Footprints in the Sand
Page 20
“But do we know exactly why Cryder would want to kill Shelley?” asked Piper.
Walter shrugged remorsefully. “I think Shelley might have come across the information about Cryder on the Web and tried to blackmail him with it, forcing him to sell his condo.”
Kathy looked skeptical. “I still don’t think Shelley would have done that,” she said. “It wasn’t about money for her. After her brother OD’d, she became obsessed about drugs. Her testimony put Brad in jail for dealing. I’ll bet she went to Cryder, told him what she knew and told him to stop.”
“Either way she was a very naive or stupid young woman,” said Vin. “She should have gone straight to the police.”
Walter put his arm around Nora. “Whatever happened, this is making me reconsider a lot of things. I’m going to cancel the Whispering Sands expansion and just appreciate the place the way it is. I want to concentrate on enjoying life, not business.”
Isaac arrived just as Piper’s parents and Nora and Walter were leaving. He carried a gigantic arrangement of flowers. Seeing Isaac made Piper think of his nephew, the young Amish man who had taken his own life.
“I don’t understand,” she said softly. “If Cryder killed Shelley, why did Levi take responsibility?
“Good question,” said Jack. “The police now think Levi may have written the note for other reasons. They’re trying to figure that part out.”
There was something else, but Piper couldn’t think of it yet. What was it? She lay there quietly, and slowly the hex sign emerged in her mind.
“Levi left a message about Cryder in the hex sign he painted.” Piper recounted what she had discerned from the symbols. “Poor Levi had confessed to killing Shelley in his suicide note, but he left clues pointing to the real murderer in his art.”
Jack reached over and stroked Piper’s blond hair. “That’s another nail in the good doctor’s coffin,” he said.
Kathy shook her head in disbelief. “It’s amazing that we can thank Brad O’Hara, of all people, that you’re alive, Piper,” she said. “He’s the one who called the ER and told them you might have eaten puffer fish. We’re so grateful to that big lug.”
“Very,” said Dan, letting out a deep sigh. “And I think Brad’s grateful that he had the chance to save a life this time instead of contribute to somebody’s losing one.”
As they prepared to leave, Kathy and Dan kissed Piper on the cheek. “Now that we know you’re okay, we’re going ahead with our honeymoon,” said Kathy. “Our new flight takes off early in the morning.”
“I hate that you had to reschedule because of me,” said Piper.
“Are you kidding?” asked Dan. “Now we can go and really enjoy ourselves. You’re all right, and Cryder Robbins is going to get what he deserves. This has been a nightmare, but it’s over now.”
Isaac had remained silent through the whole conversation. “ ‘We value the light more fully after we come out of the darkness,’ ” he whispered.
Everyone looked at him. “It’s an Amish proverb,” he explained, knowing that at the first possible opportunity he was going to return the sea turtle mosaic to its rightful place at Whispering Sands Inn. Levi would want it that way.
Aunt Nora’s Easy but Sinfully Delicious Siesta Key Lime Pie
One 8-ounce package cream cheese (softened)
One 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ cup key lime juice (not regular lime juice, KEY lime juice)
Graham cracker crust pie shell (store-bought is fine)
With an electric mixer in a medium bowl, beat cheese until creamy. Gradually beat in condensed milk and continue beating until smooth. Mix in vanilla extract. Add key lime juice and blend thoroughly. Pour mixture into the pie shell, cover, and refrigerate at least six hours.
Note: As you can see, this is not a complicated, gourmet-style recipe, but it seems that everyone who takes a bite of this pie raves, smiles, and asks for more.
Acknowledgments
I stand in awe of sea turtles.
The odds are certainly against them. The mama turtle has to drag herself up on the beach in the middle of the night and dig a deep nest in the sand with her rear flippers, hopefully picking a spot that won’t get washed out by a storm or plundered by animal and human invaders. About two months later, also in the dark, the hatchlings have to claw their own way up through the sand and out of the nest, trying to evade the night herons, raccoons, and other predators that eagerly await them as they scurry to the water. Once there, the tiny turtles face the threat of being eaten by larger marine life. It seems a miracle that any make it to adulthood. Few actually do. But after traveling hundreds of miles through the world’s oceans, the mature female finds her way back to the same beach where she was born three decades earlier to lay her own eggs.
Books, in a way, are like sea turtles. So many elements have to fall into place as the book is conceived, researched, written, and published. There are so many opportunities for things to go awry. The forces of the universe, mostly in human form, have to be aligned with the author, contributing to the development and survival of the book.
From the very start, until the very last page, Father Paul Holmes offered his encouragement and imagination. Paul was quick to point out if I had my head in the sand regarding characters and motives. His repeated calls for “action” reminded me to keep things moving. His support was crucial and so appreciated.
Elizabeth Higgins Clark, my actress daughter, is the inspiration for Piper Donovan. Elizabeth read the pages for me and pointed out all the instances this middle-aged writer messed up on the voice of a twenty-seven-year-old. Elizabeth made sure that Piper’s words rang true. You’re a good girl, Monkey.
Many thanks to Kathy Leeds, the former executive director of Connecticut’s Wilton Public Library, and Roz and Roberta Golubock, who supported the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System, lending their names for characters.
Jennifer Rudolph Walsh is a force of nature, and I know how fortunate I am to have her as my agent. Joni Evans, busy as she is, found the time to provide suggestions. My gratitude to both of you.
The professional and supportive team at William Morrow/HarperCollins are a dedicated and impressive bunch. Carrie Feron, my insightful and creative editor, and Tessa Woodward, who faithfully juggles so many, many things, are my dependable touchstones. Seale Ballenger, Kimberly Chocolaad, Lynn Grady, Stephanie Kim, Tavia Kowalchuk, Michael Morrison, Shawn Nicholls, Sharyn Rosenblum, Virginia Stanley, and Liate Stehlik play at the top of their games. I’ve grown to happily anticipate Maureen Sugden’s masterful copyediting. Many, many thanks to all of you and to the others, unnamed here, who contributed their publishing expertise.
For the last several years, Peggy Gould has given me reassurance and peace of mind. I am utterly and eternally grateful. Without her, I don’t think I’d have been able to concentrate enough to write this book.
And finally, much appreciation to my beloved Sarasota and Siesta Key, which provide the lush, magical atmosphere perfect for a dream wedding or a twisted mystery. No wonder those sea turtles keep coming back. They know a good thing.
About the Author
MARY JANE CLARK worked at CBS News for nearly three decades. Her twelve KEY News media thrillers were inspired by that experience. Envisioning the Piper Donovan/wedding-cake mystery series, Mary Jane enrolled in cake-decorating classes and researched unique wedding locations. The daughter of an FBI agent and a mother who customized cakes for the neighborhood kids when she was growing up, Mary Jane has two grown children and splits her time between New Jersey and Florida. Currently, she is concocting her next novel.
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Also by Mary Jane Clark
“The Bracelet: A Short Story”
The Look of Love
To Have and to Kill
Dying for Mercy
It Only Takes a Moment
When Day Breaks
Lights Out Tonight
Dancing in the Dark
Hide Yourself Away
Nowhere to Run
Nobody Knows
Close to You
Let Me Whisper in Your Ear
Do You Promise Not to Tell?
Do You Want to Know a Secret?
Credits
Cover design by Emin Mancheril
Cover photograph © by Lorraine Kourafas/Shutterstock Images
Copyright
This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogue are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
FOOTPRINTS IN THE SAND. Copyright © 2013 by Mary Jane Clark. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
FIRST EDITION
ISBN 978-0-06-219417-6
EPub Edition © JANUARY 2013 ISBN: 9780062135469
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