by Lyndsey Cole
A face peered at her through the partially opened window. The face was familiar. It was the same face from the picture in the newspaper article Samantha had shown her about the Dunn family.
“Where’s my brother?”
9
“Excuse me?” Hannah asked the rude man.
“You heard me. Dwayne Dunn. Where is he? I got a call from him last night that he had something important to talk to me about but he never showed up.”
Hannah studied his face—cold blue eyes, dark hair with every piece plastered in exactly the correct place, smooth skin that most likely had plenty of help to hide any unwanted wrinkles— and she saw a glimmer of resemblance to Dwayne in the similarity of the shapes of their faces.
The glaring difference was that Dwayne’s face showed who he was—someone who struggled through each day, but also someone who showed an honesty that Hannah couldn’t find in this other face that hid everything but anger.
“Marty Dunn, I assume?” Hannah asked. His name finally came to her—Dwayne’s older brother.
“So, where is he? I got a call that the police found him. I see all these police vehicles but you’re the only one here.”
Hannah pushed the door open and was pleased to hear a grunt when it smacked into Marty’s side. She slid out and slammed the door before Patches could follow her.
“Hey. Is that Dwayne’s mutt?” Marty leaned around Hannah and stuck his head in the window.
Patches growled.
“No. That’s my dog.” Now, she added silently. Obviously, Patches wanted nothing to do with this creep and Hannah was glad to protect him.
“Good. I told Dwayne that dog would end up at the pound if he ever tried to abandon him with me.”
“You sound like an extremely caring and generous brother. Someone I’m sure Dwayne must have looked up to,” Hannah replied, hoping Marty didn’t miss her sarcasm.
“I helped Dwayne plenty, always giving him money when he was down and out.”
Hannah found that comment to be interesting and could possibly explain why Dwayne had a backpack full of money. “I’m sure Dwayne appreciated your help.”
“Doubtful,” Marty sneered. “He didn’t care about money or family. Only that flea bag dog of his.”
“What’s going on here? Did they find Dwayne?” a woman’s voice called as she huffed and puffed her way to where Hannah and Marty were standing. “I came as soon as I got your message.”
Hannah didn’t even hide her snicker when the woman almost fell over when the heel of her fancy shoe slid off the edge of a rock. She managed to catch herself by grabbing the door handle of Deputy Pam Larson’s cruiser. Too bad an alarm didn’t go off. That would have made Ms. Fancy Pants wet herself.
“That’s exactly what I’m trying to find out, Ebony.” Marty glared at Hannah.
Ebony gave Hannah the quickest once-over before she turned her attention back to Marty. “Did something finally happen to him?”
Hannah realized that this Ebony must be the wife who threw Dwayne out. She tried to smooth out the wrinkles in her neatly pressed slacks and she brushed dust off her white silk blouse. Her high heels would never see the inside of the country club again after slumming here in this dusty teenager hang out.
“Why do you think something might happen to Dwayne?” Hannah asked. She knew it was only a matter of minutes before someone returned and informed these two people about Dwayne so she might as well find out what she could in the meantime. “Was he in trouble?”
“Who are you?” Ebony asked. She actually looked down her nose at Hannah like she was a fish dangling at the end of a hook.
“His friend.”
Ebony let out a laugh. “He didn’t have any friends. That old lady Caroline something-or-other, who owned the cottages on the beach, was his only friend.”
“Oh really? Well, I happen to be that Caroline something-or-other’s niece.”
Ebony’s tone abruptly changed to match the fake smile that suddenly appeared on her face. There was nothing real about her sweet voice or her forced smile. “Hannah Holiday? I didn’t know Dwayne had made your acquaintance. How well do the two of you know each other?”
Her syrupy voice almost made Hannah throw up the trail mix Cal shared with her earlier. And the image of the mess spewing on Ebony’s silk blouse gave Hannah a bit of satisfaction.
“Well enough to know he was loyal to those he cared about.” Hannah thought about Patches waiting patiently next to Dwayne’s backpack the night before and how he planned for Patches in the event of exactly what happened.
Ebony frowned.
Marty interrupted. “That doesn’t tell us where he is now. Did something happen to him?”
“Now, why would you jump to that conclusion, Mr. Dunn?”
He sneered. “Isn’t it obvious with all these emergency and police cars here?”
“Yes. Something happened, but why did you jump to the conclusion that it must be your brother?”
Marty’s face turned purple and he balled his fists, but Hannah was spared any more discussion with either of them since voices could be heard approaching through the woods.
Cal and Deputy Pam Larson emerged into the parking area, followed by several other emergency personnel including a stretcher with a body.
Ebony’s eyes opened wide and a small gasp escaped between her perfectly white teeth. She glanced at Marty who stood frozen.
The look between the two of them was not lost on Hannah but she didn’t know what to make of it. Concerned family members? Or family members up to no good?
Cal walked slowly toward Hannah; his face unsmiling, his eyes serious. As much as she suspected that Cal disliked Dwayne, what he found in the tunnel affected him deeply.
And maybe he felt a small amount of guilt for warning Dwayne to stay away from Hannah. If he hadn’t said anything, would Dwayne still be alive?
Marty Dunn cornered Deputy Pam Larson before she had a chance to reach her car. “Did you find Dwayne? Is that him on the stretcher? Is he still alive?” The questions were fired without a break.
Pam slowly turned around and moved into Marty’s space, forcing him to take several steps backwards. “Mr. Dunn, I presume?”
He nodded and had the good sense to keep his mouth shut.
“Yes, we did find your brother. Murdered. And I’ll need you to positively identify him.”
Ebony gasped again and latched onto Marty’s arm.
“Before we get to that, though, I need to ask you, Mr. Dunn, why you called the police station last night to say your brother was missing? Hasn’t he been on his own and disappearing for days on end for the last year or so?” Pam cocked her head and kept her eyes focused on Marty. Marty squirmed. “Why did you call last night and not so many other nights when I’m sure you also had no idea where he was?”
Cal squeezed Hannah’s arm and leaned close to her ear. “Pam is bat-poop angry about what happened to Dwayne and she’ll get to the bottom of it. Believe me. They are combing that area, where he had his tent, with a fine-toothed comb, looking for any clue.”
Pam moved closer to Ebony Dunn. “And you? You haven’t uttered one kind word about your husband for a number of years. That’s right. I know what’s going on in our quiet little town; the good, the bad, and the downright ugly. I don’t have to be a rocket scientist to know something doesn’t smell like roses around here.”
Hannah enjoyed watching the color drain from Ebony’s flawlessly suntanned skin. Her rosy cheeks were replaced with the color of the bottom of her white pants after they dragged through the dust in the parking lot. Pam wasn’t holding anything back by putting these two on notice that she’d be looking under every rock they thought they might be able to hide something under.
“And while I have both of you here, where were you last night?” Pam glared first at Marty, then honored Ebony with the same look.
“I, ah, was home waiting for Dwayne to show up,” Marty stuttered.
“I don’t have to answe
r your questions,” Ebony said with her arms crossed over her chest.
“Have it any way you want, Ms. Dunn. You can tell me here or at the police station.”
“I was home, too, if you must know, but I don’t know why you’re even asking.”
“To watch you squirm. Are you ready?” Pam asked Marty. “Or would you rather do the honors?” she asked Ebony.
Ebony’s perfectly straight, bleach blond hair swung sideways across her back. “Can you do it Marty? I think I’m about to faint.”
Pam led Marty to the stretcher, leaving Ebony leaning against Pam’s cruiser.
“Where’s Patches?” Cal whispered to Hannah. “It’s probably best if he stays hidden and away from all these prying eyes.”
“He’s in your truck. Marty already saw him but I told him he was my dog. Not a lie, seeing how things have turned out. But what difference does it make?”
Cal’s shoulders bobbed up and down. “I don’t know, but Dwayne left Patches in your care for some reason and it could be important.”
By the time Cal brought Hannah back to her place, they were both tired and ravenous.
Patches was just tired and sad.
Samantha rushed over to Cal’s truck before the dust had time to settle back onto the parking lot. “Where have you two been? I’ve been chatting with our new guest staying in Cottage Four, Clara Hayes. She can’t wait to meet you, Hannah.” Samantha lowered her voice and nodded toward the new outside patio off the front of The Fishy Dish. “She’s quite the walking encyclopedia on Dwayne Dunn and his family.”
“Perfect. Cal and I are starving so I’ll get some food and join her as soon as I take care of Patches.”
10
Hannah brought Patches to her cottage and made sure the door was secured properly. She couldn’t bear the thought of having him disappear again. His sad brown eyes haunted her already when she thought of how devoted he was to Dwayne.
She hurried through the back door of The Fishy Dish. Meg’s arms were flying between the deep fryer and the ever-present pot of clam chowder. Ruby was busy mixing up a big batch of cole slaw which was a side for everything they served.
“You two are life savers with all of your hard work here. Any problems?”
Ruby said, “No.”
Meg said, “Only one.”
Great, Hannah thought, not what she wanted to hear from Meg.
She ladled clam chowder into a take-out container for Cal and a big bowl for herself, stuffing several packets of oyster crackers in her pocket as she passed the open box on the counter.
Meg hooked a basket of fish from the hot oil onto the edge of the deep fryer to drain. “I need to pee. Can you keep an eye on all this until I get back?”
“Cross your legs for another minute and I’ll send Samantha in. I’d stay but there’s a guest outside I need to talk to. About Dwayne.”
Both Meg and Ruby raised their eyebrows.
“Cal and I found his campsite. And his body.”
“Dead?” Ruby whispered.
“Murdered,” Hannah said without further elaboration.
“You’re kidding,” Meg said. “I can’t say I was particularly fond of Dwayne, but who would do that?
“I’m hoping our guest, Clara Hayes, can shed some light on that question.”
Hannah balanced the chowder on a tray and made her way to the patio and her new source for information.
Cal leaned against the counter, sipping a cold iced tea. Hannah handed him his to-go container of chowder. “I wish you could stay and hear this information but I’ll share it with you later.” She watched him disappear and was glad they were back on track after her silly behavior from the night before.
Samantha stood and gestured for Hannah to take her seat. “I’ve been telling Clara all about you. Do Meg and Ruby need any help in the kitchen?” she asked as a tactful way to leave Hannah alone with Clara.
“Desperately.” Hannah made herself comfortable in the seat Samantha vacated across from Clara. “Thanks for letting me join you.”
“It’s all my pleasure,” Clara gushed. “Samantha told me so much about you and your business. You know, I knew your Great Aunt Caroline. That’s why I decided to stay here while the floors in my house are being refinished. The smell gives me the worst headache and I had to get out.” She gazed at the ocean. “This breeze and sunshine is everything I needed.”
Hannah fanned her mouth after tasting the hot chowder. “Ouch! I should know better. I’ve made this mistake way too many times.” She set her spoon down. “I heard you know Dwayne Dunn.”
“Oh yes.” Clara stared off into space before she brought her attention back to Hannah. “He was such a clever boy when I taught him in high school. I suspect he scored at the genius level but his social skills were abysmal and got worse as he got older. Such a shame. Samantha said you offered him a job. I hope he doesn’t let you down.”
Hannah placed her hand over Clara’s gnarly fingers. “I’m afraid I have bad news. Dwayne was found dead this morning.”
Clara clutched her chest and didn’t respond for several seconds, looking off into the distance. Finally, she said, “I suppose that shouldn’t shock me too much. Everyone has expected something would happen to Dwayne sooner or later. At least ever since his wife kicked him out and he just wandered around with that dog of his. What happened?”
Hannah considered her answer and what effect it could have on this elderly woman. “The police are still investigating.”
Clara’s hand holding her ice water stopped midway between the table and her mouth. Her eyes widened to the size of big sand dollars. “You said the police are investigating? Was there foul play?”
“I’m afraid that’s what it looks like. Do you know anyone who might have wanted Dwayne dead?”
Tears welled in Clara’s eyes. Her eyelids fluttered. “Several people come to mind.” She wiped her cheek with the back of her hand. When her eyes cleared, they were cold and hard. “That brother of his always tried to control Dwayne. And I’ve heard that Dwayne’s estranged wife, Ebony, is—excuse my language—but she’s a real piece of dog doo.”
Before Clara had time to expound on more details, Deputy Pam Larson approached their table. “Ms. Holiday? I need to ask you a few questions.” She looked at Clara. “In private.”
Hannah stood and patted Clara’s shoulder. “We’ll talk more later. Okay?”
Clara nodded.
Hannah led Pam to her office. Jack was on the phone answering questions about available cottage rental dates when they walked inside. When he hung up, he smiled at his daughter. “Hi, Pam. Are you looking for me?”
“Nope.” She stood with her feet apart and her arms crossed over her chest. “How about you find something else to do.” It was clear that she wasn’t asking her father a question.
Jack’s eyebrows shot to the top of his forehead. He looked at Hannah. Hannah shrugged. “No problem. I’ll have a chat with Clara. I noticed that she headed to The Fishy Dish not long ago. We need to catch up on old times, especially about Dwayne Dunn.”
Pam held her hand up. “What do the two of you know about Dwayne?”
“I doubt it’s anything you’d be interested in.” He smiled at his daughter as he walked by her and out the door.
Hannah tried not to laugh but she felt the edge of her lip twitch involuntarily. The twitch stopped when she saw Pam grinding her teeth. She was mad and that wouldn’t translate well for Hannah.
“Sit,” Pam ordered.
Hannah knew better than to disagree.
“Tell me everything about Dwayne’s visit here.”
Hannah leaned forward over her desk and clasped her hands in front of her. “Yesterday morning, he showed up looking for work and I felt sorry for him. He was supposed to start this morning but he never showed up.”
“And?”
“And what, Pam?”
“The backpack, the money, the letter, and the dog.” Pam remained standing, keeping her eyes angled down
on Hannah.
“I turned all that over to you. Except Patches. You aren’t planning to confiscate him, too, are you?” Panic momentarily seized Hannah’s chest. She had to keep Patches safe; that was Dwayne’s last request to her and she would honor it over everything else.
“I’m not interested in the dog. Unless,” Pam cocked her head, “he can talk and tell us what happened to Dwayne?”
Hannah chose to ignore the taunt and remained silent.
Pam put both hands on Hannah’s big old desk and leaned as close as she could across the space separating their faces. “How did you get the backpack, Ms. Holiday? I have a dead man. You and that friend of yours found the dead man. You’re the one who turned up with a boatload of money. That all adds up to a lot of unanswered questions. I would love to hear the explanation.” After she delivered her loaded statements, she finally sat in the chair opposite Hannah’s desk, crossed her legs, and waited.
Hannah felt a bead of sweat trickle down her side. She wiped her upper lip with the back of her hand.
What was she nervous about? Did Pam think she had something to do with Dwayne’s murder? She had to admit, the way Pam painted the picture, it didn’t look good.
“Last night, Dwayne showed up with Patches and his backpack. He wanted to buy some food but the snack bar was closed for the night so I gave him some cheese and crackers. He was sitting at one of the picnic tables when I left.”
“Where did you go?”
“I had dinner with Cal on his boat.”
Pam nodded and jotted some notes in her notebook.
“When I got home, Dwayne was gone but Patches was sitting next to his backpack. I brought them into my cottage, assuming Dwayne would show up for work this morning.”
“So you didn’t look in the bag until this morning? Then you called me?”
Hannah twisted her mouth into a grimace, uncomfortable with her answer. At the time, it seemed logical not to call last night, but now it sounded suspicious.
“No. I looked in the bag last night.”
“Why didn’t you call then?”
“I had no reason to think that Dwayne wouldn’t return. It was his money and I decided to keep it safe for him.”