by Amber Crewes
“James Kittle can wrestle?” Meghan asked, feeling her stomach sink.
“Like a champion,” Trudy went on. “He won the state championship three years in a row.”
Meghan swallowed, feeling a cold sweat come over her. Anthony Diggs had been strangled, she remembered. James Kittle was a talented wrestler. Was there a connection?
As she pondered this possibility, she saw a flash of red out of the corner of her eye. It was Bonnie Diggs. She was several yards ahead of Meghan, still walking with the mysterious man.
“Who is she with?” Meghan wondered as she pumped her arms vigorously, trying to catch up to Bonnie and the man. “And what are they doing together?”
Meghan followed closely behind as Bonnie and the man walked arm-in-arm through the streets of Sandy Bay. She watched as they laughed and kidded with each other, stopping to joke and play every few minutes.
“Are they a couple?” she thought as she saw Bonnie lean over and give the man a kiss on the cheek. “They certainly look like they are together. What is going on here?”
Bonnie and the man turned left, and Meghan saw them take off toward the beach. She groaned, knowing there wasn’t much cover down by the beach; there were no trees and very few large rocks, and she would have few places to hide as she followed them.
She frowned, frustrated that she could no longer track them. She felt her phone buzz and pulled it out of her pocket. Trudy was calling her back.
“Hey,” she greeted her. “Sorry, I’m on my way.”
“Don’t come back,” Trudy cautioned her. “Not until you stop by the market. We’re out of eggs, and we need you to grab some on your way back.”
Meghan raised an eyebrow. “Out of eggs?”
“It’s Pamela,” Trudy whispered to her. “It’s the inventory stuff. She messed up again, Meghan. We’re out of eggs, and we’ll be out of butter soon. It’s a mess.”
Meghan groaned. “Can you put Pamela on the phone?”
She heard Trudy pass the phone to Pamela. “What’s going on?”
“I’m sorry,” Pamela told her quietly. “I should have double and triple checked the grocery order. I messed up.”
Meghan felt annoyed as she heard the break in Pamela’s voice. Pamela had been careless over the last few days, and Meghan was tired of having to chide her for simple mistakes.
“You asked for more responsibilities,” Meghan said softly. “And I gave them to you. Trudy has made every effort to help you learn the role of a manager. What’s the problem, Pamela? Are you not paying attention to Trudy? Are you blowing her off when she is trying to teach you? I don’t understand.”
“I don’t know,” Pamela moaned. “I’m sorry, Meghan. I’ll do better. I’ve been thinking about school and about Paul—”
“Who is Paul?” Meghan asked.
“My boyfriend!”
Meghan sighed. “This again?” she asked the teenager. “Look, Pamela, the last time you had a boyfriend, your performance at work was poor. It was a hard time for all of us, and I really wish you would focus your energy on the important things, like school, your sports, friends, and work.”
“That’s what my mom said,” Pamela muttered. “I’ll do better, okay? I’m sorry, Meghan. I’ll show you I can make it all work.”
“Put Trudy back on the phone, please,” Meghan asked.
Trudy took the phone back from Pamela. “That girl,” she muttered as Meghan shook her head.
“I’ll get the eggs and some more butter,” Meghan assured her. “Anything else we are coming up short on?”
“Let me check.”
Meghan heard her walk into the refrigerator. “Probably more brown sugar, coconut flour, vegetable oil, and bananas,” Trudy told her. “She really didn’t do any of the inventory checks I asked her to do…”
“I’ll talk to her,” Meghan promised. “After I get back from the grocery store.”
They hung up the phone, and Meghan walked quickly to the market. She was irritated with Pamela; why couldn’t the girl just do her job without complication? Meghan tried to empathize with her; Pamela worked a lot, did several sports, and made perfect grades. Maybe she was just letting off some steam with this new boyfriend. Meghan wasn’t sure, but she hoped things wouldn’t get as bad as they did when Pamela was dating Roberto, the son of the local funeral home director.
At the market, Meghan was pleased to find that things had mostly gotten back to normal. The papers in the newsstands still had articles about Anthony, but the atmosphere in the store was peaceful. Crowds of women weren’t huddled around the perimeter of the store, and Meghan was able to shop in peace.
She turned down the dairy aisle and bumped into someone, almost losing her footing as the breath was knocked out of her by the collision.
“Sorry,” she groaned, her dark eyes growing huge when she realized she had run right into Bonnie Diggs.
Bonnie narrowed her green eyes at Meghan. “What is your problem?” she asked, her face drawn and eyes flashing with anger. “Why have you been stalking me? I’ve seen you following me around town today, and I want you to help me understand why you think you can watch me?”
Meghan’s jaw dropped. “I... I…”
Bonnie raised her eyebrows. “You what? What is your problem? Why are you following me? Haven’t I been through enough over the last few weeks? I don’t understand what your problem is.”
Meghan stared at her. “I don’t know what to say,” she offered meekly. “I’m sorry.”
Bonnie scowled, her dainty features contorting and her pretty face filling with rage. “Sorry? Sorry isn’t going to do it; I have been through the worst of the worst, and having some busybody small town girl follow me is simply too much. You need to cut it out, or I will call the police.”
A uniformed store attendant walked over. “Is everything okay, ladies?”
Bonnie vigorously shook her head. “It is not okay,” she declared, staring straight at Meghan. “This woman is harassing me.”
The store attendant looked at Meghan. “Ma’am?”
“That’s not true,” Meghan insisted. “I accidentally ran into her. It was a mistake. I turned into the dairy aisle to grab some eggs and bumped into her. I didn’t mean it.”
Bonnie glowered at her. “She’s lying,” she insisted. “This woman has been stalking me, and I want her removed from the store.”
The attendant looked at Meghan. “Can you leave her alone, please?”
Meghan nodded. “Of course.”
“Thank you.”
The attendant turned to Bonnie. “If she bothers you again, please come up front and we will take care of it.”
He walked away, and Bonnie and Meghan were left to themselves. Bonnie held her head high. “You heard him. Leave me alone.”
Meghan frowned. “Maybe if you acted like a widow, I wouldn’t be wondering about you…”
Bonnie’s eyes widened. “What did you just say?”
Overcome with frustration, Meghan balled her hands into fists. “You aren’t carrying yourself like a widow,” she explained in a strained voice. “You’re running around town acting lovey dovey with a man. Who is he, Bonnie? Did Anthony know about him?”
Bonnie narrowed her eyes. “You don’t know anything about me,” she whispered to Meghan. “And maybe if you had just asked politely, instead of making assumptions, I would feel more inclined to share with you.”
Meghan stared at her. “What kind of trouble are you in, Bonnie?” she asked quietly. “What is going on? Who is that man?”
Bonnie gave a cynical laugh. “Do you really want to know? Okay, then. That man? He’s my brother, Meghan. My brother.”
21
T he color drained from Meghan’s face. “Your brother?” she whispered as she felt her heart sink. “That man is your brother?”
Bonnie nodded. “He came up from Encinitas to be with me.”
Meghan hung her head. “I don’t even know what to say,” she admitted, feeling nauseated as she th
ought of the ways she had judged Bonnie. “I’m so sorry.”
Bonnie’s face broke into a smile. “You’re pretty embarrassed, aren’t you? Your face is the color of a tomato.”
Meghan bit her lip. “I am so humiliated,” she whispered as she gathered her face in her hands. “Bonnie, please forgive me. I can’t believe I made those assumptions and made such a scene…”
Bonnie awkwardly patted her shoulder. “It happens to the best of us,” she told Meghan. “I’m sorry I made a big deal about it here in public. You’re been one of the few people in Sandy Bay to be kind to me, and I guess I was just hurt that you changed your tune and were coming after me during this difficult time.”
Meghan nodded. “Why don’t we go outside and talk?”
They left the store and sat outside on a wooden bench. “So... your brother…”
“He’s the greatest,” Bonnie smiled. “Bryant is ten years older than me, so we didn’t really grow up together, but as adults, we’ve become quite close. He’s an attorney, and when I lived in Paris, he managed my affairs and served as my manager. He has a wife and kids now, so we don’t get to see each other often, but he flew up here to be with me when he found out about Anthony.”
“You’re lucky to have such a supportive family,” Meghan sighed. “Bryant sounds like a wonderful person.”
“He’s dependable and decent,” Bonnie agreed. “I’m thankful his love is something I can always rely on, and I’m thankful he is here to help me sort through all the complex details of Anthony’s affairs.”
Meghan’s face darkened. “His... affairs?”
Bonnie frowned. “His legal affairs,” she elaborated, crossing her arms over her chest. “Though I know about the other affairs,” she added softly. “I’m not a fool.”
Meghan looked down at her shoes. “I’m sorry,” she offered, but Bonnie shook her head.
“That’s all anyone says to me anymore,” she laughed darkly. “People keep telling me they are sorry. What are they sorry for, though? Are they sorry my husband is dead? Are they sorry that he squandered most of our fortune, and that his life insurance money is all I will have left? Are they sorry Anthony was a crook and a cheater, and that I spent so much time in California with my parents because he was off with his girlfriends?”
Meghan looked Bonnie in the eyes. “I think they’re sorry about all of it,” she breathed. “You’ve been through so much, Bonnie, and I can only imagine people just feel terrible about what you’ve had to go through.”
Bonnie shivered. “They haven’t made a good show of feeling terrible for me,” she complained. “You’re the only one who has been kind to me, and you just tried to publicly humiliate me.”
Meghan’s face burned with shame. “I’m sorry.”
“There you go again,” Bonnie chuckled. “Saying that you are sorry. I need to get out of this town. I can’t take another minute of people feeling sorry for me or laughing behind my back about all the ways my husband did me wrong.”
“Tell me more about Anthony,” Meghan said quietly. “The parts of him you loved…”
Bonnie’s eyes grew dreamy. “The parts I loved? Oh, Meghan. Anthony was a dreamer. He was a visionary. He was handsome and charming, and people adored him. He was fun and well-liked, and it felt like a privilege to be with him.”
“He sounds like the kind of person people like to be around,” Meghan added.
“Oh, for sure,” Bonnie agreed. “People loved to be around Anthony. He would have loved being mayor. He was so excited about his candidacy, and I know he would have made such a splash at that town hall that night…”
She saw a flash of despair in Bonnie’s face. “Where were you that night?” she murmured. “Were you the one who found him?”
“I saw him briefly in the back room before it started,” she told Meghan. “He was in good spirits, drinking tea and joking around.”
“Did anything seem off?”
Bonnie shook her head. “He seemed like the Anthony everyone knew and loved. Look, Meghan, I loved my husband. Despite all his indiscretions, we were married. We shared a life together. That just doesn’t get erased because of difficult times. My life has been so closely intertwined with his for over a decade. I don’t know what I am going to do now…”
Meghan saw the sadness in her green eyes. “I’m sorry,” she said again, and this time, Bonnie smiled.
“Enough with that,” she urged Meghan. “If I hear one more person tell me they are sorry, I am going to strangle someone.”
Meghan’s jaw dropped. “That was a bad joke,” Bonnie apologized. “But I am the widow, here. If I want to make a joke in bad taste, I think I get a free pass, given the circumstances, don’t you?”
Meghan smiled. “I think you do.”
Bonnie chuckled. “I was so angry with you back there in the supermarket,” she commented. “But I’ve liked talking with you out here. It’s nice to have someone to talk to, especially with everything going on.”
Meghan blinked. Bonnie’s voice was sincere, and the look in her eyes was of genuine appreciation. Perhaps she had misjudged Bonnie, jumping too quickly to conclusions that Bonnie had something to do with her husband’s death. Overcome with guilt, she extended a hand to Bonnie. “Friends? I would love to hear all about your adventures in Paris, and I think your style is impeccable. Can we be friends, Bonnie?”
Bonnie nodded. “Only if you promise to never cause a scene with me in the supermarket ever again.”
“It’s a deal.”
The ladies finished their conversation, and Meghan turned to head back to Truly Sweet. As she walked, she groaned when she realized she did not have the eggs or other groceries Trudy asked for. She begrudgingly turned back around and went into the supermarket.
She spotted Bonnie from afar. She was happy that they had resolved their issues; Bonnie seemed like a nice, witty woman, and Meghan was happy to have a new friend. She felt bad for having suspected the widow, and as she approached her, she thought of inviting Bonnie over to the bakery for tea later.
Bonnie was conversing with another shopper, a pretty young woman with long black hair pulled back into two plaits. As Meghan neared them, she realized the conversation was heated; Bonnie’s face was drawn, and she was shaking a fist at the other woman.
“Don’t you dare talk to me about my husband,” she warned at the black-haired woman, who was smirking at her. “You have no right to talk about Mr. Diggs that way.”
“Anthony and I knew each other quite well,” the woman countered.
Was this one of Anthony’s mistresses? Meghan saw the rage in Bonnie’s eyes. Should she step in?
“Anthony never talked about you,” the woman declared, and Bonnie’s jaw dropped. “He never spoke a word about his sad, lonely, old wife.”
Bonnie lunged for the woman, grabbing her by one of her long braids and tugging hard. “You will not talk about my late husband like that,” she ordered as the woman screeched in pain.
“Help me! She’s crazy. She’s attacking me!” the woman cried out, and Bonnie quickly let go.
Meghan backed away slowly, and then turned on her heel, hurrying out of the supermarket. What had she just witnessed? She had not imagined the elegant, refined Bonnie Diggs could attack someone in a jealous rage, but she had just seen it happen in public. What was Bonnie capable of in private? Could a jealous Bonnie have attacked her husband, or worse, killed him? Meghan had a bad feeling, and as she darted back to the bakery, she could not shake the idea that Bonnie was hiding something.
22
T he next morning, Meghan woke up early, excited about her date with Jack that afternoon. They were booked for the coastal cruise, and Meghan had called Big Catch and secretly upgraded the trip to include an hour of deep sea fishing, knowing Jack would love it. It was the perfect combination of a romantic date and an adventure date, and she could not wait for some quality time alone with her husband.
When she went into the kitchen to make breakfast, she fo
und Sarah standing over the stove, dressed in her bathrobe and humming as she flipped bacon. “That smells great,” she complimented as she went to the refrigerator and retrieved a carton of almond milk. “Thanks for making breakfast, Sarah.”
“My pleasure,” Sarah smiled. “I wanted to make all the meals for us today; I know you’ve had a busy week, and I want to help. You should see what I’m cooking up for a late lunch; I was thinking halibut with a lemon butter sauce would be lovely. Jack loves halibut.”
“That sounds great,” Meghan agreed. “But Jack and I will be out, remember?”
Sarah’s face fell. “Oh,” she replied softly. “That’s right. I forgot you two have a date planned for this afternoon. I guess I’ll just order takeout or something. There is no point in cooking a fancy meal if it’s only for one person.”
Meghan saw the hurt in her eyes. “What are you going to do today?” she asked her mother-in-law. “There’s a great movie playing at the theater downtown. Maybe you could check it out?”
“Seeing a movie alone is so pitiful,” Sarah clucked. “I’ll just hang out here, I suppose…”
Meghan’s heart sank. She knew Sarah hated being alone, but she needed to have a date night with her husband. She wondered if she could compromise; Sarah had been a huge help around the house lately, and Meghan had started to really enjoy her company.
“Why don’t we go for a walk together?” Meghan asked kindly. “We can spend some time hanging out, just the two of us.”
Sarah sighed. “I don’t know.”
“Come on,” Meghan urged her. “It’s a beautiful day, the sun is shining, and it isn’t too cold. We can take the dogs over to the beach and have some mother-daughter time.”
Sarah’s face lit up. “Mother-daughter time?”
Meghan grinned. “You are my mother now,” she began. “And you don’t have any daughters. I think we should get to know each other even better, and a walk would be a great start.”