Gunpowder Chowder (16 page)

“Calm down, Meg. You know it won’t taste like Caroline’s clam chowder unless there are little bits of potatoes that need to be scraped from the bottom of the pot. She always said that’s what made it special.”

“What have you been doing? You told me you’d be here,” Meg checked the time, “an hour ago.”

Hannah picked up the recipe on the counter. “This doesn’t look complete.” She flipped the paper over. “Potatoes, clams, half and half—where’s the rest of the recipe?”

Meg grinned and tapped her head. “The rest is up here. Caroline didn’t believe in following a recipe. She always said it was more like a guide and she would experiment until she got it right. That rubbed off on me too, I guess.”

Jack sat at his kitchen table. “We’re late because there was a bit of trouble at the cottages. Noah and Tasha have disappeared. Pam is putting the word out to other towns and Kelley is searching Vern’s house.”

Meg moved the pot of chowder off the burner and turned around. “Missing?”

Jack nodded.

Meg ladled soup into four bowls and Hannah carried them to the table. She went back to the counter for a box of crackers and spoons before sitting down.

Meg sat down, her finger on her lips. “I heard Tasha whispering on her phone when I went to the Inn to get my last check. It didn’t mean much at the time, but now I wonder if she was making plans with Noah.”

Hannah blew on a spoonful of clam chowder. “What did you hear?” She slurped the chowder. “This is fantastic. You’ll have to teach me how to make it,” she said to Meg.

“I heard,” she leaned her chin on her hand, “Tasha say something about sandwiches, water, and a boat.”

“A boat? At this time of year?” Cal said, his face wrinkled in confusion.

“I know. I guess I should have paid closer attention but that’s all I can remember,” Meg replied.

They ate in silence except for the clink of spoons on the sides of the bowls and Nellie’s nails clicking on the floor as she walked from one person to another, hoping for a handout. Jack must have trained her to beg already, Hannah thought.

Hannah couldn’t help but wonder what Tasha and Noah were up to and why did they run away? What did they know about Vern’s murder?

Cal and Hannah walked back toward her cottage. Nellie dashed after every shadow that flickered along their walk.

Hannah yawned.

“It’s been a long day for you,” Cal said.

“A bit of an understatement,” she said and laughed. “I will admit that I can’t wait to sink inside my sleeping bag.”

“I’ll be back early to finish up in your kitchen and get started on sanding the floors.” He paused as they reached his truck. “I’ve been thinking about what Meg said she overheard Tasha saying on the phone.”

Hannah tilted her head and raised her eyebrows.

“Tasha said something about a boat. I can’t get that out of my mind,” Cal told Hannah.

Chapter 19

Hannah let her body relax one muscle at a time inside her soft, down sleeping bag as she drifted toward sleep. Nellie curled up in her usual spot, leaning against Hannah’s legs. Once Cal finished the renovations, she decided as she drifted toward sleep, she would give up her camping mentality and turn the cottage into a genuinely cozy living space. For now, she had no choice but to continue living out of her backpack.

Cal’s truck door slamming shut woke Hannah from a dreamless sleep. She hopped up and pulled a warm fleece over her pink penguin flannel pj’s. This was awkward and not exactly the image she wanted Cal to see. With the chilly nights, she had salvaged the warm flannels from Caroline’s dresser.

Of course, by the time she opened the bedroom door, he was already in her main room with two coffees. That was considerate. I could get used to this, she thought, as the aroma made her brain buzz.

Cal’s lips twitched at the corners. “Cute.”

Hannah extended her arms to the sides and spun around, deciding she may as well own the image gracefully. “And speaking of cute, how did Theodore make out after the trauma he went through in your boat fire?”

“A kiss and a band aide and he’s as good as new.” Cal sipped his coffee. “Those jammies look familiar.”

“Yeah, I found them in Caroline’s dresser.” Hannah shrugged and her eyes twinkled. “I hope she doesn’t mind.”

“The more I see you, the more of Caroline appears. With your looks, words, and now your clothes, maybe Jack is partially right—Caroline is still alive—in you.”

With the mention of Jack’s name, the door opened and he walked in carrying a bag. “Meg left these for me to share. She said they’re much tastier fresh from the oven but they’re still pretty delicious today. Help yourselves.”

Hannah looked at her unfinished kitchen and was thankful that someone else was taking care of her stomach. She peeked inside the bag. “Oooh, my favorite! Cinnamon rolls.”

Jack and Cal exchanged a look and laughed.

“What?” Hannah asked. “Why are you two laughing at me?”

“Cinnamon rolls were Caroline’s favorite, too, and one of the sweets she had on the menu. And, she always had a plate in the office for the guests at the cottages to enjoy with a cup of coffee when they rolled out of bed.”

“That sounds like a tradition to keep.” Hannah took a big bite of the sticky sweetness and licked her fingers. “Have you heard anything from Pam? Or Noah?”

Jack shook his head. “Nothing yet.”

Cal finished his coffee. “I talked to Chase this morning and asked him to keep an eye out for Noah and Tasha. Just in case they have a connection to someone’s boat at his marina.”

Jack lifted an eyebrow. “You and Chase? Since when do you two talk civilly to each other?”

“He’s the reason my boat didn’t burn up. He saw the smoke and got the fire department before the fire turned into a blazing inferno.” Cal shrugged. “It’s well past time to move beyond our differences.”

“Be careful. I’m not sure you can ever trust him one hundred percent,” Jack said.

Before Jack could explain that comment, the door opened.

“You all are up bright and early,” Ruby greeted the crowd.

Nellie crashed into Olivia who fell in a laughing heap. Nellie seemed to be just as excited to see the little girl as Olivia was to see the puppy.

Ruby had her own mug of coffee and helped herself to the last cinnamon roll. “Where did these come from,” she asked between chews. “The best cinnamon roll I’ve ever had.”

“Meg makes them,” Jack said. “You’ll need to try one when they’re still warm from the oven.”

Ruby offered a bite to Olivia who shared it with Nellie.

“Well, that’s a waste. I would have eaten the whole thing if I knew you were going to waste it on the dog.” Ruby unsuccessfully looked for something to wipe her hands on. Instead, she had to resort to her own jeans. “Anyway,” she pulled a paper from her purse. “I found this.”

She unfolded the paper to reveal a map. Jack, Cal, and Hannah pounced on the paper.

“Where did you find it?” Jack asked, almost breathlessly.

Ruby coyly flicked her wrist. “I noticed Kelley leave her office in a big hurry. You know, it’s chaos at the Inn. She’s so shorthanded. I wouldn’t be surprised if she has a nervous breakdown. Oh, of course she tries to hide it all under her phony veneer of ‘I’ve got everything under control’ look, but I can see right through that.”

Hannah’s heel tapped impatiently. “The map?

Ruby’s eyes flashed annoyance that Hannah interrupted her. “I’m getting to that. Do you want the whole story or not?”

“Yeah, yeah. Spit it out.” Hannah made a circular motion with her hand.

“Where was I? Oh yeah, the reason Kelley rushed out without closing her office door?” She raised her eyebrows and waited for everyone’s undivided attention. “Pam arrived with a search warrant. I don’t have a clue what she’s looking for, but Kelley was in a complete panic.”

Hannah looked at Jack. “Do you know anything about a search warrant?”

He shook his head. “The only thing I can imagine is that they want to look over the books for a possible motive, but that’s speculation on my part.”

“So, anyway,” Ruby continued her story, “I took a quick detour into Kelley’s office, and lo and behold, the map was sitting right on top.” Ruby patted herself on the shoulder. “I did her a favor getting it out of there moments before Pam walked around the corner heading right to the office. Kelley was giving all kinds of excuses why Pam had no right to look through Vern’s files.”

Jack chuckled. “I bet that made a big impact.”

“Oh, it did. Pam threatened to throw Kelley in jail if she didn’t cooperate.”

Hannah smoothed the map out on top of her new counter. “This doesn’t mean a pile of clam shells to me. What’s this X anyway?”

“Huh, it looks to be right under the café. See, here’s my house, and that’s Monica’s house, and the X is right in the middle. If the X indicates something of value, it could explain why so many people were after this property,” Jack concluded. “And why Caroline decided to fake her own death,” he added with a twinkle in his eye.

“Stop that kind of talk,” Ruby said. “Don’t make fun of the dead. She was our great aunt after all.” Ruby’s eyes bored into Jack. “Do you know something about Caroline’s death that we haven’t been told?”

“Nope. I like the idea of her still being out and about somewhere. That’s all I’m saying.” He winked at Hannah.

Hannah folded the map. “We need to keep this someplace safe. Kelley will miss it eventually. Ruby, is Missy still hanging around the Inn?”

“She sure is, and she told me about the Clam Chowder Cook Off this afternoon. She’s super excited to be one of the judges this year. Now that Kelley became the last minute host of the event, Missy finally got asked. Apparently, Vern didn’t like her and wouldn’t let her be a judge. At least that’s what she told me.”

“I’ll safeguard this.” Jack tucked the map in the inside pocket of his jacket and patted it smooth. “Meg always wins the Clam Chowder Cook Off. And the day she loses? You won’t want to be around her.”

“Was Meg’s chowder she made last night the recipe she enters in the competition?” Hannah asked.

“Probably. Somehow, it always tastes a bit different every year. And she always wins.”

“What’s the prize?”

“A clam shaped bowl. It’s not the prize that counts, but it generates a lot of publicity for the winner, and in Meg’s case, that publicity always helped Caroline’s café,” Cal explained. “At least until Missy wrote that article about getting food poisoning from Caroline’s clam chowder.”

Jack had a devilish grin on his face. “I think Missy may regret being a judge this year.”

Hannah tilted her head. “Why is that? Do you know something?”

“What goes around comes around. I wasn’t planning to go this year, but with everything Ruby just told us, I’ve changed my mind.”

Cal slit the cardboard off the new stove. “You might want to move your coffee klatch to another location while I get back to work on Hannah’s apartment. That is, if she cares to get this place finished anytime soon. With any luck, I’d like to have this kitchen done today.”

Ruby said, “I’m going to head back to the Inn to keep an eye on the Clam Chowder Cook Off set up. Come on Olivia.”

Jack put his cap on. “I have to go see a man about some clams.”

“What’s that all about?” Hannah asked Cal after Jack left.

“I’m not sure, but if I know anything about Jack, he has something up his sleeve. And I don’t think it will be anything good for Missy Sharpe.”

“Will he poison her bowl of chowder?” Hannah’s eyes were as big as saucers.

“No, nothing that dramatic. And whatever his plan is, he’ll blame it on Caroline. He’s having way too much fun blaming everything on her.”

Cal’s phone beeped with a message. After reading it, he said to Hannah, “That was Chase. He has some information about Noah and Tasha. Can you go talk to him so I can keep working here?”

“Sure. Should I let Jack know?”

Cal scrunched up his lips. “No. Let’s keep him out of the loop for now. Find out what Chase knows first. No point in getting his hopes up if it turns out to be nothing.”

Hannah left Nellie with Cal and drove to the marina. The sun was bright, giving the false feeling of warmth, but as soon as she stepped out of her car the blustery wind took her breath away. She stuck her hands in her jacket pockets and pulled the fleece tight. It was going to take some time getting used to this coastal weather.

As she walked to the office door, various thoughts raced through her mind. Would Noah and Tasha be sitting inside? Or would Chase have grim news about them?

The small office was empty when she poked her head in, but the sound of the door alerted Chase to her presence.

“I’ll be right out,” he called from another room. He entered with an armful of papers. “Oh. I wasn’t expecting
you
. Where’s Cal?”

Hannah was a bit taken aback by his abrupt and unfriendly tone. “He asked me to come to find out what you know about Noah and Tasha.”

Chase dumped the papers on his desk. He pointed to a chair. “Have a seat. Coffee?”