by Leena Clover
“Maybe it was supposed to be a big joke. Bella would arrive next to me, say ta-da or something and we would all laugh it off.”
“Nobody is laughing right now, Wayne.”
“Do you think the TV people arranged it?”
“Why would they do that?”
“They might have wanted to use the segment for the show, or for promos or something.”
“Why haven’t they come forward then?”
Wayne shrugged.
“Look, I have no idea why this broad was doing this crazy thing. All I know is it put a damper on my wedding. And now Crystal won’t marry me.”
“But Crystal said you’re the one who’s refusing to tie the knot.”
“You have it wrong. Crystal says she won’t go ahead with the wedding until they find out who killed Bella. That’s why she hired you.”
Jenny decided Crystal and Wayne were definitely not on the same page.
“Why do you say someone killed Bella? She could have jumped on her own.”
“I know her chute was messed with. I have my sources.”
Had the police already released a statement about the circumstances surrounding Bella’s death? Jenny reminded herself to check on that.
“What if I was the real target?” Wayne asked. “Maybe I was supposed to wear the damaged chute.”
“Do you have any enemies?”
“Plenty!”
“I’m not talking about petty rivalry. Is there someone who might want to kill you?”
Wayne turned pale.
“I never gave it much thought.”
“Maybe you should, Wayne. And I suggest you talk to the cops about it. Give them a list. If you were the real target, you might need protection.”
“Crystal could have been the target too,” Wayne said. “When I booked the dive, I booked it for a couple.”
“But you said Crystal is scared of sky diving.”
“A man can hope, can’t he? I thought she would make an exception for our wedding day.”
“You have given me a lot to think about, Wayne. I am glad we had a chance to talk.”
“I’m at your disposal, lady. Just do whatever it takes to sort out this mess. We start shooting the reality show next month. I want to take Crystal on our honeymoon before that. And we need to get married first for that to happen.”
“I am going to try,” Jenny promised. “Will you let me know if you think of something else? You know where to find me.”
“Sure will!” Wayne drawled.
Jenny stood up to leave, then remembered something Jason had said.
“Have you hired a lawyer, Wayne?”
“Why do I need a lawyer?”
If Wayne hadn’t hired Jason, who had? Jenny thought about it as she walked back to the café. Her stomach rumbled with hunger and she realized she had spent almost a couple of hours talking to Wayne Newman.
“We sold out of everything,” Petunia told her as soon as she walked in. “I hope Heather gave you lunch.”
“She didn’t.”
“I haven’t eaten either,” Petunia told her. “We’ll have to fix something quickly.”
“I can make some omelets.”
Jenny pulled leftovers from the refrigerator. She chopped down grilled veggies and chicken and shredded a leftover block of cheese. Golden omelets were sizzling on the grill soon after.
“Do you have enough for me?” a voice called from the door.
Heather Morse came in and joined them.
“I thought he would never leave. I missed lunch too, Jenny. Please, please give me something to eat.”
“There’s enough for everyone,” Jenny said with a smile.
“So what do you think of Wayne Newman?” Heather asked, chewing a big bite of her omelet. “Country music icon turned TV star?”
“He’s lying.”
Chapter 8
“Crystal is hiring a bodyguard,” Heather told the Magnolias the next morning.
It was yet another bright and sunny day in Pelican Cove. The women were enjoying their daily coffee break on the deck outside the café.
“She really thinks she is in danger?” Jenny asked.
“She’s not sure. But it’s good for her image. One of the tabloids is doing a story on it.”
Betty Sue stopped knitting for a moment and scowled at Heather.
“You’ve wasted enough time on those Hollywood people, Heather. All your chores are piling up.”
“Like what, Grandma?” Heather asked.
Her brow had set in a frown. Jenny had never seen her argue with Betty Sue.
“Tourist season’s here. We need to clean the whole house, do our usual spruce up, check on the towels and sheets…you know the list!”
“I’m taking care of all that.”
“When?” Betty Sue demanded.
“Heather’s always done her job, Betty Sue,” Petunia said, trying to calm them down. “What do you think of that box Mandy has put up?”
“What box?” Jenny asked.
“There’s a big suggestion box at the town office. Mandy wants people to come up with ideas about how we can beautify Main Street. She’s going to discuss them at the town hall meeting tonight.”
“She could’ve come to me,” Betty Sue frowned.
Betty Sue Morse was a force to reckon with in Pelican Cove. She was used to people coming to her for advice. When it came to town matters, she called the shots. Mayors came and went, but everyone knew Betty Sue was the real power center.
“Your mind is full of ideas for the town. Right, Betty Sue?” Star asked mischievously.
Betty Sue took the bait.
“Being a Morse used to mean something. What does this girl know, eh? She hasn’t even been here a week.”
“The Welcome sign has been broken for ten years,” Petunia said. “I’m going to suggest they make a new one.”
“Do you have concerts on the beach?” Jenny asked. “We used to have concerts by the river where I lived. It’s a great way to draw people out.”
“We have the summer festival,” Star told Jenny, “and we have a barbecue or two. The local band always strikes up a tune at these times.”
“I’m talking about doing something on a larger scale,” Jenny explained. “With a proper stage and professional bands. There can be a different band every weekend. We can advertise about it in advance so that people can plan ahead.”
“Why don’t you put that idea in the box?” Petunia asked eagerly.
“You can hire that Crystal’s husband,” Betty Sue quipped. “He’s loitering here anyway. Maybe he will come to the show in a parachute.”
Jenny thought of Bella Darling as soon as Betty Sue mentioned the parachute. Her eyes hardened and she frowned.
“You’re thinking of Bella, aren’t you?” Heather asked. “Have you made any progress?”
“I’m going to talk to Adam again.”
The older women exchanged meaningful glances as soon as Jenny mentioned Adam.
“Have you gone out with him yet?” Molly asked.
“He said something about grabbing dinner at Ethan’s shack.”
“Ethan’s place is like the café,” Petunia snorted. “That’s not a date.”
“If he’s not ready…” Star said softly. “The time isn’t right, girls.”
“Don’t you ladies have anything better to do than planning my dates?” Jenny grumbled. “I’m going in to start lunch.”
The group broke up after that.
Jenny wrote down her idea about concerts on the beach on a piece of paper. She thought of special discounts the local shops could offer for the concerts. It could be a big boost to business.
She whipped butter and sugar for frosting, thinking about Adam. She wanted to know what Wayne had shared with him.
“Why don’t you eat something?” Petunia asked a few hours later.
The lunch crowd had dwindled and they finally had some time to themselves. Jenny placed two plates loaded with sandwiches a
nd chips on the small table and poured sweet tea for the both of them.
“I’m going to drop these off for Mandy,” she said shyly. “I know I’m not really a resident but I want us to win that contest.”
“What are you saying, dear? You are one of us now.”
Jenny walked over to the town office and asked someone for the suggestion box. Mandy waved at her from a conference room.
“Got some ideas for me?” she asked cheerfully.
Jenny explained her concept.
“I like that. I really like that. But I’m not sure it falls under beautification. It’s more like cultural enrichment.”
“Isn’t that a kind of beauty too?” Jenny asked uncertainly.
“I’m not rejecting your suggestion, Jenny. We can discuss it during the meeting.”
“I was thinking a bit higher than fresh paint.”
“Fresh paint is important,” Mandy said. “Have you looked at the places on Main Street? Really looked? Most of the places are crumbling. They haven’t seen a coat of paint in years.”
Jenny opened her mouth to object.
“Your café is one of them,” Mandy went on. “It’s an eyesore.”
“The Boardwalk Café is the most popular spot on Main Street. Locals and tourists both flock to the place. We are already rushed off our feet and it’s not even Memorial Day.”
“That’s because they don’t have a choice,” Mandy said glibly. “If a spanking new place opened next door, no one would step into that derelict café.”
“Now you’re insulting us.”
“I’m just saying it like it is. It’s my job.”
“Being rude to people and attacking their livelihood is what you do for a living?”
“Come on, Jenny! That’s not what I meant. Offering suggestions for improvement is why the town hired me.”
“You won’t find many takers for your suggestions with that attitude,” Jenny fumed.
She stormed out and walked to the police station. Adam Hopkins was next on her list.
“How are you, Jenny?” Adam asked her with a smile.
Jenny was taken aback. In the few months she had visited him at work, Adam Hopkins had rarely greeted her pleasantly.
“I guess you are here to volunteer some information about the crime.”
“Are you feeling alright?” Jenny asked. “You don’t sound like Adam at all.”
“Ha ha!”
“I did want to share something with you.”
“Fire away.”
“Wayne Newman came to talk to me yesterday. Have you questioned him yet?”
“We talked to him once,” Adam admitted. “Twice actually. The first was on the day of the wedding, or murder.”
“Wayne thinks the tampered parachute may have been meant for him or Crystal. The earlier plan was for both of them to dive off that plane. Crystal refused because she is afraid of heights or something.”
“We thought of that. I have asked both of them to give us a list of anyone they suspect. But I don’t think anything will come of it.”
“But why?”
“You develop a gut feel about these things. I am convinced Bella was the intended target.”
“She’s not even famous. Both Crystal and Wayne are more popular than Bella. They must have more enemies.”
“We will follow all leads. I’m going to check the list they give me, Jenny.”
“Anything new about Bella?”
“Nothing I can tell you.”
Jenny hesitated. She wanted to stay and talk to Adam some more.
“That Mandy James is something else. She says the café is an eyesore.”
“How dare she!”
“You can laugh all you want. I am worried she’s out to get me.”
“Don’t be paranoid, Jenny. She barely knows you.”
Jenny shot herself in the foot before she could stop herself.
“What about grabbing dinner at Ethan’s tonight? I fancy some fried fish.”
“Sorry, can’t.”
Jenny wished a sinkhole would appear next to her so she could disappear forever.
“I was just kidding,” she giggled nervously.
Adam leaned forward and took her hand in his. His eyes softened as he looked at her.
“Jenny, I would love to go to Ethan’s with you. But I can’t tonight. I have to work.”
“Okay.”
“There’s a town hall meeting tonight. Aren’t you going with Star?”
“I’m not sure I am allowed to go.”
“Why would anyone stop you? Almost everyone in town turns up for the meetings. They can be quite entertaining.”
“Somehow I can’t picture you enjoying a meeting of that kind.”
“I don’t! But I’m working tonight. They have a couple of cops on duty at these meetings. It’s my turn.”
“I see.”
Jenny made some more small talk with Adam. She asked about his leg, asked about his twin daughters and talked about the weather. Finally, she could think of nothing else.
Adam looked at his watch and sighed.
“I hate to break this up, but I’m expecting someone.”
“It’s high time I left. I have to go to the seafood market before I go home.”
Jenny almost collided with someone on her way out.
“Jenny!” a pair of arms grabbed her.
“Hey Jason!” she smiled back.
“I’m glad I ran into you. Are you going to the town hall meeting? Why don’t we go together?”
“Do you want to have dinner with us? I’m going to the market to get some fish.”
“That sounds lovely! I’ll see you then.”
Jenny wondered what Jason was doing there.
“Got a meeting with Adam,” he told her himself.
A young man stood next to Jason, scratching his head with a pen. Jenny rightly guessed he was a new client.
Dinner was light hearted with Jason regaling them with gossip from the city courts. They decided to walk to town.
“Who’s your new client?” Jenny asked.
“You’ll find out soon enough.”
Jason bought some ice cream for them from the Pelican Cove Creamery. He handed over the plastic cups loaded with three large scoops of ice cream.
“Raspberry and chocolate!” Jenny exclaimed. “Yum!”
“Wait till you try their peach.”
The room where the meeting was being held was packed when they went in. Petunia had saved seats for them. Heather and Molly sat next to her. Jenny spied Betty Sue sitting on a small raised platform, next to Barb Norton and a few other people. One of them was Ada Newbury, the richest woman in town. There was an old man Jenny recognized as Heather’s grandpa. He and Betty Sue had been separated for several years.
“They are life members,” Heather whispered to Jenny. “Barb may be the chairman of this particular committee but she can’t totally ignore the rest of them. According to the guidelines, they have a vote anyway.”
“And your grandma has veto power?”
“She kind of does,” Heather said seriously, “although she hasn’t exercised it in decades.”
“Let’s hope she doesn’t have to make an exception this time.”
Jenny told Heather and Petunia about her run in with Mandy James.
“How dare she!” Heather fumed. “She’ll be attacking our inn next.”
“I wouldn’t put it past her,” Jenny nodded.
According to her, Heather’s inn was more vintage than the café.
An old man seated in the first row started grumbling about the time.
“That’s Asher Cohen,” Heather told Jenny. “He’s a hundred years old.”
Mandy James opened the suggestion box with great pomp and began reading the chits of paper one by one. People argued about every idea like their life depended on it. Jenny had never been to a meeting of this kind.
“Repaint the light house,” Mandy read the next one. “The light house is not on
Main Street, is it? Why are we even talking about it?”
A man in the front row struggled to his feet. He swayed on his feet, trying to maintain balance. Jenny guessed he had imbibed a bit too much as usual.
“Jimmy’s here too?” Molly asked.
Jimmy Parsons was the town drunk. He lived in a small cottage next to the light house. Funnily enough, he owned the light house and the land it sat on.
“The light house is a Pelican Cove landmark, missy. It’s what makes the town pretty.”
Almost everyone present agreed to that. Mandy wasn’t ready to consider it though.
“We’ll table this for the moment. There are other places that need immediate attention, like the Boardwalk Café. It will have to go.”
Chapter 9
The girl called Rainbow paced the verandah of the Pelican Cove Country Club. The meticulously maintained emerald greens of the golf course stretched before her. An inland creek meandered its way through the grounds. Birds twittered, roses bloomed and a cool breeze softened the glare of the bright sun. None of this made an impression on the girl.
Rainbow’s career was finally looking up after she had spent months sucking up to Crystal Mars. One word from Crystal and Rainbow had bagged a cameo in the new reality show Crystal was a star in. Was it worth giving it all up for the sake of doing the right thing?
Raised in a devout Catholic family, Rainbow had flouted many tenets of her faith since she reached Hollywood. She had lied and cheated to get ahead. She had coveted what someone else had and she had frequently refused help to those in need. But she had never actually harmed anyone.
Bella Darling’s face swam before her eyes. The poor girl had barely known life. She was like a younger sister to Rainbow. At least she had been until Rainbow jumped ship and joined the Crystal Mars camp. She had braved Crystal’s ire and met Bella once. Tried hard to talk some sense into her. Blinded by love, Bella had turned her back on Rainbow.
A couple of restless hours later, Rainbow came to a decision.
Jenny slammed a plate of soup on the counter and got some change from the cash register. She avoided looking up at the café’s latest customer.
“Don’t take it personally, Jenny. I’m just doing my job.”
Jenny placed her hands on her hips and glared at Mandy James.
“This café has been around longer than you have, missy. Think twice before you make plans to tear it down.”