Gunpowder Chowder (4 page)

Hannah slid onto the bright blue cushioned bench seat while Cal rummaged around for food. He pulled out bread, a can of tuna fish, mayo, and pickles. “Tuna sandwich work for you?” he asked while draining the liquid from the tuna fish.

“Sure.” Hannah watched him work, enjoying the thought of someone waiting on her. Especially a handsome someone. “How can you pin point when Vern was shot?”

He scooped mayo from the jar and stirred it into the tuna. “I was a premed student. Medical stuff has always fascinated me.”

“You were? What happened?”

“Life.” He cut the sandwiches into triangles and carried the plates to the table. He opened his half size fridge. “Water okay? Or, I do have a couple of beers in here.”

“Hmmm. A beer is tempting. I’ll buy you more,” she offered.

Cal popped the cap off of two bottles of beer and slid into the L-shape portion of the seat, at a right angle to Hannah. He clinked his beer against hers. “Welcome to Hooks Harbor. Maybe not the best way to begin your life here, but it will be memorable!”

Hannah nodded, took a sip of the cold beer, and added, “That’s one way to put it.”

They ate in silence. Hannah enjoyed the gentle rocking of the boat. She appreciated Cal’s company and she wanted to ask more about what got in the way of his medical schooling but decided he might not want to talk about it.

She leaned back against the cushion, wiped her lips, and asked, “You said there were other reasons someone might want to shoot Vern.”

Cal took a long slug of his beer. “That’s right. I guess people might think I had a motive too. Vern owed me a lot of money. Chase likes to throw my lack of cash in my face every chance he gets, but I don’t let it bother me.”

Hannah digested his comments.

“I can see what you’re thinking. I was on the beach, did I shoot Vern?”

Hannah lowered her eyes, uncomfortable that he could read her thoughts.

“Don’t worry. If I was going to kill Vern, I would have made it look like an accident. Not that I spent any time planning anything like that. He wasn’t worth the time to me. Sure, I’m upset and annoyed about the money, but life’s too short to ruin it over a piece of scum like him.”

“Who else could have done it?”

Cal stood up, gathered the plates, and put them in the small sink. “Come on. We’ll walk around town so you can meet the people who live here and decide for yourself the answer to that question.”

“You don’t have to chaperone me if you’ve got something else to do.”

He waved his hand, brushing away her comment. “I’d love to start the projects at your place but I’ll have to wait until the police are done there. After I show you around, I’ll get an estimate together for you to look at.”

They walked off the dock, through the parking lot, and headed left into the downtown area.

“It must be busy in the summer,” Hannah said.

“Busy? More like overflowing with people. I prefer it like this but I understand the summer tourists are what pay the bills for just about everyone. You’ll see. Your little place will be mobbed.” He turned to look at Hannah. “Do you plan to hire someone to help you?”

“Did Caroline hire anyone?”

“Yeah, she did as a matter of fact. A great woman, named Meg. Vern hired her to work at his Inn after Caroline died, but you might want to contact her and see if she’s interested in her old job back. Once you get up and running, of course.”

“Here’s the town bookstore,” Cal explained as they arrived at the beginning of the shops. “Everyone struggles a bit at this time of year but summer makes up for the slow times.”

Hannah stopped in front of the window of the next shop, admiring the jewelry display which Cal explained was all made by a local silversmith. She especially loved silver, but rarely wore much jewelry. Maybe she would stop in to buy something for her sister.

As they passed the open front door of the next shop, Simply Sweets, Hannah got the intoxicating aroma of chocolate. She held Cal's arm to make him stop. “Let’s go in here. I’ll buy you a treat since you so kindly made lunch for me.”

“Ah, a chocoholic?”

Hannah laughed. “Yes, my biggest vice.”

Before walking inside, Cal whispered, “This store belongs to Vern’s wife. Well, estranged wife, but I don’t think they are divorced yet.”

Hannah’s eyebrows shot up. “Isn’t it odd that the shop is open?”

A little bell jingled when Cal opened the door, letting Hannah enter first. “Let’s see who’s here.”

The shop had a glass case filled with assorted chocolate bonbons, each one looking more delicious than anything Hannah had seen before. A taller shelf displayed chocolate shaped whales and shells. Hannah reached for a wooden box with nine whales nestled in white papers lined up neatly in three rows of three.

A ceramic shell sat on the counter filled with small pieces of chocolate samples. Hannah chose a piece of dark chocolate, letting it melt on her tongue. It was rich and creamy with a hint of orange. Exquisite.

“Can I help you?”

Hannah looked into the dark brown eyes of a teenager. Her blonde pigtails reached her shoulders and a friendly smile spread across her face.

“Hi Tasha,” Cal said. “How’s your mom?”

Hannah stepped aside, letting Cal continue his conversation.

The smile disappeared, replaced by a scowl. “She’s fine. My stepdad got just what he deserved. Finally. Now, Mom won’t have to go through a nasty divorce to get what she would have had to fight that cheap S.O.B for.”

“Tasha?” an angry voice yelled from the back of the store. “I’m back from a grilling with Officer Larson. Where were you last night?”

Tasha swung her head around, pigtails flying behind her. “Mom, I’m helping customers,” she answered.

A middle aged woman, dressed in a flowing colorful skirt, white blouse under a dark red vest, and a turquoise silk scarf, entered the shop from a back room and immediately pasted a smile on her face. “Hello, Cal. What brings you into my shop today? I didn’t know you cared much for my fancy chocolates.”

Hannah heard an underlying tone of suspicion in her voice.

“Kelley, I’m showing, Hannah Holiday, the new owner of Caroline’s cottages, around town. She took a fancy to the chocolate aromas drifting out the door when we passed by your shop.”

Kelley’s head turned as if she only noticed Hannah for the first time. She extended her hand. “Pleased to meet you.” Before Hannah could shake her hand, Kelley jerked it to cover her mouth. “You’re the one who found Vern?” Her eyes were wide with shock.

“Actually, Cal found him. I’m sorry for your loss.” Hannah wasn’t sure what to say in the awkward situation she found herself in.

“Ha. No loss for me. Of course it’s tragic, but everyone in town knows that the relationship I had with Vern was only heading in one direction. Divorce.” She put her arm around her daughter’s shoulder. “Heaven only knows what he was doing in one of
your
cottages.”

All eyes were on Hannah after that comment. Did they think she killed him? Hannah looked at the box of chocolates she held.

Cal took the box and placed it on the counter. “I think we’re all set if you can ring this up for Hannah.”

Hannah carried her bag outside. They walked away from the store before Hannah said, “That felt strange. Did it sound like Kelley suspected me of killing her husband?”

“I’m sure there will be a lot of finger pointing going on until this is solved. Don’t let her bother you. In Kelley’s world, it’s always someone else’s fault. It will be interesting to know where she was when Vern was shot.”

Chapter 5

Cal dropped Hannah off at Jack’s house on his way to get prices and draw up a quote for the work on the café and cottages. Nellie ran in circles when Hannah walked inside. Jack put the tea kettle on and rummaged through his cupboards, finding an unopened bag of chocolate chip cookies.

“Did Cal show you around?”

“After my chat with your daughter at the police station, he made me lunch. How long has he lived on that boat?” Hannah asked while she opened the cookies and helped herself to one.

Jack poured tea and joined her at the table. “Ever since he left medical school and moved here he’s lived on that boat.” Jack shrugged. “He says he likes it.”

Hannah blew on her tea before taking a sip. “Why didn’t he finish med school?”

“He doesn’t like to talk about what can’t be changed. This is what happened. His sister was in a terrible car accident and he came back to help her. They had a big argument over his decision, but when Cal makes up his mind, there’s no changing it.”

“Where does his sister live?”

Jack bit into a cookie. “Finish your tea and we’ll take Nellie for a walk. I’ll fill you in.”

Jack’s phone rang. Hannah could hear his side of the conversation while she drank her tea.

“Okay, Pam, I’ll let her know.” Jack hung up.

“Pam said if I run into you to let you know you can stay in your cottage tonight. Cottage number four still has police tape but they should finish up tomorrow.”

Hannah brought her cup to the sink. “That’s a relief. I can’t leave town so I was thinking I’d be sleeping in Great Aunt Caroline’s car.”

“That old dark blue Volvo wagon? Does it even start?”

“Good question. I took the bus here from the airport. I guess I’ll have to get it to a mechanic to check it over. I’ll definitely need a car to get this business up and running again.”

Jack handed the leash to Hannah. Nellie heard the jingle and was excited to head outside. “You can let her run. She’s supposed to be on a leash on the beach, but we can risk letting her run free at this time of year.”

Nellie dashed across the road, straight to the beach, without a glance backwards. Hannah decided she would need some help training Nellie if she was going to keep her. She wanted a dog that would listen to her and not chase after any scent that blew up her nose.

Jack headed to the left which would bring them in front of Hannah’s cottages. “Have you walked this way yet?”

“Nope. I have a lot of exploring to do still.”

“Getting back to Cal’s story, his sister’s name is Monica. She’s about ten years older than Cal and always watched out for him when he was growing up. From what I know, she kept him out of a lot of trouble through his teenage years.”

Hannah laughed at Nellie chasing the seagulls. She threw off her flip flops and pulled up her jeans, letting the waves wash over her feet. Jumping out of the water, she screeched, “This water is cold!”

“It’s December. Of course it’s cold.” Jack watched Hannah and Nellie cavorting on the beach. “Your Great Aunt Caroline had a lot of sense bringing you here to Hooks Harbor. You’re going to make someone very happy.”

Hannah scrunched her eyebrows. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Jack laughed. “Oh, nothing.”

They walked in silence, Hannah digging her toes into the cold, wet sand with each step. Jack pointed to a small grey-shingled cottage. “There’s someone here that you should meet.”

Hannah’s brain was filled with new people, new stories, and a disturbing new image. She stopped walking, trying to decide if she was up for another introduction.

Jack waved her forward. “Don’t dawdle. Monica doesn’t bite.”

“Monica? Cal’s sister?” Hannah jogged to catch up with Jack, slipping her flip flops on her almost frozen feet. She whistled to get Nellie’s attention and, surprisingly, she charged after Hannah.

Hannah and Nellie followed Jack up the ramp to a porch overlooking the ocean. The porch extended the full length of the small house, increasing the house size by at least half. Jack had already made himself comfortable in a deck chair next to Monica. A small table was nestled between Monica and Jack with a Simply Sweets bag sitting next to a tea cup.

“Come on over and meet Cal’s sister, Monica,” Jack said as he motioned Hannah to join them. “Hannah only arrived in town yesterday,” he explained.

Hannah glanced around to check on Nellie’s whereabouts, only to feel her brush against her leg as she surged across the porch.

“Pull up a chair.” Monica smiled at Hannah and extended her hand without standing up. Hannah blinked several times with the realization that Monica
couldn’t
get up. She sat in a wheelchair. “I can tell by the shock on your face that my overprotective brother didn’t tell you about this.” She patted the arms of her wheelchair. Her face still held a smile but her eyes sent an unspoken warning to Hannah,
don’t mess with Cal
.

Hannah sat in the offered chair, hoping Jack would make conversation since Hannah didn’t have a clue where to begin. An awkward silence followed.

Hannah began to talk at the same moment Monica spoke.

“Sorry, go ahead,” Hannah said.

“I’m wondering how you met Cal already.” The smile stayed on her lips but her suspicious eyes searched Hannah’s face.

“On the beach. Nellie,” Hannah let her hand fall to pat the pup’s soft head. “Nellie,” she began again, “ran off down the beach yesterday morning and I took off after her. Cal was walking on the beach, heading to Jack’s house.”