by Lena Gregory
Since she hadn’t cleaned up before closing the day before, she set to straightening what little had been left out of place. After wiping down the large round table beside the back window and the driftwood countertop that held her register, she straightened rows of stones and crystals that were already perfectly aligned, since her past had left her with a burning need for order.
Beast nudged her leg with his nose.
She laughed and petted his head. “Sorry, boy.”
She went to the back room, with Beast trotting beside her, filled his water bowl then scooped dog food into his food bowl. When she turned from the counter with both bowls in hand, Beast plopped right down to sit and his tongue dropped out.
Herb Cox, the dog trainer Bee had finally goaded her into calling, had been right about making him sit before feeding him. Honestly, that had been the easiest training of all. Since he was always eager to eat, he’d figured out early on that he didn’t eat until he sat.
“Good boy, Beast.” She placed the bowls on the floor, cleaned the counter and took his leash and a bag with her to wait by the back door until he was done.
It didn’t take long.
She took him for a brisk, all-business walk, then added a few new toys from a cabinet in the back room to his toy basket. She’d found if she changed the toys up now and then he got less bored and did less damage. After starting a pot of coffee and another of hot water for tea, she unlocked the front door and set about reducing the price of her souvenir lighthouse figures.
She’d almost finished when the chimes signaled a customer. She stood and stretched her back.
Beast picked his head up from where he sat chewing on a bone, studied the newcomer, then returned to his chewing. He’d developed a knack for knowing which customers would greet him with enthusiasm and which wouldn’t be interested.
A tall woman, her darker skin tone contrasted beautifully by her white sundress, her midnight black hair slicked back into a tight bun, nodded toward her before folding her Maui Jim sunglasses and tucking them into her collar. “Good morning, dear.”
Cass held out her hand to the new customer, who didn’t look at all familiar. Since her striking beauty and commanding presence made her memorable, she was probably a tourist. “Good morning. I’m Cass Donovan.”
“Simone Carlson.” She shook Cass’s hand with a firm grip, her accent holding a hint of the islands. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you too. Can I help you with anything, or would you just like to browse?”
The woman strolled through the shop as she spoke, taking her time with both. “As much as I’d love to look around and shop, I have to make the next ferry to the mainland. I just wanted to stop in to set up an appointment for a reading before I left.”
“Of course.” Cass started toward the counter to get her appointment book. “So, what brought you to Bay Island? Work? Pleasure?”
“A little of both, I hope.” The woman fished a business card from her Michael Kors bag and handed it to Cass. Simone’s name, phone number, and email address were embossed in gold ink on the black card. “I’m hoping to purchase Bay Island Tours.”
“Bay Island Tours?” Fred’s company had gone up for sale already? Or was this woman some kind of vulture who preyed on people while they were grieving in hopes of taking over a profitable business at a very reduced price? Her casual, relaxed manner would certainly inspire trust, soothe the aching soul of a grieving widow. Cass’s spine stiffened instantly in Amelia’s defense. “I wasn’t aware it was for sale.”
“Yes, I’ve been in discussions with the current owner for the past month. I was told they were trying to add a paranormal element, something I’d very much enjoy. Which, since I have neither the time nor the patience for game playing, brings me to the ulterior motive for my visit.”
“Oh?” Cass opened her planner on the counter and grabbed a pen. “What’s that?”
“I was hoping you’d agree to participating in my tours. I was going to wait until after my reading to discuss it with you, but I have to be honest . . .” She waved a hand around the shop with a flourish. “I loved the vibe the minute I walked in here, and I’d love to include your shop as one of my stops.”
Cass’s heart fluttered. That was exactly what she’d been hoping Fred would agree to. And yet . . . Guilt dampened some of the excitement. “I’m sorry, I don’t know if you’re aware, but Fred DiCarlo was killed yesterday.”
“Oh, my.” A delicate hand with long thin fingers and long maroon nails fluttered to her chest. “I’m sorry, I hadn’t heard.”
“I don’t know if that changes your plans or your interest in a reading, but I—”
“Oh, no, not at all, dear.” She set her bag on the counter and rummaged through its contents. “While that is quite unfortunate news, my discussions have not been with Mr. DiCarlo, they’ve been with the owner.”
“Oh?” Caught off guard, Cass didn’t have time to censor herself. “I thought Fred was the owner of the company?”
She pulled out her cell phone. “Oh, no. I’ve been discussing the acquisition of the tour company with Amelia DiCarlo.”
“Amelia?” From what everyone had said, Fred had been excited about adding the ghost aspect of the tours. Why would Amelia have been selling the business? Bee was going to have a field day with this one. Finally, she might get to one-up him.
“Yes. She posted the business for sale last month, and we negotiated a very reasonable price.” The woman scrolled through her phone as she spoke but still managed to keep her full attention on Cass.
Cass nodded, her mind racing. Had Fred known she planned to sell? Did she even have the authority to sell?
Luke had told Cass to keep quiet about seeing someone in the keeper’s house window when Fred was killed but, surely, he’d be okay with her passing this tidbit on to Bee. Where it would take Cass some time to gather any information on the sale, if she could ever come up with any results, Bee would be on it and have answers in no time.
Simone looked at her watch and frowned. “Though this certainly does change things. I’m afraid I will have to stay on Bay Island a bit longer to pay a visit to Amelia and pay my respects, as would only be proper. Excuse me a moment, please.”
Cass waited while she shot off a quick text.
“There. My assistant will take care of rescheduling my affairs. Now . . .” She returned her attention to Cass. “I was hoping to come in this weekend, but since it seems I’ll be extending my stay, do you have tomorrow morning free?”
Cass flipped to the appropriate page in her book. “I can pretty much do whatever time you’d like.”
“Hmm . . . I will be returning to the mainland later in the day, and I’d like to get an early start. Would it be possible to come in around six?”
Cass wouldn’t typically open anywhere near that early, though she often walked the beach to the shop at sunrise when it was less crowded, then had breakfast with Bee and Stephanie before he went to bed and she and Stephanie went to work. But she wanted to talk to this woman, to find out why Amelia would have had the business up for sale without Fred’s knowledge, or if Fred had known. And she would love the opportunity to be featured on a tour. “That would be perfect.”
“Wonderful.” She took a long look around the shop before sliding her sunglasses back on. “You wouldn’t happen to know the history of this building, would you?”
“Uh . . . no, but I suppose I could look it up.”
Simone waved a hand. “No bother, dear, I’ll have someone take care of it. ’Til tomorrow, then.”
Cass watched her climb into a black Porsche and gun the engine as she left the parking lot. Cass had liked the woman. Her easygoing way had cast an aura of peace and contentment. She just hoped Simone Carlson was legitimate and not some con artist who had her charming charade down pat.
A quick glance at the clock—barely ten thirty in the morning—told her Bee, who often worked in his back room through the night
to avoid interruptions, would have her head if she called.
She dialed anyway, then tapped her foot through four rings before he finally picked up.
“Is anyone else dead?” he mumbled.
“No, but . . .”
Bee hung up.
Great, now what? Stephanie had to work all day, and Cass really wanted to know what was going on with Amelia. The question of the business being for sale nagged at her, and no one could do research like Bee.
A familiar figure hurried across the lot toward Mystical Musings, and Cass grinned as she dialed Bee again.
It only took two rings this time. “If you want to remain friends—”
“Emma Nicholls is headed toward my shop as we speak,” she blurted before he could hang up again. “If you’d rather me discuss the dirt I’ve got with her, by all means, go back to sleep.”
She waited him out, humming a familiar tune she couldn’t recall the name of. He’d never in a million years let Emma, his nemesis in the gossip department, get first dibs on whatever Cass had found out.
The sound of chimes carried through the phone to Bee. “You’re bluffing.”
“Am I?” She lifted the phone away from her ear but kept it where Bee would hear both her and Emma. “Good morning, Emma.”
“Hey, Cass. How are you doing after that fiasco yesterday? I heard you tried to revive Fred.”
“Okay!” Bee yelled.
“Excuse me one moment, please, Emma.” She pressed the phone back against her ear. “I’m sorry, sir.”
“Don’t you give her one measly crumb.” The sounds of Bee frantically rushing around to get dressed had her biting back laughter. “Ouch . . . Ugh . . . I’m on my way.”
“That will be fine, sir, thank you. I’ll see you then.” She hung up and set the phone aside. “Sorry, Emma.”
“Oh, no, please, don’t worry about it. I didn’t realize you were on the phone.” Since Emma worked at the deli Rick owned, and Rick had been one of the first paramedics on the scene at the lighthouse, it was no surprise she already knew about Cass’s attempts to save Fred.
Beast trotted over and sat, his rear end wagging frantically along with his tail.
“Good morning.” Emma laughed and petted him. “You’re a good boy, Beast.”
“He is, isn’t he?” Mostly. Cass rounded the counter. “Do you want coffee or tea? I have coffee cake this morning from Tony’s. Gina dropped it off a little while ago, and it’s still warm.”
“Oh, mmm . . . that sounds amazing, but I’m shopping for a birthday gift for my mom, so would it be okay if we did that first, just in case you get busy?” To Beast’s disappointment, Emma released him and lifted a peach-scented candle beneath her nose and sniffed. “Wow. That smells so good.”
Cass offered Beast a treat from a jar beside the register, and he forgot all about Emma and ran off to either eat it or hide it somewhere. Hopefully, he wouldn’t try to dig a hole through the wood floors again. As it was, she spent enough time on her hands and knees trying to fill in the scratches his claws left in the wood. “Do you have anything special in mind for your mom?”
“Not really.” She chose a vanilla candle next. “This smells amazing too. My mom loves candles. She keeps tons of them in the fireplace and burns them while she curls up on the couch to read every night.”
“I could put together a basket for you, with different scented candles.”
“She’ll love the basket of candles, but I was hoping to get her something a little more personal too. It’s her fiftieth birthday, and she swears if she doesn’t celebrate, the year won’t count and she can stay in her forties.” Emma laughed.
“Are you and your mom close?” Though she could already tell they were by the warmth in Emma’s voice as she teased.
“Very. She is my best friend in the world.”
The easy affection she spoke with gave Cass a quick pang of grief, the loss of her own mother a few years earlier still an open wound. “So, you need a gift that will make her realize that the past fifty years have been meaningful, make her happy to be where she is at this point in her life.”
“Yes.” Emma squealed and clasped her hands together. “Exactly. Do you have something like that?”
“I think I might have just the thing.” Cass led Emma toward an octagonal glass display case in the center of the shop.
Emma browsed as she followed. “Oh, and I definitely want a gift certificate for a reading. She’s been talking about coming in for one since you opened.”
Cass smiled, thrilled with the idea of meeting Emma’s mother. Despite Emma’s passion for gossip, and the fact that Cass had to watch every word when they were together, Emma was one of those people who was just fun to be around. She always offered a smile and a kind word, and as much as she enjoyed gossiping, Cass had never heard her utter a mean word about anyone.
She unlocked the case and took out a small black velvet box with a necklace nestled inside, then handed it to Emma.
“Ooh, it’s beautiful.” She ran a finger over the delicate design, two interlocked rings, one slightly larger than the other, on a thin gold chain.
“The circles represent mother and daughter, and the design is an infinity symbol. It honors the infinite bond between the two of you, reminds her you are always linked, your love eternal.”
“Oh, Cass.” Tears shimmered in Emma’s eyes. “It’s perfect. Mom is going to love this.”
A thrill coursed through her, the same thrill she always got when she was able to read the perfect gift someone needed and help them find that just right expression of their deepest feelings. “I’m so glad I could help. I’ll wrap it up and put it in a basket with some candles.”
“Wait. How much is it?” Emma started to turn the box over.
Cass plucked it out of her hand. “Don’t worry. I promise it’s affordable. And we’ll ring the rest up one thing at a time, if you want, so you can see how it’s adding up.”
“That would be great, thank you.”
Cass discreetly removed the price tag from the bottom of the box as she returned to the register. Emma was young, and everyone knew she’d given up a scholarship to go away to college in order to stay on Bay Island and work locally to help her mom out. She’d discount the items as far as she could without losing money to help Emma out.
When she’d finished ringing Emma up, she set a number of different-sized pillar candles in a basket amid pink tissue paper, then added the necklace, displayed in the open box, the gift certificate, which she only charged half price for, and wrapped the entire package in silver cellophane. She finished the package off with pink and silver ribbons. The scent of the candles permeated the wrapping, enveloping the entire package in the warm aroma of vanilla and peach.
“Thank you so much, Cass. Mom’s going to love it.” Emma leaned over the basket and inhaled deeply. “I guess what they say about you is true.”
“Oh?” Cass’s interest piqued. “And what’s that?”
“That you have a knack for helping people choose the perfect gift.”
Cass grinned. That was a reputation she could live with. “And now, how about that coffee cake?”
“You bet, thanks.” Emma crossed to the back counter with Cass. Used to how Cass did things, Emma set out two mugs. “Coffee or tea?”
Cass laughed. “You serve coffee in the deli all day long; sit, relax. I’ll take care of it. Coffee or tea?”
“Thanks, Cass. I’ll have coffee, please.” She flopped onto a couch in a small seating arrangement, slid off her sneakers and tucked one foot underneath her. “So, rumor has it you tried to revive Fred. That must have been hard.”
Cass filled both mugs with coffee and set them on a tray. “I’m just sorry I couldn’t save him.”
“Did you know him?” She picked at the hem of her jeans, her gaze firmly fixed on a loose thread.
After adding cream and sugar to the tray, along with two plates of coffee cake, Cass set it on the low coffee table and took a chair a
cross from Emma. “I knew him, but not well. I know Amelia better.”
“Thank you.” Emma turned to face the table but made no move to fix her coffee. “I knew him, sort of, because he came into the deli all the time.”
Cass sensed she was working her way around to something, so she remained quiet as she added cream to her coffee and stirred longer than necessary.
Finally, Emma looked up at Cass. “There are other rumors going around too.”
“Oh?” Her gut told her she wasn’t going to like the other rumors, so did the chorus of voices whispering in her head. She ignored both. “What kind of rumors?”
“Look, Cass, I really came in to give you a heads-up, though I did also need a gift for my mom’s birthday, and I’m so glad I did because it’s absolutely perfect, but I figured I’d kill two birds with one stone, you know?” She twisted the hem of her T-shirt between her hands.
“It’s okay, Emma.” Whatever she had to say clearly held more importance than idle gossip, and Emma hadn’t been entirely comfortable coming to Cass with it. “I understand, and I appreciate you coming directly to me rather than talking about it with anyone else.”
“Thank you for that.” She smiled. “At first, I thought about waiting for Bee to make the rounds and stop in the deli, since I knew he would with Fred dying and all, then quietly talking to him, because I know how tight the two of you are. But I didn’t want to be overheard, and well, you know, when people see Bee and me with our heads together, they automatically eavesdrop. It’s almost like an invitation.”
The two biggest gossips on all of Bay Island, one day after a man fell to his death from the lighthouse—she could see where people might be interested in what they were talking about. Cass sipped her coffee and waited.
“So, anyway, I figured I’d come in and give you a warning.”
She almost spit the coffee all over, managed to choke it down, and stared wide-eyed at Emma.
“You okay?”
Cass nodded. “A warning?”