Murder on the Rocks

by Shawn Reilly Simmons

  “Can you text me pictures of the boys?” Penelope asked. “I’ll testify if I need to, of course. Anything to help Sonya and Mirabelle.”

  “Sure,” Joey said. “We’ve confirmed IDs with a couple of the witnesses. Another from you would make our case that much stronger.”

  “What does ‘Live Free or Die’ mean on a license plate?” Penelope asked.

  “That’s the New Hampshire state motto,” Joey said. “I thought you were in Vermont.”

  “I am,” Penelope said. “But that’s close by, right?”

  “Couple of hours away depending on where you are,” Joey said.

  Her phone pinged and she pulled it away from her ear. She opened the text message and the picture Joey had sent. “The first one is the one who held the door. With the dark hair,” Penelope said. She nodded when she opened the second photo. “And the light-haired kid is the one who had the stick. Nadia will be so relieved.”

  Joey blew out a sigh when a phone started ringing in the background. “Penny, I have to take this call. Call me back soon, okay?”

  “Love you,” Penelope said, not wanting to hang up.

  “Love you too,” Joey said.

  Chapter 43

  The crew worked late into the night, and Jeremiah called for a late dinner down at the house. He and Thomas had decided to give everyone the following day off to rest and reflect on the first few days of filming, and wanted to open a few bottles from his cellar to celebrate.

  Penelope bit her tongue when she heard his plans. She and Lewis had already driven most of the entrees up the mountain to meet them at the courts. But she kept her cool, and her team followed her lead.

  “At least we hadn’t unpacked anything,” Penelope said. “Let’s get the salad bar wrapped up and moved.”

  They worked quickly clearing down the salad bar and steam tables in the tent and re-packing their truck. Just as they were shrink-wrapping their final tower of food, Jeremiah appeared in the parking area, arms crossed over his chest.

  “That’s a lot of plastic,” he remarked as they finished loading the last cart up the ramp.

  “We reuse it as much as we can,” Penelope said truthfully.

  “Okay, just keep in mind every inch of plastic that people use kills two fish in the ocean,” Jeremiah said as he began to walk away.

  “That sounds made up,” Francis murmured. Lewis snickered under his breath. Tama stayed characteristically quiet, but her usual smile was replaced with an expression of worry.

  “You guys get back to the lake house and set up,” Penelope said. “I’ll catch a ride down.” She followed Jeremiah across the parking lot and reached up, putting a hand on his shoulder. He turned around and smiled at her, as if he hadn’t seen her in a very long time.

  “Penelope, thanks for working hard. I know you can’t be perfect with the plastic, but I appreciate your efforts.” Jeremiah beamed down on her.

  Penelope had been geared up to argue with him, but his encouraging praise made her soften her stance.

  “What is it?” Jeremiah asked as she gathered herself.

  “Nate was by the house this morning,” Penelope said. “He was really angry.”

  “Ah, Cousin Nathaniel,” Jeremiah said, crossing his arms again. “Thomas told me. I’m sorry he caused a scene.”

  “It’s not that,” Penelope said. “Is there any way to meet him halfway? He seems like such a nice, decent man. I get the feeling he feels like an employee of yours, not an equal member of the family.”

  Jeremiah smiled at her and sharpened his gaze. “We’re all equal members of a family. Humankind.”

  “But you own most of everything he’s involved in,” Penelope insisted.

  “Why are you so concerned about him?” Jeremiah asked.

  “Well…” Penelope thought on her feet. “You’ve shown me through your beliefs, the meditation and your causes to save the planet, that you’re a kind man. Also, that we can’t own the earth.”

  Jeremiah laughed quickly. “Better we own it than the bank, right? Should we have watched Nathaniel’s family farm get taken out from under him?”

  “No, but...” Penelope began.

  “It’s kind of you,” Jeremiah said, “to worry about things the way you do. But this isn’t something to put your energy behind. Keeping our assets in the family is best, and Thomas and I are in a position to do that.”

  “Well, in order to keep the peace in the family maybe you could loosen some of your rules, or gift him the service station,” Penelope suggested.

  “And watch him mortgage it away to immoral bankers again?” Jeremiah shook his head. “Penelope, you lovely woman, some people are no good at managing things. Some people are. We have no issue here. Let’s focus on the things we’re good at. Speaking of which, shouldn’t you be making dinner for our guests?”

  Penelope’s face flushed and Jeremiah put a hand on her cheek. “Such heat from you. You have a fiery spirit, Penelope. That’s what carries you forward, makes you a beacon of light people are bound to follow. Remember that when you’re showing people the way. Be careful you’re not leading them into danger.” Penelope eased away from his touch, putting more space between them. Jeremiah often became too close, both to her and others on the set. She chalked it up to his general personality and the intense connections he attempted to make with everyone around him.

  Jeremiah turned and walked away, waving to a cluster of crew members hovering near the sound truck.

  “I never know what he’s saying,” Penelope mumbled to herself. “But I always know what he means.” She touched her fingers to the place on her cheek where his hand had been and thought about Tama stepping from his car earlier that day.

  Chapter 44

  Penelope and her crew found themselves hosting a week’s end wrap-up party back at the tent in the front yard of the lake house. Jeremiah put a call out to all of the extras they’d had that week to join them if they could. Penelope kept a running tally in her head of what they had prepared and what they had on hand that they could quickly pull together to feed the growing crowd.

  Thomas hefted two cases of liquor bottles in his long arms through the flaps of the tent and placed them on one of the side tables. Tama opened the boxes and started setting up the bar with a variety of vodka, gin, and rum bottles. “I’ll cut some fruit,” she said to herself, arranging the bottles just so.

  Arlena entered along with Nadia, they had both changed into jeans and button-down shirts. Penelope wondered if they consulted with each other on what to wear before coming to the party.

  “Hey guys,” Penelope said. “Help yourself to some dinner. And a cocktail.”

  Penelope’s crew did a great job of hosting the impromptu celebration, dishing out entrees and pouring drinks. The tent was almost full, and Penelope figured there were a hundred and twenty people inside, including everyone who had anything to do with the film so far.

  “Thanks,” Arlena said as they headed to the makeshift bar.

  “Cosmopolitan?” a man’s voice tickled Penelope’s ear. She turned around quickly to see Jeremiah standing behind her, his long hair loose around his shoulders. He’d changed into a fitted black t-shirt and jeans, his handsome face smiling in the glowing lanterns hanging around the tent.

  “I’m working,” Penelope said.

  “I insist,” Jeremiah said. “And your team, too. You four are a big part of our success this week. Join us in celebrating with a drink or two.”

  Penelope eyed the bar and admitted she’d love a good martini. “Okay, it’s been quite a week, so we will. Thanks, Jeremiah.”

  Jeremiah smiled and wandered away, pausing to chat with Tama. Penelope watched them for a moment before waving Francis over.

  “Have a drink if you want,” she said.

  The crowd’s noise began to rise and Penelope stood in one corner, watching
the guests and keeping an eye on the steam tables. When it appeared everyone had stopped helping themselves, she motioned for her team to begin breaking everything down.

  “Then you can hang out however long you like,” she told them. “We’re off tomorrow.”

  Lewis pulled a fist down in the air and hissed “yes.”

  “Don’t go crazy,” Penelope warned, laughing at him. “No hangovers, yes?”

  “Of course not, Boss,” Francis said, suppressing a grin. “How much trouble can you possibly get into around here anyway?”

  Penelope wandered away to where Arlena was talking and laughing with the actor who was playing her onscreen opponent. He grinned at something she said, and they both broke out laughing.

  “You guys look like you’re having fun. Unlike your characters who are always arguing,” Penelope said.

  “It’s hard to argue with Arlena off screen,” he said. He stood up from the table. “I need a refill. Anyone else?”

  The both shook their heads and he headed toward the bar.

  “Where’s Nadia?” Penelope asked. “You guys are joined at the hip these days.” Penelope felt a twinge of possessiveness toward Arlena but quickly put it aside, realizing it was immature.

  “She wandered off a while ago,” Arlena said. “She takes a lot of selfies. I mean a lot,” Arlena said, laughing.

  “Yeah, I think she’s known for them,” Penelope said.

  “Having fun?” Arlena asked, scanning the crowd.

  “Sure,” Penelope said. She sat down next to Arlena and looked around. She hadn’t seen the bearded man at the party all night. Again, she wondered if she’d imagined the whole thing.

  A scream from outside the tent filled the night, and a wave of silence passed over the noisy crowd. Another scream propelled Penelope from her seat and out of the nearest flap, Arlena and several others following her.

  Tama stood at the edge of the front porch, her hands covered in blood. Nadia lay at her feet, face down in the grass, red stains on her collar.

  “Call an ambulance,” Penelope yelled. She ran to Nadia and bent down, feeling her neck for a pulse.

  Thomas came out of the house, hugging another case of liquor in his arms. “What happened?”

  “I don’t know, but she needs help,” Penelope said.

  Thomas set the box on the porch and hurried back inside.

  “Is she dead?” Tama cried. She held her hands away from her as Nadia’s blood dripped from her fingers.

  “She has a pulse,” Penelope said.

  Jeremiah came down the porch steps and pushed through the crowd of onlookers that had gathered around Nadia. He knelt down on the opposite side from Penelope. He looked at Nadia in disbelief for a moment, then went to roll her over.

  “No!” Penelope said. “She’s got a head injury. I don’t think we should move her.”

  Jeremiah looked afraid, the first time Penelope had seen the expression on his face. He looked up at Tama’s face and then her hands. “Why? She and you both mean the world to me, I love you both equally. You’re my spiritual partners on this project.”

  “What?” Tama cried. “I didn’t do anything to her. I found Nadia this way. I was trying to help her.”

  Penelope watched his expression move from relief to realization as his eyes found hers. “Who then? Who would hurt such a beautiful person?”

  A siren sounded far off in the distance.

  “How are they here so quickly?” Penelope asked.

  “Volunteer firemen and paramedics are in every community for emergencies. They have satellite offices. They’ll have to take her to Burlington if she’s critical,” Jeremiah said, seeming to return to reality at the sound.

  Nadia began to moan, and Penelope squeezed her hand lightly. “We’re here, Nadia. Help is coming.”

  Penelope saw a tear slip down her old friend’s cheek, and she felt a wave of her own tears threatening.

  The ambulance bounced up the driveway, red lights flashing brightly against the white tent. Two older men jumped out and ran to them, one of them doubling back to grab a long board when they saw Nadia in the grass. Jeremiah urged the crowd to stand back, to give them room to work.

  Penelope stepped back also, but she kept her eyes on Nadia’s face the whole time. They were open now which was encouraging, but she didn’t seem to be able to focus on anything. Blood seeped from a gash on her head, and her arm sat at an odd angle.

  “Arm’s broken in at least two places,” one of the emergency workers said as he gingerly cut through the sleeve of her shirt.

  Nadia seemed to rouse at that, and the other EMT urged her to quiet down. She began to cry in earnest as they fitted her with a neck brace and hoisted her onto the long board, keeping her broken arm stable.

  “This is awful,” Penelope said as they carried her to the ambulance. She felt sick to her stomach and clutched it as she doubled over.

  Tama sat on the porch steps, staring at the blood on her hands. Penelope sat next to her, stunned, and watched the ambulance speed away.

  “We have to talk,” Penelope said quietly.

  Tama nodded. “I know.”

  Chapter 45

  “It’s got to be one of us, right?” Francis asked. The party had broken up, and Penelope and her team were back at the boat house. “Where are the police around here?”

  “There’s a constable coming from the neighboring town, I heard,” Lewis said.

  Tama stared at her hands, which were folded together in her lap.

  “What’s a constable?” Lewis asked. “Don’t they have those in England?”

  “Guys,” Penelope said, “did anyone see anything? We are in a good position to notice everyone on a set. We see all the faces twice a day coming through the food line. Did anyone look unfamiliar? Stand out to you in any way?”

  They both shook their heads. Lewis sighed and stood up. “Who else wants a beer?”

  Francis raised his hand, and Penelope shook her head no. Tama continued to stare downward.

  “Francis, give us a minute, will you?” Penelope asked softly.

  Francis nodded and followed Lewis inside, closing the door behind them.

  “What happened, Tama?” Penelope asked, touching her hand.

  Tama jerked out of her daze and pulled her hand away then rubbed it quickly on her jeans. “I was heading up to the house to get more wine glasses. I heard a cracking noise, a sick sounding thud, and a muffled cry of pain. It was awful, like an animal being killed.” Tama shivered. “I heard someone run off and I went to see if there was a dead animal or an injured one, it was so close to the house...then I, I...”

  She began to breathe heavily and a sob came from her throat.

  Penelope thought back to the tent and the dozens of unused glasses on the wine table.

  “You were going inside to meet Jeremiah, weren’t you?” Penelope asked gently.

  Tama’s face crumpled in sorrow and fresh sobs erupted from the girl. Penelope glanced at the French doors and squeezed her hand tighter.

  “I’m sorry,” Tama choked.

  “It’s okay,” Penelope soothed. “I’m not mad at you.”

  “You’re not?” Tama asked, brightening through her storm of tears.

  “Well, you were supposed to be working,” Penelope said. “But you’re a grown woman. A young woman, but you’re old enough to make your own choices. I’ve noticed how much attention Jeremiah pays to you.” And to others, Penelope refrained from saying.

  Tama looked relieved, and her chest stopped heaving as sharply. “I was sure you’d be really angry.”

  “Tama,” Penelope said, “you’re a smart girl with a bright future. I see your potential. Clearly Jeremiah does, too.”

  “Yeah,” Tama said weakly. “He wants me to stay here and work as a chef at a new restaurant he’s opening.�
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  “That’s huge for someone your age,” Penelope said. “I don’t know that I appreciate him poaching one of my people, but I understand why he would.”

  Tama hugged Penelope suddenly, hanging on tightly to her neck. “I’m so confused,” she whispered wetly in Penelope’s ear.

  Penelope was taken aback by Tama’s sudden emotion. She was normally so sedate, verging on shy. This was a new side to her altogether. She rubbed her young chef’s back and said, “Listen to your gut. You’ll know what the right choice is, I promise.”

  Tama eased back onto the deck chair and wiped mascara from beneath her eyes.

  “One thing,” Penelope said. “And I don’t want to upset you, but what did Jeremiah mean when he said you and Nadia were both the world to him?”

  Tama laughed, her serene smile reappearing on her face. “It’s a meditation thing. He said we were his two strongest orbs right now, that we could bring him to the meditative state faster than anyone.”

  “Oh, okay,” Penelope said. She watched Tama as she settled back in the chair and thought maybe she didn’t have the whole story when it came to Jeremiah Truegood. Penelope wasn’t sure if he was attempting to throw the widest net possible, gathering potential companions to his side, or if he was just on a different plane altogether when it came to attraction and love.

  Chapter 46

  The next morning Penelope got up early and slipped out of the boat house without waking Tama or the guys in the adjoining bedroom. She made her way around the house quietly. She doubted Jeremiah would host a meditation circle right next to where one of his favorite meditation partners had been attacked, but she also wasn’t sure how Jeremiah thought about things either. Better to be safe than sorry.

  The lawn was clear, the dining tent abandoned. Chairs and tables were in disarray, some of the chairs toppled over on their backs. On a normal night, she and her crew would have set everything perfectly to greet the morning crowds. Considering what had happened, and the fact that they had the day off, Penelope let them go home without straightening up.