Chapter 20

 

The small lights along the side of the pathway were meant to show the boundaries but did little to illuminate the space in between. There was no sign of Josh at first. I kept going in the direction I thought he’d taken and caught sight of him as he walked up the stairs to the deck outside the Lodge.

I was intent on reaching him and hadn’t even considered what I’d say when I did. I was sure his reaction hadn’t really been aimed at Sammy, but more likely was caused by some internal upset. But that didn’t mean he wouldn’t blame it on Sammy.

What did I know about Josh other than he had a really bad zit on his forehead? I’d have to use the skills I’d developed working for Frank. Make friends and be a sympathetic ear.

The interior of the Lodge was quiet because most everyone was still at dinner. I noticed the guy I’d met the first day—the one whose name made me think of peanut butter—was sitting with someone in the area by the fireplace. They had papers spread out around them.

I surveyed the whole room for Josh, and when I didn’t see him, checked the café. He was just paying for a bottle of beer. I waited until he took it to a table before I approached.

“Hey, Josh,” I said, standing next to him.

“What are you doing here?” he said. He took a gulp of the beer and let out a sigh.

“Bad night, huh?” I hoped my face had a sympathetic expression. “I just wanted to apologize. It seemed like the entertainment made it worse.”

My words worked like magic, real magic. His eyes widened and his mouth softened as he gazed up at me.

“I guess I acted like a jerk. Sorry.” His face might have lost the angry expression, but his shoulders were still stooped and he had the look of defeat about him. He looked like the stereotype of a techie type with no vanity when it came to his appearance. The black turtleneck was baggy, as were his pants. He probably just kept his dark hair cut short enough so he didn’t have to comb it.

“Is there anything I can do to help?” I said. I pointed to the chair and asked if I could sit. He seemed a little awkward as he answered with a nod.

He drank some more of the beer and let out a few sighs, which made me believe he was thinking before he spoke. “No one knows this,” he said finally. He paused again. It seemed like he was having some kind of internal battle. Of course, what he’d said had fired up my imagination and I really wanted to know now. I couldn’t let it show, though. Then he definitely wouldn’t say any more. I decided to see if I could prime the pump.

“Does it have anything to do with what happened to Tim?” I asked in a calm voice. There was a light in his dark eyes and I knew I’d hit something.

“I suppose I could tell you. You’re not involved with our business.” He looked around the area, which was deserted. “It’s just so unfair. I was about to get a really big opportunity and then just like that it’s gone. And no matter what Elex says, without Tim, Reborn is on life support.”

“Was the opportunity connected to Tim?” I asked.

“He’s was going to leave and take me with him,” he said with a gush of breath.

I already knew that Tim was leaving and taking his financial backing with him, but I didn’t know he had been taking anyone with him. Audrey hadn’t had any details of what Tim was going to do.

“Was it going to be something similar to Reborn?” I asked.

“Tim kept it close to the vest and never told me what it was, just that it was going to be really big. A lot of stealing of ideas goes on so I wasn’t surprised he kept me in the dark. Tim was money and idea. I was going to be the tech guy.”

I thought back to seeing Tim’s room when I’d dropped off the goodie bag. His computer had come on and I’d gotten a glimpse of something. Now I realized it was probably what he was working on.

I considered if I should tell Josh about the key man insurance policy, thinking it might reassure him, but it also might seem odd that I knew about it. I decided to leave it be. What I did say was that Elex seemed optimistic about the company’s future, hoping that would make him feel more positive.

“Elex thought this retreat would make us more of a team. But so far everybody is still sniping at each other. Julie thinks we’re all against her and Jackson thinks he’s superior to me. I was so looking forward to seeing Jackson’s face when I announced I was leaving. But that’s not going to happen now.” He pushed the empty glass away. “Hey, thanks for talking to me. I feel better now.”

It was mission accomplished. I was confident he wouldn’t be complaining about Sammy, and if I’d lifted his spirits, all the better. I pushed back my chair to get up. “One more thing,” he said. “You know anything I can do about this?” He pointed to the prominent red spot in the middle of his forehead.

 

• • •

 

Sammy had finished working the room by the time I got back and was ready to leave. The dining room had cleared out and a cleaning crew were going through the tables. My plate of food was long gone and the kitchen was closed. Cloris would have gotten me something to eat, but she’d been doing so many extra things for me, I didn’t want to bother her. I’d fill up on marshmallows and hot chocolate at the Roast and Toast Mindful Style.

I apologized to Sammy for leaving him in the lurch before explaining what I’d done, including the pit stop to get some cover-up for the zit. “Thanks for looking out for me. Case, you’re the best,” he said as we walked to the door together.

I decided to hang around until the Roast and Toast. When Sammy and I reached the steps to the deck outside the Lodge, I said I was going in. There was an awkward moment when we stood facing each other. Sammy thanked me again for all my help. There might not be a sizzle in his kiss, but there was a soft spot in my heart for Sammy. I reached out and gave him a hug, but I pulled away quickly. The truth was I felt comfortable and safe in his arms.

I climbed the wide stairs to the wooden deck knowing he was still standing there. The dark wood of the building almost melted into the darkness with just rectangles of light coming out of the windows.

It was a completely different scene than I’d walked into when I’d been running after Josh. It was filled with people, and instead of silence there was a loud din of conversation. The rustic chandeliers offered bright light and the amber-colored glass shades on the table lamps tempered the harshness with a warm glow. Someone had added wood to the fireplace and the fire burned brightly. There seemed to be people everywhere. Card games were going on at some of the small tables spread around the room. I heard the thwack of Ping-Pong balls and some cheers as someone made a particularly good shot.

I noticed Lieutenant Borgnine coming out of the door that led to the business area. He wasn’t alone. The lone woman member of the Silicon Valley group was with him. I tried to read their expressions to figure what had been going on. Lieutenant Borgnine had his usual gruff expression and she glanced around, seeming uncomfortable. They parted company and she slipped out the door on the driveway side of the building.

The cop in the rumpled jacket saw me and looked away. I thought he was going to slip back into the business office, but I caught up with him first.

“Aren’t you supposed to be at the Blue Door baking?” he said.

“It’s too early. I go in when the restaurant closes,” I said. “What brings you to Vista Del Mar? Investigating Tim Moffat’s fall, perhaps?”

“That’s for me to know and you to not find out,” he said. “Just because I let you go with me the other night doesn’t mean you have access to any information.”

“It was more like you came with me,” I began. “If you recall, I had the luminol and my knitting took us to the exact spot where he’d fallen.” I glanced around the room. “But I don’t need your information. I have a lot of my own.”

“Oh, no, Ms. Feldstein, we agreed you weren’t going to get involved in this,” he said, dropping his voice.

I probably should have just walked away, but I couldn’t resist dangling that I had information he might not know. He jumped for the bait.

“You have to tell me,” he said in a stern voice. “Withholding information is interfering with an investigation. I’m sure you wouldn’t want to spend your night in a jail cell.”

“You wouldn’t,” I said, regretting that I’d let on I might know something he didn’t. And he nodded with a smile. He was probably bluffing, but I couldn’t afford the chance that he wasn’t.

He gestured for me to follow him and led me to an empty spot next to the row of phone booths, which seemed to offer a little privacy. “Okay, spill,” he commanded.

“Did you know that Tim Moffat’s wife is in the process of getting a divorce? Pretty convenient for her that he died while they’re still married. And she seems in a rush to get him cremated.” That wasn’t everything, but hopefully enough to keep me a free woman.

“Hmm, I didn’t know the rush to get him cremated part. But it’s not going to happen until the investigation is closed.” He looked at me intently. “Anything else you want to share.”

I debated telling him that my retreaters came from the same area and their paths had crossed Tim’s. It seemed disloyal somehow. He noted me hesitating and of course figured out that I was holding something back. “Ms. Feldstein,” he said in a warning tone, “don’t make me use them.” He’d opened his jacket to show the handcuffs hanging from his belt. I didn’t even know that he traveled equipped. I had to throw him something else, preferably something he already knew.

“I found out that Tim was the money guy for the company.” I watched the lieutenant get a smug smile. I knew he was thinking that he had so much more information than me. I decided it was best to leave it that way.

“Are you staying for the Roast and Toast?” I asked and he almost growled.

“I have important business to attend to. There’s no time for roasting marshmallows.” He uttered a terse good night and turned on his heel.

Kevin St. John walked up to the massive wood counter that separated the registration area from the large room. He surveyed the crowd and made one vain attempt to get everyone’s attention before banging on the counter. The noise cut through the din of conversation and everyone turned in his direction. Sky had just come in and the manager waved for him to join him. “The Roast and Toast will be starting in a few minutes. Tonight in honor of our retreat group from Silicon Valley, we’re having a Roast and Toast Mindful Style.” Sky had reached his side. They certainly made an odd pair. Kevin St. John in his formal-looking black suit and Sky in yoga pants, a T-shirt and bare feet.

“And don’t forget, tomorrow night our Saturday special event is a Sound Bath,” Sky said. Someone yelled out asking what a sound bath was and Sky smiled. “It has to be experienced to be understood.”

Sky crossed the room toward the door that led out on the deck and waved for everyone to follow him.

I joined the throng going out the door. The fire circle was located just before the dunes began. It wasn’t really a circle and was more like a half-oval-shaped enclosure. A layer of glass kept the wind out and rows of benches made a square shape around a firepit. I stood back as the crowd moved in and found seats. The area was lit by a few spotlights when something was going on and I watched the crowd for familiar faces.

It was easy to pick out Madison. She was the only guest with pink hair. Deani followed her and had her pink tote. I wondered if Fifi was inside. More people moved along the benches. I thought I might have seen Iola, but she didn’t have any outstanding feature that made her stand out. Though the activity had been touted as being in honor of Kevin St. John’s retreat people, I didn’t see any of them at first. Though with their black clothes they did blend in with the darkness. Finally, I spotted Julie. She hardly appeared enthused and I wondered what Lieutenant Borgnine had gotten out of her.

Kevin St. John directed someone from the kitchen staff to roll in a cart and park it near the firepit. He seemed ready to start. I took one last survey of the crowd and what I saw totally surprised me and made me wonder. Elex and Audrey had come into the fire circle. They were walking close together and it seemed like they might have been holding hands. I couldn’t tell for sure because of all the shadows.

The manager started recapping what he’d said in the Lodge about the specialness of this Roast and Toast. Then he waved for Sky to join him. Even in the semi darkness I could make out Sky’s hesitation before he walked to join the manager. He began with an explanation for the people not part of Elex’s group who might have no idea what mindfulness was.

“Being mindful means focusing on the moment and using all your senses.” As he offered some examples, I kept watching the pair trying to determine what was going on between them.

“What are you looking at?” a male voice asked. I turned just as Jackson climbed over the bench and sat next to me.

I pointed to Elex and Audrey. “Do you know anything about that?” He was staring now too.

“You mean like are they together?” he asked, still staring. “I don’t know. He’s single and I guess she is now.” He shook his head. “I don’t know.”

“Am I right that Elex and Tim were partners?” I figured why waste the opportunity to see what I could find out since Jackson was sitting there.

He shrugged noncommittally. “Elex had the ideas, but Tim brought in the bucks. Yeah, I guess you could call them partners. But Elex was the one who made the decisions. Honestly, I didn’t know Tim that well. I could never figure why he seemed to favor Josh. I’m so much better at everything than he is.” Jackson sounded angry and I suddenly had a feeling that he knew Tim had offered a job to Josh. “Let’s see what this doofus does with marshmallows.”

We both turned our attention to Sky, who was holding up a marshmallow. “In mindfulness we get lost in the moment. Tonight we have a moment of marshmallow.” He got a couple of volunteers to pass out the marshmallows.

“Now that you all have them, feel how spongy they are. You can smell the sweetness.” He held his marshmallow to his nose and urged the audience to do the same. “But when you add fire, the marshmallow transforms.” He stabbed his marshmallow with a long fork and put it in the fire. He must have missed the lesson that it was roasting marshmallows, not burning them. Instead of turning a soft brown with an oozing inside, his caught on fire and in moments turned into black ash with maybe a dab of sweet fluff on the inside.

“The final mindful moment comes with the tasting.” He blew on it until it was cool and prepared to put it in his mouth. “You savor the flavor.” He took a bite of it and was speechless for a moment. I don’t think he was savoring the flavor. It was more like choking on the ash.

He lost control of the crowd as they moved toward the firepit, grabbing long forks and cooking their marshmallows.

When the hot chocolate was passed out, he wanted everyone to take some in their mouth and swirl it around, letting their senses take in the flavor and the fragrance of the now lukewarm drink.

“Hey, it’s not wine,” someone called out. Sky seemed dumbfounded by the heckler. If I were him, I would have turned it into a mindful moment that focused on the heckler’s bad manners.

Kevin St. John finally stepped in and reminded the crowd of the movie afterward.

Movies were a Friday night ritual as well. Hummingbird Hall was transformed into a movie theater complete with bags of popcorn. I wondered what the movie choice was. Had Kevin St. John found something that went along with the mindful theme? I laughed when he said, “In honor of the mindful retreat, tonight’s feature is A Beautiful Mind.”

I heard Jackson laugh next to me. “Really? He’s a doofus, too. Does he think everything with mind in it is about mindfulness?”

Everyone started to file out. I tried to see what Audrey and Elex’s hands were doing as they left, but I still couldn’t tell. When they’d all gone I approached Sky. He looked desolate “That was a bust,” he said. I couldn’t argue with him.

“I was really trying to get the yoga business from Vista Del Mar. When people put on retreats and needed a local yoga instructor, I hoped Mr. St. John would recommend me. He talked me into being a facilitator for this mindful thing as an audition. He makes up a ridiculous program and then expects me to make it a success. Mindful marshmallows, really?” He shook his head with hopelessness. “My only hope is pulling off the Sound Bath.” I had the same question someone had shouted out before and asked him what it was. “Words can’t describe it. You have to experience it to understand.”

I left him to gather up the roasting forks. I still had miles to go before I slept.

I cut through the Lodge, which was quiet again. Apparently, the crowd had gone with the movie offer. The café was just closing and Jackson walked out holding a bottle of beer.

“That was underwhelming,” he said, gesturing toward the firepit. After what Sky had told me, I wanted to somehow defend him. While I was considering what to say, Jackson continued. “His name isn’t really Sky, you know. I think it’s Bob or Robert. He told me he’d developed an app. Something weird like setting up dog playdates. Turns out he got angel funding from our own dead Tim. But it all crashed and burned. Hence his new name and new profession.” He smiled to himself. “Hence is such a great word. Don’t you think people should use it more often?”

I was too busy thinking about Sky’s connection to Tim to answer.