Murder at the Miramar (Augusta Burnette Series)

by Dane McCaslin

  She laughed the short cynical laugh she had whenever she was feeling negative about something.

  I thought about it for a minute then nodded.

  ‘Plus,’ I said, sitting down on the edge of the bed and giving it a slight bounce, ‘that explains Emmy’s letter, if you think about it. If there really is some kind of identity fraud going on, maybe these names are the guys involved.’

  It made so much sense to me, I almost laughed aloud. Detective Dimple had better watch his back: AJ and Ellie were on the case! For the first time in a few days, I felt like going out into the bright sunshine and enjoying what time I had left in San Blanco. Folding the list, I shoved it into my back pocket. Unless the Miramar had a pickpocket in addition to a killer, it should be safe.

  Ellie was watching me and gave me on those looks that clearly said ‘hold on there, pardner’. She was well-versed in my ‘ready, fire, aim’ tact, and had talked down many an issue for me that had been the disastrous result of that line of thinking. Although, come to think of it, I usually wasn’t thinking, just instinctively reacting. Whatever. If it got the job done, who could find fault?

  ‘What?’ I asked her, ever the innocent. ‘Do you want to get this thing over and done with or not?’ This is another of my skills: dump the problem squarely back on whoever is playing Doubting Thomas, or in this case, Doubting Thomasina.

  Ellie’s reply was a well-timed eye roll. How well she knew me.

  ‘Fine,’ I said. I was ready to hit the sleuthing trail, or whatever it was called, and I wasn’t keen on sitting in my room for one minute more. ‘Let’s get going, OK?’ I folded my hands into their prayerful form. I wasn’t above begging if I needed to.

  ‘Hang on. I’m thinking.’ Ellie closed her eyes. Great. Now she was going to meditate us into catching the Miramar Murderer.

  ‘You sit there and think, missy. I’m going to catch me a killer.’ I acted like I was heading out the door. There was no reply from my cousin. She could smell an empty threat a mile off.

  I gave up, plopping back down on the bed. ‘Fine. Let’s just sit here. Hopefully no one else will meet their doom,’ I said dramatically, ‘while you go into a trance.’

  Ellie opened her eyes, a placid look on her face. I’d seen that look before. It meant ‘I have a plan and you will go with it’, or something along those lines. She could be so bossy!

  On cue, as if she had just read my thoughts, she said, ‘Assertive, AJ. I’m assertive. Not bossy.’

  That spooked me, so I meekly followed her out of the bedroom and through the front door. I had no idea where we were headed, but for all intents and purposes, Ellie was now the leader, and I had been relegated to sidekick.

  ‘First things first,’ she announced, steering us toward the kitchen. I groaned to myself. I could already see what was coming: Ellie’s groupies were going to get another visit from Her Highness, and I was going to get in some major trouble if we were caught in a ‘Staff Only’ area. After all, I didn’t work here any longer – at least on the books – and I didn’t want to get thrown out on my ear until we got a few things accomplished.

  ‘Er … Ellie?’ I gripped her elbow, hoping to slow her down. She was already moving into her ‘I mean business’ mode. ‘I don’t think it’s a good idea to …’

  She didn’t let me finish. Instead, she shook off my hand and continued to stride purposefully down the corridor. Looking back over her shoulder, she merely said, ‘Are you coming or what, AJ?’

  As if I’d stay out here by myself! I began trotting, trying to keep pace with her. Wherever we were headed – and I still had my money on the kitchen – Ellie was clearly on a mission.

  Too bad we can’t bet on ourselves, you know? I’d have won, hands down, on this one. Sure enough, we were once again in the kitchen, standing by the same counter with the same group of staff standing around, each with the same look of expectancy on their faces. Ellie Saddler, card reader extraordinaire, was about to reveal all. I just wanted her to hurry up, never mind the theatrics.

  It grew silent, so silent, in fact, that I thought I could hear my heart reverberating, echoing throughout the expansive room. Or maybe that was just the blood pounding in my ears, indicating my blood pressure had spiked, a not-so-uncommon occurrence whenever Ellie was about. From the looks on the faces of those gathered around her, their blood pressures were up as well. In fact, one face in particular looked awfully flushed.

  Fernando, apparently finding other things to do than valet the guests’ cars, was standing close to Maria, his chin on her hair and both arms around her slim waist. Love was undeniably in the air, I mused. Maria must have felt my gaze on her because she shifted her eyes in my direction and gave me a shy smile. Well, better her than me, I thought. Ignorance was obviously a blissful state for some.

  ‘Someone at the Miramar,’ Ellie began, instantly reclaiming my full attention, ‘is holding a secret. This secret is so important to them, so vital, that they are willing to kill for it.’ A low murmuring began, but she held up her hand for silence.

  ‘This person is involved in something not right, something illegal. It has brought happiness to some and death to others. But to this person, the secret-holder, it has brought untold riches. Because of this, they will gladly remove anyone they think is in their way.’

  Ellie held up the card depicting The Fool, the one she’d shown to me.

  ‘This is a picture of the killer. He may look innocent and harmless on the outside, even kind, but inside he is another person altogether. He will be caught, make no mistake about that. But until then, do not trust anyone.’

  If a room can be described as ‘deathly silent’ – completely apt here – the Miramar’s kitchen certainly was. No one said a word, instead looking at one other and back to Ellie with intense concern on their faces. I wasn’t sure how much they actually understood, but they’d caught enough of the meaning to move soberly away from the counter and back to their tasks. Maria and Fernando stayed where they were, and I saw that Maria’s eyes had filled with tears. Her brother’s death was still so recent, her emotions still raw, and hearing Ellie talk about the killer had triggered renewed grief. I was thankful she could lean on Fernando, literally and figuratively.

  Catching Ellie’s eye, I motioned with my head toward the kitchen door. She nodded, moving away from the counter and past Maria. The girl, still silently weeping, caught at Ellie’s arm with one slender hand as she walked past.

  ‘Please, Miss Ellie. Can you tell me who it is?’

  It was clear Maria thought Ellie had a name and was just keeping it to herself, and I watched curiously to see what Ellie would do. Knowing how she operated these things, she would only have an idea of what the person would be like, a sort of profile.

  ‘I’m sorry,’ she said gently, easing Maria’s hand from her arm. ‘I never see names, Maria, only what the person is like. You must be careful and not trust those around you, at least until this is over.’

  Fernando’s eyes had narrowed, and the previous redness in his face was now gone, replaced by a coolness that looked far from pleasant. Ellie was not making friends and influencing folks, I could see that. It was definitely time to take our leave, to get out while the gettin’ was good.

  ‘Er … Ellie, I need to get that paper to … er … to Stan as soon as possible,’ I said, sounding like I’d made it up on the spot, which, of course, I had. Luckily, Ellie had a lot of experience in AJ-speak, so she merely nodded at me and moved in my direction. The sooner we were out of that kitchen, the better I’d feel.

  Ellie headed for the door, leaving me to trail behind and give Maria and Fernando a weak smile of farewell. At this point, although I couldn’t put my finger on it, I was pretty sure we’d chanced on something that could turn real bad real quick.

  I caught up with Ellie outside the kitchen door. I could tell right away that she’d picked up on the weird vibes as well; her little speech about The Fool had clearly hit a nerve. I was in no doubt that Fernando was none to
o happy with either of us.

  We didn’t say a word until we’d started walking down the corridor toward the main lobby. I didn’t have an obligation to check on the concierge desk, but force of habit turned my feet in that direction.

  ‘So,’ I began, casting a quick glance around the lobby. Stan West was sitting hunched over the desk, with a stack of folders in front of him. I gave Ellie a silent nod, indicating that now was a good time to sneak out before he saw us. Or, at least, before he saw me. I had this feeling that there was no love between us at the moment.

  The morning breeze carried on it a hint of saltiness, and it reminded me of the jar of shells I’d had as a child. There is something about a combination of salt and that strange fishy smell that defines the seaside. Unfortunately, I’d probably always associate it with death and unhappiness from now on. I turned to Ellie, intending to finish my thoughts on Maria and the reading, when I heard a commotion.

  With a sinking feeling, I watched Fernando as he stormed toward us, Maria clutching ineffectually at his arm. I’d always heard of folks who, when faced with a traumatic ordeal, watch their lives flash before their eyes, but I’d never believed it – until now. My own life’s movie reel was whirring along at top speed, my heart racing to keep pace. Ellie and I were sitting ducks.

  Chapter Twenty

  ‘Why are you accusing me of killing all these people?’

  Fernando’s words rattled at us like machine-gun shots and Ellie quickly stepped behind me, her eyes wide with fear. I was pretty scared myself, but it would do no good to go to my death shaking in my boots. I steeled myself, facing the raging bull head on.

  With a scared-looking Maria hanging on his arm, Fernando stopped within inches of me, muscular arms crossed and eyes narrowed. Add his flaring nostrils to the mix, and the bull reference wasn’t too far off base.

  I could feel Ellie trembling as she stood close to me, and I got mad. Not mad enough to start something with Fernando, but mad enough to cross my own arms in a show of defiance. Where did this guy get off anyway, accusing us of … well … of accusing him?

  ‘Unless you’re calling yourself a fool, Fernando, Ellie wasn’t talking about you.’

  I felt a rush of adrenaline, something I’d probably need to help me run away as fast as I could. I’d just made Fernando even angrier, if that was possible. Way to go, big mouth, I thought grimly as I continued to exchange glares with him.

  ‘Yeah, AJ’s right, so what’s the problem?’

  That was Ellie, still tucked behind me but apparently feeling bold enough to add her two cents to the conversation. If we needed to take off running, though, it would be every man for himself. Or herself, in this case.

  ‘So, if you’re not talking about me, who is it then? Tell me that!’ Fernando tone was challenging and, although his nostrils had stopped their flaring, his body language still said ‘very mad person standing here’.

  Ellie stepped out from behind me, hands raised in a placating gesture. She acted like she was dealing with an unruly child, not a very large and furious man.

  ‘Look, Fernando. My readings don’t give me a particular name. It’s never happened that way before and it probably won’t start happening now.’ She looked from Fernando to Maria. ‘Maria, I told you that I could only tell you what the killer might do or say, not that I knew who it was.’

  ‘That is so, Miss Ellie, but I thought that we could tell who it was by what you were saying. And the card you showed us, The Fool? That word, “fool”, can make some people very, very angry.’ She lifted her gaze to Fernando. ‘Miss Ruiz, Emmy, she would get very mad at Fernando and call him a fool and other hurtful things. He thought maybe …’ Her words trickled to a stop, and she leaned into Fernando’s side, her hand resting protectively on his arm.

  I recalled my first night at the Miramar, overhearing Emmy speak to Fernando in a tone that could be described as disparaging. No wonder he’d thought Ellie was talking about him! That was all he’d heard from Emmy, and the epithet still obviously stung.

  Ellie took another step toward Fernando. Ellie is the family’s resident ‘hugger’ and I was pretty sure she was going to give Fernando a squeeze. I could see he thought so as well, because he took one step backward and moved Maria in front of him before she knew what had happened, a look of something akin to panic on his broad face.

  I almost laughed out loud. So the tough man was scared of something after all! Not that I could blame him; I’d seen Ellie in action too many times before to take her lightly.

  We stood and watched Fernando and Maria walk back to the resort hand in hand, his bulk making her look as small as a child beside him. I shook my head in wonder; I guess there really was someone for everyone, as Grandma Tillie was wont to say. Except for me, I added silently. Unless I got really lucky and Detective Baird suddenly found me irresistible, I was doomed to be alone.

  I sighed, then turned to look at Ellie. Her gaze was fixed on something, and followed her line of sight. Stan West, the Miramar’s general manager, stood just outside the lobby’s doors, talking animatedly on a cellphone. With his gangly build and long arms, he looked like a large spider.

  ‘You’d think he could keep his business private,’ I commented as I watched him. So far he hadn’t spotted us and I wanted to keep it like that, so I grabbed Ellie’s arm and tugged her down the path toward the beach. I could use some fresh air and a place to hide out for a while.

  We strolled down the sand a ways, shoes in hand and the breeze in our face. It was a pleasant day and it was hard to think that such a paradise had a more sinister side to it.

  ‘So, Ellie,’ I began, scooping up a broken shell and tossing it into the water, then glancing over my shoulder. ‘If it’s not Fernando, and I’m not saying that I ever thought it was, who do you think it could be?’

  She shook her head slightly, one hand shielding her eyes from the sun. ‘I’m not sure, AJ. Maybe one of those guys on the list we found.’ She stopped walking and clapped one hand to her forehead dramatically. ‘The list! We completely forgot to tell the detectives about it! We should probably do that ASAP, don’t you think?’

  I’d stopped walking as well; it’s hard to carry on a conversation with someone ten feet behind you.

  ‘I suppose,’ I said doubtfully. ‘Like I told you, we may think it’s something but they might just think we’re two nutcases from the boonies.’

  ‘Well, it’d be pretty bad if we had the answer to the whole thing right in our hands and didn’t share it. Besides,’ added with a grin, ‘there might be a reward or something.’

  I hadn’t considered that angle. I certainly could use an extra buck or two, so earning a reward of any size appealed to me. I grinned back at my cousin. Sometimes we do think alike.

  ‘I’m game, Ellie. Nothing like filthy lucre for a little incentive.’ I turned around.

  ‘Race you back!’

  With Ellie shrieking something about me cheating and how I never let her win anything – which was absolutely not true – we ran back to the Miramar, stopping to catch our breath as we approached the lobby. Stan West was nowhere in sight, which was a very good thing. Trying to maintain some air of propriety (there were a few guests still around, after all) Ellie and I strolled back to our suite.

  I slid my key card through the reader and opened the door, to utter disaster. The front room looked like a tornado had moved through, with furniture on its side, cushions strewn about the floor, and a trail of clothes leading from the bedroom. I stood frozen to the spot, unable to move or speak. Words I’d heard before, a phrase someone had said about ‘déjà vu all over again’ flashed through my mind. We’d been visited again, it seemed, by the same person, or persons, who had attacked Ellie. Someone had either taken a chance on finding us at home, or they’d seen us leave.

  And I had a sneaking suspicion which it was. We were on someone’s radar.

  Behind me Ellie gasped. Pushing past me into the suite, she looked around the room and then sank down wea
kly onto the couch. Instantly my distress switched from ‘oh, my things are ruined’ to concern with Ellie’s state of mind. Her last run-in with the perp had ended rather badly for her, and this new intrusion was salt in the wound. I lowered myself gently beside her, careful not to brush against her still-bruised body.

  ‘Ellie,’ I said, ‘it’s OK. I’m here. No one is getting hurt this time around, I can promise you that.’

  I patted her hands that lay clenched tightly in her lap, feeling inadequate, wanting to believe my own words of comfort. I needed something else, something that would calm the jitters of seeing my suite ransacked once again. Of course, you know what my go-to cure is, and I walked over to the phone to place an order for hot tea and fresh cookies. I was pretty sure that Stan wouldn’t begrudge my cousin a first-aid treatment of the sugary kind. And if he did … oh, well. He could deal with it.

  My next decision was a tad more serious. I needed to call this latest incident in to the San Blanco PD. And I needed to share the list of names with someone who’d take it seriously. Reaching for the phone, I dialed the number for Detective Fischer.

  Within thirty minutes, the dynamic detective duo of Fischer and Baird had arrived. By this time, Ellie had calmed down and I had all my ducks in a row. Besides telling them about the list and asking what they thought about Emmy’s letter, I would also let them know that Fernando’s actions had sounded alarm bells as well, at least for me. Ellie can be a bit soft-hearted at times, but I know when to call a spade a spade. And Fernando was looking decidedly spade-ish to me.

  Per usual, my temperature did that weird hot-cold fluctuation when Detective Baird strolled in, but at least I was able to keep a grip on my dimple response issue. Of course, I did this by not looking directly at him but at a point just above his head, but ‘needs must when the Devil drives’, as Grandma Tillie would say. (I know – it never made any sense to me either, but hey! It sure sounds good.)