Independence Day Murder Page 2

The parade continued on but I just couldn't get that incident out of my head. No amount of candy or marching bands would erase the sickening look on Murray's face as he was publicly chastised and the fact that his wife did nothing to support him.

  Once the horses appeared, I knew it was time to start packing up. The horses were always second to last, right before the street sweepers. That way, anything that they may leave behind would be cleaned up not only by the scoopers who followed them, but also by the big cleaning machines.

  I folded up my camping chair and shoved it feet first back into the carrying bag, hoping that it wouldn't take too long to get to the car. I wanted to get on with the holiday and forget about the confrontation with the Save the Beach crew until next week's meeting.

  Chapter Three

  "How in the world did you manage to wrangle getting tonight off?" I asked as Max and I walked down the closed off street that ran by the lake.

  Every year, Shady Lake shut down a length of Lakeside Road for people to roam around and park themselves while they waited for the Fourth of July fireworks to start. The fireworks were shot off from the public beach across the lake which meant that many residents would also take their boats out to watch the fireworks.

  "I may have told Philip that I would take over some of his shifts during the nights of the county fair," Max said, giving me a side-eye of guilt. "I know how much you love the fireworks and I wanted to experience them with you."

  I reached over and took Max's hand, smiling at him. Holidays had been my thing since I was a young child. It didn't really matter what holiday or how widely celebrated it was. If it was an excuse to decorate, dress up, or make special food, I was all over it. In fact just a few weeks ago, I made an entire flag themed dinner for Flag Day.

  "Thank you," I said. "I would much rather have you here for the fireworks than with me at the county fair. Plus you gave Philip a chance to have some fun. He needs to loosen up a little."

  Philip was the police department's newest hire. He had been around for a few months, but he had grown up in Shady Lake. Philip was also someone who had saved my behind a few months ago when I got myself into a situation during the winter festival. The poor man had not come out unscathed and I'd been trying ever since to make it up to him. No amount of donuts could thank him enough but after Max switched a few shifts with him, it might be enough to assuage my guilt.

  We made our way up the closed road to a parking lot where a mini carnival had been set up. Besides a few small rides for children, there were food trucks and even a table selling glow sticks and light up yo-yos. I smiled, remembering how much I would beg my parents to buy me one of the elaborate glowstick crowns. Every year, I was forced to settle for a glowstick necklace because with five kids, my parents would have gone broke buying five over-priced glowstick crowns.

  Max ordered two corndogs as my mouth watered at the smell of the fried batter. Bruce's Corndog Stand was another Shady Lake staple and while Bruce was no longer the person who ran the stand, the food was just as good as it had always been.

  I grabbed one of the corndogs out of Max's hand and took a big bite as we walked away. Instantly my mouth was filled with the delicious, but way too hot breaded hot dog. I tried to roll it around in my mouth while breathing in and out really fast to try to cool it down. Max just rolled his eyes at me while he laughed. I would have laughed along at my inability to wait, but it was just too good.

  As we walked by some of the park benches set up around the carnival, an older couple stood up and we managed to snag their bench. People watching was one thing I have always loved. My powers of perception were one of my best assets.

  Rich walked by with his girlfriend Sue. They both owned businesses in downtown Shady Lake and had fallen in love later in life. They were walking hand in hand through the carnival, looking like the kind of in-love couple I wanted to be when I was their age. Max and I both raised a hand in a polite Minnesota greeting that they returned.

  A few people that I didn't recognize right away waved at us. After I waved back, Max would discreetly whisper to me who they were. It was amazing what ten years could do to someone. A lot of people we had graduated high school with had stayed in Shady Lake and become the next generation of townies. Once I knew who they were, then I was able to see their resemblance to their younger selves.

  Sometimes I wondered if it was better or worse that I had left Shady Lake before coming back. What would my life have looked like if I had stayed behind with Max? Would we even be together still? It was an interesting query, but one that I would drive myself crazy trying to imagine and answer. The "what ifs" were sometimes better off left alone.

  The last bite of corndog left me with an empty wooden stick. I sadly chewed up the last delicious piece as I glanced around. Derek was scurrying through the carnival, looking more nervous than he had since Mandy proposed they hold the first wedding in the winery.

  "Derek!" I called, waving my hand up high in the air. I kind of wanted to ask him about what had happened at the parade the day before. "Over here!"

  Derek's head whipped from side to side, looking for whoever had called his name. When he spotted me, there was a flash of hesitation as if he had somewhere better to be but he reconsidered and headed our way. I had only known Derek for a few months now, but he was usually pleasant if not down right friendly. But today the look on his face made me wonder if I really wanted to talk to him.

  "Hi there Tessa," Derek said. I could see right through his fake customer service smile because I had one I'd whip out for difficult guests at the B&B. Was I a difficult wedding planner?

  "Hey Derek," I said. "Is everything alright?"

  "Oh yeah, just in a bit of a rush," Derek said.

  "How come?" Max chimed in. "The fireworks don't start for another two hours and there are plenty of good spots left to watch from."

  Derek shifted his weight from foot to foot. I could tell he regretted stopping to talk at all, thinking it would have been better to just wave and continue on. Before I had been planning to ask about the parade confrontation, but I was starting to think better of it. I didn't want to make him more agitated than he already was.

  "Oh yeah, fireworks, that's right," he stuttered, looking around. "I am actually just here running an errand. I sort of forgot that the roads would be closed and stuff, so I just parked over there and I'm running through. We just had a little bit of an incident that we are working on."

  Derek looked at me, his eyes opening wide. He started to wave both of his hands in front of his torso and shaking his head back and forth.

  "No worries though, it won't affect the wedding," Derek said. "Don't tell Mandy though. I don't want her to worry that we can't handle it. I mean, it is a challenge but it's one we really should conquer. It is just a bit sooner than we thought we would be hosting a wedding so there are a lot of kinks we are ironing out."

  "I won't tell Mandy," I said, wondering what in the world must have happened. Derek seemed very nervous and out of sorts, totally different than the confident man leading a chant against the local jerk at the parade the day before.

  "Okay, well I have to be going," Derek said. "I'll see you in a few days."

  Without a goodbye, Derek turned and started weaving his way through the crowd. Unfortunately he ran straight into Ronald. Both men turned red, Ronald because he was embarrassed about the beach fiasco and Derek because he was just preoccupied with whatever had happened at the winery.

  "He was nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room of rocking chairs," Max said.

  I slowly turned to stare at my boyfriend who had just inexplicably turned into a farming grandfather from the 1950's. Max looked at me with a twinkle in his eye as I bust out laughing.

  "It was something I heard on an old TV sitcom and I've always wanted to say it," Max said with a shrug before he joined me in laughing.

  We stood up and made our way out of the land of fried foods and back to where the Schmidt family had parked our blankets and chairs for the e
vening. The wait for the fireworks show could drag on forever, but it was worth it. The town had fundraisers all year long to put on one of the biggest shows in the area.

  One highlight as we waited was that Murray was spotted slowly driving his speedboat around the lake. As he came by the crowd waiting for fireworks someone started booing and soon most of the crowd was jeering at Murray. Trina started to loudly boo along but one look from our father silenced her. Gary Schmidt was pretty laid back but he would not stand for public shaming, no matter how deserved it was.

  Murray still didn't seem to care. He enjoyed playing the villain, slowing his boat down even more as he drove by the shore. The boat was going so slowly that he was almost stopped. Murray stood up out of his seat just enough to wave with one hand as he kept control of the boat with the other. A big, smarmy smile was spread across his face.

  I looked at Max who had his face twisted up in a sneer. Like my father, he also did not support public shaming but I know he was not happy about Murray's show. Max did not take kindly to showboats, especially ones who were supposed to be focused on piloting an actual boat.

  "That guy is just determined to piss off every member of this community, isn't he?" Max whispered under his breath. "He's done nothing but cause problems since he and his wife moved here."

  "Well if you don't like him, then he definitely must be a piece of work," I said. Max was notorious for being able to get along with everyone. He was almost like a golden retriever that way. The fact that both he and Trina couldn't stand Murray didn't speak well of him.

  "Let's try to forget it and get into the fireworks spirit," Max said, playing on my love of holidays. "I brought special snacks."

  Out of a cloth bag, Max produced a plastic container. He opened the lid, showing off a cake decorated with fruit to look like an American flag.

  "Ta da," he said, a mischievous grin on his face. He also produced holiday themed plates and napkins out of the bag, passing them out to my family before cutting into the cake and giving everyone a piece. That man knows the way to my heart.

  Somehow I was able to put Murray and the Save the Beach Club and everything else out of my mind as the fireworks show started. The pops of colors seemed to erupt in all corners of the sky. I laughed as the kids oohed and awed, convinced they were seeing the most beautiful thing in the world.

  The grand finale started. Fireworks were popping up all over, three, four, six, ten at a time. All colors of the rainbow and sizes were present. Nothing was being left behind.

  I was mesmerized by the fireworks show until Max gently grasped my chin in his hand and turned my face towards him. After that, I was a little too preoccupied to watch the rest of it, no matter how much I liked holidays.

  Chapter Four

  The Fifth of July is never as exciting as the Fourth of July, especially when you have to get up extra early. At least this morning I didn't have to serve breakfast to grumpy guests who were up too late but I wasn't sure that picking up firework shells off of the beach at daybreak was any better.

  Thankfully I wasn't doing this alone. Max was meeting me there because he was actually the reason I was doing this. Instead of paying someone to pick up all of the cardboard shells, they had people volunteer and then donated the money to a charity. So Max and I volunteered to pick them up so that they would donate the money to the police department's gift drive. It had started out as being just a toy drive, but the police department had quickly expanded it to include gifts for deserving people of all ages. The money they would get from us dragging ourselves to the beach to pick up garbage in the early morning would be put to good use once December rolled around.

  I didn't live far from the beach so once I was dressed, I just slipped on my shoes and tried to enjoy the sunrise walk with my travel mug of coffee. It was a beautiful morning, one of those summer mornings that was cool enough to need a sweatshirt but the slight chill wasn't going to hang around long. There was an underlying feeling that it was going to be just hot later. I had listened to the weather report on the local AM radio station WARG this morning and that confirmed that it was supposed to get steamy hot this afternoon.

  At the top of a hill, the beach came into sight and I spotted Max's car in the parking lot which wasn't hard because it was the only one there. I had hoped he would be able to rope some other people into helping us, but I knew it would be a hard sell after everyone was out late the night before.

  Max spotted me coming and smiled, turning off his car. He was dressed in athletic shorts and a t-shirt. Usually when we were out and about, he was dressed in jeans or khakis and a button down or polo shirt. Another part of being a small town cop is always trying to make a good impression. It was nice to see him so casual. It suddenly felt like a very private time between the two of us, even though we were on a public beach.

  As I reached him, he stepped out of the car. After a wave to me, he put up one finger and leaned back into his car, emerging with a bag from the Donut Hut in his hand. He handed it to me with a smile and a wink.

  "I figured you'd need this," he said. "There's also another cup of coffee for you in the car."

  I opened up the bag and looked inside to find a leftover Fourth of July donut, a long john frosted with white frosting and sprinkled with blue and red star sprinkles. A holiday donut was just what this morning needed. I took it out and took a big bite when I realized Max was just staring at me.

  "What?" I asked with my mouth full, trying not to spill any crumbs out. "Didn't you get yourself a donut?"

  "I did, but I already ate it," Max said, distracted.

  Now I realized that he was looking over my shoulder at the water. I took another bite as I turned to see what he was looking at. There was a boat floating into view just off of the beach and it appeared to be abandoned. The back of the boat and the motor were facing us as it drifted around. I didn't know much about boats, but this one looked like it was sleek and top of the line expensive.

  "That's Murray's boat but he isn't in it," Max muttered. "I wonder if someone did this on purpose. You didn't hear me say this, but I wouldn't blame someone for getting mad enough to try and destroy his property. Come on, it's close enough to the beach that we can wade out and get it."

  "Do we have to?" I asked, knowing I sounded like a whiny kid. But being up this early was enough, I really didn't want to go for a dip too.

  "Oh, it'll only be up to our knees," Max said with a teasing smile. "Besides, I thought you always wanted to be my sidekick. Here's your big chance."

  Max made a quick call to one of his on-duty cop friends to contact Murray about his boat while I took another big bite of my donut and wrapped the rest up to save for after our boat rescue. Max waited patiently for me to kick off my sandals and roll up my pant legs. I tentatively walked down to the edge of the water. The sand was rough on my feet and I realized that even though I used to go barefoot all the time as a kid, I almost always wore shoes as an adult. Even the semi-soft sand felt rough under my feet.

  The water was cold and I recoiled at the first touch. Max looked at me like he was trying his absolute hardest not to roll his eyes. I already wasn't a morning person and this boat rescue was not going to make me into one. I didn't know Murray, but I felt like I had a few choice words to tell him the next time I see him.

  "I'm going to grab the front of the boat and try to turn it back toward shore," Max said. "You just stand and hold onto the back corner so we can pivot it around."

  We both waded out into the cold water and grabbed onto the boat. The water had been icy to start, but my feet quickly acclimated to it. Either that or they were turning into ice cubes but either way it did not feel as bad as the first few steps.

  "Do you have a hold on it?" Max asked. "There's a rope up here that I'll use to try and pull the boat around."

  I grabbed hold of the cool metal frame of the boat. Now that I was closer, I could tell that Murray had spent a lot of money on this boat. There was a speaker system throughout the boat and what looked
like a built in mini fridge. The seats were much more plush than the regular fishing boats I had ridden in before.

  It wasn't hard to tell that Murray liked to use his money to make statements. He didn't have this boat because he loved boating and he wanted all of his friends to come along. Murray probably didn't even have friends. But he did have enough money to buy whatever he wanted so that he could show off.

  "I've got it," I said. "I'll hold on as tight as I can while you turn it."

  My heels sunk down into the mucky lake bottom as I dug in to stay in place. I tried not to think about what the lake bottom was made of or the fact that there may be fish swimming right next to my legs. Shady Lake was a murky lake and it was hard to see the bottom even though I was pretty close to the shore. At least there was no seaweed where we were standing. I shivered at the thought of ishy seaweed wrapping itself around my legs.

  Max started to tug on the rope and I tried not to ogle his arm muscles. Besides the fact that he worked a physical job, Max had always been the type to visit the gym and exercise multiple times a week. I considered him "functionally fit" which means that he wouldn't be mistaken for a bodybuilder, but he is definitely in shape. I envied his work ethic. Once, I thought about asking him to be my motivator to visit the gym more regularly but he had turned me down. He said he didn't want it to become a wedge in our relationship and once I thought about it, he was right. I would have resisted him every time he tried to make me go.

  The boat started to slowly turn and once again, I found myself admiring the extravagant inside of the boat. There were seating areas at the back and front of the boat, although the back area seemed to have a pile of life jackets taking up most of the floor space. It was enough to fit at least eight people. I thought back to the day before when Murray was riding in the boat all by himself. How sad that he couldn't even convince his wife to ride with him.

  Then I noticed that there was something weird about the pile of life preservers. Life jackets could be bulky, but the pile was way too big. There was no way Murray would have a dozen life jackets in his boat. He didn't seem the type to be so concerned about safety that he would just have a giant, unseemly pile of life jackets ruining the aesthetic of his expensive boat. They must be laying on top of something else.