“It looks that way. Anyway, Greg said you need to run before you and Emma go off the deep end. But be careful. Just because the truck’s in police custody getting dusted and gone over for evidence doesn’t mean we’re even close to finding the killer.”

  That was true. “Hey, I heard you cornered a famous DUI this weekend.”

  “Famous in her own mind. Man, Alice was hot when I pulled her over. I’ve never heard a woman swear so much. In fact, I’ve never heard anyone swear that much. She told me she’d have my badge by Monday noon.”

  “How’d that work out for her?” I asked as Carrie set a plate with a Cuban sandwich and wedge fries in front of me. I might have started drooling.

  “She stomped out of the station with her lawyer Monday morning and I haven’t heard a word. Greg talked to Mayor Baylor for about five minutes, but I’m still a deputy.”

  “Who did his job.” I picked up a waffle fry. “My food is here, so I’m hanging up. I’ll be home in a few and I’ll text you when I leave to run and when we’re back. How does that work?”

  “Sounds like a plan. I’ve got to go. The cosmetology school group just arrived. I guess they heard I’m working today.”

  As I hung up the phone, I thought it probably didn’t matter if it was Toby or Deek, the women would have come. I just didn’t want to say that aloud to Toby. He could keep his delusion.

  After getting the good news that I was no longer on house arrest, I ate quickly and got ready to go home and get my dog. Carrie came by with my bill, and I studied her as she refilled my glass of tea. “I didn’t know you knew Doc Ames.”

  She eyed me suspiciously. “How do you know who I know?”

  “Doc mentioned you. He said you were Lille’s public face with customers.” I pulled out my credit card and put it on the check without looking at the bill. “He seemed to know a lot about you. Are you friends?”

  “Yeah, we’re friends. He’s a nice man.” Carrie picked up the check and the card, her face beet red. “I’ll get this right back to you.”

  I watched her almost sprint back to the cash register, where she ran my card, then handed the receipt and a pen to another waitress. Then Carrie disappeared into the back. I’d hit the nail on the head. They were either in a relationship or thinking about one. I guess love was in the air in South Cove this spring.

  At home, I got Emma ready and we went down to the beach to run. I’d slowed down on scarfing all my lunch, so I thought I’d be okay, but I decided to take the first little bit slower than normal. Emma was enjoying playing in the surf. And there wasn’t another soul on the beach, so I let her off the leash.

  Just as she went running to play in the waves, I realized my mistake. There was someone else on the beach; they were just away ahead of us. It appeared to be a man, larger than average, and dressed in jeans and a plain tee. And he was walking straight for me. I was glad I’d reached out to Toby when I left. If I was going to be kidnapped or killed in the next few minutes, someone would find Emma sooner rather than later. I’d hate to have her get hit on the road, trying to get home. She’s not the best at watching for cars.

  I pushed my negative thoughts away. Just because I was alone on a beach with a man didn’t mean anything bad was going to happen. Greg had me jumpy after the house arrest the last few days. I called Emma to me and clicked back on the leash. She sat at my feet, not happy about the change in plans, but not whining either. I guess she was just glad to be out of the house too. We started walking down the beach in the direction of the other person.

  I hadn’t gone too far before I recognized him. And I didn’t know if I would rather have an unknown person or have to talk with Mike Masters again. I’d told Toby and Aunt Jackie that I was too busy to attend the writer event that evening. Now he was going to see me out relaxing on the beach with my dog. I thought up a quick lie in case he asked. I had to go into town for a wake for a friend. No one would push on that excuse.

  He raised a hand as we got closer. “I’m so glad I ran into you. I felt bad not asking you specifically about the signing tonight, but that guy you have working there, he’s so good at the marketing part. The local paper came to interview me early this week and the interview was in the paper this morning. I hope we get a lot of visitors.”

  “Me too. I’m glad you scheduled an event. Deek said you were leaving town soon?”

  He nodded, scanning the ocean waves as he spoke. “Yeah, my mom’s not doing well and I need to get back to Henderson to check on her. But I’m going to miss this place. A lot. I wish I could afford to live here.”

  “I think California’s pricey everywhere, but on the beach listings have to be worse.” I felt lucky that Miss Emily had left me the house. If not, I’d still be living in the small apartment over the store. So much had happened during the last few years. My aunt had moved in and moved out. And now the apartment would have a new person enjoying its homey comfort. I stopped myself from mentioning I might have a rental available mostly because my aunt had said she had someone. It wasn’t just because I didn’t really like Mike. At least, that was what I was going to tell myself.

  “I haven’t even looked. I support myself with my writing, but not at beach-house level.” He smiled and leaned down to pet Emma. “Who’s a good dog?”

  Emma greeted him like they were old friends. She barked out a greeting, then sat to let him rub behind her ears. My dog likes everyone.

  “Well, we’d better get going. I’m on a tight schedule today.”

  He looked up at me. “Are you going to be able to come to the signing? I’d love to see you there. It’s good for the readers to know that the owner supports author events.”

  Great, now I was getting the guilt lecture. I shook my head and moved around him. “Sorry, I’ve got an appointment tonight. Too bad the signing was so rushed. I would have loved to be there.”

  I didn’t want Mike to see my nose grow, so I started running. I called back, “Have a great signing.”

  We got a few feet away when I heard his answer. “Thanks for everything.”

  Wow, did I feel like a heel. But he had started it with the guilt comment. Yet somehow, I knew karma was going to slap me hard about this encounter. I just hoped it wouldn’t be too soon. Emma barked, and when I looked down, she was doggy grinning at me. “You’re happy to be out here again, aren’t you?”

  She bounced in her gait, then barked again, clearly pleased with her situation.

  Her happiness made my heart swell. I might not be able to make everyone happy, but I did a good job with Emma. And, most of the time, with Greg. And even myself, at times. And that’s all I could be responsible for. The rest of the world was on its own.

  When I got back home, I texted Toby and then sat at the table going through my mail. A letter from the Heritage Society fell out between the light bill and the water bill. Crap. I knew I’d forgotten to do something on Monday. I’d been planning on going to talk to them to see what they knew about what Frank was working on.

  I opened the letter. It was in response to my voice mail. Skimming the letter, they said they couldn’t move the wall back on the list to be explored without a new application. I frowned and read a line aloud. “‘When you removed the wall from consideration, you stopped all forward movement of the process.’ Wait, what? I didn’t remove it.”

  I dialed the number at the top of the letter, and a perky voice answered the phone. “California Heritage Society. This is Paxton, how can I help you?”

  I explained who I was and that I’d gotten a letter saying to reapply.

  “Yes, ma’am. I have your file pulled up here. Because the investigation has been closed, we need a new application. That way we have the most current information on you.”

  She seemed so reasonable. “Okay, but I’m confused. The letter said that I closed the case. And I didn’t. The last I knew, it was still on the docket.”

  “Okay, well, the computer shows it’s closed. Hold on, let me review the notes.” A humming sound filled my ears, and I realized Paxton had put me on hold and I was listening to a washed-out version of “Tie a Yellow Ribbon.” I took advantage of the time and went to the fridge for a bottle of water. I refilled Emma’s bowl as well.

  When Paxton returned, she sounded less perky. “Are you sure you didn’t close the file? The note here says you called in last month and said you were tired of waiting and were going to sell the property.”

  “One, I don’t think I’ll ever sell the house, so if that’s what it said, I didn’t call. Don’t you need a verified letter or something to close a file?”

  “Yes, we would have sent out a letter and then closed it after we got it back.” She paused, and I could hear keys clacking. She was looking for the letter. “But there’s nothing in the file. Look, I can’t change the file, but I’m taking this to my manager. Can I get your phone number and call you back when we decide what we can do on this?”

  I decided I didn’t have time to do any more fighting, so I agreed. At least it was a step in the right direction. “When should I hear from you about the reopening?”

  “Next week at the latest. She’s already gone for the day, and I know she’s going to want to talk to everyone, but we may be able to reopen it because it looks like it was an error.”

  After I’d hung up, I wondered if it had been an actual error, or if this was one more of the dirty tricks Alice had been playing. Once this weekend was over, that woman and I were going to have a long heart-to-heart. And she wasn’t going to like what I had to say.

  Chapter 19

  Friday morning, after the commuters arrived and left just as quickly, the shop was slow. Probably not any slower than normal, but I was getting on a plane in a few hours. Without Greg. I glanced at the clock for the hundredth time and only five minutes had passed. I really loved traveling, but I’m one of those who, once I decided to do something, I wanted it done now.

  I was working until two so Deek could have the morning to write before working both his shortened shift and Aunt Jackie’s. She and Harrold had probably already left town as they were driving. We had rooms in Treasure Island, mostly because I liked the irony. Amy had been stranded on an island for over a week a few years ago and she didn’t even realize there was a problem. The girl could live and enjoy herself anywhere.

  I eyed the dessert display again. I’d already eaten breakfast, but come two, it was vacation time. And vacation meant I could eat whatever I wanted with no regrets.

  The bell rang over the door, and my aunt waltzed into the store with Harrold at her side. She had on white capris and a pink flowered shirt, along with sandals. I guessed she’d gotten the vacation memo too. “Good, you’re here.”

  “Where else would I be? It’s my shift.” Okay, so that sounded a little grumpy. “What’s going on? I thought you would be on the road by now.”

  “And we would have, but your aunt insisted on checking in on you. I told her everything would be fine, but you know Jackie.” Harrold stepped close and gave me a kiss on the cheek. “How are you? Are you looking forward to visiting Sin City?”

  “I have my quarters for the slots right here.” I pointed to my bag. Okay, so I didn’t really have quarters, but I had an envelope filled with gambling money. Once it was gone, I was done. But I wanted to play a little blackjack while we were there. “What about you?”

  “Dear, I am the king of the penny slots. I will come out of our weekend richer than I went in. That I promise you.” He winked at my aunt.

  “You always do.” Aunt Jackie touched his arm. “Anyway, I told Mr. Masters he could pick up his check this morning for the books we sold. I put an envelope in the cash drawer. Make sure he signs the receipt I have on the front and put that back into the drawer.”

  “We usually mail their commission checks.” I opened the drawer and saw the envelope. Almost three hundred dollars. He hadn’t done bad for short notice. “He must have gotten quite the audience.”

  “He did, surprisingly. And he has a good talk. People liked him.” My aunt looked like she’d swallowed something bad. “Deek did good by signing him up. We should have him come back next year.”

  “Now was that so hard to say?” I smiled at my aunt. “I’m flying up, so I’ll probably beat you there, but Greg won’t be in until sometime Saturday night.”

  “That too bad that he’ll miss the men’s night. We have some debauchery planned.” Harrold grinned. “Wild women, booze, and cards. What’s not to love?”

  “As long as he’s there on Sunday, we’re fine.” My aunt peered at me. “He will be there, right?”

  “He says he will. But you know his job might keep him here if things blow up.” I didn’t get Aunt Jackie. One minute she was harping on me to understand Greg’s work schedule, and now she was pushing to make sure he was at a dinner. She must have nabbed some fancy chef for this. “I promise he’ll do his best.”

  “I’m sure he will.” Harrold put an arm around my aunt and the two of them exchanged a glance.

  I saw my aunt’s shoulders drop in surrender. Man, Harrold was like a lion tamer with my aunt. He knew just what buttons to push. A tactic I’d never figured out. Which was why we were usually on each other’s last nerve.

  “Well, then, we’ll just have to think good thoughts.” My aunt smiled up at Harrold. Then turned toward me. “I left Deek an open-and-close list because he’ll only have a short day tomorrow. And I have a more extensive list for tonight. He does know how to make a bank drop, correct?”

  “Yes, he’s done it before.” Of course she knew this, but my aunt was a bit of a control freak hanging out under that designer cruise wear. “The shop will be fine, but we really need to hire someone now. Nick’s not coming home this summer; we’ve probably lost him to adulthood.”

  “Children do grow up.” She glanced at her watch. “We’ll talk about the new hire on Tuesday morning. I’ve invited her to the staff meeting. We really need to go.”

  I stood with my mouth open as I watched her and Harrold start to leave the room. “Wait. You hired someone. Just like that?”

  “She has excellent references. I know you’re going to love her.” Aunt Jackie didn’t even turn around. They just continued out the door.

  I couldn’t believe she had just hired someone without talking to me. Well, I guess I could. She’d done it before. She’d hired Toby without me even knowing we needed another person. And before I knew she was staying on as a manager. She’d supposed to be here just covering the store and before the month was out, she was moved into the apartment and telling me what to do with my life and my shop. Family. You had to accept them as they were because you weren’t going to change them.

  Even if they had a supercool boyfriend like Harrold.

  I went back to the chores list she’d left Deek. I was too worked up to just sit and read, so I’d get a few of these marked off before he even arrived. As it worked out, Deek only had three things left on the list when he came into work: clean the coffeepots, restock the display case, and make the bank deposit.

  I’d been busy. I glanced around the shining dining room and the fully stocked bookshelves and felt a sense of completion. I liked working my shop. I loved stocking new books, smelling the fresh paper book smell as I did. And finding gems that I’d thought about reading that had fallen off my radar. I had three in my tote for the weekend. I should make a good dent in the pile before I got back into town on Monday.

  Several customers were scattered around the store. Mostly in small groups, talking and sipping coffee. But one sat alone. It was a woman I’d talked to earlier, but I didn’t think I remembered her name. I’d have to make sure to look at her credit card the next time she visited. She was quickly becoming a regular. Today, her braids were wound around her head and she looked more like a librarian than the heading-to-the-beach look I’d seen her wear the first time I’d met her.

  “Hey, boss, the place looks great. I take it you must be out of reading material.” Deek stuffed his bicycle bag in the back room and then came back out to wash his hands and put on the Coffee, Books, and More aprons we had all our baristas wear. Which reminded me, we needed a new order, and I wanted a new logo or saying for the front before we did.

  “Ha, ha. I just get nervous before I travel.” I slipped off my apron but spread it out on the counter. “Do you think you could design a few ideas for a new order? I’d like to do something fun, either book- or coffee-focused.”

  “Sure, if you don’t mind. I’ve got some ideas already.” He grinned, looking pleased to be asked.

  “I figured. You’re so good at the marketing side of the business. If I had a bigger budget, I’d hire you to just do that. As it is, we need baristas more.” I picked up my travel purse. I’d stuffed the new books inside the tote, but I’d put at least one in my carry-on before I got to the airport.

  “Even after Jackie’s new hire?”

  Deek’s question shocked me. Not only had my aunt not mentioned this to me, she’d already told Deek? “You knew?”

  He shrugged his shoulders and avoided my eyes. “Look, I don’t want to cause an issue. I’m just easy to talk to.”

  “Well, my aunt is going to have some quality time talking to me in the near future.” I refilled my coffee mug. “You have my cell and Jackie’s in case something goes wrong. Greg will be here at least until late Saturday, but Toby’s leaving early Saturday morning, as soon as he gets off shift. So you really are on your own. If something happens, just close the shop. We can make up the revenue some other time.”

  “Heck no. I’m King of the World now, with everyone gone. I’m going to rearrange all the bookshelves and order a ton of treats. You’ll be amazed and overwhelmed when you get back.” He leaned his head on his hands, watching me.

  “As long as you stay within budget, I don’t care.” I moved to the back door. “Seriously if something happens, call me.”