by Maci Grant
The sound of the music inside the bar drew her right to the door. When she opened the door, the scent of alcohol and nachos smacked her senses. She took a breath and walked further into the bar. The tables were full and every bar stool was occupied. Blu had never seen the Beach Bum so full. Whether it was for the special on beer or to show support for a local businessman, the night was looking to be quite a success already.
AJ seemed to have the attention of everyone at the bar as he went through one of his flashy bottle spinning rituals. Blu paused at the edge of the bar and watched with a smile. When AJ caught sight of her, the bottle slipped out of his hand and crashed into one of the large aluminum sinks. The bar erupted with laughter and mocking cheers.
Blu’s cheeks grew hot as AJ met her eyes.
He grabbed the bottle out of the sink and began pouring shots for the people at the bar.
Chapter 11
Blu scanned the faces in the bar in search of Oliver. She recognized a few of the locals, but the bar was filled with many unfamiliar people. It occurred to her that Oliver might not even show up.
“He’s not here yet.” AJ set a beer down in front of her.
Blu smiled politely, but she had no intention of drinking the beer. “I’ll have to keep my eyes peeled in this crowd.”
“Yes, I expected we’d be busy, but this is a bit much. I’ve been trying to keep a head count to make sure we don’t go over capacity.”
“It’s good for the family.”
“I suppose.” AJ held her gaze. “But things can easily get out of hand in a crowd like this. Just be careful Blu, alright? You may have your eye on Oliver, but I’m going to have my eyes on you.”
“That sounds good to me. Just try not to drop any more bottles.”
“No promises.” He smiled so wide that his eyes crinkled at the edges.
Blu pretended that her heart didn’t skip a beat at the sight of that smile. Before she could say another word the door to the bar swung open. She recognized Oliver right away despite the baseball cap that he wore pulled down over his forehead.
As he walked up to the bar, Blu nodded to AJ. AJ nodded in return.
Blu picked up the bottle of beer that AJ had set down in front of her and walked toward Oliver.
“Oliver, right? I’m sure you don’t remember me.”
He looked at her from under the brim of his hat. “I remember.”
“This is for you.” She held out the bottle of beer to him.
“Thanks.” He reached out to take it.
Blu pulled it back. “Wait a minute. Are you old enough to drink this?”
Oliver frowned. “I’m twenty-one. Do you want my ID?”
“No, that’s okay.” Blu smiled. “It’s all yours.”
As Oliver took the beer she wondered about how nervous he was. His hand shook as he gripped the bottle and his forehead was beaded with sweat.
“Thanks for this.”
“I’m sorry about your father, Oliver.”
“I know, I know. Everyone’s sorry.” Oliver tightened his grasp on the beer. “But it doesn’t change anything, does it? All of the sorry in the world doesn’t bring him back.”
“No, you’re right about that.”
“I just keep thinking about the last time I saw him. It was so uneventful. He tossed me the keys to the cart and asked me to take over for the day. How is that for a goodbye?”
“It is a tough thing to go through, Oliver. Do you have anyone close that you can lean on? Someone that you can trust?”
“Just my mother.” Oliver took a swig from the bottle of beer.
“No one else? It might be hard for her to comfort you while she’s dealing with her own loss.”
“We take care of each other.”
“I’m sure that you do.” Blu noticed a table had opened up. “Do you want to sit?”
“Sure.” He followed her over to the table.
Blu sat down and tugged at the hem of her skirt. It was shorter than she’d anticipated.
Oliver sat down across from her.
“I wasn’t sure if you would come here tonight.”
“Well, it was nice of them to do this, you know. It would have meant a lot to my dad. He wasn’t much of a drinker, but he was always talking about the local business owners and how they were all on the same footing. Everybody relies on tourism, and everybody struggles to get through the off season.” He shrugged and took a drink of the beer. When he set the bottle down he looked up into Blu’s eyes. “And I didn’t know where else to go, really.”
“You didn’t want to be home with your mom?”
“My mom?” Oliver shook his head. “No. We might be close but this we can’t go through together.”
“It can be hard to be around someone when you’re both grieving.”
“Is she, though?” Oliver sighed and drank some more of the beer.
Blu reached out and touched the back of his free hand. It was strange for her to caress someone so casually, but Oliver’s eyes fluttered with appreciation.
He sighed and sank back in his chair. “All they ever did was fight. I grew up thinking that was love—that was marriage—people being angry at one another all the time. Don’t get me wrong, I love my mother. She’s always taken care of me and looked out for me. I loved my father too. They are just very different people, and they couldn’t ever seem to get along.”
“They had been together a long time.” Blu made a note in the back of her mind that Oliver’s story about Emile’s relationship with Hilda was different than Hilda’s.
“Sure. I guess.” He rubbed a hand along his forehead. “I asked my dad once why he stayed with her if all they did was fight. He looked at me and told me to grow up—that life wasn’t about being happy. It was about making the best choices you could. I still don’t know what he meant by that, but it’s kind of heartbreaking to think he died without being happy.”
“I’m sorry, that’s hard advice to take. If it helps, I don’t really agree with him. I think life is about being happy. I mean, other things too, but happiness is important.”
He stared at his beer bottle. “Maybe. It doesn’t matter now. Not for him.”
Blu looked at him intently.
Chapter 12
“What about for you?” Blu curved her hand around Oliver’s and held it. “Is there anything or anyone in your life that makes you happy?”
An instant smile lit up his face. He nodded. Whatever he held back earlier he was ready to share.
“One person.”
“Oh? A girlfriend?” Blu smiled at him. “That doesn’t surprise me.”
“She’s more than a girlfriend. I think she’s the one, you know?” He looked into her eyes. “I can’t ever stop thinking about her.”
Blu’s eyes narrowed slightly. She was sure that the person he spoke of was the same woman she’d seen at the lighthouse.
“You’re lucky to have found her then. But where is she tonight? Is she going to meet you?”
“No.” He cleared his throat and pulled his hand free of Blu’s. “She’s not going to be here. We keep things pretty much under the radar.”
“Why is that?”
Oliver rolled his eyes. “My dad had some very traditional views on things.”
“So he didn’t like her?” Blu’s heart sped up. That was even more reason to suspect the girlfriend.
“He didn’t even know her. Not really. He never gave her the chance.”
“It sounds like you really care about this girl. What was her name again?” Blu lifted an eyebrow.
“Marta. Her name is Marta. I guess that’s the one good thing that came out of this. Now we’ll be able to be together.”
“Marta? Have you known her long?”
“We were in high school together.” He smiled. “We knew from the first moment that we saw each other that we were in love.” He pulled out his wallet and opened it up. “Isn’t she beautiful?”
Blu stared at the photograph, which was almost iden
tical to the sketch. Marta most certainly was the woman that Blu had seen in the lighthouse. “Gorgeous. You’re one lucky guy, Oliver.”
“I think so. I just hope she feels the same. She hasn’t been returning my calls today.” He shook his head. “I know things are a little crazy, and that’s probably all it is, but I just wish she would answer the phone.”
Blu bit into her bottom lip. She was tempted to tell him that Marta wasn’t calling him back because she was the one who murdered his father. But when she looked into his forlorn gaze she couldn’t imagine making things worse for him.
“I’m sure she’ll call soon.”
He nodded. “I probably sound pretty pathetic to you, huh?”
“Not at all. Why would you think that?”
“Well, here you are, this beautiful woman sharing a drink with me, and all I can talk about is my girlfriend.”
Blu blushed at the comment. “That doesn’t sound pathetic at all to me. I think it’s sweet. You must really care about her.”
“I do.” He fiddled with his beer bottle. “She’s been through a lot.”
“Life isn’t always easy.”
“No.” He frowned. “No, it’s not.” He finished his beer. “I think you’re right, though. I should be home with my mother. She shouldn’t be alone after something like this.”
“It would be good for you to be there for her.”
“I guess with just the two of us left, we’re going to have to figure out what to do next.”
“I’ll walk you out, alright?”
“Thanks.” He stood up and glanced around the packed bar. “I have to say that it’s good to know that all these people would come out in support of my father and my family. It means a lot.”
“You have a good solid community around you, Oliver. Don’t be afraid to lean on it for support.”
He nodded and wrapped his arm around hers as they walked toward the door. “You’ve been so kind to me, Blu.” He leaned in close and spoke quietly in her ear. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Blu gave his arm a little squeeze.
When she looked toward the door she caught sight of AJ watching them. A pang of guilt caused her muscles to tense. It was silly. AJ was a friend, and she’d done nothing wrong, yet she couldn’t bring herself to look him in the eye as she left the bar on Oliver’s arm.
Blu walked Oliver to his car. After their conversation, she suspected that he might go to see his girlfriend instead of his mother.
Once he started his engine, Blu walked to her car. She thought about going back inside to speak to AJ, but she knew he was busy. She wanted to see where Oliver would go. Since she was parked on the road it was easy for her to slide out behind Oliver’s car and follow him.
He drove in a familiar direction. It didn’t take long for Blu to realize that he was actually driving toward his mother’s house. Blu parked a few houses down, close enough to see him, but far enough not to be noticed.
She watched as Oliver walked up to the front door of his mother’s house. She saw a light come on in the upstairs bedroom. Then, as Oliver opened the door, she saw a shadowy figure climb right out of the second floor window. He climbed down the trellis and jumped to the ground right after Oliver stepped inside.
Blu jumped out of the car in an attempt to get a good look at who he was, but he ran across the backyard and disappeared.
As she got back into her car it dawned on her that maybe Emile wasn’t the only one who was hadn’t been faithful in his marriage.
She drove back to the beach house with a lot on her mind. If Marta really was the killer then would it even matter that Hilda was seeing someone else? If she revealed that Hilda had someone in her bedroom, would Oliver’s life be even more damaged? How did a young man recover from losing his father, his girlfriend, and his mother all in the course of one investigation?
Chapter 13
Blu cut the headlights on her car before she pulled into the driveway of the beach house. She didn’t want to wake the family, likely sound asleep inside. She made her way quietly to the door. She slid the key into the lock on the door. Just as she was about to turn it, she heard someone step up beside her.
With a gasp she spun around and looked right into Chief Pitman’s eyes.
“Don’t do that!” She smacked him hard on the chest. Only after her hand made contact did she realize that it might not have been the best idea to hit the chief of police.
“I’m sorry.” He adjusted his hat. “I didn’t mean to sneak up on you. I wanted to speak with you and I figured that the kids might be sleeping, so I didn’t want to call out.”
“I’m sorry for hitting you.” She frowned.
“It’s okay. I won’t arrest you. This time.” He smirked. “So do you have an update for me? AJ said you were cozied up with the kid—with Oliver—most of the night.”
“We were not cozied up together. But I did talk to him. I have the name of his girlfriend. I saw her picture. It’s the same woman that I saw at the lighthouse. Her name is Marta.”
“No last name?”
“No, sorry.”
“That’s not much to go on.” He shook his head. “Are you sure that it was the same girl?”
“I’m sure. Also, he mentioned that his father and mother fought a lot. Hilda also told me that she suspected Emile was having an affair.” Blu bit into her bottom lip, holding back the information about what she’d witnessed after following Oliver.
“Wait a minute, when did you talk to Hilda?”
“I went to see her today.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Chief Pitman crossed his arms.
“I didn’t think it was important. I just wanted to get a better idea of Emile’s family.”
“You should have told me.”
“What’s the difference? You asked me to get information out of Oliver tonight.”
“I asked you. You agreed. Instead of giving me the heads-up about your conversation with Hilda, you went off on your own.”
“I still don’t see what the problem is.” Blu frowned.
“If we’re going to work together, I need to be able to trust you, Blu. I can’t trust you if you’re going to go behind my back to do things.”
“It wasn’t behind your back. I just didn’t know that you would want to be notified. I didn’t mean any disrespect.”
“From now on, if you’re going to go off and conduct your own interviews, I want you to tell me. This case is important to me. I don’t want any mistakes. Understand?”
“Yes.” Again Blu considered mentioning the man she saw climb out of Hilda’s window. But after thinking about the look in Oliver’s eyes she just couldn’t do it. Marta was clearly the main, if not the only suspect, so why bring up Hilda’s lover? He likely had nothing to do with the crime. She brought her attention back to the chief, who seemed to be waiting for more from her. “Good night, Chief Pitman.”
“Good night, Blu. Thank you for your help.”
“You’re welcome.”
Blu stepped inside and closed the door behind her. She crept to her room and sat down on the edge of her bed. For a moment she toyed with her phone as she considered calling AJ. “He’s probably still closing up the bar.”
Blu stretched out on the bed. She closed her eyes. No matter how much she tried to distract herself, she couldn’t shake the memory of the way AJ had looked at her as she left the bar. She wondered how long she could go on pretending that she wasn’t absolutely enamored with him. He’d made his feelings very clear, but Blu couldn’t risk getting her emotions tangled up in what would only be a summer affair.
While she prepared breakfast the next morning, Blu sent a text to Maddie.
Marley’s hair is almost fixed, it’s just a little pink. Would you like to meet at the playground this morning?
She turned and served the kids eggs and toast.
“I want pizza!” Marley frowned.
“Oh, that sounds good.” Joey nodded.
“Not fo
r breakfast.” Blu grinned. “How about we get pizza for lunch? Does that sound good?”
“Yes!” Marley grinned.
“Great.” Blu glanced at her phone to see that Maddie had texted back.
We’ll meet you there.
Blu smiled. She could use some advice from Maddie, and after their being cooped up in a hair salon the day before she was sure the kids could use some outdoor activity.
After breakfast they drove to the park near the beach. The moment they parked, the kids ran for the playground. Blu waved to Maddie, who waited on one of the benches.
“You beat us here.”
“I couldn’t wait to find out what happened last night.” Maddie smiled up at her. “So, dish.”
Chapter 14
Blu sat down beside Maddie on the park bench.
“Well, to be honest, I didn’t find out too much. Oliver’s girlfriend is named Marta, and I’m pretty sure his mother is having an affair. Apparently that wasn’t quite as much as Chief Pitman expected.”
“Well, Marta isn’t much to go on.”
“I know that. But it was more than he had.” Blu frowned and crossed her arms.
“Are you sure that he didn’t tell you anything else about her? A place they liked to go? How they met?”
“Oh, well he did say they met in high school.”
“There it is! That’s the only clue that you need.” Maddie grinned and pulled out her phone. “Let’s see, do you have an idea of where Oliver went to school?”
“I saw a picture of him in a soccer uniform. Caldero Wildcats.”
“Okay, Caldero High School is one of the local schools. Give me a second.” Maddie tapped away on the keyboard on her phone.
Blu watched as Joey swung as high as he could on the swing.
“Okay, I’ve got Oliver. Give me another second.” She skimmed through her phone. “Here we go. Marta Milagros. There’s even a picture of them together. See?” She held up the phone, which displayed a photograph of Oliver and Marta. They sat together on a bench and smiled at the camera.
