By Hook or by Crook cm-3

by Betty Hechtman

  “You know, ladies,” CeeCee said, “this isn’t really the season. I hope the sea isn’t too rough.”

  My stomach did a flip-flop at that. Then she went on talking about how all her trips there had been on her friends’ boats.

  “Private boats go there?” Sheila asked with a little nervous squeak in her voice.

  “My, yes. The harbor at Avalon is practically on the beach. But you’ll see when we get there,” CeeCee said. Then her cell phone rang and she made a big fuss about having to take the call and asking if we could all keep it down because she was sure it was her agent. “We’re in final negotiations about my new contract.” She held up crossed fingers and finally pressed the button to answer the call.

  Arranging the day had taken some doing. Mrs. Shedd had been okay about me taking the day off. I had hoped she would object to Adele being out, too, but somehow Adele had pulled it off. Then I had realized the greenmobile was too small for all of us, so I had to convince my parents to trade cars for the day.

  I’d asked my parents—well, my father—to take care of the dogs. When I’d mentioned it to my mother, she had looked as if I’d asked her to move the moon or rearrange the tides, instead of opening the door to the yard a few times and pouring some food in a couple of bowls.

  When I pulled into the parking structure at the boat terminal, CeeCee lost her cell reception and got cut off midcall. She held the phone in her hand as if waiting for it to ring as we got out of the SUV and walked into the terminal building. The Catalina Express waiting room was beyond plain. Just a counter, some hard plastic seats, a small snack bar and a counter to arrange island tours, which was closed.

  We picked up our tickets. Dinah looked over at me with concern.

  “Are you all right? You look pale.”

  I nodded. I didn’t want to say it was because suddenly the boat trip had become all too real. I decided the best way to deal was by looking out for Sheila, so I wrapped my arm in hers as we headed outside to the dock.

  Since it was a weekday and February, only a trickle of people were waiting to board. The boat was kind of odd looking, but before I could comment, Adele stepped forward.

  “Good. We got one of the catamarans,” she said, then continuing with one of her in-the-know speeches she went on to explain that only four of the Catalina Express fleet were catamarans and she personally thought they had the best ride. Whatever it was called, I thought it resembled a sled.

  I didn’t say anything to Sheila about it and hoped she didn’t notice the boat looked as though it were on stilts. CeeCee seemed impatient with the whole procedure.

  “I’m afraid I’m not used to all this business with tickets and bomb-sniffing dogs.” She adjusted her wide-brim straw hat as two hunky Coast Guard guys walked a German shepherd past us as we prepared to board. “There was none of this on my friends’ boats. We just sat on deck chairs and sipped margaritas.”

  No more stalling. I took a deep breath and led the way. Since the temperature was a bit cold, CeeCee suggested we sit inside. We had our choice of seats and took one of the booths along the window.

  The engine started and the boat backed out of the slip and then turned around. We slid under a bridge and past the huge, permanently docked Queen Mary. All the while it felt pretty much like riding in a car.

  “This isn’t bad,” I said to no one in particular, but Adele answered anyway.

  “Pink, we haven’t even left the harbor yet.”

  I tensed all over again, and Sheila hid her face in my shoulder. The motor made a louder sound, and the boat began to move faster. We passed the giant clawlike things used for unloading the cargo ships from all over the world, and then suddenly there was nothing ahead but open water. Sheila held tighter. I readied myself for the first wave of queasiness. The boat at last began to rock as it picked up speed. I waited for that sick feeling to come . . . but to my surprise, it didn’t.

  I realized I’d been holding my breath, and in a gush I let it out and began to breathe again. “It feels like we’re sailing over small hills,” I said, relief spreading over my body. I wasn’t going to have to stay in Catalina forever.

  “They’re called swells,” Adele corrected

  Whatever they were called, they were just fine. The color returned to Sheila’s face, and she finally let go of my arm.

  I had brought the crochet piece with me, and I laid it out between us on the table. CeeCee pointed to what we now all acknowledged was the landmark Casino Building.

  “You have to admit it really does look like a bath-powder box,” the actress said still trying to cover her error.

  Adele rolled her eyes. As usual, she had dressed over-the-top for the occasion, wearing white cutoff pants, a middy blouse with a heavy blue sweater and a white sailor’s cap. Even the crew on the boat snickered when they passed us.

  CeeCee held up her cell phone as an excuse and then pushed out of her seat, moved to the middle section of the boat and took a seat with no one around.

  Looking a little peaked, Sheila was pressed against the window and holding the chair handles with a white-knuckled grasp. The rocking of the boat was soft but unrelenting and seemed to have renewed her worry.

  I thought it might help her get her mind off of the fact we were on a boat if we talked about Mary Beth.

  “I had dinner with a friend who knew Mary Beth Wells,” I began. Dinah peered at me with a question in her eyes, and I mouthed, “Mason.” Her eyes opened wide, and it was clear she wanted more information, but that would have to wait until it was just the two of us. “Nothing he said about her seems to go with any of these motifs. She was married to the son of Lance Wells, the famous dancer-actor. She was connected to his dance studio, but her husband didn’t inherit any of his father’s talent. She and her husband went to all the entertainment-industry charity dinners.” I shrugged as I looked over the panels. “There’s nothing here that goes with any of that. We have the Casino Building, Sagittarius guy, a house, a sitting cat, a standing cat, the Arc de Triomphe, the weird circles, the vase of flowers, the wishing well—which we know is Mary Beth’s signature—and then the double-size panel with the rectangle. Since the very first panel is the Casino Building, does that mean that everything else refers to something on Catalina?”

  “The diary entry referred to time she spent on an island, so that makes sense,” Dinah said. “But whatever happened, it happened over twenty years ago.” She was holding the sheet of paper and turned it over as she put it down. “Hey, look at this,” she said pointing. There were words on the back: Catalina, I’m going to miss you.

  “How could I have missed that?” I said, surprised.

  “Well, Pink, it’s not such a mystery,” Adele began as she stood and picked up the page. “Sometimes I think I should be the detective around here.” Adele held up the diary entry and pointed out it only covered a little over half the sheet. “It’s a complete thought, so why would you look for more on the other side? And even if you did,” she said demonstrating turning over the paper, “the line is written in such light pencil and just where your finger is likely to cover it up, you could easily just not notice it.” Adele took a bow as she finished and laid the sheet down before returning to her seat.

  I glanced over to see if I had succeeded in distracting Sheila, but she still looked upset.

  I pointed to the image of the house. It was certainly not a generic house. The overall shape had a Victorian feel, but it was the roof that stood out. It was shaped like an inverted ice cream cone. “I bet this house is on the island. Maybe if we find it we’ll get a way into the puzzle.”

  Dinah looked skeptical. “But how are you going to manage that?”

  “We could ask somebody. Maybe it’s Mary Beth’s house.”

  Adele snorted. “Not really, Pink. People married to famous dancer’s sons have unlisted phone numbers and people don’t give directions to their houses.” Adele adjusted her sailor cap, which had fallen forward. “But there might be another way.” Adele
knew she had our attention and held onto it for all it was worth. She innocently looked out the window and back toward the snack bar and finally at all of us. “Oh, you want to know what that way is, huh?”

  She dragged the suspense out another beat or two and then continued. “Obviously you’ve never been to Avalon.” She addressed the three of us. “It’s basically the only town on Catalina, and it’s where our boat will be landing. There are only around thirty-five hundred residents, and it’s only a mile square. Most of the town is spread up the side of the hills.”

  Adele stopped. Dinah and I looked at her, waiting for the punch line. Adele looked confused and then apparently realized we hadn’t gotten her meaning.

  “Okay, Pink and everybody else, the point is, it’s not that big, so finding a house shouldn’t be that hard.”

  I was glad Adele didn’t ask me what I was going to do when I found the house. I hadn’t figured that out yet. There didn’t seem to be anything else to discuss, so I put the piece back in my tote bag.

  “Let’s explore the boat,” Dinah said. She nodded toward Sheila. “C’mon, walking around will make you feel better.” Now that I knew I wasn’t going to be seasick, I was up for it and got up quickly. Sheila, still looking at me as though I were her lifeline, followed.

  CeeCee had fallen asleep with her mouth open, her cell phone still in her hand. She was snoring softly and her straw hat was cockeyed. I looked around for anyone pointing a camera at her. It was just the kind of picture she worried about showing up on some tabloid website. It wouldn’t be hard to come up with a good caption: CeeCee Collins passed out in public and even her hat looks drunk.

  We went upstairs and outside. The air was brisk and I was glad for my jacket. Our boat zipped past cargo ships hanging around waiting for their turn to come into the harbor to get unloaded.

  Further on we caught up with and passed a barge with a big Vons grocery store truck on it. Adele had stuck with us like glue and continuing with her in-the-know news about Catalina explained the barge was the only way for things to get to the island. Weather permitting, it made the trip five times a week. Weather not permitting, nothing got to the island, which was why all the residents had a stash of frozen bread, dried milk and canned goods.

  We had the outside deck to ourselves, for a bit, but when the boat’s captain announced over the intercom that we were going to pass through a pod of dolphins, a few people came from inside and joined us to look over the side.

  I saw a dolphin just below the water swimming alongside. It was pretty neat but turned out to just be a hint of what was to come. The one was joined by many, and they began to jump out of the water in an arc as they swam next to the boat. More and more dolphins showed up. We looked at them and they looked back at us.

  Sheila finally had some color in her face and let go of the death hold on my arm as she became lost in dolphin magic. Even Adele was speechless. Only CeeCee missed it all. She was still inside, dreaming about her deck chairs and margaritas.

  “The dolphins are a good omen,” Dinah said as we leaned against the railing and savored the moment.

  “I hope you’re right.”

  Dinah glanced around. Sheila and Adele had moved to the back of the boat to watch the dolphins as they swam around in the wake.

  “So, you had dinner with Mason?” she said.

  “It was nothing,” I responded. “I’d called him thinking he would have some information about Mary Beth.” But it was useless. I couldn’t just gloss over the details with my best friend, so I told her the whole story about being stuck on my own front porch because the She La Las had taken over. And, yes, I mentioned that Mason had kissed me.

  “When’s Barry coming back?” she asked.

  I shrugged. “When his case is over. Whenever that is.” Dinah rocked her head from side to side. “If he doesn’t hurry, he may not have a girlfriend—” She stopped herself. “I know you think girlfriend and boyfriend sound stupid past a certain age. So then, how’s this: He may not have a friend of the female persuasion anymore?”

  I rolled my eyes in response.

  When I looked ahead I saw the island. We seemed to be traveling parallel to it but getting closer at the same time. From here it appeared mountainous and empty, and I wondered about everything I’d read online about it. Other than the occasional boat near the shore, it looked uninhabited. Adele had mentioned that most of the island was wild. Besides Avalon, there was only one other village, Two Harbors.

  The engines began to slow just as Avalon finally came into view. Boats bobbed in the harbor and beyond that was the town. Adele had been right: The town seemed to be draped on a slope and looked almost too adorable to be true. Glancing over to the side of the harbor opposite from where our boat moored, I got my first view of the Casino Building. With its round shape and red roof, the landmark definitely stood out. Even in person it looked like a bath-powder box or maybe a giant casserole dish.

  CeeCee was just waking up when we walked through the cabin to collect her. Then we joined the crowd waiting to get off. Once we’d disembarked, I realized just how small Avalon was. After walking maybe a block, we had curved around the harbor and were on the town’s main drag.

  Since it was February and a weekday, the small crescent-shaped beach was deserted. Most of the people getting off the boat seemed to be locals. The few tourists followed the same path we did down the street of restaurants, shops and hotels that faced the water. A green pier sticking out in the water offered boat rides and fishing trips. Everything was small and cute.

  “I feel like I’m inside a snow globe,” I joked to Dinah, who nodded in agreement. When we got to the center of the business district, we stopped beside a fountain.

  “Meet you guys later,” Adele said, heading back toward the pier. “I’m going on the submarine and then on a trip to the Airport in the Sky.”

  Sheila seemed to have recovered from the boat trip and went after Adele, saying she wanted to go, too.

  CeeCee was still a little dazed from sleeping on the boat and was clutching her cell phone. “I have to make a call,” she said, starting to walk away.

  “I guess that leaves us,” I said to Dinah. “Unless you’re planning to bolt, too.”

  “I’m all yours,” she said. She glanced at the small sandy beach with the water softly lapping against it. “The kids would have loved this.” She shrugged it off. “Okay, you can tell me to shut up now.”

  Since I hadn’t come up with a more specific plan than to try to find the house in the crochet piece, I suggested we get food before we began our search. The sun was out and the air was warm enough that I took off my jacket as we walked toward the eateries. It was a nice change from the chilly gray days we’d had lately.

  We agreed on a restaurant right on the water that featured a patio with umbrella tables. It turned out to be a wait-on-yourself kind of place, and a few minutes later we carried our order out onto the patio. All the tables were empty except one. CeeCee had her back to us and was just putting her cell phone on the table. She was getting up as we walked over.

  Seeing us apparently changed her plans and while we put our food down, she went back in to get a refill on her coffee and as she put it “a little something sweet to go with it.”

  I had gotten a strawberry-banana smoothie and Dinah a mango-pineapple, and we’d ordered French toast to share.

  I took a sip of my drink and set it on the round bistro table. Dinah sat across from me and slid the plate of French toast to the middle of the table. We hung our tote bags on the chairs and walked to the railing. The harbor was literally right next to us, and we had a nice view of the boats, though there were quite a few empty slips.

  “If I had to pick one, I’d want that one,” Dinah said, pointing at a boat that was twice as large as any of the others. Its back deck was facing us, and a table and some deck chairs were set up there. A woman came out from below. She took off her hat and I got a view of her face.

  “Is that Camille?” I sa
id, leaning over the railing for a better look. By now CeeCee had rejoined us.

  “I tell you that woman is following me,” CeeCee said. Camille glanced our way and saw us. She began to wave and we waved back. CeeCee had put on a smile but was talking through gritted teeth. “I was hoping my contract would be settled, but the production company is being difficult. My agent said I had an offer of another show. I’m sure Camille is here to find out if it’s true. Oh dear,” CeeCee said. “Her husband is here, too.”

  Camille held up something, and I realized it was her crochet work. I could only make out the raspberry pink color. Her husband was on his cell phone with his back to us, running his hand over his hair. Camille flagged down a water taxi and rode the short distance to the pier.

  Dinah shook her head in disbelief. “There’s a dinghy attached to their boat. She couldn’t row herself to the pier?”

  CeeCee let out a little of her trademark tinkly laugh. “Dear, we’re talking about Camille Rhead Katz here. I bet she has somebody to brush her teeth. You do realize how ridiculously wealthy they are. All those years of successful shows—I think Alexander Rhead pays her a salary just for being his daughter.”

  Money was a sensitive spot with CeeCee. She had done well over the years and should have been set up, but though her late husband had been a world-class dentist, he’d been an idiot when it came to money. When he died, she found out about all the bad investments. She had lost everything and had to start all over. I knew that was why she was so tense about the contract for Making Amends. She needed the job.

  The water taxi left Camille off on a small floating pier that had dinghys tied to it. We had a perfect view of her taking the few steps to the stairway to the pier. We watched her progress as she came closer and closer to us.

  “Oh no,” CeeCee said, looking at the chocolate-covered donut in her hand. Suddenly something flew past me and I heard a splash in the water. Personally, I thought CeeCee was going a little overboard with her concern about Camille tattling on her eating of sweets, but I guessed she didn’t want to take any chances. CeeCee put on her theatrical smile as Camille walked across the patio and joined us at the railing.