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

“It almost sounds as if you think this is a bad thing.”

I shrugged. “It feels strange to even think about using any of this money. I don’t feel like Ava Macalester. I feel like Ainsley Holloway. And even if I could convince myself it really was mine, what would I do with it? I certainly don’t need it.”

Jemma untucked her legs. “I guess it’s nice to know it’s there if you ever do need it.”

“Yeah. I guess. I suppose it’s odd that while I’m not really all that thrilled about the money, I am thrilled to find out that I’m related to Warren and Giovanna. Since Adam first told me about them, I’ve spent hours stalking them on the internet. I was obsessed with learning everything that I could about them. Initially, I was looking for confirmation that the guy was the lowlife Marilee had told the family he was, but what I found was a really great guy who seems to use his money and influence to benefit his village. Not only does he give of his time and his money, but there are dozens and dozens of photos of the couple attending fundraisers and ribbon cuttings, as well as very high-end parties and exclusive events. It’s almost like they’re royalty.”

“It sounds like they are royalty in their own little corner of the world.” Jemma glanced at her watch. “I’m supposed to meet Booker at the marina at five. He wants to talk to me about a birthday gift for Tegan, so we’re going to have a drink. Do you want to come along?”

“Are you sure he won’t mind?”

“He won’t mind. I guess there’s a specific gift he wants to get Jemma, but it’s one of those items that are hard to find, so he’s hoping I can use my computer magic to track one down online. He wanted me to meet him, so he wouldn’t have to make an excuse for coming to the cottage to talk to me without Tegan tagging along.”

I slid my legs to the side to stand up. “Okay. I’ll go with you. Let me run a brush through my hair.”

Once I tidied up a bit, I let the dogs out for a quick bathroom break, and then Jemma and I headed toward the marina.

“I wonder what’s going on,” Jemma said after we’d noticed Deputy Todd talking to a group of teenagers on the beach who appeared to have been out paddleboarding.

“I don’t know. It looks like everyone is standing around that blue paddleboard, although I can’t tell who it belongs to. It looks as if everyone in the group has their paddleboard.”

Jemma narrowed her gaze and then nodded toward the parking area for the marina. “It looks like Parker is here.”

Parker Peterson is a friend of ours who also happens to be the best reporter in town. If Parker decided to show up, then chances were that Deputy Todd was talking to the group on the beach about something more important than littering or unsafe roughhousing.

“I’m going to text Parker and let her know we’re up here in the parking area. Maybe she can stop by when she’s done with Todd and fill us in,” Jemma informed me.

I watched as Parker headed straight toward Deputy Todd. She said something to him, and he nodded, glancing toward the blue paddleboard on the sand. She said something else, and one of the boys Todd had been talking with pointed out toward the eastern shore of the bay. Parker commented again, and Deputy Todd knelt down on the sand to take a closer look at the paddleboard. Jemma and I couldn’t hear what was being said by anyone involved in the conversation, but it did appear that the blue paddleboard was the topic of conversation.

After about fifteen minutes, Parker turned away from the group and headed toward where Jemma and I were waiting.

“What’s going on?” Jemma asked when Parker sat down next to us.

“Zane Maddox was reported missing by his mother this morning,” she answered. “Apparently, he went out paddleboarding yesterday afternoon but never returned.” Parker looked at me. “Zane is a fifteen-year-old and the youngest son of Harold Maddox.”

I knew that Harold Maddox was one of the members of the town council. I seemed to remember that Harold’s family had lived in Gooseberry Bay for generations.

“I take it the blue paddleboard belonged to him,” I said.

“Yes,” Parker confirmed. “When Zane was last seen, he was leaving home with his blue paddleboard. His parents told Deputy Todd that they were pretty sure he planned to meet up with some other kids from the high school, but Zane didn’t specifically say who he was meeting.”

“So, how are the teens on the beach involved?” I asked.

“They’re the ones who found the paddleboard floating in the bay. There’s a chip on one end of the paddleboard that looks new. Although Deputy Todd doesn’t know if the paddleboard was damaged during whatever occurred to cause Zane to go missing or if it was washed up onto some rocks at some point after whatever happened to Zane occurred.”

“So what does Deputy Todd think happened to Zane?” Jemma asked.

“He has no idea at this point. Given the fact that his paddleboard was found floating in the middle of the bay, it appears he may have drowned, but without a body, there’s no way to know that for sure.”

“I guess Deputy Todd will open a case and look into it,” I said.

“Yeah,” Parker agreed. “That’s the plan. He mentioned trying to track down whomever Zane met up with yesterday. Someone must have seen him. If he can figure out where Zane went after he left home, that will at least give him a starting point.” She glanced away from the water. “So