Surf, Sand and Skeletons Read online

  Downtown Sapphire Beach was only a mile from Palm Paradise, but her pounding heart and racing thoughts made it feel like ten. Preparing the shop for the grand opening had been going so smoothly up until now. The last thing she needed was a setback.

  She pulled up to the shop and found Mickey pacing the sidewalk and with his fishing pole leaning against the building. Her heart sank when she saw the shattered window next to the front door.

  The street was deserted at that hour, so she was able to park in front of the store with no problem.

  "I don't have a key with me, so I don't know the extent of the damage," Mickey said, "but I saw the broken window as I was walking by on my way fishing."

  When they entered the shop, Connie's mouth went dry. Papers were strewn everywhere, as if someone had been looking for something, and movable shelving had been pushed aside. She moved though the store, closely examining the damage and checking for missing jewelry. Much of her jewelry took significant time to create, sometimes up to forty hours for one necklace, so if too much of her inventory was missing, she would likely have to postpone the grand opening.

  First, she checked the Fair Trade section, which would be the hardest product to replace. She would have to get word to her artisans of what she needed, and then she would have to wait while they created new pieces and shipped them to Florida. All of her advertising had highlighted her Fair Trade products, so it would be a disaster if those were missing.

  She scrutinized each jewelry display, and when she was satisfied that it was all there, she let out a long sigh of relief. Then she examined the rest of the store.

  "As far I can tell, whoever broke in didn't take any jewelry," she said to Mickey, who had been following closely behind her, visibly upset.

  Next, they went out back to the storeroom where several of the large shelving units had been pulled away from the wall on the right-hand side, which had a fresh basketball-sized hole in it.

  "None of my inventory is missing back here, either," Connie said as she perused the shelves and opened a few containers. "It looks like someone was searching for something specific," Connie said. She wondered if they found it.

  Connie gave the store another inspection. She was pretty sure nothing was missing, and the damage was relatively minimal. None of the shelves or displays were damaged, so all she would have to do was push the them back into place, rearrange some of the jewelry that had fallen, and reorganize the papers that had been scattered across the floor. The only real property damage was the hole in the wall out back and the broken window. She should easily be able to get those fixed before Saturday.

  Connie texted Zach to let him know what happened, and he instructed her not to touch anything else and said he’d be right over.

  "I'm so sorry this happened to you, Connie," Mickey said. He looked more shaken than she felt.

  Within ten minutes, Zach arrived, and she filled him in on what happened.

  "Do you have any idea what they could have been looking for?" Zach asked.

  Connie ran her hands through her hair. "The shop is stocked with jewelry, and the person didn't take any of it. There's no cash in the register yet, but it doesn't even look as though they tried to open it. Maybe someone got scared now that Natasha's disappearance is officially a murder investigation and was searching for some type of evidence in the shop that could incriminate them." She remembered how Gallagher told her that Natasha had some evidence against Jordan.

  Mickey's hand trembled as he placed it on Connie's shoulder. Either he was a good actor, or he was just as shaken up as Connie. "I'll find something to cover this window, and we'll get it replaced as soon as possible."

  "You should go ahead and install a security system ASAP," Zach said. He put both hands on her shoulders. "And promise me you won't stay in here alone after dark until we figure out who did this."

  Connie nodded. "I'll call about the alarm system this morning. I've been researching them, so I know which one I want already. It's just a matter of getting it done."

  Zach called for crime scene technicians, and they spent the next couple of hours processing the store but were unable to find fingerprints or anything that might provide a clue as to the intruder's identity. After taking statements from both Connie and Mickey, Zach left. Mickey stayed behind to help Connie clean the broken glass and cover the window.

  After Mickey left, Connie took her patient dog for a quick walk and filled her food and water bowls. She was glad that Grace wasn't coming in until the afternoon so that she could have everything fixed and back in place by the time she arrived, except, of course, for the hole out back.

  While Ginger was eating, Connie called about getting a security system installed and was able to convince the company to come later that day.

  As Connie went about putting everything back in order, she had an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach. Although there was no major damage, she couldn't help but feel that her privacy had been violated and her dream threatened. She felt firsthand the fragility of even the best-laid plans.

  Once the store was back in order, Connie took some more photos of her inventory and uploaded the best ones onto her social media sites to keep the buzz going about the grand opening. She also created a couple of social media ads, targeting women who lived in Sapphire Beach.

  As she was sitting on the sofa and uploading the photos, she glanced out the window and saw Gallagher resolutely marching over from his restaurant.

  "I just noticed your broken window," he said, as soon as he came through the door. "Is everything all right?"

  Connie motioned for Gallagher to join her on the couch, and she explained what happened.

  He leaned back and shook his head. "It has to be Sugrue."

  "I was thinking the same thing. Now that the police know Natasha was murdered, he's probably looking for the evidence you two had against him. If he killed her and that was his motive, he probably wants to get it back now more than ever."

  "Unfortunately, Natasha never told me where she hid the evidence, so I have no idea if it's even in the store or not." Gallagher smiled, but his eyes still appeared angry. "You know, part of me is glad to think that Jordan might be sweating it out. But my more practical side just wants him to stay far away from Sapphire Beach. It gives me the creeps to think that he may have been right on this street last night."

  "The police told me they would patrol the neighborhood during the night. They know about your connection to Sugrue, so I'm sure they'll keep an eye on your restaurant, too."

  Just as Gallagher was getting up to leave, the door opened to reveal a worried Elyse making a beeline for Connie. Emma was following behind, bouncing a volleyball.

  Elyse hugged Connie, then looked around the store with surveying eyes. "Emma had a half-day at school today for a teachers' meeting so we were playing volleyball on the beach. Josh just stopped by and told us there was break-in last night. I don't like this one bit, Connie. Are you okay?"

  Connie had to laugh at seeing Elyse more concerned than even she had been. Seeing how much her friend cared somehow made Connie feel better.

  "I'm fine, Elyse, I promise. Nothing was taken, and I've already straightened up the shop. This afternoon I have a guy coming to install a security system and a glass company coming to repair the window." As she was talking, she realized that Gallagher and Elyse had never met. "By the way, this is Gallagher. He owns Gallagher's Tropical Shack," Connie said, pointing across the street.

  Emma stopped bouncing her ball. "The restaurant with the surfboards on the wall?" Emma said. "I love that place."

  Gallagher smiled at Emma. "That's the one. I'll tell you what. Next time you come, ask for me, and I'll give you one of my super smoothies on the house. Guaranteed to give you all the energy you need to become a beach volleyball champ," he said with a wink.

  Emma's face lit up. "I definitely will, thank you."

  "Stay for a little while. I'll brew us some iced tea," Connie said. "I was just taking a break, anyway."<
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  "Can I look at the jewelry?" Emma asked.

  "Of course, sweetheart," Connie said.

  While the tea bags were steeping, she could hear Emma bouncing the volleyball against the wall. She peeked out to the front of the store to discover she was throwing it against the driftwood accent wall, right above her jewelry. She was about to ask her to stop when she heard Elyse's irritated voice.

  "Emma, you know better than that. Please stop bouncing that ball inside." Then she said to Gallagher, "She's obsessed. She can't put that ball down."

  Connie brought over a tray with the iced tea and sugar. As she sat on one of the armchairs facing the accent wall, she noticed one of the pieces of wood dislodged. Without saying a word, she grabbed her ladder from out back and went up to check it out.

  Elyse put a firm hand on Emma's shoulder. "I'm so sorry, Connie. Emma will pay to have that repaired from her allowance."

  "It's not that," Connie said. As she pulled away a loose board, it was like deja vu. What was it with loose boards and her shop? When she pulled away the piece of driftwood from the wall, it revealed a small hole in the drywall behind it, smaller than the piece of wood. She stuck her hand inside and reached around until she discovered envelope nailed to the wall frame.

  She yanked it out it out and came down the ladder.

  Chapter 16

  Gallagher shot up from his seat to see what Connie had found. He eagerly took the envelope and brought it to the coffee table, ripping it open and dumping out its contents. Out poured a stack of photos wrapped in an elastic band, a flash drive, and a key.

  "Great job, Emma," he said.

  Elyse gave Gallagher a menacing look. She did not seem happy that he was praising Emma's carelessness.

  Connie flipped through stack of photos, all of which contained an angry Jordan Sugrue who appeared to be losing his temper with various people.

  "Helloooo, Brother Jordan," Gallagher said. "This is the side of him we came to know and not love in the New Light Community."

  "Brother Jordan?" Connie inquired.

  "That's what he insisted we all call him."

  The photos revealed a man who was a far cry from the peaceful and self-assured leader, as portrayed all over the Internet.

  Connie studied the photos. There were several of the same faces that she saw when she researched him online, sitting in the front row, captivated as he delivered his speeches. Two of the women in particular still looked familiar. She wracked her brain as she stared at them but could not place them. She brought them to Gallagher's attention. Although they looked familiar, he didn't know the names of those two women.

  "I just can't believe these people couldn't see through his charade. Why didn't they just leave when they saw him acting this way?"

  Gallagher shrugged. "It's hard to explain if you've never experienced something like that. He's a master at exploiting peoples' weaknesses and vulnerabilities. Whatever perceived benefit his members are receiving from the group must be enough to keep them there."

  After they flipped through the photos, Connie got her laptop and plugged in the flash drive. It contained several audio files, so she clicked on the first one. Nausea came over her as the sound of Jordan Sugrue's voice came booming from her speakers. His voice filled the store like an unwelcome guest.

  "Jackpot," Gallagher said. "These are the files we used to break free from New Light."

  Like the photos, the videos revealed a Jordan Sugrue who was controlling, demanding, and narcissistic. He expressed the high expectations he held for his followers, repeatedly using words like ‘family’ and ‘loyalty’ to disguise his selfish demands.

  When they had heard enough, Elyse called Josh, and he came right over along with Zach, who made his second trip to the store in three hours.

  As soon as they arrived, Emma ran up to Josh, her blond ponytail bouncing from side to side on her back. "Dad, I found some key evidence and broke the case wide open."

  "Is that right?" he said, glancing at Elyse.

  "Yes, your daughter and volleyball," Elyse said.

  "It looks like we have a regular Nancy Drew on our hands," Zach said. "If professional beach volleyball doesn't work out, maybe she can follow in her old man's footsteps."

  After Connie showed Josh and Zach where she found the envelope, Gallagher explained the significance of the photos and audio files, and how he and Natasha had used them to extricate themselves from Sugrue's community.

  "This must have been what he was looking for when he broke in last night," Gallagher said. "Now I'm more convinced than ever that it had to be him."

  "I have to agree," Connie said. "Nothing was stolen last night, and the intruder left a hole in the wall in my storeroom. I'd say the odds are good that he was looking for this envelope."

  Connie picked up the key that they had found along with the other items and held it up. "You never told us what this was for, Gallagher."

  "That's because I've never seen it before. The photos and audio files are the only evidence we had against Sugrue. But, as I said before, I always had a gut feeling that Natasha had more information than she shared with me. It's possible that she had evidence even I didn't know about."

  "I don't understand why she wouldn't tell you?" Connie asked. "It seemed like you were a team."

  "She may have wanted to protect me. We worked together to obtain the photos and audio files, but she was obviously closer to Jordan than I was. She may have taken something else without telling me, so that she would have more than enough evidence against him. She was always more fearful of him than I was, since she had Victoria to worry about, too."

  Zach took a closer look at the small key with a rounded bow. "It could be a safety deposit box key or a key to a padlock. We'll look into it."

  After the police left, Elyse and Emma stayed behind to keep Connie company until the installer from the security company arrived. Gallagher was shorthanded and had to prepare for the lunch rush, and nobody seemed to want Connie to be alone in the shop.

  Before leaving, he refastened the board to the wall for Connie, in case Steve or Brittany couldn't make it back before the grand opening.

  Connie insisted that she felt perfectly safe, since it was late morning and the downtown streets were bustling with shoppers. "Besides," she said, "Grace will be here any minute."

  But Elyse wouldn't budge, so Connie refilled their iced tea glasses while Emma chatted away.

  Within a half-hour, both Grace and the installer from the security company had arrived. The technician brought a new security system that included four cameras and an alarm. He got right to work, saying it would take about four hours to install.

  Shortly after the installer began work on the security system, the technician from the glass company also arrived to replace the window, and in no time the store was bustling with activity.

  Elyse and Emma left, and Connie caught Grace up to speed on everything that had happened that day, starting with her 6:00 AM wake-up call from Mickey to their discovery of Natasha's envelope in the wall.

  "There's never a dull moment with you, is there, honey? I take one morning off and all this happens. I can't imagine what would happen if I ever left you for a week," Grace said.

  "Come on. Let's finish getting this jewelry priced. It's the last major task we have to complete before Saturday," Connie said.

  They worked hard for the rest of the day while Ginger mostly napped in her bed, occasionally lifting her head, apparently to make sure she wasn't missing anything.

  By mid-afternoon, the window was replaced. The alarm system installer finished up earlier than expected and gave the women a tutorial on operating the system, including the computer software that stored the video footage. Connie even had remote access to the system from her phone.

  After patiently answering all their questions, the installer left, and Connie felt safe in her shop once again. One more major task checked off the to-do list.

  Just as they were about finished pricing all
the merchandise, Connie's cell phone rang. Her heart sank when she saw that it was Gianna. She completely forgot that she had promised to call on Sunday to say hello to the twins. With everything that happened that night, it had slipped her mind.

  "Hey, sis. I'm so sorry I forgot to call you. I had a weekend you wouldn't believe."

  "I figured something was up. It's not like you to forget to call when you said you would."

  After talking for a few minutes with the twins, Gianna took back the phone. Even with their limited conversation skills, it did Connie a world of good to hear their tiny voices.

  "So, what's been going on? I got a little worried when I realized it's Tuesday, and you still hadn’t called."

  Connie explained about her date with Zach, finding Natasha's body, and the break-in to her store. She couldn't help but laugh when the first thing Gianna picked up on was her date with Zach.

  "Wait, so you went on a first date with a cop and on that date, you discovered a dead body?"

  "When you put it that way, it sounds exciting. Technically it was a skeleton, and it was actually kind of heart-wrenching."

  "Are you kidding me? That's the best first date ever. If you two end up together, you'll be telling the story for the rest of your lives. Heck, I'm going to be telling this story for the rest of my life. It's just another way I can live vicariously through you."

  Connie smiled. Her sister had a way of making her feel better, no matter what the circumstances.

  "By the way, that doesn't mean I'm not terrified by the rest of what you told me. I hope your new boyfriend is keeping a close eye on you."

  "They are all taking good care of me here. I've made some great new friends. I can't wait for you to meet them the next time you come down. And Grace, of course, has been awesome."

  "I'm thrilled she is working with you in the shop. Auntie Concetta would love that."

  Connie smiled at her sister across fifteen-hundred miles.

  "I know. I think of that all the time. Grace is actually here today. We're pricing jewelry, and I had a security system installed. Don't worry. I'm in good hands."