Surf, Sand and Skeletons Read online

  Connie sat at the table and observed as Brittany touched up the wall. Then she showed her where the pictures should be hung.

  "I don't mean to watch over your shoulder," Connie said, "but I'm so jealous. I have no knack for this kind of stuff at all."

  "It's easier than it looks. Here, let me show you," Brittany said. She offered Connie some tips on measuring and hanging pictures as she worked.

  "You make it look easy. I guarantee I'd have a few extra holes in the wall."

  The young woman laughed. "Nah, it just takes patience and believing in yourself. We have the power within us to do what we think is impossible if we set our mind to it."

  Connie wondered if Brittany had ever been a motivational speaker or life coach. She always seemed to interject some wisdom into the conversation.

  "Maybe, but I think a little talent helps, too. If you saw some of my projects, I think you might agree," she said with a wink.

  "Fair enough," Brittany said, grinning as she hammered. "But I promise, with a little practice you'd be surprised at what you can do."

  "I think I'll just call you for my carpentry needs. It will save us both a lot of grief, since you won't have to fix all my fixes."

  "Actually, you'll have to call Steve. I'm moving back home to be with my boyfriend next month."

  “That’s too bad. I enjoy having a woman carpenter,” Connie said. “But I wish you the best of luck.”

  Brittany had hung all the photos and was about halfway through the rest of the punch list when her phone pinged.

  "It's Steve. He needs me on another project, but I promise to be back to finish up before the grand opening."

  After Brittany left, Connie decided that she and Ginger needed to get outside to stretch their legs and enjoy the beautiful day. The temperature had been averaging in the high eighties, and there wasn't a cloud in the bright blue Florida sky.

  They strolled toward the beach, still packed with tourists and residents, and Connie spotted Gallagher having an early dinner on a bench.

  "Who do we have here?" he said, giving Ginger a scratch behind the ears while she basked in the attention.

  "This is my new BFF named Ginger," she said. "She belonged to my aunt who recently passed away."

  Connie glanced down at Gallagher's meal, which consisted of a large salad with grilled chicken, plenty of greens and sprouts, and a purplish smoothie. "Looks healthy. I wish I had the discipline to eat that well." While Connie more or less chose healthy foods, she had more than her fair share of splurges. "Have you always been this healthy?"

  Gallagher shook his head and laughed. "This is relatively new. I used to be everything but healthy. Too much alcohol and other things that I don't like to think about."

  "I love ice cream and burgers way too much. I can't imagine giving them up."

  "Everybody's got to find their own balance," he said. "I tend to go to extremes in whatever I do, so this is my way of going to a healthy extreme."

  Connie glanced down the street to Gallagher's Tropical Shack. "You don't find it difficult to own a restaurant and bar and not eat the food or drink?" she asked.

  "I'm just grateful to be living my dream. The restaurant has been something I've wanted as long as I can remember, and I have no intention of doing anything to mess it up." There was a sadness in his eyes as he spoke, which she didn't remember seeing when she first met him.

  With Gallagher's encouragement, Connie sat down and shared a little about herself, as well, and the circumstances that led her to open Just Jewelry, while he finished his salad and smoothie. She found him positive and easy to talk to, and she was happy that he was her neighbor.

  Since Gallagher was so friendly, he probably befriended Natasha, as well. She decided to broach the subject delicately, in case they had been friends.

  "I was so sorry to hear what happened to Natasha Orlov," she said. "Did you know her well?"

  His expression transformed from relaxed to serious, and he quickly shook his head. "No, we were just neighbors."

  Still, his restaurant was directly across the street. "It seems strange that a young mother with ties to the area would vanish into thin air. Did you ever see anything suspicious going on in her shop?"

  Gallagher swallowed hard and looked up towards the green and blue waters of the Gulf of Mexico. "I couldn't say, but I would leave it alone if I were you." Then he turned and looked intently at Connie. "I wouldn't want to see you getting hurt. Or worse."

  It felt more like concern than a threat, but Connie was taken aback by his strong words and sudden change in demeanor.

  "Maybe you're right," she said.

  Gallagher's shoulders relaxed as he gave Ginger a small piece of chicken and then got up to throw away his empty food container. "I'd better be getting back. It's almost Saturday evening, so the restaurant should be filling up, knock on wood," he said, gently tapping on his own head with his knuckles. He seemed to be back to his congenial self.

  Gallagher sipped on the remainder of his smoothie while they walked together back in the direction of their businesses.

  When she got back to the shop, Connie decided to call it a day. She had plans to meet Elyse and Stephanie for dinner later at Surfside Restaurant on the beach, and she wanted to get a quick workout in at the building's exercise room. Pounding on the heavy bag for a while went a long way in keeping up with her martial arts skills and releasing a little stress.

  After a cool shower, Connie slipped into a smoky-blue sleeveless dress, perfect for a late March evening in Sapphire Beach, and chose a silver and beige leather-wrapped necklace and matching bracelet, which she had made last year, to accessorize her dress. Then she headed back downtown to Surfside Restaurant, where Elyse and Stephanie were already seated at a prime outdoor table overlooking the beach. As she stepped onto the deck, she felt as if she was looking at a canvas with pale blue waters painted against a bright orange sky.

  It was the perfect backdrop for a relaxing evening with friends.

  At the table next to them was a couple with a baby cooing in its carrier. The women couldn't help but stare at the adorable little guy laughing as his father made funny faces at him. They complimented the proud parents and went back to studying their menus.

  Connie noticed a far-away expression on Elyse's face.

  "Are you remembering when Emma was that little?" she said, calling Elyse back to the present moment.

  She shook her head and wiped a tear from her eyes. "Kind of," Elyse said, shifting in her chair. "It's just, I've always wanted to have siblings for Emma, but after she was born, the doctors informed us we couldn't have any more children. Josh and I were devastated but also grateful to have Emma. We had met in high school and married right out of college, so I'd always imagined that we would have a large family."

  Connie squeezed Elyse's hand, and Stephanie got up to give her a hug.

  "I'm so sorry to hear that," Stephanie said. "I never knew."

  "Most of the time, I'm okay. It's just, once in a while..." she trailed off, her eyes settling again on the baby.

  Elyse's revelation set the tone for the evening, and the women spent the rest of the night talking about their own hopes and dreams, some fulfilled, others not.

  Stephanie shared that she, too, had wanted children, but she married in her thirties and soon became aware that her marriage was not going to last. "The infidelity started early, and I wasn't going to bring a child into that situation. I was already too angry, and our home wouldn't have been a healthy environment to raise a child."

  After some words of compassion from Connie and Elyse, she added, "But I do find a lot of fulfillment in my work as a physical therapist. I mostly work with the elderly here in Florida, but at times I also have the chance to help children. I may not have worked full-time if I had a family and, I don't know, it may sound corny, but everything just feels right when I am helping someone regain their mobility and their life along with it."

  As the night wore on, Connie told them that she ha
d a date with Zack the following weekend.

  "What a shocker," Stephanie said, sarcastically.

  Elyse was thrilled at the idea of Connie dating one of her husband's good friends, and they both made Connie promise to keep them posted.

  Eventually, the conversation turned to Natasha's disappearance. Connie told the women that she had talked to Mickey, Gallagher, and Tracy since they last spoke a few days ago, just after she had found the box of evidence. "I just can't stop myself from digging around for more information," she said. "Being in the same shop as Natasha makes it hard to avoid thinking about it."

  "That's not exactly surprising to me," Elyse said. "I had a feeling you wouldn't be able to let it go. Then when you found the box under the floorboards, I knew there was no chance of you staying out of it completely."

  "So, what are your thoughts on the case?" Stephanie asked.

  After recapping the gist of her conversation with Tracy, Connie said, "I haven't ruled out the possibility that Natasha confronted Tracy about skimming money from the business and threatened to go to the police. If that happened, Tracy could have killed her and hid the body. But then, just before I left, Tracy tried to throw suspicion on Mickey, claiming that she was behind on rent, and he wanted her out of his building, maybe enough to kill her."

  "Mickey Miranda, your landlord?" Elyse asked. "I hope it's not him. I'll never forgive myself if I put you in a dangerous situation."

  Connie pretended to be surprised. "You mean you forgot to ask Mickey if he's in the habit of killing his clients if they are late with the rent?"

  Elyse gave her a sarcastic smile. "I was going to ask, but he offered such a good deal that I figured it would be worth the risk."

  "That's why you're my realtor."

  "Do you really think it could be Mickey?" Stephanie asked. "That would have been a bit extreme on Mickey's part."

  "Natasha's to-do list did say to call Mickey. But I suppose that could be about anything. It's not unusual to call your landlord."

  "What did he say when you talked to him?" Elyse asked.

  "Mickey thinks it was drugs. He said that Victoria's father, Jordan Sugrue, claimed that Natasha had a drug problem, and he suspected she was using again. He said he found a drug needle outside the store. But then, in her diary, Natasha talked about running away from something in her past, so if Jordan was part of what she was trying to escape, he could have been lying to Mickey."

  "Or Mickey could have been lying about finding the drug needle," Stephanie said.

  "Jordan Sugrue," Elyse said. "That name sounds familiar."

  "Maybe Josh mentioned him in connection with the case," Connie suggested.

  "I don't think so. He doesn't usually talk about the details of his cases, and besides, this case has been on the backburner since their leads ran dry last summer," Elyse said. "Even with the new evidence you found, they still don't have anything solid."

  Connie was disappointed to hear that they were no longer actively investigating.

  "You said you talked to your neighbor," Stephanie asked. "Did he say anything interesting?"

  "When I ran into Gallagher McKeon this afternoon and asked him if he ever saw anything suspicious with Natasha's store, he got all weird on me. He is usually super friendly, so I got the feeling he was hiding something."

  "Maybe he was friends with Natasha, and it's hard for him to talk about it," Stephanie said.

  "Except that he specifically said that they weren't friends."

  Elyse let out a deep breath. "Whatever you do next, just be careful. You don't know who you can trust."

  Chapter 7

  Much to Connie's annoyance, at 7:00 on Sunday morning, she was wide awake. After rolling over and trying to will herself back to sleep for a little while, she decided to go with it and attend an earlier Mass. She had determined to stay away from Just Jewelry for the day, since it would be harder to get a Sunday off once the store opened, and she was ahead of schedule in preparing for the grand opening.

  Inspired by Gallagher's creations, she pulled together some fruit, blended it with vanilla almond milk, and made a smoothie for breakfast. It wasn't quite as good as his, but it did the trick. After taking Ginger for a leisurely walk along Sapphire Beach Boulevard, she got ready and headed to Our Lady, Star of the Sea parish for the 9:00 Mass.

  After taking a seat towards the front of the church, her thoughts drifted to Victoria. She was saying a prayer that the little girl was well cared for, when Elyse slid into the pew and took the seat next to Connie, followed by Emma, Josh, and Gertrude. As Elyse asked in a whispered tone what Connie was doing for the rest of the day, Connie smiled and waved at the others, then told Elyse she was thinking about renting a paddleboard for a couple of hours later that afternoon. "I'm planning to buy one when I have time research a good board, but for today, I just wanted to get out onto the water."

  "I have an open house after Mass, but I'd be happy to take you this afternoon to where Josh and I bought ours," Elyse said. "You remember Ashley and Travis? They have a little shop where they sell paddleboards and kayaks, and they usually have some great used boards for sale. You can always get a fancier one later, when you have more experience."

  Connie smiled at the mention of Ashley and Travis. They were a young couple from the Boston area who bought Sapphire Beach Boat Rentals and relocated to southwest Florida. When Elyse had taken Connie paddleboarding in January, Elyse had used them to discretely drop the hint to Connie that she should consider keeping Concetta's condo and moving to Sapphire Beach.

  At the time, Connie hadn't yet thought of the idea of selling Fair Trade jewelry, so she was still planning to sell the condo. Although it had only been a few months, it seemed like a lifetime ago that she and Elyse first stood in the shop that would become Just Jewelry.

  "I would love that, but are you sure? I don't want to cut into your family time."

  "Emma and Josh have plans to play beach volleyball together - it's Emma's new passion - so I have the time. Besides," she said, "it's the least I can do, since I'm the one who got you hooked in the first place. I'll meet you at your place around 1."

  "Perfect," she said, standing for the processional hymn.

  When Mass ended, Connie waited a few minutes until the crowds cleared out, hoping to be able to speak with the pastor, Fr. Paul Fulton, for a few minutes. It was the first time she had seen him since deciding to move to Sapphire Beach, and he was ecstatic to learn of her decision.

  He peppered her with questions, eager to learn how she came to the decision and went about finding Fair Trade artisans, and she was eager to tell him the story, because it was one of his homilies in January that nudged her along in her decision.

  Having spent many years in the missions, Fr. Paul loved the idea of selling Fair Trade items and promised to come to the grand opening to buy a gift for his sister. He also ensured her of his ongoing prayers for her family after losing Concetta.

  After stopping for groceries, Connie settled into the spare bedroom, where she had a folding table and some comfy chairs set up for jewelry making and went to work on a layered necklace she hoped to have completed in time for the grand opening.

  Connie was so excited about the paddleboard that, by the time Elyse called up from the lobby, she had put away her work and was pacing the living room just waiting for her to arrive.

  "I'm too excited to even invite you up," she said, through the intercom. "Do you mind if we head right out?"

  Elyse laughed. "Just buzz me in, and I'll wait for you in the lobby."

  Their first stop was a sporting goods store to purchase a mounting device for Connie's Jetta, so she could transport her new paddleboard home, as well as to other beaches if she wanted to venture away from her back yard. Fortunately, there were plenty of inexpensive options, especially since she only planned to go a short distance. She also purchased a dolly for transporting it from her storage bin in the underground garage to the beach.

  The next stop was Travis’s and Ash
ley's shop. Normally, they would both be on the beach tending to their rental business, but Ashley had just stopped in to check on their employee, and she was ecstatic to learn of Connie's relocation. Connie gave her the brief version of the story and promised to stop by another time to visit.

  With Elyse’s and Ashley's help, Connie was able to get a deal on a gently used board and paddle that was perfect for a beginner. A smile spread across Connie's face as she pulled out her debit card to purchase the powder-blue paddleboard, paddle, and matching life vest. Although a part of her hated to spend even a little money on luxury items before her business got off the ground, she could almost hear her Aunt Concetta's voice echoing in her mind: "Life is not a dress rehearsal."

  After all, what good was living in paradise if she couldn't take full advantage of all that it had to offer? She couldn't wait to get out on the water and promised herself that, at least once a week, she would set her alarm a little earlier for a paddle down the beach.

  When they got back to Palm Paradise, Elyse insisted on accompanying her to the water to see her off on what Elyse had dubbed her maiden voyage. They went upstairs just long enough for Connie to change into her bathing suit and beach coverup and grab a towel. Then they unloaded the board from the top of Connie's car, fastened it into the dolly, and Connie proudly pulled it to the beach.

  Leaving her coverup, towel, and the dolly on the sand, Connie fastened her life vest and paddled away from shore. After a few seconds, she unsteadily turned around to wave at Elyse, who waved back, laughing as she left. It was only her second time on a paddleboard, so it was touch and go for a little while, especially when jet skis passing in the distance sent a flurry of waves in her direction. Turning around proved to be the hardest, and she ended up in the water a few times, but overall, Connie was pretty pleased with herself. The saltwater on her skin and the fresh air in her lungs felt amazing. Relocating had undoubtedly been the right decision.

  As happy as she was to be out on the water, after about an hour, her burning shoulder muscles told her it was time to head in. She still had a lot of physical work to do in the store the following day, and she didn't want to be too sore.