Chapter Nine

Shelby finished washing her supper dishes and stuck a dark-roast coffee pod in her Keurig. When her coffee was ready, she headed outdoors. She planned to drink it while enjoying the view from the upper deck again. Living on a houseboat certainly had its perks and this was one of them, something she knew she’d miss when winter came. But Shelby had already put a deposit down for the houseboat once it was back in the water. She only hoped the winter would pass quickly, especially since she wasn’t one for outdoor sports.

She’d just settled into one of the two Adirondack chairs, pulling a pashmina over her shoulders, when she heard footsteps along the dock. She walked over to the railing, leaned over, and smiled. Her favorite guy, Zack Griffin, had almost reached the houseboat.

“Ahoy,” she called out.

He looked up, grinned, and saluted. “Sunbathing at this hour?”

“I wish. Would you like some coffee?”

“Nope. I’m okay, thanks,” he said, stepping onto the deck and climbing up the ladder. He seldom used the stairs at the back—or stern, as he liked to remind her—of the boat.

She liked watching his powerful arms, but she had to admit she enjoyed watching all of him in action. She felt herself blush at that thought and retreated to her chair.

He climbed over the railing rather than swinging open the gate. He looked at her a moment and then walked over, tilted her chin with his right hand, and kissed her.

Her mind, as usual, questioned if this was really happening, but her heart knew it was.

“Are you all right? I heard about what happened at the castle. That must have been upsetting.”

She nodded. “I’m shocked that there’s been another death on the island but also stunned because I knew her. And I liked her. She’d just done two signings for the bookstores, and we’d had dinner together on Friday night. It just doesn’t seem possible that now she’s gone.”

Zack squeezed her shoulders. “I know it’s hard. Tell me what I can do to help.”

“This helps. But I’m not the one who’s really hurting. I can’t imagine what her fiancé is going through.”

Zack lowered his six-foot frame into the chair across from her. “I heard that she’d been staying at the castle alone overnight. I find it hard to believe the board would go along with that.”

“From what Chrissie Halstead told Edie, it’s great PR. Well, that part sure backfired. But I heard they were considering having the guest suite available for rentals, just like at Singer Castle.”

He stretched and leaned back. Shelby could see how tired he was, even though those fabulous blue eyes, the ones that always looked like they were smiling, were alert. His sandy-colored hair looked tousled, like he’d just gotten out of a motorboat. She wondered if that was the case but didn’t ask. She hadn’t seen him since the previous Sunday night. It must have been a busy week for him.

“That would involve a lot of security hassles, I’d think, but I’m sure they’ll attach a large price tag to it.” He closed his eyes for a few seconds and then looked at her.

“Hmm. This may put a stop to it. What have you heard from your local law enforcement buddies?”

“Buddies? You mean Chief Stone?” he asked. “I’ve already told you how she thinks of me.”

“A pain in the backside rather than a Coast Guard Investigative Service agent?” Shelby chuckled.

“That would be it. I probably know little more than you do, especially since you were there. I’d expect the State Police were there, too.”

“Yes, I guess so, but I haven’t talked to any of them yet. Only the chief questioned me. I’d just arrived at the store when they were searching for Savannah.” Shelby felt a sliver of a chill run down her spine. “They could tell she’d been in bed at some point and, for some reason, had gotten up and gone wandering. Do you think she was searching for Joe Cabana’s ghost? I wonder if she heard something and thought that’s what it was.”

“Did she seriously believe in that stuff?”

Shelby shrugged. “She said she had an open mind, but I think she was hoping for a connection of some sort. Maybe not a sighting but a feeling of what it was like in the castle in those days. Apparently she was interested in writing the story because of the recent smuggling reports.”

Zack almost did a double take. “What?”

“Yeah, that’s what she said. She’d read that the Coast Guard had broken up the smuggling ring, and then she started thinking about smuggling during the days of Prohibition, and that led to Joe Cabana’s story.”

He shook his head. “Well, at least we can remove the smugglers from the suspect list this time.”

Shelby took a sip of coffee to cover the flush in her cheeks. She’d been the one pushing that theory when Loreena Swan’s body had been found in the Grotto earlier in the spring. It had turned out she was way off base, in relation to the murder, anyway. However, there had been smuggling going on, and the Grotto had been used as a hideaway when boats were evading Coast Guard patrols. That had all transpired just a few months ago, and now this was happening.

“Savannah had an appointment tomorrow with someone in the Coast Guard office so that she could ask some questions about it. Maybe you can find out who it was and pass on the information?”

Zack nodded. “I’d like to know who that is myself.”

“What is it about Blye Island? It looks so peaceful and romantic, with this gorgeous castle and grounds. It’s not a place you would expect there to be so much death.”

Zack reached out and grabbed her hand. “It’s not the place, it’s the people. Now, there is one thing I wanted to talk to you about, Shelby.” He sounded serious, and she turned to face him.

“No getting involved. No asking questions, coming up with theories, or in any way investigating, understood? You’re smart, you’re tenacious, and I don’t want anything to happen to you. Got it?”

She was about to argue with him, but fortunately, her brain kicked in. “Of course not. I’ll try not to. I learned my lesson last time. I know it’s none of my business.”

Zack stared at her, and she tried not to squirm. She really would try hard not to get involved. But Savannah Page had come to Alexandria Bay to do two events for the bookstore. Shelby did admit to herself that the real reason Savannah had come was to stay in the castle, but she was also happy the author had agreed to do the events. And she’d been so friendly. Shelby had really enjoyed the dinner with Savannah and Liam.

What was it about Blye Island? Was it cursed?