Topsail Sundays, page 14
part #2 of Summerhouse Reunion Series
“So, the conversation was accomplished tear-free?”
She nodded. “Actually, it was. I won’t go so far as to say that Jessica was back to her old, lovable self, but she was polite, and she didn’t yell once.”
“I’m sure with time, she will come around. This has been a big change for her, and I sympathize with that, but she is an adult now, and given the time she needs to really think things through, I think she’ll realize that while you need to do what works for you, you aren’t trying to hurt her.”
“I hope so. I really won’t feel better until I have my sweet, loving daughter back, but I really believe I’m doing the right thing, and deep down, I think she knows that as well.”
“Should I grab some potato chips?” I asked.
“I suppose the guys might want to have something to nosh on while the meat is cooking. Grab the cheese and crackers too.”
“Do we have any of that dip Nora made left?”
“It’s in the blue Tupperware.”
I grabbed the dip, the chips, the cheese, and the crackers. “I wonder how Nora is feeling now that she’s committed to Denver’s plan.”
“She might be nervous about the outcome, but I suspect she is hopeful as well. I remember when Carl first told me he was moving out. I was so scared, but I was hopeful as well that he’d realize he missed me and come back. At least at first. Of course, things didn’t work out all that well for me, but Matt and Nora are not Carl and me. I really think they’ll get through this, and when they do, I think their marriage will be stronger than ever.”
“I hope so.”
“By the way,” Carrie added, “I spoke to the woman with the alpaca about needing to cancel this week. I asked about rebooking, and she said she was pretty open and to call her when we were ready. I’m leaning toward waiting to do it until Nora gets back. The thing is, I wasn’t sure how long you and Quinn planned to stay.”
“I’ll probably be here until the end of the lease on the house, and while Quinn hasn’t discussed a date to return to work, she did indicate to me that she planned to take at least a month off. Having said that, I should tell you that her boss has been calling and texting her about covering a story in San Francisco, so it’s hard to say how things will actually work out. I guess we can just play the camping trip by ear.”
“Do you think there is any possibility that she is alive?” Carrie asked.
“Peggy? I don’t see how she could be.”
“If your theory is right and Wilson is taking these girls out to his father’s private island, isn’t it possible she and the others—except for Veronica, of course—are still there?”
I paused to consider this. “I suppose it is possible. It seems sort of unlikely, but now that you mention it, I could see a scenario in which Wilson kidnapped these young girls and then kept them around to act as friends, or lovers, or whatever. I can’t see how we’ll ever know for sure unless the police can get access to the island, which in my mind is now more of a priority than anything else. We can talk to Sam after the sail tonight to see what he thinks of our idea.”
Chapter 18
Quinn’s nap turned out to be a long one. By the time we arrived at the marina, the rest of the crew was there and getting ready to head out. Ryder showed Quinn where she could sit, and I took the post usually manned by Cliff. The breeze had picked up as the temperature had risen, which provided near-perfect conditions for an awesome race.
I was anxious to speak to Sam about the photo I’d found in the old newspaper but realized that my news needed to wait until the race was finished, and we all retired to the beach, where Carrie would be waiting for us. I was really enjoying these Topsail Sundays and realized that when the summer was over, and I’d moved on to the next phase of my life, they would be one of the things I missed the most, second to spending time with Ryder, of course.
“We’re going to fall into third and then ride it out today,” Ryder said.
I knew the strategy was still not to go all out until the regatta next week. Ryder’s team had never taken first, although they all seemed to think they had a good chance of doing just that this year. It was important not to give away anything ahead of time, so we continued to hang back. Of course, it seems to me that all the teams might have the same strategy. It would be interesting to see how things worked out when everyone went full-out next week.
“I want to work on tightening up our turns today,” Ryder continued. “Nina is going to take lead when it comes time to make the turn, so everyone pay attention to what she has to say.”
I noticed that Baja had snuggled up to Quinn, and it appeared as if he planned to ride out the race in her lap. Quinn always did seem to have a way with the male species, even the male dog species.
The race was exhilarating. The boat plowed through the increasingly large waves, tossing the spray from the sea into our faces. I loved to be on the water when it presented a challenge, and while today wasn’t the roughest sea I’d ever experienced, it was a lot rougher than anything we’d seen on any of the other Sundays I’d ridden along with the team.
“Okay, here we go,” Nina yelled as we neared the first turn. The course was set up so that there were four tight turns, increasing the skill level required by the team to come out on top.
By the time we entered the last of the straightaways before the final turn and the home stretch, I was drenched to the skin. God, I loved this. The long runs between turns required little action on my part, so I let myself relax and really enjoy the ride. Despite the thrill ride I was enjoying, I couldn’t quite get the image of Peggy with Wilson Montgomery out of my mind. The concert had taken place eight days before she went missing and never once in that time had she mentioned that she even knew Wilson, let alone that she had been dating him. At least that looked like what had been going on in the photo.
I’d considered the surfing link when looking at what the missing girls had shared in common, but had pretty much discarded it in favor of the art world connection, given the fact that Peggy didn’t really surf, at least not with any regularity. And she certainly hadn’t competed, as Veronica and Cherry had. But now that Peggy was linked with Wilson in another way, might we not want to take a closer look at the spoiled, wealthy man-child?
In a way, it seemed oddest to me that Peggy had never once mentioned going to the concert, with or without Wilson. We’d all wanted to go, but had been forbidden to do so by our parents, so, on the one hand, having actually attended would have brought Peggy major bragging rights. On the other hand, admitting that she had attended the concert with someone like Wilson, who was a total nerd at the time, might have been embarrassing. The guy might have been rich, but he also had zero social skills, and as far as I knew, the guy wasn’t seen as much of a catch by any of the teenage girls on the island.
My focus returned to the task at hand as we lined up for the final turn. Once executed, it was a mad dash to the finish line. In the end, we came in third, which was exactly what Ryder had wanted.
The entire team planned to button up the boat and then head to the beach to celebrate.
“Wow, that was awesome,” I said to Ryder, who leaned over and kissed me on the lips.
“It was a pretty amazing race.” He glanced at Quinn. “You okay over there?”
“I’m terrific. That was really fun. It’s been a while. I’d forgotten how much I enjoyed being on the water.” She looked at Sam, who was staring at his phone. “Is everything okay?”
“Yeah. I think so. I had several missed calls while we were out. I really should see what’s up.”
“I’ll help the others get the boat buttoned up,” Quinn volunteered.
I watched as Sam hopped onto the dock and walked far enough away so as not to be overheard. My stomach knotted as his mouth tightened, and he ran a hand through his hair in a fashion I’d come to recognize as accompanying frustration. He only spoke for a few minutes before hanging up and heading back to the boat.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I have to go. Lizzy’s daughter, Grace, is missing.”
Book 3 in the Island Reunion
Three Part Story
Campfire Secrets
https://amzn.to/3haNAS4
In the third installment of this three-part story, Sam puts everything he has into finding the most recent missing girl in the hope that she is still alive. Quinn and Kelly discuss the situation and decide to take matters into their own hands.
Things go from dicey to downright dangerous once Quinn and Kelly set off on their secret journey to a forbidden place. Will their clue finding mission provide them what they need to save this this girl or will it simply result in two additional deaths for Sam to solve?
If you missed it be sure to read
Book 1 in the Island Reunion
Three Part Story
Summerhouse Reunion
https://amzn.to/30ikadT
Five weeks, four friends, three novels, two romances, and one cold case mystery.
Kelly Green and her sister Kayla grew up summering on a small island off the coast of Northern California. After Kayla’s death, Kelly returns to the island where she joins three friends from her past, to commemorate both, Kayla’s life, and the life of a sixteen year old girl who disappeared from the island twenty five years earlier. Now in their early forties, each of the four remaining friends struggle to find a way to deal with their loss while also dealing with their own personal crisis.
USA Today best-selling author Kathi Daley lives in beautiful Lake Tahoe with her husband Ken. When she isn’t writing, she likes spending time hiking the miles of desolate trails surrounding her home. She has authored more than a hundred books in twelve series. Find out more about her books at www.kathidaley.com
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Kathi Daley, Topsail Sundays
