by Leena Clover
“The one who wears those fancy suits and works in New York?” Betty Sue asked, her eyes gleaming. “He might work. Do you know how old he is?”
“He must be thirty at least,” Star said.
“That’s younger than my Heather.”
“Age doesn’t matter anymore,” Star quipped. “I think these modern girls prefer younger boys.”
Betty Sue puffed up in protest.
“What is the world coming to? That wasn’t how it was in my day. Beaus were a lot older than girls. They had to be.”
“What are you two up to?” Jenny asked, bringing out a fresh pot of coffee.
Molly had some extra work at the library and she couldn’t get away for a break.
“We are just talking,” Star said, clamming up. “The usual gossip, you know.”
“Where’s Heather?”
“Heather’s out walking Tootsie,” Betty Sue said. “She should be here any minute.”
Tootsie was the Morse family poodle and was heavily pampered by Heather and Betty Sue.
“So you’re talking about Heather,” Jenny winked.
“Betty Sue’s trying to set her up with a suitable boy,” Star burst out.
Betty Sue muttered under her breath.
“Heather wants to focus on the inn,” Jenny told them. “She doesn’t have time for men.”
“That’s what worries me,” Betty Sue nodded. “She’s almost thirty five. Is she ever going to settle down?”
“All in good time,” Star shrugged.
“I don’t get it, Betty Sue,” Jenny protested. “Just a few weeks ago, you were worried Heather was going out with the wrong kind of men. Now that she’s finally sworn off them, you want her to start dating again?”
“I want her to date the right kind of man,” Betty Sue cried.
“Someone like Chris, you mean?” Jenny smirked.
“Better than him,” Betty Sue said. “Heather’s pretty and smart. She runs a business almost singlehandedly. She needs a man who can recognize and respect her abilities.”
“I agree with that,” Jenny nodded. “But where is she going to find someone like that in Pelican Cove?”
“Who are you talking about?” a voice spoke in Jenny’s ear, making her jump.
“Heather!” Jenny exclaimed. “When did you get here? And where’s Tootsie?”
“Back home playing with her toys. What are you ladies up to?”
“You’re late, Heather!” Betty Sue complained. “It’s time to get back to the inn.”
“Actually, Heather,” Jenny said. “How about a drive?”
“You know I’m your wing woman,” Heather grinned. “Just point the way, Captain.”
Jenny looked inquiringly at her aunt.
“Go,” Star said. “I got the café covered.”
“Lunch is ready,” Jenny promised. “And I won’t be long.”
Jenny drove toward the gas station.
“What’s the plan?” Heather asked.
“It’s a bit silly,” Jenny admitted. “I am hoping to run into that man with the cart.”
“You think he might be at the gas station again,” Heather deduced. “Fingers crossed, then. You never know.”
Jenny parked her car and cracked a window open. Heather got out to get some snacks. Skinner came out of the store and waved at Jenny.
Heather and Jenny worked through two big packets of fried, salty stuff and guzzled sodas.
“I have to go in,” Jenny said.
“I’ve been keeping an eye out for him,” Skinner told her. “I know how badly you want to talk to him.”
Jenny gave up some time later and drove back to the café. She dropped Heather off at the Bayview Inn first.
“Adam rang for you,” Star told her just as she entered. “He wants you to go to the police station right away.”
Ignoring her yearning for a sandwich, Jenny turned around and started walking to the police station.
“What is it?” she asked, bursting into Adam’s room.
“We rounded up all the transients we found in the area. I think we might have found the man with the cart.”
“Can you take me to him?”
“Would you be able to recognize him?”
“I haven’t actually seen him,” Jenny reminded Adam. “I saw him on tape just like you did.”
Adam took her to a big one-way mirror and pointed to a bunch of men standing on the other side.
“They can’t see you. Take your time, Jenny.”
Jenny’s gaze picked out the man right away.
“That’s him,” she said, pointing. “The man in that faded black shirt.”
Adam spoke to one of his deputies. The men filed out one by one until the man Jenny had picked remained.
“Let’s go in,” Adam said.
Adam talked to the man. He seemed skittish and wouldn’t answer any questions.
“We are not here to hurt you,” Jenny spoke kindly. “We just need your help.”
The man looked up and stared at her.
“We saw you at the gas station at the edge of town a few days ago. You were pushing a shopping cart.”
The man shrugged.
“Do you remember that?”
“I walk around a lot,” he finally said. “Lost track.”
“There was a jacket in your shopping cart. The kid from the gas station took it from you.”
The man grew disturbed. He talked about how he had been cold for a while.
“Where did you get that jacket?” Adam asked sternly. “Did you steal it?”
The man cowered, clamming up again. No amount of cajoling would make him speak. Adam threatened to arrest him.
Jenny stood up and went out. Adam followed her reluctantly.
“He’s scared out of his wits,” Jenny glared, her hands on her hips. “Can’t you see that?”
“You need a firm hand with these people, Jenny,” Adam growled. “Don’t tell me how to do my job.”
Ten futile minutes later, Adam came out again.
“We’ll have to let him go. We have nothing to hold him here.”
Jenny stood outside the police station, waiting for the man to come out. She saw him shuffle out of a side door.
“Hello,” she called, walking up to him. “Can we talk a bit?”
“I didn’t do anything,” he said.
“I know that,” Jenny said. “I’m not going to hurt you.”
The man stared at her uncertainly.
“Let’s walk away from here,” Jenny suggested.
She led him out of sight of the station.
“My name is Jenny.” She held out her hand.
The man hesitated. Then he grasped her hand in a tight grip and shook it.
“I run the café over yonder,” Jenny told him. “The Boardwalk Café? I can get you something to eat.”
“I don’t know,” the man said.
“My friend died here on this beach,” Jenny said. “She was sitting on a bench over there and someone shot her.”
The man’s eyes filled with terror.
“Do you know anything about it?”
The man inched a few steps away from her.
“I know you didn’t do anything. But I thought you might remember seeing someone. Anyone.”
The man slowly shook his head.
“It’s that jacket, you see?”
Jenny waited a few minutes for the man to say something. He was looking bewildered.
“Will you let me know if you remember anything? Come to the café when you are hungry. I mean it. I’ll fix you up.”
“Can I go now?” the man trembled.
Jenny nodded, trying to hide her disappointment. She was sure the man held some information which would be valuable to them. But she had no idea if she would ever see him again.
Back at the café, Star took one look at Jenny and ordered her to sit down. She placed a bowl of chicken soup before her, along with a turkey and cheddar sandwich.
“I’m takin
g an executive decision. We need a spa night.”
Jenny wasn’t sure she deserved to let her hair down but she went with the flow.
Heather and Betty Sue arrived at Seaview with Tootsie. Heather was carrying a basket in her arms.
“I have samples from local spas,” she said. “I’m trying them out for the inn.”
Heather had a bunch of new ideas to drum up business for the Bayview Inn. One of them involved a DIY spa weekend where groups of friends could hang out, giving each other makeovers.
Jenny picked up a lavender sugar scrub. Another small pot was labeled coffee mask.
“These look interesting, Heather.”
“Why would someone spend money to stay at the inn?” Betty Sue grumbled. “Wouldn’t they spend it at the spa?”
“We are giving them a homely atmosphere where they can unwind with their friends,” Heather explained. “The spa doesn’t give them that. Many women are intimidated by the sterile environment.”
“I agree with Heather,” Jenny said, backing up her friend.
Molly arrived, holding a brown paper bag full of avocadoes.
“We are making my special avocado honey mask,” she told them. “What are we eating?”
“Calzones from Mama Rosa’s,” Jenny told her. “And I’m hoping you will make your special brownie sundaes.”
Molly pulled out a Tupperware container full of brownies from her bag.
Inevitably, the talk turned to Jenny’s investigation.
Betty Sue spoke up. “The one question I can’t answer is why Petunia. She never talked back to a seagull. Why kill her, that too in such a heinous manner?”
“It must be connected to her past,” Star said. “She led a blameless life since she came to Pelican Cove.”
“Are you saying she wasn’t blameless when she lived back in Jersey?” Jenny asked.
“We don’t know what kind of a person she was,” Molly said. “She might have ruffled a few feathers. Or her husband did.”
“Or her father?” Star asked darkly.
“So you are all sure Petunia’s death has something to do with her mob family?” Jenny asked, looking around at each of them.
“That’s the only logical explanation, Jenny,” Heather said. “We don’t have any other motive.”
“So she always had a mark on her head?” Jenny asked them. “She just managed to evade it for twenty five years.”
Chapter 18
Jenny parked her car outside the Boardwalk Café the next morning. Although the fall weather had produced some chilly mornings, it was a pleasant enough walk. But Jenny had taken to driving in since Petunia’s accident.
The spa night had been good for all of them. The ladies had decided to sleep over at Seaview. They had given each other facials and watched movies until past midnight. Betty Sue and Heather had taken advantage of no guests at the inn. They were enjoying a rare opportunity to sleep in.
Jenny had promised them a grand breakfast at the café.
Jenny spied a figure sleeping against the café wall, huddled under a torn blanket. A shopping cart stood at one side, stuffed with trash bags. A gallon of water was tucked in between the bags. A faded camp chair was placed on top. A small one-eyed teddy bear sat on the folding shelf, giving Jenny a doleful stare.
Jenny didn’t have the heart to wake up the man. She went in and started her daily routine. Soon, the café was filled with the aroma of fresh brewed coffee and muffins baking in the oven.
Jenny chopped onions and peppers and started beating eggs for omelets. Captain Charlie, her favorite customer, came in and rang the tiny bell on the counter.
“Good Morning,” Jenny greeted him. “Is it six already?”
“Dreaming about that young man of yours?” Captain Charlie teased.
Jenny had in fact been thinking of Petunia. She shook her head and placed a tall cup of coffee on the table.
“Muffins are coming right out.”
Captain Charlie commented on the man sleeping outside.
“Seeing a lot of homeless men in town this year,” he said.
“Where do they come from?”
“Anywhere, I guess. They are just down on their luck, looking for a square meal and a place to rest their head.”
“Do you think they are violent?” Jenny asked.
“Very few of them are,” Captain Charlie told her. “Some of them come from good backgrounds. They weren’t always hobos.”
Jenny thought about Captain Charlie’s words long after he left. The breakfast rush had her scurrying around. The Magnolias came in around 8 AM.
“Crab omelets all around,” Heather said, peeping into the kitchen. “Need some help?”
“I got this.”
“Did you know there’s a scary looking man sitting outside the café?”
“Are you talking about the man with the shopping cart?” Jenny asked. “Is he awake?”
“He’s sitting up,” Heather nodded. “Staring at the ground.”
Jenny decided to check on the man after she served the Magnolias. She crossed her fingers and hoped it was the man from the gas station.
Twenty minutes later, she was standing outside the café, looking around for the man. The shopping cart lay against the wall. A neatly folded blanket lay on top of the trash bags. But the man was nowhere to be seen. Jenny looked around, beginning to feel frustrated. She didn’t want to miss the opportunity to talk to the man. She walked around the café to the beach on a hunch. The man sat in the sand in a camp chair, staring out at the sea.
“Hello,” Jenny called out.
He looked up and gave her a gap toothed smile.
“How about some coffee?”
The man shrugged and stared at her feet.
“Do you want to come inside?”
He stood up and folded his chair. He followed Jenny, carrying the chair in one hand. He put it in his cart when they reached the front.
“Do you like crab?” Jenny asked him. “I am making crab omelets.”
The man shrugged again.
Jenny had spoken to the man the previous day so she knew he could talk. She guessed he was a man of few words.
Jenny showed him to a table near the window. He seemed comfortable in the café. She brought out a big platter, loaded with a three egg omelet, toast, juice and a flask of coffee.
“I’ll be around if you need anything,” Jenny told him.
She watched him from the kitchen. He took his time buttering his toast. Then he picked up his knife and fork and ate his omelet in small bites. Someone had definitely taught him the right table manners. Jenny remembered Captain Charlie’s words. Her homeless guy must have come from a good life.
“More coffee?” Jenny asked him when he had eaten everything on his plate.
“Thanks,” the man finally spoke.
“Did you like the food?” Jenny asked earnestly.
“Best I have eaten in a while,” the man conceded. “Are you a trained chef?”
“Trained in the school of life,” Jenny smiled.
“I thought about where I got the jacket,” the man said. “It was somewhere around here, on this beach.”
Jenny tried to curb her excitement.
“Was it lying somewhere?”
The man looked thoughtful.
“I don’t think so. A man gave it to me.”
He pointed a finger to his forehead.
“Memory’s not what it used to be. It all runs together.”
“Take your time,” Jenny encouraged him. “There’s no rush.”
“I was sitting on the beach in my chair. This man was walking around. He hung out here a lot, just like me.”
“Do you remember what day it was?” Jenny asked.
“A few days ago,” the man said. “Don’t remember the exact day.”
“Can you describe the man?” Jenny asked.
She wanted to ask if he was a hobo too. The man must have guessed what she was thinking.
“He was scruffy,” he s
aid thoughtfully. “But I don’t think he slept on the beach, know what I mean?”
“That’s a big help,” Jenny said, thanking the man. “Did he say why he gave you the jacket?”
“Didn’t ask,” the man muttered. “Kind of threw it away without a backward glance. It was a perfectly good jacket.”
The man stood up to leave. Jenny told him he was welcome at the café anytime. She packed a few muffins in a brown paper bag and handed it to the man.
“Thank you for your help.”
“Good luck,” the man nodded and left.
Jenny stood at the café door, waving goodbye as he pushed his cart down the street.
Jason Stone came up the street and hailed Jenny.
“Got any breakfast left? I’m starving.”
“You won’t believe who that was!” Jenny beamed with excitement as she set a loaded plate before Jason.
“Why did the guy throw away the jacket?” Jason asked, raising his eyebrows.
“He wanted to get rid of it, of course!”
“We can agree it was deliberate.”
“It also means this wasn’t an accident,” Jenny said. “The guy ditched the jacket to avoid suspicion.”
Jason cut off a big bite of omelet and wolfed it down.
“We always come back to the same point, Jenny. It was a man on this beach. Now who do we know who was definitely going to be here?”
“This homeless guy said the man was scruffy. He wasn’t exactly a hobo but he wasn’t normal either.”
“Do you know anyone who fits that description?” Jason quizzed.
Jenny sat down before him, glad to rest her feet.
“You know what? I do!”
Jenny thought of the man who used to walk up and down the beach.
“There was a man here,” she told Jason eagerly. “I spoke to him once or twice. He used to walk around here all the time, writing something in the sand.”
“Writing what?”
“I don’t know,” Jenny said. “He used to scribble something with a stick and wait for the waves to wash it off.”
Jason rolled his eyes.
“Where is this man now?”
“Haven’t seen him in a while,” Jenny said thoughtfully.
“Did he talk to anyone other than you?”
Jenny didn’t have an answer for that. They talked about how they could look for the man. Jenny decided to talk to some of the beach regulars, like the woman who walked her dog every day.