by Lyndsey Cole
Pearl looked behind her and leaned close to Hannah. “It is starting to look like a mob convention. I’ll tell them they have to leave.”
“Now,” Hannah reminded Pearl.
Of course Sherry would have to walk by at the moment Petunia decided to root around in front of the cottage. The smoke from Pearl’s cottage was drifting outside. And, Rocky sauntered out, sans shirt. Not that he was hard to look at, but his peacock strut was enough to make Hannah gag.
Sherry’s eyes popped and, without a word, she hastened to Cottage Three and slammed the door.
“What’s her problem?” Rocky asked.
“A bit uptight,” Pearl said. “She must need a man in her life.”
“Is that your solution to every problem?” Hannah asked.
“Always worked for me, dear. Got wealthy and, I’d like to think, wise from all my ex’s.” Pearl winked at Hannah.
A loud crash sounded inside the cottage.
“Move the cars. All of them. Out. Of. My. Driveway. Now.” Hannah kept her words level to counter her rising stress level.
“No need for attitude, Doll Face. We only stopped in to say hello to Nana,” Rocky said as he grinned at Hannah. “Wanna meet me for dinner tonight? There must be at least one decent place to grab some grub in this sleepy town.”
Hannah ignored Rocky. She pointed to Pearl and the cars. “It’s time to tell your friends to skedaddle.”
Officer Pam Larson drove in as far as possible. Hannah had never been so happy to see her.
“Whoa, Doll Face. Did you call the cops?” Rocky high-tailed it into the cottage and rounded up the others in less than a minute. On his way past Hannah, still bare-chested but with a black t-shirt draped over one shoulder, he held his thumb to his ear and his pinky to his mouth. “Nana’s got my number. Call me.”
“Yeah, right,” Hannah mumbled under her breath. Maybe when the Atlantic freezes solid.
The five Cadillacs backed out leaving a cloud of dust and one police woman staring in disbelief. “I can’t wait to hear the explanation of that, Ms. Holiday. After I have a chat with all your guests.” Pam stared at Petunia grunting and rooting at the edge of the cottage. “Is that a pig?”
Pearl picked up Petunia. “She’s a potbelly pig to be exact. Six months old and house trained.”
“Is that so?” Pam crossed her arms and leaned against Pearl’s red convertible. “Are you zoned for agriculture here, Ms. Holiday?”
“Pearl Martini is a guest and Petunia, her pet, will only be here temporarily,” Hannah replied, hoping the fact that she didn’t actually answer the question would go unnoticed by Pam.
“I’ll keep that in mind.” She checked her iPad. “Who’s staying in your other cottages? I’d like to have a little chat with each person. Separately, of course.” She glanced at Pearl. “Starting with you.”
“Sherry Wolfe is staying in Cottage Three, and you spoke to the couple in Cottage Four yesterday—Aaron and Laura Masterson.”
Pam made a few notes. “I’ll use your office, Ms. Holiday. Follow me.” Pam walked to Hannah’s office without checking to see if anyone followed. Pearl didn’t.
Hannah walked in behind Pam. The officer made herself comfortable at Hannah’s desk and waited.
Hannah looked over her shoulder. “Um, Pearl went back into her cottage.”
Pam pursed her lips and tapped her chin. “That’s okay. You and I can chat first. Sit down.” Pam waited for Hannah.
“I’ll stand.” She was furious that Pam took her seat at her desk and she wasn’t going to let Pam intimidate her.
“Fine. Why were you and your sister at the marina this morning?”
“Just checking to see if my guest, Lenny DiMarco, ever returned to the marina. Alive.”
“What did you find out?”
Hannah paused. She didn’t want to get Chase in trouble if he had told Hannah something he wasn’t supposed to. “Nothing, except a body was found. Can you tell me if it was Lenny?”
“It’s not. We found photos of him in Lenny’s car and the dead guy was definitely not Lenny. Much shorter and fatter.”
“Who is it?”
Pam shrugged. “Beats me. May be awhile before he’s identified. Pretty beat up from the rocks.”
“You’re still searching for another body?”
“We are.” Pam rested her chin on her entwined fingers. “There were more photos.”
Hannah froze. She didn’t dare move or say anything. She knew in the pit of her stomach that she wouldn’t like what Pam was about to tell her. More photos couldn’t be good if Pam made a point of bringing it up.
Pam stood up. “Okay, how about you ask Ms. Martini to come in here. I’m dying of curiosity to find out who all those,” she cleared her throat, “gentlemen were who rushed out of her cottage in such a hurry when I showed up. If I didn’t know better, Ms. Holiday, I’d think you were letting some bad thugs rent Cottage Two.” Pam cocked her head to one side in a challenge to Hannah.
Hannah refused to take the bait. She did not want to get into a pissing match with Officer Pam Larson. The probability was high that it wouldn’t end well for Hannah.
Cal knocked on the door and poked his head in, his face dropping when he saw Hannah was with Pam. “Do you have a minute, Hannah? I need your advice on something.”
“Sure do.” She turned back toward Pam. “Will you be able to find the guests yourself?” Hannah asked in an overly friendly voice.
Pam stood up. “I’ll manage. Oh, I almost forgot. I’d like to talk to your sister, too. Is she here?”
Hannah froze with her back to Pam. “Ruby hasn’t been feeling well. I’ll check if she’s asleep.”
“Really? She looked fine when I saw the two of you at the marina. Don’t bother her now.”
Hannah held the office door open for Pam before she followed Cal to the snack bar. “More problems?”
“Nope. Everything’s going perfect. I’ve got one more beam to replace. You’ll be able to call the building inspector to swing by tomorrow for the final check,” Cal said with a satisfied grin on his face.
“So, what advice did you need?” Hannah bent down to look under the snack bar at the new beams.
“Chicken or steak?”
“What?” Hannah straightened, cocked her head, and looked at Cal. The edges of his blue eyes wrinkled and his lips curved into a devilish smile. Her heart fluttered which reminded her to slow down already and remember what was important.
“For dinner tonight. I’m hoping you’d like to join me on my boat for a bite to eat.”
The thought of spending the evening with Cal tempted Hannah beyond everything at the moment except solving the problem about Lenny’s disappearance. “There’s a good chance that Ruby and Olivia will be staying with me tonight.”
“Bring them along. You know I can’t say no to Olivia, and Theodore was just telling me how much he’s missed your little niece.”
“Oh, really? Theodore, the stuffed bear, told you he misses Olivia?”
“Uh huh. So, what’s the answer? Chicken or steak?”
Hannah laughed. Laughing felt good after all the problems from the past twenty four hours. “Neither.”
Cal’s face fell.
“You’ve put in so much time here helping me, I’ll pick up a couple of pizzas so neither one of us has to spend time cooking. It’s the least I can do.”
“Okay, I can live with that compromise. Bring Ruby and Olivia if they want to come.”
“They can eat outside so we can have some alone time,” Hannah suggested.
Cal’s grin widened and he leaned close to Hannah. “Maybe just Ruby.”
“Hey Cal,” one of his workers hollered. “Got a problem with this last beam. It’s not sitting right. Something’s in the way.”
“Not what I want to hear,” Cal mumbled. “I’ll check with you about dinner before I leave,” he called to Hannah as he hurried to find out what the problem was.
Hannah took a quick look out
over the ocean. It helped to focus on the distant horizon, where the sky met the water, to keep everything in perspective. She needed to see the big picture instead of each little problem that kept piling up. Strive toward the big picture of being able to relax and enjoy the beautiful ocean spot that her Great Aunt Caroline left her.
She realized that she desperately needed to get the income stream moving faster than a trickle or she might not be able to stay here.
She urgently needed the snack bar to open on time.
And more than anything else, she had to figure out how to keep Ruby and Olivia safe.
Chapter 6
Olivia flitted around Hannah’s cottage like a month old puppy. “Hurry up Hannah. What’s the surprise? Are you coming too, Mom?”
Finally, Ruby was dressed after a long hot shower. She told Hannah she needed to wash away the memory of seeing Lenny. Not that it helped much. Especially since Hannah’s plan was to take a walk toward the site of the capsized boat to look for clues. It was unlikely they would find anything after the police scoured the shoreline, but it couldn’t hurt.
Hannah picked Olivia up and twirled her around. “The surprise? You want to know the surprise?”
“Yesssss!” Olivia screeched all the way around Hannah’s spinning circle.
“Let’s go. I have an interesting guest in Cottage Two.”
Olivia’s face fell. “That doesn’t sound fun. Your guests are boring.”
“Not this one. Nellie loves her already. Come on.”
Hannah, with Olivia holding her hand and dancing next to her, led the way to Pearl’s cottage. Nellie ran ahead, anxious to visit with her new friend. Ruby trailed behind with lead in her feet.
Pearl, in all her purple glory, emerged through the cottage door. Petunia, with her leash and harness, trotted out right next to her.
“A pig!” Olivia squealed as she dashed to embrace Petunia. “You didn’t tell me your guest is a pig.”
“A potbelly pig to be exact, dear. And who are you?” Pearl asked.
“This is Olivia,” Hannah explained. “Can we take Petunia for a walk with us?” She hoped Pearl didn’t ask any more questions about Olivia since Ruby was jumpy about who knew what about her until Lenny was found. Preferably, without the ability to stalk Ruby ever again.
“A walk? I suppose Petunia would love to join you. Let me get her walking outfit.” Pearl returned inside. Ruby mouthed walking outfit? Is she for real?
They didn’t have to wait long before Pearl returned with a colorful sunhat and Petunia’s sunglasses. She handed the items to Hannah. “Just in case. She does sunburn easily.”
Hannah gave Ruby the silent look they had always shared to mean craaaazy before she accepted the accessories and Petunia’s leash. “We shouldn’t be gone for too long.”
“I’m meeting Rocky in town, so just keep Petunia until I get back,” Pearl casually stated. “Oh. And don’t feed her anything.” Pearl lowered her voice and cupped her hand around her mouth, apparently so Petunia wouldn’t hear what was coming next. “She’s been gaining too much weight.”
Again, Hannah gave her sister the silent look before she stepped away from Pearl with Petunia and Olivia at her side. Nellie dashed to the path beyond Cottage Four and Olivia pulled Petunia’s leash away from Hannah.
The little girl looked up at her aunt. “Can I wear Petunia’s hat and sunglasses until she needs them?”
“Great idea.” Hannah pushed the sunhat over Olivia’s French braids and handed her the pink sunglasses which Olivia slid onto her nose. Upside down.
Olivia and Petunia tried to catch up with Nellie but their strides were much shorter and slower than the golden retriever’s long graceful bounds.
Hannah and Ruby walked in silence for several minutes, until Hannah blurted out, “What did you and Officer Larson talk about when she found you this afternoon?”
Ruby sighed and her shoulders sagged. “It wasn’t good. She found photos of me and Olivia in Lenny’s car.”
“I was afraid of that. How did you explain it?”
“I lied.” Ruby grabbed Hannah’s arm and stopped walking. “I told her I had no idea who Lenny is. Pam mumbled something about probably a stalker.”
“Are you sure there was nothing in the photos to link you with him?”
“With Olivia, no. I think he got those images when we were walking to or from school. He may not have figured out his connection to Olivia.”
“So he was stalking you.”
“In those photos, yes. But there was one that was kind of blurry that he must have taken when I met with him the other day. When I was walking back to my car.”
Hannah started walking again. “I see this going one of two ways. The first is the best. For you. Lenny’s body turns up and he’s out of your life once and for all.”
“And the other way?”
“He turns up alive and Pam will be off your back but Lenny might figure out that Olivia is his daughter.”
“You’re making a dangerous assumption, Hannah. What if Lenny has simply vanished into thin air? He’s done it before.”
Hannah could hear Olivia talking to Petunia. “And if you stay at Aunt Hannah’s cottage, I’ll get to see you all the time. Me and Nellie.”
Another problem, Hannah told herself—Olivia must have missed the part that Petunia was only a guest. She hoped it didn’t break Olivia’s heart when Petunia left, like so many others in her life. She picked up the pace, pulling Ruby along with her. “I hear someone talking and I can’t see Olivia.”
They raced around the corner and laughed. Poor Sherry Wolfe was standing in the brush at the side of the path while Petunia stared at her. Olivia happily chatted to Sherry. “Don’t be scared of Petunia. She’s just a little potbelly pig.” Olivia bent down to examine the pig’s underside. “I don’t know where the pot is but she’s a sweet pig anyway. Do you have any pets? I want to get a cat but my mom says I have to wait until I’m six. I’ll be six on April something. Mom? What day is my birthday?”
“Soon, honey. Let’s let the woman finish her walk in peace.”
Sherry glared at Hannah but managed to pat Olivia on the head as she jumped by Petunia.
“Nice walk, Sherry?” Hannah asked. “Did you see anyone along the beach?”
Sherry paused. “What? See anyone? Ah, no. Just all of you. Why are you being so nosy? Can’t a person take a walk without being accosted?” She scurried away, her backpack slapping against her back with every footstep.
“That was a strange reaction,” Ruby said as she stood looking backwards at Sherry’s retreating back.
Hannah waved her hand, dismissing Sherry Wolfe’s comments. “I think Petunia scared her out of her comfort zone. She’s a retired teacher thinking about relocating to Hooks Harbor but I’m not sure Hooks Harbor is ready for someone like her, and it certainly looks like she’s not ready for a neighbor like Petunia.”
The path opened up to a rocky shoreline. “This is where Lenny’s boat was found.” Waves crashed into the big rocky point. Hannah shuddered. “I don’t see how he could have survived. If the rocks didn’t smash him to bits, the cold Atlantic would do him in.”
“I wish I had your confidence, but you don’t know Lenny. He’s always got a plan. He’s up to something. What about that map on his camera? We should study it some more and see if it ties in with this spot or somewhere else around here.”
Hannah put her arm around Ruby’s shoulders. “Now you’re thinking. I knew this walk would be useful. I forgot about the map. How about we head back? Cal invited us all for dinner if you and Olivia want to come.”
Olivia, with her big ears, heard that and jumped up and down. “Can we bring Petunia? Theodore would love Petunia.”
“We’ll have to check with Pearl. She’s probably wondering where her potbelly pig is,” Hannah told Olivia.
They all turned back to the trail. Petunia pulled Olivia off the path with her persistent rooting in the sandy dirt.
“It’s bett
er for her to root here than in front of the cottages,” Hannah said as she took the leash from Olivia. “I’ll try to guide her in the right direction while she’s having her fun.”
Petunia would have none of it. She wanted what she wanted and she pulled Hannah farther off the trail.
“What’s that?” Hannah bent down to see what Petunia was after. “Someone buried some peanut butter cracker wrappers here.” Hannah stuffed the trash in her pocket. “Petunia has a good nose.”
Petunia kept working in the same area. “What’s this?” She grabbed the sleeve of a turquoise colored t-shirt and pulled it free of the dirt. Hannah gasped. “This looks like the shirt Lenny wore the day he came to rent the cottage. Before he went to the marina.” She held it up to show Ruby.
Ruby’s face drained of color. “I told you. He’s still alive.”
Chapter 7
Ruby sagged into Hannah’s comfy chair when they returned to Hannah’s cottage. She begged off going to Cal’s boat for dinner even though Olivia was thrilled with the plan and sat down to draw Cal a picture while she waited for Hannah to get ready to leave.
Pearl babied Petunia as if she had been gone for weeks instead of an hour. “Did you have a nice walk?” Pearl asked in a high pitched baby voice as she scratched Petunia’s back. Petunia grunted with pleasure as she twisted her little body one way, then the other, before Pearl led her out of Hannah’s cottage.
“I’ll get caught up with some of your paperwork,” Ruby said as she walked toward the door to Hannah’s office. “I need to keep my mind busy.”
Hannah nodded. “And study the photos?”
Ruby nodded. Grim-faced.
Hannah stashed the turquoise shirt in the back of her closet. She didn’t have a plan. Yet.
“Okay, Olivia. Ready to roll?” Hannah tried to sound upbeat. She wanted to distract her from Ruby’s problems.
Hannah and Olivia picked up pizza—a small cheese for Olivia and a large eggplant, mushroom, and onion for Cal and herself. Olivia was uncharacteristically quiet in the car, just gazing out the window and jiggling her feet.