The Cove Conundrum Read online

  The Cove Conundrum

  ______

  Book Four – Paige Comber Mysteries

  by Agatha Ball

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Dedication

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Books by Agatha Ball

  Legal Stuff

  Dedication

  To all the wonderful readers at My Book Tribe

  Chapter One

  I stood in the middle of Bitter Beans café, and let out an impatient sigh. Who would have guessed I'd reach a point where I missed the rush of customers. September had hit hard and tourist season ended like falling off a cliff.

  "Come on, Paige," I muttered to myself. "You used to dream of mornings like this."

  It just sucked that without the press of the uncaffeinated masses to distract me, the hours since I got here at 4:00 AM were stretching out forever.

  I had dusted the wooden shelves for the umpteenth time and straightened up all of the books. I wiped down the counters despite the fact they were already gleaming. I couldn't even justify whipping up a new recipe to pass the time. The pastry cabinet was filled with all the delicious things I spent so long making, but now were just going to go to waste. I mean, not completely. I'd drop off a bunch at the end of the day with my buddy, Johnny, who ran the dive shop.

  I walked past the potbelly stove and moved a piece on the checkerboard table, playing against myself. I'm pretty sure I was losing.

  The only one who seemed to enjoy the quiet morning was Captain, my grandmother's orange tabby. A summer superstar with the tourists, he seemed okay with chilling now that it had gotten chilly outdoors. He was conked out on his gingham cushion by the window, enjoying a break from the Instagram paparazzi. He was probably the most famous resident of Seaside, even had his own hashtag. Alas, his popularity score was going to be dropping like a rock if this was the way it stayed until the holidays.

  I snapped a picture and posted it, just to make sure he stayed front of mind to his followers.

  I opened the door and stood in the frame, checking to see if maybe there was something keeping customers away. Sadly, it was a gorgeous, normal day. The sky was blue. The air was soft with the late summer. And everyone had just gone back to their normal lives of schools and jobs.

  I pulled my long, chestnut hair out of its rubberband and refixed my ponytail. Not that it needed it. Just that it was something to do.

  It felt weird, for the first time in my life, not to be in school. I mean, the bakery was more educational than any course at my community college, but it was strange not to be in a classroom.

  All my life, I wanted to travel to Paris to learn how to bake from pastry chefs at Le Cordon Bleu. My mom decided that rather than a one-way ticket to France, she'd send me here where I could get a crash course in what it really means having to get up every morning to face a mixer and oven.

  I think she thought the summer crush would dissuade me.

  Little did she know it was the fall boredom that might do me in.

  I had an opportunity to follow my dream. Last month, there was a bake-off and Granny's boyfriend, Richard, was friends with one of the judges. He promised to put in a good word for me and help me get to the greatest cooking school in the world.

  The problem was I met this guy.

  Nate Edward. We had been through a lot together this summer. I can't remember ever feeling this way about anyone before. He was kind and supportive and brought out the best in me.

  I took in a lungful of the sea air, the sound of the gulls calling out their good mornings. Tim, the owner of the bait shop, was coming up from the beach with his fishing rod and gear. He seemed to know how to make the best of this seasonal semi-vacation of sorts.

  I waved at him and his face lit up when he saw me. "Morning, Paige!" he called out. "Staying out of trouble?"

  "You know me, Tim!"

  "That’s what has me worried," he laughed as he unlocked his door and went in. "Call me when someone needs patching."

  That was another part of this. I was also starting to feel a part of something, a part of this community. I had been coming here since I was a little kid, but now I was here by my own rights. People knew me by name. They seemed to like having me around.

  It was really... nice.

  I spotted Nate's silhouette beyond the ferry dock. His tall, square shoulders, floppy hair, and flat nose were unmistakable. I kept meaning to ask him how he broke it, but always forgot.

  He was talking to a stranger in a flannel shirt. Nate's family owned almost all the land on the island. He inherited it when his uncle had died and he had jumped in feet first to earn people's trust.

  He had mentioned he was going to get the county to come over and fill in some of the potholes. Judging from their focused attention on the large divot in the middle of the road, I hazarded a guess that Nate finally got his meeting.

  But Nate and his guest were the only people on Main Street. It was a ghost town. The morning ferry had come and gone hours ago. Everyone with a hankering for coffee had been taken care of. I gave another sigh. It was so loud, Captain mewed his concern at me.

  "You're right," I said to my furry friend. "Time for my break."

  I took off my apron and hung it up, and flipped the "Open" sign to "Back in 5 min." I grabbed my phone and wallet and shoved them in my jacket pocket. On a whim, I filled a bag with pastries. You never know when a taste test might tempt a new customer to come in or when a bag can become barter for something awesome. And then I locked the door behind me.

  I walked down the eerily quiet boardwalk.

  Although, I gotta say, as I went past Madison's Barbie pink golf cart parked in front of Trevor's Saloon, I couldn't help but think there was still one person too many in this town.

  Madison split her time trying to wreck Nate's career and take over the island. She had put some sort of spell on my ex, Trevor, who thought she hung the moon, rather than seeing she was a conniving backstabber. I didn't want to put too much stock into it, but there was a rumor Trevor might try to win a slot on the city council. He was always into politics, but I'm pretty sure he would have laid low for a little longer if it wasn't for her prodding.

  Down the road by the pocked concrete, I saw the stranger step away to take a phone call, so took it upon myself to wander over to Nate. His face lit up as soon as he saw me.

  "How goes it?" I asked.

  "Aside from Seaside singlehandedly being responsible for keeping the asphalt industry in the black?" he laughed, dare I say with a slight undertone of pain. "Who knew bringing heavy machinery across a body of water on a boat would be so expensive
? But, it's good," he added.

  I leaned over and gave him a kiss on the tip of his nose. "It'll be worth it. I promise."

  He sighed at the mess. "It had better be worth it..."

  "Want me to take you to Yvette's shop for lunch to celebrate?" I jingled my pocket. "Payday! You landed yourself a wealthy girl," I informed him.

  He laughed, but then shook his head ruefully. "There's so much to do. I was on my way over to Bitter Beans to let you know. I have to let the town council know about the numbers and set the wheels in motion. Going to take up most of our annual maintenance budget with the county."

  "Plan B. I have a bag full of pastries. How about once you finish up here, we grab a soda from Holly's General Store and sit on a park bench for five minutes? Man's gotta eat sometime," I reminded him.

  He smiled and totally relented. "Can't argue with your logic." But then he pulled out his wallet and forced a wad of dollar bills into my hand. "But only if it is my treat. You provided the baked goods, the least I can do is buy a pretty girl a drink."

  "You, sir, have yourself a deal," I said. "Be back in a flash."

  Chapter Two

  I walked into Holly's general store. It was covered in light, knotty pine paneling and was filled with everything the village needed – sunscreen and sunglasses, prepackaged groceries, shelves of candy, and seashells she had written "I Love Seaside" on and hot glued to a magnet.

  The electric doorbell rang, letting Holly know she had a customer. Usually, she would sweetly come over to start up a conversation, keeping her owl-like spectacles trained on any hoodlums trying to shove chocolate bars into their pockets. More than one high schooler had thought her gentle demeanor meant she was a pushover. They learned quickly that she was on a first-name basis with everyone's parents and her idea of a fitting punishment involved an extended indentured servitude.

  But, this time, Granny and her posse were gathering by Holly's cash register. They paid me no attention as Holly explained something so emphatically, her Gibson girl bun wobbled on her head. That was, until Granny noticed what I was carrying.

  "Ooo! She has pastries, girls! Hope no one is watching their figures!"

  Her posse squealed with delight. Marnie whipped her gray braid over her shoulder in a businesslike fashion as she relieved me of my load. Guess I was going to have to raid Bitter Beans again for Nate.

  "So, what are you trouble makers up to?" I asked to the sound of the rustling paper.

  Holly chewed her tiny bite daintily before speaking. "Well," she said as she swallowed. "I was thinking about this old general store. I love this idea of bringing back the old charm of Seaside, and I was looking around my shop, and thought, surely I should do better."

  There was some nostalgia tied up into Holly's general store. There were some old tin advertising signs hung over the industrial beverage refrigerators for as long as I could remember, but I had to admit the place as a bit worse for the wear. The faux wood laminate walls were chipped and stained, and the old, white linoleum had stains between the tiles.

  Wanda folded her arms, covering over the purple glitter lettering that read Salty I'm Not a Mermaid on her t-shirt. "She wants to get rid of the metal shelving and replace it with wood! We live next to the ocean! It'll be rotted by next summer." She knocked the sheet metal for emphasis, which echoed through the small shop.

  "Better wood rot than rust. I don't want my customers to have a tetanus shot whenever they come in for a box of cereal."

  "And we have wood shelves in at Bitter Beans," Granny pointed out as she pulled apart a cinnamon roll with her long, glitter-covered, autumn-orange fingernails. "Never had a problem."

  "Save your money, Holly!" said Wanda. "Your shop is perfectly good."

  "What was acceptable in 1972 is no longer the way I want to present myself to the world," Holly insisted. "Not if we're going to be drawing in a crowd that wants an authentic feel." She leaned over to me and confessed, "I got the idea from Trevor's Saloon."

  "Which is tacky," added Marnie, flicking her long, grey braid over her shoulder.

  "It is themed." She turned back to me for support. "Oh, sure, I would have preferred if he had stayed with the 'saloon' theme he had started with, but now that it is nautical? It really grows on you. Wanda,you have a beachy themed souvenir shop. Marnie, your yarn shop is a crafter's paradise. Bitter Beans has its turn of the century charm. I should have something nice, too."

  "You've been watching too many design shows!" Wanda exclaimed, throwing up her hands. "Next thing you know, you'll be wanting it to be good for entertaining. Put in hardwood floors—"

  "Well, the linoleum should probably go."

  "—tear out this wall for open concept!" Wanda pounded on one of the walls and the pine paneling bent.

  "Oh dear!" Holly exclaimed as the playful bickering turned to concern.

  Marnie touched the splintered wood. "Holly, there is a hole behind this panel. The wall is completely gone."

  "Well, maybe she's getting that open concept whether she wants it or not," Granny commented. "Dare we look?"

  "What if something gnawed that hole?" Holly recoiled. "What if there's a nest of rabid squirrels in there? With their angry, chattering teeth? And they fly out and get tangled in your bouffant, Cindy?"

  Granny threw up her hands up to protect her hair as the four ladies took a step backward.

  "Can squirrels get rabies?" I asked.

  Granny stopped me. "I'm not willing to risk my up do to find out."

  "Let me get Nate," I said. "He's just outside. He can see how bad it is."

  As they clucked with concern, I ran out the door and waved Nate over. He excused himself from his conversation with the county worker. I mouthed the word "sorry" as he walked over.

  "Holly's wall broke," I explained as soon as he came within hearing range.

  "Is she all right?" he asked, picking up his pace with concern.

  " Oh! Totally!" I assured him, realizing it sounded like there was an emergency. "Wanda knocked on the paneling and they discovered there was no wall behind it. I thought maybe you could see if the building is going to collapse on us." I paused. "And also make sure nothing is living in there?"

  He laughed. "Happy to be your structural engineer and pest removal crew." We walked into the shop and the posse seemed super relieved to see us. "Have a flashlight?" he asked Holly.

  She pulled one out of her drawer. "Absolutely. Never know when an autumn squall is going to turn out the lights." She peered over Nate's shoulder as he looked into the hole. "I'm going be tearing it all down anyway. Just let me know if there's a raccoon or something." She gave a shudder.

  "Not a raccoon," Nate replied. He turned and handed me the flashlight. His face was puzzled.

  "What is it?" I asked.

  "Not quite sure," he replied. He lifted the panel board, giving it a yank. It splintered where the nails held it in.

  "Careful now!" said Wanda. "That's antique."

  "Tear away!" shouted Holly. "You're saving me money on demolition day!"

  Behind the panel, the plaster wall had crumbled, the remaining wooden lathing almost disintegrated to the touch. The culprit was a secret fireplace behind the wall. If there had been a cap on it, it looked like it had failed long ago. There was evidence all the elements had been sweeping in through the gigantic maw and rotted the building.

  "Well, that explains the draft!" Holly exclaimed. "I always wondered where those ocean breezes were coming from!" She wrinkled her nose. "Oh it smells so musty."

  "It's not just that," Nate grunted as he crouched down and began lifting something heavy.

  "Lift with your legs, Nate!" Marnie exclaimed. "No need to go crippling yourself on Holly's account!"

  "Speak for yourself!" she chided.

  "Girls! Girls, you're distracting him!" Granny exclaimed, clearing off the counter as he struggled with a large, metal box.

  "What on earth!" Holly remarked, pushing her thick glasses up on to her nose and blinking owlish
ly.

  Nate put it down, then brushed away the grime. He looked at Holly with surprise. "Someone left you a time capsule."

  We leaned in. On the side, etched into the block, were the words: "On this day in 1899, the Edward Family does hereby place this time capsule to commemorate the first cornerstone of Seaside Island. To be opened and enjoyed in 1949."

  With a whistle, Nate remarked, "On behalf of my family to yours, enjoy your box."

  "It appears we're a little late to the party," said Wanda, "By seventy years or so."

  "Well, I'll be..." said Granny, slapping her hands together. "Any record of this in your history files, Holly?"

  "I had no idea!" said Holly, cleaning off her glasses, as if to reassure herself that the time capsule was real and not a smear on her lenses. "I bought this building ages ago from the folks who used to run the general store. You remember! It was all paneled up when I got it. I couldn't afford to do much to it and then the years just passed. And to think this was here! A time capsule!"

  "We need a historical museum or something," I said.

  Holly straightened up, nodding hard. "Yes! I have been saying that for decades."

  "That's a great idea!" Nate agreed, ruefully. "You would not believe the stack of city records in my uncle's house. Who knows, there might have even been something in all the files about this! It isn't right that an entire time capsule should have been forgotten about for seventy years."

  Granny patted his arm. "It's your house, sweetie."

  "A house filled with things everyone should have access to."

  Wanda leaned against the counter. "You know, we could even pitch it as a tourism thing. If we want to emphasize the history of our island, it sure would be nice to have a place to honor our history."

  "You have me completely convinced," said Nate. "I'll bring it up at this week's town council meeting."

  The bell over the door rang.

  "Ew! What is that?" asked a voice that we were all too familiar with. "Is that gross, dusty thing next to all of this foodstuffs hygienic? Maybe I should call the health department."

  Groaning, Nate and I and the whole posse turned around to face the woman that everyone in Seaside loved to hate.