by Cindy Bell
“Thank you. That’s all I want.”
“Great. Can I go now?” She peered past him at the car.
“Yes. You’ll tell Jason?”
“That you practically kidnapped and assaulted me?” She raised an eyebrow.
“No! That’s not what I meant.”
“I know that, Mike. But you need to lay low. Don’t do anything stupid. This will all be settled soon.”
“Thank you, Suzie.”
She nodded and stepped around him. Despite the fact that the confrontation was over, her heart still raced so fast that it was hard to breathe. She hurried back to her car. For a moment she considered a phone call to Jason to tell him what had happened. But she didn’t want to bother him.
Suzie took a deep breath and then focused on the drive back to Dune House. She dropped off the groceries, shouted a greeting and goodbye to Mary then headed back to the car. She drove straight to the station. She hoped that maybe she would be able to catch April on her way out and ask her a few questions. Maybe she would be able to get more information out of her than the police could.
When she stepped inside there was a small crowd at the front desk. She edged her way around it and was greeted by a patrolman at the entrance of the hall that led to the interrogation rooms.
“Hello there, Suzie.”
“Hi.” She smiled. “Just dropping by to visit Jason.”
“Uh huh, and I’m just here to make sure you don’t interrupt any conversations. At Jason’s request.”
“Really? He sent muscle?”
“Looks like his instincts were right.”
“I was just checking in.” She shrugged.
“Just do me a favor and stay out here in reception, hm?” He met her eyes.
“Yes, of course.” She retreated a few steps towards the seating area. When he walked away a door opened and she noticed a beautiful, young woman who stepped out of it. She guessed that it was April. Jason stepped out behind her. Suzie started to smile at Jason but his serious expression stopped her. The girl that walked towards her looked fragile and young. It was hard for her not to want to comfort her. April brushed past her towards the door. Jason paused beside Suzie and spoke in a low tone.
“I didn’t get much out of her. I have no reason to hold her. About the only thing she admitted was knowing Robbie. That’s not a reason to arrest her.”
“Can’t you question her more?”
“Not without cause, Suzie. I did the best I could.”
“I know you did, Jason.”
As Suzie turned away from him she noticed the door as it swung shut behind April. This was her turn to give it a shot. She hurried after her and caught up with her on the sidewalk in front of the police station.
“April! Wait!”
April turned back and brushed her blonde hair away from her face. “What is it?”
“I’m sorry. I just wanted to ask you a quick question.”
“Are you a police officer?”
“No, I’m not. Just curious.”
“Curious about what?”
“Did you know Robbie?”
“Look, I said all I was going to say. I have nothing more to add. I don’t know why you are harassing me.”
“I don’t mean to harass you, really I don’t. It’s just that I have a few questions and it would be so much easier if you answered them. It would be better than your family being questioned about your involvement with Robbie and the thefts at the farm.”
April froze and shoved her hands into the pockets of her light jacket. She looked straight at Suzie. “Why are you asking me these questions?”
“April, I just want to help you.”
“By threatening to get me in trouble with my family?”
“It’s not like that. You’re young. There’s no way you were the mastermind of all of this. I just want to give you the chance to come clean and maybe not get in as much trouble with the law.”
Her lower lip trembled as she closed her eyes. “None of this was supposed to happen.”
“What do you mean? What did Robbie get you into?”
“No, it wasn’t like that.”
“It wasn’t? Just tell me the truth, April. We can try to sort it all out.”
“Robbie had nothing to do with it.”
“What do you mean he had nothing to do with it? He was murdered over it, he had to be involved somehow.”
“Not exactly. Look, I don’t want to say too much. But Robbie, he was never supposed to get in the middle of any of this.”
“Tell me what happened, April.”
April pulled her hands out of her pockets and brushed her hands across her face. Suzie noticed some cuts on the skin of her hands.
“Shucking,” April said when she noticed that Suzie was looking at them. April curled them into fists to show off the marks. “It’s what I do. I shuck the oysters. That’s it. All day long. The smell is disgusting. I can’t stand it.”
“So why do you stay?”
“I have no choice.” She sighed. “I’m part of the family. It’s the family business.”
“Did Robbie have a choice?”
“Robbie was innocent in all of this. I’m not saying anything else.”
“If Robbie wasn’t involved then where did he get all of the money from?”
April cringed. “He wasn’t involved. He never should have been involved.”
“So, you were?” Suzie stared at her. “Were you stealing from your family?”
“It wasn’t like that.” April closed her eyes and shook her head. “I’m not saying anything else.”
“How can I help you if you won’t tell me the truth?”
“I can’t.” She stared up into her eyes. “Don’t you see? If I say anything, I’m going to be next. Robbie didn’t deserve what happened to him, but I can’t do anything about it, he’s gone. Now all I can do is worry about protecting myself. I don’t have anything else to say.”
“If you don’t answer the questions the police will have to ask everyone at the farm.”
“Then the next time you see me I’ll be on a slab.” She shrugged. “Not that it should matter to you.”
“It matters to me. If you tell me the truth, I can try to find a way to protect you. I can ask Jason to.”
“Tell that to Robbie.” She rolled her eyes and skirted past Suzie to the street. “Do what you have to do.”
Suzie sighed and stared after her.
“How did I know you wouldn’t stay out of this?” Jason’s voice carried from just behind her.
“Did you hear all of that?”
“Some.”
“Do you think she’s telling the truth?”
“I think she’s hiding everything.”
“But is she hiding it out of fear? Jason, she’s so young. What if she gets killed in all of this?”
“Suzie, she’s lying to me. There’s nothing I can do about it. I’m going to head over to the farm and see what I can find out.”
“Wait, Jason. Can you wait until morning?”
“Why would I do that?” He shook his head. “This isn’t something I can drag my feet on.”
“She seemed scared to me, Jason. She didn’t want Robbie to die, something is way off about all of this. I think you should wait a bit before you do anything. At least wait until morning, see if there’s any new developments before then.”
He sighed and rubbed a hand across his forehead. “It’s one day until the wedding, Suzie. It would be much better if I could wrap this up today.”
“I know that, Jason, I do. But will you feel like getting married if April shows up dead?”
He frowned. “No. Of course not.”
“Then let me follow my instincts.”
“What are they telling you?”
“I’m not completely sure, yet. I just want to think this through properly first.”
“Okay, but be careful, Suzie. If Robbie really didn’t have anything to do with this, then we’re dealing with some ruthless
killers here.”
“I won’t do anything. I just want to run it through in my head and it will give you more time to work it out without putting April at risk.”
“Okay.” He nodded.
“By the way, some of Summer’s family are getting in tonight. You should come to Dune House for dinner.”
“I don’t know, I’m busy with the case.”
“Jason. They are going to be your in-laws. It’s the respectful thing to do.”
Jason laughed and looked over at her. “Are you mothering me?”
“I wouldn’t know. But you should have dinner with Summer’s family. Right now it might not seem like a big deal, but the impression you leave on them will last.”
“Fine. I’ll go to dinner.” He pointed a finger at her. “Don’t do anything stupid, it’s just time to try to work this out.”
“I won’t.” She smiled. On the way to the car she called Paul. “Meet me at the docks. I have a plan.”
“I’ll be there in five minutes.”
Chapter Fifteen
Suzie arrived at the docks just as Paul stepped off his boat.
“Hey, you all right?” He looked into her eyes.
“Why?’
“You look a little shaken.”
Suzie smiled at the thought that he could read her so easily. “I’m okay. I want to talk to you about something.”
He gestured to a bench beside a low wall that lined the entrance of the dock. “What is it?”
“I think Simon had something to do with this.”
“Ah, Suzie, you don’t know that.”
“No, I don’t. But I think that either Robbie or Simon were involved in the thefts from the pearl farm. Or maybe both.” She met his eyes. “Do you want to know the truth or do you want to save their reputations?”
“That’s not fair, Suzie. Of course I want to know the truth. But I don’t want to make unfounded accusations either.”
“Paul, please. I know you don’t want to believe that Simon could be involved in all of this, but Nina pointed him out in a photograph and identified him as someone who tried to sell her pearls and that wasn’t the only time he was in there. What business would Simon have in a jewelry shop? He doesn’t seem the type to browse the latest charms and ring settings. So, why was he there?”
“Suzie.” He frowned and leaned back against the wall. “It’s just that I’ve known Simon for a long time.”
“I know you have, and I know that you don’t want to believe that he had anything to do with any of this. But at some point you have to ask yourself whether you are just not facing the truth.”
He looked up at her sharply, but the expression faded the moment he met her eyes. “I know you’re right.” He shook his head. “I just wish that you weren’t.”
“It’s better to know the truth, don’t you think, Paul? If we at least find out what really happened to Robbie then you can have some answers for his family. Isn’t that what you want?”
“Of course it is. You know better than to question that. But, you’re asking me to believe that Simon might have had something to do with Robbie’s death. We were all friends.”
“You thought you were.”
“And if we’re wrong? If Simon has nothing to do with any of this? Then I’ve lost two friends.”
“I know that’s a risk, but it’s not as if we don’t have reason to suspect him. He’s given us plenty…” She paused and looked into his eyes. “Simon looked me in the eye and threatened me, while you sat right there next to me. That is what I believe. That is what all of the evidence is pointing to.”
“Maybe you see it that way, but I need more. I do trust you, Suzie, I do. But I know Simon, and the thought of him hurting Robbie just blows my mind. I need some actual proof that I can’t argue with.”
“So, let’s get it.” She folded her arms across her chest. “The best way to find out for sure is to follow him.”
“Follow him?”
“Yes. Let’s track him. Let’s see what he does when no one else is looking. I’m not going to ask you to risk your friendship if I can’t prove it to you. So, let’s find that proof, one way or the other.”
“When do you want to plant a tracker on his boat?”
“Do you have one?”
Paul pursed his lips. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his keys. “Yes. I do.”
“Should I ask why?”
“I picked it up earlier today.”
Suzie’s eyes widened as she waited for further explanation. He sighed and shook his head.
“Maybe I had the same idea you did.”
“Seriously?”
“I got it just in case. I thought maybe, if Simon kept acting strange, I’d just see for myself.”
“But you weren’t going to tell me?”
“It’s not because I don’t trust you, Suzie. It’s because I was trying to be loyal to a friend. But, now I see it’s better that we do this together. I’ll go grab it.”
Suzie watched him hurry off to his car. As she waited for him to return it occurred to her that he had a strong moral code. Even though he suspected his friend, he still did his best to protect him, that was something that she admired.
When he returned, his eyes met hers. “What?”
“Hm?”
“You’re smiling.”
“Oh, just thinking how lucky I am to be with you.”
He shook his head with a short laugh. “Let’s get this figured out.”
Chapter Sixteen
As Suzie and Paul set off on the boat Suzie kept her attention on the water. It wasn’t long before they arrived at Simon’s place. His boat was docked, the house up the hill had lights on.
“I think he’s home. It’ll only take me a second to get this in position. If you see Simon coming, duck down, don’t let him know you’re here.”
“I’ll just warn you.”
“No.” His tone grew firm. “Don’t let him know that you’re there, if he spots you, this could turn ugly.”
“Okay. But you have to be careful, too.”
“I can come up with a good explanation for why I’m on the boat. Don’t worry.”
Suzie nodded, but she did worry, from the moment that he stepped onto the other boat she worried. As she waited for him to return she watched the hill that led up to the house. If there was any sign of Simon, she fully intended to warn Paul. However, he was back on the boat within minutes.
“Okay, it’s done.” His cheeks flushed.
“It was the right thing, Paul. If nothing comes of it, we’ll get the tracker back, and Simon will never know.”
“But I’ll know.” He frowned. Suzie ran her fingertips along the curve of his shoulder until he looked into her eyes.
“It’s the right thing, Paul, I promise.”
He nodded and eased the boat away from Simon’s house. “Now we wait. If he moves, it’ll alert us.”
The sun began to set as the boat drifted through the water. The tracker remained silent. Suzie began to think that Paul might have been right. All the time she sat there on a quiet boat, in the middle of the ocean, she could be helping Mary with the guests. As a surge of guilt flooded her, the tracker came alive.
“Here, he’s on the move.” Paul glanced at his watch. “Rather late, too.”
“Can you follow him without being spotted?”
“Yes. I can keep a good distance and the tracker will still work. But let’s keep it quiet, just in case.”
Suzie nodded. Within a few minutes her heart sank. Just as she suspected Simon headed for the pearl farm. He had no reason to go there. He claimed he had no association with them. So why did he stop right at the dock?
“We need to get close, Paul.”
“Why?”
“I have a bad feeling. We need to see what he’s doing.”
“Okay, just keep quiet and still.” He turned off the lights on the boat and eased it to a stop not far from the dock. Suzie saw Simon step off his boat onto the dock. T
here was another figure there, short-statured and hidden by a hoodie. Her skin grew cold as she guessed that it was April. When Simon stepped onto the dock April shied back. His voice carried far enough for them to hear.
“I know you met with the cops today. What did you tell them?”
“Nothing. I didn’t tell them anything. I don’t even know how they knew to come to me. I don’t even know who told them that I knew Robbie.”
“Don’t worry about that. What did you say to them?”
“Nothing! I wouldn’t tell them anything. I can’t believe this happened. How could you let this happen?”
“Keep quiet. You have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“I know that Robbie wasn’t in on this!”
“You don’t know anything. What happened to Robbie happened. Now, it can either get worse, or we can all walk away from this. So what is it going to be? Do I need to worry about what you might do?”
“No. You don’t. I didn’t say anything. I won’t say anything. But this has to end. It’s out of control.”
“It’s over. Okay?”
“Is it?” Her voice cracked. “I don’t think it is.”
“It will be. I’ll take care of it.”
“Is that what you told Robbie?”
“Quiet. Just keep quiet about that.”
“Okay, I didn’t say anything.” She held up her hands and backed away from him.
Simon walked back onto his boat and sped back towards his house. Paul leaned on the railing and closed his eyes.
“I can’t believe it. But I have no other choice.”
“We don’t know everything yet, Paul. But we do know that he was involved, and so was April.”
“I need to talk to Simon.”
“Paul, no. That’s a very bad idea.”
“I need to.” He looked over at her. “I owe him a face to face conversation.”
“No, you don’t owe him anything. He’s not the man that you thought he was, Paul. Please, let’s just go back to the docks.”
“You’re right.” He nodded. “Let’s go.”
Their ride back to the docks was quiet. Suzie glanced over at him a few times, but his stoic expression made her think that he wasn’t up for talking. It didn’t seem appropriate for her to say anything. She just lingered close to him and took his hand when she could. When they were close enough Suzie called Jason. There was a lot of noise in the background.