Bikinis in Paradise (Tj Jensen Pardise Lake Mysteries) (16 page)

“There is no conclusive evidence
that an affair occurred. We have the testimony of Tonya’s ex-roommate, but that won’t be enough, especially since she seems to be a bit of a flake. Fenton admitted to being friends and even going to dinner with Tonya while they were in Miami. I doubt Boggs will buy the fact that a sexual relationship existed without something more, and even if we could, it wouldn’t mean he murdered her.”

“And the new wife?”

“She’s from money herself. This is her first marriage but certainly not her first affair; in fact, there’s reason to believe a lack of fidelity goes both ways between Fenton and his wife. I’d like to have a conversation with her to see how she reacts to allegations of Fenton’s infidelity, but Boggs is still forbidding it.”

“It looks like we don’t have a whole lot more than we did when we started.”

“I’m not sure how we’re going to prove anything if Boggs won’t let us talk to the suspects,” Roy agreed. “We really don’t have a lot to go on at this point, other than the men who were with Ms. Overton when she rented the boat. Unfortunately, we haven’t been able to find anyone who can identify them.”

“Someone has to
have seen something. The marina is a busy place at this time of year. Maybe there are other boaters who were coming and going at the time Tonya was at the marina.”

Roy started to answer but then stopped. He nodded toward something behind Tj’s back.
She turned around. “Amber?”

“Sorry to interrupt
, Miss Tj, but I wanted to ask about the extra cabin.”

“What extra cabin?” Tj asked.

“The cabin that Mr. Ridley was supposed to use, ma’am. He told Leiani that he wouldn’t be needin’ it since he had a room in town, but young Mr. Ridley is at the desk, askin’ about it. Leiani left for the day and I didn’t feel comfortable makin’ the decision on my own.”

“Fenton Ridley’s son is here?” Tj clarified.

“Yes, ma’am. He said he wants to use the cabin to entertain.” Amber blushed. “He has a woman with him,” she whispered.

“I see. Well
, the cabin is paid for, so I don’t see a problem with letting Mr. Ridley’s son use it, but perhaps we should call Mr. Ridley and clear it with him first.”

“You want me to call Mr. Ridley?”

Amber had a look of panic on her face.

“No
, I’ll do it in a few minutes. In the meantime, let Mr. Ridley’s son know that I’ll be right over to see to things.”

“Yes
, ma’am.”

“Sounds like the son is following in the father’s footsteps
.” Roy chuckled.

“Yeah, seems like. If you want to wait
, this should only take a few minutes.”

“I should get back.
I think we’ve covered everything. I’ll call you later.”

Tj came into the lodge through the back door. She was just about to make an appearance at the counter, where Fenton’s son was waiting, when she saw Jazzy walk in through the front.

“What are you doing here?” Jazzy
asked Porter.

“I work for Tropical Tan.
This is the final week of the spokesmodel competition. Where else would I be?”

“But what are you doing
here
? After that fiasco with Tonya, I thought your daddy told you that he didn’t want you hanging around the models anymore.”

Tj paused behind the doorjam
b so she could hear what Jazzy and Porter were saying but they wouldn’t be able to see her.

“Tonya
was a jealous witch who decided to make my life hell after I tossed her aside. Besides, the harpy is dead,” Porter pointed out. “I really doubt she’s going to be able to tell my old man anything.”

Silence.

“Did you kill her?” Jazzy asked.

“Of course I didn’t kill her,” Porter defended
himself. “But I’m not going to pretend I’m sad that someone else did. The woman was a pain in my backside and we both know it.”

“All she did was tell your dad that you’d been sleeping your way through the model pool
, making promises that weren’t yours to keep,” Jazzy pointed out.

“These girls know the score.”

“Maybe some of them do, but others . . .”

“You going to snitch to my dad ab
out my being here?” Porter asked.

“I don’t know. What’s it worth to you for me to keep quiet?”

“What do you want?” Porter asked.

“You here alone?”

“No, I’m here with Haley. She went over to the bar to try to get us some drinks while I wait for that control freak of a resort manager to come and let me into a cabin.”

Control freak?

“Haley is a baby,” Jazzy responded. “Leave the poor thing be.”

“A man has needs,” Porter answered.

“You are such a jerk,” Jazzy spat.

Tj carefully peeked around the corner
. Jazzy had sauntered up to Porter and was rubbing her barely clad body against his fully clothed frame.

“Fortunately
, I’m into jerks,” Jazzy drawled. She ran a long acrylic nail down his chest. “Forget about Haley and let me take care of you.”

Jazzy stood on tiptoe and kissed Porter on the mouth.

Tj thought she might gag as Porter grabbed Jazzy in one of the very few areas that was covered by her bikini. “Seems like being with you would be like watching a rerun. Maybe I’m looking for something new.”

He
is
a jerk
, Tj thought.

Jazzy whispered something in Porter’s ear
after tugging on his earlobe with her teeth. He smiled and slapped her on her rear.

“Okay
, darling. I’m game, but we still need the cabin.”

“No we don’t.” Jazzy took Porter
’s hand and led him up the stairs, no doubt to her room.

Tj felt her stomach churn as the couple walked away. There were just some women in the world she would never understand.
Porter was dripping with sleaze and still the woman wanted to sleep with him. It made no sense to her.

“Hey
, Roy,” she said after she’d dialed his cell and waited for him to answer. “I may have another lead for you to follow up on. It seems Fenton’s kid has been sleeping with Fenton’s mistress.”

The
BBQ cook-off was one of Tj’s favorite events of the long weekend, partly because she loved to eat, but also because of the friendly rivalry that had built up between the members of the community who participated each year. Traditionally, her grandpa and Jake Hanson both entered beef ribs, but this year Hunter had mentioned that he’d insisted that his grandfather enter heart-healthy chicken instead. Tj knew that Doc would BBQ up his famous brisket, while retired county deputy Nolan Rivers favored pork ribs. Jake had recruited Hunter to be on his team, while Doc had arranged for Bookman’s help and Kyle had agreed to assist Ben. The competition tended to attract the male residents in the area, so Tj and Jenna were left to their own devices while the men prepared their entries.

“I can’t believe how good it smells out here
.” Tj took an appreciative breath of the smoke-filled air. The contestants had been preparing for hours and the aroma that permeated the area was more than enough to make her mouth water. Echo, who was standing next to her, was staring intently at the meat her grandfather was methodically turning to ensure an even distribution of heat and sauce.

“I can almost taste the smoke,” Jenna agreed.

“One of the reasons I love summer so much is the smell of the wood smoke and family BBQs in the campground,” Tj said. “There’s nothing quite like waking up to the smell of bacon frying in a cast-iron skillet.”

“You think I’d be immune to the smell of food cooking after working in a restaurant for the past eight years
, but there’s something about BBQ smoke that can’t be beat. What time is the judging?” Jenna asked. Tradition dictated that the judges taste each entry before the contestants opened tasting to the general populace.

“Four. The
guys should be ready for tasting by the public by five or so. Grandpa has been working on his secret sauce for weeks. I’m sure he’s made at least five different batches, attempting to get the perfect combination of flavors. He swears these are going to be his best ribs yet.”

“Not to play favorites
, but my mouth has been watering for Doc’s brisket since last year,” Jenna commented. “I’m not sure what he puts into his rub to give it such a unique flavor, but it really is to die for. I keep hoping he’ll share the recipe.”

“Good luck getting him to tell you
.” Tj laughed. She knew Doc protected his recipe better than the feds protected the gold in Fort Knox. “I really should wander down to the beach and make sure that everything is set up for the band. Want to come along?”

Jenna shrugged. “Yeah, sure. Who’s playing this year?”
she asked as she set off with Tj, with Echo trailing behind.

“The Mud Stompers
, followed by the Gator Gutters.” Tj dodged a pair of boys who were chasing each other through the crowd with water guns. She momentarily considered asking them to take their game down to the beach, but they really weren’t hurting anything, and Tj could remember playing similar games when she was a kid.

“So hillbilly
country?” Jenna guessed.

“Pretty much. The Mud Stompers mix it up a bit
, but the crowd almost revolted last year when I tried to mix in some classic rock. Guess twangy country is the music of choice for the BBQ crowd. I do have a new band closing out the set, however. They’re from the Bay area and play a blend of classic and modern rock. Since they come on last, the BBQ crowd will be gone and only the hard-core drinking crowd will be left.”

“Ending the evening with some classic rock will be nice
, although I’m always up for a little square dancing.”

Tj laughed. “Remember when we had to spend two whole months square dancing in high school
as part of our physical education rotation? The guys hated it.”

“Yeah. I remember how happy Dennis was when he broke his leg a week into the semester.
Everyone already had partners, so I had to dance with Ms. Brubaker until Toby Calvin moved and I was paired with Stella Long. It seemed like you had a lot more fun dancing with Hunter.”

Tj looked out across the beach
, which was crowded with bright umbrellas and families spread out on large blankets. This might turn out to be their best crowd yet. Tj turned to answer Jenna. “I had fun, but Hunter wasn’t a fan. He kept kidding about asking his grandpa to put a cast on his leg even though he was fine.”

Jenna laughed. “I remember that. Looking back
, maybe he should have followed through with his threat, and then we could have been partners and
really
had fun.”

“Seriously. I don’t know why the guys fought it so much. Hunter was really good.
I’ll have to coax him into the mix if people start dancing tonight. Too bad Dennis isn’t here. Seems he owes you a few do-si-dos and promenades.”

“He’d never do it in a million years
.”

Tj climbed up to the bandstand to make sure that everything that could be
set up ahead of time had been, while Echo found a place in the shade to wait. The band would bring their own equipment and musical instruments, but speakers and microphones were provided by the resort to be used by all of the bands that played that weekend. “Speaking of Dennis, have you heard from him and the girls?”

“They
’re having a fabulous time camping and fishing.” Jenna followed Tj up the wooden steps. “Kari caught her first fish yesterday. Part of me is sorry I missed that, but most of me is glad that I’m here and not up at mosquito lake. The last time I went camping with Dennis and the girls, I had so many mosquito bites, you could barely see the skin in between.”

“The little buggers do seem to like you,” Tj
said as she moved a microphone into place. The bandstand had been set up so that the backs of the musicians were to the lake and the crowd faced the awesome view. It really was magical when the sun set over the distant mountain and the fires in the pits strategically placed around the area were lit to provide warmth for the crowd.

Jenna helped Tj shove one of the larger speakers to the side
, where it would be best utilized. “Dennis never gets bit and it looks like both girls are taking after him. I guess I’m the only one in the family who is cursed with sweet-tasting blood.”

“It
must be because of all the cookies you taste when you’re coming up with new recipes,” Tj suggested.

Jenna laughed. “You may have a point.
How are Ashley and Gracie liking Disney World?”

Tj smiled at the memory of the conversation she’d had with them earlier in the day.
“They’re having so much fun. Apparently, Ashley loves the thrill rides and Gracie likes anything that spins. Rosalie plans to take the girls to several of the parks, including Epcot. Dad joins them when he’s able to get away from the conference. They’re even talking about extending the trip another few days so that they can go over to the coast. I really should have made more of an effort to go with them. It was kind of a last-minute thing, and I was afraid my dad would worry if I wasn’t here to oversee things this weekend, but the truth of the matter is that I’ve hardly done anything. Julie and Leiani have done a good job of handling whatever’s come up.”