Chapter 25
OCEAN
Ocean yawned in the driver’s seat as she followed the morning traffic onto State Street.
She’d stayed up too late the night before, doomscrolling art videos and stand-up comics and terrifying advice about dating.
Even the vocabulary frightened her: “anxious attachment” and “breadcrumbing” and “rizz” and “situationship.”
“Sleepy?” Mrs. B asked.
“Mm. I should join the water aerobics class for a pick-me-up.”
“You absolutely should,” Mrs. B said, as warm September air flowed into the car windows despite the early hour. “But not today. Turn here.”
“It’s five blocks too early.”
“Here, here!”
Ocean kept straight through the intersection. “Why?”
“Now you have to turn around! We’re not going to the Y, Ocean. We’re meeting CJ for coffee at Common Grounds so we can figure out who murdered Frank DeYoung.”
Ocean glared at Mrs. B. “We’re meeting CJ? And you didn’t mention this because?”
“You would’ve complained.”
“I’m still going to complain.”
“Yes, but now I only have to listen to it once. CJ isn’t coming to the Y right now. She’s so upset, poor thing.”
“I’m aware.”
“Well, awareness isn’t enough! She needs a friendly face, so I said we should meet for coffee. Since you were already driving me, I thought I’d bring along my friend with a gift for investigation.”
“So Lily-Ann’s going to meet us?”
“Ha! No, I meant you.”
Ocean tightened her grip on the steering wheel. “Is CJ expecting me?”
“Probably?”
“Let me rephrase that, you horrible old woman. Did you tell her I’m coming?”
“Not in so many words, no. But she knows me.”
Ocean didn’t bother responding, she just took a left at the drugstore, which also led to the coffee shop.
“Oh, this way works, too,” Mrs. B said. “We have to support her, Ocean. She’s innocent, but we still need a strategy for proving that.”
Ocean let out a breath. “So what’s the strategy?”
“How on earth would I know? We’ll start with a simple interrogation.”
At a break in the traffic, Ocean turned onto De La Vina Street.
She drove in silence, pretty certain that “interrogation” wasn’t part of the new dating lingo.
And if she’d known she was seeing CJ, she would’ve at least put on some lip gloss.
Maybe another tank top. The only good thing about this surprise coffee date was that Mrs. B was scheming again.
The old woman still had a lot of life left in her.
Mrs. B’s bracelets jangled as she waved toward the coffee shop. “This used to be a Taco Bell. I once backed my car over that ledge. So you shouldn’t worry so much about my driving.”
“Because you were always terrible at it?”
“Exactly. I haven’t gotten any worse.”
“I’m not sure that’s as comforting as you think.” Ocean parked near the entrance, then hustled around the car in case Mrs. B needed help. “Does CJ know you want to ask about Frank’s death?”
Mrs. B waved her away. “The police told her not to leave town, Ocean, she’s frightened.”
“I can’t believe she agreed to meet you before me.”
“There’s a good reason for that,” Mrs. B told her.
“Which is?”
“You didn’t bribe her,” Mrs. B said, then strode across the lot and pushed inside.
The door jingled overhead as Ocean followed her in, trying not to think about that “bribe.” Common Grounds was a fairly generic local café, with a line of flavored coffees in heated urns and nothing more sophisticated on the menu than a chai latte.
“Oh, look!” Mrs. B waved enthusiastically. “She’s already here. CJ!”
CJ rose from a table against the tinted window, wearing a gray top and a black skirt. Black beads hung around her neck instead of the usual crystal she wore. For mourning. Her eyes were swollen from crying, though her gorgeous auburn hair still struck Ocean as lush and abandoned.
When Mrs. B hugged her, CJ’s wry smile looked warm and steady.
Ocean took her in a firm embrace. “I’m so glad Mrs. B bullied you into this. I missed you.”
“Me, too. I’m sorry. I needed to hide my head in the sand for a bit.”
“There’s nothing to apologize for. How are you holding up?”
CJ tapped a few loose pieces of paper on her table. “Better now.”
“Oh, uh, what are—”
“First, you two order, then we’ll talk!” Mrs. B interrupted, and handed over her credit card. “This is my treat. Get me a black tea with lemon and sugar, and don’t forget the lemon. Or the sugar. And something sweet. Whatever looks good. Shoo, shoo!”
“I’m sorry if you weren’t expecting me,” Ocean said, as she and CJ headed for the counter.
“Stop,” CJ said. “I’m glad to see a friendly face.”
“Oh, right. I suppose his wife doesn’t want to keep you on…”
“I don’t know what I’ll do next. Frank hired me right out of college. Honestly, I don’t know how to do anything else.”
“What exactly did you do for him?”
“Everything. Managing the staff, dealing with the house. Fixing his phone for the hundredth time. Shopping for clothes, organizing his meds, handling financial advisors and lawyers.”
“So you have experience managing a multimillion-dollar property. That sounds pretty transferrable to me.”
CJ’s eyes crinkled with a smile. “I don’t know if I could do this for anyone else.”
“You were close.”
“Like you and Mrs. B.”
“So he made you crazy.”
“Ha! That, too.”
“If you did all that for him, what did his wife do? What’s her name, Karina?”
“Yeah. She bought things for the house and … I guess she gave him something to cherish.”
“He loved her?”
“Yeah. Poor Frank. He so wished that Karina and I got along better. She’s always been insecure about me. I was there first, I’m younger. I guess she saw me as a rival? She always felt the need to make clear that I was staff, not family. Except Frank didn’t really agree.”
“They fought about that?”
“Frank wasn’t big on fighting. He was more of an enabler.”
When they returned to the table with the food and drinks, Mrs. B said, “So enough with your romantic getaway!”
“Is that what that was?” Ocean said.
“Of course! Like a walk on the beach, with less walking. And less beach. So did CJ tell you that she lost her job and her housing?”
“Oh, shit,” Ocean said. “No.”
“Karina kicked me out last night,” CJ said.
“Goddamn.”
“Yeah. I mean, the room was part of my salary. Which mattered less fifteen years ago, when you could still rent in this town. But nowadays? Trying to find a twenty-five-hundred-a-month studio without a job? Impossible.” CJ tapped the paper on the table.
“So even though I know it’s a little … whatever … I’m so grateful for this.”
Ocean looked closer and saw the word lease. “You already found a place?”
“Well, more like the place found me.” She smiled at Mrs. B. “I can’t thank you enough.”
“Don’t be silly,” Mrs. B said, with a smug slurp of tea. “We’re lucky to have you.”
Ocean felt her smile freeze. “Oh! You’re renting Sophie’s place to CJ?”
“I know I mentioned that to you.”
“Right. Yes, of course,” she said, instead of panicking.
She wasn’t ready for this! She wasn’t ready for CJ to move across the courtyard. Were they dating? Hooking up? Seeing each other? Oh, god, was this a situationship? She didn’t know!
“Is that okay?” CJ asked.
“It’s better than okay. It’s great. You need a place and we have a place. It’s how places work.”
“Am I imagining this?” CJ asked Mrs. B.
“No, no, she’s absolutely panicking. Look at her poor face! Don’t worry, she’ll get used to the idea.”
“It’s only temporary,” CJ assured Ocean.
“I’m not panicking. I’m just surprised. It’s honestly fine. It’s great.”
“And now that that’s settled,” Mrs. B sang out, before turning her concerned gaze to CJ. “Tell us everything you remember about that night. To help the investigation.”
“If you want to,” Ocean added, unclenching her jaw. “I’m not sure what she told you, but we’re not—”
CJ interrupted with a wave of her coffee cup. “It’s fine. I don’t mind. Mrs. B explained all about the Marigold Cottages Innocence Project.”
“Oh, did she?”
“Mm,” Mrs. B said. “And CJ is sure it was an accident.”
“Of course it was an accident! Everyone loved Frank. He was a remarkable man. He was just so … kind.” CJ looked down at the foam on her coffee. “I guess that doesn’t sound like much. It’s not genius or greatness. Frank had his moments of those, too, but nothing mattered more than his kindness.”
“He sounds lovely,” Mrs. B said. “Now, then, I believe Ocean has questions?”
“You’re going to make me do this?”
Mrs. B made an innocent, fluttery gesture and Ocean sipped her coffee to control her temper.
Most of her questions were for Mrs. B, and best accompanied by shouting.
This wasn’t a coffee; it was an ambush. Although of course Mrs. B had rented Sophie’s studio to CJ.
She loved nothing more than helping someone in need—and having an excuse to poke around in their business.
And it’s not like Ocean didn’t want CJ to move in.
The cottage was empty and she’d been kicked out of the Hope Ranch mansion.
Still, she could’ve used a goddamn heads-up.
“Let’s start with his wife,” she said, setting her coffee aside. “Do you think Karina honestly believes she saw you push him?”
“Definitely.” CJ brushed a strand of her burnished hair off her face. “She wouldn’t lie about that. She doesn’t like me, but she wouldn’t frame me for murder.”
“Even if she did it herself?”
“She would never kill Frank. She was doing everything she could to extend his life. She’d even started him on a vegan diet. Well, she tried to. For once he dug in his heels.”
“Okay, but people do terrible things for money. Are you in the will? Maybe she wants you out of the way, so she can inherit everything?”
“I am in the will—”
“Aha!” Mrs. B said.
“—but I’m not getting enough for her to care about. A hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars, which is nothing to Karina.”
“That’s a pretty specific amount,” Ocean said.
CJ wrinkled her nose. “Yeah, Frank wanted to leave me a quarter million, Karina wanted to leave me nothing. They compromised.”
“She told you that?”
“I didn’t mind. He didn’t need to leave me anything, you know? He didn’t owe me. I owed him. He took care of me for a lot of years, then I took care of him.”
Mrs. B asked, “Are you sure about the size of your bequest?”
“I dealt with the estate lawyers, I’ve seen the will. It’s not a secret. Frank wasn’t secretive about that kind of thing.”
“Who else got money?” Ocean asked.
“The rest of the staff. A few distant family members, but the overwhelming balance went to Karina.”
“What about his philanthropic giving?”
CJ’s mouth turned down. “That wasn’t his finest moment. He didn’t leave anything to nonprofits. He just included language asking Karina to treat them generously.”
“Why not give them the money himself?”
“Because he didn’t want to be controlling from beyond the grave.
Even though I encouraged him to. What could be more fun than crazy demands in your will?
I guess he dug his heels in with me, that time.
” She smiled at the memory. “He didn’t make any demands in the will, just suggestions.
The money is Karina’s to spend however she wants. ”
Ocean didn’t understand estates and trusts, so she texted Lily-Ann and Hamilton to look into them while Mrs. B asked, “Was it normal for Frank to go upstairs before the party was over?”
“Inevitable. He’d say goodbye, then leave Karina to see the guests out.”
Mrs. B set her tea on the saucer. “And did anything unusual happen during the party?”
“Not that I noticed. Jane bragged about meeting the Dalai Lama, Karina bragged about her mad bocce skills. Helene ate twice her weight in finger foods, and George talked about a novel I’ve never heard of.”
“So was it just you and Frank upstairs when he fell?” Ocean asked.
“Karina, too.” CJ’s eyes glimmered with tears. “I was sticking close because he’s been so weak lately. She rushed to join us. She didn’t like when people saw me taking care of him.”
“Then there was a crash?”
“A wine bottle rolled off the bar. I mean, a liquor bottle. And everyone looked, including Frank.” CJ fell silent, her gaze growing distant.
“That’s why he slipped. I reached for him and he fell.
I know Karina is grieving, and this isn’t about me, but she didn’t need to kick me out.
I guess I hoped we could put aside our differences, but she blames me for his death. ”
She started to cry, then shook her head as if to deny she was crying. Ocean took her hand and Mrs. B said, “Well, we’re happy to welcome you to the Marigold Cottages. Do you have a place to stay tonight?”
“A hotel room. There’s no rush, I’m okay for a few days.”
As Mrs. B demanded that CJ move in the next day, Ocean texted the group chat:
Ocean
Mrs. B just invited the prime suspect to live with us
Lily-Ann
I should have anticipated that.
Hamilton
You mean CJ? Your paramour?
Ocean
She’s not my paramour
Hamilton
Sorry. Your lady friend?
Ocean looked at her screen blankly for a few seconds.
Ocean
Let’s not label the situation
Hamilton
Oh, it’s a situationship. Got it!
Ocean closed her phone. “More coffee, anyone?”