Dune House Cozy Mystery Boxed Set 2

by Cindy Bell

  “You wouldn’t really have to give it up.”

  “Sure I would. Marriage would become a big priority for me. I love being with Paul, I just love having my own space as well. What we have works, why change it. Is love any less strong without a piece of paper?”

  “I understand what you’re saying, Suzie. To be honest with you, Paul might be a little hurt if you turn him down, but if he loves you the way I know he does, then he will get over it. It should matter to him more that you are content with what you have, than any piece of paper. If that’s not the case, well then he might not be the right person for you.”

  “I agree. But I hate to think that. I do enjoy his company. I care for him more than I ever expected to.”

  “Yes, it does take you by surprise.” Mary shook her head. “After what happened with my ex, I never imagined I’d want to be close to anyone again. But now I can’t imagine my life without Wes. It is quite strange how things can change so fast.”

  “You’re right about that.” Suzie nodded. “Let’s go, you drive and I can make the call on our way.” Once they were on the road Suzie dialed Louis’ cell phone number.

  “Hi Suzie.”

  “Hi Louis. Are you busy right now?”

  “Not really. It’s been a slow day.”

  “Would you mind checking into something for me?”

  “Sure. What is it?”

  “Can you see if you can find out if Leanne Kay and Neil Runkin had any run-ins, confrontations?”

  “If someone took a picture of it or wrote an article about it, I might be able to find it. Give me an hour and I’ll see what I can dig up.”

  “Thanks Louis, you’re the best.”

  “Yes, yes I am.” He laughed as he hung up the phone.

  “Do you think he’ll be able to find something?” Mary looked over at her.

  “Yes, I hope so. In the meantime there’s not much that the datebook can provide Jason with and I can’t really let him know that I’ve seen it as then I’d have to explain that I broke in,” Suzie said as they pulled into the parking lot of Dune House.

  “That won’t go down well.”

  Suzie went straight up to her room to get ready to meet Paul. She sorted through her clothes to find something to wear, but it was hard for her to concentrate. Finally, she decided on a blouse and jeans. She didn’t want to look as if she was trying too hard, but she also didn’t want to look too casual. Once she was dressed Suzie walked into the living room to find Mary curled up on the couch with a blanket and a book.

  “No Wes tonight?”

  “Not tonight.” Mary held up her book. “I have a different kind of date. Have fun tonight!”

  “I will, I hope.” Suzie grinned.

  “Don’t let what I said get to you, Suzie. You know Paul better than I do. If you two haven’t even discussed the subject then I’m probably wrong about the proposal.”

  “That is a good point, Mary. Maybe I am worrying too much about it. Paul’s not one to rush into things.”

  “See?” Mary smiled. “Now, just go and enjoy yourself.”

  “Thanks Mary. I will.” She leaned down and gave her friend a warm hug.

  When she drove away from Dune House she did her best to keep her mind focused on the moment rather than what might happen in the future.

  Chapter 14

  Suzie parked at the dock just as twilight thickened. The last of the evening light lingered on the glassy surface of the water. She paused to soak in the beauty for a moment. Everything about Garber was beautiful. She barely recalled her condo in the city anymore. She had adjusted very well to small town life. She walked along the dock to Paul’s boat. When she stepped onto the deck the boat rocked just enough to make her grip the railing. The door to the interior of the boat swung open.

  “There you are.” Paul smiled. “I just started to wonder if you might be standing me up.”

  “Paul, I would never do that.” Suzie placed a light kiss on his cheek.

  “I hope not.” He wrapped his arms around her and looked into her eyes. “Do you know how much I think of you when I’m out on the water?”

  “How much?” Suzie grinned. A faint blush colored Paul’s weathered cheeks.

  “Let’s just say you’re officially a distraction.”

  “Oh dear, I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing.”

  “It’s a very, very, good thing.” Paul smiled. “Come on in.” Paul stepped back from the door. Suzie smiled at the candle that flickered on the small table in the middle of the living space. It wasn’t a large area, but Paul made it work. “I wanted to put the table on the deck, but there’s a chance of rain. I thought it would be better if we were inside tonight. I hope that you don’t mind.”

  “This is perfect, Paul. Thank you so much, but you didn’t have to go to all of this trouble. Cheeseburgers would have been just fine.”

  “Did you just mention cheeseburgers to a fisherman?” He raised an eyebrow.

  “Oops.” Suzie grinned.

  He led her further into the boat. Suzie had added a few touches to the interior to make it a bit more livable. Soft cushions lined the benches and Paul’s bed had a brand new bedding set. “Of course it’s fish.” He gestured to the table.

  “Lovely. I’ve been looking forward to dining on something you caught.” As they sat down at the table Suzie watched him with a nervous smile. “I have to say this is a very nice bright spot in the middle of all the madness I’ve been dealing with.”

  “I imagine it might be hard for you to relax with everything on your mind.” He poured two glasses of wine, then handed her one.

  “Ah yes, thank you, this should help.” She took a sip. “Delicious.”

  “It is, isn’t it?” Paul said.

  Suzie picked up her fork and began to eat some of the fish. “Oh wow, Paul, this is amazing.”

  “Is it?” He took a bite as well. “Yes, it is.”

  They sat in silence while they enjoyed their meal.

  Suzie reached for her glass, but her hand moved a bit too fast. She knocked into the glass and splashed wine all over her white blouse. “Oh no! I’m such a klutz.” She frowned. Paul jumped up and handed her a napkin.

  “You’re not a klutz. The boat might have rocked a bit. I’m so used to it that I don’t even notice.”

  “Excuse me for just a moment, Paul. I want to see if I can rinse this a bit.”

  “There are some clean shirts in the drawer if you want to put something else on, Suzie. You can change in my room.”

  “Thank you.” She ducked into the small bedroom and slid the door closed behind her. One look at the wine stain on her blouse made it clear that there was little hope for it. She sighed and opened one of the drawers in Paul’s dresser. She reached in and pulled out one of Paul’s t-shirts. When she did a black velvet box flipped out of the t-shirt. It landed in the drawer. The moment that Suzie saw it her heart stopped. It began to pound again only when she picked the box up. “It can’t be. It’s not what I think. It must be earrings or a necklace.” She couldn’t resist finding out for sure. Her hand trembled as she flipped open the lid. The diamond engagement ring stared up at her from the ivory cushion. Her hand trembled.

  “Suzie? You okay? Did you find something to wear?”

  Suzie glanced up at the door. She swallowed hard and tossed the ring back into the drawer. “Yes, I’ll be right there.”

  “Okay.”

  Suzie changed into the t-shirt and wrapped up her blouse. Mary’s skills with stain removal might just save it. When she stepped back out into the living area Paul stood up from the table.

  “Wow, I have to say, Suzie, you looked gorgeous when you walked in here, but I think I like you even better in my t-shirt.”

  “Ha.” Suzie smiled. “It is comfortable, I’ll give it that. I’m sorry about spilling the wine.”

  “No problem. Let’s just enjoy our meal.”

  Suzie sat back down at the table across from him, but she couldn’t
bring herself to look him in the eye. She knew that there was no way to avoid the truth now. She saw the ring with her own eyes. Paul was going to propose. The only positive thing was that the ring was still in the drawer. Maybe he bought it and was just waiting for the right moment. Maybe if she dropped big enough hints he would get the idea that she was not interested.

  “You know, Paul, I do miss you when you’re away, but sometimes I think that we’re luckier than most.”

  “Oh?” He looked across the table at her. “Why is that?”

  “Well, they say that absence makes the heart grow fonder. Yes, we have to spend time apart, but that makes us value our time together so much more.”

  “I guess that’s true. But if it were up to me, I’d never leave your side.”

  Suzie took another bite of her food. She wondered if Paul was the one who made sense in the scenario. If he could feel that way about her, why couldn’t she feel that way about him?

  “I love your company, Paul. But do you ever feel like if you don’t get a little time to yourself you’ll lose your mind?”

  “Suzie. I’m alone on a boat a lot of the time. I get plenty of time to myself.” He squinted at her. “Is there something you’re trying to tell me?”

  “No, I just…” The shrill ring of her cell phone interrupted her. She was relieved by the distraction. “I’m sorry, Paul, I have to take this.”

  “In the middle of dinner?” He raised an eyebrow.

  “I know, I’m sorry. It’s Louis. I asked him to look into some things for me earlier.”

  “If it’s about the murder I understand. I’ll be here.” He smiled.

  Suzie stood up and stepped out onto the deck of the boat. When she answered the phone Louis’ voice was impatient.

  “I didn’t think that you were going to answer.”

  “I’m sorry I was in the middle of dinner with Paul.”

  “Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt.”

  “It’s okay. Did you find anything of interest?”

  “Yes, I did. I think I did anyway. It looks like Leanne and Neil have quite a history. In fact Leanne’s been arrested a few times and at least two of her arrests were directly related to her encounters with him.”

  “Really? What happened?”

  “Leanne staged a protest over the encroachment of conservation land. She and her group made a human chain around the access point that the bulldozers needed to use. When Neil tried to convince them to move he and Leanne got involved in a shouting match that ended with her slapping him in the face.”

  “Wow. Poor Neil.”

  “Maybe. Another incident made it seem like Neil was the aggressor. Leanne and a few like-minded friends hosted a sit-in to protest the hiring of a professor that was involved with the destruction of a foreign forest to make room for more houses. This had nothing to do with Neil that I can tell, however he still showed up at the protest and baited her into another argument. From what I understand he tried to drag her out of the room.”

  “Wait a minute. Why would he do that?”

  “I’m not sure. The more I looked into the connection between the two the more it seemed rather paternal.”

  “So, Neil was playing the role of father?”

  “Maybe there was something more between Priscilla and Neil than they were letting on?”

  “Maybe.” Suzie tapped the back of her phone. “It’s honestly hard to say. The way they interacted when I saw them together was not anything near romantic.”

  “Maybe things went sour?”

  “So, Neil decided to end it completely?” Suzie nodded slowly. “I guess that is a possibility. Or maybe Neil and Leanne worked together and killed her.”

  “Oh, that’s a scandalous thought.”

  “Yes, it is.” Suzie frowned. “Thanks for the information, Louis.”

  “You’re welcome. I hope that it helps. Let me know if there’s anything else that I can do.”

  “I will.” Suzie hung up the phone. She turned around to step back inside the boat, but found Paul in the doorway.

  “I just put everything away, I hope you don’t mind.”

  “No, it’s fine. I’m sorry that I interrupted dinner, twice.”

  He studied her for a long moment. Suzie shifted under his scrutiny. “Suzie, I don’t care how many times dinner gets interrupted. But it really gets under my skin that you’re not comfortable around me. I feel like ever since I got back you’ve been distant, or even worried. I know it’s not about the case. So, what’s going on? Did something else happen when I was out to sea?”

  “No, nothing.” She frowned. The last thing she wanted to do was lie to Paul, but she also didn’t want to hurt his feelings. “I’m glad you’re back. My mind is just in too many different places.”

  “If you say so.” He cupped her cheeks with the weathered skin of his palms. “I just want you to know that you can tell me anything, Suzie. You don’t need to hold anything back. I want us to be honest with each other, not because we have to be, but because we want to be.”

  “I want that too, Paul.” Suzie searched his eyes. “I feel really lucky that we found each other.”

  “Good. That’s all that matters to me.” He hugged her. “Now, your mind may be in a million places, but I know one thing that will clear it right up.”

  “What’s that?” He took her hand and led her further out along the deck of the boat.

  “Look up.” He squeezed her hand. Suzie lifted her eyes to the sky. As she gazed at the star filled expanse her shoulders relaxed. She eased into Paul’s arms. In that moment it struck her that she was exactly where she wanted to be, just as they were. She held on to him a little more tightly and hoped that nothing would ever change that.

  Chapter 15

  On the drive home to Dune House Suzie thought about Leanne and Neil. Could they really have committed Priscilla’s murder together? Could they be so ruthless?

  Suzie stepped into Dune House to find Mary asleep on the couch. The luxury of not having any guests meant she could camp out in the living room. Despite her hesitation to live with Paul, she didn’t regret sharing her space with Mary for a second. They understood each other in a way that only sisters could, even if they weren’t blood related. Suzie tucked a blanket around Mary and set the book on the coffee table so that it wouldn’t get bent.

  Suzie walked down the hall to her room. She sat down on the edge of her bed and closed her eyes. She was relieved that Paul hadn’t proposed yet, but after seeing that ring in his drawer she knew that it was only a matter of time. Maybe if she wasn’t so distracted by the murder she would be able to think of a way to let him know that she had no interest in marriage. But she was mentally exhausted from the back and forth between suspects. She didn’t think she was ever going to be able to communicate to Paul that she simply was not the marrying type.

  Suzie sprawled out on her bed and hugged her pillow. She thought that maybe if the murder was solved her focus could return to Paul. Maybe if she made more of an effort to pay attention to him he wouldn’t be so interested in changing what they had. She fell asleep with her heart heavy and her jaw tense. In the morning she woke to the shrill ring of her cell phone. Bleary-eyed she sat up in her bed and reached for it. She expected that it would be Paul, but when she answered it was Summer’s gentle voice that greeted her.

  “Morning Suzie. I’m sorry if I woke you.”

  “It’s fine.” Suzie glanced at the clock. She had slept quite a bit later than she usually did. “Did you get the test results?”

  “Yes, I did. I’m afraid they weren’t a match, Suzie. Wherever Priscilla was killed it was not in Redhawk River.”

  Suzie’s heart dropped. A big part of her had already decided that was where Priscilla was killed. It hadn’t really occurred to her that the test might not be a match. “That is surprising.”

  “I know. I really expected it to be a match. The preliminary results from the water in her lungs have come in. They indicate it was most likely tap wate
r that she drowned in. She could have been killed anywhere that there was enough room to immerse her head. Maybe a bathtub.”

  “Wait a minute.” Suzie’s eyes widened. “Did you say bathtub?”

  “Yes, I did. Why? Does that mean something to you?”

  “It might. The night that Priscilla was killed the bathroom on her floor had puddles of water on it. Mary and I just assumed that someone forgot to bring a towel in there with them. Then we noticed that the towels from Priscilla’s room were missing, but we didn’t think much of it, because guests take towels all the time. Or we thought perhaps they were mixed in with another load of laundry. I never considered that it could have had anything to do with Priscilla’s death.”

  “It just might, Suzie. It’s a place to start. I’ll call Jason and send him over to take a look.”

  “Thanks.” Suzie hung up the phone with a sinking feeling. Had the crime scene really been right under their noses the entire time? It seemed impossible to her and yet the truth was they never figured out where the missing towels were. She didn’t think they were in any of Priscilla’s luggage. She shuddered at the thought that Priscilla could have actually been killed in the bathtub. How could that have happened and no one know about it? Was it Stewart after all? Had Leanne followed her mother back to Dune House? She dressed and headed to the kitchen to find Mary.

  “Morning.” Mary smiled. “I’m glad you slept in.”

  “Mary, I think we have a serious problem.” Suzie shook her head at the cup of coffee that Mary offered.

  “What is it?”

  “I think that Priscilla might have been killed here, in the bathroom.”

  “What?” Mary dropped the cup of coffee she held. The mug didn’t break, but the coffee splashed all over the polished kitchen floor. “That’s not possible.”

  Suzie grabbed a towel and began wiping up the mess. As she did she reminded Mary of the state they had found the bathroom in the night of Priscilla’s death.