by Maci Grant
“I heard that you’ve been snooping around my Wayne. The cops are all over him now. Why are you trying to ruin things for us?”
“I’m not. I think the police are just investigating the crime. If Wayne wasn’t involved, then you have nothing to worry about.”
“Oh, really? Then why did the police come talk to him and take him into custody? You must have told them that we were at the cafe that morning.”
“Listen, I only told them what you told me. It’s nothing they wouldn’t have found out on their own.” Blu clenched her jaw and did her best not to show any fear. The truth was, she had no idea what Betty might do.
“I waited a long time to find the right man. Wayne is it. Now you’re trying to get him taken away. That’s not okay with me.”
“There’s nothing I can do. Unless you have a way to prove that he had nothing to do with it.” Blu raised an eyebrow. “Do you?”
“Sure I do. I know he didn’t do it. He was with me the whole time.”
“That doesn’t exactly work as an alibi. You stood to gain the most from your ex-husband’s death, and you made public threats against him. Not only that, but after you discovered he was dead, you threw a party. I don’t think you can blame the police for being suspicious about that.”
“Yes, I celebrated—like any ex-wife would. That’s not a crime. Besides, I’m not the only one who saw him in the parking lot with me. There was another guy in the parking lot. I know he saw us, because he glared at us through the car window. It really ruined the moment.”
“What did he look like?”
“Isn’t that the cops’ job? Asking me all these questions? You just tell them what I saw and leave it at that. Understand?”
“It might be better if it were coming from you. I can give you the number of the police station,” said Blu.
“No way, nohow. You’re not getting me anywhere near any police station.” Betty stuck her finger close to Blu’s nose. “You started this, you fix it—or I promise you’ll pay the price. Wayne better be released in time for the clambake. We have plans today.”
“I’m going to pay the price?” Blu narrowed her eyes. “Like George did? He ruined your happily ever after by not finalizing the divorce, didn’t he? So you thought you had every right to make sure he never had the chance to live another day.”
Betty laughed and coughed at the same time. “George couldn’t ruin something if he tried. That man never did a single thing right in his life—aside from dying. Now that he’s gone, my life is better. That doesn’t make me a murderer, and it doesn’t make Wayne a murderer either.”
“Maybe not, but that’s for the police to decide, not me.”
“It seems to me that you have an in with the police. At least that’s what I’ve heard.” Betty crossed her arms. “Is that so?”
“I don’t think I’d say that. I’m familiar with the police chief, if that’s what you mean.”
“Sure. Familiar. More like, always hanging around his nephew. AJ, right?”
Blu stared at the woman. She had no idea how she would know anything about AJ. “Yes, that’s his name. We’re friends.”
“Right. Friends. Okay. Well, tell your friend that he better make sure his uncle stays out of my business. I know people in this town too. They might not have badges, but they sure do have guns. Got it?”
“Are you threatening me?” Blu took a slight step back. “Are you aware that’s a crime, Betty? Wayne might get released, but if you keep it up you’re going to be the one that goes to jail.”
“I’m not afraid of you. I don’t know how I can make that any more clear to you. And yes, I am threatening you, and yes, you should be afraid of me—very afraid.” With that Betty brushed past her and walked down the driveway.
Blu watched her until she got into her car.
Chapter 19
Blu waited until she was sure that Betty was gone before getting into her car. It left her unnerved to think that Betty was able to figure out where she lived. What if Rachel and the kids had been home when she’d turned up? Rachel would have been upset and Blu would have been more upset than she already was. If Betty felt comfortable enough to threaten Blu, then what else was she capable of doing? Blu hoped that Chief Pitman would be able to get some information out of Wayne while he held him for questioning.
As she drove to the Beach Bum she tried to shake off the fear that she was feeling. Between her encounter with James Carry on the beach and her run-in with Betty, she had to consider that the case had become quite dangerous.
Blu pulled her car up outside of the Beach Bum. She noticed AJ’s jeep was the only vehicle in the parking lot. Still, when she got out she did so with caution. With Betty around, she had no idea what the woman might decide to do.
She hurried to the front door, but when she pulled on the knob, the door was locked. She knocked hard on the door.
AJ opened it a moment later. “Sorry, I was in the back.” He frowned as he looked into her eyes. “I thought someone was back there.”
“Well, someone was in my driveway this morning when I left to come here—Betty.”
“Are you serious? How did she find you? What did she want?”
“To threaten me. She was quite upset about the fact that Wayne was taken into custody this morning. I’m not sure what she’s planning, but I don’t trust her. She seems to know a lot about you and your uncle.”
AJ looked across the empty parking lot toward the beach. His jaw clenched. “Maybe we should skip the clambake then.” He shoved his hands into his pockets. “I wouldn’t want you to be in danger.”
“No way, we’re not skipping it. I can’t wait to get there. I have a feeling that this clambake is going to be the most eventful one so far.”
“Why is that?” AJ followed her to her car.
“Because there’s something in the air. Whoever did this to George isn’t going to be able to keep it a secret forever.”
AJ opened her car door for her and then walked around to the passenger side. “Where are we going for breakfast?”
“It’s a surprise.” Blu started the car and drove toward the cafe.
When she pulled into the parking lot, AJ sighed and leaned his head back against the seat.
“Why do I get the feeling that this is a working breakfast?”
“Maybe because it is.” Blu smiled. “I want another crack at Cathy. I think she’s hiding something.”
“Why do you think that?”
“Because James Carry is a creep and she failed to mention that.”
“Why do you think he’s a creep? He doesn’t seem so bad.”
“He seemed pretty bad to me today when he ran me off the beach into the water.”
“What?” AJ paused on the sidewalk and met her eyes. “What are you talking about?”
“I went for a run this morning and happened to end up in his territory. When he ran toward me, I kept trying to move out of his way. He kept trying to get in my way. Let’s just say my sneakers ended up wet.”
“Wow. That’s nuts. Why do you think he did that?”
“I’m not sure. But I want to know what Cathy actually knows about the man.”
AJ opened the door to the cafe. When they stepped inside, they were greeted by a packed restaurant. Blu hadn’t even thought about the proximity of the cafe to the clambake, or that it would be so busy. She searched the staff for any sign of Cathy.
A frazzled waitress walked up to her.
“It’s going to be awhile, unless you two want to sit at the counter.”
“That’s fine.” AJ glanced at Blu. “Right?”
“Sure. Is Cathy available?”
“Oh please, do not even speak that name!” The woman—whose nametag said Heather—waved her hand in the air. “Cathy was supposed to open this morning and didn’t bother to show up.”
“Is she sick?”
“Who knows?” Heather shrugged. “But this is not the day to bail on the rest of us. I think the entire town is in he
re for breakfast. Do you two want a menu?”
AJ turned to Blu. “Why don’t we just go down to the Gas and Go and get a couple of doughnuts and coffee?” He looked back at the crowd. “I don’t think we could even have a decent conversation here.”
“Okay, that’s a good idea.” Blu took his hand and led him back out of the cafe.
Chapter 20
Once outside the cafe, Blu began to pace back and forth.
AJ leaned back against the exterior of the cafe and watched her. “What are you thinking?”
“What if something happened to her—to Cathy? What if Betty went after her?”
“Why would Betty do that?”
“I don’t know. But Betty said there was a man in the parking lot that saw her and Wayne together in her car. She insisted that she and Wayne had nothing to do with the murder.”
“Then they shouldn’t have a reason to worry about it. I’m sure that Cathy is just fine. She probably didn’t want to deal with the chaos.”
“Wait a minute. Didn’t your uncle go to talk to her last night?”
“He said he was going to after we left the beach.”
“Can you call him and see if he actually spoke with her? If he saw her and she was sick, that would make more sense.”
“Sure, I can call him.” AJ pulled his phone out of his pocket.
As he dialed the number, Blu kept an eye on the people coming and going throughout the parking lot.
“Hi, Uncle Paul. Yes, I’m with Blu. Oh you didn’t?” He glanced over at Blu. “He didn’t find anything on the ring yet.”
Blu nodded. “Ask him about Wayne. Is he still being held?”
“Blu said you picked up Wayne this morning. Do you still have him? Oh, really?” He looked over at Blu. “They had to release him because they didn’t have anything to hold him on.”
Blu frowned. “Ask him about Cathy.”
“Okay, well, I have a question for you. When you spoke to Cathy last night did she seem ill to you?”
He paused then covered the mouthpiece. “She wouldn’t even let him in the door. She refused to answer.”
“Did he actually see her?”
“Uncle Paul, I’m going to put you on speakerphone.” He pushed a button on his cell phone and held it out for Blu to hear.
“I saw her through the window. When she saw me, she pulled the curtains. I pounded on the door. I threatened to arrest her, but she refused to open it. I was planning to catch her at work today.”
“Well, that’s not going to happen because she’s not here.” Blu sighed. “She called in sick. But now I’m guessing that she isn’t sick.”
“Probably not. She probably thinks I’ll be there to talk to her today. Well, maybe I’ll swing by her place again then.”
“Good idea.” Blu nodded.
“I’ll let you know what I find.”
“Wait, Uncle Paul.”
AJ turned off the speaker and put the phone to his ear.
Blu looked at him curiously. “What are you doing?”
“I want you to run a check on James Carry. Yes, the councilman.” He frowned. “No, a real check. Blu saw him this morning and something didn’t feel right. I trust her instincts. Okay, great. Thank you.” AJ hung up the phone and turned to look at Blu.
“You didn’t have to do that.”
“I think it’s important. If he ran you off the beach on purpose then he was trying to intimidate you. If he was willing to intimidate you like that, then who knows what else he’d do to make his point?”
“But why me? Why would he be coming after me?”
“I guess just because we’ve been asking questions.”
“So you think he is involved?”
“I have no idea.” AJ sighed. “Every time I think we have a good grasp on what happened to George, something changes.”
“I know one way to get to the bottom of it.”
“What’s that?”
“We start eliminating suspects. If we can narrow it down, we might get to the truth.”
“How do you plan to do that?” He winced. “Maybe I shouldn’t have asked that.”
““I’m glad you did, AJ.” Blu smiled as she gestured toward the car. “Care to join me for another ride?”
“Where to?” He shook his head. “Never mind. I shouldn’t bother to ask. The answer will be yes no matter where you want to go.”
“Then get in.”
Blu drove toward Betty’s house.
For the better part of the drive AJ gazed out the window. He rubbed his fingertips along the curve of his knee and flicked his fingernails.
Blu wondered if all his nervous behavior was because of her.
“So what’s your favorite thing to do in Manhattan?” AJ asked suddenly.
She slowed the car as she prepared to turn into the neighborhood that Betty lived in. “There are too many things to count, really. There’s one particular place I like to go when I’m alone. It’s a small park. Not huge like Central Park, just big enough to have a few benches and some swings. But there’s a short trail that wraps around the entire property. When I walk that trail it reminds me of home.”
He looked over at her and smiled. “You must really miss your family.”
“Many times I do. We stay in touch, but it’s not the same as being face-to-face with someone.” She cleared her throat as she realized her mistake.
Her words fell flat between them.
Chapter 21
Blu was relieved when she saw the house before them. She parked in front.
“I don’t know if we should be doing this.” AJ shook his head.
“We know that Betty is in town. Let’s see if Wayne is too. If not, maybe we can get a look at his boots. There’s no reason for them to be muddy, right?”
“Blu, I think that you’re grasping at straws. If my uncle knew that we were doing this—”
“—But he doesn’t.” Blu met his eyes across the car. “Either we sit back and do nothing—while waiting for Cathy’s body to show up somewhere—or we look into things. She trusted us, AJ, remember? She thought that telling us would be a safe choice. Instead, she seems to have dropped off the face of the earth with no hint as to where she might be. So maybe this is a silly thing to do—maybe it won’t lead to anything—but I still think that we need to do it.”
“If it’s what you want, then I’ll do it. I understand why you’re worried; I just think making a rash decision right now isn’t going to be the best course of action. What if Wayne is waiting for us?”
“What if he is?” She shrugged. “As far as he knows, we’ve just dropped in for a visit. We’re not doing anything wrong by stopping by someone’s home. Are we?”
“No. I guess not.” He shot her a half-smile. “You really can convince me of anything, can’t you?”
“It seems that may be true.” Blu winked.
AJ reached out and caught the curve of her chin with his finger and thumb.
She was startled as he met her eyes with a determined expression.
“So why can’t I do the same to you?”
Blu’s lips parted, though she had no idea what words might spill out.
Before she could speak, the front door of the house slammed open. Wayne stomped out in nothing but a pair of flip-flops and a Speedo.
Blu’s eyes widened as he charged straight for the car.
AJ’s shoulders tensed. He released her chin and started to open the door.
To Blu’s surprise, Wayne didn’t even seem to notice them. Instead, he ran straight toward a vehicle that appeared to be waiting for him.
“So you thought you were going to leave me behind while you went to the beach, huh?” He climbed into the waiting car, which Blu recognized as belonging to Betty.
As the car sped off, Blu sighed with relief. “I guess now we know no one is home.”
“And that Wayne makes very poor choices when it comes to bathing suits.”
“Good point.” Blu laughed. “Let’s go ta
ke a look, shall we?”
“Sure. But you have to promise to stay with me. No taking off without telling me where you’re going, okay?”
“I think I can agree to that.”
“You think, or you do?” AJ studied her.
“I do.” She smiled and opened the door to the car. “Let’s go.”
Blu made her way up the front walk to the porch. AJ followed right behind her. As she hoped, the large boots were still beside the door.
“I don’t know if we should touch them. We might corrupt the evidence.” AJ paused beside her.
“I’m not worried about it right now. Look.” She pointed to the mud that caked the edges and toes of the boots. “Where do you think that came from?”
“I agree that it looks suspicious, but we also can’t be sure that it’s from the mud flats. There are plenty of places around here where the mud could come from.”
“Maybe the medical examiner can test it?” Blu picked up one of the boots and snapped a picture of the mud-caked sole with her cell phone. “It might help get a conviction.”
“I doubt it. I mean, there’s no way to prove it. Sure, it might be mud that matches the mud at the mud flats, but that’s going to be the same mud found all over the beach.”
“You’re not being very helpful right now.” Blu raised an eyebrow at him.
“I’m sorry.” He grinned. “Yes Blu, you’re a genius and we’ve solved the crime. Is that better?”
“It would be, if you’d said it in a more convincing tone.” Blu laughed. “Okay, so the boots aren’t going to get us the conviction. Why don’t we take a look around inside?”
“What?” AJ crossed his arms. “You mean like break in?”
“I mean that the front door doesn’t look like it was properly closed, does it?” She tilted her head toward the door that was still slightly open. “It wouldn’t be hard to just have a look.”
“Blu, that’s really crossing a line. My uncle—”
“—Isn’t here.” Blu grabbed his hand.
“What are you doing?”
“I promised not to take off without you, so you have to come with me.” She tugged him forward.