by Leena Clover
“You look tired,” Star observed as she drained the poached chicken.
“I’m fine,” Jenny muttered without looking up.
She had sliced a mound of strawberries and was ready to start mixing the salad.
“You need to take better care of yourself,” Star droned. “Can’t have you looking like a hag on your wedding day.”
“Why does everything come around to that nowadays?” Jenny complained.
Star just shook her head quietly, opting not to say anything.
“Tell you what,” she said after a few minutes. “Why don’t you go out for lunch? Take a picnic basket and meet your young man.”
“Adam’s going to be busy,” Jenny said with a grimace. “I don’t think he can spare the time.”
“Nothing wrong with asking,” Star said. “Better yet, go surprise him and ask him sweetly. I am sure he won’t be able to say no.”
The Magnolias arrived at their usual time.
“You need to ask Adam about his guest list,” Heather reminded Jenny.
Jenny promised she would do that when she met Adam later.
“Mandy is in town,” Molly informed them. “I saw her going door to door with Barb as I was coming here.”
Mandy was a publicist the town hired from time to time. She had been instrumental in modernizing a lot of things in town. She could be pushy but Jenny admitted Mandy had helped spread the word about the Boardwalk Café. Tourism had boomed in town since Mandy’s arrival.
“Barb must have hired her for the election,” Betty Sue observed, her hands busy knitting an orange scarf.
“Does that mean she won’t be helping with the fall festival?” Star grumbled. “I was counting on her assistance.”
“Why don’t you ask her?” Jenny asked, pointing in the distance. “I bet those two ladies are on their way here.”
The Magnolias looked up from their coffees and muffins and stared at the beach. Two familiar figures were hurrying along the sand, weaving their way around people lying on towels or lounging in camp chairs under colorful umbrellas.
“Yoohoo …” Barb Norton called out her signature greeting and waved at them.
She huffed up the steps a few minutes later, trying to catch her breath. Mandy was at her heels, holding a pen and notepad in her hands.
“Looks like you are painting the town red, Barb,” Betty Sue cracked.
“I believe in a job well done,” Barb said pompously. “You know that about me, Betty Sue. I have always taken care of this town. I will continue to do so when I become mayor.”
“You are that confident of winning, huh?” Star quipped.
“Of course I am going to win. People like you fully support me and can’t wait for me to be mayor.”
She gave them a speculative look.
“I can count on your vote, right?”
“What do you propose to do for the town?” Betty Sue asked. “I need to know you won’t turn this place into a circus. Jenny here said you are angling to bring more tourists down here?”
“Of course!” Barb beamed. “Boosting tourism is one of the top items on my agenda. We need the money these people bring in. Most of the businesses in town depend on tourists, Betty Sue. Your own inn needs them.”
“That doesn’t mean you should flood the town with these folks.”
Barb Norton looked flustered.
“Why don’t you just come out and say it, Betty Sue?” Barb thundered. “You want to vote for that chicken necker Peter Wilson.”
“He is talking about preserving our heritage,” Betty Sue said stoutly. “This is the land of my ancestors, Barb Norton! I don’t want to see it sink because you brought in a boat load of outsiders.”
The two women continued to bicker over the issue. Jenny, Heather and Molly looked at each other and tried to suppress their smiles.
Star took Mandy to task.
“Can I still count on your help for the fall festival?”
“Don’t worry,” Mandy said smoothly. “I am working on a presentation for our next meeting. Everything is running on schedule. Barb told me you are heading the festival committee now?”
“That’s right,” Star said proudly. “And I want everything to go off without a hitch.”
“The concert is going to be big,” Mandy told her. “That itself should help us reach our fundraising goal.”
“What about games and rides?” Star asked. “Hay wagon rides are absolutely must. And people expect the usual contests like pumpkin carving, best yard decorations and so on. Are you keeping track of that?”
Mandy reassured Star she had everything under control.
“For shame, Betty Sue!” Barb roared suddenly, springing up. “I didn’t expect this from you.”
“What’s wrong with having a debate?” Betty Sue asked with a frown. “It’s what happens in every election.”
Barb was breathing fire as she clattered down the steps without a word.
“Now you’ve done it, Betty Sue!” Star drawled. “Did you have to rile her up?”
“Did you see her?” Betty Sue cackled. “She got as red as a tomato.”
The Magnolias chattered for a while longer. Heather reminded Jenny of plenty of wedding related chores before they left.
Jenny went into the kitchen and started assembling a picnic basket. She added chicken sandwiches, chips and Adam’s favorite chocolate chip cookies. Two bottles of lemonade went in along with some truffles Jenny had made that morning.
“Don’t forget a blanket,” Star called out.
The noon sun felt scorching as Jenny walked to the police station. She was glad she had remembered to wear her straw hat. The breeze coming off the ocean offered some relief from the heat.
Adam’s face lit up when Jenny peeped into his office.
“Jenny! What a nice surprise!”
“Can you get away for lunch?” Jenny asked, holding up the picnic basket before him.
“Why not?” Adam said with a shrug. “I need a break from these files. And I’m starving.”
Adam picked up his cane but Jenny noticed he didn’t lean on it much. Adam was a war veteran who had been injured in the line of duty. She knew he was trying hard to get rid of the cane for their wedding. It was supposed to be a surprise for her so she didn’t make any comment.
They walked out and strolled to the beach. Jenny pointed to a spot and Adam spread the blanket in the sand.
Adam guzzled the cool lemonade before picking up his sandwich.
“What’s new at work?” Jenny asked.
“The usual,” Adam said between bites. “Nothing worth talking about.”
“Is it always going to be like this?” Jenny bristled. “When are you going to learn to trust me?”
“What do you want to know, Jenny?” Adam asked with a sigh. “Is this your way of digging for information?”
“I’m not always doing that,” Jenny snapped, putting a half eaten sandwich down.
“Are you still helping Jason?” Adam asked sternly. “Tell me you don’t care what happened to that kid.”
“I can’t,” Jenny said. “An innocent young man was struck down in the prime of his life. I can’t just forget about that, Adam, especially when the police don’t seem to be doing anything about it.”
“There you go again,” Adam muttered.
“Do you have any new leads?” Jenny asked. “The only two suspects we have are Peter Wilson and the uncle.”
“Uncle?” Adam asked.
Jenny told him about the trust fund.
“You never cease to amaze me, Jenny.”
“Is Ocean still at the top of your list?” Jenny asked. “Or do you have any other evidence.”
“The guitar came back from forensics,” Adam told her. “There were three sets of fingerprints on it. We identified two of them as belonging to Tyler and Ocean.”
“What about the third set?” Jenny asked eagerly.
“Unknown.”
Jenny’s eyes widened as she processed thi
s latest piece of information.
“Could it be Peter Wilson?” Jenny mused. “Ocean told us where he found the guitar. It was just off the bridge near Peter’s garage. He could easily have thrown it there.”
“What would Peter be doing with that guitar?”
“He was known to have shouting matches with Tyler. He found Tyler’s music offensive. Maybe he grabbed the guitar sometime in a fit of anger.”
“Believe it or not, we thought of that,” Adam said drily. “Peter’s prints are already on file.”
“So it’s someone other than Peter?”
Jenny didn’t hide her relief. Peter Wilson had always been good to her. She thought he hadn’t behaved well with Tyler. But she didn’t want to believe he had actually harmed the boy.
“As of now, we have no idea who those prints belong to.”
“Try matching those prints with Tyler’s uncle.”
“Tyler and his uncle lived in the same house, right? So any of his family could have touched that guitar. I am surprised we found only three sets of prints.”
“I bet it was someone Tyler knew from out of town.”
“Enough of all this, Jenny,” Adam said. “Stop pumping me for information. I don’t have anything else to tell you.”
Jenny smiled coyly as she offered Adam some cookies.
“Have you worked on your guest list?”
Adam looked sheepish.
“I haven’t had the time. But I think you already covered anyone I want to invite.”
“How is that possible?” Jenny asked. “What about your family or friends from the military?”
“Most of my family are gone,” Adam explained. “The rest are relatives of my first wife. I don’t think it’s appropriate to have them here for our wedding.”
“And your friends?” Jenny asked.
“Some are still deployed. Some aren’t around anymore.”
“I’m sorry,” Jenny mumbled as she worked out what Adam meant. “So it’s just you and the girls and your brother?”
“We don’t need too many people, Jenny,” Adam said, holding her hand. “Just a few close friends and their blessings.”
“What about your suit? You are not getting out of wearing a tux, mister!” Jenny said sternly. “No shorts or floral shirts.”
“Why not?” Adam teased. “Aren’t we getting married on the beach?”
“Don’t let Heather hear you say that,” Jenny warned. “And you need to ask Ethan to be your best man, unless you have someone else in mind.”
Adam assured her he would get all that done. Adam wanted to get back to work. Jenny offered him the chocolates she had made earlier.
“Something for your 4 PM sugar rush,” she smiled.
Jenny swung her basket from side to side as she took the scenic route back to the café. She wondered if Adam was being sufficiently enthusiastic about their wedding. How could he not have any guests of his own? Then she dismissed her thoughts as being obsessive.
Had Heather’s constant nagging finally turned her into a bridezilla?
Chapter 11
A low hum of conversation rippled across the dimly lit pub. The Rusty Anchor had provided sustenance to the locals since 1879. The Cotton family and its descendants had been running it proudly since days of yore, when Pelican Cove had been Morse Isle.
Jenny and her friends had decided to gather for drinks that evening. Jason had squeezed an hour out to be with them, reluctantly letting Betty Sue and Star watch Emily.
“This is nice,” Heather said, sipping a glass of wine. “I don’t remember the last time we all got together like this.”
Jenny stared moodily into her own glass of wine. Adam was working late again and wasn’t going to join them. She tried not to be jealous of Molly and Chris, standing close together with their arms around each other. Her relationship was different and she would have to get used to it.
Eddie Cotton came over to their table with two large mugs of beer. He set them on the table and stopped to chat with them.
“You are not going to some fancy city pub for your drinks, are you? It’s been a while since I set eyes on you.”
“Of course not,” Heather said cheerfully. “Everyone is just too busy.”
She pointed toward Molly and Chris.
“These two love birds can barely spare a glance at anyone else. Jason’s busy with the baby, as he should be. Jenny’s swamped at the café. And I am the official wedding planner for the wedding of the year.”
“What’s that music you are playing, Eddie?” Jenny asked. “Sounds captivating.”
“That’s the poor kid who got bumped off,” Eddie said.
Jenny sat up straighter.
“How do you have his music?”
“He gave it to me … he had to cut something, he said.”
“He cut a disc for you?” Heather prodded. “That was nice of him.”
“Came here every night after he wound up for the day,” Eddie told them. “Had a beer.”
“So you knew Tyler well?” Jenny asked eagerly.
Eddie shrugged.
“We talked a bit. He was loaded, you know. He tried to hide it but I knew he came from money the moment I laid eyes on him. Drove here all the way from Richmond every day.”
Jenny was surprised Eddie knew so much about Tyler’s background. She wondered what else he had shared with Eddie.
“He was a shy one,” Eddie said, anticipating her questions. “Sat in a corner over there and barely spoke to anyone.”
“Surely the locals must have recognized him?” Jenny asked.
Eddie scratched a spot on his face and pursed his lips.
“He sat facing the wall. He made it clear he wanted to be left alone.”
“How did you know who he was?” Jenny asked.
“I saw him singing in the town square, didn’t I?” Eddie puffed up. “My missus heard him first. She was a big fan. She took me there to listen to this guy. Didn’t believe me when I told her he had a beer at our pub every night.”
The group plunged into an animated discussion about the upcoming elections.
“Peter Wilson may turn out to be a dark horse,” Jason said seriously. “Nothing wrong with having someone new at the helm, of course. He will keep everyone on their toes.”
“I think Barb will pack her bags and move to Florida if she doesn’t win the election,” Heather chortled. “She wouldn’t be able to handle the shame.”
As everyone in town knew, Barb Norton’s daughter lived in Florida. Barb was a snowbird, spending every winter with her daughter down in the sunshine state.
“She won’t give up that easily,” Molly said thoughtfully. “And why should she? She has toiled hard for this town.”
“So you are in Barb Norton’s camp?” Jenny asked her.
Molly looked uncertain.
“I don’t know, Jenny. Part of me feels I should be loyal to Barb.”
“It’s not a question of loyalty,” Chris Williams spoke up. “It’s just an election, for heaven’s sake.”
“You poor sod,” Heather laughed. “It’s never ‘just’ anything. I guess we were better off with that old fogey for mayor.”
“Now that I don’t agree with,” Jason said strongly. “Anything is better than that. Both Barb and Peter seem fired up to do some work. Whoever gets elected, they will finally be taking action. We might even get parking meters on Main Street.”
Heather punched Jason in the shoulder.
“No parking meters! We are not that evolved yet. Don’t go spouting these crazy ideas, Jason.”
“What’s wrong with having parking meters?” Jason asked, rubbing his shoulder dramatically. “Ouch, Heather, you do pack a mean punch.”
“Parking meters are a blot on our rustic charm,” Heather stated, draining her wine.
“Stop squabbling, you two!” Molly reproached them.
She nudged Heather and tipped her head toward Jenny. Jenny was absently twirling her wine, staring in the distance.
>
“What’s eating you, Jenny?” Molly asked solicitously. “You know you will meet Adam in a few hours, right?”
“You love birds!” Heather sighed, rolling her eyes.
“She’s going to get worse,” Molly said. “I bet she’s dreaming about the wedding.”
Heather grew alarmed when Jenny didn’t call them out.
“Are you okay, Jenny?” she asked, coming around to hug her friend. “What’s the matter with you?”
Jenny’s eyes were bright with emotion.
“I was thinking about Tyler,” she admitted. “All my efforts have been futile. I have never felt so helpless.”
“You just haven’t talked to the right people,” Jason soothed.
“Tyler was popular, right?” Jenny said with exasperation. “He must have talked to someone other than Peter Wilson?”
Chris let out an exclamation.
“I just remembered … that kid was talking to someone in a fancy car.”
“You mean like a limousine?” Jenny asked eagerly.
“Way more expensive,” Chris said. “Like a Porsche or a Ferrari. Something that costs six figures.”
“Which one was it exactly?” Jenny prompted.
“I couldn’t say,” Chris apologized. “I wasn’t really paying attention. I noticed it because it was red and shiny and low slung. No one in Pelican Cove owns such a car, at least as far as I know.”
“Tell me more,” Jenny said urgently. “Did Tyler get into the car? Did anyone get down from it? What were they talking about?”
“How would I know, Jenny?” Chris asked. “I spotted them from a distance.”
“Think harder, Chris.”
Chris was shaking his head and shrugging his shoulders when he exclaimed again.
“Looked like a heated discussion. Tyler didn’t look too happy.”
“Are you sure you are not making this up?” Molly asked.
“To be honest, I don’t remember much,” Chris admitted. He looked at Jenny and winced. “Sorry, I guess?”
Jenny waved off his concern.
“Don’t worry about it. How about another drink? This round’s on me.”