Chapter 1 #3
Clark’s mouth twitched, but he didn’t confirm it. “Whoever it was had a right to call. You want to dig? Do it in daylight. You’re the mayor’s wife, and you control this property. No one’s going to stop you from investigating the land at a reasonable hour.”
“We acted on impulse,” Ivy said, trying to ignore the guilty twinges in her chest.
“And you just happened to have shovels in your car.” Clark crouched beside their excavation.
He ran a beam of light along the exposed edge of the buried object.
After a moment, he straightened. “Could be anything. Could be nothing. But if it turns out to be significant, you’ll want documentation with photographs and proper handling.
You’ve been in similar situations at the inn, so you know what to do. ”
“We wouldn’t be here except for Ben—” Ivy cut herself off, feeling a little embarrassed. Clark had a reasonable point, and she sounded like a teenager shifting blame. Not her finest moment.
He met Ivy’s gaze. “That’s between you two. Just continue whatever you’re doing in daylight. And give me a call before you start, so I know not to respond to any more concerned citizen reports.”
Ivy nodded, understanding his point of view. “I wasn’t thinking about that.”
Shelly put a hand on her hip. “Go easy on Ives. She was only thinking about our mansplaining brother and his partner in crime.”
Clark motioned for them to follow him. “Like I said, if Amelia Erickson buried something here, it’s waited this long. It can wait until daylight.”
Hastily, Shelly and Ivy shoved dirt back into the hole, tamped it down, and scraped dry leaves over it all.
Clark walked them back to Ivy’s car, waiting as they placed the shovels in the trunk. Ivy started the engine, breaking the quiet night.
“Drive safely,” Clark said. “And ladies? Next time you plan a covert operation, consider that Darla watches this area like it’s her personal domain. She’ll see you, even if you dress in dark clothes like a bunch of bandits.”
Ivy managed a weak smile. “So noted.”
Clark stood beside his patrol car, waiting until they left.
As Ivy pulled away, Poppy broke the silence. “What now?”
Ivy glanced at Shelly in the rearview mirror. “We come back after the weekend.”
Her sister leaned forward. “But we’re so close. How about in the morning?”
“We have guests,” Ivy said. “That means breakfast, the morning walk, and yoga classes.”
“Don’t forget the early check-in family,” Poppy added. “We can’t all disappear without explanation and leave Sunny in charge.”
Ivy checked the time. “We might as well go to the book club now.”
Shelly and Poppy muttered their agreement, so she turned toward Ginger’s cottage, the Chevy’s headlights cutting through the darkness. “Let’s circle back next week on a slow day. Sunny can watch the inn when it’s quiet.”
“And if we don’t find anything?” Poppy asked.
“Then Forrest and Bennett get to say, ‘I told you so,’ and we move on.” Ivy pulled up outside the cottage, where laughter spilled from open windows. “But if there is something...”
Shelly opened her door. “Then we’ll have found it first.”
“Don’t forget the books,” Ivy said.
She wondered how they would manage the next few days thinking about what Amelia Erickson might have buried beneath the future library.
Would Clark mention this to Bennett? She might have to let her husband in on this operation after all. Their actions might have been foiled tonight, but soon enough they’d find out what had been buried there.
Tonight, the book club meeting was more about planning for the upcoming holiday season in Summer Beach than discussing the book they’d read, although they did that, too.
After the meeting, Ivy piled into the car with Shelly and Poppy. She would drop off Shelly before returning to the inn.
As they passed Java Beach, Shelly sat up and pointed. “Oh, my gosh, what happened? The outdoor chairs have been thrown all over the place. Ivy, pull over. I’ve got to call Mitch.”
Poppy looked out. “And look at the building. We should call the chief, too. Maybe it’s a robbery.”
Ivy pulled to a stop, gaping at the side of the building. Far from graffiti or urban folk art, angry slashes of black spray paint were hastily rendered and deeply disturbing. Last year, Mitch hired a local artist to paint a charming vintage beach scene on the side of the building.
Mitch answered, and Shelly put him on speakerphone. “Mitch, something happened at Java Beach.” Quickly, she told him what they saw.
Keys jangled in the background, and Mitch’s voice was stern. “Call the police. Stay away, and don’t go in there. I’ll come to you in a few minutes.”
“What about Daisy?”
“She’s coming with me. We’re already out the door, so get out of there.”
Poppy had already dialed the police. When the dispatcher came on the phone, she gave them the address and told them what happened.
Her heart pounding, Ivy started the car, pulled across the street and parked farther away. She turned off the lights. Interrupting a robbery, if that’s what it was, could be dangerous.
While they waited, Java Beach remained dark and silent, with no discernible movement inside.
Shelly rubbed her forehead. “Who would destroy such a beautiful painting?”
“Someone angry with an obvious grudge,” Ivy said, watching the area for any movement. “Has Mitch mentioned anyone giving him trouble? Customers or former employees?”
Shelly shook her head. “Most people love Mitch.”
In the rearview mirror, Ivy saw a police car pull up in front of Java Beach. Two young officers got out to walk around and inspect the property. Chief Clarkson arrived and joined them.
Ivy watched them circle the building, shaking their heads.
Mitch pulled up behind them in the Jeep, his lights off. With Daisy in his arms, he raced toward her. “Take her and stay here. I’ll talk to Clark.”
“It doesn’t look like they found anything,” Shelly said, taking Daisy, who watched the unusual activities with wide eyes. She ran her little hands over the red leather seats, cooing at the bright color.
Mitch gazed at the spray-painted destruction on the wall with dismay. Grim faced, he said, “I need to see if they gained entry.”
Shelly pressed Daisy to her heart. “You’re such a good girl. Stay quiet for me.”
The toddler seemed to understand and looked around with curiosity, watching while her father spoke to the police officers. They went inside and emerged again shortly afterward.
Mitch gave them an all-clear signal with a wave.
Shelly let out a breath. “Oh, thank goodness it wasn’t worse.”
“Clark’s a great guy but seeing him twice in one night on police business is a little much,” Ivy said.
“I can’t tell Mitch what we did earlier now,” Shelly said, chewing her lip. “He won’t be in the mood to understand.” She blinked as Mitch strode to the car.
“Nothing was disturbed inside,” he said, blowing out a breath.
“The chief says it’s probably random vandalism, but I’m not so sure.
Tomorrow, they’ll check to see if anyone saw anything.
Jen and George have cameras on the hardware store, so maybe those recorded something.
There’s nothing we can do tonight, babe. ”
“I’m so relieved,” Shelly said, smoothing her hand over Daisy’s back. “Can we leave now?”
“I’ve got to finalize the report, but you can all go. I’ll meet you at home. We have a big day tomorrow.”