Digging Up Daisy, page 4
“Had you met Daisy?” Kinsley scrutinized the ground that had been recently compacted with her own two hands, and then returned her gaze to meet her best friend’s.
“Once. We met over at her hotel room. And it was a brief encounter, as she mentioned she was super late for another appointment. Although I didn’t really believe that. It seemed like just an excuse to get rid of me. Her eyes kept darting around the room and focusing on the closed bathroom door, as if there was someone in there she didn’t want me to see. I dunno.” Becca threw up her hands in frustration. “Maybe she didn’t want to expose an affair, or something like that? She just seemed weird, you know? Cautious. In fact, before she arrived in town, I had suggested she stay here at the Salty Breeze Inn, but she refused and mentioned she didn’t think your aunt’s place would have enough security.”
“Security? Huh, that’s weird. It’s not like she’s famous. Is she? I mean, was she?” Kinsley let this thought marinate in her mind. “That was your only meeting with her, then. Did you have any other conversations or meetings set up?”
“Well, she asked if I’d run an online search of oceanfront properties and email them over to her. After she chose a few, I was planning on setting up a few showing appointments—and that’s clearly not happening now.” Becca blew out a frustrated breath that sounded like a whistle. “She had a very high budget, too. Very high. We’re talking exclusive.” To drive the point home Becca rubbed her fingers together as if showing cash.
“She stayed at a hotel?” Kinsley asked. “So clearly, she’s not a local?”
“No, Daisy grew up around here but she’s now living in New York City and just came to Harborside for a long weekend. I assume she works back in the city.” Becca shrugged. “I mean, worked in the city,” she added with a wince.
“Doing what? Do you know what she did for a living?”
“Boy, you seem to have a lot of interest in this person. What gives?” Becca’s face scrunched, as if she’d just eaten a jalapeño. Her face always looked like that when she and Kinsley went out for spicy Mexican food and the salsa was a tad too hot for her.
Should she tell Becca her secret? Kinsley could feel the heat rise in her face. How could she? Her gnawing conscience didn’t give her much of a choice. She reached out for her friend and clutched Becca desperately on the arm.
“I have to tell you something.”
Becca’s spine straightened, as she must’ve understood the significance of Kinsley’s tone and the sudden death grip on her arm, because a new wave of alarm covered her face.
“What’s going on, Kinsley?”
“Do you want to know the real reason why I’m not at all thrilled about the interview with channel four news?”
A pause fell between them while Becca waited patiently, and Kinsley looked around to make sure no one was in earshot—particularly anyone from the Maine Gazette. She pointed a shaky finger toward the loose earth.
“Over there.” Kinsley’s voice quavered.
Despite her pencil skirt and heels, Becca maneuvered in the direction of her friend’s extended finger, careful not to plunge her heels back into the soil.
“What? Over here? Where?” Becca followed her lead when Kinsley moved and pointed, even closer to the dirt. “What is wrong? Clearly, you’re upset, and this isn’t about pulling out a sad-looking bush that’s ready for the compost pile. Is it?” She frowned, and confusion riddled her face.
“I found the shoe,” Kinsley whispered.
After uttering the words, the implications of the situation felt far more real. Especially when she saw the stunned look flash across Becca’s face.
“What?”
“Beneath that mound of dirt over there . . .” Kinsley flicked her pointer finger rapidly up and down.
Becca’s face remained perplexed.
“The shoe. The shoe!” Kinsley squealed, then covered her mouth with her hand to quiet herself. “I mean the other one—from the Cinderella murder. Daisy’s shoe . . . It’s buried under there.”
Becca’s face turned ashen. “You’re kidding, right?”
“Oh, how I wish I was.” Kinsley shook her head as she began to pace back and forth, her eyes lasered in on the earth.
“You found it today? Just now? Before I arrived?”
Kinsley nodded; she knew her eyes must’ve been laced with fear, because her friend was now mirroring them.
When Becca regained her composure she said, “No wonder you were acting so weird with Roy. It’s not like you to snap at people like that. I think I could count on one hand the number of times you’ve reacted sarcastically. Why didn’t you call the police?” Her tone was not accusatory, merely confused.
“When? How?” Kinsley said defensively. “I literally just dug it up, and then I hear the Maine Gazette is on their way over. Can you imagine the exposé? They’d be thrilled to break that type of story, I’m sure. And at Aunt Tilly’s expense? I don’t think so! Can you imagine the implication if they assumed my aunt was the one who buried it there?” Kinsley could feel the anger rising with each word, and she shook her head in defiance of any such idea.
“No, wait a minute.” Becca held up her hands in defense. “Don’t get upset, I hear you,” Becca added soothingly.
Kinsley didn’t know if she could stop this rolling emotional train. She was already moving past upset and rapidly into completely freaked-out mode.
“But what are you going to do?” Becca whispered. “You can’t just leave it there and pretend you never saw it! It’s a crucial piece of evidence in an ongoing homicide investigation.”
“I realize that, but I can’t call the police now. I just need to wait a little while longer. We can’t have Roy from channel four coming back to the police scattered across the lawn!” Kinsley slapped her hand to her forehead. “I’m sure he’d love to do a piece on this, too!” Her voice rose to an uncomfortable octave. “The lawn would be covered with reporters from Maine to Boston and potentially across the entire United States! Do you have any idea how fast this kind of news travels? I’m sure the Cinderella murder will hit the national news if it hasn’t already.”
“Okay, I see your point. Not only that, but murders like this don’t happen in Harborside. Did you hear during the news conference that they said this type of crime hasn’t happened here in, like, forty years? It’s really got the town on edge.”
Kinsley flinched. “Yep. And now a major clue is literally beneath our feet.”
“This is a real conundrum.” Becca puffed out her cheeks like a blowfish and then slowly exhaled.
“I know, right?” Kinsley said, kneading her forehead for answers. “I honestly don’t know what to do.”
“It’s not as easy as handing you my water wings for this one.” Becca let out a nervous giggle to break the tension.
The comment did little to ease it, although she did crack a smile.
Kinsley’s pacing halted and the two stared at the covered ground.
“What do I do? What would you do if you were in my shoes? There I go with a shoe comment.” Kinsley slapped her forehead. “This could ruin everything for Aunt Tilly. Not only the Walk Inns, but this is her bread and butter! Who’d want to stay overnight here with the thought that a murderer could be lurking in the next bedroom! Or worse, what if someone thinks my aunt had something to do with this? Just saying it aloud sickens me!” Kinsley whispered.
“Yeah, I can see you’re in a bit of a pickle.” Becca winced.
“You think? Oh crud, Becs . . . What should I do?” Kinsley covered her face in her hands and her friend reached over and put her arm loosely around her shoulder and gave an encouraging squeeze.
“Kinsley, I know you feel responsible for your aunt’s happiness. And I know you’ve always tried to compensate for that. But you can’t do that to yourself now.”
Kinsley wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her shirt. “What do you mean?”
“You told me a long time ago that Aunt Tilly’s boyfriend Jonathan left her because she took you and your brother in after your parents passed. But that’s not why he left, Kins. He left because he didn’t have the same dream. Jonathan didn’t want to run the Salty Breeze Inn, remember?”
“Yes, and if it wasn’t for me and my brother, she would’ve met someone else and had kids of her own.”
“You are her kids. Don’t do this to yourself. She’s always loved you as her very own, and you know that. She wanted to refurbish this old mansion and build a business and she wanted you and Kyle with her. And she followed that dream. Just look at this place.” Becca swung a hand wide to demonstrate the beauty that surrounded them.
“Yeah, now you understand! This is exactly why I need to protect it. But more importantly, I need to protect my aunt. She’s a mother to me, Becs, I can’t let her down.”
“Hellooo, ladies!” The two snapped their heads in the direction of the porch, where Tilly was now rushing down the stairs with the newspaper reporter on her heels.
Kinsley rapidly blinked, to clear her tear-filled eyes.
“You look fine,” Becca encouraged. “Don’t worry.”
“Academy Award performance, Becca. Can you do that for me?” Kinsley whispered as she lifted the side of her shirt to dab her eyes one last time before the arrival of their guests.
“Oh boy, I’m not sure I like this. Now suddenly I’m an accessory to a crime! I’ve never been an accessory to a crime!” Becca said between clenched teeth, and then lifted her lips in a genuine smile and tugged to tighten her messy bun before greeting the oncoming women.
“Accessory to a crime? What do you mean? I didn’t do anything! I didn’t put it there!” Kinsley whispered. “This isn’t my fault!” she added through her own gritted teeth.
“I didn’t say it was your fault, but, girlfriend, you’re withholding evidence. Surely that’s considered a crime. I think you could actually do jail time for this,” Becca warned. “I saw that on a TV show once. Someone withholding evidence went to jail . . . I can’t remember what show . . .” Her voice trailed off.
Kinsley hadn’t exactly thought about it that way. In her entire life, she hadn’t so much as received a parking ticket or incurred a fee for an overdue library book. This was a first. Never had she broken the law. She was a law-abiding citizen!
Breaking the law had been the last thing that had crossed Kinsley’s mind until Becca had brought it up. Instead, she’d been all too consumed with protecting the woman who had always protected her, Aunt Tilly. But Becca’s words had merit. Kinsley knew the longer she waited, the worse it would get. Without thinking clearly, she’d unintentionally made a bad call by reburying the shoe. The shame coursed through her body, but she ignored it, because her aunt and the newspaper reporter had arrived in front of them.
Tilly’s eyes held brief concern as, with a tilt of her head, she looked at Kinsley. Kinsley brushed off her aunt’s worry by saying, “I had an eyelash in my eye,” while encouraging Tilly to return her attention back to the group.
“Well, ladies, I’m pleased as punch to introduce you to Charlotte Cummings, from the Maine Gazette.” Tilly beamed as she looked lovingly toward her niece, who now held out a hand in greeting. Becca greeted the woman next.
Charlotte was tall and broad-shouldered. Her gray hair was cropped short, but she looked as if her hair had gone gray prematurely, as not a wrinkle could be seen on her olive complexion. Her smile was warm and inviting.
“Nice to meet you both.” Charlotte’s eyes, the color of morning glories, moved between them.
“Charlotte was just finishing up her interview with me, Kinsley, but I told her I’d be remiss if I didn’t at least introduce her to the famous owner of SeaScapes. Seeing as how you work tirelessly on many of the landscapes for the Walk Inns participants, I thought it only fitting.” Tilly beamed.
It was evident Aunt Tilly was proud of her, and the gushing warmed Kinsley’s heart, but she couldn’t help but blush at the compliment.
“I reminded her how you were featured in an exclusive for Coastal Living last year! I even showed Charlotte the article,” Tilly continued.
“Yes, she did share that with me. And I must say, the landscape here is stunning!” Charlotte toured the property with her eyes, before returning to them. “Absolutely beautiful. You’ve done an amazing job here.”
“Thank you for saying that. It’s still a work in progress, but hopefully I’ll have it ready in time for the Walk Inns,” Kinsley answered quietly.
“It sure is evident you take pride in your work. I might need you to come and give me an estimate,” Charlotte said under her breath, as if she was churning the idea in her head in real time.
“Kinsley could make time for you, for an informal quote, isn’t that right? But it might not be until late this afternoon,” Tilly said as she wrapped her arm around her niece’s shoulder and gave a quick squeeze. “Especially since channel four will be coming back soon. Did you hear my niece is going to be on the news tonight?” Tilly gushed. “It’s an exciting day around here!”
Charlotte headed her off at the pass, “Oh, I’m glad Roy decided to take the tip, that’s wonderful. Unfortunately, I have another pressing meeting to which I can’t be late, so I really need to get a move on.”
Kinsley gave an inward sigh of relief. She couldn’t remember a time when so much attention was put upon her and her aunt. And she did not need reminding . . . the timing just couldn’t be worse.
Kinsley held back her fears with a swallow, and smiled. “Yes, and truly I’d need to see your property firsthand before I could quote you. I would love to take a peek, though, whenever you’re ready.”
“How about I give you a call after the Walk Inns event to set up a time? I’m sure we’re both booked up until then.” Charlotte glanced at her Apple watch. “I really need to run,” she added apologetically.
“Sure, no problem,” Kinsley agreed. “Just Google SeaScapes and my phone number should pop right up for you. I wish I had a business card on me, but they’re back at my house.” She patted her pockets for verification but was certain she’d neglected to bring some along.
“No worries, I’ll find you.” Charlotte regarded the three of them with a smile, and then directed her attention back to Tilly. “I’ll look forward to your email with the photo of your grand estate. Please don’t forget. I’m under a strict deadline.” She pointed to her watch.
“Yes, of course. I’ll get right on it,” Tilly promised with a vigorous nod of her head. “In fact, I’ll send a few, and you can choose whichever one you’d like.”
“Thank you. Again, it was a real pleasure, and I appreciated the tour of your lovely inn. It’s so peaceful here.” Charlotte’s eyes traveled longingly out toward the sea. “You own a beautiful piece of property.”
Kinsley shot Becca a warning glare. All she could think of was how this peaceful property was now potentially part of an ongoing crime scene. Though neither she nor Aunt Tilly had heard any gunshots, so she couldn’t be sure. Aunt Tilly surely would’ve shared that if she’d heard something.
Charlotte then reached for Tilly’s hand for another handshake. “The story on the inn should run early next week, and I’d be happy to send you an extra copy if you’d like.”
“That would be wonderful!” Tilly shook Charlotte’s hand enthusiastically.
“Okay then. I’m sorry to have to run off like this.” Charlotte jutted a thumb in the direction of the inn. “Do you mind if I stop back inside and grab my laptop bag off the dining room table on my way out?”
“Absolutely not. You go right ahead!” Tilly said. “I’m right behind you, and I’ll get on those photos right away!”
Charlotte turned on her heel and started out across the lawn and as soon as she was out of earshot, Kinsley turned to her aunt asked, “How’d it go?”
“Wonderful!” Tilly cooed. “I’m so tickled about this, and I can’t wait to read the article. It’ll be so fun, and it’s great publicity for the inn!” She clapped her hands in delight as if she’d just won the lottery. “And now you? I’m over the moon that Charlotte wants to hire SeaScapes, too. And you’ll be on the news tonight! Life couldn’t get any better!”
“Aunt Tilly?”
Kinsley could sense her aunt immediately deflate at her tone.
“Yes, my sweet?” Her brows came together in question.
“There’s something I need to tell you.”
Chapter 5
Look, Aunt Tilly, I’m sorry I haven’t been sharing in your enthusiasm regarding the press rushing over here like ants to a watermelon today. There’s a perfectly good reason why, though, and I think I have no other choice than to explain.” Kinsley rubbed the back of her neck and then dropped her hands limply to her sides.
“My dear, if this is about the landscape, don’t worry that it’s not finished. I’m not fretting about that hydrangea bush, nor should you. Charlotte said it’s no problem if we use a photo taken last year. In fact, she was quite happy about it, as she doesn’t have to send the photographer over here for a new one.” Tilly laid a hand of comfort on Kinsley’s arm and softened her tone. “Now. I know you’re overwhelmed, but you’ll fill that hole lickety-split. You’re being too hard on yourself. We must take advantage of the publicity. Honestly, Kinsley—”
Kinsley finally cut Tilly’s response short with a raise of her hand. Her aunt took a step backward in surprise, and confusion riddled her face.
“What is with you?” Her eyes then traveled to Becca, who remained unusually tight-lipped and whose glance seemed to remain on the ground. Kinsley wondered if her friend was looking for additional clues.
“Did you happen to catch the evening news last night? Did you hear about the local murder?”
When Tilly responded with only a creased brow, Kinsley continued.
“I’m talking about the woman’s body that was found out in that potato field.”
