I lounged about for what remained of the day, reading on the beach for a while before eating a light supper out on the back porch while Flapjack prowled around the yard, chasing bugs and watching birds fly by. When I checked my phone after eating, I saw that Brett had sent me a text message. He’d spoken to the vet, and Bentley’s surgery had gone well.
Miss you, the last part of his message read.
I’m glad Bentley’s surgery went well, I responded. Miss you too.
I set my phone on the arm of my porch chair and gazed out at the ocean. A small fishing boat was heading inland, toward town, and three kids were just offshore in a small dinghy, laughing as they rowed around in circles. A nice breeze tempered the warmth of the evening sun, creating the perfect temperature for relaxing on the porch.
As much as I wanted to unravel the mystery of Ida’s murder and clear my name, I couldn’t stop thinking about Brett. Considering how much I missed him after not seeing him for a day or so, I knew I’d be letting myself down if I did anything to jeopardize our relationship. But I still had a low hum of anxiety running through me, one that intensified whenever I focused my thoughts on Brett.
What the heck was wrong with me?
I couldn’t have asked to have a better man in my life, and yet…
Frustrated with myself, I let out a breath. And yet what?
Maybe the person who knew me best would have some insight into my anxiety. I certainly didn’t.
It took me only a few seconds to put a call through to my mom, and as soon as she answered, I smiled, happy to hear her voice.
“How are you doing, sweetie?” she asked once we’d said our hellos.
“All right.” I debated about telling her that I was mixed up in a murder investigation, but decided to leave that for another day. I wanted to focus on other things at the moment. “But I’m feeling a bit…” Words failed me at that point.
“A bit what? What’s wrong?”
I sighed, closing my eyes briefly as the ocean breeze brushed against my face. “It’s Brett. Well, not Brett, exactly. I’m the problem.”
“Problem? I thought things were going well between the two of you.”
“They are,” I rushed to assure her. “It’s just…I don’t know. Things were fine until I suddenly got scared.”
“Scared of what?”
“That’s just it. I have no clue.” I could tell that I sounded as lost and helpless as I felt.
“Is your gut telling you Brett’s not right for you? Have there been red flags that you’ve ignored?”
“No. Nothing like that. Brett’s amazing, and I’m crazy about him.”
“Maybe that’s it right there,” my mom said.
“What do you mean?”
“You’re getting closer to Brett than you have with anyone in a long time.”
I let her words sink in. “Yes, that’s true.”
And then it hit me. It was so clear, so obvious, that I could hardly believe I hadn’t figured it out right away. I closed my eyes as my insight settled heavily across my shoulders.
“Sweetie,” my mom said, “you can’t let fear keep you from living and loving.”
“But if I let myself fall in love with him and then something terrible happens…”
“I know, honey. I understand.”
I knew that she did. “How do you do it?” I asked. “You’re engaged to Grant now, so how did you get past the fear that you’ll let someone in only to lose him?”
“It wasn’t easy, and that fear hasn’t left me completely, but I decided I didn’t want fear to keep me from living my life to the fullest. If you keep yourself closed off because you’re worried about losing someone, you’re going to miss out on some amazing things. What we went through with losing our family was terrible, but we’re still here. We need to make the most of our lives, and that means opening our hearts to others.”
A tear trickled down my cheek and I wiped it away with the back of my hand. “I know you’re right.”
“And I know you can do it,” my mom said. “Why don’t you tell Brett what’s going on with you? I’m sure he’d want to know.”
“He would,” I agreed, knowing that was true. “I’m just not sure how.”
“You’ll find a way. I know you will. If he’s worth it to you, you’ll find a way.”
I hoped with all my heart that she was right.
Although The Flip Side wasn’t open the next day, I woke up at my usual time out of habit. When I opened my bedroom window and drew in a deep breath of sea-scented air, I decided to go for a run before the day grew too warm. I put out some breakfast for Flapjack and spent a few minutes stretching, then set off from home at a jog, following Wildwood Road away from town.
As I fell into a steady rhythm, I enjoyed the sound of birds singing and the fresh smells of summer by the sea. Instead of retracing my steps for the second part of my run, I followed a rutted dirt pathway that provided public access to the beach at the eastern end of the cove. When I reached the sand, I slowed to a walk and soon removed my running shoes so I could wade through the shallows as I followed the curve of the shoreline toward home.
While walking along with the water glittering around me, I soaked in the peace and quiet of the morning. A few other early risers were out and about on the beach, but most of the sounds in the air were from nature—the breaking of the waves and the cries of seagulls as they circled about in the sky. A young man tossed a ball into the water and his dog went splashing after it, tail wagging. My thoughts turned to Bentley, and I hoped that Brett would get his wish and be able to adopt him.
When I neared home, I trudged up the beach, rinsing off my sandy feet at a tap at the side of the house before going inside to take a shower. Once I’d had breakfast, I returned to the beach, dressed as usual in shorts and a tank top, a book in hand. Maybe it was the chat I’d had with my mom the night before, or the good night’s sleep I’d managed to get in, but my mind was more settled than it had been in days and I was able to lose myself in my book.
I’d read through several chapters before I heard movement nearby. I looked over my shoulder and saw Brett’s younger sister coming down the beach from my property, picking her way around the logs, her long blond hair gleaming in the morning sunlight.
“Hi, Chloe,” I called out.
Her face lit up when she spotted me. “I was hoping I’d find you down here.”
I shifted over on the blanket I’d set out on the sand.
After kicking off her flip-flops, she dropped down to sit next to me. “Is this weather gorgeous or what? You won’t hear me complaining about the heat wave.”
“I’m not complaining either,” I said with a smile. “Are you enjoying your summer holidays?”
Chloe was a teacher at an elementary school in Port Angeles, and I knew she’d been looking forward to her time off.
“Absolutely. And speaking of holidays, I came by to talk to you about the Fourth.”
“What about it?”
“My family always has a big barbecue and I wanted to make sure that you’re coming. I could have asked my brother to invite you, but I haven’t seen you much lately so I thought I’d come by and talk to you myself.”
“I’m glad you did. It’s good to see you. And I’d love to come to your family’s barbecue.”
“Great!”
“Do you want to have it at my place?” I asked. “Then we’d have a beachfront setting.”
“Really? That would give us a perfect view of the fireworks too. We’d be able to watch them from your back porch.”
“Sure, I’d love to have it here.”
Chloe almost bounced with excitement. “Thank you. That will be perfect. And the food part will be easy. Everyone will bring something.”
“Will Jourdan be there?” I asked, referring to Chloe and Brett’s younger cousin who’d just graduated from high school.
“Yes. She’s not leaving for college until August, so she’s still around for a while.”
A woman walked along the beach in our direction. While still a ways off, she stopped and spread out a towel. Although she wore large sunglasses and a floppy, wide-brimmed red hat, I thought she looked familiar. I watched as she removed her hat to take off her caftan, leaving her in a string bikini.
“Isn’t that Melinda Haynes?” I said.
Chloe leaned forward to look around me at the other woman. “Yes.”
“Do you know her?”
“Not well. I see her around now and then, but she’s a few years younger than me and we don’t really move in the same circles.”
“Do you mind if we go and talk to her for a minute? I’d like to see if I can get some information out of her.”
“Information?”
“About what she was doing when Ida was killed.”
“Her mom lives next door to Ida, right? Was she there at the time of Ida’s death?”
“Yes, and not just that.” I told her that Melinda had been seen on Ida’s front porch, yelling and screaming as she pounded on the door. “When I asked her about it before, she clammed up. She didn’t want to tell me why she was upset. Her mom said it was about the mess in Ida’s front yard, but I have a feeling she made that up.”
“You think Melinda could have killed Ida?”
“I think it’s a definite possibility.”
Chloe thought that over. “Did Ida answer the door when Melinda knocked?”
“No. Maybe she was ignoring Melinda, but it could also be that she was already dead. If that was the case, Melinda might have put on a show to give the impression that she didn’t know Ida was dead.”
Chloe cast a look in Melinda’s direction. “Devious.”
“Of course, I don’t know that she’s the murderer, but I know I didn’t kill Ida, and I want to find out who did.”
“Right, Brett mentioned that you’re considered a person of interest. He was pretty upset about that.”
“He was?” I said, surprised. I knew he didn’t like that I was upset, but I didn’t realize it had affected him beyond that.
“And still is,” Chloe added. “He called Ray the other night and talked to him about it for ages, but Ray swears that he’s just doing things by the book and doesn’t really believe you’re a killer.”
I took a moment to mull over that information. Although I didn’t want to cause any conflict within his family, it was sweet that Brett cared so much. And I was relieved to know that Ray didn’t believe I was guilty.
“He’s really into you, you know.”
Her words made me simultaneously happy and anxious, but I managed to smile despite my warring emotions. “I feel the same way about him.”
Chloe seemed relieved by my answer. “He’s been hurt badly in the past, but you two, you’re good together.” I was still absorbing what she’d said when she nudged my arm. “Let’s go talk to Melinda.”
Leaving my book and blanket behind, we got up and approached Melinda. She’d left her hat on the sand beside her and was now stretched out on her back, soaking in the sun’s rays.
“Melinda?” I said when we reached her.
She raised her head from her towel, but only for a second. “What do you want?”
Undeterred by her unwelcoming tone, I said, “I was wondering if you’d seen or heard anything unusual on the day of Ida’s death.”
She sighed heavily. “Like what?”
“Your mom said she heard running footsteps in the alley at one point. Did you?”
With another sigh, she pushed her sunglasses down her nose so she could look at us with unshaded eyes. “I was upstairs sorting through some of my dad’s papers. I didn’t hear or see anything.” She slid her sunglasses back over her eyes. “Now if you don’t mind, I’d like to work on my tan in peace.”
Chloe and I exchanged a look and turned as one to head back to the blanket I’d left lying on the sand.
“Miss Congeniality over there wasn’t exactly very helpful,” Chloe said once we were seated again.
“Maybe not in one sense,” I said, “but what she said is interesting.”
“Really?” Chloe sounded doubtful. “She said she didn’t hear or see anything.”
“But she did say that she was upstairs. I talked to her mom yesterday, and she said Melinda was with her that morning, but she also told me she was working in her garden. That’s how she heard the footsteps in the alley. But if Sheryl was in the garden and Melinda was upstairs…”
“Then they couldn’t have been together.”
“Exactly. So one of them is lying. Or both of them are.”
“But how do you figure out who’s lying and who isn’t?” Chloe asked.
“That’s a good question.”
Silence fell over us for a moment until Chloe shook her head and said, “I’m no good at figuring these things out.” She got to her feet. “I should probably get going. I have some errands to run.”
As she reached down to dust some sand off of her leg, the handles of her purse slipped from her arm. She made a grab for the purse as it fell, but it hit the blanket, spilling its contents.
“Shoot.” She got down on her knees to gather up the mess.
I helped her by snatching up a tube of lipstick that was rolling away. Before handing it to her, I picked up a packet of gum and a slip of paper.
As Chloe was taking the items from me, I caught sight of writing on the paper. I pulled my hand back before Chloe could take the paper from me. I read the note and then raised my gaze to look at Chloe. Her eyes were wide with fear, her face pale.
“Chloe…”
She grabbed the paper and stuffed it into her purse. “It’s nothing. Just a joke.”
“No, it’s not.” She was about to jump up, but I put a hand on her wrist to stop her. “You’re not the only person to get a note like that in recent times.”
“I’m not?” That surprised her enough to keep her from leaving.
“Did you know that it was Ida Winkler who was blackmailing you?”
“I didn’t know, but I guessed. The place I was supposed to leave the money was her favorite spot.”
“Why was she blackmailing you?”
Chloe was still on her knees, but now she collapsed the rest of the way to sit on the blanket. “I can’t say.” Her face almost had a green tinge to it now.
“Chloe, Ida was blackmailing you and now she’s dead.”
Her eyes grew even wider. “I didn’t kill her!”
“Of course you didn’t. But if word gets out that she was blackmailing you, you could end up on the suspect list.”
She dropped her face into her hands. I waited for her to say something, or to break into sobs, but she remained still and silent.
I put a hand on her back. “Chloe…”
“I don’t know how Ida found out,” she said into her hands, her words muffled.
“Found out what?”
She finally raised her head. A single tear was trickling down her cheek. She wiped it away with the back of her hand. “I met a guy in Port Angeles. Matthew. He was so charming and handsome.”
“But?” I prompted, knowing there had to be more.
Her shoulders sagged. “He neglected to mention he was engaged to someone else.”
“Oh, Chloe. I’m sorry.”
She drew in a deep breath. “Luckily things didn’t go far before I found out. Actually, his fiancée found out, and she told me.” Chloe shook her head. “It was a mess. He betrayed us both, and I kissed an engaged man. That’s not something I ever would have done knowingly.”
I put an arm around her shoulders. “Of course not.”
“It was so embarrassing, but at least only the three of us knew about it, or so I thought. Then one morning I found that note on my windshield.” Another tear tracked its way down her face. “I’ve been freaking out ever since, worried that Ida would keep wanting more money, that everyone would find out what happened.”
“You did what the note said and left money in the park?”
She nodded. “What else could I do?”
“Why didn’t you tell your family, or at least Ray?”
She wiped at another tear. “I couldn’t. I can’t. They’d be so disappointed in me.”
“I don’t think that’s true, Chloe.”
“Please don’t tell anyone, Marley. Not Brett, not anyone.”
“I’m sure it wouldn’t be as bad as you think.”
“Please, Marley. I really don’t want them to know.” Her big blue eyes shimmered with more tears.
I hesitated, but I couldn’t bear to cause her any more distress.
“All right. I won’t tell anyone.”
Her relief was almost palpable. “Thank you, Marley.”
My heart heavy, I considered the implications of Chloe’s situation. “Do you have an alibi for the morning of Ida’s murder?”
The hint of color that had returned to her face drained away again. “I was in bed with a migraine that day. I didn’t see or talk to anyone.” She closed her hand around my wrist. “I really will be a suspect if this gets out.”
“Most likely,” I said, hating to confirm her fears.
“And since Ray’s my uncle, someone else might have to take over the investigation. It would be a mess.”
“Hopefully it won’t come to that.”
She released her grip on my wrist. “You really won’t tell anyone?”
“I promise.” I didn’t know if giving her my word on that was the right thing to do, but it was done now and I wouldn’t let her down.
She hugged me and wiped away the rest of her tears. With everything back in her purse, she got to her feet.
“You’re a good friend, Marley,” she said before giving me a tremulous smile and heading off along the beach.
As I watched her go, a fierce desire to protect her came over me. I didn’t want her to go through anything worse than she already had, and that meant I had to keep her off the official suspect list. The best way to do that was to hurry up and find the real killer before someone else discovered her secret.
I finished off another chapter of my book and then gathered up my things and returned to the house. I booted up my laptop and settled into a porch chair to do some research on security cameras. Half an hour later, all I’d decided was that the number of options available was overwhelming. I’d have to talk to someone who knew something about surveillance systems before I made a purchase.
Leaving Flapjack stretched out in a patch of shade on the porch, I shut down my laptop and wandered around the main floor of the house, thinking about ways to make the place feel more my own. In addition to renovating the kitchen, I was hoping to turn a second-story hall closet into a bathroom off my bedroom, creating a master suite. Those were the two biggest projects on my list, but there were smaller jobs I wanted to tackle as well. I wanted to remove the carpet in the formal living room to expose the original hardwood floors underneath, and I also planned to get some of the furniture reupholstered.
Aside from those tasks, a few rooms could do with fresh paint. I’d managed to get my bedroom painted—spring green above the white wainscoting—after moving in, but that was about the extent of my home improvements so far. Hopefully within the next year or so everything would be complete, though I was preparing myself for the fact that it might take longer.
I could do the rest of the painting myself, but I’d need help from professionals for the bigger jobs. Fortunately, Brett’s dad ran a home-renovation business, one Brett helped out with during the winter months when his own business slowed down. I’d had a few initial chats with Frank Collins about the renovations, but soon I’d have to get serious and book his team for the job.
Thinking about the Collins family brought my focus back to Chloe. I felt terrible for her, but at least she didn’t have to worry about receiving further blackmail notes from Ida. I half regretted the promise I’d made, though. The thought of keeping a secret from Brett—especially one about his sister—didn’t make me feel great.
With Brett on my mind again, my heart did a nervous dance that was getting all too familiar. I fixed myself a light lunch, but had to force myself to finish it, my appetite almost non-existent. Soon after, I heard footsteps on the back porch.
“Marley?”
“In here,” I called out, happy to hear Brett’s voice, though I wasn’t without a renewed flicker of anxiety.
As soon as he stepped in the door, I met him with a kiss and a hug, determined not to let fear stop me from showing my affection for him. It felt so good to hold him that I didn’t want to let go, but after a few seconds I stepped back and asked him how he was doing.
“Good. And happy I got a chance to see you.”
“I’m happy you did too.”
“I can’t stay long, unfortunately. I’m on my lunch break at the moment.”
“Things are busy?”
“Even more than usual. Mrs. Rivers over on Heron Drive decided to have a garden party this week and wants me to whip her yard into shape in three days, on top of my regular work.”
“You’re not overworking yourself, are you?” I asked with concern.
“No, I can manage this pace for a while. And she’s paying me extra because of the short notice. The only downside is that I don’t get to see as much of you as I’d like.”
“Not as much as I’d like, either.” I leaned into him and he wrapped his arms around me.
“I know, but it won’t be for long. I’m going to rearrange my schedule so I work Saturdays instead of Mondays. That way we’ll at least have one day off the same.”
I tipped my head back to look up at him. “Really? You’d do that?”
“Of course. It might take a couple weeks to get everything arranged, but I’m determined to make it happen.”
I hugged him again. “That will be great.”
“But for now, I have to run. I don’t think I’ll even get a chance to visit Bentley today.”
I could tell he was disappointed about that. “Do you think the vet would mind if I stopped by for a minute or two?”
“I don’t think so.”
Smiling, I gave him a quick kiss. “Then that’s what I’ll do. I’ll text you later to let you know how he’s doing.”
“Thanks, Marley.”
With some reluctance on both our parts, he left to get back to work. I watched him go with a mixture of affection and unease. I knew that my mom was right, that I should tell Brett about my fears, but it hadn’t been the right time. When the right time would be, I didn’t know, but I didn’t want to think about the fact that I was avoiding the subject, so instead I set off for the vet clinic.