She and Kai stepped behind the fruit stand and swatted away some flies that buzzed near the discarded produce pile.
“So, what’s going on now?” Kai crossed her arms but seemed unable to stay still. As she glanced down, something seemed to catch her eye, and she began pulling some weeds from the cracks in the asphalt.
“I know my questions might sound a little crazy, but there’s this new editor in town at the newspaper. He’s taking the job that I should have had. I need to find answers in this investigation before he does if I want to prove myself.”
“You should totally have that job.” She tossed a clump of grass into the sand behind them. “You’ve worked hard for it.”
Serena nodded. “I know, right?”
“So what do you need to know?”
“Are you friends with Janine Linton?”
“Carl’s wife?”
“The one and only.”
She shrugged and grabbed some more weeds. “I don’t know if I’d say we’re friends, but we do play bunco together once a week. Why? What do you need to know?”
“Carl’s name has come up a couple times in this investigation, and I’m wondering if he might somehow be involved. Do you know him very well?”
“Carl? No, I hardly know him at all. Like I said, I only know Janine through bunco.”
“Does Janine ever say anything about Carl?”
Kai straightened and shrugged. “As a matter of fact, she has mentioned him a few times. She said he’s seemed preoccupied lately, especially ever since he got the high cholesterol diagnosis. I don’t want to make anyone look guilty who’s innocent, but I’ve personally wondered if the man is seeing someone else. Janine says he disappears for hours at a time and looks guilty when he gets home. Maybe it’s one of those midlife crisis things. I never got married just so I could avoid drama like this.”
Serena’s breath caught. Could Carl be disappearing for hours at a time, not because he was seeing someone else, but because he was involved with something illegal? It seemed like a good guess, one that deserved a follow-up.
Serena thanked Kai and then went back to her ice cream truck with Mocha trotting beside her.
She was going to do her ice cream route one more time, and then she was going to focus all her energy on Carl.
Chapter Nine
Just as Serena was finishing up her route for the day, she spotted a familiar truck in the distance.
Carl’s animal control vehicle.
He pulled into the parking lot near the boardwalk area.
Could this be it? Was Carl going to meet a mystery woman? Or maybe he was going to meet a colleague so he could somehow pass drugs between them.
Serena didn’t know, but there was no time like the present to find out.
She pulled into the same parking lot and waited until Carl had exited his vehicle. Then she climbed out herself, trying to keep an eye on the man.
She was going to need to be sneaky here, and dressing like a dogcatcher today maybe hadn’t been the best idea. But, if Serena remembered later, she would come back and try to take a selfie with his animal control vehicle. Her social media friends would love that.
But that was for another time.
“Mocha, you stay close,” she told the dog. The last thing she needed was for Carl to try to snatch her dog.
Not her dog, she corrected herself again. But this new dog that she was temporarily taking care of.
Just the thought of that made a sprig of sadness grow in her.
It had been nice having someone other than herself to talk to. Plus, Mocha got a lot of attention. Children had loved petting him, and Mocha had soaked up the affection. He was pretty much the perfect dog.
Serena watched as Carl went to the hostess desk at The Docks. The seafood restaurant had an outdoor patio and an indoor porch area. Whenever Serena had been here, the place had smelled like Old Bay and saltwater. The combination was actually pretty great.
The woman at the hostess stand led Carl inside to be seated.
Now Serena somehow needed to get close enough to figure out what he was doing.
“How are we going to do this, Mocha?” She glanced down at the dog, who stood beside her, waiting for further instructions.
It had been one thing to sneak the dog into The Crazy Chefette. Serena knew Lisa well enough to know her friend would forgive her if the dog was caught inside. But Serena didn’t know the owner of The Docks, and she didn’t think the man would take kindly to having an animal inside his restaurant. Serena had met the man once or twice, and he had a very strong personality, to say the least.
Serena glanced around again. At one of the nearby shops she saw an assortment of baby slings for sale. An idea began to form in her mind. Would this really work?
It seemed worth a try.
She slipped inside the store and grabbed the cheapest sling she could find. After paying, she escaped into the bathroom and wrapped it over her chest. She lifted Mocha and put the dog snug inside the fabric there.
She glanced in the mirror. If someone didn’t look closely, this might actually work—if Mocha cooperated, of course.
Right now, the dog was being very compliant. He simply lay there like a little baby and, as long as Serena rubbed his tummy, he seemed pretty content.
She hoped this would work, for a minute, at least.
Drawing in a deep breath, she exited the store and headed toward The Docks. Thankfully, it was in between lunch and dinner so the place wasn’t packed yet. Come dinnertime, there would probably be a wait time of at least an hour. This was one of the reasons Serena tried not to eat out too much during the tourist season. Everything was always so packed.
She plastered on her best smile as she approached the hostess. Serena didn’t recognize the woman. The teenager had been brought in as summer help, most likely.
“Hi, I’d like a table for one inside,” Serena said, bouncing on her feet and rubbing the baby sling to keep Mocha quiet.
The woman glanced at Serena’s midsection and smiled. “Of course. You gotta get that baby out of the sun, huh?”
Serena smiled and nodded, trying to act like this was all normal.
A moment later, she was seated inside the restaurant. Dark paneling covered the walls, and the whole place had a cave-like atmosphere, despite the screened-in windows all around them.
But, across the way, sat Carl Linton. He was in the corner, about five tables away. His back was turned to the rest of the restaurant. But Serena could see enough.
She saw a napkin had been spread open and stuffed into his shirt. Could see his thick back and the crown of dark hair around his head.
No one else sat with him, but that didn’t mean that somebody else wasn’t coming. Serena glanced at the menu, trying to look natural. As she did, Mocha wiggled.
No doubt the scent of food had alerted him to where they were.
She tried to gently rub his stomach to keep him calm, but the wiggles were still there.
She was going to have to act quickly before she created a scene. She smiled at the waitress as a glass of water was set in front of her.
“Do you need a few minutes or do you know what you want to order?” the woman asked.
“I’m going to need a minute,” Serena said. “In fact, I’m going to run to the restroom real quick.”
Mocha wiggled again and all kinds of bad scenarios played out in Serena’s mind.
Instead of going to the restroom, Serena bypassed that area and walked straight over to Carl. She was just going to need to confront him right here.
She slid into one of the empty chairs across from him. When he saw her, his eyes widened.
“Can I help you?” Carl asked, pausing mid-bite.
Serena got right to the point. “What are you up to?”
His face went a little pale. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“What do you know about the dead man whose body was found on the island yesterday?”
His ey
es grew even wider. “I don’t know anything about the dead man. What are you getting at?”
“I know you’re hiding something. I know you were talking to the dead man a couple days before he died. For that matter, everyone in town knows that you’ve been hiding something. Maybe even something criminal.”
Mocha wiggled, and Serena rubbed his tummy even more. Still, the dog let out a little whine.
Carl’s eyes narrowed in confusion as he looked at the baby wrap.
She needed to divert his attention. Quickly.
“What are you hiding, Carl?” she repeated.
Sweat sprinkled across his forehead as he shifted his attention back to her. “I’m not hiding anything.”
“Look.” Serena leaned closer. “I’m giving you the benefit of the doubt. I came here to talk to you myself instead of going to the police. But that will be my next step if you don’t come clean with me.”
He set his fork and knife down, and his words came out quickly as he said, “I’m not doing anything illegal, if that’s what you’re getting at.”
Then what else could he possibly be doing? Serena narrowed her eyes. “I’m not so sure I believe that. What’s with all the sneakiness? Need I remind you that you were seen riding around the very area where the dead man was found.”
“That’s because I’m a dogcatcher!” His voice rose until a couple people glanced his way.
Serena wasn’t ready to back down yet. “But you don’t usually just cruise the streets now, do you?”
“There were reports of some dogs barking, and it was disturbing the neighbors.” His words stumbled into each other. “I went to check it out, but I didn’t find anything. Are you happy now?”
No, as a matter of fact, she wasn’t. “What about that man you were talking to? The one that ended up dead? Paul Witherspoon was his name.”
“He was one of the people that called to report the barking. There’s nothing illegal about talking to someone who wanted to file a report. I was doing my job.”
Carl was right. He could have been doing his job. But that didn’t mean he was innocent either.
Serena leaned closer, ready to seal this deal and prove he was guilty. Then she could write this article and rightfully take the job she was meant for.
“It doesn’t explain your sneakiness,” she continued.
He let out a long sigh. “I don’t know how many times I can say this. You’re barking up the wrong tree.”
“Are you sure you’re not involved in smuggling drugs?”
“Drugs?” He repeated a little too loudly. “Are you off your rocker?”
“I still don’t think you’re telling me the whole story, Carl.”
He rubbed a hand over his face. “Okay, I am hiding something. Are you happy now?”
Excitement buzzed through her. “That depends. Are you going to tell me what you’re hiding?”
He looked down at his plate. “I’m supposed to be watching my diet and only eating rabbit food. But I can’t bring myself to do that. So I come here on occasion and I order some fried fish, french fries, and coleslaw. The whole cholesterol-laden shebang.”
She glanced at his plate and realized he was telling the truth. The only thing he was hiding was his bad diet habits. It looked like her so-called lead had totally fizzled.
“I see,” Serena finally said. “Good talk.”
He narrowed his eyes at her.
Just then, Mocha wiggled again. Before Serena could stop the dog, he sprang from the baby carrier and jumped on the table.
He began to gobble up Carl’s cholesterol-laden food.
People at the tables around them gasped and stared. A waitress charged their way. Carl jumped to his feet, his chair falling behind him and drawing even more attention to the scene.
Serena frowned and she tried to pull Mocha away.
It looked like Carl wasn’t going to get to cheat on his new relationship with healthy food. Not today, at least.
Serena left the restaurant. After many apologies and paying for Carl’s food, she and Mocha made their way back to her ice cream truck. She had just enough time to meet Webster.
As if right on cue, her phone rang. It was Webster.
“Listen, I was wondering if instead of coming into the office we could meet at the pier?”
“The festivities there aren’t until Tuesday night,” she reminded him.
“That’s okay. I just want to get out of the office for a while. It seems more relaxing to talk on the beach than it does here at my aunt’s house.”
Serena had to wonder if there was some tension between Ernestine and Webster. Either way, the beach was always preferred over being inside. “That sounds good. I can meet you in fifteen minutes.”
He agreed, and, right on time, Serena pulled into the parking lot by the pier. As soon as she stepped outside, the sound of the ocean hit her, as did the scent of sea air. Somewhere in the distance, someone played acoustic music, maybe on a radio. Put it all together, and a moment of bliss filled her.
Times like this were what made her love this area.
As she walked with Mocha to meet Webster, she glanced around. Numerous fishermen were on the pier, their lines strung into the water. Several people had already stretched their hammocks beneath the massive wooden structure, and a bonfire blazed not far away. This was a favorite spot, especially for locals.
Serena spotted Webster. He still wore his stuffy, city boy outfit. He’d set up two beach chairs facing the ocean and waved her over.
“We can do this, Mocha,” Serena muttered. “We’re not going to let him drive us crazy. Nor are we going to let him get the upper hand. We will be victorious.”
“Hey, there,” Webster greeted her. “How’s it going?”
Serena considered exactly how much she wanted to share with him. She decided to leave off the little incident that had just happened at the restaurant and stick with the facts—the very vague facts. “It’s going.”
“I have something for you.” He handed her a gift bag.
“For me?” Was this some kind of trick? Maybe a nameplate that read: Serena Lavinia, Not the Editor-in-Chief. Or Serena Lavinia, Underling?
Webster nodded. “Open it.”
She shoved the tissue paper aside and saw . . . a dog leash and collar inside.
It wasn’t just any dog leash—this one had cheerful emojis up and down the length of it, each one reminding Serena of her ever-changing looks. “This is great. Thank you.”
“I thought you might need it.” He shrugged, like it wasn’t a big deal.
“I’m sure we’ll get a lot of use out of this.” After slipping the collar and leash onto Mocha, she turned toward Webster. “And, by the way, in addition to helping you with this article about the dead man, I would like to do an article on the beach art being left around town.”
His eyebrows shot up. “You mean like the heart we saw yesterday?”
“That’s right. Today somebody left a smiling sun. I really want to figure out who’s behind this. Of course, our first priority is finding out information about this man who was murdered. But I thought the art could be a good human-interest piece.”
“Of course.” Webster pushed his glasses up again. “I think it’s a good idea to do a story on this. People always like feel-good pieces along with the hard-hitting news.”
Good. She could check that off her list. Now onto her next item. “That said, I do have a few updates on our investigation into the dead man.”
“Me too,” Webster said. “You go first.”
Somehow, Serena felt like this was a trick, but she decided to comply anyway. “I was able to learn from the police chief that there was some type of drug found in Paul Witherspoon’s system.”
His eyebrows shot up. “Is that right? Very interesting.”
“I thought so too. So maybe all of this has to do with drugs. It’s not unusual for people to try to smuggle items off these shores. It’s been done before. The seclusion of Lantern Beach seems
to beckon all types of illegal activities here on the coast.”
“Noted. Anything else?”
“And I had one lead but it fizzled. The dogcatcher’s name had come up a few times, but it turns out the only thing he’s doing wrong might put him in a hospital instead of jail. He’s supposed to be watching what he eats, but he’s unable to give up his fried foods. It was a bit of a letdown.”
“It sounds like you’ve done good work today, Serena. Thanks for all the time you put in.”
“What about you?” She was anxious to hear what he may have learned.
He wiped some sand from his leg before turning toward her, his eyes lit with a secret he was on the cusp of sharing. “I was able to find out a couple things today. Starting with the fact that the family who’d been staying in the yellow house claims they have no idea who Paul Witherspoon is.”
“Good to know.”
“I also found somebody today who lives on the street where our dead man was found. He had some pretty interesting footage that was caught on his video doorbell.”
Serena sat up straighter. It sounded like an excellent lead. “Do you have the footage?”
“As a matter of fact, they did share it with me.” Webster pulled out his phone and hit a few buttons. A moment later, a video appeared on the screen.
Serena watched closely as two figures ran across the screen. “Can you play that again?” She wished there was a slow-motion option so she could soak in all the details better.
“Of course.” Webster hit a button, and it began to play again.
This time she got a better look. That was definitely their dead guy who was running. Another man chased him. The images were too blurry for Serena to pick up any particulars about the man, only that he wore a hat and sweatshirt.
“One more time?” she asked.
Webster complied.
When she watched the video this time, she noticed one new detail. “Mocha . . .”
The dead man had been chasing Mocha.
Just how was her dog involved in all of this?
She rubbed Mocha’s head. She didn’t know. And she didn’t like it.
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