by Cindy Bell
“You can always call me if you’re worried about something.” He glanced over at her. “You know that, right?”
“Wes, I know I can, but I don’t have anything to worry about. I know you would help me in any way that you can, even though I know you have your hands full with all the thefts in Parish at the moment.” Mary leaned close to him as he turned into the parking lot of the diner. “But thank you, I know I can call you if I need anything.”
“Always.” He caught her eye, then focused on finding a parking spot.
As they settled at their favorite table in the diner, Mary shifted nervously in her chair. She wasn’t sure if he would approve of her impulsive decision. She didn’t necessarily need his approval, but she also didn’t want to face his rejection.
“So, I bought a car today.” Mary smiled as she folded her hands on the table between them.
“Wait, you bought a car?” He raised his eyebrows as he looked across the table at her. “Or do you mean you’re shopping around for one?”
“No, I bought one. Just today.” She grinned. “Honestly, I don’t believe it myself. I guess I’d believe it more if I was actually driving it.”
“Why aren’t you driving it?” Wes smiled as the waitress approached. “Let’s order first, then you can tell me all about it.”
Mary had a hard time picking out what she wanted as her stomach fluttered. Would Wes think she was foolish for not taking more time to make the decision. It wasn’t like her to be so impulsive. But that didn’t change the fact that she thought she made the right decision. When he looked back at her, she caught sight of a subtle glint in his eyes.
“I can’t believe you did that. I’m so impressed.”
“Impressed?” Mary looked at him with surprise.
“Yes, very. It’s difficult for me to make a decision sometimes. I think working as a detective I’m constantly looking at all the angles, and I’m always looking for what might be hiding behind the scenes. So, even when I know what I want to do, it’s hard for me to really go for it. You knew what you wanted and went right for it. That’s pretty amazing, if you ask me.”
“Well, thanks.” She felt her cheeks grow hot as she looked down at the table, then swiftly back up at him. “It’s an SUV. Suzie and I thought it would be nice to have to use for guests and for hauling.”
“That’s a good idea. It’s always good to have a larger vehicle around, you never know when you might need it. So, why aren’t you driving it?” Wes reached his hand across the table and stretched his fingers out towards her.
“We dropped it off at Graham’s in Parish.” Mary settled her hand in his and smiled as the warmth of his skin enveloped hers. “It needs a few repairs. Not much, but it’s best to just get it done. Do you know the place?”
“Oh sure, Graham has been in business for years. I’m sure he’ll do a great job for you.” Wes drew his hand back as the food was delivered to the table. “Thanks so much.”
“Oh good, I’m so glad to hear that.” Mary sighed with relief. “I honestly was a little nervous after leaving it there, because a customer came in shouting at him as we were leaving.”
“There are always going to be unhappy customers, but all I’ve heard about Graham are good things.” He picked up his glass of water and held it in the air. “To your new vehicle. Congratulations, Mary!”
“Thanks, Wes!” She smiled as she touched her glass to his.
After dinner, Wes drove Mary back to Dune House and walked her up to the front door. She caught sight of the young couple on the side deck, snuggled together in one of the lounge chairs.
“Thanks for joining me for dinner, Mary.”
“Thanks for inviting me.” She gave him a quick hug. “Have a good day, tomorrow.”
“You, too. You’ll have to take me for a ride.” Wes winked at her, then walked away.
The next morning Mary woke with a sense of excitement. The buzz of energy pushed her right out of bed, even earlier than usual.
She stretched her arms above her head and yawned. She liked getting up first thing in the morning. It gave her a few minutes of quiet before the day started, and also gave her some time to become fully awake.
Mary said hello to Pilot who was asleep at the foot of her bed. She kept meaning to make him sleep in his basket, but she just couldn’t get herself to. She said it was to keep him company, but actually it was to keep her company more than anything else. After getting ready she called Pilot to her side. She bent down to pat his head and he wagged his tail in excitement. She led Pilot outside for a short walk.
As Mary walked along enjoying the beautiful sunrise, she mulled through her experiences the day before. Top on her mind was the SUV. She wondered if it might be ready. After she called Pilot back to her side she walked back towards the house. The gentle lapping of the waves and the sand sifting through her toes helped her to relax and focus on the day ahead. With Pilot by her side she mounted the wooden steps to the back porch and at the top slid her feet into her sandals. As she approached the door she saw that Suzie was already up and making them both coffee in the kitchen.
“Morning Suzie.” She smiled as she pushed open the door.
“Morning Mary, how was your walk?” Suzie poured coffee into a mug and handed it to her.
“Great.” Mary took the mug and blew across the hot liquid. “Thanks so much for this.”
“You’re more than welcome.” Suzie took in the aroma of her coffee and smiled. “I’m so glad that Paul is back on land. It’s nice to think that I can go visit him any time I like.”
“How did his trip go?” Mary leaned back against the counter, then took a sip of her coffee.
“He says well, he seems a bit tired. He hit some rough weather. But after a good night’s rest he should be okay.”
“I’m sure he’s glad to be home.” Mary tried to distract herself from thoughts about the car, but as the time went by and she still hadn’t received a call, she began to get impatient. “I’m going to give Graham a call and see if there’s an update on when the car will be ready. They should at least be able to tell us that, right?” She pulled out her phone.
“I would think by now, yes.” Suzie glanced at the clock that hung on the wall in the kitchen. “Do you want me to handle breakfast this morning?”
“Would you mind? I just know I’m not going to be able to relax until I find out what’s going on at the garage.” Mary skimmed through her contacts for the garage’s phone number.
“Sure, no problem.” Suzie headed back into the kitchen.
As Mary waited for the call to connect she paced through the living room. Although they cleaned frequently, there were always places to dust, or cushions to straighten. She busied herself with the tasks and waited as the phone rang, and continued to ring. She frowned and wondered if perhaps she had called the wrong number. She hung up, then looked up the number of the garage on the internet. She called the number directly from the listing, and again it rang, and rang. There wasn’t even an option to leave a message.
Annoyed, she wondered how Graham could have stayed in business so long and had such great recommendations if he never answered the phone. She tucked the phone back in her pocket and decided to focus on the guests for a few minutes, then try to call again. However, as she spoke with them, her thoughts were on the SUV and whether she may have made a mistake. Was Graham not calling because he hadn’t even looked at the SUV, yet? Was he not calling because he had looked at it, and it needed so many repairs that he didn’t want to tell them? Her stomach twisted as she wondered if she’d made the wrong decision. She placed another call to the garage. After several rings, there was still no answer. Annoyed, she hung up the phone. She knew she wouldn’t be able to relax until she had at least an estimate of the cost of repairs, as well as the length of time it would take to make them. She couldn’t have that if no one ever picked up the phone.
“I’m going to go over there.” Mary grabbed the keys from the counter. “I want to know what’
s going on. We can always move the SUV to a different mechanic if Graham is not going to work on it.”
“Are you sure you want to drive all the way over there?” Suzie frowned. “It’s a little strange that no one is answering, but maybe they’re not open, yet?”
“It’s nearly eleven.” Mary glanced at her watch, then back at Suzie. “I’ll just feel better if I know exactly what is happening.”
“Then you should go.” Suzie nodded and glanced out towards the beach. “I’ll be around if anyone needs anything.”
“Thanks, Suzie!” Mary gave her a quick hug, then headed out the door.
As Mary drove to Graham’s, she waited for her cell phone to ring. She expected at any moment that the phone would ring and she would feel incredibly foolish for insisting on driving to Parish. However, her phone didn’t ring. When she pulled into the parking lot of the garage, she noticed that the garage doors were open. The office door was closed. She walked towards the garage, annoyed that clearly someone was there, and no one had called her. As she approached she saw a truck in the workspace. Then she saw something that her mind couldn’t make sense out of, until a scream emerged from her lips. A pair of legs stuck out from beneath a large truck. It looked as if the jack had given way.
“Hello! Are you okay?” Mary ran forward, and caught sight of Carlene sprawled across the concrete floor a few feet away. Mary dropped to her knees, to peer under the truck. It was clear to her that Graham, who she recognized by his bushy beard, was no longer alive. She forced herself to her feet and rushed to Carlene’s side.
As Mary took the woman’s pulse she dialed 911 on her phone. She tried to make sense of the scene, however as she relayed what she could to the 911 operator, she had no idea if the information would be helpful. Had the truck somehow fallen on Graham? If that was the case, how did Carlene get knocked out? There was nothing on the ground near her that might indicate she had been hit with a flying object or somehow injured herself. The more she tried to piece it together, the less sense it made, until a shocking realization rippled through her.
“I think someone did this. I think someone hurt them.” Mary’s heart pounded as she began to look around the garage. Could that person still be nearby?
Chapter 4
“Carlene?” Mary shifted closer to her. She gently rubbed her cheeks. “Carlene, can you hear me?”
Mary blinked back tears as the woman remained perfectly still. The operator encouraged her to continue to try to wake her.
“I will. Please send someone soon.”
“They’re on their way. Can you hear them?”
“Yes.” Mary breathed a sigh of relief as sirens wailed in the distance. She hung up with the operator, then focused on Carlene again. As she stroked her hair back away from the nasty bruise on her forehead, Carlene began to stir.
“Stay still, sweetheart, you have quite a bump on your head.” Mary held back tears as she tried not to think about Graham under the truck. “Help is on the way, just try to be still.”
“I have to help Graham.” Carlene’s voice was heavy and slurred as she pushed up against Mary’s hand that was placed on her arm.
“It’s okay, I’m getting him help. Just take a few deep breaths, okay?” She curled her hand around Carlene’s and stroked the back of it.
Carlene took a deep breath, but when she took another she began to cough and wince.
“It’s okay, take it easy.” Mary continued to stroke her hand. “What happened, Carlene? Do you know what happened?”
“I heard Graham scream, and I came in here, and then someone hit me.” Carlene reached up and touched the bruise on the curve of her forehead. “And then everything went black.”
“Did you see who it was?” Mary looked at the bruise on Carlene’s forehead. It stretched across almost half of her forehead.
“No, I just saw a figure, then he hit me.” Carlene sniffled as she tried to take another deep breath.
“He?” She looked into Carlene’s eyes. “You know it was a man you saw?”
“I’m not sure.” She sighed. “I think maybe I just assumed, I can’t—” Her voice trailed off.
“It’s all right, hon. What about Brody? Where is he? Is he hurt, too?” Mary swept her gaze over the garage for the young mechanic she’d seen the day before.
“No, he’s at a class all day.” Carlene pushed herself up on her elbows, then groaned.
“Try to be still, everything is going to be fine.” Mary patted her hand again, then breathed a sigh of relief as the ambulance pulled up outside the open garage doors, followed by two patrol cars. The paramedics swept Mary away from Carlene. As Mary feared, they did not attempt to treat Graham. As the officers ran into the garage she took a few steps back and surveyed the scene. If someone had intentionally killed Graham, maybe they left a clue behind. As she lingered near the entrance of the garage she ran over in her mind every second she’d experienced since she’d pulled into the parking lot. Had she seen anyone go running? Did she hear an engine start somewhere nearby?
“Mary?” Wes’ voice drew her from her thoughts.
“Wes!” She threw her arms around him and held him tight. “Oh, it’s so terrible!”
“I know it is, I know.” He hugged her for a few seconds, then gently pulled away. “Are you okay? Were you hurt?”
“I’m not hurt. I just came to check on the SUV because no one was answering, and now—”
“It’s okay,” he said gently. “I have to take a look at the crime scene, just try to stay calm. I’ll get someone to bring you some water.”
“Oh right, of course.” Mary blushed as she realized he was there to work, not just to comfort her. Briefly she had forgotten that he was a detective. As she watched him join the other officers she felt a sense of relief that he was on the case. She was certain that he would be able to get to the bottom of things. But that didn’t erase the memory of what she’d seen. She stepped out of the garage and placed a call to Suzie. As she filled her in on what happened, emotions rushed to the surface. What if she had gotten there earlier? What if she had been able to stop it all?
“Mary, sweetheart, I’m so sorry that happened. Come home so we can talk this through.”
“I’m not sure I can drive, yet.” Mary glanced down at the tremble in her hand.
“Don’t worry, I’ll drive you. I’ll get an officer to pick me up.” Wes returned to her side with a small smile. “There’s not much more I can do here at the moment. The crime scene techs are going to take over.”
“But don’t you need to run leads or something like that?” Mary met his eyes.
“I have people working on a few, I can spare a few minutes to drive you home.” He wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “Tell Suzie we’ll be there soon.”
“Wes is going to drive me home, Suzie. We’ll be there soon.” Mary hung up the phone. Wes led her to her car, and took the keys from her.
“Just relax, tell me what happened as we drive.”
Mary shared with Wes every detail that she could recall from the moment that she first started calling the garage that morning until the moment he arrived at the garage.
“I just can’t believe this happened. How could anyone do such a terrible thing?”
“We have a possible motive. It looks like some money was taken from the office, but not all of it. So, it might have been a robbery.” He slowed down as he entered Garber.
“Someone did this and then didn’t even take all the money?” Mary shook her head. “That’s pretty senseless. Does that mean it’s possible the murderer targeted Graham for personal reasons as well? Maybe the cash was an afterthought?”
“I’m not sure what it means just yet. There is another possibility.” He turned into the parking lot of Dune House.
“What’s that?” She glanced over at him as he parked the car.
“It’s possible that you interrupted the murderer before they had the chance to get all the cash out of the office.” He scratched his cheek, then f
rowned. “First assessment indicated he’d only been dead a short time before we arrived. An autopsy will have to confirm that.”
“I wish that made me feel better, but it doesn’t.” Mary pressed her hand against her stomach and sighed. “I just keep thinking that if I had been there earlier—”
“Don’t.” He took her hand in his. “Don’t even think that way. If you had been there any earlier, you could have been hurt, or worse. I understand why you feel that way, but Mary, the only thing that would have happened if you were there earlier, is you would have been in a whole lot of danger, and just the thought of that—” He squeezed her hand, then shook his head. “I couldn’t stand it if anything ever happened to you.”
“That’s sweet, Wes.” Mary met his eyes, then glanced away as she blushed. “But it doesn’t change this feeling I have, that maybe I could have done something.”
“I know that feeling all too well.” He sighed. “More often than not I walk into a situation when it’s too late to prevent harm, but when I get that feeling I remember that it’s my task to find whatever justice can be found. That eases the feeling.”
“You’re right. That’s what I should focus on.” Mary stepped out of the car.
“Uh, that’s not exactly what I meant.” Wes stepped out as well. “It’s my job to find that justice, remember?”
“And it never hurts to have a sidekick.” Mary wrapped her arm around his and winked at him.
“Maybe we should start this conversation over.” Wes cleared his throat, but couldn’t hide a small smile. He walked beside her up to the front door of Dune House. As he reached for the door to open it, it swung open before he could.
James stood on the other side, his eyes dark, his ponytail a bit messy.
“Excuse me.” He brushed past Wes, barely nodded to Mary, then hurried down the front steps.
“Who was that?” Wes turned to look in the man’s direction.
“James.” Mary watched as the man disappeared along the beach. “Not the friendliest guy.”
“I see that.” Wes winced as he checked a text on his phone. “I have to run. Mary, will you be okay?”