Three
The hill to the teashop was steeper than Joey had expected, or perhaps Patty was faster than she looked. He followed her, sucking gulps of salted air, staring up at the light blue sky.
The robbery wasn’t news to him. He couldn’t go anywhere on the island without overhearing someone blathering on that if they’d been there, the robber wouldn’t have stood a chance at getting away.
The bluster was only going to get worse. Just that morning, Pebble Bay Bank had announced a one-hundred-thousand-dollar reward to anyone who provided information leading to the arrest of the robber.
No one had been able to identify the guy, even after he’d hit thirteen banks. Patty’s grandkid was the only one who had spoken to him outside of his robbing commands.
The tea shop sat at the top of the hill, the paint a pale sea foam green and the windows framed in white. Outside, tables sat empty, their umbrellas rocking in their bases.
“Are you coming?” Patty asked, looking over her shoulder.
He nodded and rushed forward. It couldn’t hurt to talk to the kid. He might learn something, and it’d be his good deed for the day.
They stood at the front door, her hand on the doorknob. “You’ll see them. They’re the only ones in there. I’m not supposed to get involved, but…”
She let out a huff and shook her head.
“I understand,” Joey said. “Nobody likes a bully.”
She opened the door and a pair of bells jingled merrily.
Joey walked in, surveying the small space. Jagged by Old 97’s played softly in the background, and in the far room he spotted a table with a trio of young teenage boys giggling over a cell phone.
Patty scowled, pointing at an older man seated at the table. He stood and met them in the small lobby.
“It isn’t working,” he said with a sigh.
“I can see that,” she said through clenched teeth. “Help me in the kitchen, Reg.”
She cast a brief smile at Joey before disappearing behind a swinging door.
A snort rang out from the table, followed by the loud thumping of a bass-heavy song.
Joey sighed. He remembered being a teenage boy. He had not been his best self then.
He walked over to the table and pulled out a chair. “What’re you guys listening to?”
The boy with the phone shot him a glance. “Nothing.”
“C’mon. What is it?”
“It’s a song,” one of the boys offered. “From the robbery.”
“What robbery?”
The first boy spoke again, his eyes and lips twisted in disbelief. “Didn’t you hear about the bank robbery in town?”
Joey sat back and looked up at the ceiling. “Huh, no. I’m not from around here. I’m a pilot, just flew into town.”
The boy with the phone shot a heavy glance at his friends. “Oh yeah?”
“Seaplanes,” he said with a nod.
The boy glanced at his friends. “What do you fly on the planes?”
“People. Things.” Joey shrugged. “You’ve got a video of the guy who robbed the bank?”
The boy’s eyes grew wide and he tucked the phone into his hoodie pocket. “No, it’s just of this lady screaming and fainting. When she was there.”
“Fainting?” Joey leaned in and lowered his voice. “She saw him, then? Do you know who this lady is?”
All three boys instantly said, “No.”
“Huh.” Joey sat back and crossed his arms. “Too bad.”
“Uh, we’ve got to get going.” The boy tucked away his phone and stood.
The other two stood, nodding. “Yeah.”
“Let me know if you need to fly anywhere!” Joey yelled. “Or rob any banks!”
They ran, pushing each other, their laughter carrying until the door shut it out.
Mission accomplished .
The rumor of the bank robber escaping the island by seaplane had reached these boys, it seemed. That wasn’t good.
Joey stood from his seat as someone emerged from the swinging door. Her long hair was pulled into a ponytail over her right shoulder, her black-rimmed glasses sitting high on her nose.
He stopped . Patty’s grandchild wasn’t actually a child. She was an adult woman – and a pretty one, too.
Maybe there was more to this tea shop than unruly kids.
Joey gawked at her gliding through the tea shop, a black apron tied around her waist. She stopped when she reached him.
“Thanks for that,” she said, smiling as she loaded a tray with cups and plates. “They’d paid almost an hour ago but refused to leave.”
“No problem. They seemed like they were up to no good.” He cleared his throat and thrust out his hand. “I’m Joey, by the way. Russell’s new pilot.”
“Oh! ” She wiped her hand on her apron before shaking his. “I’ve heard so much about you.”
He raised an eyebrow. “All good things?”
She laughed, reaching to gather the last plate from the table. “It wasn’t bad , exactly. My mom, Sheila, is Russell’s accountant. She’s also his girlfriend, but that’s another story.” She stood, balancing the tray on her hip. “She didn’t think Russell’s idea to hire a full-time pilot was the most economical decision.”
“Ah.” Joey smiled. “No, she’s right. I’m a horrible waste of money.”
She put a hand up. “No! I don’t – that’s not what I meant. She was hesitant at first, but she said you’ve been so helpful with getting people to the sea pen site and dealing with some of the divas coming through.”
He nodded. “Yeah, those whale researchers really expect the red carpet rolled out for them.”
She laughed again. “Right. Them. ”
He knew what she meant. There was a certain pop singer who had thought she could show up and secure a photo-op by the sea pen site without actually being involved. Joey had flown her around the island for an hour until she agreed to at least make a donation.
“Can I get you a menu?” she asked.
Joey slipped into a nearby seat and smiled up at her. “Yes, please. And your name when you have a chance.”
She frowned. “Oh, sorry. I’m Eliza.”
“Eliza. Nice to meet you.”
“I’ll be back to get your order.”
She disappeared through the swinging door. He pulled out his phone and searched Pebble Bay bank robberies.
A video with edited security footage popped up – FAINT AND FURIOUS: HILARIOUS BANK ROBBERY REACTION!
“Here’s the menu.” She handed him a thick spiral-bound booklet. “You’ll find information about all of our teas, and on this page, we have our food specials.”
Joey tucked his phone away. “Thanks.” He paused. “Those kids were trying to tease you about the bank robbery, right?”
“They tried, but the joke is on them.”
He set the menu down. “Oh yeah?”
“Five months ago, a red car with damage to the rear bumper was spotted doing donuts on the campsites at San Juan County Park. The last four digits of the license plate were 5824.”
He raised an eyebrow. “And you know this how?”
“It was in the papers.” She nodded at the window overlooking the small parking lot. “You’ll never believe the license plate on the car those kids were driving.”
“A red car with damage to the bumper and a plate with the last four digits being 5284?”
“5824,” she corrected. “There was no damage to the bumper, but the color was slightly different than the rest of the car, which could mean nothing. But I’ve got a feeling it does mean something.”
He sat back, mouth dropped open. “Did you call the police on those kids?”
A grin spread on her face. “Just Chief Hank. He’s a friend of Granny’s. He’ll probably pull them over and give them a stern talking-to. Scare the daylights out of them.” She laughed. “I’ll call it even.”
Even .
Joey had some things he’d like to erase from his record like that. “It’s impressive you remembered the license plate.”
“I have a good memory.” She shrugged. “Let me know if you have any questions about the menu. I’ll be back in a minute.”
She glided back through the swinging door as he sat, staring. The tearoom smelled of bergamot and vanilla. The menu was thick, each page a wall of text about the qualities of the tea listed.
He forced his eyes onto the page. Hot Cinnamon Spice, Harney and Sons – black tea, orange peel, cinnamon, cloves.
“Ready to order?”
He startled. Eliza was hovering just above him. “Uh, sure. I’ll have a pot of this.”
“The hot cinnamon spice? That is one of my absolute favorite teas. It’s super sweet but doesn’t have any sugar.”
“How’s that possible?”
She looked him dead in the eyes, her eyes round, her lips flat. “It’s magic. Tea is magic.”
He cracked a smile. “You’re funny, you know that?”
“That’s what we offer here. Five-star jokes, all day long.” She tilted her head. “Anything else for you?”
“Yeah.” He leaned forward, his hands resting on the table. “I want you to help me with something.”
Eliza tucked the menu under her arm. “Okay.”
“Help me find the bank robber.”
She raised an eyebrow. “How about I get your tea and—”
“I’m serious. Did you hear about the reward?”
She shook her head.
He went on. “One hundred thousand dollars to whoever can help catch him. We could split it.”
“I think you’re confused about my skill set,” she said. “I make tea. And cupcakes. Do you want a cupcake?”
That had to be the vanilla he’d smelled. Of course he wanted one, but… “This guy has robbed thirteen banks and they can’t catch him. You’re the only one who talked to him. You must remember something about him with that great memory of yours.”
She sighed. “I don’t know.”
“You just solved that vandalism case,” he added. “Listen, I’ve got a plane.”
“How’s that going to help?” She drew her eyebrows together, her eyes focused.
“I don’t know. We can fly around looking for him?”
He stared at her, unblinking. Say yes. I need you to say yes.
She stared back at him, took a deep breath, and said, “I’m going to get your tea.”
She disappeared again, and this time, Joey could swear he saw her smiling as she turned the corner.