by Cindy Bell
“Thanks a lot,” Paul said with a laugh and leaned in for a quick kiss. When he pulled away he was smiling. “I guess I had faith enough for both of us.”
“So, what you're saying is I need to stay out of it,” Suzie said grimly. “I'm not too great about keeping my nose out of things.”
“Not necessarily stay out of it, but take a step back and let things play out as they will. Mary needs to figure things out for herself. You and I both believe that railing was tampered with. The proof will come to light with time,” he studied her intently. “I don't want to go off to sea worried about what you might be getting in the middle of, Suzie. If someone really did murder Warren Blasser, then that person is dangerous.”
“This isn't going to be one of those lectures about me not putting myself in danger is it?” Suzie asked with a subtle sigh of impatience.
“Maybe,” Paul admitted. He shrugged and swept his gaze over the water before looking back at her. “It's hard to be so far away from you, to not be able to protect you.”
“I can appreciate that,” Suzie said diplomatically. “But you have to remember that I've been in plenty of dangerous spots before you came along, Paul, and I can handle myself.”
He reached up and lightly stroked her cheek as he gazed into her eyes. “I have no doubt,” he murmured. “Just like Mary has been through very difficult times, and has made it through.”
“Oh you,” Suzie slapped him playfully on the shoulder. “I see what you did there.”
“Do you?” he wiggled his brows. “I thought it was pretty good.”
“It was,” Suzie sighed. “But I'm still going to investigate.”
“Oh, I know you are,” Paul said with a short laugh. “I'd be a fool if I thought you weren't. Just be careful. Make sure Jason is helping you.”
“I will,” she promised him. “Even though I've pulled myself out of a few dangerous situations, Paul, you'll always be my favorite rescuer.”
“Aw, that's sweet,” he said and slipped his hand into hers. As they started to walk again he stole a glance over at her. “I love you, Suzie.”
“I love you, too, Paul,” she said and hugged his arm.
After Paul dropped Suzie at home he left to prepare for his launch. Suzie still felt uneasy. Paul's words had made sense to her, but she was still boiling with irritation at Wes. She tried to distract herself by thinking about the railing and how it might have come loose. She knew that it had to have been tampered with, or maybe she just really hoped it had been. What she couldn't figure out was who would have wanted Warren dead.
“Suzie, is that you?” Mary called out from the laundry room.
“Yes, it's me,” Suzie called back. “Need help?” she asked when she stepped into the laundry room.
“I'm just getting fresh sheets ready for the bed in room five,” she explained.
“I don't think anyone will be sleeping in them for a long time,” Suzie said with a sigh. “I still can't believe it happened. But everyone in town can, and they think that it was an accident, or possibly negligence.”
“We know better,” Mary reminded her but she could see the doubt in Mary’s eyes.
“I just don't know how to convince others of that,” Suzie said still partly trying to convince herself.
“Me neither,” Mary agreed as she shook out the sheet she had just pulled out of the dryer. “You and I both know there is no way that railing gave way.”
“We had every balcony inspected,” Suzie recalled and narrowed her eyes. “Maybe the inspector made a mistake.”
“No way,” Mary shook her head. “He was very reputable. Besides, we did a walk through with him, and I distinctly remember him leaning on the railings to show us they were strong.”
“Yes, that's true,” Suzie nodded. “I remember that now. But still, maybe we did cut corners.”
“Don't talk like that,” Mary said firmly. “There's no way we would have cut corners when it comes to a safety issue.”
“You're right,” Suzie leaned back against the wall of the laundry room. “Did you hear anything more about the murder from Wes?”
“Actually I did,” Mary nodded. Her expression darkened. “He said he was sorry about the death, and that he would do his best to help us out if he could, but it's not his jurisdiction so he can only investigate so much. Can you believe that?” Mary narrowed her eyes.
“Well, it's not his jurisdiction,” Suzie pointed out. “Not only that, Jason can barely help us because it's being ruled accidental and I think he believes it is.”
“That's not the point is it, Suzie?” Mary snapped. Suzie's eyes widened. It wasn't often that Mary actually got upset.
“I'm sorry,” she said quickly.
Mary sighed and set down the folded sheet. “No, I'm sorry, Suzie. I didn't mean to snap at you. I know you're right. It's just, I expected him to swoop in and take charge I guess. I don't know, maybe you're right, maybe I have been reading too many romances.”
“There's nothing wrong with romance,” Suzie said gently. “All I'm saying is that Wes’ hands probably really are tied. Just like Jason's.”
“But he didn't even come over to check on me,” Mary pointed out. “Of course, I told him not to,” she frowned.
Suzie pulled her into a warm hug. “These things are never easy, Mary. But no matter what happens, we'll get through it together.”
“I know,” Mary said as she hugged her back. “If there's one thing in this world I know I can rely on, Suzie, it's our friendship.”
“That's for sure,” Suzie said with a laugh. “Now, I think we have earned some wine and chocolate. What do you say?”
“Heavy on the chocolate, light on the wine,” Mary requested as they walked into the kitchen.
Chapter 8
Early the next morning Suzie headed to the library to check on Louis. She made a few stops along the way for party supplies, since Mary was not with her. She was more than a little concerned about how Louis had behaved the day before. She knew that he was likely still taking Warren's death very hard. When she arrived at the library she was surprised to see that there was a police car in the parking lot. When she stepped inside the library she spotted Jason and his partner, Kirk, standing at the front desk with Louis. Louis was red in the face and obviously frustrated.
“Look, I don't know who would have done it,” Louis said, clearly aggravated. “I think that you need to be out looking for the criminal who stole my most valuable possession, rather than wasting your time here asking me the same questions over and over again.”
“Louis, I'm just trying to get as much information as possible so that I can solve the crime,” Jason said calmly.
“What's going on?” Suzie asked as she walked up to them both.
Jason cast a wary glance in her direction. “Louis had a break-in last night,” he explained.
“A break-in?” Louis repeated. “Is that really what you're calling it? The most important thing in my life was ripped out of my home, and you call it a break-in?”
“The book?” Suzie asked and narrowed her eyes.
“Yes,” Louis said with exasperation. “First Warren was killed, and now this. I don't think I can take any more. If I don't get that book back, I'm going to lose it. I should have left it here, I never should have taken it home.”
“Relax, Louis,” Suzie assured him. “Jason is a great police officer and he will take care of this for you.”
“I can't, I just can't,” Louis said tearfully. He walked off towards the employee lounge of the library. Suzie stared after him sympathetically.
“So, now I'm a great police officer?” Jason asked, reminding her that he was still there.
“Jason, you know I didn't mean what I said,” Suzie said with a sigh. “But surely you can see that there is a case here now. Obviously, whoever killed Warren was also after the book.”
“Obviously?” he asked and raised an eyebrow. “Is that an investigative term?”
Suzie narrowed her eyes as sh
e studied Jason. She had never seen him so snippy with her before.
“Are you going to tell me that you don't think that there's a connection between the two crimes?” she asked incredulously.
“I'm not saying that, I'm just saying that the evidence isn't there to support that connection,” Jason explained and shook his head. “We can't just make assumptions.”
“Assumptions like I must be lying about the renovations I did on the house?” Suzie asked.
“I never said you were lying,” Jason pointed out. “Sometimes things are overlooked.”
“So, now I'm a liar, and I'm cheap,” Suzie said with disbelief. “It's good to know your real opinion of me, Jason.”
“Suzie, you know that's not the case,” Jason said impatiently.
“Maybe that's the problem,” Suzie said with a sigh. “I don't know. What I do know is that this was no accident. Are you going to investigate it as a murder, or not?” she asked.
“I can't,” Jason said with a frown. “Not without some kind of evidence. But what I will do is keep an ear out and I will do some investigating and see if any new evidence comes to light. If anything comes up, I will let you know right away.”
“Fine,” Suzie nodded. She had a million other things she wanted to say, but she didn't think it was appropriate library conversation.
“Suzie,” Jason warned her as he met her eyes. “I want you to stay out of this. No conducting your own investigation. It could come back to hurt you, since the death took place on your property.”
Suzie nodded and then walked away from him without saying anything more.
“I mean it, Suzie,” Jason called after her. Several people in the library shushed him for raising his voice. Jason shook his head and walked out of the library.
Suzie was more than a little annoyed. She knew that Jason had to do his job, but she felt as if she was the one that was doing it for him. Her cell phone began ringing. She pulled it out to see that it was Mary calling. “Hello?” Suzie asked. She stepped out of the library so that her conversation wouldn't bother anyone.
“Hey Suzie,” Mary said. “I just wanted to check on you, and see how Louis is doing.”
“Not well,” Suzie replied. “Someone broke into his house and stole the book that he was trying to get insured.”
“Unbelievable!” Mary said with a shake of her head. “What are the chances of that?”
“Not likely,” Suzie replied. “I think that there must be a connection between Warren's death and the stolen book. Of course, Jason doesn't seem to agree,” Suzie said and made her best attempt not to roll her eyes.
“Do you think that there is a way we can get some proof that it was connected?” Mary suggested.
“I don't know what proof that would be,” Suzie sighed as she walked towards her car. “I can't really blame Jason, there simply is not any evidence. Even the person who stole the book left no evidence behind.”
“Well, come home, we'll have lunch and brainstorm,” Mary said. “I hate to say it, Suzie, but we may need to focus more on damage control than the murder investigation.”
Suzie grimaced as a group of women walking past all began whispering and glaring in her direction. “I think you might be right about that,” she said. Suzie was just about to get into her car when she heard footsteps behind her. She froze, and then slowly began to turn. She found Louis standing just behind her.
“Sorry if I scared you,” he said nervously. His eyes were red-rimmed. Suzie knew how much that book had meant to him.
“It's okay, Louis,” Suzie said gently.
“I heard what Jason said,” Louis explained. “That he didn’t think there was a connection between the death and the robbery.”
“He might be right,” Suzie said in a mild attempt to defend her cousin.
“I get that,” Louis nodded. “But I think there’s a strong possibility that there is a connection between Warren's death and the book being stolen. I was wondering if you would help me?”
“Help you what?” Suzie asked as she met his eyes.
“I need to find out the truth so I want to investigate this crime,” Louis said. “I can't just leave this up to the police. I can't even feel safe in my own home right now.”
Suzie knew that she couldn't let it go either. “Louis, you think about all of the people in your life that might have done this. Write a list of their names. Then, we will meet later this afternoon to go over them. Right now I'm going home to try to do some damage control for Dune House, but as soon as you have that list put together, call me and let me know.”
“How will I know who to put on the list?” Louis asked as he looked up at her. “I don't have any enemies.”
“Start with people that you think would have an interest in the book then,” Suzie said. “And add anyone who is shady or has made your skin crawl.”
“I can do that,” Louis nodded. “Thanks, Suzie.”
“Call me when you have your list,” Suzie reminded him before ducking into her car.
Chapter 9
When Suzie arrived at Dune House, Mary was waiting for her.
“How did it go?” she asked as they shared a quick lunch of salad and half sandwiches.
“Not good,” Suzie shook her head. “The worst part is that Jason is getting really testy. He told me to stay out of it entirely.”
“He's only trying to protect you,” Mary pointed out grimly. “Kids that age think that they know everything.”
“I feel like I'm having to prove myself to my cousin, at the same time that I am trying to solve a murder.”
“Well, you and Jason really don't know each other very well,” Mary reminded her. “You've only been part of his life for a short time, and now you see each other just about every day. It's going to take some time for him to fully trust you.”
“I guess you're right,” Suzie sighed. “But I am not going to sit back and let the reputation of this beautiful place that we have restored be tarnished by rumors.”
“What can we do?” Mary asked. “We're at a dead end.”
“Not necessarily,” Suzie said thoughtfully and then took the last bite of her sandwich.
“What are you thinking, Suzie?” Mary asked.
“I'm going to check in with Dr. Rose,” Suzie said as she picked up her purse.
“Didn't Jason say to drop it?” Mary reminded her as she followed Suzie to the door.
“Last time I checked it's not illegal to drop in on a friend,” Suzie called back over her shoulder as she opened the door.
“I think you better think about this, Suzie,” Mary warned her. “I'm sure if you just ask Jason to check…”
“No, I don’t want to bother him,” Suzie said sternly. “I am going to make sure that we get to the bottom of this.”
“Okay, but call me if she found anything, promise?” Mary caught her arm before Suzie could get out the door.
“I promise,” Suzie said and paused to smile at Mary. “Don't worry, I won't spend your birthday in jail.”
“Good,” Mary sighed. “Because last time I had to bail you out it involved going into neighborhoods that weren't exactly safe and friendly.”
“Don't worry,” Suzie said firmly and tried not to laugh at the memory that Mary stirred up. Then she headed for her car. Mary watched from the door until Suzie pulled out of the parking lot.
Suzie turned on her radio to try to drown out her thoughts. She didn't like to be on the outs with Jason. She knew that he was just trying to do his job. But it hurt that he didn't seem to believe that she had been as careful as she claimed with the updates on the balcony.
When she reached the medical examiner’s office, there were no other cars in the parking lot. She stepped out of her car and ducked inside. There was no one at the front desk, but Suzie could hear music coming from the examination room. She knew that Dr. Rose liked to listen to music while she worked. Suzie walked up to the door and knocked lightly.
“Hello? Dr. Rose?” Suzie called out. Whe
n there was no answer she pushed the door slightly open. “Summer?” she called again. “Are you in here?”
The music suddenly turned off.
“Suzie?” Dr. Rose poked her head around the corner of the hallway. “Sorry, I didn't hear you out there. Come on back.”
Suzie smiled at her. Ever since Dr. Rose and Jason had begun dating, Dr. Rose had been even friendlier to Suzie. She was just hoping that Jason hadn't warned her not to tell her anything about the exam.
“Hi,” Suzie said as cheerfully as she could. “Sorry for interrupting.”
“It's okay,” Dr. Rose said as she snapped off her gloves and tossed them in a disposal bin. “I'm finished.”
“Were you working on Warren Blasser?” Suzie asked nervously.
Dr. Rose settled her gaze on Suzie. “I don't think I should discuss the results with you.”
“Oh, of course not,” Suzie said mildly. “I don't want any details or anything, I was just wondering if you had found any evidence of assault.”
Dr. Rose cleared her throat. “Suzie, I know how difficult it must be for you that this happened at Dune House. But the truth is, there is no evidence of anything other than an accidental fall.”
“Which I would have told you, if you had waited for me to do my job, instead of doing what I asked you not to,” Jason said from just behind Suzie. Suzie frowned as she hadn't even heard him walk up behind her.
“I'm sorry, Suzie,” Dr. Rose said. “I wish that I could tell you something different, but the injuries are consistent with an accidental fall.”
“Okay,” Suzie said, and closed her eyes. She could feel Jason glaring at her.
“There was no reason to interfere,” he said sharply to her. “I told you, if Dr. Rose found anything, you would be the first to know.”
Suzie took a deep breath. “I know, Jason, I'm sorry.”
“You can't just take advantage of my relationship with Summer,” Jason began to say, he was preparing to launch into a full force lecture, which made Suzie quite uncomfortable, since she was old enough to be his mother.