Page 48 of The Beach Cottage
“We’re all celebrating,” Taya said, leaning back elegantly to cross her legs.
“What are we celebrating?” Penny reached for a glass and filled it with wine.
“Preston is dating one of my best friends from Sydney and came to Coral Island for a romantic getaway and to surprise me with the news that we weren’t actually divorced.”
Penny gaped. “Wow. Okay.”
“And I’m celebrating the imminent demise of my inn,” Taya added in a smooth voice.
They all stopped talking at once and turned to stare at her.
Bea frowned. “No, that can’t be true.”
“Look around,” Taya said with a sweeping gesture. “There’s no one here but us.”
“It’s Wednesday. That’s all.”
“My Dad has built the most amazing, modern, stylish resort at the end of the cove. And I can’t blame people for loving it, really—it is fantastic. So they’d rather stay there than here. And he has some crazy chef he flew in from Melbourne, so the food is divine. I visited last night to see what the fuss was all about, and it’s the best meal I’ve had in years.” She sighed and picked up her wine glass. “So, drink up, ladies. Because it could be the end for the Blue Shoal Inn very soon.”
The group was quiet for a few moments before Penny broke through their reverie.
“I’m so poor that they switched off my electricity and I had to borrow money from Rowan to pay for it to be turned back on.”
Bea exclaimed in surprise. “Oh, Penny! You can’t just stay quiet about something like that. I would’ve given you the money.”
“I know.” Penny patted her arm. “That’s why I didn’t ask. It’s my own fault, and I’m so embarrassed about it. I’m not very good at administration and paperwork. I haven’t been keeping track of my expenses and income. I didn’t apply for a grant when I should’ve, and by the time I did, it was already so late that my bank account was basically bare. The grant will come in soon, I hope, and then everything will be okay again. At least for a little while. But I need to get more organised. I say this every year, and then every year, I don’t do it.” She groaned. “If only I had an assistant or something.”
“Don’t you have two assistants?” Taya asked.
Penny grunted. “Well, yes, I do. But they only help with the animals, not the paperwork.”
“What you really need is an accountant,” Bea added. “They keep track of the financials for you. And that way, you can focus on the things you’re good at.”
“You might have a point,” Penny said. “Thanks, Bea. I’ll look into that. In the meantime, let’s all celebrate that no matter what we’re going through, we still have each other.”
“Cheers to that,” Bea said as they all clinked glasses.
After the fourth bottle of wine, the world had begun to blur, and Bea was regretting that last glass. That was when Penny suggested they find out more about Rowan’s stepfather. What led up to it, Bea had no idea. A conversation about the murder, something to do with the still-open case with no prospect of anyone being charged after all these years.
“He’s the only one on the island who might know something,” Penny said resolutely.
“That’s not true. June Clements is still around too. She’s a grouch, but she might be able to tell us more.”
“That’s true,” Penny conceded. “Okay, June and her ex-husband are the only two on the island who can shed light…”
“And Betsy,” Bea piped up. “Remember — she was listed as a witness in the newspaper article we read at the library?”
Penny nodded slowly. “Right, and Betsy. So, there are three people.”
“Plus my dad,” Bea added.
Penny rolled her eyes. “I take it back. There are plenty of people left on the island who might know something. We should talk to every single one of them. See if we can crack the case. My grandmother deserves to have her memory honoured. The very least we can do is figure out who killed her and make sure they pay for their crime.”
“It could’ve been anyone. We don’t know who was on the island back then.”
“Yes, we do,” Taya replied.
All heads swivelled to focus on Taya.
