Cedar Bay Cozy Mysteries #3

by Dianne Harman

  She walked into the large thatched roof open-air restaurant and stood for a moment thinking that she’d stepped onto a movie set. A long wooden bar was on her right and beyond that was the clear shallow water of the Caribbean. On her left was the beach with water that seemed to stretch forever. “Hola," the man behind the bar said, smiling as he greeted her. A handful of people sat at picnic style tables and at the bar. She saw two men walking over to the enclosed pen beyond the bar. One of them got into the water and was immediately greeted by two dolphins. The second man walked out on the dock and stepped down onto a small raised platform. He tossed some fish from a container into the water, and the dolphin show began.

  For the next fifteen minutes the dolphins performed numerous acrobatic tricks. They kissed one of the men, flapped their fins, twisted, turned, dove deep, and then shot out of the water doing somersaults. Kelly couldn't help herself from clapping, and she became aware of someone next to her doing the same. “Hey, pretty lady,” Mike said, “I just got here, and I’m glad I didn’t miss the show. Pretty amazing, isn’t it? Back in the States we'd pay dearly to see something like this. Think the cost of admission at Sea World in San Diego is about seventy or eighty dollars per person, and we're getting all of this for free. This is worth the cost of the trip. Never thought we’d see our own private dolphin show when we decided to come down here.”

  Just then Kelly saw Jack and Carola approaching in one of the fishing boats. She’s holding her thumbs up so they must have caught some fish, Kelly thought.

  She and Mike walked over to the small boat as the guide expertly nudged it onto the shore. He helped Carola out of the boat as Jack easily jumped out of it. “You won't believe what I caught,” she said. “Two bonefish and a tarpon. I'm not a fisherperson, but that had to be one of the most exciting mornings I've ever spent in my life. And the views, they were absolutely incredible.” She stood and looked around, noticing the people walking away from where the dolphins had been performing. “Looks like we missed the show. How was it?”

  “Probably as good as your morning,” Kelly answered. “I feel like one of the most fortunate people in the world to have seen it.”

  Mike walked over to the bar, took the beers he’d ordered, and handed one to Kelly. “When it's as hot as it is here, the only thing that makes any sense to drink is an ice cold beer. These are so cold they must have been in the freezer.” He took a sip. “That might just be the best beer I've ever had in my life. Let's sit down and order. I told the constable I was coming here for lunch, but I told him I wouldn't be staying long.”

  The waiter motioned them over to a table and handed them a menu. At the bottom right was the lobster. Carola leaned over and said, “Our fishing guide said the lobsters are usually two to two and a half pounds. I think we may just be the luckiest people in the world to be here. I mean, how many people know about this place? There are maybe ten to fifteen people here, and we're getting ice cold beer, dolphin shows, and huge lobster tails for almost nothing, and I can’t leave out the view. Yup, I'm definitely coming back. Of course, that's assuming Jack isn't arrested for murder,” she said laughing.

  Mike wasn't smiling. She looked at him very closely. “Mike, is there something you need to tell us?”

  “No, not really. Kelly always asks me if I've caught the bad guys yet. We haven't caught the bad guys, but there sure seem to be a few people who might qualify as bad guys. I found out from a contact of mine in England that even though it was never in the press, it was well-known among the upper class British that Stewart Bond’s in love with Dudley's wife, and has been for many years.”

  “Do you think Dudley knew that? Maybe that’s the reason he publicly humiliated Stewart," Kelly asked.

  “I don't know, and I'm not sure how we could ever find that out unless Dudley kept a diary or something, and nothing I’ve found out about the man leads me to believe he was the type to do that.”

  “Anything else?”

  “Well, we're taking a long look at Philip Montgomery. One of my sources got back to me this morning after doing a little research on his finances. For the last few years his bank account has received very large monthly deposits from a trust account that’s in his wife's name, although he’s been authorized by her to write checks on it. Her grandparents set it up for her when she was born, and when she turned thirty-five the bulk of it was given to her outright. For the last six months large transfers have been made to a bank account in the Cayman Islands that stands in the name of Philip Montgomery. Hate to say anything, but looks like Philip is ripping off his wife's account.”

  “Even if he is, what does that have to do with Dudley's murder?”

  “I don't know, but it certainly is coincidental, and Kelly knows how I feel about coincidences. Plus, there's talk that Philip separated from his wife because she has colon cancer. From what I learned, she's under heavy sedation most of the time from the pain. I only found one item about her having cancer, so I can only assume that her press staff, and being that wealthy, I assume she has one, is trying to keep people from knowing about it. Neither one of her parents is in very good health, and she’s hired a nanny to take care of their infant son.”

  “But wouldn't she know if large withdrawals were being taken out of her account?” Carola asked.

  “If she were healthy, of course, but when someone is suffering from colon cancer, they're usually in excruciating pain. Couple that with parents in ill health, your husband separating from you, and trying to take care of a toddler. I doubt that keeping an eye on her bank account has been her primary concern. And don't forget if someone has had plenty of money all of their life, they tend to think it will always be there. In this case, while she's not destitute, it looks like she may not be as wealthy as she thinks she is. It also explains how Philip has been able to be unemployed, go on trips like this one, and afford a three and a half million dollar waterfront home in the Florida Keys.”

  They were all quiet for a few moments. “Mike, what about Dudley's wife, Patricia? Stewart may have loved her for many years, but what if it was returned? What if she and Stewart had been having an affair for a number of years, and Dudley found out about it? What if he threatened to expose them? They were both members of the English elite, and Stewart has a very prestigious and high paying job with an international bank. The bank might not look favorably on having one of their foremost bankers exposed for having an affair with a married woman.”

  “Kelly,” Mike said looking closely at her, “Why do I get the feeling you know things I don't know. I thought we'd decided several cases ago that you were not going to get involved in my cases.”

  “Mike, I'm not getting involved in anything. I just happened to overhear a couple of women talking while I was getting lunch yesterday. I wasn't snooping or anything. You know I would never do that,” she said with her fingers crossed behind her back. “Oh my gosh, here come the lobsters. I’ve never seen anything like this.”

  They all turned to look at the two waiters who were walking towards them. Mike turned back to Kelly. “I'll table this for now, but this discussion is not over.”

  The only sounds heard for the next few minutes were sounds of pleasure as each of them expressed their view that they’d never had a lunch or even a meal, quite like this one. When they were finished, Carola said, “I've eaten all over the world and had more wonderful meals than I can remember, but I think this may be my favorite. It was not only the lobster which was the biggest and the best I've ever had, but the ambiance, the colors of the water, everything. This was simply perfect. I wouldn't change a thing.” She stood up, and as she walked over to the table where Jack's guide was sitting she said over her shoulder, “Finish up. I want to talk to Pedro for a few minutes.”

  Jack looked over at her and smiled fondly. “No matter where we go, she loves to find out about the people and the culture. I can make out a couple of words she’s saying to Pedro, and I think that's what she's doing now. I'm a very lucky man to have her as my wife,
and never does a day go by that I don't know it.”

  “Doing what you do, I couldn’t agree more.” Mike said. “Her ability to speak several languages alone would be important for someone in your business, but she has something else, something you can't bottle. It's a love of people and life. She's very charismatic, and people are drawn to her. That's something that can't be learned. You either have it or you don't.” He glanced at his watch. “Kelly I've got to get back. I promised the constable I wouldn't be gone long. Sit here and enjoy this, because we probably won't be passing this way again. See you tonight.” He kissed her and stood up. “And by the way, I’ll let you pay my share," he said, winking at Kelly. “A taxi just pulled up, and since there are only two on the island, I better grab it while it’s here.”

  CHAPTER 19

  When they got back to the hotel after their lunch at Sirena Beach, Carola said, “Kelly, let's go up to my room, and I'll tell you what I learned from Jack's guide.”

  “I'd love to hear what he said, but let's go to my room instead. I know it sounds ridiculous, but I have a feeling Cayo is waiting for me to come back. Having never had a cat, I don't know if that's true, but it's just a feeling I have.”

  A few minutes later they climbed the stairs to Kelly's oceanfront room and there, lying down in front of the door waiting for Kelly’s return, was Cayo. Kelly unlocked the door, and Cayo and Carola walked into the room. “Wow, you've got a better view than we do,” Carola said. “We're on the second floor and while we're on the ocean side, we don't have a view like this.” She turned away from the view and sat down in the rattan chair with its blue upholstered seat and ottoman, both of which matched the main color theme of the room, ocean blue. Hand-painted stars, the moon, and the sun decorated the walls.

  “Well, I'm dying of curiosity. What did you find out?” Kelly asked.

  “Pedro has been working here for several years. They money is good, and he has been able to build houses for his aging parents and his growing family. I think we discussed how the guides work for twenty days, and then they go home to their families for ten days. He says it's a hard life, but it’s allowed him to do a lot for his family. I asked him what would happen to him if a new person became the head guide and brought in their own guides. He said it wouldn't make any difference to him. There are other fishing guide companies on some of the other islands, and he could always get a job with one of them. He said the arrangement with them is about the same as what he’s paid by Bartolo. He likes working for Guido and would really miss that, but Pedro said he has a reputation as being one of the best guides on the island, and he's certain he could easily find work.”

  “Did you ask him about the other guides?”

  “Yes. He said almost all of them could easily find employment as fishing guides. Bartolo is considered to be the best fishing guide company on the islands, so other companies would be more than happy to hire any of their guides. He did say there was one guide who was probably going to be leaving at the end of the season.”

  “Why?”

  “Well, this is interesting,” Carola said. “Evidently the guides and Guido keep track of how many fish are caught each day, and they post the results of each day’s fishing on a bulletin board in the clubhouse. It also indicates the name of each guide and how many fish his clients caught on that day. At the end of the season if it's apparent that the overall catch of a certain guide is much lower than the others, he’s fired, and a new one is hired. Pedro said Rico was probably going to be fired at the end of the season. He said it was common knowledge among the guides that even though Rico is married to Guido's cousin, Guido will have to let him go.”

  “So even if someone else took over as the exclusive representative for Bartolo, Rico would probably be fired?”

  “Yes, and he said a change in management would have nothing to do with Rico's abilities as a guide. He said Guido would have to get rid of him to save his own job, because Rico wasn't producing. Not much difference from back in the United States when someone has to sell a certain amount of something, say insurance, and if they don't produce, they're fired, and someone else is hired who promises they can deliver.”

  “So what you're saying, based on your conversation with Pedro, is that he wouldn't qualify as a suspect, and since we're pretty much ruling out Guido because he has nothing personally to gain or lose by someone else coming in and being Bartolo’s exclusive representative, we can stop looking at the guides as suspects. Listen to me talk, I say ‘we’ as if we have anything to do with this case. As Mike constantly points out to me, it’s his case, not mine,” she said laughing. “And although I know technically he's right, I still think we can find out a few other things that might help solve the case.”

  “So what do we do now?” Carola asked.

  “I'm going to get on the computer again and see what I can find out about Patricia, Dudley's wife. If she's in love with Stewart, and from everything we've heard she seems to be, I think we need to find out more about her. Do you have any other ideas?”

  “This is going to sound weird, but I'm going to go with you to the computer room and see what comes up when I search for Jack. I know he would never kill anyone, but maybe if there is something about him that's negative I would be able to know about it ahead of time and warn him before the constable interviews him. Even though Mike said the constable had pretty much given Jack a clean bill of health when he searched for him on the Internet, I’d feel better if I did it, too. It's probably just a matter of time until the constable wants to interview him again.”

  “Actually, I think that's a very good idea. So, let's look at who we have left. We've ruled out the Cuban guides, so that leaves Patricia, Stewart, Philip, and I hate to say it, Carola, but I suppose technically Jack is still a suspect.”

  “Yeah, hard to think of your husband as a murder suspect, but yes, I suppose he is.”

  “I had to go through that once with Mike when his aunt was murdered in Calico, California. It was one of those things of who has the most to gain when someone is murdered. In this case it was Mike because she willed everything to him, and her estate was quite sizable. I felt sick to my stomach until the murder was solved, and Mike was no longer a suspect.

  “To change the subject, I wonder why all of those men are carrying the chaise lounges up from the beach. Do you think we're going to get some weather? I read where it usually rains every day here in the tropics, and I've been thinking how lucky we've been that it hasn’t rained. Maybe our luck is about to change for the worse. Perhaps they know something we don't know. When we get back from our computer searches, I'll see if I can find an English language television station that has something on it about the weather.”

  “Okay, let's go. I want to get this over with. I enjoyed lunch today, but I definitely am not enjoying the prospect of having to do a computer search to see if the constable missed something about my husband, and I find out he could be a viable suspect in a murder case.”

  CHAPTER 20

  Kelly and Carola walked into the computer room and each of them purchased an Internet access card. For the next hour neither one of them spoke. When the flashing clock on the computer screen indicated Kelly had thirty seconds left on her card, she logged off and turned to Carola who had done the same.

  “Let's get a piña colada to take to the room and share what we found out. I'll buy,” Carola said, grinning.

  “Gee, thanks, what an offer considering all the drinks here at the hotel are free. The only money I've seen on the bar or anywhere else is for tips, and as hard-working and gracious as the hotel employees are, they deserve all the tips they can get.” As they walked out of the computer room, Cayo stood up and dutifully followed them.

  “Go ahead and have a piña colada. Maybe being from Chile you're used to this humidity, but for me,” Kelly said, “I think an ice cold beer would taste more refreshing than a rum drink.”

  A few minutes later they were standing in front of the large windows in Kelly’s room that
looked out at the ocean. On the horizon dark storm clouds hung above the bright clear aqua colored water of the Caribbean Sea. “Carola, when we go down to dinner, would you ask the receptionist if they're expecting some weather? Those dark clouds, coupled with the staff removing the chaise lounges from the beach area, makes me nervous. Okay, you go first.”

  “I googled Jack's name. It's kind of a funny thing because his father was a teacher, but he was also a fishing guide in the summer. When Jack decided to become a guide he left off his surname, Reynaldo, and used the name Jack Trout. Actually, Trout is his middle name. I'm sure some people wonder about it, but it legitimately is his name. Sorry, I digressed. There were a number of references to him and all the awards he's won as a fishing guide. When I pulled up fly fishing guides for the United States, his name came up first. He's told me several times before that his name is at the top of the list, but I was really impressed when I saw it for the first time with my own eyes. I'd never looked before.”

  “What about Facebook? Did you try that?”

  “No. I go on his Facebook page from time to time, so I'm pretty familiar with it. Kelly, I know Jack's my husband, and I'm biased, but there is absolutely nothing derogatory about him anywhere. He's squeaky clean. He's never been married other than to me, there aren't any children born out of wedlock, and there are no arrest records concerning him, absolutely nothing. The only two strikes he has against him is first, he could benefit from Dudley's death as that would mean one less competitor for the Bartolo contract, and secondly, he happened to go for a swim at the same time Dudley was swimming and then his body was discovered. That's it. I can't imagine that anyone in law enforcement would try and make a case against him based on those two things. Actually, from a layman's perspective, I don't think there is a case to be made.”