by Sandi Scott
Ryan laughed. “No, Ash, I think you're okay there. My favorite was the flower garden with all the parrotfish, blue tang and cownose stingrays. Did you know it's a replica? Maybe we should take the boat out to see the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary one day, if there are guided tours around the area.”
At the center, they spent a few minutes at the petting zoo, with its common and exotic animals, and then watching the longhorns in their pasture. They debated taking a wagon ride, but decided the beach ride they'd planned would be better. They rode down the public beach at a slow walk, Ashley on a gentle paint named Sadie, and Ryan on Sarge, a beautiful Thoroughbred. They talked easily about the scenery, and Ashley kept them both laughing with stories about her clients and about Dizzy.
After about an hour, they stopped near the dunes to rest the horses and enjoy the sea breezes and the sound of the waves.
“Ash,” Ryan hesitated. She looked at him, curious about what he was thinking. “I’m sorry we haven’t gone out to dinner yet.” She inspected his face for any sign of regret or relief.
“It’s okay, Ryan.” Ashley responded. “You’ve been so busy traveling for work and we have seen plenty of each other. I mean we just had breakfast together, so it’s almost the same thing.”
Ryan furrowed his brow slightly. “Is it?”
“Well, ah, I…” Ashley stumbled on her words, not wanting to say the wrong thing. “No, actually. It’s not the same. I was looking forward to…” she hesitated but told herself to be bold. “I was looking forward to a date…a real date with you.”
Ryan laughed with relief. “Good! Me too. We’ll find a time, soon. I promise, Ash. Once work settles down and Charlie gets out of this mess. I love hanging out with you on days like this, but I want to plan something special. A surprise.”
Ashley smiled at him. “That would be great,” she said. She felt relieved, because she knew Ryan as a confident guy who was decisive about what he wanted, but since this mess with Charlie, he become very uncertain and tentative. She had been afraid that uncertainty was rubbing off on his feelings towards her.
Ryan picked up a handful of sand and funneled it through his fingers. “You know, I never asked you what happened back at SmithCorp. You don't have to tell me, but I've always wondered why you didn't tell me you were leaving or what happened after that.”
Ashley looked down at the sand and drew in a calming breath before speaking. “I wanted to tell you that whole day. I had already resigned, and I knew it was going to be my last day, that I was going to Paris with Serge, but I just couldn't find the right words to tell you. I was just about to say something when Serge surprised me by showing up to pick me up. I was a coward; I chickened out and left without saying anything. Do you hate me for not telling you and avoiding you for the next two years?” She didn't look at Ryan, afraid of what she might see in her friend's face.
“Of course not. I'll admit, I was pretty mad that you just disappeared, and my feelings were hurt. I thought we were pretty good friends, but you just vanished from my life—poof! I didn't know what was going on, but I knew you had a reason for leaving, and I hoped that you'd tell me one day. I was so glad when you came back to Seagrass, even though I couldn't believe you'd left Paris for our simple, unsophisticated little town.”
She thought about those days in Paris—the romance, the excitement, the money—and how much she loved it before she found out it was all an illusion. She looked at Ryan and realized that he could be the first person she ever told about it with all the disappointing, embarrassing details.
“I was so sure we were in love, that we would be together forever. Or, at least, I had convinced myself of it pretty well. Serge told me that he wanted us to live in Paris because it would be so romantic; he said we would live near Notre Dame, visit the Louvre, dance at the top of the Eiffel Tower. I dreamed that we'd stroll the Luxembourg Gardens and wander hand-in-hand along the Seine. I had stars in my eyes, and I missed everything else.”
Ryan reached over and took her hand, squeezing her fingers but not speaking, giving her time to collect her thoughts and control her emotions.
“Serge told me that we had an assignment from a client that we could complete from Paris. He said that we'd been hired to check the IT security of several brokerage houses; according to him, they had suspicions that someone was trying to hack into their clients' accounts and that we were checking whether anyone had gotten in and to plug any holes in the security. I fell for his story; it seemed so plausible. I hacked into several accounts before he disappeared with another woman, leaving me to answer to the authorities. I found out that he was an international hacker, and all of his money was stolen through fraud, identity thefts, and online scamming. He didn't want to move to Paris for the romance; he wanted to get away from the feds, who were only a couple of days from arresting him. It took weeks for me to convince the French authorities that I didn't know what he was doing; that took Sheriff Mueller vouching for me when they contacted him about my past during their investigation.” Ashley's voice was choked with tears that she was determined not to allow to fall. “I was so stupid; I threw away everything to go with him, including our friendship, and he was a fake. I was too dense to see him for what he was—too flattered by his attention to know he was only interested in my computer skills, not in me.”
“Ashley Adams, you were not and are not stupid,” Ryan retorted. “The rat was a professional; he had years of experience fooling people. Why would you think he was a fraud? You are a beautiful, vibrant woman who would be attractive to any man in his right mind. You had no reason to think he wasn't interested in you!” Ryan paused for a minute. “Look. No matter what happened back then, you're here now, and our friendship is as important to me now as it was back then. I wish you'd felt okay about telling me where you were going, and I wish even more that you'd been comfortable telling me the rest of this before now, but we're still friends. Nothing has changed that, and I don't intend to let go of that. I—” He stopped, seemingly at a loss for words.
“Thank you, Ryan. I haven't told anyone what happened in Paris, at least not all of it. I told Patty that he left me for someone else, and she knows a little bit about the trouble with the law, but not the whole story. I've been so ashamed that I couldn't talk about it.”
Ryan wiped away the single tear that slid down her cheek. “Let's go to dinner, Ash. You have nothing to be ashamed of, but, even if you did, it's over and done. Time to forget about that creep and move on. And some fresh seafood and a glass of wine is the perfect place to start. C'mon, woman—get yourself up on that horse, and let's get moving!”
She felt tons lighter. When they were both mounted again, she looked at Ryan impishly and said, “Race you back to the stables—last one back buys dinner!”
Later, as they finished their oysters Rockefeller appetizer and Riesling, Ashley brought up the topic again. “Ryan, there's one more thing. Serge was very angry when the police came around; he was sure that he had me so snowed that I would protect him and tell the authorities that he was innocent. He found out that I told them everything, and he had to take off in the night to avoid arrest. He sent me a letter just before I left Paris. He said that he would never forget what I did to him—yeah, what I did to him—and that he would have his revenge one day. I don't think he knows I came back to Seagrass, and I haven't heard anything else from or about him since then.”
“He'd have to be pretty stupid to come after you; that would just call attention to himself and set the authorities back on his trail. Still, maybe I can do a little discreet digging, find out where he is and what he's up to now.” Ashley could already see the wheels whirling in Ryan's mind. “When this thing with Uncle Charlie is straightened out, we'll see what we can discover, if you want.” Ashley nodded; their entrees arrived just then, interrupting the discussion. When the waiter left, they turned the conversation to less dramatic topics.
“What's on your schedule this week?” Ryan asked. “Is your caterin
g calendar filling up?”
“We have a couple of events. Tuesday, we're providing refreshments for a mother-daughter teddy bears' picnic tea party. It's going to be cute, I think. The hostess has bought hats and supplies to decorate them, and all the little girls are bringing their teddy bears to share in the party. We're making bear-shaped peanut butter and honey sandwiches, honey candies and lemonade. Patty is making bear pillows—baked pastry rounds filled with ham and cheese—and she had the idea to make bees from rice cereal and marshmallows. Then, on Thursday, we have a pirate-themed party for a scout troop, and we're making pirate cupcakes and treasure map pizza. I usually like the grown-up parties best, but I'm looking forward to these; we're going to have fun with them.” Ashley smiled, thinking about the children who would be at the parties.
“What about you? Anything exciting on tap this week?”
He chuckled. “Yeah, sure—designing websites for bed-and-breakfasts and coffee shops is so thrilling. I do have one appointment that could be interesting, though. Do you remember Aleisha Klein and Manny Moreno? I think you went to high school together. They got married about a year ago, and now they're planning to open a doggy daycare business with a tanning salon attached; they also plan to serve brick-oven pizza from that side of the building. I have a feeling that combining all of those into one website could be challenging, to say the least!”
“Dogs, tanning beds and pizza? How on earth did they settle on that combination?” Ashley nearly snorted with laughter. “Come to think of it, though, Aleisha and Manny make a bit of a surprising couple on their own. Manny was quiet in school; he was a terrific athlete, president of the Science Club and voted Most Likely to Succeed, but he never had much to say, and, if he even went to a party, which he didn't much, he'd sit in a corner and watch everyone else. On the other hand, if you looked in the dictionary under ’social butterfly’, you'd see Aleisha's picture. She would start up a conversation with a total stranger while standing in the check-out line at the store. It's hard to imagine the two of them ending up together.” She shook her head.
“They must have both mellowed since then,” Ryan laughed. “We met briefly to talk about their business and to set up another appointment to work out the details of the website. He was definitely in charge, although she joined the conversation with some good ideas. They seem really happy together.”
They went on talking about inconsequential topics as they left the restaurant and drove back to Ashley's cottage, where they discussed what they needed to do next on the murder case and then said good-night.
Ashley let Dizzy out into the back yard and curled up in the rocking chair again. “Dizzy, this was a wonderful day. I told Ryan all about Serge and Paris, and he's not mad at me. I still don't know if he's interested in anything more, but now I know that we still have our friendship. I feel so much better having that much settled. I wonder, though; do you think we could ever be more than friends?”
The dog barked and Ashley laughed. “Of course, Dizzy girl; you're right—we'll just have to wait and see what comes next. Let's go; we have a busy day tomorrow, so it's time for bed.”
CHAPTER 10
The next day passed quickly, as Ashley baked cupcakes and made candy for their week's events; Patty took some time off to run errands in Victoria, so Ashley didn't see her during the day. Ryan had stopped by Fresh Start Kitchens to say hello to Ashley and ask what her plans were for dinner.
While Ashley thought about how to answer Ryan, her phone buzzed with a message from Patty. “Hey, meet at Smoke Daddy Lee's for dinner?” Ashley thought that maybe Patty wasn't trying to drop their friendship after all.
“Sure—okay to bring Ryan, too?” She knew Patty would say yes but thought she should ask, after the way things had felt lately.
“4sure—how else 2 talk about case?” Ashley chuckled. “Patty wants to meet at Smoke Daddy Lee's for dinner and a discussion of the case; sound good?”
“Best barbecue in South Texas and you have to ask? How soon do we eat?” Ryan sounded hopeful.
“C U in 20” she texted back to Patty as they left, talking about meaty ribs, smoky brisket, creamy coleslaw and the best cornbread in five counties.
Her parking karma was intact, Ashley found an empty spot right in front of the door to the popular restaurant. The rest of the parking lot was packed, so they knew tables would be at a premium that night, like most nights. Smoke Daddy Lee had the reputation as the king of Texas barbecue, and it wasn't just the tourists who couldn't skip his restaurant on their visits to the area. For locals, the Smokeground was the closest place to heaven you could get to on Earth; they flocked in to worship the fabulous ribs, sausage and brisket as regularly as they attended church—and even more often for many. While there was a building for indoor dining, many preferred to sit outside. Smoke Daddy Lee had preserved the original setup of his oak tree-shaded riverfront oasis, consisting of a pull-behind smoker latched to a food truck presiding over a herd of wooden picnic tables covered with disposable tablecloths.
“Ashley! Ryan!” roared Smoke Daddy as they walked into the restaurant. “Patty's already here; she said she expected you any minute. Your food will be on the table by the time you finish filling your tea glasses.”
Sure enough, when they left the self-serve drink area and found Patty at a table near the back, huge plates of ribs, chicken, and brisket sat beside heaping bowls of potato salad, pinto beans, and coleslaw, alongside heaps of fresh dill pickles, sliced onions, and pickled jalapeños. There were also two baskets—one filled with golden squares of cornbread and the other with crispy jalapeno hush puppies. Squeeze bottles of sauce were labelled “wimpy,” “normal” and “blow your head off.”
“Oh, man! Smell that smoke! I think I've died, and the angels set the dinner table for me!” Picking up an empty plate, Ryan started to pile it with food.
Ashley and Patty rolled their eyes and giggled. Popping a hush puppy in her mouth, Ashley hummed with pleasure. “This is so good! Hey, Ryan, leave some of that for the rest of us!” She snatched the plate of ribs away from him and looked around for an empty plate for herself.
For a few minutes, the only sounds at the table were slurps and “mmms” of satisfaction. Finally, stuffed, they all leaned back in their chairs. Homemade peach cobbler, Texas chocolate sheet cake, and strawberry shortcake appeared on the table almost like magic, but dessert would have to wait for a little while; they were all too full for even one bite. In the meantime, it was time to catch each other up on the latest in the case.
Patty started off. “What's happening with the murder case? What have you found out? I saw Charlie at the grocery store earlier, so I know he's not in jail anymore. Has the sheriff found other suspects?”
“No, Charlie is still the prime—and only—suspect that the detectives have. We talked to Jordan Berg the other day, though,” Ryan said. “He's Wendy Graham's fiancé, and he's dead sure that she was having an affair with Oliver Green. He was mad enough to send a threatening email to Green, but he swears he didn't kill him, that he never really planned to hurt him at all.”
“Wow, that's pretty incriminating!” Patty exclaimed. “Do the police know? And do you believe him?”
Ryan looked a little sheepish. “Um, I kind of hacked into the emails, so I didn't think sharing it with the detectives was a great idea. We need to figure out how to let them know about it all, though. But, yeah, I'm not sure why, but I don't think he's our killer.”
Ashley took a deep breath before sharing her news. “Ryan's not the only one who's done a little hacking. And what I found isn't good for Charlie. Remember, Patty, how Robert said last night that the board had just found out that someone had been embezzling funds from CURE? Patty? Hey, Patty, are you listening?”
Patty had been looking around the restaurant; she turned back to Ashley. “Oh, uh, sure, I remember. He said he thought Green might have been stealing to pay off his gambling debts because he was the group's treasurer and had easy access to the accounts.” P
atty still seemed distracted, glancing toward the serving line again. Ashley wondered if it was another sign that Patty disapproved of the time she spent sleuthing, although she did have a shy-looking smile on her face.
“Well, I got into the CURE financials, and it wasn't Green who was taking the money; it was Charlie.” She paused, watching Ryan carefully. “Ryan, I'm sorry; I wish I didn't have to tell you.”
Ryan shook his head. “It's not your fault, Ash. I kind of suspected that might be what was happening. This really doesn't look good for Uncle Charlie. I think I'll go over there when we finish dinner and try to talk to him again. Maybe—” His voice faded away.
“There's something going on with the lab's accounts, too—thanks, Patty, for suggesting I check those. I'm not sure exactly what all of the financial part means yet, but I did find something else that is pretty interesting. It seems that Javier Ortiz is listed among the trial participants.” Ashley hoped that it would turn out to be important enough to balance the news of the embezzlement.
“Who is Javier Ortiz?” Patty asked, still not fully tuned in to the conversation.
“He's the manager of the golf club. The bartender told me that he recently lost his daughter to cancer, and he was at the club the morning of the tournament. Supposedly, he fell apart and was sent home about the time of the murder, but he'd been away from the building earlier, and no one saw where he went when he supposedly left to go home. I think I'll swing by his house tomorrow and see what I can find out. Maybe the breakdown was because he'd just killed Dr. Green.”
As Ashley finished speaking, she noticed that Patty was distracted again. Before she could think much about it, Smoke Daddy Lee walked up to their table and greeted them. Patty seemed to forget that Ashley and Ryan were even there as she turned to Smoke Daddy Lee.