“And we have it all to ourselves,” Frances piped up.
It was true. There was no one around.
Gloria parked the golf cart near the edge of the beach and under a palm tree, climbed out of the cart and grabbed her crutches.
Beach sand and crutches did not work well together and Gloria struggled to get close to the water. Frances hurried ahead and dropped her load of beach gear. She quickly returned and attempted to help Gloria maneuver across the shifting sands.
Meanwhile, Liz griped about the hot sand, the hot sun and grumbled how it was more work than it was worth, which was one of the reasons she never went to the beach. “Pools are so much nicer and less of a hassle.”
When they reached the beach gear Frances had dropped off, Frances unfolded a chair and placed a beach towel on top. She spread the towel along the sand so that Gloria could place her cast on top.
Gloria eased into the chair. “Thank you Frances. I owe you one.”
Liz wiggled the beach umbrella into the sand, opened the top and plopped into her chair.
With Gloria and Liz settled in, Frances strolled down to the water’s edge. The sisters watched as she wandered along the lapping waves, stopping every few feet to pick up a shell. She walked until she became a small speck in the distance.
Gloria reached for the cooler. “Stupid leg! This is cramping my style.”
Liz opened one eye and peeked at her sister. “It’ll be off before you know it.”
“It isn’t even ‘on’ yet. I don’t have my permanent cast!” Gloria frowned at the wounded limb. “How long do you think I’ll have to wear it?”
Liz leaned her head back in the chair. “I remember Eric broke his arm years ago, right around Christmas. Remember that?”
Gloria nodded. “Vaguely.”
“I think it was on until right after Valentine’s Day.” She shrugged. “Maybe a couple months.”
“A couple months! It had better be off by the end of February. The girls and I are going on a cruise. We’re leaving March fifteenth!”
Liz perked up. She stared at her sister. “You’re going on a cruise? I’ve always wanted to go on a cruise.”
Gloria could not remember Liz ever mentioning a cruise. “But…”
Liz cut her off. “Where are you going? Are you leaving out of Florida?”
Gloria’s heart skipped a beat. Liz couldn’t…wouldn’t go on the cruise, would she? Or would she!
“We’re going on Millie’s cruise ship, Siren of the Seas, out of Miami. The ship might already be sold out.” Gloria hoped it was.
“Our cousin, Millie? I didn’t know she worked on a cruise ship.” Liz clapped her hands. “Frances and I are going to check it out as soon as we get home. Send me your cabin number. Maybe we can get rooms near each other.”
“What are we checking out?” Frances had returned and plopped down on the empty lounge chair.
“We’re going on a cruise with Gloria and her friends!”
***
“No. I don’t think…”
It was too late. Gloria could see from the expression on her sister’s face, she had already booked her ticket and packed her bags.
Gloria silently berated herself for mentioning the cruise. Maybe there wouldn’t be an open cabin near Gloria and the girls. She had left Lucy in charge of the details, with a little advice from Millie on the best location and other helpful tips.
“What if it’s expensive?” Gloria tried every argument.
Liz waved a hand. “Money is not an issue. Frances and I can share a room.”
“Cabin,” Gloria corrected.
Frances was finally able to get a word in edgewise. “I don’t want to go, Liz. You know I’m prone to motion sickness.”
Liz quickly dismissed the argument. “You’ll be fine. We’ll get you one of those ear patches and you won’t feel a thing.”
Liz spent the next hour rambling on about the cruise, asking questions Gloria couldn’t answer, including the ports the ship was visiting. The only thing Gloria knew was that they were leaving out of Miami on March fifteenth on Millie’s ship, Siren of the Seas.
After Gloria’s unexpected windfall from the coins Liz, Gloria’s friend, Margaret, and Gloria had found in the mountains, the girls…Margaret and Gloria had decided to split the cost of the cruise for all of the girls – Dot, Ruth, Lucy and Andrea, in addition to paying their own fare. They spared no expense and booked two suites, which would accommodate three girls in each suite. The suites were right next to each other and had a connecting door.
The layout was perfect and Gloria was looking forward to the cruise…until now, until Liz decided she wanted to go. “We booked a suite,” Gloria argued.
“Great! I’ll see if I can get one for Frances and me.” Liz pulled her cell phone from the beach bag she had brought, turned it on and studied the screen. “I’m going to text Lucy right now to find out what rooms, I mean cabins, you’re in.”
Gloria silently prayed for a miracle while Liz texted away.
Liz was quiet, too quiet.
Gloria, on pins and needles, waited to hear what Lucy had to say. “Well?”
Liz scrambled to her feet. “Can I borrow the golf cart? I want to run back to the camper and grab my credit card. Lucy did a quick search on-line, found a suite right across the hall from yours and it’s showing that it is still available. I want to snatch it up before someone else takes it.”
Gloria reluctantly pulled the golf cart keys from her pocket and tossed them to her sister, who no longer seemed to mind the heat or the sand as she jogged across the beach to the golf cart.
Frances stared at Liz, who climbed behind the wheel of the golf cart and peeled out of the parking spot. “Looks like we’re going on vacation with you.”
Chapter 16
“Got it!”
Gloria’s eyes shot open and she clutched her chest as she stared at her sister. “Got what?” She had dozed off under the beach umbrella while Liz was gone.
“The cabin. Panorama Suite 11215, right across the hall from you and catty corner to Margaret’s suite.” She settled into the lounge chair, a smile on her face. “Already got the confirmation on my phone.”
Frances, who had also fallen asleep but was now wide awake, propped herself on one elbow and gazed at Liz. “Where are we going and for how long?”
“We’re going for seven days with port stops in San Juan, St. Thomas and St. Croix,” she rattled off. “See? I’m already getting this cruise lingo down pat.”
“Wait ‘til Millie finds out I’m going to be on the ship, too,” Liz said. “She’ll be surprised.”
Not half as surprised as I am.
“When I get home, I’ll research the ports and find some exciting adventures to choose from.”
“I think Lucy has already taken care of the excursions,” Gloria pointed out.
Liz continued, as if she hadn’t heard her sister. “Then, I’ll check out the onboard entertainment. We don’t want to waste precious time doing things that won’t interest us.”
Liz adjusted the back of her beach chair. “I can send you a list of what to pack, the paperwork you’ll need to fill out before boarding, all of the details.”
Gloria didn’t bother reminding Liz – again - that Lucy had already taken care of the paperwork and had it completely under control. She knew she would be wasting her breath so she let her sister rattle on for what seemed like forever.
“That looks like Paul,” Frances commented.
Gloria lifted her head. Sure enough, Gloria’s handsome hubby was walking across the sand, making his way toward them.
Her heart skipped a beat. They had only been apart a few hours, but so much had happened, so many clues uncovered in a short amount of time. She was anxious to tell him what she had discovered. Of course, she knew he wouldn’t be pleased she was still poking around in the mysterious deaths.
It was a shame Lucy wasn’t here instead of Liz. Gloria’s best friend was turning into quite th
e sleuth and she would have loved to bounce the information off her.
When he was in earshot, Liz spoke. “Guess what? Frances and I are going on the “Siren of the Seas” with Gloria and her friends.”
Paul lifted a brow.
Gloria shook her head. “I mentioned how I hoped my cast would be off before we went on our girls’ cruise and when Liz found out, she decided she and Frances wanted to go, too.”
Paul turned to Frances, who was frowning. “Do you like cruising?”
Frances shook her head. “Never been on a cruise but I am prone to motion sickness and even long car rides make me throw up.”
Liz dismissed Frances’s concerns. “Frances is just being a baby. I will make sure she gets something for the motion sickness.”
Gloria had never been on a large cruise ship either. She had been on smaller fishing boats and never experienced motion sickness so she figured she would be fine.
“We got a suite right across the hall from Gloria and Margaret’s suites.”
Paul leaned forward, kissed his wife on the lips and settled onto the sand next to her beach chair. “You did? Well, that will be fun. One big, happy family,” he teased his wife, knowing she wasn’t nearly as thrilled with Liz’s decision as Liz was.
Gloria whacked his arm and glared, which only made him chuckle. “Did you catch any fish?”
“Yep. Got quite a few trout and a couple snook. I took them up front, cleaned them and stuck them in the fridge for dinner.”
He turned to Liz. “Did you say you two are leaving tomorrow?”
Liz nodded. “Yeah. We gotta get back home but now that I know I’ll be seeing Gloria in a couple months, it won’t be as hard to say goodbye.”
A wave of guilt washed over Gloria for hoping her sister wouldn’t accompany her and her friends on the cruise. It was a free world and Liz could do whatever she wanted. Still, Liz could be such a pain in the rear. Her one small consolation was that at least they wouldn’t be sharing a suite.
The four of them stayed on the beach and chatted for several moments.
Gloria’s stomach began grumbling and she glanced at her watch. It was a quarter past twelve. “I’m starving,” she said.
Paul stood and reached for Gloria’s hand to help her out of the chair. “Since we are having a good ole fish fry for dinner, I thought I would take you into town, starting with lunch on the pier and then maybe do a little shopping on the boardwalk.”
“Sounds wonderful.” Gloria wrapped her arms around Paul’s waist and placed her head on his chest.
Liz eased out of her chair and folded it. “Frances and I are going to run into Daytona Beach. I found a travel agency on my phone. I’m hoping we can pick up a flyer or brochure with more information on our cruise ship.”
Paul, Liz and Frances carried the beach gear to the golf cart while Gloria slowly trailed behind. The sand was hot and the sun beat down on her. She could feel her nose burning despite having applied a generous dose of sunscreen to her face and exposed body parts.
Liz and Frances settled on the rear bench seat and held onto the gear while Gloria eased into the passenger seat.
“You don’t want to drive?” Paul asked.
“Nah! It’s your turn, although I have to admit I am enjoying the golf cart. Maybe we should get a used one to tool around the farm. The boys would love it.” ‘The boys’ were Gloria’s grandsons, Tyler and Ryan.
“And Mally,” she added. The thought of her family and springer spaniel caused Gloria to feel a twinge of homesickness. She quickly pushed the thought aside. She would be home and back to her regular routine soon enough.
When they reached the campsite, Liz and Frances grabbed their stuff and headed to their camper. They dropped the beach gear inside the door and then hopped in Liz’s sedan.
Gloria waved as they drove off.
Paul turned to his wife. “I’m surprised you invited Liz and Frances on the cruise.”
“Liz invited herself. All I did was mention how I hoped the cast would be off before the cruise and that’s all it took. Next thing I know, she texted Lucy, found out where our suite was located and then booked the one across the hall.”
“At least she’s not staying in your suite,” Paul pointed out.
“My one saving grace.” Gloria switched subjects. “Did you know there’s an Indian burial mound near the clubhouse?”
She went on to tell Paul the history of the burial mound. She also told him how Ian and Victoria’s parents had died during construction of a restaurant near the mound. “We stopped to take a look at the burned out building and camper.”
“I thought the place was off limits,” Paul said. Not that it would make one iota of difference to Gloria.
“It was. We didn’t touch anything.” Technically, they hadn’t touched anything, although her crutch had…
“Ian McGyver caught us and we left right after. Such a sad situation. Sounds as if he had his way, he would sell this place.”
“It seems like a lot of tragic incidences have taken place here at the campground,” Paul said. “The police showed up while I was up at the fish cleaning station.”
“Did you hear anything?”
Paul patted Gloria’s arm. “No and I didn’t try to. It’s none of my business…or yours.”
Paul placed the chairs on the deck and the cooler inside the door and returned with Gloria’s purse. “You ready or do you need to stop inside?”
She shook her head and reached for the purse. “I’m good to go. Where are we going for lunch?”
“Ian suggested a place called ‘Sloppy Joe’s.” It’s right on the water, not far from the shops and, according to him; they serve the best sandwiches and seafood for miles around.”
They climbed into the car and headed out of the campground.
It was an easy drive to Daytona Beach. Paul, who had put the address for the restaurant in the rental car’s GPS, parked in the parking garage across from the restaurant. It was a challenge for Gloria, who walked / hopped across the catwalk, but worth the trip when they reached the other side.
They passed several beach stores on their way to the restaurant. The hostess quickly seated them near the railing where they had an unobstructed view of the ocean. A gentle sea breeze fanned Gloria’s face as her eyes drank in the magnificent ocean view.
A server stopped by moments later, took their drink order and disappeared. The menu was extensive and it took Gloria several moments to peruse the offerings.
She remembered the seafood they had eaten the other night and since they were having fish tonight, she decided to try something else…the restaurant’s namesake, a sloppy joe.
Paul ordered a cheeseburger topped with sloppy joe mix. He handed the menu to the waiter and turned to his wife. “How was your morning?”
“Nice. Peaceful,” she said. “I got up early. Thank you for making a pot of coffee. I read my Bible and took a nice, long bath.”
“So you didn’t miss me,” he teased.
“I did, too,” she insisted.
“You mentioned stopping by the burned camper and building. How is your investigation going? Any new information?”
Gloria ticked off the list of suspects. The Zortskis had it in for Harry Fisk, although that wouldn’t explain Keith Stevenson’s death. Penny Green, the woman who lived in the camper next to them, although Gloria couldn’t picture her killing Keith Stevenson just because her cable box wouldn’t work. Then there was Ian and Victoria McGyver, who had both motive and opportunity.
Had there been insurance fraud? Had Harry Fisk or possibly Keith Stevenson, stumbled upon something that had caused them to become suspicious of the McGyvers?
“I’m stuck and running out of time. Someone, somewhere is hiding something. All of the suspects had opportunity. Most had motive. Someone is a killer. It would be helpful if I could talk to Billy Zortski’s parents, kind of feel them out, and gauge their level of anger toward Harry Fisk for turning them into child protectives services.
”
Was it possible Keith Stevenson had turned them in, too? That would definitely be motive to silence the part-time employee.
Still, the McGyvers had fired Keith Stevenson, yet his body had been found on the property. Had he come back, gotten into an argument with them and then they killed him? If that were the case, why would they leave his body on their campsite?
Then there was Harry Fisk’s gun that he had reported stolen, which had been found next to Keith Stevenson’s body. She still wasn’t certain if the police had ruled the death a suicide. It was possible Stevenson had killed Fisk, then killed himself and in a final act of revenge, done it in the campground to frame the McGyvers.
Their food arrived and Gloria’s mouth watered as she eyed the enormous sloppy joe and pile of crispy French fries on her plate. “This looks delicious but how am I going to eat it?”
“With lots of napkins on hand.”
Paul cut his burger in half while Gloria attempted to cut her sloppy joe. They shared their food and each declared the others lunch the best.
Gloria ate every single bite of food on her plate, wiped her mouth and tossed the dirty napkin on top.
“You were hungry.” Paul still had a few bites of burger left.
“Nothing like good ole fresh air and ocean breezes to work up an appetite.”
She waited for Paul to pay the bill and then they made their way out of the restaurant and into the nearby beach shops.
Gloria purchased a few trinkets for her grandsons including some shark’s teeth and two metal detectors.
After she paid, Paul reached for the bag. “The boys are going to love those.”
Gloria could see them now, combing the farm in search of buried treasures. She couldn’t wait to give them to Tyler and Ryan. “We’ll have to have them spend the night so they can try them out.”
The walking and beach trip took their toll and Gloria’s leg began to throb. Paul noted the pained expression on her face and offered to carry her to the car, which she stubbornly refused.
By the time she eased into the seat, she reached for a pain pill, thankful for her last minute decision to bring bottled water.
The pill finally kicked in and by the time they reached the campsite, Gloria was sound asleep.
Sun, Sand, and Suspects (Garden Girls Christian Cozy Mystery Series Book 11) Page 10