The following morning I woke before my alarm went off. Daylight was streaming in through the cracks in the curtains, and I could hear the ocean and birds singing through the open window. At this hour, before the sun was high in the sky, the ocean breeze was cool and pleasant, making the curtains dance and billow about. When I rolled onto my side and found Brett’s blue eyes watching me, I couldn’t have kept the smile off my face if I’d tried.
“Morning,” he said with a smile of his own as he brushed my tangled curls out of my face.
I snuggled up against his side. “Morning.”
He kissed the top of my head and ran his hand down my back.
I snuggled closer to him, but my alarm chose that unfortunate moment to go off, filling the room with music. With a groan, I reached over and shut it off.
“I guess that means it’s time to get going,” Brett said.
I rested my head on his chest. “Normally I wouldn’t mind, but today I’m not so eager for the day to start.”
“Believe me, the feeling is mutual.”
Flapjack jumped up onto the bed, landing on my legs. He meowed, walking over me and rubbing his cheek against my face. When I didn’t move, he meowed again, this time head-butting my chin.
“All right, I get the message,” I told him.
With no shortage of reluctance, I climbed out of bed and quickly showered and dressed. I met Brett down in the kitchen where Flapjack was in the middle of eating his breakfast, too intent on his meal to even glance my way when I entered the room.
“I gave him some food and fresh water,” Brett said.
“Thanks. I’m sure you’re his friend for life now. Do you want some coffee? Breakfast?”
“That’s all right, thanks. I’ll grab something when I get home.”
I decided I’d have my breakfast later too, at The Flip Side, so I said goodbye to Flapjack and got ready to leave for the day.
Brett and I walked hand-in-hand along the beach, enjoying the beautiful summer morning and the last few minutes of each other’s company before the workday started. When we reached the promenade, we stopped to share a kiss before parting.
“Can I take you out for dinner tonight?” Brett asked after the kiss.
I kept hold of his hand. “I’d like that.”
My phone buzzed in my bag. I fished it out and checked the screen, surprised to see that I had a text message from Lisa when it wasn’t yet six in the morning.
Someone tried to break into Ida’s house last night. The sheriff caught him. Thought you’d be interested!
“Again?” I said once I’d read the message.
“Again what?”
I showed the message to Brett. “Last week there were two prowlers either on Ida’s property or interested in it. And now someone tried to break in.”
“Maybe one of the prowlers was scared off the first time and came back to finish whatever it is he wanted to do.”
“Could be,” I agreed. “I think one of the prowlers might have been Mitch Paulson.”
“From the bank?” Brett sounded surprised.
I quickly filled him in on everything I’d learned about the Paulsons recently. “But there was another prowler before Mitch, one who didn’t fit his description.” I shook my head. “This case just keeps getting more complicated.” I checked the time on my phone. “I guess I’d better get a move-on.”
“I’ll pick you up around six?”
“I’ll be looking forward to it.”
With one last, too-short kiss, I left Brett on the promenade and let myself into The Flip Side. Once in the office, I booted up the computer, and while I waited for the machine to get going, I sent a reply to Lisa’s text message.
I’m definitely interested! Any idea who it was?
She responded while I was checking The Flip Side’s email.
No, sorry. I’m off to my first early morning yoga class. I probably won’t be able to move tomorrow!
I wished her luck with her class, and then turned my attention to business matters. As I worked, however, Lisa’s news wasn’t far from the forefront of my mind. I wanted to know who’d tried to break into Ida’s house, but I wasn’t sure how to get that information. I didn’t know if Ray would be willing to divulge the person’s identity or not, and I didn’t want to get lectured about my involvement in the investigation. I had a sneaking suspicion that Brett’s concerns had been triggered by words from his uncle.
As it turned out, I didn’t need to worry about how I’d get the information. Shortly before the pancake house opened at seven, Brett called to say he’d spoken with his uncle.
“It was Ida’s husband, Terry Winkler, who was breaking into the house last night,” he said.
“I didn’t know she had a husband.” The only family of hers I’d known about was her nephew, now in prison.
“He was in prison for a couple of years. Just got out recently. I think they might have separated before he went away, though.”
“Jail time seems to be a theme in that family.”
“You’re not kidding. Anyway, it sounds like he was wandering around the property while drunk, rather than actually breaking into the house.”
“Would he even need to break in? Is it his house too?”
“I’m not sure. All I know is that he was only kept in custody for a few hours while he sobered up.”
When Brett and I ended our call, it was time to open the restaurant. Leigh and Sienna had both arrived, so I headed across the dining area to unlock the front door. As I approached it, I noticed a piece of folded paper stuck to the outside of the glass. Once I had the door open, I reached around and pulled off the paper, held in place by a small piece of tape.
I unfolded the sheet and read the short typed message. Then I read it again.
If you want to know who killed Ida Winkler, meet me by her garden shed at 1 p.m.
There was no signature, no indication of any kind of who’d left the note.
Was it for real or was it some kind of devious trap set up by the killer?
I didn’t know, and I was afraid there might be only one way to find out.
“What is it, Marley?” Sienna asked when she noticed me staring at the paper.
Heading for the kitchen, I gestured for her to follow, along with Leigh. “Come see.”
Once we were in the kitchen, I showed the note to everyone.
“Don’t go,” Ivan said right away.
“He’s right,” Leigh said. “It could be dangerous.”
“Don’t worry,” I assured them, “I have no intention of going on my own. Maybe not at all. I’ll tell the sheriff about it and see what he has to say.” In these circumstances I had to risk a lecture.
Everyone agreed that telling Ray would be the best thing to do.
The first customers of the day came into the restaurant as I exited the kitchen with Leigh and Sienna. I was relieved to see them, their presence helping to ease my concerns about business declining, but the place was still relatively quiet so I retreated to the office to make the phone call.
As soon as he heard about the note, I had the sheriff’s full attention.
“And you didn’t see who left it on the door?” he asked.
“No. I just bought a security camera, but it’s not set up yet.” I gave myself a mental kick for that. I could have caught the author of the note—and possibly the killer—on camera if I’d installed it right away.
“I’d like to come by and have a look at the note.”
“That’s fine. I’ll be here all morning.”
When I hung up, my stomach gave a good rumble to remind me that I hadn’t yet had breakfast. Once I’d addressed that issue with a serving of Ivan’s scrumptious strawberry vanilla pancakes, I tied my red apron around my waist and gave Leigh and Sienna a hand out in the dining area. Sheriff Georgeson entered the pancake house half an hour later, Deputy Rutowski right behind him. As they removed their hats, I gestured for them to follow me into the office.
I offered them coffee, but they declined, so I got right down to it and showed them the note.
Ray gave it a quick look, then handed it over to his deputy and addressed me. “This could be a prank of some sort.”
Anticipating his next words, I said, “But it could also be meant as a trap.”
“That’s certainly a possibility.”
“Should I go?” I asked. “With you guys watching, I mean.”
“We’ve been considering that option,” Ray said. “But by no means do I want you to feel obligated. Deputy Rutowski and I would do everything possible to ensure your safety, but there would still be an element of danger.”
I didn’t hesitate. “I want to do it. If there’s a chance it could help you catch the murderer, I’ll go.”
Ray gave me a nod of acknowledgment. “You’ll be wearing a wire, just in case this person reveals some incriminating information. Rutowski will get you set up with that. And we’ll both be stationed nearby, keeping an eye on things.”
“All right.”
Ray returned his hat to his head. “We’ll be back in plenty of time to get things set up.” He paused by the door. “Marley, I don’t want you to take this as encouragement to get involved in the investigation in other ways.”
It seemed I’d be getting the lecture I’d half expected.
“Clearly someone thinks you’re mixed up in the case,” he went on. “Otherwise you wouldn’t have received the note. If the killer thinks you’re too nosy, you could be in danger.”
“I understand,” I said, not wanting to make any promises.
Luckily my response seemed to satisfy him. With a nod, he and Rutowski left, taking the note with them. As I stood by the office door, watching them go, a hum of excitement ran through my body, despite Ray’s concerns. If the note was sent by the killer, intended as a trap, and if things went according to plan, Ida’s killer could be in custody before my date with Brett that evening.
A frisson of nervousness joined my excitement. I could be coming face-to-face with a murderer in just a few hours.
I decided to do my best not to think about that part. To distract myself, I shifted my thoughts to Brett. Not allowing my fears to get in the way of our relationship any longer was the best decision I’d made in a long time. Knowing I’d get to see him again that evening helped to keep my mood buoyant, despite the nervousness that made itself known every now and then. Even a young child’s tantrum and a broken bottle of maple syrup didn’t dampen my spirits.
With Leigh’s help, I got the sticky mess of syrup and glass cleaned up and ate a light lunch before Deputy Rutowski reappeared. Although I’d told Leigh and Sienna about my plan to help the sheriff, I had yet to share that information with Ivan or Tommy.
This time Rutowski accepted my offer of coffee, and when I popped into the kitchen to grab him a clean mug, I quickly outlined the plan to the chef and his assistant.
“Awesome!” Tommy enthused. “I wish I could go along with you.” Ivan glowered at him, but Tommy shrugged, unfazed. “It’s cool that she gets to do that.”
“It’s dangerous,” Ivan countered.
“Sheriff Georgeson and Deputy Rutowski will be close by,” I assured the chef. “And I’ll be wearing a wire. Everything will be fine.”
Ivan didn’t look any happier, but that wasn’t unusual. He flipped the pancakes cooking on the griddle, saying nothing more.
I told them I’d be back later and slipped out of the kitchen, meeting up with Rutowski in the office. I handed him a mug of hot coffee and he went over the plan with me in detail.
“The sheriff will be watching from inside Ms. Winkler’s house,” he told me. “I’ll be up in the neighbor’s apple tree. That way I can stay out of sight, but if anything goes wrong, all I have to do is drop onto the roof of the garden shed and then down to the ground.”
If anything goes wrong.
Those words echoed in my head. Still, I remained undeterred.
Rutowski finished his coffee and helped me with the wire, hidden from sight by my loose T-shirt. When I followed him out of the pancake house to his cruiser, nervous butterflies fluttered around in my stomach. During the short drive to Ida’s neighborhood, I was tempted to text Brett, to let him know what I was about to do, but in the end I stopped myself. I didn’t want him to worry unnecessarily. Once the whole thing was over, I’d tell him all about it.
So as not to alert the author of the note to the police presence, Rutowski parked on Lisa’s street. He got in touch with Ray over the radio, confirming that the sheriff was already inside Ida’s house.
“Now remember,” Rutowski said as we stood outside his cruiser, “our main goal is to identify the person who set up this meeting. You don’t need to get into a long conversation with them. In fact, we’ll probably jump in quite quickly after they arrive. If they arrive. Don’t take any unnecessary risks. If you ever feel like you’re in danger, let us know and we’ll get you out of there.”
I nodded.
“Having second thoughts?” he asked.
“No, I’m ready.”
“All right. This is where I leave you, then.”
We set off in different directions, Rutowski to take his place in Sheryl Haynes’s apple tree and me to circle around the opposite and longer way to the alley, and from there to Ida’s back gate. With every step that took me closer to Ida’s property, my butterflies became more frantic, but still I didn’t doubt that I was doing the right thing. When I reached the gate in Ida’s fence—the police tape now gone—I paused, listening for any sounds coming from the other side. Aside from the distant rumble of a car’s engine and the twittering of a few birds, I heard nothing.
In case I was being watched, I didn’t try to see if I could spot Rutowski in the apple tree. Instead, I drew in a deep, steadying breath. As I let it out, I unlatched the gate and stepped into the yard. Pulling the gate shut, I scanned the area in front of me. The grass had grown longer over the last few days, but not much else had changed since I was last there. Except, of course, that Ida’s body would no longer be in the shed, but I couldn’t yet see that spot.
I knew I’d arrived only a couple of minutes before the appointed time, but I couldn’t see anyone waiting for me. Keeping some distance between myself and the shed, I walked farther into the yard so I could get a clear view of the shed’s door. My stomach tightened when I saw that the door was shut. I didn’t like the fact that I couldn’t tell if someone was hiding inside.
“Hello?” I called out quietly, but no one responded.
A scuffling sound nearly made me jump out of my skin. I froze, listening carefully. I heard the sound again, and this time I was able to pinpoint its source as the garden shed.
Reminding myself that Georgeson and Rutowski were close by, I walked slowly toward the shed’s door. Holding my breath, I yanked the door open.
A shrill scream split the air.
Someone barreled into me, knocking me off my feet.
I flailed, trying to regain my balance, but I fell backward.
As I hit the ground, a dark shape flew toward me.