Cottage on Gooseberry Bay: Charmed Summer by Kathi Daley (fb2 epub reader .TXT) 📕

“That’s a long way back to remember something like who volunteered for movie detail that year,” Greta pointed out.

“It is,” I acknowledged. “I hoped that perhaps you kept records of some sort.”

Greta paused to consider this. “We do have a party at the end of each season. It’s a potluck sort of dinner, and all the volunteers bring a food item to share. I’m not sure if I kept the signup sheet, but I may have it on my computer. All the volunteers make a point to attend the party, so chances are if your charm lady was a volunteer, her name would be on the list.”

“Does the list contain both first and last names?” I asked.

“First only, but if you find someone who seems to fit your parameters, I can usually remember last names. A lot of my volunteers help out year after year. Most are like family to me.”

Jemma, Josie, and I thanked Greta after each of us volunteered to help out with the movie event this year. Greta promised to go through her files when she got home, and if she had the party attendee list from that year, she promised to email it to me.”

“Volunteering for movie night actually sounds like a lot of fun,” I said as we headed back to the peninsula after stopping at the store to pick up the items Josie wanted for dinner.

“It is fun,” Josie offered. “I haven’t done it the last few years, but I have helped out a time or two in the past. The only negative is that if you work the snack bar, you miss the movie. I always try to get the movie lineup ahead of time and volunteer for snack bar duty on the nights the movie they’re playing is one I don’t mind missing.”

“I guess it would be hard to both sell snacks and watch the movie. Still, I think just being out under the stars with friends from the community on a warm summer night would be pretty awesome whether I had a chance to watch the movie or not.”

“It is a good time to pick up some local gossip,” Josie agreed.

When we got back to the peninsula, I headed to my cottage to take the dogs out for a short walk, promising Josie and Jemma that the dogs and I would be by in thirty minutes. Josie wanted to put together some appetizers, and Jemma had a couple calls to return. It was nice to have close friends who were willing to share their everyday moments. I supposed that without them, life out here on the peninsula might get pretty lonely.

By the time I’d made it to Josie and Jemma’s cottage, Parker had arrived. We all gathered on the deck with wine and appetizers while Kai and Kallie played nearby with Stefan and Damon. Josie had missed some of the information Jemma and I had learned Monday, so Parker agreed to start at the beginning.

“Here’s what I know,” Parker said. “There are three boys, all fifteen, all Gooseberry High students, who went missing between Saturday and Monday. Zane Maddox was reported missing first. He left his house Sunday in the late afternoon to go paddleboarding. Since Zane lives near a narrow inlet that opens into the bay, he left his house on foot, planning to enter the water near his home and then paddle out to the bay. According to Zane’s mother, when Zane left the house, he was in one of his moods, so when he didn’t come home, she just figured he crashed with one of the friends he’d been planning to meet. When he didn’t show up at school the following day, she was worried, and when his paddleboard was found floating in the bay, feelings of concern quickly segued into feelings of terror.”

Parker took a breath and then continued. I figured we’d let her say what she had on her mind and then ask questions if there were aspects we felt needed clarification.

“Kalen West wasn’t reported missing until after Zane’s paddleboard was found, but it looks as if he might actually have been the first teen to go missing. Kalen’s mother shared that things at home have been tense. Kalen’s parents decided to split up, and Kalen hasn’t taken that well. In fact, his mother reported that he has barely been tolerable to live with. When he left the house Saturday on the old dirt bike he bought a while back, he mumbled something about crashing with friends and not coming home that night. When Kalen didn’t show up Saturday night, his mother was unconcerned. When he didn’t show up Sunday, she figured he was still in one of his moods and would get himself to school. When Kalen’s mother heard about Zane, she called the school, only to discover that he’d never shown up that morning. At that point, Kalen’s mother filed a missing persons report. Then Trevor Wilson turned up missing Monday as well. He was last seen leaving the school on his bicycle at three o’clock. He was grounded, so his instructions were to go straight home, but he never made it home.”

“So if the three boys weren’t friends, what links them?” I asked. “Other than being the same age and attending the same high school.”

“Deputy Todd isn’t sure at this point,” Parker said. “He did say that all three boys had been exhibiting deviant behavior in the weeks leading up to their disappearance, but they were fifteen-year-old boys. I suppose deviant behavior comes with the territory.”

“Does Todd have any actual clues?” Josie asked.

“Deputy Todd has the paddleboard Zane left the house with. It’s not much of a clue, but it’s something. We don’t know when the paddleboard was placed into the water, so we don’t know if Zane actually did head to the water to meet friends Saturday or if