Madison and I gawked at each other with open mouths, shocked by this turn of events. Did they really suspect Lukas of killing Hailey? I shifted in my seat in discomfort, remembering his disagreement with the young woman at the Grille. Had the animosity between them gone deeper than I knew?
Lukas stared at Anton for a long moment, his expression stoic. Then he pushed his chair back and stood. “Whatever I can do to help, Chief.” He didn’t look back as he followed Anton into the house.
Once the men disappeared inside, Theo let out a bark of disbelieving laughter. “Wow, that was intense.” He ran both hands through his curls, making them stand on end. “Do they seriously think Dr. de Wilde had something to do with Hailey falling?”
A heavy silence fell over the terrace. Theo obviously hadn’t connected all the dots about the fall being no accident and I wasn’t going to enlighten him. Neither was anyone else, apparently.
After a moment, Patrick and Ruben sauntered over to Craig, who had plopped down at the table with us. “I’m going to head out,” Patrick said to Craig. “Catch up later?” He patted Ruben on the shoulder. “Sorry to hear about your student. See you at the lab.” To us, he said, “The lab is where we grow the baby seaweed before planting it out in the bay.”
“Wonders never cease,” Eleanor said faintly. “We used to try to get rid of seaweed, not encourage its growth.”
“I hear you, Eleanor,” Patrick said. “This morning I noticed you’ve got a great crop on the rocks down by your dock.”
“You used a boat to get here?” I thought of the wooden lobster boat I’d seen chugging past the cliffs, heading this way.
“Of course,” Patrick said with a shrug. “It’s how I get around most days.”
“I think we saw you when we were climbing,” I said. “Is your boat pale green?” At his nod, my pulse gave a leap. He might have witnessed something important from the water. I made a mental note to tell Anton we had seen him near the cliffs.
Speaking of which, I glanced discreetly at my phone. When was Anton going to have time to take my statement? The shop was supposed to open in an hour. If I wasn’t going to make it, I needed to give Grammie a heads-up.
“Oh my.” Eleanor jumped up with a gasp. “I forgot all about breakfast. It must be burned to a crisp.”
Madison gave her a reassuring smile. “Iris and I took care of it. In fact, we’d be happy to bring the food out here, if you’d like.”
“What a great idea.” I stood, happy for an excuse to go inside and maybe find out what was going on. “You just sit back and relax.”
Eleanor sank back into her chair. “You really don’t mind? There’s plenty. Maybe those nice police officers would like something.” As we headed off, she called, “Coffee is ready to go. Just flick the switch.”
Lukas was being questioned in the formal living room, and when Anton saw us enter the house, he came out, closing the pocket doors behind him. “What are you two doing?”
“Taking care of breakfast at Eleanor’s request.” Madison’s tone was bright. “What are you doing?”
Anton made an odd sound, somewhere between amusement and annoyance. “I need to speak to both of you before you leave.”
“How long will it be?” I asked. “If I’m going to be late, I need to let Grammie know.”
“Another half hour, I’m guessing.” Anton glanced over his shoulder. “After we’re done talking to the professor.”
I saw my opportunity. “You should talk to Patrick Chance. He went by the cliffs in his boat this morning. And I saw Theo Nesbitt on the shore path, really close to where Hailey fell. He took a picture of me rock climbing. Maybe he took one of the killer too.” Maybe he was the killer, I added to myself.
The chief shook his head, a bemused expression on his face. “Iris,” he started. Then he cleared his throat. “Thank you for that information. I’ll take it under advisement.”
“Oooh,” Madison hooted. “I love it when you get all official.” She clasped her hands in front of her chest as if swooning.
Anton’s complexion now rivaled that of Craig’s earlier. “I’ll talk to you later,” he finally said, before whipping the pocket doors open and stepping inside. They shut with a decisive click behind him.
“You’re so good for him,” I whispered to Madison as we scurried toward the kitchen. “He’ll never get too pompous while you’re around.” We’d gone to school with Anton and while he was a very nice guy, he tended to take himself too seriously at times. We thought of it as our duty to prevent that.
Lukas strode into the kitchen while we were loading two trays. “Is that coffee I smell?” He beelined to the coffee maker and poured a cup. “Oh my, what a morning.”
“So they didn’t arrest you?” I blurted. “I was worried when they came to get you.” I added a plate of buttered toast to my tray, which held the casserole and the sausages. Madison had dishes, silverware, and napkins.
His hand lurched and coffee splashed onto the floor. “What? No.” He grimaced as he reached for a paper towel. “But they took my jacket into evidence.”
We exchanged looks of confusion. Lukas was still wearing his windbreaker. “What do you mean?” I asked.
He pulled at the jacket. “This isn’t my coat. I thought it was this morning when I grabbed it from the pegs near the door.” Still talking, he bent to wipe the floor. “But they found mine in my room, complete with ink stain and a ripped pocket. Which meant something to the police, the rip that is, not the stain.”
I knew exactly what it meant. The piece of cloth in Hailey’s hand must have come from Lukas’s jacket. “Was yours identical to the one you’re wearing?”
Taking in what we were doing, Lukas threw away the paper towel then began to load mugs on a tray. “Everyone involved in Farming the Sea has the same jackets. The same size, even, except for Hailey and Jamaica’s.”
So had someone taken his jacket by accident or on purpose? Putting the ripped one in his room certainly seemed like a malicious act to me.
“I think someone is trying to frame you,” Madison said, expressing my thoughts aloud.
His features creased in confusion. “Do you really think so? Maybe someone just found my jacket and put it back in my room.”
Madison patted him on the shoulder. “You’re so sweet, Lukas. Stick with us and we won’t let you get railroaded.” She pointed to the tray of mugs. “Do you mind carrying that out for us?”
A few minutes later, while we were eating breakfast on the terrace, I remembered the jewelry tucked in Claudia de Witte’s clothing hems. I opened my mouth to mention it before remembering that Craig was sitting right there at the table. I certainly didn’t want him getting wind of the jewels. Then I had an idea. “Eleanor, are you free for dinner tonight? Grammie would love to catch up.” I turned to Madison. “Let’s make it a girls’ night.” Meaning we’d invite Sophie and Bella, too.
“I’m in,” Madison said.
Eleanor’s eyes lit up. “I would love to have a girls’ night. Would you be able to come get me? I don’t drive at night anymore.”
I had no idea she was still driving, since I hadn’t seen a car. Maybe it was parked in the small barn I’d spotted near the rear of the property. “We’d be happy to. How does six sound?”
Naturally Craig overheard the conversation. “I think it’s about time for you to give up your license, Aunt Eleanor. I’d be happy to sell the Caddy for you.” He grinned. “Or drive it. That sweet baby blue 1969 DeVille convertible.”
Eleanor gripped her fork as if she wanted to stab him with it. “I am not giving up my license, Craig. Or Marilyn, either. How will I run my business without a car?”
Sweet. Her car was named Marilyn. I’d have to introduce her to Beverly.
“That’s another thing, Auntie,” he said. “I’m concerned about you overextending yourself by hosting guests.” How obnoxious for him to bring it up in front of Ruben and Lukas, who were sitting at the table with us. Theo was inside, talking to the police. “In fact—”
Madison interrupted. “My mother doesn’t like to drive at night, either. And she’s only fifty.” She glanced around the table. “Maybe you’ve heard of her. Dr. Zadie Morris. She’s an orthopedic surgeon.”
It wasn’t like Madison to pull the doctor card when talking about her parents, but I understood why she was doing it. And by the frown on Craig’s face, I guessed he got it too. Hopefully he would stop badgering Eleanor. He was treating her as if she wasn’t a competent adult, able to make her own decisions.
“I have heard of Dr. Zadie,” Eleanor said. “And your father is Dr. Horatio Morris, right? He’s the best primary care physician around.”
“Thanks, I think so too,” Madison said, with a pleased smile. Madison was close to her parents, which was a good thing since she was living with them right now. Her older brother and sister lived in Boston, somewhere in the process of becoming medical doctors themselves. As Madison said about herself, she had broken the family mold by refusing to go into medicine. Ever since her first lemonade stand, sales and marketing were her passion.
As she and Eleanor chatted about Madison’s parents, I took the opportunity to text Grammie. I told her I was going to be late—and why—and mentioned the possibility of dinner with Eleanor. She expressed sadness about Hailey, told me to take my time, and promised to pull out a frozen homemade chicken potpie for dinner. One of my favorites. I sent back heartfelt thanks illustrated with tons of pretty emojis. Grammie was wonderful.
Theo trotted back onto the terrace. “All done,” he crowed, seeming relieved. He pointed at me. “Your turn, Iris.”
After the morning’s ordeal, arriving at the shop felt like coming home. Quincy greeted me at the back door with plaintive moans. “It’s okay, Quince, I’m here.” I set down my handbag and tote and gathered him into my arms, nuzzling my nose into his soft fur. His purr rumbled in my ears.
“Iris. There you are.” I looked up to see Grammie heading for me. She swept me into an embrace, cat included. “I’m so sorry.” She didn’t need to elaborate. Both of us shed a few tears for Hailey Piper. I’d been running on adrenaline, but now emotions were starting to break through.
I dried my eyes on a handkerchief, since Quincy objected to me using his fur, which was already quite wet. “Sorry, Quince,” I said, blowing my nose. “Is there coffee? I could use another cup.”
Traffic at the store was slow this morning, so I filled Grammie in about Hailey between customers. We also priced Eleanor’s sheets and made up a display bed in the window. The tall walnut headboard looked wonderful with a pile of downy pillows, white sheets, and a rose-patterned duvet. Grammie had brought some pink and white beach roses from home and we put those in a vase, along with trailing ivy vines and sweet peas.
I ran a hand along the plump duvet, wishing I could crawl in for a nap. That would be a sight to greet visitors to town, the proprietor of Ruffles & Bows sleeping in the store window. Quincy, free of any such reservations, jumped onto the bed and curled up.
We both laughed. “That will drag ’em in,” I said, only half joking. We already had customers who came by just to see the cat.
“Knock, knock.” Bella entered the shop, a slim cardboard box in her hands. “I have posters,” she sang out, setting the box on the counter.
Posters? For a second I had no idea what she was talking about. Then it sank in. The fashion show and lobster bib contest.
“Oh, he is so cute.” With that exclamation, Bella pounced on Quincy, who endured the attention with a smug smile. By her chipper attitude, I guessed she hadn’t heard about Hailey’s death yet, and for a moment, I was glad to pretend it hadn’t happened.
I opened the box and peeked inside. The fashion show’s poster was colorful and eye-catching, especially the outlined square at the bottom announcing the lobster bib contest. A stack of entry forms was underneath the posters.
“I’ve been passing the entry forms out all over town,” Bella said. “We’re going to get some great costumes, I can feel it.”
Something bobbing along the sidewalk caught my eye. As the person reached for our door handle, I saw it was a huge stuffed lobster, worn on the head like a hat. “And here comes our first contestant, I’m guessing,” I said. Our festival often brought out the wacky in people, and I had a feeling that the bib contest would only inspire new heights of zany.