"Thanks. I redid almost everything. It was the perfect size and location, but as you remember, it needed some TLC."
"It looks amazing."
Stephanie's eyes darted between Connie and Elyse. "So, what brings you ladies over here? As much as I would enjoy a social call, I have a feeling that's not what this is."
"There's no delicate way to say this," Connie said, "so I'll just be direct. We have good reason to believe that you are not being completely honest with us regarding Hank's murder." Elyse had made Connie promise she wouldn't mention how they knew that her alibi didn't check out. "There's something you're not telling us, and as your friends, we want to know what it is."
Stephanie reached hastily for a chip and knocked over her lemonade. She jumped up and quickly got a towel to mop up the spill.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Stephanie said.
Connie and Elyse looked incredulously at Stephanie, as she cleaned the spill off the coffee table.
Connie gave her a minute to regain her composure before picking up the conversation. "Stephanie, you obviously know something. Please tell us, so we can help you."
Stephanie disappeared into the kitchen and returned with a bottle of chardonnay and three wine glasses.
"Okay, you win. I'll tell you the story, but I'm going to need something stronger than lemonade. Would you care to join me?" she asked, holding up the glasses.
Connie and Elyse looked at each other and shrugged.
"Why not?" Connie said. Anything that would get her talking.
Stephanie opened the bottle and poured three glasses. "I guess I'll start at the beginning."
She took a long sip and continued, "As you know, Hank O'Rourke was an extremely flirtatious guy."
"That's putting it kindly," Elyse said.
Stephanie laughed nervously. "At first, it was kind of amusing, but then it became annoying, especially after I moved to Sapphire Beach and would see him more often. It would really upset my mother. Anyway, as I'm sure you know, I moved here about a year ago, after a messy divorce. I was looking for a fresh start, and I always hated the long winters in Ohio. And with my mother being here, it seemed like a no-brainer. Being an experienced physical therapist, I easily found a job, and everything fell into place. But I had hit an all-time low. I was depressed and lonely. One evening after work, I stopped for some takeout and ran into Hank. Well, one thing led to another," she said, taking another sip of wine, "and..."
She paused.
"No!" Connie blurted out. "Say it isn't so. Not you and Hank!"
Stephanie blushed. "It wasn't my proudest decision, that's for sure."
Elyse put her hand over her mouth. "I would never have guessed that in a million years."
"I'm not making excuses. I know he was a ruthless businessman and quite the ladies' man. I would never have wanted to be married to the guy. But he had also gone through a divorce a few years before, and believe it or not, he was a very sympathetic ear."
"I'll bet!" Connie said. Then seeing Stephanie blush again, she said, "I'm sorry. That was rude. I'm just in shock."
"So, you were at Hank's place that afternoon?" Connie asked, trying to push all related images out of her head.
"No, that afternoon I broke it off with him. We met at my mother's, because I knew Thursdays were her day for her long bike ride, and Hank was expecting company at his condo. The conversation went very smoothly. We both knew it was over. We talked, and then we left."
"Was that the last time you saw him?" Elyse asked.
"Yes, but about five minutes later, he called to tell me he left his keys at my mother's. I told him where her spare key was, because I was already late for a client, and that was the last I talked to him."
"Do you have any idea who he was expecting for company?" Connie asked. "That person could very well be the killer."
"No. I didn't care, and I didn't ask. I was just happy to be putting this embarrassing chapter behind me. As I said, it was an all-time low. I'm ashamed for so many reasons."
Connie leaned back on the couch and let out a long breath. "Wow, I didn't see that coming."
"Now you understand the reason I didn't mention it to anyone. I didn't want my mother to know about Hank for obvious reasons."
"You have to tell this to the police," Elyse said. "Now we know how Hank got into your mother's apartment. Maybe whoever was supposed to meet Hank was with him when he called you and followed him upstairs to kill him."
"Or maybe someone with a grudge, like Anton, followed him in," Connie said.
"I know it'll be hard," Elyse said. "But we'll go with you to the station if you'd like."
Stephanie drained her glass of chardonnay. "Thank you. I could use the company. Let's get this over with."
Chapter 16
Connie and Elyse accompanied Stephanie to the police station and remained with her for moral support while she gave her statement.
When she finished, Josh breathed in deeply and clenched his jaw. "You withheld valuable information from a murder investigation just to avoid embarrassment, Stephanie. Do you realize how serious this is?"
Stephanie's shoulders stiffened, and her face blanched.
Elyse put her hand on her husband's back. "Come on, Josh. The important thing is that she's telling you now. It wasn't her intent to impede your investigation."
He massaged his temples. "Is there anything else you can think of? Are you sure you can't remember who was with Hank when he called you? That person could be the killer."
Stephanie closed her eyes for a moment. "I wish I could help, but all I remember is Hank telling someone that he left his keys at a friend's and had to get it. Hank said that Roger had a spare key to his condo, but if he used Roger’s key and left his own at my mother’s, my mother would have wondered why Hank's keys were in her apartment. We had come too far for her to discover our secret, especially now that things were over."
"Are you saying Roger was with him?"
"No… I don't know." Stephanie ran her hand through her hair. "I don't think that's what Hank meant. I think he just meant he could go to Roger's to get his spare key, but then we would have some explaining to do when my mother got home and saw Hank’s keys in her apartment."
"I still don't understand why you didn't just meet at Hank's apartment in the first place," Josh said.
"As I said, he was expecting company, and we were trying to be discreet. But I wish we had. Then maybe he would still be alive." Tears filled her eyes.
Josh let out a long sigh. "Stephanie, I spoke with your employer, and he told us that you were late for your 3:00 patient on the day of Hank’s murder. Now you tell us you were with Hank shortly before he was killed. This doesn’t look good.”
Stephanie looked straight at Josh. “I had no reason to kill him. I told you, we ended things on good terms. He had his faults, but he was kind to me when I was going through a difficult time. I would never have hurt the man. I was late for my 3:00, because my conversation with Hank took longer than I expected.”
Josh let out a deep breath. “If you think of anything else, call me.”
Stephanie promised she would, and the women headed back to Stephanie's house to drop her off, since they had come in one car. But not before Josh gave a stern warning to Connie and Elyse. "You ladies are beginning to worry me. Promise me that if you learn anything else, you will come to me immediately instead of taking things into your own hands. No more interviewing."
Elyse nodded, and Connie reluctantly agreed, even though it was their questioning that resulted in critical new information about why Hank was in Grace's condo at the time he was murdered.
On the drive back, Stephanie broke the long silence.
"I hope you guys haven't lost all respect for me. Being with Hank was a huge lapse in judgment, and I wish more than anything that I could undo it. If it weren’t for me, Hank would still be alive."
"I can’t argue with the lapse in judgement part,” Connie said with a smirk, "but you ca
n't blame yourself for Hank's murder. Somebody clearly wanted him dead, and I’m sure they would have succeeded one way or another."
Just as they pulled into Stephanie's driveway, Connie's phone pinged.
She dug the phone out of her purse and checked her text messages. "It's your mother," she said to Stephanie.
Stephanie laughed. "I swear she knows about Hank already. That woman has a sixth sense when it comes to my life."
Connie elbowed her playfully. "There's no way she could know. You're just paranoid."
She read the text, and her mouth went dry. Her fear must have shown on her face, because Stephanie asked, "What's wrong? What does it say?"
Connie handed the phone to Elyse who read it aloud. If you know what's good for you and your friends, YOU WILL STOP SNOOPING AROUND. Or you will end up like Hank and Paula.
"Your mother would never send me a text like that. Something's very wrong. We have to find her now."
With Josh's admonition about taking things into their own hands fresh in her mind, Connie suggested that Elyse call him and fill him in. He informed them that Zach was in the area, and he would send him straight to Grace's.
Connie sped back to Palm Paradise as fast as she could without risking an accident. Fortunately, it was only a short drive, and there wasn't any traffic at that end of the beach. Connie parked outside, and the three of them raced into the building.
"I can't wait for the elevator. What if the killer has my mother?" Stephanie said, running toward the stairwell. Connie and Elyse followed her, and the three of them raced up the fourteen staircases to the seventh floor.
Zach was getting out of the elevator as the women arrived. Stephanie pulled out her key and handed it to Zach, who rushed in. The women stayed behind until they heard Grace's puzzled voice. "What on earth is going on?"
They entered to find Grace staring at Zach, wide-eyed and holding a wooden spatula. She was in the kitchen cooking dinner.
Grace shifted her confused gaze between Zach and the women until Stephanie ran up and hugged her mom, letting out a sigh of relief.
Connie showed Grace the text on her phone.
"I didn't send this," she said, fishing her phone out of her purse.
After putting plastic gloves on his hands to avoid leaving prints, Zach took the phone and called up the text log. Sure enough, the message had been sent from Grace's phone.
"The text went out about ten minutes ago," Zach said, showing Grace the screen. "Was your phone unattended during that time?"
Grace rubbed her chin. "I went grocery shopping and had to make two trips up. I parked my car in the outdoor lot and left it unlocked while I made the first trip, and my cell phone was in the car unattended during that time."
"So that means somebody went into my mother's car, took her phone, and sent this text while she was making her first trip upstairs," Stephanie said. "This is going from bad to worse. Mom, I'll feel better if you stay with me for a while."
"And leave Connie to the wolves? It seems to me she's the one in real danger. No, we'll be okay," she said with her arm around Connie. "I'm not going to give this lunatic the satisfaction of driving me out of my home again. It’s bad enough I had to leave once."
“Suit yourselves, ladies. Just be careful. Lock your doors and be extra vigilant. I'll ask around the building to see if anyone noticed anything suspicious. With a bit of luck, maybe someone saw who it was."
With Grace’s permission, Zach dropped her phone into a plastic bag, then took off the gloves. "I suggest you get yourself a disposable cell phone until we’re done with this," he said.
They thanked Zach and walked him to the door.
"I'm glad you're going home on Saturday," he said to Connie. "I will feel much better when you are safely back in Boston."
Grace winked at Connie. "She must be doing something right, because obviously the killer will, too."
Connie returned to her condo to grab her favorite navy blue fleece and quickly fetch Ginger for her nightly walk. As the words of the killer’s text registered, she felt increasingly on edge and wanted to be back home before it got too dark. She had never had her life threatened, and it was an unsettling feeling.
When she passed through the lobby, Zach was still there, politely trying to break away from a conversation with a resident looking for an update on the murder investigations.
He gave Connie a warm smile as she passed by. "Be careful out there," he said, after excusing himself from the woman he had been talking with.
"You don't have to tell me twice. After I walk this little princess, I'm staying in for the night."
"Smart idea. I'd be happy to keep you company if you'd like," he said, following her through the automatic doors.
Did his kind eyes look hopeful, or was he just being professional? Either way, she would enjoy the company. "Sure, if I'm not taking you away from anything."
As they walked along the boulevard, Connie deeply inhaled the fresh, crisp air. She glanced up and caught sight of a parasailer off in the distance, who seemed to be floating on air without a care in the world.
Zach followed her gaze to the red and white parachute. "Have you ever tried it?"
"It would definitely be on my bucket list if I had one." She redirected Ginger, who was tugging in the direction of the beach, back onto the sidewalk. "There's so much to do here."
"Have you ever considered relocating to Florida?" He hesitated and added, "Or perhaps there's someone waiting for you back home?" It was more like a question than a statement.
Connie's cheeks grew warm. Hmmm, maybe the walk was more personal than business. It was flattering, even though the distance between their cities meant it could never go anywhere. "No, nobody at home. But sometimes it seems like I am married to my job. The work is endless, so it can be hard to set healthy boundaries."
He nodded in agreement and chuckled. "I know the feeling. You seem to love it here, though."
Connie couldn't help but smirk. "Have you been talking to Elyse?"
"Ah, yes, the jewelry shop," he said laughing. "Josh said that Elyse surprised you by bringing you to look at a shop for rent." He shook his head. "It's not that. It's just that I know that look from experience. I moved here few years ago from Chicago and haven't looked back since. If you can make it work, it's an amazing place to be. Maybe it's the constant sunshine," he said, shrugging, "but I just feel happier and healthier here."
Between paddle boarding, swimming, and walking with Ginger, Connie felt healthier too, even after just a week. She tried to work out regularly at her kickboxing gym at home, not only to stay in shape, but also to keep up her sparring skills in case she ever needed them. But lately she had been in a rut and hadn’t been very consistent.
"Sapphire Beach is lucky to have you, Zach." They turned around to walk back in the direction of Palm Paradise. "I am ready for a change, but I can't just quit my job and move here. My work is too important to me."
"Well, I for one wouldn't mind if you stayed," he said, his smile reaching his blue-gray eyes.
Even if she wanted to, she couldn’t stop herself from smiling back. "Thanks, Zach. Good to know. One thing is certain, though. I hate the thought of leaving Grace behind in such a mess." She slowed her pace as Ginger stopped to sniff some bushes. "I know you can't discuss the investigation, but is there anything you can tell me? Are you any closer to solving the murders?"
Zach looked off into the distance. "I can't reveal too many details, but we're looking at every possible angle and connection we can think of." He pulled his gaze from the horizon and settled it on Connie. "There is one thing we learned today that doesn't seem to fit. Hank’s and Paula's sons said there were some expensive pieces missing from their mother's jewelry box, and there was no cash in her wallet."
"So, it was a robbery, too?”
"Yes, but there were plenty of other valuables in the apartment that weren't taken. It's like the killer murdered Paula and then took some of her valuables as an afterthought."
<
br /> Chapter 17
When she got home, Connie collapsed onto the sofa and absentmindedly threw her legs over one of its arms. Tossing her head back against a cushion, she sighed. Between the memorial service, the drama with Grace, discovering Stephanie's secret, and receiving a text from the killer, it had been a day for the books. The pleasantly surprising highlight had been her walk with Zach.
When she originally planned this trip, she thought that ten days in Sapphire Beach would help her to let go of a place that had become like a second home over the years. But the opposite was happening. With all the new friends she was making, it would be harder than ever to leave. The jewelry shop idea remained in the back of her mind, and she had a persistently nagging feeling that leaving was the wrong decision.
After permitting her thoughts to wander restlessly for a few minutes, she got up to feed Ginger, then went out onto the balcony to stare at the water. She leaned against the railing and allowed the vastness of the ocean below make her feel small. The sun had nearly set, and it had cooled off substantially, but the air was refreshing.
A lump grew in her throat as she realized that the next time she returned would be to sign the paperwork for the sale of her aunt's condo. Tears stung the back of her eyes. Was she making the right decision? But what else could she do? She couldn't move without a concrete reason to make the change, and nostalgia wasn't compelling enough.
The phone rang in Connie's pocket, causing her to jump. Apparently, she was more on edge from the threatening text than she cared to admit. The killer had intruded on her personal space, and she felt violated. This had to end.
She looked at her caller ID and was relieved that to see that it was her mother.
"Hi, Mom."
"Hi, honey. How are things going down there?"
Connie cleaned Ginger's empty food bowl and refreshed her water as she talked. "I'm pretty much done sorting through Auntie Concetta's things. I gave a lot to the parish thrift shop, so I just have a few more items to pack up. Everything else can be dealt with when I come back for the closing."
Sapphire Beach Cozy Mystery Collection Page 9