by Diane Capri
“How crazy is this pre-wedding thing going to get, do you think?” I wasn’t a big drinker or partier, so I was more than a bit apprehensive. A small room filled with drunken revelers didn’t sound like my idea of a great time.
“Do you remember that kegger Jessica hosted during our second year in college where that guy, Craig, wrapped himself in toilet paper and ran through the dorm screaming that he was a mummy?”
I nodded. “Yeah?”
“It’ll be just like that. But without any toilet-paper mummies. Or Craig.” She shrugged. “Well, I’m not sure I can promise that, really. But it’ll be fun. You’ll see.”
I was skeptical. The party would be held in the pub at the clubhouse on the golf course that was part of the hotel grounds. As far as I’d heard, almost every woman within a five-mile radius planned to be there. That’s just how it was in a small community. Everybody knew everybody. I’d been learning that living on an island had its challenges as well as its rewards.
Sometimes the “challenges” side of the scale was a little bit heavier, though, as I would soon find out yet again.
Chapter 3
The noise was nearly deafening inside the pub at the clubhouse. The body heat from sixty loud, sweaty women crammed together, drinking and talking and laughing, hung over me, sticky and cloying. Sweat rolled down my back and slicked my face.
None of this seemed to bother Ginny. Tendrils of hair stuck to her flushed cheeks as she downed yet another tequila shot in one gulp.
She slammed the shot glass down onto the table with gusto, rattling all the empty glasses already gathered there. Then she threw up her hands and cheered. Everyone around our table took up the cheer, and it spread through the entire place. The nonstop cacophony of celebration continued as everyone downed shots in honor of the bride and the wedding and anything else people could think of.
Ginny threw her arm around me and leaned into my ear. “Are you having fun?”
I lifted my first gin and tonic, which I was sipping slowly. “Yes.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Then finish that drink and have a shot with me.”
I took a sip, and she put her finger on the bottom of the glass and tilted it up so I’d drink more. I drained the glass and set it down with force. “There. Happy?”
“Even Mom is having a good time.” She gestured to the small karaoke stage where Lois and the bride-to-be, Tina, were singing along to the music with style and heart. I had no idea Lois could shake her hips so robustly.
“She deserves to let loose and have some fun,” I said.
Ginny nodded. “I worry about her.”
I knew she was referring to the occasions where she’d come across Lois talking to her dead husband, Henry. I’d witnessed it myself. At first, it didn’t worry me—lots of people talk to their deceased loved ones for comfort. But Lois seemed convinced that Henry was still here. In the hotel. She would use conversations she’d had with Henry to justify her decisions, too. When she wanted to implement a change, sometimes she would say, “Henry wants it that way.” She’d actually used “Henry’s wishes” to persuade Samuel not to fire me.
“She’ll be okay. There’s been a lot of stress at the hotel lately. It’s just her way of dealing with things,” I said.
“I’m not sure it’s the healthiest way, though. I really worry about her mental health if she keeps this up. She’s almost delusional about it.” She looked down at the table and fiddled with an empty shot glass.
I didn’t want her to be sad. I nudged her shoulder. “She’s tough. I’ve never known a stronger woman than Lois.”
“That’s true.” She gave me a little smile.
“I thought we were going to do shots?”
She threw her arm into the air. “Yes! Finally! Andi Steele is going to have some fun.”
“Hey, now. Don’t be mean.” I laughed.
She handed me a shot of tequila. I took the glass, resigned to drink it, but I wasn’t a very good drinker. Together we salted our hands, licked the salt, tossed the alcohol back, and sucked on a lime. I grimaced the whole way through. Tequila was an acquired taste, and I had never acquired it. Nor did I really want to. Ginny, on the other hand, could drink tequila like water.
After another shot, I was feeling no pain. My body was extremely relaxed. Maybe too relaxed. I was having trouble sitting erect on my stool. I had to lean on the table a little to keep my balance. What a lightweight.
“I want to fall in love,” Ginny said dreamily. “No.” She slapped her hand down. “I want someone to sweep me off my feet. I deserve to be swept away. I want a sweeper!”
“I agree.” That was one area in life where Ginny never seemed to be lucky—love. Not that I was any luckier. I’d had two serious relationships in my life, and both ended poorly. I had a knack for choosing the wrong men.
“Clinton’s not a sweeper.” She shook her head as she discussed her current boyfriend. “He’s not very ambitious.” She looked at me, narrowed her eyes. “Do you think Daniel’s a sweeper?”
If he was, he hadn’t managed to do it for me. To be fair, maybe it was because I wouldn’t let him.
Ginny made a face and slapped me on the arm. “You know who I bet is a sweeper? The sheriff.” She wriggled her eyebrows at me. “I could picture that man lifting a woman without any effort right into his arms and carrying her away to some isolated cabin in the woods. He’s definitely a woodsy man and not a beachy man. I’ll bet he’d be ravaging her for days upon days.”
I swallowed. She was right. I could picture the sheriff doing that, too.
“What about Clive Barrington?” I teased her. “I’ll bet he’s got what it takes to be a sweeper. Did you see those biceps?”
“Whew,” Ginny said, laughing as she wiped her brow. “It’s warm in here. I need some water. Do you want some water?”
“Yes, please.”
While Ginny pushed her way to the bar to get two glasses of water, the sheriff’s daughter Megan, who worked with the bride as one of the cleaning crew, stumbled out of nowhere and wrapped an arm around me. She was very drunk and could barely stand.
“Andi,” she breathed into my face. The alcoholic fumes were nearly suffocating. If I lit a match, I’d probably blow the place up.
“Hey, Megan. You all right?”
“I’m goooooooooood.” She laughed. Then she looked soberly at me, her brow furrowed into thinking lines. “Did you break my dad’s heart?”
“Um, no.” I fidgeted in my chair.
“I think you did. He’s so damn moody. I mean, he’s always been moody, but this…this is different. I’ve never seen him like this. Well, maybe once before when Mom left him.”
I patted her hand. “I assure you, I did not break your dad’s heart.”
She stared at me for a long moment. “He likes you, you know. Like, likes you. You know what I mean?”
“I know what you mean.”
“Do you like him?”
I licked my lips, thinking about my answer. Should I lie to her? I could tell her the truth, get it out in the open, and she’d never remember it anyway since she was so drunk. Maybe I could unburden myself…all I’d have to do is confess it out loud.
I opened my mouth, but before I could say anything, a thumping dance song came on, and Megan began jumping up and down. “I love this song!” Then she gyrated through the crowd away from me.
When Ginny came back with the water, I nearly chugged the whole glass in one long gulp.
The party wound down about one in the morning, and the majority of the partiers streamed out of the pub. There were several hotel golf carts with drivers waiting for those who wanted or needed a ride home. Lois had arranged all of this for Tina, the bride-to-be. Because Tina worked at the Park. And because we all liked Tina. That was one of the things I loved about this island, this village. Everyone looked out for each other.
Ginny and I opted to walk together back to the hotel. I told her I’d spend the night at her suite, instead of going back to
mine alone. I didn’t want to admit it, but I was afraid to be alone in my suite, especially at night. The break-in still haunted me. If it had been a random burglary, maybe I’d have been able to relax. But I’d been targeted, watched, victimized, and I still didn’t know why or by whom.
We walked arm in arm down the picturesque path that dissected the golf course from the hotel. It wasn’t a long walk. We enjoyed the unusually warm September evening. Ginny said it wouldn’t be too long before snow started to fall. Which was something I wasn’t looking forward to. I dreaded the coming Michigan winter. I’d lived through a few while I was in college in Ann Arbor and never learned to enjoy the snow.
“You know what I really want,” Ginny said. “I want to travel.”
“Like to Mexico or somewhere warm?” I shivered a little in my sweater.
“Maybe, but I mean really travel. Like to Europe or Australia or Africa, even. For a few months. Maybe a whole year.”
“Really? I never heard you say that before. I always thought you wanted to find a man and settle down with a passel of kids.”
She shook her head. “Nope. That’s what my mom wants me to do. She’d be happy if I never left home again. But that’s not what I truly want.” She gripped my arm tight. “Could you imagine strolling down the streets of Paris? Having breakfast at a little café, flirting a little with the adorable French waiter. Maybe spending the day at the Louvre, or up in the Eiffel Tower, or a night at the Moulin Rouge.” She smiled dreamily. “Could you imagine?”
“And a gorgeous French man would sweep you off your feet, I assume?” I smiled.
“Yes!” She squeezed my arm again and giggled.
“What’s stopping you?”
“Everything. Mom, my job at the hotel, money…”
“Money? What kind of money problems could you possibly have? You’ll inherit a fortune one day,” I said, squeezing her arm.
She shook her head. “Not unless we sold the Park. Which none of us would ever do. As long as we can keep the old place going, we will. Too many people here depend on us for their livelihoods, you know?”
Her wistfulness caught me unaware. The Park family never seemed to want for anything. But I hadn’t considered that the equity in the historic hotel was not the same as cash in the bank.
We walked a few more steps in silence before I said, “If you really want to travel, find a way. Life is way too short to have big regrets like that.”
She nodded. “Yeah. You’re right. I’m going to do it. I’ll find a way to do it.” She let my arm go and ran out onto the golf course.
“Where are you going?”
“I have to pee,” she said, laughing and hopping from one foot to another.
“You can’t hold it until we get to the hotel?” But she was already too far upwind to hear me.
She jogged a little ways and then ducked behind some bushes.
Shaking my head, I wandered over to a pretty wooden bench near a copse of trees just off the path to wait for her. While I sat there, I felt the shadows closing in on me. A sudden creeping sensation took hold. I shook it off.
“Hurry, Gin. It’s getting cold out here.”
“Just give me a minute!” she shouted and then giggled.
I rubbed my hands up and down my arms, unable to warm away the chills. It almost felt like I was being watched. I looked around. I was alone in this section of the course. There was a group of three women about fifty feet away, heading toward the hotel. Their laughter carried across the grass. It should’ve made me feel better, more secure, but it didn’t.
I turned toward the bushes. “Ginny! C’mon!”
A shiver raced down my back—something wasn’t right. I stood up just as a wide hand clamped down around my right wrist and swung me backward toward one of the trees. On instinct, I reacted and lashed out. Without really seeing who had attacked me, I struck toward the face and throat with my left hand, hoping to connect with something. I kicked out with my leg, aiming for his groin. I was rewarded with a hard grunt, and the hand on my wrist dropped away.
It was then I saw who had grabbed me, and the blood drained from my face. Even in the moonlit night, I recognized his features. I felt woozy. I reached out and pressed my hand against the closest tree so I didn’t fall to the ground.
He looked the same, except his hair was a bit longer and there was a little gray peppered in with the dark. Stubble marred his usually clean-shaven chin as he rubbed the spot where I’d hit him.
“Jeremy?”
His face tilted toward me, and he smiled. “Hey, Andi.”
Chapter 4
He straightened, and I noticed he favored his leg a little. That was where I must’ve kicked him, narrowly missing his groin. “Is that any way to greet a friend?”
He certainly wasn’t a friend. He was Jeremy Rucker, my old boss. The one who had embezzled millions from our firm’s clients and left me holding the bag. He was directly responsible for the situation I found myself in now. No way to practice law any more in California or anywhere else. Working as a concierge at the Park Hotel.
Come to think of it, maybe I should’ve given him a few more kicks for good measure.
“What are you doing here?”
“I thought I’d surprise you.”
I shook my head, which was still a little swimmy from the tequila and the shock of seeing Jeremy. “How can you even be here? What about your bail conditions? Surely, you’re not allowed to leave the state of California before the trial.”
“Don’t worry about that. I got it all worked out.”
I looked him over, shocked to see him walking free right here on Frontenac Island. He’d tried to hit the road once already, but the firm had tracked him down. He’d been caught at the airport in Maui, about to board a plane to Tahiti. The courts had shipped him back to California for trial. I’d thought I might have had to testify in court, but the firm’s criminal lawyers said my testimony wasn’t necessary. I didn’t know anything about Jeremy’s embezzling, anyway.
Ginny had stumbled over to where we stood. “What’s going on? Who’s this?”
“This is Jeremy Rucker.”
Her eyes widened. “The Jeremy? Your ex-boss? The embezzler?”
“Alleged embezzler,” he said like any good criminal lawyer might have. “They haven’t proved anything yet.”
“Why are you here?” I asked coldly.
“To see you, of course.”
Anger clipped my voice. He was not being straight with me. No surprise there. Jeremy had proved to be an excellent liar. “And how did you find me here?”
He sighed, rubbing at his chin again. I wondered if I’d really punched him hard enough to justify his theatrics. I hoped so. He deserved as much…and more. “You’d be surprised how easy it is to get information out of people, especially in a small town like this one.”
True. Hadn’t the town’s penchant for gossip been my biggest asset when I was investigating those murders? Everyone seemed to know everything about everybody around here, and they were all more than willing to share.
“Everyone was talking about the bachelorette party at the clubhouse.” He glanced at Ginny. “You aren’t the bride-to-be, are you?”
“No,” Ginny said.
He narrowed his eyes and pointed a finger at her. “No, wait…I know who you are. Ginny Park. You went to college with Andi, didn’t you? I recognize you from your picture.”
“What do you want, Jeremy?”
“I need something.”
I frowned. “What could you possibly need from me?”
“You have a flash drive that belongs to me.”
My frown deepened. “I don’t have anything that’s yours. Why would you say that?”
“Don’t mess around with me, Andi. I really need that drive.” He took a step closer.
Ginny piped up. “Hey, she said she doesn’t know what you’re talking about.”
He turned his head toward Ginny, and I didn’t like the way he looked at her. Lik
e she was disposable. I had to diffuse the situation I felt building. “Jeremy, I’m telling you that I don’t have a flash drive that belongs to you.”
He sighed again, clenching his jaw. “You might not know you have it.”
“What do you mean?”
“I put it in—”
“What’s going on?” Daniel stepped out of the dark and onto the path.
Jeremy took a visible step away from me and unclenched his fists. “Hey, nothing’s going on, buddy. I’m just talking to an old friend.”
Daniel looked at me. “Andi, are you okay?”
“I’m fine, Daniel.”
Ginny wasn’t having it. “This is Jeremy Rucker. He was threatening Andi.”
“Ginny,” I warned.
“Well, he was.”
Daniel moved closer, standing between Jeremy and me. “I suggest you walk away, buddy.”
Jeremy looked at me, then Daniel. I could tell he was sizing up the situation. Jeremy had been an affable man to work for. I’d never felt uneasy around him. He’d never hit on me, except one time when he was really drunk at a staff party, which didn’t really count. I’d never seen him become uncontrollably angry. He’d always seemed so even tempered. Until now. Now I felt a perceptible level of violence wafting off him like an icy breeze off the lake.
He put his hands up and backed away. “Okay, okay. I don’t want any problems.”
Daniel lowered his guard a little and glanced over his shoulder at me. That was a mistake. Jeremy took a swing at him. Daniel leaned away and avoided Jeremy’s fist. Then he stepped forward and struck Jeremy hard on the chin with an uppercut, like a man accustomed to fighting. Jeremy stumbled to the side. He spat blood out onto the grass. He must’ve bitten his lip or tongue from the solid punch.
“You’ll regret that,” he said, wiping the blood away with the back of his hand.
“Never come near Andi again.” Daniel’s voice was ice cold. I’d never heard him speak like that before.
