by Cindy Bell
“Do I look like a librarian to you? If you want information, that’s who you should talk to.”
“We don’t mean to bother you, but this is in regards to a murder investigation. Do you think you could spare a few minutes to answer some questions?”
“Murder investigation? Who’s dead?” She narrowed her eyes.
“A friend of mine.” Paul removed his hat and stepped forward. “Robbie, a fisherman.”
“Robbie? Oh, he was just a young man. I’ve met him a few times. But why do you want to ask me questions about him?”
“This location was listed on his GPS. Do you have any idea why that might be?”
“Well, I can’t really say. I haven’t spoken to him. But we do have guests that stay here. I don’t keep track of their visitors. Just about the only way to get out here is by boat. The dirt track takes ages. Maybe he came by to meet with someone.”
“You don’t keep records of the boats that come in and out?”
“No. We barely have anyone come out here anyway.”
“Your son greeted us with a gun. Is that how you always greet guests?”
“We weren’t expecting any new guests. However, over the past couple of weeks we’ve had someone stealing some of our pearls. I’m sure Junior just assumed that might be you, since you two decided to show up without calling ahead and we weren’t expecting anyone. A courtesy call could have prevented all of those problems.”
“Fair enough.” Suzie nodded. “What about your guest registry? Could we see a copy of that?”
“Sure. I’ll get it for you. Just wait here.” She went back into the house.
“See? Not too bad.” Paul smiled at Suzie.
“You do know she’s not coming back, right?” She raised an eyebrow.
“She’s coming back.” Paul looked towards the door. “Any second now.”
Suzie glanced at her watch. Then she looked back at him. After a few minutes passed she glanced at her watch again.
“All right, all right.” Paul sighed. “You were right. She’s not coming back.”
“Should we knock?”
“If she’s not going to cooperate there’s no point. I’m sure that Jason will have better luck getting the information from her. Let’s keep going to the list of locations.”
As she walked back towards the boat Suzie thought about the thefts at the pearl farm. By the time she reached the boat she knew that she was going to have to broach the subject with Paul.
“Do you think that Robbie might have been the one stealing the pearls?”
Paul gritted his teeth as he helped her on board. “I’d rather not think that.”
“I don’t know. Remember that he was coming and going at odd hours.”
“Says Mike, who is our prime suspect.”
“Not just Mike.”
“Suzie, until we get solid information that he was involved, I don’t even want to consider it.”
“All right.” Suzie nodded and settled into silence as he pulled up the next location on the GPS.
“There’s not much point to going out to Simon’s place. If Robbie went out to see him it was just to visit. Simon’s been a friend of ours for years.”
“Still, it might be good to find out what he spoke to Simon about, or whether Robbie acted strangely. We did see Simon’s boat pulling away right before we found Robbie.”
“That’s true. I wouldn’t mind checking in with Simon anyway. If we’re lucky he might offer us lunch. He has a way with seafood, it’s always been the best I’ve ever tasted.”
“Mm, sounds delicious.” Suzie settled into a seat and stared out at the water.
Chapter 11
As Suzie and Paul sailed towards Simon’s place Suzie was lost in thought as she looked out at the large expanse of water. In her mind she tried to form a timeline of what might have happened from the time that Robbie launched in the morning until the time he docked and met his murderer. It was hard to place exactly where he was at what time as the GPS only recorded the time when the boat stopped at the specific coordinates, and not how long the boat was in each particular location.
The fact that Robbie’s death came not long after there were a few thefts at the pearl farm was something that Suzie could not shake. Could it really just be a coincidence? She knew that Paul wanted to believe his friend was an honest person, but some of the information she’d gathered so far about him, indicated that he might lead a different lifestyle than Paul was aware of.
“Not far now.” Paul slowed the boat. Suzie stood up and watched as they approached a short dock. The dock was littered with lounge chairs, coolers, and fishing poles. It looked very well used. Paul eased the boat to a stop. “Let me just give him a call and let him know we’re here.”
As Paul made the call Suzie focused on every detail of the dock. If it was one of the last places that Robbie had been, there might be a clue as to what had happened to him.
“Hey buddy, it’s Paul. I’m at your dock. Are you free?” Paul looked over at Suzie and nodded. “Sure we’ll be right up. Yes, I brought her.” He chuckled. Suzie raised an eyebrow as he hung up the phone. “He’s looking forward to meeting you.” He grinned. “I think he thought I’d made you up.”
“Really?” Suzie laughed. “That’s silly.”
Paul smiled and gave her a light hug, then climbed off the boat. He turned back to help her off as well. They walked up a small hill to a single story house. It didn’t look like it was in the best repair. The yard was scattered with half-finished projects and piles of wood that waited to be chopped. Music drifted through the open windows of the house. Suzie recognized the melody. It seemed to her that Simon had an affection for classical music. Paul led her up to the back door of the house. He knocked once, then opened the door.
“Come on in the kitchen, Paul!” Simon’s voice bellowed from around the corner. Paul took her hand and turned down the hall to the kitchen. A wonderful scent greeted her just before a man with only an apron for a shirt walked towards her with his arms wide open. “You must be Suzie!” He wrapped his arms around her before she had the chance to stop him. Not only did he hug her, he lifted her right up off the ground. When he released her she plopped back down on the ground with a laugh.
“Nice to meet you too, Simon.”
“Sorry, I should have warned you, he’s a little physical.” Paul put his hands up before Simon could hug him, but Simon still wrestled his arms around him. “How are you, pal? I haven’t seen you in a while.”
“I know, I’ve been a little, occupied.”
“I can see that.” Simon chuckled. “Lucky man. You two hungry? I’ve got lunch on the stove ready to go.”
“That would be great.” Paul nodded.
“Sure, just settle in, I’ll get you some plates.” As Suzie and Paul sat down at the table Simon tossed a pack of paper plates towards them. Paul pulled some out.
“Did you hear about Robbie?”
Simon froze, then turned to face Paul. “I figured that might be why you were here. I heard.”
“I should have called you.” Paul frowned.
“It’s all right. It’s hard to talk about.”
“You saw him yesterday?” Suzie met his eyes. “How did he seem to you?”
“I didn’t see him yesterday.” He sat down across from them with a plate filled with an assortment of seafood.
“Oh? The GPS on his boat said he traveled here,” Suzie said.
“Well, I must have missed him. What a shame. I was out fishing yesterday. I wonder why he stopped by?”
“It’s hard to say.” Paul shook his head. “He was probably just coming by to say hello.”
“Maybe.” Simon narrowed his eyes. “I wish I knew though. It’s hard to think of someone’s last hours, and knowing that they wanted to see you, but didn’t get the chance.”
“It is.” Paul took a bite of his food.
“We saw you leaving the Garber docks yesterday. Didn’t you see him then?” Suzie asked.
<
br /> “No.” He shook his head. “I never docked. I just passed nearby on my way back home from fishing.”
“Do you know anything about that pearl farm in the area?” Suzie nibbled some of her food and then took a larger bite. Paul was right, it was the best she’d ever tasted.
“Uh, I heard about it.” He nodded. “The word around town is that they’re struggling. They are real reclusive folk. Not the type to make friends with. So, I’ve kept my distance.”
“I didn’t even know they were out there.” Paul shook his head. “Just discovered them today. Can you think of any business that Robbie might have had out there?”
“At the pearl farm?” He spoke between bites of food. “No, not really.”
“Do you remember that girl that he was sweet on?” Paul laughed. “Maybe she was from the farm.”
“Oh, that’s right?” Simon nodded. “Maybe she was.”
“Really?” Suzie raised an eyebrow. “She seems a bit old for him.”
“No, this girl is young, she’s probably about twenty. He had a thing for her,” Simon said. “I don’t think she was from the pearl farm but maybe she was. I don’t know if he ever approached her.”
“Do you remember her name?” Suzie asked.
“He mentioned it, but I don’t.” Simon shook his head.
“I think it was April? Or May? Some calendar name.” Paul shrugged. “I think we can rule out December.” He laughed. Suzie looked over at him with an amused smile. He seemed so relaxed around Simon.
“If you happen to remember can you let Paul know?” Suzie looked at Simon. “That crowd over there is not very welcoming, and since we were greeted by a gun, there’s a good chance they had something to do with Robbie’s death.”
“It’s a shame.” Simon hung his head. “He was just starting out really. Could have done well for himself. I guess he stuck his nose into something he shouldn’t have.”
“Why do you say that?” Suzie locked eyes with him.
“Ain’t that always how someone ends up dead?” He stared back at her with a gaze so cold that her heart dropped. She glanced over at Paul to see if he had noticed, but Paul was too busy taking the last few bites of his food to notice. She shivered and lowered her eyes. Maybe it was just her imagination, but it seemed to her that Simon meant his words as a threat.
When they had finished up their meal Simon led them out into the back. He talked to Paul about all of the projects he planned to finish. Suzie tuned out as she sorted through her own thoughts. Was she overreacting to the way that Simon had spoken to her?
“I guess we’d better head out.” Paul placed a hand on the small of Suzie’s back. “Don’t want to be out in the dark.”
“I heard that there’s a fierce storm rolling in tomorrow. Keep an eye out for it,” Simon said.
“I will.” Paul nodded. “Thanks for the warning.”
“Wait. We should get a picture.” Suzie pulled out her phone and smiled as the two men huddled around her. As she snapped the selfie she reminded herself that Simon was a friend of Paul’s, and that meant she needed to give him the benefit of the doubt. She tucked her phone back into her pocket. “It was really nice meeting you, Simon.”
“You too.” He smiled and winked at her. “You might have to throw an anchor around this one to keep him on land, but it’ll be worth it.”
“Ah, that’s where you’re wrong, Simon. Not even an anchor would keep me out of the ocean. Luckily, Suzie understands. Don’t you, Suzie?” He glanced over at her.
“Yes, I do. I would never keep him away.” She patted his chest and smiled as she looked into his eyes.
“Good woman.” Simon nodded and stared at them both for a moment then gestured to the dock. “I’d walk you down, but I’ve got to clean up. Have a good trip back.”
“Thanks, Bud.” Paul gave him a light shove on the shoulder then slipped his arm through Suzie’s. As they walked back towards the boat Suzie considered mentioning her concerns, but it had been such a nice visit, she didn’t want to add tension. She kept quiet for the ride back to the docks. When Paul cut off the engine he looked over at her.
“Okay, what is it?”
“What?” She smiled.
“You are never this quiet.”
“Don’t be silly, I’m quiet all of the time.”
“No, you certainly aren’t. Especially when you’re investigating something.”
“Okay, okay. I am a bit more quiet than usual.”
“So? What is it?” He met her eyes.
“It’s just Simon.”
“Simon? What about him?”
“Did you notice anything off about him?”
“No, not really. Did you?”
“I’m not sure. Something about the way he talked to me, warning me to stay out of other people’s business, really left me flustered.”
“Oh, Simon can be that way.” Paul frowned. “I’m sorry I didn’t notice that. But he can be a bit harsh.”
“Do you think he knows something about what happened to Robbie?”
“If he did, he would tell me.” Paul narrowed his eyes. “He would want Robbie’s murderer brought to justice.”
“Are you sure? I mean, it looks like Robbie was up to some things that you didn’t know about. Maybe Simon is hiding things, too.”
“Suzie, I respect your instincts, I truly do, but just because Simon is a little rough around the edges, that doesn’t mean that he had anything to do with Robbie’s death.”
“I know that, you’re right. I just think it was a little odd the way he spoke about some things.”
“Today is the first time that you met him, so I can understand that. His type of charm is something that has to grow on you.”
“I understand, I guess I’m a little paranoid. Hopefully we can find something out about the people at the pearl farm. If so we might be able to get to the bottom of things.”
“I want to check in with some of Robbie’s friends. Some of his family is also supposed to be coming into town.”
“Do you want me to come with you?” Suzie met his eyes.
“No, thanks. I just want to make sure they have everything they need.”
“I’ll go and update Jason.”
“Good idea.” He glanced over at her. “Are you okay?”
“Of course I am. Why?”
“The gun thing.” He frowned.
“No, I’m fine. You were there with me, right?”
He smiled. “That I was.”
“Then I’m fine.” She kissed his cheek.
“Do you want a lift?”
“No thank you, I could use the walk.” Suzie smiled. “Let me know if the family needs anything.”
“I will.” As Suzie walked away she tried to convince herself that he was right. Simon had nothing to do with what had happened to Robbie and had no information to offer. Her instincts were off. But she couldn’t shake the feeling that she was right.
Chapter 12
By the time Suzie reached the police station she’d already decided to tell Jason about Simon. When she walked up to Jason’s desk he had his phone trapped between his ear and his shoulder. She noticed the way his brow furrowed, and the ripple of his jaw. His shoulders were hunched over and his skin was pale.
“Do whatever it takes, and just get it done.” He frowned as he hung up the phone and ran his hands across his face.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes I’m fine, just busy.”
“Let me know if you need help with anything.”
“All right, what can I do for you?”
“Paul and I took a ride around today to the places that Robbie last went to just to see if there was anything interesting out there.”
“Why doesn’t that surprise me? I had second thoughts about giving Paul a copy of the coordinates. I hope you didn’t antagonize anyone or jeopardize the investigation?”
“No of course not, but there were a couple of things of concern. One, at one of the places Robbie went t
o we found a man in a yellow jacket that has a bald head. He matches the description of someone that was seen hanging around Robbie’s boat on the day he was murdered. Apparently, he was repairing Robbie’s boat.”
“Yes, I know, I spoke with him just before.”
“And you have the jacket I brought in last night?”
“Yes. I’m going with the idea that someone else in a yellow jacket was the one who actually killed Robbie. But I’m not sure of that yet. It’s possible that Gill bought another jacket to replace the one he damaged. Or the murderer deliberately tried to frame Gill by planting a yellow jacket.”
“That would make sense. But maybe there would be a paper trail that we could follow to see if Gill purchased it recently?”
“Maybe, but if he bought it with cash it won’t be likely. And it would be quite a difficult trail to follow. I plan to ask him for a DNA sample and we can compare that to what we find on the jacket.”
“What about the blood? Is it Robbie’s?”
“That hasn’t been confirmed yet, but at the moment I’m assuming it is.”
“Have you spoken to the people at the pearl farm?”
“Oh yes, that’s another can of worms. I made some inquires with the police department where the family that owns the pearl farm used to live. Apparently Cecily Wren, the owner of the farm, has a long history of run-ins with the law. She’s even been arrested for breaking and entering before. Her son, Junior, is no better. He’s had some assault charges brought against him.”
“Not surprising, since he pulled a gun on us.”
“What?” His eyes widened.
“Don’t worry about it, we handled it. Apparently they’ve had some thefts at their farm and he assumed we might be involved.”
“Hm. They haven’t reported any here. Someone is stealing from criminals. Good to know.”
“Easy Jason, they could be turning their lives around. You never know.”
“Sure, you’re right.” He sighed. “Did you discover anything else?”
“Well, we went to the last place on the GPS and it turned out to be a friend of both Paul’s and Robbie’s. His name is Simon.”