Rock Harbor Search and Rescue (4 page)

“She could have been.”

“Why would she take Mrs. Dancer’s necklace? According to her own words, Rachel doesn’t wear
homemade
jewelry.”

True. When she’d found out Emily made the trendy jewelry, Rachel made a point to tell everyone who would listen that
she
would never wear such
cheap-looking, homemade
jewelry.

Charley whined again. What was wrong with that dog? Had Timmy gone outside to play and left Charley behind?

“If she doesn’t like it, why would she take it?” Olivia asked.

“To get me in trouble. It’s no secret she doesn’t like me. She could’ve taken my necklace and replaced Mrs. Dancer’s with mine just to get me in trouble.” She and Rachel had gone to school together since kindergarten, but ever since they started middle school Rachel had been nothing but mean to Emily.

“True.”

“I don’t know what she was looking at on either table or for
how long because . . .” Heat flooded Emily’s face again. She could only imagine how red it looked.

“Because you were watching Josh. I don’t really know either . . . because I was watching you watch Josh.”

“Okay, so that’s Mrs. Dancer and Rachel. Who else?” Emily chewed the eraser.

“Em, if you list Rachel, you have to list Josh too.”

Emily didn’t even want to think about it. “Good grief, what would a boy want with a necklace?”

Olivia shrugged. “It’s worth a lot of money. He’s been talking about the Gitchee Gumee Surfers needing new equipment.”

She had a point, but that didn’t mean Emily had to like it. Nor could she ignore he’d been there. She scrawled his name under Rachel’s and moved on. “Who else?”

“That couple you helped. The man looked annoyed that you weren’t paying attention. We were watching Malia Spencer.”

“But they bought something.”

“So? That could’ve been to make them less of a suspect.”

“Right. I don’t know who they are. Do you?”

Olivia scrunched her nose. “The woman looked a little familiar, but I can’t think of from where. Maybe it’ll come to me later.”

The dog pawed at Emily’s bedroom door. “Did you know a Samoyed husky named Laika was the first animal in space?”

Olivia rolled her eyes. “Stop spouting off history facts and focus on the case!”

“Sorry, I’ve just been studying so much for History Smackdown that I’ve got a million facts swirling around in my head.” Emily wrote down
The Couple
. “Go find Timmy, Charley.” She chewed on the end of her pencil. “Oh, and Mrs. Cooper.”

“I hadn’t heard she and Pansy were back in town.” Olivia
shook her head. “It had to be really hard on them to leave the only home they knew.”

“Yeah, but I can understand why they left. People can be pretty mean.” Emily couldn’t believe Mrs. Cooper had come back to Rock Harbor after everything. She had to be either brave or desperate.

“I know. I feel sorry for Pansy. It’s not her fault her dad stole the money from the town.”

Yeah, and it wasn’t Emily’s fault her mother was in jail either, but it didn’t stop people from whispering behind her back. “I feel sorry for them too. I know what it’s like.”

Mr. Cooper worked in the tax office, and he’d stolen tax money. When he was caught a year ago, he’d been sent to jail. Emily was a little vague on the details, but everyone in town had been talking about it.

“I overheard Mom and Dad talking right before they left on the cruise that Mrs. Cooper had just come back to Rock Harbor. Seems that she’s having some serious money problems.”

Emily grinned at her best friend. “You overheard? You mean, you were eavesdropping?”

Now it was Olivia’s turn to blush and drop her gaze to the pretty pink comforter Naomi had bought especially for Emily’s birthday last year. “I can’t help it if their voices carry when they’re talking so loud.”

“What else did you overhear?”

“Just that she had enrolled Pansy in school and was looking for a job. So far, no one would hire her.”

“I wonder if Bree knows.” Bree was the sweetest woman ever, and if she knew no one would hire Mrs. Cooper, she would definitely try to help.

Olivia nodded at the list. “That’s not many people.”

“I know, but it’s a start. It’ll be more than what the sheriff is looking for.”

“Do you really believe Sheriff Kaleva thinks you took the necklace, Emily?”

“He sure acted like it. And you saw the way he looked at me.” She shivered. “Like he was ready to arrest me right there.” For a minute, she imagined herself thrown into jail—in her mother’s cell. The thought made her want to throw up, and she hugged the pillow. “I can’t think about it.”

Olivia nodded. “I’m sorry. We’ll find out who really took the necklace. Then Sheriff Kaleva will have to apologize for even thinking you had anything to do with it.”

Timmy spilled out of the closet. “Can me and Dave help?”

Emily jumped off her bed in shock. “Timmy! You aren’t supposed to be in my room.” At least that explained why Charley was acting so crazy. She’d busted her little pest of a brother time and again for being in her room without her permission. Dad promised to ground him the next time he did it. She started toward the door. “I’m going to tell Dad.”

Timmy looked alarmed and jumped in front of her. “Wait. Let me help. I don’t think you took the stupid necklace either.”

Emily stopped. “You don’t?” It was great that someone believed her, but she was pretty sure he was only supporting her because he wanted something. “Why not?”

“Because you wouldn’t do anything to stop Dad and Naomi from letting you have that puppy, that’s why.”

True. She cocked her head to the side. “But why do you want to help me?”

He shrugged. “Because you’re my sister.”

“What else?”

“Okay, okay.” He held up his hands. “Me and Dave are bored. His mom and Naomi are busy with the Kitchigami Search-and-Rescue Training Center and Matthew and the twins. And Dad’s busy with the hardware store. Nobody ever lets us do anything. We’re tired of being treated like babies.”

Emily opened her mouth to tell him no and to order him to leave her room, then snapped it closed. So many times Dad hadn’t let her go somewhere or do something she really wanted to do because he thought she was too young. She hated when that happened. It didn’t seem fair to do the same to Timmy. She turned to Olivia.

Olivia shrugged. “Why not? We should take all the help we can get.”

Timmy jumped up and down. “C’mon, Em. I promise we won’t be any trouble. We’ll do whatever you say. Please?”

That alone was worth letting them help. She grinned. “Okay. But you have to promise to only do what I tell you, all right?”

He nodded, nearly bouncing up and down. “Can I call Dave and tell him?”

“Yeah, but tell him not to say anything to his mom.” Bree was one of the coolest adults Emily knew, but who knew how she’d feel about her son helping in the investigation?

Timmy nodded again, then ran from the room.

Olivia giggled and lay back on the pillows. “You sure made his day.”

“I hope I didn’t make a mistake.” What if Dad overheard Timmy talking to Dave? What if Dave told his mom? Bree and Naomi were best friends, just like Emily and Olivia.

“I don’t think you did. Who knows? Maybe they’ll actually be helpful. I hope so, because I don’t have a clue where to start.”

“Me either.” Emily plopped back down on the bed and lifted the notebook. Olivia was right—they didn’t have many suspects and not much to go on with the ones they did have.

Olivia sat upright on the bed. “Hey, maybe Dave could get Samson out in the area where the booth was and do some sniffing around.”

Well . . . that was something. “What would he look for? The necklace? Too many of Mrs. Dancer’s items were there, and I’m sure they’d all smell the same.”

Olivia’s face scrunched. “I guess so.”

“Hey, it was a good thought.” She flopped onto the bed on her stomach. “We’ve got to find a clue somehow.”

She didn’t want everyone to think she was a thief. She wasn’t.

Emily just had to prove it.

“Mason. Come in.” Dad opened the front door and led the sheriff inside. “Please, have a seat.”

Emily froze at the kitchen sink, her hand tightening around the glass of water she’d ventured out of her room for. She tilted her head, listening down the hall. The water in the bathroom was still running—Olivia took the longest showers ever. She moved around the kitchen island for a better visual on Dad and Sheriff Kaleva. Her heart thumped against her ribs. Maybe they’d found the necklace, and this nightmare would be over.

“Where’s Naomi?” the sheriff asked as he followed Dad into the living room. He sat on the couch, keeping his back straight.

“Reading to Timmy. He’s been having a tough time getting to sleep some nights.” Dad sat in his big, comfy recliner, opposite the couch.

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

Dad shifted in his seat. “This late, I’m pretty sure this isn’t a social visit.”

The sheriff glanced over his shoulder toward the hallway leading to the bedrooms. “Is Emily around? I’ve interviewed various people regarding Mary’s missing necklace, and I’d like to discuss some of their statements with Emily. And you, of course.”

“Sure.” Dad stood.

Emily set down the glass and stepped into the living room. “I’m right here.”

Dad frowned. “Were you eavesdropping?”

“No, sir.” Heat burned her face. “Well, I didn’t mean to. Olivia’s taking her shower, and I was thirsty, so I came to the kitchen to get a drink of wa—”

“Never mind. Come sit down.” Dad’s expression didn’t change. Emily was sure he’d
discuss
eavesdropping with her again after the sheriff left.

“Yes, sir.” She moved to sit in the other recliner beside Dad’s. She wiped her slick palms on her jeans.

“Emily.” Sheriff Kaleva gave her a look that made her want to fidget in her seat. “I’ve interviewed several people who stopped by Mrs. Dancer’s booth today.”

She nodded, even though her pulse was pounding so loudly in her ears that she couldn’t concentrate.

“One of the girls you mentioned, Rachel Zinn, remembered something she heard you say.”

Sheriff Kaleva’s face was somber, and she clutched her hands together. “What?”

The sheriff leaned a little bit toward the edge of his seat. “She
said she overheard you telling someone you’d copied that necklace specifically so you could swap it and make a lot of money.”

Gasping, Emily leaped to her feet and stared at the sheriff. “That’s a lie! I never said that.”

Dad’s frown deepened into the lines of his face—never a good sign. “Emily, why would she lie?”

She bit her lip and struggled not to cry. He couldn’t actually
believe
Rachel, could he? “Because she hates me. I don’t know why, she just does. Dad, you’ve got to believe me!”

“Emily, sit down.” Dad looked tired, and he rubbed his head.

She slumped back into the chair, even though it felt like every nerve in her body sat outside her skin. “Dad, I didn’t take the necklace.”

Dad’s eyes narrowed until they were little slits. “You expect us to believe Rachel told a flat-out lie to the sheriff?”

“But she
is
lying. I never said that, Dad. You have to believe me.” She looked back at Sheriff Kaleva. “It’s her word against mine. I’m telling the truth.”

Dad looked at the sheriff.

The sheriff gave a slight shake of his head. “Emily, it’s not just Rachel who told me. Another girl, Gretchen Siller, was with Rachel and said basically the same thing.”

What? No way.
Gretchen didn’t have anything against her. Emily’s throat was so tight she thought she’d choke. “They’re both wrong. I didn’t say that.” A thought occurred to her. “Who did they say I said that to?”

Sheriff Kaleva met her stare head-on. “Olivia.”

She straightened in her chair. “Oh good, Olivia will tell you the truth when she gets out of the shower. She knows that I never said that.”

The sheriff glanced at Dad, then back to her. “While that may be true, I’m uncomfortable questioning a minor without one of her parents present.”