The Disappearance of Emily: Destiny Falls Mystery & Magic Series Book 2 by Elizabeth Pantley (best books under 200 pages .txt) 📗

“Well, if your mother was still here, she’d be doing the same,” said Axel. “Let them take care of you, Han. It’s good for them.”

“But it will be the death of me!” laughed Han.

Every time someone mentioned death these days, even in jest, it made me shiver. I was a little hypersensitive since the captain’s unsolved murder, not to mention dealing with the murder case from a month ago. That was exactly two more murders than I’d ever dealt with in my life.

We convinced Han to climb back into the bed while we packed up the rest of his belongings for him. He started to look tired, so Axel suggested a nap. Han first complained about being treated like a kindergartener, but Axel reminded him that the doctor had said that he would need much more sleep than normal during this recovery. Finally, he succumbed to the tiredness. We left, entrusting his care to the capable hospital staff and his two sisters, who were on the way.

As we left his room, we passed a volunteer pushing a flower cart, delivering flowers and balloons to all the patients on the floor. She waved cheerily as she passed us. I did a double-take and knew in an instant who the volunteer was. Not too many hospital volunteers looked like this. She was a tall woman, wearing a white mini-dress with a flowing pink cape. She rocked white, knee-high socks and pink, patent leather stilettos. She had a white-blond ponytail cascading down under a red and white cap festooned with sparkles. Yep, Cleobella volunteered at the hospital.

When Axel and I arrived at Vessie’s, Jaxson was already seated at a booth. Vessie was standing beside it chatting with him. They both looked up and waved as we came in.

The café today looked pretty much the same as the last time I was here, which in Destiny Falls was quite a surprise. I had come to expect the subtle— and sometimes not-so-subtle—changes in the buildings around here. It’s like they had a mind of their own. I didn’t blame the café for remaining the same. It was charming and cheerful, exactly as it was, in all its beautiful, pink glory.

Vessie gifted me her usual warm hug and kind welcome and did the same for Axel. She took our drink orders (tea for me, of course) and went off to the kitchen, while we settled in with Jax. Axel slid into the booth, sat across from Jaxson, and plunked himself right in the middle, while Jax scooted over to make room for me on his side. He put his arm around me for a quick, friendly hug. I found that Jaxson was feeling more like a brother to me—or more accurately, a brother’s best friend—than a potential date. That was really for the best, though. If we dated and it didn’t work out, it might forever be uncomfortable between us. And I enjoyed being with these two far too much to jeopardize the friendship.

We scanned our menus, and all agreed that the special of the day was the winner. Quarter-pound bacon and avocado burgers with fries and a milkshake. Luckily, I was taking a hike with Olivia after our lunch, so I could work off the extra calories. Knowing what great food she served here, it would be well worth it.

While we waited for our food, Jaxson gave us an update on the case of the ferry captain’s murder.

“We were certain this was a crime of passion tied to the captain’s contentious divorce and affair, but we’ve hit several roadblocks. We’ve been unable to unearth the name of the man involved in the supposed affair; all we’ve heard so far is hearsay. The captain’s husband is apparently out of town and unreachable. We’ve yet to be able to contact him to notify him of the death. His timely disappearance raises questions, of course.

“We’re looking for other family members or next of kin, but again, finding nothing. We’ve done a complete search of the victim’s home and office and came up empty. There is little information under the name Nakita Morozova, so that leads us to believe it was an alias, or perhaps her maiden name, but not her legal name. At first glance, this was a simple case, but it’s gotten complicated. The investigation is still underway.”

“Wow, that’s crazy,” said Axel. “You never know what people are hiding under their nondescript, everyday exteriors.”

That seemed to be my opening, so I dove right in. “Speaking of hidden things, I have something to show you.”

Both men looked my way and gave me their full attention. It made me squirm.

“The day that the mail carrier was attacked at Caldwell Crest was the first day I had my Observer work camera. I had it with me at that moment and snapped a few pictures at the scene. In the panic of the situation, I had forgotten I took the shots. I was looking at them this morning and noticed something odd.”

I pulled out my phone and clicked on the photo I had copied and saved in a separate file.

“Look right here. I realized that there were no red flowers in the yard, but there was one bright splash of red.” I turned the phone their way. Then I opened the next photo, which was an enlarged section of the first, and pointed at the red-haired person in the bushes.

“That’s definitely Kerbie, the helmsman. He’s unmistakable,” said Jaxson. “And is that one of the ferry mechanics? Gronk or Shrek? Why were they at Caldwell Crest?”

“There’d be no reason that I know of,” said Axel.

As they were looking at the pictures, I reminded them of another fact. “Remember that even though they were known to be friends, Nakita appeared nervous around the mechanics the first day that I met her. And the two of them, plus Kerbie, were at the scene when they