Publisher's Synopsis
Charlie Metz would normally just walk in Lydia's parent's house. That day was different. She gave Charlie a farewell kiss, and he flew to California the next day and returned after four years. * * *John walks in the bed and breakfast near the beach. Nan invites him for a chat her office. Then she allows Joey Grove to stay there the entire summer after that. She said. "John, Joey stays with you a short while. Besides he said that he is returning to Manhattan in a few days."Grove makes himself at home. He even begins to support himself mainly by shoplifting and hustling people at darts and such. * * *Grove walks to the beach. He saw John. "Johnny boy, you're just in time for the beach.""I'm beat and I'm going to bed.""I'll have all the beach bunnies.""I guess so, see you."People have been shuffling along the boardwalk. Some of them were beginning to walk down the steps on to the fine white sand of the beach. Several bunches of girls showed no interest in him. Among them on the boardwalk were four from Carmichaels, Pennsylvania. Norma is eager to be him. "Look at that hot looking guy on the beach." "He is good looking," Sandy said."Cool, let's throw out our blanket by his," Norma replied.Lydia was clearly in no mood for Norma's idea of a New York minute. Melissa asked."Let us go and sunbathe down there. Who cares how cute he is?" "Yeah, he looks cool to me," Norma said."Oh, let Norma have her fun with that guy."They walk off the boardwalk down the wooden steps on to the beach still chatting among themselves. They were walking only a few feet from Scott Blake and his beach towel. Blake yelled to them. "Hey babes this space right next to me is yours!""He's sure of himself," Lydia said to them."He's cute, and he really seems cool!" Norma said and put their blanket near his towel.Melissa, Lydia, and Sandy were only looking for a place to take in the sun. They were easily sold on what Norma felt about putting their blanket next to him. His excitement was mainly over Melissa. * * *Blake wore out his welcome in Carmichaels and New York by winter. He disappears in hiding avoiding his enemies. John went back to college. John feels that Karen is from him gone forever.Charlie entered the hotel bar to visit his friend Big Jeff who was bartending just after he returned home. Jeff comments. "Welcome, it seems early for you. Can I bring you a beer?""Good morning Jeff. Put on some coffee," and he made the coffee. * * *Then Daryl Christopher enters the bar for coffee. They were not aware he spent the night with Bev in room 106. They greet one another and Jeff pours coffee for the three of them. Charlie asked him about his early visit there. "Daryl, what are you doing here do, early in the day?""I think my father threw a purse in the trash at home. I think it belongs to a woman here.""Let's see it?" Jeff asked. "It's the murdered woman's."That question leads only to Dan's home in West Virginia. Daryl shows them it. They find a picture identification card inside it. Charlie remarks. "That looks like that dead Jane Doe woman, Helen Dunn.""You saw her before?" Jeff asked Daryl."No, just this purse.""I saw her dead in that gully." Charlie replies and asks Daryl about the thing. "Who threw the purse in the trash?""I don't know, it was on the ground in front of the trash cans when I approached the house. It appeared that it must have fallen out of the trash can.""Daryl, this is the woman that was beaten and murdered," Charlie replies."Oh, is it?""Yes.""Neither of you should be handling it. It how has your DNA and fingerprints," Jeff said, and he gets a bag for it as Charlie takes a picture of the woman's photo."I can't let you have this," Jeff said.Daryl grabs the purse back. He hands it to Charlie. Later Charlie and Jeff find the killer and Melisa's beater.
