Snowmen In Paradise (Book 2 Tj Jensen Paradise Lake Mysteries) (21 page)

“I will
. My mom and dad had a blast sailing and hiking, and my brothers still haven’t stopped talking about parasailing and waterskiing.”

“How’s the fishing going?” Kyle asked.

“They’re just about ready to start
. I wanted to be here to wish Grandpa well, but once the event gets underway, it’s really pretty boring.”

“Julie and I are heading to the food court if you want to come along.”

Tj hesitated. If Julie was expecting a romantic lunch, she wouldn’t appreciate Tj’s presence.

“Yeah, come with us,” Julie encouraged
. “I need to talk to you about the awards ceremony this afternoon. We can talk while we eat.”

“
Okay. I’ll find out what Dennis and Jenna are doing and meet you there.” 

After lunch, Tj and Kyle headed over to the toboggan race, which was held each year on the bunny hill, a moderately steep part of the slope that had been cleared of trees and gradually flattened out as it neared a parking area, where spectators lined up to watch. The toboggans started at the top of the hill, and each was given a place for the next run based on their order at the finish line. There were five heats, with toboggans eliminated after each one.

Since the toboggans were hand built by the team
s, they came in a variety of shapes and colors. Most were designed to enhance speed, but every year a few were built for fun. Most of the entrants who chose to be overly creative didn’t make it beyond the first run, but fun was had by all as sleds made to resemble outhouses, bathtubs, or spaceships sped down the hill.

“Does anyone know what
number Helen and Bookman are?” Tj asked the group that had gathered to watch the race.

“I think
Mom said they were in the middle of the pack,” Jenna answered.

“Is that them
?” Dennis pointed to a shiny sled that looked a lot like a rocket.

“Grandma has her red coat on,” Kristi offered helpfully.

“Yeah, I think that’s them.” Kyle held a pair of binoculars up to his eyes.

“Can we see?”
Gracie asked.

Kyle
handed her the black glasses.

“Wow, here they come,” Ashley cheered excitedly.

“I can’t believe Mom wanted to do this.” Jenna held her breath. “Those sleds are really cooking. It’s a miracle no one ever gets really hurt.”

“
Bruce Wellington broke his arm last year,” Dennis pointed out. “And Darian Powder had to have eight stitches put in his forehead the year before that.”

“Not helping,” Jenna
growled as the first sleds reached the bottom of the hill.

“Relax
.” Dennis put his large arms around his wife. “The rocket ship has reached the bottom of the hill. It looks like they might have placed.”

Jenna let out the breath she’d been holding.

“Which means they can go again,” Kari cheered.

Helen and Bookman ended up getting in three runs before the more serious sleds took over for the final two heats. Although they didn’t win, Helen said she’d had the time of her life and would do it again. After the competition, Dennis and Jenna decided to take all four girls ice skating while Helen and Bookman headed over to the ice fishing to check on Ben. Tj and Kyle wanted to follow up on a couple of ideas they’d had regarding the murder investigation, so they migrated toward the chowder cook-off to cheer on Doc and question celebrity judge Sean Wright.

“Looks like Dolly
is making another appearance,” Kyle commented as they headed toward the roped-off area where the contestants had set up booths in the multipurpose room of the community center.

Tj looked across the room to
a table where the woman sat reading. As she’d been every other time she’d seen her, she was dressed in what Tj had come to think of as her Dolly costume. “It’s so weird how she roams around town, picking random places to read.”

“What if
she’s not reading in random places?” Kyle suggested.

“Huh?”

“What if she’s strategically picking the locations where she’s sitting for some reason unbeknownst to us?”

“Oh
, I get it. Like maybe she’s watching someone and she thinks sitting around in that ridiculous getup makes her inconspicuous.”

“Exactly.”
Kyle grabbed Tj’s arm and pulled her out of the way of a group of little boys who were barreling through the room.

“If Bookman was here
, he’d make up a story about it,” Tj replied.

“A story?”

“When I was ten, Dad, Grandpa, Bookman, and I went to San Francisco during one of Bookman’s visits. While we were in the city, a bike messenger came around a corner and almost slammed into my dad. He jumped out of the way, but unfortunately, he ended up in the street, where he was hit by a taxi. Luckily, he wasn’t really hurt all that bad, but the hospital wanted to keep him overnight for observation since he’d hit his head and blacked out for a minute. My grandpa went in to visit my dad, but they said I was too young, so Bookman waited in the lobby with me. I was bored and tired and scared, so to keep me entertained while we waited, we started picking out people who were also waiting, and making up stories about them. It sort of became our thing. In fact, we still do it sometimes.”

“
And if you were going to make up a story about this woman . . .”

Tj looked at her
for a moment before she began. “She’s a really incompetent spy, like a female Inspector Clouseau from the
Pink Panther
movies. She thinks that the ridiculous outfit she’s wearing is a clever disguise.”

“
She’s been following someone around town using the cover of pretending to read in order not to have her true motive revealed,” Kyle said, playing along. “She’s been watching . . .”

“Sean
,” Tj finished.

“Sean?”

“It has to be Sean,” Tj insisted. “The first time I saw her was at the resort. She was reading in the lobby. The only other people in the room were Sean, his coach, Roger Long, two men from the International Ski Corporation, and a woman looking out of the window. The next time I saw her was in the Grill. It was lunch time and the room was packed, so I can’t name everyone in the room, but Sean and his entourage were definitely at a table in the corner.”

“And when we saw her
in the bar at Angel Mountain, Sean was sitting at a table behind us,” Kyle remembered.

Tj quickly went through the sightin
gs she remembered in her head: the resort, the Antiquery, Angel Mountain, other venues throughout town. Without fail, Sean was nearby every time Dolly made an appearance. “Do you think the woman is really following Sean?” Tj wondered.

Kyle looked from the
woman, who was still reading, to Sean, who was talking with his coach and Mayor Wallaby near the front of the building. “I don’t know. Maybe,” he mused. “Still, Sean seems unconcerned, and if the woman really had been following him everywhere, don’t you think he would have noticed? I mean, she stands out like a sore thumb.”

“Yeah, you’re right
. It’s probably just a coincidence. Let’s go find Doc to see if he needs any help. We won’t have a chance to talk to Sean until after the judging, so we might as well try to make ourselves useful.”

“Perfect timing.” Doc beamed as Tj and Kyle walked up. “It’s time to pour in the cream, but I knocked over the carton and spilled most of it. I was about to run next door to the mini-mart to buy a carton, but I hated to leave my masterpiece unattended.”

“I’ll go,” Kyle volunteered
. “Light, regular, or heavy?”

“Heavy
. And get the big carton.”

“That smells good,” Tj commented as Kyle headed toward the door.

“I went through my recipe book after we talked the other day and decided to make my grandmother’s special seafood chowder. We used to make it every summer. I grew up in Los Angeles, but Mayma lived in Maine; a beautiful place right on the seashore.” Doc smiled. “Making our special recipe brought back a lot of beautiful memories, so I figure I’m a winner whether the judges agree or not.”

Tj kissed Doc on the cheek
. “That’s why I love you. You’re not only funny and sweet but you have a sentimental side that you aren’t afraid to share with the world.”

“I love you too
, sweetheart. Hand me that big spoon.”

Tj
passed him the spoon.

“How’d Helen and Bookman do in the toboggan race?”
he asked.

“They made it to the third round.”

“Good for them. I would have loved to have been there to cheer them on, but making chowder is a daylong affair. Have you heard from Ben and Bonnie?”

“Bookman and Helen headed over after they finished their race
. The derby should be about over. I imagine they’ll all make their way over here when they’re done. What time does the judging start?” Tj asked.

“Should be in a half
an hour or so. They had to postpone things a bit because one of the judges didn’t show. They tracked down Hank to fill in.”

“Who didn’t show?”

“Wendy Wells,” Doc said, mentioning a woman who worked in the Inn. “I heard she had some sort of personal emergency.”

Later that evening
, Tj stood with a crowd, cheering on Mike and Rosalie as they skated to a waltz. In all the years she’d known her, Tj had never realized Rosalie was a fan of ice dancing, and the only time her dad ever strapped on a pair of skates was to mix it up with the guys on the hockey team.

“They’re really good,” Tj shouted to Jenna as the crowd went wild with applause.

“I know,” she yelled back. “I would never have expected them to enter this competition in a million years. Not that your dad isn’t an excellent hockey player, and Rosalie is in really good shape, it’s just that . . .”

“Yeah, I get it
.” Tj whistled in appreciation as the couple executed a perfectly orchestrated dip. “I’m as shocked as anyone.”

“Did you see what Papa just did
?” Ashley was clapping louder than anyone.

“I must say
Mike looks distinguished in his tux,” Helen complimented.

“And Rosalie is beautiful in her dress,” Bonnie added
. “I’m not certain I’ve ever seen her in anything but sturdy pants and a cotton shirt.”

“Oh
, wow, did you see that?” Kristi gasped. “Can I take ice dancing lessons?”

“Me too,” Ashley joined in.

“You’re already pretty busy,” Jenna cautioned.

“Can we at least get the information
?” Kristi pleaded.

“I’ll look into it,” Jenna conceded
, “but I’m not promising anything.”

“Can we go to the sledding hill
?” Gracie was somewhat less awed by the ice dancing than the older girls.

“As soon as th
is event is over,” Tj promised.

“Can we get ice cream?”
Kari asked

“It’s too cold for ice cream,” Jenna replied as the crowd launched into a new round of applause as the dance came to an end.

“But I’m hungry,” Kari insisted.

“Me too
,” Gracie said, deciding to ditch the sledding-hill effort in favor of a sweet snack.

“Bonnie and I will take the girls over to the ice
-cream parlor if you want to finish watching the rest of the show,” Helen offered.

“Can we?”
Gracie and Kari begged in unison.

Jenna looked at Tj
, who nodded.

“Okay, but be good and only one scoop
each,” Jenna instructed.

“We’ll go with you
,” Ben added as he joined Bookman and Doc, who got up and followed the group across the street.

“Not that I don’t appreciate a good waltz,” Dennis put his arm around his wife, “but the guys from the station are heading over to Murphy’s.”

Jenna hesitated.

“Go ahead,” Tj offered
. “I’ll take the older girls to the sledding hill after we finish here.”

“I’ll go with you,” Kyle offered.

“If you’re sure . . .” Jenna wasn’t one to impose, no matter how many favors Tj owed her.

“We’re sure.”

Once the group had dwindled down, Tj felt her mind wandering. Watching the other contestants in the competition didn’t have the same energizing affect as watching her dad and Rosalie. “Maybe we should head over to the hill now,” she suggested. “There’s bound to be a line.”

“I’m game,” Kyle assented.

“Girls?” Tj asked.

“Yeah, let’s go
,” Ashley agreed.

As the foursome walked down the crowded street
, she couldn’t help but be impressed with the effort the town went to each year to put on a spectacular event. Bonfires were lit along the beach as couples, snuggled close for warmth, strolled along the waterline to enjoy the solitude that couldn’t be found along the sidewalk lined with the mom-and-pop shops that made up Serenity’s quaint downtown. The air was filled with delicious smells as street vendors sold delicious snacks of all kinds, and the band in the gazebo could be heard from several blocks away.