Jessica looked away nervously. After a long pause, during which she seemed to be reflecting on Connie’s words, she said, "I just don't want to get anyone into trouble unnecessarily."
"We all have to do what we can to make this building safe again," Connie said. "Please tell us what you know."
The room was so quiet Connie could practically hear the waves crashing outside.
"I didn't know if it was just gossip or worth mentioning, so I didn't tell the police, but you might want to talk to Anton. He just recently started working for the cleaning company that services the communal areas in the building. He was here yesterday, because Thursday is the day they clean Palm Paradise."
Jessica hesitated, but Elyse gave her a nod of encouragement.
"Apparently, about fifteen years ago, Anton and his family lived in an apartment building in Fort Myers that Hank bought to develop, and he evicted all the tenants. He transformed the apartments into luxury condos and made a killing, but Hank's venture left Anton and his family homeless for a while. Last week, Anton overheard Hank complaining about the cleanliness of the building, and he confided in me. According to Anton, it took his family years to recover. He was so angry to find out Hank lived in the building that he almost quit right then and there."
“I wonder why he didn’t,” Connie said. “Do you think he stayed to plot his revenge?”
“Or he may have just needed the job. You’ll have to ask him that for yourself,” Jessica said. “Today is Friday, so he would be cleaning down the street at Seagull Landing."
The women thanked Jessica and promptly left.
Connie was impressed by Jessica’s professionalism. Her concern for the residents seemed genuine. But still, she would have had access to Grace’s apartment, and she wasn’t in her office at the time of the murder.
"Seagull Landing is just down the boulevard," Elyse said, motioning for Connie to follow her down the stairs into the parking garage. "You drive, and I'll navigate."
As they pulled into a guest parking spot in front of the salmon-colored midrise condominium, Elyse pointed to the cleaning company's van. "Great, they're still here."
Since Elyse was doing an open house in the building the following day, she had a key to the lobby. They took the stairs, since they would have to stop on each floor to search for Anton. Fortunately for Connie's burning quads, they found a member of the cleaning crew polishing a table in a seating area on the fourth floor. He informed them that Anton was working two floors up, so they took the elevator to the sixth floor.
"Excuse me, Anton?" Connie said, approaching from behind a man who was vacuuming. He had broad shoulders, dark, wavy hair, and looked to be in his late twenties. Just as Connie spoke, he coincidentally turned off the vacuum cleaner, so her voice sounded a lot louder than she intended.
He turned around, sizing them up. "Who's asking?"
The women introduced themselves. "We understand you were working at Palm Paradise yesterday around the time of Hank O'Rourke's murder."
"Thursday is our day to clean over there. Since yesterday was Thursday, that's where I was," he said, wrapping the cord around the hook on the side of the vacuum.
"We heard that you and Hank have a history," Connie said.
He ran his hand through his thick hair. "I guess it's bound to come out. Yeah, he wasn't my favorite person. He and his wife lived the high life at the expense of hardworking families just trying to make ends meet. Not exactly my kind of people."
"It must have made you angry, having to work for a guy like that," Connie said.
"Especially when he would complain about the quality of your work at Palm Paradise," Elyse added.
He shook his head and put his hand up. "Oh, no, you're crazy if you think I had anything to do with his murder. We were still in the building, but on a completely different floor. Look, I'm not going to lie. I hated the guy. But so did a lot of other people. Why don't you talk to the hundreds of others he crossed?"
"They didn't have access to the building. They may have had a motive, but they didn't have easy access to Hank the way you did."
"Okay, look, it's true that I couldn't stand the guy. And I hated the thought of cleaning the dude's building. But do you really think I would risk losing everything because of that jerk? I have a family to house and feed. The guy was scum, but I moved on a long time ago. I'm taking business classes at night and plan to open my own cleaning company someday. Hank may have harmed me in the past, but I’m not stupid enough to give the guy my future, too."
Satisfied that they had gotten all the information from him that they could at that moment, Connie thanked him for his time, and she and Elyse headed back to the parking lot in silence. Connie liked Anton and found herself hoping it wasn't him. "He's either a terrific actor or a really cool guy who is too smart to do anything that stupid," she said as they got into the car and pulled away.
Elyse sighed. "I agree. He seemed sincere, but did you see the anger in his eyes when we mentioned Hank?"
Connie nodded, keeping her eyes on the road. Within a few minutes, she had pulled up beside Elyse's car.
The reality of what had happened the previous day was beginning to sink in, and a heaviness settled in Connie's chest. She leaned against the steering wheel. "This is not how I imagined this week to go. I have such fond memories of Sapphire Beach, and I didn't want my last week here to be spent chasing a killer in circles."
Elyse was silent for a moment. "Connie, tomorrow is Saturday, and Josh has weekends off, unless he gets called in for an emergency. He and Emma have this sweet tradition where he takes her out for pancakes on Saturday mornings, and when business is slow, I take advantage of the morning to call a board meeting. Why don't you come? I promise you won't regret it."
What was Elyse thinking? "Don't get me wrong, I enjoy hanging out with you, but a stuffy meeting is the last thing I want to do during my final week in Sapphire Beach."
Elyse grinned. "I know it doesn't sound like fun, but I promise it'll be just the change of pace you need from all this cleaning and sleuthing. I'm asking you to trust me. And afterward there is something I'd really like to show you."
"Well, okay, if you insist."
"I absolutely insist. And bring your bathing suit."
Chapter 9
Connie dragged her rented stand-up paddle board into the crystal clear water. "So, this is your idea of a board meeting? I should have realized that realtors don't have boards of directors," she said, playfully hitting the water with her oar and splashing Elyse.
Elyse had taken her to the more populated end of Sapphire Beach Boulevard, where quaint shops and restaurants enticed tourists and residents alike. There was a place that rented paddle boards, kayaks, jet skis, and parasailing for the more adventurous. As she watched a parasailer rise toward the sky, she resolved that, one of these days, she would be the person attached to it. It was something she had always wanted to try.
Elyse and Josh had their own paddle boards, but since Elyse and Connie were going out to lunch afterward, Elyse didn't want to take them and leave them unattended on top of her car. "Besides," she explained, as she introduced Connie to a tanned young couple, "this gives you the chance to meet Travis and Ashley. They moved to Sapphire Beach from Boston a few years ago to escape the cold."
"We were looking for a change, and the next thing you know, we were the proud owners of 'Sapphire Beach Boat Rentals'. I highly recommend moving here," he said, putting his arm across his wife's shoulders. "Best decision we ever made."
"And you can't beat our office," Ashley said, looking out onto the Gulf of Mexico.
"I'll keep that in mind." Connie shot Elyse a sideways glance, which she dodged with a smirk. She laughed inwardly and decided to take Elyse's no-so-veiled attempt at getting Connie to relocate as a compliment.
Ashley gave Connie a quick tutorial, since it was her first time on a paddle board, and they headed off to help another customer. The girls pulled their boards deeper into the calm waters.
"It's a perfect day for a beginner," Elyse said.
The cool January water was refreshing, as the sun beat down on her shoulders. It felt nice to be trying something new. Somewhere along the way, Connie had gotten so wrapped up in work that she was forgetting to explore new activities.
They sat on the board and paddled out to deeper waters, where Elyse demonstrated how to stand up. "Keep your feet shoulder width apart and center your weight," she said as she stood up effortlessly.
Connie did the same, although a little less gracefully. She would have thought, with all the sports she played growing up, she would be steadier on her feet. They turned their boards parallel to the beach and began slowly paddling along the shore, a safe distance away from swimmers.
Connie followed behind Elyse, a bit unsteady on her feet, but thoroughly enjoying a new challenge.
After a few minutes of tentative paddling and near falls, she began to get the hang of it. She took her eyes off the water for a few seconds to say, "Hey, look, I got this," just as a wave from a jet ski off in the distance lifted her board. The board moved sideways, while Connie tried to hold her ground, and the next thing she knew, she fell backwards into the water.
Elyse laughed so hard that she had to sit down, so she wouldn't tumble off her own board.
After a few more stops and starts, Elyse suggested they sit on the boards and take a bit of a rest. Connie's tired shoulders couldn't have agreed more.
A gray-and-white seagull sat perched on a weather-beaten wooden buoy, keeping a suspicious eye on the women. Although they were just a few yards from the shoreline, it felt like a completely different world. The milky-white sand stretched for miles against a backdrop of palm trees, condominiums, and majestic homes, some of which, Elyse informed her, were worth upward of five million dollars. A few restaurants dotted the shoreline, and a pier stretched out toward the horizon. The rhythmic rising and falling of the board, as more boats drove by, caused Connie to feel as if she were being rocked in a cradle.
"So, what did you think of our conversations with Jessica and Anton yesterday?" Elyse asked.
Connie closed her eyes and lifted her face toward the sun while she thought about it. Sitting on a paddle board and being gently rocked by the ocean waves, with the sun warming her face, should have been enough to melt all her cares away. But the unsolved murder was eating away any sense of peace. "I was thinking about it all evening. They both answered our questions in the right way, but still, the bottom line is, neither one of them has a solid alibi, and they both had motive. One of them could easily have followed Hank into the condo and hit him over the head with that statuette. They could have dumped him off the balcony, washed up, and blended back into the crowd at Palm Paradise."
Elyse let out a long sigh. "There's still so much that doesn't add up, though. We still don't know why Hank was in the condo or how he got in. The answer is probably somewhere in those details. Assuming the killer wiped his or her prints off the key as he left and locked the door, the police will never know if Hank used the spare key above Grace's door to get in."
"Has Josh revealed anything that might be useful?" Connie ventured.
"He doesn't talk about his cases much, but if I had to guess, I'd say they are still focused on Grace,” Elyse said, casting a sympathetic look towards Connie.
Connie felt her heart sink. She just had to figure out who the real killer was. “My thoughts keep going back to Paula. She's the only one we know for sure was in the condo around the time of the murder. But if she did do it, why would she have left the aloe plant in Grace's apartment? It only proves she was in there. Wouldn't she have taken it with her, since it places her at the scene?"
"Who knows? Josh always says that criminals do some stupid things. If Hank followed her in, and they got into some kind of fight that led to her killing him in a crime of passion, she might have forgotten about the plant by the time it was all over. Or maybe she left it there, because it provides a good excuse for her to have been there in case the police are able to link her to the crime scene."
Connie hopped into the refreshing water. "All I know for sure right now is that I'm hot," she said resting her arms on the board for support.
After they both cooled off, they continued paddling silently along the shore for a while. Connie inhaled the fresh, salty air and tried to take in the scenery between falls, which were becoming fewer and farther between as she began to get the hang of it.
"Let's paddle back," Elyse suggested. "I have something I want to show you, and then we can grab lunch."
Chapter 10
After returning the paddle boards, the women changed out of their wet bathing suits and into some comfortable clothes, then walked along the beach in the direction of the downtown shops and restaurants.
When they reached the pier, Connie followed Elyse off the beach, where they rinsed off their sandy feet in a public foot shower and slipped on their flip-flops.
"Are you going to tell me where you are taking me?" Connie asked.
Elyse shook her head and smiled. "That's no fun. Don't worry, we're almost there."
They followed a lively street, navigating their way through tourists and shoppers, until they stood at a storefront a few short minutes' walk from the beach. Elyse punched some numbers into a lock box wrapped around the doorknob of the front door, pulled out a key, and motioned for Connie to follow her into the building.
The quaint, empty shop measured about eight hundred square feet with large display windows that looked out onto the bustling downtown. It contained weathered hardwood floors, a driftwood accent wall, and a cashier's desk right in the center.
Elyse gently pulled Connie toward the back of the store, where she could take in the whole space. "There's a half bath and a storage room for merchandise out back and plenty of room throughout the store for various displays of your product. Isn't it just perfect for your jewelry shop?" Elyse said, looking expectantly into Connie's bewildered eyes.
"My jewelry shop?" Connie's confused brain was working hard to connect the dots.
"Yes, your jewelry shop," Elyse said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "You have the most amazing talent for making jewelry, and we have nothing like that here on the beach," she said, excitement rising in her voice. "You mentioned that you were ready for a change. Maybe it's meant to be. I mean, you just inherited the most spectacular home mortgage-free. You could live there while selling your condo back in Boston and use the money to get the business going."
Connie's head spun as she leaned against the wall and tried to process Elyse's idea. Concetta had once suggested the very same thing.
"I have to admit, the plan has a certain appeal," she said looking around. The fatigue in her muscles from paddling all morning instantly drained away. The idea of a new project, all her own, was exhilarating.
In her earlier years with Feeding the Hungry, Connie couldn’t wait to get to work every day. Being part of a start-up agency stretched her out of her comfort zone and forced her to learn new skills. Back then, most of her time had been spent cultivating relationships with various international communities. Starting her own business would certainly qualify as a new venture, but still, humanitarian work had been her passion for as long as she could remember. If she opened a jewelry shop, she would be giving all that up.
"I don't know, Elyse. Walking away from the world of non-profit would leave a gigantic hole in my heart."
Elyse studied Connie. "Just promise you'll think about it. You said yourself that you're ready for something new. Maybe it's time to strike out on your own. If not a jewelry shop, maybe there's another way. The last thing I want to do is pressure you. I just want to show you that you have options here in Sapphire Beach."
Connie put her arm around Elyse's shoulder as they exited the shop. "I promise I will try to think outside the box. I really do appreciate your taking me here." As they were leaving, she glanced back at the storefront. It wasn't the worst idea she'd ever heard.<
br />
But as they strolled in silence back to the beach and toward Surfside Restaurant, faces of people Connie had met throughout her travels flashed through her mind. Over the years, she had formed a network of communities throughout the world, many of whom had become her dearest friends. Leaving her work with them would be like abandoning her family in their time of need. She just couldn't consider doing that.
The hostess seated Connie and Elyse at a table on the outdoor deck, just steps from the sand. Within no time, a young waitress stood before them ready to take their order.
"Mandy!" Elyse said, looking up from her menu. "It's wonderful to see you again. How are you enjoying the new apartment?"
"It's absolutely fantastic. Thanks for helping me find it."
After introducing Connie to her former client, Elyse ordered fish and chips, and Connie opted for a swiss cheese and mushroom burger with sweet potato fries. They both got a frozen Pina Colada to go with their sandwiches.
When they finished their lunch, Elyse pushed away her empty plate and sipped her drink. "Lunch always tastes amazing after working up an appetite paddling all morning."
Connie wholeheartedly agreed. "It felt good to get some exercise. Work has been so busy that I hardly ever make it to my kickboxing gym anymore."
"Kickboxing?" Elyse said, pulling her body back and putting up her hands in mock fear. "You're hardcore. I stick to light jogging and paddle boarding."
Connie shook her head and chuckled at Elyse's drama. "I started doing it in college. My parents insisted I learn a little self-defense when I told them my plan of spending two years in Africa after graduation. I just loved it, so I still do it when I can."
Mandy came back to clear the table and asked Connie how long she was in town for.
"Just until next Saturday morning, unfortunately. I'm staying at my aunt's condo in Palm Paradise."
Mandy furrowed her brow. "Palm Paradise. Wasn't there a murder there on Thursday?"
They both nodded.
Sapphire Beach Cozy Mystery Collection Page 5