The Herringbone Harbor Mystery by Sally Goldenbaum

Author:Sally Goldenbaum [Goldenbaum, Sally]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Kensington Books
Published: 2024-08-16T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 23

Cass was up early the next day. She stumbled out of bed, her head a mess of dreams that hadn’t made much sense. A shower didn’t help much, either.

“Cass, go do something,” Danny said to his wife as he dished up pancakes for her and their son, Joey. “Sam and I are playing hooky from our jobs today to take Joey and Abby to the train museum in Wenham. And we don’t want your long face along. It’d scare the other kids at the museum.”

Cass managed a smile, and a reminder to Danny to take water bottles and extra diapers. Then she gave extra hugs to her small family before she walked out the back door.

She glanced at her car, then her bike, and then finally decided a jog would work best. As long as she was playing hooky, too, it might as well be on foot. A jog to the Lazy Lobster might jiggle her body parts back into their proper position and untangle her thoughts.

It was too early for the restaurant to open, but she hoped she’d find Gracie there. Maybe weeding her garden. They’d hug, and she’d make sure her friend was doing okay, and then she’d get back to the Halloran Lobster Company and try to distract herself from things—such as murder—by checking out the month’s profits.

She spotted Gracie’s truck in the lot, but the café’s front door was locked. When she walked around the restaurant, the garden was empty, save for two rabbits enjoying a healthy breakfast of carrot tops.

Then she heard signs of human life coming from the restaurant’s back deck area and walked in that direction. Halfway to the deck steps she stopped, realizing that someone was talking on a phone. She started to walk toward the side door, hoping to find Gracie in the kitchen. But the voice from the deck reached her again and she stopped, recognizing Bobby’s voice.

His tone was worried. Not the cheery voice he’d greeted her with a few days before.

“No. Please don’t,” he was saying. “I told you before, it would be bad. It’s so messed up.”

Cass heard another voice then, though inaudible, and realized the cell phone was on speaker, and she moved away, not wanting to hear. Hearing one side was bad enough. She tried the kitchen door, but it was locked.

Looking back toward the deck, she heard muffled, far away crying.

Then Bobby spoke. “No, I beg you. You can’t. It would just make it harder. For both of us. Even the cops agree.”

There was total silence. Then Bobby spoke again, his voice much softer.

“I’m sorry. I know you hurt, I know. But it’s so messy, all of it.”

The speaker connection was faulty, and Cass could only hear fragments on the other end.

There was silence for a minute, and Cass thought he had hung up.

But Bobby spoke once more. His voice soft and almost kind now, with only stray words and phrases falling from the deck to Cass’s ears. The word love.

The next sound she heard were footsteps walking across the deck.

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