Murder on the Rocks

by Shawn Reilly Simmons

  The two men seemed to square off with each other, neither wanting to be the first to move toward the table.

  “The potatoes are getting cold,” Penelope said to Nate. She flicked her eyes from his face to the chair.

  Jeremiah made the first move and sat down. Nate gave Penelope a half smile and did the same. Penelope poured them each some wine. She turned back to the counter and used a knife to slice the bread, setting it in between the men with a ramekin of homemade herb butter.

  “From your cows,” Penelope said.

  “Penelope convinced me,” Jeremiah began, “that it was time we took another look at the arrangement we’ve made at the farm. And the other businesses around town.”

  Nate looked at him in disbelief. “I’ve been trying to talk to you for years. With zero success.”

  Jeremiah took one of his large hands and placed it gently on Nate’s shoulder. “I should have listened. I’m sorry.”

  Penelope slipped out the back door of the kitchen and made her way back to the boat house, hiding a wide smile under her hand.

  Chapter 50

  “Are you staying here? Or coming with us when we leave?” Penelope asked.

  Tama sat on one of the lounge chairs on the deck next to Penelope.

  “I haven’t decided yet,” Tama said.

  “That’s understandable,” Penelope said, nodding. “Of course, I’d love to keep you on. You’re a bright talent, great to work with.”

  “I’m worried...what if the restaurant doesn’t work? Will Jeremiah blame me?” Tama asked. She twisted her slender hands together in her lap.

  “I’ve found Jeremiah is a man who can be reasoned with. Eventually,” Penelope said. “That said, it’s a big responsibility, launching a restaurant. Failure rate—”

  “I know, I know. Ninety percent fail in the first year,” Tama said, sighing. “I’m just so drawn to him. When I picture my future, I see Jeremiah in it.”

  “Then you should take a chance,” Penelope said. “You know he’s not always going to be here. He’ll be off making movies, all around the world.”

  “I’ve thought about that too,” Tama said. “What would you do if you were me?”

  Penelope looked into the young woman’s eyes. Tama was a different kind of girl, young and beautiful, almost fragile looking, but Penelope knew she had a steely spirit and a unique way of viewing the world.

  “I can’t tell you what I’d do,” Penelope said. “Our lives are on different paths. Very different. The best advice I can give is to do what your heart and gut tell you to do, be smart about your choices, and push yourself out of your comfort zone. Wherever that zone lies for you.”

  Tama smiled. “You’re not old enough to be this wise,” she said.

  Penelope laughed. “I’ve been on my own a long time. You pick things up along the way.”

  Chapter 51

  Filming began the next day after the crew’s week off. Jeremiah thought after Nadia’s attack on the set that the overall energy was off. During their breaks he offered daily yoga and meditation sessions, and brought in a team of counselors for anyone who might need help processing what happened.

  Breakfast was underway when Penelope spotted Nevan, the on-set historian.

  “How’s your omelet?” Penelope asked. “I hope it’s to your liking.”

  “It is, thanks,” Nevan said, meeting her eyes. “Care to join me?”

  Penelope reached into her apron pocket and pulled out the listening device she’d found in the boat house’s living room. “I think you left something behind when you visited the last time.”

  Nevan took a sip of coffee and stared at the button on the white table cloth.

  “I’m not sure I follow,” he said, gazing back up at her.

  “I saw your name in a magazine. You contributed to the article about Heather Matthews in THEM, about her death. I also found an article in her hometown paper, written by you. My question is, why listen in on me?”

  Nevan cleared his throat and set his coffee mug down. “Please, sit,” he said quietly. Penelope reluctantly sat down in the chair opposite him and crossed her arms over her chest.

  “I was helping the family,” Nevan said. “So, I thought.”

  “By bugging my living quarters?” Penelope asked.

  “I won’t admit to that,” Nevan said quickly. “You and Nadia, you’re old friends. I assumed she’d be visiting you. My hope was she would confide something that they could use for their civil suit.

  “I’m not proud of it, but Nadia shouldn’t be either. Heather’s family is devastated emotionally and bankrupt financially. Donald was at the end of his rope, and he saw Nadia as the source of his pain. I tried to tell him it wasn’t worth it, that harming her wouldn’t solve anything, but he didn’t listen. Well, he did at first, but then...”

  “I suppose you gathered Nadia never came to the boat house,” Penelope said.

  “True,” Nevan said. “But she spent plenty of time in the main house.”

  “Did you bug her room, too?”

  “I can’t admit to that either. I have a respectable position I won’t willingly jeopardize,” Nevan said. “Heather was a wonderful girl, a rising star in the tennis world, but also impressionable. Nadia, who she looked to as a mentor, led her down a path she couldn’t come back from, whether she meant to or not.”

  Penelope looked away from him and saw Tama standing by a table near the far end of the tent, talking with a few members of the crew. The sun lit her from the back and she seemed to glow.

  “I agree,” Penelope said, looking back at him. “Mentors should lead, give good advice. But personal responsibility has to be at the forefront. You can’t blame others for mistakes you make, or for not taking a path that opens to you. It’s up to the individual.”

  “Tell that to the grieving family,” Nevan countered.

  “So, you admit you bugged my house?” Penelope said.

  “I don’t,” Nevan said. “I might have dropped something when I retrieved the book. But nothing more than that.”

  Chapter 52

  “I’ll be home in a few weeks,” Penelope said to Joey over the phone the next day.

  “I can’t wait to see you.”

  “How is everyone there?” Penelope asked. “Have you talked to Lois?”

  “Yes, the Letourneaus have been having a better time of it lately. We were able to make the case on the two robberies. These boys had the idea they’d start themselves a robbing crew to support their hockey club. They hit a few small businesses in town then hopped the train, dodging the fares back to the city, just like you said.”

  “Jeez,” Penelope said.

  “I know,” Joey said. “They didn’t count on Sonya dying, so now they’re in a lot more trouble than they anticipated when they started out.”

  “Why Sonya’s and Lois’s places?” Penelope asked.

  “They figured they were easy targets, families with kids wouldn’t fight back.”

  “Why was he saying platit? ‘Pay’ in Russian?” Penelope said.

  “They fancied themselves gangsters, demanding to be paid.”

  “I can’t believe that,” Penelope said. “I hope they go away for a long time.”

  “Well, with Sonya’s death, and the assaults on half a dozen people, we have a good case. They’re juvies though, so they won’t be gone forever.”

  Penelope’s stomach flipped but she ignored it. “How’s your partner?” Penelope asked.

  “Looks like she’ll be sticking around a while longer,” Joey said. His normal irritation when he spoke about Clarissa was still there but had lessened greatly. “She uncovered the thief in the property room. When you get home you’ll have to file a claim for your missing money, to get reimbursed.”

  “Who was it?” Penelope asked.

  “A night shift
woman, only been here for a year. She ran into some money issues and started lifting things. Small at first. Clarissa got her in a sting. Dropped off another designer bag in evidence then followed it to see what happened.”

  “Oh my goodness,” Penelope said. “That’s amazing.”

  “Yeah, she sold it to a fence. We think Nadia’s bag too. That one she replaced with a knockoff from one of those street guys in Chinatown. But we think we’ll be able to track it down for her.”

  “She’ll be thrilled if you can,” Penelope said.

  “Yeah,” Joey said. “So Clarissa has been offered a permanent spot here. She’s still thinking about her next move. I might have my first permanent partner. We’ll see.”

  “I think you make a good team,” Penelope said.

  “She knows how to push my buttons,” Joey said. “But she’s good police.”

  Penelope peered out the windshield at the boarded-up service station. Tama paced in front of it slowly, looking at the ground in front of her, then paused to look back at the building.

  “Has everything quieted down in Vermont?” Joey asked.

  Penelope sighed. “Yes. Donald Matthews is under arrest for criminal assault. Nadia had her first surgery on her arm last week. The doctors are optimistic, but it remains to be seen if she’ll ever play tennis again. At least professionally.”

  “That’s got to be a blow,” Joey said. “Maybe she could coach, if it comes to that.”

  Penelope thought about the herbal supplements, the competition, and Heather Matthews. “I’m not sure what path she’ll take. But I’m glad she survived, both from getting run off the road and what happened at the house.”

  Tama stood at the front door of the service station and ran her finger between two plywood boards.

  “I’m glad you survived, too,” Joey said. “I’ve been making a list, saving some different properties we might want to look at when you get home.”

  Penelope smiled, picturing her and Joey looking for a home together, wondering what it might look like.

  “Can’t wait,” she said.

  About the Author

  Shawn Reilly Simmons was born in Indiana, grew up in Florida, and began her professional career in New York City as a sales executive after graduating from the University of Maryland with a BA in English. Since then Shawn has worked as a bookstore manager, fiction editor, convention organizer, wine consultant and caterer. She has been on the Board of Directors of Malice Domestic since 2003, and is a founding member of The Dames of Detection. Cooking behind the scenes on movie sets perfectly combined two of her great loves, movies and food, and provides the inspiration for her series.

  The Red Carpet Catering Mystery Series

  by Shawn Reilly Simmons

  MURDER ON A SILVER PLATTER (#1)

  MURDER ON THE HALF SHELL (#2)

  MURDER ON A DESIGNER DIET (#3)

  MURDER IS THE MAIN COURSE (#4)

  MURDER ON THE ROCKS (#5)

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