Sun, Sand, and Suspects (Garden Girls Christian Cozy Mystery Series Book 11)

by Hope Callaghan

  Gloria brewed a pot of coffee while Paul gathered kindling wood for the campfire later. She had just finished pouring two cups of coffee and carried them out to the deck when Liz and Frances ran across the street…or more like bolted across the street.

  “I thought I heard something rustling around in the bushes,” Liz croaked. “You don’t think the gators will venture onto our campsite…” Her voice trailed off.

  Paul finished assembling a tidy stack of firewood and kindling next to the fire pit and then wiped his hands on a damp paper towel Gloria handed him. “Could be a bear.”

  Frances gasped and clutched her chest. “A bear?” Her eyes darted around the perimeter of the campsite. “They have bears in Florida?”

  “How long have you lived here?” Gloria teased.

  “We don’t live out in the sticks,” Liz snapped.

  “Black bears are common in Florida,” Paul said. “I heard a suburb of Orlando has a huge bear problem where they come into residents’ driveways and rummage through the garbage cans.”

  “You’re a cop,” Liz pointed out. “You’ve got a gun.”

  Paul shook his head. “Retired cop and I left my weapons at home.”

  “I packed my Taser in my suitcase and you’re welcome to borrow it,” Gloria offered.

  Paul lifted a brow but remained silent.

  She shrugged. “You never know.”

  “We’ll take it,” Frances said. “If you don’t mind.” she added.

  Gloria headed inside the camper and to her suitcase where she had packed the Taser in the front compartment of her bag. She plucked the Taser from her suitcase and then dropped the suitcase back under the bed.

  When she stepped back outside, she handed Frances the Taser. “Be careful. This one is sensitive. Lucy gave it to me. It accidentally went off and got her a good one.”

  Gloria grinned as she remembered the incident. Lucy had been trying to show Gloria how to operate it and accidently pressed the button. Lucy’s red hair stood on end as a current of electricity jolted her body.

  Afterward, Gloria had felt bad about Lucy being zapped but every time she thought about the incident, it made her laugh. After that, she handled the Taser with kid gloves. There was no way she was going to get shocked.

  “Will do.” Frances gingerly placed the Taser on the picnic table.

  “I decided to take my lovely bride for a nice seafood dinner,” Paul said. “I want to get there before the dinner crowd.” He turned to Gloria. “Is that okay?”

  It was fine with Gloria and she nodded.

  “We’ll pass…this time,” Liz said. “You two have a nice, romantic evening out.”

  She went on. “Maybe we could join you for a campfire later?” she hinted.

  “Of course,” Gloria said, feeling bad because she resented Liz’s presence. After all, she had no idea when she would see her sister again.

  Liz and Frances headed to their camper across the street while Gloria headed inside to freshen up.

  Paul and Gloria rode to the restaurant in silence while Gloria mulled over the park’s recent deaths and her preliminary list of suspects.

  First, there were the owners, the siblings, Victoria and Ian McGyver, who had run-ins with both victims. Not only had they quarreled with the victims, they were under investigation for insurance fraud. She wondered what kind of insurance fraud.

  Next was Billy Zortski’s parents whom Gloria had never met, not to mention Billy himself who was beginning to creep Gloria out.

  Finally, there was the woman next door, Penny Green, who had, according to what she’d overheard earlier in the store, argued with Keith Stevenson right before he died. The fact that his body had been found next to her place gave Gloria a reason to add her to the list.

  Each of the suspects on Gloria’s unofficial list had motive and opportunity. She wished she knew a little more about the first victim, Harry Fisk. Had Penny argued with Harry, as well? Gloria hadn’t detected animosity toward the man when Penny mentioned him.

  “Earth to Gloria,” Paul teased.

  “Huh?”

  “You were a million miles away.”

  “Naw, only a couple miles away,” she said.

  Paul tightened his grip on the steering wheel as he turned the car off the road and into Crabby Lou’s Seafood Shack parking lot. “I would love to tell you to leave the campground investigation alone, but have a feeling I would be wasting my breath.”

  “Mmhmm,” Gloria agreed.

  He eased into an empty spot and shut the car off.

  She waited for Paul to make his way over to the passenger seat. He opened the door and extended his hand, pulling his bride from the vehicle.

  He caught her in his arms and pulled her close before kissing her tenderly. “I love you.”

  “I love you too,” she simply said as she tucked her arm through his and they strolled toward the eatery.

  From the road, the restaurant didn’t look like much but as they got closer, she could see the place boasted an expansive view of the Atlantic Ocean.

  They crossed the wide verandah and made their way to the hostess station near the entrance.

  A young woman with long blonde hair and smiling blue eyes greeted them. “Table for two?”

  Paul nodded. “With a view, if you don’t mind.”

  “Coming right up.” She grabbed two menus along with two sets of wrapped silverware and motioned them to follow. She led them to a table near the back with an amazing view of the water. “Will this work?”

  “Perfect,” Gloria gushed as Paul pulled out her chair.

  The woman handed her a menu. “Your server will be right with you.” After she left, Gloria reached inside her purse, grabbed her reading glasses and slipped them on. She opened the menu and studied the offerings.

  “Paul, this place is expensive,” she said.

  “Don’t look at the prices. Look at the items,” he said. “This is our honeymoon, Gloria. We should splurge and enjoy ourselves. Plus, we will be eating some meals back at the camper,” he pointed out.

  “True…” She forced herself to focus on the menu. Everything sounded delicious and the sandwich they had eaten earlier was long gone. Her stomach grumbled. “Maybe I should try a sampler platter.”

  “You order one sampler platter. I’ll order another and then we can share and try a little of everything,” Paul suggested.

  Their server appeared a short time later. Paul ordered two glasses of tea. After their server returned with the drinks and took their order, Paul proposed a toast. “To the most beautiful bride in the world.”

  Gloria lifted her glass and lightly tapped Paul’s glass. “To the most thoughtful and handsome husband a woman could ever ask for.”

  She sipped her tea and carefully placed the glass on the table as she gazed out at the water. Off in the distance, she spotted surfers. Several couples strolled along the water’s edge.

  Gloria wondered if the police would conclude that Keith Stevenson died of a gunshot wound. She also wondered who owned the gun the police found near his body. Had Keith been shot with his own gun? What if he had committed suicide?

  “…for tomorrow.” Paul was talking. Gloria wasn’t listening.

  Paul waved his hand in front of Gloria’s face. “Did you hear a word I said?”

  “Ye-no,” she confessed. “I heard the word tomorrow.”

  “I asked if you wanted to visit Kennedy Space Center tomorrow.”

  Gloria lifted the glass of tea to her lips and sipped. “Do we have to invite Liz and Frances?”

  “We don’t have to do anything,” he replied.

  Gloria was on the fence about inviting her sister. On the one hand, she didn’t want to regret not spending time with her. On the other hand, this was Paul’s and her honeymoon and they should be able to spend time alone…together, without feeling guilty.

  “That sounds like fun…if we go alone.”

  Paul didn’t have time to answer. The server unfolded a tray st
and and placed a tray of food on top. Starting with Gloria’s meal, he shifted the plate from the tray to the table.

  Gloria studied her plate, which was overflowing with coconut shrimp, crab cakes and breaded scallops. Her mouth began to water.

  Next, the waiter set Paul’s dinner plate, which was just as full, in front of him. Paul had ordered crispy calamari, jumbo fried shrimp and beer battered chicken tenders.

  The waiter removed the tray and stand, and returned moments later to refill their water glasses.

  After they prayed, Gloria unfolded her napkin and placed it in her lap before reaching for her fork. She could almost feel her arteries harden and the pounds pile on but she pushed the thoughts aside, determined to savor every tasty morsel.

  They chatted about their picture perfect wedding, the gorgeous Florida weather and their plans for the week.

  Gloria quickly became full and asked for a to-go box. “Midnight snack,” she teased her husband after discovering he was a night owl and had caught him munching on some leftovers from the wedding that she had brought with them from their reception.

  They wisely skipped the dessert, placed the leftovers in the car and strolled to the water’s edge. The sun was beginning to set and peeking out from behind the cotton candy clouds were beams of light that danced across the small waves.

  Paul grasped her hand and they walked in silence. She wondered if her children, her son Ben, his wife, Kelly, and their kids had made it home to Texas safely.

  She also wondered if her other son, Eddie, and his wife, Karen, were still at the farm since they hadn’t decided if they would head home to Chicago the next day or spend an extra day visiting with Eddie’s sister…Gloria’s daughter, Jill.

  “What’s the plan?”

  Gloria stopped. “What plan?”

  “When we get back home. Are we going to stay at your place first or head over to my farm for the first few weeks?” Paul still owned his farm. Gloria still had her farm. Neither one was ready to give them up. Gloria’s farm would eventually pass down to the next generation, just as it had when James’s parents passed it down to them.

  Gloria’s biggest problem was none of her children showed one iota of interest in the farm. Ryan and Tyler, Gloria’s grandsons, were a different story. They loved the farm and she could envision them fighting over it.

  “I don’t know,” she said. “Hey! Let’s do a coin toss.”

  He nodded slowly. “Sounds fair.”

  They meandered back to the car and chatted easily on the drive back to the campground. It had been a wonderful, relaxing evening and Gloria was relieved all of her anxiety about sharing her life with Paul had been unfounded.

  Paul eased the rental car into the parking spot in front of their camper. The car’s headlights illuminated the wooden deck, and Frances and Liz, who were waving frantically.

  “Uh-oh.” Gloria climbed out of the car.

  “You’ll never guess what happened while you were gone!” Liz shouted.

  Chapter 6

  Liz hopped off the deck.

  “Frances and I decided to drive to the campground store to pick up a few supplies. On the way back, we took the long way around.” She pointed to the other side of the road. “We were almost back when we caught…”

  “…this kid,” Frances interrupted. “He was coming out from behind the back side of your camper. When we saw him, Liz rolled down the window and started yelling. He took off.”

  Liz picked up the story. “We tried to follow him in the car but he disappeared down a dirt path and there was no way we were gonna follow him.”

  Paul emerged from the vehicle, a concerned expression etched on his face. “What did he look like?”

  “Red hair, about yay tall.” Liz held her hand slightly above her head.

  Gloria glanced uneasily at Paul. “It’s the same boy we found spying on us earlier…Billy Zortski.”

  “Looks like it’s time to have a chat with his parents,” Paul said grimly. “You stay here with Liz and Frances.”

  Gloria wanted to go with him but knew from the tone of his voice there was no room for debate.

  He climbed inside the car, backed out of the parking spot and drove off.

  Gloria guessed he would have to stop at the office to talk to the staff to find out where the family lived. She offered a small prayer for his safety as she watched the car round the corner and disappear into the night.

  A movement on the other side of the road caught Gloria’s eye. “Someone is over there.” She pointed to the corner of Liz and Frances’s lot. The bushes made a rustling sound. Gloria, determined to confront whoever was stalking them, ran across the road.

  She reached the lot, scooted around the side of Liz’s car, slipped between the picnic table and a hedge of bushes. The rustling and movement picked up speed. Whoever it was, was on the move and attempting to escape. “Hey!” she shouted as she picked up the pace.

  Liz jogged across the road as she followed her sister. “Watch out for the…”

  Gloria was so focused on keeping an eye on the bushes she wasn’t watching where she was going.

  “Oompf!” She stepped into a hole and fell forward.

  Gloria stuck her hands out in a desperate attempt to break her fall. Her foot twisted and she landed face first on the ground.

  “Crack!”

  Liz dropped to her knees and leaned forward. “Oh my gosh! Are you okay?”

  Gloria lifted her head and pulled her foot from the hole. A sharp pain shot up her leg. “Ouch. I-I heard a snap.” She shifted onto her back, sat upright and stared at her left leg.

  Gloria lightly rubbed her hand across her shin and over a bump, which hadn’t been there before. “I think it’s just a little bump. Help me up.”

  Frances arrived and stood on Gloria’s other side. “You grab one arm and I’ll get the other,” she told Liz.

  The women bent down and grasped Gloria’s upper arms, pulling her to her feet.

  Gloria took a tentative step forward. A searing stab of pain shot up her leg and it took her breath away. She tried to take another step forward. If not for Liz catching her, she would have fallen on the ground. “My leg, I think I broke it.”

  Gloria hobbled to Liz’s car, placed both hands on the hood and leaned forward. Sharp, piercing pain radiated through her body.

  Liz turned to Frances. “Go grab our purses and lock the door. We’re gonna have to get Gloria to an ER.”

  “What about Paul?” Gloria moaned.

  “We’ll try to call him on my cell phone,” Liz said. “First, we need to get you into the car.”

  Gloria leaned heavily on Liz and limped to the rear passenger door.

  Frances met them near the rear of the car and quickly swung the door open.

  Gloria slid onto the seat, eased to the side and propped her leg on top of the leather seat.

  Liz and Frances hopped into the front of the car, quickly closed the doors and Liz backed out of the parking spot. “Grab my phone and search for Paul Kennedy’s cell number.”

  Frances scrolled through the screen. When she found Paul’s number, she pressed call and waited. Paul didn’t pick up and the call went to voice mail.

  “Leave a message,” Liz whispered.

  “Yes. Hi Paul. This is Frances Crabtree. Gloria took a little fall. She is going to be okay, except we think she may have broken her leg when she fell into a hole on our lot. We’re on our way to the campground office now to find the nearest ER.”

  Not knowing how much more to add, Frances signed off. “Okay. Bye.” She handed the phone to Liz.

  There was no sign of Paul and Gloria’s rental vehicle in front of the office.

  Liz pulled into an empty spot in front of the campground store and Frances quickly jumped out, darted up the steps and disappeared inside.

  Gloria, meanwhile, tried to focus on anything but the throbbing pain in her leg. She had broken her arm once when she was a child after she fell off a merry-go-round, but that ha
d been years ago.

  Frances quickly returned, jerked the passenger door open and hopped in as she reached for the seatbelt. “We’re not far. Go out to the main road and make a left. Go two miles. Turn left at the first stop sign. Halifax Hospital will be on the right.”

  “Got it.” Liz shifted the car in reverse and peeled out of the gravel drive.

  She made it to the hospital in record time. Gloria had almost forgotten what a speed demon her sister was behind the wheel. This time, she was grateful her sister didn’t dilly dally.

  Liz pulled the car under the portico and stopped under the sign that read Emergency Entrance while Frances climbed out of the car. Just inside the sliding glass doors were a security guard and a row of wheelchairs.

  Gloria watched as Frances gestured wildly. Seconds later, Frances, followed by the security guard, who was pushing one of the wheelchairs, stopped near the rear passenger door. He waited while Frances opened the door and Gloria slid across the seat.

  She hopped on one foot, shifted around and slid into the wheelchair.

  “I’ll call Paul again to let him know where we are.” Liz sped off in search of a parking spot while Gloria, accompanied by the security guard and Frances, made their way inside.

  Gloria glanced around the nearly empty waiting room. When they reached the check-in counter, Gloria realized her purse, her insurance car and ID were still in the car…at the campground, with Paul.

  “I-uh. I don’t have my ID with me,” Gloria told the girl at the counter. “I left it in the rental car.” Gloria rambled on, certain she wasn’t making any sense.

  The woman behind the window smiled patiently. “As long as you don’t have amnesia and can remember your name, we can start on the paperwork.”

  Gloria let out a sigh of relief. “My name is Gloria Ruth-Kennedy.” She frowned. She had been married for little more than 24-hours now, although with all that had happened, it seemed like a lot longer. Her driver’s license and insurance card still listed her as Gloria Rutherford.