The Legend of Tabby Hollow (Whales and Tails Mystery Book 5) (6 page)

“It seems like the mall project is worth looking in to, but I don’t think we should focus on that to the exclusion of everything else,” Danny commented. “What else is the council working on?”

“I overheard Mr. Parsons and Francine talking about the local parcel tax to help fund the schools that some of the residents are supporting,” Cody said. “I’m not sure how that would get someone killed, but according to Francine there’s a lot of controversy among the island’s residents.”

“No one wants a new tax,” I supposed.

“True. I doubt that there’s a single person on the island who’s excited about having to pay more taxes, but the parents of many of the younger kids are pushing for upgrades to the infrastructure of the school building and the addition of a computer lab,” Cody informed us. “Plus there’s the fact that overall enrollment is down, which means less money coming in from the state.”

“Why is enrollment down?” Siobhan asked.

“A lot of families left the island when the cannery closed, and many of their houses were bought by people from the mainland looking for vacation homes after the ferry began docking here. Fewer resident children means less money to pay teachers and improve schools.”

I hadn’t really stopped to consider how the changing economy would affect things like schools. Cody made a good point about the tax, but I couldn’t see someone killing anyone over it. The tax, while unwelcome, wouldn’t be a life-changer for the average person.

Siobhan went ahead and created a column that represented motives that applied to both men. Then she jotted down the word
tax
with a question mark.

Cody mentioned a few other things he knew were on the agenda for the next council meeting, but none of them appeared to be items anyone would care enough about to kill someone over. The point that was nagging at my mind as we discussed hot-button issues was that the murders seemed personal. If someone wanted to kill council members in order to influence the outcome of a piece of legislation before the council, why go to all the trouble of drowning Grover or killing Bradley in the presence of cats?

“So what else do we have besides council business?” Siobhan asked.

I shared the fact that Bradley was supposedly having an affair and that his wife had filed for a divorce. I also mentioned he’d been extrasecretive as of late and that there was a rumor he was in financial trouble.

I thought about the fact that Grover had sold a large piece of land to a local developer not long ago. The only reason I knew this was because the land had been in the middle of the Bill Powell scandal. I hadn’t stopped at the time to consider why Grover would have sold the land, which had been in his family for generations, but Glenda had told Cody that Bradley seemed to be having financial issues, so I had to wonder if Grover wasn’t having money problems as well.

“Maybe we should look into Grover’s finances,” I suggested.

“That’s a good idea. And I’ll talk to Francine to see if she has any other input on what the council might be up to,” Cody offered. “I’ll also talk to the island clerk to see if I can get hold of the next agenda. While I’m at it I can see if there’ve been any applications for new businesses or developments submitted lately that could lead to a motive.”

That made sense because Francine was going to be staying temporarily in the house he lived in with Mr. Parsons.

“I’ll have a chat with my neighbor Lacy,” Tara offered. “She cleans the Cloverdales’ house.”

I knew who Lacy was. She cleaned the homes of several of the area’s longtime residents. She was also a conservationist who was almost radical in her mission to save the area’s undeveloped spaces. A lot of the island’s residents referred to her as tree-hugger, but as far as I could tell she was a nice woman and a good worker. I knew Maggie had hired her to clean her house a time or two and had been pleased with the results.

“I’m betting that if Grover was feeling stressed over something she’d know about it. She lurks better than anyone I know, plus she’s a snoop,” Tara said.

“A snoop?” I asked.

“She likes to dust inside drawers, closets, and file cabinets.”

I frowned. Maybe I should mention that to Maggie.

“Don’t worry; she’s a snoop but not a gossip. I don’t think she spreads around what she knows.”

Siobhan wrote Lacy’s name down on the whiteboard.

“Okay, what else?” Siobhan asked.

“I can head over to the Fisherman’s Lodge to see if anyone knows what might have been going on in the private lives of both men,” Danny offered. “They were both regulars.”

The Fisherman’s Lodge is a club of sorts for the men on the island. To belong to it you must be male—which has caused quite a bit of angst among the female population—and you must either be a member of the fishing industry or a descendant of a member of it. Grover was a mostly retired attorney and Bradley was the mayor, but both of their grandfathers had fished for a living.

“What can I do?” Siobhan asked. “I want to help.”

“There’s a new manager at the bank,” I said.

“Yeah, so?”

“How would you like to help me sweet-talk some information out of him?”

Siobhan smiled. “I can do that.”

Friday dawned bright and sunny, although the weather forecast called for rain by evening. My plan was to get up early, take Max for a run, care for the cats in the sanctuary, arrive at the bookstore on time, work until lunch, and then pick up Siobhan so we could pay a visit to our local bank. I was proud of myself when I got out of bed before the alarm sounded and without Max’s prodding. I dressed in warm layers, pulled my knit hat onto my head, and was heading toward the side door when Ichabod made it clear my plans were not necessarily his.

“You’re kidding, right?” I asked the cat as he dashed out the door and into the bright sunshine. “Can’t whatever it is you have for me to find wait? I haven’t had a chance to take Max for a run for several days.”

The cat began to walk in the direction in which he’d taken me when I’d found Grover’s body. I was glad I knew Francine was safe at Mr. Parsons’s. I would have been worried sick as we headed toward her property if I didn’t know for certain she and the cats were with Cody.

As I continued to follow Ichabod, I let my mind wander. Max was having a good time romping in the waves and I had my tennis shoes on this time because I’d planned to go out for a run. Ichabod was taking me toward the same spot we’d gone the last time and I wondered if the poor thing was confused and didn’t realize we’d already found the body in the water.

The conversation I’d had with the gang last evening had left me sleepless for a good part of the night. Everyone had shared important theories and information, but I found I couldn’t imagine how it all might fit together. Or even if it
did
fit together. The fact that two of our Island Council members had turned up dead within days of each other seemed to indicate it was island business that had led to their demise, but had it? I remembered Keith Weaver’s death and the certainty with which I’d felt it was his role on the council that had led to his early demise, when in reality it was something else altogether. It seemed it was best to keep an open mind.

When we came to the place where I’d found Grover’s body, Ichabod veered toward the water. Suddenly I began to dread what I would find at the end of the trail. Certainly not another body…

I walked carefully through the foliage until Ichabod stopped. Lying in the sand, which had been revealed by the low tide, was a black poker chip, just like, I imagine, the one found in Mayor Bradley’s pocket.

I called Finn because I was certain he’d want to know, and then Cody because I wanted an excuse to talk to him before I became busy with the demands of the day. We hadn’t had a minute alone together since our kiss in his office and I was dying to see what came next for us.

While neither of us had ever professed our love for each other, I felt he’d shown me how he felt by the little things he did for me. He took Max to work with him most days so my best buddy wouldn’t have to be alone. On the days he couldn’t take him, he picked him up and took him over to Mr. Parsons’s.

A couple of weeks ago I’d come home from work to find a half gallon of milk in my refrigerator. When I mentioned it to Cody, he’d said he’d noticed I was low and realized I was busy, so he’d picked some up so I wouldn’t have to drink my coffee black.

I knew Cody would fit right into my family should we decide to become serious about each other. He’d been best friends with Danny his entire life and he got along with Aiden, Siobhan, and Cassidy as well. He came to Sunday dinner with me every week, even when it meant he’d miss watching a big game on TV. And while he was at my mom’s, he went out of his way to charm her into loving him like a son.

I got Cody on the phone and he said he’d be right over, and Finn assured me he’d be at the cabin within a half hour. So much for getting to work early. I called Tara and explained what had happened and that I might very well be late. It was a good thing Tara was so easygoing. It seemed that for one reason or another I was late for work quite a lot.

“So what did Finn make of the fact that both our victims were found with black poker chips?” Tara asked when I finally managed to make it to Coffee Cat Books.

“He seemed to think the black chips were meant to serve as a signature of some sort,” I answered as I tied the pink apron with the Coffee Cat Books logo around my waist.

“Signature? That sounds like a serial-killer thing.”

“Yeah. Unfortunately, it does, although based on the way the men died I’m going to put my money on the killer being someone who knew the men. Probably someone who knew them well.”

“That’s disturbing.” Tara frowned.

“When I saw the chip the image of a black rose flashed through my mind. Didn’t we read a book a while back where the killer left a black rose lying across the chest of each of his victims?” I decided I really could use a latte after the morning I’d had, so I began to gather the items I’d need.

“Yeah. We read it in book club several years ago. But I see your point. Maybe the killer puts a black chip into the pocket of each of his victims. Bradley’s chip was found in his pocket and Grover’s was found near where the body was recovered. It could have fallen out of his pocket when they moved his body. I’m beginning to feel a little uneasy about all the unanswered questions. Francine moved over to Mr. Parsons’s house so she wouldn’t be alone, which made perfect sense because she’s a member of the Island Council, but what if the killer just chose two victims at random who just happened to both be councilmen?”

“I think the likelihood of that is pretty slim, but maybe you and Destiny should move over to Maggie’s house for a few days,” I suggested as I took a sip of my drink. “She has eight bedrooms all made up and ready for guests. I don’t necessarily feel any of us would be targeted, but we are snooping around and the killer may realize that. I’m sure Siobhan won’t mind the company, and Maggie won’t be home until Sunday night. I can ask Danny if he’s willing to stay at the house as well. There’s safety in numbers.”

“I guess I would feel better having other people around, and I do hate to leave Destiny alone for any length of time.”

“Then it’s settled. Pack a bag and come over after work. Where is Destiny anyway?”

“She had a doctor’s appointment and then she was going to head over to St. Patrick’s to work on her lessons,” Tara informed me. “She said she’d come in this afternoon and finish the bookkeeping she started yesterday.”

“She really is catching on to that.”

“She is. I know we hired her as a means of helping her out, but it’s worked out that she’s actually helping us. I hope she’ll be willing to stay on after the baby is born.”

“Has she said anything more about her plans for the baby now that she knows it’s a boy?” I asked.

“No. But I can tell she’s thinking about it. I don’t think having a boy is the obstacle she initially thought it would be. I know she’s discussed her situation with Jake, although I’m not sure where he stands on the whole keep-the-baby/don’t-keep-the-baby debate.”

“My heart aches for her every time I think about what she’s going through.”

“Yeah, mine too. Despite the fact that we’re doing all we can to help her, I’m sure she feels pretty alone.”

“And I’m sure it’s hard on her not to have her mother’s support,” I agreed.

The conversation paused when two women came in and ordered pumpkin lattes. It had been Tara’s idea to feature a different specialty each month at a discounted price, and so far the idea had paid off in spades. Most customers wanted a muffin or scone to go with their beverage, so although the coffee was discounted we ended up making a nice profit on each order.

“By the way, I forgot to tell you that I called Lacy this morning,” Tara said after the women left.

“And?” I asked.

“And there was definitely something going on. Lacy said Grover had cut back her hours a while back after telling her that he needed to deal with some financial problems.”

“So Bradley and Grover both had financial concerns. Do you think they were gambling?”

Tara frowned. “I guess they could have been. They were both found with a poker chip and they were both suffering from a financial shortfall. You should definitely mention that to Finn.”

“I will. Did Lacy say anything else?”

“She said that, like Bradley, Grover and his wife were having marital issues. Lacy thought it was due to the strain the money problems had put on the marriage, but she couldn’t be sure. She did say that Grover had been sleeping in the guest room for months.”

I’d been certain the men were killed as a result of their position on the Island Council, but now I wasn’t so sure. It seemed just a bit too coincidental that both men were having financial and marital issues.

“The only other thing she mentioned was that she’d overheard Grover arguing with one of the men who hang out at the lodge. She seemed to think the answer to the question of who killed the men most likely would be found among the fishermen who frequented the place.”

I frowned. “Really? That seemed like a long shot to me.”

“I’m just sharing what she said. I have to agree with you, though. I don’t see any of the guys from the lodge as being the sort to kill two men in cold blood.”

“I don’t know,” I countered. “A couple of those guys are downright scary.”

Our conversation was interrupted when the noon ferry arrived. Although our business tended to be slower now that summer was over, Fridays were as busy as ever because tourists from the mainland still came in droves for the weekend. I was supposed to pick Siobhan up at three so we could go to the bank, so our chat would have to be put on hold until later that evening.

“Is that what you’re going to wear?” Siobhan asked me when I went by Maggie’s to pick her up for our afternoon of sleuthing.

I looked down at my jeans and pink Coffee Cat Books T-shirt. “What’s wrong with it?”

Granted, Siobhan looked elegant and sophisticated in her dark brown slacks, matching heels, and burnt orange sweater. Her blond hair hung perfectly straight to her waist and her makeup had been applied expertly, giving her a polished look, while I looked somewhat less pulled together. Still, we were going to be sleuthing at the local bank, not attending a fancy seminar in the city.

“If you’re going to ask a man you’ve never met to invest in your idea you’re going to need to look the part,” Siobhan argued.

“What man and what investment? We’re going to the bank to dig up some dirt on Mayor Bradley and Grover Cloverdale, not take out a loan.”

Siobhan took me by the hand and led me up to the bedroom she’d been using. “You can’t just waltz into the bank and ask for information on them straight out. You need a reason to be there, thus the loan.”

Once we arrived in her room she opened the closet and began sorting through the contents.

“But I don’t need a loan,” I argued.

“The loan isn’t for you personally; it’s for the bookstore.”

“But we already have a loan.”

Siobhan tossed me a pair of camel-colored slacks and told me to put them on. While I changed she looked for something to replace my T-shirt.

“The loan is for your expansion,” Siobhan informed me.

“Expansion? What expansion? We only just opened a few months ago. We don’t need to expand. More importantly, we can’t afford to expand.”

Siobhan tossed me a sage green sweater and then began sorting through her shoes.

“The bookstore is great. It really is. I just think that if you really want to make a go of it you’ll need to expand your Internet presence. Internet retail is the wave of the future. And the present, for that matter.”

I pulled the sweater over my head. Although Siobhan and I wore the same size we’d never shared clothes before, due mainly, I imagine, to the fact that we had very different tastes.

“The charm of the island is our niche,” I explained. “People come to our store because they want to buy a book at a cute little shop on the harbor. I doubt we’d sell very many books over the Internet. Not only is there an inventory issue but the postage would make it difficult for us to make a profit.”

“I’m not talking about paperbacks, I’m talking e-books and audiobooks.”

“We don’t carry e-books and audiobooks,” I pointed out.

“Exactly. Try these shoes on, but wash your feet first.”

“I took a shower this morning.”

Siobhan looked down at my dirty tennis shoes. I washed my feet.

“Look, while I think your business is ripe for expansion, I’m not really trying to have you borrow money at this point. The loan simply gets us in the door. Once we have a reason to take up the bank manager’s time we can slip in the questions we really want to ask.”

“I think you might need an appointment for something like that,” I pointed out as Siobhan brushed out my hair and then pulled it back with a wide clip.

“I called this morning and made one. If anyone asks, I’m your business consultant. Maybe just a tiny bit of makeup. Have a seat on the bed.”

I sat down while Siobhan finished cleaning me up. Not that I was dirty. Exactly. I have to admit that between the cats and Max, I have some amount of pet hair on my clothes 24/7.

Siobhan stepped back. “There. That should do it. You look beautiful.”