by Lyndsey Cole
Hannah tried not to laugh. “I’ll get my flip-flops and walk you home. We’ll leave your sleeping bag right here for another time.”
Hannah slipped a long sleeve t-shirt over Olivia’s head and flipped her long brown hair to the outside. “There you go. Now your sandals and we’ll be on our way.”
Nellie wagged her tail, ready for a walk. Cal closed the cottage door. “I’ll see if Meg needs any help in the snack bar until you get back.” He winked at Hannah.
Hannah and Olivia walked hand in hand, down the road to Ruby’s house with Nellie leading the way. Hannah was glad her sister and niece lived close to her Holiday Hideaway Cottages and The Fishy Dish snack bar. Ruby helped out when she could, and Olivia loved to spend her days playing near the beach with Jack and Nellie keeping an eye on her.
The aroma of coffee hit Hannah’s nose as soon as she stepped through Ruby’s front door. “I hope you have a mug ready for me and maybe some juice for Olivia.”
Ruby’s face popped around the corner of the kitchen door. “You’re a bit earlier than I expected. How was your night?”
Olivia hugged her mother’s legs. “I’ve got a tummy ache.”
“Oh dear.” Ruby glanced at Hannah over the top of Olivia’s head. She raised her eyebrows.
“She ate Theodore’s pizza, plus her own,” Hannah explained. “Other than that, we had a great time, right, Olivia?”
“Uh-huh. There were stars on the ceiling.”
Ruby picked up her daughter. “You can lie on the couch while Aunt Hannah and I have our coffee.”
Olivia closed her eyes as soon as her head hit the pillow.
“Too much excitement,” Hannah said as she followed Ruby into the kitchen.
“Talk about excitement. Have you heard about Adele?” Ruby set a basket of warm muffins on the table.
“How did you find out?” Hannah sipped her coffee. Bad news certainly had a way of spreading faster than water at high tide.
“Mom texted me. They are completely devastated. She said they had dinner with Adele and, after, she planned to play pool at the Pub and Pool Hall. Isn’t that kind of a dumpy place?”
“Meg’s brother owns it and all the locals hang out there. That might be a break for finding out information about who she was with and when she left. Jack asked me to see what I can find out.”
“Oh?”
“Pam took Rory Duff in for questioning. The local favorite to win the competition. Apparently, he had a big scene with Adele after she won.”
“He’s a suspect?”
“Looks that way. Jack told me that Karla, Rory’s girlfriend, found Adele, and Rory’s shovel was next to her body.”
“Complicated. What was Karla doing on the beach so early?” Ruby rinsed the dirty mugs.
“Running. It does seem odd, but maybe that’s her usual schedule. Something I can ask Jack about.”
“Maybe Karla’s the one who whacked Adele with the shovel.”
“Why would she use her boyfriend’s shovel?”
Ruby shrugged. “Are shovels all that different? Maybe she didn’t know it was Rory’s?”
“Good point. She’s supposed to be helping Cal’s sister at the book sale today so I can ask her some questions then.” Hannah stood. “Thanks for the coffee. I’d better get back to The Fishy Dish before Meg thinks I’ve abandoned her. Plus, I’ll have to meet up with Mom and Dad today. At least you have an excuse with Olivia not feeling well.”
Ruby smiled. “I hadn’t thought of that silver lining in Olivia’s tummy ache, but I’ll take it. Sorry to abandon you with them.”
“I’m sure you are.” Hannah playfully punched her sister in her arm. “You owe me big time.”
Hannah and Nellie walked briskly back to The Fishy Dish. Cal had all the outside tables cleaned and the umbrellas opened which was super helpful. Inside, Meg had her don’t-mess-with-me face on.
“This weekend is shaping up to be full of unexpected drama,” Hannah said as she put away the washed pots in the dish drainer.
“So I’ve heard.” Meg dumped her hand-cut potatoes for fries in ice water to keep fresh until lunchtime. She leaned on the counter. “Listen, Hannah, I know you have a lot on your plate with your parents here, moving into your new cottage, and now this murder, but I can’t handle this snack bar by myself. Is Ruby coming to help?”
“She’ll be over later.” Hannah hoped Olivia’s tummy ache didn’t last too long. “Jack is tied up with helping Shelly Vaughn stay calm. Her granddaughter found the body. Samantha should be able to help.”
Meg rolled her eyes. “Samantha? I guess she’ll be better than nothing. Barely. But won’t she want to put her ancient private eye techniques to work helping you? I know she won’t be able to stay away from this murder.”
“Good morning, dears.”
Hannah turned her head. Samantha, wearing denim capris, a turquoise blue t-shirt, a big straw hat over her silver curls, and carrying her big canvas tote sashayed into the kitchen.
“Perfect. Can you help Meg until Ruby gets here?”
“Of course. Where are you off to?” Samantha shoved her tote under the counter. She picked a bright blue apron covered with lobsters off the hook and tied it around her waist.
“I need to talk to my parents about their dinner with Adele Bailey last night. Her body was found this morning.”
Samantha’s eyebrows shot up under her bangs. “A murder? And you expect me to stay here in the snack bar?” She started to untie her apron.
“Just until Ruby gets here. Don’t worry, I’ll keep you in the loop once I know more. If you want to help, stay here for now. Pretty please?” Hannah even put her hands together as if praying would convince Samantha to work in the kitchen instead of search for clues about a murder.
“Okay.” Samantha let out a big breath to show her displeasure.
Meg turned back to her huge pot of clam chowder simmering on the stove. “We need more coleslaw, Samantha. Can you manage that?”
Hannah headed out the door before Samantha had a chance to complain about her latest assignment. She sucked in a lungful of the salty ocean air as soon as she was outside. Who knew her weekend would involve jumping from one fire to another?
“The tables are all set. I raked the sand and swept the deck. Anything else you need help with?” Cal asked as he came up behind Hannah and wrapped his arms around her waist.
“How about you transport me to the other side of all this drama? Do you have a magic wand for that?”
“If I could, it would be the first task on my list. You and me in my boat sailing off into the sunset. But not today. I noticed your folks sitting on the porch of their cottage. I doubt they’ll stay there for long.”
“I’ve procrastinated long enough. I’ll get this over with. Wish me luck.” Hannah leaned against Cal’s strong chest before she stepped away and walked along the path to her parent’s cottage—Something’s Fishy.
“Good morning,” Hannah said as she approached. Her mother put a marker in her book and set it next to her chair.
“Nothing good about today, or haven’t you heard since you’re too busy running Caroline’s business?” Luke said to Hannah with daggers shooting from his eyes.
“I did hear about Adele. But I don’t know anything other than she’s…dead.” She leaned against the porch railing to one side of the chair her mother sat in. She didn’t want to be heartless, but after the way her father had treated her for so many years, Hannah couldn’t help but enjoy watching him suffer.
“We had such a nice dinner with her last night,” Joanna said. “I can’t believe something like this happened to her. Who would do that?”
“That local boy, that’s who,” Luke spit out. “He couldn’t accept that Adele’s mermaid sand sculpture was far superior to his old lobster boat. I heard the police already have him in custody.”
Hannah cocked her head to one side. “How did you hear about her death? You aren’t exactly part of the local grapevine.”
“On the early morning news. What a thing to start my day with.” Luke stood and towered over Hannah. “That boy will pay if it’s the last thing I do for Adele. He’s going to rot in jail.”
Hannah stared at her father. He already had Rory marked as guilty just a few hours after Adele’s body was found. That was typical. It was what he wanted to believe, so in his mind it had to be the truth. Tie it all up quickly without considering any other possibility.
Hannah was absolutely determined to prove her father wrong—if it was the last thing she did for Rory.
6
It wasn’t even twelve hours since Adele Bailey was found dead, and the rumors flew faster than a lobster trap could sink. As Hannah searched the crowd on the town green for Karla Vaughn, all she heard was gossip about Adele.
One story had Adele buried beneath her mermaid sand sculpture and another person insisted that she wasn’t actually dead but the body was an imposter mermaid in her place. The only thing everyone seemed to agree on was that Adele was beautiful and what a tragedy she wouldn’t get the prize money. This was completely out of control.
As Hannah navigated through the mob of people and the tents set up for local craftsmen, she kept her eyes peeled for Cal. They had agreed to meet here. Fortunately, his tall frame stood above most people and Hannah made a beeline toward his blue eyes scanning the crowd for her.
“Can you believe all this crazy talk about Adele?” Hannah asked when she reached Cal’s side.
He shook his head. “That’s not the worst of it. From what I’m hearing, everyone has Rory pegged as guilty. Have you talked to Karla yet?”
“No, she looks swamped at the used book tables. Once there’s a break, I have to find out what she actually saw this morning.”
Cal held Hannah’s arm and guided her farther away from the crowd. “You have to consider the possibility that Rory is guilty. After all, if it’s true that it was his shovel that is the murder weapon, well…”
“I know what you’re thinking, Cal, but at this point I want to consider all possible suspects, their motives, and their opportunity. If Pam is focused on a quick wrap up of this murder, and she arrests Rory, she may overlook something important. The truth is important to me.” To prove my father wrong, she added silently.
Cal tilted his head. “Does this have something to do with your father?”
Did he read her mind? Hannah scrunched up her mouth and looked away. “He has it in for Rory. I don’t want him to be right.”
“I’ll help you, but you have to be smart and careful. Tell me this—” Cal waited for Hannah to look at him. “Why does your father think Rory is the murderer? Could he be deflecting suspicion from someone else?”
Hannah’s eyebrows shot up. “He loved Adele like a daughter and wants justice for her. I’ll know more after I talk to Karla.” Why indeed, she wondered. Her father was a complicated person. Was there some twist in his motive that could hurt her?
Cal interrupted Hannah’s thoughts. “It looks like Karla might have a minute to talk. I’ll keep my sister busy so you can grill Karla. Good luck.”
They walked together to the book tables. Karla glanced up when she saw Hannah. Her bloodshot eyes gave away her grief.
Hannah picked up a book. Ironically, it was a murder mystery. “Do you have a minute to talk?” Hannah asked.
Karla glanced at Monica but Cal, true to his word, had diverted his sister’s attention. “Sure.” She took the book from Hannah and moved to the far end of the table.
“Listen, Karla, I knew Adele years ago. I heard you found her this morning. What happened?”
Karla looked down. She shook her head as she spoke. “Honestly, I don’t know. Ever since I stumbled over her this morning, I can’t think straight anymore.” She looked into Hannah’s eyes. “I don’t even remember calling 911. And then Moe was next to me. He sort of took over.”
“Moe? The other sculptor was there when you found Adele?” Hannah hadn’t heard this tidbit yet and she didn’t know what it meant. But it was certainly interesting.
“Right after I found her body, I guess. I was doing my normal morning run and there she was. Dead. Next to her mermaid sculpture. It was almost life imitating art in a weird way.”
Hannah patted Karla’s shoulder. “This must all be unreal, but it’s important to remember every detail.” Hannah needed to be careful not to push Karla and have her put her defenses up. She wanted trust to build. Karla could be the most important person to help find out the truth behind what involvement Rory did or didn’t have in connection with Adele’s murder. And Hannah hoped it was in the not connected column.
“I keep going over and over every footstep this morning but I feel like I’m missing something important.” She held onto Hannah’s arm. Her deep blue eyes pierced into Hannah. She whispered with a quiet desperation, “Rory didn’t kill Adele. He’s too kind and gentle. He’s an artist, not a murderer.”
Someone jostled Hannah and she realized it was getting busy at the used book table again. “Can we talk more when you’re done here? I don’t think Rory is the murderer either and I want to help.”
Karla nodded. “I’ll be done in an hour. I’ll meet you at the marina.” Karla looked at the book in her hand. “Do you want to buy this?”
Hannah had forgotten all about the book she picked out. “Yes. Of course.” She didn’t have much spare time to read, but Cal had built a bookcase in her new home and this would be a start to filling it up. She paid Karla and tucked the book into her tote.
As she moved away from the table she smelled the unmistakable odor of cigarette smoke wafting through the air. She whipped her head around.
Moe stared and grinned at Hannah as he enjoyed his cigarette. What was his agenda? His expression told her that there was more to him than met the eye. He dipped his head in greeting.
This was awkward but Hannah swallowed her pride and approached the cocky beach bum sculptor. She decided to be direct. “What happened to Adele?”
Moe blew smoke, making no effort to direct it away from Hannah’s face.
She coughed, but kept her eyes on his face. “You must be devastated.”
He shrugged. “Our good times were already in the past. Adele decided to move on. For all I know, she already had someone waiting in the wings.”
“And you weren’t upset about that?” Hannah tilted her head and waited for a reaction.
“Nope. There’s plenty of fish in this sea.” Moe glanced quickly at Karla.
Interesting, Hannah thought. What could be going on between those two? If anything.
“Your hometown boy isn’t faring well, is he? The murder weapon found right next to Adele’s body is an ominous sign for his immediate future.”
“The way I see it, anyone could have taken that shovel. What were you doing this morning, so early on the beach?”
Moe shifted his weight from one foot to the other and took a drag on his unfiltered cigarette. “I like to watch the sunrise. And you?”
“What?” Hannah had a moment of panic. She had trouble sleeping the night before and did take an early morning stroll, but she hadn’t seen Moe. Not even Cal knew she had gotten up and left their cozy sleepover with Olivia for a while. The only person she saw was her father returning to his cottage.
Moe laughed. “Be careful, Ms. Hannah Holiday. You might be biting off more than you can chew.” Moe threw his cigarette butt on the ground and walked away.
Hannah seethed. She picked up the unsightly butt, wrapped it in a corner of a blank page ripped from her newly purchased book, and tucked it in her back pocket. She knew Moe’s type. He thought he could get away with anything—including intimidation—but she’d show him how wrong he was.
“What was that all about?” Cal’s comforting voice whispered in her ear. “And you even cleaned up his trash?”
“That Moe Meyer is up to something and I doubt it’s any good. He was taunting me, pushing my buttons, trying to get under my skin.” Hannah looked at Cal. �
�Why would he do that?”
“Maybe he senses you’re a threat to him for some reason. Or else he just likes to be a jerk. I wonder why he doesn’t leave town. Do you think he’s been told to stick around? Could he be on the police’s radar for Adele’s murder, too? But that doesn’t make sense if they’re a couple.”
“You know how you said he was dating Adele?”
Cal nodded. With his arm draped over Hannah’s shoulder, they headed to the edge of the green.
“He told me they were done; Adele might have had someone waiting in the wings. And something else. I saw how he looked at Karla. I think he’s hoping Rory gets locked away so he can move in on her. The guy is nothing but slime.”
“Did you get any info from Karla while I had my sister distracted?”
Hannah slipped her phone from her pocket and checked the time. “She’s meeting me at the marina in about a half hour when she’s done helping with the book sale. I think she knows more than she realizes but it will take time for her to sort out all that has happened. At this point, she’s pretty shell shocked.”
“Monica knows Karla well from working with her at the library and she thinks Karla is holding something back, too. Monica said she overheard Rory and Karla arguing the day before the sand sculpting event.”
“That could be about anything, though.”
Cal took Hannah’s hand and they dashed across the street. “It wasn’t just anything. Karla gave Rory an ultimatum—if he didn’t win the competition, she would leave him.”
Hannah stopped, forcing Cal to pull her onto the sidewalk and away from the traffic. “So Rory lost something much more important than first place in the sculpting competition.” Hannah glanced back toward the green. Could her father be right about Rory, or did someone else have plans to destroy his life?
7
Cal and Hannah had enough time to walk from the marina along the beach that held the ruins of the sand sculptures. The crowds from the day before were long gone, replaced by seagulls and sandpipers. Hannah let her lungs take in the fresh salty breeze, her toes digging into the wet sand, and she squeezed Cal’s fingers between her own. “What happened to Adele?” she asked, knowing Cal didn’t have the answer.
