Chapter 21 Margo
MARGO
She sat listening to the exchange between Holt and Mina.
Her eyebrows shot up when she realized Mina was right, and no one even noticed when Alvin Frost sold up and left town.
They had all just put it down to his grief over the loss of his wife and the fallout with his son, who wouldn’t even look at his father at his mother’s funeral.
But now that Margo thought about it… It was soon after Alvin left Sandpiper Shores that Nigel had closed the case and claimed that his mother’s car crash was an accident after all.
And that Gilbert Fry had been the one who set the cabin alight.
After that, Nigel became distant from the people in town and shut down anyone who spoke about the fire or his mother’s accident.
Most people in town just put his change in attitude down to losing his mother, who Nigel was close to, and then turning his back on his father.
But not one of them even considered that maybe there was a more sinister motive for Alvin leaving town and Nigel shutting everything down the way he did.
But the timing fit, and Mina seemed to think that Alvin was not the virtuous man he claimed to be.
Then there was Sienna. While Margo had seen Victoria be really horrid and downright biting to her daughter, Margo knew that Sienna was no angel either.
She’d often snapped back at her mother, only they never got to see where that dynamic went because Victoria would usually march them both out of the public eye.
Sienna could be lying about who she was keeping the safe for. Margo turned to Rad.
“Rad, what exactly did Sienna tell you about the safe she was keeping?” Margo asked him.
“I was asked to keep the safe secret and secure for my father,” Rad answered.
“Are you sure that’s what she said?” June quickly pounced on that wording, and Margo could see why.
“Yeah,” Rad said with a nod. “I have a very good memory for that sort of thing.”
“He does,” both Holt and Mina agreed in unison.
“He’s just like his father and grandfather,” Mina stated proudly.
“Did she say who gave her the safe to keep for her father?” June asked.
“I presumed Tom gave it to her,” Rad said. “If it was a secret that no one else knew about, that would mean Tom gave it to her, wanting to keep it secret.”
“Oh, no, sweetheart,” Mina said, glancing at her grandson. “Women like Sienna always use their words carefully, especially if she was trying to protect someone else.”
“No, if Sienna said it was for her father,” Harvey insisted. “Then it was for her father.”
“I can find out the truth,” Ace offered. “She wants me to go to a concert with her in Gainesville the day after I get back from taking the day campers for an overnight camping trip.”
“Oh, so you’re going to take her to that concert?” Willa asked Ace.
Margo bit her tongue, seeing the flash of hurt in her best friend’s eyes.
Oh, Willa, open your eyes and see what’s right in front of you before it’s too late.
But Margo said nothing, not wanting to get into another heated debate with her best friend about Ace’s true feelings towards Willa.
Or that her best friend was running away from what everyone with eyes could see she felt for him in return.
Willa was still clinging to the memory of Shaun and not wanting to betray her children, rather than face her own feelings for Ace.
And now was not the time for the argument either.
Margo turned back to the conversation at hand as Ace said, “Yes, I told you the other day that I was. I asked if you wanted to join us. I know you like the band we’re going to see.”
“No, I really can’t,” Willa said stubbornly.
“You know we’re shorthanded at the fire station so I can’t just take off on a whim to watch a concert.
” Her remark came out a little cuttingly.
Then she turned away from Ace. Her body language spoke volumes as the space between them may not have gotten physically wider, but emotionally, Margo saw the huge crevice that had just appeared.
“Holt and Mom, maybe, Rad, Margo, and I can take a trip to go see Nigel.”
“Oh, so you can go to a town almost five to six hours away?” Ace raised his brows.
“It’s for work, Ace,” Willa pointed out coldly. “You know the place where we actually have work contracts and don’t have the luxury of working when we want to, like consultants do.”
Okay, time to jump in. Margo leaned forward. “I think that’s a great idea.” She turned to Holt. “If we go see Nigel, we can do so on a ruse that we were in the neighborhood and decided to drop in.”
“I do need some new clothes,” Willa stated. “And let’s face it, Palm Beach has a lot better selection.”
“And it’s my Goddaughter’s seventeenth soon,” Margo said, her eyes sparkling. “I’m sure Grace would love that dress she’s been admiring in her catalogue, Palm Beach Wear.”
“As long as it’s pretend,” Willa stated. “That dress costs almost as much as my car does.”
“My treat,” Margo argued and then turned back to Holt. “Maybe we can find out about Alvin as well. I think when Nigel left, he left behind whatever happened here right before he closed down the cases, and that’s why he won’t answer your calls.”
“Or he’s as guilty as sin for covering up for someone in this town,” Ace pointed out.
“Yeah, like his father,” Harvey sneered, shocking Margo, who turned toward him.
Harvey only ever used that tone when it was about his father, and then she remembered.
Harvey’s uncle had once accused Alvin of setting his brother up to get caught.
That Harvey’s father had gone legit, but it was Alvin and his ring of elite thugs who didn’t want him to.
They were profiting off the very nice cars that went through Harvey’s father’s ‘auto repair’ shop.
“Harvey, dear,” Mina said, her one brow rising. “Why don’t you remind my son about what your uncle accused Alvin Frost, Victoria’s father, and her older brother of?”
Harvey looked at her and nodded, then turned to Holt. “My uncle told the police that if they were going to arrest my father, then they had to arrest Alvin and Victoria Morrison’s father and brother as well.”
“I think I remember something about that,” Holt said. “I wasn’t paying much attention to what was going on here at the time, though.” He gave Harvey an apologetic look. “I’m sorry, Harvey, I should’ve been there for your uncle back then. He and I were good friends once.”
“It’s okay,” Harvey said, and Margo’s heart squeezed for him.
Harvey really was a good guy. One that everyone seemed to take advantage of.
And being the man he was and fearing of ever becoming his father, Harvey always went above and beyond for everyone.
Even more so for Sienna and her brother Clive.
Margo’s eyes narrowed as she made a mental note to find out more about Mina’s hinted accusations regarding Sienna.
She was a snooty bully, but at the same time, like Harvey, people felt sorry for her, and, as June once said, they excused her rude behavior because of how Victoria treated her.
What if Victoria were the one who was being mistreated and reacting to that?
Margo gave herself a mental shake. Good grief, did I just defend the wicked witch of Sandpiper Shores?
This case really was boggling her mind. But still, it was a point worth making and looking into. So she leaned forward on her elbows.
“I think also,” Margo knew this was going to quietly hit Willa in the heart, but it was for the greater good.
“Maybe Ace, you could find out who is the bigger bully in the Morrison household.” She lifted her hands in the air in a weighing motion.
“Is it Victoria that’s the bully, and Sienna is the way she is because of that?
” She pushed up the other hand. “Or is it Sienna that’s the bully, who loves to portray it the other way around for her own gain… ”
“And Victoria is the cow reacting to being bullied?” Rad finished for her.
Margo nodded. “And as Ace is her latest fixation…”
“I’ve been selected to go undercover and find out,” Ace guessed.
“I can do that,” Harvey said. “In fact, I can answer it now. It’s Victoria who is the malicious bully in the Morrison house. Even her son is trying to get away from the entire family and has applied to a university in Miami, where he wants to stay and work.”
“Yes, I believe he is throwing in the badge to become an engineer,” Mina drawled. “Good for him. Besides his father, Clive is the only other one in that household I’d trust.”
“Mother, you just don’t like Victoria or Sienna,” Holt said on a sigh, then turned to Ace. “I have to agree with Margo on this one.” His eyes narrowed. “Can you do it?”
“Of course,” Ace said. “It will mean I have to accept Victoria's pre-leaving party dinner invitation at the yacht club.”
“Victoria’s having a pre-leaving party?” June looked at Ace in amazement.
“Yup!” Ace blew out a breath. “The woman does love attention.”
“Good grief!” June breathed. “What’s she going to have for her leaving party?”
“Probably a full parade,” Margo offered. “Then a massive street party complete with a fair, stalls, and farewell speeches.”
“Margo,” Willa said with a laugh. “That’s what you’re planning to do when Victoria leaves. You’ve been planning the ‘Move Victoria to Miami Party’ since you found out she's moving to Miami…” Her face dropped, and she glanced up. “Miami!”
“What about Miami?” Ace asked, and Willa gave him a cold look before dismissing him and turning to her mother and Holt.
“It’s probably nothing.”
“But…” June asked.
Willa’s head turned to Margo. “Do you remember the day of…” Her eyes darkened. “That day ten years ago. We were at Teacups right before Shaun, and Travis left on that call.”
“I…” Margo tried to think, but her mind always seemed to draw a blank when she thought about that day. She tried only remembering how happy she’d been before everything went so horribly wrong. “What about it?”