The Legend of Tabby Hollow (Whales and Tails Mystery Book 5) (10 page)

BOOK: The Legend of Tabby Hollow (Whales and Tails Mystery Book 5)
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Chapter 11
Tuesday, October 26

 

 

I focused on the steady rhythm of my feet hitting the hard-packed sand as I followed Max down the beach. Today the community would lay Grover Cloverdale to rest. Although the circumstances surrounding his death hinted at situations that hadn’t yet been made public, Grover had been a popular man on the island who’d had many friends and admirers. It was a beautiful sunny day, and it seemed likely most of the island’s residents would come out to bid a last farewell to the man who had been a good neighbor for so very many years.

I really should be at the cabin primping for the midmorning event, but the past few days had proven to be an emotional roller coaster that had spun my head more than I’d care to admit. Both Mayor Bradley’s and Grover Coverdale’s cars had been found by Finn on Sunday evening in the abandoned barn of a longtime island resident named Pritchett Farrell. Pritchett had been visiting family in New Jersey for most of the summer and so wasn’t considered a suspect in the killing of either man. The fact that Pritchett lived off the beaten path led Finn to believe that whoever the killer was, he or she was familiar with the island and the goings and comings of its residents.

The idea that the killer was most certainly a local left me with a feeling of dread. I couldn’t think of a single person I wouldn’t be devastated to discover had carried out such a calculated and personal crime.

And then there was Maggie… I’d asked several times where she’d been during her week away, and for whatever reason, she absolutely refused to tell me. When I mentioned that no one from the ferry had seen her leave, she told me that her plans had changed and she had actually remained on the island. I asked her where on the island she’d gone and she’d very politely told me it was none of my business.

Maybe it wasn’t, but I found I still really wanted to know.

Besides, if she had been on the island she couldn’t have helped but have heard about the deaths of the two men; yet when I’d informed her of their demises upon her return, she’d seemed genuinely surprised. The only conclusion I could come to was that she either was lying about staying on the island or she’d been holed up in a location that had no access to the rest of the world. If that were the case, why would she do it?

I’d almost suspected Maggie’d had something to do with the men’s deaths, but the truth of the matter was that she really had been trying to help. She’d managed to uncover the fact that while Nora Bradley fully intended to divorce her husband, Grover and his wife had been working on a reconciliation before he died. Maggie also found out that at least part of Bradley’s financial crisis stemmed from the fact that his rich wife had cut him off, though it seemed the depth of his debt indicated the problem had been going on for a long time.

As for the rumors of the mayor’s affair, it turned out that the identity of his mistress was the best-kept secret the island had ever known.

I paused when we came to the jetty. It would be best to turn around if I was going to catch a shower before Cody came by to pick me up. As for my relationship with him, it had caused as much emotional turmoil over the last couple of days as anything else, but in a good way. Cody and I hadn’t actually… well, you know, but we were definitely heading in that direction. The only hesitation on either of our parts seemed to stem from our complicated past. I was pretty sure I was ready to move past that, and if past events were any indication, Cody was ready to move on as well.

Back home, I dried and fed Max and then headed upstairs to the shower. My funeral dress was getting a lot more use than I would have liked. We’d laid Mayor Bradley to rest the previous day and it hadn’t been that long ago that several other island favorites had suffered unnatural deaths. There were times I wondered what the world was coming to, but the truth of the matter was, murder among neighbors wasn’t a new concept; it had just taken a bit longer to take a foothold on the island I call home.

Ichabod was sitting in the window of my loft bedroom looking out at the sea. I wondered if he was planning his next move or if he was simply watching the pair of bald eagles that were circling in the sky, looking for their breakfast. I would be sorry to see Ichabod go when he left. He was an easygoing cat, though a bit pushy at times. At any rate, he seemed to fit in well with Max and me.

“I’m going to be away a good part of the day,” I explained to both of the animals. “I’ve refilled your food and water dishes and I’ll be home as soon as I’m able.”

Max barked. I doubted he knew what I was saying, but I had no doubt Ichabod understood perfectly.

 

It was nice to have a sunny day for the service. It seemed the majority of the funerals I’d been to as of late had taken place under cloudy skies.

“It’s downright depressing to attend two funerals in two days,” Doris Rutherford, the queen bee of the island’s gossip hotline, commented as we waited for the graveside service to begin.

I looked to the front of the crowd, where Grover’s wife was being comforted by their eldest son. I felt so very bad for them. I couldn’t imagine losing someone I loved in such an unexpected manner.

“It has been a difficult couple of weeks,” I agreed.

“I certainly hope Finn figures out who did this soon,” she continued. “It’s disconcerting to realize we may be living on an island with a cold-blooded killer.”

“I’m sure Finn is doing everything he can.”

“You would think that with two deaths in such a short period of time the FBI would be called in,” Doris added.

“I think the FBI only investigates federal and bistate crimes. This is neither. Would you excuse me for a minute? I need to go give Siobhan a message.”

Doris looked toward the front of the crowd, where my sister was surrounded by pretty much everyone. There was no doubt about it; now that the islanders knew Siobhan was home she’d stepped right back into her role as the social center. There are some people who demand attention by their very presence and Siobhan was one of them.

I didn’t really need to talk to her; I’d just wanted to get away from Doris, so I headed toward the far edge of the cemetery, where Tara was waiting with Destiny for the service to begin. Both Danny and Cody had been enlisted to serve as pallbearers, so they were occupied for the time being.

“Big crowd,” I stated the obvious. “Even larger than Bradley’s funeral yesterday.”

“Bradley might have been the mayor, but he had questionable morals and a lot of folks didn’t really like him,” Tara pointed out. “I’ve been hearing rumors that if he had lived he probably wouldn’t have been reelected next time around. Grover, on the other hand, was generally well-liked. He was a bit more pro-development than I preferred, but he seemed to be honest and aboveboard.”

“I wonder who they’re going to get to be mayor now,” I said.

“Good question. There are three remaining council members, but I don’t see any of them wanting to do it. It’s really a full-time job and Maggie is pretty busy with the Bait and Stitch, while both Francine and Byron seem happy in retirement. What we need is some young blood on the council. Someone like you.”

“Thank you, but no, thank you. I’m not cut out for politics. Besides, I’m pretty busy myself. I’d suggest Cody, but he has his hands full getting the paper up and running.”

“What about Aiden?” Destiny asked.

“He’d be a great mayor, but I don’t see him giving up fishing to do it. We really need a mayor who’s around all year, not for just part of it.”

“I’m sure the council will find someone,” Tara assured me.

“It looks like they’re going to start,” I told them.

“Mrs. Cloverdale looks so sad,” Destiny whispered.

“Yeah,” I agreed. “She really does.”

The service was lovely, and when all was said and done, there wasn’t a dry face in the crowd. The Cloverdales were holding a reception in the community center, so everyone headed in that direction once Grover had been laid to rest.

“Caitlin, dear, I’m so glad I ran into you,” said Velmalee Arlington, the head of the community theater group, soon after we arrived.

“How are you, Velmalee?” I asked as I picked up a piece of cheese from the tray that was being circulated.

“I’m fine, thank you. I was wondering if you would be willing to help me with the haunted house at the school fund-raiser on Thursday. I’ve had several volunteers call and cancel on me at the last minute.”

I was about to refuse because I was already so busy with the murder investigation and everything else I had going on in my life, but then I saw the look of desperation in the woman’s eyes. Velmalee was flamboyant by any standards, but she was a nice woman and I knew the haunted house was a fund-raiser for the sixth-grade trip.

“What time do you need me?” I asked.

“Around three would be perfect.”

“And how long will you need me?”

“We should be done by seven.”

“Okay,” I agreed. “I’ll need to check with Tara because that will mean my leaving the bookstore early, but as long as she doesn’t need me I’ll be there.”

Velmalee smiled. “Wonderful. And it would be perfect if you would dress as a zombie.”

“A zombie?”

“Yes. I’ll see you then.”

I waved as Velmalee walked away. When she’d asked me to help, I’d thought she wanted me to do something boring like sell tickets or run the snack bar. But playing the part of a zombie would be fun. Maybe I’d see if Cody wanted to be a zombie with me. I was sure Velmalee would welcome the extra help and going as a zombie couple sounded like a good datelike activity.

“What are you smiling about?” Tara asked as she approached me from across the room.

“I’m going to be a zombie.”

“Sounds like fun.”

“I think it will be, but I’ll need to get off early on Thursday. Velmalee wants me at the haunted house by three.”

“I think Destiny and I can cover things.”

“I figured you wouldn’t mind, but I told Velmalee that I’d need to check with you before I could commit.”

“I appreciate that.” Tara looked around the room. “Have you seen Danny?”

I scanned the place. “No. Do you need him for something?”

“No,” Tara admitted. “I was just curious whether he was still here or if he’d left.”

“I haven’t seen him since we first arrived. Danny isn’t one to enjoy this type of thing, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he left.”

Tara pursed her lips. “I figured.”

It sounded like Tara was more than just a little annoyed that Danny hadn’t stayed.

“Is something wrong?” I asked.

“No, nothing’s wrong. I think I’ll see if they need help in the kitchen.”

Something was wrong. I’d known Tara my whole life and I was well acquainted with her nothing’s-wrong voice. I didn’t want to get in the middle of whatever Tara and Danny were currently engaged in, so I started across the room in the opposite direction. I hadn’t gotten very far when Siobhan stopped me.

“I have some new dirt on Bradley,” Siobhan whispered in my ear. “I think we should meet tonight and update the murder board.”

“You’re really digging this, aren’t you?”

Siobhan smiled. “I really am. Not only does it give me something to do other than spend all day contemplating my pathetic life but it gives me an excuse to spend time with Finn.”

“So things are good between you?”

She looked around the room. No one was paying a bit of attention to us, but Siobhan suddenly seemed nervous. “Yeah, things are good. I mean, we aren’t together or anything, but we’re getting along and having fun. It’s almost like old times. I hadn’t realized how much I missed him. How much I missed all of this.”

“So you might stay?”

Siobhan frowned. “I don’t know. I really don’t have any reason to go back to Seattle, but I have no idea what I could do to earn a living on the island. There aren’t a lot of openings for executive assistants with a background in marketing and event planning. Maybe I can open my own business. Do you think the island needs an events planner?”

“I don’t think there are a lot of people here who spend a lot of money throwing elaborate parties the way they do in the city. Maybe you could do weddings?”

“Now that would be ironic. I fled the island initially because planning my own wedding had become too overwhelming and here I am talking about coming back to the island as a wedding planner.”

“You didn’t leave because of the wedding planning,” I put forth. “You were always superorganized and a wiz at planning even the most complex event.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right. Still, I really don’t know what I’m going to do. I guess I should give it some serious thought. It’s not like I can stay with Maggie forever.”

“I’m sure she’s thrilled to have you. She has a full life, but I think she gets lonely rambling around that big house by herself. When I first moved into the cabin I went up to the house all the time, but now with the store and my other commitments I don’t hang out with Maggie as much as I once did.”

“Siobhan!” One of her old friends walked up. “You must come and meet my husband. We met in Paris when I did my tour after college.”

Siobhan hugged her friend. “I’d love to meet your guy.” She turned to me. “Tonight?”

BOOK: The Legend of Tabby Hollow (Whales and Tails Mystery Book 5)
7.53Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
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