Chapter 1
Anna clutched her cell phone as she walked briskly toward the cove, eager to receive her cousin Connie’s phone call. The two had arranged to talk at 8:00 on Monday morning, so they could discuss a topic which could prove to be of monumental importance – the possibility that Anna’s sister Bella might still be alive.
When Anna arrived at the cove, she kicked off her flip flops and carried them across the coarse brown sand toward a jetty on the other side. Stepping onto the New England beach was like walking through a portal into a different world. The carefree sounds of children laughing and seagulls calling out to one another filled Anna’s ears as the sun in the clear July sky warmed her skin. A few feet away, crashing waves sent small children squealing as they ran away from the ocean with flailing arms.
A colony of seagulls flew away as Anna walked in their direction. She watched as they landed on a section of one of the jetties where they wouldn’t be disturbed by excited children.
As Anna climbed onto the jetty, she smiled at the sight of a young boy watching with excitement as a man with bronzed skin and sun-bleached hair cast a fishing rod from a rock twenty feet away from the shore.
Anna found a smooth rock far enough from the shore, so that she wouldn’t have to worry about anyone overhearing her conversation with her cousin. Not that anyone would be interested enough to eavesdrop, but still, it was hard enough for Anna to talk about this subject with her cousin, never mind knowing strangers might overhear her.
There were two beaches in Seagull Cove, Massachusetts. The first, which was a short walk from the downtown area, was a cove, and the other was a long stretch of beach appropriately called “Mile Long Beach.”
Just as Anna settled onto one of the rocks, her phone rang, and Connie’s name popped onto her screen.
“Connie!” Anna answered before the first ring ended.
“It’s great to hear your voice, Anna! I hear you’ve been keeping yourself busy in Seagull Cove. Gianna has been keeping me posted.”
“You mean about the murder that happened right after my grand opening,” Anna said.
“I mean exactly that. I guess this sleuthing gene runs in the family. Who would have imagined that?”
Anna chuckled. “I definitely didn’t go looking for it. The murder case came to me.”
“That’s how it all starts,” Connie warned.
“How is married life treating you, little cousin?”
Anna could practically hear the smile on the other end of the line. “It’s even more amazing than I thought it would be. Of course, there are some adjustments, especially since I waited until I was thirty-seven to get married, but Zach is great.”
Anna’s heart swelled. “I’m so happy for you, Connie.”
“So, I’m dying of curiosity. What could possibly be so urgent that you wanted to talk as soon as possible? Don’t tell me you’re involved in another investigation, and you’re stuck,” Connie said.
“Well… not exactly. It’s more like an old investigation that you know about all too well.”
There was a loud silence on the other end of the line as Anna gave Connie a moment to process what she had just said.
“You’re talking about Bella,” Connie said. “I had a feeling that once you settled into Seagull Cove, you’d start poking around the details surrounding her death. When we talked last November, it was clear that you had some suspicions regarding Bella’s death.” When Anna had been in Florida for Connie’s wedding, they discussed Anna’s unresolved questions about her sister’s boating accident.
“Promise me that you won’t breathe a word of what I’m doing to anyone,” Anna said. “I don’t want the whole family worrying about me and thinking I’m delusional. I wouldn’t put it past my parents to leave their retirement home in New Hampshire and move to Seagull Cove just to keep an eye on me.”
“I promise, Anna. It will be our secret.”
“I considered confiding in Gianna, but she’s so busy with the twins, and I don’t want to worry her. She’d feel compelled to help me, and this is something I need to do alone.”
“I understand. You’re probably right. But if you should ever need a shoulder to lean on, she’s a strong woman.”
“I know. We’ll see what happens. I’ll eventually catch her up on things, especially if I have more to report. For now, I don’t want her to be worried. Or worse, to get her hopes up.”
“Like yours are?” Connie asked.
“I have to admit, I’ve discovered a few things that have raised my hopes that Bella could be alive. I thought you would be the perfect person to bounce them off.”
“Before we get into the details, I hear that your shop is a smashing success,” Connie said. “Congratulations!”
“It was slow going the first couple of weeks because of Marcus’s murder. But ever since Old Joe Wiggins and I solved the case, the store has been super busy.”
“Old Joe Wiggins?”
Anna chuckled. “Yeah. He’s only sixty, but he has an old soul, so that’s what a lot of people in town call him. He’s actually quite youthful in some ways.”
“I love it.”
“Joe is a retired private investigator, so that’s been helpful, both with Marcus’s murder and with the mystery of Bella’s accident. He lives above my shop.”
“That’s great!” Connie said. “It sounds like you’ve already made some great friends in Seagull Cove.” Anna briefly told her about Velma, Sonja, Rosie, Ruthie, and the others whom she had enjoyed getting to know.
“So, before I collapse of suspense, tell me what makes you think Bella could still be alive.”
Anna took a deep breath and shifted on the hard rock.
“At the grand opening of my ice cream shop on Memorial Day Weekend, I met Joe Wiggins. He asked why my shop was named Bella’s Dream if my name was Anna.”
“That’s a logical question,” Connie said.
“For sure. I told him about Bella’s boating accident and how it had always been her dream to open an ice cream shop that hosted opportunities for the community to gather. Then I brought him to a framed picture of Bella, which hangs by the counter. He informed me that he thought he saw Bella across the street on the morning of my grand opening.”
“What?! He had to have been mistaken.”
“That was my initial thought, but Velma assured me that Joe has a sharp eye. They’ve been friends since they were kids, and she said that he has always had keen observation skills, which were further sharpened during his career as a P.I. He’s a trustworthy source. Of course, he said he couldn’t be sure it was Bella and encouraged me to forget what he said, once he found out about Bella’s boating accident. But how can I, Connie, if there’s even a glimmer of hope?”
“That doesn’t make sense, though. Why would Bella come within feet of your shop and not reveal herself? If she is alive, that would not only mean that she is following your life, but that she is free to go wherever she wants.”
“I have no idea, Connie. It would likely mean that she staged her death and wants everyone to believe she is dead, but I can’t imagine why she would do that. It’s not like she has some sort of shady past. If she had been a lawyer who prosecuted members of the Mafia, or something like that, it would make more sense. It truly is puzzling. I managed to convince Joe to come with me by boat to the spot of her accident.”
“What did he say about it?”
“He said that if someone were going to stage their own death, that would be the perfect place to do it. Bella’s body wasn’t found, and the location of her accident wasn’t that far from shore. She easily could have staged the accident and swam to shore. And that’s not all. I outright asked Joe whether if Bella were his sister, he would investigate further.”
“And?”
“He said that he’d feel compelled to find answers.”
There was a long silence.
“Connie, are you there?”
“Yeah, I’m here. Wow.”
“It’s still a long shot, Connie, but I have to pursue this.”
“I can’t say that I blame you. If it were Gi, I would feel the same way.”
“I knew you’d understand. But promise me again that you won’t tell any of our parents.”
“I promise,” Connie said. “But you have to promise me that you’ll be careful. You could be walking into an extremely dangerous situation.” Connie let out a sharp breath. “It’s ironic, I’m usually on the receiving end of that advice. Now I understand why everyone is always worried about me whenever I’m working on a case.”
“I promise. Even though I’ve only known Joe for a short time, he watches out for me.”
“That takes a load off my mind,” Connie said.
“I feel better already, Connie. I needed to say all this aloud to someone who knows me well and who also knew Bella. And someone with some mad sleuthing skills,” Anna added. “What do you think I should do next? I’ve been contemplating my next move for more than a month, and I’m stuck.”
Connie let out another deep breath. “I don’t know, Anna. Can you talk to the police about your suspicions?”
“Not yet. I think I need some evidence before I do that. Or at least more information.”
“You’re probably right,” Connie said. “Hey, I just had a thought. Wasn’t there a reporter who covered Bella’s boating accident? I can’t think of his name, but I remember reading his articles. Your parents once said that they personally thanked him for his compassionate coverage of the investigation and for respecting their privacy during the initial days after the accident.”
“You’re right,” Anna said. “I can’t remember his name, either, but I’m sure I can find it easily enough. His articles should be archived at the library.”
“I would start there,” Connie said.
Anna took a deep breath. “This is going to be hard. I haven’t read those articles since the accident more than four years ago.”
“Are you sure you’re up for it?” Connie asked.
“It’ll be tough, but it’s something I need to do. Maybe if I read them with new eyes, it will spark something. At the very least, I can find the name of the reporter. Thanks, Connie. That’s what I’m going to do.”
“If you need anything, including just a shoulder to lean on, call any time.”
“Thanks. And I hope to see you in Seagull Cove sometime in the near future. Perhaps you and Zach could take a second honeymoon.”
“I’d love that,” Connie said. “Right now, I’m sitting by the pier looking out at the Gulf of Mexico.”
Anna smiled. “And I’m down at the cove looking onto the Atlantic Ocean.”
“I’ll grab my paddle board and meet you for lunch,” Connie said, jokingly.
“Great, I’ll see you at noon!”
“Love you, Anna.”
“Love you, too, Connie. And thanks.”
By the time her conversation with her cousin ended, Anna felt as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. She now had a plan.
There were still more than two hours before Anna needed to open Bella’s Dream. Judging from what promised to be another hot day, Anna fully expected to be busy from opening until closing. The hot summer weather was definitely good for the ice cream business.
There was no point in putting off her difficult task. She started walking toward the library to begin rereading the articles on Bella’s death and to find the name of the reporter who covered it. She strolled up Main Street and had just passed her shop when she heard a loud, piercing scream.
Anna’s walk turned into a jog as she rushed in the direction of the scream. But she couldn’t tell where exactly it came from.
Anna frantically scanned the area. After a few seconds, she looked up at the window of an office located above a clothing boutique and discovered the source of the scream. It was Olivia, one of her high-school-aged employees. The young woman sobbed as she covered her face with her hands.
Anna pushed open the green wooden door that led to a staircase, which she hoped would bring her to where Olivia was standing. She took the stairs two by two and burst through the door to the second floor office. It didn’t take long to see what caused Olivia’s reaction.
On the floor in front of a large wooden desk was a man who appeared to be in his late twenties, surrounded by blood. Anna went over to check his pulse, but it was pointless. The man was dead.
Anna looked up at Olivia. “I’m so sorry.”
Tears streamed from the teenager’s brown eyes. “That’s my Uncle Luke.”
