As Kate walked down Main Street with Oliver, it finally hit her: Her cell was still MIA.
It had been on the steel shelf, next to the red landline, when she left the bakery that fateful morning. She’d had no need to carry it. It didn’t work in downtown Coral Cay. And there wasn’t really anyone she wanted to call.
But it was gone when she and Maxi went through her room. Along with who-knows-what-else.
The police probably had it now. Ben, she hoped. She cringed at the thought of Kyle Hardy reading her texts. Going through her phone log. Calling Evan. Or Jeanine.
Could he do that? Would he?
Or worse, would he phone Evan’s mother? Amanda Throckmorton Thorpe definitely did not suffer fools gladly. So why did the thought of her ex-almost-mother-in-law verbally deflating a pompous Kyle Hardy make Kate smile?
The heck with it. She’d deal with it later. She only had two things to do now: find out who really killed Stewart Lord and jump-start Sam’s bakery.
Mmrowr. It came out as a cross between a whine and a question as Oliver’s tail dropped between his legs.
“OK, three things,” Kate said aloud to Oliver. “And the most important right now is making sure we get a nice walk.”
Ruff! Oliver’s tail wagging gained speed. Springing on the balls of his feet, the puppy practically bounced down the street.
“While we’re at it, let’s pick up lunch. We can take it back to Flowers Maximus and have a picnic on the porch.”
Was it her imagination, or did Oliver’s tail accelerate a notch?
As she passed a store window, something behind her caught her eye. Across the street. She turned. Along with the usual throngs of tourists, she spotted a familiar bulk in a lime and white swirled Hawaiian shirt with the same khaki shorts she’d seen him wear days earlier. Today he also sported a Panama hat with his big sunglasses.
Ball Cap Man!
This time, instead of a shopping bag, he carried binoculars.
Instinctively, she brushed the outline of her pocket. But she didn’t have her phone. And cell service was erratic, anyway.
Did he know that? Was that why he lingered downtown? Was this his hunting ground?
She glanced back again. He was gone.
Kate planted herself on the sidewalk and did a full 360. Nothing. Tons of people—mostly tourists, with a few locals mixed in—but the Panama hat was gone.
She could feel her heart banging in her chest. Someone knocked into her from behind. Kate whirled around.
“Sorry!” said a woman in a sundress with an impossibly large Birkin bag as she bustled past.
Behind them, a woman with a little boy stared at Oliver.
“Mommy, look at the cute doggie,” the boy said, pointing.
“Stay away, Neddie, you don’t know him. He could bite. And you’re allergic.”
“Aww, Mom! I am not! Jimmy has a dog, and we play all the time. I jus’ never tell you.”
“March, young man!” the mother said, giving Kate a sheepish shrug.
Kate reached down and stroked Oliver’s downy head. “You don’t bite, do you, sweetie?” she murmured. “Not unless they really deserve it.”
Oliver stepped closer to Kate, a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. Just touching his soft, fluffy coat made her relax. She stood and took another look in all directions. Nothing.
She thought about returning to the flower shop. But she didn’t want to lead the guy back to Maxi. Besides, Oliver needed a walk. And so did she.
What was it Peter had said? Trust your instincts and don’t go off alone. Well, no chance of that. Even on a weekday afternoon, Coral Cay was full of people. So she’d stick to Main Street, among the multitudes, and continue her outing. With Oliver by her side. And once she was reasonably sure Hat Man was truly gone—and not just playing hide-and-seek—she’d grab lunch and take it back to the flower shop.
Who was this guy? What did he want? And, in a place where she knew virtually no one, why her?