Page 51 of Forbidden Whispers

“Hi, guys!” Jaime said as they drew near. “I’m so glad you could join us! Noah, this is my husband, Jack. And this is Emma,” she said, referring to the golden-haired baby, who was bouncing up and down on chubby little legs while Jaime held onto her tiny hands.

Jack stopped grilling to reach over and shake Noah’s hand. “Nice to meet you. And perfect timing. I’m almost done here and we’re just about to eat. We’ve got brats and burgers on the menu, plus all of that.” He waved his spatula toward a nearby picnic table filled with an array of side dishes.

“Sounds great!” Noah said.

He and Maggie walked over to add their hummus and pita bread to the mix, then Maggie introduced him to several of her and Jaime’s friends who were standing nearby. However, she notably skipped one of the women standing in the cluster.

As the group chattered together, Maggie stood on tiptoe and whispered into his ear, “Sorry about that, but I don’t know that other woman.”

Jaime had just walked a waddling Emma over to them. So, Maggie gave a surreptitious tilt of her head toward the woman and asked quietly, “Who is that?”

Jaime glanced in the direction Maggie had indicated. “Oh, that’s Amy Jude. She owns the Little Lakeside Bookshop here in town. She went to college with us.”

Maggie frowned. “I don’t remember her.”

Jaime smirked. “That’s because she didn’t hang out in the same circle as us. She was in some brainiac club with Jack or something.”

Almost as if the woman guessed they were discussing her, she looked up and stared directly at Maggie. She was thin and wiry, with dark hair pulled back into a low ponytail. Her round glasses made her eyes look slightly larger than they were.

Noah watched as Maggie smiled and lifted her hand in acknowledgment, but the woman’s gaze was cold, almost hostile. She stared hard at Maggie for a long moment before pointedly turning her back.

That was weird, Noah thought.

“Hey,” Jaime said, recapturing their attention. “We claimed some space on the beach over there if you want to lay out your blanket and towels and stuff.”

Maggie thanked her. Then she and Noah trudged across the warm sand to spread out their large blanket next to the spot where Jake, Alex, and the rest of Noah’s family sat, lounging in chairs and on blankets beneath colorful beach umbrellas. The fragrance of coconut sunscreen wafted on the breeze as people basked in the warm sun.

Rita McCay was there too, waggling her bright, lacquered fingers in a friendly hello. Noah noted that Rita would have been impossible to miss in the vibrantly colored cover-up she wore draped over her electric green tankini. Her bright red hair peeked out from beneath a large sun hat.

Rex and Angel trotted over to greet Boon, which involved a lot of sniffing and tail wagging.

“I thought dogs weren’t allowed on the beach,” Maggie said. “We were going to tie Boon up in the park area.”

“As a retired police dog, Rex gets special dispensation,” Jake grinned. “And I’m sure the Whispering Pines police force will make an exception for a couple of Rex’s friends.”

“Probably not when they know one of his friends is owned by a potential murderer,” said a voice from beside J.P. and Tilly.

Noah looked over and spotted two familiar faces beneath a pair of matching, floppy sun hats.

“Margot and Gretchen!” he cried in surprise. “What are you doing here?”

Tilly looked confused. “How do you know my friends?”

“We met earlier this afternoon,” Noah said. “After Maggie and I got threatened by those two thugs from last night again.”

“What?” Alex cried.

Noah went on to recap everything that had happened earlier, including how the two little old ladies had come to their rescue.

“Pshaw!” Gretchen waved a hand. “No big deal. Just glad my training paid off.”

“And really, Margot, again?” Tilly asked, giving the woman a playful nudge with her elbow.

“I don’t know what you’re referring to,” Margot said primly, dusting some imaginary specks off her voluminous, pale pink caftan.

“Oh knock it off, Margot,” Gretchen said, looking at her friend over the top of her sunglasses. “It’s not the first time you’ve used that handbag as a weapon.”

“Really?” Maggie asked.

---