Treasure Beach: Chapter Five, Part Two

Not sure why you're here or what to do?  Visit this page for enlightenment and instructions.  And don't forget to visit quilter Pat Sloan's website to sew along on the charming Happiness Key quilt that goes along with the series.

Chapter Five debuts this month.  Do you prefer to read  in one big gulp instead of having the story doled out in parts?   Look for a complete chapter pdf on the last Tuesday of each month through July.  In the meantime, i f you're new and you've missed the first four chapters?  Here are links to those pdfs:  Chapter One.  Chapter Two.  Chapter Three.  Chapter Four.   

Treasure Beach: Chapter Five, Part Two

Olivia was bored. Her grandmother was feeling a lot better, and that was good, but she was still using Nana as an excuse not to be with her friends. There was a birthday party in town tonight and a barbecue on Sunday, but she had turned down the invitations. She liked all the girls just fine, just not enough to pretend she really wanted to be with them. Still the decision had come at a price. There was nothing on television she wanted to watch, and any moment now, Nana would probably suggest gin rummy or maybe Scrabble. Olivia wasn't in the mood for those, either.

She was scraping the dinner dishes when somebody knocked. "Will you get that?" her grandmother asked. She didn't seem surprised they had company, but then the neighbors often dropped by unannounced.

When Olivia opened the door all the neighborhood women were waiting on the doorstep. For a moment she wondered if Alice had been in charge of one of their weekly dinners and everyone had come for a meal. It was Thursday, their traditional day, but she'd been told they were postponing a few days until her grandmother felt better.

She saw immediately that Wanda had two pie carriers. She always brought pie when they gathered for dinner. But Wanda made it clear right away that they weren't there to eat.

"We're going to kidnap you awhile," Wanda said.

Olivia wondered if the three women had put their heads together and admitted that every one of them had told Olivia why Lizzie and Dana had left so suddenly and maybe now they were here to make sure she stayed quiet about it. But no, nobody looked mad at anybody else, or at her, either.

"I'm helping Nana with the dishes," she said.

"No. . ." Alice spoke from behind her. "You go on, Olivia. I'll . . . be fine."

"But where are we going?"

"We are going to solve the mystery of the message in the bottle," Wanda said, "and we only have a couple more hours of daylight to do it. You coming or not?"

"Sure. But I thought–"

"Well, you were wrong," Tracy said, cutting her off. "We're going to do what we can to get to the bottom of this. If it's important to you, it's important to us."

For a moment Olivia didn't know what to say. She thought she might even cry. Every one of the women had made it clear they thought the note was a joke, but even after working all day, they were still here to help her find the truth.

Olivia swallowed hard. "I already checked at Randall's." Her voice sounded squeaky. "They weren't much help."

"Well, Ms. Deloche here put together a list for us," Wanda said. "Each of us is going to take a different job, then meet back here for pie. Your grandmother's going to have everything ready." Wanda held out one of the carriers to Alice. "Blackberry chiffon. It'll melt in your mouth."

"I'll have coffee and tea," Alice said. "You go on now."

"Who's the other one for?" Olivia asked Wanda.

"You and me, we're going to bribe a weatherman."