The Bistro at Holiday Bay: Homecoming and Homicide

Book 7: Bistro at Holiday Bay

by Kathi Daley

Genres: Amateur Sleuth; Animal Cozy Mysteries; Culinary Cozy Mysteries

Synopsis

The Bistro at Holiday Bay plays host to the Holiday Bay High School class of 2004 as they gather to celebrate their twentieth reunion. While every class seems to have its story to tell, this particular class is most famous for the murder of one of its most popular students shortly before graduation. The case was never solved, and the killer was never caught, but there is more than one alumnus who feels certain that the secret to finally bringing this cold case full circle is to take a hard look at a group of students who, on the surface, seem the least likely to have been involved in any sort of crime let alone murder.

Meanwhile, Shelby is trying very hard not to commit her own act of violence when the reunion coordinator turns out to be ten times worse than the worse bridezilla she's ever worked with. It seems that no matter how hard Shelby and her staff try to please this woman there seems to be no way to please her.

 

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Release date: June 4, 2024

Publisher: Kathi Daley Books

Print pages: 183

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

Sample

Chapter 1

“Hey, Shelby,” my dining room manager, Kennedy Swanson, said after poking her head into
my office through the open door. “I just wanted to let you know that everyone is here, and we’re
ready when you are.”
“Okay, thanks.” I nodded toward the phone I held to my ear. “I’m on hold, but as soon as I’m
done here, I’ll be down.”
“I’ll let everyone know.”
Kennedy walked away, and a voice came on the line. “This is Sherrylee Renfro.”
“Sherrylee, it’s Shelby Morris returning your call from earlier.”
“Oh yes. Thank you for calling me back. I need to make one teeny-weeny little change to our
menu, and I wanted to let you know about it as quickly as possible.”
I couldn’t prevent the eye roll as I forced a smile, although we were on a voice call and not a
video call, so I supposed a smile wasn’t strictly necessary. Sherrylee was the event coordinator
for the twenty-year high school reunion of Holiday Bay High School’s class of two thousand
four. “When we spoke two days ago, you assured me that the change you wanted to make at that
point was the last change you would make,” I reminded the woman.
“I know, but I just have so many ideas, and this is, after all, a twentieth reunion. Not much in
life more important than that.”
As far as I was concerned, many things in life were more important than a high school
reunion, but I didn’t say as much. When the woman had come to me about having the Bistro at
Holiday Bay, which I owned along with my friend, chef, and business partner, Amy Hogan, as
the main venue for the three-day event, I had promised her that I could be flexible as she worked
out the details. What I hadn’t known then, and wished I had, was that being flexible would entail
dozens and dozens of changes to the menu, dates, times, decorations, and music over the ten
months the woman had been working on the party to end all parties.
“Okay,” I said, figuring I might as well do what the woman wanted, or she was bound to
hound me until I did. “We can make one more teeny-weeny little change, but this is Tuesday. The
three-day event kicks off on Thursday. We won’t be able to make any more changes after this
one.”
“I totally understand. And I do want to thank you for being so flexible. It’s just that I’ve been
thinking about the menu for the VIP dinner on Thursday.”
Here we go again, I thought to myself, listening as Sherrylee babbled on and on about how
the VIP dinner the committee had added to the regular reunion festivities needed to be perfect.
Based on what the woman said, the dinner had been added to the agenda to thank the reunion
committee and honor the alumni who had done the most to help the school since graduation. She

reminded me that in addition to the reunion committee members, special guests, such as Conway
Buttle, class nerd and current tech billionaire, and Gracie Meadows, drama geek and currently
the lead on the hottest detective show on television, would be attending.
“I understand that you want this dinner to be memorable, but my chef needs to shop for the
fresh ingredients you’ve requested, and some of the items on your menu will require extensive
prep work. This absolutely must be the last change.”
“It will be. I promise.”
After I assured the woman that we’d take care of everything and that the reunion she’d been
working on for a year would be as perfect as she’d imagined, I hung up and took a deep,
cleansing breath. Amy and her sous chef, Cambria, were going to have a meltdown when I
informed them that the menu had changed again, but at least the menu that changed was the
menu for the twenty-seat VIP dinner and not the two hundred-seat reunion dinner on Saturday.
By the time I arrived downstairs, my entire staff had voluntarily arrived an hour early for
their shift so we could go over the plans for the remainder of the week. Most attendees had
already dipped into the donuts I’d set out.
“Thanks for waiting,” I said to the group.
“Please tell me that your phone call wasn’t Sherrylee wanting to make another change to the
menu,” Amy said.
I just smiled.
“Is it a big change?” Amy groaned.
“Actually, it’s not. Sherrylee wanted to make some additions to the appetizer menu for the
VIP dinner. I don’t think it will be a big deal. I made her promise that this would definitely be the
last change she would ask us to make.”
“Yeah, as if this is really going to be the last change.” My bar manager, Dawson Westwood,
laughed. “The woman is insane.”
“I’m not sure she’s so much insane as intense, but I made it pretty clear that the reunion is
this week and that the time for changes to the plans we’d agreed upon had come and gone.” I
took another deep breath and prayed for patience as I continued. “As you all know, the reunion
committee has decided that the twentieth reunion should be memorable, so they have planned
festivities for three days beginning on Thursday.” I handed out printed agendas to everyone in
attendance. Usually, I would have emailed the information to my staff so they could follow
along, but given all of the hoopla this particular event had created, I decided that something to
provide more of a tactile experience might be called for. “In addition to the events that will be
held here at the Bistro, the reunion committee has made plans all over town. I’ve included the
full list of activities so that you can answer questions should you be asked, although all the Bistro
is responsible for are the four activities that I highlighted in yellow.”
I paused so everyone could review the agenda I’d handed out and then continued. “As you
can see, the Bistro will host a VIP dinner on Thursday. I have reserved the entire rooftop from
two o’clock until closing. Since the reunion committee wanted to be able to decorate the roof, I
agreed to close the area after the lunch crowd cleared out. We will stop seating on the roof at one

in anticipation of the decorating committee’s arrival at two, but the dining room and bar will be
open to the public until our regular closing at ten.”
“Will there be music in the bar that night?” my full-time waitress, Charmaine Kettleman,
asked.
“No. While Sherrylee understood that I couldn’t close down my entire restaurant for her
small event, I did agree to try to keep the noise level to a minimum. I think we’ll be fine. Even
during the summer, we don’t always have bands on Thursdays, and the schedule of who is
appearing and when has been out for weeks, so everyone who might be interested should know
about the scheduling changes we have going on this week and weekend due to the alumni being
in town.”
“It says here that there’s a cocktail reception on Friday from four o’clock until seven
o’clock,” Nikki Peyton, Dawson’s second-in-command in the bar, began. “Will the bar be closed
to the public on Friday?”
“No, the bar will be open. The reception will be on the rooftop,” I answered. “Initially, we
had planned to have the reception in the bar so that we wouldn’t have to close the rooftop to the
dinner crowd for the entire weekend. Dawson and I discussed it, and since the flow of foot traffic
becomes complicated when the dining room is open but the bar is closed, we decided that closing
the roof, which is its own space, would be easier.”
“Will there be food on Friday?” Nikki asked.
“There will be an appetizer bar, which the reunion committee will pay for. The actual bar is a
cash bar, although complimentary coffee and soft drinks will be provided.”
There was a bit of grumbling in the room, which I’d expected. While we included tips for our
servers in the price quoted for the venue, it usually worked out to be less than the servers would
have made serving the public on a busy summer weekend. Even though a gratuity was included
in the cost of the venue rental, I hoped the reunion committee would tip the servers something in
addition to that, but it wasn’t required and couldn’t be counted on.
“And what about the breakfast on Saturday?” my waitress, Lucy Lansing, asked.
“The breakfast on Saturday is a leadership breakfast. It will be held in the dining room. The
breakfast is an invitation-only event for the student council and the presidents and other officers
of the various clubs on the campus. I will meet separately with those who have volunteered to
help with the breakfast. The bar will not be open for this breakfast, so there’s no need for bar
personnel to show up early, and, based on my conversation with Sherrylee, it sounded as if I’ll
only need a couple servers.”
I paused once again to give everyone a chance to ask questions about what we’d already
covered and then jumped onto the main event.
“The entire facility will be closed to the public all day on Saturday. Sherrylee was willing to
pay for the use of the Bistro for the entire day to set up, so I decided to go ahead and do as she
asked. Amy and Cambria will need to be here early to prepare the food, but the serving staff,
other than those servers helping with the breakfast, will not be scheduled to arrive until five
o’clock. The reunion is scheduled from six p.m. until eleven. Dawson will need to arrive by three
to let the band in. They wanted plenty of time to set up and do a sound check. Once that’s
accomplished, the band will leave and return at eight-thirty. With so many guests expected, we

plan to use the dining room, rooftop, and bar to serve the meal, and once the meal is over, the
extra tables in the bar will be picked up to create a dance floor. We’re providing speakers on the
rooftop so that the band can be enjoyed up there as well as downstairs. So far, the weather
forecast looks good. Let’s hope that holds.”
“Does anyone have any questions?”
No one spoke up, so I assumed that they didn’t.
“The activities not highlighted in yellow will take place in the community. We aren’t
involved in these events, but since you might be asked questions about them, you should
familiarize yourself with the lineup. A picnic and parade are planned for Friday, followed by the
cocktail reception we’re hosting here on Friday evening. The reunion committee is hosting a
pancake breakfast at the Elks Lodge on Saturday morning for the alumni who won’t be attending
the leadership breakfast here at the Bistro, followed by a softball game and the reunion later in
the day. Any other questions?” I asked as I prepared to call the meeting to an end.
“I have one.” Nikki raised her hand.
“Okay, what’s your question?” I asked.
“I was talking to Lacy.” She referred to our mutual friend, Lacy Parker, “who was actually
around back in two thousand four, and she told me that this particular class is famous for the
murder of one of its most popular students shortly before graduation. Since the killer was never
caught, the case was never solved, but Lacy always suspected that the murder wasn’t random and
the killer was associated with the school.” She looked around the room. “Does anyone know
anything about that?”
No one spoke, but everyone was looking at everyone else.
“I haven’t heard that story, but it doesn’t sound like the sort of thing we need to involve
ourselves with,” I said, trying to get my staff back on task. “How about you and I talk about this
later.”
Nikki shrugged. “Fine with me. I was just curious.”
Yeah, I thought to myself, so am I.
Once the meeting was adjourned, I motioned for Nikki to follow me to my office.
“Okay, what is this about a murder?” I asked. I supposed it really wasn’t any of my business,
nor was it the business of any of my staff, but being the nosy sort, I really wasn’t going to be able
to let it go without getting the details.
Nikki sat down on the chair across the desk from mine. “I don’t have all the details, but I
stopped by Tanner’s yesterday to see if the check my mother sent to him to give to me had
arrived.” Tanner Peyton was Nikki’s older brother. “Now, I realize you may be wondering why
my mother would send a check destined for me to my brother to then give to me, but that’s a rant
for another day. Suffice it to say that when I arrived, and Tanner wasn’t even home, I wasn’t
happy.” She paused and then continued. “Georgia was there, and I guess she noticed that I was
about to have a meltdown, so she asked me to join her, Abby, and Lacy for lunch.” Georgia
Carter was Tanner’s fiancée, and Abby Sullivan and Lacy Parker were her best friends. “I
accepted, and once I sat down, Lacy launched into this story about how Holiday Bay High’s class
of two thousand four was in town this week for their twentieth reunion. She also mentioned that

the class is most famous for the unsolved death of some kid named Trayler Erstwhile just before
graduation.”
“Trayler Erstwhile was in the class of two thousand four,” I clarified.
She nodded. “According to Lacy, not only was Trayler the class president, but he was also an
athlete and honor student. Lacy made it sound as if he was super popular and liked by most, so
no one could believe that someone had murdered him right there on campus.”
“How did he die?” I asked.
Nikki leaned in close and lowered her voice even though there was no one in the room other
than us to hear what she had to say. “Lacy said that someone hit the guy with a bat. More than
once. His body was found in the bathroom of the boys’ locker room by one of his teammates,
and according to Lacy, there was blood everywhere.”
“Teammates?” I asked.
“Trayler was on the baseball team, and there was practice that day. I guess he went to the
locker room to use the facilities, and when he never came back, the coach sent one of his
teammates to fetch him. When the teammate entered the locker room, he found Trayler dead on
the bathroom floor. He’d been hit multiple times with an object everyone assumed was a bat,
although a bat or any other murder weapon was never found.”
“And the police never figured it out?” I asked.
Nikki shook her head. “According to Lacy, it was assumed that Trayler had been beaten by
one of his teammates, but according to the coach, no one other than Trayler had left practice
during the twenty minutes or so Trayler was gone.”
I sat back in my chair. “So maybe someone was watching Trayler and followed him to the
locker room, or maybe he left practice pretending that he needed to use the bathroom since he
had prearranged to meet someone in the locker room, and maybe this person then killed him.”
Nikki shrugged. “Maybe. Lacy really didn’t know. She told me that she was a grade ahead of
the class of two thousand four and had already graduated by the time this all went down, but she
knew a lot of the kids in that class and had been part of the theory-building that had occurred in
the months after the murder. According to Lacy, a lot of different theories were being circulated,
but none panned out.” Nikki crossed one leg over the other. “You know, you can ask Lacy for
more details if you’re truly interested. Tanner came home while we were still talking about the
murder, which caused Georgia to ask about some wedding venue he was going to check out, and
the topic of conversation went from murder to weddings.”
“I might just do that. I wonder if Colt was on the force back then.” I referred to Police Chief
Colt Wilder.
Nikki paused. She remained silent, but I suspected she was doing the math in her head. “I
don’t think so. I actually think he might have still been in college, or maybe he’d just graduated.
Either way, he wouldn’t have gone through the academy until after that point in time.”
I wasn’t familiar with Colt’s life before his role as police chief, but Nikki had known him a
lot longer than I had, so I assumed she was likely correct.

“You know,” Nikki said, “I realize this week is super busy, but if we’re truly interested, we
might want to treat Lacy to lunch. Maybe we can get the rest of the story.”
I smiled. “I like the way you think. Call Lacy to see if she’s available to meet with us. If she
is, have Kennedy reserve a table.”

Chapter 2

Luckily, Lacy wasn’t busy this afternoon, and she was more than a little happy to come and
have lunch with Nikki and me. I suspected it would be busy today since it usually was during the
summer, so I asked Nikki to have Kennedy reserve the table in the corner of the rooftop behind
the staging station. More often than not, staff used the table to take a break, but I figured it would
serve my purpose just fine for an hour.
“I’m so excited that the two of you have asked me to join you for lunch,” Lacy said. “With
the kids all being occupied this summer, I seem to have more free time than I know what to do
with.”
“After so many years of having children underfoot twenty-four-seven, I guess it must be
strange to find that you have the house to yourself.”
“Very strange.”
“While Shelby and I always love having you join us for lunch, to be perfectly honest, we
invited you today because we were interested in getting the scoop on the Trayler Erstwhile
murder,” Nikki said.
Lacy grinned and looked at Nikki. “I thought that caught your attention yesterday. Tanner
coming in when he did was unfortunate, and I didn’t get to finish my story.”
“You can finish it now,” Nikki prompted.
“Actually, I’d like that.” Lacy leaned in a bit. I wasn’t sure if her move was for its dramatic
effect or to communicate clearly without raising her voice. “The story is both interesting and
tragic. While I was in the class of two thousand three, I had a lot of friends in the class of two
thousand four. As you can imagine, the violent death of such a popular student created a lot of
talk. And with talk comes theories that lead to other theories, most of which were nothing more
than gossip, but a few ideas were floating around that I felt had merit.”
“Such as?” I asked.

Lacy paused as if to organize her thoughts. “Trayler wasn’t just any student; he was the most
popular student in his class. Or at least one of the most popular students in his class. He was a
straight-A student, the student council president, and played football and baseball. He was the
sort of student that teachers, administrators, and college recruiters got excited about. At the time
of his death, Trayler was at the top of his game socially, academically, and athletically. He had a
bright future, which made what happened to him much more tragic to the community.”
“I understand that Trayler was at baseball practice when he died,” I said.
“That’s right,” Lacy agreed. “Trayler was practicing with his team when he asked to use the
bathroom. The coach granted his request to head to the locker room, but Trayler never returned,
so the coach sent a teammate to fetch him. When the teammate entered the locker room, he
found Trayler dead on the floor. He’d been beaten to death. A murder weapon was never found,
but it was assumed that the murder weapon was a baseball bat. The coroner found two distinct
injuries. One to the genitals, which I assume is what debilitated him, and one to the head, which
apparently is what killed him.”
“I remember you told Abby, Georgia, and me that the other members of his team were
questioned, but according to the coach, no one left practice during the time Trayler was in the
locker room other than Trayler and the kid the coach sent to find him,” Nikki said.
Lacy nodded.
“Do you know if anyone missed practice that day?” I asked.
Lacy paused. “I’m not sure. I don’t remember hearing one way or the other.”
“Am I correct in assuming that even though his teammates were interviewed, none were
serious suspects?” I asked to clarify things in my mind.
“As far as I know, that was the case.”
My waitress, Lucy, brought our lunch order to the table, so the conversation paused while she
arranged everything. Once Lucy left, I asked Lacy about other suspects who the police
interviewed at the time of the murder.
“Trayler was a popular guy. He had a lot of friends, and he had several girlfriends during his
tenure in high school. At the time of his death, he’d been dating a girl named Cassidy Collins.
Cassidy was a star pitcher for the girls’ softball team. In fact, she took the team to the state
championship all four years she attended Holiday Bay High. Cassidy was also a home run hitter
and a good student. This particular blend of talent earned her a full ride to UCLA.”
“Wow. Good for Cassidy,” I said.
“It was a big deal at the time, and what was an even bigger deal was that Trayler earned a full
ride to San Diego State. They wouldn’t be going to the same school, but it was close enough that
the two could continue to date. I remember that was important to Cassidy.”
I was waiting for the “and then.” I could tell by Lacy’s tone of voice that one was coming.
“And then Trayler got an offer on the East Coast. Florida State. I’m not sure why; no one
seemed to understand why, but the next thing I knew, Trayler decided to walk away from San
Diego State and attend Florida State. Of course, Cassidy was crushed. The couple ended up

going through a very nasty breakup, and for a while, there was talk that maybe Cassidy had used
her perfect swing to take out the guy who’d let her down.”
“But she didn’t do it,” Nikki said.
Lacy shrugged. “Cassidy was at home sick that day. She was home alone, so she didn’t have
an alibi. I guess Cassidy was never able to prove her innocence beyond a shadow of a doubt, but
the police were never able to prove that she was guilty either.”
Nikki looked at me. “Is Cassidy coming to the reunion?”
“I’m not sure.” I looked at Lacy. “Have you heard?”
“I haven’t heard, but I know Cassidy Collins is Cassidy Cherrywood now, so if you want to
try to find her on the guest list, that would be her name. I don’t remember her husband’s first
name, but I know she’s still married to the guy.”
It already sounded as if this might turn out to be a juicy mystery. “Okay, so Cassidy was a
suspect. Who else?” I asked.
“Trayler’s ex, Rosalyn Harrisburg. Rosalyn was probably the most popular girl in school. She
was head cheerleader, homecoming queen, prom queen, and virtual local royalty. She was also
widely known as ‘Trayler’s ex’ after Trayler broke things off with her when Cassidy caught his
eye.”
“Yikes,” Nikki said. “I bet that didn’t go over well.”
“It did not,” Lacy said. “Trayler made a powerful enemy when he dumped Rosalyn.”
“And did Rosalyn have an alibi?” I asked.
“Sort of,” Lacy answered. “Rosalyn had been at cheerleading practice that afternoon. She
was on the field next to the one where the boys were practicing. The cheerleaders took a couple
breaks, including a longish one where no one remembered seeing Rosalyn. There was some talk
that she saw Trayler heading to the locker room, took a break, and followed him, but that idea
was dropped when it was pointed out that the killer would likely have gotten blood spatter from
the attack on their clothing and Rosalyn didn’t have any evidence of blood on her uniform when
she returned to practice.”
Rosalyn seemed like a good suspect, given the fact that she must have hated the guy, but
Lacy was right; whoever killed him must have ended up with blood from the attack on his hands
and clothing.
Lacy continued. “I know that a few other ex-girlfriends were considered suspects, but in the
end, none of those leads panned out. Trayler punched the newspaper editor because he made
condescending statements about the team in one of his articles, so I believe he was questioned.
I’m trying to remember his name, but it isn’t coming to me. I suppose it would be easy enough to
find out.”
“It sounds like even Mr. Popular had enemies,” Nikki said.
“He did. He had more adoring fans than enemies, but he did have enemies.”
“Was there someone who was his biggest rival?” I asked. “Someone who was always number
two to his number one?”

“Bucky Brownstone,” Lacy said without hesitation. “Now that I think about it, Bucky may
have started dating Rosalyn shortly after Trayler broke up with her.” Lacy took a bite of her
salad. “I want to help you, but it has been twenty years, and Trayler was a grade behind me, so,
as I’d said, I’d already graduated by the time the murder occurred.”
“Are you friends with any of the alumni who are coming to the reunion?” I asked.
“I am,” Lacy responded. “A few, in fact. Nancy Devonshire was the yearbook editor in two
thousand four. I was the yearbook editor in two thousand two and two thousand three, and Nancy
was my assistant editor. Even though I was a year older than Nancy, we were close, and I was
also good friends with her older sister, Susannah, who was in my class.”
“Did you stay in touch?” I asked.
“We did,” Lacy confirmed. “It’s been a few years since I’ve seen Susannah. She got married
and moved to Oklahoma a year or two after Lonnie and I got married. Her parents live in Bar
Harbor, so she comes and visits every now and then, but it’s been a while. As for Nancy, it’s been
at least ten years since I’ve seen her, but the two of us have made plans to get together while
she’s in town.” She took a sip of her iced tea.
“Is Nancy married?” I asked. While I supposed that detail wasn’t relevant to the discussion, I
felt it would be helpful to try to get as complete an overview as possible.
“Actually, no. Nancy had big dreams that didn’t allow for time spent growing a family. She
works for Rage.” She referred to a prestigious women’s magazine. “Nancy became the managing
editor a handful of years ago.”
“Wow, I love that magazine,” Nikki said.
“Yeah, me too,” I agreed. “I can’t wait to meet Nancy.”
“You’ll really like her,” Lacy said. “Nancy’s rich, sophisticated, and dresses like a million
dollars even when lounging at home, but she also has this down-to-earth quality I’ve always
enjoyed. Nancy’s coming to town on Thursday. If she has time, I’ll bring her by and introduce
her. Otherwise, I’m sure she’ll attend the VIP dinner on Thursday.”
It sounded like the class of two thousand four were an overachieving bunch. A tech
billionaire, a high-profile actress, and the managing editor for a prominent publication seemed
like a lot of achievement for a single graduating class of a small-town high school.
“Okay. So other than Nancy, who else did you hang out with from that class?” I asked.
“Mercy Winston and I used to work at one of the local diners together during the summers.
She was in the class of two thousand four and will be here for the reunion.” She frowned. “I’m
sure there are others I know, but I haven’t seen a guest list. If you can get your hands on one,
perhaps I can point out the familiar names.” She looked at her watch. “Later. As much fun as I’m
having, it’s almost time for me to pick my youngest up from her play date.” She began to gather
her stuff. “If you decide to pursue this, I’d be more than a little bit happy to meet with you both
again. If you can email the guest list to me, maybe it will refresh my memory.”
“Are there students from this class who remained in Holiday Bay?” I asked.

“Sure. Kelsy from the dry cleaner and Monica from the bakery on Second Street are two
people who come to mind. I suppose they might have a perspective unique to mine.” Lacy stood
up. “You might ask Nikki’s aunt, Charlee.”
I looked at Nikki.
She responded. “Aunt Charlee used to teach at the high school. She would have been there in
two thousand four. I’ll give her a call.”
“If she has time, ask her to stop by,” I said. I turned to Lacy. “Thanks again for coming by.
I’ll walk you out.”
On the way to her car, I thanked her again, and she assured me that she was happy to help
again and that doing so helped to bring some excitement into her often routine life. I knew that
having six children and your own business most likely provided more excitement than Lacy let
on, but I understood what she meant. Even if you were busy, that didn’t mean that you were
mentally challenged daily.
Once Lacy left, I returned to the rooftop to check on Lucy, who’d been dealing with a
challenging customer when Lacy and I had walked by. It appeared that Lucy had handled it
without my intervention since she was helping a different customer when I returned. I was about
to head to my office when Beck Cage came in with his English Bulldog, Meatball. He asked me
what was up, and I launched into my story about the tragedy of two thousand four. I hadn’t
actually decided to do anything more than I’d already done, which was to get some details from
Lacy, but for some reason, the case had drawn me in, and if I decided to dig deeper, I would
definitely need some help.
“So what do you think?” I asked. “Is it worth pursuing?”
He shrugged. “I guess that depends. On the one hand, while the death of this popular kid
sounds like a real tragedy, it really has nothing to do with either of us, so a clear reason to pursue
it isn’t evident. On the other hand, I can see why it interests you. It sounds like the officer who
investigated might have dropped the ball. I’m not sure we’ll be able to make any progress
finding the killer all these years later, but if you want to poke around, I’m not busy this week.”
“It does seem like there might be something to find,” I said. “But, unlike you, who admitted
to not being all that busy this week, I’m slammed.”
Beck looked toward the bar. “I guess we can bring Dawson in on this. With everything you
have going on at the Bistro this week, he’ll be busy as well, but he usually has time to log into
his computer and surf around a bit during the slow times.”
“If the three of us are going to investigate this, we’ll need to invite Nikki.”
Beck raised a brow. “Nikki?”
“She’s the one who brought the story to me.”
He shrugged. “Nikki has been known to provide a unique perspective from time to time. I’m
fine with her joining us. If Dawson is on board, why don’t we plan to meet in my booth after the
Bistro closes.”
“Okay. Let me check with Dawson and Nikki, but that works fine for me.”

Dawson, who was prepping the bar with his foster dog, Goliath, assured me he, too, was
interested in joining us that evening, so I went to find Nikki.
“I can make it work,” she assured me. “I’ll need to let Nick know what I’m doing, but I think
he has his bowling league tonight, so he won’t be home anyway.”
Nick Jergenson was Nikki’s live-in boyfriend. He’d moved to Holiday Bay to restore and flip
a house, and as far as I knew, he was still working on that, which might account for the check
Nikki had been hoping to get from her mother.
“I really think there’s something there to find,” Nikki said.
“Maybe. We’ve barely scratched the surface at this point, and after we all chat about it, we
may decide that there isn’t a direction to go that the investigator at the time didn’t already
explore, but I’m excited to take a look, and see what we can find.”
“Me too. The fact that you, Beck, and Dawson are always up for a bit of sleuthing is one of
the main reasons I love working here.”
Nikki returned to work, and I headed into the main dining room to check in with Kennedy.
The lunch crowd had arrived, and things were beginning to get hectic. I was going to ask
Kennedy if she needed me to try to call in some of our on-call help when she escorted Officer
Alex Weston and her boyfriend, Leo Atwell, in.
“Hey, guys. Are you here for lunch?” I asked Leo, my closest neighbor.
Leo lived next door to the house I owned along with my sisters, Sage and Sierra, and Alex
was at his place most of the time, although she did maintain her own apartment.
“We are, and then Leo’s meeting with the town manager to talk about the shelter,” Alex
answered.
The local animal shelter had lost their lease a couple of months ago, causing the dogs and
cats housed there to become displaced. Everyone in town had pitched in to help foster the
displaced animals until permanent homes could be found. Leo had taken a terrier mix named
Sissy, a cute little thing he’d only had for a few weeks before he’d found a wonderful forever
home for her. After fostering Sissy, he’d fostered two other dogs, both of whom he’d likewise
been able to place. Alex had her dog, Cooper, and Leo had his dog, Fisher, but they were both
huge animal lovers, so the pair had decided to continue to foster dogs who needed a temporary
placement until they found forever homes or the new shelter was built.
“Have you found a place?” I asked. Part of the problem the town was experiencing because
of losing its lease was the lack of a viable alternative.
“Leo found a piece of land we feel will work well,” Alex answered. “We spoke to Tanner,
and he’s willing to hit up some of his rich friends to help us buy the land, but even if we can raise
the funds needed for that, we’ll still need infrastructure. We spoke to the county and were
assured that the funding to run the facility is still in place but that no funds are available for
buildings or fencing. Leo has some great ideas for raising funds for this project, but we decided it
would be best to work with the town so we don’t end up stepping on anyone’s toes.”
“I think that’s smart,” I agreed. “Where did you find the land you are hoping to buy?”
“It’s just off Powerline Trail,” Leo answered.

Powerline Trail was a dirt road that ran along the powerlines that brought power to our area.
“There’s a lot of vacant land out there. Is there any problem with the powerlines being in the
area?”
“No,” Leo answered. “The acreage I’m looking at is actually north of the powerlines. We’ll
need to pave the section of dirt road that connects the highway to the property I’m looking at,
which will bring the cost up quite a bit. This property is just an option, so if someone can find
something that will work better, I’m open to it.”
“What about that vacant land on the south side of the highway just past the public beach
south of town?” I asked.
Leo replied. “The ocean view makes that land much too expensive to be used for a shelter.
We need to find land that’s buildable and accessible but isn’t located where someone would want
to build a home or business.”
“I’ll keep an eye out,” I promised. “It’s extremely nice of you to involve yourself in this
problem.”
He shrugged. “I likely wouldn’t have had Lou not asked me to foster Sissy. That experience
opened my eyes to how much need there is out there. I have some extra time to devote to the
project, so I decided to jump in and try to help.”
After I chatted with the couple for a few more minutes, I headed to the second floor and my
office. Even though the prospect really didn’t thrill me, I really did need to get a couple of hours
of paperwork time in today. It was such a gorgeous day that it seemed wrong to be cooped up in
my small windowless office, but not only were there bills that needed to be paid, but tax forms
that needed to be filled out and sent in, so sequestering myself inside for at least part of the day
seemed inevitable.
As I worked, I thought about Leo’s ideas regarding a new location for the shelter. The land
he’d identified made a lot of sense. It was isolated enough that there wouldn’t be neighbors for
barking dogs to disturb, yet close enough to town that most folks would be willing to make the
trip to either surrender or adopt a dog or cat. Leo mentioned that Tanner Peyton planned to help
him raise funds to buy the land. Tanner was a good guy, and I was happy that my good friend,
Georgia Carter, had finally decided to take the plunge and become engaged to the man she’d
been dating since long before I’d met either of them.
“Are you busy?” Kennedy poked her head into my office through the open door.
“No. Just doing paperwork. Come on in.” I waved a hand. “Have a seat.”
“Thanks.” She sat on the chair across my desk from where I was sitting. “I wanted to talk to
you about taking a couple days off next week. Kevin,” she said, referring to her daughter’s
father, “asked me if I would go with him to look at a school for gifted students. I’ve been
fighting the idea of sending Addy to boarding school or any school where she’d be the youngest
kid, but according to Kevin, several kids who attend are Addy’s age, so she’d have peers she’d
be able to relate to. Initially, I wasn’t going to go, but Kevin can be persuasive and has assured
me that Zimmerman Academy is different. He even promised that it would be worth our while to
take a look.”
“The school’s name sounds familiar, but I can’t say with any degree of certainty where I’ve
heard it mentioned.”

“I did some research after Kevin brought the idea up,” Kennedy informed me. “It’s a small
private school that focuses on developing the natural talents of exceptional students from junior
high through high school ages. I guess the founders, Zak and Zoe Zimmerman, decided to open
the school to meet the needs of their exceptional children without having to send them away to
school. I spoke to Zak on the phone, and I sensed that he truly understood my hesitation and was
willing to work with me to ensure my comfort. He told me the story of his honorary daughter,
Alex Bremmerton, who first came to Ashton Falls as a friend of his ward, a boy named Scooter
Sherwood. Alex was just ten years old, and her parents, busy academics who traveled the world,
were preparing to send Alex to a private college since she’d already learned as much as they had
to teach her at the private high school she’d been attending. Zak shared with me that Alex had
been terrified by the idea of going to college, where everyone would be so much older. He shared
that all Alex really wanted was to grow up in a regular family with friends her age, so Zak and
Zoe talked it over and decided to open the school.”
“Wow. That’s really something. And, I’m sure, not an easy task.”
She shrugged. “I can’t say that I know the whole story, but I did some research, and
apparently, Zak Zimmerman is a tech billionaire. He’s a genius and appears to have the financial
and intellectual resources to do what needs to be done.”
“And now? What happened to Alex? Did the school work out for her?” I asked.
Kennedy nodded. “Alex is getting ready to enter her third year at Berkeley, a college she
waited to attend until she reached the regular age of eighteen. I guess she has plans to work with
Zak at Zimmerman Industries once she completes her education, which seemed to be a goal
shared by Zak. He also shared that he and Alex have already written some software together.”
“That does sound like an ideal situation.”
“According to Zak, Alex grew up as a happy kid who has matured into a happy and loving
adult.” Kennedy took a breath and continued. “Zak even suggested that he would help me to find
a job and housing if I decide to move to Ashton Falls to be with Addy while she attends the
school. He genuinely seemed concerned that this would work out for Addy and me if we decided
that Zimmerman Academy was right for her.”
“That was nice of him.”
“The man seemed really nice. And, like I said, he seemed to understand the unique needs of
gifted students and the parents who love them.”
I had to admit the setup sounded ideal. Not that I wanted to lose Kennedy if she decided to
move, but given Addy’s extremely high IQ, she truly needed an accelerated education.
She continued. “The school is located just outside the small alpine town of Ashton Falls,
which I liked since I’m drawn to small towns over larger cities. It’s near a lake, and there’s
boating and skiing, so that would be nice. At this point, all I’m really doing is going with Kevin
and Addy for a visit, and I certainly haven’t decided to do this by any means, but if I like what I
see and Addy wants to give it a try, I’ll likely move right away, so she can start school with
everyone else in the fall.”
I leaned forward slightly. “I know that you’ve struggled with the challenge of providing
Addy with the education she needs while allowing her to be a child and keeping her emotional

health close to your heart. If you need a few days off to explore this option, you have the days
you need.”
“Thanks, Shelby. I know this is a busy month, but this does seem like too good an
opportunity not to at least look into.”
“I agree. Go with my blessing.”
After Kennedy left, I leaned back in my chair and groaned. If Kennedy left, I was not only
going to have to replace my best waitress but a truly exceptional dining room manager as well. It
wouldn’t be easy to find someone with her attention to detail. Still, Addy was Kennedy’s
daughter, and I understood her circumstances. Whatever else went on in your life, family had to
come first. ...