“Buddy, my friend, I hope you slept well. We are going to have a busy day today! Ready?” His tail was wagging in a circle. He seemed ready. We were off.
Our first stop was the General Store. I needed a few things, and I wanted to be sure I was able to get one of Miss Lucy’s pies for the book club. I walked in on the last bit of Miss Lucy’s conversation with Hetty, who was behind the counter at the store.
“Carr, look at these cute mini-pies Miss Lucy baked!” Hetty greeted me. The ceiling fan was working hard today, trying to push the humidity out the door. Fortunately, the air was still filled with the sweet scent of fresh pies.
“These are works of art!” I answered “Miss Lucy, what smells so good?”
“Girl, you are smelling my newest pie, the first run. Introducing my caramel turtle pie with a fabulous shortbread crust. You girls, be honest after you try it! Tell me if I should add it to the rotation. It’s a pretty heavy pie, so I made these small ones in case someone just wants a little taste. Lots of butter in this recipe, that’s for sure. Can’t have this and say you’re dieting!”
We all admired the pies with the golden-brown roped crusts. “The problem with your pies is that no one can stop after just a taste!” I said. “I will take a large and a small pie please, Hetty. This way I can guarantee that Tripp, Barb, and I will all get a taste of this masterpiece!”
Hetty packaged them up, along with my other necessities, and put a dog cookie in the strings of the pie boxes. “Just a little treat for your passenger.” Hetty looked out the window next to the register. Buddy was snoozing in the front seat of my cart.
“How is Buddy doing?” Hetty asked. “That pup looks great! I wondered if his heart broke a little with Carl and all.” Miss Lucy went to the door to get a glimpse of Buddy.
“He is seriously the sweetest baby,” I said. “It’s like we have always been together. He is very low maintenance, really, although I am sure he misses Carl. Carl rescued him from a shelter. Rescued dogs always seem to have a certain gratitude for their freedom.”
“Any updates on Carl?” Hetty asked, and suddenly it felt like everyone’s ears tuned in to the front counter. There were only a handful of people in the small shop, but I knew anything I said would ripple quickly to a much larger audience.
I tried to answer without really answering. “Deputy Julie is working through the details. I know she has collected a lot of evidence and is talking to people trying to learn more about Carl’s last few days. Her team is working hard.”
“Well, I don’t know about all that,” Hetty said, shifting behind the counter. “Seems like we should know more by now. Helen said that she heard Theresa is coming to the island. Did you know that? Seems Julie wants to talk to her, here on the island. I bet she wants to show her the crime scene. I heard Chief Lancaster saw Theresa and Carl together and so did a few of the resort staff. We were at the Crab Shack last night and seems like everyone there had a Theresa and Carl sighting.” Hetty studied the cuticles on her right hand while her left hand rested firmly on her hip. Clearly, she wanted to hear more from me.
“Hetty, what do you know about Theresa?” I asked. “Does she live on the mainland?”
“Yeah, she lives on the mainland. She’s some big deal over there, lives in one of the communities behind a gate. You know the kind, right? The ones where the people are better than the rest of us, according to them?” She answered quickly and included an eye roll for good measure.
“So, she has done well, I guess,” I said. “But done well doing what?”
“She’s a flip-flopper, or whatever you call it,” Hetty said, looking completely uninterested in the whole conversation, even though she was the one who had started it.
“A flip-flopper?”
Miss Lucy clarified, “She is a property flipper, right Hetty? I think that is how they met. Theresa was interested in buying some island properties and flipping them. Carl was always looking for his next deal. A match made in heaven.”
“So, were they an actual couple or just business partners?” I asked.
“I think they were a couple,” Miss Lucy said. “Well, according to everyone, they seemed like a real couple and Carl ditched Missy pretty quickly after connecting with Theresa, although from what I heard, they have known each other for some time.”
Soon, I was back in my cart and heading to Books & Brew. I quickly set up for the book club even though I did not expect their arrival for a few more hours. I had a selection of dishes I bought from the island potter, Boyd, years ago and today was a good day to use them. With small seashells lining each plate’s edge, they were favorites of mine. The tea would be brewed when the ladies arrived but for the time being, I was as ready as I could be. This gave me a chance to settle into the back room, update my notes, and call Julie. It had only been a few days, but they were long ones, made longer by this unexpected and undefined role I was now playing. I was still unsettled after I visited Missy’s yesterday. If I was going to be helpful, really helpful, I needed answers.
Julie answered immediately. “I was just about to call you, Carr. The data vault login is coming your way. Funny enough, our IT guys said some of the files were encrypted, but we got them all opened. One of our guys had to work through the night but they are digging in now and thought it would be awesome if you could also see what you can find. Our forensic accountant will not be available to us for at least two more days.”
“Well, I made some progress, too,” I said. “But I want to ask you about Theresa and the map on Carl’s wall. Before we get into this stuff, though, I need to ask you, first, about me. Please, I hope you don’t take this the wrong way, but I am not sure what I am actually doing.”
Julie said nothing so I continued, “You asked me to help you, to listen and have conversations but in talking to people, things are happening. I’m hearing things and I’m seeing things like Carl’s map. Like Carl’s files, I mean you sent them to me now, but what am I doing? I know I offered to help with the files and the analysis and this is kind of a thing for me. But this is a big ‘something’. Should I be digging into this? I just want to understand my role. Am I off-base with this?”
Julie sighed before she answered. “No, I don’t think you’re off-base. The fact of the matter is I haven’t been entirely truthful with you. Guess you’re a better detective than you think, Carr.”
“What do you mean? How have you not been truthful? I can’t be part of something if I don’t know the whole story.”
I guess I had expected Julie to be angry or maybe disappointed because I realized I was holding my breath, waiting for her response. “Totally fair, Carr. You have a right to ask,” Julie said. “So, the truth is that we are in a really bad spot. The sheriff’s department is extremely short-staffed. It’s the worst it has ever been. Money is tight and everyone is pushed to their limits. But the way I see it, there is also a chance for us to make a good case for more funding if we solve cases quickly and use resources efficiently.”
“I don’t understand that. What do you mean?”
“Some time ago, the decision was made that the sheriff handles Mongin Island and the other barrier islands. The police handle the mainland. That’s why the sheriff’s department is here, handling this case.”
“That didn’t surprise me,” I said. “As long as I have been coming here, the sheriff has always been coming to the island.”
“But here is the root of the problem. We haven’t really solved a murder in a very long time. Yes, there have been deaths, of course. But no murder in the last few years, not since Sheriff Oxley was elected. We have to get this right. We do have some high-profile cases in our jurisdiction. There are at least four major crimes right now, in addition to all the usual things. County resources are prioritized there. That’s not to say we can’t get the help we need to solve this case—but it may not be as fast as we want or need it to be.”
“I see where you’re going,” I said. “Solving this case proves your department’s capability, and your need for resources. Is that what you’re saying?”
“Bingo, that’s it.” I could almost see her settling back in her chair, satisfied that her student had understood her lesson.
“So, you’re willing to let me help as much as I can,” I said. “I’m getting this now. As long as I don’t tamper with evidence or do something off the wall, I can basically investigate, too.” I knew the past few days had felt heavier than just helping out, but now I was understanding why. She needed me, needed us to do more, and she needed this help now.
“Julie, I wish you had just told me what you needed. Since we are still learning about this case, the people involved and each other, personally, I wish you just told me,” I continued.
“Seriously, your help with the research and the conversations—such great stuff,” Julie said. “You have a good eye, you’re smart, and people like you. You can build rapport quickly. I appreciate what you have done and what you seem to want to do. And, you’re right, I know I should have been more upfront with you. Honestly, given the shock you had and all the stuff on your plate, I am not sure if you would have been in a good place to agree to help. For better or worse, you came to the decision yourself. But truth be told, I guess I hesitated to ask a question I knew I may not want the answer to.”
There it was. I wasn’t going to get an apology for her lack of transparency. To continue working together, I would have to accept her acknowledgment that she could have been more direct and not look for more from her.
Julie hadn’t forced me to get involved. I wanted to—and she welcomed my help. Julie hadn’t asked me to figure out Carl’s property map, she hadn’t asked me to do the financial analysis. I made these decisions. I wanted Mongin Island to be a haven—the magical place I discovered on that first ride through the resort gates. Of course, I would do my part. That decision, that acceptance, didn’t erase my wish that she had been more upfront. Maybe that is unreasonable, given that just a few days ago Julie was a complete stranger. We didn’t have this long relationship built on trust and respect. Maybe I was asking too much.
“Julie, I will help you solve the case. Not for your sake, but for Mongin Island’s sake. But, from this point forward, let’s be honest. As much as I want this behind us, it won’t work for me to think that there is more to what you are telling me. Are we good?”
“Totally understand, you have my word,” Julie said. “So, ready to talk about where we are? I spoke to Theresa yesterday. According to her, they were a real couple, have known each other for at least a year or two, but only started a romantic relationship in the last month or so. Her story seems to check out. She seemed appropriately sad about Carl’s passing but she was not distraught. She was aware of potential motives for harm to have come to Carl and mentioned a few unfinished deals but did not have specifics. But, I do think she knows more than she’s telling me.”
“Why is that? Because they both were chasing deals? That’s what I was thinking as you were talking.”
“Exactly. It seems like this would be the thing that would draw you together, unless, of course, you didn’t want to be drawn together in a deal. To me, this would seem counterintuitive. If you are just starting this new relationship after knowing each other for a few years, that doesn’t sit right for me,” Julie said. “So we are digging around on that, which leads me to the property map in the office.”
Ahhh, the map. I wondered if she would mention it. “From what I can tell, red pins mark the properties Carl sold,” I said. “There are lots of them, all over this island. Did you notice how many pins were red? Then, I think the blue ones are Carl’s current listings and possibly properties with a lead, maybe something that would come to market soon or a work in progress. There weren’t really as many of those, only a handful. I’m not sure how many, right now. I’ll have to count them.”
“There were eleven blue pins,” Julie answered. So, now I knew this map was part of the investigation.
“Which leads me to the green pin at Governor’s Point!” I finished a little more dramatically than I intended. “Something is up there. If it was just a regular listing, it would be blue, right? So, something is going on there and I thought I would reach out to the developer, if that is okay with you. I want to understand the Governor’s Point project. Barb and I were doing some research last night. Looks like there are fourteen lots in that subdivision and three appear to have been purchased. It also makes sense to talk to those property owners.”
“Sounds good,” Julie said.
“Also, Missy was vaguely aware of the name Evan Weisman. She said he was in some sustainability business, which is a tip I will explore as I dig into Carl’s files.”
“That could narrow down the right Evan Weisman—so that’s great info. We will explore it on our end, too. Scott Campino is the Governor’s Point developer and he lives there on the island. Do you know him?” Julie asked, “I have a cell number for him. I’ll text it to you.”
“I haven’t met Scott,” I said. “I do know Donna Campino, who may be his wife. Before I moved here full-time, we socialized with our neighbors and some people we met playing golf. We didn’t know too many island residents. Of course, with the store, I meet a lot more people now. Donna has been in the store a few times and donated some books to the Trading Floor. Seems like a nice lady.”
“Do you think you can get to Scott today?” asked Julie. “He may be able to connect you to the property owners too.”
“I certainly can try,” I agreed. “I have about ninety minutes before the shop opens and usually, we aren’t that busy when the doors first open. I can spend some time on Carl’s computer files, too. But what about Theresa? Are you interviewing her in person, here on the island?”
“Well, not exactly interviewing her,” Julie said. “Let’s just say we invited her to take a ride over on the 2:00 ferry and hoped she would show us some of the properties she and Carl looked at for potential flips. She accepted our invite, thankfully. We are meeting her at the dock at 2:45. If that works for you, I would love to have you join us. Now that you have spoken to Missy a few times, talking to Theresa may help us get to know Carl a little better.”
“You can count on me being there,” I said. “I’m curious about Theresa myself. See you soon, Julie, and thanks for getting this all out and clearing the air. I think we are on the right path now.”
The shop was quiet. There was a stillness inside and outside the building. I grabbed my laptop and sat on the front porch, settling into one of the new rockers. I could check my email from here and start the work I had in front of me. The gentle rocking was soothing. The rhythm pulsed my thoughts, my unspoken words, away.
It didn’t take long to go through the dozen or so new messages in my inbox. “Okay, so I have two nibbles on my inquiries about Paul’s rare books. Hmm, better than I expected,” I told the squirrel precariously balancing on the porch railing.