“So it’s one of those things where everyone brings their own chair or blanket,” I confirmed.
“Exactly.” Josie grinned. “A lot of the younger couples who show up for the food and socializing portion end up sneaking off down the beach for a bit of romance after the movie starts. I wouldn’t be surprised in the least to find out that Ellery was conceived at one of the movie nights.”
“It sounds fun,” I said. “Kind of like a drive-in theater without the cars. And I can imagine that sitting out under the stars with your guy or gal of the moment would be very romantic. The only problem is that a movie under the stars with a make-out session on the side doesn’t give us much information to go on. Not like the run that led to a list or the book we hope will lead to a woman who might remember the woman who wore the bracelet.”
Josie shrugged. “I guess that’s true, but maybe there’s more to it.” She looked at Jemma. “Can you pull up a list of movies shown on the beach during the summer of nineteen ninety-six?”
“I can try.”
“Do you think the clue might be the movie?” I asked.
“It could be. If a movie called High School Romance or One Long Summer was playing, that might actually help confirm the theory you’ve been working from,” Josie said. “That’s if the title is the clue, of course. At this point, this whole thing is pretty random. I mean, it is possible that the person who left Ellery in the church, presumably her mother, just wanted her to have a memento from her, and the charms really don’t mean anything.”
“Yeah,” I agreed. “I suppose it is equally likely that the charms aren’t clues as it is that they are. But my client wants to follow that idea, and I plan to help her however it works out.”
Jemma typed a series of commands into her computer. “There were five movie nights that summer,” she said. “The movies featured were: Back to the Future, The Karate Kid, The Princess Bride, Goonies, and War Games.”
“If the movie is a clue, it has to be The Princess Bride,” Josie said.
“Probably. But I guess that isn’t enough of a clue to really be a clue,” I pointed out.
“What are the other charms?” Jemma asked. “In addition to the movie reel, the shoe, the rose, the book, and the ice cream cone.”
“There’s a ship, a large one. Maybe a cruise ship or I suppose it could even represent the ferry. There is also a Ferris wheel. I suppose that might be a reminder of a carnival if one happened to have been in town at the time.”
“There is a traveling carnival that sets up down near the marina for a week in July every year,” Josie said. “And they do have a Ferris wheel.”
“I’m not sure knowing about the carnival will help us figure any of this out,” Jemma said.
“Maybe not, but let’s start with what we have,” Josie suggested. “Let’s talk to Kendra from Brewster’s Books and see if she knows anything about the book charm. Maybe she’ll remember the woman who wore the bracelet, and we’ll have our baby mama without even having to figure out the other charms.”
The three of us agreed to meet up tomorrow and head into town. Josie, who’d lived in the area longer than Jemma or me, knew Kendra and agreed to introduce us and ask for her help, while Jemma promised to brainstorm and try to figure out what the charms on the bracelet might relate to. I planned to work on it myself, although I really hadn’t been around long enough to be able to notice associations, even if they did exist.
Chapter 5
I got up early the following morning to take the dogs for a long run. The museum opened at eleven, so I planned to meet Josie and Jemma at their cottage at ten-thirty. Most of the time, I took Kai and Kallie to the office with me, but since I would be out and about today, I decided to leave them home, hence the extra-long run. I felt my muscles warm as I settled into a steady pace. The view along the bay trail was exceptional this morning. Small fishing vessels that would stay in the bay dotted the water, but it was the large open water vessels heading out toward the channel that would take them to the sea that most enchanted me.
I loved these early mornings with the dogs. Running relaxed me. It was an activity that allowed me to challenge my body while resting my mind, which I found more and more a necessity as the answers I’d been seeking began to unfold. Sometimes, I found it difficult to quiet my thoughts, but more often than not, I found the quiet and solace I sought by being out here on the trail as the sun greeted the day.
There were actually a lot of running trails in the area, each with its own special appeal, but I found that the dogs and I most often chose the trail that hugged the bay on the south end and then climbed up onto Piney Point and the trail that led to the back fence of the estate owned by Adam and Archie. Both Winchester brothers had been out of town lately. Adam frequently traveled as part of his job as the administrator for the family foundation, but Archie tended to travel more for pleasure. The last I heard, he was heading to French Polynesia with a woman he’d met at a fundraiser
