Page 1 of The Beachside Cafe 2
ONE
Jaymee Lent stood just inside the open double glass doors that led to the terrace of her café, which was enjoying its first day, a Grand Opening that was, by Jaymee’s standards, extremely successful.
The place was packed. The Saltwater Café grand opening had kicked off with a line out the door and down the street. Not too far but far enough to make an impression on people driving by. They surely saw the interest and would hopefully be back later to try out the new restaurant on the beautiful California coast.
Jaymee ran her eyes from one side to another, excited to see that several adults and children were circled around her cylindrical saltwater fish tank, which was her pride and joy. It was something she’d always wanted to add to the restaurant she’d vowed to own one day.
Now, Jaymee had her café, all arranged by her husband Doug. Thinking about Doug made Jaymee’s chest tense. Her husband had disappeared nearly two weeks ago. Jaymee and their daughter, Cheyenne, were living their lives day to day, constantly looking for him, searching through crowds for his face, listening for his voice.
Unfortunately for Jaymee, her desire to find Doug wasn’t for the same reason as her daughter’s. She had come to suspect foul play, not just because Doug had disappeared without a trace whatsoever, but also the fact that she’d been sent a video that seemed to show Doug making a blackmail request of someone named “Marty” and had found a mysterious vial of clear liquid under his dresser that turned out to be a paralyzing drug.
Jaymee had taken over all responsibility for running the café and seeing that the grand opening actually happened. She was blessed with the presence of one of the investors, Cameron Smith, who had come searching for Doug the very day he’d gone missing. He’d come for an appointment and stayed for the mystery.
She had that part of their family business covered but Doug’s business, investments in stocks and bonds, was well beyond her range of expertise. In fact, she knew very little about the business, and Cameron, though he knew some, was not anywhere near qualified enough to take over Doug’s business accounts.
As the CEO of his own company and working out of his office at home, Doug had delegated many tasks to others over the years, including getting a second-in-command, Tommy Wilkinson. It was Tommy who took over that part of the family business, including the accounting for both personal and company finances.
Jaymee’s cell phone vibrated in her pocket. She could barely hear it over the chatter in her café. She smiled at everything and everyone around her, pride filling her heart, putting the phone to her ear as she turned to go out on the terrace where it was quieter.
“Hello?”
“Mrs. Lent?”
Jaymee was beginning to dislike being called by that last name. She didn’t want it anymore. She was considering going back to her maiden name – Mason – if she decided to divorce Doug, which she was coming close to doing. She only needed one more push – just a little more proof that Doug was a blackmailing scumbag – to file the papers.
“Yes?”
“It’s Tommy Wilkinson, Mrs. Lent.”
“Please call me Jaymee,” she said hurriedly.
“Yes, of course. I… I need to speak with you. It’s rather urgent.”
“Is everything okay?” Confusion and suspicion ran through Jaymee. She had the feeling what he had to tell her was not going to sit well with her. She could hear it in his voice – that reluctant tone people used when they had bad news they didn’t want to share.
“No, I really don’t think so. I don’t want to talk about it on the phone, though. I need to show you something. Are you available to come back to the office?”
“I’m at the grand opening for my café. I can’t leave. Please come by here and we’ll talk.”
“That sounds good. I’ll grab a bite to eat, too. Contribute to your business.”
Jaymee grinned. “That sounds good. How soon do you plan to come by?”
“I’ll be there pretty soon. I just have to wrap some stuff up here and get this stuff copied to a flash drive.”
“All right. I’ll see you in twenty or so.”
“Okay.”
Jaymee pushed the end button on her phone and looked down at it. That was strange. It made her feel awkward, like something would probably happen to him before he had a chance to tell her what was going on. She wished Cameron was there to talk to about it. She wanted him to be there for the meeting.
She turned back to the inside portion of the café and walked back to the double doors. She passed over the threshold and weaved through the tables toward the front door. She would wait for him there so she would see him easily when he came in.
“Mrs. Lent? Jaymee?”
She stopped at one of the tables when an older woman she knew as Mrs. Helen Drysdale lifted one hand and waved to her with a smile on her face.
“Hello, Mrs. Drysdale,” she said pleasantly, a warm feeling passing through her from the friendly woman in front of her.
