Raising Prosperity

by Cherie Mitchell

  “That’s why I called. I’m slowly making my way through this pile of interviews from the people who attended the party. There were well over 100 guests and most of them don’t have a whole lot to say.”

  “Yeah, I know. The few interviews I’ve read so far seem to be self-serving and practically pointless.”

  “Have you ever heard of a rap star named Pinnacle?”

  “Maybe … has he had any big hits?”

  “At this stage, he’s a one hit wonder with a song called Booty Banging.”

  Prosperity remembered the song now, with its thumping beat and near incomprehensible lyrics. “Yeah, I know all about Booty Banging.”

  Reuben made a strange noise into the mouthpiece. “I bet you do.”

  Prosperity loudly and pointedly cleared her throat.

  “Can we stick to the subject? What’s so important about Pinnacle?”

  “Two of the guests we interviewed have mentioned Pinnacle’s name, suggesting a romantic connection with Ophelia. There might be more but I’m still wading through the rest of the notes.”

  “Now that you mention it, I think I might have read his name in the notes I have here.” She pictured the man, an ebony-skinned behemoth with a fondness for clunky gold necklaces and too-short leather jackets. “Isn’t he significantly older than Ophelia?”

  “His age is apparently a closely kept secret but as he has a daughter around Ophelia’s age, I think we can safely say that he’s old enough to be Ophelia’s father. He has a history of dating much younger women.”

  “How unique.”

  “His daughter is a looker. A wannabe rap star herself. Goes by the name of Apex.”

  Prosperity groaned. “Of course she does. Pinnacle, Apex—it should only be expected. He probably owns a dog named Molehill.”

  “Hey, I hadn’t picked up on that.”

  “My mama was always clever with words. I guess I got used to making word associations as a child.”

  Prosperity began to sort through the sheath of interview notes, looking out for Pinnacle’s distinctive name in amongst the mostly inane ramblings.

  “Apex was at the party and she’s still here on the island. The family owns a property at Vineyard Haven and I’m having dinner with her tomorrow.”

  Reuben said this casually but Prosperity swore she could hear the note of masculine triumph in his tone. She narrowed her eyes at the phone.

  “Business? Or pleasure?”

  She was startled to feel a sharp pang of envy start up under her ribcage. Why should she care? Whomever Ruby decided to date was his business. He was an attractive man and it would be more surprising if he didn’t have regular female companionship.

  “Prosperity, you know me better than that. Everything is above board. Apex has agreed to help with our enquiries.” He was silent for a long moment before he spoke again. “What are you doing now? Have you eaten?”

  Prosperity glanced at the bowl of popcorn that she’d opted for rather than making herself a decent meal. “Sort of.”

  “Meet me down at the Drunken Swordfish in half an hour. We can grab a plate of fish and fries and you can tell me about what you’ve found.”

  “Some of your fresh sea bass?”

  “Unfortunately, no. I haven’t been out on the boat again since that last outing. I’ll see you soon.”

  Prosperity hung up from the call and walked through to her bedroom to sift through the clothes in her wardrobe. She was reaching for a short, sexy blue dress when she realized what she was doing and hastily stopped herself. She spun on her heel and determinedly marched out to the living room to find her shoulder bag. She did not intend to try to impress Reuben Jackson just because another woman had appeared on the scene. She was annoyed with herself for allowing her mind to drift even a short distance in that direction. She pulled her hair up into a high ponytail, snatched up her car keys, and hurried out the door.

  11

  Kombi Charm

  “I read a few articles about Pinnacle while I was waiting for you. Seems he’s a big, non-compromising African-American man who is very fussy about who his daughter dates.”

  “Should I be scared?”

  Ruby had arrived at the restaurant with his phone pressed to his ear and he’d signaled for Prosperity to go ahead and order. She’d filled in her time as she waited by searching for information on Pinnacle and his daughter while Ruby paced around by the door and finished up his conversation.

  “That’s entirely up to you, but I would be.” Prosperity pushed her phone to one side as the waitress set their meals on the table. “Apex is very beautiful.”

  “Mmmm.” Ruby chewed on a fry with obvious relish. “So what have you found? You said you might’ve hit on something.”

  “I think I have and it was almost by accident. I couldn’t spell ecstatic and then I kind of segued into ecstasy.”

  “Huh?”

  “Ophelia’s tattoo. I was going through everything we have on the case so far and I stumbled on a possible meaning for the ECSTATIC part of the inking. Terry said she had MDMA, otherwise known as Ecstasy, in her blood work. I think the inclusion of the word in her tattoo could be a subtle reference to the drug. Bluebird is a street name for depressants. Do you see where I’m going with this?”

  Reuben looked doubtful. “You think her tattoo was some kind of statement on drugs?”

  “I don’t know for sure but it’s certainly a path worth walking down, at least for a short distance. Miss Rump wasn’t known to have a big predilection for mind-altering substances but perhaps someone in her inner circle is involved in that underbelly world. Perhaps one of her romantic interests? Maybe even Pinnacle?”

  “I can’t wait to see if Apex gives me anything tomorrow night.”

  “I’m sure you can’t.” Prosperity kept her expression blank as she cut into her steak, acutely aware of Reuben’s salient stare. A spot of bear baiting might go nicely alongside her steak and fries supper.

  He didn’t bite … yet.

  “I found some interesting stuff on Apex while I was researching her father,” she remarked casually.

  “Yeah?” Reuben was now focused on his meal rather than looking at her. Prosperity gleefully sharpened her stick. “Did you know she was referred to in her college yearbook as the girl most likely to?”

  “Most likely to what?”

  Prosperity raised a sardonic eyebrow but said nothing.

  Reuben pulled at his collar and gazed over at the air conditioning unit above the bar. “Do you think it’s hot in here?”

  “No, I’m fine. How’s your fish?”

  “Great. Very moist. Melts on the tongue. I could eat it all night.”

  They ate in silence for a few minutes before Prosperity pushed her plate away. “I want to talk to Mission Talbot. Mish. The location scout. See what he’s got to say for himself.”

  “Good idea.” Reuben stifled a burp as he tapped something metallic on the tabletop long enough for it to become annoying to Prosperity’s ears. Tink, tink, tink.

  Prosperity squirmed, irritated by the sound. “What’s that?”

  “This?” He opened his hand to reveal a tiny charm nestled in the middle of his palm. “It was inside a bag of candy that I was eating at my desk this afternoon. I thought my niece might like it.”

  “Let me see that.” Prosperity picked the silver charm out of his hand and inspected it closely. It seemed to be a sphere of some sort … no, she could see now that it was a ship’s wheel. “It’s very cute. Quite heavy, too. Extremely well made for a dime trinket.”

  She handed it back.

  “I’m sure your niece will love it.”

  “Yeah.” Reuben yawned and scratched his head. “I’m going to make like a stray dog and scram. Didn’t sleep too well last night and I’ve got a big date tomorrow night. Might see you later in the week? Are you planning on coming back into the office?”

  “Maybe. See you, Ruby.”

  Prosperity remained seated as he left the table,
trying to connect the random dots of her jumbled thoughts. The Pinnacle angle was a new one and it would be intriguing to hear anything new that Ruby might discover about the man after his date with Apex.

  “Must be my lucky night.” Blaine grinned at her as he slid into the seat Reuben had just vacated. “How’s my favorite little Forensic Pathologist today?”

  Prosperity inwardly groaned. She’d been about to leave herself and now here she was, caught up making small talk with Blaine Kennedy.

  “I’m great.” She stretched her arms above her head in an elaborate display of tiredness. “I was about to go.”

  “Surely you can stay for one more drink? What are you having?” Blaine was already reaching for his wallet.

  “Okay, just one. Soda and lime, thanks.”

  “Can’t I persuade you to have something more substantial? A mojito? Glass of wine?”

  “Soda and lime,” she said firmly. “What are you doing here tonight, Blaine?”

  “Needed to see a man about a dog,” he said vaguely. “What are you doing here? A pretty girl should never have to eat alone.”

  Prosperity felt her hackles rise. “Don’t be ridiculous. We all need to eat. What does it matter if we eat alone or with company, regardless of our appearance?”

  “Hey, hey.” Blaine held his hands up in mock surrender. “I was just joking.”

  She shook her head, dismissing the gesture.

  He dropped his car keys on the table and stood up. “I’ll get the drinks. Don’t go anywhere.”

  Prosperity’s gaze wandered to the Kombi charm attached to the ring of keys. She wouldn’t mind one of those herself. It would be a fitting reminder of Rolling Stone’s adored Kombi van back in Arcata. Whatever had happened to that van? The weeks following her parents’ tragic death were a blur and there hadn’t been much in the way of worldly goods for her to pick through. Rolling Stone and Serendipity had preferred the simple life. They were deliriously happy as long as they had sunshine in their hair, green grass beneath their bare feet, and a ready supply of grass in the battered old cookie tin they kept on top of the refrigerator. She couldn’t recall seeing the van parked up outside when she cleared out the cozy shack they called home. She supposed it was just another mystery to add to her growing collection.

  “Why the sad face? You’re too pretty to be sad.” Blaine set her drink on the table in front of her.

  “Blaine, can you stop it with all the pretty nonsense?” Prosperity said through gritted teeth. “You seem to think prettiness prevents a person from functioning as a normal human being.”

  He gave her one of his smug grins from the other side of the table and tipped his glass toward her in a salute. “To the prettiest girl I know.”

  She rolled her eyes before pointing at the charm on his keyring. “Where’d you get the charm? Did you get it from somewhere local? I’d like one myself.”

  “This?” He turned the trinket over in his fingers. “Found it in a bag of candy. One of those Willy Wonka type of competitions where you have the chance of finding a prize in the bottom of the bag. I wasn’t interested in the prize but when I saw this I decided I liked it. It’s just a piece of junk but it’s got some nice detailing on it.”

  He tossed the keyring aside and focused the full force of his come-hither stare on her.

  “When are we going out again?”

  “We’re out now, aren’t we?”

  “You know what I mean. When are you going to agree to come out with me on a proper date?”

  Prosperity shrugged. “I don’t know. I’ve got a lot going on at present.”

  “Wanna come and watch me play ice hockey on Saturday? I’m playing in a Police vs Fire tournament. We could grab a meal somewhere afterwards or maybe take a walk on the beach.”

  “A Police vs Fire ice hockey game?” Prosperity was surprised she hadn’t heard of it. Reuben had made no mention of it to her yet it sounded like the kind of competition that would interest him. If he was playing, it might be kind of fun to see Reuben and Blaine go head to head.

  Blaine was watching her closely. “Is that a yes?”

  “Okay, why not? What time?”

  “Four o’clock at the ice arena. Tickets are available at the door. We’re raising money for the Red Cross this year.”

  “Great, I’ll see you then.” She finished her drink and scooted out of the booth. “Thanks for the drink. I’ll be there on Saturday to cheer you on.”

  12

  Cryptic Crosswords

  Prosperity lay on her stomach, sprawled comfortably across her bed as she continued her online search of the charities Ophelia supported. She’d had just two classes today, both of them scheduled for the morning, and the afternoon now stretched out in front of her with time to investigate a few more possible leads. She’d arranged to meet Mish later, after tracking him down via The Dog’s Bawlz website, but for now she had an hour or so to keep trawling through any news articles featuring the bubblegum heiress.

  She struck gold on page 54 of the search browser, just as she was about to give up, when she found a fan blog gushing over the sublime wonderfulness of Ophelia Rump’s support of a charity dear to her heart. According to the die-hard fan, Ophelia had turned up unannounced and incognito at a small fundraiser for a rare strain of Pygmy Jerboa, or hopping desert rodent, with an unnamed companion in tow. The fan had dedicated most of her brief blog to a description of Ophelia’s clothes—bubblegum pink jeans and matching jacket—but had allowed a sentence to hint at the copious amount of gold chains her date wore around his neck. Could it be Pinnacle?

  Prosperity searched for Pygmy Jerboa and was startled by the images of a tiny, long tailed rat with enormous legs that came up on her screen. It seemed that Pygmy Jerboas looked a lot like inch-high kangaroos—or wallabies. Was this just a coincidence or should she be sitting up and taking notice? She glanced at the time and jumped out of the bed, shocked to notice that she should be well on her way to meet Mish by now. She hurtled out the door, pulling her sandals on as she ran, and dived behind the wheel of the Beetle. Praying that Mish would wait, she swung out into the traffic and drove toward Bad Moon Rising.

  She needn’t have worried. Mish and Joey were sitting out front when she pulled up and they didn’t look as though they were in any hurry to go anywhere. Mish waved when he saw her and Joey raised a bored head from where he lay curled in the patch of shade thrown by the table. She hurried over, full of apologies for her tardiness.

  “Don’t worry about it. It’s not as if I’ve got anything else to do.” Mish stared morosely down at his drink. “Ophelia’s death has ruined everything.”

  “I’m sure she feels the same way.” Prosperity helped herself to a corn chip from the complimentary bowl. “How long are you staying on the island?”

  “We’re flying out on Saturday. There’s no sense in staying around much longer.”

  “Have you looked at any other locations for your movie? There are plenty of other gingerbread cottages to choose from in Oak Bluffs.”

  “Ophelia’s was the one we wanted. It was perfect for the movie we’re planning. It was supposed to be a synergy of fantabulousness,” he said glumly.

  “What was the movie about?” Prosperity thought of the Clutch Cargo episodes she’d watched. “It wasn’t about an adventurer with a mouth deformity and a young ward named Spinner, was it?”

  “No, Spinner is a sponsor. He didn’t plan on acting in it.”

  “Wait, you actually know someone named Spinner?” Prosperity’s pulse sped up. Could this be the missing link? “Did he know Ophelia?”

  “Yeah, of course he knew Ophelia. They’re buddies from way back. Spinner McKee and Charlie Rump, Ophelia’s father, went to Harvard together.”

  “Spinner McKee … why is that name ringing alarm bells in my head?”

  “He’s fairly well known around here, although he does tend to fly below the radar as much as he can. He’s one of those people who hide in plain sight. Have you seen the statue
in the dunes at Menemsha Public Beach? The one of the man with the swordfish? Rumor has it that it’s Spinner McKee.”

  Mish stuck two fingers in his mouth and whistled to catch the barman’s attention. Joey bounced to his feet, knocking his head on the underside of the table, and gazed around wildly.

  “Ben! Two Spinner Specials.” Mish turned back to Prosperity with a smile, finally looking happier. “You gotta try his namesake cocktail. Ben makes a great cocktail.”

  “Errrr, what’s in it? I’m driving.”

  “It’s a virgin cocktail. Spinner is a recovering alcoholic.”

  Prosperity made a mental note to ask Ruby what he knew about Spinner McKee. She watched as Mish fondled Joey’s velvety ears and spoke softly to the animal. “I heard that Ophelia was a patron of the Pygmy Jerboa Foundation.”

  Mish froze with his hand in mid-stroke and Joey bared his ratty teeth at Prosperity. “Who told you that?”

  “It was on the internet and we all know that if it’s on the internet it must be true.” She was perplexed by his odd reaction to what she’d thought was an innocent comment. “What’s wrong?”

  “It’s not something she wanted shouted from the rooftops,” he said tersely. “Ophelia was a very private person.”

  The barman wandered over with their drinks, humming the Exploding Bubbles jingle as he sat two orange and green concoctions on the table.

  Prosperity sniffed cautiously at the top of her glass. “Are you going to tell me what’s in it?”

  “Orange juice, pineapple juice, mango juice, and coconut water blended with variegated nasturtium leaves,” the barman recited. “Guaranteed to put a spring in your caboose. Proven fact.”

  He shared an intense, knowing look with Mish before re-adjusting his silver chain-link bracelet with its statement cocktail shaker charm and sauntering away.

  Prosperity wrinkled her nose as she took a sip but she needn’t have worried. The Spinner Special was surprisingly delicious.

  “That’s refreshing. How about you tell me about this movie. Are you still going to film it? Will you find another location now?”