“Over the past week or so. I ignored the first few. There’s always someone unhappy. But we’ve never had any effect our business like this.” Her face reddened as she talked about it.
It sounded like some were posted before Elwell died and some after.
“I heard you had your own problems at Boone’s house last night.”
“How did you hear that?”
Leah laughed. “You are going to have to get used to small-town living. That, and my husband’s a volunteer fireman.”
“I’m trying to adjust,” I said with a laugh. “I went out and saw Ivy two nights ago.”
“At the Crow’s Nest?”
“Yes,” I said.
“You’re brave.”
“Or foolish. She isn’t too happy with Vivi. And there were a couple of cowboys in the bar that I think were eavesdropping on our conversation.”
“One might be Ivy’s boyfriend. He used to ride the rodeo circuit but got kicked out for unethical behavior. But he still dresses like he’s part of the community.”
I didn’t want to know what that unethical behavior was. Unless it was gambling. Elwell was rumored to be a gambler. But would Ivy’s boyfriend kill her dad and keep dating her? “There are rodeos around here?”
“There’s one on the beach every spring called Bulls on the Beach. And some up north. Inland is a whole different world than the beach cities. You don’t have to go very far north to see it. Bonifay—it’s about sixty miles from here—has a huge rodeo every fall. ”
Sixty miles outside of Chicago was a different world too, so I understood what she was saying. “Interesting.”
“There’s always a push-pull between the beach and the inland areas. Our taxes provide most of the revenue for the entire county.”
“Did Elwell ever come by here with his armadillo shell hat on?”
“Yeah, he took several rides at various times in the past few weeks.”
“How’d the other people take that?” I asked.
“Stayed as far away as possible, which isn’t easy on a crowded boat when you are supposed to stay in your seat.”
“Are there any other glass-bottom boats around?” I asked.
“Not in Emerald Cove, but a couple in Destin.”
“Leah,” a woman’s voice screeched from the kiosk. “You gonna take these good folks for a tour or stand around talking all day?”
“Oops. Gotta run. Last thing we need is more bad reviews.”
* * *
At noon, I took a break and stopped by the Briny Pirate. Elwell had gone to at least four out of the six heritage businesses with the armadillo shell on this head. By now I was fairly certain he was out to hurt the heritage businesses. Other than the glass-bottom boat, it didn’t seem like his efforts had that big of an impact. Certainly not enough for any of them to close. Just enough for him to be annoying. Was that reason enough to kill him?
“Is Wade around?” I asked a waitress.
“In the back,” she said, pointing. “It’s fine if you head back there.”
Wade had a bandanna tied around his gray hair and wore a white chef’s coat. He was stirring something in a big pot. The air was spiced with hot sauce.
“Wade?” I asked.
“Hey, Chloe. How are you, honey?”
Awww, he called me honey. Maybe he called everyone that but it warmed me anyway. “Okay. That smells delicious.”
“Gumbo. Want a bowl?”
It had been a few hours since I’d eaten the breakfast burrito. “Sure. I’d love some.”
Wade dished up two bowls. “Let’s take this out to the picnic table in the back.” He loaded a tray with the two bowls, a few packs of oyster crackers, extra hot pepper sauce, two cans of Coke, and utensils. I held the door open and helped sort everything out once he’d placed the tray on the table. Seagulls soared around as fishing boats came in. The water sparkled. The picnic table was in a shady spot under a small pergola. If it hadn’t been for Elwell’s murder and Vivi’s and my troubles, it would be a perfect day.
Wade added a couple of dashes of hot sauce to his and held up the bottle. “Want some?”
“Sure,” I said, and added a couple of dashes to mine. I gave it a good stir and tasted it. “Ummm, Wade. This is melt-in-your-mouth yummy.” It had the right amount of seafood-to-sausage ratio. Just enough heat to make me happy. We ate for a few minutes.
“I’m guessing you didn’t come over here just to get some free gumbo.”
“I’ll pay,” I said. I didn’t want him to think I was a mooch.
“Not what I was talkin’ about. You must want to ask me something.”
He said ask, not tell. I guessed he knew about my poking around, asking questions. That probably wasn’t good. I nodded, because my mouth was full. “It’s about Elwell.” Wade didn’t look surprised. “Did he come here wearing his armadillo shell?”
“Yep. Started a couple of weeks ago.”
“Did you ask him why he was wearing it?”
“Sure did. Mumbled some nonsense about ‘the gub’ment.’ ”
“So you didn’t buy that?”
“Not at t’all. Fact is, I told him he wasn’t welcome in the Briny Pirate until he quit wearing that darn thing. Customers didn’t like it. I didn’t either.”
There was a definite pattern emerging here. The question was why?
“Has anyone threatened you or the business?”
Wade shook his head before I got the words out.
“Has anyone wanted to buy your business recently?”
“All the time. Anyone who owns property along here gets offers. On bad days, some are darn tempting. But I’m not going to sell.”
“Chloe.”
I glanced over to see Vivi heading toward us. She wore silver sandals, navy skinny jeans, and a spotless white shirt. Wade’s face did the equivalent of a happy dance.
“Why didn’t you call me last night and tell me about the fire? I had to hear about it this morning. That was irresponsible. I have a right to know.”
Emotionally, she had a right to know, even though the house was mine now. “I don’t have your number.”
Vivi opened and closed her mouth. She recited two numbers, which I typed into my phone. I figured one was her home and one was her cell.
“Shouldn’t you ask her if she’s okay?” Wade asked gently.
“I can see she is.” She gestured up and down at me.
“Don’t you think it might have been a tad bit traumatizing?” Wade asked.
I ate some more gumbo to keep from saying anything. I’d let the two of them verbally duke it out, although I was disappointed my détente with Vivi seemed so strained.
Vivi put her silver designer purse on the picnic table and sat down next to Wade. They were arm to arm. “You’re right as usual, Wade.” She looked at me. “He’s the angel to my devil.”
That sounded a lot like Boone and me. A little ripple of hurt went through me.
“Are you okay?” Vivi asked. “The fire chief told me that you hosed down the house and probably saved it. So thank you.”
I perked up a bit. “I’m fine. Glad there wasn’t any real damage.” To lose another piece of Boone would have been devastating for Vivi. For me too.
“Did you hear anything?” Vivi asked.
“No. The flicker from the flames and smoke woke me up. By the time I got outside, whoever set the fire was long gone.”
“Hopefully, the fire or sheriff’s department will come up with some answers,” Vivi said.
I stood up. “Can I carry all this back inside, Wade? I have to get to work. My break is over and my boss is a real stickler for all things work-related.”
Wade laughed, and something even flickered across Vivi’s face that might have passed for a smile.
“From what I understand,” Vivi said, “we’ll need some kind of professional cleanup crew to get the smoke smell out.”
“We.” It was nice to hear Vivi talking about me as part of her team. “I’ve
already taken care of it. Well, I asked Ann Williams to. Stink Away was showing up just as I left. I dropped by to do a load of wash this morning.”
“Ann Williams?” Wade asked.
“Yes. She must have a lot of connections,” I said. “And she sure is efficient.”
Wade’s eyes crinkled up in what looked like amusement. What in the heck was so funny about Ann’s efficiency? What was up with Ann?
CHAPTER 27
After I made sure all our customers were happy, I took my phone and read through the reviews for the other heritage businesses. All of them, including the Sea Glass, had had a series of bad reviews posted in the last week, with an uptick in the last forty-eight hours. According to the reviews, the Sea Glass watered down its drinks and used cheap ingredients. One mentioned a bad mojito. Hmmm. If it was the one I’d made, the reviewer might have had a valid point. But the rest of them couldn’t be further from the truth.
The fishing boat was accused of giving away people’s fish, of stacking people shoulder to shoulder so it was hard to fish, and canceling trips with no notice. The grocery store had complaints of people being shorted shrimp, getting sick from it, and that it wasn’t real Gulf shrimp.
The glass-bottom boat had reviews that said the glass was too dirty to see through and that the reviewer didn’t see any dolphins. How could they complain about that? It wasn’t called a dolphin tour. The dolphins were just a bonus. Someone was disappointed that the Redneck Rollercoaster wasn’t really a roller coaster, and that it had been hot the day they went. In July. In Florida. I shook my head. Other reviewers said it was too crowded and they couldn’t understand a word being said on the tour. Wade’s restaurant was called filthy, his fish dry, and his gumbo flavorless, among other things. I knew that was a lie.
I put down my phone when a few customers drifted in. Apparently, they weren’t the type to read reviews. Joaquín came in and saved me from attempting to make mixed drinks. After I served the customers, I wrote my own positive reviews of all the businesses. Then I reported all the negative ones to the website, pointing out the timing of the reviews. I hoped they’d take at least some of them down.
* * *
Vivi called me into her office at three, which made my heart pitter-pat more than it did when I saw Rhett. She gestured for me to sit down, so I did. There was a beautiful new painting behind her desk of the Gulf at sunrise or sunset.
Vivi cleared her throat and handed me two checks. “The first one is for your first two weeks’ wages.”
It was quite generous. Vivi paid above minimum wage. Add tips to that, and a person could actually eke out a living. “Thank you. I know you don’t really want me here, so I wasn’t sure I’d get paid.”
“It’s what Boone would have wanted.”
I looked down at the second check. “What?” The check had more zeros on it than any check I’d ever seen. “I don’t understand.”
“It’s for your part of the bar. Doubled, like I offered the other day, with a generous bonus thrown in.”
Oh, the things I could do with that kind of money. I pictured vacations in Europe. A condo all paid off in Chicago. Clothes and shoes that weren’t purchased at a thrift shop. A whole life was flashing before my eyes. But no. I couldn’t. I ripped it in half and then half again. Placed it back on the desk. Vivi’s face turned bright red.
I stood up. “It’s what Boone would have wanted.” I walked out and got back to work, wondering what would happen next.
* * *
At one thirty, one of the guys I’d danced with at AJ’s the other night walked in.
“If it isn’t cute Chloe. The mystery woman.” His dark eyes, close-cropped, curly hair, and bright smile perked me up after the scene with Vivi. He looked a bit like Trevor Noah.
Joaquín looked back and forth between us.
“Hi—” Oh boy, I couldn’t remember his name.
“Hunter,” he said, his smile dimpling his dark-skinned cheeks.
I blushed. “Hunter. Can I get you something to drink?”
“I’m devastated that you didn’t remember my name.”
“Sorry. So many men, so little time. A drink?”
Hunter laughed. “Sure. What’s on tap?”
I ran through the beers, and he chose a pale ale. I poured it and handed it to him. Hunter settled on the barstool directly in front of me.
“You are a difficult woman to find,” Hunter said.
“You were trying to find me?” That was flattering. And a bit creepy.
“You said you worked at a bar in Emerald Cove. I’ve been working my way through them.”
I laughed. “All four of them? Such a hardship.”
“Some of the restaurants have bars too.” He said it in a mock hurt voice.
“Oh, you poor thing.” Hunter was in the Marines. Doing a temporary assignment of some kind with the special forces at Hurlburt over in Fort Walton Beach. It wasn’t anything he could talk about.
“Some of my friends and I are going wakeboarding in an hour. Want to come along?”
I loved wakeboarding. Wakeboards were short boards with foot bindings that were towed behind a speedboat. Flying across the water, looping up and over the wake the boat created. Gliding back and forth, catching air. I sighed. “Work.”
“It’s slow,” Joaquín said. “Why don’t you take off? You could use some fun.”
“But you’ll be here all alone.” Vivi had left not long after I’d torn up the check. I’d yet to tell Joaquín about that whole incident.
“I’ve done it many times. I can handle it.”
I turned to Hunter. “It looks like I can come.” And boy, did I need an escape.
CHAPTER 28
At five I pulled back into the driveway to Boone’s house. Sunburned. Windblown. Exhilarated and exhausted. Hunter and his friends had been fun. All of them trying to outdo one another on the boards. There’d been lots of tumbles and more laughs. I’d only fallen once and was going to have a heck of a bruise on my left thigh, but it was worth it.
An old station wagon with a surfboard lashed on top was parked to the side of the house. Ed Ashford, the lawyer, sat on the front porch, forearms resting on his thighs. He stood when I got out of the car. I noticed new floodlights had been installed at the corners of the house. There was also a sign for Farley’s Security by the porch.
I gestured toward the sign. “Did you have anything to do with the new lights and security system?”
“Nope.”
Why was he here, then? It didn’t take long for me to come up with a reason. “Let me guess. Vivi came to see you.”
“Yes, she did. Quite fired up too.”
I unlocked the door. “Come on in.” The house smelled lemony fresh. No one would guess the place could have burned down last night. Another thing to thank Ann for. “Can I get you something to drink?”
“Tea?” he asked.
“I don’t have any sweet tea. I’ve only been in the South a couple of weeks. Do you want unsweetened?”
“No, thanks.”
“I have beer, wine, and water.”
“Water it is, then.”
I found the operating instructions for the security system on the counter next to the refrigerator. I’d have to read them later. For now, I poured two glasses of water. “Let’s sit out on the screened porch.”
“Sure can’t tell there was a fire here last night,” Ed said as we crossed the room.
“Does everyone in town know about the fire?” I asked.
“Of course they do. It was the talk of the diner this mornin’. People speculating all kinds of reasons as to why it happened.”
“Anything useful?”
“ ’Course not.”
There was still a bit of smoke smell hanging in the air outside. I sat on the porch swing, and he picked a rocking chair.
“Was it bad inside?” Ed asked.
“It was. Ann William’s company is amazing. They must have worked here all day.”
He looke
d puzzled but nodded.
“But you probably aren’t here to talk about that.”
“You’re right. Vivi came slamming into my office this morning. Sounds like you turned down a lot of money.”
“More than I’ve ever seen.”
“It must have been difficult.”
“It was.”
“She’s going to offer you even more. So be prepared.”
“Oh, no. I only have so much willpower.”
Ed smiled. “I just wanted to give you a heads-up. I wouldn’t be a very good lawyer if I didn’t advise you to consider her offer. It would set you up for a long time.”
“Can she really afford to offer me more? Without putting herself in jeopardy?”
“She can. Is that going to change your mind?”
I thought that over for a minute. Thought of Boone. “No.”
He laughed.
“What?” I asked.
“I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone put more disappointment into the word ‘no.’ ”
“Would you tell her I won’t accept any offer? No matter what.”
“I can, but Vivi’s stubborn.”
“So am I.” We sipped our water and stared out at the Gulf. The clouds were pinking to the west. The sunset would be spectacular. “Have you heard anything about Elwell’s death?”
“Bless your heart. The rumors about you are true.”
It was the first time someone had given me the old bless-your-heart routine since I’d arrived. I’d heard what people said it really meant, but I wasn’t so sure.
“Rumors? About me?” As far as I could tell, Emerald Cove thrived on rumors and innuendo. Unfortunately, so far almost everyone but Leah and Ivy had doctoral degrees in how to say something without saying anything.
“That you’re poking into Elwell’s death and the heritage businesses.”
Oh, great. “I’m new in town. I’ve been visiting as many of the area attractions as possible. I’ve been to AJ’s on the harbor in Destin. Rented a Jet Ski and visited Crab Island. I just got back from wakeboarding with friends.” Friends might be a stretch, but it sounded good. “Along with doing the touristy things here in Emerald Cove. Can you report that to the rumor mill for me?” I hoped he’d buy this line of thinking. If it got spread around, maybe the car-swiping fire starter would back off.
From Beer to Eternity Page 16
