Gunpowder Chowder (5 page)

“It was meant to be,” Jack said. “I decided Cal should help Hannah fix up the café and cottages.”

Hannah laughed. “You had this all planned?”

Jack shrugged. Hannah noticed a fleeting scowl cross Monica’s face. Or was it her imagination?

“I can give him a stellar recommendation, although it’s slightly biased,” Monica said. The first genuine smile Hannah saw, appeared on Monica’s face. “He remodeled this house for me after my accident. He’s a genius with wood and a hammer. Such a waste, really.”

“Sorry? A waste?” Hannah regretted the words as soon as they left her mouth.

Monica’s lips tightened. “Yes. He should be using his brains to finish medical school, not wasting his time dealing with the likes of people like Vern Mason. Someone who treats everyone like scum and worse than that, doesn’t even pay for a job well done.”

Hannah felt uncomfortable with the hatred she heard in Monica’s voice. Maybe she felt guilty because of Cal’s choice to leave medical school. Most likely, she blamed herself. Whatever it was, Hannah knew Monica was suspicious of her. Probably of everyone.

Jack leaned forward. “Did you hear the news yet?”

“About Vern?” Monica shrugged. “I heard. No loss for sure. Someone did this town a huge favor.”

“And his wife,” Jack added. “She won’t have to fight him in divorce court now. Pam will get to the bottom of this, no matter where it leads.”

Monica checked her watch. “If you two will excuse me, I need to get ready for work. I’m working three to seven today.”

“Of course.” Jack stood up. “By the way, how’s your beach wheelchair working out?”

Hannah glanced to the far side of the porch, noticing a chair with wide inflated tires.

“With my new ramp, and new chair, I can get to the beach on my own now. Cal had to twist my arm to get me to buy it, but don’t tell him this: it’s the best thing that’s happened to me in a long time. I don’t want to hear
I told you so
.” She laughed as she pushed herself toward the big sliding doors leading into the house. “Thanks for stopping by.”

Jack led the way to the beach, heading back toward Hannah’s place. “Let’s take a quick look at your car. See if it will start.”

Hannah found a key hanging on a hook next to a small mirror in the living room of the cottage she was making her own. Jack, with his head under the raised hood and leaning in as far as possible, pulled out the oil dip stick. He pulled an old handkerchief from his pocket, wiped the dip stick, replaced it, and pulled it out again. “Surprise of surprises. The oil is clean and up to the level it should be. Maybe Caroline did maintain this car after all.”

“I found this key inside.”

“Well, what are you waiting for? See if it turns over.”

Hannah slid into the driver’s seat, inserted the key, crossed her fingers, and turned the key. The old Volvo hesitated before surging to life. Jack slammed the hood down and climbed into the passenger seat. “Let’s take this big hog for a test drive. Just to my house until you get plates. I can do that for you.”

Hannah reached down to adjust the seat. Her fingers searched for the lever, instead feeling an envelope. She tried to pull it out but it was stuck on something. She yanked harder until it pulled loose. Hannah turned it over in her hands. It was addressed to Vern Mason but never mailed.

Hannah looked at Jack watching her. “Go ahead and open it,” he encouraged her.

With shaky fingers, feeling like her great aunt was looking over her shoulder, Hannah slit open the envelope. She unfolded the white paper neatly folded inside.

Vern. Give back the key to cottage number four. Immediately. I don’t like the thought of what you are doing. Enclosed is the balance of what you already paid me.
A check for five hundred dollars fell into Hannah’s lap. A chill traveled up her spine.

The letter fluttered on top of the check. Jack reached for it. “Can I read it?”

Hannah nodded, still looking straight ahead through the dirty windshield. The sound of Hannah’s breathing and the paper crinkling filled the car.

Jack whistled. “I can’t imagine why Caroline would rent a cottage to Vern. Something smells fishier than two week old clam shells.”

Hannah turned the key, silencing the engine. “Let’s look around and see if we can find anything unusual.”

“Where do you want to look? There’s still police tape up around cottage four.” Jack reached across the front seat and touched Hannah’s arm. “Do you have keys for all the cottages?”

“Yes.” She opened her door, letting her feet land in the soft sand. Nellie jumped over the front seat and followed Hannah out the door. She walked to cottage one, opening the office door. “I’m starting here.”

Before Hannah entered the office, a truck pulled in and stopped next to the Volvo station wagon. Cal hopped out, carrying a bag. “You forgot this in my truck.” He held up the bag of chocolates. “Thought you might be ready for a treat.”

Jack and Cal followed Hannah inside. He set the bag on Caroline’s big oak desk and looked around. “What’s going on?”

Hannah opened the closet door, scanning the keys hanging on hooks. “This is interesting. There are two keys for every cottage except cottage four.” She lifted the lone key from its hook. “Maybe that explains how Vern got inside.”

Cal pointed to an empty hook. “What happened to the master key?”

“Officer Larson asked for it for her investigation.”

“You think Vern stole a key for cottage four?” Cal asked.

Hannah shook her head. “No, Caroline gave it to him. He was renting it.”

Cal’s eyes popped wide open. “What?”

Jack handed Cal the letter Hannah found under the seat of the Volvo. He stroked the stubble on his cheek as he read the words. “What was he doing in the cottage?”

“I don’t know, but whatever it was, I’ll bet this whole property that it’s the reason someone shot him.” Hannah declared.

Chapter 6

Hannah reached inside the bag Cal left on the desk. She opened the box and offered a chocolate to Cal and Jack.

“Kelley’s chocolate? I can’t say no to that,” Jack said as he chose the center piece. “I don’t like her but her chocolates are to die for.”

Cal waved his hand. “None for me, thanks. I’m not a big chocolate fan.”

Hannah raised her eyebrows. “How can anyone not love chocolate?” She nibbled the edge of a whale’s tail, savoring the creaminess as it melted in her mouth. “I’ll save the rest for later.” She closed the box, leaving it on the desk.
Her
desk now, she told herself. With a key for each cottage in her pocket, she said, “Let’s poke around in cottages two and three.”

Officer Larson was reaching for the doorknob from the outside when Hannah pulled it open from the inside.

“Just who I’m looking for,” Pam said in a neutral tone.

Hannah squished the rest of the now soft chocolate against the roof of her mouth with her tongue and swallowed. She looked over her shoulder, wondering who Pam was looking for—her, Jack, or Cal.

“Can we sit down inside?” Pam tilted her head, waiting for Hannah to reply.

Cal and Jack walked past the two women. “We’ll wait outside,” Jack said.

Hannah stood aside so Pam could enter. “Have a seat.”

“That’s not necessary. I only have a couple of questions.” She slid her notebook from her back pocket and flipped through a few pages. “What time did you say you heard the loud bangs?”

Hannah rubbed her chin. “I’m not sure but I think the first crack, the one that woke me up, was around eight and the other two were around eight-thirty.”

Pam nodded. “That’s interesting. The blasting definitely didn’t start until eight-thirty.” She looked at Hannah. “Did you see anyone? Did you even look around at the cottages?”

“No. Nellie ran to the beach and I wanted to find her. Then I bumped into Cal, and we walked to Jack’s house. When he told me it could be blasting, I forgot about it until—” Her voice tapered off, leaving her last thought unspoken.

“So Cal Murphy was on the beach when you heard the later bangs?”

“Yes. But I don’t know when he got to the beach.”

Pam jotted some notes in her notebook and tapped her lip with her index finger.

Hannah pulled Caroline’s letter from her pocket. “I found this a little while ago.” She handed it to Pam.

Pam looked at Hannah before sliding the letter from the envelope. “Where did you find this?” Her face was a mask, betraying no emotions.

“Stuck under the driver seat of my great aunt’s Volvo. I was trying to adjust the seat and felt something stuck there.”

“And this check was with the letter?”

Hannah nodded.

“What about the key?”

Hannah shrugged and walked to the closet. She pointed to the keys hanging on the door. “There were two keys for each cottage except cottage four. It doesn’t prove that Vern had the extra key, but it’s missing.”

“If you find anything else, let me know. Take a look through Caroline’s books and see if you can find when Vern gave her a check. If he wrote a check. If he was doing something shady, he might have paid with cash. I’m taking the police tape down so you can get back to work. Oh, and it might be a good idea to change the locks since we didn’t find a key for cottage four on Vern or in the cottage.” Pam started to walk away but turned back to Hannah. “Are you sure you’re up for the challenges of running this business?” she asked before heading to cottage number four, not waiting for an answer.

Hannah stood in front of her office, letting that question cloud her brain. She had managed to keep her insecurities at bay but Pam brought them front and center. No, she wasn’t at all sure she was cut out for what was ahead. She wondered what the story was with Pam. And she wondered what Cal was doing at the beach so early yesterday morning. Coincidence? Or something else?

Her stomach sank when she saw that Jack and Cal had the hood up on the Volvo.

“Did you find something wrong with the car?” she asked when she reached them.

“Nope,” Cal said with a big smile across his face. “Looks like Caroline took good care of her car. You shouldn’t have a lick of trouble.”

“What’s up with my daughter? She’s acting like she got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning,” Jack said after he slammed the hood closed.

“She had a few more questions for me.”

“Did you show her the letter?”

“Uh huh. She didn’t react. I can’t get a read on her except that she doesn’t think I’m cut out to run this place.” Hannah’s eyes moved between Jack and Cal, hoping for some kind of positive feedback.

Jack chuckled. “Don’t let her get under your skin. She’s probably upset that I have a new friend. And a good looking one at that.” He winked at Hannah and lowered his voice. “She’s never been good in the sharing department. It’s probably why she’s divorced, but don’t tell her I said that.”

Pam returned to her car with a trash bag filled with the police tape from cottage number four. “We’re all done here.” She tossed it into the back seat of her cruiser before turning to face Jack. “Dad, have you seen Noah recently?”

“He hasn’t stopped by my house, if that’s what you mean. I did see him hanging out with a bunch of his friends yesterday. They were sitting on the town green, bored and looking for trouble. Why?”

Her jaw muscles worked furiously. “I’ll stop by later and talk to you about him. I’m worried.”

Jack nodded and waved as she drove out.

“That son of hers. I don’t know the kids he’s hanging around with, except one girl—Vern’s stepdaughter, Tasha. He’s got it bad for her and I don’t think it sits well with Pam. Ya know, the sharing thing again.”

“Tasha? From Simply Sweets?” Hannah asked.

“Yup, that’s the one. So, Hannah, are you ready for a tour around town now? I’ll get my car,” Jack said.

“Great idea,” Cal agreed. “You can pick out your new appliances for cottage one. I’ll have it all transformed for you in less than a week.”

Hannah smiled. The thought of her own cozy place on the beach felt good. Whatever else was coming her way was pushed to the background. Instead, she imagined a gleaming counter in her new kitchen, shiny wood floors, and a porch overlooking the ocean.

She looked at her cottage and pointed. “Cal, can you build a deck on the ocean side of my cottage? Like the one at your sister’s place? Maybe not as big, but I’d like it to wrap around this side so I can sit outside with my feet up and watch the sunrise over the ocean. And have it extend to the office side. The office porch should have a ramp, too,” she added, thinking of accommodating any handicapped guests.

Cal nodded enthusiastically. “I tried to convince Caroline to add a deck but she said it was too frivolous. It’s a great idea and it will be like adding another room, at least when the weather is nice.”

Jack pulled in with his window down and made a big deal of checking his watch. “Come on you two. If you want to find your new appliances today, we’d better get a move on.” He climbed from his car. “You drive so you get a better feel for the town,” Jack said to Hannah, not giving her a chance to decline the offer.