The Beachside Cafe (Saltwater Secrets Book 6)

by Sage Parker

  She stepped out into the hallway and went to the stairs to look down into the living room. She could also see across the foyer to the front door from where she was.

  She was met with silence.

  Shaking her head, Jaymee went back to her room to get dressed.

  It wouldn’t have made sense for anyone to be talking outside her room. Since Cheyenne had moved out, she was the only one living in the enormous house. Her boarder, Carmine, was in an adjacent apartment meant for guests.

  She got dressed thinking about Cameron. She was scheduled to have lunch with him today and she wanted to go somewhere other than her own café. The food was very good but she was craving something other than what was on their menu. Maybe they would go have Chinese or get a pizza. He’d left it up to her and she hadn’t quite decided yet.

  Once Jaymee was dressed, she went downstairs to get something to eat from the kitchen. If she ever sold the house, it was her kitchen she would miss the most. She’d purchased the most recent, state-of-the-art appliances a person can buy. She’d had the kitchen designed in a way that several people could cook easily in the large space provided. There was a lot of counterspace and two double sided sinks on opposite sides of the room.

  She went straight to the fridge and pulled it open. The first thing she saw was orange juice. She pulled the container out and opened it, drinking straight from it as she backed away while closing the door.

  After getting her fill of the orange juice, Jaymee swept her eyes around the kitchen, wondering what she was going to eat for breakfast.

  Her eyes stopped on a box sitting on the island at the far left end by the cutting board surface. She didn’t remember seeing that before. A chill ran over her skin. After hearing voices in the hallway, seeing a mysterious package in her kitchen was somewhat disturbing.

  The first thing Jaymee thought to do was go to the knife rack and take out the biggest, sharpest knife she had. Whoever had brought in the package could still be in the house. What if they meant her harm?

  She pulled a long, sharp knife and stepped to the edge of the kitchen, looking around corners.

  “Is anyone here?” she called out, her voice smooth and not shaking, which surprised her. She continued in a more confident voice. “Hello? Is someone there? Who is in my house? Whoever you are, I will defend myself.”

  She heard a shuffling noise and her heart went into overdrive. The door to the deck outside slid open and closed again. Jaymee’s alarm peaked and she held the knife in front of her, waiting for the person to emerge into her view.

  A few seconds later, Cameron came around the corner, his eyes down on the phone he was holding in both hands in front of him.

  Jaymee let out a little squeak that caused him to look up, alerted. His eyes went from her face to the knife she was pointing in his direction and he froze in place.

  “Jaymee?”

  Jaymee completely relaxed from her defensive stance and pulled in a deep breath. “Good Lord, Cameron. What are you doing scaring me like that? What if I’d had a gun?”

  Cameron smirked. “You do have a gun. And you know how to use it, too. There’s no way you would have shot without seeing who it was first. Especially when you have the surprise on your side.”

  Jaymee went to the knife rack and slid the blade back in. “That’s not the point and you know it.”

  “Hey, I’m really sorry, I scared you, Jaymee. I’ll start whistling and leaving signs that it’s me. Like my car outside. Which I’m sure you didn’t have time to check. Or that package there that I brought in from outside. You’re welcome, by the way.”

  Jaymee narrowed her eyes and stuck her tongue out at him. “Don’t you be coy, Cameron Smith.” She went to the package, taking it in both hands and turning it over to examine the bottom. “What is this anyway?”

  Cameron came to stand beside her, sliding his phone into his back pocket. He read the front over her shoulder. “Looks like it’s from someone in England. That’s weird, isn’t it?”

  “It is. And I don’t know if that little town is actually in England or not. It’s just got a UK address. Could be anywhere in the UK. No name.”

  “Well, open it up and let’s see what it is.”

  “Let’s go in the living room.”

  The two of them went back to where Cameron had come from and sat down on the large couch side by side. Cameron leaned forward and watched her, a curious look on his face.

  Jaymee set the box on her knees. Whatever was inside was covered in thick brown paper and tied with a twine on all sides, like they did in the old days. The postage was affixed properly and was much more than normal delivery prices.

  “This is an odd way to package something, don’t you think?” she asked.

  “Yes. That’s why you gotta take the packaging off so we can see what’s inside. It’s got to be even more interesting.”

  Jaymee agreed.

  On the coffee table in front of the couch was a bowl filled with odds and ends. She rummaged through it with one hand until she came up on a pair of nail clippers.

  She used the clippers to cut the twine and then ripped the paper from around the box. It wasn’t very large but she was still surprised to see just an envelope with her name written on it and small box that looked like it contained probably jewelry and a DVD in a clear plastic cover.

  Jaymee glanced at Cameron before opening the envelope and pulling out the letter.

  “Dear Jaymee,” she read aloud. “My name is Captain John Hastings. I am the American ambassador living in Puerto Rico. This information that has been sent to you was at the request of Doug Lent, whom I believe was your husband before his disappearance and subsequent murder. I actually had the pleasure of meeting Doug at several business conventions and thought highly of him. It is unfortunate what happened to him at the end and I believe it to be a great honor to be asked to send along these effects to you. The DVD is something of a will Doug had made. He was in fear for his life for I’d say about six months before the event that took his life.”

  Jaymee stopped. She looked over at the DVD, wondering if she even cared what Doug had in his will. She moved her eyes to Cameron, who looked thoughtful and very reserved. He shook his head.

  “If you’re wondering what to do from here, don’t look at me,” he said. “This directly affects you. You have to make your own decisions here. But I’m here in case you want to bounce your ideas off me.”

  “Do you think I should watch the DVD or let my lawyer handle it?”

  Cameron shook his head. “I don’t know. What do you want to do?”

  Jaymee had to think about it. She hadn’t seen her ex-husband’s face in at least six months. She’d taken all his pictures down and tried to erase the damage that happened to Cheyenne as a result of what Doug chose to do.

  She sighed heavily, her eyes going back to the letter.

  “If you choose to accept the terms of the will, I will be following up with documents. Thank you for your cooperation in this matter. I have enclosed an extra envelope in the bottom of the package for you to send back your reply. Much obliged. Captain John Hastings.”

  “Interesting,” Cameron said with a nod. He was studying her closely and she knew why. “What are you going to do?” he asked quietly.

  Jaymee’s heart was beating so hard it was starting to make her short of breath. She closed her eyes and consciously slowed down her breathing.

  FOUR

  Jaymee only took a few seconds to decide what she wanted to do. She wouldn’t be able to bear it if she didn’t watch it. She had to know what he had to say. What he was planning on doing with all the money he was making.

  “Should I get Cheyenne?”

  “Where is she?” Cameron asked.

  Jaymee felt a touch of disappointment. “She’s in a meeting. One of those important ones, you know. I can’t get her out of that.”

  “So do you want to watch it now or wait?”

  Jaymee knew she wasn’t going to be able to wait.
She shook her head, taking the DVD from the box, standing up and setting the box to the side. She walked to the DVD player under the massive flatscreen television mounted to the wall.

  She put the DVD in and stepped back to see what was on it. The moment Doug’s face came on the screen, Jaymee reacted. She cringed and moved backwards to sit on the couch next to Cameron again. The large size of the screen made Doug appear to be a giant. It sent an unhappy feeling through Jaymee. She reached over and took Cameron’s hand. He squeezed it and nodded at her just as Doug started talking.

  “Hello, Jaymee. I don’t know if you’re watching this with Cheyenne. What I have to say is important and I need you to hear it. I’d rather Cheyenne not be there but if she is, well, she will hear what I have to say as well.”

  Jaymee glanced at Cameron, who gave her a look of encouragement.

  “I’ve been doing some things that aren’t exactly legal and could get me in a lot of trouble with some really bad people. What I’m doing can get me in trouble with some of the good people, too, unfortunately.” A look of regret came to his face. Jaymee drew her eyebrows together in confusion. Was this a confession video instead of a will?

  “Jaymee. I know I haven’t been the best husband for you. That’s something I’ll always regret. I asked my friend John to keep this until after I died. So if you’re watching it, I’m gone. I don’t know how I’m going to go out, but I have a feeling it will all trace back to IDL. That’s Intersectional Dynamics Laboratories. You remember when I worked there, right? I know you do. We went to a lot of company picnics and had people over all the time. Well, they aren’t a very good company, once you delve down into what they’re really doing. I was only running numbers. I should never have found out what was really going on there. Once I did find out…” He paused and looked away from the camera. He sat back in his chair, revealing more of his surroundings and Jaymee realized he was in his home office, right there in the house.

  Thinking about Doug recording that video in a room just yards away from her made her skin crawl. Cameron must have noticed her reaction because he squeezed her hand. She bumped him lightly with her shoulder but kept her eyes on the screen.

  She surmised the video had been made in the last year. He looked almost exactly like he did on the day he disappeared.

  “Well, I’ll be honest,” he continued, “I didn’t leave. I found out what kind of experiments they were doing and I stayed on, taking their money, taking the paycheck when I should have spoken out. I should have said something and stopped what they were doing. But I didn’t. I decided to make some money off the people who were the worst in the company. So I started blackmailing them.”

  Again, Doug stopped. He no longer looked regretful. He looked as guilty as Jaymee had ever seen him. He sat forward again, this time, dropping his head to his hands for a moment and then leaning to rest his arms on the desk in front of him in the small space between the laptop keyboard and the edge of the desk.

  “Please, if you do anything, tell Cheyenne I wasn’t a bad guy. I wanted to take money from these evil people because I didn’t know what else to do. They could have destroyed my life. They could have killed me, you and Cheyenne and anyone else I got involved with in telling the story about IDL. So instead of taking that route… and maybe I should have… but instead, I decided to get as much money as I could from them and send it overseas. John has been handling my account there the whole time. He’s been depositing the money in the account automatically. I’ve never touched any of it. There must be more than a million in there by now.”

  “That’s why it took me by surprise,” Jaymee said aloud. “He wasn’t spending any of it so I didn’t even know it was there.”

  “It hurts to think that Cheyenne will be left with a bad impression of me. Especially if anything bad happens to me and it’s not natural, like a heart attack. But since I’m gone, John has been instructed to give that account to you and Cheyenne to be shared equally. There’s a lot of money in there, Jaymee, and you could put it toward your café. With that money, you could start three or four more cafés, I bet.”

  Doug became quiet for a moment, a contemplative expression on his face. He was looking off to the side and chewing on his upper lip. He suddenly sat back. Jaymee could see how nervous and restless he was.

  “I’m making this because I need you to understand why I made the decisions I made. By withholding the evidence I had of the corruption and deceit and… deaths going on at IDL and asking for money for that silence, I’ve managed to set you and Cheyenne up for the rest of your lives. You don’t have to worry about hard economic times and a failing business now. Not that the café would fail. I’m sure under your leadership and guidance, it will get through all the hard times with flying colors.”

  Jaymee glanced at Cameron to see what he was thinking of this “will”. He slid his eyes to meet hers.

  “Well, he is right about that,” Cameron said quietly, making Jaymee smile.

  “IDL is a dangerous and bad company, Jaymee. I don’t know if my death has made any changes and I’m hoping that when the blackmail comes out afterwards, it will draw some attention to them. They need to be shut down.”

  “I think Doug is making himself into a martyr,” Cameron remarked. When Jaymee looked at him, he shrugged. “Doesn’t that seem right to you? He’s claiming martyrdom.”

  “It sounds like that to me, too. And it might be deserved. I guess that depends on what the truth is.”

  “He’s giving you all that money...” Cameron let his words trial off as Doug continued on the screen.

  “I hope Cheyenne can forgive me. And you, too, of course. I did love you both tremendously. And I know I didn’t show it very often. At least not to you, Jaymee. I’m sorry about that. I’ll try to be more loving to you if I can.”

  Jaymee hadn’t seen a difference in Doug that she could remember. It was almost like he’d made the video directly before his death.

  “I wonder…”

  Jaymee looked sharply at Cameron, who met her gaze and shook his head.

  “Doubtful,” he said.

  “Please say what you were going to say,” Jaymee prompted him, speaking quickly so she wouldn’t be distracted from the screen too long.

  “I’m just wondering if he suspected that he was a target and that’s why he made this. It can’t have been too long ago. He looks just like he did the last time I saw him.”

  “I agree,” Jaymee nodded. “I was thinking the same thing.”

  “I hope you can forgive me, Jaymee. I hope you and Cheyenne have the best lives you can possibly live. I won’t be there for Cheyenne’s wedding. Give her a kiss for me and a big hug. Tell her I love her, that I always loved her, despite the way it might have seemed at the end when you find out what I’ve been doing. I love you both. I really do…” He stopped and stared into the screen for a moment. “I love you, Jaymee. I love you, Cheyenne. You made my life worth living. I hope you can forgive me for being the worst.” He grinned and Jaymee automatically grinned back. She could see the old Doug in her mind when he smiled. It reminded her of when they’d first been together.

  It was at that moment Jaymee realized they had actually had a few good years together in the beginning. When Cheyenne was just a baby, they’d gone on family trips and picnics and had good times together.

  Sadness washed over Jaymee as she watched Doug reach forward and click a button. The video of him stopped and the tv went blank.

  FIVE

  Jaymee was left stunned by the video. She reached to the coffee table and grabbed the remote. She pointed it at the screen and turned it off.

  Both of them remained on the couch, silent, thinking. After a moment, Jaymee turned sideways, pulling one leg up to face Cameron.

  “What do you think?”

  Cameron stretched one arm on the back of the couch and the other on the armrest next to him. His eyes were on the black screen. “I don’t know,” he mumbled. “He just handed you the keys to the kingdom, dear
.”

  “But it’s not honest money. It’s dishonest money.”

  “Dishonest money gained from dishonest people,” Cameron suggested. “Doesn’t that kind of even it out? If not, it should. Think of all the good you could do with money like that.”

  Jaymee thought about it. He was right, there could be a lot to come out of getting an enormous amount of money like a million dollars.

  “Neither of them said how I’m supposed to contact this Captain Hastings,” she said. “Where do I go from here?”

  “What?” Cameron sat forward and took the box from the table in front of him. He lifted out the jewelry box and set it aside. “Looks like there’s a business card here,” he said, pulling the small card out of the bottom of the box. He handed it to Jaymee. She saw that it was indeed the contact information for Captain Hastings.

  Jaymee pulled her phone from her back pocket and proceeded to dial the number on the card. She listened as it connected to the other line across the ocean. When a man picked up, she lowered the phone and pressed the speaker button so Cameron could also hear what was discussed.

  “Hello?” the man who answered had a British accent, which Jaymee found amusing since he was the American ambassador in that country.

  “Hello, is this Captain John Hastings?” Jaymee asked politely.

  “This is he. To whom am I speaking?”

  “My name is Jaymee Le… Mason. Jaymee Mason. My name used to be Lent. I’m Doug Lent’s wife.”

  “So you have received the package then,” John said, his voice changing from jovial to solemn.

  “Yes, I have. I’ve watched the video. Right now, I don’t know what to do. My feelings for my ex-husband were extinguished when I found out what he was doing and now he’s dead, so there’s no chance to ever change our relationship.”