The Inn at Holiday Bay: Clue in the Clam, Kathi Daley [early reader chapter books TXT] 📗

between four and five. I plan to head to the burial site first thing and then come by when I’m done there.”

“Okay, great. I look forward to meeting you.”

It wasn’t long after I hung up with Sydney that the last of today’s check-ins arrived. Samantha Smith had booked the suite as a single, and it looked as if Georgia had put her into suite two. I asked for her credit card to have on file. The credit card she gave me was assigned to someone named Loretta Long. I asked her about it, and she told me that she was at the inn to get away from it all and was using the name Samantha Smith although her real name was Loretta Long. It was then that I realized that our guest, who was wearing a dark wig, was actually country-western singer Loretta Long. She asked that I respect her privacy and refer to her as Samantha, and I agreed to do so, but I had to admit that I was curious.

Once everyone was checked in, I decided to head outside to see how Jeremy was doing. The property’s extensive landscaping had taken a couple years to install, but for the most part, the hardscape, as well as the majority of the shrubs, trees, and flowerbeds, were in. Jeremy had come to me with the idea of a pond and waterfall feature to be located in one of our shadier areas since most of the grounds didn’t feature mature trees to provide shade. I’d loved the idea, but since we hadn’t wanted to go to all the trouble of digging a pond and building a waterfall until we knew what we were going to do about the cottages we’d been talking about, we’d had an architect draw up plans that included the pond and waterfall as well as four cottages. The plans also left room for four additional cottages if we decided to go that way at some point down the road.

I hadn’t been sure about the cottages in the beginning. The biggest selling point to the suites within the inn was that each one provided an oceanfront view. The way the cottages were tucked in around the property, only one of the four cottages would have a direct ocean view. There was a second cottage with a partial ocean view, but the other two units would be tucked into the gardens near the manmade pond.

The architect had included the landscaping in his drawing, allowing me to see that a cottage near the pond, which would be surrounded by flowers and mature trees, might actually be lovely. I supposed we might have guests who preferred the quiet serenity of the garden rather than a unit with a direct view of the sea.

I’d just arrived at the little path that would take me to the pond when my cell phone rang. “Hey, Georgia,” I said after checking the caller ID. “Are you at the house?”

“No, I’m just leaving the studio. I got a call from a man who’s apparently connected to the theater company we’re using for Saturday’s murder mystery. Anyway, he’s insisting that we provide photos of the space they will be allotted for the mystery.”

“Photos? They want photos of the island?”

“Yes. That’s exactly what the guy said they want.”

“It’s odd that the woman you initially spoke to didn’t ask for these photos.”

Georgia sighed. “Yes, it is odd. I’m not thrilled with the last-minute request, but I guess I understand why they might want to get a visual of the place. I called and talked to Tanner about using his boat to make a run out to the island this evening, which he was fine with. I spoke to Jeremy, and he assured me that he has dinner covered, so I wanted to see if you and Colt would like to come with us. We can make an evening out of it. Maybe have dinner after I take the photos.”

“I’ll need to call Colt to confirm that he’s available and interested, but I think a trip out to the island sounds fun. What time are you thinking?”

“Tanner is going to meet us at the marina at five-thirty. I’m on my way home now. I’ll go over everything with Jeremy before we leave.”

“Sounds perfect. I’ll talk to you when you get here.”

After I hung up with Georgia, I called Colt, who confirmed that he’d enjoy a boat ride and dinner out. He needed to run home and change out of his uniform when he got off, so he said he’d meet us at the marina. Deciding to continue down the path and check in with Jeremy as I’d planned, I headed in that direction.

“Wow. You’ve really made a lot of progress,” I said once I’d arrived at the spot Jeremy had chosen to dig.

“I borrowed the little tractor from the rental place in town, which helped me dig the main body of the pond. Right now, I’m making shelves within the pond for the water plants as well as the step down for the little stream that will feed the waterfall.” He wiped the sweat from his brow with the back of his arm. “Did you get everyone checked in okay?”

“I did. It seems like we have a fun group this week. I just spoke to Georgia. I guess she called and spoke to you about dinner.”

“She did. I’m going to wrap it up here and then head in to take a shower. Mylie is going to come by around five to help me serve.”

“It’s nice of Mylie to pitch in the way she does. I almost feel like she should be on the payroll.”

He wiped his muddy hands down the legs of his pants. “Mylie doesn’t really need the income, and she likes to help out. She says it makes her feel like part of the family. Lately, she’s