Thanksgiving by the Sea Read online

  Woody grabbed his vest and his gun. “I’m on my way.”

  Chapter 2

  “Can you believe we were in Seattle this morning getting ready to rent a car and head to the San Juan Islands?” Trevor asked after we’d shared the wonderful meal he’d prepared, and had settled onto his back deck which was located right on the beach.

  “That was this morning?” I laid my head on Trevor’s shoulder. We were sitting in a lounger for two. It was a cool night, but between the fire in the pit and the warm blanket he’d wrapped around us, it felt just right.

  “Really early this morning,” he clarified, “but this morning all the same. This has really been a crazy week. Can you believe it was only five days ago that we were boarding the ship for what we thought would be a weeklong luxury cruise?”

  “It does seem like a lot longer than five days. In that past five days, we’ve solved two murders, brought down a swindler who’d bilked people out of millions of dollars, been lost at sea, and saved a whole lot of lives. I would say that it was a really bad week, but this seems sort of perfect.”

  “It does,” he agreed.

  “I just hope we can figure out who put Trinity in a coma and gunned down Bryson on the courthouse steps. It seems unreal to me that a man could be gunned down in broad daylight and no one saw what happened.”

  “Woody said that Bryson was shot by a sniper from a distance.”

  I tried to relax as I focused my attention on the moon shining down on the calm sea. The waves, which at times crashed onto the shore, were gentle rollers this evening. “Do you think that’s odd?” I asked after a minute. “The person who shot Trinity shot her with a handgun from a fairly close range, but her injury wasn’t fatal, whereas Bryson was shot with a sniper rifle from a distance, possibly a long distance, and yet the bullet hit him square in the chest. I know logic would dictate that if a family law attorney and a social worker who were working together were both shot within twenty-four hours, their shootings would have been carried out by the same person, but were they?”

  Trevor turned his head slightly. “Do you think there were two different shooters?”

  I hesitated. “I’m not sure. Maybe. I know that the channel five news team announced that the two shootings are related and that the authorities are looking for a single shooter, but I’m not convinced that it is as cut and dried as that.”

  “The pair did take on some pretty emotional cases,” Trevor reminded me. “It does make sense that the shootings were the result of one of the cases they were working on together.”

  “Maybe.”

  “I know Bryson’s ghost wasn’t hanging around when we showed up today, but do you think it is worth going back for a second look?” Trevor asked.

  I exhaled slowly. “I don’t know. Maybe. I guess it wouldn’t hurt to go back to the courthouse tomorrow and see if his spirit is lurking about, but my sense is that he’d already moved on before we even arrived. Not all spirits linger.”

  “I know. And maybe the guy didn’t have any unfinished business. Most people don’t.”

  Turning my body slightly, I draped my legs over Trevor’s. It really was nice sitting out here when the beach was completely deserted. I really did want to do what I could to figure out who had shot two pretty awesome people, but at this moment, I really just wanted to allow my mind and my emotions to rest. I would go back by the hospital tomorrow and try to connect with Trinity if she hadn’t yet woken, and I’d go back to the courthouse and make sure that Bryson wasn’t lurking about, and I’d meet with Woody and try to talk through all the possible angles, but right now, I just wanted to connect to the quiet corner of my mind where serenity and contentment lived.

  “This is really nice,” I said after a moment of silence. “I bet you must sit out here all the time.”

  “Not as often as you might think. I work a lot of evenings, and when I am home, I tend to putter around in my workshop. I’ve been working on the desk Mac wants, and I’m close to being done. I’d love to give it to her for Christmas.”

  Lifting my head slightly. “Christmas?”

  “It is only five and a half weeks away, and the last two of those are always so busy with the Christmas Carnival, so I figure I should get my projects done before it starts.”

  “Wow. You’re right. Christmas really is just around the corner. It really snuck up on me.” I paused to remember the last time I’d been in Cutter’s Cove for Christmas. It had been ten years ago, and I’d almost died when the Ferris wheel I was riding on malfunctioned. Actually, it hadn’t malfunctioned, it had been tampered with, but that was a whole other murder mystery I really didn’t want to focus on. “Remember the sleigh ride you, Mac, and I took?”

  “I do. That evening, like this one, was pretty cozy with us all wrapped up in the blanket.”

  “I used to think about that evening after I went home to New York,” I said.

  Trevor kissed the top of my head, which was resting on his chest. “Yeah. Me too. Often. After you left, things weren’t the same, and after Mac left, things were downright depressing. I really missed us. I missed the friendship we shared and the crazy adventures we continually found ourselves involved in.”

  “Like that treasure hunt that one Thanksgiving?” I asked.

  “Exactly like that.”

  I smiled at the memory. “It is going to mean a lot that we are all going to be together again this Thanksgiving,” I said. “Mac and Ty will be back on Monday or Tuesday of next week. My mom is planning a huge meal on Thursday. She invited a friend, so that will make six of us. I think I’ll invite Woody as well. He may have plans, or he may have to work, but if he isn’t busy, I want to be sure he has somewhere to go.”

  “I’m kind of surprised Avery didn’t come along with your mother.”

  Avery Kinkaid is a young woman whose life we’d saved around Halloween. She’d needed to hide out, so I’d sent her to live with my mother in New York.

  “Mom said Avery is all settled into the house in New York. I think she was happy to stay behind, and my mom really wanted to be here with us, so it all seemed to work out.”

  “That’s good. I was worried about how she would adjust.”

  “She went through something pretty traumatic, but she is a survivor.” I traced a finger over Trevor’s chest. “I was thinking of taking a run tomorrow before I head to the hospital. If you want to come along, I can go slow and take it easy on you.”

  “I’d love to come, and I’ve seen you run, so yes, I will need you to be gentle with me.”

  I laughed. “We can bring the dogs. I always run slowly when I have Tucker with me.”

  Tucker was my twelve-year-old German Shepard. I also had a young golden retriever named Sunny.

  “The trail along the shore isn’t too crowded this time of the year,” Trevor pointed out.

  “That sounds nice. My body feels tight after being confined this past week. I really need to work out some of the kinks.”

  Trevor tightened his arms around my body. I imagined he was thinking about working out kinks. Suddenly I was as well. I tilted my head slightly, so I was looking up at him. He opened his mouth as if he was going to say something, but instead, he lowered his head and touched his lips gently to mine. If I’d been in charge of my reaction, I might have pulled back and stopped to analyze things, but at that moment, all thoughts flew from my mind, and the only thing I was aware of was his lips on mine. He deepened the kiss once I’d responded to his first tentative exploration and all thoughts of seaside runs and working out sore muscles were pushed to the back of my mind.

  Chapter 3

  Saturday, November 17

  I woke with a smile. I’d been tempted to let the makeout session Trevor had instigated the previous evening progress to its natural conclusion, but there was a lot at stake, and in the end, I’d chickened out and claimed fatigue. Trevor had brought me home and dropped me off. He left me with a gentle kiss and a promise to be here at seven, so we could go running before t
he weekend joggers claimed the trails. I turned my head and looked at the clock. It was already six-fifteen. No time to lay about and daydream about the perfect ending to our dinner last night.

  Leaning up onto my elbows, I looked at the menagerie on my bed. My dog, Tucker, laid next to me while my dog, Sunny, covered my feet. Shadow, my ghost seeing cat, was curled up on the extra pillow next to my head. “Are you ready to get up?”

  Tucker and Sunny wagged their tails as if to convey that yes they were ready to rise for the day, but Shadow just yawned and scowled, then lowered his head and went back to sleep.

  Twisting, I turned my body so that I was able to slide my legs to the side in spite of all the obstacles. Planting my feet on the floor, I slid out of bed, grabbing my robe from the chair as I did so. The dogs jumped down onto the floor after they realized we actually were getting up. I shuffled across the room and into the attached bathroom. Once I’d brushed my teeth, washed up, and put my hair into a ponytail, I headed back into the bedroom to find a clean running suit. Grabbing my running shoes, I headed downstairs.

  “You’re up early,” Mom said. “After your weeklong drama, I figured you’d sleep in.”

  Pouring a cup of coffee, I turned toward Mom. “Trevor is coming over. We’re going running.” I glanced at Tucker, who seemed to be walking extra slowly this morning. “Actually maybe walking. We’ll let Tucker decide.”

  “I think the drop in temperature is messing with his joints. The poor guy has seemed stiff all week.”

  “We’ll take it easy on him. If the sand along the beach trail is too soft, we’ll move onto the hard-packed jogging path.”

  “It does look like it is going to be a beautiful day. Cold, but not a cloud in the sky. How was your dinner last night?”

  Sitting at the table, I began putting on my shoes. “Excellent. Trevor made this sauce with spicy sausage in a cream base. It was fantastic.”

  “I’ll have to get the recipe. Trevor has come up with quite a few recipes that have turned out to be some of my favorites.”

  I grinned. “He really is amazing.”

  Mom smiled back. “Yes, he is. Do the two of you have plans today after you finish your run or walk as the case may be?”

  “I want to go over to the hospital and try to connect with Trinity again. After that, I’m going to head to the courthouse to make sure the man who was killed yesterday isn’t still lurking around. And once I have accomplished both of those tasks, I thought I’ll check in with Woody. If there is time left, Trevor and I talked about taking a drive down the coast.”

  “Sounds like a full day. Should I assume you won’t be home for dinner?”

  I thought about Trevor’s lips on mine. Dinner with my mom would be the safe bet. “No, we’ll either eat out or make something over at Trevor’s. Are you still planning to have your friend over? What is his name? Steve? Or is it Mike?”

  “It’s Carson, and yes, I do still plan to have him over this evening.”

  “I do want to meet him. Maybe next week.” I glanced at the clock. “Trevor should be here any minute. I need to go and grab my sweatshirt.”

  By the time I got back downstairs, Trevor had arrived. He chatted with my mom for a few minutes, and then we headed toward the beach trail with the dogs.

  “I think we may need to walk instead of run,” I said as we headed toward the bluff. “Tucker is having a tough time this morning.”

  “No problem. It is less likely that you will embarrass me with your superior fitness level if we walk.”

  I put my hand on Trevor’s muscular arm. “I don’t know. You feel pretty fit to me.”

  Trevor winked but didn’t reply.

  “Our discussion about Christmas last night got me thinking about all the things I want to be sure to do. When I lived here before, you, Mac, and I cut down our own trees. I think it would be fun to do that again this year.”

  “I agree,” Trevor answered. “Let me know when you want to go, and I’ll arrange to take the day off.”

  “You’re closed on Mondays anyway, and I can go whenever, so let’s plan on the Monday after Thanksgiving if that works for Mac. We can ask her when she gets back from her romantic getaway.”

  “Sounds good.” Trevor wove his fingers through mine. “So I learned something interesting on my way over to your place this morning.”

  “Oh, and what’s that?” I asked.

  “I stopped for gas and ran into a buddy of mine who works for the district attorney’s office. He let it slip that his office is looking at Bryson Teller’s wife as possibly being responsible for his death.”

  I had to admit I wasn’t expecting that. “Really? Why?”

  “I guess the couple had been having problems and according to my buddy, Bryson had recently moved out of the home he shared with his wife, and she had recently consulted a divorce attorney.”

  “So if she planned to divorce the guy, why kill him?”

  “I don’t know. My friend didn’t know. And when I brought up the fact that the guy was killed with a round fired from a sniper rifle, he admitted that the way the bullet was delivered made it less likely that the wife was the shooter, but it was still possible that she’d hired someone.”

  “I suppose, but it seems like a longshot unless there are some extenuating circumstances we don’t know about.”

  “I agree. Still, if the DA is spending time looking at the wife, he must have a reason for doing so.”

  “True.” I reached down, picked up a stick, and tossed it for Sunny. “And if the DA is looking at the wife, then he must not think the death of the attorney and the social worker are related.”

  “It’s hard to say. The shooting just happened yesterday afternoon, so the DA’s office really hasn’t had time to look into much of anything. My guess is that there is an apparent and obvious reason to consider the wife as a suspect. I suppose the details will eventually come out. Maybe Woody knows.”

  “We can ask him when we stop by later. Are you are still planning to come with me to the hospital, courthouse, and Woody’s office?”

  “Wherever you go, I will follow,” Trevor said, gallantly bowing as he did so.

  I rolled my eyes. “Oh, please. The charming prince bit isn’t going to fly. I’ve seen you blow soda through your nose.”

  “When we were in high school,” he defended. “I haven’t done that in over a year, maybe two.”

  I laughed and kissed him on the cheek. “Should we turn around?”

  “We should if we want to accomplish everything on your list. If you want to change out of your running clothes, I can hang out with your mom while you clean up, and then we can drive to my place so I can shower and change. I suppose we can head to the hospital to visit with Trinity first and then take it from there.”

  “That sounds like a good plan. Let’s stop and get some flowers on the way to the hospital. I know Trinity is in a coma and won’t even know the flowers are there, but it still feels like the right thing to do.”

  “There is a florist next door to the hospital. Should we eat while we’re out?”

  I nodded. “Yeah, we can grab something along the way. I’ve been wanting one of those shrimp sandwiches they sell out on the pier. Maybe we can stop and get one after we visit the hospital but before we go by the courthouse or talk to Woody.”

  “Sounds fine to me, but perhaps we should call Woody and make sure he doesn’t have an update before we go running all over town.”

  Chapter 4

  When Trevor and I arrived at the hospital, no one was in Trinity’s room other than Trinity. Woody had cleared it with the hospital for me to spend some time with her, but not for Trevor, so he agreed to hang out in the waiting room. As I had the previous day, I sat down in the chair next to the bed. I gently placed my hand over Trinity’s and then closed my eyes and tried to connect with her essence. As I’d already told Woody, I’d never connected with a living person before in quite this manner, so I had no expectation that I would today, but I figured
there was no harm in trying.

  Slowly taking in a breath, I calmed my mind. I tried to create a space for Trinity to enter should she wish to. The steady beep, beep, beep of the heart monitor was audible beyond the emptiness I’d sought to create. I focused my mind on the woman whose hand I touched. I listened for a sound, a word, or the gentlest of whispers. Sometimes those I was meant to help come to me in a grand manner, while other times the only hint of their presence was a feeling in my gut or a flutter beyond my consciousness.

  My name is Amanda, I thought in my mind. I’m here for you if you want to and are able to reach out. I slowly let out the breath I’d been holding. I’ll wait right here by your side if you decide to make yourself known to me.

  And I waited. And waited. After twenty minutes, I knew it was time for me to leave. I slowly opened my eyes and looked at the woman who appeared to be sleeping peacefully. I wondered if her mind was at peace the way her body seemed to be. I was about to get up when I thought I heard a whisper. It was a tiny little sound that I wasn’t even sure was real. I looked around the room, but there was no one there.

  “Was that you?” I whispered back.

  The heart monitor slowed. The light began to flash. Just before the alarm went off, I heard the word aspen.

  “She’s crashing,” the nurse said. “I’ll need you to leave.”

  I got up and walked out the door.

  “What happened?” Trevor asked.

  “I was trying to connect with Trinity and having no luck. I was about to leave when I heard a whisper. At first, I couldn’t hear the voice clearly, but then the beeping on the heart rate monitor slowed. In the second after the alarm sounded, I heard her say aspen.”

  “Is she… is she dead?”

  I glanced back toward the room where the medical staff was working on her. “I don’t know. I think she might have been for a minute. I think that is why I could hear her. The team came in with a crash cart immediately after I heard the whisper in my mind. I guess we’ll just need to wait and see what happens.”