Much Ado about Nutmeg

by Sarah Fox

  I was only a minute or so away from the pancake house when my smile faltered. I shaded my eyes to get a look at a boat traveling parallel to the shore, heading eastward. It wasn’t too far out, and I was pretty sure it was a Coast Guard vessel. I paused, watching the boat for a moment before I continued on my way. Hopefully it was just a routine patrol and nothing bad had happened. As much as I wanted that to be the case, a nugget of unease had taken up residence among the peace and happiness I’d felt moments before.

  When I arrived at The Flip Side, I made sure the restaurant would be ready to open at seven. That didn’t take long and when everything was set, I had some time to spare, so I stopped by the kitchen to make myself a cup of tea.

  Leigh showed up as I was fishing the tea bag out of my cup.

  “How’s the wedding planning going?” she asked me as she poured herself a cup of coffee.

  “So far, so good. I’ve ordered my dress—hopefully it’ll fit—but I still need to take care of the cake and flowers.” I blew on my hot tea. “I wonder if Marielle does wedding cakes.”

  Marielle owned and operated the local bakery.

  “I’ll do the cake,” Ivan said as he chopped up some asparagus.

  “It’s nice of you to offer, Ivan, but I don’t want you to have to do any work for the wedding.”

  He glared at me over the island worktop. “I’ll do it. Unless you’d rather Marielle did.”

  “No, no,” I said quickly. “It’s not that at all. Any cake you make will be amazing, but I don’t want you to feel obligated.”

  He returned to chopping, his knife thunk-thunking rhythmically against the cutting board. “I don’t feel obligated. I want to do it.”

  A big smile took over my face. “Thanks, Ivan. We’ll have to talk about payment.”

  This time the glare he sent my way nearly turned me to stone. “You’re not paying me.”

  “But—”

  “Consider it my gift to you and Brett.”

  My smile returned. I set my cup on the counter as I made my way around the island. Ivan set down his knife just before I hugged him.

  “You’re the best, Ivan. Thank you.”

  He gave me a quick squeeze and then released me. Maybe I was imagining things, but when I stepped back I thought I spied the slightest smile on his face.

  Tommy had been in the walk-in pantry and emerged at that moment with a big bag of flour. He began talking to Ivan about their prep work while Leigh and I left the kitchen with our drinks in hand. We finished up our tea and coffee, and Sienna arrived just before it was time to open the door to customers. We predicted another busy day and we weren’t wrong. Within minutes of opening, several tables were occupied, and it only got busier from there.

  I helped out Leigh and Sienna with taking orders and delivering meals as more customers arrived. Even with three of us working, we barely had a moment to rest. Shortly after eight o’clock, Lisa showed up with her seventy-something neighbor Joan, whom I now considered a friend. After a five-minute wait, a table by the window was free and they claimed it as soon as Sienna cleaned it up. I grabbed the coffeepot on my way to their table, knowing they’d both want some. Lisa never liked to start a day without at least one cup of coffee.

  “Morning,” I said as I filled their mugs. “How are you doing today?”

  “I’m not fully awake yet, but otherwise good,” Lisa said, pulling her mug of coffee closer to her.

  “We’re certainly doing better than some people this morning,” Joan added.

  “Which people?” I asked, wondering what she meant.

  “You haven’t heard the news?”

  Apprehension skittered up my spine. “What news?”

  “One of the athletes,” Lisa started. “Dr. Miller, I think his name is.”

  “Miller,” I echoed. “As in Easton Miller?”

  “You’ve met him?” Lisa asked.

  “Remember the people I waved to at the park yesterday? That was him and his wife. I met them here on Wednesday.”

  Lisa exchanged a glance with Joan.

  “What is it?” I asked, my apprehension growing. “What happened to him?”

  “Nobody seems to know quite how it happened,” Joan said, “but he fell overboard while on his yacht. Now he’s missing and presumed dead.”

  Chapter Four

  If Joan hadn’t told me about Easton Miller, I would have found out soon anyway. By midmorning it seemed as though the whole town had heard the news. It was the hot topic of conversation at The Flip Side for the rest of the morning. The locals didn’t know the Millers, but some of the athletes and coaches who were dining at the pancake house were acquainted with the couple. Although it was the first day of competition for the Golden Oldies Games, very few diners were chatting about that. Easton Miller’s death had overshadowed everything else.

  “Poor Rowena,” I heard one woman saying to the other three people at her table. “As if she hasn’t suffered enough already.”

  I was curious to know what she meant by that, but I didn’t catch her next words.

  Patricia Murray and her husband, John, showed up for lunch around noon. Sienna waved to them, but she was in the midst of taking orders at another table so she stayed put. I greeted the couple and left them alone with their menus for a minute while I fetched them both glasses of iced coffee.

  “I guess you’ve heard about the man who fell overboard,” Patricia said once I’d returned with their drinks.

  “It’s terrible news,” I said. “I met him and his wife here the other day. It’s such a shock that he’s gone.” I bit down on my lower lip. “I don’t suppose there’s any chance he’s alive?”

  “Doubtful, unfortunately,” John said. “From what we’ve heard, he never resurfaced once he went under. Search parties scoured the shoreline this morning and didn’t find any sign of him.”

  “Such a shame,” Patricia said. “The Coast Guard is still out looking for him. I hope they find him soon. At least that way his wife can have some closure.”

  I agreed that was the best outcome to hope for if Easton really had drowned, which he most likely had. It certainly sounded like there wasn’t much chance of him surviving.

  I swallowed down a lump of sadness. I’d only met the Millers briefly, but I still felt awful about what had happened. I knew too well how hard it was to lose a loved one in a tragic accident.

  I took Patricia and John’s orders and headed for the kitchen. When I returned to the dining room, I noticed Pippa and her personal trainer, Levi, standing at the front of the short line outside the open door. Two tables had just been vacated, so I hurried to clear them of dirty dishes and wipe them down. Sienna showed the couple to one of the free tables and got them settled with menus. She took their orders a few minutes later, and when I had a free moment, I stopped by their table.

  “Hello,” I said, reminding myself just in time not to wish them a good morning. It was clearly anything but for them. Pippa looked paler than the last time I’d seen her and she and Levi both wore somber expressions.

  “Hello again,” Pippa said, her voice subdued. “It’s Marley, right?”

  “That’s right. I wanted to offer my condolences. You’ve been friends with the Millers for a long time, haven’t you?”

  “Yes,” Pippa said, her voice cracking.

  Levi reached across the table and covered one of her hands with his. “She’s known them for decades.”

  “I’m so sorry,” I said. “It must be terrible for Rowena.”

  Pippa nodded, her eyes watery. “She’s been so distraught. I prescribed her something to help her rest, but Levi and I will check on her again after we’ve had some lunch.”

  Levi’s thumb skimmed back and forth over her knuckles. “Pippa hasn’t eaten anything yet today.”

  “I couldn’t.” One of her tears escaped and rolled
down her cheek. She wiped it away with one finger. “I’m so heartbroken. Easton was a good man, and Rowena… Poor Rowena. She’s already been through so much.”

  “I heard someone else mention that too,” I said.

  As soon as the words were out of my mouth, I wondered if I should have kept quiet, but Pippa didn’t seem to think I was prying.

  “She and Easton lost their son two years ago,” she explained.

  “He was only twenty-four,” Levi added.

  A fierce ache cut through my heart and nearly took my breath away. “That’s terrible.”

  “It was. It all is.” Pippa took a napkin from the dispenser and dabbed at her eyes.

  “I’m so sorry.” I hated to intrude on their grief any longer, so I took a step back. “Please let me or Sienna know if you need anything. Your meals will be ready soon.”

  They nodded their thanks and I left them alone. I retreated to the office and shut the door, needing a few moments alone to gain control of my emotions. I’d lost several family members in tragic circumstances—my stepfather and stepsiblings to a car accident on a mountain highway, and my cousin Jimmy to murder. Most of the time now I coped well, but every so often grief would rise up again and punch me in the stomach. This was one of those times.

  I leaned against the edge of the desk and took some deep breaths until I was no longer fighting tears. I felt terrible for Pippa and Levi, and especially for Rowena. At least she had some close friends here in town with her. Hopefully she’d lean on them for support and not drown in her grief like her husband had most likely done in the ocean.

  * * * *

  When I heard Brett’s truck pull into the driveway early that evening, I headed for the front porch to meet him. Bentley, our exuberant goldendoodle, charged out the door and down the steps, wriggling with happiness as Brett climbed out of his vehicle. I waited on the porch until Bentley had soaked in enough attention and trotted off to sniff at the bushes growing along the fence. As Brett headed my way, I descended the steps to meet him, leaning into him and putting my arms around him. I closed my eyes and held on tight, letting the sound of his heartbeat comfort me.

  He wrapped one arm around me and ran a hand over my hair. “Hey. You okay?”

  I didn’t want to let go of him, but after another moment I stepped back. “I’m all right. Just sad about what happened this morning. Have you heard?”

  “About the man who fell off his yacht and most likely drowned?”

  I nodded. “I feel terrible for his wife. Her son died a couple of years ago, and now her husband…”

  Brett took my hand and tugged me closer, wrapping one arm around my waist. “I didn’t know about her son. Her husband was an athlete here for the games, right?”

  “He and his wife were going to compete in the mixed doubles tennis match. I met them at the pancake house a few days ago.”

  Brett kissed the top my head. “I’m sorry, Marley.”

  I laced my fingers through his, and we walked slowly toward the house. Bentley bounded up the porch steps ahead of us and disappeared through the front door.

  “I need to focus on something happy,” I said as we climbed the steps.

  Brett pulled me to a stop before we stepped through the door, giving me a kiss. “Like our wedding?”

  “That’s definitely a happy topic.”

  Still holding Brett’s hand, I led the way into the house. Our orange tabby cat, Flapjack, was sitting in the middle of the foyer, his tail swishing. I picked him up and he settled into my arms.

  “Ivan’s going to make our wedding cake,” I said as I headed for the family room at the back of the house. “I told him I didn’t want him to feel like he had to, but he insisted that he wants to, as a gift to us.”

  “That’s good of him.” Brett followed me down the hall. “And now we know it’ll taste fantastic.”

  “That’s for sure. He’s going to make a few different types of cake for us to try. Do you mind coming by The Flip Side next Sunday for a taste test?”

  “Do I mind?”

  “Okay, silly question. I’ll tell Ivan we’ll both be there.”

  I gave Flapjack a kiss on the top of his head and set him down on the couch. I’d left the French doors standing open, and while the air was still warm, a gentle breeze wafted into the family room, bringing with it the delicious scent of salty air.

  “So what’s left for us to do?” Brett asked.

  “There’s the flowers to deal with. I’ll stop by the flower shop this week. And I’m still waiting for my dress to arrive.”

  “Right. The dress.” He grinned as he tucked my hair behind my ear. “I can’t wait to see you in it.”

  I smiled and kissed him. “You’ll have to wait. You’re not seeing it until our wedding day.” I wasn’t particularly superstitious, but I wanted the dress to be a surprise.

  “It’ll be worth it.”

  I hoped he was right about that. I was a bit nervous about the fact that I’d purchased the dress online. What if it wasn’t as nice as it appeared in the photos?

  “I booked our hotel today,” Brett said, distracting me from my worries about the dress. “Three nights at the Empress, just like we planned.”

  Since the tourist season wouldn’t yet be over when we had our wedding, we were keeping our honeymoon short. We’d take the ferry from Port Angeles to Victoria, Canada, and stay in the beautiful Empress Hotel while my mom helped out at the pancake house. In the winter, when The Flip Side wasn’t so busy, we’d take a longer trip to somewhere farther afield.

  “It’s going to be perfect,” I said.

  “It is,” Brett agreed.

  I leaned my head against his shoulder. “But how about our more immediate plans?”

  “You mean dinner?”

  I nodded. “It’s too hot to turn the oven on.”

  “How about we throw some veggie burgers on the grill?”

  “That sounds like a good idea.” My gaze wandered out through the open doors. The tide was slowly making its way out. “And how about a walk on the beach later?”

  Bentley had been lying on the back porch, but he jumped up at the sound of the word “walk.”

  “Uh-oh,” I said. “I shouldn’t have used the magic word.”

  “We’ll go out in a bit, Bentley,” Brett told the dog, ruffling his fur. “First, let’s get the grill fired up so we can eat.”

  * * * *

  We took our time over dinner, eating out on the back porch while enjoying the view and each other’s company. After we’d finished our meal and had put all the dishes in the dishwasher, we headed out for a walk, Bentley racing down the beach ahead of us. The tide was still working its way out, and several children were playing on the exposed sandbars, chasing each other and building sandcastles.

  When Brett and I reached the wet sand, we set off toward the eastern end of the cove, away from town and the busiest part of the beach. Bentley ran back and forth between us and the shallows, where he splashed around. We walked at a leisurely pace, the sea breeze lifting my hair from my shoulders and ruffling Brett’s blond curls. After we’d been walking for a few minutes, I spotted another couple at the far end of the cove, out by the rocky tidal pools that had been exposed by the receding tide.

  “Is that Ivan and Lisa?” The couple was too far away to be sure, but I thought I was right.

  “Could be,” Brett said.

  “I’m sure it is,” I said a minute later, once we were a bit closer. “But what’s that behind them?”

  Ivan and Lisa were quickly moving inland, away from what looked like a heap of clothes on the seaweed-covered rocks. I waved to catch their attention. Ivan drew to a stop and put his cell phone to his ear while Lisa let go of his hand and hurried toward us.

  I was going to call out a cheery greeting, but as Lisa drew closer to us, my smile slipped
from my face. Her eyes were wide with shock, and her face was pale.

  “Lisa, what’s wrong?” I asked as soon as she reached us.

  She wrapped her arms around herself as if she were cold, despite the warmth of the evening sunlight. “We were out walking and…” She swallowed hard before continuing. “We found a body.”

  My gaze snapped to what I’d thought was a heap of clothes.

  “Dead?” I asked weakly, even though I already knew the answer. If the person was in need of help, Lisa and Ivan wouldn’t be giving them such a wide berth.

  Lisa nodded, more color draining from her face.

  Brett quickly took her arm. “Are you going to be okay?”

  “I think so.”

  I put my arm around her as she drew in a deep breath.

  “Ivan’s calling for help,” she said with a glance his way.

  “Is it Easton Miller?” I asked. I figured it must be.

  “I don’t know,” Lisa said. “Thankfully, I didn’t see much. Ivan took a closer look.” She shuddered. “I’ve heard about what happens to bodies when they’re in the water. I couldn’t bring myself to get any closer.”

  “That’s probably for the best,” Brett said.

  I agreed. I didn’t want my friend to have such a terrible image imprinted on her memory forever.

  Ivan ended his call and joined us a moment later. “We need to keep an eye on the body until Sheriff Georgeson gets here. And we need to make sure no one else gets too close.”

  Fortunately, it didn’t seem like that would be too difficult. There were only private homes out at this end of the cove, and it was far quieter than it was closer to town. Locals came walking out this way sometimes, and so did the occasional tourist, but at the moment the four of us were on our own.

  “Is it Easton Miller’s body?” I asked Ivan. “He was in his late fifties with graying hair.”

  Ivan surprised me by giving a curt shake of his head.

  “Are you sure? Who else would it be?”

  “It’s a woman,” he said, surprising me again. “The press pass around her neck says her name is Yvonne Pritchard.”