The Bistro at Holiday Bay: Cons and Canines

Book 9: Bistro at Holiday Bay

by Kathi Daley

Genres: Animal Cozy Mysteries; Cozy Mystery

Synopsis

A new romance, a murder, an ex-con, a PI, and a whole lot of dogs.

Alex and Leo are finally able to break ground on the dog rescue they've been working on for impossible to place dogs who have been at the shelter for an extended period or who find themselves on death row for one reason or another. The altruistic couple hire a man who is both a contractor and an ex-con to oversee the construction of the pens and buildings. There are those who aren’t happy with Leo’s choice and are campaigning to have him removed, but the man is doing a good job and Leo is a strong believer in second chances, so he keeps him on in spite of those who'd like to see him gone. When a Holiday Bay resident is found dead, Leo’s ex-con is blamed, and it is up to Leo and Alex to prove his innocence.

Meanwhile, Shelby and Dawson are working to redefine both their work and personal relationship, Amy is thinking of making a change, and Beck has an interesting new case that will keep everyone guessing.

 

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Release date: February 25, 2025

Publisher: Kathi Daley Books

Print pages: 152

Sample

Chapter 1

“Hey, Shelby, I just wanted to let you know that Alex and Leo are here with Coop and
Fisher.”
I raised a finger toward my friend and waitress, Nikki Peyton, who stood just beyond my
office door, indicating that I needed a moment. Alex Weston was an officer for the Holiday Bay
Police Department and Colt’s second-in-command, Coop was her dog, Leo Atwell was Alex’s
boyfriend and my closest neighbor, and Fisher was his dog. “I’m on hold with the woman from
the Holiday Bay High School Booster Club. Can you set up a table for six on the rooftop? I know
the rooftop isn’t officially open for the season until Friday, but since it’s such a nice day and
Leo’s birthday, I think it will be perfect, especially with the presence of multiple dogs.”
“Yeah, no problem. I’ll set a table, explain that you might be a few minutes late, and then get
Alex and Leo seated. Is Dawson joining you?” she asked about my bar manager and boyfriend,
Dawson Westwood.
I nodded. “Yes, as soon as Dawson finishes showing his house, he’ll head this way. Goliath
and Meatball are with him, so we’ll need to add two more doggy lunches to the ones I already
told the kitchen about. I guess, plan for six humans and four dogs.”
“And the other two humans besides you, Dawson, Alex, and Leo?”
“Sage and Garret will be joining us.” Sage Wilson was my half-sister, and Garret
Hemingway was her partner in the line of outdoor wear the team manufactured right here in
Maine.
“I heard that Sage was designing t-shirts for the dog rescue,” Nikki said, referring to the dog
rescue Alex and Leo founded a little over a year ago. They were building a new facility to house
the dogs while they waited for foster parents or adoption. The dogs were currently housed on
Leo’s property, which greatly limited the number of canines he could rescue at the current time.

“She is,” I answered. “Alex and Leo wanted something to give to the volunteers, fosters, and
donors who committed to a specific dollar amount. I’m not sure how it all works, but I know
Sage has samples of a couple different options to show the pair.”
“I guess they’ll need to get the shirts ordered sooner rather than later. I heard Alex and Leo
broke ground on the building last week.”
“They did. The fencing is already in, and I know there are plans for both indoor and outdoor
play and socialization areas. I think the facility is going to be something really special.”
I held up a finger once again as someone came on the line. Nikki paused and waited for me to
speak with the caller. “False alarm,” I said. “Rather than being Charise, the woman who initiated
the call wanted to tell me it would just be another minute.”
“Why don’t you just have this woman call you back when she’s free,” Nikki wondered. “It
seems rude that she had her secretary call you only to put you on hold.”
“Housekeeper. Charise doesn’t work, so it was her housekeeper who called me. And yes,
having her call me if Charise wasn’t ready to talk was rude. I’m tempted to merely hang up, but
by this point, I have a lot of time invested in this call and want to find out whatever this woman
is calling me to rearrange.”
Nikki shrugged. “I guess I get that to a point, but experience has shown that if you’re overly
accommodating, the customer tends to take advantage of that, and we’ll be dealing with her
changes right up to the last minute.”
Thinking back to some of the other high-maintenance customers we’d dealt with, I knew
Nikki had a valid point. Still, it was early, and there was time to make changes, so I figured we
would. “Be sure to bring water bowls out for all the dogs in addition to whatever doggy treats
Amy and Cambria cook up,” I said, veering the subject away from my tendency to want to
overplease.
“I will. I think it’s fun that Amy and Cambria are creating a special meal for the dogs.” Amy
Hogan was the Bistro’s chef, and Cambria was Amy’s sous chef. “Nick and I have talked about
adopting a midsized dog now that he finished the house he’s been renovating.”
“I heard that you and Nick have decided to move into it rather than flip it.”
“We did. It’s perfect for us. Good size. Nice area. And since Nick did most of the labor, we
got into it for a steal.” Nick Jergenson was Nikki’s live-in boyfriend. “Maybe I’ll talk to Leo
about keeping his eyes open for a dog who would be a good match for us. Since Nick has his
own business and spends most of his day at whichever project he’s working on, I know he’d like
a dog who would fit in well on the construction site.”
“Like Lonnie’s Sadie,” I said. Lonnie Parker was my contractor, and Sadie was his dog. Not
only did she go everywhere with him, but she also knew and followed all the rules. She knew
which areas were safe to hang out in and which to avoid.
“Or Beck’s Meatball, who just sits in his bed next to Beck’s booth,” Nikki added.
Beck Cage was a local PI who’d claimed a booth in the bar as his office. He brought his
English Bulldog, Meatball, to work with him most days. Dawson’s Great Dane mix, Goliath, and
Meatball had been rescued from the shelter on the same day and were the best of buddies even

though one dog was huge and the other had legs so short that it was necessary to walk really
slow for him to keep up.
“Has Nick found another house to flip?”
Since arriving in Holiday Bay, Nick had purchased and renovated two homes in the area and
subsequently decided to stay. He was very good at what he did and consistently took the time
necessary to ensure that everything came out just right.
“He has,” Nikki answered. “It’s a rundown cottage on the beach about forty miles up the
coast from Holiday Bay. The location is perfect for someone looking for isolation but not the
best place for someone who has kids or is outgoing and wants to be part of a community. I was
concerned that the pool of buyers would be limited due to the isolation, but Nick seemed to think
there would be introverted types who would consider a small two-bedroom bungalow on the
sand the perfect home. Or maybe vacation home,” she added.
Being so isolated wouldn’t be my thing, but I could see how the quiet would appeal to some.
“Ms. Morris?” the woman I’d been holding for inquired.
“Yes, this is Shelby,” I replied as Nikki scurried off to ensure that Alex and Leo were settled.
“Thank you for holding. I’m afraid it’s been one of those days where everything that can go
wrong has gone wrong,” Charise Bowden informed me.
“I understand and was happy to hold. So how can I help you?”
The woman launched into a long dialogue about minor changes she wanted to make to the
plans for the luncheon she’d scheduled for mid-May. It was still a month until the luncheon was
to take place, so the changes wouldn’t be a problem, but I kept Nikki’s suggestion in mind about
not giving the woman the idea that she could change things up whenever she had an urge. Since I
wanted to be sure she got it right this time, I took my time and asked lots of questions to ensure
that she’d really thought things through. She assured me she’d figured out exactly what she
wanted, so I carefully wrote detailed notes. The luncheon was to honor the high school booster
club’s members, and I knew that it was events such as this where a lot of fundraising and
volunteer recruitment took place.
“I can assure you that we will take your requests into account when planning the menu,” I
said once I’d read the list of changes back to her. “But please keep in mind that there are
specialty items on the list that will need to be ordered well ahead of time, so this truly does need
to be the last alteration.”
“It will be, although we need to discuss the dessert.”
By the time the woman had finally disconnected the call, Dawson had texted to let me know
he’d returned from showing prospective tenants the house he planned to rent out now that he’d
officially moved in with me. Since Nikki had informed me that Sage and Garret had also arrived,
I expected that the trio would keep Alex and Leo company.
“Hey, everyone,” I greeted Alex, Leo, Sage, and Garret. “Where’s Dawson? I thought that he
was here.”
“He is, but shortly after Nikki dropped off our beverages and an appetizer platter, Beck
texted Dawson and asked if he could come downstairs and look at something,” Alex explained.

“Dawson said he’d be right back, so I figured we could look at the samples Sage brought while
we wait.”
“That sounds like a good plan.” I picked up a crab wonton and dipped it in Amy’s special
sauce.
“You should try the calamari,” Sage suggested. “The calamari itself is good as usual. Fresh
and lightly breaded. But what makes this calamari so special is the dipping sauce. It’s delicious.
Unlike anything I’ve ever tried.”
I picked up a large piece of calamari and dipped it in the sauce. “This is good. It’s sweet and
spicy and somewhat tangy all at the same time. I wonder what is making it tangy. Plum?”
“I’m not sure, but it’s delicious,” Sage said. “Maybe Amy will share her secret with us if we
ask nicely.”
I wasn’t so sure about that. Amy tended to protect her secrets, especially when it came to
something original she’d developed herself.
I took another bite, and then everyone turned their attention to Sage, who reached into the
bag she’d placed on the floor near her feet. “Basically, there are two options, and in my opinion,
each option has a benefit not provided by the other. The first option is a high-quality t-shirt with
a crew neck and is designed with a loose fit, which I feel will accommodate most body shapes.
The t-shirts feature a pocket on the left side with your logo prominently displayed just above it.”
She held up a sample t-shirt in blue and another one in black. “You can choose almost any color,
and I brought a color guide for you to look at, but I brought these popular options. The t-shirts
come in extra small to triple extra-large.”
She handed one of the t-shirts to Alex and the other to Leo.
“They are made of a good quality material,” Alex said as she rubbed the fabric between her
fingers. “And they should maintain their shape even after laundering. While I believe these
would be perfect for the volunteers and foster parents, I have reservations about the donors.
Given that some of them have made large contributions, I imagine they might be more apt to
wear something more stylish.”
“I agree,” Sage said as she bent over to take something out of the bag. “The second option is
this polo-style shirt. It likewise has a pocket on the left side, along with the logo for the rescue.
The polo shirts have a collar and three buttons at the neck, and they are a bit more form-fitting
than the t-shirts.” She held up a black polo as well as a blue one. “Since the polos are somewhat
more stylish than the t-shirts and are therefore more likely to be worn in a public setting, I can
see how they might serve as a marketing source. And the polos are versatile. I can see people
wearing this shirt with jeans or slacks or even a skirt, shorts, or khakis. Of course, the downfall
of the polo is that the fit may not flatter certain body types, which is, of course, the upside of the
t-shirt.”
“What about gifting the volunteers and foster parents the t-shirt and then offering our donors
the option of choosing either the polo shirt or the t-shirt,” Leo suggested.
“We could do that, although it would create a small increase in the price per unit. Still, if
you’re expecting to give these shirts to upper-end donors, then offering them an option might be
your best option, and I’m sure we can work out a deal.” Sage looked at Garret, who didn’t
respond verbally but nodded.

“When will you need to know?” Alex asked.
Sage answered. “It depends on what you end up ordering, but I think we can fulfill most
orders within a month of receiving the specifics.”
Alex, Leo, Sage, and Garret continued to discuss costs, availability, and options for future
orders while we waited for Dawson. Nikki came by and refilled our beverages, and while she
was at the table, she let me know that Dawson was on his way up and that the meal Amy had
planned would be delivered shortly after that.
Once Dawson arrived, Sage pulled another t-shirt out of her bag and handed it to him. I
figured she was showing him the t-shirts she’d previously shown to Alex and Leo, but then
Dawson grinned.
“That’s Goliath,” he said.
“It is,” Sage agreed as Dawson ran a thumb over the machine-stitched logo of his dog
featured on the casual beach line that Sage and Garret had been working on. “Garret and I have
been going round and round about what to call our line of beachwear. The line will be casual,
featuring t-shirts, tank tops, shorts, and swimwear. We wanted a name and logo to represent the
line that was casual and friendly as well. We struggled to come up with the perfect name and
image and tried out a bunch of ideas. Then Shelby and I took Goliath for a walk on the beach
several weeks ago when you were busy in the bar, and the big guy was so happy to be out on the
sand that he rolled over and over again and again in the sand. When Goliath sat up, he was
covered from head to paw in white sand but was so happy. He had this sloppy grin on his face
that was just adorable. I snapped a photo and sent it to Garret, and he thought it was perfect.
Sandy Dog Casual Beachwear was born, and our beach line had a name and a mascot.
Dawson grinned. “That’s awesome. I love it.” He looked at Goliath, who, along with the
other three dogs, were watching the exchange. “What do you think, big guy? You’re famous.”
Goliath barked once, and we all laughed. Sage indicated that they’d have samples of all the
clothing in the line featuring the logo within the next few weeks, and she’d be sure that Dawson
and I received a sample of everything they planned to offer. The conversation had branched off
from there until Alex eventually asked Dawson how his house showing had gone.
“It went well. The couple I showed the property to expressed a willingness to start with a
year-long lease but shared that the ultimate goal was to have a longer lease that might lead to a
purchase. The husband is in a garage band and was excited about the soundproof room, and the
wife is into crafting and thrifting and loved that there was both a garage and a workshop.”
“Does the couple have kids?” I asked.
“No,” Dawson answered. “They do have three dogs and admitted that they’d had a hard time
finding a landlord willing to rent to a couple with three dogs, but I assured them that I was fine
with the pups as long as they cleaned up after their canine family members and repaired any
damage that may occur. I actually think the pro-dog policy may have sealed the deal. The couple
took an application with them rather than filling it out at the house, but they said that they’d drop
it by the bar by the end of the day.”
“That’s great,” Sage said. “Shelby and I are happy to welcome you as a permanent
roommate.”

While Sage didn’t actually live in Holiday Bay full-time, after agreeing to open a
manufacturing facility for her line of outdoor wear in Maine and subsequently breaking up with
her boyfriend, Scot, who she’d lived with in Los Angeles, she’d spent a lot more time at the
house the two of us had inherited along with our third half-sister, Sierra Danielson. I wasn’t sure
Sage would ever make the move permanent, but I was happy that she seemed to be around much
more than she had in the past.
Nikki and Amy came out with the main course, which looked as delicious as the appetizers
were. The conversation seemed to naturally migrate toward food, dining, and the cooking show
our mutual friend, Georgia Carter-Peyton, would be filming during the second week of May.
Georgia was the hostess of Cooking with Georgia, a show produced by a local cable television
station. The show had a local following, but her producer had big plans for her franchise and had
asked her to write a cookbook. The special she’d be filming had been specifically developed to
promote the cookbook’s launch around Memorial Day.
Once the subject of food had been exhausted, I asked Alex and Leo about the rescue itself
and their progress with the facility’s construction, which I knew they’d just broken ground on.
“It’s going well so far,” Leo informed us. “I realize it’s early in the construction process, but I
feel confident we’re off to a good start. After encountering a few minor glitches, the permit
process went surprisingly fast, and Cayson seems to have managed to hire a full crew.”
Cayson Boston was a local who grew up in the Holiday Bay area before moving to
Baltimore, where he fell in with a bad crowd. He was convicted of killing a man during a
robbery and was sent to prison. He somehow managed to get out of prison this past fall after
receiving an early release. I still wasn’t sure of the series of events that not only led to his release
but also to the expulsion of his record. I didn’t have enough of the story to decide whether he’d
killed the man during the robbery or had been set up as he insisted he had, but I did know that
he’d been a good neighbor, so despite my curiosity about the whole thing, I’d learned to get on
just fine with the guy.
“I heard that you’ve had some pushback from certain segments of our town over your
decision to hire Boston as your contractor for the rescue,” Garret said.
“It is a fact that not everyone is happy about our choice,” Leo responded. “Gavin Houghton
has been vocal about the fact that he isn’t happy that there are Holiday Bay residents who have
welcomed a convicted killer into our town, and Lucas Manfield went so far as to hang signs near
our construction site with the words ‘killer go home’ in bright red.” Gavin Houghton was the
town manager, and Lucas Manfield was a contractor I knew had put in a bid to build the facility
Cayson had ultimately been hired to construct. “Having said that, I’ve found the majority of the
individuals we’re working with appear to be willing to keep an open mind as we move forward.
In my experience, Cayson seems to be a good guy, and so far, he’s proven to be a hard worker.
He seems to know his stuff, and I feel that he has the skill set needed to do what we need to have
done. Plus, I, for one, am a firm believer in second chances.”
“I heard that the guy has maintained his innocence from the beginning,” Dawson said.
“He has,” Alex confirmed. “While I dug into things a little before Leo and I decided to hire
him for the rescue project, I didn’t delve too deeply. I must say, however, that his ability to work
out a deal that basically wiped the whole thing from his record is odd. He either turned state’s
evidence and provided dirt on someone pretty big, or he really is innocent, and the DA just

wanted the whole thing to go away. I’m not sure we’ll ever know which is true, but to this point,
the guy has been an excellent neighbor and employee.”
“Are you still looking at a fall opening?” I asked.
“We are,” Leo confirmed. “As long as the work on the building stays on schedule, and as
long as we can find enough volunteers and employees to provide around-the-clock supervision.”
“Are you planning on hiring a full staff?” Sage asked Leo.
“We plan to staff the place with a combination of both paid staff and volunteers. Since we
will be housing the dogs, who will be waiting for fosters at the facility, Alex and I think it’s
important for a paid employee to be onsite twenty-four/seven. Beyond that, we hope to sign up
enough volunteers so additional paid staff won’t be necessary. At this point, I suppose all we can
do is wait and see how it all works out.”
“It’s an ambitious project, and I admire the time and effort you’ve put into it,” Sage said.
Charmaine Kettleman, one of my full-time year-round waitresses, came up to the rooftop to
bring me a message. The message was from Charise, who requested that I call her as soon as
possible. I was already beginning to regret my decision to work with the woman, but I had, so I
decided to do the best job I could.
“I really should go down and return this call.”
“Charise again?” Dawson asked.
I nodded. “I’m tempted to ignore Charise’s message since I’ve already spoken to her once
today, but she’s the sort who will continue to call until she gets what she wants.”
“And who is this Charise?” Sage asked.
“She’s representing the local booster club. They’re having a thank you luncheon here at the
Bistro in May, and I’m afraid the woman is pretty intense about the details. I’m trying to be
accommodating, but I must admit that the woman is about to test my last nerve. Nikki thinks I
need to incorporate some firm boundaries into our contract, and I’m beginning to think she’s
right.”
“I heard that the boosters are hoping to raise enough money to buy new computers for the
computer lab,” Leo said. “Since they’re looking to purchase high-end equipment, lots of funds
will need to be raised. In fact, several donors who sent checks for the rescue expressed their
desire to send more if not for the huge fundraiser the high school is having.”
“Why would the boosters be raising funds for computers?” I asked. “Aren’t the boosters all
about sports?”
“Normally, yes,” Leo answered. “But I guess the teacher currently acting as head of the
technology department at the high school managed to get his hands on some discretionary money
last year. He planned to use the money to buy computers, but before he placed the order, the head
of the athletic department came to him about using the money to send his football team to some
big tournament they’d been invited to. Eventually, the teacher from the technology department
agreed to a short-term loan. The money to reimburse the technology department for the loan it
had extended to the football team was supposed to come from the baseball budget. But then the

baseball team had a record-breaking year and needed the funds to participate in the state
championship, and the loan owed to the technology department was never repaid.”
“I guess that might not have gone over well with the technology folks,” Garret commented.
“It didn’t. Initially, there was a lot of arguing between the two department heads over the
budget for the new year. But eventually, the athletic director made a deal with the technology
guy, which allowed him to keep the funding he’d lined up for his teams this year.”
“The athletic director agreed to ask his boosters to raise the money for the computers,” I
guessed.
“That’s what I heard,” Leo answered.
I laughed. “Who knew that high school funding could be so political.”
“Oh, the funding is a big deal,” Leo said. “The reality is that the need for funds greatly
exceeds the funds, so finding discretionary money is like finding a treasure.”
“What you’re doing to help Charise with the luncheon is nice,” Sage said. “And the event
will be over in a few weeks, yet you’ll be left with the satisfaction of knowing that you really
helped those kids.”
I excused myself to make the call Charmaine had come upstairs to tell me about. By the time
I returned to the table, Sage and Garret had left, and Alex and Leo announced they needed to get
going, too. Dawson and I wished Leo a happy birthday, and then we called Goliath and Meatball
to our side and made our way downstairs. Dawson headed toward the bar with the dogs, and I
headed toward the kitchen to thank Amy and Cambria for the excellent meal they’d managed to
put together.
“The meal was excellent,” I told my chef and her sous chef. “I really appreciate that you
went to so much trouble to make something special for Leo for his birthday.”
“Leo is a good guy,” Amy said. “We were happy to do it. Did Dawson say how his showing
went?”
“He said it went well. The couple took an application rather than filling it out on the spot, so
they may have needed to check things over a bit, but Dawson said they seemed really interested
in it.” I paused. “Are you okay with Dawson living with us permanently?”
“Of course, I’m okay with it,” Amy answered. “Dawson is an awesome guy, and it is, after
all, your house. I’m eternally grateful that you have allowed me to live there rent-free for as long
as you have, but I think it’s time I make a move.”
My smile fell. “You’re moving?”
Amy smiled and glanced at Cambria. “Cam and I heard about a two-bedroom condo that
unexpectedly became available in that complex west of the old seaport. The place is perfect for
two people living together as roommates and even has water views.”
“And the access to the beach is right across the street,” Cam added.
Amy continued. “In addition to the ocean view, which is a major selling point in my opinion,
it has a large living space with room for sofas and a large dining table.” She paused and
continued. “Like I said, the place has two bedrooms, each with its own bathroom, so we’d each
have our own space.”

“And the kitchen is really upper end with new appliances and a lot of counter space,”
Cambria contributed.
“It’s a bit on the pricy side, but since I’ve saved up some money, I think it can work,” Amy
tacked on with a slight tone of hesitation.
“It sounds fabulous, but I’ll miss you.”
Amy came around the counter and hugged me. “And I’ll miss you as well. But I’ll still see
you at work, and since Dawson’s living with you full-time and Sage is living with you part-time,
I don’t think you’ll get lonely. Besides, Sierra has been coming around a lot more often lately.
I’ve thought about this a lot, and this feels like the optimum time for me to move. When this
condo came available, Cam and I figured we couldn’t pass up the chance to get one of those units
since you have to compete with dozens and dozens of applicants most of the time.”
“They are really nice, and I have heard that they rarely become available, and when they do,
there’s usually a lot of interest,” I agreed. “When will you be moving?”
“The unit is already vacant, but the complex manager wanted to clean the carpet and paint
before putting it on the rental market. Cam and I heard about it from a friend, and we went to
look at it yesterday. After asking a few questions, we put a deposit down right away. The
complex manager said he needed to run our credit, and if it’s all okay, which we have no reason
to believe it won’t be, we should be able to get the keys as early as this weekend.”
“Wow. That’s soon. I’m really happy for you.”
“I have to give notice on my place,” Cambria informed me. “So we’ll have to pay rent on
both places for the remainder of April. I guess that will give us time to move in. I have a fair
amount of junk that I should probably dispose of, but I need to go through it all.”
“I understand that. Moving is a good time to purge and dispose of the old to make way for
the new.”

Chapter 2

After I finished chatting with Amy and Cambria I had planned to head to my office to work
on payroll, but before doing so, I decided to check in with my staff downstairs. After I entered
the dining room, I found a woman standing at the hostess station. “Have you been helped?”
“No, although I’m not here to eat. I’m actually looking for a man named Beck Cage. I
understand that he’s a private investigator.”
“Beck is a private investigator and has an office of sorts here. Do you have an appointment?”
“No. I’m in town looking for my brother and have had no luck. Several people recommended
Beck Cage to me, so I decided to come by and speak with him. I realize it would have been
proper to call and make an appointment, but since I’m only in town today, I’m hoping that if he’s
in, he’ll see me without an appointment.”
Quite frankly, the woman looked nervous and stressed to the limit. She had dark hair and
eyes, and I imagined that she would be considered attractive by most, but the burden she seemed
to be carrying made her look much older than I imagined she actually was.
I smiled and tried to offer a look of support. “If Beck’s here and not with a client, I’m sure
he’ll be pleased to speak with you. Since I just came down from upstairs, I don’t know if he’s in
now. Why don’t you take a seat while I check.”
I motioned toward a row of chairs along one wall we used for customers while they waited
for a table to become available and then headed toward the bar. Luckily, I found Beck sitting
alone in his booth.
“I just spoke to a woman I saw standing at the hostess station in the dining room who’s in
town trying to find her brother. She indicated that several people suggested that she speak with
you, but she’s only in town today. Do you have time to talk to her?”
Beck looked down at the files in front of him. “I have a couple of active cases, but they’re all
pretty straightforward, so I should have time. Go ahead and show her in.”

When I returned to the dining room, the woman and my waitress, Lucy Lansing, spoke as she
showed Lucy a photo of a dark-haired man. I could overhear part of the conversation as Lucy
explained that she hadn’t lived in Holiday Bay all that long and didn’t know many people but
would ask some of the others. When I walked back into the room, she waved me over.
“This woman is looking for her missing brother,” Lucy said.
“Yes. We’ve met.” I looked at the woman and then held out a hand. “My name is Shelby, by
the way. Shelby Morris.”
“Nell Farmer.”
“I’m happy to meet you, Nell. Beck is in the bar and happy to speak with you. If you’ll
follow me, I’ll take you back.”
A look of relief washed over her face. “Thank you so much. I came to Holiday Bay
determined to get answers about my brother’s disappearance, but it seems that I have come up
cold. If I had more time, I might be able to get my answers without help, but I own a farm that
demands most of my time and attention, so I really only have today.”
“I understand,” I said as we walked through the dining room into the bar and toward the back
of the room where Beck’s booth was. “Nell Farmer, this is Beck Cage.”
“Your office is a booth in a bar?” she asked.
“It is,” he answered with a smile. “Is that a problem?”
I could see the woman was having second thoughts, so I jumped in. “Beck may have an
unconventional office space, but he’s an excellent investigator,” I assured the woman. When she
hesitated, I motioned for her to sit and slid into the booth beside her. “Why don’t you show us
your photo,” I suggested.
She slid the photo she’d been clutching across the table. “This is my brother, Caleb Farmer.”
I recognized the man in the photo. Until three months ago, when he’d died in a fiery accident,
he’d worked as a technology guy for the town. I glanced at Beck, who looked as confused as I
was.
“Did you say that you were looking for your brother?” Beck asked.
She nodded. “I know Caleb is dead, or at least I know he’s supposed to be dead, but I have
reason to believe that he’s alive. I came to Holiday Bay to look into things, but I’m just hitting
one dead end after another dead end. I really want and need answers, but the amount of time I
can spend here in Holiday Bay is limited since I run the farm Caleb and I inherited from our
parents when they passed away. Running it is a big job, and it’s only me. I truly want to find my
brother, but I could only arrange for someone to take care of things for two days. I have a flight
back to Nebraska this evening that I must be on, but I also hate to leave without finding the
answers I came here to find. I’m hoping you can help me.”
Beck took a moment, which I assumed was to gather his thoughts, and then he responded.
“Caleb Farmer was killed in a vehicle accident three months ago. What makes you think he’s
alive?”

The woman slid a second photo across the table. “See this man in the crowd?” She pointed to
a dark-haired man who could be seen in the background of a photo that featured a couple.
“That’s Caleb. I’m almost certain of it, yet the photo was taken just two weeks ago.”
I recognized the photo of a popular “it” couple that someone had posted to social media a
couple of weeks ago. The photo wasn’t anything spectacular, but the couple was dressed casually
in what looked to me to be an attempt to blend in with the crowd while attending a music
festival.
“I remember this,” I said. “It was taken at Spring Fling in Sunday River. The couple in the
foreground is known for always being dressed to the nines in public situations, but in this
particular photo, they look like they are trying to blend in with the crowd while wearing jeans
and t-shirts. The photo was all over social media.”
“Which is how I happened to see it,” Nell said. “As soon as I saw the photo, I knew the man
in it was Caleb and decided to look into things, but finding someone to look after my animals for
even a couple of days took me more than a week. Once I finally found a good-hearted neighbor
to help, I headed east, but I didn’t realize when I made the plane reservation that the photo
wasn’t taken in Holiday Bay. I knew that Caleb lived here before his death and assumed the
photo had been taken here. I may have wasted my time these past two days looking for him
here.”
Beck picked up the photo of the man in the crowd to get a closer look. “This man does have
features similar to Caleb, but since the photo quality isn’t all that good, it’s hard to make out the
facial features. Given the fact that your brother is known to be dead and has been declared dead
for several months now, why would you think this is him?”
“It is him. I can’t say how I know, but I know.”
I looked at Beck. “Is this even possible? I didn’t actually know Caleb. In fact, I’m quite
certain I never even spoke to him, but I did read about his death in the newspaper. I seem to
remember the vehicle he was driving ended up in the bottom of a ravine.”
Nell jumped in. “The body was never definitively identified.”
“Why not?” I asked.
Nell answered. “I was told the vehicle went off the road and over the edge in a spot with a
sharp drop-off. Caleb’s car apparently met with a few obstacles as it plunged into the abyss, but
eventually, it landed on the rocks below. I was told the vehicle likely exploded on impact. The
human remains found within the vehicle were badly damaged. So damaged, in fact, that they
were unable to conclusively identify the body, but after a short investigation, it was determined
that it had been Caleb driving the car, and the remains that were salvaged were sent to me.
What’s left of Caleb is buried on the farm where we both grew up.”
Given the photo she found, even if the vehicle exploded on impact and the human remains
were damaged beyond recognition, I can see how Nell might have opened the door to the
possibility that her brother was actually alive. But if Caleb hadn’t died in the fire and the human
remains that were found belonged to someone else, why wouldn’t Caleb come forward and tell
someone that he was alive rather than dead?
I voiced my question aloud, and Nell answered.

“I loved my brother. After our parents died, he was all I had, and I treasured the time we
spent together. But my brother was very different than me. While I’m focused and hardworking,
with a love for my family and my family history, Caleb was unsettled and impulsive. He had big
dreams and a tendency to act first and plan later.” She paused, took a deep breath, and then
continued. “Don’t get me wrong, Caleb was a great guy. I don’t mean to indicate otherwise, but
he never fit into the roles we were destined to play the way I was.”
“Roles?” I asked.
“Caleb and I grew up on the family farm, which has been in our family for six generations. It
was assumed that we would take over and keep the farm going once we reached adulthood, but
Caleb had other plans. My father tried to turn him into a farmer. He tried to instill a love for the
land in him and to get him to understand the responsibility of a family legacy that reached back
more than a century, but Caleb wanted nothing to do with the farm. Caleb didn’t waste a minute,
and once he turned eighteen, he enlisted in the Air Force, where he learned about computers and
computer-related stuff that I could never understand. When he was discharged from the Air
Force, he tried a series of computer-related jobs in several different states, but Caleb never was
the sort to stay anywhere for long. Then, four years ago, our parents died in an auto accident, and
the responsibility for running the family farm fell to Caleb and me. I couldn’t run it without help,
so I begged Caleb to come home, and he did for a while. He lasted almost a year before
wanderlust grabbed him. He took off and traveled a bit. Eventually, he accepted the job here in
Holiday Bay. I hate to admit it, but I haven’t spoken to him since he left home. I have, however,
heard through others who knew him that he appeared happy here.”
“He never even went home to visit you?” I asked.
She bowed her head. “He didn’t, but it wasn’t his fault. I was so angry when he abruptly left
me with the family farm to run alone that I told him he was no longer welcome there. I said what
I did in anger and regretted it almost from the moment I said it. I wanted to mend fences, but I
thought I had time to do so and hadn’t taken the steps to initiate contact. When I was notified that
my brother was dead three months ago, it suddenly hit me that my chance to mend fences had
come to an end. I’ve been struggling to make sense of it all, and then two weeks ago, I saw the
photo of the man at the music festival, and I just knew that Caleb wasn’t gone after all.” She
looked at Beck. “So what do you think? Can you find my brother?”
Beck hesitated and then responded. “I can try to track down the man in the photo. I can’t,
however, guarantee that the man you think is Caleb is your brother.”
“I understand. If nothing else, I guess I need to know one way or the other. I’m not sure what
your fee is, but I’m afraid cash is tight.”
“That’s not a problem,” Beck said. “I’m happy to take this case on pro bono. Give me a week
to look into things. I’ll call you every day with an update. I can’t guarantee you’ll get the
answers you’re hoping for, but as you said, any answers will be better than always wondering.”
Nell thanked Beck once again and then looked at the clock on the wall. “If I don’t want to
miss my flight, I should head to the airport. I wish I could stay and help with the investigation,
but I have animals who need to be fed.”
“Understood,” Beck said. He slid a new client form in front of her. “If you could just provide
your contact information before you go, I’ll get started.”

Nell did as requested and then left.
“Do you think there’s any possibility that this woman’s brother is still alive?” I asked Beck
after she left.
He frowned. “If I had to guess, I’d say it was unlikely, but I’ve seen some strange things in
my life.”
“I don’t remember much about the accident except that it started a fire, which is how the car
that ended up in a remote location was discovered. Is that right?”
Beck nodded. “There weren’t any witnesses to the actual accident, so the exact series of
events leading up to the crash are mostly speculation, but based on what I’ve read, the car
seemed to have drifted off the road, eventually ending up in the bottom of the gully at the base of
Juniper Ridge. The car apparently exploded on impact, which caused a brush fire that was
observed by a motorist on the highway. The motorist called it in, and the local fire department
responded. By the time they put the fire out and found the vehicle and the body within the
vehicle, the body of the driver was so badly charred that he was unrecognizable.”
“So how did they know it was Caleb?” I asked. “They must have had reason to believe that
the body in the wreck was Caleb if they declared him dead.”
“The vehicle’s license plate was found on the ground near a tree where it’s believed the
vehicle temporarily became hung up before it rolled into the gorge. The investigator used the
license plate number to identify the vehicle. From there, the vehicle’s owner was identified.
When Caleb never showed up for work, an assumption was made that he had indeed been the
driver of the vehicle when it crashed.”
I supposed that if Caleb’s car was identified and he never showed up in his life again, an
assumption could be made that the remains found had belonged to him. But I imagined that since
the remains were burned beyond identification, that also opened the door to the idea that
someone other than Caleb was in the vehicle when it crashed. Caleb could have lent his car to a
friend, or it might have been stolen. There might have been two individuals in the vehicle that
night, the driver and a passenger, who realized they were going over the side and bailed out of
the car at the last minute. But if Caleb didn’t die in the accident, why wouldn’t he clear things up
and notify the world that he was still alive?
“My gut is telling me that this investigation isn’t going to turn up the results Nell is hoping
for.”
“I agree,” Beck said. “Still, I did tell Nell I’d look into things, and that’s what I plan to do.”
“So what are you going to do now?”
“Head to Sunday River. I’ll drive up tomorrow, take photos, and ask around.”
I supposed that was as good a place to start as any. If the man in the photo was Caleb, and he
was alive, then it seemed possible that he may have relocated to Sunday River after the accident.
We should be able to find someone who recognized him if he had been living there for the past
three months. If we successfully tracked him down, we could ask him why he’d done what he
had. Not that he was likely to tell us what was going on if he was running from someone and had
faked his death, but Beck could be pretty persuasive.

“Do you want some company tomorrow?” I asked. While I didn’t have his experience when
it came to investigating mysteries, I was comfortable talking to people, and my experience had
shown that most folks were more comfortable sharing what they knew with me than they might
have been if it was only a crusty retired cop doing the asking.
Beck assured me he’d love to have some company if I wanted to come, but he warned me
that he planned to leave early and it would likely be a long day. I assured him I was okay with
that, and we planned to meet at the Bistro at six.
Beck and I chatted a while longer, but since I really did need to process the payroll, I
eventually decided to head upstairs to my office. It was hard to concentrate on something so
mundane when I had a million other things on my mind, but I didn’t suppose my staff would take
kindly to not being paid simply because I hadn’t been in the mood to run the numbers and cut
their checks. ...