6 Beach Blanket Barbie (17 page)

“So he didn’t know about the hidden painting?”

“He says he didn’t,” Salinger informed me. “He said he bought the painting on a whim but didn’t really look at it all that closely. I’m not sure I believe him. If he’s an art dealer, you’d think he’d notice something like a mediocre painting in a valuable frame, although I guess at this point there’s no way to prove that one way or another.”

“Okay, so Barbie buys the painting from the man, hides it in the cemetery, and then has dinner with Mr. Lowell.
Phillip Hayes told me that he saw her leave on foot. So who killed her?”

“At first I thought it might be
her partner, the man you refer to as lifeguard guy. It made sense that if he knew about Barbie’s plan to keep the painting, he might have taken care of her. However, if he knew what was going on, he wouldn’t have killed her until she revealed the location of the painting, and he wouldn’t have bothered to break into One Man’s Trash looking for it.”

“So if the person or persons
she worked for didn’t kill her, we’re back to square one,” I realized.

“I’d say we are,” Salinger agreed. “If you figure anything out
, let me know.”

“Yeah, I will,” I agreed.

“And Zoe . . .”

“Yeah
?”

“Don’t try to be a hero. If you figure out who did it
, call me.”

“Yeah,” I
repeated. “I will.”

Once again
, I headed toward Ellie’s. The others probably were already there and worried about me. I called Zak’s number, but it went to voice mail, so I left a message, telling him that I was on my way. I was crossing the park near the parking lot where I’d left my truck when it occurred to me that I really should go home to check on Charlie. Zak had brought him to the park with him earlier in the day, but he’d been home alone a good six hours by now. It made sense to change out of my Zoe’s Zoo polo shirt before meeting the others for the evening anyway. I called Zak’s number again and left a second message.

As I headed down Main Street
, I noticed Phillip coming out of Serenity’s yoga studio. He wasn’t in his uniform or carrying empties, so I had to assume he was there for some reason other than delivering water. It occurred to me that he might know something about Barbie’s death even if he wasn’t aware of it. If he’d seen Barbie leaving the Wharf on foot, perhaps he’d noticed someone following her.

“Hey
, Phillip.” I pulled my truck up alongside his.

“What’s up
, Zoe?”

“I’m still investigating Barbie’s murder
, and it occurred to me that if you saw Barbie leave the Wharf on foot, maybe you saw someone following her. It seems like she died shortly after she left the place.”

“Sorry,” Phillip answered a bit too quickly. “I didn’t see a thing.”

“Yeah, well, it was worth a try.” I put my truck in park and got out. “I guess as long as I’m here, I’ll talk to Serenity one more time.”

“She’s not here,” Phillip
told me.

“She’s not? Who were you visiting
then?”

Phillip looked around. It was getting dark by this point
, and most people had either gone indoors or gravitated toward the lights provided in the park. I began to get that not-so-pleasant feeling that there might be more going on than met the eye.

“I was talking to Serenity
, but she left just before you got here,” Phillip tried.

“Left? Why would she leave if you were still here?”

“One of the water dispensers is leaking. I told her I’d take a look and pull the door closed behind me when I was done.”

“Why didn’t you look at it when you first got here?” I unwisely asked.

“I did just get here. Right before you drove up. Serenity was on her way out, we chatted for a few minutes, and she told me about the water dispenser.”

“I see.”

I can only assume that the look of doubt on my face was obvious because the next thing I knew, Phillip had grabbed me by my hair and pulled me toward the building. He opened the door, which hadn’t been closed all the way, and shoved me inside. I tried to scream, but I was so surprised by his move that by the time I realized a scream could be helpful, I was already inside.

“What the
. . .”

“You just can’t leave things alone
, can you? Oh no, you always have to butt into things that are none of your business.”

“You drugged Barbie,” I
accused. I actually didn’t know this for certain, but somehow I’d known deep in my gut that Phillip was the guilty party all along.

“The little slut. Strutting her stuff around
, flirting with me when she had no intention of following through with her little taunts. She got what she deserved.”

“She was a tease
, so you drugged her and pushed her off the pier?”

“No,” Phillip admitted. “That was an accident. When I saw her at th
e restaurant with that old man, I lost it. I took my wife home and then told her that I’d forgotten my credit card at the restaurant and had to go back for it. I’m not sure why I went back, but Barbie had gotten me all worked up and I knew I needed to take care of things one way or another. Luck was on my side and she was just leaving when I got there. She kissed the grandpa she was with good-bye and set off on foot. I offered her a ride, which she accepted. Then I suggested we go somewhere for a drink, and for some reason even I don’t understand, she accepted. I thought we might actually get together. I mean, she’s been with every other man in town, so why not me? I mentioned getting a motel room and she laughed. When she went into the ladies’ room, I slipped the drug into her drink. I figured if she wasn’t going to give up what was rightfully mine, I’d take it.”

“You were going to rape her.”

“Yeah, so? She deserved it after all the times she flaunted herself only to tell me to piss off.”

“So what happened?”

“When we left the bar, I tried to get her into the truck, but she refused. There were people around, so I couldn’t force her. I followed her to the pier. I have no idea why she walked out to the end. I tried to grab her, but she pulled away and fell. Or maybe she tripped. I’m not sure, I just know that she ended up in the water.”

“So why didn’t you go in after her?”

Phillip shrugged. “It was cold. I didn’t know she’d drown. I called her a few choice names and then left.”

“What you did was wrong
, and I’m sure there are consequences for drugging someone, but it sounds like Barbie’s death was an accident. You need to tell someone. Salinger. We need to call him and explain everything.”

“We aren’t calling anyone
,” Phillip insisted. “No way I’m going to jail for what happened to that little slut.”

“He’s going to find out,” I tried to reason. “It really is best that you turn yourself in.”

“He’s not going to find out.”

I got
a queasy feeling in my stomach. He’d told me everything but had no intention of turning himself in. That meant . . .

“What are you going to do?” I asked.

“What I need to.”

“I looked around for a way to escape
, but Phillip was standing between me and the door.

“Where is Serenity?” I realized that there was no way Serenity simply left Phillip on the premises.

“The bitch is no better than her friend,” Phillip answered, totally ignoring my question. His eyes had a crazed look. “I saw the light on in the studio when I was heading back after doing my rounds. I decided to stop by for a chat with the pretty lady who has been coming onto me for months.”

“You think she’s been coming onto you?” The guy had totally lost his mind.

“I not only think it, I know it. I’ve seen the way she looks at me. She’s hungry for what only a real man like me can give her. She knows it and I know it.”

“So where is she?”

“When I suggested that perhaps we could get together, she actually laughed in my face. Can you believe that?”

Phi
llip’s face was turning red. I actually suspected that steam might start pouring out of his ears at any moment.

“You didn’t hurt her?”

I got a sickening feeling when Phillip just smiled at me with the creepiest look I’d ever seen.

“I really think I should go.” I tried to inch toward the door.

“Not so fast.” He grabbed my arm.

“It’s been a really long day.” I tried not to panic.

Phillip pulled me toward him and tried to smell my hair. My hair! Do you have any idea how disturbing it is to have some random guy smell your hair? I lifted my leg to knee him in the groin and that, I’m afraid, is the last thing I remember.

“The past month has been the worst in the history of all months
.” Ellie sobbed into Levi’s shoulder.

“I know
, honey.” Levi hugged Ellie like he was never going to let her go.

“I can’t believe what’s happened,” Zak added. “
I did everything I could. I kept thinking if I threw enough love and money at the situation, it would all work out, but I guess sometimes there are things that even money can’t fix.”

“
I keep thinking we’ll all wake up and find the past month has been a horrible dream,” Levi said.

I watched my friends from a
bove. I felt helpless to comfort them. They were all in so much pain, and I was powerless in my campaign to alleviate their grief. Life isn’t always fair. I watched my friends and knew with a certainty that I’d never felt before that sometimes bad things happen to good people.

“I don’t know how I’m going to make it through this,” Ellie sobbed. “My heart feels like someone has reached i
nto my chest and ripped it out. I love her so much; I don’t know how I’m going to live without her.”

“I know
.” Levi sat down on the sofa, pulling Ellie into his lap. “I know it’s almost unbearable right now, but it will get better.”

“Better?” Ellie sobbed. “How can it ever be better?”

Zak sat down on the sofa next to Ellie. Charlie put a paw on his knee in a show of comfort. Zak picked Charlie up and buried his face in his fur. I suspected that he’d shed a few tears, but I was certain he’d never show his grief to the others. Zak was always the strong one, the one who held everything together when the world was falling apart. “You know that we’ll all get past this,” he offered my two best friends.

Ellie looked at Zak. “I’m so sorry.
I’ve been so wrapped up in my own stuff that I’ve barely offered my condolences to you for your own loss. I know how hard this must be for you.”

I felt tears running down my face. It really had been the worst month in the history of all months. I knew in my heart that I needed to help them. I had no words or flashes of insight. Sometimes life gives you a gift only to demand a tribute in return.

“Where’s Zoe?” Ellie asked.

“Right here,” I said as I came down the stairs from my loft.
I opened my arms and Ellie got up off of Levi’s lap and walked into them. In the month since Zak had found Serenity and me unconscious on the floor of her studio, so many heartbreaking things had happened.

Serenity has suffered a blow to the head much more serious than mine and was still in a coma. It was unknown
whether she’d ever wake up. I lived each day with the idea that if I’d stopped at the studio when I’d first noticed Phillip’s truck, I might have saved Serenity before it was too late. Salinger actually tried to comfort me by stating that if I hadn’t come along when I did, Phillip might very well have finished the job, giving Serenity no chance at all. After he’d knocked me out, Phillip had set fire to the studio. If Zak hadn’t seen my truck and come looking for me, we’d most likely both be dead.

As tough as my month had been
, I’m afraid the people I love had endured even more difficult circumstances. Not only had Scooter been taken away and sent to live with his grandparents in Kansas, causing Zak a significant amount of angst as he worried about the future of the boy he’d come to care so much about, but we’d buried Lambda today after a long battle to save his life. Zak had tried so hard, but in the end the injuries he’d been fighting most of his life had taken over and weakened him to the point where his poor body could no longer fight the infection he’d suffered as the result of the fall he’d taken from Zak’s back deck only days after my own brush with death.

As we drove home
from the pet cemetery, Ellie had received a phone call from Rob, letting her know that he’d reunited with Hannah’s mother, who was living once again in their old hometown, and wouldn’t be returning to marry her as planned. I suspected Ellie was mourning the loss of Hannah more than she was the loss of Rob, but grief was grief, and my heart hurt for her.

And then there was Levi, who had never really recovered from Barbie’s death. Sure
, they’d broken up months before she was murdered, but Levi lived every day with the thought that if he’d agreed to meet with her as she’d requested, he might in some way have prevented what happened to her. Phillip was in jail after a long manhunt by the state police, as was the man we all thought of as lifeguard guy, but punishing the guilty didn’t alleviate the pain of losing the innocent.

“We could all go on Ellie’s honeymoon,” I suggested.
“Two weeks in Hawaii to relax and let our wounds heal.”

“The house on the ocean is reserved
from June 29th until July 15th,” Zak agreed. “I’m sure Keoke wouldn’t mind if we all stayed there.”

“And there
’s plenty of room for all of us.” Levi’s eyes lit up for the first time in a month. “I’d love to do some diving, and it’s been years since I’ve had the opportunity to surf.”

“I did arrange for Kelly to cover the Beach Hut
.” Ellie dried her eyes and sat down on the edge of the sofa. “And I really could use some time away. It’d be nice to have a complete change of scenery.”

“And school won’t start for another six weeks,” Levi
added. “I don’t have any plans for the summer.”

“I’ve been itching to do some diving
as well.” Zak smiled weakly. “There’s a wreck not far off the coast of Molokai that I’ve been wanting to check out.”

“Two weeks in an oceanfront estate will give everyone time to gain some perspective,” I offered.

“I’m in.” Ellie smiled through her tears.

“Me too,” Levi
said.

Zak looked down at C
harlie, who was still snuggled into his lap. He hugged Charlie and looked at me. “I can arrange for Charlie to come with us; do you have someone to watch the cats?”

It looked like we were all going on Ellie’s Hawaiian
honeymoon.