by Cindy Bell
“Jason,” Dr. Rose said and laid her hand lightly on his arm. “It's okay. It's not a big deal. She's just worried about Dune House.”
“No,” Suzie said sharply. “I am not worried about Dune House, because I already know that this death wasn't an accident. What I'm worried about is a murder going unsolved.”
Dr. Rose studied her with some sympathy. “If it's easier for you to believe that he was murdered, that is up to you, Suzie, but there is nothing to indicate that. I know that a tragedy like this happening on your property is overwhelming.”
“No,” Suzie shook her head. “You're both wrong. Just because there isn't proof, doesn't mean that it didn't happen.”
“Suzie, I think you're letting this get out of control,” Jason warned her. “What you need to be doing right now is consulting a lawyer and reviewing your insurance.”
“Thank you for your time,” she said in a clipped voice to Dr. Rose. Without another word to Jason she spun on her heel and walked out of the medical examiner's office. She was nearly to her car when Jason caught up with her.
“Suzie, please don't be upset,” he said urgently. “I didn't mean to be so offensive. To be honest, the results were a surprise to me, too. I really thought maybe you were right, that it was deliberate. I was a little shocked when that didn't turn out to be the case.”
“I still believe it, Jason. If we don't do anything to stop all of this we're going to have an unsolved murder in the town of Garber,” Suzie promised him.
“Suzie, I always have your back,” Jason reminded her and met her eyes. “If there's more to this, I assure you I will uncover it.”
Suzie glanced up at Jason. She wanted to believe him.
“I know,” she said quietly. “I'm sorry that I interfered.”
“Suzie, what about the party?” Jason asked. Those words coursed quickly through Suzie. She knew that she had been distracted and the party was coming up fast.
“It's still on,” she said before she hurried towards her car. She could feel Jason watching her. She thought he was trying to make sure that she actually got in her car. But when she turned back to look, he was nowhere to be seen. She had a sudden uneasy sensation that maybe it was somebody else that was watching her.
Suzie was about to return to Dune House when her cell phone began ringing.
“Suzie, I have the list,” Louis said when she answered. “Can you meet me at the library?”
“Sure, I'm two minutes away,” Suzie said and started her car. She drove to the library. It looked pretty dead, with only a few cars in the parking lot. As she walked in, Louis walked over to meet her.
“Where's the list?” Suzie asked.
“It's a short list,” Louis replied.
“Okay,” Suzie frowned. “Who is on it?”
“There's a collector from Florida that is a little obsessive and could possibly border on nuts,” Louis said grimly. “Tim Barows. Then there is an old high school friend of mine that was always jealous of everything I had. He wanted to be the one to run the school library, instead it was me. That kind of thing.”
“Huh,” Suzie nodded. So far she hadn't heard anything that made her very suspicious.
“Then, there is Gerald,” Louis said with a grimace.
“Gerald?” Suzie asked curiously.
“He's the son of the man who gave me the book. The only reason that I'm even considering him is because the book is rare and valuable, and by all rights should have gone to him,” Louis explained.
“Well, that is a pretty good motive,” Suzie agreed. “Is it enough of a motive for him to steal and murder someone?”
“I don't think Gerald would do that,” Louis said as he shook his head slowly. Then his eyes widened. “Then again, he was always rather snippy with me when I would visit. At the time I thought it was just because his father was sick, and he was stressed. Maybe there was more to it than that,” he said. “But I still can’t see him as a murderer.”
“The book was worth a lot of money, maybe he didn't want to share it with someone who wasn't technically family,” Suzie said with a shake of her head. “Once his father was gone, he might have thought he could take it back from you.”
“So, you think Gerald broke into my house and stole the book?” Louis asked and frowned. “I don't want to believe it's true, but I can't think of anyone else who would do this.”
“What about the other collector that you mentioned?” Suzie asked. “Would he or any other collector you know go to these lengths to get the book?”
“No,” Louis shook his head. “A stolen book is worth nothing, all of the other collectors would know that. If a book as rare and valuable as this is reported as stolen there's no way to sell it, or even to show it off, without being arrested.”
“Then why would Gerald take it?” Suzie pressed with confusion. “If he couldn't sell it, and he couldn't even show off that he had it?”
“I don't know,” Louis admitted. “Maybe just to get back at me. Richard and I had a close relationship. He confided to me once that he had never felt very close to his son. Maybe Gerald was jealous of what we shared, and he just took the book to make sure that I didn't have it.”
“I guess that's possible,” Suzie nodded. “A personal motive would explain why he wouldn't care about not being able to sell it. However, what in the world could this have to do with Warren's death? What would he get out of killing Warren?”
“Maybe it was just a coincidence,” Louis suggested. “Warren could have just fallen…”
“Maybe,” Suzie said with sight annoyance. “We did everything we could to ensure the safety of that balcony. I really think that Warren did not just fall. The railing did not just break. I believe it was altered.”
“Okay, okay,” Louis nodded and backed up slightly. “Let's say that Warren was murdered. That doesn't necessarily mean that it's connected to Gerald and the theft.”
“Hmm, good point,” Suzie nodded. “Will you excuse me for a moment?” she asked.
“Of course,” he nodded and narrowed his eyes. “I can't believe that Gerald would do this,” he said to himself.
Suzie was dialing Jason's number as she walked away from Louis. Jason answered on the third ring.
“Suzie, I'm so glad you called,” he said. “I know we didn't exactly have a chance to talk everything out and I think that we need to.”
“We do,” she agreed. “But can we do that later? First, I need you to look into Warren Blasser's past. See if he had any enemies.”
“Suzie,” Jason sighed. “I told you, I can't do any investigation when there is no crime.”
“I'm not asking you to do any kind of investigation, just to take a glance at the man's past,” Suzie pressed impatiently.
“I'll do what I can,” Jason replied before hanging up the phone.
When Suzie turned back to Louis she found that he was at his computer.
“What are you doing?” Suzie asked curiously as she walked up to him. She could tell that he was very focused on what he was doing.
“I'm just looking into Gerald's history a little more,” he explained. “It seems he has a lot of properties, he may be in more debt than I realized.”
“Then his motive would be even stronger,” Suzie agreed.
“Maybe,” Louis nodded with a frown. “But he wouldn’t gain financially because he wouldn’t even be able to sell it.”
“One good thing is that if it was Gerald that stole the book then there is a good chance he will still have it,” Suzie said. “He can't sell it, and it is too valuable to destroy, so he must still be holding onto it.”
“I know where he lives,” Louis said. His eyes were narrowed as he stared into space. “I can't believe he would do something like this.”
“I just hope he's only a thief,” Suzie said with a sigh.
“Do you think Jason would check it out for us?” Louis asked hopefully. Suzie frowned as she recalled the way Jason had spoken to her.
“No, I don't,�
� she said. “Without some kind of proof that it was Gerald who stole the book, all he can do is ask Gerald questions. That will tip Gerald off that he is a suspect. If he does have the book, he'll find a way to hide it or get rid of it, before we can get it back.”
Louis winced at the very idea. “I can't imagine never seeing that book again,” he said. He was heartbroken, Suzie could see that in his eyes. She felt badly for Louis. He could be a little snippy and arrogant, but he was always willing to help when they needed it. He was so surprised when he had an amazing gift given to him, only to have it taken away from him again. But Louis wasn't the only person that she was thinking about. She was thinking about Warren Blasser as well, whose death she was certain was connected with this theft.
“I think we should go ourselves,” Suzie said, lowering her voice.
“Go where?” Louis asked.
“To get the book back, to see if Gerald has it,” Suzie explained. “You're still friends with the family, right? We could just pop in for a visit, or maybe to tell him about the book being stolen, since it was once his father’s. That will give us a chance to look around.”
“What a clever idea,” Louis said with a smile of approval. “Are you sure that you want to get involved in this though?” he studied her for a moment. “Won't Jason be upset?”
“There’s no harm in asking a few questions,” Suzie countered. She did her best to make her voice sound confident.
“I can get someone to man the library today,” he said. “Should we go this afternoon?”
“Yes, that sounds good,” Suzie nodded. “I have an errand to run, then I'll come back to pick you up.”
“Okay,” he nodded and then looked into her eyes. “Thank you, Suzie, for helping me.”
“Thank me after we get your book back,” Suzie said. She felt a subtle thrill race through her as she left the library. She loved going on investigations like this. There were times when she really missed her role as an investigative reporter. Sure, many of her jobs had been on the boring side involving politics or celebrities, but the criminal cases were the most thrilling for her. She had left her career to become an interior decorator to give herself a change of pace, and suddenly she had become the owner of a bed and breakfast. But, she still had the blood of an investigator pumping through her veins.
Chapter 10
As Suzie drove down the main road, her mind focused on the task at hand. She was on her way to speak to Bill Daub, the contractor she had hired to work on the balconies at Dune House. She turned off the main street and drove about ten minutes into the next town.
Bill Daub's office was at the end of a small strip mall. She parked her car and walked up to the door of his office. Through the glass door she could see that he was speaking heatedly with another man in the office. She hesitated for a moment as she wondered if she had walked in on a private meeting. But when Bill began pounding his fist on the desk in front of him, she instinctively pushed the door open. As soon as she stepped inside the two men stopped arguing. Suzie was a little surprised when it was Detective Brown that turned around to face her.
“What are you doing here?” she asked, too stunned to think about what she was saying.
“Suzie,” he said grimly. His dark brown eyes were flashing with anger. He looked back at Bill. “I was here speaking to this gentleman about his poor construction work.”
“What?” Suzie asked. She was confused as she looked over at Bill.
“Suzie, I don't understand how this happened,” Bill explained. “If you're planning to sue the company however, we shouldn't be speaking about this.”
“Sue the company?” Suzie repeated with disbelief. “This is complete nonsense.”
“Suzie, watch what you say,” Wes warned her. She glared back at him.
“I am perfectly capable of deciding what I want to say and what I don't want to say,” she said sternly. “What happened to Warren Blasser was a homicide, and if you can't see that, then I'm starting to question your ability to be a detective.”
“Hey,” Wes shot back with aggravation in his voice. “You need to watch how you're talking to me.”
“Do I?” Suzie asked and stepped closer to him. “Are you going to arrest me for having an opinion, Detective Brown?” she demanded.
He stared at her with shock in his eyes. “Suzie, there's no reason for you to be angry at me. I'm here defending Mary, and you. Do you know the consequences you could face if you are found negligent in the death of this man?”
“There is no way she will be found negligent,” Bill interrupted with frustration.
“That's right,” Suzie said grimly. “Because there was nothing wrong with the railing on that balcony.”
“Somehow it broke,” Wes pointed out.
“Someone had to have tampered with it,” Suzie explained. “That's why I'm here, Bill,” she said as she turned to face the man, who was still quite pale. “I want to know your opinion on what might have happened. Don't get me wrong, I am not accusing you. I checked those railings myself, and I had them inspected, they were perfectly sound. But what could someone do to change that?”
Bill looked between her and Wes. It seemed clear that he didn't want to voice an opinion.
“Bill, I'm not going to sue you,” Suzie said with a frown. “I'm just trying to figure out what might have actually happened on that balcony. I need your help to do that.”
“We tried to make the railings match the buildings history as much as possible, but I can tell you for sure that the railing was sound when it was built,” Bill explained. “If you want me to tell you that it could have gotten weak with weather or the elements in such a short period of time, that's not possible. I only use quality wood and it is fully sealed. There is no chance that the wood could have rotted or even been damaged by high winds.”
“Then how did it magically break?” Wes demanded. He shot a brief glance in Suzie's direction, perhaps to see if she was going to attack him for speaking. Suzie only stared at Bill, waiting for an answer.
“Look, I haven't seen the railing in question, and before you ask, I can't see it,” he said firmly. “If I go out there to inspect it, it will be like admitting fault. Suzie, I know that you have no interest in suing me, but that can change. You have to understand, I could lose my business, I could lose everything over this.”
“And so could I,” Suzie pointed out. “So, I do understand. But hypothetically, let's say there was no visible damage to the wood. There were no wood shavings, no cracks, nothing to indicate it was cut in any way. What else would cause it to give way?”
Bill frowned. He stared down at the top of his desk for a few moments. When he looked back up at Suzie he spoke carefully.
“If I were in a situation where I had a railing fail like that, I would consider counting the screws to ensure that none were missing. Each screw is important to the strength of the railing, even just a few missing can mean the difference between a solid structure and a weak structure.”
“Thank you,” Suzie said with a sigh of relief. She didn't recall seeing any screws missing, but she also didn't look. “I appreciate your help, Bill. I want you to know, that even though you might not be able to trust my assurance, I will not be suing you or your company. I know that you still have to protect yourself from potential lawsuits by the family of the victim, so I won't ask you anything else about this. However, please know that I am trying my hardest to figure out what actually happened.”
“Good,” Bill nodded and offered her his hand for a quick shake. “It is a terrible tragedy,” he said with a slow shake of his head. “If I thought it was possible that my company was responsible for it, I would have shut down operations already.”
“I know that,” Suzie nodded. She passed a quick look over at Wes. “Detective Brown, please stop questioning this man.”
“I was only trying to help,” Wes said fretfully. Suzie turned and walked out of the office. Wes followed after her. “Suzie wait,” he called out and followed he
r to her car.
“What is it?” she asked testily. She refused to look directly at him. She was still angry with him for upsetting Mary.
“I just want to know what is going on here,” he demanded. “Why are you acting so upset with me?”
“I'm not,” she replied with a bit of a grimace. She didn’t want Mary upset with her for confronting Wes.
“I think you are,” he growled in return. “But if you don’t tell me, then fine. Would you like help looking at the railing? I could come back with you to do that.”
“No, thank you,” Suzie said grimly. “I can handle things on my own. Please leave Bill Daub alone. He is a good man, otherwise I wouldn't have trusted him with the updates on the balconies. This was no accident, and I plan to prove that.”
“If there's anything I can do to help, just let me know,” he offered.
“Thank you,” Suzie said but she had no warmth in her voice as she opened the door. She had no intention of asking him for help, she was still very angry with him. Wes stared after her as she drove off out of the parking lot. She was fuming as she raced back towards Dune House. She wanted to talk to Wes about Mary, but she knew she couldn’t because it wasn’t what Mary wanted.
Suzie had just pulled into the driveway of Dune House when her cell phone rang. When she saw who was calling she grimaced. She had forgotten all about Louis.
“Hi Louis,” she said when she answered.
“Suzie, are you coming to pick me up?” Louis asked.
“Oh, Louis I'm so sorry,” Suzie said with a shake of her head. “I got distracted with some things at Dune House. I'll be there shortly.”
“Why don't you pick me up at home?” Louis suggested. “I have a few things I can get done while I'm waiting.”
“Okay, text me your address and I'll be there in thirty minutes,” Suzie said quickly.
“Will do,” Louis replied before hanging up the phone.
Suzie hurried into the house. She wanted to check the balcony once more. As she walked towards the stairs she called out to see if Mary was home.