by Leena Clover
“Wayne Newman is hot alright,” Heather spoke up.
Kathy ignored her again.
“Did Wayne know Bella?” Jenny asked.
“I’m sure he didn’t.”
“But she was on the plane with him. Surely he must have known that.”
“I think she was a stowaway,” Kathy declared. “Wayne had no idea she was up there with him.”
“Did he tell you that?”
“He didn’t have to. I trust him.”
“So what do you think happened?” Jenny pressed.
“She tried to pull a stunt and it failed. Sounds like the work of a deranged fan.”
“You are saying there was a third person up there with them?”
“Someone had to have pushed her.”
“You really believe that, Mrs. Mars?”
Kathy folded her hands and stared back at Jenny.
“Yes. Now when are you going to wrap this up? You can tell Crystal some fan pushed the girl. End of story.”
“That’s not how this works,” Jenny said, rubbing a gold horseshoe that hung on her chain. “I will talk to all the people involved, try to match their stories. Then I will try to find out what really happened.”
“That’s what the police do.”
“Right…”
“I thought you were playing along for the fat check Crystal promised you.”
“Jenny’s not like that,” Heather said indignantly. “Why would you think that?”
“Is there anything you want to add, Kathy?” Jenny asked. “Do you suspect anyone?”
“Not really,” Kathy said. “Like I said, I barely knew the girl.”
“You said you didn’t know her at all before,” Jenny pointed out. “Which is it really?”
“I didn’t know her, okay?” Kathy snapped suddenly. “You are such a pest.”
She clapped her hands and called out to the maid.
“Show these people out,” she commanded.
Jenny turned back to look at the older woman as they left the room. She was staring back at them, her eyes narrowed and full of fury.
“That was weird,” Heather said as they got into the car.
“What’s she have against you?” Jenny asked her. “I’m sorry, Heather. I didn’t know she was going to act like this.”
“She’s just throwing her weight around. She never gets to be in the limelight, you know. She’s backstage all the time.”
“That doesn’t excuse her rude behavior.”
“She wanted a big Hollywood wedding for Crystal. She hates that she had to come to Pelican Cove. She holds me responsible.”
“Surely that was Crystal’s decision?”
Heather nodded.
“The wedding is hush-hush, or it was supposed to be. I doubt they will be able to stay below the radar once the news of Bella’s death gets out though.”
“Crystal looks hungry for publicity,” Jenny mused. “Why did she want a quiet wedding?”
“It had to do with their show. Crystal’s the star of this new reality show, see? It’s like a mashup of a few popular shows. A bunch of girls tackle an obstacle course through an Amazon jungle during the day and the winner gets a date with the guy. The guy chooses a bride out of the finalists.”
“And Crystal is one of those girls?”
“She is. And she’s going to win.”
“Wait a minute. How do you know she will win?”
“That’s the way these shows work. They already decide who the winner is going to be. Everything is scripted.”
“And Crystal marries this guy on screen? Is it a fake marriage?”
“That’s the funny thing. The guy is Wayne Newman. He has to look like the most eligible bachelor.”
“Hence the secret wedding!” Jenny connected the dots.
“That’s what I gathered from bits and pieces I overheard.”
“What’s the rush? Couldn’t they get married on the show?”
“That’s a question for Crystal.”
Jenny dropped Heather off at the inn and went home. Star was sitting on the porch, sipping a glass of iced tea.
“It’s getting too hot,” she observed. “I made dinner.”
“Do I have time for a shower?” Jenny asked her.
She put on an old tank top and a fresh pair of shorts. Star had grilled some sea bass and made a green salad.
“Any news on that poor girl?” Star asked as they began eating.
Jenny shook her head.
“Adam hasn’t given up anything yet. I met Crystal’s mom today. She’s a cold fish.”
“What else do you expect from these Hollywood types?” Star snorted.
“She’s lying through her teeth, Aunt.”
“Oh?”
“First she said she didn’t know Bella at all. Then she said she barely knew her. She’s definitely hiding something.”
“Where was she when all this happened?”
“She was standing right there, a few feet away from me.”
“She couldn’t be involved, in that case.”
“At least not directly,” Jenny conceded. “That’s going to be a big problem actually. Everyone other than Wayne, the groom, was standing right there. Plenty of people will vouch for them. Unless they paid someone else to do the deed, they didn’t have any opportunity to commit this crime.”
“Did the poor girl have any family?”
“Don’t know,” Jenny said, trying to remember something Adam had said.
“This looks like a tough one. Make sure you watch over your shoulder, Jenny. I don’t want you putting yourself in danger.”
“Do you think I should drop the whole thing?”
“Why are you doing it, sweetie? Do you feel any obligation to Crystal?”
Jenny laughed nervously.
“Just because she made me a bridesmaid?”
Star didn’t say anything.
“Last time, I was trying to pull you out of trouble. I would have done it whatever the cost.”
“I know that, and I’m grateful.”
“Now I’m doing it because it seems like the right thing to do. And I don’t see anyone else standing up for that poor girl.”
“You’re smarter than most people. I have no doubt you are going to crack this wide open.”
“I wish I was that confident,” Jenny muttered.
She watched TV with her aunt for a while and stepped out for her walk. The air was perfumed with a familiar scent of roses and gardenias. The house next to her lit up like a Christmas tree after she walked a few steps, set off by the motion detectors. Jenny looked up longingly at the three storey house that sat empty next to her aunt’s little cottage. Seaview was the stuff of dreams. She imagined herself standing on the little balcony overlooking the ocean, wrapped in a pair of strong arms. She just wasn’t sure who those arms belonged to.
A bark sounded in the distance and a large hairy body leaped through the air and almost struck her down.
“Tank! You little beast!”
She kissed the yellow Labrador on his head and scratched him under his ears. His tongue wagged as he ran in circles around Jenny.
“Where is he?” Jenny whispered in Tank’s ear.
“Stop bothering her, Tank!” Adam’s voice boomed as he came up to Jenny.
“You know I don’t mind him,” Jenny said, holding Tank’s collar in her hand. “Long day?”
Adam rubbed his eyes and sighed.
“I’m trying to go easy on the pain pills.”
His distressed expression told Jenny it was taking a toll.
“You’re hardly leaning on the cane now.”
“You noticed that,” Adam stuttered.
“Of course I did. You’ll be walking without it soon. Not that I care. I don’t mind either way. It’s just…”
Jenny realized she was bumbling like an idiot. She stopped and looked at Adam. He was looking at her with an intense expression.
They both laughed nervously.
�
��I used crutches for a long time,” Adam told her. “Then this cane.”
“Will it be odd to walk without it?” Jenny asked.
“Yes,” Adam nodded. A hopeful smile spread across his face. “I can’t wait.”
Chapter 6
A group of nubile young girls trooped into the Boardwalk Café. The sun had barely risen a foot over the horizon. Jenny had just finished serving Captain Silver. He was usually one of their first customers of the day.
The girls wanted to sit out on the deck. They waved at Jenny as they went out. She recognized them from the wedding party. They were Crystal’s bridesmaids.
“We stayed up all night drinking champagne and watching movies,” one girl tittered. “We are so hungry! We thought we’d come check out your place.”
“I’m starving!” another one of them added. “What can you get us for breakfast?”
They all looked like clones of each other, tall, perfectly sculpted and tow headed. Jenny got to work in the kitchen making crab omelets. It was another summer recipe she was trying to perfect.
“Can we get mimosas?” one girl piped up.
“Sorry, we don’t serve alcohol,” Jenny said with a grimace. “I can get you fresh coffee.”
Petunia brought over a basket of warm muffins and the girls shifted their attention to the food. One of the girls got up after a few minutes and walked to the kitchen.
Jenny looked up as she flipped an omelet on the café’s grill.
“These muffins are delish,” the girl said, picking tiny pieces from one she held in her hand. “Do you make them from scratch?”
“Of course,” Jenny smiled. “Everything we cook here is made from scratch. It’s my own recipe.”
“You’re a great cook.”
Jenny was trying hard to remember the girl’s name. It was something exotic.
“I’m Rainbow,” the girl offered.
“Oh yeah…” Jenny’s face cleared. “I’m glad ya’ll came here today.”
She didn’t know what else to say.
“I heard you’re going to find out who killed Bella?”
“I’m not sure someone killed her,” Jenny said nervously. “Maybe she just fell off the plane.”
“Not Bella.”
“Did you know her?”
“I guess.”
“Were you surprised to see her?”
“It was a shock! Who would’ve thunk, huh?”
“She seemed quite young.”
“She was. We are all about the same age. In our twenties, you know…”
The girl paused when she said that.
“Bella was the youngest, barely twenty two.”
Jenny thought of her college going son.
“That’s awfully young.”
Rainbow’s eyes filled up.
“She deserves justice, you know.”
“I agree. I am going to try and get to the bottom of it.”
Another girl came up and dragged Rainbow back to their table. Jenny could hear their noisy talk as she plated their food. Bella Darling would never have breakfast with her friends again.
The girls lingered over their meal, chatting nonstop. They were still there when the Magnolias began to trickle in one by one.
“Who’s hogging our table?” Betty Sue Morse grumbled, pulling her knitting needles out of her bag.
Heather emitted a cry as she recognized them.
“They’re from the bridal party,” she squealed and went out to greet them.
Rainbow turned around and looked at Jenny. There was a question in her eyes but she didn’t say anything. Jenny wondered what the girl wanted from her.
Jenny was worked off her feet for the rest of the day. She walked over to the police station on her way home, hoping to pick Adam’s brain again.
Adam Hopkins sat in his office with his bum leg propped up on a chair. Experience told Jenny he was going to be in a bad mood.
“Howdy!” she greeted him cheerfully.
“What do you want?” he snapped.
“What’s the latest on Bella Darling?” Jenny thought it best to cut to the chase.
Adam’s expression told her she was being a pain in the neck.
“We are getting ready to release a statement. That is the only reason I am going to tell you this.”
Jenny sat down with a thump, eager to hear what was coming.
“The victim, Bella Darling, died from the impact. She was carrying two parachutes. Both of them had been messed with.”
“What?” Jenny cried out. “That means…”
“This is a murder investigation.”
“What do you mean, messed with?”
“Her main parachute had been slashed. The backup parachute she was carrying had been turned off.”
“Why would someone do that?”
“That’s what we have to find out.”
“What about her family? Has anyone come to claim her?”
“She was married. Her husband should be arriving soon.”
“She was barely 22,” Jenny whispered.
“How do you know that?” Adam asked sharply.
“One of the bridesmaids mentioned it.”
Jenny spent a few minutes processing what Adam had told her.
“Why was she wearing a wedding dress?” Jenny asked Adam. “And what about that giant sapphire around her neck? Was it real?”
“It was real alright. It’s valued at some ridiculous price, over a hundred thousand dollars.”
Jenny let out a gasp.
“That much?”
“The wedding dress, the sapphire, it’s all part of the puzzle. I guess it’s safe to say she wanted to disrupt Crystal’s wedding.”
“So it was a publicity stunt after all.”
“Whatever it was, it went horribly wrong,” Adam sighed. “It was the last thing the poor girl did in her life.”
“Who’s your main suspect?”
“I’m not going to tell you that, Jenny.”
“Isn’t the spouse the most obvious pick?”
“We will have to establish his whereabouts at the time the crime occurred. We don’t know anything about him at this point.”
“What about Wayne Newman? He was on that plane too.”
“I think everyone knows that, Jenny.”
“That makes him the most obvious suspect. Surely he’s not that foolish.”
“We are still questioning him.”
“What about Crystal and the other guests?”
“We will be talking to everyone. That includes you since you were present at the scene of the crime.”
“Just say when, Adam. I hope you solve this case as soon as possible. That poor girl needs justice.”
“We’ll do fine if people stop meddling and let us do our job.”
“Some people welcome extra help.”
Adam refused to take the bait.
“I hear Mandy James is hard at it. She’s going to put you to work soon. Why not leave the detecting to the police?”
“Don’t worry about me, Adam. I can multitask.”
“You’re a stubborn woman, Jenny.”
“I’ve been called worse,” Jenny laughed.
She pushed her chair back although she was reluctant to leave. Adam looked up at her.
“How about grabbing a bite at Ethan’s? The catch must be coming in now.”
Ethan Hopkins was Adam’s brother. He had a fish shack in town, famous for serving the best fried seafood on the coast.
“Sorry, can’t,” Jenny said. “Jason’s taking me to dinner.”
“Of course he is,” Adam mumbled, curling his fists under the table.
“Can I take a rain check?” Jenny asked. “We can go to Ethan’s later this week.”
“We’ll see,” Adam said evasively. “I’m pretty tied up for the next few days. I do have a murder to solve.”
Jenny’s face fell. Adam realized he had been nasty on purpose. He almost apologized but something held him back. He didn’t want to f
orce Jenny’s hand.
Jenny walked home with an empty feeling in her heart. Had Adam been trying to say something?
Jason Stone arrived at Jenny’s house in his luxury sedan an hour later. Jenny was ready, wearing a new summer dress she had ordered online.
“Hello, pretty lady!” Jason whistled, offering his arm.
Jenny grabbed it and waved goodbye to her aunt. Jason always made her smile. Unlike Adam, he wasn’t the brooding type. Jenny told herself to forget about Adam Hopkins for the rest of the evening.
“Where are we going tonight?” she asked.
Jason knew a lot of good restaurants up and down the coast of the Eastern Shore. He took Jenny to a new place every time.
“You like Mexican, don’t you?”
Jenny fiddled with the radio, trying to tune in to a jazz station.
Jason regaled her with something funny he had read on the Internet. The sun was setting as they reached the restaurant, an unassuming place in a strip mall.
“Wait till you taste their fish tacos,” Jason crowed.
The server brought over a basket of fresh fried tortilla chips with red and green salsa.
“So you’re serious about this girl, huh?” Jason asked.
Jenny guessed he was referring to Bella.
“I just spoke with Adam. They have confirmed it was foul play.”
“Be careful, Jenny,” Jason said, taking her hand in his. “I don’t want you to get hurt.”
“Star’s already warned me to watch my back,” she muttered. “Adam thinks I am crazy to do this. And now you…”
“We care about you,” Jason said with emotion. “I don’t know how I got along without you.”
“Aren’t you exaggerating?” she asked in surprise.
“Of course I am,” Jason said with a laugh. “But honestly, I am glad you came to Pelican Cove.”
“I didn’t have much of a choice, Jason. You know my husband kicked me out of my home.”
“You have a choice now,” Jason said.
Jenny’s divorce settlement had come through a few days ago. She had the means to live wherever she wanted now. Jason was one of the few people who knew that.
“Pelican Cove feels like home now. I don’t want to go anywhere else.”
“Not even to some exotic tropical island?” Jason teased.
“I have my exotic island right here.”
The tacos came and Jenny gorged on them with relish.
