by Cindy Bell
“Can you sit for a minute?”
Melissa glanced around at her tables, then plopped down in the empty chair. “Just for a few minutes.”
“Melissa, do you remember serving Priscilla Kane last night?”
“Sure. It’s crazy that she died. I mean, I was just talking to her.”
“Did you notice anything strange about her last night? Was she upset?”
“Not at first. She came in, I seated her, then I seated her friend.”
“Her friend? She was dining with someone?”
“Yes.”
“Did you tell the police that?”
“Well no. No one asked. It was busy when they questioned us so I guess that it just slipped my mind.”
“Do you know who he was?”
“No, it wasn’t a he. It was a young woman. And when they first sat down they were cordial to each other. I took their order, but before I could even bring them their food, they started arguing.”
“Just a little back and forth?”
“No it was more than that. Raised voices. Slammed silverware. I was close to tossing them out.”
“Did you hear what they were saying?”
“Not really. Something like, you don’t understand, you’re too young to get it. Then the young woman went on this rant about how Priscilla was selfish, how she couldn’t ever see past herself, and that would never change. Then she stormed out.”
“Are you sure there was nothing else?”
“No, I’m sorry.”
“What about payment? Did the other woman pay for the check?”
“No, Priscilla paid for all of it. She left not long after that.”
“Was she drunk?”
“She had some drinks, but I think she was more upset than drunk.”
“Did you see her leave?”
“Yes, she kind of stumbled out the door.” Melissa glanced back at the big table. “I’m sorry I have to check in on them.”
“It’s no problem, you’ve been very helpful.” Suzie made a note on her napkin about the woman who shared a meal with Priscilla. At the very least she was someone to look into.
When Suzie finished her meal she left payment and a tip on the table and walked towards the door. She noticed that Conner was still at the bar. He nursed a beer, but kept his eyes on the door. Suzie looked towards the door just in time to see Neil step through it. He didn’t notice Suzie, but walked right up to Conner. The two spoke too quietly for Suzie to hear. She frowned as she continued out the door.
It seemed rather interesting that Neil, who only liked fancy places and people would go out of his way to a small Italian restaurant, and speak to a lowly driver. As Suzie drove back to Dune House she wondered whether Mary’s night had been pleasant. She hoped that it had. When she parked she saw that Dune House was dark, but for the two lights that they always left on. The porch light and the living room light. That either meant that Mary was home and asleep, or still out with Wes. Suzie made her way into Dune House through the front door. She knew that Neil would not be there, and she presumed that Stewart would be tucked away in his room. As she walked through the living room towards the front desk she heard a subtle flutter.
“Pumpkin! Pumpkin!”
“Oh dear, not this again.” Suzie paused in front of the cage. “What’s wrong, Benita, are you hungry?” She made sure the bird’s water and food dish were full. But the bird continued to shriek. “Pumpkin! Pumpkin!”
“Hmm, something tells me you like Halloween.” Suzie shook her head. “I can’t have you keeping our guests awake. I guess you will have to come with me.” She picked up the cage and carried it into her room. She set the cage down on a table near the window. Then she draped a thin blanket over the top of the cage to get the bird to settle down. In the silence that followed she took a deep breath. She knew that Paul would be getting in sometime the next day. She looked forward to seeing him, but she couldn’t be too excited with the weight of Priscilla’s death hanging over her head. Who was the woman she met with in the restaurant? Why was Neil so cagey?
Chapter 8
When Suzie woke the next morning the first thought on her mind was Paul. He would be arriving at any time that day. She smiled at the thought. The second thought was about Priscilla and what might have happened to her. She decided that the most important thing was to find out who was having dinner with Priscilla the night she died. That person might be the only person that knew exactly what happened to Priscilla. From what Melissa said she assumed the woman was much younger than Priscilla. She decided that she would attempt to ask Neil about her. She dressed and then headed for the front desk. She knew that both Stewart and Neil planned on checking out that morning. Mary already had coffee brewing.
“Did you get in late last night?” Suzie smiled at her.
“Quite late. Actually, I do have something to tell you.”
“What is it?”
“Wes and I decided to walk through town instead of on the beach. We bumped into Carl, you know, he runs the pharmacy? Anyway, we started talking about the tragedy of Pricilla’s death. He mentioned that he had seen Priscilla, and another woman, walking through town together.”
“Really.” Suzie raised an eyebrow. “Melissa, the waitress at Cheney’s told me that Priscilla ate with a woman the night of her death, but she said they argued.”
“According to Carl they walked arm in arm. He noticed because it seemed a little strange to him, one of the women appeared much younger than the other. He didn’t say they were arguing.”
“Interesting, interesting.” Suzie pursed her lips. “I guess we should tell Jason about this.” Before she could even pull out her phone Neil walked up to the front desk. He dropped his bag on the floor with a thump.
“I’m checking out.”
“Neil, I’m very sorry…”
“I don’t have time for this. Just do what you need to do to get me checked out of this place quickly.”
Suzie nodded. She began filling out the last of the paperwork. “Neil, did Priscilla have any friends that were young women?”
“What?” He scowled at her. “I just want to check out.”
“I was just wondering, if you knew of a young woman that she might associate with?” Suzie asked.
“The only friend she had was that damn bird, all right? Now, let’s go.” He tapped the desk.
“I just need your signature in these two places.” Suzie pointed out the two spots on the paperwork. Neil signed the papers with two sharp strokes of his pen.
“There.” He picked up his bag and strode across the room and out the front door of Dune House. Suzie jumped at how hard he slammed the door.
“Wow, good riddance.” Mary shook her head.
“Yes, well when he posts a scathing review on our website, we’re going to care.” Suzie sighed. “I’m sure there was a better way I could have handled that.”
“Try not to worry about it. He might not even leave a review.”
“Well, I will.” Stewart smiled as he walked up to the desk. “I really enjoyed my stay here, ladies. I’m sorry that I have to cut it short.”
“Stewart, I wish there was more we could have done to make you feel more comfortable,” Mary said.
“To be honest with you, it’s my guilt that is making me leave.”
“Your guilt?” Mary leaned forward with interest. “Guilt about what?”
“Well, maybe if I had said something to Priscilla when I saw her, maybe if I had asked if she was okay. It was just that with the way she was limping, I figured she was drunk.”
“Limping?” Suzie narrowed her eyes. “Wait a minute, when did you see Priscilla, Stewart?”
“Oh, the night she died. I saw her walking down the hall towards her room. I wish I would have asked if she was okay. Maybe if I offered to keep her company or something. Maybe she would still be alive if I had.”
“It’s not your fault, Stewart.” Mary touched the back of his hand. “No one could have known what would happ
en.”
“No Stewart, it’s not your fault. But you may have been the last person to see Priscilla alive. I think it’s important that you speak to Jason.” Suzie picked up one of the business cards that she kept on the desk. “Please contact him and let him know what you saw.”
“Oh wow, really? I didn’t realize that.” He shook his head. “I’m sorry, Suzie, but like I said before, I don’t want to get in the middle of a murder investigation.”
“Stewart, you have to tell the police what you saw.” Mary met his eyes.
“No. I don’t. Now, please, I’d like to check out.”
Suzie handed him the paper to sign. She was mystified as to why he wouldn’t want to speak to the police about what he saw. She began to look at Stewart in a different way. He was withdrawn, hadn’t spoken to Neil or Priscilla even once that she had seen, and had checked in the day before they arrived. Was it possible that he had been watching them the entire time? As he signed the paperwork he smiled.
“Please check for my glowing review, ladies. I will be back.” He picked up his suitcase and walked towards the door. Suzie pulled out her cell phone and fired off a fast text to Jason about Stewart that warned him Stewart was about to leave town and he should be questioned before he did. Jason sent a text back that requested her presence at the police station. Suzie sighed.
“It looks like I’m going to have to go see Jason in person about this. Mary, since we don’t have any more guests, do you want to join me?”
“Actually, I was thinking of walking into town and going to the library. You know how Louis knows the history of everyone in town and how good he is at researching people. I thought he might be able to find out who that woman is that was with Priscilla.”
“Good plan. Are you sure you don’t want a lift?” Suzie offered.
“No, I could use the fresh air.”
“I’ll tell you what, I’ll meet you there after I talk to Jason. Okay?” Suzie said.
“Sure.”
Suzie grabbed her purse and keys, but as she was about to walk out the door Mary stopped her with a travel mug of coffee and a muffin.
“It’s important.” She raised an eyebrow.
“Thank you, Mary.”
Suzie hurried out the door to her car. She wondered why Jason wanted to see her in person. As she drove towards the police station she glanced at the clock on the dashboard. She hadn’t yet heard from Paul that he had docked. That was a little odd, but she assumed that he must have been delayed for some reason. When she looked away from the clock she caught sight of the jewelry store, and a man who looked just like Paul was opening the door to it. Her heart skipped a beat. Paul was not the type of man to browse in a jewelry store. He also had not called to let her know that he was on dry land. She glanced in the rearview mirror, but the man was already gone.
“I must have been mistaken.” She parked the car in the police station parking lot and walked inside. Jason and Kirk stood near Jason’s desk. Suzie couldn’t hear what they were saying, but their expressions were grave.
“Jason?” Suzie waited for him near the front desk. Jason waved her back.
“Did you see my text about Stewart?”
“Yes, I did. We have a big problem. I hope that the guys on patrol can catch him.”
“Why is that?” Suzie looked past them at the computer screen. “Stewart has a record?”
“Yes. For assault. On an elderly woman.” He scowled. “I can’t believe I missed it. He was on my list of people I needed to question. I just hadn’t caught up with him yet.”
“He was so polite and quiet. I certainly didn’t think that there was anything to be concerned about,” Suzie said.
“What changed that?”
“Well, he told me that he saw Priscilla the night of the murder, going back to her room. I told him that he should contact you as he was likely one of the last people to see Priscilla alive. He refused. In fact he even checked out because there was an investigation. He must have known that he would be a prime suspect or he was concerned because he is the murderer.”
“Are you sure he saw her that night? Maybe it was another night?”
“No. I don’t think so. He said he thought she was drunk because she was limping.”
“Like when she stumbled out of the restaurant,” Jason said. “Yes, this is a good lead, I just wish we had caught him before he left.”
“I’m sorry, I texted you as soon as I suspected.”
“I appreciate that, Suzie.”
“Oh, by the way Paul should be getting in today.”
“I already talked to him.” Jason looked back at the computer screen. “Suzie, I may need to ask you and Mary some more questions about Stewart.”
“Uh huh.” Suzie’s mind reeled, not from Stewart being a suspect, but from Paul’s arrival. Why hadn’t he called to tell her that he was back? Maybe that had been him at the jewelry shop. She gripped her phone for a moment. She thought about calling him, but she knew she would be heartbroken if he didn’t answer. Maybe he wasn’t as eager to see her as she was to see him. It hurt her to think it, but Suzie always did her best to come to the logical conclusion. There must be a good reason why Paul would go out of his way to contact Jason, but not even bother to text her.
Chapter 9
Suzie was still trying to think of a reason why Paul wouldn’t call her when she left the police station and drove to the library. She sat in her car for a few minutes while she waited for her emotions to settle. Every minute that slipped by without Paul calling her made her sink deeper into confusion. She tried to figure out if she’d done or said anything to upset him. As she recalled when they said goodbye before he left on his trip everything was just fine. Short of a mermaid she couldn’t imagine who he could have met while out on the water.
Suzie shook her head and tried to focus her attention on the case. Although Jason appeared to be convinced that he had his man, Suzie was not so sure. Why would Stewart stay for as long as he had if he was involved? Why had he been so kind? Perhaps to throw them off?
Suzie opened the car door and stepped out. The library was not very crowded as it was still early in the day. When she stepped inside she saw Louis and Mary hunched together around one of the computers. With a bright smile on her lips she walked up to them.
“Morning.”
“Morning.” Louis peered through his thick glasses at her.
“Were you able to find anything?” Suzie maintained her smile.
“Louis is amazing.” Mary patted his shoulder. “He did an image search on Priscilla to see if he could find any pictures of her with a young woman. He did.”
“Yes, I did. Ladies, let me introduce Leanne Kay, formerly known as Leanne Kane, until she changed her name on her eighteenth birthday.”
Suzie leaned over Louis’ shoulder and peered at the computer screen. An image of Priscilla accompanied by a tall, young woman with a blonde ponytail popped up on the screen.
“She has a daughter?”
“Yes. Not just any daughter. She has a hardcore modern day hippie daughter.”
“Flowerchild?” Mary raised an eyebrow.
“Not these days. They’re called tree huggers nowadays. There’s a large global environmentalist movement and it grows every day. Priscilla’s daughter is a rising star in the movement. She’s been to several high-risk environments for the purpose of rescuing endangered species from war-torn areas or global developments.”
“So Priscilla, who’s all about profit not about protecting the environment, has a daughter that wants to save the world,” Mary said.
“I imagine that they didn’t get along very well, I mean her daughter changed her last name.” Louis tapped the screen. “I found one article where Priscilla is questioned about her daughter and she has a pretty powerful response. And I quote, ‘I raised her, provided her with all that she needed, and now she is her own person. I wouldn’t expect anything less from her.’ So basically stating they have nothing to do with each other.”<
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“Or that she’s proud of her independent-minded daughter.” Mary crossed her arms. “I find it hard to believe that Priscilla was as detached as she claimed.”
“Not everyone is as loving a mother as you, Mary.” Suzie sighed. “Maybe Priscilla wasn’t the mothering type.”
“Maybe.” Mary narrowed her eyes. “But the way she doted on that bird tells me that she is quite nurturing. That is the mothering type.”
“Good point,” Suzie agreed. “I didn’t think about that. What about the father?”
“Actually, there’s no father that I can find. It looks like Leanne was the product of a single mother by choice.”
“What do you mean?” Mary furrowed her brow.
“He means that Priscilla hit up a sperm bank when she was ready to be a mommy.”
Mary’s eyes widened. “I wish I had thought of that.”
“Mary!” Suzie laughed.
“It would have saved me some trouble.” Mary smirked.
“Oh, look at this.” Louis smiled. “I think I just won the lottery.”
“What is it?” Suzie looked back at the computer.
“It looks like Leanne was, and may still be in town. She came here to defend the seabirds that may be affected by her mother’s vast development. Apparently, they nest along Redhawk River and since it’s so close to the construction zone, they will be impacted.”
“That must have been who she argued with at the restaurant! Of course. Only a mother and daughter can fight like that.”
“So, if she was at dinner with her mother last night, then she is probably staying here in town. The funny thing is, I don’t recall seeing her at the community meeting. Do you, Mary?” Suzie asked.
“No, but it did get pretty chaotic. Maybe we just didn’t notice her?”
“I don’t think Leanne is the type to be seen and not heard.” Louis clicked the print button and the printer sprang to life. “I’ll give you a copy of her photograph so you can keep an eye out for her.”