by Cindy Bell
“Don’t forget to let me know when Paul gets in. Okay?”
“I won’t forget.” Suzie smiled.
After Jason left, Mary looked over at Suzie. “What’s that about?”
“Who knows? Maybe they’re trying to bond?” Suzie shrugged.
Summer laughed. “I’d like to be a fly on the wall for that.”
“Me too.” Mary stifled a laugh. She glanced at her watch. “Oh dear, we’d better go check on Benita, maybe her food has run out and she’s hungry.”
“I also want to see if Neil is back yet. It seems odd that he hasn’t heard of Priscilla’s death yet and come to Dune House to sort things out.”
“Maybe he did and he doesn’t know how to handle it. He doesn’t seem like a man who is too in touch with his emotions.”
“I can agree with you on that.” Suzie rolled her eyes. “Let’s check up on Stewart, too. He’s been awfully quiet.”
“Good idea. When he gets wind of all of this it might spook him.”
Chapter 6
As Suzie and Mary drove back to Dune House, Garber appeared more somber. Suzie wondered if word had already gotten around about the true cause of Priscilla’s death. She knew that in a small town like Garber bad news spread fast and scandalous news spread like wildfire. When they pulled into the parking lot at Dune House Suzie noticed that Neil’s car was still not in the parking lot. She and Mary walked up to the door and stepped inside. It was uncomfortable for Suzie to think about the woman who would never collect her luggage or her beloved bird.
“I guess he’s still not here.”
“I’m going to make us some lunch. We didn’t even have breakfast.”
Suzie nodded. “I’m not sure if I can eat.”
“You’re going to have to. It’s important.”
“I know, I know.” Suzie frowned. She walked over to the front desk as Mary disappeared into the kitchen. Suzie picked up the phone and dialed the number for Stewart’s room. After the third ring he answered.
“What is it?”
“I’m just checking in to see if you are doing okay today.”
“Ah, because of Priscilla?”
“You’ve heard.”
“Who hasn’t?”
“I want to assure you that everything is being done to find the person responsible.”
“I’m sure it is. But I have to say that this doesn’t feel much like a vacation anymore. I’m going to check out tomorrow morning.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. I wish your departure was under better circumstances.”
“It’s quite all right. I’ve enjoyed my visit here, but I don’t want to be caught up in the middle of a murder investigation. It’s a shame, a real shame.”
“Yes, it is. Please let me know if there’s anything I can do, or anything you might need.”
“Thank you. I won’t be attending dinner tonight. I have plans to meet someone for dinner.”
“Okay, thank you, Stewart.”
“Thank you, Suzie. Don’t worry, I intend to visit again.”
“Great.” Suzie sighed with relief as she hung up the phone. The last thing she needed was a bad review spread throughout the community because of something that she had no control over.
“Pumpkin! Pumpkin!”
“Ugh.” Suzie rolled her eyes. “All right, all right. I’ll feed you.” Suzie walked over to the birdcage and opened the door to refill the food dish. As she filled it she heard footsteps approach from behind her.
“What’s Benita doing down here?”
Suzie turned around to find Neil dressed in the same clothes that he wore the day before. “Neil, have the police contacted you?”
“The police? No. Why would they?”
Suzie frowned. “Neil, I’m sorry to be the one to tell you this, but Priscilla Kane has passed away.”
“Has what?” Neil’s eyes widened. “She’s dead?”
“Yes, I’m sorry for your loss.”
“Are you sure?” His brows knitted together and Suzie thought for just a moment that he might begin to cry. Instead he shook his head. “I didn’t think anything could kill that woman.” Suzie raised an eyebrow. That wasn’t exactly the reaction she expected.
“We’re taking care of her bird until we’re able to contact family. Unless of course you would like to have Benita with you.”
“No, absolutely not. That feathery beast never quietens down.” He scowled at the bird. The bird flapped its wings at him. “So, what was it? A heart attack or something?”
“No, I’m afraid she drowned.”
“Drowned? She didn’t even like to swim, that I knew about. Well, I guess I didn’t really know if she liked to swim or not.”
“No, she didn’t drown while swimming. She was intentionally drowned. Neil, she was murdered.”
“Murdered?” Neil took a step back. His face grew pale. “Are you sure about that?”
“Yes, Sir.” Suzie reached for a box of tissues. “If there’s anything that Mary and I can do to help, please don’t be afraid to ask.”
His face grew red as he glared at the box of tissues. Instead of grabbing a tissue his eyes fluttered as he looked away. He grabbed the edge of the front desk to steady himself. “Am I in any danger?”
“I don’t believe so. Why would you think that?” Suzie grabbed his elbow to steady him.
“Well, if someone killed Priscilla I’m guessing it was someone from around here, someone who wanted to stop the resort from being built. They might be after me, too. Don’t you think?”
“I’ll tell you what, I’ll call my cousin, he’s a police officer. He can give you a better idea of whether you might be a target.”
“Oh sure, local police. No, I think I’ll be hiring a bodyguard until I can get out of this town.” He narrowed his eyes. “I’ll be checking out first thing in the morning.”
“I’m sorry to hear that, Neil, but I certainly understand. In the meantime if there is anything that you need please feel free to ask.”
“What could I possibly need from you?” Suzie watched as he walked away. “Someone in this backwards town is going to pay, I promise you that.” She heard him slam the door to his room. The abrupt sound caused a shiver to race along her spine. Maybe Neil didn’t know how to express his grief, but he certainly knew how to express his anger.
“Suzie, lunch is ready!” Mary stuck her head out of the kitchen to get her friend’s attention. Suzie, still a little startled from Neil’s behavior, joined her friend in the kitchen.
“Well, I just told Neil what happened,” Suzie said as she walked into the kitchen.
“Oh? Was that the slam I heard?”
“Yes. I don’t think he was the least bit pleased. He seemed just as angry as he was upset.”
“People react to things differently.” Mary placed a grilled cheese with freshly sliced tomato on the bench in front of Suzie. All of a sudden Suzie was hungry, very hungry.
“Oh, that reminds me, I’d better let Jason know that Neil is here.” She sent Jason a text. After a few bites of her sandwich she heard a knock on the door, then the door swung open.
“Suzie?” Jason called out as he stepped into the lobby. Suzie stole another bite of her sandwich then excused herself.
“Jason, you got my text?”
“Yes. Is Neil still here?”
“Yes, he is in his room. Room six.”
“All right.” He walked down the hall towards the room.
“Jason, he didn’t take it well.”
Jason spun on his heel to look at her. “You already told him?”
“Yes.” Suzie frowned. “Is that a problem?”
“I would have liked to see his initial reaction myself. So yes, it is a bit of a problem. I wish you had waited until I arrived.”
“I’m sorry, Jason, I thought he should know as soon as possible,” Suzie said. “He was wondering why Benita was downstairs and I couldn’t lie.”
“It’s all right.” Jason sighed. He knocked on the
door of Neil’s room. There was no response. Jason knocked again. Again there was no response.
“Are you sure he’s here?”
“I didn’t see him leave.” Suzie stepped past him and tried the door knob. The room was locked. “Neil?” She knocked on the door. “Neil, are you in there?”
Jason frowned when there was no answer. “Can you open it?”
“Sure.” Suzie pulled the keys out of her pocket and unlocked the door to the room. When the door swung open the room was spotless, and also empty. The bed was made and the furniture was neatly arranged. Jason started to step inside.
“Jason, what are you doing?”
“I was just going to take a quick look around.”
“No.”
“What?” Jason turned to look at her.
“Neil’s my guest. I can’t just let you into his room.”
“You did unlock it for me.” He crossed his arms.
“Yes, but that’s because I thought Neil might be hurt. Not to let you snoop through his things.”
“Really? You’re going to lecture me about snooping?” Jason laughed.
“Jason. I’m serious.”
His smile faded as he looked at her. “Suzie, Neil could be involved in this. I might be able to find a lead if I look around.”
“Do you have any reason to suspect him?”
“None. But business partners are often involved in disputes. Are you really going to deny me the chance to find evidence?”
“We don’t even know where Neil is. I didn’t see him leave.”
“He must have slipped out when you weren’t looking. Where he is doesn’t matter as much as why is he sneaking around?” Jason peered at a pile of papers on a table.
“Jason.” Suzie frowned. “I’m not comfortable with this.”
“I’ll remember that the next time you want me to give you information about someone.” He raised an eyebrow.
Suzie sighed. “All right, fine. But you know as well as I do that anything you find without a warrant can’t be used against Neil.”
“Why would anything be used against me?” Neil stood in the hall just behind Suzie. “Why are you in my room without my permission?”
Suzie cringed.
“I was looking for you, Mr. Runkin, to discuss the murder of Priscilla Kane,” Jason said as he stood tall and walked towards him.
“Are you accusing me of something? What right do you have to be in my room?” Neil glared at Suzie. “Did you let him in here? You did, didn’t you?”
“I thought you might be hurt.” Suzie frowned. “I thought you were inside and not answering.”
“Oh, now you have so much concern for your guests? Where was that concern when Priscilla was missing all night?” He chuckled. “And look who’s here. Junior Deputy Dogood.”
“Junior what?” Jason narrowed his eyes.
“You want to look around my room without a warrant?” Neil stepped into the room with Jason. “Feel free. I have nothing to hide. Priscilla and I were business partners, that’s it.”
Suzie’s stomach churned as she watched the two men face off. She couldn’t help but feel that she was somehow responsible for the fireworks of tension between them.
“Why don’t we start with you telling me where you were last night?” Jason pulled out his notebook.
“I wasn’t here.” Neil shrugged. “I was being entertained by a lady friend.”
“A lady friend? It wasn’t Priscilla?”
“Please.” Neil scowled. “After the meeting I met a woman on the beach, and well, she appreciated my plan for the future of Garber.”
“What was the name of this woman?” Jason looked up from his notepad.
“You really think I’m going to tell you that so you can smear her reputation? No. I have no reason to tell you who I was with. I was not here, and I was not with Priscilla. That’s all that you need to know.”
“So, you’re not interested in cooperating with this investigation?”
“What I’m not interested in is dealing with a small town cop who has no idea what he is doing. For all future contact you can go through my lawyer. If you don’t mind I’d like you to leave my room. I need to pack.”
“I’ll be in contact with you soon, Mr. Runkin.” Though Jason’s tone was polite Suzie could see the squint of his eyes and the tension in his jaw. He stepped out of the room. Neil promptly closed the door behind him. They both heard the click of the lock. Jason gestured towards the living room. Suzie followed after him. He did not speak until they were outside on the porch together.
“That guy is a real piece of work.”
“Yes, he is.” Suzie folded her arms across her chest.
“I’m sorry that I’ve gotten you into a problem with him. But I do think there’s good reason to suspect him. He refuses to give an alibi.”
“He did come back today with the same clothes he wore yesterday,” Suzie paused. “Actually, he must have changed between the time he came in and the time we saw him. His clothes were different.”
“Interesting. Maybe he took a shower. That might have been why he was not in his room.”
“His hair wasn’t wet.”
“Maybe he didn’t wash it.” Jason shrugged. “Either way, I’m going to see about getting a warrant. I want to know what is in his room that he didn’t want me to see.”
Suzie nodded. “I’ll keep an eye out.”
“Please do.” He started to walk away, then stopped and turned back. “No Paul yet?”
“Probably not until tomorrow. Is everything okay, Jason? You’ve been asking about him a lot.”
“Sure, everything’s fine.” Jason glanced away.
“What is it?”
“Nothing Suzie.”
“Is it about me?” Suzie’s heart dropped.
“It’s nothing bad, Suzie.” Jason smiled at her. “At least I don’t think it is. I just need to talk to him when he gets in, all right?”
“All right.” Suzie waved to him as he walked to the parking lot.
Chapter 7
A few hours later Suzie was so restless that she decided it was time to do some investigating of her own. It was the only way she could get herself to calm down. She paced back and forth through the living room as she began to carve out a plan.
“Suzie?” Mary nearly collided with her as she walked into the living room. “Are you okay?”
“Yes, I think so. Neither Neil nor Stewart has signed up for dinner, so do you want to go out for dinner tonight?”
“Wes is taking me out to dinner again tonight. Do you want to join us instead?”
“No, thank you.” Suzie smiled. “I’ll be back by eight.”
“Okay, I won’t be.” Mary grinned. “I’m hoping we will go for a walk after. Although, we might just avoid the beach.”
“I don’t blame you for that. Have fun. I will be on call in case any of the guests need anything. All right?”
“Great. See you later, Suzie.”
“See you later.” Suzie stepped out of the front door of Dune House and walked over to her car. With every step she took she had a strange sensation that something might just pop out at her. She looked around the property a few times, but didn’t notice anything strange, aside from a window that was off track. She tried to tug it back into place, but it was wedged. She made a mental note to ask Paul for help with it when he docked.
When Suzie arrived at Cheney’s it was as busy as ever. Suzie swept her gaze over the wait staff in search of familiar faces. Though she didn’t often dine out, when she did it was usually with Paul at Cheney’s. She had also become familiar with the employees from the restaurant and from running into them from time to time in town.
“Melissa!” Suzie waved to a young waitress who had just walked away from a large table of diners.
“Suzie.” She smiled as she walked over to her. “Where’s Paul?”
“A table for one tonight I’m afraid. Anything good on the menu?”
“Every
thing’s good on the menu.” Melissa winked at her. “Just a minute and I’ll get you a table by the window.”
“Thanks, Melissa.”
As Suzie waited for her table she noticed a familiar face in the crowd. It took her a moment to remember who he was. Priscilla’s driver. He glanced over at her, but didn’t seem to recognize her. Then he settled in at the bar. Suzie walked over to him and leaned against the bar beside him.
“Can I buy you a drink?”
He looked up at her. “Sure, I guess. You’re from the bed and breakfast, right?”
“Yes. I’m sorry about Priscilla.”
“Yes. That was a shock. My boss wants me to wait here until the matter is settled, so I’m staying.”
“In the motel right?”
“Yes.”
“I know the owner. Is he taking care of you well?”
“Sure, I guess. Clean towels, a working television, what more can you ask for?”
“I’m Suzie by the way. I don’t think I caught your name.”
“It’s Conner.”
“Conner, did you notice anything strange happening around the motel?”
“Strange?” He shrugged. “You mean other than the people?”
“What was strange about the people?”
“Just you know, some seedy types.”
“Sure.” Suzie nodded. “Anything other than that? Maybe someone arguing or something?”
“There was some arguing about money. I don’t know who it was though. It sounded like two guys. I didn’t see either of them, I was in my room. But I could hear them out in the parking lot.”
“Did you tell the police?”
“No reason to. I didn’t think it had anything to do with Priscilla, still don’t. They didn’t mention her or anything.”
“What about family?”
“Look, I don’t know anything about her. All I did was drive, and like I said, she was private. I didn’t get to know her.”
“All right.” Suzie glanced towards Melissa who signaled to an empty table. “Thanks for your time, Conner.”
“No problem.” He returned to his drink. Suzie didn’t think he was telling her everything. She settled at the table and ordered a glass of wine. As she relaxed into her seat she studied the others gathered in the restaurant. It was eerie to think that Priscilla had her last meal in the restaurant, if she even ate. When Melissa returned with Suzie’s wine, she placed her order for ravioli. Then she gestured to the empty chair across from her.