by Cindy Bell
“Hi Suzie.”
“Hi Nina. I wonder if I could have a minute of your time.”
“Sure, just give me a couple of minutes I have some paperwork to fill out, then I’ll be all yours.”
“Thanks.” Suzie nodded at her. She had met Nina a few times, but didn’t know her very well. Suzie looked into the display cases while she waited. A large display of pearl jewelry held her attention. She didn’t think it was too unusual, but the fact that she had just been to a pearl farm for the first time made the jewelry stand out to her. She’d never been much of a fan of pearls, but she found herself admiring them just a little more. The door to the jewelry shop opened and Suzie turned to see Mary step inside.
“Hi Mary.” Suzie smiled and gestured for Mary to join her. “Have you seen this collection?”
“No, I haven’t.” Mary peered through the glass. “It’s beautiful. The one gift Kent gave me that I truly treasured was a pearl pendant. I don’t know why, but they always made me feel so refined.”
“I’ve never seen you wear pearls.” Suzie raised an eyebrow.
“I never had much of a reason to be refined. I left it with him when I moved away. It might have been beautiful, but it was still a reminder I didn’t need.”
“I understand.” Suzie looked back at the display. “I was at a pearl farm today and they mentioned some recent thefts. I thought perhaps Nina could tell me a little bit about the pearls.”
“I sure can.” Nina paused behind the display. “These came from the Atlantic.”
“You know where they come from?” Suzie looked up at her.
“Absolutely. We’re always very careful who we purchase the pearls from. Is that what you wanted to talk to me about?”
“Yes. Did you know there’s a farm in the area, close to Parish?”
“Oh yes, I just recently heard about them.”
“You didn’t purchase any pearls from them?”
“No. We only deal with large, reputable farms. It’s too hard to tell whether small farms are using legal, ethical and safe practices when harvesting their pearls and we don’t want to support anything that our customers wouldn’t be happy with.”
“That’s a good thing. So, no one tried to sell your shop any pearls?”
“It’s not uncommon for some of the local fishermen to try to sell pearls that they’ve happened to come across if the pawn shop won’t take them. I mean Frank and Pedro have been in here a few times as well as some others that I don’t know the names of. There seems to be quite a few pearls around lately. However, there was a man in here the other day that tried to sell me a larger amount than usual. I’ve seen him before, but I don’t know his name and I turned him away. When I asked him about them he couldn’t give me a clear explanation of where they came from.”
“Interesting. I wonder if they might have been stolen from the pearl farm. They’ve had several thefts lately.”
“Hm. Maybe. I had no reason to believe they were stolen otherwise I would have let Jason know.”
“You said it was a man?” Suzie pulled her phone out of her pocket. “Was it this man?” She showed her a picture of Gill Smith from his website.
“No. That’s not him.”
“How about this man?” She scrolled to a picture of Mike that she had secretly taken.
“No, sorry, not him either.”
As Suzie began scrolling through pictures to get to a photograph she’d managed to get from the internet of Robbie, Nina gasped. “That’s him right there!” She pointed at a picture from earlier that day of Paul with his arm around her and Simon just beside him.
“Paul?” Mary blurted out. “That can’t be right.”
“No, not Paul. Him.” She pointed directly at Simon. “He was the one that tried to sell me the pearls.”
“Are you certain?”
“Yes. I could pull the footage from the security cameras, but I’m afraid you won’t be able to see much. He only showed me the pearls briefly before I asked him to leave. I don’t think the cameras caught it. But they will show him.”
“Thank you so much. I’ll see if Jason wants to send an officer over to collect the footage.”
“Sure, any time.”
“Speaking of Jason.” Mary stepped forward. “He would like this inscription added to the wedding rings.” She handed Nina a slip of paper. “Is it too late to do that?”
“Not for Summer and Jason.” Nina smiled. “I’ll make sure that it gets done right away.”
“Thanks.” Mary sighed with relief. “At least one thing is going right.”
“What is going wrong?” Suzie stepped out the door behind Mary.
“A few of the flights were delayed for some of Summer’s family members and a couple of friends and so I’ve had to rearrange the pick-ups. Not to mention that the fresh linens aren’t on the beds yet and I haven’t made it to the grocery store to pick up the extra supplies…”
“Oh Mary, I got so caught up in all of this I’ve been leaving everything on your shoulders. I’m sorry for that. I’ll take care of the linens as soon as we get home and once that is done I’ll go to the store. You just focus on the guests coming in and if you need any help with making the arrangements let me know.”
“Suzie, you don’t have anything to apologize for, what you’re doing is very important. If the murder is solved then at least Summer and Jason can relax at the wedding. With the tension at the moment I’m worried that there won’t even be a wedding.”
“Don’t talk like that.” Suzie wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “There is going to be a wedding, even if I have to tie the two of them down to make it happen.”
“Hm, I’m pretty sure that’s illegal.”
“Someone has to arrest me, and since Jason will be tied up, who’s left?”
Mary laughed and shook her head. “You always know how to lighten my mood, Suzie. But I hope you’re right, Jason and Summer deserve a wedding without any problems.”
“Has a wedding like that ever happened?”
“If not, then I’m determined to make this one the first.”
“If you’re determined, Mary, then I have no doubt that it will happen.”
Chapter Fourteen
Suzie shook out the sheet and spread it across the bed. The scent of the laundry soap and the subtle breeze created by the movement brought a smile to her lips. As she tucked in the corners her cell phone began to ring. She rushed over to it and picked it up.
“Paul, I’ve been trying to reach you.”
“I know you have, I’m sorry, Suzie. I got caught up with Robbie’s sister and it just didn’t seem right to excuse myself for a phone call. Is everything okay?”
“I’m not sure. I know you think that Simon had nothing to do with this, but he lied to us.”
“What do you mean?”
“He said he hadn’t seen Robbie, but the clerk at the convenience store told me that he was in there with Robbie the day he died.”
“Maybe she was mistaken?”
“No, she was pretty broken up about the fact that she was one of the last people to see him alive. She was certain it was that morning and that it was Simon.”
“It’s possible that Simon just overlooked it. Maybe it was just a chance meeting.”
“Maybe. But then Nina at the jewelry store said that he tried to sell her some pearls. Quite a large amount, apparently.”
“What? Why would Simon have pearls? He doesn’t deal in pearls.”
“I have no…” Suzie said then stopped and her eyes widened. “Wait a minute, I think I know.”
“You do?”
“Yep. The girl that Robbie liked, she does work at the pearl farm. Her name is April, according to Jason. Maybe she gave Robbie and Simon some pearls. Maybe she’s behind this and she’s stealing the pearls for them.”
“You could be onto something. I find it hard to believe that Simon or Robbie would be involved in this, but maybe April was involved somehow.”
“The family
does have an extensive criminal history.”
“I think we should look into it more,” Paul said.
“Good idea. I have to do some shopping and then if you want we could try going out to the pearl farm again.”
“Do you really think that’s a good idea? After what happened out there earlier? It’s not as if they’re going to be willing to talk to us.”
“That’s true. I wonder if we can find another way to get to April. Let me do some checking while I’m in town. Does Robbie’s family have any idea who might be behind this?”
“No, not that they told me. How is everything going with the wedding plans?”
“It’s coming together.”
“Good, let me know when you want to meet up.”
“I will.” Suzie hung up the phone and finished making the beds. As she worked one by one through the rooms to make sure that each one was in order she wondered if the footage from the jewelry store would be good enough to identify Simon. If it wasn’t then it might come down to eye witness identification. Would Paul believe it? She thought he was making excuses for a friend who might not have been much of a friend after all. She did one last check in the kitchen to be sure that everything on the grocery list was all that they needed. As she headed for the door Mary rushed towards her.
“Suzie, I’m so glad that I caught you. I need a few more things from the store. Some of the guests have made some requests and after being delayed and all the trouble at the airport I want to accommodate them as much as possible.”
“I agree, just let me know what you need.”
“Here, I made another little list.” She handed it to her and took a deep breath. “I think we’re just about ready.”
“Wonderful. I’ll have the groceries back here in no time.” Suzie left Dune House with a sense of urgency. With the guests arriving and the wedding day drawing closer, it seemed as if everything was closing in.
As she pulled into the parking lot of the grocery store she was so distracted that she almost drove into a stray cart. She hit the brakes hard and stared as it rolled by pushed by the wind. It wasn’t the sight of the cart that startled her as much as it was her lack of attention. Shaken, she parked the car and walked into the store. She focused on the list of items and made sure she didn’t forget anything. When she joined the line to the only open register her cell phone rang. She saw that it was Jason, and since the line was so long she decided to answer it.
“Jason, did you find out anything new?”
“Not much on Simon, he’s a pretty private person. Is Paul with you by any chance?”
“No.”
“Oh, I tried to get hold of him, but I couldn’t. Summer did let me know that Robbie was most likely not killed with a weapon, it was more likely a tool.”
“Like a screwdriver?”
“Something like that only short, flat, pointy at the tip but then it gets wider. It’s hard to describe exactly. She hasn’t been able to find a weapon that matches it, so her best guess is that it’s a tool of some kind. That’s why I was hoping Paul was with you to ask him if he knows of any tools used on a boat that matches that description.”
“Hm. Interesting. I was speaking to him just before, so maybe that’s why you couldn’t get through.” She moved forward a few steps in line. She filled him in on what she had found out at the jewelry store explaining that she had been there to meet Mary and just used the opportunity to ask about the pearls so he wouldn’t think she was meddling too much. “Paul and I think that April might be involved in all of this.”
“Really? She’s the only one from the farm with a clean record. But I was going to get all of them in from the farm for further questioning, anyway. She’s the first one on the list and she should be here in around an hour.”
“Oh, okay. If she hasn’t been in trouble with the law before, she might be more talkative.”
“Good point. Someone is going out shortly to pick her up.”
“Let me know how you go.”
“I will.”
Suzie hung up and pushed her cart forward in line again. She glanced at the other registers that were closed. Unless there was a big event the grocery store rarely had more than one register open. Still, she could hope. As she waited bits of conversation drifted to her ears.
“Robbie knew better. He shouldn’t have gotten mixed up in all of that.”
“You don’t know that for sure. Just because there are rumors doesn’t make them true.”
“Rumors maybe, but he was flaunting the cash. You saw his new boat, and the way he flashed money around town. It’s not like he was trying to hide it.”
Suzie didn’t realize that she had leaned too heavily against the cart until she felt it bounce against the woman’s ankle in front of her.
“Ouch!”
“I’m so sorry!” Suzie drew the cart back.
“Oh, Suzie right?” The woman smiled at her. “I bet you’re getting all set for the wedding, huh?”
“Busy, busy.” Suzie nodded. “It’s an exciting time.”
“Yes, it is. Make sure you wish Jason and Summer well from Judy.”
“Are you a friend of theirs?”
“Not really, but their romance is the talk of the town.”
“Among other things?” Suzie raised an eyebrow. “I’m sorry I just couldn’t help but overhear what you said about Robbie.”
“How embarrassing. I don’t usually gossip. But it’s such a sad story.”
“Did you know Robbie?”
“Sure, we went to high school together. We’d say hello to each other when we saw each other in town, but nothing more than that.”
“I’m sorry for your loss.”
“Thank you. I just wish he’d been more careful.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Well, clearly he was involved in something criminal. He started making big purchases, had a lot of money in his pocket. He didn’t come right out and say it, but he might as well have.”
“Maybe he just had a good run?”
“Not that good. Like I said, I grew up around here, and no fisherman no matter how good the run, has that kind of cash. You know a lot of the boats run drugs, things like that.”
“A lot of them?” Suzie raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure about that?”
“Okay, that might be a bit of an exaggeration. But if you ask most of the guys that work on the boats they have stories about the illegal activity that could make them a mint.”
“Stories.” Suzie frowned. “Do you think they’re anything more than that?”
“It’s hard to say. But I can tell you the only person I’ve seen with that kind of money over the past few years is Robbie. It doesn’t come from the ocean. Good luck with the wedding.” She rolled her cart away from the register.
Suzie paid for her items and then pushed the cart out to the car. The more she heard about Robbie’s recent behavior the more she suspected the same thing that some other people did. If Robbie had some kind of windfall his family would know about it. She called Paul as she loaded the groceries into the car.
“Paul, did any of Robbie’s family members mention him having some kind of windfall lately?”
“Windfall? No. They were worried about the debt they might have to deal with from the boat and dock fees.”
“Paul, it sounds like Robbie was making money somewhere, and more than likely not legally.”
“What are you thinking?”
“Maybe the pearl farm was on his GPS tracker because he was stealing from them.”
“I hate to think that.”
“Me too, but I think we have good reason to suspect him.”
“It’s hard for me to believe that my friend could have been involved in these things without me knowing it.”
“Maybe you missed it. If people want to hide something they usually can.”
“Maybe I did miss it.” He sighed. “Maybe if I was around more.”
“No, Paul, you can’t think like that. If Rob
bie got himself wrapped up in something it was because of his choice, there’s nothing that you could have done.”
“I can do something now though. Get to the bottom of this.”
“Jason is going to interview the girl from the pearl farm that Robbie might have been seeing. I might accidently bump into her while she’s at the police station.”
“Accidently.” He laughed. “Okay, I’ll wait to hear from you.”
Suzie hung up the phone and started to open her car door. Before she could grasp the handle a heavy force drove her forward to the alley beside the grocery store. She panicked as the large figure behind her continued to propel her.
“Suzie, I need to talk to you.” Mike’s gruff voice filled her senses.
“Get off of me, Mike!” She shoved back at him. “What are you thinking?”
“The cops are all over me, asking questions, inspecting my boat. I didn’t do this!”
She stared hard at Mike. “If you really want me to believe that you had nothing to do with this then you should stop doing things like this. This tough guy act isn’t convincing me of anything but your bad judgment.”
“It’s not an act!” Mike growled.
“All you’re doing is driving yourself even deeper into suspicion. Is that what you want? To get locked up?”
“No, it’s not.”
“Well, that’s where you will be, Mike, you shoved me down here in this alley like some brute and if I wanted to I could have you in handcuffs by now. So why do you think I should believe you?”
Mike growled and ran his hands across his face. “I just want one person to believe me. I had nothing to do with this. My whole livelihood is dependent on that boat. I’ve never done anything wrong. If the police take it, what will I have?”
Suzie sighed and shook her head. “Stop Mike, just stop. The police are investigating the case. It’s going to get sorted out.”
“Right, with me as the fall guy.”
“Not unless you paint a target on your back.” She frowned. “I believe you. Okay? I don’t think you had anything to do with this.” Suzie wanted to placate the man and although her gut told her that he wasn’t involved she still suspected him and she didn’t want him to know that.