Page 33 of Saltwater Sweets
“And you need this document that’s in the safety deposit box at the bank,” Jules said.
Gina nodded. “I wasn't able to get there before the bank closed.”
“I can call Nick and see if he’ll open it early for us,” Jules offered.
“No. Wait.” Hugh looked between them nervously. “That might raise suspicion. And the fewer people that know the better.”
Jules put her phone down. “Well then, what are you going to do? Just hang out here until tomorrow? And then what?”
“I guess I'll just find someplace else to go and figure out how to get myself out of this mess.” Hugh looked so lonely and dejected that Gina almost felt sorry for him. Almost.
“It sounds like you don't have a good plan.” Jules glanced at Gina.
“We were just talking about that when you came in,” Gina said. “I know we don't want to involve any more people, but I was thinking that I already have Ellie searching for Hugh. She knows the situation and has contacts in law enforcement. She might be able to help you come up with a plan and figure out the right person to hand the document over to.”
Hugh mulled this over then nodded slowly. “Okay. I guess we can tell her. But no one else.”
Jules looked down at her phone and then nodded. “Okay. I won't tell Nick. The bank opens tomorrow, so I guess it's not that long. But what are you going to do in the meantime?”
Gina shot Hugh a warning look. “In the meantime, he's going to hide outquietlyin the storage room and hope no one else figures out he's here.”
* * *
Cole poked a stick into the ashes where the fire on the beach had been. It was evident no one had been here the night before. Had the fugitive left town?
He walked a little farther down the beach but saw no sign of a fire, no footprints, no evidence of anyone being there.
He walked along the edge of the water on his way back to the Beachcomber. He removed his sandals and let the cold, foamy surf wash over the tops of his feet. Maybe the frigid water would give him clearer insight as to what was going on with Deena and Sam.
He knew he’d gotten his father thinking about Deena’s intentions, but had he been right to mention things to his dad? He still had some doubts himself. Just because Ellie and Sam weren’t the same age didn't mean that they weren’t friends.
But that business with the wallet was definitely weird. And his dad had said Deena had been acting strange. The thing was that Cole had really been starting to like Sam and Deena. He didn’t want to believe that they were up to something fishy. Then again, his father had mentioned engagement rings, and that was serious. Better for him to find out now before they get married.
As he walked up the steps from the beach, he saw Ellie rushing into the lobby of the motel. Was it his imagination, or was she glancing over her shoulder as if trying not to be seen?
Was Sam over there too? He scanned the lot, but Sam’s car wasn’t there. Maybe his imaginationwasgetting the better of him. He should just go in his room and mind his own business. He’d already planted a seed of doubt in his father’s mind, and he knew his dad was thinking things over. Now he needed to butt out and let his father come to the conclusion he found in his heart. And if he felt that Deena was pulling something shady, they could both get out of town as quickly as they wanted.
CHAPTER26
It took a while for Gina to convince Ellie not to call the cops on Hugh. Ellie still seemed skeptical of Hugh’s claim that he wasn’t involved in the embezzling, but Gina didn’t really care about that. All she wanted was the chance to give Hugh the document and get her money.
“Okay, I got a message back from my contact. The advice is to get the paperwork and have Hugh turn himself in. Things will go better for him if he does that voluntarily. And there happens to be an FBI contact right in town. My friend will hook us up.”
“What do you think will happen to me?” Hugh asked.
Ellie shrugged. “Hopefully jail time.”
“Jail time? But I didn’t do anything.” Hugh pouted.
“So you say,” Ellie said. Then she added, “I did find out that Holly has been on the FBI’s radar. Apparently, she’s done this before. So you actually might have a shot at convincing them that you weren’t involved in the embezzling.”
“And what about the developer, Mark Richardson? He was into something really shady. I have it all down on that paper in the safety deposit box.”
“If what you say is true, he’ll get jail time.”
“I guess that works. I’m more afraid of him than the FBI.” Hugh settled back in his chair. He did look a bit relieved. Gina wasn’t sure if she was glad or not.
“If you help turn this other guy in, you might get a lighter sentence.” Ellie walked over and stood directly in front of Hugh, glaring down at him. “But you better not mess up the money transfer for Gina, or I’ll make sure you regret it. I have friends that take a dim view of husbands not paying what they owe their wives, so you better think carefully about how you proceed after Gina shows you that document.”
