Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Amy still hadn't called back when Emma was ready to run, so we headed down to the beach. A truck was parked at the farm stand loaded with fresh fruits and vegetables to restock. I crossed the road and tried to find the person in charge. It was Heidi, Mandy's cousin. She smiled as I walked up. "You're the bookshop lady."

"Yes, I'm Jill. Good memory. Are you reopening the stand?" I glanced around at the shelves that were beginning to fill with strawberries, blueberries, and other fruits and vegetables.

"We are. Dad thinks it's time. He won't tell me, but I'm guessing he's heard from Mandy. He said I'd have to man the stand for a few days, then he'd have someone to replace me." She pushed aside the few strands of blond hair that had escaped her tight ponytail.

"That's wonderful news." I wasn't sure how to ask this or if the woman even knew. "So why do you think he's heard from Mandy?"

She looked up from unboxing strawberries. "It makes sense, right? Why would he reopen this stand if she's not coming home? Having a place in South Cove was always Mandy's dream. I hate driving this far just to do the exact same job I could do steps from my house."

"Oh, well, that does make sense." I still didn't have Heidi's optimism of this being a sign that Mandy was coming home, but who was I to burst her bubble? "I'm glad the stand's reopening. I've missed having fresh fruits just steps from the house."

"See!" She grinned as she picked up another box. "You get it. Location is everything."

Emma whined from where she sat next to my leg, reminding me of our true mission. Get over to the beach so she could run.

"Sorry, I'm being called into action." When Heidi frowned, I clarified, "Emma wants to go running. See you later."

"I'll tell Mandy you stopped by." She turned and directed a young man with another box in his hands.

I headed to the beach and wondered if it could be that easy. Mandy had left on an unannounced trip and would be back in a few days? As we got down the stairs and surveyed the empty beach, I rubbed Emma's head. "We'll just think good thoughts for our friend Mandy, okay?"

Emma barked a response and pulled on the leash. She wanted action, not thinking. I agreed with her. At least about the run. My mind would clear, and my body would thank me, after we were done. All I had to do was take the first step. Nature would do the rest of the work.

When I got home, I called Greg and, after getting his answering machine, told him about my strange conversation. I had just put down the phone when Amy called. "Hey, what did you find out?"

"Well, after I explained why we might be worried about Steve, his sister, who is his emergency contact person, just laughed. According to her, he's a flake. He's always disappearing for the next big wave." Amy paused. "She doesn't like Hope either. Then she said she doesn't know how his business is still going. I guess he's got a lot of bills that he's struggling with."

"Huh." I was beginning to wonder exactly how reliable anything was that Steve had told me. He had the picture of Mandy and Tank. I wish I could ask Mandy about her side of the breakup. "Well, thanks for checking on him. I guess I won't worry about it. I mean, if his sister thinks he's all right, I guess I should back off. But something just feels weird."

Amy's voice dropped. "The mayor just walked in. I've got to go. Good luck with planning your South Cove adventure."

I laughed as I hung up. The last sentence hadn't been aimed at me. Instead, it had been for the mayor's benefit. He thought his secretary taking any personal phone calls was bad for the town. Except he didn't put the same rule on his own phone usage. Mostly, I think he just wanted to be the center of attention wherever he was.

I put my phone aside and opened my laptop. The paper had to be done today or tomorrow. Today would be best, since Greg was taking me on that secret adventure tomorrow night. I'd hate to cancel a wedding planning date. It seemed to send the wrong message.

Emma barked and then went to curl up on her kitchen bed. Even she agreed that the paper needed to be finished. I stared at the document on my screen. I only hoped it was good enough to finish my MBA. Otherwise, I'd be retaking the class again next semester.

I needed to believe. I took a deep breath and dived into the editing process.

* * * *

Wednesday morning, I hit Send on the email to my professor that had my paper attached. If it was accepted, I'd complete the program. If not, well, I'd cross that bridge if it happened. I wasn't going to worry. Not about that.

I ate a bowl of strawberries covered with whipped cream for my breakfast. Greg had come and gone already. He'd cooked omelets last night when he got home and saw I was still working. The man had a sixth sense for when I needed to be fed. Or maybe he'd just been hungry too. I think I'd thanked him, or at least grunted to acknowledge his presence. I'd been in a writing zone, so I wasn't sure. I was just sure the paper was done. I thought it was good.

I cleaned out my tote and took out any papers that I'd scribbled notes or thoughts about the paper on. I found the book Professor Wellborn had misfiled in the library and his notes. And the one I'd taken from his office. I kept that in my tote. I should have time to read on my shift today. Or at least scan the information. I didn't read a lot of memoir or nonfiction books. At least not books that hadn't been assigned in a class.

I filled my travel cup with coffee, said goodbye to Emma, and headed to work. I needed to call my aunt and set up lunch tomorrow. My life was going to change, one way or the other, so I might as well be on top of it. I'd posted a notice on the employee board that we were having a full staff meeting on Monday. I wasn't going into this new situation alone. I had friends.

When I got to the shop, Josh was sitting outside waiting. He still looked rested, but I could feel the edginess flowing off him in waves. Mandy had been gone too long for it to be anything but bad news. Yet her family thought she'd be home any day. Something was off with that.

"Good morning, Miss Gardner." Josh closed his book and stood. "I wanted to show you this. It's another journal that appears to be from Santiago. I hadn't gone through all the boxes from the estate sale yet. This one seems to be written after the first. He's older, and he's talking about the process of building what's now known as South Cove."

"That's amazing." I unlocked the front door and turned on the lights. "Do you want some coffee?"

"Please. I was up late after I found this. I wish I had Professor Wellborn to talk to or to show this book to. Not everyone's interested in the history of the area. They all just want to tear down and rebuild, focusing on a more modern lifestyle." He sat on one of my stools. "Maybe that's my calling. I should write a book about the history of this area. Maybe through the development of furniture and home décor?"

"That sounds like a great idea." I wanted Josh to focus on anything but Mandy. And he did have an extensive collection of local antique furniture. As far as him selling the book, he'd need to chat with Deek to help him start that process. I might not be the best advisor or customer for that type of book. I poured his coffee and focused on my opening tasks.

Josh kept talking. "Did you know that Santiago started an orphanage for local kids whose parents had died? It was the first one in the area. Before that, kids were just on their own on the streets."

Now that was something I didn't know. "Is that true? Where was the orphanage?"

"I'm not sure yet, but if you're interested, I'll let you know after I finish reading this book. He spent a lot of money on supporting the orphans." Josh glanced at his watch. "I've got to go and look at another estate that's going to auction this weekend."

"Have fun." I regretted the words as soon as they came out of my mouth.

He gave me a five as his sad eyes met my gaze. Then he turned toward the door. "Nothing's fun right now."

I wondered if I should mention the reopening of the farm stand, but then put the information away. If Josh was leaving town, he'd see it, and he could make his own inferences. I didn't want to give him false hope when it looked like he was trying to jumpstart his life.

Before I could change my mind, a commuter came into the shop and started talking about the sequel to a book she'd just finished. I helped her find the next one in the series, and by the time I was done, Josh was long gone and a line of commuters getting their Friday reward coffees were in the shop chatting about books and their weekend plans.

As much as I liked my tourist crowds, I loved my locals who came into the shop to support me and the local South Cove businesses. They knew that keeping local businesses healthy meant more jobs as well as a thriving community. Things I'd stressed in the paper that was now in my professor's hands.

I might have come at it with an ultra-positive view of businesses and their role in the community, but I'd had good luck with my own experiences, so why not focus on the good and not the bad.

As I served the coffee-seeking horde, I sent a prayer of hope to both Josh and Mandy. We had to be ready for whatever came our way.

The tourist traffic didn't hit that morning. I didn't know if the buses weren't scheduled for a South Cove stop or if the bed-and-breakfast crowds were still getting settled for their upcoming weeks. They'd arrive, I was sure of it, but since the shop was slow, I called my aunt and made plans for lunch tomorrow. "Diamond Lille's at one?"

"Are we talking about the plan I proposed?" My aunt got straight to the point, as usual.

I tried to keep the sigh from being heard. "Yes, we need to talk about implementation. And I have a staff meeting on Monday I need you at to say your goodbyes."

"You're really ready?" I thought I heard surprise in her voice.

"Not in the least. But if this is what you want, I'll honor your wishes. And if you decide to come back, you know you're always welcome." I wrote the meeting down in my planner with an emoji of a broken heart.

Losing my aunt at the shop meant losing her yin to my yang. She always brought me back to earth when I was overcommitting, or overplanning. She was my voice of reason. As I started to drown in those regrets, she spoke.

"You're ready for this. Don't ever doubt it. I was just here to help out, remember?" My aunt wasn't known for her pep talks.

I started laughing. "I invited you for a week. And now, you've been here for years."

"You and the store were my lifeline when I needed it. Thank you." She paused for a minute after her voice cracked.

"You're not crying, are you?"

She responded quickly. "No, I have allergies. I need to go. I'll see you tomorrow and bring the plan and contract. I want to go over it line by line so you understand what you're saying yes to."

Then she hung up.

Smiling, I pulled out the professor's book and set the papers aside. I started reading the section he'd flagged with stickies. It was about Gabriel Santiago and the orphanage I'd just learned about from Josh. This second journal may actually be from Santiago. I needed to show this to Josh. That journal and the one Greg had in evidence might be worth something. Or at least a part of California history that needed to be preserved.

I went back to thinking about the first journal. Had Josh forgotten that Greg had taken it for evidence, or had Greg snuck it out of Josh's war room? I didn't want to imagine the second one, and Josh had been a little out of it a few days ago. Would he have even remembered if Greg had told him he was taking the journal? Probably not.

As I read, I got lost in the world of missions and what I always thought of as the Old West. Here, the children played in the ocean rather than the Rio Grande. But the images that Santiago used felt real and made me want to keep reading.

When I finished the section on Santiago, I shut the book.

"That book must be great," Deek said from the chair across from me. I hadn't heard him come in. I wondered if I'd missed a customer or two. "I've been here for more than ten minutes, and you haven't looked up once."

"It's really good. I want to read the entire book. The author makes the past feel like a story rather than just the facts. I don't think I've enjoyed history so much, ever." I picked up the papers that the professor had tucked inside the book. "I hope I didn't ignore a customer."

"We have the bell on the counter for a reason." He smiled as he watched me gather my things. "What's all the paper?"

"I'm not sure. Notes maybe? This was Professor Wellborn's book." I handed the book and papers to Deek. "I guess I'll head home. Greg's taking me somewhere tonight, so I need to get Emma's run in as well as a shower. I finished my paper and turned it in this morning."

Deek hadn't said anything. I turned back and saw he was reading the notes from the professor.

"What? Does it have something there?" I stepped over so I could read over his shoulder. The loose papers were a research plan for a grant to study Gabriel Santiago and the missing treasure. The book project. He'd started his opening paragraph and had listed off the assistants for the project as well as an annual salary for them. Listed were Tank Harding, Rachel Jones, and Steve Brother. I went on to read the biographies he'd started for each. Tank's credentials I knew. But Rachel and Steve had shorter bios. "This is Scuba Steve?"

Steve had been the third teaching assistant that Professor Wellborn had recruited for his research. And now the professor was dead and Steve was missing.

"Unless there's another Steve Brother in the area, which is doubtful." Deek started to gather the papers. "I should have known he was into California history. He's always talking about the area and the Spanish influence."

I took back the papers and books and grabbed my tote. I knew this was important, and I'd had it all along, just sitting in my tote. "I've got to get these to Greg."

"I'll hold down the fort," he said as I was heading out the door.

I waved back at him. Thank goodness for Deek. And all my staff. They kept the lights on while I ran around chasing mysterious dust bunnies. I just hoped this didn't mean Steve had also kidnapped Mandy to get Josh to hand over the book. But if Steve was involved, he would have sent a ransom note.

My head was filled with bad images and what-ifs by the time I got to the station. I glanced in Greg's office, but he wasn't sitting at his desk.

"You just missed him. He's off to find a garden gnome. I don't know why she keeps putting it out front when she knows the college frat boys are going to steal it as part of their initiation," Esmeralda said from her desk.

"Old habits die hard." I held up the book and papers. "He needs to see this. Does anyone go into his office? Can I just leave this on his desk?"

Esmeralda stood and walked over to me. "Sometimes it's a zoo in here. Let's put it into his filing cabinet."

I watched as she opened the third drawer and put the book and papers on the bottom of it. Then she arranged files over them.

"That should do it. He'll be back soon. Do you want me to have him call you?" Esmeralda asked as we walked back into the main lobby.

I nodded. "Please. I'm going home and then running with Emma. But if he doesn't reach me before I take her, have him leave a message. I'll call him back as soon as I get to the house."

"You think this is important to the case?" She was watching me closely.

I turned and headed back to the entrance. "I think at least it's a missing piece."

As I walked home, I passed by the still-closed scuba shop. I thought about Steve and what he'd told us. That Mandy and Tank were soulmates. He'd known that Josh had found the journal, yet he hadn't said anything about the professor asking him to help research it.

Had the professor not asked him yet? Maybe Steve was just a possible assistant. I could be putting all kinds of actions on him that he didn't deserve.

But then again, where was he?