by Maci Grant
“Aw, Blu, you can’t think that way. I’m glad the kids weren’t there to witness it. That’s something they would never forget.”
“Yes, you’re right.” Blu narrowed her eyes. “I am determined to find out what happened, though.”
“I think it’s intriguing that the woman you saw had an impact on Oliver. Who do you think she is?”
“I don’t know. A friend? A girlfriend? Maybe a relative?” Blu smiled at the waitress as she set down a plate of food in front of her. “Thank you.”
“You’re sure he recognized her?”
“I’m sure. But he also seemed surprised. If he knew her, and she was involved, I would think that he would be aware of it. Instead, he looked surprised when he saw the sketch.”
“So the plan tonight is to try to get him to talk about her?’
“Yes.” Blu frowned. “I get the feeling Chief Pitman expects me to flirt with him or something.”
“Is that so bad?”
“He’s just a kid, Maddie.”
“Blu, you’re not an old lady, you know. He’s only a few years younger than you.”
“Maybe so, but to me he’s a kid.”
“I’ll be there with you to aid in the flirtation.” Maddie winked.
“I hope that we’ll be able to find something out.”
“What about the wife?”
“Hm?”
“Well, in cases like this, isn’t it always the wife?” Maddie pushed her eggs across her plate.
“I hadn’t really thought about it. I know that Chief Pitman notified her already. He didn’t seem to suspect her. Now that you mention it, though, I think I might go see her for myself. I know she runs a shop in town.”
“Just be careful.”
“Always.” Blu winked.
As they finished their meals, the two chatted about the fundraiser that night. Blu was more than a little bit distracted by the thought of getting to see AJ. As much as she was trying to prepare herself for the fact that summer would soon be over and AJ would remain at the beach while she returned with the family to the city, she couldn’t ignore the subtle ache in her chest. She would miss him—more than she thought she should.
When Blu left the cafe her mind was made up. She wanted to know more about the Grover family. What better way to gain some intimate knowledge than through the matriarch?
Blu opened a search page on her phone and typed in the name Hilda Grover. The address came up in the first few results. She set it as a new destination and waited for the map to appear. Once it had, she began to follow the directions to the address.
The Grover home was only about fifteen minutes away from the beach. Blu parked in front of it. It was a modest but well-kept home. The grass was cut, the garden was tended, and the exterior had recently been painted. The one-story ranch looked just like the one beside it and the one across from it.
Blu walked toward the front door. She noticed that there was only one car in the driveway. If Oliver was home there was no sign of him yet.
Chapter 8
Blu knocked on the door. Right away it swung open. Blu suspected that the woman who opened the door had been watching her approach the house. The skin beneath her eyes was puffy and red.
“Hi. Mrs. Grover?”
“Please, call me Hilda.” She dabbed at her eyes with a tissue. “Can I help you?”
“I just wanted to offer you my condolences. I didn’t know Emile well, but he will be missed.”
“Oh, thank you.”
Hilda seemed to be eyeing Blu carefully, and Blu guessed that she might, in fact, welcome some company.”
As if she were reading Blu’s mind, Hilda continued. “Would you like to come in?” She trembled as she blinked back tears. “It’s still setting in. I just keep thinking he will walk through that door any minute.”
“I’m very sorry, Hilda.” Blu reached out and gently took her hand. “If there’s anything I can do, please don’t be afraid to ask.”
“No, there’s nothing, really. I mean, he’s gone. What can anyone do?” She sighed and passed her gaze over the photographs on the mantle. “It’s strange how someone can be there one day and gone the next.”
“Yes, it is.” Blu followed her gaze to the pictures. She noticed quite a few of Emile and several that featured Oliver. “Your son must be devastated.”
“Oh, he is.” Hilda nodded and swallowed back a sob. “There’s nothing that he wanted more than to please his father. To think that he will never have that chance is heartbreaking.”
“It is terrible that he was there when his father passed.”
“I still don’t understand how it all happened.” She sighed and clutched her tissue. “None of it makes any sense to me.”
“Did Chief Pitman show you a sketch? Of a woman?”
“Yes, he did. I’m afraid I don’t know the woman, though. Emile did have his ways, though…”
“What do you mean?” Blu turned back to face her.
“I mean, Emile liked the ladies. He never paraded them in front of me, but I had my suspicions.”
Blu narrowed her eyes. “So you think he was having an affair with the woman in the sketch?”
“Well, no wife likes to think it, but let’s be realistic, most men do cheat.” She sniffled. “I guess he paid the ultimate price for it.”
“I’m sorry, Hilda, that must have been hard to deal with.”
“It was alright. We’d been together for so long that we were more like fixtures in one another’s lives than romantic partners. You’ll understand one day.”
Blu frowned. She was determined that would not be the case. But she kept that to herself. “Still, the woman seems rather thin.”
“What are you saying?” Hilda crossed her arms.
“Emile was not a small man.”
“No he wasn’t.” Hilda shrugged. “But people can be stronger than they look.”
“That’s true.” Blu looked back at the photographs. “Are you sure you’ve never seen her before? Not even perhaps with your son? A friend of his from school?”
“Oliver? No.” Hilda shook her head. “I’ve never seen her with him. Oliver is a bit of a loner.”
“Really? He seems like such a personable young man.”
“Emile was always very strict about who he could associate with. You see, Emile’s childhood was very rough, and he always worried about Oliver dealing with the same issues. I guess you could say that he was a little overprotective.”
“That must have been hard on Oliver. Was he resentful of his father?” Blu looked back at Hilda.
“Why are you asking me all of these questions?” Hilda studied Blu. “If you think my son had anything to do with this you are absolutely wrong. He’s a good boy and he loved his father. He would never do anything to hurt Emile.”
“I’m sorry if I upset you. I didn’t mean to infer anything like that.”
“I should hope not.” She sighed. “I’m exhausted by all of this. I think I need to go rest.”
“Of course you do. I’m sorry to have disturbed you. I’ll see myself out.”
“Wait just a minute. Blu, you said it was?”
“Yes.” Blu turned back to face her.
“I want you to know something about my family, Blu. We might not be perfect, but we love one another in a way that most never get the chance to. Did Emile and Oliver fight? Of course they did. But they were always looking out for what was best for one another. Maybe they could have been kinder, but in the end there’s no doubt in my mind that they both knew that they were loved by the other.”
“I understand.” Blu met her eyes. “I’m very sorry for your loss, Hilda. I hope that you and Oliver are able to get through this difficult time.”
“We will. We still have each other.”
Blu left the house with a sense of guilt that weighed on her shoulders. Had she been so caught up in the idea of an investigation that she forgot there were human hearts and lives involved in all of it?
Chapter 9
After leaving the Grovers’ house, Blu decided to take a run along the beach. Usually an early morning activity for her, running always helped to clear her mind.
She stopped by the house to change. The empty driveway indicated that Rachel and the kids were still out. She changed into some running shorts and a top.
As she left the house again her cell phone rang. When she saw that it was AJ, her heart skipped a beat. She thought for a moment about not answering. She wanted to get used to distancing herself from him. But just when the call was about to go to voicemail, she picked up the phone.
“Hi, AJ.”
“Hey, Blu. Am I interrupting something?”
“I was just going to go out for a run.”
“Oh? Do you want some company?”
Blu looked down at her outfit. It was not exactly the most flattering thing to be seen in. She thought about how sweaty she would be when she finished running. Did she really want AJ to see her like that? Then it struck her. It shouldn’t matter. If she was going to let go of him when summer was over, then why should she worry about how she looked? This would be a good test of her resolve.
“Sure.”
“I can be there in about ten minutes.”
“I’ll wait for you.” Those words caught in her throat. She spoke them on impulse but they felt so weighted once they were spoken.
“Good.” AJ’s voice softened. “I’ll be there soon.”
Blu took the time to stretch. Even though she hadn’t begun to run yet, her heart raced and her breath was uneven.
When AJ appeared before her, she regretted her choice to run with him. He wore a sleeveless snug t-shirt that accentuated every ripple and rise of his chest.
She felt her cheeks grow hot as she looked away from him.
“Ready to run?”
“Sure.” He smiled at her. “Thanks for letting me join in.”
“Oh, it’s fine. I’ve been a bit busy lately and haven’t been getting my runs in. I’m way overdue. Why did you call in the first place?”
“Oh, right. I was just going to talk to you a bit about the plan for tonight.”
“Is there a plan?”
“To be honest with you, the bar is going to be packed. I doubt there will be much time or room for you to be able to get any information out of Oliver.”
“I guess I’ll just have to try. Maddie is planning on joining me, so maybe she’ll be able to get more out of him than I could.”
AJ raised an eyebrow. “Did you run that past my uncle?”
“I didn’t think I needed to.” Blu met his eyes. “What’s the difference?”
“I don’t think there is one. He might just prefer to know.”
“I’ll tell him.” Blu walked out across the sand.
AJ matched her pace. “So you’re definitely going to be there tonight?”
“Yes.”
AJ frowned. “I don’t know if it’s such a good idea to involve you in all of this.”
“AJ, your uncle asked me for a reason. He trusts my instincts.”
“Yes, and I’m sure he also likes the fact that you’re not on his payroll so he won’t be held responsible for anything that happens.”
“Wow. That’s a dark thought. Do you really think he would put me in danger?” Blu searched his eyes.
“No. I’m sorry, I don’t. I just think that since he’s got this idea in his head that you can help out with his cases, he’s not being as cautious as he should be.”
“Or as cautious as you think he should be?” Blu smiled at him. “Is it the fact that Oliver is a suspect in his father’s death, or the fact that I’ll be doing my very best to get information out of him?”
“Hm?” AJ turned to face her. “What are you trying to say, Blu?”
When he fixed his eyes on her directly Blu didn’t feel as confident as she had a moment before. Was she really bold enough to say what she was thinking?
“Uh, well—just that maybe you might be just a little tiny bit jealous.” Every bit of breath left Blu’s body as she waited for his reaction.
He was silent for a long moment as he stared into her eyes.
“No, I’m sorry, Blu, but you’re wrong about that.”
Blu flushed and looked away.
In the next moment his arm wrapped around her waist and he pulled her close.
Blu met his eyes with surprise.
“I’m not just a little tiny bit jealous. I’m incredibly, unreasonably jealous. You should be getting me drunk, not Oliver.”
Blu laughed as he wiggled his eyebrows. Her laughter was silenced by the soft warm pressure of his lips against the curve of her cheek. When he released her she could barely look at him.
“I don’t imagine you’re easy to get drunk.”
“No. I’m not. But I don’t imagine you’d need to get me drunk.” He grinned. “So are we going to run or what?”
“Oh yes!” Blu took off across the sand.
She needed to run to get all of her nerves to calm down. AJ’s presence, as always, had stirred up every confusing sensation within her. Even through she ran as fast as she could, AJ easily matched her pace.
Chapter 10
The sand flew out from beneath Blu’s feet as the balmy air sailed across her skin. Even with AJ at her side she began to relax. The sun, the sand, and the thrash of her heartbeat all worked together to ease her anxiety as she ran. She could hear AJ’s ragged breath as he did his best to keep up.
By the time they reached an isolated section of the beach Blu was winded. She stopped and rested her hands on her knees.
“Whew.” AJ plopped down on the sand. “Are you trying to kill me, woman?”
Blu laughed and sprawled out on the sand beside him. “I’m sorry. I don’t usually run like that, but I needed to clear my head.”
“About Emile?”
“Yes.” Blu wiped a hand across her forehead. “I visited his wife today and—I don’t know—something just felt off.”
“She wasn’t upset?”
“She was very upset. But she also said her husband was likely having an affair.”
“Ouch.”
“Yeah.” Blu sat up and looked over at AJ. “She mentioned it didn’t bother her too much because most men have affairs.”
AJ stared up at her. “You don’t believe that, do you?”
“I don’t know. I think Rachel worries about it with Marshall since he’s gone so much.”
“That doesn’t mean he’s cheating.”
“You’re right.” Blu sighed and glanced out over the water.
AJ wrapped a hand around hers.
When she looked back at him he held her gaze.
“I would never do that. If I’m with someone, I’m with them one hundred percent.”
“That’s very noble of you.”
“I think the only men who cheat are the men who don’t know what it’s like to be in love, Blu. Because once you fall in love, once you find that one person who you connect with on that deep level, there is no one else on earth that will satisfy you.”
Blu smiled. “That sounds sweet.”
“It’s the truth.” He trailed a fingertip along the tender skin of her palm. “It’s what I believe.”
“And how many times have you fallen in love, AJ?”
He met her eyes again. This time his cheeks reddened as he looked at her. “Just once.”
Blu glanced away from him. Her heart fluttered. She didn’t want to believe that he meant her, but he certainly wasn’t giving her any other explanation for his words. Still, she forced the thought out of her mind.
“I don’t know what to think about love.”
“That’s the thing, Blu.” He sat up beside her and gave her hand a light squeeze. “Love isn’t about thinking. It’s all about feeling.”
“Well, if that’s the case then maybe Hilda was right. Maybe she could feel that her husband didn’t really love her. Maybe that’s why it’s so easy for her to believe that his lo
ver killed him.”
AJ smiled a little and released her hand. “I guess we’ll find out more from Oliver tonight—I mean, if you do your job well.” He winked at her.
“Are you doubting my ability to flirt, AJ?” Blu batted her eyes.
“Oh, yes.” He laughed. “Very much.”
“Thanks a lot.” She playfully glared at him.
“I guess we’ll find out tonight, hm?”
“I guess.” Blu got to her feet. “Thanks for the run.”
“I’d love to do it again sometime.”
Blu smiled. “We’ll see. You had a pretty hard time keeping up.”
“I’ll train harder.” He winked, then jogged off across the sand.
Blu walked back toward the beach house to shower and change. As she approached the path that led to the house she caught sight of the lighthouse in the distance. Maybe she wasn’t skilled at flirting, but if it meant she could find out the truth about Emile’s death, she would give it her best shot.
After showering, Blu chose an outfit that she wouldn’t normally wear—a tank top paired with a skirt that was on the shorter side. She pulled her hair up into a perky ponytail and applied some rare-for-her lipstick. When she looked in the mirror she was a little startled. She looked a few years younger. With one more check of her outfit she headed out the door.
In the driveway, she sent a text to Maddie.
Are you ready?
A moment later she received a text in return.
Can’t go after all. You’re on your own!
Blu stared at the text. Without Maddie by her side, she wasn’t sure that she’d be able to get any information out of Oliver.
With a sigh, she got into the car. Even if she was on her own, she had to give it a try.
The Beach Bum parking lot was so full that there was nowhere for Blu to park. She parked next door in a car wash that was closed for the night.
