by Maci Grant
Joey plucked a carrot up with his fork and put it in his mouth very fast.
Marley stuck out her tongue. “Yuck! No way!” She shook her head.
Chief Pitman laughed. He looked over at Blu. “Well, you have my attention. What evidence did you find?”
Blu stood up from the table and drew him a few steps away from it. “I have a witness that saw Sam in the water with another man that morning. I have evidence that Brian Ross was on that beach.”
“Wait a minute, you have a witness that saw Brian Ross with Sam in the water that morning?”
“Uh, no, not exactly. I found Brian Ross’ cufflink on the beach, and I have a witness that saw a man fitting his description on the beach that morning with Sam.”
“Oh? Your witness identified him as Brian Ross?”
Blu’s heart pounded hard. Every time the chief spoke her evidence sounded thinner. She didn’t know how to make it sound better.
“Look, I know that Sam was involved with Brian’s wife, and that Brian had an argument with him the night before. I know that my witness can prove that Sam was not alone that morning.”
“Your witness that never came forward in the first place?” The chief narrowed his eyes. “Is he credible?”
“He was afraid of getting in trouble. He was grounded at the time.”
“Oh, great. Well, that’s important.” Chief Pitman rolled his eyes. “At least tell me that this witness overheard the two arguing or something?”
“No, he was on a sailboat—too far away for him to hear anything that was being said.”
“Okay, let me see if I’ve got everything. Your witness is a scared kid on a sailboat—too far away to see or hear anything of value. And your proof is the fact that some rich woman from the beach house had been running around with Sam? Are you kidding? I’m missing out on my lunch hour for this? Blu, I don’t know what you’re used to in the city, but around here the police force isn’t big enough to waste time on petty theories and the imagination of a bored nanny.”
Blu bit the tip of her tongue. She knew that flying off the handle would do nothing to help her case. As difficult as it was for her to face, Chief Pitman was right. She had no solid evidence—nothing that couldn’t be explained away or dismissed. It dawned on her in that moment that the only way she was going to prove that Sam had been murdered would be to get the murderer to confess.
“I’m sorry for wasting your time.”
Chief Pitman adjusted his hat. “Listen, it’s not as if I don’t appreciate the effort you’re making. You’ve got real determination. But I think you’re trying to see something that just isn’t there.”
“Or is it just something that you’d prefer not to see? I imagine a local being murdered by someone from the beach house would cause an awful lot of paperwork.”
“You need to watch your tone with me.” He stuck his finger close to her nose. “I’ve been very patient with you, Blu, but I promise you, if you step one foot out of line I will show you just how much paperwork I’m perfectly content to fill out. Don’t accuse me of covering up anything. Understand?”
Blu took a slight step back.
“Blu? Are you going to jail?” Joey looked at her with wide eyes and a mouthful of grilled cheese.
Blu wasn’t sure how to answer that question. With the way Chief Pitman glared at her, she wondered if she might be.
Chief Pitman cracked a smile. “Don’t worry, son. Your nanny is doing a great job. Just keep eating those vegetables, hm?”
Joey nodded, but his eyes were still wide. Marley looked up from the tower she’d built with her French fries.
“No way! Yuck!”
“Marley!” Blu raised an eyebrow.
“Cute kids.” Chief Pitman grinned, then got into the patrol car and drove off.
Blu’s stomach sank as she heard the engine grow more distant. She really was alone in all of this.
After lunch Blu took the kids back to the beach house to get ready for the carnival.
She knew that Maddie had promised to try to get Penelope there. If she could get Penelope to confess to being involved with Sam, that would help bolster the case against Brian. Just as she was having the thought, another one hit her, causing a wave of dread.
Brian wasn’t the only person that fit the description that Jeffery had given her. AJ was a very large and muscular man as well.
The first chance she had, she’d ask Maddie to check Brian’s closet for a windbreaker. If she had the opportunity she’d get herself invited into AJ’s house so that she could search for a windbreaker there. Even if having a windbreaker was fairly common, she might be able to find some evidence on it that could implicate one of the men or at least validate her own suspicions.
Chapter 23
When they arrived at the carnival, Blu began looking for Maddie and Penelope. She kept track of the children amidst the crowd, but she was also busy scanning the faces.
“I want to go on the roller coaster!”
“I want to go on the flying planes!”
“Don’t worry, we’ll get to everything. But first, why don’t we get some cotton candy?”
“Yes!” Joey and Marley both shouted.
Blu laughed and walked with them toward a vendor. As she stood in line with the kids, she looked around at the crowd again. The line was long so Blu pulled out her phone and texted Maddie.
We’re at the carnival. Are you here?
A second later she received a text back.
Just leaving the parking lot. We’re going to the go-karts. Meet there?
Blu sent a text back agreeing to meet her. The line for the cotton candy hadn’t budged. She rose up on her toes and tried to look past all the people that stood in front of her.
“Kids, how about we start with something else?”
“No cotton candy?” Marley’s bottom lip began to quiver. Her big blue eyes squinted up at Blu. “I want it so bad!”
“I know you do, and we’ll still get some. But I want to see what else there is to do. Okay?”
“Okay.” Marley sighed.
Blu led the kids over to the area where the go-karts were. Neither was tall enough to ride on one, so they were both impatient about being there. Blu scanned the crowd again.
“Blu!” Maddie waved to her from the gate beside the go-kart course.
“Hi.” Blu walked over to her, tugging the kids along with her. “Is Penelope here too?”
“Yes.” Maddie lowered her voice. “I sent her to get some cotton candy so you could catch her alone. She’s still in a pretty bad mood.”
“I imagine she is.” Blu narrowed her eyes.
“What?” Maddie raised her voice over the revving engine of a go-kart.
“Do you mind keeping an eye on Joey and Marley for a few minutes while I go talk to her?”
“Sure, it’s fine. Mine are on the go-karts anyway. They’ll probably be on them all night.”
“Thanks.”
Blu crouched down in front of Marley. “You stay here with Maddie, I’m going to go get us our cotton candy, alright?”
“I can watch the cars?”
“Sure you can.” Blu ruffled her hair. “Joey, keep on eye on Marley, alright? Make sure she doesn’t wander off.”
“I’ll try.” Joey grinned. He grabbed Marley’s hand.
Blu walked off toward the cotton candy vendor.
It wasn’t hard to spot Penelope. She stood out, even in a t-shirt and jeans. Also, people tended to automatically give her a little space, perhaps because of who she was.
She paused a moment and studied her. Was Brian right? If the society they were a part of got wind of their arrangement, would they turn against the couple?
Blu slipped into line behind Penelope.
Within a few moments Penelope glanced over her shoulder. “Hi, Blu.” She smiled a little. “Did you bring the kids?”
“Yes. I left them with Maddie so they wouldn’t have to be in this long line.”
“Good plan. Th
is line is crazy. I don’t want to wait any more.”
“Me either. I’ll walk back with you?”
“Sure.” Penelope nodded and began to walk back toward the go-karts. Blu fell into step beside her.
“I wanted to tell you how sorry I am about Sam.”
“Oh? Yes, that was terrible.”
“I mean, I know how much you cared about him.” Blu braced herself for the woman’s reaction to her words.
“What?” Penelope stopped in the middle of the walkway. “What did you just say to me?”
“Penelope, I don’t mean to be intrusive. I just feel awful, knowing how much you liked him—that he was killed.”
“Wait a minute!” Penelope glared at her. “What are you talking about? Why would I care about a lifeguard, and what do you mean he was killed? It was an accident.”
Blu met her eyes. She remembered Brian’s insistence that he and Penelope would do anything to protect their reputation. Was she putting herself in danger by revealing what she knew to Penelope?
“I know about you and Sam. You don’t have to worry. I won’t breathe a word of it to anyone else. But you should know that it wasn’t an accident. Someone killed him.”
“That’s absurd.”
“Is it? You must have admired him for a long time. I’m sure you knew what a strong swimmer he was.”
Penelope fell silent. Blu noticed that she didn’t attempt to deny the affair.
The Ferris wheel lit up right behind them. As it began to spin the lights swirled and flashed, which created a strobing light effect. Penelope’s face shifted from shadowed to garishly lit up.
“What are you implying, Blu?” She stared hard, her rouged lips pressed tight together.
“I’m not judging you, Penelope. I just want to know. If you cared as much about Sam as I think you did, then I would think you’d want to know if your husband had a hand in his death.”
“You’re accusing my husband of murder?” Her eyes widened, her long lashes defined by the flicker of light. “You’re accusing me of infidelity?”
“Am I wrong?” Blu searched her eyes. “Did you know that your husband had an argument with Sam on the beach after you left? That he’d found out about the two of you being together?”
Chapter 24
Penelope threw her head back and laughed.
Blu’s lips parted with shock at the woman’s reaction.
When Penelope’s laughter subsided she spoke with a slight giggle. “My husband and I know everything that the other does, Blu. We have an arrangement.”
Blu raised an eyebrow. “So Brian was telling me the truth when I spoke to him last night.”
“You were with Brian last night?”
“Sure. At the club upstairs—at the Beach Bum.”
“Oh?” Penelope cleared her throat. “I didn’t think that was the type of place where you’d spend your time.”
“It isn’t normally. But after I found your husband’s cufflink on the beach, I was curious. So when he invited me for a drink, I accepted.”
“Just a drink?”
“Didn’t he tell you?” Blu tilted her head to the side. “I thought you two told each other everything?”
“Careful, Blu.”
“If he didn’t tell you about our meeting, what else isn’t he telling you, Penelope? What else might he be keeping from you? Perhaps he’s not as accepting of your activities as you think. Maybe he thought you were a little too interested in Sam.”
‘That’s nonsense. It’s impossible.”
“Why? You couldn’t imagine your husband being jealous of a man that you were sleeping with?”
“No. And if you must know, Sam and I didn’t sleep together.”
“But I thought—”
“Yes, you thought you knew everything, didn’t you? But no, he turned me down. I offered him an embarrassing amount of money, he accepted, but when it came down to it, he refused. He rejected me.” She lowered her eyes. “I guess I really am getting old.”
Blu narrowed her eyes. “I find that hard to believe. Why would he reject you?”
“He said he just couldn’t live with himself if he did it. Can you believe that? The man had nothing but the sand between his toes, and he couldn’t live with the idea of spending one night with me. That’s what we were arguing about on the beach. That’s what you saw. I was upset because he turned me down.”
“Upset enough to send your husband to bully him? They argued over him keeping the money?”
“No, that’s not it at all. I hadn’t given him the money yet. I hadn’t even taken it out of the bank. I wanted him to agree first, and obviously, he didn’t. I gave up. He was too much of a boy scout, or he just wasn’t attracted to me. Either way, I wasn’t about to beg. So I left. I went back home. I never even breathed a word about it to Brian.”
“I think you’re lying to me. I think you went to Brian, you demanded that he find a way to convince Sam to take your offer, and Brian went back to the beach that night to talk to him about it. Things got out of hand and Brian killed him.”
“You’re really twisted, Blu, you know that?” Penelope glared at her. “You don’t know anything. Brian would never risk something like that. He knows that it would ruin our reputation. Nothing matters to either of us more than our reputation. That’s how we’ve gotten as far as we have. We’re a team, and he wouldn’t do anything to ruin that.”
“Are you sure about that?” Blu searched Penelope’s eyes. “People can surprise you sometimes.”
Penelope’s glare faltered. For a split-second Blu witnessed a glimmer of doubt.
Then Penelope shook her head. “Brian knows how good he has it with me. If you try to cause us any trouble, I’ll spread the word that you’re jealous over Brian rejecting your advances. I’ll make sure every mother that has the money to pay for a nanny knows your name and the fact that you tried to get involved with my husband. What do you think that will do for your career?”
“Threatening me only makes you look more guilty, Penelope.” Blu tried to stand her ground as the woman crossed her arms.
“Sam turned me down. He was a good man, who just wasn’t interested in me. Brian had no reason to be jealous, nor would he ever be. Trust me. He was much more interested in what other women were doing, than what I was doing. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to collect my kids and let Maddie know that she is off for the night.”
“What? Why?”
“Do you think I’m blind, Blu? Maddie pleaded with me to come here tonight; I wouldn’t be here otherwise. I know you two are friends, and I know that the two of you set me up so that you could accuse me of this ridiculous crime that you’ve concocted in your mind. I won’t tolerate that kind of deceit. I need some time to think about whether Maddie still has a job.”
Chapter 25
Penelope stalked off toward the go-karts.
Blu’s stomach churned. She scrambled for her phone to try to text Maddie a warning before she was blindsided by Penelope. Before she had a chance to text, the phone slid right out of her hands and fell to the ground. She bent down to grab it and when she stood up again, Maddie was right in front of her with Marley and Joey in tow.
“I can’t believe you did that, Blu!”
“I’m sorry, Maddie.” Blu sent the children onto a nearby train ride and then turned to face her friend. “I didn’t expect this to happen. I really am sorry.”
“How could you flat out accuse her of murder? You asked me to set up an opportunity to talk to her, not accuse her. You might not realize this, but if I lose this job, I’m really out of luck. Why would you put me at risk like that?”
“I’m sorry, I really thought I would get her to confess.” Blu blinked back tears. “I never meant to get you into trouble, Maddie, you know that. I only wanted this job to be good for you. I don’t know how things have gotten so out of control. I was so sure that I was right about Penelope and Brian, but I guess I was wrong. I got caught up in the idea that they are rich and p
owerful, and I was blinded to the real culprit. But I think I’ve finally figured out the truth.”
“I don’t want to hear about it, Blu. As far as I’m concerned, you need to stay out of this. You’ve put a lot of people at risk, all because of this theory that you have, and that isn’t right. These are people’s lives, not some way to make up for your lost education.”
“That’s rather cruel, Maddie, and unfair. That’s not what I’m doing here. I’m trying to solve the murder of a good man.”
“A good man that died. You’ve found no real proof of murder. When are you going to give this up? What if Penelope talks to Rachel? What do you think will happen to your job? Blu, you know I love you. You’re my friend and you always will be, but I’m very upset with you right now. I think you’ve taken this a little too far, and to be honest, I’m worried about the way you’re behaving. It’s not like you to have a drink with Brian—to make it seem like you’d offer him more than that. Yeah, Penelope told me that too.”
“You’re chastising me for flirting?” Blu’s eyes widened.
“You’re not me. Yes, I was being risky, but you snapped me out of it. Now I’m trying to do the same for you. Are you going to listen, or are you going to go down in flames?”
“Isn’t that a bit dramatic?” Blu turned away from her. “I’m not going to let a man’s death go unnoticed because it’s safer to keep my mouth shut.”
“You’re too blinded by what you think is true to see the actual truth. You’re ruining your life and the lives of others with your meddling. If you’re bored, write a novel, don’t invent a fictional crime!”
“I thought you, of all people, would believe me.” Blu blinked back tears as the weight of her friend’s words struck her.
“You know what I believe, Blu?” Maddie met her eyes. “I believe that you think you’re doing what’s right, but you’re not. You didn’t choose to become a journalist. You chose to become a nanny. So why aren’t those kids and their family your first priority? Why are you putting all of them at risk by investigating something that will only lead to more heartbreak?”
