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

by Hope Callaghan

  Gloria shuffled to the bedroom door and quickly pulled it closed in an attempt to keep some of the odor out of their room. “In a couple days, the smell will be someone else’s problem,” she joked.

  Frances popped inside to grab the dinner plates, drink cups and plastic silverware and then carried them to the picnic table.

  Liz was already seated at the table, a large glossy magazine open in front of her.

  Gloria eased onto the bench seat across from her sister.

  “This is our ship,” Liz pointed at the open page. “Isn’t she a beaut?”

  Gloria glanced at the massive cruise ship, which filled both pages of the magazine. It reminded Gloria of a floating city. “What are those?” She pointed at the side of the ship.

  “Balconies. All of our suites have balconies and more! I think our rooms are right here.” She tapped the front of the ship with the tip of her fingernail.

  “Looks like fun,” Gloria said.

  “Looks like vomit city,” Frances frowned. “I predict a severe case of motion sickness.”

  Liz jerked the magazine back and gave Frances a dark look. “You probably will with that kind of negative attitude.”

  “Dinner is ready.” Paul settled the huge platter of fried fish in the center of the table and eased onto the seat next to his wife. “I even made a batch of tartar sauce.”

  Gloria kissed Paul’s cheek and then placed her napkin on her lap. “It looks delicious and I can’t wait to dig in.”

  She dumped the bag of hush puppies in an empty bowl and they all bowed their heads to pray. After Paul said grace, they passed the dishes of food around the table.

  Gloria sliced a small piece of fish, dipped it in the tartar sauce and popped it in her mouth. It was crunchy on the outside and the piece melted in her mouth. “Perfect. I thought you said you didn’t know how to cook.”

  Paul grinned. “Fish and barbecue, that’s the extent of my cooking abilities.”

  Gloria tasted the next piece but skipped the tartar sauce. “You don’t even need the sauce.”

  Frances tasted a piece. “You’re right. It’s cooked to perfection.”

  Liz nibbled the edge. “It’s a little soggy.”

  Gloria kicked her sister with her good foot.

  “Ouch!” She glared at Gloria who glared right back.

  They finished eating and began to clear the table when Ian McGyver stepped onto the site. “Sorry to interrupt your dinner.”

  “We were just finishing up,” Paul said. “Have you heard anything?”

  Ian nodded. “That’s why I’m here. It looks like Penny Green is going to pull through.”

  “Thank you Jesus.” Gloria pressed a hand to her chest.

  “As soon as she regains consciousness, authorities will talk to her.”

  Frances, who had started to clear the table, reached for the camper door handle. The door was locked. “Paul, do you have the camper keys?”

  Paul fished in his pockets. “No. I figured Gloria had them.”

  “I set them on the counter.” Gloria peeked through the window and spied the keys, sitting next to the sink. “We’re locked out!”

  Chapter 19

  “Don’t worry.” Ian McGyver strode across the lawn and up the steps. “I have a master key for just such emergencies.” He pulled a ring of keys from his pocket, inserted a long, thin one into the lock and turned. “Voila!”

  The key looked familiar, as if Gloria had seen it somewhere before…

  “Whew!” Paul wiped his brow. “You saved my neck.”

  After cleaning up, Frances and Liz stayed a few extra minutes to chat, promising they wouldn’t head out until after lunch the following day so they would have a chance to say good-bye.

  They decided against a campfire and instead, decided to turn in early. It had been a long day and Gloria was tired. Plus, she wanted to spend some time alone with her husband.

  The couple watched television in the living room to catch up on the news and then headed to the small bedroom.

  Gloria pulled back the covers and climbed into bed. She had the all too familiar nagging feeling there was a clue staring her straight in the face, but for the life of her, she couldn’t figure out exactly what it was.

  She tossed and turned half the night, dreaming of redheaded boys following her, Indian burial mounds coming to life and bulldozers chasing her across the campground.

  When she woke early the next morning, she felt as if she hadn’t slept a wink. Paul was already awake. “Rough night?”

  “Sorry. I didn’t mean to keep you up.”

  “No problem. I got up around one and finished off the hushpuppies and macaroni salad.” Paul had spent years on the police force working the graveyard shift. It would take some time for his internal clock to switch to regular hours.

  Gloria yawned sleepily. “So where are you taking me tomorrow?”

  Paul wrapped his arm around his wife and pulled her close. “Not telling. Maybe you can bribe it out of me? Hmm?”

  “Let me see what I can do,” she flirted as she snuggled close to her husband.

  ***

  Gloria was torn. On the one hand, she had been happy to see Liz. Happier than she thought she would be considering her sister and Frances had crashed her honeymoon.

  On the other hand, she was glad Paul and she would have a few days alone. There was still the mystery of Harry Fisk and Keith Stevenson’s deaths, not to mention Penny Green’s overdose.

  For once, Gloria realized she might run out of time to solve the mysteries. She remembered the nagging in the back of her mind that had kept her awake, the small clue that was just out of reach.

  If only…

  “Hello?” Paul teased his wife as he sipped his coffee.

  Gloria snapped out of her musings and smiled. “Sorry. I was thinking about the murders and Penny’s overdose.” She was almost 100% certain the Vicodin Penny had taken belonged to her.

  After a second cup of coffee, Paul and Gloria searched every square inch of the camper hoping to find the second bottle of prescription pain pills.

  “The golf cart rental place is coming by this afternoon to pick up the golf cart. Do you want to drive it one last time before they take it away?”

  “What about breakfast?” she asked.

  “That’s what I was discussing while you were in your other world, working on your mystery,” he answered.

  Gloria smiled. “I think we should ask Liz and Frances to go. There’s a pancake house I noticed not far from here, close to the golf cart rental place.”

  “Sounds good.” Paul slid off the barstool. “I’ll run across the street and ask them.”

  Gloria watched her husband cross the deck, make his way down the steps and disappear from sight.

  Her eyes slid to the camper next door…Penny’s camper. A lightbulb went on in her head. The small niggling clue resurfaced and smacked her in the face.

  She needed to get inside Penny’s camper…but how?

  It was time to call in - call on an expert. Gloria pulled her phone from her pocket. After several attempts to get a signal, she found that if she held the phone toward the sky and at just the right angle, she had cell reception.

  She scrolled through her phone numbers and dialed Lucy’s number. “I need to break into the camper next door,” she blurted out when Lucy picked up.

  “Huh?”

  “Listen. I don’t have time to go into the details. Paul will be back soon. I need to break into the neighbor’s camper and wondered if you knew how to pick travel camper locks,” Gloria said.

  “What kind of travel camper?” Lucy asked.

  “I don’t know!” Gloria shoved one crutch under her arm and holding her cell phone in the other hand, hobbled to the edge of Penny’s camper. She hopped around the front of the camper and peered at the sticker on the side. “It’s a Jayco Jay Flight.”

  “There may be a way in.” Gloria heard the sound of keys clicking. “It’s going to take me a few m
inutes. Can I call you back?”

  “Text it to me. I’ll call you when I can.” Gloria disconnected the line and shoved the phone in her back pocket.

  She shuffled the rest of the way around the camper and when she got to the front, she noticed a crew of workers circling the light pole in front of Liz’s camper. She leaned on the hood of the rental car to watch.

  The men were installing some sort of light.

  Gloria limped to the golf cart nearby, hopped in the driver’s seat and drove to the end of their driveway. “Hello. Just curious…what are you doing?” No point in beating around the bush.

  “The owners are installing surveillance cameras,” the worker told her. “Something about a rash of suspicious activity in this area and they want to keep an eye on this section of the campground.”

  Gloria’s heart skipped a beat. How in the world was she going to break into Penny’s RV if there was a surveillance camera watching her? The timing couldn’t have been worse!

  Think, Gloria. There has to be a way around the camera. She snapped her fingers as an idea came to mind. She eased the golf cart a little closer. “I could use a surveillance camera back home. What kind of camera is it?”

  “Swann 735 with night vision.” The young man who was holding the ladder glanced at Gloria. “The camera is one step down from commercial grade. This baby can catch a firefly scoot by,” he said.

  “Swann 735.” Gloria repeated the name. “Thanks.”

  Swann 735…Swann 735.

  Gloria gazed at Liz’s camper. There was still no sign of Paul.

  She stomped on the gas pedal and sped back to their campsite.

  Gloria came to an abrupt halt near the decks steps, hopped up the steps, dropped the golf cart keys on the counter and stepped back outside.

  It was time to call in another favor. Gloria pulled her cell phone from her pocket and tilted it at an angle until she had three bars. She searched her phone list until she found the number she was searching for.

  “Belhaven Post Office. Ruth Carpenter speaking.”

  “Ruth. It’s Gloria.”

  “Hey honeymooner. Are you enjoying your week away? Where are you? Lucy said you were in Florida.”

  “I am. We are,” Gloria cut her off. “I need a huge favor.”

  “Sure. Whatcha got?”

  “I need to break into a camper which is being watched by surveillance camera. I need you to find out everything you can about the Swann 735 surveillance camera. Stat.”

  “Sure. It’ll take a few minutes to look it up, although I’ve heard of the Swann product. Very high end at a reasonable price. Why I…”

  “Sorry Ruth. I gotta go. Paul is coming. If I don’t answer, text me.”

  Gloria disconnected the line. She shoved the phone in her pocket, crossed her arms and tried to look as nonchalant as possible as her husband approached.

  She was cool and calm on the outside. Inside, her mind was racing ninety miles an hour. How was she going to sneak into the camper with Paul underfoot?

  There was no way he would go along with breaking and entering! She needed to get him out of the vicinity. Then it dawned on her. She had an idea…a brilliant idea…

  Gloria batted her eyes. “I would love to take a final spin in the golf cart before they take it away.”

  Paul kissed Gloria’s cheek and squeezed her arm. “Sure my love. I’ll get the keys.”

  When he stepped inside to grab the keys, Gloria hustled to the golf cart as fast as her leg would allow. She whipped off her sweater, crumpled it in a ball and shoved it inside the golf cart’s glove box.

  Paul returned moments later and dangled the keys in his hand. “Would you like to drive?”

  “No,” Gloria said. “I would much rather enjoy the ride.” She slid into the passenger seat and smiled, popping her new sunglasses on her nose.

  The morning was beautiful, sunny and warm. It was the perfect day for a small fact-finding mission.

  They passed the store, looped through the front of the park, drove by the beach area, the boat access and the hiking trails.

  When they returned to the campsite, Liz and Frances were waiting near the car. “Are we still on for breakfast?” Liz asked as she and Frances trailed behind the golf cart.

  “Yep,” Gloria said. “In fact, I’m starving.”

  Paul dropped the golf cart keys in the center console. “I can drive,” he offered.

  Liz and Frances climbed in the back of the rental car and Gloria slid into the front passenger seat.

  The four of them chatted about the weather, the upcoming cruise, Michigan and the campground as they drove.

  Pete’s Pancake Shop was the place to be and the four of them had to wait several moments for a bus boy to clear a booth and wipe the table.

  Finally, they squeezed into the empty booth and Gloria reached for the menu. She had had her fill of bacon and eggs and the Belgian waffles sounded perfect. Gloria ordered a waffle, topped with fresh strawberries and a dollop of whipped cream.

  Paul ordered the flapjack stack, a towering stack of pancakes, which included a container of homemade maple syrup. He added a side of sausage links to his order.

  Frances was finally able to get her pancake fix and ordered two kinds…blueberry and classic buttermilk, along with three different syrups.

  Liz, determined to be different, ordered an egg white omelet, light on the cheddar cheese and mushrooms, and requested the mushrooms be chopped into tiny pieces. She finished her order with a side of dry whole-wheat toast.

  After the waitress jotted down their order and left, Paul turned to Liz and Frances. “You’re heading out this afternoon?”

  Frances nodded. “Check out is three but I would like to be home at three.”

  Liz snorted. “Because Bernie keeps asking when you’re coming back.”

  “Bernie?” Gloria lifted a brow.

  “Bernard.” Liz drew out the last part of his name and pronounced it “Burrnaaard.”

  Frances punched Liz in the arm. “Mind your own beeswax, sister.”

  Thankfully, the waitress returned a short time later with the food and the conversation turned to the mysterious deaths and Penny’s overdose.

  Liz cut a small corner of her omelet and popped it in her mouth. “Looks like you won’t be solving this one,” she said. “Unless you do some fancy footwork and figure it out before tomorrow morning.”

  Gloria pushed a small piece of waffle around on her plate. It was true. It would be the first mystery she wasn’t able to solve, not that it was all her fault. She was running out of time.

  Her only hope, her only clue, was inside Penny’s camper and she needed to get inside!

  Liz paid for everyone’s breakfast. “Thank you for inviting us to spend time with you on your honeymoon.”

  Gloria wrinkled her nose. More like Liz invited herself, although now that she was leaving, looking back, it hadn’t been that bad, except for the deaths, the overdose and the broken leg!

  True, it hadn’t been all roses and rainbows, but at least she was still alive and kicking, which should count for something.

  The four of them rode back to the campground in silence. Frances was thinking of her beloved Bernie.

  Liz was anxious to get home and go through her closet to see what would be suitable to pack for the upcoming cruise.

  Paul was wondering what his wife was up to…and Gloria? Well…Gloria was wondering how she was going to get into the camper next door.

  Chapter 20

  When they reached the camper, the first thing Gloria noticed was that the golf cart was gone and a final statement from the golf cart place was tucked in the doorjamb.

  Liz and Frances headed to their camper to finish packing while Paul and Gloria stepped inside their camper. “I guess I better start packing some things, too, since we’re leaving in the morning.”

  Gloria hopped to the bedroom door. “Can you see if my pink sweater is in the car?” she asked Paul, smiling sweetly.


  “Yes, of course.”

  Paul returned a few moments later. “Your sweater wasn’t in the car. Maybe you left it in the camper.”

  Gloria frowned as she shook her head. “No…I was wearing it earlier.” She slid sideways as she made her way out of the bedroom and into the living room. “I know I had it this morning.” She snapped her fingers. “I left it in the golf cart.” On purpose, she added silently.

  “It was one of my favorite sweaters and I left it in the golf cart,” she wailed.

  “We will buy you another, just like it.” Paul attempted to soothe his bride.

  Tears filled Gloria’s eyes. “Ryan and Tyler bought the sweater for me for Christmas.”

  Paul, seeing his wife was inconsolable, made his way over and placed an arm around her shoulder. “I can run over to the rental place and try to track down the sweater if it means that much to you.”

  Gloria blinked rapidly. “Please. I mean…you don’t mind?”

  “No, I don’t mind,” Paul reached for the car keys. “I’ll be back in a few.”

  “Thank you.” She clasped her hands and forced a smile. “I’m sorry.” Sorry I have to send you on a wild good chase.

  Paul kissed her forehead. “I’ll be right back.”

  Gloria trailed behind Paul and stood on the deck as she watched him back the rental car out of the driveway.

  As soon as the car was out of sight, she hit the ground, slid off the deck, grabbed her crutches and high tailed it to Liz’s camper.

  She pounded on the side of the camper. “Quick! I need your help!”

  Liz flung the door open and looked around wildly. “What? Did you fall in a hole and break your other leg?”

  Gloria rolled her eyes. “No. I need you to help me break into Penny’s camper.”

  Frances eased around Liz and darted onto the deck. She glanced at the empty drive. “Where is Paul?”

  “He’s on his way to the golf cart rental place. I left my sweater in the glove box. We need to get into the camper before he comes back!” Gloria spun around and started across the street. She needed to find out if Lucy or Ruth had called with the information.

  Liz and Frances picked up the pace and followed Gloria to her campsite. “Run inside and grab my cell phone from my purse,” Gloria told her sister.