Dead and Breakfast (7 page)

“A job’s a job. We can’t all be born rich.”

Victoria frowned, but then she purred, “I didn’t break up with you because you didn’t have money.”

Now, it was Autumn’s turn to be incredulous. “You guys used to date?”

Victoria smiled and moistened her lips. “We did more than date.” She laughed and linked her arm through Liam’s elbow.

Autumn’s stomach soured. “I’ll see you back at the Cayo.” She ran up the stairs, hoping to reach homeroom before the second bell. Autumn thought she heard her name again, but this time, when she ducked her head down and pretended not to hear, no one got in her way.

When Autumn returned to New Jersey, Victoria Canton and her god-awful friends would be a distant memory.

Liam watched Autumn enter the school building. He shouldn’t have come here. He should have gone straight to the Cayo. He could have spoken to Autumn later. But his shift would end before she got home from school, and he really needed that ring back. Plus, he didn’t think Evelyn would like it if he hung around after he was off the clock.

Well, the ring was safe at least. But Liam’s skin crawled just the same. Did Autumn really not remember kissing him last night? Or was she playing him?

One problem at a time.

Liam pinched the bridge of his nose and said to Victoria, “Why did you have to say that?”

She tucked a strand of blonde hair behind her ear. “Say what?”

“‘We did more than just date,’” he mimicked. “You know that isn’t true.”

She scoffed. “You can’t possibly care what she thinks. She’s related to a crazy woman. Plus, she’s from New Jersey.”

“You really haven’t changed one bit, have you?”

Victoria skimmed her finger down Liam’s shoulder and drew circles along his forearm. She knew how to touch him, how to get his pulse to quicken. She also knew how to use him for a good time, before throwing him away. Liam brushed her hand off his arm. “Quit it, Vicky. I’m not interested.”

Liam noticed that Victoria kept glancing back at her group of friends, who were staring at them as if hypnotized. “You’re such a hypocrite. What do you care what
they
think? They told you to dump me because I was a loser.”

Victoria whipped her head back and faced him. “No one tells me what to do. Besides, I never said you were a loser.”

Liam straddled the scooter and buckled his helmet on his head. “No, you just treated me like one. I have to go to work. I only came here to ask Autumn something, and you scared her off.”

“Sure you didn’t,” Victoria said, laughing. “You know I go here.”

“Whatever, Vic.” Liam inserted the key into the ignition.

Victoria touched Liam’s hand. “I heard you need some start-up capital for a business venture. Maybe, I can help you with that.”

Liam cursed under his breath. “Randall.”

“Stop by my house sometime. And we can discuss how I can finance your operation.” She hurried up the steps to join her group of friends. Liam watched as the girls bowed their heads and laughed.

“Breyer!” A deep voice barked his name.

Liam startled as a black SUV rolled up alongside him, sandwiching him between the street and the sidewalk. Mick Canton sat in the passenger seat, his arm draped over the open window, his Rolex glinting in the sunlight. He cracked his neck muscles before adjusting his sunglasses atop his full, albeit graying, hair. Mick’s driver, a burly man with a flattop, rested thick fingers on the steering wheel.

Liam had learned early that the best way to handle Mick was to pretend like the man didn’t intimidate him. Key word:
pretend
. Mick thrived on weakness, and he could smell it like a shark smelled chum in the water.

Liam feigned a smile. “Can I help you, Mr. Canton?”

Mick flicked a mosquito off his forearm. “Doubtful. I thought you were making your money in the Dakotas, drilling for oil.” The way Mick said it made it seem like Liam had gone off to earn money on Mars.

Liam felt a burgeoning headache. “Didn’t work out.”

“Course not,” said Mick, his wide mouth turning up at the corners.

Liam cringed. “Okay, well if that’s all—”

“Not quite young man. Now that you’re back, I want to make it clear that you should stay away from my granddaughter.”

Liam watched a beetle scuttle along the sidewalk. “I promise you that Victoria and I have no plans to get back together. That ship has sailed.”

Mick sucked on his teeth. “No hard feelings, son. I just don’t want her getting hurt.”

“She broke up with me,” Liam said.

Mick smirked. “That’s not what I meant. You see, a girl like Victoria, with money and influence, is an easy target for boys like yourself.”

Liam balled his fists. He stepped toward the SUV and Burly Flattop opened his car door. Mick put his hands out to stop him. “Not necessary, Finn. Young Liam wasn’t making any threatening movements. Were you?”

Liam didn’t respond.

Mick chuckled and motioned for Finn to start the car. “I hope
not
to see you around, Breyer.” Then the SUV sped off, kicking up bits of gravel on its way out.

With shaky hands, Liam turned on the scooter. He was late for his shift at the Cayo. After his confrontation with Mick, taking orders from Evelyn would be a treat.

#

Autumn always cut through City Cemetery on her way home from school. The Cayo was directly on the other side of the cemetery, off Pine Street. When she and Evelyn first moved there in the spring, Autumn used to spend hours reading the creepy epitaphs, sometimes gliding her fingers along the ancient skulls embedded in the headstones. Eventually, she realized that despite the cemetery being a huge tourist destination, some people in Key West still had beloved family members buried there. Like Mr. Blazevig, who, on most days, tended to the graves of his dead wife and son. Today was no different.

“Hi, Mr. Blazevig,” Autumn said cheerfully.

The man was crouched on all fours, leaning toward a squat headstone and holding a garden trowel. He was digging out weeds that had crept up over the stone. Unlike the larger, grandiose grave markers in City Cemetery, the Blazevigs’ stones were modest and close to the ground.

Autumn never asked Mr. Blazevig directly, but Aunt Glenda said his son died in Afghanistan, and Mrs. Blazevig succumbed to pneumonia a few years ago.

Mr. Blazevig stood up and wiped his hands on his dingy white shirt. He leaned over the black iron fence that separated his family plots from the walkway where Autumn stood. “Why, hello, dear. How was school?”

Mr. Blazevig was tall and scrawny with sunburned skin. He had wispy, white hair and a jovial laugh. Aunt Glenda referred to him as a kind soul, but there was something about Mr. Blazevig that seemed tormented.

Autumn shrugged.

“That good, huh?”

“Just some mean girls at school.” No matter how good the rest of her day went, Victoria Canton always managed to seep under Autumn’s skin.

Mr. Blazevig’s narrowed his dark eyes. “Never had patience for bullies. They’ll get their comeuppance, don’t you worry.”

Perhaps. Victoria’s life seemed next to perfect. Autumn couldn’t imagine the popular and rich mean queen would ever have to worry about paying for her dream college.

“Anyway.” Autumn tried to muster a smile. “My mom needs me at the D&B.”

Mr. Blazevig wiped sweat from his brow. “Your mom is trying her hardest to get that place back on its feet. She’s smart, if you ask me. Say, you don’t think she could spare you a few nights a week?”

Autumn adjusted the strap on her messenger bag that was cutting into her shoulder. “What do you mean?”

Mr. Blazevig scratched his cheek. “Well, I could use another tour guide to take over some shifts. Um . . .” His cheeks reddened. “The doctor thinks I shouldn’t work so much.”

Mr. Blazevig ran a moderately busy ghost tour company where he escorted visitors around Old Town, showing them Key West’s most haunted attractions and telling stories of tragic demise. He did at least two tours a night, every night. And then he was back at the cemetery the next day, tending to the graves.

“Can I think about it?” Truth was, Autumn’s mother kept her pretty busy at the Cayo Hueso. If she wasn’t cleaning rooms, she was organizing Glenda’s old files, helping Cora prepare dinner, or sweeping the front porch. Plus, she hesitated to take on extra work, especially since she needed time to complete her scholarship application.

“Of course, dear.” He smiled at her, although the corner of his eyes drooped. He returned to pruning the growth surrounding the headstones.

Autumn fingered the diamond ring in her skirt pocket. She yearned to slide it back on her finger and channel Inez again, but she needed to stall. Autumn glanced at the time on her cell phone. Liam was hopefully finishing up his shift and getting ready to leave the Cayo. If Liam confronted her about the ring, Autumn knew she couldn’t lie to him. Although, her gut told her Liam already knew she had it.

Autumn directed her thoughts to the old photo she’d found in the attic. The one with her uncle and his Navy pals. If she were going to properly investigate Inez’s death, she’d need to gather more information. And Mr. Blazevig, who was somewhat of an expert in all things paranormal, would be a good start.

“Mr. Blazevig?”

His head was still bent over his work. “Yes?”

“Do you know a ghost story about a woman named Inez? She died at the Cayo Hueso sometime in the mid-1960s?”

The old man tensed his shoulders for a moment. “Uh, can’t say that I have, Autumn.”

Autumn dug around in her bag. “I have one more question. I found an old photo at the Cayo of Uncle Duncan and some navy buddies. I was wondering if you could identify them for me.”

Autumn already knew everyone in the photo, but she was fishing for something. She handed the photo to the old man.

Mr. Blazevig straightened and brushed the dirt from his threadbare pants. He removed reading glasses from his shirt pocket before holding the photo at arm’s length.

“I recognize Uncle Duncan, of course.” Autumn pointed to a tall, skinny gentleman. “Is that you?”

Mr. Blazevig laughed. “Sure is. I was always a bean pole.” He tapped his crooked finger on the largest man. “That strapping Nordic gentleman is Mick Canton. Scandinavian on his mom’s side. And that man is Leo Breyer. We were all stationed together at the naval base here. We did our tours overseas, but somehow we all managed to come back to the island.”

Autumn nodded. “You guys were close, weren’t you?”

Mr. Blazevig handed Autumn back the photo. “We were very good friends for a long time. I was so sad when Duncan died. He and I were particularly close. Like the brother I never had.”

Autumn had wondered if her uncle was the glue that held them together and if his death made them drift apart. Because as far as she knew, Mr. Blazevig, Leo, and Mick never saw one another anymore. But then she discovered that there had been a girl they knew—a girl who had died and was now haunting the Cayo. Maybe their suspicions of one another damaged their friendship.

“Thanks, Mr. Blazevig.” Autumn slipped the photo back into her bag. “I’ll let you know about the job.”

“Please do.” He crouched back down on his knees and plunged the shovel into the dirt to remove a clump of weeds. “It’s not too often I find a person I can trust.”

“How do you know you can trust me?”

“Because you’re Duncan’s niece.”

Autumn waved goodbye. She slowly made her way along the path and thought about trust. A sweet, old man like Mr. Blazevig wouldn’t lie to her about knowing Inez, but maybe he would circumvent the truth. He said he’d never heard of a ghost story about Inez, but that didn’t mean he hadn’t met her in real life. Because he had.

“There you are, Inez,” the girl said. “The boys want to go out on Ralphie’s boat.”

Mr. Blazevig was the tall, skinny sailor from Inez’s memory—Ralphie.

#

Liam entered the pool shed and left the door wide open, bringing in the natural sunlight and heat. This made him feel better, less claustrophobic. He rummaged through some old buckets, moldy pool noodles, and a broken fishing rod, hoping to unearth a shovel. His shift ended twenty minutes ago, but a stray cat dropped a dead bird at the foot of the steps leading out to the courtyard, and Evelyn had asked Liam to take care of it. Liam doubted he was receiving overtime pay for this.

“Get a shovel from the pool shed,” Evelyn had instructed. “Bury it in the back, behind the Marlberry. No one goes there.”

There was something about the way Evelyn ordered him around that felt familiar. Sometimes, it reminded him of the principal at his last high school. The one who told him that his presence would not be missed. After that, he dropped out and got his GED. Other times, Evelyn barked at him like his former babysitter after he dumped Legos all over Pops’s kitchen floor. There was just something about the woman and that something hated Liam. He must have reminded her of someone too.

Liam squinted at a dusty corner of the shed. “Aha.” The sound of his own voice calmed his nerves. This whole place made him doubt his sanity.

Just as Liam reached for the shovel, he felt a shove from behind. He tumbled over a galvanized bucket and landed awkwardly on the wood floor. A rusty nail, with its sharp tip pointed upward, was centimeters from his face. Liam attempted to push himself up, but found his feet tangled in old rope.

“Jesus.” He kicked the rope off his sneakers, hoping to free himself from the net of junk. Just as he pulled himself up, the edge of the shovel grazed his eyebrow. As if some unknown force had picked up the heavy tool and swung at him with all the intention of decapitating him. The shovel clanged loudly to the floor. Liam’s heart raced and his breath caught before he clamored out of the shed.

A little while later, Autumn was sneaking through the lobby—desperate to avoid Liam, whose scooter still sat outside—when her mother beckoned her from the office. Autumn leaned against the doorframe. “What’s up?”

Evelyn dropped a pen onto the ledger and faced her daughter. “Tell me about your day.”

Autumn blinked. It had been a long time since her mother inquired about her school day. Finally, she shrugged. “Haters gonna hate.”