by Kathi Daley
“I’ll have someone come over. Do you know his name?”
“No, I didn’t catch it, but he was wearing sunglasses with blue lenses.”
“Okay. I’ll let the guard know to be on the lookout.”
I stepped away from the girl and called Noah to ask about having someone stationed at the foot of the stairs leading backstage. I told him about the man wearing sunglasses with blue lenses, and he texted back soon after to inform me that he was getting other complaints about the man taking photos and would keep an eye out for him. This contest did tend to attract its share of weirdos, and this certainly wouldn’t be the first time we’d had to escort someone off the resort.
Once I confirmed that the models were all set and the guard was in place, I headed out to see if Kyle had the sound system fixed. He was on the stage messing with something behind the electrical panel, so I headed over to say hi to Jenna, who was sitting with Rosalie, Helen, Bookman, and the four girls in the seats I’d reserved.
“Is it going to start soon?” Ashley asked.
“In about twenty minutes, assuming Uncle Kyle can fix the sound system. Did you girls have a nice day?”
“The best,” Gracie answered. “Kari’s grandma took me and Kari shopping. She bought us new dresses.”
I smiled at Helen. “That was nice.”
“Mine is blue and Kari’s is red. We’re going to wear them to the parade tomorrow so we can be patriotic.”
“That’s a wonderful idea. I can’t wait to see them. And you know, you have those new white sandals that should be a perfect match.” I turned to Ashley. “How was the movie?”
Ashley shrugged. “Okay.”
Typical Ashley to not want to show too much enthusiasm. As a preteen, she seemed to have already mastered the whole angsty teen thing. I dreaded what the future might bring.
“We ran into some kids from school, so we all sat together,” Kristi supplied. “We might try to go to another movie later in the week with the same kids, if that’s okay with you and Mom.”
“Fine by me,” I said.
“Yeah, me too, as long as the movie is appropriate for girls your age,” Jenna seconded.
“Me and Kari want to go to the new Disney movie,” Gracie added.
“The princess one,” Kari joined in.
I listened to my sisters’ stories of their day until I spotted Sam sitting in the first row of the bleachers. He must have arrived super early again.
“I need to go say hi to someone,” I told the others. “Let’s all meet back at the house when this is over. We’ll barbeque something.”
“Aren’t you going to sit with us during the contest?” Ashley asked.
“No, I’m going to watch from backstage in case someone needs help. I think Grandpa and Uncle Kyle will be joining you, though, so be sure to save them seats.”
Ashley looked as if she was going to argue, but everyone else agreed.
There really wasn’t anywhere to sit near Sam, who happened to have a pair of sunglasses with blue lenses tucked in the pocket of his shirt. I couldn’t just stand in front of him and ask him about a relationship he’d had eight years before, so I wasn’t sure what my game plan was going to be. When I’d spotted him sitting there, my first thought was that it was too good an opportunity to pass up, but after thinking it through, I realized what I needed to do was get him alone. Of course, that wasn’t likely to happen when his girlfriend was about to come onstage.
“Hey, Sam,” I greeted him casually.
“Hey, Tj. Did you get a chance to put in a good word for Gwen?”
“Absolutely,” I lied. “There are a lot of really beautiful women competing, but I’m sure Gwen has as much chance as anyone. I saw the talent portion of yesterday’s rehearsal and her dance routine was awesome.”
“Gwen is nervous about the dance, but I think she’ll do fine. She’s been practicing almost nonstop.”
I glanced at Sam’s camera. “It looks like you came prepared to take a bunch of photos.”
Sam nodded. “Photos are sort of my thing. My mom used to say if I was around you could bet there was a photo to prove it.”
“So photography is more than just a casual hobby?”
Sam shrugged. “I’m not a professional or anything. I’ve taken a few classes and I have good equipment and a lot of practice. You could say photography is sort of my obsession. My uncle gave me my first camera when I was ten, and I was amazed at the way a simple photo could freeze time. I think I drove my friends and family crazy taking photos of everyone and everything, but a long time from now I’ll have visual images to back up my memoires.”
“That’s nice, though until digital cameras came onto the market storing all those photos must have been a major undertaking.”
Sam chuckled. “You’re right about that. I must have thousands of photos. You should see my old room at my mom’s. There are so many boxes of photos stacked up you can barely find the bed.”
“There were that many when you lived there?”
“Well, no, not quite that many. I’ve added to my collection since I moved out, so now I use my old room as a storeroom. My apartment is really tiny. I do have a few things there. You should come by my place sometime. I’ve framed some of my best pieces.”
Although I knew a pickup line when I heard it, I agreed, then moved on down the row to the stairs leading backstage. Sam had given me an idea. If he was as obsessive about photography as he indicated and had been in a relationship with Jennifer Reinhold’s sister, maybe there were photos that provided clues as to what had been going on at the time of the murder. Digging through thousands of photos wasn’t going to be an easy feat. Perhaps he’d catalogued them in some way. It would take effort to assuage my curiosity, but you never knew when someone or something in the background of an otherwise unspectacular photo would provide you with just the clue you needed to solve a case.
Chapter 17
During the contest I noticed Sam chatting with a man I didn’t know well but I knew Sam had been friends with for a long time. His name was Wade Vance, and he had lived in Serenity for as long as I could remember. I wasn’t certain Wade had known Sam back when he was dating Kendra, but after Sam left with Gwen, and Wade was left standing alone, I figured it wouldn’t hurt to stop and have a chat with him.
“Did you enjoy the contest?” I asked casually as Wade looked toward the area where food and drinks were being served.
“Yeah. It was great. I know Sam is mad Gwen didn’t win, but between you and me she never really had a chance.”
“There were some strong contestants this year,” I admitted, secretly glad that the girl who wanted the scholarship for law school had come out on top. “Did Sam leave?”
I knew he had, but I figured asking about him was as good a way as any to work my way around to what I really wanted to ask.
“Yeah. He’s going to take Gwen out to dinner. She hasn’t eaten a thing in a week since she wanted to look her best for the contest.”
“Wow. I don’t know that I’d give up eating for a week no matter the reason.”
“Tell me about it. I kept thinking the chick was going to keel over while she was onstage, but somehow she made it through. I was going to head over to the food court for a bite myself. Do you want to join me?”
Not in the least, but I did want to continue the conversation, so I agreed to have a beer with the man.
“Seems like you and Sam have known each other a long time,” I commented as we walked.
“Since elementary school.”
“I wasn’t aware you had been friends for that long.”
Wade got into the line at the back of the bar. “We haven’t. We were friends in grade school and even into junior high, but Sam started hanging around with the rich kids who lived in his neighborhood in high school. We basically went our separate ways. We actual
ly didn’t start hanging out again until after he broke up with the freaky rich chick whose sister died several years ago.”
“Rich chick?”
“Some chick he met when he still lived with his mom. I didn’t know her well, but he brought her to a few parties hosted by friends we still had in common. I tried to tell him the chick was a big ol’ ten on the weird and disturbing meter, but he wouldn’t listen. Of course, at the time, Sam was as freaky as she was, so maybe he really didn’t notice.”
“Would you say this was about eight years ago?”
The man frowned. I suppose my question had been pretty specific, although he did eventually answer. “Yeah. That seems about right. Why do you ask?”
I shrugged. “I was just trying to figure out who you were talking about.” We moved up several places in the impossibly long line. “You said the girl was freaky. Freaky how, exactly?”
Wade took several steps forward. “I’m not one to gossip, but the chick had this really unnerving way of looking at you. It might have been the fact that she was stoned most of the time, but she had this vacant stare and high-pitched laugh that was downright spooky. Of course, Sam was totally into her and she didn’t seem to mind his freaky death photos, so I suppose they were the perfect pair.”
“Death photos?”
“Roadkill. Sam carried that camera with him all the time. If he saw a dead animal in the road, he’d stop and take photos of it. We weren’t hanging around much by this point, but he’d bring the photos everywhere he went and show them to all his weirdo friends. Two beers,” Wade ordered when we finally got to the front of the line.
After we got our beers, we sat down at an empty table. I knew the family would be waiting, but Wade’s story was both fascinating and disturbing. I wanted to see where our conversation led.
“Do you know if Sam still participates in this particular hobby?”
Wade shook his head. “Once he stopped hanging around with that crowd he backed off the whole ‘death is awesome’ thing. He still likes to take photos, but I think now he’s more into chicks than dead stuff.”
I thought about the fact that he’d been taking photos of the models changing and realized that was equally disturbing, just in a different way. I talked to Wade for a while longer and then made up an excuse and headed to the family BBQ. I wasn’t sure that a weird hobby as a teen and young adult necessarily made you a killer, but I decided not to cross him off our list quite yet.
“Seems like everything went well today,” Kyle commented after our guests had left and the family had headed inside.
“It did. Thank you for fixing the sound system. I’m not sure what we would have done without you.” I laced my fingers through Kyle’s as we walked along the beach. It was a warm night, so we were walking barefoot along the water’s edge.
“I was happy to help. I’m having a hard time realizing tomorrow is the Fourth. I keep thinking of all the things I need to do, and then remembering the entire day is already going to be pretty full with holiday events.”
“It does seem that with everything that’s happened recently the past few days have blurred together. And to think I was still on Gull Island at this time last week…That seems like a lifetime ago.”
“Although I’m not happy about the reason we came home, I do find I’m happy to be at Paradise Lake for the Fourth.”
I leaned my head on Kyle’s shoulder and looked out toward the water. It was a beautiful night, and the moon shone off the surface of the lake. “Speaking of the Fourth, were you planning to go to the parade tomorrow? I think the pancake breakfast ended up being canceled, but I did tell the girls we’d go to the parade. I thought about stopping by to ask Martha Wilson if I can take a look at Sam’s photos, but that might need to wait until another day.”
Kyle put his arm around my shoulder as we continued walking slowly down the beach. “Do you think Sam actually knows anything about Jennifer Reinhold’s death?”
“I don’t know. Before I talked to Wade I thought it was a possibility, but now that I really know how strange Sam was back then, I can’t help but wonder if he wasn’t somehow involved.”
“I thought we decided Sam didn’t kill Judge Harper.”
“We have. Mostly. But we don’t definitively know that the person who killed Jennifer Reinhold, assuming it wasn’t her husband, killed Judge Harper.”
“Having an obsession with dead animals doesn’t necessarily make you a killer,” Kyle pointed out.
“I know, but I’d still like to look into it further. I know Jennifer Reinhold’s sister had access to their house. She might have brought Sam along when she visited. But I have no idea how often Kendra visited or whether Sam paid much attention to her relationship with her sister.”
“And the others?”
“I definitely want to follow up with Striker Bristow. After hearing the message he left on Judge Harper’s phone I can’t help but wonder what he wanted and whether or not he tracked him down. In my mind, he’s still our number one suspect in Judge Harper’s death.”
“We still haven’t gone through the entire book Frannie lent us,” Kyle reminded me.
“I guess that’s as good a place as any to get back to work. Tomorrow. It’s late now.”
We walked in silence for a few moments before Kyle spoke. “Are there any events at the resort you need to help out with tomorrow?”
“No. Everything’s happening in town. There’s the kiddie carnival and community picnic in the park after the parade, followed by the fireworks display over the lake after dark. We should probably plan to meet up with everyone for dinner and the fireworks, but we’ll have four or five hours between the parade and dinner. Jenna told me she’s closing the restaurant tomorrow so she can take her girls to the kiddie carnival. She already offered to take Ashley and Gracie along, so I guess I’ll let her.”
“I think maybe we should take a break and pick this up on Wednesday,” Kyle suggested. “I’d hate for you to miss spending the day with your sisters.”
I hesitated. Maybe we should take a break from the investigation and enjoy the holiday. After all, how much difference could one day make?
I stopped walking and turned to face Kyle. “You know, you’re right. I’ve let this whole thing get to me more than I should’ve. I’m sure one day won’t make a bit of difference. Tomorrow is a special day that should be spent with family and friends.”
Kyle leaned forward and kissed me. “I’ll pick you and the girls up for the parade?”
“Yeah. That sounds perfect.”
I could tell Kyle wanted to linger, and, to be honest, I found that I wanted him to as well, but we did have a busy day tomorrow, and with all that had been happening, I really should spend some time with my sisters. So I kissed Kyle goodbye and promised to see him the next day.
After Kyle left, I headed into the house. I found Gracie in Ashley’s room, which rarely happened these days, since Ashley had become so possessive of her territory.
“Hey, girls,” I greeted them. “What’s going on?”
“We need to talk,” Gracie informed me, a serious expression on her face.
“Okay.” I sat down on the side of Ashley’s bed. It was not at all like Gracie to be so authoritative. “Let’s talk.”
“Are you going to marry Uncle Kyle?” Gracie demanded after crossing her arms across her chest.
I paused. I could sense my answer to this question was going to set the tone for the remainder of the conversation. Ashley didn’t seem all that upset. In fact, if the little smile she was trying to suppress was any indication, she was rather enjoying my discomfort. But Gracie was obviously very concerned about the subject, and evading her question wouldn’t go over very well.
“I have no immediate plans to marry Uncle Kyle,” I answered honestly. “Uncle Kyle and I have been friends for a long time, and you know how very important he
is to me—to all of us—but we just started dating. It’s much too soon to be discussing marriage.”
I noticed Gracie’s bravado begin to fade. “Do you love him?”
I nodded. “I do.”
“Does he love you?” Gracie’s voice was little more than a whisper.
“Yes,” I answered honestly. “I think he does.”
Gracie paused, but I could see that she had serious thoughts on her mind. I hesitated as the emotions she was feeling played out on her face.
“Is something wrong?” I answered.
Gracie shrugged.
I sat down on the corner of the bed. “You can talk to me,” I encouraged.
Gracie looked at me with tears in her eyes. “If you date Uncle Kyle but don’t marry him, is he going to stop coming over?”
“No,” I assured her. “Of course not. Why would you think that?”
Gracie hesitated and then spoke. “Because you dated Deputy Dylan and then you stopped dating him and he went away, and then you dated Uncle Hunter and then stopped dating him and now we hardly ever see him.”
Gracie had a legitimate point. If Kyle and I did continue to date, if we did take things to the next level and it didn’t work out, would we lose him altogether? I knew Gracie thought of Kyle almost as a surrogate father. I owed it to her to be sure that, whatever happened, Kyle would never feel he could no longer be part of our lives.
“We love Uncle Kyle,” Gracie added before I could answer. “We would miss him if he stopped coming to see us.”
“I love Uncle Kyle too, and I would miss him just as much if he wasn’t part of our lives.” I put my hands on Gracie’s crossed legs, which were in front of me as she faced me on the bed. “Please understand that neither of us wants to create a situation where Uncle Kyle stopped spending time with us.”
Gracie looked at me with an expression that clearly conveyed her doubt. “You said you loved Uncle Hunter.”