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

by Maci Grant

  Blu’s eyes widened. Jarod was the first person she found who had a direct connection with Gill.

  “So you do know him?”

  “I’ve never met him. I just found out that he left me the shop.”

  “Gill Peddle did?”

  “Yes he did.”

  “But Gill Peddle is still alive.” Blu shook her head.

  “Oh. Does he want the shop back?”

  Jarod sounded anxious.

  Blu blinked and tightened her grip on the phone. “How old are you, Jarod?”

  “Twenty.”

  “That’s a little young to be running your own shop.”

  “I know. I mean, when my dad left it to me, I thought it was weird. I never even met the guy.”

  “Your dad? Gill Peddle is your dad?”

  “Sure. I guess. That’s what the birth certificate says.”

  Blu’s heart pounded. In her wildest notions she never expected to discover that Gill might have cheated on Martha. None of what Jarod was saying made sense to her. Her mind spun with the revelation. Then she began to think it through. The Gill Peddle she knew was well into his eighties, and though it was possible that he had fathered a son twenty years prior, she didn’t think it was very likely. Was it possible that he was talking about a different Gill Peddle, or someone using his name?

  “Do you know how old your father was?”

  “He was forty-two when he died, a long time ago, but I guess his will just got settled. At least I thought it did. I told my mom it might be some kind of scam, but she said that it was real. So now the shop is mine—unless, I mean, it’s not.”

  “I’m sorry, Jarod. The Gill Peddle I was speaking of is in his eighties. I don’t think he’s the same man.”

  “Oh.” Jarod sighed. “Well, I guess that’s for the best. I mean, either way, it doesn’t make much of a difference to me, but I kind of like running the ice cream shop. It makes people happy. I like that.”

  “Jarod, has anyone tried to buy the shop from you?”

  “Yes, about two weeks ago. This real slimy guy showed up and offered my mom and me cash to buy the shop. He said he had a client that was very interested and that price was no object.”

  “Wow. But you declined?”

  “My mom questioned him about it, and I guess he told her something that she didn’t like, so she threw him out of the shop and told him not to come back. She was pretty upset after that.”

  “Do you think I could talk to your mom?”

  “Oh, she’s not here now. She had to go on a trip. She’s been gone about three days. But I can give her a message when she gets back if you want.”

  “No, that’s okay.” Blu’s heart skipped a beat. “Thanks for your time, Jarod.”

  “Sure. I mean, if that guy wants his ice cream shop back, just let me know.”

  “I’m sure it will be fine. Thanks, Jarod.”

  Chapter 22

  Blu hung up the phone and stared down at the paper she had been taking notes on. It was pretty obvious to her that Jarod’s mother had something to do with this. She was on vacation? Could she have been the woman who confronted Martha in the mall?

  “Blu, look what I made!” Marley held up a picture that she’d drawn.

  “Oh, Marley, that’s beautiful.” Blu tried to decipher the swirls and shapes. “Is it a building?”

  “Yes! It’s an ice cream shop!”

  “Very nice, Marley. We should take that to the art show tomorrow, okay?”

  “Yay!” Marley grinned. “Maybe I will win a prize.”

  “I’ll take you for ice—” She paused just before making a promise that she couldn’t keep. She wouldn’t be able to take Marley for ice cream. The ice cream shop would be closed. Gill would still be in jail. Blu would not wake up to a solved crime. “Don’t worry, we’ll make sure that we get a treat. Okay?”

  “Okay.” Marley smiled. “I’m going to add a horse!”

  “Good idea.”

  Blu sat back in her chair and looked at the notes she’d made. The information she had only left her more confused. But she was quite curious about Jarod’s mother. At Jarod’s age and with his location she could easily find him on social media.

  She began the hunt and as she expected, Jarod was not difficult to find. Although many of his profiles were blocked, she was able to connect enough dots to figure out the name of his mother.

  “Erica Grimes.” She frowned. The fact that Jarod’s mother and he did not share the same last name meant that perhaps she’d never been married to Jarod’s father. Maybe she just told Jarod a story about who his father was. After all, he had said that he’d never met the man.

  Blu tapped her pencil against the paper. So if Jarod was really Gill’s son, that meant that Erica was his ex-lover. If Erica was the woman who Blu saw arguing with Martha at the mall, then there was a good chance that they were arguing about Gill’s and Erica’s past. It made Blu sick to her stomach to think that a man like Gill could make such a mistake, but then it wasn’t that uncommon for a spouse to stray.

  She did a little more searching for Erica’s name and managed to find a picture of her. As she suspected, she looked like the woman who had been at the mall with Martha. Blu had been some distance away when she’d seen her, though, so it was still possible that it wasn’t the same person.

  There was only one way to know for sure.

  If Jarod claimed that Erica was on vacation, then she would have needed a place to stay. Since she wasn’t here for fun, and might not have a lot of money to spend, Blu guessed that she would pick a lower-priced hotel or motel.

  She did a search for the hotels and motels that were closest to the Peddles’ house. Since they lived close to the beach, there were quite a few to choose from. Blu stretched her arms, checked on the kids, and then settled in to make the calls.

  She called the first motel and asked for Erica by name. Eight hotels later she began to feel discouraged. Maybe her entire theory was wrong. She decided to call at least one more before she had to make dinner.

  “Beachside Rooms.”

  “Is this a hotel?”

  “It’s a boarding house.”

  “Oh.” Blu frowned. She wasn’t sure if Erica would stay in a place as small as that but it didn’t hurt to ask. “Could I speak with Erica Grimes?”

  “One second.” After a pause the voice came back on the line. “She’s not in right now. Would you like me to leave her a message?”

  Blu’s heart raced. “Uh, no, that’s okay. Actually I was supposed to meet her but I forgot what room she is staying in.”

  “Room eight.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Would you like me to let her know that you called?”

  “No, that’s okay. Thank you for your help.” Blu hung up the phone.

  She couldn’t believe that the pieces seemed to be fitting together. Erica, Jarod’s mother, was in town, and she had been in town for at least three days, which meant she could have easily poisoned Martha.

  She picked up the phone to call Maddie to give her an update and then noticed two hungry faces staring at her.

  “Blu? When is dinner? It’s dark outside.”

  Blu grimaced as she realized that she’d been so caught up in her search that quite a bit of time had passed.

  “I’m making it right now.”

  Blu prepared their dinner as her mind flipped through what she knew.

  By the time the kids had eaten, bathed, and got tucked into bed, Blu thought it was too late to call Maddie or Chief Pitman.

  She decided that first thing in the morning she would let them both know what she’d found out. Blu could only hope that it would be enough to take some of the suspicion off Gill.

  Chapter 23

  When Blu woke up the next morning, the first thing she did was reach for her phone. She called Chief Pitman first. When she filled him in on what she’d found out about Erica, he seemed to be listening intently.

  “That’s very good information.
If it checks out, we might be able to use it.”

  “Do you think it will be enough to delay charges against Gill?”

  “I honestly don’t know for sure. It may be, but it’s going to take some fancy paperwork on my part.”

  “Just do your best to keep him from being officially charged, Chief. You know what that will do to his reputation.”

  “I do know. We’re on the same side, Blu. Just remember that.”

  Blu hung up the phone and called Maddie to update her.

  “I think that Erica is the killer. She must have come here to confront Gill about his son and ended up confronting Martha instead.”

  “But why would she kill Martha?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe she was jealous of her and wanted to be with Gill?”

  “Maybe.” Maddie’s voice trailed off. “I don’t know, though. It just seems odd to me. Could Gill have kept that secret for twenty years?”

  “Maybe. Or maybe Martha knew about it. Maybe that’s why they never expanded. Gill might have been using the money to support his son or to silence relatives that knew about him.”

  “No, it just doesn’t add up to me.”

  “I’ll find out more when I speak to Erica. I have to take the kids to the art show first. Are you going?”

  “No, Brennan thinks it’s lame and Chrissa is meeting up with her friends. Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help.”

  “I will. Bye, Maddie.”

  She hung up the phone and went into Marley’s room to wake her up.

  As she helped her get dressed Marley yawned.

  “Is the art show today?”

  “Yes. I’m looking forward to it. Aren’t you?”

  “I would be if we could get ice cream!”

  “Don’t worry. How about if we stop for cupcakes?”

  “Oh yes! Okay!” Marley bounded off into the kitchen for breakfast.

  Blu smiled a little at how fast her mood could change.

  As she prepared their breakfast she had a hard time staying focused. Her mind shifted back to Gill and Martha. Could she really have been so wrong about their love? Was it all just a front? She didn’t even want to think about the possibility.

  As she gathered the kids to head out to the art show, her phone rang. She was in the middle of buckling Marley in her car seat, so she ignored it. Then she started to drive before she’d remembered that her phone had rung. She drove to the art show and parked.

  When she checked her phone she saw that the call was from Chief Pitman. She hit redial but was greeted by his voicemail message. She double-checked her own voicemail to see that he hadn’t left one for her.

  “Here we are. Let’s check out some wonderful art, kids.”

  She led the children into the local recreational center that hosted the art show. Marley bolted straight for the brightly decorated kids’ section where she could put her picture on display. As Blu and Joey caught up with her, a familiar voice greeted them.

  “Morning. It’s good to see you.” AJ held out a few brochures to them.

  “I didn’t know you were part of this.” Blu smiled and took a brochure. “Thanks.”

  “Well, since I’ve never been much of an artist myself I like to be around it. You know, so maybe some will rub off on me.”

  “Only if the paint is still wet!” Marley giggled.

  “Good point, Marley.” AJ patted the top of her head. “There’s a lot of interesting pieces to see. There’s even a photography section that you might want to look at.”

  “Okay, we’ll do that. Do you want to join us?”

  “Sorry, I can’t. I have to man the front. But maybe later we could have a rematch on the beach?” He looked at the two children. “I’ve got a big shovel this time.”

  “I have a big shovel!” Marley jumped up and down.

  “My shovel is bigger!” AJ grinned.

  “Please, Blu, can we?” Joey looked up at her.

  “Actually that would be perfect. I hate to ask again, AJ, but maybe I could leave them with you for a few minutes?”

  “Of course. But, uh, I’m going to start expecting payment.”

  “Oh sure, of course. Twenty?” She reached into her purse.

  “Blu, I’m not going to take money from you. But I wouldn’t mind sharing a meal.”

  Blu nodded. She was in no position to argue. “Okay, dinner it is.”

  “Really?” He raised an eyebrow. “Should I have you sign something?”

  “Ha-ha.” Blu grinned. “Let’s go, kids.”

  AJ winked at her as she walked away. Blu couldn’t ignore the flutter of her stomach at the thought of spending some time alone with AJ.

  As they walked through the exhibits she had a hard time paying attention to the artwork. Her mind kept returning to Erica. Had Chief Pitman followed up on the lead? Had he ignored it? She pulled out her phone and tried to call him again. Once more it went to his voicemail.

  Chapter 24

  When they entered the photography section of the art show, Blu’s attention was captured by a photograph on the wall.

  “Look at this, Marley. It’s a clown.” Joey tugged his sister a few steps away to another photograph, but Blu couldn’t look away from the one in front of her.

  “Do you like it?”

  Blu turned to look at the man beside her. He wore a low baseball cap, a baggy windbreaker, and a pair of whitewashed jeans that told his age more than his youthful features did.

  “There’s something about it. It feels familiar somehow.”

  He nodded as he studied the picture as well. “It could be Anytown USA, right?”

  “Look at this.” She pointed to the corner of a sign that could barely be seen in the photograph. “Can you make out the letters?”

  “Oh.” He cleared his throat. “It’s an ice cream shop.”

  Blu’s eyes widened. “Are you sure?”

  “Yes.”

  “How can you be so sure?” Blu tilted her head from side to side as she tried to get the right angle.

  “Because I’m the one that took the picture.” He chuckled.

  Blu looked back at him as she took a sharp breath.

  “You are?”

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to troll for compliments. It’s just that so few people have ever gazed at my work like that before. I was curious to know what it was that held the attention of a young woman like yourself.”

  Blu narrowed her eyes. “What’s the name of the ice cream shop?”

  “Peddle’s.”

  “Like the one here in town?”

  “Ah, yes. But this is a different one. In another state.”

  Blu inched a few steps away from him. “Why did you take a picture of it?”

  “I find the story behind it intriguing. I take pictures of interesting things—not just beautiful, but novel. You know?”

  “What’s so interesting about the ice cream shop?”

  “Oh, I thought you saw it.”

  “Saw what?”

  He pointed to the peak of the roof. “See that?”

  Blu squinted her eyes. She could just make out the horseshoe. “Oh wow! I didn’t see that at first.”

  “Yes, that’s the interesting part. There are five Peddle’s Ice Cream Shops and each one has a horseshoe.”

  “How did you discover that?”

  “I used to vacation here. I was here when Mr. Peddle opened his ice cream shop for the first time. I watched him nail that horseshoe to his roof, where no one could see it. When I asked him why he did it, he put his finger to his lips and told me that it was a secret.” The man put his fingers to his lips to show Blu. “It made my curiosity and my imagination go wild. My family traveled a lot over the years, and I noticed there was another Peddle’s Ice Cream Shop. When I researched the shops, I found that there were five in total. I wanted to know if the ice cream shops were all connected, so a year ago I went on a photography journey and snapped pictures of all the other shops. Apparently my idea was very popul
ar. I’ve been paid quite a bit of money for my pictures.”

  “Were you here last year? Did you take a picture then?” Blu searched his eyes.

  “Yes. I did.” He sighed. “That was before.” His lips drooped and his eyes narrowed.

  “Before what?”

  “Well, you know. Gill killed Martha.”

  The words struck Blu hard. She wasn’t sure what she expected to hear from the man, but it was not that.

  “I don’t believe he did it.”

  “Who would? He was a sweet old guy. I’m sure the police will figure it out.” He shrugged.

  “Did you know them?”

  “No. Not at all. I liked to think I got to know them a little through my photographs. But can anyone ever really know someone?” He tilted his head to the side. “I’d never imagine that there was a monster living in an ice cream shop.”

  Blu frowned. “You can’t always believe what you hear.”

  “That’s the truth.” He chuckled. “I’m Harry, by the way.” He offered her his hand.

  Blu shook it.

  He held her hand for a moment longer than necessary, then released it. “I’d love to hear your opinions on the rest of my work, by the way—good or bad.”

  Blu steered the kids along with her as she studied each photograph. She found that Harry was very easy to talk to.

  “How come there are so many shadows in your pictures?” She looked over at him. “Do you find the world to be hidden, or are you hiding from it?”

  “A little of both.” He smiled. “I find it difficult to find my place in the world. I would guess that it’s somewhere between the shadows and the light.”

  “How poetic.”

  “You think?” He laughed. “Sometimes it still shocks me that people even like my work. To me, they’re just pictures of the world I see.”

  “It’s a beautiful world.”

  “Blu, are we going to the beach?” Joey leaned against the wall. “I’m bored.”

  “Sorry.” Blu cringed. “They’re not exactly art experts.”

  “It’s fine.” Harry looked at the two kids. “I wouldn’t want to keep you from the real beauty in life. Nature—that’s the art you should enjoy.” He smiled at Blu. “Would you mind if I tagged along?”