by Leena Clover
“You have an unusual name,” she spoke up after taking a sip of the Riesling Gino had brought with him.
Phoenix had arrived empty handed, making him go down a notch in Anna’s eyes. Not even a bunch of flowers, she thought dourly.
“Oh, Phoenix is not my real name,” the youngster laughed. “That’s just the name I go by at DBU.”
Meg looked astonished.
“You never told me that! What is your actual name then?”
“Thomas Green.” Phoenix laughed. “Can you imagine building any kinda street cred with a name like Tom Green? Sounds like some old fogey from the 1950s.”
“What’s wrong with the 1950s?” Sofia thundered. “I grew up in the 50s. It was a fine time.”
“Beg your pardon,” Phoenix sobered. “I didn’t mean any disrespect.”
“Where did you say you’re from?” Julie intervened.
Her brow was set in a familiar frown. Anna braced herself for what Julie would say next.
“Blueberry Falls.” Meg looked at Phoenix grimly. “Unless you made that up too.”
“Of course not, Meg!” Phoenix looked around smugly. “I’m from Blueberry Falls alright. Born and raised.”
“Are you related to Isabella Green?” Julie asked casually. “I think she lives in Blueberry Falls.”
“She’s the mayor of Blueberry Falls.” Phoenix beamed proudly. “She’s my mother.”
“What?” Meg sprang up. “The same Blueberry Falls that is our biggest rival in the Seaside Christmas Lights contest?”
“I guess.” Phoenix gave a noncommittal shrug.
“Is that why you strung me along?” Meg shrieked. “I should’ve known better.”
All eyes in the room were on Meg.
“Did I say something wrong?” Phoenix looked mystified.
Julie stood up and put a hand on his shoulder.
“I think you should leave now, sweetie. Meg will call you later.”
Phoenix looked at Meg, seeking confirmation. She folded her arms and looked away.
“You folks have a good evening,” Phoenix mumbled before walking out.
Julie shut the door behind him and turned around.
“What was all that, Meg?” Anna asked sharply. “That’s no way to treat a guest.” She whirled around and stared at Julie. “You should know better!”
“Don’t you see what just happened here?” Julie flung up her arms in despair. “That kid was taking advantage of Meg.”
“How?” Anna, Cassie and Sofia chorused.
“He was spying on us,” Meg declared. “He wanted to know about our theme for the contest, Anna. That’s why he pretended to like me.”
Meg stood up with a sob and ran to her room.
Chapter 24
Anna and the Firecrackers sat in a window booth at the Tipsy Whale. They had just ordered lunch.
“The cookie exchange takes place tomorrow.” Anna licked her lips, relishing the spicy flavor of the mulled cider she was drinking. “I still need to bake a couple dozen cookies.”
“We have a good selection this time,” Mary hummed. “Should we be eating all this sugar?”
“Live it up while you can,” Julie said. “We can go on a juice fast in January.”
“Just like every year, you mean?” Anna asked.
The three friends burst into peals of laughter.
None of them had ever been successful in sticking to a diet. Mary’s husband was a gourmand who loved rich food. Anna’s husband John had been a connoisseur of the local seafood and the fresh homemade pasta she often cooked for him. Julie had the least temptation, living alone, but she was a stress eater. She was used to snacking on junk food during her writing sprints.
“How’s Meg?” Julie asked. “Planning to go bash up that thug?”
“Aren’t you being hard on Phoenix?” Anna quizzed. “You don’t believe he could fall for a sweet girl like Meg?”
“He could,” Julie nodded. “But I bet he didn’t. Wait till you hear what Sally said.”
“You told Sally about this?” Anna was aghast. “Meg’s going to be mortified.”
“She has no reason to feel guilty.” Julie plunged ahead. “He preyed on her.”
“What if Blueberry Falls copies our ideas?” Mary asked.
“Sally said it’s too late for us now,” Julie told them. “We can’t change our theme at this hour. Everything is set out and rigged up for the inauguration tonight.”
“Why can’t we lodge a complaint against Blueberry Falls?” Anna asked. “Have them disqualified?”
“There’s no proof,” Julie shot Anna down. “Sally doesn’t want to give them the satisfaction.”
Their food arrived. The daily special was a hearty meatless burger made with walnuts and brown rice. It was topped with velvety melted Monterey Jack cheese from the region. Murphy, the pub owner came over to greet them.
“How do you like those beer caramelized onions?” he beamed at them.
“Good job, Murph!” Julie gave him a thumbs up and dabbed her mouth with a napkin. “And the blue cheese is just right too.”
“Finn O’Malley talked me into having a meatless special every week. Seemed like a good bloke. Who’d have thunk, huh?”
“You think he’s guilty?” Anna probed.
“The police think so,” Murphy said, wiping some spilled sauce with a rag. “They wouldn’t take the trouble of arresting him if they didn’t have proof.”
“Isn’t he charming?” Julie smirked after Murphy had moved on to another table.
“What do you say, Anna?” Mary asked. “I hope you haven’t given up.”
“Murphy may be right.” Anna took a bite of her burger and gave a tiny shrug. “The police aren’t completely dumb.”
“You can’t be saying that!” Julie protested. “I thought you believed in Finn.”
“Unfortunately, the evidence points to Finn O’Malley. He had a motive and he was free to enter the main house any time he wanted. So he had the opportunity.”
“Do you really believe he hated the old man?” Julie asked.
“Gino and I were talking about it,” Anna nodded. “Edward could have insisted Ruth give birth at a hospital. But he caved. Finn blames him for not being firm. And I agree. Edward should have exhibited better judgment.”
Julie didn’t look convinced.
“Sometimes, things are exactly how they seem. I think we should leave the Gardiners to fend for themselves. This was supposed to be a happy time for us.”
“It still is,” Mary consoled her. “But I agree with you, Anna. You did all you could.”
Anna ate the last couple of fries on her plate and smiled wanly. She felt like she was throwing Finn O’Malley under the bus.
“I have an idea!” Julie’s eyes gleamed with excitement. “How about taking a little road trip? It’s the perfect way to indulge in some holiday cheer.”
Anna and Mary glanced at each other.
“This can’t be good,” they chorused.
They piled into Julie’s big SUV five minutes later. Julie cranked the heat up high but refused to tell them where they were going. They merged on the Pacific Coast Highway some time later.
“Are we going to San Francisco?” Mary asked from the back seat.
“Is this an impromptu shopping trip, Julie?” Anna echoed.
Julie told them to be patient. She took an exit some time later, making Anna groan.
“Blueberry Falls? Why are we going to Blueberry Falls?”
“We are doing some recce.”
“What does that mean?” Anna scrunched up her face. “I’ve never done that before.”
“Everything is fair when it comes to winning the Christmas Lights contest … or whatever they call it.”
“We are going to spy on them.” Mary shook her head. “I don’t know if I approve, Julie.”
“We’re just going to hang out, girls,” Julie consoled them. “Act like any other tourist. Do some window shopping, check out any special holiday markets they have
, chat with the locals, maybe even get some ice cream.”
“And if we manage to get a glimpse of their lights while doing this, or hear someone talk about them, it’s not really our fault.” Anna caught on. “I like this plan.”
“Well, when you put it that way …” Mary capitulated.
The town of Blueberry Falls was packed with visitors and Julie barely found a spot in the temporary parking lot.
“Just look at all these people!” Mary exclaimed. “Dolphin Bay never attracts so many tourists. What are they doing that we aren’t?”
Julie pointed toward a medium built woman with wavy auburn hair. She wore a festive red coat with a holiday themed scarf wound around her neck. Glittery reindeer dangled from her ears. A younger woman followed her around with a tiny notepad in her hand. Another woman carried a large bag stuffed with tiny gaily wrapped packages. The woman greeted the people she encountered and talked and laughed with them. Every person got a tiny gift from the large bag.
“She’s coming here,” Julie hissed.
They all pasted smiles on their faces.
“Hello! Welcome to Blueberry Falls. I’m Isabella Green, the mayor. We are so happy to have you here.”
She asked if they were looking for anything in particular. Julie gave a vague answer. Isabella pointed out some of the popular shops and advocated the holiday market.
“You should come around tomorrow evening. We put up a lavish display of lights on the beach. Our town always wins the local prize for it.”
“That’s interesting,” Mary said. “Do you have giant Santas and reindeers? I saw a display like that once.”
Isabella giggled and leaned forward.
“It’s all hush hush. The Lights Committee will have my head if I let anything slip.”
Isabella Green bid them a good day and walked on.
“That’s why they have so many visitors!” Julie smirked. “Their mayor is nice and friendly. Unlike Lara Crawford!”
“She did seem pleasant,” Anna mused. “So Phoenix is her son, huh? I can see the resemblance.”
“Do you believe her boy was duping our Meg all this time?” Mary asked.
“Phoenix is a bit odd.” Anna paused. “But I think he really likes Meg.”
They walked around Blueberry Falls and shopped for some knickknacks. Anna bought some handmade jewelry a little girl was selling. Julie did her best to learn more about the lights. Finally, they decided it was time to go home when they watched the sun hug the horizon.
Back home, Anna was so exhausted she barely spoke to anyone. Sofia and Meg were both in a reflective mood and Cassie spent the evening chatting with Bobby on the phone.
They had leftovers for dinner and Anna retired early. She fell into a deep sleep immediately and woke up with a start a few hours later. The electric clock by her bedside showed it was just a few minutes past midnight.
Anna yawned and rubbed her eyes, dragging herself to the kitchen. She made herself some herbal tea and sat at the table, sipping the hot, comforting brew. The memory of the last days spent with her husband niggled her mind. She wondered what Craig Rose was withholding. The chances of finding it out were beginning to look slim. Anna thought he was getting meaner by the day.
Anna had a sudden yearning to see John’s face. She went back to her bedroom to look for her phone and pulled up some old pictures.
Anna’s eyes filled with tears as she flipped through the photo gallery on her phone. After a while, the image on the screen barely registered as a lifetime of memories overwhelmed her. A peculiar symbol nagged her and she swiped through the photos again to pull it up.
Anna stared at the picture that had bothered her. It belonged on an empty envelope she had found in the box of papers in Finn’s storage shed. The crest like graphic had seemed familiar to her at the time but she couldn’t place it. She had snapped a picture of the envelope, deciding to look into it later. Anna still couldn’t remember where she had seen it before.
Anna gave up trying to jog her memory and picked up a book. She fell asleep some time later, no closer to any fresh insights into the envelope.
Chapter 25
Anna felt antsy the next morning. She had fallen into a troubled sleep, waking up with a start when her alarm went off. A long hot shower hadn’t helped much.
Meg was in the kitchen, stacking cookies in a large container.
“I made stacks of a dozen cookies and wrapped them in plastic, just like you asked, Anna.”
“The cookie exchange!” Anna exclaimed. “I totally forgot.”
“Don’t worry,” Meg assured her. “We’re all set. The ladies are meeting by the gazebo at two this afternoon.”
Anna started mixing cake batter as Meg prattled on. They rushed through breakfast before loading the van and heading to the café.
A bunch of customers stood on the sidewalk, waiting for their coffee and pastries.
“I think opening the café an hour early was a good idea, Meg.”
Anna fortified herself with sips of coffee as she served the customers. She was finally beginning to feel alert as the caffeine kicked in. The day promised to be a whirlwind of activity. Anna decided to go for a walk and get some fresh air as soon as the crowd thinned.
She was pulling on her coat when a familiar figure pushed the door open and breezed in, smelling faintly of roasted chestnuts.
“This is a surprise.” Anna greeted Craig Rose, knowing she sounded acerbic.
Craig Rose shivered in his cardigan and waved a piece of paper at her.
“You better see this.”
Anna reluctantly took off her coat and looked around for a place to sit. The café was packed. She ushered him through the connecting arch to the bookstore. They sat at a long table next to large windows overlooking the bay.
Craig placed the paper on the table and pushed it toward Anna.
“What’s this?” Anna scanned the paper quickly. “Is this some kind of DNA report? Where did you find this, Mr. Rose?”
“In Finn’s storage shed. I couldn’t stop thinking that we might have missed something. So I went back there.”
Anna stared at the peculiar logo on the letterhead of the report. It matched the one on the envelope. She still couldn’t place where she had seen it.
“This says Edward cannot be Alison’s grandfather. There is only a 12% match between their DNA. But this makes no sense. What is the meaning of this?”
Craig Rose leaned back in his chair.
“You are the sleuth. Why don’t you find out?”
“You’re right,” Anna stood up. “In the meantime, why don’t you work on what you’re going to tell me?”
Anna didn’t wait for Craig’s reaction. She walked out into the street and started walking toward the Coastal Walk, eagerly breathing in the cool, salty air.
Fifteen minutes later, Anna was back in the café with a clear plan of action. She stood before the fireplace and rubbed her hands to warm them up. Then she placed a call to Gino.
Gino had just been about to call her. Finn O’Malley had been released on bail the previous evening. They agreed to go visit him. Gino picked her up half an hour later.
Anna voiced what she was thinking on the drive to the Gardiner estate.
“Did you ever suspect this?”
Gino shook his head.
“But Finn must have, since it was found in his things. Be patient, Anna. We’ll get to the bottom of this soon enough.”
Gino parked outside the main house and they started walking down the path to Finn’s cottage. Anna hoped they would find him at home.
Finn was playing with Chief outside the cottage, throwing a ball for him to fetch. His face broke into a smile when he saw them.
“Aren’t you cold?” Anna asked curiously.
Finn was dressed in his usual white tee shirt and camo pants.
He shrugged and led them inside. Anna got to the point. She showed him the piece of paper Craig Rose had given her.
“Do you know what
this is?”
“Where did you find this?” he asked.
“We had to go through your things.” Anna was apologetic. “We didn’t mean to pry.”
“I appreciate your efforts,” Finn said shyly. “But I’m not sure what this is. I can guess though.”
Gino gave him an encouraging smile.
“What are you thinking, son?”
Chief had come in with them and was sitting by Finn’s feet. Finn stroked the dog’s fur and tried to gather his thoughts.
“Alison doesn’t like me. I don’t know why.”
Gino and Anna said nothing, waiting for the soldier to continue.
“Maybe she thought Ruth married beneath her.” Finn shrugged. “I don’t know. And I didn’t really care. But then I came to live here. She made it very clear she didn’t approve.”
“Did you feel the same way?” Anna asked.
“She was Ruth’s sister. That was enough for me, you know. But then I started noticing some things.”
“About what?” Gino prompted.
“I go to the Tipsy Whale for a drink once in a while,” Finn began. “People in Dolphin Bay love the Gardiners. They are all so friendly and they have done a lot for the region. So you rarely hear anything bad about them.”
“But …” Anna nudged.
“I was sitting in a booth by myself when Sharon came in to pick up some sandwiches. Two old timers sitting somewhere behind me started talking about her. To be honest, I was kind of preoccupied, feeling sorry for myself. I wouldn’t have noticed what they were saying. But they started talking about Sharon’s past. I got the shock of my life.”
“Let me guess…” Anna gave Gino a knowing look. “They mentioned Sharon’s affair with Pearson?”
Finn was astonished.
“According to them, it was much more than that. They seemed to be in Pearson’s camp. Thought Sharon used him and dumped him because he wasn’t as rich as her.”
“Did you confront Sharon?” Gino was curious.
Finn shook his head. “I barely thought about it. Then Alison came here one day to pick a fight with me. It was silly. But something clicked in my mind. I thought of how much she resembled Pearson.”
“We’re talking about the same Alison, right?” Anna interrupted. “Emerald green eyes, left dimple, golden hair?”