Mystery Comes in Waves

by Agatha Ball

  "I was just trying to respect your decision!"

  "Well, I assumed I was a fling and you moved on."

  Richard rocked back on his heels. "All these years. All this time lost because I didn't let you know that you mattered."

  "Well, I'm saying it to you now, Richard, you matter. And I'm glad you're here. I'm glad of this mad, crazy over-concocted scheme you put together. Because you know what? I like that you tried to become a better man to win me. And I'm glad that, no matter what happens between us, your world became just a little bit bigger and brighter."

  He smiled, his white mustache twitching. "I am, too."

  And then they sealed their confession with a happy kiss.

  I took Nate's hand and led him out of Bitter Beans, so quietly that the bell overhead didn't even ring.

  We stepped out onto the boardwalk, pausing to comprehend everything that we had just witnessed.

  "Well... that answers that question," he stated.

  "That he's not our murderer?" I pressed my palms to my cheeks. They were burning. "I have got to stop accusing people of schemes and lies."

  "Well, he absolutely WAS scheming. But for all the right reasons."

  I wrapped my arm around his waist and smiled up at him. "What a mastermind. What a plan!" I leaned my head on his shoulder. "Would you do that for me? Pursue a whole new life to win me over?"

  "Why do you think I'm still here on Seaside?" he asked with a laugh.

  But then, the unsaid question hung between us. Would I do the same for him? I had all of these dreams to go to Paris. If I went, I would be gone for over a year. Could our relationship last? Did I even want to go anymore? Was it foolish to stop pursuing a goal just because I was so happy in the right here and right now?

  Because, right now, everything seemed pretty much perfect and my sense of my place and being felt much closer to home.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  I was wiping down the shelves in Bitter Beans and getting all of the book spines lined up perfectly when the bell over the door tinkled. It had been relatively busy all morning, especially for a Monday. I was guessing it was Granny's new sign. She had placed it directly in front of the boat dock so that all of the customers saw Bitter Beans had the best coffee in town AND air conditioning waaaay before they ever saw Trevor's sandwich board.

  I was glad that the fiasco of this weekend hadn't imploded the tourism trade. In fact, judging from the gossip, it seemed like people were coming over to rubberneck our disaster. I wish it was someone else's disaster instead of one I had experienced personally, but the till filling up soothed some of that wound. I shouldn't have been so shallow, but the whole reason we embarked on this journey was to make sure Granny stayed in business. And not only was it looking like she was going to be okay, she had been reunited with a lost love, and that made everything feel worth it.

  Two women walked in, poking around. They were dressed in flowy resort wear, the open linen of their palazzo pants and over shirts ready for any heat the end of August might bring.

  "Morning!" I said, walking back behind the counter. "Can I help you?"

  "Are you Paige Comber?" asked one of the women.

  I was surprised she knew my name. "I am."

  She turned to her friend and they started giggling. "I told you it was her! Oh, we have to buy everything."

  "Um..." I started to say, but they cut me off.

  "We have been following the entire bakeoff on Instagram and that cake you made looked DIVINE. Do you have slices here in the shop?"

  "Ah. No," I said. "I mean... I will later. But we do that cake after lunch." I was totally making it up, but figured I could probably throw together a quick version if people were asking for it.

  "Oh, that'll be perfect. We're actually in a rush, but will TOTALLY be back before the afternoon ferry, so save us a slice!"

  "Sure!" I said. My curiosity was piqued. "What are you doing here on the island?"

  "We're protesting!" said one of the women. She reached into her bag and pulled out a t-shirt. It read Free Kylie.

  My eyes got huge. "Where did you get that?"

  "Oh, there's a woman over by the ferry terminal who is selling them. After we saw what happened at that bakeoff... it is just tragic. TRAGIC they threw that poor little lamb into your jail here!"

  The other woman pulled a rolled up sign that said Justice for Kylie from her large beach bag. "Arrested with no evidence! Without even a chance to defend herself! It isn't right."

  I mean, on the one hand, they were totally right that Kylie had gotten the short end of the stick.

  "And we are SO sorry you didn't even get a chance to see if you'd be runner up to her or whatever. Her torte really looked like the best."

  And that's when my sympathy, once again, was destroyed.

  "Was it a girl named Madison who was live streaming the bakeoff?" I asked.

  "That was her! Her blog posts and videos showed us everything. Those police officers should be fired. And what is with those two yahoos who own the island... what were their names again?"

  "Nate and Johnny," her friend reminded her.

  "That's right! Nate and Johnny! I don't know how they allow those police officers to get away with what they did."

  Her friend leaned toward her. "Although I wouldn't kick that Johnny outta bed for eating crackers. I always had a thing for swimmer bodies."

  They turned to each other and giggled.

  "I am so sorry!" I said, looking at my watch. Or where a watch would have been on my wrist if I had been wearing one. "I completely forgot I have to close up the shop for about a half hour."

  "Oh!" said one of the women, surprised. "Well. Um. It was very nice to meet you." She seemed confused as I started crowding them. "Remember we'll be back for that chocolate cake!"

  "Don't forget!" said the other as I herded them out the door.

  I waved at them through the glass and made sure they saw me lock it and turn the sign to closed.

  I took off my apron and stormed out the back door. I had a thing or two I needed to get off my chest with a certain woman who took every opportunity to ruin people's lives.

  As I stepped out, I could hear the angry chants drift down the hill from the police precinct as the protesters made themselves known. I just hoped Stan and Fred didn't overreact and do something stupid like tasing them all or something.

  "MADISON!" I roared. I rounded the corner of the buildings to the boardwalk and, sure enough, there she was manning a card table. Her blonde hair was pulled back in a perfect ponytail. She was wearing pink hot pants and a Free Kylie t-shirt, which she had knotted in the back to show off her assets. She held up the t-shirts she was selling and waved them at every tourist despite the fact they were trying to give her a wide berth.

  I stormed over. "What do you think you're doing?" I hissed at her, grabbing a shirt and shaking it at her.

  She snatched it back. "I am seeking justice for my sorority sister."

  I leaned against the table and spat, "Madison, you riled up the internet mob to come yell at Stan and Fred?"

  "As they deserve!"

  "And Nate and Johnny?"

  "If they were any sort of town leaders, they would have fired Stan and Fred."

  "On what grounds?"

  "On arresting an innocent woman!"

  "Whose cake killed someone."

  "She didn't poison Victor personally."

  "IT WAS HER CAKE. They couldn't exactly let her walk away!"

  "Do you really expect me to believe you care?" she asked, sliding her sunglasses down her nose to look at me.

  I threw up my hands and turned around. There was no reasoning with her. But I couldn't let it rest. "Madison, listen, we're trying to help Kylie, but this isn't helping."

  She folded her arms. "Listen, if Kylie getting arrested is what it takes to get Nate to understand this island is doomed, so be it."

  It was like she had slapped me. "Are you doing all this to try and get Nate to sellout to the cruise
ships?"

  "I don't see what choice he has," she replied haughtily. "This island's reputation is ruined. I made sure everyone knew what sort of a place this is and whose fault it is."

  "Did you pin all of the things that happened this weekend on Nate and Johnny?" I asked, horrified.

  She looked away from me dismissively. "I made sure to inform all of my followers that there were two people who could have stopped all of the horrible things that happened, but they didn't."

  "Did you frame them?" I asked.

  She held out an accusatory finger, motioning for me to back off. "I am an INFLUENCER. They know exactly what I want them to know. Believe me, they're so stupid, they'll trust whatever I tell them. Don't push me."

  I stepped back. I was so angry I was shaking. Finally, I gathered myself up enough to point my finger at her and say, "You watch your back, because the gloves are off, Madison."

  She gave me a simpering smile. "Oooo. I'm so scared."

  "You should be," I said. "Because you're not the only one who can ruin someone's reputation."

  "All it would take for me to drag you under is to get my followers to leave a bunch of one-star reviews on Yelp. Don't you even try me, missy," she hissed.

  I was a hair's breadth away from giving her something to leave a bad review about so I turned and walked away.

  I needed to work smart. She was a slimy snake whose idea of a good time was manipulating people into doing what she wanted them to do. But she was going down. One way or another, she was going down.

  I re-entered Bitter Beans through the back and re-opened the shop. Moments after I unlocked the door, Bryce walked through.

  Great. Just great. The day was getting even better.

  He walked up to the pastry case and looked at all of our offerings.

  "What?" I snapped. "Come to tell me how much they suck? How I'm a terrible baker?"

  "Um... no," he replied, looking at me like I was crazy. "I need a cup of coffee and a stupid muffin."

  I took a deep breath and apologized. I put on my apron and washed my hands. My fingers were still trembling. I flicked off the water and dried them quickly, hoping Bryce wouldn't see. "Sorry. Madison just... We had a little fight and I'm afraid I was still a little riled up. Let me get you that coffee and muffin. On the house."

  Bryce relaxed and even pulled out his wallet. "No. It's fine. Madison has been crazy since high school."

  "You knew her in high school?" I asked.

  He shrugged. "Yeah, she and Kylie were always trying to hook up with me. I was surprised when she invited me to this bakeoff. Figured she was up to old tricks, but then she was with that loser in the seal suit, so whatever."

  I just needed to clarify. "Wait. Madison personally invited you?"

  "Well, there was an invitation and it had her name on it. She's been acting like she didn't know anything about it."

  "Did you show it to her?"

  "It wasn't an email. It was a flyer she mailed to my house with a written note. Whatever," he shrugged. He took the coffee and muffin from me and slid a couple of bills across the counter. "Keep the change."

  I decided not to let him know he had shorted me a buck fifty.

  Almost as soon as he had left, the door tinkled again and Nate walked in. He hooked his thumb toward the police precinct.

  "What is going on there?" he asked.

  "Madison has decided to stage a protest to free Kylie. She also has painted you and Johnny as the forces responsible for Stan and Fred's jobs."

  "What?" said Nate. "That's nuts! I have no say over county officials!"

  I picked up my phone. "She's evidently been live streaming the entire bakeoff. I need to get online and see what exactly she's been saying about us."

  "I never should have let her take over our social media marketing," Nate cursed. "I should have known she would pull something like this on us."

  "Something like what?" asked Wanda as she and the posse walked into the store. They were all dressed in their jogging suits and must've finished their morning walk. Wanda wiggled her travel mug for a refill.

  I grabbed the carafe and headed over to them. "Madison is accusing Nate and Johnny of ruining this island." As I poured into Wanda's cup I glanced up at Granny. "I got angry at her and she threatened to get a bunch of people to leave bad reviews of Bitter Beans."

  Granny lifted a perfectly drawn eyebrow. "She did, did she?"

  A glance was passed around the posse and it was a look that sent shivers up and down my spine.

  "We know, dear," said Marnie. A small smile crept across her face.

  "The best revenge is something no one sees coming." Holly gentle eyes blinked behind her thick lenses. "Don't you worry, Paige." She reached out and patted my hand. "We're handling it."

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  I spent the rest of the morning whipping together the poor man's version of Granny's sour cream chocolate cake. Granny, not one to let an opportunity by, had headed up to the police precinct with her coffee cart to come to the aid of any thirsty protesters. Pushing it down the road in her blue gingham capris and matching kitten heels, she had to make a couple of runs back and forth because she kept selling out. I boxed up the cake and it disappeared within ten minutes. I guess protesting works up an appetite.

  Granny was back in Bitter Beans for another load and remarked, "We really should make that cake a part of our regular bake until things settle down."

  "Aye, aye, captain!" I said, giving her a salute.

  Captain lifted his fluffy orange head from his chair and gave me a sleepy meow.

  "Not you, Captain," I informed him.

  "So, did you get a chance to see what Madison posted to get everyone all riled up?" she asked, putting the remaining pastries on the cart. "And should we be fanning these flames some more? Between you and me, this little stunt has been great for business." She paused just to clarify. "We still hate that Madison girl. It's why I don't feel bad about exploiting Kylie's protesters."

  "Have you been exploiting them?" I asked, folding my arms.

  "Pretty labor intensive bringing the coffee to them. Had to double my prices."

  "No delivery fee? You're slacking, Granny!" I laughed.

  Suddenly the door tinkled and Henrietta from the Grand Hotel walked cautiously into Bitter Beans. She looked around in wonder and I realized she may have never been here before.

  "Hey, Henrietta!" I called. "I didn't know you were allowed to leave the reception desk!"

  She blushed and shook her curly head. "Oh, I'm not. I mean... I'm here on official business is all." She picked up one of the books and flipped gently through the pages. "Although, I should come down here. It is so beautiful and smells so good!"

  I was about to thank her for the kind words, figuring she was talking about the cinnamon rolls, but then she lifted the crisp pages of the tome to her nose and inhaled deeply.

  "So good..." she said, closing the leather bound cover and stroking it longingly. "Someday..." She placed it back on the shelf.

  "You're welcome here anytime, Henrietta!" said Granny, patting her shoulder as she passed by. "I miss our conversations in the lobby! But I'm so sorry... If you'll excuse me, I have to get back to work." Henrietta opened the door for Granny as she pushed her cart. "Thank you so much, dear."

  Henrietta gently closed the door as soon as Granny was clear and then turned to me. "You both are just so kind to me. I really appreciate it."

  "Just being human," I said.

  She laughed ruefully. "You'd be shocked how big a stretch that is for some people. This bakeoff has been a nightmare. I mean, I don't like to complain, but between you and me... I'm glad it imploded. Just awful people. Every single one." She reached into a tote bag. "So, the hotel made a prize for first place and you're the only person still here who wasn't disqualified or thrown in jail, so I thought I should give it to you." She held out a golden spatula. "Congratulations on making it through to the very end! I have decided you are the winner."


  I laughed and took it from her, cradling it like an armful of roses and waving like a beauty queen. "Thank you! Thank you! I'd like to thank Granny and Nate and my mom and my best friend Johnny—"

  "Don't forget me!" she piped up.

  "And mostly Henrietta, for remembering I was the only contestant still on the island."

  She blushed furiously. "It wasn't just that. You made a really great cake. And were really nice."

  I put down the golden spatula. "Well, let me do something else really nice. Let me get you something on the house! Anything you want!"

  She pointed at the spatula in confusion. "Aren't you going to do something special with it?"

  I looked at it. "Oh. Of course! I just set it down so I could get you something."

  "I mean if you don't want it... you don't have to pretend. I could send it to someone else."

  I held up my hands. She seemed like she was getting upset. I didn't mean to be ungrateful for her generosity. "No! No, Henrietta, I love it! Look!" I picked it up reverently and walked over to the bookshelves.

  "Well, now you're just making fun."

  "No!" I protested. I placed it on the shelf next to the book she had loved. "I'm putting it here on display. I'm going to write a note saying it is a prize from the Grand Hotel next to the favorite book of our favorite clerk."

  She swallowed and her eyes pricked with tears. "Oh. I'm sorry. I didn't realize that was what you were going to do. I just... I'm so tired..." Suddenly she hiccupped and started crying. I ran over and grabbed some napkins giving them to her to dab her eyes. She blew her nose. "I'm so sorry. Everyone has been just terrible and yelling at me and... And I'm just trying to reward the people who are doing good things in the world. And it just feels like..." Her breath heaved. "It is just bringing up a lot of memories of how awful people have always been to me. I mean, even Kylie! No one would ever protest me getting thrown into jail if I killed someone! And she's got a fan club! It's just like high school all over again..."

  I rubbed Henrietta's arm. "I know... I know..."

  "I hope the entire ferry boat sinks tonight with all those horrible people on it!"