“So you got here to Lantern Beach and discovered he was dead?” Ty looked just as surprised as Cassidy felt.
Lydia nodded, visibly shaken. Her hand would hardly remain still as she pushed her hair behind her ear and released a shaky breath. “That’s correct. I had no idea. I thought I was going to surprise him. I guess I was the one surprised.”
Lydia’s dreams hadn’t worked out, and Cassidy could understand that. She’d wanted out of her undercover assignment with DH-7. She’d wanted to resume her life. Move up the ladder with the police. Marry Ryan.
Now she was stuck here for who knew how long. People were trying to kill her. And she was alone.
She needed to ditch this pity party train right here on Suck It Up Avenue. And no, that wasn’t from her Day-at-a-Glance calendar.
“I’m so sorry.” Cassidy lowered her voice as compassion flooded her. “I can only imagine what a shock that was.”
Lydia’s fisted hand covered her mouth. “It was. Things weren’t supposed to work out like this.”
“When was the last time you’d spoken to him?” Cassidy fanned her face in the sun. It was blistering hot out today, and all of the benefits she’d received from her time at the spa were disappearing more quickly than the small amount of cash she’d brought with her.
“We’d started talking about reconnecting again about three weeks ago. I was on the fence. But while Sarge was gone, I missed him. I decided we should give our relationship another chance. Now we won’t be able to do that.” Lydia looked away, her entire body tight with grief.
Ty shifted. “Do you think it’s strange he went out for a fishing trip with a storm coming?”
“He was always headstrong. Not only that, but he was as smart as a whip with absolutely no common sense. However, Mr. Hamby did tell me that Sarge told them he would only go out for an hour or so. He thought that would be plenty of time to get back before the water got rough.”
“Why are you still here, Ms. Berkholder?” Cassidy asked. “It seems like you might have left after you heard the news.”
“I want to. Believe me, I do. But I came in from Chicago. I can’t get a flight out of here until tomorrow, so I decided to try and make the best of things.” She glanced at her watch. “Like today, for example. I figure I’ll go parasailing again—in memory of Sarge. We did that on our honeymoon.”
“That sounds like a good idea and a good way to remember him,” Cassidy said. What would she do in memory of the people she loved? She couldn’t think of a single thing, and that realization was just plain depressing.
I gave up my career, but I gained my life. Lisa’s words echoed in her head. What would it be like to do that? To not define herself by her title but by her life?
The thought caused a lump to lodge in her throat.
“Do you know of anyone who wanted him dead?” Ty shifted.
“I don’t know,” Lydia said, her eyes as rimmed with tears as her voice was rimmed with loss. “He was a nice guy. But I do know he seemed upset during the week before he left. We spoke on the phone several times.”
“Why did he seem upset?” Cassidy asked. “Did he give any indication about why?”
Maybe this could be an actual lead! She could only hope. Because this investigation was moving as slow as molasses.
“He said only that something was going on at work,” Lydia said. “He seemed really preoccupied about it. It was worrying him.”
“Did he say what?” Cassidy asked.
Lydia shook her head. “No, he said it would all come to light soon enough. There’s one other thing that’s been bothering me, though.”
Ty stiffened beside her. “What’s that?”
“I’m not a numbers lady, but the past few statements I’ve received about my investments haven’t added up. I wanted to ask Sarge about it and see if he could make sense of why I’m not earning more. In fact, I think I’m losing money.”
“Who helped you with your investments?”
She sighed. “Well, it was Sarge before our divorce. Then I asked for a new financial advisor. Stan took over.”
Cassidy let those words sink in. Maybe she was looking in the wrong direction.
She needed to look at the group from Hamby Investments.
Starting with Stan. Because what those two cops had been saying at the station that day was correct: most murders boiled down to two things. Love or money.
Cassidy waited in the driveway until Lydia had pulled away before turning to Ty.
“What are you doing here?” Irritation rankled her voice.
He jabbed his finger into himself, and his bottom lip dropped as if her question was audacious. “Me? What am I doing here? The better question is what are you doing here? Trying to get the reward money so I won’t?”
“What? That’s ridiculous. Why would I do that?” Her lip dropped this time. That idea was absurd. She just needed to know what was going on, and maybe help Diane in the process.
“Maybe you would do that because you hate me.”
“I don’t hate you.” A scoffing tone lurked in her voice. But at that moment, she realized she didn’t hate him.
They stared each other off.
Cassidy acted uncharacteristically immature around Ty. She knew she did. But he just brought out that side of her for some reason.
“How did you even track down Lydia?” Cassidy asked, trying to connect the dots.
“You’re acting like it’s weird that I’m the one who’s doing this when the strange thing is the fact that you also tracked her down, Little Miss Ice Cream Lady.”
Just as he said the words, jolly music from Elsa filled the air: “She’ll Be Coming around the Mountain.”
Ty’s stare became even more intense. “Who in the world is driving your truck?”
Cassidy’s shoulders tensed before she answered with total and fake confidence. “Serena.”
“Serena? Skye’s niece?” His voice climbed in pitch and . . . was that humor?
“Yes, that’s the one.”
He let out a chuckle and raked a hand over his face. “Why in the world would you get her to drive your truck?”
What kind of question was that? “Why wouldn’t I?”
He stared at her a moment as if flabbergasted. “Because she’s young and immature, for starters.”
“And she’s stalking you.” A smile curled Cassidy’s lip as she remembered that factoid. That’s what it boiled down to, wasn’t it?
“She’s not stalking me.” Ty’s eyes narrowed, all his humor gone.
“Oh, yes, she is. You think when she ran into you at the beach this weekend, it was a coincidence?”
His hands went to his hips. “How’d you know about that?”
“Because she told me.” Cassidy crossed her arms, satisfied.
Just then, the ice cream truck pulled to a stop beside them.
Serena leaned out the window and smiled sweetly. “Hi, Ty.”
He waved back, looking slightly hesitant. “Hi, Serena.”
“How’s it going?” She batted her eyelashes, her gaze totally focused on Ty.
“Just dandy.”
Cassidy scowled at him again. Ty was using her words as a way of sneaking in an opportunity to mock.
“It’s good to see you,” Serena continued, syrup dripping from her voice and stars in her eyes.
“You too, Serena.”
“How’s it going, Serena?” Cassidy asked, interrupting their Hallmark moment.
“It’s great, but we’re going to need to buy more ice cream.” Serena’s voice was enthusiastic—a little too enthusiastic.
Cassidy blinked. “You sold that much?”
“Oh, yeah. Everyone keeps remarking about what a bargain your goodies are.”
“How are they a bargain?” She didn’t like the sound of that.
“A quarter per item? I’d say that was a steal.”
“But they’re not a quarter an item.” Stay calm, Cassidy. Stay calm.
“That’s what you said.”
“When did I say that?”
“You said to remind people that prices were a quarter of what they’d pay other places.”
Cassidy did a mental face palm. “That’s . . . that’s not what I meant.”
Serena shrugged. “Oops. That’s totally what I thought you meant. It was an honest mistake. What should I do?”
Cassidy held it together, but she didn’t want to. She wanted to set Serena straight like a superior officer talking to a rookie. Carefree. Laid-back. Low profile.
“Just continue on with the route,” she finally said. “But pay attention to the prices this time. And don’t back into anyone.”
Her cheeks reddened. “I won’t.” She looked back at Ty and that dreamy expression crossed her face again, almost like their conversation hadn’t happened. “I’ll see you later.”
“Bye, Serena.”
As soon as she was gone, Cassidy turned toward Ty. “She has a huge crush on you.”
“You’re the one trusting her with your goodies.”
“Don’t talk about my goodies like that.” Cassidy shook her head, realizing how absurd her words sounded.
A grin stretched across his face. “Life here is so much more entertaining now that you’re on the island, Cassidy.”
Cassidy hoped things stayed entertaining. Because her worst fear was that she’d brought trouble with her.
“So, really, how did you know about Lydia?” Ty asked as they walked on the gravel lane back toward Cassidy’s bike.
The sun beat down on them, only cut by the occasional salty ocean breeze. A lifeguard blew a whistle in the distance. Two kites flew overhead—a dragon and a pirate ship design.
She shifted, as if she was uncomfortable. “I just happened to overhear a few things while on my route. I decided, for the sake of justice, to check it out.”
“Interesting.” A touch of skepticism stained his voice. How could someone who was an interior designer and ice cream lady have such a knack for these things?
He wasn’t the only one with questions, apparently. Cassidy turned toward him. “How about you?”
He shrugged, trying not to make a big deal out of it. He had been a Navy SEAL, though, so he’d had some experience with these types of things. “My friend delivers papers. He overheard Lydia talking on the phone to someone while she was in the driveway, and he realized she was connected. I decided to investigate for myself. For the sake of justice,” he added.
Cassidy paused by her bike and studied Ty for a minute. “You have any other leads?”
“Maybe. You?” His piercing gaze didn’t leave hers.
Ty realized they were acting like competitors on the opposite end of the field with a Super Bowl ring as a prize. Though it made for some interesting conversations, maybe it wasn’t the best way to continue building their friendship.
“Maybe,” Cassidy finally said.
He shifted, scooting out of the way as some tourists loaded with inflatable beach toys scurried past. “Look, we should think about working together. For the sake of justice.”
“What about the reward money?” Cassidy asked.
Ty supposed it was best to talk about these things up-front. “We split it.”
“It’s a deal,” she said.
He smiled. Working with Cassidy as a partner had its appeal. The realization surprised him.
Ty nodded slowly, trying to recalculate his plan of action now. “Great, where do we start?”
“You want some ice cream?”
“What?” Had Ty heard her correctly? Certainly she wasn’t making an effort to be cordial.
“Let’s talk about it over ice cream—but not from my truck.”
“Well, as long as it’s not from your truck.” He grinned.
After Ty put her bike in the back of his truck, they rode together to an ice cream shop. Why had she even suggested this? It must be the heat getting to her. Or maybe it was her newly found love of ice cream. She found herself sampling treats from her truck at least once a day.
The place they were going now was called À La Mode, and it was a small, old house with rustic outdoor seating, where your ice cream could melt quicker than you could eat it. Cassidy witnessed it before her eyes. Were there locals here? Locals that would eat this ice cream and not hers?
She had bigger worries at the moment.
From their seats at the perimeter of the area, they enjoyed their cones. Cassidy had gotten chocolate, and Ty cookies and cream. She hated to admit it, but freshly scooped—and freshly made—ice cream was always better than the stuff she sold from her truck.
“So, is this so much better than ice cream from my truck?” She stared at Ty as he enjoyed his treat. He boldly ate it, looking so strong and confident.
Something panged inside Cassidy. Her entire life, she’d walked on eggshells. She’d cared what people thought.
It was like Ty had said. She was the girl who was always trying and trying to earn people’s favor and affection. It wasn’t a great way to live.
“I don’t know—ice cream for only twenty-five cents . . .” He grinned. “That’s quite the steal.”
She scowled. She did that a lot around Ty. “Very funny. Really. You were one of those handsome but humble charmers in high school, weren’t you?”
She could picture it so, so easily. He was laid-back but tough. A hard worker—but he looked awfully good while working. Handsome, but he didn’t put much effort into it.
He shrugged. “Maybe. And let me guess—you were the pretty girl whom everyone admired but—”
He stopped himself.
“But what?” she asked, curious about what he was going to say.
“Never mind.”
“No, I want to hear it.”
He leaned closer. “You were the pretty girl whom everyone admired but who always felt like she had to prove herself.” The color left her face. He’d pegged her so easily. Could he really see who she was like that? Even with her alias and pretenses, he’d still hit the nail on the head.
She cleared her throat. “Interesting observation.”
He stared at her another minute before shifting and changing the subject. “I think we should talk about this case.”
That was right. They were working together. The realization caused her a moment of panic. But then she remembered that ice cream cone Ty had whittled for her. It was in her purse, and every time she saw it, she smiled. Maybe this whole arrangement was worth a shot.
She’d told him that this was for the money, but she didn’t really care about the cash. Except it would help her with expenses. But still, fair was fair.
“Fine,” Cassidy conceded. “Let’s talk.”
His eyes sparkled as he licked his ice cream cone again. “I think it was someone with Hamby Investments.”
She hated to admit it, but she agreed. “That would narrow this down considerably.”
“I think that’s the best possibility,” Ty said. “I’m assuming you don’t think that Phil Goodlatte is guilty?”
“I don’t. I believe there was another boat involved.”
He paused and a milky drip ran down his fingers. “Why would you think that?”
Cassidy explained her reasoning to him.
“You found a piece of the boat?” He twisted his head as if Cassidy might be tricking him. “Are you sure you haven’t done this before? Why did you ever even guess it was connected?”
With a bit of tightness in her chest, she shrugged. “Just instinct.”
She hated lying, even if it was for the sake of justice. But what other choice did she have?
“I’d say you’re on the right track,” Ty said. “But if it is someone from Hamby Investments, how do you suggest finding answers?”
She remembered her plan. Her solo plan. Should she share?
Yes, she decided. It always helped to have someone to talk things through with. Everything is worse when faced alone.
That settled it. “So, there’s going to be a party tomorrow . . .”
They set their plan into motion. Ty would help with the party also, and together they would try and find more information. Because the killer was going to be at this party. It had to be someone with Hamby.
The most likely suspect was Stan since he also went out boating. But she couldn’t rule out the rest of the gang either. Especially Madison, who might have been seeing Sarge on the side. Annalise and Walter were less likely suspects. After all, Walter had offered up his own money to find the killer and he got seasick. Annalise didn’t seem like the type to orchestrate a murder like Sarge’s, nor did she seem to have motive.
They finished their ice cream and started back to their houses just as the sun began going down.
It had been a long day, Cassidy realized. And she was tired. And she needed to get her ice cream truck back.
After Ty took her bike from the back of his truck, he walked with her toward the front door.
“You don’t have to do that.”
“Sure I do. My mom would have my head on a platter if I didn’t.”
Cassidy smiled. “Sounds like she raised you right.”
“She tried. My dad too. Apparently, I was difficult.”
“I have no idea why anyone would say that.”
They shared a smile, and something passed between them. A moment.
No, not a moment. Cassidy couldn’t have one of those with Ty. She was dating Ryan. Having feelings for anyone else wasn’t a possibility.
As she glanced away, her gaze went to her front door. It was open.
Her stomach clenched.
“It looks like someone broke in,” she muttered “. . . again.”