“I have to help him raise bail, if he’s allowed it when he goes to his hearing tomorrow. But I can’t seem to pull the money together. I guess I’ll figure it out somehow. Maybe I’ll put a mortgage on the shop.”
“Oh, surely you won’t have to do that.”
Betsy shrugged, then returned to her desk. “Don’t you worry yourself about it, Chaz, my girl. I’ll work on something and figure it out. I always do. The trial will happen in a few months, and hopefully life can go back to normal after that.”
“It must be very stressful for you,” Charmaine said.
Betsy nodded as she took a seat at her desk. “It’s hard to believe we’re going through all this again. For so many years, there were rumours on the island, people talking behind their hands whenever we were around. Didn’t believe he was innocent. But lately, it’d been better. People forgot all about it. Until some supposed evidence came to light a few months ago.”
“Evidence?”
“Oh, it was nothing, really. It doesn’t prove anything at all. But the police wanted to be diligent. They caught a lot of flak during the original investigation. People thought they botched it. And they did—they spent far too much time chasing up rumours about my brother instead of looking for the real killer. And now we’re going to face it all again. Sometimes I wonder…”
“What do you wonder?”
Betsy ran a hand over her eyes. “Nothing, really. I couldn’t leave the island. Not with my family still here. But it’s hard to stay.”
“And your business, of course.”
“That too.” She smiled. “I’m grateful for you, honey. You coming along when you did really saved me. I can’t tell you how much you being here makes a difference.”
“I’m glad I can help.”
Betsy shot her a warm smile. There were tears in her eyes. “It means a lot.” She inhaled a quick breath. “I’m surprised you didn’t see the story about Buck on the news when they arrested him. It was aired around the country.”
Charmaine thought back to the last few times she’d watched the news and couldn’t recall anything like what Betsy was referring to. “I don’t watch the news often. In fact, I’ve given up on most screens these days — phone, TV, computer. I use them for work, but otherwise, I don’t really spend time in the digital world.”
Betsy frowned. “Well now, that’s unusual for your generation.”
“I suppose so. But after my mother died, I found I was spending far too much time on screens. I left my hometown and all my friends behind, and so I did all my interacting online. In the end, I found it made me anxious and irritable. I felt more alone than ever. So, I decided to give it up. I’ve hardly been online since other than to look for maps and things like that.”
“Good for you. That’s how life used to be, and we turned out all right. Didn’t we?” Betsy grinned. “Do you have any siblings?”
How much should she say? Betsy had been so good to her, had been vulnerable and shared about her own life and trials. But Charmaine generally didn’t open up to people. It wasn’t something she was comfortable doing. She hesitated, then spoke gingerly.
“I have a brother too.”
“Where is he? Are the two of you close?”
“We were close when we were young,” Charmaine replied. “But we’ve lost contact.”
“Oh, that’s too bad,” Betsy said with a shake of her head. “I’m sorry to hear that. Family is so important. I know how painful it can be when you’re not able to see them or speak to them as often as you’d like. My son and I had a falling out, you see. It was years ago now, but we’re doing what we can to mend fences. And I’m grateful for every chance, even if it does mean we fight sometimes.”
That explained the shouting, Charmaine thought. It made sense that there’d be tension if the two of them were working to rebuild a broken relationship. “Good on you. Family relationships can be tough.”
Betsy grinned. “Now ain’t that the truth.”
“I should be looking for him, I suppose. He’s the only family connection I have left. But I want to be here, on the island, ignoring the rest of the world and my family problems. Life on the mainland can go on without me, and instead of being part of it, I can spend the day snorkelling in paradise and avoiding it all.”
“Sounds like a perfect plan,” Betsy said, although her voice was low and soft. “There are certainly no rules about having to put ourselves through the torture of chasing after our loved ones. Well done to you for recognising that fact and moving on with your life. Now, where are we on the St James wedding? Oh, wait! I figured it out!” Betsy leaped to her feet and shuffled from the room. She returned with a large black folder that she set on the table with a grunt. She flicked it open, and rows of coins gleamed from within slotted pages.
She laughed out loud. “I knew I’d remember. They were in the floor safe.”
“Floor safe?”
Betsy waved her off. “Never mind. Obviously I don’t use it. I haven’t looked in that thing in years. That’s why I forgot where the coins were. But now that I have them, I can sell some of them to pay for Buck’s bail.”
Charmaine couldn’t help feeling happy for Betsy, but at the same time, she wondered whether Betsy was right about her brother or if she was about to set a murderer free to roam around Coral Island.
