Sunny Side Up (Lake Erie Mysteries Book 1)

by Maureen K. Howard

  “I believe you. There’s no reason to go getting technical.”

  I knew I had to get June’s mind off the mystery from last night for now, and the best plan I could come up with was breakfast. All of this stuff would need to be processed, but first things first. I unwrapped a couple of cheese Danishes from the local bakery and set them on the kitchen table with a bowl of fruit and a steaming cup of coffee. June immediately dug in and was acting more like herself within minutes.

  I was already seriously over-caffeinated, so I passed on more coffee and settled in on the chair across from my best friend. “Do you think you’re up for a trip back over to Kelleys to check on Ruby today?”

  “Absolutely. But I can’t believe Hamm would be okay with you wanting to go back to the island and talk to Ruby and Roger.”

  “I may have forgotten to mention that small detail. Right now we should work our way through all of these stranger-than-fiction events and hopefully unravel the cause of your blackout. Are you sure you feel up to it?”

  “I have a headache, but I think the aspirin is kicking in. The coffee and food are helping too. I was a little wobbly on my feet earlier, but I’ll be fine. Maybe the fresh air will do me good. I just wish I could remember what happened.”

  “That’s good because the next ferry leaves in about an hour, and it will take us at least twenty minutes to get to the ferry dock. We’ll have to take my old Saturn. The golf cart got a flat tire right when we pulled into the drive last night. I guess I’ve abused it lately. I probably ran over a nail or something driving back and forth through all the new home construction around here. I hope the car has gas in it—heck, I hope it starts!”

  Thankfully, my old clunker made it all the way into town without stalling. We pulled into the ferry lot next to the Dairy Dock ice cream and hot dog stand with no minutes to spare, which in this case was probably a good thing because I have no willpower when it comes to their famous fresh strawberry sundaes, even right after breakfast. The damp morning breeze raised goose bumps on my arms, and I felt a little tingle on the back of my neck that I told myself was due to the weather. After purchasing our tickets, we made our way up the gangplank and onto the Shirley Irene. We practically had the ferry to ourselves since most of the vacationers were already where they planned to be for the holiday weekend, so we stood inside the center cabin, out of the chilly air, and watched the rolling gray waves through the window. The rhythmic sound of the twin diesel engines of the ship reminded me of the steady beat of a strong heart.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Twenty minutes later, the big boat was tied up at the municipal pier. We disembarked and headed across the street, directly for the Village Pump where we could fortify ourselves for the day ahead. We ordered a basket of fried cheese sticks and a pitcher of hot, black coffee. Sadly, it was still too early to order Brandy Alexanders, but the coffee was just right on this drizzly morning.

  “Before we stop at Ruby’s, do you mind if we make a slight detour over to the Island House and see if anyone turned in Hamm’s lighter? I know it’s going out of our way, but he was pretty upset about misplacing it. I had it engraved with his initials and a little sentiment for our fifteenth wedding anniversary, and he’s been using it for over five years now. It’s weird that he misplaced it twice in the past two days. He’s usually not prone to losing things. That’s my department.”

  June licked the last crumbs off her fingers while I fished around in my voluminous leather handbag until I found some crumpled bills to pay for our order. It was my turn, since June had paid for our ferry tickets. Back outside, we walked to the end of the block, turned left, and continued down Division Street to the Island House. It wasn’t open yet, but we spotted the hostess who was setting up the patio and bar for the day.

  “Excuse me, can I ask a favor? Could you please check your lost and found and look for a gold lighter with an engraved inscription?” She was nice enough to stop her prep and check the lost and found box, but unfortunately, Hamm’s lighter was not among the misplaced items.

  She held up a pretty silver sandal and remarked, “I never can figure out how someone loses one shoe, especially one with a heel.”

  Our heads all turned at the same time when the handsome detective, Jack Morgan, strode up to the bar. June hooked her thumbs in the top pockets of her cargo pants and batted her lovely, long eyelashes in his direction. “Hi there! The restaurant isn’t open yet, and the bar doesn’t serve alcohol until noon. You can’t be ready for a drink yet, can you?”

  “I’m a hot-shot detective, you know. Maybe I’m just out investigating where the prettiest ladies on the island spend their mornings.” Although he had used the term “ladies,” Morgan was directing his uncharacteristically light-hearted comment right at June whose cheeks were turning a rosy pink.

  Megan, our helpful hostess, had disappeared. When she came back out to the patio, she was carrying a large, white to-go bag and a familiar-looking Styrofoam cup of steaming black coffee.

  “Thanks, Megan. I really appreciate your accommodating me.”

  Did he just say, “accommodating me?” I noticed that June was giving a second, more discriminating look to the helpful hostess. She was probably half my age, decorated with several strategically placed, artful tattoos, and her long ballerina legs were dangerously tan and smooth. June’s antennae were seriously twitching.

  My friend had managed to reposition herself so she was right next to Morgan, her nose just centimeters from his food. “You must really rate around here. That smells delicious, and I know the kitchen isn’t even open yet.”

  Megan casually replied, “Oh, we’ve been making Jack a special-order Reuben to-go every weekday morning, and a ham and Swiss on rye on Sundays, since a week after he moved to the island. It’s nice to have a professional around to ‘serve and protect,’ if you know what I mean.”

  Now it was the detective’s turn to blush. Morgan’s cheeks flushed red (which had the effect of making him even more adorable if that was possible). A strange coughing sound escaped from June’s throat. She was shooting an evil eye in Megan’s direction now. There were way too many conflicting hormones zinging around here for this early in the day.

  “So, Detective”—I decided it was time to change the subject—“have you made any progress on the cause of the fire?”

  “Well, I was hoping to talk to the two of you today. Do you have a minute to sit down and help me get a few things straight about Friday night? I’m sure Megan wouldn’t mind if we have a quick cup of coffee out here on the patio.”

  Jack pulled a chair out for June, and once I realized that was as far as his chivalry was going to go, I took a seat across from the two of them. We sat around the table in the same seats we had occupied Friday, only this time it was starting to feel less like a friendly gathering and more like an interrogation. Morgan gave me a long stare. Why did he constantly make me feel like I was guilty of something? I refused the offer of coffee when Megan brought a pot and three cups to our table. I was already feeling jittery enough. June held her cup out so Detective Morgan could fill it for her, and for a moment, I felt as if I were intruding on something. She took a long drink, never taking her eyes off his face, and sat on the edge of her seat in anticipation of learning more about the investigation.

  I figured I might as well break the spell. “So what do you need to know about, Jack? We were all here together that night, so I don’t know what we could possibly help you with.”

  “We weren’t all here the entire evening if you recall. How was Hammond when you returned to your boat that night?”

  The question was directed at me, and I felt like a deer caught in headlights. Hamm certainly was upset and filthy when he returned, but why would Morgan be concerned about that?

  “He was fine.” When I heard my own quivery voice in answer to his question, it did not sound very convincing.

  “So nothing struck you as unusual at all that night?”

  “Well, Francie and I did iden
tify those minnow bandits. That was pretty unusual.” June came to my rescue with her quick answer. I thanked her in my mind, took a calming breath, and waited for the next impossible question to be posed.

  Morgan was rubbing his jaw and looking at each of us in turn. “We do appreciate the information you gave us to nail those minnow thieves. They’ve been a thorn in the side to the marina owners since last season, but thanks to your detailed descriptions, the police were able to identify them easily. Those two losers won’t be bothering our locals for a long time. It turns out the boat they were using wasn’t even theirs, so we added grand theft to their rap sheet on top of stealing and illegal sale of stolen property. Once again, thank you. It was smart of you to get the OH numbers off the boat.”

  “We do what we can,” June answered as if it were part of her daily routine to bring lawbreakers to justice.

  “But back to Friday night, I just have one more question about the fire investigation. Has Hammond ever been inside Ruby’s store or in her upstairs office?”

  I stared mutely at our interrogator. Thankfully, June hadn’t also lost her voice. “Of course he hasn’t been in Ruby’s office. That would require his walking through the entire store past shelves and racks of girlie things, all for sale. Besides that, what possible reason would he have for going up there?”

  That was my thought exactly. I finally found my voice. “Why are you wasting time on investigating my husband’s smoking and shopping habits when you should be looking for some criminal who is going around starting fires?”

  Morgan reached into the pocket of his jacket and pulled out a sealed plastic bag marked evidence. Inside the bag, I could clearly see my husband’s treasured, engraved, missing lighter. “Right now, we are focusing on identifying the charred remains of a victim that were found in Ruby’s attic office. I can’t share any specifics of the case, but I think you can imagine what finding Hamm’s lighter at the scene implies. I need to talk to him as soon as possible. Is he back at the condo? I’ve been trying to reach him there without any luck.”

  I really didn’t want to answer that question. It seemed like everything I said was making Hamm look more and more suspicious. I figured it wouldn’t bode well to lie to a detective though, especially one that my best friend had the hots for. Besides, Hamm didn’t do anything wrong. The sooner he talked to Morgan, the sooner this misunderstanding could be cleared up and the real criminal would be caught. “He went back home to his office this morning. There was a problem with one of his upcoming cases. I’m sure if you leave a message with his secretary, he will get back to you as soon as he arrives.”

  “Well then, thanks for your time, ladies. I did enjoy seeing you this morning June, even if it is under these circumstances. I don’t like the fact that Hammond has left, and I’d appreciate it if you and your friend would keep as far away from the situation as possible. That is, unless, you think of something that might help this investigation move forward. Here’s my card and my cell phone number. Call me if you remember anything.”

  June blushed as she took his card and then watched him head back across the restaurant patio and out to the street.

  I slumped farther into my chair. I really needed Hammond’s confident voice to tell me everything would be fine. It had been less than two hours since we were together, but I was feeling vulnerable at the moment. I located my cell phone in my bag and dialed Hamm’s number. No answer. Well, he was probably still driving. I’d give him enough time to get to his office and try again later.

  By the time I stashed my phone back in my bag, June was already pacing on the sidewalk in front of the bar, so I joined her and we instinctively started walking back toward the marina, covering the short distance to Ruby’s house. Her historic stone house stood right beside the gaping, charred lot that just yesterday was her pride and joy. The Burns house was constructed of thick gray stone that had weathered decades of nature’s fury and still possessed all of its original charm. The structure was sturdy and had withstood the fire, but I could only imagine what the smoke and flames had done to the interior of the house. Where would you even begin to clean something like this up?

  We began our walk in silence, then like flood waters being released, June and I started frantically talking over each other, our tongues tripping over our words, sentences jumbling together, trying to find some speck of sanity among all of this craziness. Questions about a nameless victim killed in the fire, police speculation about Hamm, the missing lighter, and an evil criminal lurking about on our vacation island buzzed around our heads like a swarm of killer bees.

  We spotted Ruby in her front yard. She had a red bandana tied around her hair, her face was smudged, and her clothes were wrinkled. She was shaking out a rug like she was wrestling with it for her life.

  As soon as I saw her, the tears that had been threatening to spill over my eyes made good on their promise. “Oh, Ruby! I’m so sorry! This is just awful. There’s nothing left!”

  The three of us connected in a spontaneous group hug. When we finally separated, Ruby looked at me for a moment with an expression I couldn’t immediately recognize. I definitely needed a new handbook.

  “Thank you, girls. Your concern means a lot to me. People have been so kind and helpful. Sirena already came by and offered to help me sift through the rubble in the store. I wasn’t even sure what exactly I was trying to accomplish at first. I think maybe Sirena was just trying to distract me.” Ruby looked all around and then lowered her voice to just above a whisper. “I probably shouldn’t even be saying anything. I don’t know how much information the police want shared.”

  “What is it, Ruby?” After hearing this, there was no way I was going to just drop the whole thing.

  “About an hour into the clean-up project, the firemen came down from the attic and said we had to leave because the whole building was now a crime scene. There was someone up there. They couldn’t even tell if it was a man or a woman. The victim was so badly burned.” I have no idea who it is or how anyone could have been inside.”

  Detective Morgan had already mentioned that a body was found in the attic, but hearing it again, this time from Ruby, made it all the more terrible. Who was it? Why was Hamm’s lighter there? Where was Hamm?

  Ruby gave me that odd look again. Finally she spoke. “Francie, I couldn’t help it. I had to tell him.”

  “Tell who what? What are you talking about, Ruby?”

  “Detective Morgan was asking over and over if there was anyone who had anything against us or wanted to hurt us. I kept saying no, no, no, and finally, just so he would stop badgering me, I told him about how your husband would never come into the store, and how he had mentioned a few times how his life would be so much easier if my store would just disappear. I’m sorry, Francie! I just wanted him to stop asking me questions.”

  That explained the looks Ruby had been giving me. “Of course Hammond had nothing to do with this! He may hate shopping, but he thinks the world of you and Roger. And he is absolutely not capable of anything this horrible!”

  “I didn’t say he did anything.” Ruby’s terse reply took me by surprise, but then I remembered what she had just been through, what she was still going through and decided to let it go. I looked to June to help me out of this awkward situation, but she was nowhere to be seen.

  “So what can I do to help? Do you or Roger need anything?”

  “We’re fine for now. We’ll probably grab some clothes if we can find anything that doesn’t smell like smoke and head over to the hotel for now. The whole house will need to be professionally cleaned. Everything smells awful.”

  “Come on, Francie, we’ve got to get going. We’ll be in touch soon, Ruby. Take care!”

  June was back beside me and awfully anxious to leave.

  “What the heck was that all about? Where did you disappear to?”

  June kept looking over her shoulder as she nearly dragged me away from the yard where Ruby still stood, bandana askew, rug still in hand. June was
agitated. She explained to me that, as usual, she was feeling antsy, so she had headed around to the back of the house to see if there was anything she could do to help. She came upon Roger Burns in the back yard, deep in conversation with a man she didn’t recognize. Before she had the chance to call out a greeting, she overheard the words “fire, money, and merchandise.”

  “I kept to the shadows until the shady-looking man mumbled something to Roger and left on foot by way of the alley on the side of the house. Then I made my way back. Francie, something’s going on, and it’s not good. I think Roger might be in trouble.”

  I took one last look back at Ruby as I tripped along beside June. Roger was standing next to her, and they were deep into a heated exchange. Just then, Ruby pointed her finger right at me and shook her head. For a nanosecond, our eyes met. Then she turned away, and she and Roger headed toward their house and out of view. The stranger June spoke of was nowhere to be seen.

  Chapter Sixteen

  “Francie, I think the best thing we can do to help Ruby and probably Hamm is to follow the man who was talking to Roger right away and see where he goes. It looks like he is involved in something, and it doesn’t look good.”

  Hamm’s words kept running through my mind. “Don’t go poking around into other people’s business. Promise me.” And then there was the detective’s admonishment. “Keep as far away from the situation as possible.” I couldn’t help myself. My friends were in trouble so I ignored both of these reasonable voices and went with June’s spidey-sense.

  “Okay, June, I’m with you on this one, but if we’re going to follow this guy, we’ll need transportation. I guess we could rent a couple bikes from the kiosk in town. Did you see what kind of car he was driving?”