by Nora Kane
Jade pulled into the parking lot and took out the keycard. It was time to get a first good look and figure out which room she’d be investigating. There was only one problem. The room number written on the keycard sleeve had been worn away by the ocean and scraped against the rocks. Did the room number say 205 or 208? Jade couldn’t be sure.
Walking into the Inn, she hurried past the front desk. Rooms starting with two hundred would be on the second floor. She climbed the stairs and looked at the room numbers. 205 looked out over the ocean while room 208 looked over the parking lot. Jade took a moment to think. Was our victim more likely to want a nice view or a private room? He was wearing a very fine suit. A man like that had money and could spring for an oceanside room. But he was found murdered and unidentifiable, so seems to be a private man. It was a fifty-fifty chance and she couldn’t be wrong.
Taking the bet that the man would spring for a room with a view, Jade stood outside room 205. Standing at the door, she listened intently with bated breath. There wasn’t a sound. Carefully, she slid the key into the lock and waited to hear the click. A small green light illuminated the door and she was in. She had guessed right. She opened the door and was met with a sight she hadn’t expected.
The room was trashed. Clothes lay about everywhere. The blankets had been ripped off from the bed. The pillows were thrown on the floor. Someone had been here before her; either that or her victim was a very messy guest. She highly doubted the latter. The mess only further proved her suspicions of murder. Why would someone come crashing through a dead man’s room if not to look for something? Something valuable? Something important? Jade didn’t know.
She didn’t want to touch the mess too much and ruin the scene. She was sure the police would be here at some point and they could do the job. Still, she ran through her checklist of places to look. She pulled out the drawers only to find them to be empty. After all, all the clothes were on the floor. They were nice clothes. Nothing less than expensive. Whoever her victim was, he’d had money. His suits said he’d been here on business. She wondered just what such a person would be doing in Camden, especially getting murdered. She checked in the bathroom. All of the guest’s toiletries had been emptied onto the floor. She was careful not to step on the man’s toothbrush. Finally, she checked the trash.
The trash can was the cleanest thing in the room: only a couple of crumpled up receipts and a ticket stub. The receipts were of no consequence. All they told her was that the man liked to spend money on the finer things, having gone to one of the best restaurants in town. Even if she visited the businesses, she doubted anyone would remember her victim. The ticket stub, however, was intriguing. It was for a ferry service that went across the bay, Arnold’s Ferries. The ticket was dated yesterday. A man in a suit in a coffee shop wouldn’t stand out, but a man in a suit on a ferry? He would clearly be pegged as not your average tourist. It was worth checking out.
Taking a last sweep of the room, Jade searched for any other clue. There had been no sign of a wallet or any identification. His suits didn’t have his name on them. Neither did his luggage. Whoever he was, he was trying to be discreet. This man just got more mysterious by the minute.
Silently, Jade slipped out of room 205 and back down the staircase. Now that she knew the victim’s room number she stopped at the front desk.
“How can we help you today, ma’am?” the young woman behind the desk asked. She was perky and didn’t look like she needed coffee to survive. Jade was slightly envious. If only she had such energy in the morning.
“I’d like to know who rented out room 205, please,” Jade said.
“I’m sorry, ma’am, but I cannot give out that information. It’s against hotel policy,” the young woman said with a clearly fake smile.
“Thanks, anyway,” Jade said, not wanting to push the matter.
If anyone caught her being suspicious, it could be game over. After all, the killer was probably the one who trashed the room. They might be keeping tabs on it. It was better to not look like more than a curious tourist.
Chapter 3
Jade kept her head low and walked back to her car. It was nearly noon and she had promised to have lunch with her boyfriend, Mark. Mark was the coroner at the station. He was sweet, sensitive, and nothing like Jade. He was soft, and cuddly, and preferred tea. She was tense and strong, a woman of resolve. She’d had to be. Mark had grown up with a perfect family: loving parents, an adorable sister. He had it all. Jade had to admit that, at times, she was jealous of Mark. She’d had very strict, uncaring parents. Her parents had often scolded her for wearing little to no color and skipping classes. It wasn’t like she’d had bad grades. A few days off a week didn’t hurt.
What did hurt was her running away to visit her grandmother here in Camden. Her parents had called the police, had her declared missing. It was the best and worst four days of her life. Not only did she get to see her grandmother before she passed, but she had pure freedom. Something she craved. But they’d forced her to go home without getting to say goodbye.
Now that she was an adult, Jade was fine with never seeing her family again. She was making a new one on her own. She had her friend, Edna, and her boyfriend, Mark. Who could ask for more?
Jade drove downtown to the little cafe that Mark liked. It was flowery and felt like a home she’d never known. Jade preferred the bars where the motorcyclists hung out, but deep down, Jade had to admit that she liked this place too. Mark was waiting for her at a window seat, sitting at a table with a sunflower.
“There’s my girl!” he cried, getting up and giving her a hug. Jade wasn’t big on hugs but didn’t mind the ones Mark gave. They sat down and Mark continued.
“I tried calling you this morning,” Mark said. “You’re on the case that washed up on shore this morning, right?”
“Yep. It’s already been quite a morning working on that case,” Jade said.
“You just need more coffee,” Mark said enthusiastically. He was also a person who didn’t need coffee to survive or be perky.
“So, the body?” Jade said, getting back to the matter at hand.
“Yep. I think I know who your dead guy is. I’ll know for sure this afternoon when we finish running the prints through the lab,” Mark said.
“Wait! Are you serious?” Jade asked. She was shocked. She had no clue who her victim was! And the lab wasn’t done running their tests. How in the world could Mark know?
“Yeah, I think I might know who he is,” Mark repeated just as enthusiastically.
“Well, tell me!” Jade said, still in disbelief.
“I’ve got a buddy who works as a town car driver, Tom Walsh. I caught him at the donut place this morning. He looked really tired. The man ordered a huge coffee. You and he would get along,” Mark said.
“Mark, just tell me who you think the victim is!” Jade insisted. He was always a storyteller.
“Anyway, I asked him why he was so tired. He said that he had waited two extra hours to pick up a client last night, just to have them never show up. He’d dropped off the man at the docks last night, and he’d never showed up again. I asked him what the man was like and he said a rich, fancy businessman. Now, I’ve seen the body and the clothes it came in with. I think he was talking about your victim,” Mark explained.
“That’s great, Mark, but what’s his name?!” Jade asked.
“Right. It’s Mr. H. Robert Yates,” Mark said finally.
Jade repeated the name under her breath and let her thoughts race around her head. Somehow, our man had ended up washing onshore about fifty yards from the docks. You wouldn’t get that far just from falling off. He must’ve been in a boat of some kind. Maybe the ferry.
“I’ve got to check it out,” Jade said suddenly.
“Check what out?” Mark asked.
“The ferry. I’ve got a lead. I’ve got to go.”
“But what about lunch?” Mark whined.
“I’m sorry. This can’t wait!” Jade said, leaving
Mark behind and alone.
Chapter 4
She walked out to her car and stopped. Her phone was buzzing. She pulled out it of her pocket. Some unknown caller was calling.
“Hello?” Jade asked in her business voice.
“End your work or we will end it for you,” a deep, gravelly voice said on the other end.
“Excuse you, what? Who is this?” Jade asked, more angry than afraid.
“End your work or we will end it for you,” the voice repeated, then the line went dead.
That was odd, Jade thought. Someone clearly didn’t like her investigating this case. It wasn’t often that Jade got threatened. She’d made some enemies over her time, but no one serious enough to track down her personal number and call her. She’d definitely have to be more careful from now on. It wasn’t yet time to get the police involved, but she’d be contacting them soon enough if another call came.
Driving off in her small, electric car, Jade thought deeply all the way to the docks where Arnold’s ferries took off. She had a suspect, but no name or clue who they were. Just a gravelly-voiced man on the phone. Not much to go on. Pulling up to the docks, Jade parked the car and pulled out her phone. She looked up the ferry service online and bought a ticket for the next ride out, leaving in about forty-five minutes. She had time to kill, but not much. Boarding started in twenty minutes.
Not surprisingly, Arnold’s ferries departed from the same docks where Jade had been that morning scrutinizing the crime scene. The parking lot was much clearer now and she could see more with the sun shining bright overhead. She stepped out onto the docks and decided to take a walk to see what she could see. Most of the shops were fishing holes, trying to sell bait, lures, nets, and more. There were a couple of small restaurants for the fishermen, but nothing too fancy. After passing by a lot of these little holes in the wall, Jade found Johnson’s Bait and Tackle. It was open. It was time to ask some questions.
Johnson’s Bait and Tackle was a small shop that reeked of fish and worms and generally was dirty, much like the rest of these shops. The smell hit Jade before she even walked in. It was a familiar smell in this town, but she still hadn’t gotten used to it, despite having lived there for almost fifteen years. She’d moved out here at nineteen and had started solving cases right away. But still the stench took her by surprise.
There was one man inside the shop. He was reading the newspaper and sitting behind the counter. Jade could’ve been convinced he was sleeping, if not for the low grumbling of nonsense he was spewing as he read.
“Excuse me, sir, I have a few questions for you,” Jade said.
“And who are you?” he said, eyeing her up and down. He had a gruff voice…a gravelly voice. It could match the phone call. Maybe if he had deepened it a bit more, he could be the caller, but Jade was getting ahead of herself.
“I’m Jade Pearson. I’m a journalist working a story on the body that washed up on shore this morning,” she lied. It was better to not be too connected. In this game, you had to be an actress, a spy, a detective, and sometimes a reporter.
“Don’t much like reporters,” the man said grumpily, putting down his paper. He was dressed in a red flannel shirt and khaki pants. He looked like a seasoned fisherman in his wool hat and sharp beard. Either that or a lumberjack. Jade was slightly amused but didn’t show it. She had a really good poker face when it came down to it.
“Please, sir, I just have a couple of questions,” Jade said, pulling out her notepad.
“Oh, alright, but make it quick,” the man huffed, crossing his arms, “and sign the registry before you leave.”
“Yes, of course. Were you here this morning when the body was found?” Jade asked.
“Yes, I was,” he replied.
“But your shop usually isn’t open early Monday mornings. Is that right?”
“That’s true, but I needed some worms to go fishing this morning.”
“Did you see the body this morning?” Jade asked.
“No, I left to go fishing.”
It seemed to be his alibi, a sketchy one with no good way to verify. Jade wasn’t sure she believed him.
“But you did hear the commotion?” Jade asked.
“Yes. I ignored it because it sounded like some nonsense to me.”
“A body washing up on shore sounded like nonsense?”
“What are you, a cop? Yes, it sounded like a prank that those young ones like to pull, so I ignored it and went out fishing. Didn’t do me any good. Didn’t catch anything. Fish were all spooked this morning,” he said, upset.
“Were you here late last night?” Jade asked.
“Yes, I did some evening fishing, tied up my boat, and then and I went home,” he replied. So, he was on the docks last night.
“Did you see anything suspicious last night?” Jade asked, trying not to sound too serious about her questions.
“No. I didn’t see anything.”
He could be lying, but what reason would he have to?
“Thank you, sir,” Jade said, deciding not to press her luck any further. “One more question,” she added, as though as an afterthought, “What’s your name?”
“Isaac Johnson.”
Jade scribbled in her notepad everything important he had just told her.
“Thank you so much, Mr. Johnson,” she said when she was done. She checked the time on her phone. She had to get going.
“The registry,” Mr. Johnson said, pointing to a piece of paper stuck to a clipboard on his counter. He could tell that she was getting set to leave. Jade gave a little smile, picked up the pen, and began to write down her name. Two spaces above hers were the initials H.R.Y. Curious. Could it be Mr. Yates? And if so, why had Mr. Yates been in this shop? If Mr. Johnson had come into contact with her victim, it definitely made him more of a suspect, but he didn’t appear to have any motive…other than being kind of grumpy. But something didn’t add up about him.
Jade finished signing her name and hurried out.
She had to get to the ferry soon or she’d miss the boat. Mr. Johnson had given her some interesting information. And he’d just become her first solid suspect. Any man who wasn’t interested in a body washing ashore was suspicious. And he might have met Mr. Yates, maybe done some kind of business with him. Also, the fish were spooked. Could they have been wary because a dead body had been floating through? Or maybe because something violent had happened in the night? Either way, something had certainly happened out at sea the previous night and Mr. Johnson had to have something to do with it.
Chapter 5
Deep in thought, Jade walked down the docks and found the ferry amongst the other boats. It was old looking and had a few rusty spots. The white paint was peeling. The blue paint was fading. It had certainly seen better days.
Jade took out her phone and scanned the QR code on her ticket to board the ferry. A crewmember welcomed her aboard and led her to the seats. There were three levels to the ferry. The bottom, where she boarded, had the largest seating area. It was closed in by walls and windows that were covered in spiderwebs. It had about forty rows of seats. The second level was smaller, with sixteen rows of seats. It was slightly closed in the front, preventing water from coming up and spraying the passengers. The top floor had only four rows of seats and was completely open to the elements. The ferry wasn’t filled up on this trip and most people chose to sit on the second level. But Jade wanted to see everything, so she climbed to the top. Little did she know, she was standing in the last spot that Mr. H. Robert Yates had been standing.
There were four crew members aboard the ferry. There were two deckhands to look after the passengers and handle the ropes. There was the second-in-command, who handled the ship when the Captain wasn’t around. And then there was the Captain, who stayed in the deckhouse behind where Jade was sitting. None of them seemed particularly suspicious. In fact, they seemed pretty friendly. If they’d been part of something dastardly, wouldn’t they be shaken up?
Looking out at
the bay, she saw a familiar view: sailboats, a couple of pontoons, a plethora of speedboats. The same view she got from land. But looking out over the ocean was different. It was vast and open and endless. The waves crashed gently into the sides of the boat, spraying a light mist into the air. Rainbows came and went through the mists. A few seagulls were flying around overhead. Fishing boats aplenty were out in the ocean today. After all, it was sunny and warm. Only the breeze was cool. Jade closed her eyes and took in the salty smell of the sea. It was a smell that she loved. The sea was where she belonged. Being trapped in by cornfields for her early life, Jade couldn’t help but love the vast, openness of the ocean. There was so much freedom in being by the sea.