Beach House Mystery

Chapter 4

Morgan"s phone rang, cutting short her musings about the storm. Excusing herself, she went to answer it. A few moments later, she came back with a pleased smile on her face.

"Gabe, can I borrow your muscles for a bit?" she asked, batting her eyelids with exaggeration.

“Sure, what"s up?”

"That was Jill Thomas at the post office. She said I"ve got three enormous boxes that weigh a ton sitting there waiting for me to pick up. Would you mind?"

Gabe put his coffee cup down and got to his feet. "Happy to be of service."

"This must be another new job you have coming in?" Kathy asked.

She was referring to Morgan"s at home-business she had set up when she arrived at Pearl Island. Morgan had worked for years, moving up and down the Atlantic Coast, refurbishing and repairing old books for private customers, libraries, and museums. She"d gotten quite the reputation as being the best in the industry, and it was no hardship for her customers to send their books to her rather than having her come to them. It worked out perfectly. She"d set up her workshop in the room next to her aunt"s office and could spend hours at a time in there working.

The room had French doors that opened off into the courtyard, and across the courtyard, was Cordelia"s art studio that also had French doors. Morgan would make sure both doors were open when she was working and monitor the little girl. Not that she ever had to worry. When Cordelia became involved with her artwork, nothing would budge her from the room.

"Do you mind if I come along for the ride?" Kathy asked.

"Not at all. I"ll even let you carry one of the boxes," Morgan teased.

While Morgan went to get the golf cart out of the shed, Kathy ran and told Cordelia and her grandmother they were off. A few minutes later, they were heading down the main road of Pearl Island towards the post office. The wind was still strong, rocking the cart slightly as Gabe drove. Morgan looked out at the ocean and couldn"t help but shiver at the ominous gray sky in the distance.

It was rare to see a car driving on the main road unless it was heading towards the ferry, which would take them to the mainland. Residents who worked on the mainland mostly used the ferry, staying for the week and only coming home back to the island on weekends. Tourists and visitors came to the island from the opposite end, crossing over a one-way bridge to the public parking spots along the beach. They rarely came further inland than that. There was a convenience store and a gas station close to that end of the island, so there was no need to venture further.

"The pastry shop looks pretty busy today. I"ll bet you any money it’s because Kaylee has a new coffee blend. What a perfect day to try it out," Kathy said as they drove by.

The trio waved at a few patrons who were looking out the window, but didn"t slow down, despite Kathy"s hints for coffee. As they passed the Civic Center, they saw quite a few volunteers working on securing the outside furniture that lined the front porch. Morgan recognized Ella Hurst, the owner of the island’s bed and breakfast, standing at the entry, directing the workers. Even though she had plenty of work to do securing her home, she, like many other islanders, put the needs of the community first. And when they finished there, Morgan knew the workers would make their way to the oldest residents of the island and help them with their preparations. That was the way life worked on Pearl Island; everyone pitched in and helped where they could.

Pearl Island had one tiny little business section that housed the pizzeria, pastry shop, Civic Center, and the post office, which also served as the police station. There was a church on the corner that most of the islanders attended. A little farther down was the Maritime Museum that islanders had entrusted to the Colbright family for years. Attached to the museum’s property was a beautiful lighthouse that warned boaters of the natural reef and all its inhabitants just offshore.

"I"m going to park as close as I can,” Morgan said as she pulled up in front of the post office. “Jill said the boxes were heavier than normal, so there"s no sense in trying to carry them any farther than we have to."

The postmistress, a woman with short curly hair, met them at the front door.

"Good, you brought help," she said as she held the door open for them.

Jill hadn"t been joking when she said the boxes were heavy and Morgan was eager to peek at what was inside. But that would have to wait until she had them safely in her workroom. Together, the three of them stacked the boxes on the back of the cart.

"I was really sorry to hear about all the damage to your house, Kathy," the postmistress said as they were loading.

"Yeah, who would"ve thought that a family of raccoons could cause such destruction,” Kathy answered. “It looked like they had quite the party doing it. And they ate well; Gram"s pantry was a sight. There wasn"t a box of food left unopened. We’re blessed, though. Morgan has generously offered to let us stay at the Seaver Beach house. And Ben promised he would work on it as fast as he could so that we don"t outstay our welcome."

"Nonsense, you guys know you"re welcome as long as you need," Morgan interrupted. They talked about the damage the raccoons had done, and Jill was happy to fill them in on some experiences she"d had growing up on the island with the native animals.

"I guess we just have to remember they were here first," she said as she finished her wild tale of the skunk that had gotten a bit too close to the back dumpster of the post office. The other three joined in her laughter and then said their goodbyes. As they drove back the same route they had come, Morgan made a quick decision and pulled in front of the pizzeria.

"I know your grandmother said she wanted to help with the cooking, but I am so hungry for a good spicy meatball sub. I"m ordering some for dinner. Teresa is always happy to deliver for us," Morgan said.

She was referring to the owner"s daughter, who was now working full time as she tried to decide what her next step was after college. Morgan quickly ran inside and placed the order, adding a few extras just in case there were guests who might stop by. It wasn"t uncommon for Nate and Jenny to stop at the house on their way back from their shift, and Gabe was always around. Ben might even stop by as well. If there were too many subs, then they"d be there for lunch tomorrow. No one would ever complain about the second day of Joe Mario"s cooking. It didn"t take Morgan long, and in minutes she was back.

She put the cart back in gear, and they headed home. As they got closer, she slowed down, almost to a standstill, staring at the car parked in front of her house. Giving the car one more look, she sped up and pulled up in the short drive leading to the shed.

"I wonder who that is. I’m not expecting anybody," Morgan said, half under her breath.

Gabe and Kathy exchanged looks. They had no idea who it was either. Motioning for them to follow her and leave the books on the cart, Morgan walked up to the front door and came to a complete stop, staring at the stack of luggage sitting by the entry.

"Geez, Kathy, you guys moving in permanently?" Gabe asked, giving Kathy a nudge in her side.

"Not that I wouldn"t want to, but that"s not our luggage," she answered.

Morgan stared at the luggage, not sure what it could mean, and hoped it wasn"t more guests looking for places to sleep. There just wasn"t any more room at her house. Squaring her shoulders, she decided the only way she was going to find out was to open the door and go inside.