by Cindy Bell
“How was the weather on the water?”
“It was nice. Not a single squall.”
“I’m glad. You got back a bit late.” Suzie left the opening there for him. She wanted him to admit that he docked earlier than he claimed.
“Hm.” Paul shrugged. He paused beside a very large flowering tree. “Isn’t this gorgeous?” Suzie looked up at the tree.
“Yes, it is quite beautiful.” When she looked back at Paul he was down on one knee.
“Oh no, Paul. No!” Suzie stumbled back a step. Paul glanced over at her.
“What’s wrong?”
“This isn’t the right time and…”
“Huh?” He tugged the laces on his shoe and tied them tightly. “It’s not the right time for what?” He stood up. Suzie flushed as she looked away from him.
“I’m sorry, I don’t know what I was thinking.”
“Hey, it’s okay. You’ve been through a lot of stress lately.” He locked his eyes to hers. “I’m a little worried about you. I know that your instincts are good and you can solve any problem, but maybe this one is a little too intense for you.”
“No. I’m fine, really. I was just confused.”
“Not about me I hope.”
“No, not at all.”
“Okay good.” He took her hand again.
Suzie smiled, but the heat in her cheeks did not fade. “I should really get this sample to Summer. I don’t want it to sit too long.”
“Okay. Let’s head back.” He slid his arm around her waist. Her skin prickled with a familiar warmth in reaction to his touch, but her rapid heart rate remained. “Suzie?” He met her eyes. “Is something wrong?”
“I’m just a little shaken up by all of this.” Suzie glanced away.
“I don’t believe that for a second.”
“What?” Suzie looked back at him.
“I’ve seen you shaken up, and this is not that. What’s going on?”
Suzie smiled a little. Paul did know her better than she expected. “I’m just a little uneasy I guess.”
“All right, if you don’t want to talk about it that’s fine. Have dinner with me tonight? On the boat?”
“Oh, I don’t know.”
“Please.” He smiled.
“With all that’s going on it might not be a good idea.”
“All that’s going on is exactly the reason that you need a break. I’m sure that there’s one hour of the day that you can spare. Hmm?” His jaw set and his shoulders squared. Suzie was quite familiar with the stance he took. It declared that he was going to be stubborn.
“Yes.” Suzie leaned into his shoulder. “For you, definitely.”
“Great. Now let’s get that sample back to Summer. The sooner you get to the bottom of all of this the sooner this town can go back to normal.”
Chapter 12
Suzie dropped Paul off back at the dock before she continued on to the medical examiner’s office. When she stepped inside she heard Summer’s music playing.
“Hello?”
“Hold on, Suzie, I’ll be right out.” The music turned off. Summer walked out of the back room to greet her. “What’s up?”
“I have a sample from Redhawk River. I think it’s the area where Priscilla might have been killed.” Suzie held out the vial.
“Oh wow, great! Thank you, Suzie.” Summer took the vial. “I will get this tested right away. If it is a match then I’ll obviously have to get a sample tested that was collected through the official channels, but we can start with this. We really need to find the crime scene. I think that will make all the difference in the case. I’ve never seen Jason so frustrated. He has plenty of suspects, but nothing solid to go on. So, hopefully this will help.”
“I didn’t realize this was getting to him so much.”
“Something sure is. He’s been jittery and distracted. I tried to get him to have lunch with me and he turned me down. I think it’s the first time he ever has.”
“Well, there’s a lot of pressure around this case and a lot of attention. Jason’s probably in a hurry to get it over with, just like we all are.”
“To be honest with you, Suzie, I’m in no hurry. In my line of work a slow, steady pace and precision is key. If I make one mistake, it can mean that Priscilla never gets her justice. That’s why I evaluate everything about the body.”
“You do a very good job, Summer. Will you let me know when you get the results of the water test?”
“Absolutely. Thanks for going to so much trouble. What made you think that the river might be the place?”
“I spoke with Priscilla’s daughter, Leanne, and she said that she and her mother went out to the river together the night she died.”
“I see.” Summer frowned. “I’ll let you know.”
“Thanks.” Suzie left the office and drove towards Dune House. When she parked she noticed that Wes’ car was there as well. She walked into the lobby to find Wes and Mary cooing at the bird.
“What are you two doing?” Suzie tried not to laugh.
Mary grinned. “We’re trying to get this bird to say anything other than pumpkin.”
“Good luck.” Suzie shook her head. “I haven’t heard it say anything else since Priscilla’s death.”
“It’s not unusual for a bird to parrot a word they hear frequently,” Mary said. “Pumpkin is just a rather odd word for it to hear often enough to retain.”
“That’s true.” Suzie laughed. “I think I’ve said it more since the bird has arrived than I have in a lifetime.”
“Oh, by the way I ran into Jason in town and he had just finished questioning Leanne.” Wes straightened up and turned to look at Suzie. “I thought that you might want to know what he found out from Leanne.”
“Sure, what did he tell you?” Suzie asked.
“She told him the same thing she told you and Mary, that she and her mother had gone out to Redhawk River. But he pushed for more information. I guess she and her mother had been in contact quite a bit. He found proof of it in their phone records. Leanne and Priscilla spoke on a daily basis for at least a month before Priscilla arrived here,” Wes explained.
“That’s odd, isn’t it? I thought they were estranged?” Suzie glanced towards Mary, who nodded.
“They were. I guess that Leanne admitted that she and her mother were not exactly talking. They were arguing,” Wes said. “Each and every call Leanne attempted to get her mother to agree to back out of the deal. But Priscilla would insist that she already made a commitment to her business partner and there was no way for her to change her mind.”
“That must have been quite frustrating for Leanne.” Suzie narrowed her eyes. “All of that resentment must have built up.”
“It also makes it seem impossible that Priscilla would suddenly change her mind about the deal. If after all of the arguing she still resisted, then why would one walk through the woods change anything?”
“Exactly.” Suzie sighed. “It looks like Leanne might just be the murderer. I took a sample of water from the river to Summer. Once she confirms that it matches the water in Priscilla’s lungs then we’ll be able to settle all of this.”
“Jason tried to hold her with what he had, but he didn’t have enough. He had to let her go.” Wes sighed. “That’s one of the worst parts of police work, knowing who the criminal is, and not being able to do anything about it.”
“What if she takes off?” Suzie shook her head. “She has no reason not to run if she thinks that she is a suspect. How could they just let her walk out?”
“His hands are tied, Suzie. It’s not Jason’s fault,” Wes said.
“Well, then we need to get some real evidence. There’s no time to wait for the water report to come back.”
“What do you mean, Suzie?” Mary studied her. Suzie met Mary’s eyes and then glanced over at Wes.
“I think it’s something that we need to discuss in private, Mary.”
“Anything you can say to Mary in private I’m sure
you can say in front of me.” Wes folded his arms across his chest. “Unless of course you intend to get her into some kind of illegal activities. Is that the case?”
Suzie raised an eyebrow. “What happens between Mary and me stays between Mary and me.”
“Is that so?” His laughter had an impatient edge.
“Yes, it is so.” Mary placed a hand on Wes’ shoulder. “There’s a lot of things that Suzie and I can only tell each other. That’s non-negotiable.”
“So is Suzie putting you in any kind of danger!” Wes’ eyes narrowed. “You have to be careful.”
“I would never do anything to put Mary at risk, Wes. If you don’t know that, then you and I need to spend a lot more time together.”
“All right, all right.” He held up his hands. “In my experience when the two of you get together some very interesting things happen.”
“But we’re both still here, right?” Mary smiled. “I appreciate your desire to protect me, Wes, but I’ve made it through many decades and the only person who has had my back through every single moment of that time, is Suzie. We take care of each other. So, you may worry if you wish, but it will be a waste of your time.”
“Please excuse me for attempting to get in the middle of something so sacred. You’re right. I may have overstepped. I’m sorry, Suzie.”
“Don’t be.” Suzie smiled. “Anyone who cares about Mary enough to want to ensure her safety, even from me, is someone I respect.”
“That’s gracious of you, Suzie.” Wes winked at her. “I’ll be on the porch if either of you need me.”
Even with Wes out on the porch Suzie pulled Mary into the kitchen to talk. “Thanks for coming to my defense.”
“Wes means well, he’s just always in detective mode.”
“His instincts aren’t wrong. I do want to get you involved in something illegal and potentially dangerous.”
“Well, why else would we need to talk in private?” Mary grinned. “What is it?”
“Neil managed to check out of his room before it was ever searched. I don’t want the same thing to happen with Leanne. Jason can’t go in without a warrant, but I think there has to be some kind of proof in there. I think we should break in.”
“What if we are caught?” Mary frowned.
“We just have to make sure we aren’t. I want the chance to see what Leanne might be hiding before it’s too late.”
“I think it’s a good idea,” Mary paused and peeked out of the kitchen. “We’ll have to get rid of Wes first.”
“We have to go soon because I have dinner with Paul tonight.”
“Well, we can’t have you miss that.” Mary winked. “Let me send him on his way, then we can head out.”
“Wait, we need to make sure that Leanne is not in her room, too.” Suzie considered her options for a moment. “I know what to do. Go ahead and deal with Wes.”
As soon as Mary left the kitchen, Suzie placed a call to Louis. “I know, I know, it’s me again.”
“I don’t mind. What can I do for you, Suzie?”
“Is there any way that you could send an anonymous message to someone?”
“Several ways.”
“I want to get Leanne out of her motel room. The only way I can be sure to do that is if there is a problem at Redhawk River.”
“Oh, maybe a fire?”
“That would probably work, but I wouldn’t want to alarm anyone else or get the fire department involved.”
“Hm. Maybe something more personal then. I know. Why don’t I send her a message that there’s going to be a rally for the seabirds in town. By the time she figures out that it’s not happening you should have enough time to go through her room.”
“Perfect. Thanks Louis. Let’s hope it works.”
“No need to hope when I’m on the case, you can be certain.”
Suzie smiled at his confidence. She met Mary on the porch just as Wes pulled out of the parking lot.
“He wasn’t upset I hope?”
“No, he was fine. I told him we needed some girl time, and he had no problem with fleeing.” Mary laughed. “Sometimes I wonder what men think women do during girl time.”
“Well, apparently we stage break-ins and solve murders.” Suzie grinned. “Let’s head straight for the motel. Louis is setting some bait to draw Leanne out, but we won’t know if it worked until we get there.”
“This isn’t your way of avoiding dinner with Paul is it?”
“Not at all.” Suzie glanced at her watch. “We’d better hurry if we’re going to get back in plenty of time for me to gussy up for Paul.”
“Gussy up? Really?”
Suzie grinned.
Chapter 13
On the drive to the motel Suzie peppered Mary with the details of Louis’ plan.
“That should work. But we don’t know for how long. We will have to move as fast as possible,” Mary said.
“Yes, and we have to watch out for Maurice, too.” Mary started to pull into the parking lot of the motel, but Suzie gestured for her to keep driving. “Let’s park in the next plaza. That way Maurice won’t notice the car.”
“Good idea.” Mary parked the car. The two walked towards the motel behind the shops in the plaza and crossed onto the motel property behind the building. Suzie counted the windows to figure out which room belonged to Leanne. The parking lot was fairly empty. Perhaps the news of the murder had scared some people off, or the majority of Maurice’s guests were out enjoying the day. Either way it worked to their benefit. Suzie noticed that Maurice’s car appeared to be missing as well.
“I’m going to take a look in the window to see if she’s in there.”
“I’ll walk around to the front and knock.” Mary headed for the front of the building. Suzie peered through the back window of the motel room. The flimsy curtain did nothing to hide the interior of the room. From what she could tell Leanne was not in the room. She gave Mary some time to knock. There was no movement in the room.
Suzie tried to open the window. As she hoped it would be, it was unlocked. She eased the window open and hoisted one leg over. In her mind she lithely climbed into the room. In reality her foot caught on the corner of the curtain and she fell forward flat onto her stomach on the bed. As fast as she could she got to her feet. One quick glance around informed her that there was no one else in the room with her. She grabbed the corner of the bedspread and looked under the bed. When she straightened up she heard a scuffle at the window. A sharp breath caught in her chest as she spun around to find Mary with one foot over the windowsill.
“Mary, what are you doing?”
“I’m trying to get in the window.”
“No! Just stay out there and be a lookout.”
“Oh, you get to have all of the fun.” Mary huffed and crossed her arms. Suzie smiled and began picking her way through the small motel room. It was drab in comparison to the rooms she was used to at Dune House. She noticed Leanne’s suitcase which stuck out of the closet. When she flipped it open all she found inside were a few t-shirts and pants. She poked her head in the bathroom and spotted a toothbrush and a small hairbrush. There was nothing so far to implicate Leanne in a crime. She discovered a well-read book left on the bed. Other than that there weren’t many personal items. Then Suzie spotted it, a datebook on the bedside table. She picked it up and began to flip through it. Many of the pages were filled with contacts and appointments. However, in the notes section it appeared to be more like a diary. She began to read through some of it.
How I could have sprung from the womb of a woman so callous, so ignorant, is beyond me. I long for the day when I am able to make her face the consequences of all the damage that her power and money have caused.
Another entry was just as infuriated.
Once more the devil I call mother will destroy what I hold most dear. It’s not enough that she abandoned me as a child in the pursuit of money, now she will make mother birds abandon their nests and eggs, all to ensure a little more profi
t. If there is ever anything I can do to stop her, I must do it. I can’t be faint of heart. I can’t be intimidated by her goon, Runkin. I must be brave enough to put a stop to all of this.
Suzie’s heart skipped a beat. She knew that there was no way that she could give the datebook to Jason to use as evidence as she had broken in to see it. But there was no question in her mind that Leanne hated Priscilla more than enough to harm her. However, there was one other thing that stood out to her in the notes, her hatred for Neil Runkin as well.
“Suzie? I heard a car pull into the parking lot.”
“Okay, I’m done here anyway.” Suzie made a smoother exit than entrance. Once on the other side she eased the window closed. Carefully they made their way back across the parking lot and into the next plaza. Suzie’s heart still raced even when they reached their car.
“What did you find?” Mary fumbled with the keys to get the lock on the door open.
“I found something rather interesting. I’m going to put in a call to Louis and see if he can help me with something. I could do it myself, but I think Louis will be quicker and probably more successful. It seems that Leanne had a particular dislike for Priscilla’s business partner, Neil. Her diary is full of hatred towards her mother as well. Several times she states that she will do anything to stop her mother from causing more harm to the environment.”
“Wow, that certainly makes her feelings quite clear.”
“I also don’t think it’s possible that the two made up as easily as Leanne claims. I’m going to make a quick call to Louis, and then I have to get back to Dune House and get ready for my dinner with Paul.”
“Do you think tonight will be the night?” Mary winked at her.
“I hope not.” Suzie sighed. “Do you think a man has ever stayed with a woman if she turned his proposal down?”
“You’re really not interested, are you?”
“I love Paul.” Suzie stared down at her own reflection in the screen of her phone. “I feel for him in ways that I’ve never felt for anyone. But that doesn’t change the fact that I like things exactly as they are. I don’t want to give up what we have right now.”