Summer in Diamond Bay Complete Bundle #1-5 (Summer in Diamond Bay #1-5)

by Maci Grant

  It wasn’t until Joey tried to toss a box of donuts into the cart that Blu looked up, and right into Bianca’s eyes. The thought of the kids being so close to someone who might be a killer caused Blu’s heart to jump in her chest.

  “Joey, over here—now!” She pointed to the side of the cart.

  Joey protested, but lined up with the cart.

  “Oh, it’s you.” Bianca smiled. “Is there something in the grocery store that you’re planning to spill on me?”

  “No.” Blu took a slow breath. She needed to get her wits about her if she was going to attempt to find out the truth about Bianca.

  “Oh, good. Now if you don’t mind, you’re standing right in front of the bacon.”

  “Chicken and bacon?” Blu raised an eyebrow.

  “Hm? So?” Bianca tossed the items into her cart.

  “I don’t know, I guess that I just assumed that you’d be vegan.”

  “You shouldn’t assume things about me. I can be quite surprising. If you notice, I only buy organic free-range meat that has been humanely harvested. I do believe that our bodies require meat for sustenance; however, I can’t support the torture of animals.”

  “What do you mean torture?” Joey looked up at her.

  “Oh, sweetheart, haven’t you ever seen how your chicken nuggets are made?”

  Blu covered Joey’s ears and glared at Bianca. “Please don’t. He’s not old enough.”

  “Sure, sure, just let him wallow in his ignorance so that he can grow up to be yet another corporate puppet. I’m sure you’re doing a great job of molding a good little soldier.”

  “Odd choices for a hotel room.” Blu tilted her head toward the meat in a cart, choosing to ignore the comments about Joey.

  “Oh, I’m not staying in a hotel. I have a friend who lives on a houseboat. She’s letting me share her space. Although I guess by tomorrow I’ll be leaving.”

  “Leaving?”

  “Sure. The contest is canceled—no real reason for me to stick around.”

  “Aren’t you curious about what happened to Kirk?”

  “Not really. He got what was coming to him. Why do I need to know more than that?”

  “Has your friend been driving you around?”

  “What do you care?”

  “I just thought I saw you. In an SUV?”

  “Trust me, you didn’t see me in any SUV. Now if you don’t mind, I need to finish my shopping.” She walked off exuding all the confidence in the world.

  But was it the confidence of a criminal about to get away with a murder? That was the real question Blu was asking herself as Bianca walked away.

  Chapter 24

  With a little bit of arranging, Blu was able to get the evening off. She didn’t ask for it often, so Rachel was usually very flexible when she did. She’d said that she understood why Blu would want to go to the memorial.

  When Blu arrived at the Beach Bum, AJ was just setting up for the party.

  “Hey, Blu, I think we’re going to be crowded.”

  “Really? Are you going to have enough help?”

  “It would be better if Shawna was here, but you saw how that went down with my uncle.”

  “Does your uncle really have that much say?”

  AJ raised an eyebrow.

  Blu anticipated that he might actually share something with her, but he only returned to straightening out the tables.

  “Is there anything I can do to help you get ready?”

  “You could wipe the tables off if you want.”

  Blu grabbed a towel and the cleaner and began spraying and wiping off the tables. The entire time she felt her anxiety build. Would the memorial be a complete waste? Would anyone even show up? Kirk wasn’t well-liked. Maybe people couldn’t be bothered to attend.

  Not even ten minutes later, Blu’s concern was alleviated.

  People began arriving in droves.

  Blu scanned the faces of the people in the crowd. Most were either locals or summer people. She noticed quite a few of the nannies that she was familiar with.

  She didn’t, however, see Naomi.

  When the bar door swung open she looked toward it. Maddie stepped inside and waved to her. She weaved her way through the crowd.

  “I can’t believe that you put this together so fast!”

  “I didn’t really do much. You and AJ did everything. Can you do one more favor for me, Maddie?”

  “Sure, what is it?”

  “See that guy over there?” Blu pointed to Yale.

  “Oh yeah, the crazy guy.”

  “He’s not crazy. He’s creative.” Blu grinned. “Can you maybe shadow him a bit, see what he’s talking about?”

  “No problem.” Maddie grinned. “I feel so detective-y.”

  “Just don’t get too close. We do need to be careful since we don’t actually have any idea who the killer might be.”

  “Oh, I can be subtle.” Maddie tugged at the collar of her sleeveless shirt and smiled. “When I want to be.”

  Blu hoped that she was right. The last thing she needed was any chaos.

  As the night went on she began to lose hope that Naomi would show up.

  A loud clinking sound drew her attention to the center of the room. Bianca stood on the top of one of the small tables.

  AJ started to walk around the side of the bar. Before he could reach Bianca, Blu placed a hand against his taut chest. “Please, let’s see what she’s going to say?”

  AJ lingered there for a moment, his eyes on hers. “If she gets hurt, it’s my fault, you know?”

  “Don’t worry. I’m sure she knows exactly what she’s doing.” Blu crossed her arms, then turned back to look at Bianca.

  “Now I know that we’re all here tonight because of Kirk’s tragic death, but I think it’s time to be honest about it. It was not that tragic.”

  “Hear, hear!” Yale lifted his glass high into the air. “Good riddance to bad rubbish.”

  A flutter of whispers carried through the room in reaction to his words.

  Bianca cleared her throat. “There are some people in this world that are only here to poison it. Kirk was one of those people. I’m not here to drink to his life, I’m here to drink to his death.”

  A shocked silence filled the bar. One of the waitresses cranked up the music.

  AJ grabbed Bianca around the waist and easily lifted her down from the table. “One more act like that and I’m going to have to kick you out.”

  “I’m so scared.” Bianca rolled her eyes. “Bring me another vodka, bartender.”

  AJ glowered at her, then he looked over at Blu.

  Blu could see from the curve of his hands and the clench of his jaw that he wanted to toss Bianca out of the bar. She shook her head at him.

  AJ grimaced and turned back to the bar to get the drink. Blu knew that if Bianca was thrown out she’d lose her chance to get a drunken confession from her.

  Maddie walked up to Blu and sighed. “All I’m hearing is his boasting about his video views. I’m not getting anything out of him. How about I talk to him directly?”

  “You’d be okay with that?” Blu searched her eyes.

  “Sure I would. My talkative nature is one of my special skills.” She smiled.

  “Alright, but be careful. If he does anything to make you uncomfortable let me or AJ know.”

  “I will.”

  Chapter 25

  Blu watched from afar as Maddie fluffed her hair. Then she walked right over to Yale. She sat down beside him and leaned close. Yale fixed her with a withering stare, but a moment later he laughed. Then he leaned closer to Maddie.

  Blu shook her head in amazement. “How does she do that?”

  “It’s called being friendly.” AJ grinned. “Remember, I suggested that you should try it sometime?”

  Just as Blu was about to come to her own defense with AJ, she heard the door swing open. She saw a woman pull off her hat and sunglasses. She already had a tissue clutched in her hand. There was n
o doubt in Blu’s mind that this was Naomi. She turned away before the woman could recognize her, as she didn’t want to spook her.

  “Very funny. Now let’s see how friendly you can be to Naomi.”

  “Huh?”

  “I don’t think my charms are going to cut it. So your job is to see what you can get out of her.” Blu gestured in Naomi’s direction.

  “Are you handing out assignments now?” AJ met her eyes.

  “Are you going to do it or not?” Blu tightened her lips.

  “Alright, alright. I’m going.” He tossed down his towel and picked up a bottle of wine. He walked toward Naomi’s table.

  Blu looked over at Maddie to check on her, then she glanced back in time to see AJ lean down close to Naomi’s ear. She couldn’t hear what he was saying but whatever it was made Naomi giggle.

  She pointed to the chair across from her. AJ slid into it and opened the bottle of wine. He poured a glass for Naomi first, then for himself.

  As they chatted, Blu could see the way AJ held her gaze and smiled in a seductive manner. It was surprising to her that he was so very good at this. It occurred to her that he had to be to make good tips.

  When Naomi reached out and stroked the back of AJ’s hand, Blu felt her stomach twist. A quick heat rose up in her cheeks. She looked away as fast as she could. What was going on? Why did she care who touched AJ?

  When she looked back she saw that Naomi was alone at the table again.

  AJ spoke up from a few inches to the side of her. “I have to get back to the bar. All I managed to find out was that she collects starfish and she dreams of having kids.”

  “That’s an interesting combination. All of that and no last name?”

  “Nope, sorry. I got the impression that she didn’t want to tell me anything.”

  “Hm. Interesting. Why would Kirk’s biggest fan be so evasive about who she is?”

  “Sorry I couldn’t be more help.”

  “That’s alright. I have other ways of finding out.”

  “Why does that frighten me?” AJ lifted an eyebrow and smiled.

  “It should.” Blu grinned.

  As she walked away from him she wondered if he was watching her. It made her stomach flutter at the possibility. Why? She had never had any difficulty with ignoring a man, whether he was making advances or not, but somehow AJ seemed to be twisting her up inside.

  She did her best to focus on getting close to Naomi without her noticing. She waited until a waitress came by to ask if she’d like anything to eat. While Naomi spoke to her, Blu jumped at her chance.

  She slipped in behind Naomi and carefully picked up the glass. Then she slid it into the plastic bag she’d pulled out of her purse. She carried it over to the bar, where AJ was trying to handle several orders at once.

  “I have something I need you to get to your uncle.”

  “Give me a second.” AJ whipped a few drinks together.

  Blu took a moment to admire his skill behind the bar. He could flip and toss things with incredible dexterity. When he was finished he delivered the drinks. Then he turned to look at Blu. “What is it?”

  “This is Naomi’s glass. I’m hoping he can get fingerprints off it. Maybe we can find out who she really is.”

  “Alright.” He set the glass on the back of the bar. “I’ll get it to him as soon as the memorial is over. How are things going out there?”

  “I think Maddie has Yale under control.” Blu tilted her head toward the couple. Maddie was nearly in his lap, and Yale summoned more drinks for the both of them.

  When Blu turned back to AJ he shook his head.

  “The woman has her talents.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “Nothing.” He turned away from the bar to make a few more drinks.

  Blu decided to try her own charm out on Frederick. He was sitting at a table with a few of the locals. They seemed to be quite interested in his stories of fame and fortune.

  “So I told her—look, just because you’re a movie star, that doesn’t mean that I’m going to bow down and do whatever you want. I’m not that type of manager.”

  “Shoot, I would have bowed down and did anything she asked.” A burly man with a toothy grin chuckled and slapped the table.

  “Maybe, but if you do that they’ll never respect you. These famous types—they want servants.”

  Chapter 26

  Blu sat down beside Frederick. “Is that what Kirk wanted?”

  “Oh, you again.” He smiled at Blu. “I thought I might be seeing you again.”

  Blu didn’t miss the less than subtle wink Frederick sent toward the other guys as they seemed to take it as their cue to leave the two alone at the table.

  “Did you have any luck with Chief Pitman?”

  “I didn’t even bother. A small-potatoes police chief like that isn’t going to get to the bottom of this.”

  “Or maybe that’s what you’re hoping for. You’ve gone from representing starlets to managing a sand sculptor? That’s a pretty big change.”

  “There were some misunderstandings.” Frederick picked up his mug of beer and took a long swallow.

  “I bet. Maybe you miss that life—with all the fame and glamour. Maybe you thought Kirk could be your way to get your name in the newspaper again. Nothing like a good scandal to attract the attention of the Hollywood types.”

  “Interesting.” He set his mug back down. “So your perspective on this is that I killed my own client?”

  “All I’m saying is that there was no emotional connection between you and Kirk. Maybe you decided that it would be worth it to sacrifice him so that you could create a great tragedy around his life and his death—maybe even get some big documentary out of the whole thing.”

  “You’re nuts. I had nothing to do with Kirk’s death.”

  “Correct me if I’m wrong, but wouldn’t it be normal for a client to expect that his manager was going to be there on the day of his big event? Only you weren’t even in town, were you? Did you have a more important client, or were you just trying to give yourself an alibi for the time of Kirk’s death?”

  “You think you’re really clever, don’t you?” His eyes darkened as he leaned across the table toward Blu. “Are you completely clueless about what making false accusations can lead to?”

  Blu met his eyes that were glaring at her now. “I’m not easily intimidated.”

  “Maybe you should be.” He slid a hand across the table, the intensity of his glare increasing; he didn’t look away for even one second. “Because I’m not the type of man to toy with. Do you understand me?”

  Just as Blu opened her mouth to respond she felt two hands come down on her shoulders. A ripple of tension carried through her body as a quick fear rose within her. A moment later she heard AJ’s voice.

  “Is there a problem here, Blu?”

  “No problem.” Frederick smirked. “I was just leaving. I’ve had enough of this place.” He stood up and tossed a few folded bills on the table. “Keep what I said in mind, Blu. If you mess with a shark, you’re going to get bitten.”

  “Is that so?” AJ’s hands tightened on her shoulders. “I might not know much about sharks, but I can tell you this—if you mess with her, you’re not going to have any teeth left.”

  Frederick sneered and walked away from the table.

  Blu shrugged off AJ’s hands and then followed him as he started walking away. “Thanks for that, but I was handling it.”

  “Maybe you were, but the man needs to know where his boundaries are.”

  “And you think it’s your job to set those for me?”

  AJ’s gaze locked with hers. Blu noticed a flicker of something before he looked away. “Don’t get all defensive. I don’t let any man mess with any woman in my bar. It’s bad for business.”

  Blu bit into the tip of her tongue. Had she assumed too much?

  “I need to close up soon.”

  “Really? I haven’t even gotten anything to
work with.”

  “Sorry, Blu, I have to follow the law. I can’t serve alcohol past a certain hour.”

  “So we did all of this for nothing?”

  “Maybe if we sleep on it something will come to us. Besides, I have the glass to give to my uncle, right?”

  “Right.” Blu nodded.

  She and Maddie helped AJ tidy up the bar.

  When it was time to leave Maddie grabbed her arm. “Do you need a ride home?”

  “No, I have my car.”

  “Okay.” She hugged Blu. “Sorry we didn’t crack the case.”

  “That’s okay. Thanks for all your help.”

  As Maddie walked out Blu stepped behind the bar to grab her purse. When she turned back around AJ was waiting for her.

  “I’ll walk you out to your car.”

  “Thanks.”

  The parking lot was dark aside from one bright street lamp positioned closer to the street. It reminded Blu of the headlights that Robin had seen.

  They were almost to Blu’s car when raised voices drew her attention. Not far off, closer to the beach, Frederick and Yale seemed to be arguing. AJ started to move toward them to break them up, but Blu put a hand on his forearm to stop him.

  “Let them have it out.”

  “If they start throwing punches I’m ending it.”

  “Fine.” Blu nodded.

  She moved a little closer so that she could hear what they were saying.

  “I didn’t point her toward you! I didn’t point anyone toward anyone. Tomorrow afternoon I’m leaving this town, and I can promise you I’ll never be back.” Yale was shouting slurred words at Frederick.

  “You know as well as I do that the contest comes here every year.”

  “Well, I won’t be.”

  “Are you giving it up?”

  “I don’t know. After this, I’m just not sure I can do it any more.”

  “Are you nuts? You can’t quit now!”

  “I can do whatever I please. Kirk gave his whole life to this. He had other things he could have done, but this was all he did. Now he’s gone. It’s over. He never even righted his wrongs. Do you think that’s what I want to happen to me?”