From Beer to Eternity

by Sherry Harris

  “No need to get huffy.”

  “I’m young. Does everyone expect me to stay home reading?” I loved to read, but I was starting to feel a righteous indignation building up, even though Ed and the rumor-mill people were spot-on with what I’d been up to.

  “And what about Elwell?”

  “I found him. Of course I’m curious about what happened to him.” I paused. “And I’m worried for Vivi. The deputies have questioned her a couple of times.”

  “Three, to be exact.”

  “Are you representing her?”

  “No. I don’t do criminal law.”

  “But you know who is?” I asked.

  “I know who should be.”

  “Who?”

  “Rhett Barnett.”

  “Rhett’s a lawyer?” And here I’d thought he was some kind of ne’er-do-well playboy, not a criminal defense lawyer. He must keep really strange office hours.

  “Was a lawyer. He quit a year ago.”

  “Why?” I asked.

  “You’d have to ask him about that.”

  “I can’t. The feud and all that.” I almost rolled my eyes at myself. Hadn’t I just decided this morning that I wasn’t going to get pulled into it? I was all over the place, wanting to please Vivi and, well, wanting Rhett. Not that I’d tell him that.

  Ed made a snorting noise.

  “What’s the feud about anyway?” I asked, not really expecting any kind of answer.

  “A man and a piece of land. Perceived insults.”

  Intriguing. I’d heard the part about the man before if Ed was talking about Elwell. “Tell me more.”

  He paused. “Back in the sixties, Rhett’s family wanted to buy land that Vivi’s family owned to develop. A deal was in the works until Vivi came home from college and convinced her family to donate the land to be preserved.”

  “I’m glad she had the foresight to do that. What about the man?”

  Ed rubbed a hand over his face. “Elwell.”

  That fit with the picture I’d seen at the Sea Glass and what I’d been told.

  “Vivi stole Elwell before prom their senior year of high school and then dumped him in the fall. It was bad all around. I think Vivi just dated him out of spite. She’s changed a lot since back then, but somethings in a small town don’t go away.”

  It didn’t seem like that had anything to do with Elwell’s murder. Since Ed was here, I might as well try to find something more out. “Buford has a bad temper. It was scary when he accused you of cheating and grabbed you by the collar. It seems like whoever killed Elwell was angry about something.”

  Ed stared out at the Gulf. Drank some water. Wiped a hand across his mouth. I waited and kept my mouth shut.

  “He does have a temper. The thought crossed my mind too.”

  “At Elwell’s memorial, it sounded like Buford harbored a grudge against Elwell because he got all the glory on the football team. Then he made that comment about Elwell being the shark and everyone else the minnows. Do you know what that was about?”

  Ed nodded slowly. “Buford is a hard worker. Owns a roofing company but was never as successful as Elwell. Elwell tossed business his way whenever he could, but it was never enough for Buford. If someone else got a job on one of Elwell’s projects, Buford would go ballistic.”

  I wasn’t surprised to hear any of that. “Will you tell me if what I’ve heard about Elwell is true?”

  “I will if I know it.”

  I ran through what I’d heard—gambling, medical issue, some kind of real estate deal.

  “Any of those are possible.”

  “But are any of them true?”

  He crossed a leg, knee extended out. “I think he might have been trying to get some zoning passed. The old guard around here is dead set against it. But new folks, they see dollar signs.”

  “What do you think?”

  Ed gestured toward the Gulf. “I come from a long line of surfers. We don’t like to share.”

  “Do you think Elwell could have been blackmailing someone? To get them to bend to his will?” I’m not sure where that idea popped into my head from.

  He stood. “That’s entirely possible. Stay safe.”

  “I’m doing my best.” But that wasn’t going to prevent me from heading out again.

  CHAPTER 29

  Fred Russo greeted me when I walked into the almost-empty grocery store. “Everyone must still be watching the sunset,” I said.

  “Or writing bad online reviews.”

  “I countered with a good one.”

  “Saw it. Thanks. Looking for anything special?” he asked.

  “Need some salad fixings. And I’d take more shrimp. It was really good.”

  “Gulf’s finest. How much do you want? I’ll get it for you while you pick out what you want for your salad.”

  “A pound sounds good. I can cook it all tonight and have some leftover for tomorrow.”

  Fred nodded, and we went our separate ways. I found some gorgeous heirloom tomatoes, fresh Bibb lettuce, red peppers, carrots, and some Brussel sprouts that I could shave thin and add to the salad. I went down the row for salad dressing and saw that Russo had its own brand. I grabbed a balsamic vinaigrette, and then I found some Russo hot and spicy cocktail sauce. I added it to the cart too.

  I headed toward the back but heard two men arguing and stopped. One was obviously Russo with his slow drawl. The other voice was rapid-fire. Definitely not a native.

  “Don’t give me any grief about this,” the outsider said.

  “I don’t know what you expect me to do,” Fred said.

  “Deliver. That’s all I ask.”

  I looked up and could see both of them in a large, round mirror up in the corner of the store. But the mirror distorted them enough that I couldn’t tell what the other man looked like. He was a bit shorter than Fred and had a big, round bald spot that he tried to cover by slicking his hair back over it. Fred glanced at the mirror and spotted me. He said something I couldn’t hear to the other man. He didn’t look at the mirror. Instead, he went around the fish counter and out the back.

  I walked over to the counter, not quite sure what to say. The counter had some red snapper, grouper, oysters, and shrimp all on ice. Local foods.

  Fred smiled at me as he weighed out my shrimp. “Sorry about that. Suppliers. None of them are ever happy.”

  I nodded. Fred handed me the shrimp. “I’ll give you the end-of-the-day discount.”

  “You don’t have to do that.”

  “You’re almost family.” He handed me the package and followed me to the front of the store. “Let me ring you up.”

  After my food was bagged, I headed out to my car. Something wasn’t right. If the outsider Fred was arguing with was a supplier, why was he telling Fred he’d better deliver?

  * * *

  After dinner, I pulled out my laptop. I typed in “Ann Williams” and “Emerald Cove, Florida.” Nothing came up. How does a businesswoman not have a website? I typed in “Stink Away,” and a website plus some news articles popped up. I read the news articles first, which dated back five years to when they opened the business. They not only cleaned up after fires but also floods and crime scenes. I hoped there wasn’t much call for the last around here. One article mentioned they joined the Chamber of Commerce. Another talked about how they donated to the local Scout troop. Nothing interesting, and no mention of Ann.

  I went to their “About” page. It mentioned how the couple had started and expanded their business, but again, no mention of Ann. It was too small a company to have a board. Maybe she was some kind of silent partner. Whatever it was, it intrigued me. I tried doing another search, spelling “Ann” a couple of different ways. Still nothing. Maybe she was one of those people who ran their business by referrals only. But with all the funny looks on people’s faces when I talked about her, I knew something was up. Figuring out what might be fun.

  Next, I went to the City of Emerald Cove’s home page. There were four co
uncilmen and a mayor. She voted to break ties. Both Ralph and Fred were on the town council. I read through the bios of all the council members. Ralph was a sixth-generation resident, Fred a fifth. Two of the members were first generation. One from Atlanta and one from Nashville. Both had extensive real estate and business ownership backgrounds.

  The mayor was third generation. I read several speeches where she talked about managed growth. Just how managed was she talking? Managed as in no growth, or managed as in let’s grow this place. It was hard to tell. She seemed like a typical obfuscating politician. The two businesspeople seemed to use the same talking points she did. Ralph and Fred were more along the lines of no growth. It seemed to me if Fred, Ralph, or the other councilman voted with the businesspeople, things could be set to change drastically in Emerald Cove. But why would they do it? And did any of this have anything to do with Elwell?

  I shut my computer. Between hardly any sleep last night and the wakeboarding this afternoon, I was done in. I read through the instructions for the security system, set the alarm, and went to bed.

  * * *

  I woke up refreshed and pulled on my running gear. Just before I went out the door, I remembered I had to turn off the alarm. Whew, that was a close one. I wasn’t sure exactly what the response would be if it did go off. I guessed I needed to do some more reading because I didn’t want to find out by accident.

  I jogged across the soft sand, thighs a little sore from the wakeboarding. A heck of a bruise had bloomed on my thigh. My shorts covered some of it. I headed east, away from the Sea Glass. I wanted to run by the houses I’d seen the other night and was curious to see if one of those houses might belong to Vivi.

  A half an hour later, I was sweaty but no wiser. There were no neon signs on any of the houses that said, “Vivi lives here.” I should have just done a search on her before I set out. In fact, that’s what I’d do when I got back. At the end of the row of houses, I turned back to the west. I slowed down to a walk and looked for shells. I found a tiny hinged one that was purple inside. I kept walking and found half of one that looked like an angel wing. Surely it must be lucky. A little bit farther on, I spotted a small piece of sea glass and picked it up too. My neck was getting sore, so I quit looking and jogged back home.

  I put the shells on the dresser. I couldn’t call it “my dresser” yet. Thirty minutes later, I’d showered, made some scrambled eggs, and sat in front of my computer. I searched for Vivi and was surprised to see how much information popped up about her. She’d been a longtime member of the Chamber of Commerce and was Businesswoman of the Year several years in a row. I ate my eggs as I searched. Years earlier, she was on the pageant circuit, as was Rhett’s grandmother. Was that also part of their feud? Or at least contributed to it?

  I found Vivi’s address and searched for it online. Wow! Vivi owned the big, yellow, Florida-style house just on the other side of the nature preserve. No wonder she called it the “big house.” Upper and lower verandas faced the beach, and a long, broad one ran across the front too. It was my favorite of the houses. I had run by it this morning. I’m not sure how knowing this helped me. I thought again about Elwell and Vivi. I had to do something so I searched on social media and came up with a plan.

  * * *

  It wasn’t that hard to track down Elwell’s wife, Gloria. She loved her social media and posted almost every move she made. All her posts were public too. Dumb move for her, but great for me. So, if Gloria stuck to her routine, at nine this morning, she would drop her dogs—two Pomeranians—at the groomer’s and then cross the street for coffee while she waited for them.

  At 8:55, I was seated at her favorite table right by the window, where everyone walking by could admire her. The barista looked nervous when he saw me sit there with my iced—not sweet—tea, but he didn’t have the guts to tell me to move. It made me wonder how Gloria was going to react when she saw me sitting here. Through the window, I watched Gloria drop off the dogs and sashay over to the coffee shop.

  Her order, a large, iced caramel something or other, was waiting when she walked in. It was comical to see the shock on her face when she finally noticed me sitting in her spot. Patrons at other tables nudged one another as she made her way over. I smiled pleasantly at her.

  Instead of my usual shorts and T-shirt, I wore a belted sundress with a full skirt. Vintage sixties, from the wardrobe I’d inherited from my grandmother along with the Beetle. The woman had been a style icon long before that was a thing. Red, strappy heels completed my outfit. I wore more makeup than usual, and my hair was slicked back away from my face and tucked behind my ears. It made my face look more heart-shaped and my chin more pronounced. While a wig or hair dye would be the way to go, this was the best I could do on short notice.

  Gloria had seen me once at the memorial service at the Sea Glass. She hadn’t paid any attention to me then, so I was hoping she wouldn’t recognize this new, improved version of me. My dad would say I was up to shenanigans. He’d be right.

  “Would you mind moving? This is my regular table.” Gloria smiled pleasantly at me.

  “I would.” I smiled pleasantly back at her, but emphasized my nasal, flat Midwestern tone to let her know I wasn’t from around there.

  Her face changed from pleasant back to shocked. I think she was about to say, “Do you know who I am?” And I didn’t want to answer that question.

  “Why don’t you join me?” I said, gesturing to the chair across from me. The one she had posted selfies in. A cushy number upholstered in purple. To my surprise, she sat down without a fight. I’d played out how this could go in my head numerous times. Easy acquiescence wasn’t one of the scenarios I’d counted on. Now to get her to talk. I figured focusing on her was the only way to go.

  “Where do you get your nails done?” I asked. “They are stunning. Mine are in desperate need.” I splayed my fingers. My nails were unpolished, but I’d learned quickly that working in a bar was a waste of a good manicure. Too many opportunities for chipping and breaking.

  “Over on the other side of the circle.” She smiled sweetly at me. “I could do you a favor.” She glanced down at my hands. “And arrange an appointment for you right now.”

  Ah, so she’d have the table to herself. Very original. “I couldn’t possibly impose like that. Plus, I need to finish my tea before I get on with my day.” I lowered my voice and leaned in a bit. “You just don’t want to be around me when I haven’t had my caffeine.”

  Her face said she didn’t want to be around me at all, but her inbred Southern hospitality fought with that. I fired my next salvo. “You look familiar.” I tilted my head to one side. “Are you Southerngrl on Insta-gram?”

  Her face pinked a bit. “I am.”

  “I follow you!” I hoped she wouldn’t look later and notice I’d just followed her this morning. “Oh. Do you have your sweet Pomeranians with you?” I looked around hopefully. They did look like sweet dogs, and it was obvious she loved them. There were way more pictures of them than Ivy and Elwell on her account.

  “They are at the groomers right now.”

  I looked suitably disappointed. This was all well and good, but I’d yet to find out a single thing about Elwell or Ivy. “What about your lovely family? I recall seeing photos of a beautiful daughter and a handsome man in your life.”

  Gloria arranged her face in an expression I could only call “tragic loss.” And in reality, it was. Murder was never anything else. But I wasn’t sure Gloria would understand that. She’d cried and pronounced her love for Elwell at his memorial service, but she’d been sloshed at the time. And not too long after, I’d seen her on the pontoon with a man’s hand on her thigh. Gloria had seemed to enjoy that. But maybe you could love someone and not miss them all at the same time if the person you loved was hurting you too. Life and people were complicated.

  “My precious Elwell was killed, heinously, last week.”

  “I’m so sorry.” I really was. “I hope they’ve found his killer so h
e or she can be brought to justice.”

  She shook her head, and for a moment, she really did look sad. “Not yet.” Her voice was low. “They’ve had someone in for questioning several times. An old girlfriend. People seem to think she must have done it, but I don’t know if I agree.”

  I had to be careful here. It was like trying to walk across lily pads on the coastal lakes without getting my feet wet. Impossible. “It must be very scary for you.” That also was true. If the killer went after Elwell, could Gloria herself be at risk? That made me wonder if Elwell’s murder stemmed from a family issue and nothing more. If it was a crime of passion or opportunity, it might not have anything to do with Vivi or the Sea Glass. That idea made me hopeful for about three seconds. As much as I’d like it to be true, with everything else going on, and the information about the channel knife being Vivi’s, I didn’t believe it.

  “It is scary. Especially—not to speak ill of the dead—but something changed in Elwell a few months ago.”

  “That must have been awful for you.” I had to keep the focus on her while I tried to get any information she might have. I’d actually learned something from my previous snooping attempts. “What changed?” I hope this question wouldn’t make her wake up and realize she was talking to a stranger. But if working in a bar had taught me anything, it was that people talked to strangers all the time, and told them personal things they usually didn’t want to hear. Maybe instead of running around questioning people, I should be doing heavy pours to loosen lips.

  “Elwell was always an open-book, life-of-the-party kind of guy. Then he just kind of shut down. Stayed in his study with the door closed, talking on the phone. Would go out in the middle of the night without saying where he was going or why.”

  It sounded like Elwell was having an affair. Ivy said he’d been caught with the pool girl. If his own wife wouldn’t tolerate him wearing the armadillo shell, would a lover? “At least you have your beautiful daughter.” Ivy did look pretty in some of the photos Gloria had posted on social media. A far cry from the Ivy I’d met at the Crow’s Nest.