The Sandcastle Murders

by K. E. Warner

  Charles reached the veterinary clinic the minute it opened. The receptionist welcomed him while she held the door, but he brushed by her without responding, impatient to see his little friend. As the doctor carried Saori from the back room, the pup caught sight of Charles and yipped and wiggled till she was safe in his arms.

  The doctor laughed. “She’ll be fine in a few days. No ocean swims or fending off cougars till next week.” It took Charles until he arrived home to realize the vet had been joking.

  The two were asleep on the couch when the doorbell chimed. As Saori flinched and cocked her head toward the door, Charles’ shoulders rose to his ears in response. It was a reaction to noise he perfected over a lifetime. He didn’t like the sound of the bell, and he didn’t like what the bell meant. Company.

  He picked the pup off his lap, careful not to jar her, and set her on a pillow. “Stay there Saori. You still need the rest.”

  Charles’ wish that she’d rest was short-lived. As he opened the front door, he heard the click of tiny nails on hardwood as she trotted behind him. The sight of Dave, with Alice tucked into the wheelchair, greeted him. Faces puffy, their eyes sunk and dark, they appeared older than their years.

  Charles mumbled, “Hello.”

  Alice and Dave dropped their heads to the little ball of fluff curling at Charles’ feet.

  “Oh, Saori,” Alice's voice squeaked and the little dog startled. “Charles, we dropped by to check on her. And you too, of course. How is she?”

  “She’ll be fine in a few days. She just needs rest.”

  “Charles, I’m so sorry. I feel horrible. I’ve been taking pain medication since the car accident. It dropped from my hand. I’m not sure what I’d do if something happened to Saori.”

  Charles considered the words she stuttered, and he felt a burble of anger. What if it was a child who found and swallowed her pills? What if no one knew until it was too late?

  But his words were compassionate. “It wasn’t intentional. Please don’t worry, Alice. I hope you’re feeling better. From the car accident, I mean. I hope you don’t have to be on medication for long. It’s not good for you.”

  Dave and Alice stared at Charles; their jaws dropped. Both appeared confused, and Alice bit her bottom lip. The room spun as he tried to understand their expressions. Did he say the wrong thing? He looked down at Saori to ground himself.

  Dave spoke up, “Well Charles, we’re glad Saori’s all right. Don’t want to disturb you. Perhaps we’ll see you later?”

  Charles nodded. “Perhaps.” He closed the door before they turned to leave.

  Chapter nineteen

  Raheem’s tires crunched down the winding gravel driveway. His shoulders drew closer together, pinching at his spine as the car approached the sprawling home hidden at the end. He didn’t look forward to delivering the news, and was relieved to have Sergeant Webb with him.

  He pulled up to the door and two fluffy Samoyeds rushed to the vehicle. Their scratchy barks announced the officers as Raheem stepped from the vehicle. He scrubbed the top of each dog’s head. Satisfied, they raced around the vehicle to investigate the other passenger.

  Sergeant Webb brushed the dogs away, using meaty fingers to pluck stray hairs from his pants. “Well. Ready for this?” His deep voice boomed with authority.

  “Never.” Raheem grew into honest responses through years of training. Disguising or hiding how he felt about situations like these made him feel like a fraud. The discussion would be tough, and he wasn’t ashamed to admit it.

  The officers approached the door, hats tucked under their arms. Raheem pressed the bell, hearing a melodic chime that conflicted with the somber tone of the moment, and the two men stared at the door, waiting for it to open. Waiting to change a life.

  “Mrs. Belcher.” Raheem’s voice croaked as the door opened. “Do you mind if we come in?”

  Her face glowed for the first few seconds. Both Raheem and Sergeant Webb maintained passive expressions, and her eyes narrowed at them. “What happened? Another break-in at the dealership? Come in, please officers.” And she marched off down the hall, waving for them to follow to a spacious living room. “Please, sit. Can I get you coffee, tea, water?”

  Sergeant Webb’s voice echoed off high ceilings. “No, Mrs. Belcher. Thank-you. We have some news. Your husband, Mr. Brian Belcher, is deceased.”

  Raheem watched her chest expand in a silent gasp for breath. She froze; the air trapped in her chest, her fingers still, her eyes unblinking orbs, until words burst from her lips.

  “What do you mean? Brian? No. Impossible. What happened? Where is he?” The words jumbled together until they became nothing more than gasps and sobs.

  Raheem pulled a small packet of tissues from his pocket and handed it to her. They stood in an extended silence before he pressed her. “Mrs. Belcher? Mrs. Belcher, we need to ask you a few questions. It will help us move on with the investigation.”

  With his words, her sobs slowed, and her chin rested on her chest. “Investigation? Of what? Please tell me what happened. Is my son all right?”

  The officers’ eyes met before Raheem continued. “Children discovered Mr. Belcher’s body in the park by the sandcastle competition this morning.”

  “What do you mean? In our park? On the beach? What the hell was he doing there? I didn’t even know he was home. Where is Dan? He was with him, is he okay?”

  “Mrs. Belcher, when was the last time you saw your husband?”

  She stopped to think. “Two weeks ago. He and Dan left for a tour of…” she stopped, anger flashing in red ripples across her face. “I already told you this. The other day, when you came to tell me about that woman.”

  Raheem flinched, but didn’t respond to her statement. He didn’t mention a woman when he spoke to her at the dealership. He preferred to err on the side of caution when divulging information. “I’m sorry Mrs. Belcher, but we need to go over this for our records. When was the last time you saw your husband? If you can be as precise as possible, it would be helpful.”

  “It was two weeks ago. The day he left for Asia, with Dan. The two of them were touring auto manufacturing plants in Japan, China, and South Korea. Brian wanted to get Dan interested in his business. He thought some father-son time would help.”

  “So, the last time you spoke with him was…?”

  “Minutes before they left for the airport. After that, I only received texts because of the time change. We agreed it would be easiest and least disruptive that way. Sometimes texts from him, sometimes from Dan. They sounded like they were enjoying themselves. They should have been home a few days ago but I haven’t heard from either of them in a few days. I assumed they were in transit. Can you tell me what happened to Brian? Do you know where Dan is?”

  “We found Brian buried in sand in the children’s playground. We can’t confirm the cause of death at the moment. And no, we don’t know where Dan is. Mrs. Belcher, I’m sorry to do this to you, but we need you to identify Brian’s body. Do you have someone who can accompany you?”

  Anne Belcher was white as a sheet, her lips barely pink. “Yes. Yes, I’ll find someone. I can call someone now.”

  She stumbled from the room to make the phone call, and Raheem and Webb exchanged glances. The sergeant had seen Raheem function long enough to know something worried him.

  “Strange that Alice Connor was in to meet Brian. Dave Connor told me that Alice had given him some story about getting pain-killers from him. It’s her reason for being at Belcher Motors before the accident. Just now Anne mentioned I was there speaking to her about a woman. But she told me she didn’t even know about the accident - I never mentioned a woman was involved. I believe we’re missing something here.”

  “Bring it up to the guys from the mainland. They may be interested.” The sergeant leaned toward Raheem and lowered his voice. “Some folks have a loose use of the word painkillers. I think of something like ibuprofen or acetaminophen, something that has its downside but isn’t pla
ying Russian Roulette with your life. Others might use the term to describe something stronger. Now if Alice Connor told her husband she needed to pick up a packet of opioids from a car dealer, we’d be having a different conversation.”

  Anne walked back into the room, shrunk by the weight of what she learned from the officers. “A friend will drive me. She is on the city council with Brian. I tried to reach Dan too, but there was no answer.”

  “We’ll keep trying to contact him, Mrs. Belcher.”

  She’d never know how hard they’d try.

  Chapter Twenty

  Raheem remained outside the room while Anne identified her husband’s body to the coroner. The creak of the door opening jolted him from his thoughts and he turned to see Anne’s friend holding her around the waist. Both women were in tears, and Anne’s chest heaved. Her friend nodded at Raheem, affirming the identification.

  The women shuffled toward him, and he waited for Anne to catch her breath. “I’m so sorry for your loss, Mrs. Belcher. I understand how difficult this is.”

  Her voice flickered. “Thank-you. Dan? Do you know anything more about Dan?”

  “We’re still trying to locate him. We’ll be in touch as soon as we have information about Brian or Dan.” He handed her a business card. “This is my direct number. If Dan is in contact with you, let us know.”

  It was a lot to take in. He doubted she heard a word he said, but she nodded as she took his card and walked away in silence.

  Raheem left the morgue and drove to Belcher Motors. The drive gave him space to consider potential connections to the murder, and he rubbed his temples hoping to alleviate some tension. By the time he arrived at the car dealership, stomach acid rose in his throat. He reached for an antacid in the console as he watched a rotund man stroll toward the police car. He rubbed his stomach and wished he had more time for it to recover before this appointment.

  “Officer Khan? Tyler Ashcroft.” The GM expected him and he extended his hand. Raheem grasped it firmly.

  “Come on in. We’ll use Brian’s office. He’s away on business now and won’t mind. It’s more private than my office.” Tyler jangled a set of keys and Raheem wondered if it was to show the legitimacy of using Brian’s space.

  Raheem followed Tyler in, aware that no one outside of Anne Belcher, her friend, and the police, knew Brian was dead. He took a seat in Brian’s office and shared the news of the owner’s death.

  “I am very sorry to inform you, but Brian’s body was found today in the park. He’s deceased.”

  Tyler’s heavy chest deflated, and he sank into the chair. “But how? Why? When? The guy was in Japan, checking out protypes for future models. What the hell happened? Heart attack – I warned him to slow down. Where’s that lousy kid of his? He was supposed to be with his dad.”

  “Kid? Oh, Dan – no. Hoping you could answer some questions. When did you last see Mr. Belcher?”

  Tyler sat in silence before picking up his phone and scrolling. “I met with him just before Dan picked him up. From here they went to the airport. I can tell you exactly. Yep, here.” He turned the phone so Raheem could read it.

  Raheem noted the time and date. “Do you remember a woman coming in here looking for Mr. Belcher a few days ago. Older lady, well groomed? When she left, she had a car accident on the highway right outside the lot.”

  Tyler leaned back in the chair and nodded. “Yep. She came in angry and left angrier. She yelled at Anne and demanded Brian appear. Seems he had a package for her and she thought Anne had it. I watched her drive away and the way she squealed out of here, I thought she’d hit one of our cars.”

  “She spoke with Mrs. Belcher?”

  “Not so much spoke, more screamed at her. Anne’s words weren’t clear to me, but whatever she said just made the woman frustrated.”

  “Has she been in before? This woman?”

  “I’m not sure. She seemed familiar with the place when she stormed into the office, but I couldn’t tell you if I’d noticed her before. Unless someone is here to buy a car, I’m oblivious to comings and goings.”

  “And Dan? Does he come here often?”

  Tyler rolled his eyes as he shook his head. “I wish he’d never come here. Brian seemed frustrated whenever his kid appeared. It didn’t happen often, but Brian was a bear when it did. Brian and Anne hadn’t seen him for years, much to her disappointment, I’m told. But he showed up two years ago - after Brian sold the Chevy dealership and bought this one. It seems exotic cars are more to Dan’s taste.”

  Raheem wondered about that. “More recently? Has he been here more often in the past few months?”

  “A few months ago, he started showing up more often. Anne gushed over him every time he spoke. Brian told me many times he and Anne didn’t have the same feelings, but he’d do what it took to welcome Dan into the fold, if it made her happy.”

  “They didn’t get along, Brian and Dan?”

  “Nope. There were times they raised their voices, most often when Anne wasn’t around, and Dan would storm out. Brian, or likely Anne, wanted Dan to take more of an interest in the dealership, but that guy had no interest in working for his dad.”

  Raheem had his own thoughts, but wanted to hear Tyler’s, “Any idea what they disagreed about?”

  “Some. Years ago, Dan hooked up with a group of bikers on the mainland. Used the automotive side of the dealership to chop stolen cars before shipping them off for resale.” His eyes narrowed at Raheem. “He might have gone to prison but his dad spent a lifetime of money on a talented lawyer and the kid got off on a technicality. In Anne’s eyes someone framed Dan, so the kid got a pass from her. Brian wasn’t as forgiving. He told Dan not to show his face back on the island until he cleaned up, got a job, and respected his parents. They spent years estranged. Heard nothing about him for ages after the split.”

  “And now? They’re on better terms?” Raheem was familiar with the chop shop; he was more interested in recent events.

  “Not really, but Brian didn’t like to talk about Dan. About a month ago we were out for a few beers. He told me he worried his fights with his son would get back to Anne, and the fireworks would start. The boss hoped this last trip would make Dan interested in the dealership. You know, care about it as a business - an important part of the community. I mean, the guy was a city councilman and business owner. He didn’t need gossip about his son flying around, make him look bad, you know?”

  “Have you seen Dan since he and Brian left for their trip?”

  “Nope. Devastating news about Brian, but I don’t care if the kid is okay or not. I’m sure Anne cares, but not sure why she’d waste her energy.”

  Raheem’s pen dashed over his notebook. “Anything else to share? Anything that might help us find Dan or understand what happened to Brian?”

  Tyler paused before answering. “No. But if you leave your card, I’ll call you if something comes to mind.”

  Raheem’s stomach flopped as he left the building. Brian’s death, Dan’s disappearance, and Alice’s car accident felt connected, but the how and why of it eluded him. He took two more antacids as he drove away.

  ◆◆◆

  Raheem recognized Magda’s car as he pulled into the detachment. It sat tucked into a parking space, the lone visitor’s vehicle in the lot. His stomach continued to burn as he considered how he felt about meeting with her now. At some point, he’d have to speak with her. It’d be a challenge avoiding her for long.

  He walked through the doors and caught his breath. She sat in the waiting room looking comfortable, slender legs crossed, fingers flying over her iPad.

  “Hey, Magda.” He smiled, his teeth a white flag of truce. At least that’s how he hoped she’d take it.

  “Hey, Raheem. Just waiting for you. Got a minute or two?”

  “Minutes, yes. C’mon.” He buzzed her through the security door into the offices and interview rooms. “Coffee?”

  “Please. Black, two sugars.”

  Her words an
d the accompanying smile were cheeky, but Raheem faced them head-on. “It hasn’t been that long. I didn’t forget.”

  He poured two cups, pulled out four packs of sugar, dumping two in each cup. It had been easy for him to remember how she took her coffee. She was the first person he dated who shared his disdain for dairy, and passion for sugar. He carried the cups to the nearest interview room and placed one on the table in front of her.

  “So?” He asked.

  “So, you tell me. Brian Belcher. What happened?”

  He flinched. She already knew the identity of the body. It amazed him how she uncovered information without his help.