Love Notes in the Key of Sea Georgie Shaw Cozy Mystery #2 (Georgie Shaw Cozy Mystery Series)

by Anna Celeste Burke

  “I was in New York City for years and never had a scare like you did. Who knew North Carolina beaches could be such a nightmare? Are you okay?” Carolyn tilted her head from one side to the other as though sizing up her prey. She didn’t wait for a reply from Meredith. “You look okay—except for that swelling around your eye. Come by Chamber Made tomorrow, and I’ll fix it for you." Meredith still didn’t speak but nodded in agreement. Carolyn Chambers barely breathed before continuing. This time, she addressed me.

  “And you’re Georgie Shaw. I’m Jennifer’s BFF, Carolyn Chambers.” Jennifer raised her eyebrows at the BFF comment and gave me a confused look. Meredith squelched a smile as Carolyn Chambers held out her hand. Her bracelets jangled as I shook her hand. “So, Georgie, may I call you, Georgie?” Once again, waiting for no reply, she rushed on. “I’ve heard a lot about you. Big shot at Marvelous Marley World. Fancy place in the OC. Local girl makes good—that sort of thing. Makes me want to go home to Lone Point and bask in the glory a bit.”

  I wasn’t sure what to say, but it didn’t much matter. Enough about Georgie Shaw, or so I presumed. It was on to the man at the table. Jack squirmed under Carolyn’s gaze.

  “Have we met? You look so familiar to me. No, wait, aren’t you the detective involved in that nasty business at Arcadia Park that made all the news?” Jack held out his hand.

  “Jack Wheeler. Pleased to meet you, Ms. Chambers.” She reached across me, leaning forward to expose a little cleavage as she shook Jack’s hand. Jangle, jangle went those bracelets, now no more than a few inches from my nose.

  “It’s Carolyn unless we need to keep this on a strictly professional basis, Detective Wheeler. Go ahead and frisk me. I’ve got nothing to hide,” she said as she stood up straight and struck a pose.

  “Let’s keep the detective issue on the down low since I’m not here on official business, Carolyn.” He gave her a little wink. Carolyn looked from Jack to me, and then back to Jack. A light bulb went off, I suppose. That light shifted the focus back to me.

  “You’re very photogenic. I’d swear you were ten years younger if all I had to go on was those tabloid photos. That slasher murder was a terrible thing to happen to your boss’s daughter. To all of you at Marvelous Marley World. A nightmare like that has to add years to your face and take years off your life.”

  My head hurt. I was now in a worse mood than I had been when I sat down. My anxiety about not being able to determine where that rendition of Danny’s song had come from was rapidly morphing into anger.

  When Jack had heard what I said about that tune, he had dashed out of our suite and hit the elevator button. I rushed to catch up with him. By the time we got to the lobby and dashed outside, the music had stopped. We had asked around, but no one seemed to have a clue about any music other than that playing over speakers in the elevator and lobby. A staff member at the front desk suggested the music could have come from many sources outdoors. Or, perhaps, from a guestroom below us.

  After another look around outside, we had given up and returned to our suites to dress for dinner at the Dulces Companas. The "sweet bells" restaurant took its name from the dulcet tones of the bell tower at the monastery nearby. The sounds emanating from Carolyn Chambers at the moment were anything but sweet.

  Flirting with Jack was rude, but understandable if she hadn’t figured us for a twosome. I can’t abide catty comments veiled as compliments, however. Carolyn reminded me of Mallory Marley-Marston who, before the death, often carried on in an excited way about others’ bad luck. It also irked me that Carolyn had made little slashing motions as she mentioned Mallory’s stabbing. Heartless to do that in front of Meredith, who had only barely escaped the same fate. I wanted this woman to go away. I decided to try to move things along.

  “Wow, how incredibly sensitive of you to be so concerned about Meredith and me. I suppose I should join her and let you help me hide a few of those years the trouble at Arcadia Park put there. I can tell by looking at you how adept you are at compensating for deficits. What do you say, Meredith, can I tag along with you to the Chamber Pot tomorrow? I’ll pick up the tab for both of us. We’re not talking about more than a few hundred dollars. That’s chump change for local girls like us who have made good, right Carolyn?”

  Silence followed. Jennifer’s eyebrows rose up, again, and stayed there. Meredith stopped short of a spit-take, choking on the water she had been sipping. Jack squirmed in his seat. Carolyn stood there for a full minute, eyes unblinking.

  “Uh, sure. You and Meredith come on by Chamber Made, tomorrow, and I’ll fix you both right up.”

  If I had to guess, I’d say the cha-ching in her head won out over any antagonism she felt toward the insult or two buried in my offer. Who knows? Maybe she had missed the snide tone in my voice. I hoped so. I already regretted my remarks, having yielded to my edginess about the day’s events as well as my dislike for the woman’s behavior. Carolyn didn’t seem offended as she moved on.

  “Jennifer, I need to ask you for a favor. Can you find me a good deal for travel to Door County, Wisconsin near Copper Moon beach? I’m planning to visit from the end of June through the Fourth of July and the following week. You're both invited to go with me, by the way. Heidi's going to be there, Meredith. She feels awful about what happened in North Carolina, and she's devastated she didn't get to spend any time with you and Kat. There’s going to be this big race near Copper Moon Beach. Heidi's designing racing suits for a bunch of the hunky bikers that are racing. You have to see them for yourself." Meredith’s brow furrowed in puzzlement.

  "What? Oh, I'm talking about the racing suits, silly. Not that the bikers aren't worth a look or two! Heidi's designs are getting a lot of attention for her back in the Big Apple. You know how connected she is to absolutely everybody. That includes loads of people in the art scene. It couldn’t hurt to hang out with her since you're interested in art and all.” Carolyn showed no signs of stopping. Jennifer interrupted her.

  “We’ll think about it, Carolyn. I’ll talk it over with Meredith and her dad. We’ll have to wait and see how Meredith feels in another week or so. Do you need a place to stay or just air and ground transportation?” Jennifer had pulled out her phone and typed in information.

  “If you could get me a good discount on a dreamy B & B that would be great. Heidi says Copper Moon Beach is a very romantic spot. You never can tell when a B & B in a place like that will come in handy.” As she spoke those words, she glanced at Jack with what I imagine she intended to be a come-hither look. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Jack staring intently at his menu. I wasn’t sure whether he had caught that flirtatious glance from the brazen woman, or not. An awkward silence hung in the air. Not for long.

  “Okay, well thanks. Tell me what you two decide. I shouldn't keep Mom waiting any longer. You know how hard it is for older women to keep up. I don’t want to wear her out!” Jennifer and Meredith both let out a sigh of relief as Carolyn sashayed away. Jack quit squirming. I felt my body relax.

  “Not worried about wearing out Mom’s wallet, I see,” Jack whispered as he nodded at Carolyn’s mother. The attractive older woman smiled at her daughter as she put away a receipt slipped from the leather portfolio a waiter had handed her.

  “Sorry about that, Georgie. She’s a piece of work sometimes,” Jennifer said.

  “Sometimes? Mom, what are you talking about? She’s always like that! What is that bit about the art scene in New York? I’ve told her three times I’m going to be a school teacher. What is her problem?”

  “I mentioned something to her about how worried you are about your friend Kat, who had that interview in New York City recently. She must have gotten the two of you mixed up. Don’t worry, Meredith. I’m not going to book a B & B for us anywhere near her.”

  “Hey, I didn’t say I didn’t want to go, Mom. Most of the time her cougar routine is hilarious, and that snarky, she-beast thing, too. By the Fourth of July, I’ll be stir-crazy after sitting around in San Albi
nus with nothing to do. It ought to be a hoot to see Heidi and Carolyn try to out-vamp each other. Checking out hunky bikers in tight racing suits doesn't sound bad, either.” Jennifer’s mouth dropped open, giving Meredith one of those who’s-daughter-is-this looks only a mom can deliver.

  “What? I’m not married. I’m allowed to look!”

  “I guess so. In her 30s, Carolyn’s hardly a cougar, but she’ll be a wild cat of some kind with all those men around. Are you sure you want to go through that?”

  “We’ll ditch her if we can’t stand it.” Meredith’s mood shifted, and her voice took on a more somber tone. “Wouldn’t it be great if Kat’s well enough to join us too, Mom? Heidi's connections in New York might mean something to her if...” Meredith frowned and went silent. I used that pause as an opportunity to apologize.

  “I’m sorry about the rude way I reacted.”

  “Why, Georgie? She was nasty to you! And she made a play for Jack right in front of us. I was ready for real drama.” Meredith clawed at the air as she went on. “You know, hissing and spitting, some effort to claw her eyes out, or at least send a little fur flying. You and your Cat Factory associates must be good at that. You owe me a full-blown cat fight!” Jennifer’s mouth opened again. Then she snapped it shut as Meredith gave her a smug look.

  “What I owe you is a better demonstration of how to behave when confronted by a she-beast. Does that mean we’re on for a visit to Chamber Made?”

  “Don’t you mean Chamber Pot? That was my favorite part,” Meredith snorted. Jennifer laughed, too.

  “I tried to warn her about that name. Chambermaid, chamber pot—not too many people might make those connections, but why take a chance? It doesn’t even make complete sense. Her name is Chambers, not Chamber. She either didn’t get it or didn’t believe me when I suggested she choose an alternative.”

  “Like Carolyn’s Botox, Bewitchery, and Brews, you mean?” Meredith offered, adding a little witchy cackle. “I don’t see why she can’t ride a broom to get to Copper Moon Beach.” We all had a good laugh as we made our first serious effort to figure out what was on the menu for dinner.

  I marveled at how resilient Meredith appeared to be. I hoped our trip to Carolyn’s shop might give me a chance to find out more about how she was dealing with the horrific events she had survived. Those first few weeks after my ordeal on the beach had been the worst. I hadn't been in Meredith’s situation, either, worrying about her friend’s recovery. Danny had simply vanished.

  I felt myself slipping away. Determined not to go down the rabbit hole, as Jack called it, I focused my attention on the menu. The Spanish Fusion dishes all sounded delightful and intrigued me as a chef. Gazpacho, a cold tomato-based soup, is an old favorite. This one was made with fire-roasted vegetables and served with Mollette, a garlicky flatbread. Partridge roasted in a spicy chocolate sauce was irresistible as the main course. A way to get a badly needed chocolate fix, although an unusual one. I imagined the sauce must be some variant on a molé. Served with pomme puree, a rich, cream-laden version of mashed potatoes, and a side of steamed asparagus, the entrée sounded like a perfect choice. For dessert, leche frita, a custard with a crispy outer layer accompanied by fresh berries and a handmade chocolate truffle. More chocolate. What could be better than that?

  When I had decided what to order, I picked up my dinner napkin to place it on my lap. What appeared to be a business card fluttered onto the floor. Jack leaned over, picked it up, and handed it to me. I stuck it in the pocket of the silk jacket I wore assuming Carolyn had left it for me so I could find my way to her shop the next day. I was wrong.

  5 An Unfriendly Message

  Sunday morning, bells woke me. I reveled in the pure, sweet tones peeling from the tower in the original sanctuary at the Cove. Surrounded by a forest preserve, the monastery sits high on the cliffs all but hidden from the public. Monks owned a lot of land in the area, including the slope on which the Sanctuary Resort & Spa now stands. They had sold off that portion of their holdings to keep the monastery afloat financially.

  While growing up in San Albinus, I had heard all sorts of rumors about the monastery. Townspeople had little contact with it or the cloistered monks who resided there, so none of us had knowledge of what life was like in the monastery. Monks supplied herbs and other produce to the resort kitchens, so maybe locals had more contact with them now. One thing had not changed. On Sunday, the tower bells rang out every hour on the hour, ringing less often during the rest of the week.

  The musical notes struck by those bells resonated with memories of Danny and his lovely song haunting me once again. Alone, in my luxurious oversized bed, the silky bed linens did little to soften the loneliness I felt. Not even a big-mouthed Siamese cat to wake me up! Mile's favorite cat sitter would be the recipient of his melodious greetings this weekend. Confusion reigned as the events of the previous day crashed in on me. How could anyone who knew that song still be around so many years later, much less be playing it? Why?

  Another moment from last night hit me as I struggled to open my eyes. I inhaled tentatively at first, then more deeply. Nothing. Last night when I had stepped into the bedroom to undress, I had been taken aback by a familiar scent. Sandalwood. Danny’s favorite, all those years ago. It’s not like that scent was uncommon. Given the circumstances earlier in the day, it was unnerving.

  “What is going on?” I had muttered as my eyes roamed the lovely room.

  Housekeeping had obviously been in there with their turndown service. That was apparent by the telltale gold-wrapped truffle on the pillow. Still, that didn’t explain the fragrance. Warily, I had made my way around the room searching for the source of that scent.

  I found it. A trio of candles lit up the master bath. Their light cast an eerie glow. The flickering flames held me spellbound for a moment as my mind hurtled backward in time. Back to that moment right before the attack when Danny and I sat on the beach close to the campfire we had built. Flames had danced in the growing darkness that night.

  Another whiff of sandalwood had given me the shivers and propelled me into action. In rapid succession, I turned on the overhead lights in that lavish bathroom, doused the candles by tossing them into the sink and running water over them. Then I sealed them in a small plastic bag from an empty ice bucket. Even after dropping the candles into a trash can, I felt like one of those spooked cats you see in a video on Facebook. I stood facing the door as I went through the motions of undressing in the large walk-in closet.

  In my pajamas, I had searched the room once more—not even sure what I feared I might find. No guy with or without binoculars hiding behind the drapes. No music of any kind. Just the measured cadence of pounding waves, accompanied by the fresh scent of the ocean breeze coming through locked screen doors. Six floors up, it had seemed safe enough to open the glass sliding doors, hoping to rid the room of any lingering scent of sandalwood from those candles.

  “Oh, come on. No monster in the closet or under the bed,” I had chided myself. Still, I had shut and locked the glass sliding doors and then drawn the blackout drapes. Slipping under the covers, I had tossed and turned until I convinced myself those candles exuding Danny’s favorite scent had been placed there by coincidence. That it had taken so much effort to do that seemed silly this morning.

  “You are losing it, Georgina Marie Shaw,” I muttered. How was I going to offer anything in the way of support to Meredith if I couldn’t get my paranoia under control? I rolled out of bed and pulled on a robe over my soft pajamas. To be fair, hearing that song again had ramped up the anxiety I felt about returning to the scene of the crime, so to speak. Especially so soon after I had spotted some guy watching me with binoculars. If Jack hadn’t heard that music, too, I’d be seriously concerned about my mental health.

  "No way am I going to mention the attack of the killer candles to Jack," I vowed as I started my morning stretches. I opened the sliding doors and finished the rest of my routine, bathed in the glorious coastal Californi
a sunshine. As the fresh sea air rushed in, it carried a new wave of nostalgia bordering on dread.

  “Come on, Georgie, get it together,” I said aloud as I stepped out onto the veranda. The aroma of coffee swirled about me. Before I knew it, Jack was at my side.

  “This will help you do that,” he said, handing me a steaming cup of hot coffee as he planted a sweet kiss on my lips. I wasn’t sure about the coffee, but that kiss helped. All my senses were now on high alert.

  “More, please,” I said, getting a smile and another kiss from Jack.

  “Follow me, M’lady. Your table awaits.”

  Last night, before my encounter with the dastardly deeds of the hotel turndown service, we had opened the gate between our adjoining patios that ran the full length of both suites. The temptation to do more than that to close the distance between us had been intense. Prudence had prevailed. Even as I had uttered an almost breathless goodnight to the man after a series of electrifying kisses. I owed it to Jack to get my head on straight. He deserved the woman in his life to be fully present, not given to ghostly disappearances or spine-chilling encounters with her past. How right that was hit me again as I recalled the panic in which I had rid myself of those sandalwood candles. I smiled to myself as I tagged after Jack, feeling like a silly fool.

  Jack had breakfast all set up on his side of the veranda. “Come. Have breakfast with me, and we’ll plan our day. Not only coffee but fresh fruit, quiche, and Iberian ham. I was going to wake you up the way Miles does it if I didn’t see you in a few more minutes.”

  “I’m glad you didn’t do that, Jack. One of Miles’ bellows could wake up everyone on three floors!”