by Cindy Bell
“Mary?” she asked. She caught a glimpse of her friend outside on the deck, but she decided to investigate the balcony before talking to her. She wanted a little time to herself. When she walked out onto the balcony she cautiously walked to the broken railing. She searched for the points where it should have been attached to the balcony. Just as the police had found, there was no damage, no indication that the wood had been splintered, or that anything had been used to pry it apart. She swung the railing into its proper position. She lined it up with the edge of the balcony where it should have connected. It fitted snugly into place. Then she crouched down to take a closer look at the way it was supposed to connect.
Although, most of the screws were accounted for, there were at least four that were missing. They were the screws at the base of the structure, the ones that should have provided the most support. If the screws had been removed, and the remainder loosened, maybe the railing would have easily given way. If the police had noticed the missing screws they had likely assumed that they had fallen off when the railing came loose. Suzie guessed it was still a possibility that it happened accidently, but she strongly believed it had been tampered with.
“What a good plan,” Suzie muttered to herself. “If he only touched the screws with a screwdriver, never with his fingertips he would have left no trace of his identity, and no evidence of tampering.”
She tore herself away from the balcony and walked back down the stairs to the lobby. Mary was there, with her phone in her hand. She looked up at Suzie.
“What did you do?” she asked as Suzie walked towards her.
“What do you mean?” Suzie asked in return. She was puzzled.
“I mean, I just got off the phone with Wes, he said that he had a very interesting encounter with you today,” she said and locked eyes with Suzie.
“Well, I didn't say how angry I was with him,” Suzie said defensively. “That should count for something.”
“Suzie,” Mary said with a slight frown. “I know that you're just trying to protect me, but you really have to let me handle things with Wes.”
“I'm sorry, I tried not to show him that I was upset with him,” Suzie frowned. “I didn't mean to cause a problem.”
“I don't think you did,” she replied with a smile. “It means a lot to me that you care so much. But I think Wes was a little frightened of you,” she giggled.
“He should be,” Suzie replied and narrowed her eyes. “He should be very frightened.”
“I love you, Suzie,” Mary said and gave her a tight hug.
“I love you, too,” Suzie said. “I hope that you can figure things out with Wes. But he needs to stop treating you badly.”
“I don't know,” Mary sighed. “Maybe I was just overreacting. I can be a little sensitive because of how things were with Kent.”
“I understand,” Suzie nodded. “I'm headed out, do you need anything?”
“Where are you going?” Mary asked. Suzie was about to tell her, but she stopped herself before she could. She didn't want Mary to get in the middle of things. She had enough on her plate with her birthday and Wes’ behavior.
“Just to grab a few things at the store,” Suzie explained.
“Oh okay,” Mary nodded. “No I don't need anything. I'll see you later tonight.”
“Absolutely,” Suzie replied.
Suzie rushed back to her car. Now that she had her suspicions of how the railing had been sabotaged, she also knew that there would never be evidence to show that was what had happened, unless she could get a full confession out of the murderer. Her assumption of what had happened would not be enough to protect Dune House from a lawsuit. She had nothing to show that could prove that the balcony was tampered with. As she started her car and drove off, Suzie felt a little bad for not being honest with Mary, but it was only for her protection. She didn't want Mary even more stressed out with her birthday coming up.
Suzie drove towards Louis' house. She had never been to it before, but the town of Garber was very easy to drive through. It was essentially a peninsula and had two main roads. When she found the street Louis' house was on she turned and slowed down to watch for the house numbers. The street was quiet with similar medium-sized houses. Suzie pulled up to Louis' house and parked behind his small orange beetle. She climbed out of the car and walked up to the front door. He opened it before she even had the chance to knock.
“I've been waiting for you,” he explained. “But I just need to run to the bathroom, come in for a second will you?”
Suzie hesitated for a moment. She liked Louis just fine when he worked in the library, but she had never really gotten to know him very well. She had been in Garber for a short time, so other than Mary and Paul she felt like she really didn’t know anyone in town that well, not even her cousin who she had recently met again after decades of no contact.
“Sure,” she nodded a little and stepped just inside the door. Louis rushed down the hall, presumably to the bathroom. Suzie thought his house looked exactly as she would expect it to be. His furniture was neat, his carpet clean, the shelves on the walls were filled from end to end with books. She didn't see a television anywhere in the living room, but there was a fireplace. On the mantle of the fireplace was a book. Suzie guessed it was the one he was currently reading. Curious, she stepped closer to check the title. It was a civil war documentary, not something she was terribly interested in. However, something did catch her eye. There were a few photographs on the mantle. One in particular held her attention. It had three people in it. Louis, an older man, and someone who looked very familiar.
“Suzie?” Louis asked from just behind her, causing her to jump. “Are you ready to go?”
“Who is this, Louis?” Suzie asked as she pointed to the photograph.
“Oh, that's Richard,” Louis sighed sadly. “The one who gave me the book.”
“And the man beside him?” she asked.
“That's his son, Gerald,” Louis nodded a little. “He's the one we're going to see today.”
“Are you sure that his name is Gerald?” she asked as she looked from the picture back to Louis.
“Of course I'm sure,” he said. He offered her a puzzled look. “Why do you ask?”
“Because he looks exactly like a man who checked into Dune House the same night that Warren Blasser did,” Suzie said gravely. “He said his name was John.”
“Are you serious?” Louis asked. “Do you think it was Gerald? Do you think he killed Warren?”
“I honestly don't know,” Suzie said with a slow shake of her head. “He checked out the next morning.”
“Well, we're going to see him, now,” Louis said hesitantly. “What do you think we should do?”
“I'm sure he'll recognize me if I go in there with you,” Suzie frowned. “I don't think you should be alone with him, Louis. He could be a killer.”
“I'm not afraid of Gerald,” Louis almost laughed. “Trust me, he's not intimidating at all.”
Suzie frowned. She knew that she had to let Louis make his own choices. She felt like she was getting a little too controlling.
“Just remember, even if he doesn't seem frightening, if he did this, then he is a murderer,” she reminded him.
“I really don't think he could kill anyone,” Louis shook his head. “But I'll be careful, I promise.”
“We'll take my car,” Suzie suggested.
“Fine,” Louis agreed and followed her out the door.
Chapter 11
Once Suzie and Louis were in the car Suzie felt a little awkward. She and Louis didn't know each other very well, yet she was taking a bit of a road trip with him. She backed down the driveway and started to drive down the street.
“No, it's the other way,” Louis insisted.
“Oops,” Suzie nodded and turned around to drive down the road in the opposite direction.
“I still can't believe that Gerald would do this,” Louis shook his head. “He was always such a sniveling kid. When he was a
teenager I didn't think he was ever going to mature.”
“I can't believe I never considered him. He checked in before Warren though. Did you let him know that Warren was coming out to value the book?” Suzie asked.
Louis cringed and glanced over at her. “Oh no, I did,” he admitted sadly. “I called him, just to let him know that it was going to be inspected. It just seemed right to let him know. He asked me about the valuer and I assured him he was one of the best. Is this my fault?” he asked with a soft gasp.
“No,” Suzie said firmly. “The only one at fault here is the murderer who did this. It was not your fault, Louis,” Suzie said with sympathy in her voice. “But it also doesn't make sense, does it?” Suzie asked. “Why would Gerald go to all the trouble of murdering Warren when he didn't even have the book?”
“Maybe he didn't know,” Louis said quietly. “Maybe he thought that Warren had the book. Then when he didn't find it in his possession, he came looking for it at my house.”
“But why?” Suzie asked again. “Do you really think this could all be over simple jealousy?”
Louis sighed and leaned back in the seat. “I'm not terribly close with my family, what there is of it,” he explained quietly. “When it comes to a father and son, I don't think there is anything simple about jealousy. Maybe Gerald had more animosity towards me than I ever realized. Perhaps I should have paid closer attention to him.”
“Louis, again, you can't blame yourself,” Suzie insisted and turned down the street that Gerald's house was on. “I still think it isn't a good idea for you to go in there alone.”
“It might not be,” Louis admitted. “But I do think that this is partially my fault. Maybe if I had been kinder to Gerald none of this would have happened. I just want the chance to see him face to face, to talk to him about it.”
“I'll be right outside,” Suzie said and looked at him with concern. “If anything goes wrong, just shout for me.”
“And you'll come in blazing?” Louis asked with a laugh. He swept his gaze over Suzie's slender form.
“Don't underestimate me, Louis,” Suzie warned. “I've taken down much larger men when needed.”
“I feel safer already,” Louis said teasingly. Suzie opened her mouth to argue, but she changed her mind at the last moment. She didn't want to get involved in an argument when Louis was about to go into a dangerous situation. “I'll be fine,” he promised her before walking up the sidewalk towards the house. Louis paused in front of the front door and took a breath. Then he knocked firmly on the door. He stood there for a few minutes. Then he knocked firmly again. Louis glanced over his shoulder towards Suzie, who was still sitting in the car. Suzie looked around the driveway. There was a car parked in it, but maybe it was an extra car, or maybe Gerald had gone for a walk. Louis knocked one last time and then began walking back towards her. Suzie opened her door and stepped out of the car.
“I guess he isn't home,” Louis said with some disappointment.
“Maybe we should take a look through the windows,” Suzie suggested.
“Do you think he'd be foolish enough to leave the book laying out in plain sight?” Louis asked skeptically.
“Well, we're here, and he's not, it might be our only chance to sneak a peek,” Suzie pointed out. She began walking towards the house. Louis followed after her. Suzie walked up to the front window. There was a curtain drawn closed. She could see light filtering through. She tried to see through the narrow crack in the curtain but she couldn't make anything out.
“You go that way, I'll go this way,” she hissed at Louis. Louis nodded and began walking around the opposite side of the house. Suzie reached a window that appeared to look into a study. There were blinds hanging in the window, but they were open. She could clearly see a table with a laptop on it, and two books beside it. Suzie blinked a few times. She wondered if her blood pressure might have gotten a little too high. She felt as if she was seeing double. When she looked through the window again, she saw the identical books in the same position on a wooden desk.
“Louis!” she called out in a loud whisper. Louis had already walked around the side of the back of the house, he was walking towards Suzie.
“I thought you said that the book was one of a kind?” she asked as she looked over at Louis. Louis looked at her with a puzzled expression.
“It is one of a kind,” he said firmly. “Why?”
“Because I see two,” Suzie replied and pointed at the window. Louis walked quietly over. He peered through the window at the books on the desk.
“Oh no,” he moaned and shook his head. “Gerald must have had a copy made.”
“So, which one is real?” Suzie asked with confusion.
“I won’t know until I can look at them properly,” Louis said and shook his head. “I can't believe he did this.”
“We should call Jason and let him know what we found,” Suzie said. “Maybe it will be enough for him to get a warrant so he can search the house for evidence of the murder.”
“No, don't do that,” Louis said with urgency.
“What? Why?” Suzie asked.
“Because, if Gerald is tipped off that we know about the books he might get spooked and hide them. This might be my only chance to get my book back, Suzie,” he frowned. “I know it isn't right, but he stole it first.”
“What are you saying?” Suzie asked with concern.
“I'm saying I'm going to go in there and steal it back,” Louis explained and tried to open the window. He smiled a little when he found that it wasn't locked.
“Louis wait, you can't go in there alone,” Suzie said. Then she tilted her head towards the houses nearby. “Besides, someone might see you.”
“I didn't really think about that,” Louis sighed. “I'm not thinking about anything to be honest. I just want my book back.”
“I understand,” Suzie said. “We might be able to use it as proof once we get it back,” she frowned. “It'll be dark soon, let's wait just a little while. If Gerald doesn't come home, then we'll go in and get the book.”
“Good plan,” Louis said. “Any chance you have something to eat in the car?” he asked hopefully. “I'm starving.”
“I have some granola bars,” Suzie nodded. When they returned to the car she handed him a granola bar, and then opened one for herself. As she took a bite of the granola bar a few pieces of it crumbled onto her lap. She brushed them away onto the floor of the car. When she did she recalled the pistachio shells that had been on the balcony. She also remembered that they hadn't found any kind of wrapper from the bag of pistachios. Not in the trash can, not on the balcony, not in the sand below. Her mind was lingering on this, when Louis lightly tapped the dashboard.
“I think it's dark enough now,” he said.
The sun had just set and there was still a glow in the sky, but Suzie agreed with him. If they waited much longer, Gerald might arrive home, and then their only chance of recovering the book and proving that he was the thief would be lost.
“Okay, let's do it,” Suzie agreed. They quietly crept out of the car. Gerald hadn't come home, so Suzie hoped they would have time to get into the house and back out with the book before he did. They moved stealthily around the side of the house. Suzie and Louis pushed up on the window together until it was high enough for them to crawl through. Suzie held the window up while Louis crawled in, then he did the same for her. Once they were both inside, Suzie turned towards the table where the books had been. Her heart dropped when she saw that the books and the computer were gone. Louis was staring at the same empty table.
“How is that possible?” he asked Suzie in a whisper.
“Maybe we came in the wrong room?” Suzie frowned. She knew that wasn't likely. This was the study she had been looking into earlier. Now it was skewed by darkness, but it was the same room. Suddenly she came to an uneasy realization. Before she could voice it, she heard a noise in the hallway. Then in the darkness, Suzie could see a light flick on underneath the door of the
study.
“Louis,” she hissed. “Someone is in the hallway.”
Louis started moving towards the window they had crawled in, but he knocked over a lamp along the way. The lamp crashed to the floor.
Suzie froze. She was certain that they were about to get caught. She noticed a coat hanging on the hat rack a few feet from her. With nothing to lose, she ducked under the coat hoping that it would shield her. Louis dove down behind the couch.
“Who is in there?” Gerald demanded from the dark hallway.
Suzie cringed. This man was a potential murderer, at the very least a burglar. She held her breath as she waited to see if he would open the door to the study. As she expected, she heard the click of the knob being turned. She heard the creak of the door slowly swinging open. She could hide and wait for him to find her, or she could try to take him by surprise. She abruptly flung the coat off her and shouted, “We know what you did, Gerald!”
Gerald gasped and jumped backwards. The coat tangled around his feet, causing him to stumble. When he reached for the wall to catch himself he missed completely and fell backwards with a crash. Suzie and Louis started to run past him.
“Wait, wait please,” Gerald cried out from the floor. “My back,” he moaned.
Suzie slowed to a stop. Louis turned back to look at Gerald.
“See, I told you,” he said to Suzie. He sighed and reached down to offer Gerald a hand up. Suzie was not nearly as trusting. She stood back as she watched Louis help Gerald to his feet.
“Louis?” Gerald asked tearfully. “Why would you do this to me?”
“Why would I do this to you?” Louis said in exasperation. “You're the one that broke into my house and stole my book!”
“Are you also responsible for the murder of Warren Blasser?” Suzie asked.
“No!” Gerald said sternly. “All right listen,” he took a deep breath and then sighed. “I am guilty of one thing. When my father told me he intended to leave the book to you, Louis, I was jealous, and greedy. I wanted to keep it. So, I spoke to my contacts and I had a forger copy the book. I figured you would never know the difference as I knew you would never try to sell it, so I didn't see how anyone would get hurt,” he shook his head. “It was stupid, I know that now.”