by Tabitha Tate
Beth placed her fork on her plate and said, “That was delicious, thank you.”
Chase gave her a sneaky grin and said, “I have one more surprise in store.” Chase walked over to the fridge and pulled out a tub of vanilla ice cream, walked over to the stove and broke a bar of dark chocolate into tiny pieces and placed it in a saucepan on medium heat. Once the chocolate had melted, he added some cream to create a decadently rich chocolate sauce.
Beth took a bite of dessert and closed her eyes, savoring the wonderful taste.
“Yum, ice cream and chocolate sauce, it’s always a winner.”
Chase was enjoying it too. “It’s my favorite. Can’t go wrong with ice cream and chocolate sauce.”
After dinner Beth helped him to pack the dishwasher before going outside to enjoy the warm summer evening on the front porch. The ocean was calm and it was quiet except for the soothing sound of waves rolling onto the beach. Millie’s lodge was a little way out of town and the owners had made sure to only allow for the bare minimum in terms of outside lighting which provided a perfect black backdrop in which to enjoy the brightness of the stars in the night sky. Beth had never seen so many stars in her life. The night sky in Boston was filled with the artificial glow of street lights and dirty air clung like a heavy blanket, smothering the night sky—not the ideal conditions for star gazing.
Beth looked up at the night sky and looked over at Chase who was also gazing skyward.
“It’s beautiful.”
“It is,” he replied, and leaned over and clutched her hand in his.
“Beth, you really had me worried last night. I am not sure what your plans are, but I would love to get to know you a little better.”
“I…I don’t know what to say. I am not really looking for anything serious at the moment and I will probably be leaving early next week. I mean…I do like you but considering that I live in Boston and you live here, I just don’t see the point really.”
Chase squeezed her hand. “I was hoping you might reconsider you plans to return to Boston now that Sheriff Hunter has ruled your mother’s death a murder. You should be able to pay off all the shop’s debts and have enough to make a new start here. The cottage would make a lovely home.”
“I am very happy that the sheriff is going to be looking into her murder but I can’t help feel disappointed that I didn’t manage to solve the case. I really wanted to find her killer. I felt it would be a fitting tribute to her. I have thought about the shop but I don’t really know anything about the flower business and while the insurance money will cover the debts, it is hardly enough to allow me to quit my job. The cottage is still in Bernard’s name—I have my suspicions about him forging Mom’s will with Olivia’s help but I have no proof of that.” Beth sighed heavily at the thought of all of this.
Chase looked over at her. His eyes were soft and the expression on his face showed that he cared about her.
“Then don’t leave just yet. Stay and I will help you solve your mother’s case.”
Beth laughed and smiled back at him. “Thank you for everything you have done but I really have to get back to Boston. I thought I could solve my mother’s case but after all this effort I have nothing. A dead end.”
“I still think that you need to take another look at Jack Reynolds. I am convinced that he is involved somehow,” Chase replied.
Beth shook her head. “I also thought he was involved, but now I’m not so sure anymore. I looked into the property development angle. Rebecca at the newspaper doesn’t know anything about any new property developments and I did a thorough Internet search that turned up nothing. If Jack is involved then he sure knows how to cover his tracks.”
“Why did you go to the warehouse, Beth? The message you left on my phone mentioned that you had overheard a conversation between Jack and Mrs. Blackwood and that you believed the sheriff and Piper were in danger. What made you think that?”
Beth had also thought that Jack was involved but after the embarrassing scene that played out at the harbor she wasn’t so sure anymore. Beth told Chase about the conversation she had overheard between Jack and Mrs. Blackwood.
Chase looked at her incredulously. “Is that it! You almost got yourself killed because you overheard that. The woman could have been talking about cooking pots for all you know!” His words stung, and she felt like a fool.
“I didn’t mean to put anyone’s life in danger,” she said softly, trying not to let him hear the hurt in her voice.
He looked at her and rubbed his hands through his hair. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be so hard on you. I shudder to think what might have happened if we didn’t get there in time...” His voice trailed off as his eyes met hers. He cupped her face in his hands, leaned in and kissed her softly on the lips. Beth was caught by surprise, but the warmth of his skin and the softness of his mouth were too much to resist and she kissed him back.
Chapter 10
Beth got out of her car and looked at the front of the prettiest shop in Bartholomew Bay. The Scent with Love flower shop was flanked by an antique shop on the left and a second-hand bookshop on the right. The pretty red brick building had two large windows on either side of the black painted door. The wooden window frames were painted in matching black and a pretty pot of pink and white petunias hung on the aged brick wall either side of the door. A pink-and-white-striped awning hung above the shop front and buckets of colorful fresh flowers were packed on the sidewalk outside. The sweet flowery scent of sweet pea, peonies and roses mixed with the exotic aroma of lily hung in the air, inviting passers-by to stop and linger outside, attracted to the bright bursts of color and delightful perfume like bees to honey.
Beth looked at it all and though of what a pity it would be to see all her mother’s hard work handed off to the new owners once the shop was sold. Beth would not be able to manage the shop from Boston. She had been worried about Hannah but now that her mother’s life insurance money was going to pay out she had enough money to pay off the shop’s debts which would give her the bargaining power she needed to negotiate a good price and she hoped to be able to secure Hannah’s job as part of the sale contract.
Hannah was in a good mood.
“Morning, Beth, you’re in late this morning. Did you sleep in?”
“No, I had a few errands to run,” Beth lied.
Beth had woken up at sunrise with golden beams of light filtering in through the soft sheer curtains of the main bedroom in the guest cottage. The ocean was calm and the morning sun peered lazily out from the horizon, warming the sandy beach. Chase was still asleep, with a smile spread across his handsome face. Lola was asleep on the carpet at the foot of the bed, her eyes rolled back in her head, dreaming. Beth had smiled at the two of them, pulled on Chase’s shirt and hurried to the kitchen to make breakfast.
The smell of crispy fried bacon coupled with the delicious aroma of freshly toasted bread smothered in rich salty butter had woken Chase and Lola. Beth was busy finishing the scrambled eggs and when she looked up from the stove, she saw Chase smiling at the door.
“You look good in my shirt, pretty lady.”
Beth blushed. “Thank you, but you had better be careful—if you keep saying things like that I might just keep it.”
Chase joined Beth at the table and enjoyed a hearty plate of delicious breakfast. Lola sat at his feet making eyes at him in the hope of getting a treat. Chase seemed immune to the look of longing in her eyes but Beth couldn’t ignore it so she threw her a few crispy bites when Chase wasn’t looking.
After breakfast Chase had cleared the table and washed up while Beth took a warm shower. Beth was in a great mood and she found herself singing to herself as the warm water jets warmed her skin. She couldn’t remember the last time she had felt so alive. After her shower she styled her hair, put on a light sprinkling of makeup and put on a navy blue-and-white high-waisted polka-dot dress paired with a pair of flat leather sandals.
When she was done she found Chase in the kitchen
reading the paper with a cup of coffee. Two dimples immediately sprang to life at the sight of her.
“You look beautiful, Beth. There is nothing sexier than a woman in a dress.”
Beth walked over to him and planted a kiss on his cheek. He whispered softly in her ear, “Last night was amazing.”
Beth felt her cheeks flush and said, “I enjoyed it too.”
“Where are you off to?” asked Chase.
“I have to get to the shop, I need to finalize the inventory and assets list before the realtor comes to see me tomorrow.”
Chase sighed and a look of disappointment flashed across his face. “Are you really going to sell the shop?”
“Yes,” replied Beth without a moment’s hesitation.
“Well okay then, if that’s what you want, but I was really hoping you would stay.”
Beth grabbed her handbag and headed for the door. “I had better get going, Hannah will be at the shop by now.”
The look of disappointment on Chase’s face haunted Beth on her drive to the shop. She kept going over things in her head. She liked Chase, she really did but it was just too soon to pack up her life in Boston for a man she had only known a few weeks. It had been a very long time since she had been with a man and last night had been wonderful but it just seemed so sudden. Beth wondered if it would be possible to maintain a long-distance relationship for a few months, see where things were going and then try to decide on the best way forward once they knew a little more about each other. Perhaps Chase could move to Boston.
Beth pushed her thoughts about Chase to the back of her mind and got to work at the flower shop. She needed to finalize the inventory list and make sure she had all her ducks in a row for the meeting with the realtor. Beth grabbed her notebook from the counter and looked down at the large brown envelope Jack had given her. With all the excitement at the harbor, the arrest of Allison Landon and the unexpected romantic developments with Chase, she had completely forgotten about the envelope from her mother. Beth picked up the envelope and went to the shop’s stock room. Once inside she opened the envelope and stared at the blank white pages. She had no idea what to make of it but she knew someone who might be able to help. She picked up her phone and sent Chase a text message.
Can you meet me at the coffee shop next to the library in an hour?
She got a response from Chase within minutes.
Sure thing, see you in an hour.
Hannah was putting together a large floral arrangement at the work table in the front of the shop, humming to herself as she worked. Beth got to work, making a list of all the old second-hand vases her mother had collected. She completed the inventory list and placed the envelope in her handbag.
“Hannah, I have to run a few errands this afternoon. I probably won’t be back. Can you lock up the shop today?”
Hannah looked up from behind a large hydrangea and waved her hand. “No problem.”
Beth left the shop and walked the three blocks to Melissa’s coffee shop. The main road in town was full of townsfolk going about their daily routine, getting medication from the drug store, doing grocery shopping and driving the kids to doctor’s appointments and soccer practice. Everything looked normal except for the nervous chatter as people huddled in groups talking excitedly about Allison Landon’s arrest. Beth kept her head down and walked at a brisk pace, trying to avoid making eye contact. She did not wish to get caught up in the gossip mill that was buzzing all around her.
Chase was sitting at the very back of the shop; two large cups of coffee sat on the small round table in front of him. He looked up and smiled at the sight of her, a big toothy schoolboy grin. Beth couldn’t help but smile back.
“I ordered you a tall cappuccino, hope you don’t mind?” said Chase as she sat down.
“No not at all, that is exactly what I was planning to order myself.”
Annie Lewis, the local pharmacist, was sitting at the table across from them, listening to music on her phone as she updated her daily planner. The sight of Beth sitting down with Chase immediately drew her attention. She turned down the music volume, removed the earpiece from her left ear and focused her attention in their direction, trying to listen in on as much of their conversation as possible.
Chase took Beth’s hand in his and scanned his eyes across her face.
“What’s troubling you, Beth? Why did you ask me to meet you here?”
Beth dug into her leather handbag and pulled out the brown envelope filled with her mother’s blank pages.
“I need your help, Chase. Jack Reynolds gave me this last week. He said my mother had given it to him. She told him it was a list detailing investments she had made for the shop, investments that according to her had grown considerably over the last few years…”
Chase placed his cup down on the table, interrupting her. “But that’s great news, you can save the shop!”
Beth shook her head. “It would be great news if I knew what to make of it, but the pages in the envelope are all blank.”
Chase was intrigued. “Is Jack sure he gave you the correct documents?”
“He seemed pretty sure to me,” replied Beth.
“Did you check to see if the note was written in invisible ink?” asked Chase.
“No, I hadn’t thought of that. How would we be able to tell?”
Chase smiled smugly and whipped a small black mini flashlight on a keychain from his pocket.
“My trusty, three-in-one laser pointer, LED and UV light. Always comes in handy.”
Chase took the papers from the envelope and flashed the UV light across the pages. Nothing.
“If your mother used invisible printer ink, it should show under the UV light, but I am not seeing anything…perhaps she used the old-fashioned way—lemon juice,” he mused.
Beth was finding this a little amusing. “Invisible printer ink? UV light? That sounds a little high-tech for Mom. If she wrote anything in invisible ink, I would put money on it that she used the old-fashioned way.”
Chase laughed too, almost choking on his coffee. “Okay, okay, I hear you and I agree that is probably a little high-tech for your mother, but don’t underestimate her, she was a prolific drug supplier in her spare time. Who knows what else she might have got up to?”
Annie Lewis almost choked on her coffee too. Another drug supplier in Bartholomew Bay, whatever was the world coming to? Beth and Chase looked over at her and she quickly looked away, pretending not to have noticed them, but their conversation had caught her interest and she was curious to find out if a secret message had been written on the blank pages in invisible ink.
“So how do we check to see if she wrote a secret message in lemon juice?” Beth asked excitedly.
Chase called the waitress over and whispered in her ear. She took the documents and hurried off to the kitchen. “Messages written in lemon juice can be developed using heat. I asked her to put them in the oven at low heat for five minutes.”
“Are you serious? I hope she doesn’t set them on fire!”
The waitress came after what seemed like an eternity, handed the papers back to Chase and winked at him before sauntering off with what looked to Beth like a deliberately suggestive sway of her hips. Beth watched her leave and gave Chase a questioning glance. She had no idea what that had been about but it was definitely not nothing.
Chase had other things on his mind. He was huddled over the pages trying to make out any visible writing.
“Beth, take a look here,” he said animatedly and handed her a page. “It is not very clear and I can’t make it out but I am almost certain that there is very faint writing on this page. Can you make out what it says?”
Beth scanned the pages eagerly but could only make out very faint writing.
“I think you may be right, but it’s not clear enough to make out what it says.”
The sound of Annie Lewis’ deep husky voice startled them both. Beth turned around to find her standing next to her, craning over her shoulder to get
a better look at the documents.
“Can I help you?” she asked, trying very hard to keep her voice down.
“Oh, I am so sorry for sticking my nose into what clearly is not my business but I just couldn’t help but overhear your conversation. I am not normally the type to offer unsolicited advice but I really do feel that I may be of assistance.”
Beth was skeptical. “How exactly would you like to help?” she asked politely through clenched teeth.
“Well I am a pharmacist so I am quite familiar with chemical reactions and I was an avid amateur detective as a child. I am almost certain that the invisible ink on that paper is vinegar, which is known to develop poorly using heat. Vinegar is best developed using chemical means. Red cabbage solution will turn any invisible message written using vinegar dark red. It contains a pigment called flavin that will react strongly with the vinegar.”
Chase was impressed. “Red cabbage solution, never heard of that one but I think we should give it a try. I think we need to make a trip to the grocery store. Thanks, Annie.”
A brilliant shade of red flashed across Annie’s cheeks, making it look as if she had just been slapped. She tucked a strand of shoulder-length mousy brown hair behind her ear and looked down at the floor. “Sure thing, Chase, anything to help.”
Beth wasn’t sure if she was imagining things but it almost appeared to her as if Annie also had a thing for Chase. He didn’t seem to notice at all, instead he grabbed her by the hand and ushered her out of the shop with his other hand placed protectively in the small of her back. She was the envy of every woman in Mellissa’s coffee shop.
Chapter 11
Beth and Chase returned to her guest cottage with a large red cabbage in a grocery bag on the floor of Chase’s pickup truck. Chase came around, opened her door and lifted her out of the truck, went around back and opened the tailgate for Lola who had been riding on the back.
Beth hurried into the kitchen and immediately got to work. She put the kettle on and chopped the cabbage into small pieces, placed them in a large mixing bowl and added the boiling water from the kettle. After ten minutes, the water had turned a deep purple/red color. Beth poured the contents of the bowl over a strainer, collecting the red cabbage water in a measuring cup. Chase rummaged under the wash basin for an empty spray bottle and filled it with the cabbage water.