I exhaled. “In more ways than I’m comfortable with.”
My mother’s nose scrunched. “Are you still talking about Jessica? Or are you referring to the case now?”
“I’ll spare you the specifics,” I said.
She shrugged. “Why?”
“Because I don’t want to bother you with those disturbing details.”
“Is the investigation going that poorly?”
“It’s certainly not going well.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
“You aren’t the only one who is sorry,” I said.
“Honey, I understand if you’re not comfortable discussing this case with me. That said, you need to share your feelings with someone. You can’t just keep them bottled up.”
I took a deep breath and then blurted out what was on my mind. “I can’t stop thinking about Nicole.”
“Right. Of course.”
“It’s just so sad, knowing that she is only eighteen-years-old and she has already lost both of her parents.”
“That is absolutely heartbreaking.”
“I honestly don’t know what she’s going to do now,” I said. “I mean, I’m in my late forties and I’d lose my mind if either you or dad was gone. So I can’t imagine what it’s like for Nicole, having lost her mother and her father.”
“It must be devastating,” my mother said. “My heart goes out to her.”
I stared off into the distance as my thoughts spilled out. “I just can’t help but think about how many things in life she’ll have to figure out all alone. The problems she’ll have to solve by herself. The fires she’ll have to douse on her own.”
My mother lowered her head as she became really emotional.
“Unfortunately, that’s just the tip of the iceberg,” I said. “There’s no shortage of milestones that her family won’t be able to experience with her either. Graduation. Her first big job. Walking down the aisle. Giving birth to a child. The list goes on and on.”
“It sure does.”
“It’s just so disturbing. Not to mention, so unfair.”
“True. Although, you and I both know how unfair life can be.”
“Yeah, but that’s something we’ve learned over time. When we were well into adulthood. Nicole, meanwhile, has learned it at a disturbingly young age.”
My mother nodded. “She sure has.”
I switched gears a little. “Then there’s Jessica.”
My mother’s brow furrowed. “What about her?”
“Knowing how fragile life is, I can’t help but worry. What if something happened to me and David? What would Jessica do then?” I asked.
“Sabrina, don’t talk like that.”
“Mom, it’s not like I want to have these thoughts. I’d prefer not to drive myself crazy worrying. At the same time, I can’t pretend like something awful couldn’t happen to either David or me. After all, life seems to make up new rules as it goes along. And the universe doesn’t seem interested in taking it easy on any of us.”
Concern filled my mother’s face. “Why don’t we talk about something else?”
“Sure,” I said. “You know, as much as Nicole has been on my mind today, I also can’t help but think about Ryan as well.” I shook my head. “What a way for his life to have come to an end.”
My mother held her pointer finger up. “I meant, why don’t we talk about something less depressing—?”
Despite my mother’s plea, I was so desperate to get my thoughts off of my chest that I ignored her statement entirely and kept rambling.
“I know we don’t get to decide how we say good-bye to the world, but it just seems like this is the last way that Ryan would have wanted to go out. He was wrestling with so much unfinished business. I mean, he was in the middle of a divorce. Plus, he was trying to cobble his life back together. And he was dealing with all this stress at work. Then, like that, it was all over for him,” I said.
My mother patiently waited for me to finish and then took a deep breath. While it was clear that she would have preferred to talk about more pleasant topics, she could tell that I needed to get all of these thoughts off of my chest. So, instead of trying the steer the subject elsewhere, she tried her best to comfort me.
“I’m so sorry,” my mom said.
“I still can’t believe Ryan is gone. I didn’t get the chance to say good-bye. If only I had known how serious his troubles were—”
“Sabrina. Stop right there. You can’t blame yourself. You didn’t know this was going to happen.”
“Of course I didn’t. Otherwise, I would have stopped the killer before they had a chance to strike. But I’ll tell you this, though. That scumbag is going to pay. I’m going to make sure of it. Even if it’s the last thing I do.”
“Wait a minute. The last thing you do?” my mother asked. “Dear, do you believe you are in danger?”
“Well, David and I are trying to track down a killer.”
“I understand that. What I meant was, do you have a feeling in your gut that something terrible is going to happen to you?”
I shook my head. “No.”
My mother breathed a sigh of relief.
“But like we talked about earlier, life is fragile. And you never know what is going to happen next.”
“I’m going to pray that nothing bad happens to either you or David,” my mother said.
“Good. And while you’re at it, please pray that we get a break in this case soon. Because right now, we need all the help we can get,” I said.
Chapter Eighteen
When I woke up the next morning, I was as groggy as ever. It was clear that I needed to get some caffeine in my system if I was going to be able to focus on the case again. That meant a trip to Daley Buzz was in order.
David and I were both typically very quiet until we finished our drinks. We preferred to ease our way into the day. That morning, life had other plans for us.
I had barely taken a sip of my latte when Nicole Davidson swung open the door of the coffee shop and rushed over to me. Much to my surprise, Nicole looked different than I had ever seen her before. I had always known her to be a fashionable girl who put a lot of effort into how she looked.
So, to see her in public wearing a pair of sweatpants, an old t-shirt, and no makeup on her face, was rather striking. But that wasn’t all. She also had a baseball cap on, which took the attention away from the fact that her hair had barely been brushed. In addition to that, she was wearing a pair of sunglasses, which she was in no hurry to take off. I didn’t blame her. My guess was that she had shed a number of tears that morning and she didn’t want anyone staring at her.
I couldn’t help but feel sorry as I looked at her. After all, she had been through so much. That said, I was also quite impressed by her strength. If I were in her position, I wouldn’t have been able to drag myself out of bed, much less come all the way over here.
At the same time, I was rather startled. “Nicole. What are you doing here?” I asked.
“Please tell me you have some good news for me,” Nicole said.
I put my hand up. “Wait. Back up a second. Did you come all the way over here just to ask us that?”
“Of course,” she said.
I squinted. “You could have just called us.”
She shook her head. “This is something that I need to talk to you about in person. And I know that you two come here every morning for coffee, so I figured you would both be here.”
I pointed at a chair. “Why don’t you take a seat?”
“I’m fine where I am. The only thing I care about right now is the answer to my question. So, do you have some good news for me?” Nicole asked.
I grimaced. “Not yet.”
Nicole looked deflated. “Really? You haven’t gotten anywhere with this case?”
“We have our suspicions,” I said.
“But you don’t have anyone in custody?” she asked.
I shook my head.
Nicole win
ced.
I opened my mouth to reply, but Nicole managed to get her words out first.
“This is a nightmare,” Nicole said.
“Look. It has only been one day,” I said.
Nicole’s brow furrowed. “It has only been a day, hasn’t it?” Her nose scrunched. “It just feels like it has been so much longer than that.” She exhaled. “That’s probably because yesterday was the longest day of my entire life.”
“Again, I’m so sorry about what happened,” I said. “Just know that we are doing the best we can.”
“How long does a case like this usually take?” Nicole asked.
“It varies,” I said.
“As in, it might take another day or two? Or it could take a whole week?” Nicole asked.
David stepped in. “Unfortunately, we can’t give you a set number.”
“Can you at least give me a rough estimate? Or something to work with?” Nicole asked.
“We’d rather not,” David said.
Nicole squinted. “I don’t understand.”
“We don’t want you to get your hopes up. I mean, what if we tell you a week and it takes longer?” David said.
Nicole exhaled. “Right. Of course.” She bit the corner of her lip. “You are going to solve this, though, right?”
“As I already told you, we’re doing our best,” I said.
“That wasn’t a yes,” Nicole said.
I knew what she wanted to hear. That we would find her father’s killer—and fast. But as much as she was looking for a guarantee, I couldn’t give her one.
Especially since I knew all-too well how long investigations could truly last. In the case of my sister’s murder, the nightmare went on for eleven years. So, after living through that agony, I was wary of making guarantees.
That said, I wanted to give Nicole some hope to grab onto. But I struggled with the right words to tell her.
While I wrestled with my thoughts, David replied, “The entire Treasure Cove Police Department is working on this case. We are taking advantage of every resource that we have available to us.”
Nicole stared deep into David’s eyes. “That still wasn’t a yes.”
“No, it wasn’t,” he replied. “But I’ll say this. I, personally, won’t be able to rest easily until your father’s killer is apprehended.”
I managed to untie my tongue. “Neither will I.”
“Good. Because whoever did this needs to pay,” Nicole said. “I want the killer to spend the rest of their life in jail.”
I nodded. “As do I.”
Nicole got choked up. “It just hurts so much…knowing that my father is gone. And that he isn’t ever coming back.”
I threw my arms around Nicole and gave her a hug. “It sure is. He will be dearly missed.”
“It’s more than that. With him gone, I don’t know what I’m supposed to do now,” Nicole said.
“That’s exactly what I thought when I lost my sister,” I said.
“It is?” she asked.
I nodded. “For a while, I woke up every morning, wondering what the point was of getting out of bed.”
“It would definitely be easy to just hide under the covers and retreat from the world,” Nicole said.
“No one would blame you if you did,” I said.
“You know, a lot of other people have told me how sorry they are. How they are praying for me. And how eventually I’ll get through this. But none of them have gone through something like this before.”
“I’m sure they all mean well.”
“They do,” Nicole said. “Don’t get me wrong. I’m glad to have their support. But during a time like this, you want to talk to someone who has been down this road before and has come out the other side.”
“Someone with experience, you mean?” I said.
Nicole nodded. “Someone like you. Which leads me to ask, how am I supposed to get through this?”
I took a deep breath before responding, “I wish I could tell you that it will be easy.”
“I know it won’t. I just want to know that it’s possible.”
“It is.”
“That’s good to know,” Nicole said. “Although, I can’t help but wonder. How did you ever piece your life back together?”
“Here’s the thing. I didn’t…at least not right away. It took months before I felt like anything more than a shell of a human being. But, eventually, I realized something.”
Her eyes widened. “What’s that?”
“That if I didn’t carry on, it would be like both my sister and I had died that day. So, I vowed to honor my sister’s legacy by living a life that Jessica would be proud of.”
“That’s a good philosophy.”
“I think so.”
“Although, I’m far from being able to carry on. Right now, I can’t help but think about how unfair the world is. I mean, my father is gone, and the person who did this to him is out there carrying on with their life,” Nicole said.
I held my pointer finger up. “For now. All it takes is one big break to change that.”
“Like you told me before, though. You haven’t caught that break,” Nicole said.
“Not yet. But we’re going to keep pushing.”
“Good. Give those suspects hell.”
I nodded. “That’s the plan.”
Chapter Nineteen
David and I spoke with Nicole a few minutes longer before she headed out. Once Nicole left Daley Buzz, I wanted to take a seat and decompress for a few minutes. Shortly after I sat down, however, it became clear that relaxation wasn’t in the cards for me.
I heard a familiar voice behind me.
“There’s no place like Treasure Cove, is there?” Wally Tuttle asked.
Thankfully, Wally was a friend and not a foe. As a matter of fact, I had known him for close to thirty years. It was safe to say that a lot had changed in that time.
I turned around and glanced at the tall, brown-haired, clean shaven, forty-seven-year-old. He was wearing his uniform from the Treasure Cove Beach Resort Hotel, where he worked as a front-desk clerk.
Wally wasn’t alone. He was joined by none other than Gavin Zeller. I had known Gavin for decades as well. Like Wally, David, and I, Gavin was forty-seven, but he looked much older. Nine years of heavy drinking had left him with a serious beer gut. In addition, his round face had gotten puffy. It was a shame too, because for the first four decades of his life, he had an athletic body. Perhaps with the right diet, he could get his old figure back.
In the meantime, there were bigger issues at play. Starting with the fact that Gavin was wearing a business suit. That was highly unusual. More often than not, when I saw him around town, he was wearing a Hawaiian shirt.
Before I asked Gavin about his suit, I replied to Wally.
“Do you really need me to answer that question?” I said.
Wally shook his head. “No. I am fully aware that our hometown is unique.”
“A little too unique,” Gavin added.
“I’ll say. Days like this, that is all-too clear,” I said.
Gavin grimaced. “Yeah. I heard about the Ryan Davidson murder. I’m so sorry.”
“Thanks. It has been a pretty rough twenty-four hours,” I said.
Gavin glanced at me and then my husband. “Well, I hope things get easier for you two soon.”
“I second that,” Wally said. “If anyone deserves a break, it is you guys.”
I crossed my fingers. “Tell that to the universe.”
“I’m afraid I’m not on the best of terms with the universe,” Wally deadpanned.
“Talk about an understatement,” I cracked.
“Besides, understating things is my specialty,” David joked.
“Hey, you don’t have the market cornered on it,” Wally said.
While the rest of us were busy joking, Gavin adjusted his tie.
“Gavin, is everything okay?” I asked.
“Yeah. I’m just not used to wearing a suit,�
�� Gavin said.
“By the way, why are you so dressed up?” David asked. “I almost didn’t recognize you without a Hawaiian shirt on.”
“Are you ready to hear something crazy?” Gavin asked. “I have been hired to give a talk.”
My forehead wrinkled. “To who?”
“And about what?” David asked.
“You’re not going to believe this next part,” Gavin said.
“Have you forgotten that I investigate homicides for a living? It takes a lot to surprise me,” David said.
“All right. You can’t say that I didn’t warn you. The owner of the Marauders hired me to speak to his players,” Gavin said.
The Marauders were a professional baseball team located in San Francisco. They were also the favorite ball club of almost every man that lived in Treasure Cove.
David’s eyebrows rose. “Wait a minute. You’re going to Marauder stadium?”
Gavin nodded. “I’m driving to San Francisco right after I leave here.”
David’s eyes lit up. “You’re so lucky. Maybe you’ll be able to meet Kirk Phillips. Or Jack Wilkinson. Can you get me their autograph?”
“I’m being hired to do a job. I want to act professional. Or at least try to,” Gavin said.
“You’re right,” David said.
“Ah, who am I kidding? Once I’m done giving my speech, I’m definitely going to ask for some autographs. After all, how often do I get to meet a legend like Jacob Maldonado?” Gavin said.
Wally’s eyes were wide. “You’re so lucky.”
I held my hand up. “Let me stop the fanboy action for a minute. What are you giving a talk about?”
“This is the craziest part. I’m giving a speech on fiscal responsibility,” Gavin said.
My jaw practically dropped. “Are you serious?”
There was a very distinct reason for my shock. After all, Gavin was the only person I knew who had blown through eighteen million dollars. That’s right. Eighteen. Million. Dollars.
Things weren’t supposed to turn out this way for him. If anything, when he won the lottery a decade and a half ago, it seemed like he was the luckiest man I had ever met. Unfortunately, soon after collecting his winnings, Gavin began spending money like crazy. It also didn’t help that he ended up marrying a shameless gold digger of a woman who went on a ridiculous buying spree.
Mysteries of Treasure Cove Cozy Mystery Boxed Set Page 7