Chapter Three
I mulled over this new information in my head as I made my way past the throngs of people and towards the far end of the beach where the sand sculpture competition was taking place. The water where the basket had been meant that it had to be there after the basket had been taken away, and realistically was probably left there by the thief.
It broke my heart to think that one of the competitors – mainly kids, almost everyone was under 20 years old – was the thief. And yet, that was where the evidence was pointing.
The sigh of Sophie waving to me caught my eye. She was half-Japanese, with a streak of bright purple in her otherwise-black hair, so she stood out pretty easily. Next to her was my sister Charlotte, busily studying one of the pamphlets. Of course she was. Charlotte was super smart, studying to be a doctor up in Portland, and she was always trying to learn new things.
“Angie! Over here!” Sophie called out, and I waved back as I made my way towards them.
“Check it out, these sand castles are insane,” Sophie said when I made my way towards them. “I thought it was just going to be some people using buckets and stuff, but it’s actually crazy how good these are. Someone made a life-size sculpture of The Simpsons family.”
“That’s cool,” I said, grinning as we made our way towards the sculptures. The first one was one of an elephant’s head, complete with insanely accurate wrinkles on its face.
“Like, how did this even start? Who decided to take building sand castles on the beach to a whole new level?” Sophie asked.
“Sand sculptures as an art form originated in Hawaii, although there are suggestions that it may have actually been done in Japan, first,” Charlotte answered. “Unfortunately, the sand here isn’t actually ideal to make large sculptures, as the shape of the grains of sand in tidal areas like Willow Bay is inferior to that of sand in non-tidal areas.”
“You’re such a nerd,” Sophie joked. “Anyway, how was judging? We saw some of the surfers, they looked pretty good.”
“Yeah, they really were. The judging itself went ok, but someone stole the gift basket meant for the first place winner.”
Even Charlotte dug her nose out of her educational pamphlet to look at me.
“Really?”
“Yeah,” I nodded, then explained to both of them what had happened.
“Well that’s much more interesting than looking at these sculptures,” Sophie said. “We have to go find out who took that basket.”
The two of us looked over at Charlotte, who was always a negative Nancy when it came to our decisions to investigate things.
“I have no problem with that,” Charlotte said. “After all, it’s not like you’re going after a murderer this time. The odds of you getting into trouble are pretty low here. But remember, we’re in a big, public area. Make sure that no one sees you using magic.”
“Thanks for the reminder, mom,” I said, sticking my tongue out at her. A small smile flitted on Charlotte’s lips.
“I’m going to stay here and look at this competition,” Charlotte said. “Too many cooks spoil the broth. Let me know if there’s anything you need me for, though. I hope you find that missing basket.”
“Will do,” I said, leading Sophie back towards the other side of the beach.
“So you think it was one of the athletes that took it?” Sophie asked, and I nodded.
“Yeah, I do. I mean, that’s what makes the most sense, as much as it sucks.”
We made our way back to the back area, where Brett and Jason were now deep in conversation. I introduced Sophie to Brett, and the two men quickly caught us up on what they had found out.
“As best as we can tell, the basket went missing sometime between when the sixteenth and the twentieth competitors went,” Brett explained. “So in all likelihood it wasn’t any of those four athletes.”
“That still leaves so many,” I sighed.
“Well, not really,” Jason said thoughtfully. “I mean, think about it. Most of the prizes in that gift basket are for local companies. Someone who lives in California all year isn’t going to need a year’s worth of sushi, or be able to spend all the money on the gift card for Betty’s.”
“So you’re thinking it was one of the local kids that stole it,” Sophie nodded. “That makes sense, in a really disappointing kind of way.”
“So that’s Sammy Krueger, Pat Kingsley and Keegan Philips,” Jason said.
“Don’t forget Alicia Stone,” Sophie added, glancing at a list of the competitors. “She’s from here.”
“And I was speaking with Freddie Ormont; she’s thinking of moving to Willow Bay for a while to train,” Brett said. “So we should include her as well.”
“Ok, so that’s five potential thieves,” I said. “I can’t really see Pat stealing anything from anyone, but then again, I suppose a lot of the murderers we’ve had locked up didn’t really seem like the type, either.”
“You heard him, anyway. He said that he had no chance of winning any of the prizes tomorrow,” Jason said. “He might have wanted to steal it since he figured there was no way he would win.”
“By that reasoning you should eliminate Freddie Ormont as a suspect, shouldn’t you?” Sophie asked. “After all, Charlotte and I were watching the competition from the beach, and she was miles in front of any of the other female surfers. Not to tell you how to do your jobs, of course, but if she didn’t win today you’re all terrible judges.”
I let out a giggle at that last remark. “Yeah, Freddie did win the qualifier,” I confirmed for Sophie.
“But the thing about surfing is nothing is guaranteed,” Brett added. “Freddie would know that just as well as anyone out there. On the day, anything can happen; the water is unpredictable.”
“That’s a good point,” I murmured. “Ok, what’s our next step?”
“Interviews,” Jason said. “We’ve spoken to some of the kids, and most of them have headed off home now, but what about the volunteers? Maybe one of them saw something that could tip us off.”
Fifteen minutes later we were chatting with one of the women in charge of making sure the kids had towels as soon as they re-entered the competition area after their runs.
“I did notice the gift basket was missing at one point,” Gladys, with big doe eyes and curly brown hair said. “Of course, I didn’t think anything of it at the time. I thought Randy might have taken it to show off to some sponsors, or something. It was only later that I found out it was stolen.”
“Could you see the gift table the whole time you were working?”
“Oh dear me, no. It was only really when I came out to hand the kids their towels, which was always when they were just finishing up. Otherwise I was cleaning up in the change room, making sure they didn’t leave that place a total pig sty. I have a couple of teenagers of my own; I know what they’re like if no one cleans up after them.”
“So you’re saying no one could have kept the gift basket in the changing area without you noticing,” Jason said thoughtfully.
“Oh, most certainly not. Of course, not unless they managed to get it into one of their bags straight away, which is always a possibility. But they certainly wouldn’t have been able to just leave it lying around without me noticing.”
“Do you know the local kids at all?”
“Of course! Alicia goes to school with one of my boys, and I’ve known Sammy since he was a boy. He and Alicia are neighbours, as well. He’s always been a bit of a wild spirit, but I think surfing has been good for him.”
Alarm bells went off in my head. “A wild spirit?”
“Oh yes,” Gladys nodded. “When he was fourteen he was caught shoplifting from Andrew’s convenience store. I remember it well; I worked there at the time. I was the one who caught him. He started crying in the manager’s office while we waited for one of the local police officers to show up.”
“How did his parents react?” Jason asked.
“They were horrified, of course. As soon as
they showed up they began to scold him. Sammy seemed very remorseful. His parents swore to the officer that they would take care of it, and that they would make Sammy do some volunteer work over the summer to make up for what he stole. For what it’s worth, the officer - a very nice young man named Shaw – thought that was a better option than to have Sammy go through the judicial system, so my boss agreed and let him go.”
“And did he do the summer volunteer work?” Brett asked.
“He very much did! I saw him around town in the summer walking dogs for the animal shelter, and he worked in the mornings cleaning trash off the beach, his parents always watching to make sure he was doing it. He apologized to me again last year, and told me he had never done anything like it since. I believed him, and I don’t think he’s the one who would have stolen the gift basket.”
“Alright, thanks Gladys,” Sophie said with a smile.
“Not to worry, let me know if you have any other questions.”
As soon as she turned to leave, the four of us all shared a knowing look.
“Well, as much as Gladys says Sammy has changed, I think if anyone is going to be a suspect it should be the kid who has a history of theft,” I said.
“Absolutely,” Jason agreed. “I believe he might have changed, but it would be stupid of us not to consider him our prime suspect.”
Just then, my stomach growled with displeasure. “Why don’t we discuss this over BLTs at Betty’s?” I offered, and was met with murmurs of assent.
Chapter Four
“You’re in for a treat if you haven’t eaten at Betty’s yet,” Jason said to Brett as we made our way back towards Main Street and Betty’s Café. “It’s easily the best place in town to eat.”
As soon as the four of us entered, we noticed that for once, the café wasn’t filled to the brim. I supposed everyone must have been at the beach, enjoying the entertainment.
“Hello,” Betty said to all of us with a wave. “Please, have a seat. It’s a slow day, so I can come do table service.”
The four of us sat down at one of the round tables by the window, and a moment later Betty came by with a pen and paper.
“I don’t need to ask Angela what she’s having,” she said to me with a wink. I had a vegetarian “B”LT every time I came here. I shot her a grin in return.
When everyone else had ordered, she made her way to the back of the room.
“So Sammy is definitely our main suspect,” Jason said. “After all, he has a history of theft.”
“I was thinking, too,” I said thoughtfully. “Gladys said that she had been looking around while cleaning, and that she didn’t think any of the kids would have really had the opportunity to hide the gift basket in the competition area without her noticing.”
“Yeah, so?” Brett asked.
“Well, Sammy lives right behind the beach. His mom’s house looks out onto the water; he would have only had to walk about fifty feet from the gift bench to his front door.”
“Right, he would have just had to cross the parking lot and the street, and he would have been home,” Jason nodded. “That would be a really easy place for him to hide the gift basket.”
I shook my head. “I’ll be so disappointed if it turns out to be Sammy. He seemed like such a nice kid every time he came into the vet clinic.”
Betty chose that moment to come by with a tray full of sandwiches for the table. “You’re all discussing the theft of the gift basket?”
“You know about it too?” Sophie asked, and Betty nodded.
“Of course. I’ve got a gift card for a significant amount of money in that gift basket, so Randy let me know as soon as he found out it was gone. Of course, I offered to replace the gift card – I figured whoever took it probably really needs it – but Randy says not to worry, that he’s hopeful it’ll turn up before it comes to that. I see he’s got you all on the case, then.”
“We’ve narrowed it down to about five people,” I said, giving Betty the list of our suspects.
“Well I don’t like to think it’s any of those kids,” Betty said. “I know them all, of course. I assume you were all talking about Sammy’s previous run-in with the law?”
I nodded. “That’s right. One of the volunteers, Gladys, told us about it.”
“Of course she would,” Betty said with a sly smile. “Gladys loves gossip. If she knew something, she would tell you for sure.”
“What about the others?” I asked. “Surely you know a little bit about them, right?”
“Oh I know all of them, except one of them. Freddie, I don’t know her. They love to come in after school and get milkshakes, the kids. But this Freddie isn’t local, is she?”
Jason shook his head. “Not yet. She’s probably going to be moving to Willow Bay soon though, so we decided to keep her as a suspect, since she’ll be able to make use of all the gift cards as well.”
Betty nodded. “Right, that makes sense. Now, I can’t imagine Pat having done it. The boy still calls me Mrs. McMahon, no matter how often I tell him to call me Betty.”
I hid a smile; that certainly sounded familiar.
“Then there’s Keegan Philips. He seems like a good kid. I know he works part time as a delivery driver for the local pizza place. He graduated last year but has stayed home to help take care of his mother. She tore something in her shoulder a while back and hasn’t been able to work since, but I know she’s hoping to get taken in for surgery in the next month or so. And then there’s Alicia. She’s got a little bit of a rebellious streak to her, that girl. She’s not afraid to go after people if she thinks they’re in the wrong. The other day I saw her outside yelling at one of her peers. I went out to see what was going on, and she said she caught the boy bullying a younger child, and was telling him to lay off.”
“Could you see her stealing a gift basket, though?”
Betty shrugged. “I’m not sure, really. I know she’s been having quite a few financial difficulties. She was raising money to try and buy herself a used surfboard last year, and I actually paid her entry fee into this competition, and I know her mother has been doing her best, but it’s hard being a single parent. Alicia just has the type of personality where maybe, on the spur of the moment, she would have made a decision that she would later regret.”
I nodded, understanding completely. “Thanks for the insight, Betty.”
“Absolutely. If there’s anything else I can do, please let me know.”
The four of us munched down on our sandwiches in silence for a few minutes, each caught up deep in our own thoughts.
Which one of the kids had stolen that gift basket? Was it Sammy, the kid with a history of theft? Or maybe Alicia, who really needed the money.
Sammy had the opportunity: he could have easily snuck back to his home and left the basket there and then gone back to hang out with the other competitors. The basket had to have been moved; I’d looked through everyone’s things by the time we had gotten there, and there was no sign of it at all.
I didn’t know where Alicia lived, but she might have also lived close enough to the beach to do the same thing.
And then of course, there was Freddie Ormont. No one here knew much about her, since she wasn’t local. Could she have had a reason to steal the gift basket that none of us knew about? Moving somewhere new wasn’t cheap, maybe she wanted to offset the costs with a guarantee rather than having to try and win tomorrow.
Whoever it was, I knew we only had a few hours left to figure it out before the next day’s competition.
Chapter Five
When the four of us left Betty’s, the day was beginning to wind down. The sun was still high in the sky, what with it being the middle of summer and all, but the beach was no longer packed with revelers, and all of the events for the day had finished.
“Look on the bright side, at least this year we haven’t come across any dead bodies,” Sophie said. The year before, when I ran the petting zoo for the festival, the two of us had come across the bo
dy of a woman one morning when opening up.
“Please don’t jinx it,” I said to Sophie. “I’m not sure Willow Bay can handle a murder at two festivals in a row.”
Bee came up to us, scowling. “There you are! I was out looking for some food to scrounge off someone and you just left me!”
“Sorry, Bee,” I said. “We went to Betty’s.”
“Of course you did. I spend the whole day being nice to you, and you abandon me at the first whiff of food.”
“If this is you being nice to me, I’d hate to see you be mean,” I said with a laugh. “Besides, don’t think I don’t know you just went around begging for food from people.”
“There’s a taco food truck set up at the other end of the lot which was basically a kitty smorgasbord,” Bee said. “Although to be honest, I would have preferred a sushi truck.”
“You always prefer sushi,” I told her.
“Speaking of, have you found the monster who stole the gift card?” she asked, and I shook my head.
“We’re working on it.”
“Well, work harder. A travesty like this cannot go unsolved.”
I hid a smile as we walked along the beach.
“Well, I’ll see you tomorrow then,” Brett said a minute later. “That’s my hotel over there.”
We all bid goodnight to Brett, then continued walking along the beach toward the parking lot.
“Is there anything else we can do tonight?” I asked the others. “I feel like we’ve possibly run out of leads for now.”
“I’d like to look inside Sammy’s house, but probably not while he’s in there,” Sophie said.
“Well, surfers are up at the break of dawn normally, right? The waves are better then. My bet is he’ll leave early to get some last-minute practice in before finals tomorrow.”
“And his mom works as a nurse at one of the hospitals in Portland,” I said. “If we’re lucky she’ll have an early shift and won’t be home either. It’ll be easy to break in and have a look around.”
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