by Leena Clover
“Who told you that?” Adam asked.
“Heather did. And Laura Bellini told me so herself.”
“When was this?”
“She was right here the day Petunia died,” Jenny said triumphantly. “What do you think of that?”
Adam leaned forward with interest.
“I did not know that. Good work, Jenny.”
“I guess we have Heather to thank for the heads up.”
Jenny told Adam about her conversation with Laura Bellini.
“If she had anything to hide, she wouldn’t have come back here,” Adam mused.
“She could be stupid,” Jenny offered. “Or overconfident.”
“You don’t like her, I guess.”
“She said some nasty things about Petunia.”
“You can’t let that cloud your judgment,” Adam advised. “Laura as a person is not on trial here.”
“You’re right, I guess,” Jenny admitted.
“Am I seeing you later tonight?” Adam asked. “Tank misses you.”
Tank was Adam’s yellow Labrador. He had traveled with Adam on his various deployments. Tank and Jenny had taken a shine to each other. When Jenny’s husband had cruelly retained custody of her own aging dog, she had been heartbroken. Tank had filled the void a bit.
“I miss him too. Why don’t you let him visit? Let him stay at Seaview for a few days. Star and I would love to pamper him a bit.”
“I’m sure he will love that,” Adam smiled.
Neither of them talked about Adam coming to stay. Adam had spent a few months at Seaview when his own home was being renovated. He wanted Jenny to move in with him after that but she had refused to leave her home. Jenny didn’t know how they would ever move past that issue.
“You are sure the police have made no progress?” Jenny wheedled. “Why don’t you throw me some scraps, Adam?”
“You’re relentless, aren’t you?” Adam shook his head in wonder.
“I plan to badger you until you give up and spill the beans.”
Adam gave a deep sigh and leaned back in his chair.
“We might have something,” Adam said reluctantly. “Most people have talked about a white guy wearing a hooded jacket. He was seen around the beach.”
“Where on the beach?” Jenny pounced.
“Near the bench,” Adam admitted.
“What else? Did they notice the color of his hair? Anything else?”
“There wasn’t much light so it’s hard to say. They did mention seeing some kind of picture on the back of the jacket.”
“You mean like a logo?”
“A drawing or a graphic of some kind. This is where it gets distorted. One person says it looked like a skull. Another said it looked like a big bird.”
“An eagle?” Jenny asked thoughtfully.
“More like a turkey.”
“What else?”
“We have been looking around for a man wearing that jacket.”
“What if he was a tourist?” Jenny asked with a frown. “He must be long gone.”
“Question is, what was this guy doing on the beach so early in the morning.”
“Could he be the one who got into the car and drove away?”
“No idea, Jenny,” Adam said.
He banged a fist on the table, looking frustrated.
“I knew Petunia longer than you, Jenny. You think I don’t want to find out what happened to her? I’m doing everything I can to find her killer.”
Jenny patted his hand.
“I know you’re good at your job, Adam. I trust you.”
Jenny dragged herself back to the café. Star was stirring a big pot of soup for lunch.
“How’s the chili?” Jenny asked.
“Just yum,” Star said, tasting some with a spoon. “I measured out the ingredients for the corn bread.”
“I’m going to start mixing it,” Jenny said. “Let me grab a cup of coffee first.”
“Are you going to add jalapenos?”
Jenny nodded, thinking of her son Nick.
“Nicky loves my jalapeno cornbread,” she said wistfully. “He’s been eating it since he was six. He never complained about the heat.”
Jenny rubbed a tiny gold heart shaped charm hanging around her neck on a chain. Her son Nick had gifted her a charm every year for Mother’s Day. She wore them around her neck now, close to her heart. They provided the only tangible connection she had with her child.
“When is that scamp coming home?” Star asked. “Have you talked to him recently?”
Jenny shook her head.
“I haven’t told him about Petunia. She adored him.”
“You should call him, Jenny,” Star said. “He needs to know.”
Jenny and her aunt talked about how Nick was growing up to be a fine young man. Jenny pulled the first batch of corn bread out of the oven. She cut a generous piece and broke it in half. She offered it to her aunt.
“Delicious,” Star said, fanning her mouth. “Better save some for us. You’re going to run out of this in no time.”
Jenny smiled and ladled chili into a big soup bowl. She garnished it with some chopped green onions and shredded cheddar cheese. A dollop of sour cream went on top. Jenny placed a piece of corn bread on one side and began taking pictures.
“For the Internet?” her aunt asked.
There was a commotion of sorts outside. Jenny heard raised voices and ran to see what was happening.
Barb Norton sat at a table, her chest heaving. One side of her face was caked with mud. A tiny trickle of blood flowed down her forehead.
“Barb!” Jenny cried. “What happened to you?”
“I was attacked,” Barb wailed dramatically. “That’s what happened. In broad daylight, no less. What’s this town coming to?”
Star had come out of the kitchen behind Jenny.
“Calm down, Barb,” she said. “You are going to blow a gasket.”
Barb’s red face turned purple.
“I’m not going to calm down,” she cried. “I almost lost my life.”
Jenny poured water in a glass and made Barb drink it.
“I’m making tea,” she said. “Why don’t you come into the kitchen and tell us what happened?”
“Call your boyfriend,” Barb commanded. “I want to file a complaint.”
“I can call the police from the kitchen,” Jenny assured her. “Let’s take care of you first.”
Barb’s story was simple enough. She had been walking on the road, going to the library. She didn’t know what hit her. She blacked out and when she came to, she was lying in a ditch by the side of the road. A man walking by had helped her up.
“First Petunia, now me. Do you think someone is targeting older ladies?”
Jenny didn’t have an answer for that. She called Adam at the police station and told him what had happened.
“He’s coming here,” she told Barb.
Adam arrived ten minutes later, looking grim. Barb bombarded him with a string of questions.
“Let me ask the questions, please,” Adam said. “You do want me to write up a report?”
Adam learned that Barb had been walking on a lonely stretch of road. She hadn’t seen anyone else.
Jenny spotted a bump at the back of Barb’s head. She hadn’t noticed it before.
“You need to go to the doctor, Barb,” Jenny said. “Get checked out.”
Adam offered to drive Barb to the emergency room at the hospital. She agreed readily.
“What do you think of that?” Jenny asked her aunt after they left.
Heather rushed in just then, waving a piece of paper in the air.
“I want to kill Barb Norton!”
“Apparently, you are not the only one,” Jenny said.
Heather barely heard her.
“Just look at this, Jenny. Look at how atrocious this fine is that she is asking us to pay.”
Jenny took the paper from Heather and gasped as she saw the amount at the bottom of the pa
ge.
“What is this for?”
“According to her, the Bayview Inn has contributed to the mosquito menace. This is her way of punishing us for it.”
“It does sound a bit much,” Jenny agreed.
“That’s not all,” Heather continued in an incensed voice. “She wants to destroy our lily pond. My Dad and I dug that pond when I was little. It’s not just a pond, Jenny. It has memories attached to it.”
“Are you the only one who got this kind of notice?” Jenny asked.
“I bet we got one too,” Star said drily. “Barb’s going to take objection to your water fountain. I’m sure of it.”
“That fountain’s not going anywhere,” Jenny said stoutly.
She looked at Heather.
“Well?”
“These notices have been served all around town,” Heather said. “She’s even sent one to the Newburys. Ada was on the phone with Grandma.”
The Newburys were the richest people in town. They considered themselves a notch above the rest.
“She has guts. I’ll give her that.”
“She’s being idiotic,” Star said flatly. “There are other ways to raise money. I think Barb Norton has gone too far this time.”
Jenny’s eyes widened as she processed her aunt’s words.
“You don’t think she was attacked because of these fines?”
Star shrugged.
“You can only push people so far.”
Heather was looking puzzled. Jenny explained what had happened.
“No way,” Heather said. “The people of Pelican Cove don’t go around attacking each other.”
There was a flurry of footsteps outside and a figure in a leather jacket peeped in.
“Boss wants his lunch.”
“I’ll be out in a minute, Smiley,” Jenny said.
“You know those mobsters by name?” Heather asked, rolling her eyes.
“Do you think one of them might have hit Barb?” Star asked.
Jenny gave it some thought.
“I don’t think Vinny cares about the mosquitoes.”
She served the chili into bowls and placed the cheese and onions on small plates. She cut big pieces of corn bread and served them on a platter.
Vinny took one bite of the chili and smacked his lips appreciatively.
“This is so good! You sure know how to cook.”
“I’m planning the menu for Petunia’s memorial. Is there something you want to add?”
“Ma liked those tiny meatballs on a stick,” Vinny said. “She made them for all our birthdays.”
“I didn’t know that,” Jenny told him. “I’ll put them on the menu.”
She looked at Vinny and debated what she was going to say next.
“Petunia didn’t say much. Was she always that quiet?”
“She might have acted like a mouse. But she had the heart of a lion. She knew what she wanted and she went after it.”
Jenny brought out plates of tiramisu. She had never served it in the café before.
“It’s your mother’s recipe,” she told Vinny. “She had written it down at the back of a diary.”
“This is our Nona’s recipe,” Vinny said after he had tasted it. “Our grandmother’s. Ma was making this the day our Pa got whacked.”
Jenny understood why Petunia had never made it again.
Chapter 12
Molly came up the steps of the café and sat down with a sigh. She put her feet up on a chair and dug into a warm muffin. Star and Betty Sue exchanged a knowing look when Molly reached for her second one.
“What?” she pouted. “I’m just hungry.”
“And you’re eating for two,” Betty Sue said, her eyes gleaming. “When do you go to the doctor?”
“Tomorrow. Chris is going with me.”
“Of course he is,” Betty Sue said. “That there is a responsible boy. He’ll do right by you, Molly.”
“I am able to take care of myself and my baby,” Molly protested. “I don’t need to be taken care of.”
“Okay, okay.” Star held up her hand. “We know you girls like to think you can do everything alone. And that’s admirable. But be happy you have a guy like Chris.”
“I am,” Molly said emphatically. “Why do you think I am in love with him?”
She blushed prettily and picked up her cup of coffee.
“Switch to ginger ale,” Betty Sue said. “That’s better for you.”
“I can’t imagine giving up coffee,” Molly said stoutly.
“Who’s giving up what?” Jenny asked, coming out with six steaming hot muffins on a plate.
Heather was right behind her.
“Pumpkin and cream cheese muffins,” Jenny announced. “I am trying these out for the fall menu.”
“Mmmm …” Molly moaned as she bit off a big chunk from one. “These are delicious. I love the cinnamon, and is that ginger I taste?”
Star and Betty Sue added their compliments.
“Who’s the sixth one for?” Betty Sue asked.
Her face fell as soon as she asked the question. The mood around the table changed instantly.
Just then, a commotion broke out on the beach.
“What’s going on there?” Betty Sue boomed.
The Magnolias lined the deck and watched the drama unfolding on the beach.
Two men faced each other. Both of them held an aggressive stance.
“That’s Peter Wilson,” Jenny said with a gasp.
“Who’s that ruffian standing before him?” Star asked. “Never seen him before.”
Jenny peered at the unkempt man wearing an oversized coat. His face was smudged with dirt or soot and his hair was in total disarray.
“That looks like Mason,” Jenny said.
“And who is that?” Betty Sue demanded.
“How do you know him?” Heather wasn’t far behind.
“I don’t, really. He’s just a guy who hangs out on the beach.”
“Hush, girls,” Molly interrupted. “Can you hear what they are saying?”
Peter Wilson was waving his hands in the air, clearly disturbed about something. He jabbed a finger in the other man’s chest and pushed him. Mason pushed Wilson back.
A crowd had begun to gather. People stood in a circle a few feet away from the two men, watching them intently.
Suddenly, Mason pulled something out of his coat pocket. It glinted in the sunlight.
“Oh my God, is that a gun?” Heather shrieked.
The Magnolias huddled together, struck speechless.
Peter Wilson took a step back. Mason held the gun in both hands and pointed it at Peter Wilson’s chest. The crowd had begun to step back. Mason whirled around and pointed the gun to his right. A woman in the crowd grabbed her child and clutched him tightly.
Mason threw back his head and laughed. Every eye on the beach was trained on him now. He turned around again and pointed the gun at someone else.
“Let’s go inside,” Star said under her breath. “Start walking back very, very slowly. Do you hear me, girls? Don’t make any sudden movements.”
For once, Heather listened without any arguments and started inching back inside.
“Wait,” Molly said. “That Wilson guy’s saying something.”
They saw Mason give a nod and put the gun back in his coat. He began walking away. The crowd parted to let him pass.
A few minutes later, Mason was out of sight.
“I think he’s gone,” Molly said.
Betty Sue had collapsed in her chair. Her brow was drenched in sweat. Jenny felt some beads of sweat on her own lip. They had almost been in the line of fire. Anything could have happened if the man had started shooting.
“What was that?” Star asked, sitting down with a thump.
No one spoke a word.
“That man is your friend?” Betty Sue thundered. “You need to be more careful, girl.”
“He’s not my friend,” Jenny argued. “I’ve just seen him on the beach here.
He walks around, scribbling something in the sand. I thought he might be hard up so I offered him a meal.”
“I advise you to stay away from that man,” Star said strongly. “You need to be more circumspect, Jenny.”
“Shouldn’t we report this?” Molly asked.
“Of course,” Jenny agreed. “I’m calling Adam now.”
She went into the kitchen and called the police station.
“Jenny!” His voice was laced with urgency and a good amount of fear. “Are you alright? All of you? I hear someone just pulled a gun on the beach.”
“We are fine,” Jenny assured him. “I was just calling to report that.”
“We got multiple reports,” Adam told her. “Some people even came in and demanded action.”
“Are you going to arrest that man?”
“We’ll bring him in for questioning. But I’m guessing he’s long gone.”
Jenny told him everything she knew about the man.
“Stay away from him in the future,” Adam warned.
Jenny went back out. The Magnolias had calmed down a bit. A few groups of people came into the café and Jenny was kept busy for the next hour. Heather helped her serve the customers.
“Sit down,” Star said when Jenny went out to the deck again.
“I don’t agree with them,” Molly said.
“What are you talking about?”
“Getting a gun,” Betty Sue said. “You saw what just happened. You need to get a gun to protect yourself.”
“I don’t believe in guns,” Jenny said flatly. “I’m surprised you are saying this, Betty Sue.”
“My grandpa taught me how to shoot when I was eight,” Betty Sue said. “I went hunting with him when I grew up. There was a rifle up on the wall in our living room, ready to greet any intruders.”
“So what? We should all whip out our guns and shoot at each other?” Jenny asked, incensed.
“The town’s changing,” Star said. “We have more transients than we ever had before. There’s nothing wrong in being prepared.”
Jenny said nothing. Her aunt had a point.
“Look what happened to Barb Norton,” Betty Sue continued.
“She had a close call,” Star reminded Jenny.
“Did we find out who attacked her?” Heather asked. “I still think it was because of those ridiculous fines she imposed.”
“She’s not completely wrong,” Betty Sue said grudgingly. “Mosquitoes and pests carry deadly diseases. We had a really bad outbreak one year, back in the 70s. It was the Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. People died because of it.”