“I might just shoot you anyhow,” Althea said as she glared down at Bailey with a look of such raw hate, I barely recognized her. “Those weren’t just eggs you stole. They were the future of a species.” She moved to kick the man in the side as he lay in the sand hugging his knees to his chest. Harley scrambled to his feet in time to stop her.
“Is he hurt?” I asked surprised at how calm and detached I sounded. I felt like an astronomer who witnesses the most dramatic celestial events from light years away while squinting through a telescope. I turned to Harley. “Are you hurt?”
“No, no one got shot,” Harley said, his voice a low grumble. He tied Bailey’s hands with some rope he must have found in his picnic basket. “Why are the police taking so long to get out here?” He wasn’t really expecting an answer. He pulled out his phone and started tapping the screen.
“What are you doing here?” I demanded of Althea who still didn’t look at all like the Althea I was used to seeing. Her dark, usually springy hair had been flattened and was contained in a tight bun. “How did you know how to find us?”
“I followed you and Harley.” She nodded toward Harley who was shouting into his phone.
“You followed us? You know we could have been coming here to”—I kicked a pile of sand—“you know.”
“No, you weren’t. I know you, Penn. And that’s not how you work. I reckon you’ll need to stress about whether or not you’re making the biggest mistake of your life for at least another month before you let anything happen with this relationship.”
“Oh, you know me now?” I crossed my arms over my chest. “I’m still not talking to you.” But I was grateful for her flying leap rescue.
Harley came over. He glanced down at Bailey, who was still playing dead on the ground.
“Are you sure he’s okay?” I used my phone as a flashlight and shined it on our captive.
“He’s fine. I checked him over when I tied up his hands. I’m sure he’s playing turtle while trying to figure out a way to escape.”
“I’m planning on suing the three of you for assault and kidnapping,” Bailey grumbled.
Harley nodded, but pretty much ignored him. “I just got off the phone with Hank. There’s a house fire down on the other side of the island. Hank and his two officers have been busy working with the fire department. I stressed to him how we needed an officer here. Now. He said he’ll personally come.”
“And where’s Detective Gibbons?” I gestured at Bailey who was still curled up in the sand. “He tried to kill us.”
“Hello? You pulled the gun on me!” Bailey shouted.
“And I’ll pull a gun on you again if you keep interrupting us. We’re having a private conversation here,” Althea said. “Penn, I don’t know why you thought I should date this creep. Not only is he a killer, his manners are atrocious.”
“Perpetual bad judgment when it comes to men,” I said.
“Hey!” Harley cried. “Standing right here.”
“Umm…” I frantically searched for something to say that wouldn’t sound fake or hokey.
“Run, man,” Bailey said. “She’s going to be nothing but a headache.”
“I should have let Althea kick you,” Harley said and then took my hand. “You don’t have to explain yourself. I think I hear a siren. How’s that for a convenient out?”
I heard it too. A police siren. Hank could take over. But what had I accomplished? We proved Bailey was stealing the sea turtle eggs. But I had no proof that he killed Cassidy other than what he told us just now. But that would be his word against ours. That wasn’t the solid evidence I needed to completely exonerate Jody.
“I’m sorry, Harley.” My shoulders seemed to drop all the way to the ocean floor. “We still don’t have hard evidence tying Bailey to Cassidy’s murder. Gibbons won’t release Jody in time for Gavin’s first day.”
“There’s always the bail hearing,” Harley said, as if that would make me feel better. It didn’t.
“Hey! Wait, we do have evidence,” Althea said.
I whirled toward her.
“What evidence?” both Harley and Bailey demanded.
Althea held up her phone and smiled. “I recorded everything you said, Bailey.”
“Proves nothing. You pulled a gun on me and forced a confession.”
That’s when I noticed a few small puddles of blood on the sand. “I thought you said no one was hurt.”
“No one was hurt,” Harley said. “Bruised, perhaps, but that’s all.”
“Then who’s bleeding?” I shined my phone’s light on the blood.
Harley pulled Bailey to his feet. “Shine your light on him.”
I held up my phone while Harley looked Bailey over with more care. “Looks like his gun’s slide bit into him.” He pointed to a bloody cut between his thumb and forefinger.
“That happens when someone holds a gun wrong. Even some of the best marksmen make that mistake,” Chief Byrd said as he and one of his officers slid down the sandy cliff. “Someone care to tell me what’s going on?”
“They attacked me!” Bailey shouted. “I tried to stop them from stealing the sea turtle eggs and they attacked me and tied me up!”
“And then they called the police? That’s sounds like a lie.” Chief Byrd, who wasn’t known for his deductive skills, shook his head with disbelief.
“I recorded what happened.” Althea handed her phone to the police chief. “He confessed to killing Cassidy Jones.”
“Coerced!” Bailey shouted. “I want my lawyer.”
“He also tried to kill Penn,” Harley said.
“She pulled a gun on me!” Since Harley had tied Bailey’s feet together, Bailey hopped around like a rabbit. “They held me against my will. It’s kidnapping! I want them arrested!”
“He does need medical care,” I said. “His hand is bleeding.”
“Had such high hopes for you fitting into our fine community, son.” Chief Byrd waved for his officer to take charge of the situation. “Can’t say I’m not disappointed, ‘cause I am. The food at your restaurant was top rate. Top rate.” While his officer untied Bailey and then snapped a pair of handcuffs on over his wrists while Bailey continued to protest, threatening to sue everyone south of the Mason-Dixon Line, Byrd walked over to me. “Thank you,” he said, his voice somber.
“For what?” I asked.
“I appreciate your proving my point that it’s the people ‘from off’ who bring troubles into my town. If we could keep all of you outsiders from moving onto the island, there’d be no crime on Camellia Beach.”
That wasn’t exactly correct. If I’d wanted to, I could have named several incidences where local residents had committed quite serious crimes. But since he was trying to be friendly by thanking me and all, I just smiled and said, “You’re welcome.”
“Perhaps I’ll have to start calling you my lucky Penny,” Detective Gibbons called as he slid down the sandy cliff in much the same way the police chief had. A small army of officers followed him.
“My name’s not Penny.” He didn’t need me to tell him that, but I said it anyhow.
“Perhaps not, but you are certainly lucky you’re not dead right now.” He’d peppered this with a few curse words, which let me know how much I’d upset him. He rarely swore.
“I had backup.” I glanced over at Althea who was keeping her distance. “Even more than I realized.” While it’d be a while before I could forgive Althea for tricking me, I still loved her. I had faith we’d be friends again … eventually.
Gibbon continued to scowl as he scoured the crime scene. He pulled on a pair of gloves as he walked over to Bailey’s gun and called to one of his own men to come over with a large flashlight.
“Same model of handgun, a glock, and the registration number has been scratched off in the same way as the gun used to kill Cassidy,” Detective Gibbons said as tucked the gun into a plastic evidence bag. He looked up at Chief Byrd. “Did I hear you say that the suspect cut his hand when he f
ired this gun?”
“He got a nasty cut on his hand from the slide’s kickback,” the police chief said.
“And didn’t Bailey have a bandage on that same hand the morning after Cassidy’s murder,” I said, surprised I’d forgotten about it. Bailey had told us that he’d cut his hand in the kitchen.
Gibbons sucked in his cheeks. It looked as if he’d just bitten into a lemon. “Forensics had found a small smear of blood on the murder weapon,” he admitted. “It’s still out at the lab for testing to see if it matches Jody’s DNA.”
“It won’t,” I said.
“I’ll have them send Mr. Bailey Grassi’s DNA to the lab to see if it matches,” he said.
“Does that mean you’re going to release Jody?” I asked.
“Don’t get ahead of yourself. I’m going to have to review all of the evidence,” he said.
“But then you’ll release Jody?” I asked.
“No. I’ll have to talk with Fletcher, who by the way, looks as if he’s going to make a full recovery thanks to the two of you.”
That was good news. “And then you’ll release Jody?”
“No. I’ll have to meet with the solicitor’s office and the prosecuting attorney.”
“And then you’ll release Jody? Tomorrow?” I pressed.
“I can’t guarantee that it’ll happen by tomorrow. But if everything checks out, and the prosecuting attorney agrees, the charges against Jody will be dropped.”
“But not in time for the first day of school.” Which would mean I’d failed Gavin.
“Don’t forget the bail hearing tomorrow,” Harley pointed out. “With this new information, it’ll be a breeze. She’ll be out of jail by lunchtime. And cleared of charges before she picks Gavin up from school on Thursday.”
Gibbons held up a hand. “She will still have an illegal discharge of a weapon charge to answer to.”
“I’m sure the lawyers working her case will be able to handle it,” Harley said as he pulled an arm around my shoulder. “You did it, Penn.”
And then he kissed me. After sitting with me in the sand for hours, he tasted fresh and salty like the ocean. If only I could melt into his kiss and live happily-ever-after forever.
But I couldn’t. Because of Althea and Mabel’s deceptions and lies, I still had to face the fallout from their fake DNA test and the very real possibly that I’d lose the Chocolate Box forever.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
“What if it’s true?” I asked Harley on Thursday morning, two days after Bailey’s dramatic arrest. I was working the front counter at the Chocolate Box while Bertie sat on the sofa with her leg propped up on a pillow. “What if I’m not related to Mabel? What if she gave me the shop out of some misplaced belief that I was Carolina’s daughter?” After finding Cassidy’s killer, life should have gone back to normal.
To an outsider, life appeared normal as the locals indulged their sweet tooth at the shop. But normal looked very different to me. Was I a fraud? Was time running out for me? Was I about to lose everything I had come to love?
Harley and I had spent the previous day at the county courthouse. First, I’d provided a DNA sample while a county court clerk watched. Afterwards, Harley and I spent several hours explaining to the judge assigned to preside over the hearing for Mabel’s contested will how I’d been tricked into believing the validity of the original DNA test. The judge had growled his displeasure when he’d heard this.
Harley wasn’t deterred by the judge’s reaction. He jumped into the fray, talking quickly as he defended me. He assured the judge that I had nothing to do with the fake DNA results. He then offered a new argument as to why Mabel’s latest last will and testament should be allowed to remain in full force despite the outcome of the court-ordered DNA test. He argued that the case should be ruled on as soon as possible and in my favor. While his passionate speech had brought tears to my eyes, the judge remained unmoved. The court hearing would not be schedule until after we received the results of the new DNA test.
It was going to take three weeks for the lab where the county had sent the DNA samples to process and reviewed the results. Three weeks of limbo.
“We’ve got this, Penn.” Harley set his café mocha on the counter so he could cradle both of my hands in his. “You’re the best thing that has happened to the Chocolate Box in a long time. If not for you, this shop wouldn’t even exist right now. More than anything else, that was what Mabel wanted. She didn’t care if you were family or not. All she cared about is that you’d love and care for the Chocolate Box. Don’t worry what the court might say. We’ll work something out.”
He was right, of course. Still, that didn’t make the waiting any easier.
“How did Gavin do with going to his first day of middle school this morning?” I asked, anxious to change the subject.
Harley shrugged. “Jody was in charge of all of that. She’s not one for sharing details. I’ll get to hear about school when he stays with me this weekend.”
The bell above the door rang. Jody, dressed in jeans and a flowered tunic, marched in. Her arms pumping, she marched over to Johnny Pane. My painter had finally finished with the ceiling. He was now patching and painting the bullet-riddled wall.
“Johnny Pane, you were supposed to be working on the new construction out on West Africa Street,” she said as if she hadn’t just spent the past several days in jail accused of murder. “And here I find you still wasting your time in this dump.”
“Find someone else.” Johnny didn’t even bother to turn his head in her direction. His brush crawled across the wall. “Got my hands full here.”
“What?” Jody screeched.
“Good morning, Jody. He said he’s working here,” I said as I came around the counter to greet her. “Would you like some coffee?”
She whirled around and glared at me. “I’m not here to buy coffee. And what business do you have to look so happy? You know the court is going to give the shop back to Mabel’s rightful heirs after hearing all about the fraud you perpetuated.”
“We’ll just have to wait and see.” I put my hands on my hips and made my superwoman pose. I could conquer whatever the world sent at me. “In the meantime, I’m going to run this shop as I always have because that’s what Mabel would have wanted.”
The patrons in the shop cheered.
Jody snarled.
“I am glad you were able to take your son to school this morning,” I said. “He really wanted you there.”
“What is that supposed to mean? What do you want? A medal or something? You meddled. You always meddle in business that has nothing to do with you.” She stepped toward me. Because she matched my height, we stood chin to chin. Her skinny finger poked me in the chest. “I know you fancy yourself in love with my ex.” She poked my chest again. “And I know the only reason you investigated Cassidy’s death was to try and win Gavin’s affection.”
She tried to poke my chest again, but I weaved away from her. “I didn’t—”
“But let me tell you something. I’m not going to let you steal him from me. He’s my son, my son. Not yours. If you don’t like being a dried up old maid, you should have had a baby when you still could because you’re not getting mine.”
“I would never—” I started to say, but abruptly changed gears. Whatever emotional wounds and demons that were chasing Jody, they were too ingrained in her personality. She’d never accept anyone’s attempt to comfort, not when she’d made it her personal mission to rail against the rest of the world. So instead of trying to explain myself and instead of trying to have that woman-to-woman moment where we shared our mutual hatred for the cheating jerks who’d lied and sneaked around behind our backs and toyed with our hearts, I simply said, “You’re welcome.”
I then wrapped my arms tightly around this woman who had wrapped herself so tightly in anger that she didn’t have any friends. I answered her anger with kindness, because I knew what it was like to be Jody. I used to be Jody. But I no longer fel
t angry. Not all of the time. Not anymore. It felt good.
* * *
“Oh, look!” Lidia said in what I supposed she thought was a whisper. Her voice didn’t quite boom, but it wasn’t by any means quiet. She pointed toward the small mound of sand. A few grains had shifted.
It was five o’clock on the Saturday after Bailey’s arrest. I should have been at the shop, but Althea had texted to tell me that one of the sea turtle nests was hatching. While I wasn’t yet ready to pick up our friendship as if nothing had happened—there was still a good chance I was going to lose the Chocolate Box thanks to her deception—I couldn’t pass up an opportunity to finally witness a brood of baby sea turtles as they waddled toward their new lives in the wide-open ocean.
Excited to get to the nest, Bertie and I had closed up the shop early and hurried down to the beach. Several of our customers followed, including Bubba, Ethel, and Detective Gibbons. Actually, Gibbons had barely had a chance to place his order before I’d chased him out of the shop.
Once we’d all arrived at the nest, located at the end of the island near the old red and white striped lighthouse, the spectators formed a large horseshoe a respectful distance from the nest. Althea paced. She looked worried.
“They’re coming,” Harriett assured as she patted Althea’s shoulder.
Gibbons eased into the space between me and Lidia. He’d shed his suit’s jacket but was still too warmly dressed for the heat and humidity of an August afternoon. He dabbed his brow with a linen handkerchief. “Fletcher was released from the hospital today,” he said. “He’s home with his parents.”
“That’s good to know. I brought him a box of chocolates yesterday. He looked well. I told him that he could return to his job at the Chocolate Box whenever he felt up to it. He didn’t seem excited. I’m sure I’ll only be able to keep him for a short time before he finds somewhere else to work, somewhere that pays more money. He’ll be an asset for any establishment.”
“He might surprise you,” Gibbons said. “You do realize the young man nearly died trying to stop Bailey from stealing from you, don’t you?”
In Cold Chocolate Page 27