Murder on the Half Shell (A Red Carpet Catering Mystery Book 2) (18 page)

Chapter 30

Jeanne, Joey and Penelope followed Detective Torres down the stairs as she escorted a handcuffed Rose to the door of the Inn. When they reached the landing, they noticed a crowd gathering on the main floor. Most of the cast and crew who were staying at the Inn had come in from the pool or out of their rooms to see what was happening. Emilio was in the foyer talking with Shane, and all four of Penelope’s chefs and Regan stood together in the doorway of the library, still wearing their chef coats. Everyone was milling around with looks of concern on their faces.

“Aunt Rose!” Regan called to her. “What’s going on?”

“Regan, what are you doing here? You know you’re not allowed to be at the Inn,” Rose said.

Regan looked at her, a confused expression on his face. “What do you mean? I’m not a little kid anymore. You can’t forbid me from going places.”

“You shouldn’t be in this building. It’s disrespectful to your grandmother,” Rose said. She tried to tug her hands away from Detective Torres but she held on to Rose tighter. “You know, just because she isn’t here to tell you what to do doesn’t mean you can just do whatever you please.”

“Aunt Rose, what are you talking about?” Regan asked.

“I know you think you’re all grown up, but you’re not. I saw you, you know, the other night when you were with that drug addict chef,” she glared at Emilio, “and those two stupid girls, stumbling around drunk as can be. I followed you to make sure you wouldn’t get caught, driving around drunk like a damn fool.”

“I wasn’t drunk, Aunt Rose,” Regan said. “Wait, you followed me?”

“Yes, I did. I made a promise to your grandmother I would always look out for your father and now I have to look out for you too. And it’s a good thing I did. You’re already making stupid choices.” Rose eyed him up and down.

“Aunt Rose, if you were following us, then you must have seen what happened to Rebekkah and Sabena. Wait, did you see me leave?” Regan asked.

“Yes, I saw you leave,” Rose said. “And then I saw those two silly girls come stumbling out of his house and call after you. They were so drunk they thought they could run and catch up to your car. I pulled up to them and offered them a ride back to town.”

“I found their lipstick in the backseat of your car today,” Penelope said. “And I called Detective Torres to let her know.”

“I saw you poking around in my car. That’s when I decided to come here and finally settle the score with Betty Jeanne,” Rose said. “That and seeing that they’ve started working on that restaurant even after everything I’ve done to stop it from opening.”

Detective Torres listened with interest and turned to look at Emilio. “What happened to the girls after you picked them up?” she demanded, looking back at Rose.

Rose smirked and looked around the room at the crowd that had gathered. “You are all so stupid. Those girls got in my backseat and were laughing and crying and making no sense at all.  They kept whining over and over again that they didn’t want to go home and get in trouble with their parents. I didn’t think they’d even remember being in my car at all, so I thought I could use them to get rid of you.” She glared at Emilio again. “I told them that they should go inside that empty building and rest for a while and sober up before heading home. I took their phones, turned them off and locked the door.”

“Why didn’t you think to let them out of there the next day?” Detective Torres asked.

Rose shrugged her shoulders and said, “And let everyone know it was me who locked them in there? I don’t think so.” She laughed and looked at Emilio. “He was always in and out of there. I knew he’d come and find them eventually. And then I’d call the police while he was inside and get him arrested and thrown off the island.”

“Unbelievable,” Emilio snorted. He turned to Shane and said, “You’ve brought me onto an island full of crazy people.”

Shane shrugged and looked at him incredulously. “It’s Rose from the beach shop! I’ve known her my whole life!”

“Rose,” Penelope asked, “how did you get the padlock open to let them inside?”

Rose sniffed, “That was easy. The town manager always leaves his keys lying around. And he’s got a set for each of the cabins. I ask him if I can borrow his keys to make duplicates all the time. He never thinks anything of it. I just had to slip off the padlock key, make a copy and return it. It’s not like he opens the padlock regularly. I could have kept it for days.”

“But how did the girls OD? They were just drunk when I dropped them off at Emilio’s. I heard them say something about taking a pharm, but that wouldn’t do it, would it?” Regan asked, looking at Joey.

“It depends on what they took,” Joey said, looking at Detective Torres. “It does seem odd that they blacked out around the same time. They must have been on something else.”

“Heroin,” Rose said, laughing again.

“Excuse me?” Detective Torres said, looking at Rose.

“They smoked heroin. I laced some cigarettes with it and asked them to leave the pack behind inside his restaurant,” Rose said smiling. “I thought if the police found heroin on his property, a known drug addict, they would arrest him and kick him out of here. The blonde one bummed a cigarette off of me in the car. I could tell she wasn’t a smoker, but I gave her the pack and told her to leave them inside for Emilio.”

“Aunt Rose, where did you get heroin?” Regan asked in disbelief.

“Some musician friends of your dad’s rented a cabin a while back and left some of their stash behind,” Rose said, shrugging. “I threw it in the drawer with all of the other things I’ve found over the years. You never know when something will come in handy.”

“So you locked two inebriated minors behind a padlocked door with no other way out of the building and gave them cigarettes laced with heroin, is that correct?” Detective Torres asked.

“And then I drove back to his house and threw that girl’s purse in the back of his truck,” Rose said, smiling smugly at Emilio. “Idiot left the back cab unlocked.”

“Rose, you’ve gone completely crazy,” Jeanne said, shaking her head sadly at her old friend.

“I’m not crazy,” Rose said. “I know exactly what I’m doing. No jury in the world will convict me for just trying to protect my home from people like him. Go ahead and let them try.”

Chapter 31

A few days later, Penelope knocked on Mrs. Lambert’s faded door, squaring her shoulders and taking a deep breath when she heard movement on the other side. When the door opened she was a little surprised to see Mrs. Flores and not Sabena’s mom on the other side.

“Mrs. Flores, I hope I’m not intruding,” Penelope said, taking a quick glance over the woman’s shoulder into the darkened living room behind her.

“No, please, come in,” she said kindly.

Penelope stepped inside and offered her a shopping bag. “I brought a few things from the market. Henny made a casserole you can heat up later.”

“Thank you,” Mrs. Flores said, taking the bag from her. They came through the living room and she said, “Roni, Miss Sutherland is here. She brought some groceries.”

Roni Lambert sat in her place on the couch, a blanket pulled around her. Her shoulders caved forward, and her legs were pulled up under her on the couch. She gazed up at Penelope with an expression of calm sadness.

“I know this is an awful time for you—” Penelope began.

“I’m sorry I pushed you the other day,” Mrs. Lambert interrupted. “I shouldn’t have done that.”

Mrs. Flores busied herself in the kitchen, putting the different items Penelope brought away.

“I understand why you did,” Penelope said, taking a seat in one of the rattan chairs that flanked the couch, feeling the bamboo-like material give a little under her weight. “What you’re going through is the worst thing imaginable.”

“Bean is gone, my little girl. I never thought…I just figured we’d always be together,” Mrs. Lambert said, tears rolling to the surface. Mrs. Flores hurried from the kitchen and took the seat next to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. Mrs. Lambert smiled gratefully at her friend, then said, “I’m so glad Rebekkah woke up.”

“She did?” Penelope asked.

“Yes, when I was with her this morning. My husband is there now. I’m heading back over…I was just checking in on Roni, letting her know,” Mrs. Flores said.

“That’s wonderful news,” Penelope said.

“I can’t believe Rose did this to us,” Mrs. Lambert said suddenly. “I’ve known her my whole life. How could this have happened here?”

Mrs. Flores hugged her tighter, rocking her gently on the couch. “She’s going to get what’s coming to her, Roni. We’re going to make sure of it.”

“Rebekkah might be able to testify to what happened that night,” Penelope said hopefully. “Depending on what she remembers. That should help put Rose away for a long time.”

“We’ll see,” Mrs. Flores said. “We’re not going to upset her right away. The doctors say that wouldn’t be the best thing, the shock of everything all at once. She asked about Sabena first thing after she woke up, how her best friend was. We’re waiting to tell her together, when the doctor says it’s okay, and when you’re ready to go.” She squeezed Mrs. Lambert’s shoulders again.

Mrs. Lambert brought a tissue up to her nose again, but held in her tears.

After a few seconds of silence, Penelope said, “The production crew wanted to do something to help your families. We feel partly responsible for what happened…It seems that Rose did what she did because we were here on the island.”

Mrs. Lambert eyed cautiously her from behind the tissue.

“We took up a collection,” Penelope said, reaching into her backpack to pull out two envelopes. “I have one for each of you, actually. I was going to stop by your house on the way back but since you’re here…” She reached across and handed Mrs. Flores and Mrs. Lambert the white envelopes, their names visible on the checks through the plastic windows on the front. “Then Shane added to the total after making calls to the executive producers and the studio. We know nothing can make up for the loss of your daughter, and the injury to yours, but the company would like to help if it can.” Penelope’s mind flipped back to the day before, standing over Shane with her arms crossed while he made the calls after lunch in the tent, then called in the total amounts to payroll to cut the checks for the families.

Mrs. Lambert placed the envelope on the table next to her and sighed. “Is this to get me not to sue you? I’m not going to sign anything.”

Penelope shook her head. “No, this is just…from all of us to you. Shane is authorized by the studio to pay funeral and medical costs too. We feel if we can at least take care of that, not that it will be any easier, but having the financial burden lifted might help a little.”

Mrs. Flores nodded. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Sabena and Rebekkah were members of our crew. It’s the least we can do,” Penelope said, rising from her chair. “I should go. Please tell Rebekkah we miss her, and give her our best wishes…from Shane and everyone else on the set.”

Mrs. Flores nodded and rose to show her out. They stopped right before the door when Mrs. Lambert said, “Wait.” 

Penelope froze, readying herself.

Mrs. Lambert stood up from the couch and went to Penelope, holding out her hand. Penelope took it and shook it gently. “Thanks for everything you did, to help figure out what happened to Bean.” She turned to Mrs. Flores and said, “Let’s get to the hospital.”

When Penelope stepped out onto the porch after saying her goodbyes, her phone pinged in her backpack. She pulled it out and saw she had a text message from Summer Farrington. “Good to hear from you, Penelope. I’ve still got that job open if you’re interested. Stop by the restaurant next time you’re in the city.”

Penelope read the text again, clicked her screen to dark, and threw her phone back in her bag.

Chapter 32

“I guess I’ll see you back in New Jersey in a couple of months,” Joey said. He stood on the dock looking down at Penelope, squinting in the sunshine. The Saturday morning ferry was approaching, its low horn sounding out on the ocean.

“Yes. Well, about seven weeks, give or take,” Penelope said. She caressed his fingers in her hands and smiled.

“I’d tell you to be careful down here but I know you can handle yourself,” Joey said. “You did a great job up on that roof.”

“Thanks,” Penelope said shyly. “I’m glad you were with me, though. I don’t know what I would have done by myself.”

“So Rose will probably go to jail for involuntary manslaughter because she was worried about a little competition from Emilio?”

“I guess, or she just couldn’t handle all of the changes that are happening on the island,” Penelope said. “I talked to Emilio and he said the charges against him have been dropped. He also said he’s going to make Shane agree to have a portion of the restaurant’s business be devoted to teaching. He wants to teach cooking classes for the local kids here, free of charge.”

“Well, that’s one good thing to come out of this mess,” Joey said.

“I’m so relived Rebekkah woke up,” Penelope said.

“Was she able to tell the police anything?” Joey asked.

“She confirmed the story that Emilio told, about them going to the house after the party, then leaving in a panic when they realized how far from home they were in a strange man’s house. They got scared and ran.”

Joey shook his head sadly. “Emilio might be a little reckless, but they were safer inside with him.”

“She’s still traumatized by the whole thing, mostly by losing her best friend. I hope that eventually she’ll be okay. Arlena visited Rebekkah in the hospital, offered to help her start the drama club they had talked about on the set, if that’s still something Rebekkah wants to do.”

“Maybe that will be something good for her, when she’s back on her feet at school,” Joey offered.

They were quiet for a moment, thinking about everything that had happened and listening to the waves lapping against the dock.

“I’m going to miss you,” Penelope said after a minute. She laid her head against his chest and listened to his heartbeat. 

“Me too, Penny Blue,” Joey said, gazing out at the water. “Listen, I know we’re both busy and our schedules are crazy, but when you get home, I’d like to see you more often.”

Penelope’s heart fluttered in her chest, but she kept her expression neutral.

“Really?”

“Yeah,” Joey said, a bit bashfully. “If you want to, and we both feel that way in a couple of months, I would like us to get more serious, take our relationship to the next level.”

Waves started lapping against the dock as the ferry approached the slip, the captain slowing down to ease it up to the dock. Penelope saw a few expectant faces, happy beachgoers who were going to spend their Saturday experiencing some of Andrea Island’s Old Florida charm.

“That sounds really nice, Joey,” Penelope said, moving in to kiss him.

Joey kissed her back and then pulled away, looking into her eyes. “I don’t want you to feel pressured or make any promises you don’t want to keep. I just want to be with you.”

Penelope smiled and kissed him again as the ferry passengers began to disembark onto the dock around them. “Joey, I want to be with you too,” she said.

Joey’s eyes flicked to the
Isn’t She Lovely
in the furthest slip on the dock. He raised his arm and waved at Arlena and Max, who stood on the top deck watching them. They returned his wave and he said, “Because if you’re interested in anyone else, I’m not looking for that kind of relationship. I want to be exclusive with the right person, and I feel like the right person for me is you.”

Penelope looked at him, not sure how to respond. Finally she settled on, “Joey, I’m not interested in anyone else.”

Joey smiled and shook his head. “Tell you what. You think about it for the rest of the time you’re down here. And then we’ll talk when you get back, see where we are.”

Penelope nodded and said, “That sounds fair. I can’t wait until this movie wraps and we can all get home.”

“Are you tired of living in paradise, Penny Blue?”

“Paradise is much more than warm weather and sandy beaches. For me, it’s being with the people you care about the most. You can be in paradise wherever you are if you have that.”

The horn sounded behind them and Joey kissed Penelope again, then pulled away to gaze at her face.

“Okay, that’s my cue,” Joey said, picking up his suitcase and heading towards the ferry.

“Call me when you land, okay?” Penelope called to him. A warm aching sensation spread through her chest as he walked away.

Joey turned and waved. “Will do. I’ll miss you.”

“I’ll miss you too,” Penelope said, swallowing a lump in her throat.

The ferry pulled away from the dock and headed out to sea. Penelope watched it go for as long as she could still see it. When the ferry disappeared from sight, she turned and walked slowly down the dock to the
Isn’t She Lovely
, smiling contently and waving lazily at the old fishermen as she passed by.