Chapter 12
Where are you? Jane texted Cora.
She stood in the Mermaid Hall, leaning against a wall, and waited to hear back. Jane was worried about Cora. Here she was, one of the main teachers at this retreat, and her boyfriend had been carted off to jail. How was she supposed to be her best? Well, so far, she was managing. But barely.
“Hi, Jane.” A young woman came up beside her. “I was in your sea creature pottery class this morning. It was so much fun.”
“I’m glad you’re enjoying it,” Jane said.
“I’m making a turtle,” the woman said, smiling. Her blue horn-rimmed glasses overwhelmed her small face. “I’m Rose, by the way.”
“Hi, Rose,” Jane said, and shifted her weight.
“I’ve never done pottery before,” Rose said with exuberance. “It’s so much fun.”
“So do you think you might want to do more?” Jane asked.
Rose nodded. “Well, this weekend, yes. I’m not sure about once I’m home. I have good intentions, you know,” she said, and smiled. “But once I’m home there doesn’t seem to be enough time for anything but taking care of everybody else.”
“I hear ya,” Jane said. And she’d heard this a lot over the years. “But the kids will grow up and leave someday.”
“Oh, I’m not talking about my kids. I’m talking about my mother and my aunt,” she said. “I take care of them.”
“Oh, I see,” Jane said. “It’s good that you’re able to do that.”
“I suppose so,” she said, and pulled her bag closer to her.
Jane’s phone buzzed, alerting her to Cora’s text message.
“Excuse me,” Jane said, and pulled out her phone. “I have to take this.”
“Oh, no worries. I’ll see you in tomorrow’s class,” Rose said, and walked away.
I’ll be there in five minutes. On my way, Cora said in her message.
Nothing else? Jane rolled her eyes, aware Cora was dolling out information in bits and pieces. Why was she making her wait?
Jane stood among the mermaids. Several retreaters with their bags flung across their shoulders passed by her.
“I absolutely hate them,” a woman said to another woman. “Mermaids creep me out.”
Jane recognized her. She had been in her class this morning and was making a starfish.
“Why?” the woman who was with her asked.
“God! Think about it. She’s half fish, half woman. How creepy,” the woman said.
“I never thought about it like that,” she replied, and they kept walking.
Strange, Jane thought, but mermaids were kind of creepy in that context, weren’t they?
“There you are,” Cora said.
“We’re late for Ruby’s candle class,” Jane said. “But how’s Adrian?”
Cora’s mouth turned into a frown. “It’s not good.”
Jane’s heart raced as she leaned closer. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, he was involved with her,” Cora said.
“Yes, that’s what the paper said,” Jane replied.
“Evidently, she saw us on the beach that night and texted him,” she said.
Jane leaned forward. “He didn’t text back, did he?”
Cora nodded. “Of course he did, and that’s why the police suspect him.”
“Is that the only reason? I mean, that’s flimsy,” Jane said.
“It was the last text message on her phone and he told her”—she lowered her voice—“he told her to drop dead.”
“What? That doesn’t sound like the Adrian I know. He’s always been such a gentleman. I can’t imagine him even saying such a thing,” Jane said.
“I know,” Cora said. “But evidently they have quite a history.” Cora’s eyes were lit.
“How does Cashel feel about all this? I mean, does he think this is going to be a problem?”
“He’s trying his best. Or so he says,” Cora said. “We need to find the classroom. Is it to the left or right? I’ve forgotten.”
* * *
They walked together down the hall. The crowd thinned as the retreaters selected their classes and settled in their rooms.
“Adrian is wearing a tracking bracelet and can’t go off the island.” Cora stopped in her tracks. “Can you believe it?”
“That sounds serious,” Jane said.
“It is,” Cora said. “I needed to do some digging on Marcy Grimm.”
“Wait, what?”
“Adrian despised her. So she probably had some other enemies, too.”
“Cora—”
“It won’t take much of my time to check into her background. And poor Adrian. He’s a mess,” Cora said.
“But why should you bother? I’m certain the police will be investigating this,” Jane said.
“Probably, but what’s wrong with helping move the investigation along? If we wait for them and all their procedures and so on, Adrian might not ever return home,” Cora said.
“I don’t like the sound of this,” Jane said. “You need to stay out of it and let Cashel do his job.”
Cora spun around to face Jane. “Do you know what? I’ve an odd feeling Cashel is okay letting Adrian stay here forever. I don’t know why he doesn’t like him. But it’s so obvious Cashel hates him.”
Jane’s left eyebrow hitched. “I think Cashel likes you and is jealous,” she said as they arrived at Ruby’s classroom.
“That might be the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard,” Cora said, and opened the door.
“Come on in, ladies,” Ruby said when she saw them enter. She glanced at her watch and back up at them. “Glad you could make it.”
Cora might have been more concerned about Ruby’s obvious displeasure at their late arrival if she wasn’t so blown away by what Jane had just said. She doubted it was true. But if by some strange chance it was true, then Cashel was the worst person to be representing Adrian.