
“Nice to meet you all.” Jeffery squinted up at her. “Is there something I can help you with?”
“Actually, yes. I wanted to know if you were out sailing on the morning that Sam—the lifeguard—had his accident?’
Jeffery’s face drained of color. “How did you know that?”
“I checked with the harbor master.”
“Well, yeah. I was out on the water that morning.”
“You seemed to be pretty close to the area where Sam ran into trouble.”
Jeffery glanced away and frowned. “Maybe.”
“Jeffery, I’m not here to cause you any trouble. I just want to know if you saw anything—out of the ordinary, I mean.”
“I didn’t see anything.” Jeffery shook his head.
Marley dared to step out from behind Blu’s leg, reaching down to pet the dog too.
“Are you sure? Maybe it didn’t seem important at the time,” Blu continued.
“I didn’t see anything.” Jeffery gritted his teeth.
“I guess that you knew Sam pretty well, hm?” Blu raised an eyebrow. “He probably helped with the young sailor’s club?”
Jeffery lowered his eyes. “Yes, he did.”
“I’m sorry for your loss.”
Jeffery swallowed hard. “Me too.”
“You were the only one close enough to see anything—if there was anything to see. You don’t have to be afraid to tell me the truth, Jeffery.”
He looked up and met her eyes. “I wasn’t even supposed to be out on the water. I was grounded. I snuck out in the morning because I thought I could get out and back before my dad found out.”
“Is that why you didn’t tell anyone what you saw?”
“Look, I’m not even sure about what I saw.” He picked up a tennis ball and tossed it across the front yard. “Go on, Duke, show the kids how well you fetch.” The dog and the children chased after the ball.
“Did you see Sam out surfing that morning?”
“Yes. I waved to him. He waved to me. Then I got a little ways away from him. I turned back to look to see if he caught a solid wave, and I saw him paddling toward the shore.”
“He was by himself?”
“Yes.” Jeffery narrowed his eyes. “But there was someone on the beach—waiting for him, it seemed.”
“Who was it?”
“I was too far out to see him clearly, but he was a big guy—thick, you know?”
“Muscular?”
“Yeah.”
“Could you see his face or how he was dressed?”
“He was wearing a windbreaker. I couldn’t see his face, though. I was too far out.”
“What happened then?”
“Well, I thought it was a little odd for Sam to be going in so soon. He only got to about a few feet out from the shore when the man on the beach started walking into the water. I thought that was strange because the guy wasn’t wearing a swimsuit or anything. He had on pants.”
“What else did you see?” Blu met his eyes directly. “Did you see them argue?”
Jeffery hung his head. “I was worried about getting back in time, so I started to sail back home. I didn’t see anything else. I didn’t see them argue or anything.”
Blu sighed. “Are you sure, Jeffery?”
“Yeah, I’m sure. Ever since Sam died, it’s all I’ve been thinking about. What if I’d stayed a little bit longer? What if I’d made sure that he got to the shore? Or asked him for some tips? Would he still be alive?”
Blu smiled sympathetically at the young man. He was barely more than a kid, with a big bur
den on his shoulders.
“It wasn’t your fault, Jeffery, but if you’re willing, I’d really like to tell Chief Pitman about what you saw.”
Jeffery sighed heavily. “I guess my dad will find out I was out on the water when I wasn’t supposed to be.”
“He may.” Blu nodded.
He shrugged. “I guess if it can help Sam somehow, it’s worth it.”
“Thanks, Jeffery.” Blu rubbed his shoulder. “You’re doing the right thing.”
Once she pried the kids away from the dog, she herded them into the car with promises of taking them out to lunch. On the way to the restaurant, Blu considered her options. She felt she had a strong enough case to be able to start an investigation.
She settled the kids with their favorite lunch at the restaurant patio, then she dialed the police department.
“May I speak with Chief Pitman, please? It’s Blu Parker.”
“The chief is in a meeting, may I take a message?”
“Are you sure he’s in a meeting or do you think it’s possible he’s avoiding my call?”
“Ma’am, did you have a message that you wanted to leave?”
“Yes, actually. Please tell Chief Pitman that I have the evidence he requested and that time is of the essence.”
She hung up the phone and frowned. Was he going to go back on his word? Had she done all of this work for nothing?
Chapter 22
Just as Blu and the kids were finishing their lunch, a police car pulled up beside the patio. The driver flicked the lights and siren on for the kids to enjoy for a moment. Then he stepped out of the car. Blu was surprised to see that it was Chief Pitman himself.
“Hi, kids.” He tipped his hat at the children. “Are you eating your vegetables?”
