Free Seaside Secrets by Cindy Bell Page B

glances before they were led through the restaurant. It was certainly not a five star restaurant, but you wouldn't know it from the people who were dining there. Everyone was dressed in their finest, including Jason and the mayor, both of whom stood up when the two women approached.
    “ Welcome,” Thomas said and pulled out Suzie's chair for her. Jason did not miss a beat to do the same for Mary. Suzie tried not to be impressed by their manners, but it was hard not to be. When she sat down across from the two men, she found herself entertaining a terrible thought. If everyone was in Thomas' pocket as so many had said, then was Jason in his pocket, too? Was it possible that her cousin had something to do with his father's passing?
    “ What would you like to have to drink, ladies?” Thomas asked as he handed them each a menu. “Jason and I have already ordered ours,” he added.
    “ I think I'll have a glass of wine,” Mary said with a smile as the waitress approached.
    “ They have a delicious chardonnay here,” Thomas suggested with a flash of his impossibly white teeth.
    “ Let's make it two,” Suzie suggested and sat back as the waitress placed drinks on the table for Thomas and Jason.
    Suzie had to bite into her bottom lip to keep from gasping when she saw the label on the beer that was placed down in front of Thomas.
    “Your favorite, Mr. Mayor,” the waitress smiled.
    “ Thank you so much, I have been looking forward to one of these all day,” he sighed as he turned the dark, glass bottle between his palms. “Nothing like a reward after some hard work. I guess you both know all about that,” he chuckled as he looked up at Mary and Suzie.
    Suzie forced herself to look away from the bottle of beer. It was the same brand as the six pack that had been in Harry's refrigerator. The same beer that Jason had insisted his father would never drink. Now that she saw it in the mayor's hand things began to make sense to her. Perhaps the mayor had dropped by Dune House for a visit and had brought a six pack of his favorite beer. Maybe he insisted on Harry taking a few swigs with him. Harry, as fearful as he was of the man, probably would have complied. Could the poison have been in the beer?
    But Suzie knew she was getting ahead of herself. She still had no idea why Thomas would want t o kill Harry over a few photos. It was time to test the waters.
    “ Actually, we did have a harrowing incident the other day with the plumbing,” Suzie began to describe finding something wedged in the drain of the sink. “Turns out, it was this,” Suzie said as she fished the cufflink out of her purse and laid it on the table. Jason stared down at it, and then looked slowly up at her. Thomas barely skimmed his gaze over it.
    “ Oh, how strange,” he shrugged and sipped his beer.
    “ Stranger still,” Suzie said as she nudged the cufflink towards him. “It has your initials on it.”
    “ Does it?” Thomas laughed. “I'm sure there are plenty of people with the initials TR.”
    “ So, it's not yours?” Suzie asked and raised an eyebrow.
    “ Uh, well,” Thomas picked up the cufflink and took a closer look at it. “Now that you mention it, this does look like a cufflink I've worn before. I must have lost it in Dune House years ago.”
    “ Years ago?” Suzie asked and tilted her head slightly to the side. “So, you wouldn't have been wearing it recently?”
    “ I'm sorry, is there something unfashionable about cufflinks these days?” Thomas asked with a chuckle low in his throat. “I didn't realize that it was such an issue whether I wore them or not.”
    “ Oh no, not at all,” Suzie said quickly and flashed him an even, cool smile. “I just thought I'd search for the other one for you, if you'd lost them recently.”
    “ Nope, it's been years,” Thomas repeated with certainty. “I'm sure you wouldn't be able to find the other one even if you tried. I spent a lot of time at Dune House when Jason was a boy,