The Case of the Abandoned Aussie

by B R Snow

  “In my line of work, that’s everything.”

  “It sounds kind of sad,” I said, starting work on my salad.

  “Maybe I should get a dog,” he said, popping a mushroom into his mouth.

  “A little unconditional love probably couldn’t hurt,” I said, studying him closely.

  “Unconditional love? What planet are you from?” he snapped. Then he exhaled loudly and wiped his mouth with his napkin. “I’m sorry. That was uncalled for. I think I could use a healthy dose of whatever bottle of compassion you’re drinking from.”

  “Forget it,” I said. “It doesn’t matter.”

  “I just have a lot on my mind lately.”

  “There’s a lot of that going around these days. Tell me something, Jerry. If you weren’t a lawyer, what would you like to do?”

  “Easy one. I’d buy a boat, head for the Caribbean, and start a charter fishing business.”

  “What’s stopping you?”

  “Unfinished business, I guess.”

  “Maybe you’ll get it finished soon, huh?”

  “That would be great,” he said, glancing up at our waitress arriving with our steaks. “Here we go.”

  We waited as she set our plates down and poured two glasses of red wine from an already opened bottle of Caymus Cabernet. I shook my head, then glanced up and smiled at the waitress.

  “She ordered the wine as well,” she said, laughing.

  “Of course she did,” I said, taking a sip. It was delicious.

  “The woman certainly knows her wine,” Jerry said, cutting into his steak.

  “If I can ask, what exactly are you doing for my mother?”

  “I can’t go into any details, but she’s just making sure all her affairs are in order.”

  “That’s a lot of affairs to keep track of,” I said, laughing.

  “What?”

  “Nothing. Inside joke. So are they in order?”

  “They are now,” he said, nodding. “Don’t worry, you’re going to like it.”

  “It doesn’t matter to me one way or another,” I said. “I’ll probably end up spending whatever she leaves me on dogs.”

  “That would be a lot of dogs,” he said, taking another bite of steak. “This is really good.”

  “It is,” I said. “Like I said, it doesn’t matter.”

  “It would matter to me,” he said. “Do you have any idea how rich your mother is?”

  “No, I don’t.”

  That was the truth, I didn’t. But I did know that there were several zeros on the tail end of her bank account.

  “Well, she’s loaded. It’s certainly not Crawford money, but she can hold her own in some serious company.”

  “So, you’re only after me for my money?”

  I don’t know why I said it, but somehow it worked to lighten the mood that had descended over our table.

  “Wow,” he said, setting his knife and fork down on his plate. “Am I dreaming, or did you just turn playful.”

  “It must be the wine,” I said, embarrassed.

  “Don’t stop. I like it,” he said, beaming at me. “But to answer your question, no, I’m not after your money. Which, by the way, you probably won’t have for years.”

  “Then it must be my charming personality,” I said, giggling.

  “I’ll let you know as soon as I see it,” he said.

  I knew he was joking, but the comment still made me a bit cranky. I sipped my wine and glanced around the restaurant.

  “Don’t get mad,” he said. “You have to admit you’re pretty tough on people.”

  “Do you really think so?”

  “Well, you certainly have been tough on me.”

  “Yes, I have,” I said. “But I attribute that to the fact that going out with you was my mother’s idea. And you’re a lawyer.”

  “You don’t like lawyers?”

  “No, as a general rule, I don’t.”

  “But if we’d somehow just met, and I was a charter fishing boat captain, I’d have a shot?”

  “Oh, you’d have more than a shot,” I said.

  Wow, where did that come from?

  “Interesting,” he said, starting to reach for my hand, then he stopped. He opted for a lustful gaze across the table. “This is where I usually try to be clever and say something like your place or mine.”

  “Please tell me you’re not going to do that,” I said as my defensives went back on full alert.

  “No, at least not tonight.”

  He continued to stare at me. I felt confused and flustered. That was all I needed. Here I was sitting at a table with someone who could have been involved in a murder, and I was about to start making goo-goo eyes at him.

  I cursed the wine.

  I cursed my mother.

  I cursed him for being so darn cute.

  I needed to get out of here right now.

  Well, right after the soufflé.

  On cue, our waitress arrived carrying two chocolate delights that smelled incredible. She set them down in front of us.

  “Can I bring you an after dinner cocktail to go with the soufflé?”

  “No, thanks, Michelle. Just coffee, please. And keep it coming.”

  Chapter 18

  Chloe sneezed then shook vigorously throwing shampoo in several directions including all over Josie and me. We both laughed as Chloe sneezed twice more then sat and waited for me to continue.

  “She loves getting a bath,” Josie said.

  “Yeah, and that’s good news for us. I’d hate to see the mess if she didn’t,” I said, wiping my face and arms with a towel.

  Josie checked her schedule on her phone then slid it back into her scrubs. “I’ve got fifteen minutes before my next appointment. So tell me all about your date.”

  “It wasn’t a date, it was just dinner,” I said, working on a chunk of mud crammed tight between one of Chloe’s front paws. “How the heck did you get so muddy?”

  If Chloe remembered, she wasn’t telling.

  “So?” Josie said, raising an eyebrow at me.

  “So what?”

  “Details. I need some details,” Josie said, grabbing the hose and starting the rinse process.

  “Well, my mother took the liberty of ordering for us.”

  “Of course,” Josie said, nodding as she rinsed Chloe’s back legs.

  “And since she couldn’t help sticking her nose into my business, I stuck her with the check.”

  “Good for you,” Josie said. “But that’s not the kind of detail I was looking for.”

  “I know what you’re looking for,” I said.

  “Well?”

  “I actually had a better time that I thought I would,” I said, glancing over my shoulder at her.

  “Really? He didn’t do his shtick?”

  “His shtick?”

  “You know, work his game on you.”

  “A little at first, yeah,” I said, flashing back on the hand grabbing across the table. “But then he settled down and became a real person for a while.”

  “That’s good,” she said, turning the hose off and tossing me a fresh towel. “He’s cute as all get out.”

  “Yes, he certainly is,” I said, drying Chloe’s head.

  “Are you going to see him again?”

  “I’m not sure that’s a good idea. I don’t think he’s involved in the Crawford mess, but-”

  “Why don’t you think he’s involved?”

  “He hates Marge Crawford. He’s doing work for her, what exactly I’m still not sure, but he says it’s because she pays him a lot of money to do it.”

  “You believe him?” Josie said, drying off Chloe’s back legs.

  “Yeah, I think I do,” I said. “What possible motive could he have to do something like that?”

  “You just said it. She’s paying him a lot of money.”

  “I imagine he has more than enough money. And if Marge were dead, she wouldn’t be able to pay him anymore, right?”

 
“You’ve got a point there,” Josie said.

  “I don’t know what it is, but he doesn’t seem to be that type of person.”

  “Then you should probably go out with him again, right?”

  “Yeah, maybe,” I said. “I don’t know. But he’s not a dog person. That’s never a good sign. I need to think about it.”

  Josie laughed and tossed the used towel into a nearby bin.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “You. I know that look. It’s the one you use when you’re about to go back into hiding.”

  “I’m not hiding,” I said. “I’m just cautious.”

  Josie laughed again. Despite my fondness for all things Josie, she was starting to make me cranky.

  “You’re one to talk,” I said.

  “Leave me out of this,” she said, washing her hands. She fiddled with her hair in the mirror above the sink as she dried her hands. “But don’t worry. The next time I meet someone who gets my motor running, you’ll know all about it. And I certainly won’t be playing Hide and Seek,” she said, staring at me through the mirror.

  “I said I’d think about it,” I said, getting ready to put Chloe’s collar back on her. After three tries, I gave up. “Well, I love this collar, but I think it’s time for a new one. She’s outgrown it.”

  “Let me see it,” Josie said.

  I tossed her the collar and resumed working on Chloe with the towel. She loved it and wanted to play.

  “Hang in there, girl,” I said, patting her head dry with the towel. “That’s a good girl.”

  “This one’s toast,” Josie said, examining the ornate collar. “There’s just no room to punch another hole in it.” She glanced at Chloe. “You’re just growing up too fast, aren’t you?”

  Chloe wagged her tail, then sat down expecting her collar to be put back in place. She looked back and forth at us, then barked once.

  “Hold your horses,” I said, laughing.

  I glanced at Josie expecting her also to be enjoying the moment, but she was focused on the collar. She ran a hand along the inside of the collar, then squeezed it in several places.

  “What is it?” I said.

  “I think there’s something inside the collar,” she said, handing it to me.

  “The lining probably just came loose,” I said, turning it over in my hand.

  “No, I don’t think so. It’s a solid object.”

  “That’s strange,” I said as I held it up to the light. Why I have no idea. It was made of heavy cloth and leather and was about half an inch thick. I caught the smile Josie was giving me and felt my face flush with embarrassment.

  “Good one, Sherlock,” Josie said. “We could just cut it open and find out.”

  “No, I don’t want to destroy it if we don’t have to. I want it as a keepsake,” I said, continuing to examine the collar. “Now that I think about it, she has been scratching at it the past couple of days.”

  Josie glanced up at the clock, then opened the door.

  “Sammy. Got a minute?”

  Sammy entered and waved hello to me. He patted Chloe on the head and rubbed the back of her ears. “What’s up?”

  “Look, I’m going to need a few minutes,” Josie said. “Is Mrs. Everly here yet?”

  “Big woman with blue hair?”

  “Yes, that’s her,” Josie said. “She’s brought Brutus in for his annual checkup. Could you get them into exam room four, pull his chart, and weigh him? I’ll be right in.”

  “I don’t know. He’s a pretty big dog,” Sammy said, nervously. “Does he bite?”

  “Only when people try to weigh him,” Josie said, straight-faced. “I’m joking, Sammy. Don’t worry, Brutus will love you.”

  “Okay, room four, got it,” he said, backing out of the room.

  “Are you ready?” Josie said, taking the collar out of my hand.

  “For what?”

  “To take an x-ray of the collar, of course.”

  “What a good idea,” I said following Josie out the door. Chloe trailed at my heels. “I don’t know why I didn’t think of that.”

  “Your mind is obviously on something else. Or should I say, someone else?”

  “Drop it,” I said, punching her on the arm.

  Josie headed straight for the x-ray area while I picked Chloe up and stepped inside a small office a safe distance away from the machine. Five minutes later she returned carrying the collar and the x-ray. She snapped it into place on a display unit on the wall and turned on the light.

  Stunned, we both stared at the image.

  “So Mrs. Crawford was right,” Josie said.

  “Yeah, Chloe had it all the time,” I said, picking up the collar. “I guess we’ll have to cut it open.”

  “I’m afraid so,” Josie said, rummaging through one of the drawers. She removed a scalpel, and I handed her the collar. “Don’t worry. I’ll try not to ruin it.”

  I watched as she expertly cut along the edge of the collar then peeled it open. She removed the object and held it up. The gold key glistened in the light.

  “What kind of key is it?” I said.

  “Safe deposit box would be my guess.”

  I nodded.

  “Now what?” Josie said, handing me the key.

  “I guess we should return it,” I said.

  “You’re dying to get another look at that island, aren’t you?”

  “No, I’m just trying to be a good citizen. You know, returning things to their rightful owner,” I said.

  It sounded so insincere even I laughed when I heard myself say it.

  “So, I guess this officially puts Mrs. Crawford right at the top of our suspect’s list,” Josie said.

  “It certainly does. Marge knew the key existed. And I’m betting that whatever is locked away could do some real damage to her plans.”

  “A new will?” Josie said, sitting down.

  “Or the original one?”

  “Could be. Or maybe a copy of the mysterious divorce settlement Chef Claire mentioned?”

  “That’s a good thought,” I said. “If it was signed and the divorce is final, and if Mrs. Crawford could get her hands on the original and destroy it, wouldn’t everything go to her?”

  “People could try to fight it, but Marge would be in a pretty strong position,” Josie said.

  “How’s your afternoon look?”

  Josie pulled out her phone and checked her schedule. “It opens up after lunch.”

  “Feel like taking a boat ride this afternoon?”

  “You read my mind,” Josie said.

  “How about you Chloe? You want to go for a ride later on?”

  Chloe barked once and wagged her tail.

  “I think she likes the idea,” Josie said, laughing.

  “The scary part is that I think she understood what I was saying,” I said.

  “When you get a chance, ask Chloe what she thinks you should do about Jerry the Lawyer,” Josie said, laughing as she stood up. “I need to run. I have a date with Brutus I’m late for.” She paused at the door and turned back. “Should we pack a lunch for the ride?”

  “I’ll see what I can do,” I said.

  “Don’t go to any trouble. But maybe the turkey club from Delmonte, with a side of potato salad, coleslaw, and a pickle. Oh, and a bag of brownies from Patersons. I love their brownies.”

  “Anything else?” I said, rolling my eyes.

  “A diet Coke,” she said. “I’m watching my calories.”

  She laughed all the way down the hall.

  Chapter 19

  I cut the engine, and we began drifting in the shallows about a mile from downtown Clay Bay. The summer was in full swing, but the River was surprisingly quiet given the bright sun and calm water. Josie removed the large men’s dress shirt she was wearing and stepped out of her shorts to reveal the two-piece bathing suit she was wearing. It was new, and its orange and pale blue pattern worked perfectly with her skin tone. It was by no means a micro-bikini, and it cover
ed her as well as the two pieces of fabric could, but it was fighting a losing battle. You’d need a car cover to hide that body. I shook my head.

  “What?” she said, catching my reaction.

  “You. Nobody should look that good. Especially given the amount of food you eat.”

  “Thanks. It’s just good genes. You’ve seen my grandmother. And don’t be too hard on yourself. You look great.” She pulled her Blue Jays hat further down and adjusted her sunglasses. “But speaking of food.”

  I tossed her the bag of sandwiches, and she began unpacking our lunch. Chloe went on point. I grabbed an apple and removed the core and seeds and cut it into small slices. I laid them out on a plate and set it down in front of her. She wagged her tail and began working her way through her snack.

  “She eats like a lady,” Josie said, observing the meticulous manner Chloe selected and chewed each slice.

  “She gets that from her mother,” I said.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” Josie said through a mouthful of her club sandwich.

  I took a bite of my sandwich and looked around. The setting was more than beautiful. It was perfect. A gentle breeze kicked up, and the sun was hot. I leaned back against the cushion and knew if I stayed in that position very long, I’d be napping.

  I heard the boat before I saw it. Chloe heard it too and began a low growl I’d never heard from her before.

  “What’s the matter, girl?” I said, setting my sandwich down next to me.

  She continued the low guttural growl, and I leaned down to pick her up. Chloe continued to stare at the boat as it drew closer. It was the first time I’d gotten a look at the boat since it was covered the two previous times we’d seen it in the boathouse. It was black and sleek with a modified V hull that provided both stability and flexibility for dealing with a variety of water conditions. The back half of the boat was open and would work well for transporting a variety of supplies and materials to the island. And from the low throaty growl of the engine, I knew it had a lot of power. At the moment, Chloe was doing her best to drown out the engine with her throaty growl.

  “That’s odd,” Josie said as she tossed her sandwich wrapper back in the bag and started working on her potato salad.

  “Yeah, she’s never done that before,” I said, continuing to watch the boat.