by Lyndsey Cole
A groan escaped through Hannah’s lips. “Please don’t tell me there’s more drama from him. I should be looking for Karla instead of worrying about Olivia and my mother.”
“Karla?”
“I just came from Rory’s apartment and he said he thinks he saw her on the beach. After he saw Adele’s body. He’s been covering for her; afraid she killed Adele,” Hannah explained.
“That ties in with what your father told me. He gave Karla a ride early Saturday morning. He said she kept wiping her hands on her pants.”
“Wait a minute. Start at the beginning. Why were you even talking to my father?” Hannah watched Nellie follow a scent to the water’s edge, then back up to drier sand. She imagined Olivia darting to the water, squealing with delight when the wave splashed her toes, and retreating. Maybe Nellie really was on her trail.
“Don’t get mad at me, but I saw your mother head up to your new cottage and I decided to pretend I needed to clean their cottage. So I knocked on the door with a pile of clean towels. Your dad came out. I said good morning and how was he doing, blah, blah, blah. You know, just some friendly chit chat.”
“You certainly have a knack for that. And did he fall for your come-on?”
Samantha looked at Hannah over the top of her sunglasses. “Of course. Samantha Featherstone doesn’t take no for an answer, dear. I had your father eating out of my hand before he even had a chance to sit down and enjoy the view from the porch of Something’s Fishy.”
“When you tell it like that, I actually have a tiny,” Hannah held her fingers up about a hair’s width apart, “bit of sympathy for him.”
“Anyway, he asked Karla what was on her hands and she kind of hemmed and hawed and never answered. He gave her his handkerchief to use, which she stuck in her bag when she was done.”
“Possible evidence. If we can find it.”
“Exactly.” Samantha beamed with pride.
“Or he wiped his own hands and planted it on Karla and told you she used it,” Hannah suggested. “Everyone is pointing their finger at someone else so it’s impossible to separate the truth from the lies.
“I didn’t think of that.” Samantha’s proud grin turned upside down into a frustrated frown.
Suddenly, Nellie streaked straight down the beach. Relief flooded through Hannah. Olivia’s delighted screech when she saw Nellie was music to Hannah’s ears.
“The search and rescue dog,” Joanna said matter-of-factly when Hannah stood in front of her, casting her mother in a shadow.
“Ruby was worried, Mom. You can’t just disappear with a six-year-old and not expect people to look for her.”
“She’s my granddaughter, for crying out loud, Hannah. What did you think I was planning to do?”
Several comments flew through Hannah’s mind but it was pointless to let the conversation continue. Olivia was safe and that was all that mattered at this point. The fact that Hannah even considered that her mother might harm Olivia disturbed her.
Hannah sent a text to Ruby telling her the news and that they’d be back soon.
Ruby responded with a smiley face with hearts for eyes.
Joanna remained sitting in the sand, gazing at the horizon. “We never should have come,” she said, more to herself than to Hannah. “Adele managed to ruin everything. I don’t know if your father will ever forgive me.”
“What are you talking about? Forgive you for what?”
“For coming here.” She flicked her wrist dismissively. “It’s not your problem.” Joanna pushed her hand in the sand and stood. “Shall we walk back now, Olivia?”
Olivia was already well on her way back to The Fishy Dish with Samantha holding her hand and Nellie glued to her side. Samantha reached down and picked up something that she showed to Olivia. Nellie stuck her nose in, too, and sniffed. Olivia tucked whatever it was in her pocket, most likely to be forgotten until Ruby found the treasure sometime in the future.
“Wait, Mom. Dad went to the beach early Saturday morning, didn’t he?” Hannah asked as she and her mother walked side by side.
“Yes, he did. But it’s not what you think. He only wanted to keep an eye on Adele. She was drunk and he was worried she might walk into the ocean and drown.”
“That’s what he told you?”
“Yes. He always tried to protect her.” She shrugged. “But this time he couldn’t.”
“Mom?” Hannah waited for her mother to look at her. “Do you think Dad killed Adele?”
Joanna burst out laughing. “Are you kidding me? Your father would kill himself before he could harm one hair on Adele’s head. Sure, he got angry with her at times, but he always tried to keep her safe.” She linked her arm with Hannah’s. “This is nice, walking with you and not worrying that Adele will stick her needs between us.”
Hannah sighed with relief. The thought of her father being a murderer had festered in the back of her brain. She pushed the thought down and refused to take it seriously now. With her mothers’ reaction, the worry was all but gone. Either Moe, Karla, or possibly Rory must be the murderer.
It had to be one of them.
Maybe the handkerchief that Hannah’s father gave Karla could solve the mystery.
Or confuse everything further.
23
Hannah was content to sit at the counter of The Fishy Dish and have lunch with Olivia. It was a simple, uncomplicated activity. Joanna, saying she was tired, had returned to her cottage but Hannah suspected she wanted to avoid answering any more questions.
Olivia dipped a French fry in ketchup, licked off the ketchup, and dipped it again.
“You’ll run out of ketchup before your fries are gone if you keep dipping and never eating,” Hannah said.
Olivia snuck a soggy French fry to Nellie. “They’re disappearing, Aunt Hannah.”
Hannah turned her head so Olivia couldn’t see her laughing.
“Can I have some more ketchup? I like a puddle on my plate.”
Hannah squeezed another big blob on Olivia’s plate. “Eat some of your fish sandwich, too. Meg made it special, just the way you like it with extra tartar sauce.”
Olivia took a big bite. “It’s yummy, but I’m getting full.” She patted her stomach. “Can I have ice cream?”
Hannah looked at Ruby and rolled her eyes. “That’s your call. Did she eat enough yet?”
Ruby cut the fish sandwich in half. “Finish this and then you can have a small dish of ice cream.”
Hannah swung her feet and chomped on her sandwich while Hannah told Ruby about her conversation with their mother.
“So who could it be?” Ruby asked, referring to who killed Adele.
“If Moe told me the truth and Adele was still alive after he argued with her, he said he saw a woman near the marina. Possibly Karla. Rory finally admitted that he was also at the beach but Adele was already dead and he saw a woman running away. Again, it sounds like Karla could be guilty and Rory is protecting her. And Dad picked Karla up and gave her a ride to Rory’s apartment. She was wiping something off her hands.” Saying it all out loud certainly didn’t paint a pretty picture for Karla.
“Did you tell Jack all this? He’s the one who pulled you into the investigation to begin with. He’s not going to be happy with this information since Karla’s grandmother is his new special lady friend.”
Hannah leaned both elbows on the counter. She knew Ruby was right but she didn’t want to have the conversation about Karla with Jack. She snuck a couple of French fries from Olivia’s plate while Olivia was occupied sneaking fries to Nellie.
“Don’t let Meg see her feeding those special hand-cut fries to the dog. It won’t go over well at all,” Ruby said.
“Meg will be okay with Nellie getting the fries. She’s not just any dog, you know.” Hannah silently thanked her Great Aunt Caroline for having the foresight of sending Nellie to her right after she moved in.
“Good point. It’s amazing how she keeps her eyes on Olivia, making my job easier.” Ruby
polished the counter with gusto. “Don’t look now, but Dad is heading in this direction. He looks like he swallowed a nasty pill.”
Hannah immediately looked over her shoulder. How can you not look when someone says don’t look, she told herself. In Hannah’s opinion, Ruby had actually described her father’s face much too kindly. Hannah decided a more apt description would be the panicked expression of someone choking on a sharp fish bone.
“Hannah. We need to talk.”
So much for the possibility of a crack in the wall she’d built to protect herself from him. With a voice demanding her attention instead of requesting it, the crack sealed before Hannah could blink twice.
She faced Luke. “About what?”
“Your mother. What did you talk about? She’s terribly upset.”
Hannah slid off the bar stool. “Let’s talk in my office.”
She led the way, opened the door, and waited for Luke to walk in first. He headed toward her swivel chair behind the desk, but Hannah stopped him. “You can sit here.” She pointed to a chair opposite her desk. She had no intention of letting him have the seat of power.
Hannah maneuvered around the big oak desk that had belonged to Great Aunt Caroline. She rubbed the ring on her finger and felt a tingle of warmth spread up her finger. It was probably friction from her vigorous rubbing but it was soothing, none the less.
She sat and folded her hands together in front of herself. “Okay. What’s going on?”
“Joanna is packing and said we have to leave. Now. She thinks you don’t want us here.” Luke cocked his head and challenged Hannah with his piercing stare.
“First of all, I was under the impression you aren’t supposed to leave until Adele’s murder is solved. After all, you may have been the last person to see her alive.”
“You know that isn’t true. The last person to see Adele alive would be the murderer.”
“Exactly. And Mom said you went to the beach early Saturday morning. Did you see Adele? Alive?” Hannah kept her eyes on her father’s face. He was an expert at hiding his emotions but, if he slipped, Hannah didn’t want to miss anything.
He flinched. His voice dropped. “She was already dead. Lying in the sand as if she was star-gazing. I couldn’t do anything to help her so I went back to my car.”
“And gave Karla a ride?”
He nodded. “She was agitated, said she was out looking for her boyfriend. She told me he had planned to take a walk on the beach.”
“So, that’s why you assumed Rory killed Adele? Because someone said something about someone else’s actions? That story has a lot of holes in it.”
“I know, but I wanted someone to blame.” He ran his hand over his face in his only show of vulnerability.
“Besides yourself? That’s what I asked Mom—if she thought you killed Adele.”
Luke’s eyebrows shot up. “What did she say?”
Hannah moved a letter-opener back and forth under her hand. She pointed it at her father. “Let’s make sure your stories are straight and you tell me what she said.”
“Joanna told you that I was trying to protect Adele but I failed.” Luke rubbed his hands on his pants. “It’s hard for me to admit that fact. If she said something different, she lied.” Luke blinked several times. Hannah had never seen so much emotion etched in his face.
“Why would she lie? Mom has nothing to hide.”
Luke looked away. “She has done a good job all these years.”
Hannah’s mind flashed back to snippets of her mother’s comments about Adele ruining their lives. Was that what he was referring to?
As if Luke could read Hannah’s mind, he continued, “She resented all the time I spent with Adele. She was convinced that was why you and I didn’t get along.” He looked out the window toward the beach. “I thought she was wrong. All Joanna wanted was for you and Ruby to be happy. For the four of us to be happy. What I never admitted to myself was how Adele manipulated me against you.”
“Because you loved the attention she gave you. She knew how to flatter you, tell you what you wanted to hear and exaggerate all that I did wrong.” Hannah should have been pleased to finally have her father understand how Adele had lied to control him, but in reality, it was sad to see him deflated from hearing the truth. “And what did you want, Dad?”
He rubbed his neck with a pained expression. “I made a promise to Adele’s father, my best friend, to keep an eye on her. He knew he wasn’t going to beat the cancer that spread through his body. Adele pushed all the boundaries but I made a promise and needed to honor it. I always thought you would be fine—that you didn’t need me as much as Adele did.” He looked at Hannah. “I was wrong, wasn’t I?”
“You never told us about that promise. I always considered Adele my competition for your attention.”
Luke shifted in the chair, obviously miserable.
“Mom told me you would never forgive her.”
“For what?” His brow furrowed.
“For coming here, she said, but I think she meant something more.”
“Maybe she did.” Luke stood. “We will be leaving soon.” And just like that, the conversation ended and he left Hannah’s office.
Cal knocked lightly on the door. “Busy?”
Hannah waved him inside.
“Were you near the marina recently?”
“No. Why?”
“Huh. I saw someone standing on the beach gazing at the horizon. It looked just like you.”
Hannah laughed. “With all the tourists in town, I’m sure there are several other women who are my height with long brown hair.”
“I suppose so, but you have that funny quirk of pulling on your braid and that’s what this person was doing.” He shrugged. “I suppose I was hoping it was you coming for a visit to my boat. Alone.” Cal grinned.
Something in Cal’s words made the hair on Hannah’s neck rise. “Can you see if Meg needs any help at the snack bar? I have to check something.”
“Are you all right? You look a little pale.” He touched her arm gently.
Hannah walked to the door. “I’m fine, but there’s something important I need to do.”
“It sounds mysterious.” Cal tried to lighten the mood with his tone but Hannah walked right past him toward her new cottage.
Was she crazy or did Cal just give her the key to the mystery?
Her hand lingered on the doorknob of her new cottage. If she didn’t go in, if she didn’t find what she expected, if nothing changed from this moment going forward, could she save anything? Or would the suspicion eat at her forever.
She rubbed Great Aunt Caroline’s ring.
Hannah walked into her new cottage.
Dread filled every corner of her body.
With determination, she walked to the drawer in her kitchen and yanked it open. She stared at the iPad lying exactly where she’d left it.
Her hand shook as she reached for it.
24
“I don’t remember leaving my iPad here.”
Hannah’s fingers tensed around the device. “This one isn’t yours, is it, Mom? You brought Dad’s here earlier by mistake. That’s why all the photos you took of me and Ruby weren’t on it. They’re only on yours. Dad didn’t erase anything at all, did he?”
“Give it to me, Hannah. Adele has done enough damage to our family.”
“And let an innocent person get blamed for her death? Is that what you want?”
“Of course not. It could just be the great unsolved mystery. Wouldn’t that be a fitting ending for someone like Adele?”
Hannah clicked on the photo icon. She searched through the photos for one in particular. One taken of a person with her back to the photographer, her hair braided down her back as she stared out over the ocean. Anyone in Hooks Harbor could easily mistake the image to be Hannah.
But it wasn’t.
“Moe thought he saw me near the marina early Saturday morning and Cal thought he saw me earlier today near the marina.” Ha
nnah looked up from the photo of her mother. “But it wasn’t me they saw, was it? It was you. From a distance, from behind, we both look the same. You even pull on your braid the way I do.”
Joanna backed away from Hannah, inching toward the open door. “Don’t let Adele continue to destroy us, Hannah. With her gone, we can be a family again. That’s all I ever wanted. For all of us to be happy.”
“That’s what Dad told me you said. What did you do?” Hannah could barely hear her own words. “What did you do, Mom?” she said louder. Anger flooded through her brain.
Joanna crumpled to her knees, her head in her hands. “I don’t know. It all felt like a dream when I decided to take a walk on the beach. The air was still, the sound of the surf hypnotized me, and then I saw her. Adele. Standing next to that ridiculous sand sculpture of a mermaid. She laughed at me. Told me I was a terrible mother.”
Hannah wanted to comfort her mother but her legs wouldn’t move.
“Adele picked up the shovel and jabbed it at me. I don’t know what happened after that, but the next thing I can remember is that I was staring down at Adele, lying dead in the sand. I panicked and ran down the beach. Somehow I ended up back in the cottage. Everything blurred together in a nightmarish slow motion scene.”
Tears streamed down Joanna’s face. “I didn’t mean to do it. It was an accident.”
Hannah finally saw her mother for the broken, desperate woman she was and she sat on the floor next to her. Joanna leaned on Hannah and sobbed.
“When did Dad get back to the cottage?”
Joanna shrugged. “I don’t remember. I heard the door open and close but I don’t know what time it was. I kept my eyes closed so he would think I’d been there the whole time, asleep.”
Hannah stood and pulled her mother up with her. “Come on.”
“Where are you taking me?”
Hannah sent a text message to Jack while Joanna blubbered. She wrote, tell Pam to meet me at the beach where Adele was found in about thirty minutes. She slipped the iPad into her sling bag and looped her arm through her mother’s. “Come on Nellie.”
