Cottage on Gooseberry Bay: Like a Movie

Book 19: Cottage on Gooseberry Bay

by Kathi Daley

Genres: Mystery; Private Investigators

Synopsis

Cottage on Gooseberry Bay is a heartwarming mystery series about finding answers and fostering hope while building friendships and embracing the magic of life by the sea and small-town holidays.

In book 19 in the series, Ainsley and the gang volunteer to help out with the annual Movies on the Beach event Gooseberry Bay is known for sponsoring every summer. While Josie and Hudson are busy manning the food truck, Jemma takes on the task of organizing the volunteers and Coop and Ainsley are asked to help with security. When a local man is found dead and it is determined that he was killed in the exact same manner as the victim featured in the movie that week, new deputy Dani Dixon is sure she has her killer. The problem is that after a bit of digging on her own, Ainsley isn't so sure about Dani's conclusion. When the local police balk at the idea of widening their investigation, Ainsley decides to take matters into her own hands.

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Release date: July 15, 2025

Publisher: Kathi Daley Books

Reader says this book is...: entertaining story (1) escapist/easy read (1)

Sample

It took nerves of steel to squeeze the catering truck between the massive tree that hugged the

river feeding the bay on our right and the makeshift bandstand hastily erected that morning for

the Bands on the Beach Summer Music Festival event on our left. But somehow, I’d managed to

guide my good friend, Josie Wellington, through the tight space without getting so much as a

scratch on the truck or the tree.

“Since I’ve been parking here every Saturday evening for the past three weeks, you’d think

whoever erected this bandstand would know to leave enough room for the catering truck

servicing the Movies on the Beach event to get through,” Josie complained. “I get that they

didn’t want to take the bandstand down after today’s bands finished and then erect it all over

again in the morning for the Sunday bands, and I am willing to share my space, even though I am

feeling a bit territorial by this point, but that was downright dicey.”

“It was tight,” I agreed as I took several deep breaths to relieve my stress level, which had

risen significantly when Josie almost pitched her right rear tire down an embankment that likely

would have landed her in the river. “But we have you tucked in now, and you should be fine until

we have to move you at the end of the evening.”

“At least Hudson will be here by the time we need to pack up and go home so he can take

over and wiggle us out of here,” Josie referred to her boyfriend, Hudson Hanson. “It was hard

enough for me to make it into this spot, but it would be impossible to make the trip in reverse

since backing this thing up really isn’t one of my strong points.”

Hudson was a teacher at Winchester Academy, the private school for financially

disadvantaged students with high IQs that my boyfriend, Adam Winchester, owned and operated

along with his brother, Archie. The school was closed for the summer, and Archie was away

visiting family in England, so Hudson and Adam had been living on the peninsula with Josie,

me, and the rest of the gang. Hudson and Adam had been helping with the Movies on the Beach

event all summer, and they would be here tonight as well once they finished their meeting with

 

the wealthy investor from Adam’s past who’d come to town specifically to meet with Adam to

discuss the idea of providing a handful of full-ride scholarships each year.

“It’s a hot one this evening,” I said, wiping an arm across my brow.

“So far, I think today has been the hottest day we’ve had this summer,” Josie agreed. She

looked up at the sky. “But it should cool off once the sun goes beyond the horizon.” She glanced

at her catering truck. “In the meantime, I hope my overhead fans are working properly. It’s going

to be hot inside.”

I looked out toward the grassy area where people had already begun to gather. “Given that it

appears the entire early bird dinner crowd has decided to attend tonight, I suspect you will be

busy.” The movie didn’t start until dark, which wouldn’t be until close to ten o’clock, but Josie

had been showing up at seven and opening by seven-thirty for those spectators who planned to

show up early with their blankets to stake out the best spot. Most evenings, Josie had a line

waiting when she officially opened her window.

“I have plenty of food to serve a large crowd, but if Hudson doesn’t get here by the time I

open, it will be tough to both take the orders and make the food.”

“Just let me know if you need help, and I can pitch in.”

“Thanks. I’ll text you if I need you.”

I slipped my cell phone out of my pocket and ensured I’d taken my ringtone off silent in case

Josie did text. It wasn’t uncommon for me to place it on silent when I worked, and I’d spent time

doing paperwork and returning calls at Ainsley Holloway Investigations before heading to the

park.

“Oh good,” Jemma Hawthorne, Josie’s best friend and roommate, said as she approached us.

“I see that you made it through the maze left by the bandstand without any problem. I was

worried that your truck was too wide to squeeze through.”

Josie opened the awning and began setting everything up. “My truck is almost too wide to

squeeze through, and we barely made it,” Josie complained. “Why did you allow them to place

the bandstand so close to the trees? Last year, the bandstand for the Bands on the Beach Summer

Music Festival was a good ten feet to the left.”

“I didn’t let them do anything,” Jemma, who was acting as this year’s chairperson for the

Movies on the Beach event, defended. “The bandstand was already in place when Coop and I

arrived.” Cooper Fairchild was Jemma’s boyfriend. “Chuck Normington is chairing the Bands on

the Beach Summer Music Festival event this year, and he wanted to change the angle of the

bandstand to better feature the huge sign advertising his company that he hung from his yacht,

which is anchored just offshore.”

“He’s going to have a large fluorescent light beaming from his yacht during the movie?” I

asked.

“That’s what I heard,” Jemma answered.

“Who is this guy?” I wondered.

“Chuck Normington is some sort of tech millionaire with homes in both Gooseberry Bay and

Seattle,” Jemma informed me. “He likes to pretend he’s civic-minded, so, every now and then,

 

he’ll sponsor one of the local events. This year, as you just heard, he’s sponsoring the Bands on

the Beach Summer Music Festival event, and also, as I just mentioned, he plans to cash in on that

with some free advertising.”

Josie scowled. “The guy is a jerk. He pretends to care about the community but only to the

extent it serves his purpose.”

“I can’t say that I remember ever meeting the man,” I said, “but now that I think about it, it

seems that Jackson was complaining about someone named Chuck at brunch last week.”

“I’m sure it was Chuck Normington he was complaining about,” Josie said. “Normington has

a temper which he likes to take out on those he considers beneath him. Jackson hates the guy, but

he has to play nice with him if he wants to keep his job.”

Jackson Davidson was one of Josie and Jemma’s long-time friends, and he’d quickly become

my friend after I moved to the area. He’d gone through some tough times the past couple of

years after becoming involved in a love triangle with his two best friends, so he’d decided he

needed some space and moved out of the area. He’d just returned this summer and had fit right

back in with the group, although I wasn’t sure what his plans were once summer ended.

“Is Jackson going to show tonight?” I asked.

Jemma shrugged. “I haven’t spoken to him today, but it sounded like he planned to be here

the last time I did speak to him. He likely had to work today, so I doubt we’ll see him until close

to movie time.”

Since I could see that Josie was about to let loose with a series of curses related to her

opinion about the sign, the change in the placement of the bandstand, and the interruption to the

regular flow of things, I reached out a hand and introduced myself to the man who’d walked up

and stood next to Jemma while we were discussing Normington. “My name is Ainsley Holloway.

I don’t think we’ve met.”

“Franklin Evington.” The man offered a hand in return. “I understand you are doing security

for this year’s Movies on the Beach event.”

“I am. Along with Cooper Fairchild.”

“It’s a hot one tonight.”

“It really is,” I agreed.

“In my experience, an increase in temperature seems to correspond with an increase in

alcohol consumption, which, of course, directly affects the general mood of the crowd.”

“I have noticed that there seems to be a weird energy this weekend.”

“Tempers seem to be on the high side, and there were multiple fights in the parking area and

on the beach during the Bands on the Beach Summer Music Festival today. Given the heat and

the fact that alcohol consumption started early with the event, I suspect you’re going to have

your hands full.”

Terrific.

“My team and I will be leaving now that you and your team have arrived to take over, but I

wanted to warn you about a group of partiers who seem ripe for disruptive behavior gathering on

the beach just beyond the grove of trees to the left of the screen. I’ve also had several reports of

 

vandalism to cars parked in the lot off the highway. The movie crowd seems to be mellower than

the band crowd, but you might want to do a few extra laps around the area to confirm that

nothing new is brewing once you and your team begin doing rounds.

“My team is one guy and me, but I’ll see what we can do.”

Franklin returned his attention to Jemma. “I was wondering if you’ve seen Luca. I need to

speak to him about a problem with the projector before I leave.”

“There’s a problem with the projector?” Jemma asked.

The man rolled his eyes. “There’s always a problem with that old thing.”

“The last time I saw Luca, he was talking to Rory about the sound system,” Jemma informed

the man. “If he isn’t there, I’d check the projection booth.”

After Franklin moved on, I asked Jemma if she’d heard about the issues Franklin had

mentioned, and she said she hadn’t. Josie went to work getting things set up for the food service

that would start in half an hour, so Jemma decided to check in with Luca herself. Josie seemed to

have things under control, so I decided to see if I could find Coop, the one male member of the

security team, along with me. Jemma had mentioned that he’d arrived with her, but I hadn’t seen

him yet. The two of us were assigned to work together during the Movies on the Beach event to

ensure the evening was enjoyed by all without any problems from the crowd. This was our fourth

weekend patrolling the beach and surrounding area, and so far, our job as security had been

much easier than I’d expected. We’d had to break up a few underage parties, and we’d come

across a few random couples who were engaged in activities not appropriate for a family movie

night, but all in all, things had gone smoothly. I just hoped that tonight went equally as well.

When I finally tracked Coop down, he’d been talking to Jackson, who looked like he’d been

involved in a brawl.

“What happened?” I asked.

Jackson just hung his head. “It’s just been a notably bad day.”

“I can see that.” I reached out and gently touched his eye, which had already begun to turn

black and blue. “Do you want to tell me who did this to you?”

He laughed. “Would you believe that the various hues added to my face resulted from a

creative watercolor left by several contributors?”

I raised a brow. “You don’t say.” I reached out a hand and gently touched his bloody lip. “Do

you want to elaborate?”

“Not really. It’s just been one of those days. I’ll tell everyone about it at brunch tomorrow.”

He looked around. “I’m supposed to meet Jilly here. Have you seen her?”

Jilly Michaelson was a woman Jackson worked with at the marina. I still wasn’t sure if they

were dating or just friends, but the two did seem to be spending a lot of time together during the

past couple of weeks, and I’d picked up a hint of something romantic during their interactions.

“I haven’t seen her, but I’ll tell her you’re looking for her if I run into her. Did you try calling

her?”

“I did. The call went straight to voicemail. I also tried texting but haven’t received a reply.

Jilly might just have lost track of time, but this guy showed up at the marina to speak to Jilly

 

today. He said he needed to speak to her privately, so Jilly went outside while they chatted. After

he left, Jilly returned to the office for a few minutes, but I could see she was upset, so I suggested

she take her break early. She agreed that she needed some time and left but never returned. Jilly

and I had made plans for her to meet me here at the beach at six-thirty. I’ve been here since six

o’clock, but she hasn’t shown up yet.”

It was after eight by this point. It seemed as if Jilly would have called if she was merely

running late.

“I think there’s something more going on between Jilly and this random guy than she let on,”

Jackson continued. “She may have been hooking up with him on the side, which might account

for her odd mood when he just showed up at the marina, but, to be honest, I’m really worried

about her. I just have this feeling she’s in trouble of some sort. I don’t have much money, but

unless I can find Jilly and get her to open up about everything that’s happened, I’d like to hire

you to look into things.”

“Hire me?” It was true that I was a private investigator, but Jackson’s problem with his

girlfriend didn’t sound like the sort of case I’d usually get involved in.

He nodded. “If Jilly is in some sort of trouble, I’d like to help her, but, at this point, I’m just

not sure what’s going on.”

I wasn’t worried about Jackson’s ability to pay, but I was somewhat concerned about poking

around in this young woman’s life without her consent. “How about we talk about it at brunch

tomorrow.”

“Okay. That would be great. Before you accept my case, I suppose you’ll need the whole

story, but I don’t have time to get into everything right now. We’ll talk tomorrow.”

Jackson hugged me and then headed back to the parking area, and Coop and I walked toward

the bandstand to discuss our strategy to ensure the safety of all who had gathered now that the

sun had set and it had started to get dark.

“The strip of beach just on the other side of the wooded area to the left of the screen has been

a gathering spot for underage drinking and romantic liaisons,” Coop said. “I know we’ve been

tasked with patrolling the beach directly associated with the viewing area to ensure a family

setting, but I spent half my time last week chasing kids off the beach on the other side of the fir

grove and wonder if it was worth it. Is that little section of the beach even part of the area we’re

supposed to monitor?”

I paused and looked in that direction. “I don’t know that anyone ever determined the

boundaries for the area we’re in charge of keeping family-friendly, but that section of the beach

does seem to be isolated from the main seating area. I spoke to the man who did security for the

Bands on the Beach Summer Music Festival event today, and he said that he could sense trouble

brewing over there. Maybe we can do a walk-through or two, but I think we should focus on the

beach within view of the screen.”

“That sounds like a good plan to me,” Coop responded. “By the by, did you remind Adam to

let Hank, Kai, and Kallie out before he meets us here?”

“I did remind him, and it’s all set.”

 

Hank was Coop’s dog, and Kai and Kallie were my dogs. We’d decided not to bring them to

the Movies on the Beach event since there were already as many people squeezed into the small

space as could fit; however, we also knew we’d be late getting home, so we worked it out for

Adam to stop by the cottages after meeting with the donor and let them all out.

“It looks like we have some movie-goers who need a reminder about the meaning of reserved

seating.” Coop nodded toward the section of the beach that had been sectioned off for the

disabled and elderly attendees to use. A group of kids from the local high school had ignored the

signs and laid their blankets in the area reserved for wheelchairs and beach chairs for those

unable to sit on the ground for two hours. “I’ll go and run them off, and you go and check to see

if everything is set to start the movie on time. I heard tonight’s flick is one of the longer ones, so

I’m hoping there isn’t a delay getting started.”

I did as Coop suggested and headed toward the projection area. I was halfway between the

bandstand and the projection booth when I sensed a movement behind me. I stopped and turned

around to find a young girl of about six or seven standing just to my left.

“Hi, there,” I said with a smile. I looked around and didn’t see an adult. “Can I help you with

something?”

The girl wore a pair of stained jeans with a dirty pink top. She had long dark hair that hung

over what looked to be large blue eyes.

“Is your mom or dad with you?” I added when she didn’t reply right away.

I was on the verge of approaching the girl when a tall man with narrow hips and a broad

chest stepped between me and the girl.

“There you are,” he said. He reached out and took the girl’s hand. “I wondered where you’d

gone off to.”

I glanced at the girl, who looked frightened but didn’t call out or make any moves to indicate

she was in trouble.

“Is this your daughter?” I asked the man.

“She’s my niece.”

I noticed that his hand tightened over the girl’s just a bit.

“I’m supposed to be babysitting this week, but the girl does tend to slip away. I suspect she’s

upset that her parents left her with me while they’re on an exotic vacation.”

I looked the girl in the eye, at least to the extent it was possible to look her in the eye with all

that hair. “My name is Ainsley. What’s your name?”

She didn’t answer.

“Her name is Mandy,” the man said. “We really have to go. Enjoy your evening.”

I watched as the man walked away. The girl seemed to be willingly walking with him and

wasn’t calling out or struggling to get away from the man, but I had an odd feeling about things.

I pulled my cell phone out and took a photo of the man and girl as they retreated. When the pair

hit the tree line and were on the verge of disappearing into the trees, the girl turned to look at me.

I snapped another photo, and this time, I somehow managed to take a pretty good shot of her

face.

 

Once the pair disappeared from sight, I considered my next move. On the surface, nothing

had transpired that should have left me feeling uncomfortable. It was true that Mandy wasn’t the

talkative sort, but the man she was with had offered a plausible explanation as to why they were

together and why the girl wasn’t as thrilled as she might have been to be attending a movie on a

beach with her uncle. If her parents had left her behind while they vacationed, and if the child

was an only child, which was never stated, yet I felt that it was implied, then it might make sense

that she was just angry and pouting. But angry and pouting really wasn’t the vibe I picked up.

The vibe I picked up was frightened. Making a decision, I used my cell phone to call my sister,

Avery Carmichael. Avery had previously worked for a black ops division of the CIA but was

currently employed by both the Seattle field office of the FBI and a civilian crime fighter named

Ezra Reinhold.

“Hey, Ains’, what’s up?” Avery greeted.

“I need your help.”

“Anything for you, love. What do you need?”

I briefly explained about having had an encounter that left me with a bad feeling and asked

her if she could run missing persons reports for someone fitting the description of the girl with

dark hair and blue eyes. She agreed, so I forwarded her both the photos I managed to capture.

She promised to get back to me if she found anything.

At this point, I figured I’d done what I could, so I wandered over to see how Jemma was

doing. Even though there was no charge for attending the Movies on the Beach event, Jemma

had been tasked with handing out tickets to the evening event and usually needed help to keep

the line moving by this time of day.

“Have you seen Jackson?” Jemma asked me once I made my way to the ticket table and sat

in the folding chair beside her.

“I saw him earlier. He was here looking for his friend, Jilly, but he couldn’t find her, so he

left. He said he planned to go to her apartment to check on her. Why do you ask?”

The next woman in line walked up to where I was sitting and asked for two adult and three

children’s admissions. I handed her the tickets.

“Fish was here looking for him,” Jemma replied. Jared Fishman used to work at the local

arcade but quit that job and went to work at the marina with Jackson just over a year ago. He was

a nice guy who everyone just referred to as Fish. “He told me that Jackson was fired today.”

My brow raised as I handed the next woman in line four tickets. “Fired? Really? When I ran

into him, he mentioned that his day had been notably bad, but he didn’t mention that he’d been

fired. What happened?”

“Fish told me that Jackson got into an argument with Chuck Normington, who was outraged

over damage to his yacht. He insisted that the damage was Jackson’s fault, even though Fish

assured me that Jackson swore to him that it wasn’t. Normington contacted the marina’s owner

and demanded that Jackson not only pay for the damage to his yacht but that he be fired. The

marina’s owner couldn’t require Jackson to pay for damages, but he could fire him, so he did.”

“Poor Jackson. I think he depended on having that job to get through the summer.”

 

Jemma nodded as she handed a man with triplets tickets for the kids and their friends. “Fish

said that Jackson was pretty mad. He was afraid that he might even do something stupid.”

“Stupid like what?” I asked Jemma.

“Stupid, as in retaliating against Normington for getting him fired. Fish wasn’t sure what, if

anything, Jackson had planned, but he did say that he was muttering about getting even when he

left the marina after being canned.”

I handed a group of teenagers their tickets and turned toward Jemma. “When Jackson was

here earlier, his face was totally trashed.”

“Trashed? What do you mean by totally trashed?”

“The poor guy had a black eye, fat lip, and multiple bruises. When I asked him what

happened, all I could get out of him was that he’d had a notably bad day. He said he needed time

to process things before sharing the events of his day but would catch us up at brunch

tomorrow.” I smiled at the elementary school-aged kids who wanted six children’s tickets. “I was

worried about him before you told me he was fired, but now, I’m really worried. Do you think

we should go and look for him?”

“No. Jackson doesn’t like to be smothered, so if he said he needed time to process, then it’s

likely that he probably did. I think it’s a positive sign that he promised to share the events of his

day with us at brunch. If he doesn’t show up here tonight, we’ll make a point of pulling him

aside tomorrow.”

“And if he does do something dumb as Fish fears?” I asked.

Jemma took a deep breath. “At this point, I guess that all we can do is to hope that he holds it

together and doesn’t make things worse for himself.”

I understood where Jemma was coming from, and she knew Jackson better than I did, but I

felt like I knew him well enough to know that if he was upset, he was much more likely to act

than to merely let it go.

“Have you noticed a young girl of six or seven with long dark hair, blue eyes, and wearing

stained jeans and a dirty pink top?” I asked Jemma.

“No. Why do you ask?”

I shared my experience of the encounter with the child with the woman who was one of my

best friends. “I’m sure she’s fine, and I’m worried for nothing, but there was just something

about the encounter that left me feeling unsettled.”

“We should check for missing persons,” Jemma suggested.

“I thought of that, so I called Avery. She’s looking into it. She said she’ll call me back if she

finds something.”

“As long as you’ve notified Avery, I guess you’ve done what you can,” Jemma assured me.

“I’ll keep an eye out for her. If I see her, I’ll try to initiate a conversation.”

“Thanks. I’m going to keep an eye out for her as well.”

The line at the catering truck was getting long, and Hudson hadn’t arrived yet, so I decided to

go and help Josie. The catering truck was open for business once Josie completed setting up,

 

which was usually around seven-thirty, until Josie decided to shut down around eleven. The

largest crowd seemed to gather during the two hours before the start of the movie, so from eight

to ten.

“Need some help?” I asked.

“I do. I can’t believe Hudson isn’t here yet. Wasn’t the meeting he attended with Adam

supposed to be over by six?”

“They may have decided to grab some dinner. I’m sure they’ll be here soon. In the meantime,

I’ll help until Hudson arrives or Coop needs my help.”

“Thanks. I really appreciate that. Tonight’s menu with prices is taped to the counter near the

window.”

“Kabobs?” I asked.

“I made them ahead of time, wrapped them in foil, and am keeping them warm. We have

beef and chicken. Since the kabobs are premade, we can’t accommodate special requests such as

no onions or extra pineapple, but we have other options.”

I read down the list. “Okay. I think I have it. I’ll ask if I get stuck.”

Hudson showed up a half-hour later, full of apologies for running late. He told me Adam was

at the cottage with the dogs but would be here shortly. Hudson knew Josie was counting on his

help, so he drove his car and came on ahead.

Once Hudson was settled with Josie, I decided to find Coop and get an update on any

extracurricular activities that might be going on. I also wanted to ask him to keep an eye out for

Mandy. The sun had recently set, and I knew it wouldn’t be long before the movie would start

and the overhead lights would come on.

“So how’s it going?” I asked Coop once I tracked him down.

“Except for the ruckus on the yacht, things have been mostly quiet,” he answered when I

asked.

“Ruckus on the yacht? I was helping Josie work the catering truck and must have missed it.

What’s going on?”

“One of the dinghies from the marina approached the yacht, which is still tied up a few

hundred yards behind the bandstand. Witnesses said that the dinghy went around to the back and

tied up, and then someone boarded. The sun was beginning to set by the time the dinghy showed

up, so the visibility was limited, but it sounds as if whoever boarded was only there for maybe

ten or fifteen minutes before they left again.”

“Do you know if there’s anyone on the yacht? Crew members or security?”

“As far as I know, the yacht is anchored out there for the express purpose of housing the sign

promoting Normington’s company. I asked around, but everyone I spoke to agreed that no one

had been on board all day.”

“So maybe whoever came over in the dinghy works for Normington and was just checking

on things.”

 

“Maybe. It looks like the movie is about to start. Let’s check in with Jemma and then do a

full loop, including the parking lot.”

The movie started just as Coop and I made our rounds. We stopped and spoke to a few

friends we saw milling around, gave out a few warnings to other groups, and generally enjoyed

the warm summer evening on the beach. The movie was longer and somewhat different from the

type featured before this week, which caused many families with young children to head out

early. The partying that was taking place on the beach adjacent to the movie was as rowdy as

always, but there was only so much Coop and I could do. At some point, we decided that

underage drinking was the jurisdiction of the local police and not a couple of unarmed volunteer

security guards, so we focused our attention on families who’d come to the event. By the time

the final credits began to roll, at least half of the viewers had left, making it much easier for those

who remained to gather their belongings and make their way out to the parking lot.

By the time we got Josie packed up and ready to leave, just the six of us remained. Hudson

backed the truck out while Adam and Coop stood by with verbal directions. Jemma, Josie, and I

gathered items from the ticket booth and surrounding area, and then we all lugged the supplies

out to our cars. By the time we left, we were exhausted but feeling content that we’d had another

successful night.

I hadn’t seen Mandy or her uncle again, but I had spoken to Avery, who assured me she

didn’t have a missing persons report matching the description or photo I sent her. She planned to

do what she could with her facial recognition software just to be sure. She assured me, however,

that the man I saw with the child likely was her uncle, and the girl had been less than

communicative due to her personality or her anger at the world after being left behind by her

parents. That made me feel somewhat better, but I still had a knot in my stomach that wouldn’t

completely go away.

Tomorrow was Sunday, and the gang had made plans to enjoy a day of eating and hanging

out together and were completely unaware that a relaxing day wouldn’t be part of our lives for a

very long time.

 

Chapter 2

 

The sun was high in the sky when my Bernese Mountain Dog, Kallie, nudged her nose under

my arm. A gentle bump to the hand or arm was Kallie’s way of letting me know it was past the

time for me to get up. I’d been in a deep sleep and felt inclined to ignore the wake-up call, but

Kallie was the patient sort who wouldn’t have awakened me unless she really needed to go out.

Groaning, I slowly opened my eyes to find Kai and Kallie staring at me with an intent look that

seemed to convey that they’d been patient for long enough.

“I think it might be time to get up,” I said without moving. Adam, who was spooned in

behind me, groaned and tightened the arm he’d draped over my waist even tighter.

“I don’t particularly want to get up,” I said, taking a moment to snuggle into that embrace.

“But Kallie has an expression on her face I can only describe as desperate.”

“Five more minutes,” Adam mumbled just as Adam’s dog, Hitchcock, decided to take

matters into his own hands, or his own mouth as the case might be, by grabbing a corner of the

sheet and pulling the whole thing onto the floor.

“I guess we’re getting up,” Adam said with a tone of resignation in his voice.

I couldn’t help but laugh as Adam reached to grab his sweatpants, which seemed to be

Hitchcock’s cue to play. The enormous Tibetan Mastiff tackled his daddy to the floor before

laying across him so Adam couldn’t move.

“Okay, I give.” Adam laughed, giving the giant dog a gentle nudge.

Hitchcock rolled onto his side, which was a move that didn’t help Adam at all.

“At this point in the wrestling match that the two of you seem to be engaged in, it looks like

this round goes to Hitchcock.” I laughed as I grabbed a pair of shorts and a tank top.

 

It took me a few minutes of pure chaos to pull on some clothes and take Kallie out for her

morning relief. Kai had stayed behind to play with Adam and Hitchcock, but I was sure the man

and the dogs would be following us girls shortly.

“It’s just about a perfect day,” I said to Kallie, who’d finished what she needed to do and then

came over to stand next to me as I looked out over Gooseberry Bay. “Sunny and warm, but it’s

not supposed to be hot like yesterday was.” I took the cell phone I’d grabbed as I headed out of

my cottage out of my pocket and pulled up the weather report. “The high today will be in the

mid-seventies with only a hint of a breeze kicking up around noon.” I pulled up my messages for

my business, Ainsley Holloway Investigations, and then checked my personal email and

messages before I slipped my cell phone back into my pocket. “We have brunch with Jemma and

Josie this morning, but maybe Adam and Hitchcock will want to go hiking this afternoon.”

Kallie barked once as if agreeing with my suggestion.

When I’d first moved to the peninsula, Jemma and Josie had thrown a brunch for their

friends almost every Sunday, but things had changed over the years, and it seemed that the

custom had been abandoned. Then, a few weeks ago, they decided to reinstate the custom, at

least for the summer, so now, Sunday brunch with the gang was probably the number one thing I

looked forward to each week, other than romantic evenings with Adam, who’d basically moved

in with the dogs and me for the summer.

“It’s already nine-thirty,” Adam said as he walked up behind me and kissed me on the neck.

“Since last night was such a late night, I can see how we might have needed the extra sleep,

but I’m surprised Kallie made it as long as she did. The poor girl is getting older and needs to go

out for potty breaks much more frequently than she used to.”

“I understand,” Adam said. “Aging will do that to you.”

Both Hitchcock and Kai decided to take a swim after they’d taken care of their morning

needs. Kallie seemed happy to sit next to me and watch the boys, so I reached down and pet her

on the top of her head.

“What time is brunch?” Adam asked.

“Josie suggested ten-thirty since we were all out late last night.”

“In my opinion, I think we did well making it back when we did. Trying to maneuver the

catering truck out of the parking area between the river and the trees in the pitch black was no

easy feat.”

“I’m just glad we had Hudson there. We never would have gotten the truck out of there

without him.”

Hudson was a teacher now, but he used to drive big rigs to support himself while he attended

college.

“I could use some coffee,” Adam said with a yawn. “How about I go in and put some on

before I jump in the shower.”

“That sounds good. Once the boys shake off, I’ll be right behind you.” I paused and looked

into the distance. “Are those sirens I hear?”

 

Adam paused as well. “It does sound like sirens, but they sound as if they’re coming from

north of the marina. You know how sound carries across the bay.”

“Sound does carry,” I had to agree. “I wonder if there was an accident on the highway

coming into town.”

“Maybe. Or there could be something going on at the beach. Day two of the Bands on the

Beach Summer Music Festival event is today. Even though the bands don’t start performing until

eleven, I suppose folks have already begun to arrive.”

“I guess it does sound as if the sirens are heading in that direction.” I bent down and ran my

hands over Kai’s coat. “Since these big boys will take forever to dry off. I think I’ll bring them in

and clean up the mess later. We both should get into the shower if we don’t want to be late.”

The roommates’ cottage was just down the trail from mine, so Adam, I, and the three dogs

just walked over once we were ready. When we arrived, Hudson and Coop were grilling

something on the deck, so Adam and the dogs went to join them. I headed to the kitchen to say hi

to Jemma and Josie as they chatted with our friend, Bexley Cosgrove. I found out that Bexley

was in Gooseberry Bay to drop off a couple rescues with Poppy Hancock and Willow

Washington, the women who ran the Gooseberry Bay adoption center. The adoption center was

closed on Sundays, but Poppy was amenable to meeting with both Bexley and the foster mother,

who had agreed to take on the two new additions early that morning so that Bexley didn’t have to

come back over on the ferry the following day.

“I’m glad you made it,” I said when I greeted Bex with a welcoming hug. “Will you be in

Gooseberry Bay for long?”

“Not this visit. I’m only here to drop a couple dogs off and need to return this afternoon. I’m

actually having dinner with Steve and Gary this evening. They invited the whole gang to

celebrate Steve’s birthday.”

“That sounds nice,” I said. Steve Donaldson and Gary Wild owned a restaurant together.

They lived in the same homeowner’s tower at the Elderberry Bay Resort, where Avery had

bought a condo. After Avery purchased a four-bedroom penthouse suite, she’d offered a bedroom

to Bexley and one to another one of our friends, Parker Peterson, both of whom divided their

time between Seattle and Gooseberry Bay, and then she used the final bedroom as a guest room,

which was mainly shared by Avery’s mother, Carmen, and me whenever either of us visited.

Adam had been with me all summer, so I hadn’t made the trip to Elderberry Bay since the

previous spring, but I was sorry that I was missing what I was sure would be an excellent meal.

“I spoke to Avery yesterday, but she didn’t mention a dinner. I assume Avery was invited.”

“She was invited, and as far as I know, she’ll be there.”

“It’s been nice having her home for a while.”

“It has been,” Bexley agreed. “After her ordeal in Alaska, she needed a rest, but I think she’s

getting to that point where she’s been itching to get back to work. In fact, if you ask me, she’s

working on something. She hasn’t said anything to Parker or me, but she has enlisted Max to

help on something for her.”

Maxine Westwood, Max to her friends, was a hacker with a past who lived at Elderberry Bay

full-time in association with a plea deal she’d worked out with the CIA, or maybe it was the FBI.

 

I didn’t have all the details, but I knew that Max was the best at what she did, and if Avery had

her working on something, it must be important.

“I was planning to call her later,” I said. “I’ll see what I can find out about her project with

Max.” I turned when I heard someone let themselves in through the front door. It was my good

friend, Remington Beckett. Remi was also friends with Bexley, and I assumed he’d come to the

brunch this week because Bex had asked him to.

“Hey, stranger.” I gave him a hug.

“I guess it has been a while.” He hugged me back.

“Why the long absence?” I asked.

“I was dealing with a few issues with my LA arcade, but I’m back in Washington for a

while.”

“I’m glad to hear that. Are you planning to stay in Gooseberry Bay, or do you need to head to

Seattle?”

“I stopped by to check on my house here, but then I’m heading to Seattle for a few days. I’ll

be back, though.”

“Can you stay for brunch?” Josie asked.

“I can. I meant to get here sooner, but cop cars were all over the place on that beach adjacent

to the music festival. Traffic is backed up in both directions.”

“Do you know what’s going on?” I asked.

“I don’t know for sure, but I noticed cops both on the beach and the yacht anchored just off

the beach.”

“That’s Chuck Normington’s yacht,” Jemma said. “He has it anchored there as a floating

billboard of sorts. Maybe someone vandalized it. I mean, it is just sitting there.”

“Maybe.” Remi looked around the room. “I guess the guys must be outside.”

“They are. I’m not sure how many guys it takes to grill some steaks, but I’m sure they need

help.”

Remi kissed me on the cheek and then headed toward the deck. It was good to have him

home for a while, not that he spent time in Gooseberry Bay any more than anywhere else he

lived, but I liked to think he felt more at home here than anywhere else he spent time.

“So what can I do to help?” Bex asked Josie, who was putting the food she’d had warming in

the oven into bowls.

“I’m going to set the food out on the dining table, and then everyone can come inside to fill

their plates and take them out to the patio to eat. We can begin arranging this food in the dining

room once the steaks are ready for the guys to remove from the grill. In the meantime, why don’t

you get a headcount and gather some plates and silverware.”

“Are you expecting anyone to show who isn’t here yet?” Bexley asked.

 

“Just Jackson. I ran into him at the Movies on the Beach event last night, and he said he was

coming, but I haven’t seen him yet.” I set a bowl of strawberries on the counter with the rest of

the food. “I’d hoped Parker would come, but I haven’t heard from her.”

“She’s been busy. It’s been at least a week since I’ve run into her,” Bexley said.

Parker leased a cottage here on the peninsula with the rest of us, but, as previously

mentioned, she also had the bedroom in my sister’s penthouse since she split her time between

Gooseberry Bay and Seattle. Since Bex was likewise regularly back and forth, they ran into each

other more often than most.

“Maybe I’ll text her and confirm that she isn’t on her way,” I said.

Bexley agreed that texting Parker might be a good idea, so I typed a message and sent it.

Parker texted me back within a minute to let me know she was on the ferry heading toward

Gooseberry Bay. She wasn’t on her way to brunch, however. She was making the trip to follow

up on a story her boss at the Seattle News, Alfred Sutton, had handed her.

What sort of story? I texted back.

Some guy was found dead on the beach with a climbing axe in his chest. The weird thing

about this, however, isn’t the fact that some guy was offed and left on the beach but that he was

offed in the same manner as the victim in the movie that aired on that same beach last night.

It was at this point that I called Parker. “Tell me more about the murder victim. Do you have

a name? Is it anyone we know?”

“I don’t have a name,” Parker answered. “And I have no idea if it’s anyone we know. Alfred

just said that he received a heads-up about the murder from one of his contacts and decided to

assign it to me. I was already in Seattle since I stayed at Ryker’s place last night, so I was able to

make the next ferry.” She referred to Dante Ryker, an FBI agent Parker had been spending a fair

amount of time with lately. “Alfred didn’t have any information to pass on. I guess I’ll get the

details when I get there.”

“Call or text me when you find out.”

“I will. I gotta go. The announcement to return to our cars was just issued.”

I hung up and then turned toward where Jemma, Josie, and Bexley were all staring at me.

“What’s going on?” Josie asked.

“Parker’s on her way to Gooseberry Bay to cover a story,” I said. “The story has to do with

the murder of a man who was found on the beach early this morning. He died from a climbing

axe in the chest.”

“Like in the movie,” Josie said.

“Exactly like in the movie,” I agreed.

“The movie on the beach was about a murder?” Bexley asked. “I thought the whole thing

was promoted as a family sort of event.”

“Movies on the Beach is supposed to be a family sort of thing,” Jemma said. “The first three

movies this summer were old family flicks about dogs, kids, and vacations, but last night’s movie

was different. I have no idea who chose it, but it wasn’t the best choice. Not that it was gory or

 

anything, and there were some interesting themes. To summarize, it was a story about a group of

young men who decided to embark on a mountain climbing expedition despite knowing they

lacked the necessary experience to accomplish such a feat. They were an adventurous bunch,

however, and they actually seemed to figure it out as they went along until one of the men was

found dead with a climbing axe in his chest. The movie’s tempo changed from ‘a group of young

explorers teamed up against all odds to conquer a mountain’ to ‘someone killed our friend, and

we’re determined to find out who’ at this point.”

“So they thought that someone from the group killed their friend,” Bex said.

I nodded. “It was assumed in the movie that the killer was someone in the group since, as far

as the men knew, they were the only climbers on the mountain.”

“Was it someone from the group?”

“Actually, no,” I answered Bexley’s question. “As it turned out, there was someone else on

the mountain even though it was early spring and the climbers who normally tackled the summit

every summer hadn’t arrived yet. The movie was interesting and, as Jemma said, I guess some of

the themes that were explored as the men tried to work through their challenge were interesting,

but like many of the adults in the audience, I thought the subject matter was a bit too intense for

young children.”

“The movie didn’t even start until close to ten,” Bex pointed out. “Surely there weren’t any

young children in the audience.”

“You’d be surprised,” I said.

Once the steaks were done, Bexley and I put the rest of the food on the table, and everyone

filled their plates and then found a place at one of the tables outdoors. Coop’s dog, Hank, stayed

close to Coop, which was his usual way of navigating a chaotic situation, but Kai, Kallie, and

Hitchcock found a place to spread out in the shade.

Bexley and Remi sat at a table with Adam and me. We mostly talked about the animal rescue

center Bexley ran and the success she and her team had been experiencing with the adoption

centers. Bexley was about as committed to the animals she rescued as anyone I’d ever met. I

truly admired her determination to keep her eyes focused on her task until every animal in the

area was placed in a loving home. Of course, since she rescued animals who needed her help

from the entire state of Washington, I suspected we both knew her job would never be done.

Still, it was so awesome to me that she tried.

After we ate, Jemma walked over and sat down at our table. “Have you heard from Parker?”

she asked.

“Not yet,” I replied. “I’m sure Parker will call or text once she knows something. Did you

ever hear from Jackson?”

“No,” Jemma replied.

“Did you try texting him?”

“I called and texted, but he didn’t answer or reply.”

“I suppose he may have ended up with other plans, but when I spoke to him last night, he

was excited about coming to brunch. Even though it was his choice to leave, I think he’s really

 

missed us, and now that he’s committed to being back for the summer, he wants to hang out with

the old gang. I’m quite surprised he didn’t show up today.”

“He still may,” Remi said. “He may have slept in and lost track of time.”

“I guess,” I said, but I wasn’t convinced that was what was going on. “Jackson had a hard

day yesterday. When Coop and I ran into him, his face was trashed due to one or more fights

he’d been in, and Fish came by later and informed us that he was fired from his job.”

“That was a tough day,” Remi agreed.

“Maybe I’ll go check on him after we clean up.”

“I’ll come with you,” Jemma said. “I have to admit to being worried as well.”

Jemma headed back to the table where Coop was sitting with Hudson and Josie, and the

conversation at our table turned to the yacht races that were coming up the following weekend. I

enjoyed going out with Adam in his yacht, but I wasn’t really into racing, nor did I follow it as

the men seemed to, so I nibbled on my meal and enjoyed the view from our corner of paradise.

“Is Archie still in England?” Bexley asked since it was obvious that the men were becoming

even more entrenched in their topic.

“He is. He won’t be back until mid-August.”

“And when do the boys return for the fall semester?”

“I think they’ll begin to return about the same time,” I answered Bexley’s question.

Bexley and I continued to chat while after-brunch coffee was consumed. She left to head

back to Seattle, and Remi decided to go with her. Adam volunteered to do the dishes while

Jemma, Josie, and I went to check on Jackson. Adam, Hudson, and Coop were willing to go

along with us, but we didn’t want to overwhelm the guy with six friends at his door all at once if

he really had just slept in for one reason or another.

“I’m beginning to think we should have stayed and done the dishes and let the guys go to

check on Jackson,” I said as we drove toward his apartment near the marina. “If something is

happening, he might be more likely to talk to them about it.”

“Yeah,” Jemma agreed. “That thought did go through my mind as well.”

“I disagree,” Josie said. “If the guys showed up and Jackson told them nothing was wrong,

even if something clearly was, they’d let it go. I think that is written somewhere in the ‘guy

code.’ But if I show up at his door and he tries to tell me everything is fine when it clearly isn’t,

I’m not letting it go. I’ll stay until the guy talks to me.”

I knew Josie would do just that. Josie could be pushy at times, but it always came from a

place of love, and I think we all knew that.

When we arrived at Jackson’s door, we knocked, but there was no answer. Josie headed next

door and knocked. When a man about Jackson’s age answered, she asked if he’d seen our friend.

The neighbor said he hadn’t seen him since he left to go to the Movies on the Beach event the

previous evening.

“What time was that?” I asked.

 

“I guess around six-thirty or seven. I didn’t really take note of the time. I first noticed

Jackson when he arrived home from work. The poor guy was a mess. His face was destroyed,

and his clothes had blood on them. He scurried inside before I could ask him about the cause of

his distress, but I was concerned, so I decided to go over to his place and knock on his door. He

didn’t answer, but I could hear the shower, so I decided to wait and try again in a few minutes.

Unfortunately, he was fast, and before I could try again, I noticed him walking to his car. I asked

him about the blood that had been on his shirt when he came home, but he shrugged it off and

said it was nothing. He said he was heading to the Movies on the Beach event to meet up with

Jilly and that we’d chat the following day, which I guess is today. That was the last time I saw

him. Is he okay?”

“We aren’t sure. Jackson did make it to the Movies on the Beach event,” I answered. “I didn’t

speak to him long, but he did say he was looking for Jilly. I guess Jilly was supposed to meet him

there, but she didn’t show up when she said she would. Jackson had been calling and texting her,

but she wasn’t answering or responding. Jackson was worried about her since he said a guy had

shown up at the marina, demanding to speak with her privately. After speaking with the guy

outside, she was visibly upset and needed a break. She’d taken off after that and hadn’t returned,

so when she didn’t meet him, Jackson indicated that he would track her down.”

“I hope he’s okay. The guy looked like someone had used his face as a punching bag.”

I blew out a breath. “Yeah. Me too.” I handed the man my card. “If he comes home or calls,

will you let me know?”

“Yeah. I guess. As long as Jackson is okay with things.”

“So if Jackson was heading toward Jilly’s when he left the Movies on the Beach event,

maybe he’s still there,” Jemma said as we walked back toward the car. “Does anyone know

where Jilly lives?”

Josie and I agreed that we didn’t know.

“Jilly’s last name is Michaelson,” I said. “I’m sure we can track her down. Since my

computer is at home, and Jemma doesn’t have hers either, let’s head back and find her address. In

the meantime, let’s try Jackson again. Maybe he’s just sleeping it off somewhere.”

“We should check in with Parker as well,” Jemma said. “She must have made it to the beach

by now. Maybe she has more information about the murder victim on the beach.”

“I’ll call her once we return to the cottage,” I volunteered.

We hadn’t even made it to the peninsula yet when Parker called.

“Hey, Parker,” I said after answering. “I’m glad you called. Did you find out who was

murdered? Is it someone we know?”

“It’s Jackson.” ...