by Lyndsey Cole
Hannah didn’t even feel that comment warranted an answer so she sat and waited.
Pam sat in Hannah’s chair with her elbows on Hannah’s desk and her hands clasped together. “You found the body?” Pam stared.
“Technically, I think it was Petunia who found the body.”
“The pig?”
“Yes.”
Pam jotted down a quick note.
Hannah imagined it said something like, smart aleck witness, probably the murderer.
“How did the pig get loose?” Pam leaned back in the chair. “I was under the impression that the pig would be under control while it was a,” she cleared her throat, “a guest here.”
“Apparently, Petunia figured out how to open the cottage door. It won’t happen again,” Hannah promised.
Pam’s left brow rose. “I hope not.” She paused.
The silence made Hannah nervous. What did Pam already know?
Pam leaned forward. “You were the first person to find the body?”
“No. That would be Sherry Wolfe, my guest staying in Cottage Three. I heard a scream and assumed Sherry was startled by Petunia until she pointed to the legs sticking out from under the snack bar.”
“But you called 911.”
“I did. Sherry told me to call.”
Pam scribbled some more notes.
Blames other people for actions, Hannah imagined Pam writing.
“Do you know who the deceased is, Ms. Holiday?”
Ahh, Hannah thought, now Pam was getting down to the nitty gritty. She sighed. “I believe it’s Lenny DiMarco, my guest who was supposed to be staying in Cottage Two. The guest who rented the boat that capsized.”
Pam pursed her lips. “And why do you believe it’s Mr. DiMarco? Did you crawl under the shed and get a good look at him?”
“No. The shorts were familiar and—”
Pam dipped her head and looked at Hannah over the rim of her glasses. “And what, Hannah?”
The interruption and name switch was not lost on Hannah. Was Pam trying to sound friendlier to get more information? Who knew, but it was time for Hannah to come clean. She sighed and looked at her hands. “Ruby recognized him.”
“Okay, now we’re getting somewhere.” Pam jotted down a few more comments. “Do you want to keep playing this cat and mouse game or are you going to tell me everything you know? I will find out eventually, and if your sister is in trouble, the sooner we get to the bottom of this mess, the better for her.”
“Honestly, I don’t know much. Ruby only told me that she knew Lenny a couple of days ago. She’s afraid of him but it’s her story to share. I do have something else though.”
“Lenny DiMarco’s camera?” Pam asked.
“Well, yes. He left it in here.” Hannah pointed behind the chair Pam sat in to a black camera bag. “But there’s more.” She pulled the folded paper from her pocket. “I found this outside a few minutes ago.” She smoothed the map out on her desk and slid it close to Pam. “I think this is what brought Lenny to Hooks Harbor and possibly what he was looking for under my snack bar.”
Pam studied the map. “A treasure map? Are you daft?”
“Maybe, maybe not. Your dad has a map like this that I found in my Great Aunt Caroline’s things after I moved in. He planned to study it but I think it’s been forgotten until now.”
Pam flicked the map away. “I’m more interested in your guests. What can you tell me about Pearl Martini and her grandson? That was an interesting crew visiting her the other day. Not exactly the type of visitors Hooks Harbor is used to.” Pam tilted her head. “I’m not done looking into their stories.”
“Pearl was a friend of Great Aunt Caroline’s when they were kids. Jack remembers her.”
“And?”
“She has a treasure map, too. She claims Caroline sent it to her.” Hannah leaned forward. “But here’s the weird part. She got the letter with the map a year after Caroline died.”
“So she told you?”
“That’s right. At the time I had no reason not to believe her. Your father told me Pearl’s first husband, Tony Amato, had ties to the mob. And he’s in town, too. Doesn’t it seem like too much of a coincidence that all these people arrived with the same goal in mind?”
“What goal? To kill Lenny DiMarco?”
“No. To find a buried treasure.”
Pam looked at Hannah for several seconds before she started to laugh. “You’re joking, right? I really don’t have time for this baloney.” Pam stood up. “Send your sister in next, Ms. Holiday.”
Hannah stared in disbelief. Officer Pam Larson never liked Hannah from the first day she met her, but this was important information connected to a murder investigation. How could she be so flippant and dismissive about it? Ruby was headed for serious trouble if her freedom depended on Pam to connect all the dots to solve Lenny’s murder.
Pearl owed Hannah a favor for saving Petunia’s life, and now she was more determined than ever to cash in on it.
Chapter 11
Friday morning dragged into Friday afternoon with little hope of the police clearing out before the school bus dropped Olivia off from school. Finally, Officer Pam Larson finished questioning everyone. Lenny’s body was gone but the yellow police tape remained around the snack bar. The yellow tape of death for Lenny DiMarco and Hannah’s snack bar grand opening.
Ruby was despondent. She told Pam everything—the truth about her relationship with Lenny; that Lenny was Olivia’s dad; that she had visited Lenny, at his request, earlier in the week; and how she spent the last five years running away from him. “It’s not looking good,” she told Hannah. “Every time Pam scribbled down some notes, it felt like a nail sealing my fate as the prime murder suspect.”
Hannah squeezed Ruby’s shoulder. “You had to come clean with Pam and there’s no time to dwell on it. Let’s move on. I invited Pearl over for coffee. We need to get her on board with your situation and find out who the short fat guy is. Pearl owes me.” Hannah measured coffee for her coffee machine and got it started.
Ruby stayed slumped in the chair. “Olivia will be out of school soon so I’ll take her back to our house and stay out of your way. I don’t want her to get wind of any of this Lenny mess. I’ll have to explain it to her someday, but I can’t think about that conversation at the moment.”
“Before you go, let’s look through all the photos you downloaded from Lenny’s camera. Pam took the camera bag and I forgot to tell her we kept copies of the images.” Hannah grinned. “Oops, my bad.”
Meg knocked on the partly opened door and the smell of seafood filled the room as she entered. “I brought you some food. With all that police tape around the snack bar, we may as well dig into these lobster rolls so they don’t go to waste.”
Hannah imagined the taste of the sweet lobster morsels as soon as Meg mentioned it. Her mouth watered. “You always drop in at the right time with something delicious to eat.”
The three women sat around Hannah’s table. Eating occupied their mouths for several minutes. Hannah placed the last quarter of her lobster roll on her plate, sat back, and sighed. “Oh man. That’s a special treat. How did you know that was exactly what we needed now, Meg?”
Meg chuckled. “Everyone’s the same. Food distracts us from all the stress and worry in our lives. If I wasn’t always on my feet running all over the place, this,” she patted her own stomach, “would be out here with all the comfort eating I do.” Her arms extended in a circle in front of her lap.
“Yeah, right. You’ll never have a weight problem. You and your twin brother Michael couldn’t put on weight if you tried. I think you both must have the skinny gene,” Hannah said with envy lacing her voice.
“Speaking of Michael,” Meg said after she licked her fingers. “He told me some interesting characters have been hanging around his Pub and Pool Hall. He made sure to tell me to mention it to you. Seems he overheard your name pop up in a couple of the conversations.”
“Oh? T
hey wouldn’t be scruffy mobster creeps by any chance? Four older men driving Cadillacs and one young stud who thinks his only job here on the planet is to drive women crazy?”
Ruby stood up. “Who could you be describing, Hannah? Is Rocky Amato working his charms on you? I thought I saw you flirting with him earlier.” She laughed as she walked to the door. “I wish I didn’t have to leave this fascinating conversation, but the bus is almost here. Call me later and fill me in.” She waved on her way out.
Meg watched Hannah. “You seem to know who Michael was referring to. Quite the description, especially about the young stud. Friends of yours?” Meg asked.
“I know who Michael was talking about, but I wouldn’t even go as far as to say I know them. And they certainly are no friends of mine. You know the woman in Cottage Two? Pearl Martini?”
Meg nodded. “Can’t miss her with that purple hair and red sports car. And her pig. Is that mob with her?”
“Mob is right. I’ve heard they actually have ties to the mob, or at least, Pearl’s ex-husband had ties. What were they doing at the pool hall?”
Meg shrugged. “It’s a great place for creeps like them to hang out without bringing too much attention to themselves. Michael might not have paid as much notice if your name hadn’t come up. Several times.”
Hannah opened Ruby’s iPad. “Let me show you something. I think this is the key to all that’s happening.” Hannah brought up the images of the map.
Meg slid her reading glasses from the top of her head down to rest on her nose. “I’d be lost without these. Okay, let me take a look at this.” She pulled the iPad closer. “This looks familiar. Did Caroline have a map like this?”
“She did. Jack has it now. What do you think? Did Caroline ever talk about a treasure buried around here?” Hannah leaned closer to Meg to keep her eye on the map while Meg studied it.
Meg pulled her glasses off and chewed on one arm. “You know? She did mention something, but more in an off-handed, joking way. As I recall, she said something like—wouldn’t it be funny to convince people there was a buried treasure around here? What scoundrels would that attract? I thought it was a gimmick she concocted to bring in more business.”
“Looks like it worked. I wonder if she expected it to bring in a murderer, too,” Hannah said. She flipped the cover over the iPad and pushed her chair away from Meg.
“We might be able to find out something interesting at the Pub and Pool Hall.” Meg grinned at Hannah. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”
“Probably. Tonight would be just perfect to make a visit. Check out the local flavors, and the not-so-local trash.”
“What time should I pick you up?” Meg asked.
“Nine? I’ve got to talk to Pearl Martini and I hope she can answer some questions. She arrived here with one of these treasure maps, too. I’m beginning to think that Great Aunt Caroline had a plan. I just haven’t figured out the details. Yet.”
Meg cleaned up the lobster roll wrappers. “What about your grand opening?”
Hannah held both hands out to her sides, palms up. “Not much I can do. Pam doesn’t give one hoot about my problems. She’s probably secretly happy to be ruining my opening.”
“I have an idea.”
“Spit it out.” Hannah leaned forward again, anxious to hear Meg’s suggestion.
“Michael has a kitchen at the pool hall. How about serving lobster rolls, clam chowder, and Caroline’s famous slaw over there? You’ll attract all the locals, maybe some tourists, and, mostly likely, the motley crew of gangsters. Michael will love the exposure. He’ll sell lots of beer. You could even raffle off something.”
“You’ve given this some real thought.” Hannah flicked the end of her braid on her cheek.
“Yeah.” She nodded. “Raffle off a weekend in one of your cottages. The whole event could benefit the library. Cal’s sister told me they don’t have any money for new books.”
“I like this idea except it will be a big hit in my pocketbook. I don’t know if I can swing it.”
“Let me worry about that, too. I can scrounge up some donations. We’ll make it work out for you, Michael, and the library. Are you in?”
Hannah paused, considering how much this little venture might cost her. “I’m in. With one condition.”
“Oh boy. I’m sure I won’t like it.”
“How about,” Hannah leaned toward Meg in a conspiratorial manner. “How about we raffle off the original, the one and only, treasure map from Great Aunt Caroline.”
Meg roared with laughter. “Are we bringing her back to life to spook everyone?”
“I only care about spooking out the killer before Ruby gets charged with Lenny’s murder. Or worse—someone else ends up with a knife in their back.”
“All because of a silly treasure map?”
“There are at least six people in town I’m betting don’t think it’s a silly map. And that number was eight a couple of days ago. Care to make a guess as to how many more will be killed off?”
“As long as those scumbags keep killing each other, it cleans up the gene pool.” Meg laughed.
Hannah slapped her arm. “You are one bad influence, Meg. Now, get out of here before Pearl shows up. I don’t want to scare her off before I convince her to help me.”
“With what?” Meg narrowed her eyes and studied Hannah’s face.
“I want to know who that first victim is.” Hannah filled Meg in on Ruby’s background with Lenny. “Maybe the short, fat, now-dead guy is the connection between Lenny and the killer.”
“You better be careful. How do you know you can trust Pearl?”
“I saved Petunia from being shot by one of the detectives this morning. She owes me.”
Meg shook her head. “You are treading into dangerous waters, Hannah. I hope your Great Aunt Caroline doesn’t regret starting her little joke about the buried treasure.”
“It’s a bit late for her to regret much of anything. Unfortunately. And I have to clean up the damage. Somehow.”
Chapter 12
With Meg helping Jack find the original map that he had stored someplace, Hannah brought her attention back to Ruby’s iPad and the images from Lenny’s camera.
Something caught her eye in the photo. A set of knives, with one missing, rested on a table in the photo of the short fat guy. Hannah zoomed in on it. Was the missing knife the murder weapon?
She cropped the photo and printed the image of the short fat guy so she’d have something to show Pearl. The knife would have to wait. Hannah was positive that Officer Pam Larson would not miss that detail.
The sound of little feet trotting up her porch steps spurred Hannah to close the iPad and move it out of the way. Pearl, with a tiny bit less bravado than was her usual manner, tapped on the door. “Hellooo? Hannah?”
“Come on in, Pearl. Are you hungry? I have a delicious lobster roll for you if you’re interested. It’s supposed to be my signature food at the snack bar grand opening, but …” She shrugged her shoulders and sighed. “That’s not happening on schedule.”
“Oh dear.” Pearl made herself comfortable at Hannah’s table. Petunia rooted around the room, digging in Nellie’s dog bed. “How can I help?”
Hannah placed the lobster roll in front of Pearl. Even though she didn’t say she wanted it, who could resist? Tender chunks of fresh lobster meat, without all the work of cracking open the shell of the whole crustacean was a win-win. Hannah also had treats on hand for Petunia—a couple of grapes for her, and a homemade dog biscuit for Nellie.
“I’d love a cup of coffee too, dear. If it’s no trouble.”
Hannah poured two mugs and joined Pearl at the table. “I’m hoping you can help me.” Hannah slid the image of the short fat guy across the table toward Pearl. “Any idea how to find out who this is?”
Pearl took a big bite of the lobster roll as she studied the image. “I’ve seen this guy before.” She set the paper down, tilted her head, and looked up at Hannah. “But
I’m not sure where. Why?”
Hannah sensed that Pearl was hiding something. Did she know who the short fat guy was? “How did you really get that map from Caroline, Pearl? And why did you show up in Hooks Harbor now? A year after Caroline died?”
Pearl sputtered and coughed, pretending her coffee went down her windpipe but Hannah could tell it was all for show. “You know, Hannah, you remind me a lot of your Great Aunt Caroline. No beating around the bush, just straight for the jugular. Let me tell you something you probably don’t know about her.”
Hannah leaned back, wondering if what Pearl was about to tell her was fact or fiction.
“I was always in Caroline’s shadow.” She fluffed her hair. “You might find that hard to believe, but it’s true. Caroline had all the self-confidence in the world and I was always filled with self-doubt. She didn’t need a red sports car to get attention. Or a cute potbelly pig to keep her company. Caroline knew what she wanted and she got it. Always.”
“What does all that have to do with the guy in the photo?”
“I’m getting to that. It was maybe a year and a half ago, or a little more, I’m not sure. Anyway, I came here to visit Caroline. I know. I told you I hadn’t seen her for years. No one knows I visited. Caroline suspected she wouldn’t be around for too many more years and she wanted to be sure this business didn’t just crumble and disappear.”
Hannah nodded.
“She had a plan to get visitors to come to town. Bring in some business. Have a little fun.”
“The treasure map,” Hannah guessed.
“Right. The treasure map. And she let me take on the project. She had the idea but not the energy for the planning. The only stipulation was to wait until after she died.”
“You mailed the letter with the map to yourself?”
“Sort of. The short fat guy in the photo you just showed me did some work for Caroline. On the side. Under the table. She didn’t want anyone to associate him with her. He mailed it for me. And the other maps too. For a real live treasure hunt.”
“How many maps are out there?” Hannah was skeptical of Pearl’s story.