Spring Break Murder Read online

  "It's about making sure that people follow the rules," she continued. "Rules are important and are made to be followed. I know you all think you are special and you can break the rules because of your stupid little club, but they apply to you also. Mr. High and Mighty keeper of the pool has to follow them just like all of us other lowly park-dwellers."

  "Excuse me, but I think you should leave," Mandy yelled. I glanced over at her to see her face was red with anger. Mandy was normally a pretty calm person, but insulting her parents was one way to get her goat. "My father does not think of himself as high and mighty. He is a great man, even greater because he puts up so nicely with people like you."

  Cindy's eyes narrowed and suddenly the Poodle Woman looked more like a cobra, venom spewing from her in the form of hurtful words. Behind her, Hilda's eyes widened not in surprise but in excited support.

  "Well look at you," Cindy said. "You must be Sally Jr. You look just like your mama, but I hope you don't act like her. I hate to tell you, but your Queen Bee mama acts like a, well, it's a profane word I don't let slip out of my mouth. If I were you, I'd tell your parents to shape up their acts."

  I glanced over at Mandy. By the way she looked, I was kind of glad we were currently bobbing in a pool because if we weren't, I would have to be physically restraining her.

  "Cindy, I think that's enough," Sally said. Her firm tone betrayed just how upset she really was. "You should leave before things get any more heated."

  "My mother is being too nice," Mandy said. "Leave or else you may need to watch your back."

  "I will leave, but only because I have to get my dinner ready," Cindy said. "Hilda, come along."

  They both turned and walked out, Cindy waved her fingers in a sort of mocking goodbye. The metal gate slammed shut and the pool remained quiet.

  "Oh that Cindy is just the worst," Louise finally said, slapping her hand against the water. "She better watch out or she will get what's coming to her."

  "You're right," Susie said. "That park snitch will end up in a bad position one day if she keeps on like that."

  "I hate to say it, but you are all right," Bill said. "That woman just does not know when to stop. She is bound and determined to keep at it until every single one of us is gone. And after she chases all of the Guys and Dolls out, she'll start on the other residents. Someone needs to stop her."

  Everyone nodded their heads vigorously, which made the pool ripple up and down with little waves. As someone totally on the outside of this entire conflict, I could kind of see both sides although I couldn't say I would want to be on Cindy's side.

  The Guys and Dolls did seem to be a little too exclusive. If they were making decisions that had to do with the entire park, I could see how frustrating it would be to not be involved. On the other hand, Cindy was just too black and white. The world was much more a shade of gray and, as Bill pointed out, did it really matter how many chairs he had on his deck?

  The one thing I did know for sure was that Cindy seemed to be intruding in the wrong place. If she had problems with the Guys and Dolls, this was definitely not the way to go about addressing it. Looking around, everyone was glad that she was gone and seemed to agree with the vague threats being thrown around.

  As a total outsider though, I was more intrigued than anything. I would have to ask Mandy's parents for more information about Cindy. I really wanted to understand more about what made her tick.

  Chapter Five

  Dinner that night was just grilling out on Bill and Sally's deck, which was a nice way to slow down a bit after the go go go pace of the rest of this day. I couldn't believe that we had just flown in that morning. I felt like I'd been in Florida for days already, but sitting on the slightly shaded deck in the Florida heat was lovely. It was absolutely wonderful, especially thinking about the piles of snow that we had left behind. Thinking about Minnesota, I realized I'd been so busy that I hadn't even messaged Max. I picked up my flip phone, opened it up, and typed out a quick hello.

  I don't mean to brag, but I'm currently having a chilled glass of wine on a warm, sunny deck in a pair of shorts and flip flops. I hope your car started this morning! :P

  I shut the phone as Sally sat down next to me. Bill was busy at the grill and Mandy was hovering around him, alternating between actually helping and just being in the way. Together we giggled as Mandy and Bill turned and ran right into each other as they both milled around the grill.

  "I'm so glad you girls are here," Sally said. "This really is the highlight of our year. We love when Mandy comes, but this time is so great because you were able to come too."

  She reached over and patted my hand. I felt so happy to be visiting them because in high school, they were second parents to me. There was also a twinge of guilt. When I left Shady Lake, I started to slowly cut ties with almost everyone. My family and Mandy were the only ones that I stayed close with.

  "Sally, I'm sorry that I didn't reach out to you when I left for college," I said quietly. I had to let these feelings of guilt out. I held enough emotions inside, even now almost two years after Peter's death. I didn't want to hold that guilt inside along with it.

  "Oh honey, you don't need to apologize," Sally said, taking my hand as I felt the tears well up in my eyes. "When you went to college, why in the world would you want to spend your free time calling two old, retired fuddy-duddies? I mean, you already were calling your parents."

  She winked slyly at me making me giggle a bit. I set my wine glass down so that I wouldn't spill it.

  "I didn't expect you to call me," Sally said. "I got all of the news I needed through Mandy and your mother and when it counted, I made sure you felt my love."

  My mind flashed back to Sally's gift after Peter died. Most people sent flowers, but Sally's gift had been much more meaningful. She had sent a basket filled with things for me. Inside had been a comfortable blanket, some books and puzzle books, a pair of warm slippers that I still used, and a very expensive box of chocolates. The small card told me that she loved me and that the important thing right now was to keep soldiering on however I could through all of the emotions by taking care of myself.

  Another stab of guilt ran through me when I realized I had never sent her a thank you card. I went back and forth about whether I should apologize and thank her now, but I decided to just leave well enough alone. I also had that little voice in my head telling me that my mother had most likely sent a thank you for me.

  "By the way, I meant to ask you something earlier," I said, trying to shove the guilt away. "I noticed that all of the Dolls had matching pins. What is that about?"

  "Oh our membership pins!" Sally said. "We wanted something that would set us apart and that people could use to identify us during park events. Now we kind of just wear them everywhere except when we're bobbin'."

  I took another sip of wine. That made sense, but somehow I was hoping for a bit more of a story behind them. Oh well, not everything can have some big and grand meaning behind it.

  "Oh geez, looks like I'm needed," Sally said. She grabbed her wine glass and floated towards the grill where Mandy and her father were happily bickering about whether they should cook the steaks for a few more minutes. I couldn't help but smile before I felt my phone buzz. Pulling it out of my pocket, I was happy to see a message from Max.

  I wish your phone had a better camera so I could ask for a picture! But you're right, I am jealous. Maybe next time you go on a trip, I can come along. Love you.

  I shivered a little bit with the thought of taking a romantic vacation with Max. Obviously we wouldn't take one down here to the Candy Cane Park but maybe somewhere nearby. Visions of beach walks and outdoor candlelit dinners flashed through my head as I took another sip of my wine. I typed a quick message back.

  Love you too. Just wait till I'm able to call and fill you in on all of the gossip here at the retirement RV park. It is almost like a soap opera.

  "I think I set them straight," Sally said, lowering herself back into the
chair next to me. "Hopefully they won't need more sage guidance from me to finish that dinner."

  "Sally, can I ask you about something?" I asked. "What is going on between Cindy and everyone else? She is so angry. Why is she like that?"

  "Oh Cindy," Sally sighed. "First of all, I don't really think she is a bad person. I think that she is just bitter and when things didn't quite go her way, it really threw her for a loop. The first year when she wanted to join the Dolls, she didn't apply in a happy, want to be friends kind of way. She came charging in demanding to be let in so that she could take over because she had a bunch of ideas for how the Dolls could be run better. She actually had an entire plan where the Dolls would cease to be a social club and become more of a strictly run business that doesn't actually make money."

  "But why?" I asked. "Why would she want to change the Dolls from a fun thing into something so much more clinical?"

  "I'm not exactly sure, but she used to be quite a powerful business woman, you know. She started a chain of craft and hobby stores and sold them all at a very high profit. We have all assumed that she is worth quite a bit of money. To me, Cindy is a prime example that money can't buy happiness."

  I took another sip of my wine and mulled that over. It made even less sense now. I figured Cindy had some tragic backstory that made her act the way she acted. The idea that she was some sort of ruthless business woman who had retired with tons of money but wanted to use her free time to take over a social club that she would rule with an iron fist was such a strange idea.

  "But she managed to find herself one friend," I said. "She has Hilda, right?"

  "She does have Hilda," Sally said, tipping her head towards me. "Before Cindy moved in, Hilda was a pleasant woman, but always so painfully shy that no matter how we tried to include her, she always shrunk away. If we came to the pool and she was lounging on a deck chair there, she would pack up and leave even though we would try to welcome her in to bob with us. When Cindy came, Hilda latched onto her. I'm not exactly sure why because it isn't like Cindy is nice to her, but perhaps she offers Hilda some sort of social shield. That's the only thing I can figure."

  There had to be more to the story, but Sally didn't know and it wasn't like I was going to go ask Cindy or Hilda about it. Some things just might have to remain a mystery.

  "One more thing," I said. I just couldn't help myself. "Cindy mentioned reporting rule breakers to the owner of the park. Does she do that often?"

  Sally snorted into her glass of wine before she launched into a coughing fit. I took the glass out of her hand and set it on the side table between us. After a few minutes of regaining her composure, Sally was finally able to answer my question.

  "Sorry dear, but yes," Sally said. "I would say she does it even more than 'often.' She submits a detailed list of rule breakers and all of their offenses each and every week. If she's feeling extra crabby that week, she even includes a page where she lists what the punishments should be."

  "But you said the owner of the park doesn't care?" I asked.

  "Tom is an excellent man who puts up with Cindy better than anyone else here," Sally said. "Probably because he doesn't actually live on site. He's able to just put up with her at the weekly meeting he holds. Each week she introduces her list of infractions and each week, Tom picks one or two to take minimal action on and we all move on with our lives."

  "What kinds of infractions are there?" I asked, remembering the arbitrary rule about the number of chairs on a deck. If it was all rules like that, no wonder the owner didn't really care.

  "Oh my, all sorts of things," Sally said. She looked a bit exasperated and tired. "Some of the rules make sense, like no parking on the street. All cars must be in the parking stalls or guest parking lot because the streets are so narrow that it just doesn't work. But most of the other rules were put into place by the former owner and are so picky that they just aren't worth enforcing. You're only supposed to have two potted plants on your deck, you aren't supposed to plant anything in the ground, each deck is supposed to only have four chairs on it, and you aren't supposed to have any sort of large storage container outside. Most of them are to help prevent eyesores, but I think they are more just pains in the behind."

  "So why don't you all just get rid of those rules?" I asked. "You said the owner now is different."

  "Unfortunately, most of them are based on city ordinances," Sally said. She took a sip of her wine and I mirrored her, still fascinated about how much drama can brew in a retirement RV park. "We wouldn't be able to get rid of the rules, so we would have to go through a big thing to put similar rules into place. It is much easier for us to just have the rules and ignore them. At least, it would be easier if we didn't have someone who was absolutely set on following each and every stupid rule."

  At that moment, Cindy rounded the corner on a rickety bicycle. It looked like it had been a red bike at one time, before it had been overtaken by rust. A wicker basket was attached to the front and sticking out the top was a clipboard. There was also a childish vanity plate attached to the front that said CINDY on it. Usually I thought vanity plates were for things that a person would be really proud of, but here was one stuck to a heap of scrap metal which just made me think that the world takes all sorts of people to make it run. Cindy's hawkish eyes seemed to be scanning the neighborhood for infractions. Suddenly, a scowl appeared on her face and she stopped her bicycle, taking the clipboard out and jotting down a few notes.

  "Still too many chairs on your deck," Cindy called out to us as her pen flew across the paper.

  I glanced over at Sally who had a look on her face like she'd just eaten a lemon. I'd always known Sally to be sweet as pie, but I could see how much she disliked Cindy and if I was being honest, I could understand why. Sally opened her mouth, but before she could say anything, Bill piped up instead.

  "Oh Cindy, if you'd like to join us in one of these contraband chairs, you are more than welcome," his voice boomed from the grill. "Or are you too busy getting ready for the dance tonight?"

  "I'm much too busy to join you in your illegal reverie," Cindy snarled. "As for the dance, I will be there, but mostly I'll be making sure things don't get out of hand. Someone has to manage this park and goodness knows that Mr. Parks won't be the one to do it for fear he anger the Guys and Dolls."

  The sarcasm was laid on thick as Cindy rolled her eyes. She finished writing whatever she was writing and stuck her clipboard back into her basket. Her tight, poodle-like curls bounced slightly as she got back onto her bike. She started to ride away, but she had one more thing to say.

  "You just all better watch out," Cindy called over her shoulder. "Because I've been gathering evidence and soon I might have a big enough case to get everyone kicked out. And I'll start with the two of you."

  As she tottered down the street on her rickety bicycle, I hoped it would wobble enough to finally fall apart. She circled at the end of the dead-end street and rode towards us one more time. I turned to look at Bill and Mandy, who were standing frozen by the grill. Thankfully, they had already turned the grill off and plated the food before Cindy came or we would have been faced with a dinner of charred food.

  "You watch out Cindy," Mandy suddenly screeched. "If you aren't careful, someone's going to make sure that you get kicked out or worse!"

  By this point, a few of the neighbors on the street were very obviously watching us. I couldn't blame them, of course, because between Cindy's bicycle patrol and Mandy's extra loud screaming, we were making quite the scene.

  Cindy glared as she rode by before doing the international symbol for 'I'm watching you,' pointing her two fingers at her eyes and then pointing at us. Mandy made a rude gesture back, but Bill noticed and grabbed her hand, forcing it back down from where a certain finger had been waving freely in the air. Cindy stuck her nose in the air and turned onto the main road, riding out of our sight.

  "Well I'm going to be honest," Sally said. "I think that could have gone a lot better."

/>   I nodded at her and turned to look at Mandy once again. Bill and Sally were both looking pointedly at her but Mandy was staring off into the distance, ignoring their looks like a petulant child.

  "What did she mean that she's going to get you kicked out?" I asked. I had been under the impression that Cindy was mostly harmless, unable to get her ideas as to who should be punished past the park owner and the Dolls.

  "The park as a whole is governed by a board that oversees all of the RV parks in the area," Bill explained as he set down the plates of food on the table. "There was a large turnover in the members of the board and Cindy has gotten quite friendly with many of them. They are of the same thought when it comes to mindless rule following and unfortunately if Cindy builds a big enough case, they can take action against the park and all of us who break all of those idiotic rules."

  "What sort of action?" Mandy asked, still scowling even though the encounter with Cindy was long over.

  "They can fine the park," Bill said. "They could fine Mr. Parks a lot of money and really, we would not let that happen to him. We would rather be forced out than bankrupt him. They could also start issuing tickets to us and if we ignore them, we could possibly be arrested but that would be a long time down the road."

  "Long way down the road or not, that would be terrible," I said. "So it sounds like Cindy is becoming more than just an annoying pest."

  "She sure is," Bill said. "But I think we need to put that out of our minds and focus on eating dinner. We have got to be going soon."

  Mandy's face mirrored my confusion as we looked back and forth between Bill and Sally. They were happily scooping food onto their plates before they realized we had not been clued into the plan for the rest of the night.

  "Oh I must not have mentioned it," Sally said with a smile. "We are going to a dance tonight."

  Chapter Six

  When Sally had said we were going to a dance, the only thing I could picture was a high school dance. In my mind I could see a darkened gymnasium with speakers blaring hip hop music, a few colored lights that danced around, and a lot of awkward encounters. Trying to fit that idea in with a bunch of senior citizens was particularly troubling to my imagination.