Heavenly Honeymoon (Zoe Donovan Mysteries Book 15) (10 page)

I turned my back so Zak could zip the sundress I’d chosen to wear.

“That fits the timeline. We can verify all the dates Ricardo was here, but it appears the payments to his account began shortly after a visit four months ago.”

“So how do you want to play this?” I asked Zak as I slid a pair of sandals onto my feet.

“We’ll just engage in conversation like we did with Charles and Piper and then wait for an opening to do a little digging.”

“How’s my hair?”

“Your hair is great.”

“Okay, then I guess I’m ready.”

Zak had made reservations at the same restaurant where we’d had lunch with Charles and Piper. Zak suggested it because it was in the VIP section of the resort, and it seemed most VIPs didn’t venture out to the main part of the resort. I quickly agreed because I was hoping to get another look at Jimbo. Despite the fact that Zak continued to insist that Jimbo had been working at the restaurant on the night of the murder, I wasn’t convinced.

As we had when we lunched with Charles and Piper, we began the conversation by asking about neutral topics. Like Charles and Piper, Park and Kim traveled extensively and, as with the British couple, they had a lot of interesting stories to share. I tried to be patient, but I found it hard to concentrate on their trip to Greece when all I was really interested in hearing about was their trip to the island two months earlier.

“Jensen mentioned you’re frequent visitors to the island,” Zak finally commented after Park got up to go to the men’s room. Waiting until Kim was alone was a good strategy; she seemed to be the chattier of the pair.

“Yes, we come every year or two,” Kim answered.

“It’s really a beautiful place,” I added.

“We love it here,” Kim confirmed. “In fact, this is our second trip this year.”

“Wow, you really must love it here,” I added.

“It really is quite a long journey. Park had some business he needed to check on or we probably wouldn’t have come again so soon.”

“Business?” I asked.

“I’ll have to let him tell you about it when he returns. Oh, here he is now,” Kim said as Park returned to the table.

“I was just telling Zak and Zoe that we were on the island to conduct some business,” Kim said as soon as he sat down.

Park frowned. He didn’t look overly upset that Kim had mentioned business, but he didn’t seem thrilled either.

“Yes, well, I am involved in business ventures all over the world,” Park answered vaguely.

“So is Zak,” I added. “He has to travel quite extensively. I don’t always go along, but if he decided to get involved in a business venture on the island I wouldn’t mind a return trip. It’s absolutely gorgeous.”

“Maybe Zak can get in on Park’s deal,” Kim suggested. “It sounds really exciting.”

Park shot her a stern look and she lowered her eyes.

“Ricardo Jimenez mentioned something to Zak about a business venture before he died, but he never did have the opportunity to get all the details,” I fished.

Park looked at Zak. “I guess if Ricardo was considering cutting you in, he must have checked you out and been satisfied as to what he’d found.”

“Cut me in?”

“On the treasure hunt,” Park whispered.

“Treasure hunt?” Zak asked. “Ricardo didn’t tell me what the business venture was; he just suggested that we needed to talk,” Zak lied. In reality, Zak had never spoken to him at all.

“Ricardo and the others were being very selective about who they let in on the deal,” Park confirmed. “I was lucky to have been in the right place at the right time. I really don’t know what is going to happen now that Ricardo is dead.”

“Would you mind filling me in?” Zak asked. “I never did get the opportunity to speak to him and I find you’ve piqued my interest.”

Park paused, as if to consider Zak’s request. He shrugged. “I guess it couldn’t hurt. Maybe you can still speak to Jack about it.”

“Captain Jack?” Zak verified.

“He is in charge of the operations end of the venture.” Park looked around, as if to make sure no one was listening to what he was about to tell us. “When I visited two months ago I decided to cross something off my bucket list and learn to scuba dive. The instructor told me about a wreck he’d found that supposedly was worth tens of millions of dollars in today’s market. He could see I was interested, so he volunteered to take me out to the site. We dove down as far as we could without specialized equipment, but the skeleton of the ship was clearly visible. I told him that I was interested in getting in on the action, so he hooked me up with Ricardo, who was taking care of the business end of things.”

“Wow, how awesome would it be to dive on a sunken ship,” I said enthusiastically. “Do you know which ship they found?”

“
The Carolina
. She was a British ship that sank in this area in 1764. Ricardo explained that although they’d located the ship, they couldn’t bring up the treasure until they could raise enough money to invest in the equipment they would need. He seemed knowledgeable about both the history of the ship and the process that would be required to salvage it. He even had several items from the ship with the crest of the family that owned her on it. I checked out the history of the vessel, and when it lined up with what he’d told me, I agreed to help fund a portion of the project in exchange for a percentage of the salvage. Ricardo said they would begin salvaging the boat on August first, and he invited me to go along with the crew. I can’t remember the last time I’ve been this excited about anything. Now, with Ricardo’s death, I don’t know what is going to happen.”

Zak sat back in his chair. He appeared to be processing this information. Either that or he was planning his next question.

“It’s a shame I missed the opportunity to get in on the deal.” Zak sighed. “It sounds like a fascinating adventure. I’m sure the others will go ahead with the salvage. It sounds like Ricardo’s job was simply to fundraise. If he has completed that task the men in charge of the actual operation should be able to go ahead as planned.”

Park smiled. He seemed satisfied with Zak’s explanation. “I hope so. I’d hate to miss out on being a part of history.”

The beach was packed with locals lounging on blankets, waiting for the movie to begin, by the time we arrived. One of the first things I noticed was the lack of resort guests in the mix. Thinking back, I hadn’t seen an announcement about the event anywhere on the resort grounds. I supposed Jensen didn’t want to encourage his guests to leave the grounds of the resort for any reason if he really was trying to create the illusion that the entire island was some sort of upper-class utopia.

“Maybe we should have mentioned this to a few of the others,” I said to Zak. “I bet Dezi and Lucinda would have enjoyed spending time among the locals, and Charles and Piper seem to be the sort who are always up for an adventure.”

“I don’t know,” Zak replied. “I think a lot of the resorts guests prefer to exist in a state of denial about the reality of living in such an isolated environment in which the division of the classes is extreme at best.”

“Maybe, but if the group sponsoring the event really wants to raise enough money to build a shelter they’re going to need to find a way to appeal to donors who have big bucks.”

“I brought my checkbook.” Zak smiled.

I smiled back. I sure loved this man.

“It looks like Sebastian is working the snack shack,” Ellie commented after we’d spread our blanket on a grassy patch on the hill. “I think I’m going to go over to say hi. Maybe I’ll offer to help.”

“Have fun,” I called as Ellie trotted away.

“Some of the kids from the club are sitting with Oria and a couple of the other counselors,” Scooter pointed out. “Is it okay if I go say hi?”

“Sure,” Zak answered. “But don’t go anywhere else. I don’t want to have to worry about losing you in the crowd.”

“I’ll go with him,” Alex volunteered. “We’ll be back before the movie starts.”

“And then there were two.” I grinned at Zak.

“Which sounds just about perfect.”

I lay back onto the blanket with Charlie next to me and looked up at the stars, which were just beginning to make an appearance. It would be dark enough to begin the movie in another thirty minutes or so, but for now I was happy just enjoying the beautiful view provided by Mother Nature. The sound of the waves crashing onto shore in the background threatened to lull me into the state of unconsciousness commonly known as sleep.

“You still awake?” Zak asked.

“Um.”

“It looks like Toad is headed this way. Weren’t you supposed to check in with him when you got here?”

“Yeah.” I yawned. “I was.”

I sat up and waved to the short man, who was dressed casually in jeans and a T-shirt this evening.

“Evening, Toad,” I greeted him as he approached the blanket.

“Evening.” He nodded toward both Zak and me. “Can I talk to you?” He was looking directly at me. “Alone.”

“Yeah, sure.” I rolled over onto my knees and then stood up. “Can you keep an eye on Charlie?” I asked Zak.

“Charlie and I will keep the home fires burning while everyone else deserts us,” Zak teased.

“Should we take a walk?” I turned my attention to Toad.

He nodded.

“I’m sorry I forgot to check in with you right away,” I told him. “We really just arrived.”

“It’s fine. I really wanted to ask you about Candy.”

“Candy?”

“How did she seem when you went back for the second batch of doughnuts today?”

“Seem?” I asked as we made our way down to the beach and away from the crowd.

“Did you tell her I said hi?”

“I did.”

“And . . . ?” Toad asked.

I stopped walking and turned to look at him. “And she sort of blushed, lowered her eyes, and told me to tell you hi back.”

Toad grinned.

“If you like her so much why don’t you just go and talk to her? I saw her earlier, so I know she’s here.”

“Oh, no, I can’t.” Toad looked panicked.

“Why not?”

“I can’t talk to girls.”

“You’re talking to me,” I pointed out.

“What I mean is that I can’t talk to girls I’m interested in dating. I get all tongue-tied and never know what to say.”

I put my hand on Toad’s shoulder in a demonstration of support. “Here’s the way I see it: You can give in to your nervousness and never speak to the woman. I gather she’s as shy as you are, so you’ll most likely both live out your lives always wondering if the other was
the
one
. Or you can strap on a pair and go say hi. Maybe she returns your affection and maybe she doesn’t, but if you don’t at least initiate contact you’ll never know.”

“Strap on a pair of what?” Toad asked.

“Never mind. My point is that you have a lot more to lose by not speaking to her.”

“But what would I say?”

“Start with hi. If she says hi back maybe you ask her if she’d like to sit with you during the movie. If that goes well maybe at the end of the evening you ask her out.”

“Ask her out?” Toad looked panicked again. “Like on a date?”

“Yes. A date. You know, maybe dinner and a movie. That type of thing.”

“And then what?” Toad wondered.

“And then you start seeing each other on a regular basis, you fall in love, get married, and have a couple of kids with whom you can share this awesome island.”

Toad smiled. “You really think all of that could happen?”

I hesitated. I really didn’t know what was on Candy’s mind, so I hated to overpromise. “I don’t know if all of that will happen, but I do know that the only way it could happen is if you make the first move.”

Toad hesitated.

“What’s the worst that can happen?”

“She could laugh in my face.”

“She might. But if she does, at least you’ll know how she feels and you can stop wondering.”

“Okay.”

I looked back toward the crowd. “There she is. She’s standing near the back and she’s alone. Just walk over and say hi and then let fate take it from there.”

Toad took a deep breath. “Okay. I’ll do it.”

I watched as he walked slowly toward the woman of his dreams. The odd-looking pair sort of reminded me of Shrek and Princess Fiona when she was in her ogre state. Neither were much to look at, but I had the sense that they could share a deep and meaningful love if they could just get past their shyness. Toad looked back at me just before he arrived at the spot where Candy was standing. I motioned him forward, holding my breath as he took his last awkward steps.

Please let her say yes.

I watched as he approached and said hi. Then I saw her smile shyly and say hi back. After a few exchanges of dialogue Candy led Toad to a blanket she had already set out.

Whatever else happened, Zoe Donovan had done her good deed of the day.

I was about to return to Zak and Charlie when I noticed a man who looked an awful lot like Jimbo skirting the crowd. I changed direction at the last minute and followed him. I know that according to everyone, the man I’d encountered on the yacht couldn’t have been the man I was introduced to at the restaurant, but I happen to have very good eyesight and a very good memory and I know what I saw.

The man was moving quickly, purposefully, through the crowd. I tied to keep up with him without being too obvious, but I lost him once he hit the crowd that had gathered on the beach. I looked around, but there were too many people for me to find him, so I returned to Zak and Charlie.

“Everyone still gone?” I asked Zak when I reached the blanket where he was waiting with Charlie.

“Scooter came by to say he and Alex wanted to watch the movie with the other kids if that was okay. I told him it was. I haven’t seen Ellie.”

I sat down on the blanket. “I can go check on her if she doesn’t show up in a few minutes.” I looked around. “It’s a lot more crowded than I thought it would be. I hope they make enough money to get the shelter off the ground.”

“I’m sure they will,” Zak assured me. “Did everything go okay with Toad?”

I filled Zak in on the Toad and Candy love story.

“It’s usually not a good idea to get involved in other peoples’ love lives,” Zak warned me.

“I know.” I shrugged. “I’m not involved. I just got them started.” I looked around the crowd again. “I saw Jimbo earlier. I don’t suppose he came this way?”

“Haven’t seen him. You aren’t still hung up on the fact that you saw him on the yacht the night of the dinner party?”

“I know what I saw.”

Zak laced his fingers with mine. “I know you believe Jimbo was the man you saw on the yacht, but three different employees at the restaurant where he works confirmed he was there the entire evening. Maybe you just saw someone who looks like him.”

I frowned. I supposed that was possible.

“Does Jimbo have a brother?” I asked.

“I don’t know.”

“I bet Sebastian does. I want to go check with Ellie anyway.” I kissed Zak on the lips. “I’ll be right back. I promise.”

Zak sighed. I know he wishes I’d let this whole Jimbo thing go, but he did seem to be my best lead. If Jimbo didn’t do it, I’m not sure who did. Park was my second-strongest suspect. He didn’t seem to have a motive, but he did have opportunity. He’d seemed genuine when we spoke to him at lunch, but if there’s one thing I’ve learned of late it’s that those who are likely to kill are also likely to be good liars.

And then there was Captain Jack. I hadn’t had a chance to speak to him yet. Maybe he’d be here this evening and I could work my way into a conversation with him. I thought about the other guests on the yacht. Based on the angle of the knife in Jimenez’s back, it appeared the killer was most likely tall. At least six feet. That eliminated all of the women, and darn, I just realized that also eliminated Park.

“How’s it going?” I asked Ellie as I approached the snack booth. The snacks that were being offered included shrimp kabobs, steak and mushrooms on a stick, mini tri-tip sandwiches, and bite-size lobster rolls, among others. Ellie was wearing a white chef’s toque and looked to be in her element.

“I’m having the best time.” Ellie grinned. “Sebastian is a genius with simple yet elegant finger foods. Try these stuffed mushrooms. They have crab and lobster and are totally to die for.”

I took one of the mushrooms. It was good.

“Sebastian brought an amazing display of desserts to donate to the cause as well. There’s a separate booth set up over there.” Ellie pointed to a small tent not far away.

“So you’re planning to stay to help?” I asked.

Ellie shrugged. “Yeah. I thought I might. If Sebastian will have me.”

Sebastian must have heard Ellie’s reply because he turned from the customer he was waiting on and assured me that Ellie was more than welcome to stay.

“Okay, well, if you change your mind we have a blanket set up over near those rocks.” I pointed into the distance.

“Try one of these shrimp kabobs before you go.” Sebastian handed one to me.

“It’s really good. What did you marinate the shrimp in?”

“A special homemade jerk.”

“It really is wonderful.” I grinned. “Can I take one for Zak?”

Sebastian handed me a second kabob. “Zak can have whatever he wants. According to Oria, his check will cover the cost of building the facility we need. It certainly was lucky the two of you decided to vacation here at this particular time.”

“Yeah,” I agreed. “Lucky.”

I thought about Sebastian’s statement. Was it lucky we decided to honeymoon here? It hadn’t even been on our radar until Jensen Ewing presented the image of any idyllic family vacation to Zak. Could he have had a reason to bring us here? If so, I had no idea what that reason could be, but he had been fairly insistent that we take part in the dinner cruise. In fact, Zak had turned him down initially, but now that I thought back on it, Jensen had seemed prepared to counter every argument Zak had presented.

I decided to stop by the dessert tent to survey the offerings before heading back to Zak. I will say one thing for the residents of Heavenly Island: they certainly knew how to cook. All of the food I had tasted, without exception, had been absolutely fantastic.

The first thing I noticed when I walked into the tent was that Jimbo was manning it. I tried to appear casual as I headed to a display too fantastic to make choosing just one item possible.

“Wow. Everything looks so delicious.”

“The desserts have all been donated by members of the shelter committee. They are all wonderful. Would you prefer cookies or cake?”

“Could I get a to-go box with a little bit of each?” I pulled a large bill out of my pocket and dropped it into the donation jar.

“Absolutely.” Jimbo smiled.

“I tried to say hi when I saw you earlier down by the beach,” I said casually as Jimbo filled my box.

“I’ve been here all night. You must have seen Malik.”

“Malik?” I asked.

“My cousin. We look enough alike we could be twins. Even the locals get us confused at times.” Jimbo handed me my box. “Thank you for your generous donation.”