Hazelnuts and Halloween Read online

  “You know how he was found, don’t you?” Star reminded them. “Naked. Or almost naked.”

  “Except for a pair of Speedos,” Heather said, trying to hide a smile. “Lime green Speedos to be exact.”

  “He must have washed ashore,” Molly murmured.

  “From where?” Jenny asked. “The Isabella?”

  The women stared back at her, their mouths hanging open.

  “I can be funny too.”

  “Not the Isabella, Jenny,” Heather said in a pained voice. “From one of the boats out there.”

  “Offshore parties are popular on Halloween,” Molly explained. “People hire boats and take them out to sea. Things can get pretty wild.”

  “Maybe he had too much to drink and fell overboard,” Star nodded. “That’s happened before.”

  The Magnolias cringed as a familiar voice hailed them.

  “Yooohooo …”

  A short, plump woman puffed up the café’s steps, followed by a prim young girl dressed in a business suit.

  “What are you doing here, Barb?” Betty Sue boomed.

  Barb Norton was the local do-gooder. She volunteered for every possible activity and event. She took up the smallest projects and formed committees to address them. The Magnolias didn’t consider Barb to be one of them, although they grudgingly admitted she did a lot of good for the town.

  “Good Morning, Mandy,” Jenny greeted the young woman. “I thought you are on vacation?”

  “Why are you all dressed up?” Heather queried. “Didn’t you say you wanted to sleep in?”

  Mandy James was staying at the Bayview Inn while she was visiting. Heather and Betty Sue ran the inn. It was one of the oldest buildings on the island.

  “No time to dilly dally,” Barb interrupted. “I went to the inn to get Mandy.”

  “What are you up to now?” Star asked suspiciously.

  “Haven’t you heard about the dead body they found on the beach?” Barb asked.

  “What about it?” Jenny asked.

  “It’s not good for the town,” Barb clucked. “If word gets out that a tourist died during a festival, people will never come to Pelican Cove again.”

  “Aren’t you exaggerating?” Betty Sue asked, quirking an eyebrow. “People die.”

  “Not while the town is celebrating Halloween,” Mandy plunged in. “This is a public relations disaster.”

  “How so?” Jenny wanted to know.

  Mandy’s expression was grim.

  “Tourists took photos of the body and the crime scene and posted it online. A couple of newspapers up north picked up the story. Pelican Cove has made news, for the wrong reasons.”

  “The town has hired Mandy to deal with this nightmare,” Barb spoke up. “I want you to cooperate with her.”

  “When did this happen?” Betty Sue asked. “Why wasn’t I consulted?”

  Betty Sue Morse had veto power over any decision made by the town. She didn’t hesitate to exercise it when needed.

  “I called an emergency meeting,” Barb said. “You weren’t available.”

  “Now look here, Barb …” Betty Sue sputtered. “What do you mean by that?”

  “Relax, Betty Sue,” Star intervened. “If what Mandy says is true, we need to do some damage control right away. You know the oyster festival is coming up this month, and then we have the boardwalk lights. We need tourists!”

  “Mandy’s done a good job before,” Heather soothed.

  She had ample practice in dealing with her grandmother.

  “What do you think we should do then, girl?” Betty Sue asked Mandy imperiously.

  “We need to find out how the man died,” Mandy said immediately.

  “Have the police released a statement?” Jenny asked.

  “They are being tight lipped,” Mandy sighed. “You’re the only one who can make that sheriff talk, Jenny.”

  “Adam and I just started to get along,” Jenny said. “Count me out of this one.”

  Mandy and Barb Norton shared a glance. Barb leaned forward to protest.

  “We need your expertise here, Jenny. You solved a lot of difficult murders. This one should be pretty easy for you.”

  “I’m not a detective, Barb,” Jenny protested. “I just got lucky.”

  Barb gleamed at her.

  “We believe in you, Jenny. The town is ready to hire you to solve this case.”

  “That’s absurd!” Jenny muttered. “I don’t have the time for this. I have my hands full at the café.”

  “Don’t worry about the café, Jenny,” Heather butted in. She narrowed her eyes and looked at Barb. “What exactly does Jenny have to do?”

  “Just find out who that man was and what happened to him,” Mandy quipped.

  “How does that help the town?” Star asked.

  “We need to prove that Pelican Cove had nothing to do with the man’s death,” Barb explained.

  “Leave the rest to me,” Mandy promised.

  She waved at the bunch of people walking around on the beach.

  “I will make sure Pelican Cove remains attractive to the tourists.”

  Chapter 4

  Pelican Cove was experiencing an Indian summer. The last traces of a flaming sunset were still visible over the horizon. A gentle wind traveled over the Atlantic Ocean, carrying cooler air along with it. Jenny watched the whitecaps roll in the dark and breathed in the heady fragrance of the roses from her garden. She strolled on the beach outside her house, enjoying the warm evening.

  A large, hairy body bounded up to her across the sand, butting her in the knees.

  “Tank!” Jenny exclaimed, hugging the yellow Labrador she had come to love as her own. She scratched him beneath his ears, making him moan in pleasure.

  Tank ran in circles around her, wagging his tail. Jenny pulled a battered tennis ball out of her pocket and threw it in a wide arc. Tank leapt after it with a growl.

  “He’s happy to see you,” a deep voice spoke.

  Adam Hopkins walked up to Jenny, leaning on his cane. He was a war veteran who had taken a bullet in his leg. His old injury flared periodically, along with his mercurial temper.

  Jenny and Adam had been dating for a while. Adam was very particular about keeping his personal and professional lives separate. This was a big source of contention between the couple.

  “Any news on the dead guy?” Jenny asked, getting straight to the point.

  “You know I can’t talk about that, Jenny,” Adam groaned. “I just hope you stay out of the whole sordid business this time.”

  “Can’t.” Jenny shook her head. “The town has hired me to find out what happened.”

  “That’s outrageous!” Adam exclaimed. “What do they think the police force is doing?”

  Jenny shrugged. “I don’t suppose you can throw me a bone?”

  “We are waiting on the autopsy results,” Adam confessed. “Nothing to tell you, Jenny, whether I want to or not.”

  They walked on the beach for a while, talking about their kids and reminiscing about the Halloween party.

  Jenny was at the Boardwalk Café at 5 AM the next morning, ready to prep for breakfast. She opened the doors at six, greeting Captain Charlie, her first customer of the day.

  “Banana hazelnut muffins today, Captain Charlie,” she offered with a smile. “And I’m making crab omelets.”

  Captain Charlie opted for the muffins and a large coffee. Jenny worked nonstop for the next couple of hours, catering to the breakfast crowd.

  Adam Hopkins entered the café at 9 AM, wearing his uniform.

  “How about some breakfast, Sheriff?” Jenny smiled shyly. “It’s your favorite!”

  “I’m here on official business,” Adam said pompously. “Can we talk in private?”

  Jenny led Adam out to the deck. Luckily, none of the customers had chosen to sit outside that day.

  “What is it, Adam?” Jenny asked, wiping her hands on her apron.

  Adam pulled out an envelope from his pocket. H
e proceeded to pull a piece of paper from it, covered in plastic.

  “Does this look familiar?”

  “You know it does. This is a receipt of purchase from the Boardwalk Café.”

  “Can you tell me anymore about it?”

  Jenny peered at the receipt in her hand. She let out a tiny gasp as she read it more carefully.

  “This is from the day of the Halloween Party.”

  “Day or night?” Adam probed.

  Jenny pulled a pen out of her pocket and pointed at a group of numbers.

  “That’s the timestamp right there, see? It’s for 11:03 PM on October 31. Where did you get this, Adam?”

  “This was found in the dead man’s pocket. It proves he was in the café that night.”

  Jenny shrugged.

  “He could have come in for a drink before he went out on a boat, I guess.”

  “Boat? What are you getting at?”

  “Didn’t the man drown?” Jenny asked cagily. “Molly said he was washed ashore.”

  “We found him on the beach at the edge of the water,” Adam said reluctantly. “That doesn’t mean he took a boat out.”

  “What are you saying, Adam?” Jenny leaned forward.

  “The man died from a blow to his head. He didn’t drown.”

  “He must have hit his head on something.”

  “Like what?” Adam scoffed. “A piece of driftwood? Someone hit him hard, Jenny. The police are treating this as a murder.”

  “How can I help?” Jenny asked.

  “Do you remember seeing this guy in here?”

  Adam pulled out a photo from the envelope and showed it to Jenny. Jenny gulped when she realized the man in the photo was dead.

  “It’s impossible to say, Adam. Everyone was wearing a costume of some kind.”

  “Maybe this guy came dressed as a surfer dude,” Adam mused. “The swim shorts could have been his disguise. Did you see anyone going around bare chested?”

  Jenny shook her head.

  “Try harder, Jenny. The receipt proves the man was at the Boardwalk Café that night.”

  “You were here yourself that night, Adam,” Jenny protested. “The café was packed. The entire town was here, along with dozens of tourists. And they were all wearing costumes. There’s no way I can remember seeing this man here.”

  Adam stood up, looking dejected.

  “Let me know if you remember anything. And Jenny, stay out of this. It’s a murder investigation. I don’t want you meddling in police business.”

  “The town wants me to find out what happened,” Jenny said stoutly. “Barb Norton and the town committee voted on it.”

  “Since when do you listen to what Barb Norton says?” Adam scoffed.

  Jenny stood on deck, watching Adam limp back toward the police station. It was almost 10 in the morning, time for the Magnolias to arrive. She spotted Heather walking up the beach and waved at her. They had a murder to solve.

  Chapter 5

  Jenny sat in Jason Stone’s office, waiting for him to finish some paperwork.

  “That’s done!” Jason said, setting aside a file a few minutes later. “What’s going on, Jenny?”

  “I came here to pick your brain,” Jenny admitted.

  “You mean you don’t believe he came over from the other side?” Jason laughed.

  “Where did you hear about that?” Jenny demanded. “Have you been talking to Betty Sue?”

  “It’s all over town,” Jason said seriously. “A bunch of guys were talking about it at the Rusty Anchor last night.”

  “Why are people so obsessed with the paranormal?” Jenny complained. “Is it a small town thing?”

  “It’s Halloween,” Jason told her. “People take Halloween quite seriously around here.”

  “He was real enough to buy stuff from the café,” Jenny said emphatically. “Adam has the receipt to prove it.”

  “Was he staying here in town?” Jason asked.

  “Not to my knowledge. He certainly wasn’t staying at the Bayview Inn. Heather’s been asking around among her innkeeper friends. He might have taken a room in some town up or down the coast.”

  “Why do you think he came to Pelican Cove?”

  “For the Halloween party?” Jenny mused. “A lot of people did, you know. We spread the word around on the Internet. People went crazy over the haunted hayrides on the beach. They stayed on to party.”

  “The Boardwalk Café is famous!” Jason smiled encouragingly. “I’m proud of you, Jenny. You are doing a great job.”

  “Do you think the man came here with family? Many people did, you know. Kids really loved the corn maze.”

  “Shouldn’t his family have claimed him by now?” Jason asked. “I think he must have come alone.”

  “Adam won’t say much about when he died,” Jenny said. “Want to go talk to him?”

  “Why not?” Jason quipped.

  Jason and Adam were rivals when it came to having Jenny’s attention. Although Jenny had chosen to date Adam, she considered Jason a close friend.

  Adam Hopkins sat in his office with one leg propped up on a chair. He was in one of his moods.

  “I see you brought your lawyer with you,” he growled. “Have you come to confess, Jenny?”

  “Huh?”

  “We believe the dead man was killed at the Boardwalk Café.”

  “What?” Jason and Jenny burst out.

  “How can you say that?” Jenny asked, arms akimbo.

  “The town was crowded that night,” Adam noted. “Lots of people were walking around with kids, going to the corn maze or the haunted house. Hayrides were in progress on the beach. There’s no way a man was murdered without someone noticing.”

  “The café was crowded too,” Jenny reminded him.

  “True,” Adam nodded. “But the café was dimly lit. And there were many dark corners where someone could have done the deed. Based on our deductions, we think the murder happened at the Boardwalk Café.”

  “That’s a lame theory,” Jenny snapped.

  “Did people leave anything behind that night?” Adam asked, leaning forward with interest.

  “Actually, they did,” Jenny sighed. “Many of them dropped or forgot stuff. I guess we can thank the Rusty Anchor and their drinks for that.”

  “Where is all this stuff, Jenny?”

  “In the Lost and Found box.”

  “Let’s go look at it.”

  Adam strode out of the police station as fast as he could, Jenny and Jason at his heels. He got into a police vehicle and pulled up at the Boardwalk Café two minutes later.

  “Where is this box?” he bellowed.

  Jenny went into a small cramped closet that served as her office. She came out with a cardboard box overflowing with stuff.

  “Here you go,” she snapped, setting down the box before Adam with a thud.

  Adam rifled through the contents, discarding a scarf, a few head bands and a couple of lip balms, items that obviously belonged to women. He pulled up a black garment and shook it out.

  “This looks like a costume,” he muttered.

  He went through the pockets and pulled out a wallet. He jabbed his finger at the drivers’ license inside the wallet.

  “You have been hiding this from us all along?” he glared at Jenny.

  “What …” Jenny stammered as she peered at the photo ID.

  “This is our victim, Jenny,” Adam scowled. “Looks like this costume belonged to him.”

  “So he was dressed as a wizard,” Jason spoke up. “So were plenty of other people.”

  Adam was busy reading the man’s name and address on the license.

  “Isn’t this where you used to live?” he asked Jenny, pointing toward the city in the address.

  Jenny nodded.

  “So did a million other people, Adam.”

  “But a million other people weren’t hiding this from the police.”

  “Hold on, Adam,” Jason spoke up. “Are you saying Jenny did thi
s deliberately?”

  Adam sneered at Jenny. He was in full sheriff mode.

  “Looks like you need a lawyer after all.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous, Adam,” Jenny pleaded. “I have never seen this man before.”

  “Are you sure you didn’t know him in your previous life?” Adam pressed. “Was he your old lover? Maybe he came here to meet you, Jenny. Did you have a date with him?”

  Jenny didn’t know what came over her in the next instant. She gave Adam a resounding slap.

  “How dare you!”

  “You just assaulted a police officer,” Adam said coldly. “I can arrest you for that. Ask your lawyer if you don’t believe me.”

  Jenny was trembling with anger. Jason put himself between the two of them.

  “Take it easy, you two.”

  He took Jenny by the shoulders and made her sit down.

  “You need to calm down, Jenny. Control your temper before doing something you will regret.”

  Jenny looked up at Jason, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.

  “You trust me, don’t you? I have never seen that man before.”

  Chapter 6

  The Rusty Anchor was Pelican Cove’s favorite watering hole. Jenny sat nursing a glass of chardonnay as a hum of conversation rose around her.

  “Does Adam really think you knew the guy?” Heather asked, munching on the pretzels Eddie had set out.

  “He’s being a jerk again, isn’t he?” Molly asked loyally.

  “He’s just doing his job,” Jenny said listlessly.

  She didn’t sound convincing even to herself.

  “We need to do some research on this guy,” Heather said with purpose. “Have you checked out his social accounts? Searched on the Internet?”

  Jenny shook her head.

  “Why should I have to prove my innocence every time?”

  “That’s not why we are doing it,” Heather winced. “The town hired you to solve this murder, remember? Let’s do that.”

  “If we find out more information about the man,” Molly reasoned, “we will exonerate you automatically.”

  Heather’s fingers flew over her phone as she ran different searches.

  “He’s posted a lot of photos,” she said hopefully. “Let’s go through them.”