Surf, Sand and Skeletons Page 12

  Apparently, catching on that something wasn't right, Ginger started barking at Brittany. She grabbed her and then kicked the whimpering dog out the back door.

  Fear shot through Connie's body as she imagined Ginger wandering onto the busy street out front and getting hit by a car.

  She swallowed her fear, and while Brittany was pushing Ginger out the back door, she made a dash for the awl, one of the sharpest tools in her jewelry-making tool kit. She held it by the handle and concealed the pointed end with her forearm.

  "Steve is going to know that you were with me," Connie said, trying to pretend there wasn't a gun pointed at her so she could think straight.

  "Not if I tell him nobody was here when I came by. Okay, enough talking. We're going for a ride."

  With a gun pointed at her head, Connie had no choice but to follow.

  "Hurry up!" Brittany said, jabbing the gun into her back.

  A mixture of adrenaline and fear pumped through Connie's veins. Stalling Brittany would be her best shot at escaping.

  "So, you're just giving up on finding the evidence that Natasha had against Jordan? If you don't find it, the police still might be able to locate it, and then then you and Jordan will lose everything."

  "I've searched everywhere, and there's nothing anywhere in this store. If I haven't been able to find it, the police won't, either."

  "Maybe the problem is that you don't know where to look. There are a lot of nooks and crannies in this old shop. Did you check the floorboards under this shelf?"

  "You're stalling," Brittany said.

  "It's where I found some photos that belonged to Natasha," she said, hoping her lie sounded believable.

  "What photos?" Brittany slid her foot under the shelf to feel for the loose board.

  Seeing that Brittany was slightly off balance, with one foot partially under the shelf, Connie slammed Brittany's hands, gun and all, onto the shelf with her elbow, then jabbed the sharp tool as hard, as she could with her hands bound, into the top of Brittany’s hand.

  Brittany let out a high-pitched squeal from the pain and had no choice but to release her grip on the gun. Connie grabbed it and cut her hands free with a pair of pliers in her jewelry-making tool kit as Brittany pulled the sharp awl out of her hand. Then Connie backed up a few steps so Brittany wouldn't get any ideas.

  Once she was sure she was safe, she then threw Brittany a towel to wrap her hand so blood wouldn't drip on her newly refinished floors.

  Connie forced Brittany toward the front of the store and over to the table. It felt safer there, since the table was in view of the front door and the windows.

  She pulled her phone out of her pocket and just as she was dialing 911, she heard sirens approaching. Two police cars pulled up in front of the store, and two police officers burst through the door. Sapphire Beach Fire Rescue and Collier County EMS arrived next.

  Finally, Gallagher came in behind them, holding a trembling Ginger against his chest.

  Chapter 21

  Connie passed Brittany's gun to one of the deputies just as Zach and Josh arrived.

  Then, trembling almost as much as Ginger, she took the dog from Gallagher's arms and held her close as she explained everything that happened, starting from the moment Brittany came into the shop to complete the punch list.

  Brittany objected to Connie’s story and accused her of making it all up until, remembering her attempt to record what had just taken place, Connie pulled her phone out of her pocket and played the audio file that revealed the truth. She had gotten everything.

  She promptly texted the file to Zach and Josh and emailed it to herself for safekeeping. She wanted to be absolutely certain there would be no chance of losing it.

  As Brittany was being escorted away, Grace wandered into the store, her jaw hanging low as she tried to make sense of the scene she walked into.

  "I just came by to make sure you weren't bored, since there wasn't much work left for you to do today, but I can see that’s not the case."

  Connie caught Grace up to speed, and Gallagher added his side. When Connie's text came through, revealing that she had figured out who the killer was, he was talking to a customer, so he didn't see it for a few minutes. When he noticed the message, he started to go over to talk to Connie, but before he could get very far, Ginger wandered into the street. There were cars coming from both directions, so he stepped out to stop the traffic, and when he picked her up, she was shaking, so he knew something was wrong. He immediately called 911.

  Zach chimed in. "We didn't know that Brittany was the killer, but we did learn something important earlier this afternoon," he said. "We discovered that the key you found in the envelope in the wall belonged to a safety deposit box at Blue Waters Bank. We went there a couple of hours ago, and it contained evidence that proved that Jordan Sugrue was responsible for intentionally setting a fire that killed his parents.”

  Gallagher pulled out one of the chairs from the table and sat down. He let out a deep breath. "I've known for a long time that the guy's a monster, and I've seen him sink to some pretty low depths," he said. "But this news surprises even me."

  "Natasha managed to get her hands on some incriminating evidence, so he'll be going away for a long time," Zach said.

  "After all that, in the end, Natasha's death had nothing to do with Sugrue," Connie said.

  Zach shook his head. "No, not directly. In fact, he was better off when Natasha was alive, because as long as he left her and their daughter alone, he wouldn't have to worry about the evidence getting out. He must have panicked when she died, since he didn't know where she hid everything. He knew that if somebody stumbled across it, it would all be over for him."

  "So, it wasn't just that he was worried about his reputation and status as leader of New Light," Connie said, "but that he stood to spend the rest of his life in prison if the information got out. That’s why he was obsessed with finding it."

  “Exactly,” Zach said.

  "Wow,” Gallagher said. “I can't believe Natasha never told me about that."

  Connie put her hand on his shoulder. "She probably wanted to protect you. She needed your help to get the photos and audio recordings, but she probably figured there was no need for you to know about his role in his parents' death. Ultimately that's the piece of evidence that got her killed, even though the killer was Brittany and not Jordan."

  After everything settled down, Connie and Gallagher drove over to the police station to fill out an official statement. Grace took Ginger back to Palm Paradise with her, promising to bring her for a good, long walk, and to have a home-cooked meal waiting for Connie when she returned.

  Connie finally returned home at 6:30. She took a hot shower, then called Grace, who brought over a chicken pot pie, Connie's favorite comfort food, which they enjoyed on the balcony with a glass of Chardonnay. The vast ocean that stretched to the horizon did wonders for Connie's nerves. Grace left early so they could both get a good night sleep before the grand opening.

  ***

  The grand opening was scheduled to take place from noon to 4:00 PM, but Connie and Grace were there bright and early making sure that no detail was overlooked. They performed a last-minute cleaning so the store would sparkle, which Connie had anticipated doing the day before, but was unable to complete with everything that took place. Then they set out gift bags with door prizes - mostly earrings Connie made - put out beverages, and set out plates, napkins, and cups on the oak table. Now all they had to do were wait on the appetizers, which were due to arrive just before noon.

  Steve had called Connie the night before, apologizing profusely for what happened with Brittany. He was beside himself that he had hired a murderer, and since she was his employee, he felt responsible for what had happened. He even took ten percent off the price of his labor, acknowledging that nothing he could do could make it up to Connie, but hoping that would show his sincere regret. He also personally finished the punch list that Brittany never completed at 5:00 that morni
ng, so there would be no loose ends for the grand opening.

  Connie smiled as she did one last walk through the shop. Everything was just as she hoped it would be. Then she snapped a few more photos and posted them on her social media accounts, in a last-minute effort to drum up some attention. She also texted some photos of the shop to her parents and sister, since they couldn’t be there in person.

  Grace discovered a powder-blue gift bag with yellow tissue paper behind the circular checkout counter.

  "I found one more door prize," she said, bringing it over to the table.

  Connie had almost forgotten that she decided to gift Grace with the beautiful necklace that she had been working hard to finish all week.

  "This one isn't a door prize. It's for you," she said. "It's just a little something to thank you for all the hard work and extra hours you've put in to help me get ready for today.”

  Grace gasped as she pulled the necklace from the bag. She absolutely loved the copper-colored satin finish beads and put it right on.

  "It means so much to have you here, Grace. You are the closest thing I have to family in Sapphire Beach," she said, pulling her into an affectionate hug. By the time she pulled away, both women's eyes were moist with tears.

  A little before noon, Stephanie and Penelope arrived to help out as they had promised. Stephanie took the day off from work, and Gallagher had given Penelope the day off so she could help Connie on her big day. She put them in charge of greeting guests as they came through the door and handing out tickets for door prizes, which would be drawn every half-hour. Connie hoped that, in addition to adding something fun to the day, it would encourage customers to linger. Penelope would also be the official photographer, since she had a talent for taking pictures.

  Elyse and Emma arrived at noon with a bouquet of pink roses, just as the caterer was leaving.

  "Are you going to tell me what's going on with you?" Connie asked after she put them in a vase and placed them on the coffee table. Elyse had called Connie the night before to tell her that she wouldn't be able to stay long at the grand opening. Connie was disappointed, since Elyse played a huge role in making Just Jewelry a reality and in Connie relocating to Sapphire Beach, but the feeling dissipated when she heard the excitement in Elyse's voice. And now the expression of joy on her friend's face had the same affect. She knew it had to be something huge for Elyse to miss out on the festivities of the day.

  "Not yet," Elyse said. "I don't want to jinx it, but I promise that Josh, Emma, and I will come by tonight and fill you in on everything."

  As they left, the first customers of the day came through the door, and, to Connie's delight, the traffic didn't let up until the end of the day. Her advertising and social media campaign turned out to be a huge success, and customers loved the door prizes.

  The Fair Trade merchandise was also well-received. People lingered over the framed pictures and biographies of the artisans, which Connie had placed throughout the Fair Trade section. And with each Fair Trade purchase, Connie included a miniature version of the photo and bio of the artisan who created that particular piece and directed them to the website to learn more about the artisans. Throughout the day, Connie was able to get a wide range of feedback from customers and felt confident in what types of jewelry she would request in her next order.

  Fr. Paul Fulton came by as he had promised and chose a bracelet from Kenya as a gift for his sister's birthday. Connie also recognized several other parishioners from Our Lady, Star of the Sea and made a mental note to continue the bulletin ad.

  Grace, Stephanie, and Penelope were lifesavers. They took care of many details, such as handing out food and giving away door prize tickets while Grace was busy at the cash register. This left Connie free to socialize with her customers.

  Zach came by and brought some friends, but he couldn't stay long, since it turned out he had to cover for Josh, who was with Elyse on their mysterious errand. But she was happy to see him, even if just for a little while.

  Gertrude also attended. She, too, had no idea what Josh and her great-niece were up to that day, but she brought with her a small crowd of southwest Florida residents, both from Palm Paradise and beyond. Connie was not the least bit surprised to see that Gertrude had such broad influence, but it warmed her heart that she had put it to use promoting Just Jewelry.

  Although they were busy with their own businesses, Gallagher and Ruby stopped by, followed by Mickey and his wife, Susan. Susan was excited to learn that Connie would be offering jewelry-making classes in the store and joined the mailing list so she could receive all the details.

  Mickey looked much better than when Connie had last talked to him under the pier.

  "I still feel terrible that I was so quick to believe Jordan and thought the worst about Natasha, but at least now I know that Jordan wasn't the killer," he said. "Brittany would have killed Natasha, anyway. There's nothing I could have done to stop it."

  Throughout the day, Connie had had the sensation that she was seeing a parade of her new family in Sapphire Beach march through the store. She was closer to some than others, but the support of every person there meant the world to her.

  By the time the last customer left a little after 4:00, Connie couldn't decide if she was more excited at the success of the grand opening or exhausted from having pulled it off. But even after a long afternoon, an ear-to-ear smile still lingered on her face.

  After her friends helped her clean up, she fed Ginger, who had loved the attention she received throughout the day, and ordered pizza for everyone. Gallagher was also able to get away from the restaurant at that point, so he came back across the street to join them. When they sat at the table to eat, Connie heard a text come through on her phone.

  "It's your niece," she said to Gertrude. “She says, ’Stay at the store. We'll be there in a half-hour. We have really big news.’"

  Chapter 22

  Zach returned to the store before Elyse, Josh, and Emma arrived. "Josh just texted me and told me to meet him here. He said he had some news."

  "Yeah, Elyse texted me, too. We're all waiting. Do you have any idea what it could be about?" Connie asked Zach, handing him a slice of pizza.

  "I know the local police up in Jordan's area arrested him this morning for his parents' murder, and Josh took a drive up to talk to them about something. But he was all secretive, so I know it wasn't official police business," Zach said.

  Connie was so absorbed in the grand opening that, for the first time all week, she hadn't thought about Natasha, Jordan, or New Light.

  "Jordan agreed to plead guilty in order to avoid a death sentence," Zach said. "Although there are no charges against him in relation to Natasha's murder, he did admit to putting the needle in the bushes out back to make it look as though Natasha had a drug problem."

  "I'm glad that's cleared up," Connie said. "That will put an end to any rumors floating around that could harm her good name. Now nobody can doubt that she truly did everything possible to give her daughter and herself a fresh start."

  Just as everyone was finishing up their pizza, the door chime sounded, and their attention shifted to the front of the store. Walking behind Josh, who entered first, was Emma with her arm wrapped protectively across the shoulders of a little girl, who looked to be about three years old, followed by Elyse.

  Elyse bent down and scooped up the child as everyone came over to see what was going on.

  The little girl looked around the store, knitting her brow as she studied her surroundings. The child's blond curls framed her round face, and her blue eyes settled on Connie, who had bent over to say hello.

  "And who is this little princess?" Connie asked.

  "That's Victoria," Penelope said, taking the child into her arms and sobbing. "I never thought I'd see you again."

  Victoria smiled, and her reaction showed that she recognized her old friend.

  Elyse was beaming with joy. "That's right. Josh and I are going to adopt Victoria."

  Co
nnie felt as though time stopped. She stood in shock as the rest of the group congratulated the new family of four.

  "May I?" Connie said to Penelope, holding her arms out toward the child.

  Penelope placed Victoria in Connie's arms, and she kissed the child's chubby cheeks.

  Josh and Elyse stood next to each other, holding hands.

  "When I heard yesterday that Jordan was pleading guilty and that he didn't have any living relatives," Josh said, "I knew Victoria would be put into foster care."

  Elyse continued the story where he left off. "Josh and I talked and prayed about it all day and evening, and we decided to move forward. Victoria needs a family, and all three of us have so much love to give, so we decided get the process started."

  As Connie held Victoria, Gallagher kissed the child's forehead. "Natasha would be thrilled," he said. "She wanted her daughter to be raised in Sapphire Beach, and if Natasha couldn't raise Victoria herself, she would be so happy to know she found her way to such a beautiful family."

  While everyone took turns welcoming Victoria, Connie followed Gallagher to the couch, where he had asked to speak with Josh and Zach.

  "What will happen to the members of New Light?" Gallagher asked. "Some of them are in a pretty fragile state."

  Josh nodded. "They have been given access to psychological counseling," he said, "but some of them have a long way to go, and the police up there can't force them to accept help."

  "If there's anything I can do, please let me know," Gallagher said.

  "What about Tiffany Peterson?" Connie asked. "Did you hear anything about her?"

  "We notified Tracy after Jordan's arrest, and she immediately drove up to try to convince her sister to come back to Sapphire Beach with her. I had a chance to speak with Tracy while we were up there, and when she learned that Elyse and I wanted to adopt Victoria, she gave me a substantial check. She said that even though she only took money from Natasha's business to save her sister's life, she wanted to make it right. It's rightly Natasha's money, and now Victoria's, so we are going to put it into a savings account for her."