by Kathi Daley
“If Quinn is right and Skeet did break into Rain’s house to steal something, what could he have possibly wanted?”
I shrugged. “I have no idea.”
“And how did he get past the security system? I’m assuming the house must have one.”
“Again, I really don’t know, but I seem to remember Sam saying something about the security system being remotely disabled.”
“Should we tell Sam what’s going on?” Carrie asked.
“No. Not yet. I suppose it’s up to Quinn to fill him in when she’s ready. She said she’d call when she gets to Malibu, which I suppose should be in three or four hours based on the distance she has to travel. If she took the early ferry, she would have hit the terminal on the other side shortly before six. At this point, I guess we just wait.”
Carrie frowned but agreed. She indicated that she was going to go upstairs to shower and dress and then planned to head over to the condo. She asked if I wanted to come along. I found that I wanted that very much. She offered to put the furniture she had slated for the guest room into storage if I wanted to bring my own furniture to the island, but it seemed like a lot of trouble to do that at this point, so I told her I’d just use what she had until I figured out what I was going to do on a long-term basis.
As I showered, I thought about Carrie’s suggestion to call Sam. My initial reaction was to wait and let Quinn fill him in, but I knew he was worried, and now that I had opened the box and informed him that Quinn was not here at the house, I felt like I had to tell him something. After a bit of going back and forth with myself, I decided to call him and at least tell him where she was.
“I spoke to Quinn,” I said after he answered. “She’s actually on her way to LA. She told me to tell you that she will call you this evening and will be home tomorrow.”
“I wonder why she didn’t mention that she was going to be away when we saw each other last night.”
I had to admit that Sam sounded hurt that Quinn had kept her trip to herself.
“I think it was a last-minute thing. She didn’t mention anything to Carrie or me either. In fact, she didn’t even leave a note. I suppose we should be irritated by that, but Quinn is a bit of a lone wolf. She always has been. I don’t think it comes naturally to her to consider others when it comes to deciding where to go or what to do.”
“Yeah, she’s mentioned on several occasions that she pretty much just does whatever she feels she needs to do to get the story she’s after and rarely checks in with anyone else,” Sam said. “If she doesn’t call me by the time I get back from my interviews, I’ll try calling her.”
“Interviews?” I asked.
“I’ve arranged to speak to the people that Lizzy named as being closest to Grace a second time. When I spoke to them the first time, they claimed to have no idea where she was, and maybe that was true. But after we spoke, I realized it was likely that Grace would have said something to someone if she had voluntarily left the island as we hope.”
I leaned a hip against a table as I looked out the window. “Yeah, it does seem that she would have called or texted her closest friends at some point. I get why she might be hurt and angry and why she might want to retaliate against her mom by doing something to cause her pain and worry, but I don’t think she’d want to worry her friends.”
I thought about Peggy and the fact that she simply disappeared, hurting everyone, including her friends, but her case was different. She had a huge secret much too big to share, and she was terrified of being found by her family. If Grace had simply taken off out of anger, my bet was that she planned to return on her own, probably sooner than later.
“Any new leads on Veronica Smith’s death?” I asked. “We now know where she’d been the past five years or at least the majority of the past five years, and we know she had opium plants, which could mean she planned to meet up with someone who deals in illegal drugs. To me, that seems like a motive, although I’m not sure how much good that will do us if we don’t know who might have been in the market for the plants.”
“I actually have a couple of ideas to check out,” Sam said. “As I said before, most of the illegal opiates in the area are imported from countries to our south. Still, I know of a couple of people who might know if someone was looking to buy the plants.”
“Okay, be careful.”
“I will be. The reality is that we don’t even know for certain Veronica was murdered. We know she drowned, but she could have ended up in the water for a number of reasons. I do intend to follow the clues as far as I can, but finding Grace is what I’m most concerned about.”
“I know. Hopefully, we’ll have her home by the weekend.”
After I hung up with Sam, I went out onto the deck to wait for Carrie. It was such a gorgeous day that I hated to spend one more minute inside than I absolutely needed to. I really had no idea why I hadn’t visited the island more often than I had over the years. I’d always loved it here, and I still had friends I would have enjoyed connecting with. The fact that I could count on one hand the number of times I’d traveled to the island during the twenty-four years between graduating high school and arriving for this visit was actually pretty sad.
“Are you ready?” Carrie asked, poking her head out the back door.
“I am. Should we take both cars? Are you planning on moving boxes?”
“Actually, I’m going to work on organizing what I’ve already moved, so we can ride over together. If you want to text Ryder and tell him to just meet us at the condo when he gets off, that would work for me.”
“Okay. I will. I’m excited to set up my temporary room. I’ll need to make a trip back to the Bay to pack up my apartment and give notice, but I suppose I can do that after Quinn and Nora leave.”
I climbed into the passenger side of Carrie’s car. “Do you think we should still go camping now that we know Peggy is alive, and a memorial for her seems sort of silly?”
“I don’t know,” Carrie answered. “We could focus the memorial on Kayla.”
I frowned. “I don’t know if I really want to do that. Not yet. It’s still all too raw and fresh.”
“I understand. We could go camping minus the memorial aspect, but I guess we should ask Quinn and Nora on Saturday when Nora gets here. Nora sounded like she planned to spend less than a week with us, so I guess we should find out what she’d like to do.” Carrie paused. “I wonder if there’s any way we can arrange a visit with Peggy. All of us.”
“I don’t know. I know access to the island is really limited, so hopping over for a visit probably isn’t in the cards. But she did say she was free to come and go if she wanted to. I know that she feels safe in her current environment, and she made it clear she has no desire to leave, but maybe we could get her to agree to meet up with us for the day. If not alone, maybe we could speak to Wilson about bringing her here to meet us, or maybe we could meet up with him and Peggy on his yacht. It’s a discussion worth having.”
“I’d love to see her. I’m sure Nora would as well. Do you have a way to contact her?”
“No, but Sam has Wilson’s contact information. Maybe we could ask him to contact Wilson on our behalf once Nora gets here, and this thing with Grace is wrapped up.”
“Did you tell her about Kayla?” Carrie asked.
“No. Our time together was short, and the timing seemed off. She didn’t ask about anyone. She simply told Quinn and me what she felt she needed to share, and then she ended the visit. Maybe if we can arrange a second visit, we can catch her up.”
Chapter 11
Quinn called several hours later as Carrie and I were loading the empty boxes we’d unpacked into the back of her car for disposal at the recycling center. She’d informed me that she’d been able to talk to Skeet, who admitted that he had made a deal with Grace to give her a ride to LA in exchange for helping him to steal the sex tapes of Rain and Rebeka he knew were kept at Rain’s home on Shipwreck Island. He wasn’t certain they’d be in the location Rebek
a had told him about during one of their drunken arguments since the house had been listed for sale, but he figured the risk was low since Rain wasn’t on the island, so he might as well take a look.
“Sex tapes? Really?” Carrie said once I’d filled her in. “Talk about successful men who act like children. What was Skeet thinking? He could be charged with kidnapping. He must know that.”
“I had the same thought, but to be honest, I’m not sure doing jail time for helping Grace ever occurred to him,” I said. “Skeet seems to be a personality type I refer to as a Peter Pan. The carefree little boy who never grows up no matter what his age or level of financial success he might achieve. I knew a guy who was an actor when I lived in New York. He was fun and spontaneous and could party all night, but I swear I know fifteen-year-olds who make better choices than he did. For him, it was all about fun. Every decision was evaluated by the fun factor. And this guy was in his forties. I have no idea how he survived his own choices since most of the time, he was pure nuts, but somehow he got by, and to be honest, he seemed happy. I wouldn’t choose to live my life the way he did, but despite the fact he was about as crazy as they come, he did seem to have fun.”
“Yeah,” Carrie sighed. “I guess I know a few guys like that.” She closed her back door. “Okay, so we know Grace wanted to go to LA, and Skeet agreed to take her. Do we know why Grace wanted to go to LA?”
“She wanted to go and see her father.”
“Grace is with Jake?” Carrie seemed surprised. “If Grace wanted to see her father, why didn’t she just make arrangements for a visit? Why the disappearing act?”
“According to Quinn, Lizzy and Jake have been fighting, and Lizzy has refused to let Jake visit with Grace. The older girls can make their own decisions, of course, and it sounds as if neither is interested in visiting with Jake, but Grace told Skeet that her mother favors her sisters and that she’s wanted to live with her dad for a while. When her mother found out that Grace had been talking to Jake about living with him, she cut off visitations all together.”
“If that’s true, it must have occurred to Lizzy that Grace might try to go to Jake,” Carrie pointed out. “I wonder why she didn’t tell Sam that right off the bat.”
“I don’t know,” I admitted. “I guess you’ll have to ask Lizzy that question if you’re really interested. I’ve never been married, so I can’t say for certain, but it does seem that relationship issues involving children can get tricky if both sides are determined to have their own way.”
“Yes,” Carrie said. “I suppose that’s true. So is Quinn going to LA to find Jake and confirm that Grace is with him?” Carrie asked.
“No. She said she called Sam. The last thing she wanted to do was to get in the middle of a family drama. Sam spoke to Lizzy, who called and spoke to Jake, who confirmed that Grace was with him. According to Quinn, the official custody papers give Lizzy and Jake joint legal custody, so Sam and Quinn both agreed to let the ex-couple work it out.”
“That makes sense to me.” Carrie took her keys out of her purse. “Is Quinn on her way back?”
“Actually, she’s meeting Sam in San Francisco. They’re going to go to a couple clubs and spend some time together. Quinn said they’d be back before dinner on Saturday.”
“I guess now that Grace has been found, the pressure is off, and Sam can take some time off.”
“Sounds like it. He told me that he had a lead to follow up on relating to Veronica’s death, but chances are once he does that, he’ll call in his deputy to oversee things and head to the ferry.”
“I’m glad Sam and Quinn made a connection,” Carrie said, opening the driver’s side door and sliding inside. “At first, I wasn’t sure if the two of them getting together was a good idea given Quinn’s temporary status on the island, but I’m sure Sam knows the score. Sam and Quinn both have stressful jobs, so it’s good for them to have someone to blow off some steam with.”
“But you were worried about Ryder and me,” I pointed out, adjusting the air-conditioning vent on the passenger side.
“I was,” Carrie admitted as she pulled away from the condo and headed toward the recycling center. “But Ryder is my baby brother, and he isn’t Sam. Ryder has a tender heart. He feels deeply. This means that he can hurt deeply. I made it clear from the beginning that I didn’t want to see him hurt.”
“I know. I don’t want him to be hurt either, and I guess if I’m honest, I had my doubts about a relationship between us when we were first getting started. I think one of the reasons I’m so attracted to him is because of the fact he’s willing to lay it all on the line. He can overthink things, which can make him awkward at times, but I know he really means what he says. The guy doesn’t have a dishonest bone in his body.”
“He really is one of the good guys.” Carrie pulled into the drive and got into the drop off line. “Maybe we should stop in town and have a drink when we finish here.” Once we were assigned a lane, she pulled in, and we began unloading the boxes in a bin marked for used cardboard.
“I’m game. I just want to call Ryder and let him know what we’re doing in the event he gets off while we’re at the bar.”
“Tell him to join us if he gets off early. I was going to call him later, anyway. I have a few questions about the new bank accounts he helped me set up after Carl and I divided our assets. One of the accounts is a CD, and I’m not sure if I’m supposed to do something with it or let it roll over.”
We both returned to the car once we’d emptied the cardboard. “You do realize that you should learn to do all this yourself, don’t you?” I asked. “It’s great Ryder is helping out, but I know you want to be independent.”
“I know,” she admitted. “At first, it was easier to let him handle things, but eventually, I would like to be able to manage my own life. Should we head to the Boho Bar and Grill? They should have the sandpit open, and there’s usually shade at this time of the day.”
“That sounds fun,” I said, remembering what a disaster the night had been the first time Carrie had taken me there. “I’ve been wanting to try one of their fun appetizers.”
“They have excellent margaritas if you’re looking for something refreshing, and their crab wontons are to die for. Oh, and we have to try the shrimp, avocado, and lettuce wraps with the sweet Tai sauce. They do something to the cream cheese layer that’s really unique.”
I called Ryder while Carrie drove. He confirmed that he had only one more patient to see, and then, providing there were no emergencies, he’d turn things over to the brothers who lived at the veterinary hospital and meet us for a drink.
“These margaritas are really good,” I said twenty minutes later, after slipping off my sandals and digging my bare feet into the warm sand. “Not at all sweet and syrupy.”
“They use fresh lime rather than a mix,” she informed me. “I used to get these all the time before I decided to switch to shots, which is a habit I’m totally over by the way. I was such a mess when you first got here, but now, I feel happy and hopeful for the future.”
I held up my glass. “Here’s to new beginnings.”
She clicked her glass to mine. “Maybe if you stay, Quinn will visit more often.”
“Maybe,” I said. “But she hasn’t visited me all that often up to this point. On average, I’d say we’ve spent time together in person maybe once every three years.”
“That may be,” Carrie said, “but between you and me both being here on the island and Sam lurking in the background, we might convince her to come around more often. I’d love it if we were all together for Christmas. Well, maybe not all of us. I suppose Nora will want to be with her family. But maybe you and I and Sam and Ryder can do something together. If Quinn will join us, that will be all the better.”
“It’s kind of odd to look six months into the future and picture us all here on the island. Last Christmas, with Kayla in the hospital, was a total blur. I’m not sure it even registered that it was Christmas. But before that, I
’d go to Kayla’s every year. Now that she’s gone, I’m glad I won’t be alone this year.”
“You don’t think your nieces will come home for Christmas?” she asked.
I shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe, but even if they do, I think being with them would be weird for me. My brother-in-law is dating now. Even if the girls are there, which I honestly sort of doubt, it would be strange to see Mark with someone else.” I took a sip of my drink. “When I think of spending Christmas with them without Kayla, I feel sad, but when I think of spending Christmas with you, Sam, and Ryder, I feel excited.”
She took my hand in hers and gave it a squeeze. “I’m happy to hear that, but don’t lose touch with your nieces. I think you’ll regret it if you do.”
“Once I get settled, I’d like to rent the house we’re staying in now and have them both come to the island for a week or two. Maybe in the fall. I think a visit without overpowering memories or expectations of a holiday will be a better sort of visit for all of us.”
“I think you’re right, and a visit in the fall would be really nice. The summer crowds will have gone, yet the weather will still be nice. Maybe Jessica will even come home. I think she’s about the same age as your older niece.”
“She is. I think Jessica would get along splendidly with my nieces. I’m sort of surprised that you and Kayla hadn’t gotten them together before this.”
“Kayla visited the island even less often than you have over the years. In fact, I think the only times she even came were a couple of times she came with you. I remember you were both here for your thirtieth birthdays, but I’m not sure Kayla ever made it back after that.”