Red Julie (An Olivia Miller Mystery Book 2)

by J A Whiting

  She rolled her eyes at him but he couldn’t see it. “Oh, come on. Look at that place. Those renovations have turned it into some kind of a palace. A Taj Mahal. It’s ridiculous. It looks completely out of place.”

  “You’re being critical of the man because he was born into a wealthy family.”

  “Yes, I am.”

  “That doesn’t seem fair,” Joe went on. “Did you notice that your inheritance from Aggie has made you a millionaire? On paper anyway. If you sold the house.”

  “I’m not selling the house, so basically I’m still poor. And I’d never be in his financial league, anyway. Far from it. And the way he name-dropped that he had graduated from Harvard. I don’t know, I can’t pinpoint it, but he seems kind of entitled and arrogant.”

  “You’re going to go to Harvard,” Joe pointed out.

  “But I don’t brag about it. Jeez. And I’m not arrogant.”

  “No?” Joe teased.

  “Joe!” Olivia protested. “Why are you defending him? You haven’t even met him.”

  “Exactly. And you talked to him for a few minutes. You should give him a chance. Get to know him before passing judgment. There aren’t exactly a bunch of suitors banging down your door.”

  “Ugh. How rude,” Olivia said.

  “Just sayin’.” Joe straightened the shingle and nailed it into place. “So, are you going kayaking this afternoon?”

  “Yes,” Olivia muttered.

  ***

  Olivia had on her cutest bikini and a soft blue fitted t-shirt. She chided herself for doing it but she had put on some pink lip gloss. She put on her life preserver, got into the kayak, and slipped into the ocean river that cut along behind Ogunquit beach. She moved her paddle smoothly in and out of the ice cold water, gliding the kayak over the surface. White puffs of clouds dotted the bright blue sky. She passed sea birds and marsh grasses. The contrast of nature’s greens and blues was breathtaking. The stress and worries of the past few days moved to the back of her mind. She stopped stroking and let the kayak drift in the current. She closed her eyes and leaned against the seat back, the sun warming her skin.

  “Don’t fall asleep or you’ll drift out to sea,” someone called.

  Olivia startled and turned toward the voice, shading her eyes from the glare of the sun. Alexei stroked swiftly across the river, closing the distance between them. He was lightly tanned and his pearly white teeth gleamed in the sun. Olivia was sure they must be veneers. No one had such perfect rows of teeth. Either that or he had spent a fortune on braces and whitening products. She watched his arm muscles ripple as he moved the paddles in and out of the water. As he approached he flicked some water at her off the end of his paddle.

  “Hey,” Olivia protested, but she gave Alexei a smile.

  “There’s a beautiful spot up ahead. Why don’t we paddle there and take a swim?” Alexei suggested.

  “It’s early June, Alexei. The water’s freezing,” Olivia told him.

  “But it’s so hot today. It will feel good to cool off.”

  “We’ll see,” Olivia told him as she started to paddle up river.

  When they reached the area of dunes near Footbridge Beach, they landed the kayaks and pulled them up on shore. Olivia straightened and caught Alexei’s eyes lingering over her body in a way that made her uncomfortable.

  “So, ready to jump in?” she asked and stepped into the sea up to her ankles.

  “Not so fast,” he told her. “I think I know a way to heat things up a bit more.”

  Alexei took Olivia roughly by the arm and spun her around to him. He pressed in close to her and ran his hands over her shoulders before putting one hand on her back and pulling her to him. His other hand touched her left breast. He leaned down and put his mouth over hers. Olivia put her hands on his chest and pushed hard against him, and at the same time she jerked her head to the right to remove his lips from her mouth. The result wasn’t so much pushing Alexei away as pushing herself back from him. But as far as Olivia was concerned, she had achieved her goal of disengaging from Alexei. Olivia retreated a few steps into the water. It was so cold her ankles ached, but she was determined to keep distance between them. She glared at him.

  Alexei grinned at her. “Ahh…what? Come here.” He reached his hand to her.

  “I don’t think so,” Olivia told him. She held his eyes, her face stern.

  His expression hardened. “You prefer to be cold?”

  “I prefer to be treated respectfully,” Olivia said.

  He waved his hand in the air, dismissing her words, and shook his head. “When a man finds you attractive, you should respond. You act childishly.”

  Olivia’s eyes widened. “You act like a spoiled brat. Do you always get what you want?”

  “Of, course. Why wouldn’t I?”

  Olivia turned and dove into the ocean. She swam under the surface for several yards, her skin tingling with pain from the icy sea. Her feet numb, she stood up, shook the water from her hair, and walked to her kayak.

  “Olivia,” Alexei said.

  “Time to go,” Olivia replied.

  “Come back. Stay.”

  “You talk to me like you’re issuing commands to a dog,” Olivia said as she pushed off from the shore and paddled away without looking at Alexei. She was furious. How obnoxious could a man be? So self-centered and egotistical. The paddle slashed at the water and moved the kayak up the river.

  She banked the kayak at the Sea Shore Hotel on Ogunquit Beach, where she had arranged with the owner to keep her kayaks. She latched it to one of the pilings on the hotel’s dock and nearly jogged up the street to the center of town, propelled by her lingering anger.

  As Olivia rounded the corner to the market, she crashed into Brad, who was just coming out of the store with a grocery bag full of cartons of milk.

  “Whoa, woman in a hurry,” Brad said.

  “I’m so sorry, Brad. I wasn’t paying any attention,” Olivia apologized. “I’m just distracted.”

  “By the look on your face, it’s not anything good that’s distracting you.”

  Olivia made an even sourer face.

  “Oh, that’s much better.” Brad smiled, but when she didn’t respond to his joking his smile disappeared. “You’re shivering. How about some coffee? Or maybe some tea. My mom says tea makes everything better.”

  The corners of Olivia’s mouth turned up into a tiny smile and she nodded in agreement. They crossed the street to Brad’s store.

  “Here, sit outside in the deck chairs and warm up in the sun. I’ll go in and make you something. What’ll it be?” Brad asked.

  “Surprise me,” Olivia answered as she settled into one of the chairs.

  Brad stared at Olivia for a few seconds. “Okay, judging by the situation here, I have determined just the thing to make you feel better.” He grinned and headed into the store, but paused and looked back at Olivia. “I will work my magic,” he said in a silly, deep voice. Olivia smiled and shook her head in mock disgust.

  It felt good to lean back in the chair and let the sun warm her. The sun dried her swimsuit and she stopped shivering.

  Brad emerged from his store carrying a sweatshirt and wooden tray. The tray was lined with a placemat and on it was a china pot of tea, a cup and saucer, a silver bowl of sugar cubes, a pot of cream, and a small plate cradling a scone and some raspberry jam. A silver teaspoon and knife were tucked into a blue linen napkin. Olivia sat up straight and her eyes widened. Her face brightened. “What’s all this?” she marveled.

  “We aim to please,” Brad said. He handed Olivia the sweatshirt and set the tray on the side table next to the deck chair she was sitting in. He poured tea into her china cup. “Enjoy. I have to go in and get my two employees going, but I’ll have a few minutes to sit after that if you have time to stay.” Olivia nodded as she slathered the jam on her scone and took a chomp out of it. She laughed and wiped her mouth with her napkin.

  “Yum,” she managed.

  “I’ll b
ring you another one when I come back,” Brad laughed.

  ***

  Olivia and Brad sat side by side in the deck chairs on the patio next to his store and watched the cars drive by and the tourists strolling along the main street, browsing the shop windows. Olivia had filled him in on her kayaking adventure.

  “So this Alexei guy is quite the charmer,” Brad said.

  “Ugh,” Olivia answered.

  “You’ll make a good lawyer, Liv. Very articulate and verbal,” Brad teased.

  Olivia ignored him. “How can anyone think that a person wants to be groped a few minutes after meeting? What about finesse? What about wooing? No, just act like a caveman.”

  “Ah, the lost art of wooing,” Brad said. “That’s not a word that comes up often.”

  Olivia rolled her eyes at him. “You know what I mean.”

  “I’ll have to remember that. Wooing.” He smiled at her, his blue eyes twinkling.

  Olivia felt warmth flow through her body and it wasn’t the sun that was heating her.

  “Hey, you two,” someone yelled, and they looked up. “Must be nice to be able to just sit around all day soaking up the sun,” Joe called to them from his pickup truck. He was waiting in traffic on the street in front of them. Olivia waved.

  “Can’t fault people for knowing how to enjoy life,” Brad called back to Joe.

  The traffic started to move and Joe followed the cars up Route 1 to Wells. He waved.

  “Joe’s okay, huh? While I was working on the store to set it up, he would come by some nights to lend a hand. We’d sit outside afterwards and talk. He sure misses Aggie. I haven’t had much chance to have a good conversation with him since I opened the store. How’s his place in Wells coming?” Brad asked.

  “The Wells place will be done soon. Then he’ll be on to the next project. He keeps real busy,” Olivia said. “I’m lucky to have him.” They watched the traffic.

  “Do you have employees in the evening working at your store?” Olivia asked Brad. “Can you get away? Want to come to dinner tonight? Joe and I were planning on making some cornbread and chili. Meat chili for him and vegetarian for me,” Olivia said. “We can all catch up with each other.”

  “That would be great,” Brad said. “I’m getting tired of my own cooking.”

  Someone coming towards them from across the street caught their eyes and they looked up. They stifled groans. Bustling at them was Magdalene Streeter. Her hair was cut short and the effect of the combination of the length and the bright red color created the illusion of flames shooting out the top of her head. She was panting from the exertion of moving her bulk. She had on a long flowing dress that barely contained her, the flesh bulging in ripples, creating hills and valleys all over the fabric.

  “Olivia. Brad. I’m glad I caught you together,” she said.

  Brad stood up, but she waved him to sit. Magdalene was the town charitable organizer. A role she had appointed to herself. Whenever she came at you, you knew it would be for money or some volunteering thing. She also ran one of the most successful real estate agencies in Maine. The townspeople all knew she did a good deal for the area, but her manner was grating and most people thought she took on all the work in order to ingratiate herself with the wealthy. She was always in everyone’s business, especially those with some cash. Olivia and Brad braced themselves.

  “As you know…or maybe you don’t,” Magdalene began her spiel. “We are raising funds for the York Hospital and this year we are planning a ball as the fundraiser. We are hoping that businesspeople in town might feel the urge to donate something for the silent auction…a gift certificate or an item of worth.” She paused to take a deep breath. The sparkling diamond hanging from her silver necklace was like a ship rising up and down on the waves of her heaving chest. “Oh, this heat does not agree with me.” She dabbed at her brow with a handkerchief.

  “Can I get you a cold drink?’ Brad offered. She dismissed him with a wave of her hand. Two of her chubby fingers were encircled with bands of platinum cradling huge diamonds that flashed in the sunlight. There was no stopping her speech once she got going.

  “In addition, we are asking all businesspeople to attend the ball as a show of unity,” Magdalene went on. “There will be a small charge to business owners of one hundred dollars each to attend, of course. Much less than the cost to the general public. It will be quite the gala and you should feel very fortunate to be able to take part at such reduced cost to you…and your donation to the silent auction is good advertising for your businesses. It’s win-win all around. I know I can count on you both.” She batted her eyes.

  “Olivia, you will be re-opening Aggie’s shop, wont you?” she asked, and did not wait for a reply. “Aggie put so much love into that shop, it would be a sin not to honor her by keeping it open this summer.” She rummaged through her oversized bag, searching for her clipboard.

  “Oh, yes, I’m sorry for your loss,” Magdalene managed, not looking up. She paused in the search through her bag and straightened up, a fake smile on her face. “What are you planning to do with the house?” she asked sweetly.

  “Live in it,” Olivia answered flatly.

  “I understand you are going to law school,” Magdalene said. “I know how expensive that will be. I could get you a good price for the house, even though it needs a good deal of updating.” She prattled on. “Nevertheless, the location is what it has going for it and the lot is a decent size. We could also market it as a tear-down. Someone could build a lovely home there.”

  “No.” Olivia was seething. How does Magdalene know if the house needed updating? And how does she know I’m going to law school?

  “I can make you a very wealthy young lady. You won’t have time to come up here with your studies and all. The house will be a burden. And for heaven’s sakes, Olivia, once you graduate, you certainly won’t be practicing law in this area. You’ll be living in a city.”

  Olivia was silent.

  “You think about it,” Magdalene told her. “We’ll talk again. Oh, here it is.” She yanked the clipboard out of the bag and brandished it in front them. “Here are all of the shop owners who will be taking part so far.” She handed the clipboard to Brad. “Please sign that you will be attending. And here,” she indicated with a pudgy finger, “here is where you state the amount you will be pledging.” She tapped the page.

  Brad and Olivia looked at the list.

  “We are expecting one hundred percent participation,” she announced.

  Brad cleared his throat and signed the page.

  “Excellent!” Magdalene exclaimed. “Now Olivia,” she said.

  Brad handed the clipboard to Olivia.

  “I’m not sure…” Olivia began.

  “Nonsense. You are Aggie’s heir. You have a responsibility,” Magdalene clucked.

  Olivia sighed. She signed and handed it back.

  “Wonderful!” Magdalene said. She put the clipboard back into her bag. “The town always comes together for a good cause. We will send your invitations to you shortly.” She started away, and called over her shoulder, “I forgot to tell you. The gala is being held at the restored Victorian. The new owner has graciously offered the use of the grounds to the committee at no charge.”

  Olivia looked at Brad and groaned.

  Chapter 9

  Aggie’s antique shop was on Shore Road just before the turn in the road that led down to Perkin’s Cove. It was a good spot, Aggie always said, because she got the foot traffic to and from the cove, but she could make the hours as she wanted. If the store was in the cove next to all the other shops, she would have felt obligated to stay open early and close up late. Her shop sold a variety of different antiques, music boxes, jewelry, photographs, paintings, china, and sterling silver flatware. She also sold online through a website she had set up.

  Olivia stood at the door of the shop. She had helped Aggie with the store since she was a little girl. She peered inside through the wide plate glass window and saw t
he crystal chandelier, the wooden display cases, and the desk in the corner where Aggie worked on broken jewelry. Olivia swallowed hard. She put the key in the lock and pushed open the door. A little bell tinkled when the door swung open. The air inside was hot and still from being locked up for weeks. Olivia walked from case to case and ran her hand over the smooth wood of the counters. She saw a gold bracelet and some small tools on the desk. Aggie must have been fixing the clasp. Olivia brushed tears from her eyes.

  Some of the display cases had been pushed away from the wall and had been covered with drop cloths. Aggie had been in the middle of painting the walls a soft mocha color. Olivia peered among the tools and papers for Aggie’s cellphone, and bent to see if Aggie had placed her laptop under the desk. Olivia opened all the drawers of the desk and searched the display cases and cabinets. She stepped into the back storage room and checked the file cabinets, the closet, under the sink, under the small wooden table where Aggie would eat her lunch. She even opened the small refrigerator to see if the laptop or phone was inside. She put her hands on her hips and, standing in the middle of the cramped room, turned in a circle, gazing over every inch of the space to decide if she had overlooked any spot that might hold the items.

  Aggie kept a small safe in the closet and even though she knew it couldn’t fit the laptop, Olivia opened it anyway to check for papers that might indicate inventory, receipts, names of buyers and sellers, and any pending sales that needed to be taken care of. It was empty. Olivia sighed and took off her sweater. She would have to search through the house again. She returned to the front room of the store. There was lots of work to do, starting with finishing the painting of the shop. And Olivia was determined to finish what Aggie had started.

  ***

  Joe came home early so he could get cleaned up and get started on dinner since Brad was coming. Olivia heard his truck and took her bag of groceries over to Joe’s house so they could work on the chili together. She also took her laptop.