by Lee Hollis
Hayley listened to his words carefully.
He seemed on the surface to be convincing.
She had known him a long time.
And she agreed he was not the jealous-lover type.
It was completely out of character for him to go to such an extreme as to push a man over a cliff in order to keep him away from the object of his affection.
It was a silly premise, in fact.
Hayley silently cursed Bruce for putting such thoughts in her head when he instantly accused Lex of being the killer after she told him about the pipe.
But the pipe still nagged at her.
“You never smoked a pipe when we were together,” she said.
“Nope, never touched one in my life. Not until I started working here. I spent a lot of time with Conrad during the first few weeks I was on the job. He puffed on one constantly, so after a while I decided to try it, and unfortunately I got hooked pretty quick. Nasty habit. And expensive too.”
Hayley watched him carefully.
He was nervous but still convincing.
“That night, when I had food poisoning, and I overheard a man and a woman in the hall talking about killing someone, the man was smoking a pipe.”
“Wasn’t me, Hayley. I’ve been trying to quit.”
“Then why did you go out and buy a new pipe this morning after losing the old one?”
“It wasn’t a real pipe,” he said, pulling it out of his shirt pocket and handing it to her. “It’s an e-pipe designed to look like a real one.”
He handed it to her and she carefully inspected it.
It was hard to tell the difference but he was telling her the truth.
“I’m trying to wean myself off tobacco. It’s working too. I misplaced the one I bought when I made the decision to quit, so I went out and picked up another one today after I went to check on Lena at the hospital and before I saw you at the cottage.”
Well, if Lex was now just smoking an e-pipe, then it could not have been him in the hallway with Lena. The smoke she smelled from the pipe that night was a lot stronger than vapors from an e-pipe.
“Are we good?” he asked, genuinely concerned that their friendship might in some way be damaged.
Hayley hugged him.
“Yes, Lex, we’re good.”
The fireworks had reached a crescendo with bright bursts of red, white, and blue blazing across the beautiful night sky in a spectacular grand finale.
They held each other close.
It was a scene that could have easily jumped off the pages of a breathless Harlequin romance novel.
But Hayley knew in her heart that her relationship with Lex had long been over despite the attraction both of them obviously still felt for one another.
And because she was determined not to make any attempt to rekindle the flame that had been extinguished years ago, she slowly pulled away from his embrace, gave him a chaste kiss on the cheek, said good night, and dashed off down the beach back toward the town pier, her feet getting soaked from the waves that were now fast rolling in with the tide.
She could feel him watching her as she headed back up the ramshackle steps to the shore path, but she refused to look in his direction because there was a small part of her that was afraid she might go back to the spot where she left him.
And she could not allow that to happen.
Chapter 23
Hundreds of locals show up every year for Penelope Janice’s Fourth of July barbecue.
It’s now a time-honored annual tradition, and Penelope has deftly used the party to ingratiate herself with the island residents by plying them with lots of free food and booze.
When word that Penelope’s husband Conrad had died in a tragic accident spread through town within hours of his body being discovered, most people assumed the barbecue, held this year on the Monday after the fireworks so locals didn’t miss all the town-sponsored activities, would be quickly cancelled. But Penelope had no intention of depriving her dear “friends” of a festive time, even though she probably couldn’t recognize by name even a small fraction of the attendees.
Penelope made the announcement on her Facebook fan page an hour after the fireworks ended that the barbecue would indeed go on as scheduled. When the noon hour rolled around, cars began to fill up the side of the road outside her Seal Harbor estate and eager guests began filing onto the property to find rows of giant barbecues smoking with fleshy fresh meat, tables stocked with various salads and side dishes, and a full catering staff in matching white shirts and black slacks milling through the fast-growing crowd with trays of mimosas. A fully stocked bar on the far end of the yard, actually near the exact spot where Conrad took his fatal dive, had about fifteen people already lined up to get their hands on a stiff cocktail.
Hayley knew her time at the estate was finally coming to an end. She and Bruce and presumably the other guests were all scheduled to pack up and leave the premises immediately following the barbecue.
She had mixed feelings about getting booted off the estate. She was anxious to get home to her dog and her cat, Leroy and Blueberry, who had been under the watchful care of Mona since she had left them on Thursday morning, but she was also extremely frustrated that she and Bruce had not made any significant headway with turning up any useful information related to Conrad’s death and the fire that nearly took Lena Hendricks’s life.
Without access to Penelope and the property, Hayley feared the questions surrounding both incidents would ultimately fade away and never be answered.
Sergio had already concluded in his mind that Conrad’s death was just a hapless accident, the result of another stumbling, drunken night. The fire was more complicated given the cat food dispenser and chemicals found at the scene so that investigation would remain open even though there were still no plausible suspects or even a concrete motive that would explain why anyone would lock that poor girl in a pantry to die.
There were a myriad of suspects.
Gerard.
Tristan.
Carol.
Penelope herself.
And then there was Clara.
But just as Penelope had vehemently declared, Sergio had confirmed Clara was at home with an airtight alibi. Even if she had rigged the cat food dispenser, she could not have been the one who locked Lena in the pantry.
As for Gerard, Tristan, and Carol, they all claimed to have been sound asleep in their rooms alone so there was no one to back up their alibis, but there was also no one to dispute them either.
Hayley and Bruce lined up in front of one of the barbecues to load up on some freshly cooked chicken and beef slathered in Penelope’s own bottled spicy barbecue sauce and were joined by Sergio, who was in shorts and a T-shirt, taking a much needed day off from his police-chief duties, and Randy, Hayley’s brother, who was happy to finally have an entire day with his off-duty husband.
Randy instantly noticed Bruce’s hand casually placed on Hayley’s lower back and raised an eyebrow.
Hayley saw him staring at it and vigorously shook her head and mouthed the words, “It’s nothing.”
Randy clearly didn’t believe her.
In fact, he snorted with laughter.
Sergio was too busy biting into a barbecued chicken leg and getting sauce all over his face as he rapturously chewed and swallowed the meat to notice much of anything.
“Delicious,” Sergio moaned before pulling another hunk of meat off the bone with his teeth.
“Isn’t he cute when he eats like a caveman?” Randy said, laughing.
Bruce, now with his whole arm around Hayley’s waist, reflexively pulled her closer to him and asked, “I’m going to get us a couple of plates of potato salad and coleslaw. Wait here—I’ll be right back, babe.”
He trotted off to the table stocked with a multitude of side dishes.
There was an awkward moment as Hayley just stood there, dying inside, waiting for Randy to make some kind of remark.
It didn’t take long.
> “‘Babe’?”
Hayley leaned in, whispering. “He’s just acting like that so we give Penelope the impression we’re a couple. Don’t worry. It will all be over in a few hours.”
Randy nodded, not believing a word of what she was saying.
“I’m serious,” Hayley said emphatically.
“Look, I remember seeing Bruce Linney play Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof when he was a senior in high school, and believe me, he’s not that good of an actor,” Randy said, raising his eyebrow again.
Hayley wanted to reach out and grab that damn eyebrow of his and yank it back down but she resisted.
Violence never solved anything.
“We’re just undercover!” Hayley declared, probably a bit too loud, and she caught herself and quickly lowered her voice. “He’s just here to get a story!”
Randy nodded, and this time so did Sergio. Both of them had annoying grins on their faces.
“You two are impossible!”
“All I’m saying is, if it is just an act, Bruce is committing to the part one hundred percent!” Randy said, taking a long sip of the mimosa he was holding tightly in one hand.
Liddy and Mona wandered over to them. Mona had her dog Sadie on a leash because Penelope, a fervent animal lover, encouraged everyone to bring their pets. She even had a fenced-in designated play area just for dogs set up on the other side of the property.
“Where’s Sonny?” Hayley asked Liddy.
Liddy rolled her eyes and threw up her hands. “Working! He’s always working. Nobody works as much as that man does. You’d think he does it just to get away from me!”
There was another awkward silence.
Nobody wanted to say a word.
Except Mona, who was very obviously biting her tongue.
Mona fought to control herself, reaching down to scratch the top of Sadie’s head, trying desperately to keep her mouth shut.
The golden retriever looked lovingly up at her master, tongue panting, sheer contentment in her eyes. Mona had adopted her from an old childhood friend, who had died unexpectedly some time ago near his home down east in Salmon Cove.
“How are my boys doing?” Hayley asked. “I’ve missed them so much.”
“Leroy’s been a good boy. He loves hanging out with Sadie and playing with my kids all day. But that bastard Blueberry is a nightmare. What a nasty cat. He hisses and growls all the time. Won’t even let anyone pet him or even get near him, in fact. Only good thing he’s done in the five days he’s been at my place is scratch my husband Dennis for no reason. It was the first time I saw Dennis move in nearly a week.”
“Do they miss me?” Hayley asked.
Mona paused, thinking about her answer very carefully.
“Yeah, sure they do,” she lied.
Penelope suddenly appeared, looking bright and sunny in a lemon-colored sleeveless blouse and white pants. She was making the rounds, checking in on all the guests to make sure they were having a good time and had enough to eat and drink.
“I’m so happy to see you all here today,” she said, acknowledging Hayley and Sergio, and smiling at Randy, Liddy, and Mona, none of whom she recognized nor cared to get to know.
“It’s lovely to see you as always, Penelope,” Liddy cooed, trying to create the illusion in her mind that she and the famous Penelope Janice were close personal friends.
Penelope stared at Liddy, trying to place her, and then gave up and turned to Mona.
“I have a special barbecue station set up cooking meat just for the dogs that are here. You should really take him over there at some point.”
“I will, thanks,” Mona said. “Nice party. I have to give you credit, I don’t know if I could have pulled this off so soon after losing my husband.”
And Hayley endured what was now the third awkward moment in less than five minutes.
Mona was never good at subtlety or discretion.
“Yes, well, uh, life goes on . . ” Penelope stammered, looking around for some other guests so she could excuse herself from them and go talk to someone, anyone, else.
But before Penelope had the chance to slip away, Mona struck again.
“So when’s the funeral?” Mona asked, stabbing a piece of beef with her fork on her plate and shoving it in her mouth.
“Oh. I’m going to have him cremated and stored until I have time to plan some kind of memorial, probably after Labor Day when the weather isn’t so nice and warm and there is less to do.”
Welcome, awkward moment number four.
Penelope could tell by the looks on their faces that all of them were appalled by her cavalier attitude, so she tried to muster up some tears. When that failed, she tried to look somber and subdued, but it only lasted a few seconds until she saw someone she recognized and gave a friendly smile and wave.
Hayley never purported to be a good actress.
She could rarely hide what she was thinking.
And it was very clear to everyone by the look on her face that she was disgusted by what she was hearing.
“You don’t approve, Hayley?” Penelope asked, zeroing in on her.
“What? No, it’s your decision . . .”
“But you think I’m being cold and unfeeling . . . ?”
“No . . .” she said, failing at sounding the least bit sincere.
“I can tell what you’re thinking. You don’t like how I’m handling Conrad’s death. You think I should act more like the stereotypical grieving widow, unable to go on, locked in my room crying into my pillow? Is that it?”
“I never said that, Penelope,” Hayley said.
Randy, Sergio, Liddy, Mona, and even Sadie all stood frozen in place.
Gerard, who was standing close by and sensed Penelope’s discomfort, swooped in and put a protective arm around her. “You’re distressed, Penelope, I can tell. What’s wrong?”
“Nothing, Gerard . . .” Penelope said, glaring at Hayley.
Gerard followed her gaze over to Hayley and grimaced. “Is she causing trouble again?”
Gerard gave Hayley such a disdainful, almost threatening look, Sergio stepped forward slightly to make sure he didn’t slap her across the face or make some kind of other sudden move.
“No, no trouble. It’s been nice having you here, Hayley. I’ll be sorry to see you go later today,” Penelope said with a fake smile.
She wasn’t sorry at all.
She was just saying that to confirm Hayley’s imminent departure so she would finally be free of her prying eyes and nosy questions and wild stories about sinister murder plots, all of which had in Penelope’s mind spoiled her carefully planned weekend shoot for her stupid ratings-starved television show on the Flavor Network.
Penelope turned her back on Hayley and marched away.
Gerard lingered long enough to spit out under his breath, “Good riddance!”
And then he chased after his hostess.
Why was Gerard being so chivalrous when it came to the grieving widow?
Hayley was convinced there was more to it than a long-lasting friendship between the two.
And although the clock was ticking and her time on the estate was winding down and she was confident she would never be invited back ever again, she still had an hour or two left to find answers to some very disturbing questions.
Chapter 24
“Jillian Capshaw? What is she doing here?” Hayley asked Bruce as they stood in line waiting for more barbecued tri-tips, holding their plastic plates.
Bruce couldn’t resist a lascivious smile. “Party’s open to the public. Why wouldn’t she be here?”
Jillian Capshaw bounced over to them, her ample breasts barely contained inside a skintight cream-colored halter top. Her denim shorts were riding up so high Hayley suspected they might be illegal in some states.
“This doesn’t strike me as Jillian’s kind of scene,” Hayley said, watching her approach, waving at them, flipping her long curly blond hair back as every firmly heterosexual male in her vicini
ty stopped what they were doing and stared longingly at the nubile young woman.
Jillian Capshaw was a hell-raising, college-age, fresh-faced local party girl with a racy reputation in town.
She had also dated Bruce for five minutes when he was going through a hardly surprising midlife crisis last year.
It had been unquestionably sad to watch.
Bruce trying to dress more hip to fit in with Jillian’s young hipster friends.
Lots of tight-fitting T-shirts to show off the muscles he had worked so hard developing at the YMCA gym. Torn jeans. Black leather cowboy boots.
Hayley could always tell when Bruce had been out with Jillian the night before because he would swagger into the office, speak in a baritone drawl, and act as if he was God’s gift to all womankind.
Two weeks later, when Jillian dumped him for a bearded biker from Dixmont who rode into town on his Harley for the weekend, Bruce was back to wearing his khaki pants, wrinkled L.L. Bean dress shirts, and scuffed brown Timberland shoes, along with a sheepish grin he wore to desperately try to mask his emotional pain.
The entire staff at the Island Times was enormously relieved Bruce’s wild-man phase was officially over.
“Howdy, y’all,” Jillian said, grabbing Bruce in a hug, which instantly discombobulated him, causing him to drop his plastic plate on the ground.
Jillian had started speaking in a Southern accent, even though she was born and raised on the island, after discovering that the majority of beauty pageant winners were from the Southern states. In her mind, if she was going to be a beauty queen in life, despite not having any sort of official title, she was going to speak like one.
Jillian turned to hug Hayley, but when she saw Hayley’s whole body instinctively stiffen, she chose not to go in for one.
She simply said, “Hiya, Hayley.”
“Hello, Jillian,” Hayley said, mustering up as much politeness as she could. She certainly was not a fan of the flouncy hot little number, but it was not in her nature to be rude.