Cottage on Gooseberry Bay: Charmed Summer by Kathi Daley (big screen ebook reader txt) 📗

“So how do we figure out who this ‘one life’ guru is? How do we find Zane?”

I sat back in my chair. “I’m not sure yet. Give me a day to think things over. Can you meet tomorrow?”

“I can. Just tell me when and where.”

“How about here. In the afternoon. Say around three o’clock?”

“I’ll be here.”

Chapter 10

Juggling two cases was going to be somewhat tricky, but I was all but totally convinced that once I spoke to Caroline Grant, I’d be able to close that case with a checkmark in the win column. Valerie had told me that she’d give Caroline my number and ask her to call me. I just hoped she would.

In the meantime, I was supposed to meet Cora at three o’clock this afternoon, and I really wanted to have something to tell her. I wasn’t sure where to start, but physical activity usually helped me to think, so I got up early and set off for a run with the dogs. As winter faded and the long hot months of summer appeared on the horizon, I realized that the dogs and I would be spared the heat we’d had to suffer through living in the south. I was really looking forward to a summer of mild temperatures where running wouldn’t become an activity best done late at night or inside an air-conditioned gym.

After the dogs and I finished our run, I took a shower and got dressed. As I sat on my deck looking out at the bay and sipping coffee, I considered where to start my investigation for the day. As I was speaking to Cora yesterday, it occurred to me that if the three boys had been introduced to someone who was filling their heads with concepts relating to personal power and one life, maybe someone had seen them together. Jemma seemed to be pretty tight with Zane’s friend, Artie Drysdale. Perhaps another conversation with him was in order. Of course, today was Friday, and school had yet to let out for the summer, so it was unlikely I’d be able to speak to him before I met with Cora at three o’clock. Jemma might be able to get phone records for all three boys, so perhaps she was the best person to start with.

Taking my coffee mug into the kitchen and setting it in the sink, I grabbed my notepad and then headed next door to see if Jemma had a few minutes to chat.

“Ainsley,” Jemma greeted. “Come on in.”

“Thanks. I hate to interrupt you during the workday, but I wanted to talk to you briefly before I head out for the day.”

“It’s not a problem. I have work to get done, but nothing urgent. Coffee? I wouldn’t mind taking a short break.”

“Coffee would be great.” I’d just had a cup, but when it came to coffee, a cup was rarely enough.

“So, what’s on your mind?” Jemma asked after she’d poured us each a mug of coffee, and we’d settled on the deck.”

“I had a visit from Cora Maddox yesterday.”

She lifted a brow. “You don’t say. What did Cora want?”

I filled her in on our conversation and shared with her the fact that I wasn’t sure I was going to officially take the case but that I did plan to poke around today and see if I could pick up a lead. “I wanted to ask about the phone records for all three boys. Cora made the same comment others have made about all three missing boys having family issues. She also shared that Zane had made comments to her about personal power and one life, which seem to be terms that keep circling around.”

“So you want to see if you can find a link between these phrases, the behavior issues, and the disappearance of all three boys.”

“I do. The fact that all three used the same phrases can’t be a coincidence. At this point, I figure that if we can trace the phrases back to the source, whether it be a book, a club, a guru, or a cult, we might be able to figure out what exactly is going on. I know that phone records won’t link to the phrases, but if we can find a phone number associated with all three missing boys, that might give us a place to start.”

“It does sound like a good place to jump in. I assume Deputy Todd has already pulled the cell records for all three boys, but it’s unlikely he’ll share. I’ll work on it and see what I can do.”

“Thank you. I appreciate that. I also thought I’d try talking to Artie Drysdale. You mentioned that he was good friends with Zane.”

“He is. He doesn’t know you, so I should probably go along. Maybe we can track him down after school.”

“I’m supposed to meet Cora at three o’clock, and school doesn’t let out until then, so it might have to wait for the weekend.”

“It’s Friday. The high school lets out at noon on Fridays. I’ll text Artie and see if he has time to meet with us.”

“Are you sure? I don’t want to pull you away from work.”

She shrugged. “I usually knock off early on Fridays anyway, and I’m actually pretty caught up. I’ll just finish what I’m doing and then go to work on the phone numbers. Why don’t you come back in about an hour.”

“Okay, I will. And thank you.”

“No need to thank me. I want to find those boys as much as anyone.”

After I went back to my cottage, I decided to pull the high school yearbook up on my computer. I’d heard that the yearbook for this year had already been released, although I wasn’t sure if it would be available online yet. I hoped it