Although they were busy with their own businesses, Gallagher and Ruby stopped by, followed by Mickey and his wife, Susan. Susan was excited to learn that Connie would be offering jewelry-making classes in the store and joined the mailing list so she could receive all the details.
Mickey looked much better than when Connie had last talked to him under the pier.
"I still feel terrible that I was so quick to believe Jordan and thought the worst about Natasha, but at least now I know that Jordan wasn't the killer," he said. "Brittany would have killed Natasha, anyway. There's nothing I could have done to stop it."
Throughout the day, Connie had had the sensation that she was seeing a parade of her new family in Sapphire Beach march through the store. She was closer to some than others, but the support of every person there meant the world to her.
By the time the last customer left a little after 4:00, Connie couldn't decide if she was more excited at the success of the grand opening or exhausted from having pulled it off. But even after a long afternoon, an ear-to-ear smile still lingered on her face.
After her friends helped her clean up, she fed Ginger, who had loved the attention she received throughout the day, and ordered pizza for everyone. Gallagher was also able to get away from the restaurant at that point, so he came back across the street to join them. When they sat at the table to eat, Connie heard a text come through on her phone.
"It's your niece," she said to Gertrude. “She says, ’Stay at the store. We'll be there in a half-hour. We have really big news.’"
Chapter 22
Zach returned to the store before Elyse, Josh, and Emma arrived. "Josh just texted me and told me to meet him here. He said he had some news."
"Yeah, Elyse texted me, too. We're all waiting. Do you have any idea what it could be about?" Connie asked Zach, handing him a slice of pizza.
"I know the local police up in Jordan's area arrested him this morning for his parents' murder, and Josh took a drive up to talk to them about something. But he was all secretive, so I know it wasn't official police business," Zach said.
Connie was so absorbed in the grand opening that, for the first time all week, she hadn't thought about Natasha, Jordan, or New Light.
"Jordan agreed to plead guilty in order to avoid a death sentence," Zach said. "Although there are no charges against him in relation to Natasha's murder, he did admit to putting the needle in the bushes out back to make it look as though Natasha had a drug problem."
"I'm glad that's cleared up," Connie said. "That will put an end to any rumors floating around that could harm her good name. Now nobody can doubt that she truly did everything possible to give her daughter and herself a fresh start."
Just as everyone was finishing up their pizza, the door chime sounded, and their attention shifted to the front of the store. Walking behind Josh, who entered first, was Emma with her arm wrapped protectively across the shoulders of a little girl, who looked to be about three years old, followed by Elyse.
Elyse bent down and scooped up the child as everyone came over to see what was going on.
The little girl looked around the store, knitting her brow as she studied her surroundings. The child's blond curls framed her round face, and her blue eyes settled on Connie, who had bent over to say hello.
"And who is this little princess?" Connie asked.
"That's Victoria," Penelope said, taking the child into her arms and sobbing. "I never thought I'd see you again."
Victoria smiled, and her reaction showed that she recognized her old friend.
Elyse was beaming with joy. "That's right. Josh and I are going to adopt Victoria."
Connie felt as though time stopped. She stood in shock as the rest of the group congratulated the new family of four.
"May I?" Connie said to Penelope, holding her arms out toward the child.
Penelope placed Victoria in Connie's arms, and she kissed the child's chubby cheeks.
Josh and Elyse stood next to each other, holding hands.
"When I heard yesterday that Jordan was pleading guilty and that he didn't have any living relatives," Josh said, "I knew Victoria would be put into foster care."
Elyse continued the story where he left off. "Josh and I talked and prayed about it all day and evening, and we decided to move forward. Victoria needs a family, and all three of us have so much love to give, so we decided get the process started."
As Connie held Victoria, Gallagher kissed the child's forehead. "Natasha would be thrilled," he said. "She wanted her daughter to be raised in Sapphire Beach, and if Natasha couldn't raise Victoria herself, she would be so happy to know she found her way to such a beautiful family."
While everyone took turns welcoming Victoria, Connie followed Gallagher to the couch, where he had asked to speak with Josh and Zach.
"What will happen to the members of New Light?" Gallagher asked. "Some of them are in a pretty fragile state."
Josh nodded. "They have been given access to psychological counseling," he said, "but some of them have a long way to go, and the police up there can't force them to accept help."
"If there's anything I can do, please let me know," Gallagher said.
"What about Tiffany Peterson?" Connie asked. "Did you hear anything about her?"
"We notified Tracy after Jordan's arrest, and she immediately drove up to try to convince her sister to come back to Sapphire Beach with her. I had a chance to speak with Tracy while we were up there, and when she learned that Elyse and I wanted to adopt Victoria, she gave me a substantial check. She said that even though she only took money from Natasha's business to save her sister's life, she wanted to make it right. It's rightly Natasha's money, and now Victoria's, so we are going to put it into a savings account for her."
"I'll give you Tracy's phone number," Connie said to Gallagher. "That way you can reach out to her and offer your help for Tiffany."
"I'd like that."
Grace's animated voice came bounding across the store. "Come on, you four. It's time for the Wall of Fame."
"Let's go," Connie said to the others. "She's been waiting for this moment all day."
Penelope had finished printing the photos she took at the grand opening. They would pick out a few of the best and hang them on what Connie and Grace had dubbed the Wall of Fame. The wall, which ran the length of the oak table, would be the Just Jewelry family album, visible for everyone to see.
Connie had purchased twenty-five frames of various shapes and sizes that would lend elegance to the collage. The plan was to start with about seven or eight and build as time went on.
Grace had already made a discreet pencil mark to indicate the center of the wall, and it was a given that Concetta's photo would be in the center. Without Concetta leaving the condo to Connie, none of this would have been possible, so with Grace's help, Connie had chosen the perfect picture. Since Concetta had been an actress for most of her adult life, the photo was of her on the set of one of her last movies.
The next to be hung captured Connie with her first friends in Sapphire Beach - Grace, Stephanie, Zach, Elyse, Emma, Josh, and Gertrude. It had been taken at Connie's condo on the night she signed the lease for the shop. Without good friends, this new adventure Connie was embarking on wouldn't be nearly as sweet.
Above that was a picture of Connie's parents, sister, brother-in-law, and twin niece and nephew back in Boston. They would always be a part of everything she did, no matter where Connie found herself.
Then she hung a picture of Natasha, Victoria, Gallagher, and Penelope, because they were a part of the store's history, and Connie hoped the latter three would be part of its future, as well.
Next to that was a picture of Victoria as a toddler in the store, courtesy again of Penelope.
Around those, Connie scattered various pictures from the grand opening, since the store would be non-existent without its customers. Connie was sure to include among them one with Fr. Paul, since his words helped her to make the decision to open the
shop, and one of herself with Gallagher, Penelope, Ruby, and Emily, the owner of Friendly Scoops. She knew the support and encouragement of other area business owners would prove to be important, as well.
When the last photo was hung, Connie went out back to the refrigerator and returned with a bottle of champagne and some glasses she had brought for the occasion. She smiled at Zach as she handed him the bottle to do the honors.
While Josh and Gallagher handed out champagne, Connie watched Elyse, beaming with pride at her two girls. It was hard to believe that only three months before, she and Elyse were standing in that same shop, and Elyse was planting the idea in Connie's heart to turn it into a jewelry store.
As Connie reached for her glass, she caught a glimpse of Gallagher's tattoo, and the words of Natasha's diary came flooding back. He got a tattoo of a majestic eagle to remind himself of how we soared above so many challenges.
In their own personal way, everyone present was doing just that.
Connie raised her glass. "To new beginnings."
"To new beginnings," they responded heartily.
The End
Piers, Pliers
and Problems
(Book 3)
Chapter 1
“This is so exciting,” Grace said, as she arranged two dozen Italian cookies on a sky-blue serving dish. “How many students are registered for class tonight?”
“We have five members of the English Department from Florida Sands University: Jerry Morrison, a resident of Palm Paradise, who is making a necklace for his wife’s anniversary present; Gertrude; and Emma,” Connie Petretta said, as she set up a work station for each student and placed an array of tools on the large oak table in preparation for the evening’s jewelry-making activities. “So, I will have eight students all together.”
Palm Paradise was the condominium building overlooking the Gulf of Mexico, where both Grace and Connie lived. Connie had recently inherited the condo next door to Grace from her aunt and namesake, Concetta Belmonte, which lead her to relocate from the Boston area to Sapphire Beach, Florida, to open a jewelry shop. In addition to Connie’s handmade creations, she also dedicated a significant portion of the store to selling Fair Trade jewelry, which inspired the name Just Jewelry.
“I’m proud of you, honey,” Grace said. “That’s a wonderful turnout for your first class. It should help to bring some traffic into the store during these slow summer months.” The oppressive heat and humidity of southwest Florida tended to drive the snowbirds north and keep tourists away this time of year.
Connie agreed. “Plus, it will provide a way for me to share my love for the craft.”
Grace’s support meant the world to Connie. Not only had she had been Concetta’s best friend, never leaving her side during her brief battle with cancer, but she was like family to Connie, as well. And her part-time help working in Just Jewelry was proving to be invaluable. Grace wasn’t scheduled to work tonight, but she didn’t want to leave Connie alone for such an important milestone.
Even in the midst of the oppressively hot summer months, business was better than Connie had anticipated. The grand opening in early April had been a huge success, and Connie saw a steady flow of traffic in the weeks that followed. Now that the slower months had arrived, there would be plenty of time to create jewelry and place orders with her Fair Trade suppliers in Kenya and Ecuador, so she would be fully stocked and ready to go by late September, when the snowbirds would begin to trickle back. So far, everything was going according to plan.
After preparing a place at the table for each student, Connie brewed two pitchers of iced tea, complete with fresh mint leaves from her plants on the patio behind the store, and placed the cookies that Grace had prepared on the table.
Most students would be attempting a necklace that Connie had chosen with inspiration from a fashion magazine. The only exception was eleven-year-old Emma who, with the encouragement of Elyse, Emma’s mother and one of Connie’s closest friends in Sapphire Beach, requested a simpler bracelet. Connie helped her choose a design the centered around a bead containing the letter E, for Emma.
Although Just Jewelry had only been open for three months, Connie was excited to add teaching to her ever-growing job description, which included shop owner, Fair Trade vendor , and jewelry maker.
Once everything was set up, Connie and Grace took a break on the overstuffed red sofa in the store’s seating area, where they could see out onto the street through one of the floor-to-ceiling display windows. It was late June, and, because the brutally hot subtropical weather was in full force, there weren’t many people walking around downtown Sapphire Beach.
Gertrude and Emma were the first to arrive, along with Elyse and Victoria. Victoria was a three-year-old little girl for whom Elyse and her police detective husband, Joshua Miller, recently began the adoption process, and Gertrude was Elyse’s octogenarian great-aunt who was a delightful mixture of fun antics and wisdom.
Connie jumped up and hugged Elyse, Victoria, and two of her first students. She was beyond excited to begin this class.
“I’m so glad you and Victoria are staying to watch the class,” Connie said, handing a chocolate chip cookie to the eager three-year-old. “It will be nice to have some friendly faces present.”
“I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Elyse said. “Besides, I want to be present as my daughter becomes a first-class jewelry maker,” she said, winking at Emma.
“That’s right,” Gertrude said. “We could be witnessing history.”
Within a few minutes, the rest of the students had arrived, beginning with the crew from Florida Sands University. They were led by a small, athletically built woman with dark brown hair that reached halfway down her back.
“I’m Isabel Spenser,” she said, extending her hand to Connie. “This is Allister, Mary Ann, Paige, and Abby.”
“Pleased to meet you,” Connie said.
She recognized Abby’s name as the person who registered the group. “We talked on the phone, didn’t we?” Connie asked the young woman.
“Yes, that was me,” Abby said, her gaze dropping toward the ground. She was a far cry from the enthusiastic young woman Connie had talked with the week before.
Isabel studied Abby for a moment, then continued with the introductions. “Allister here was just granted tenure. A few of us from the English Department decided to come out to celebrate his accomplishment. I’m Chair of the department, Mary Ann is my administrative assistant, and Paige is a graduate student, as well as Allister’s teaching assistant. And, of course, you met Abby. She is our student worker and one of our most promising rising seniors.”
Connie thought she saw Abby wince at Isabel’s praise.
“Congratulations,” Connie said to Allister. “What a wonderful way to celebrate your accomplishment.”
“We thought we’d try something new to expand our horizons,” Isabel said. “And maybe take advantage of the opportunity to do some team building as a department.”
“Yes, some indoor team building under the air conditioning,” Allister added, pulling his polo shirt away from his chest and fanning himself. “It’s brutal out there. I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to this heat.”
Connie introduced the group to Emma and Gertrude and led everyone over to the table where they would be working. Grace poured them each an iced tea and offered them some cookies.
As they were settling in, the final student arrived.
“Everyone, this is Jerry,” Connie said, gesturing toward, a distinguished-looking man in his mid-fifties. “You know Gertrude,” Connie said. Gertrude also lived in Palm Paradise. Then she introduced Emma and the folks from Florida Sands.
Jerry crossed his arms and studied Allister while Connie was doing the introductions.
A smirk making its way onto his mouth. “Not the same Professor Allister McCue who is teaching a summer poetry class on Wednesday evenings?” he asked.
“Yes,” Allister said, puffing out his chest. “On the Fre
nch Romantic Poets.”
“My wife, Liz Morrison, is in that class,” Jerry said with a sneer.
A look of recognition spread across Allister’s face. “Oh, yes, Liz. She is quite lovely.” He raised his eyebrows as he spoke.
“I agree wholeheartedly, Dr. McCue,” he said in a possessive tone. “She left this morning for a business trip, so I’m taking advantage of the opportunity to make her a necklace for our twentieth anniversary next month.”
Allister waved his hand. “Please, no Dr. McCue tonight.” He made eye contact with Paige, then Abby. “From anyone. When we’re not on campus, it’s just Allister.”
Connie watched Jerry, who was still closely observing Allister with a slight scowl on his face, and wondered what had gone on in Allister’s class to warrant such contempt from his student’s husband. Then she shook her head. She was better off not knowing.
Now seemed like a good time to begin class.
Chapter 2
Since it was everyone’s first time making jewelry, Connie began with the basics. She distributed the beads they would each need for their necklace, or bracelet in Emma’s case, and gave each one a seashell-shaped mini-bowl to hold their beads while they worked. Then she demonstrated how to cut them free from their temporary wiring using a wire cutter.
When they registered for the class, Connie had given each student the option of using turquoise or orange beads for their necklace. Paige, Abby, and Isabel selected orange, while the other four chose turquoise. Since Emma’s project was different, her beads were white.
Next, Connie introduced the tools that their first project would require, including two types of pliers, and helped them to cut the proper amount of bead-stringing wire. Finally, she provided the jump rings, toggle clasps, and other jewelry findings, which they would need to complete their necklaces.
Sapphire Beach Cozy Mystery Collection Page 36