Pier Pressure

by Rose Pressey

  “What do you mean?” I asked.

  She placed her bag down and grabbed her knitting needles. Without saying a word she started knitting, but then stopped. Dorothy grabbed her handbag. “If you’re sad then you need a mint.”

  She ran over and handed me one. After unwrapping it, I popped the candy treat into my mouth. I was so sick of these things.

  “Oh, there was an explosion and Jake wouldn’t let me see what happened,” I said around the mint.

  She dropped her knitting needles. “Have you lost your mind? He doesn’t want you to be hurt. What exploded?”

  “A boat.” I yawned.

  “Oh, is that all?” Dorothy stared at me. “And you watched this happen?”

  “Yes.”

  “You don’t seem concerned. Are you angry about something?”

  “I’m angry that I couldn’t hang around and watch what happened,” I said.

  “So that’s what this attitude is all about. What’s stopping you from going back over there?” she asked.

  “Hmm. Nothing I suppose. I should go back over there, right?”

  “No,” Dorothy said.

  Chapter 2

  The next morning, I decided to go to the beach. Jake had called several times, but I texted him that I was busy. He asked me if I was mad.

  Of course I’m not mad. What’s to be mad about? I texted back. Which he probably knew meant that I was mad. I was still contemplating calling Abby. She would probably realize I had other motives.

  As I stared out at the water I did a few yoga poses. Actually, I was kind of bad at yoga. I definitely didn’t do it often enough. I was surprised that my body didn’t make popping noises as I stretched. A few people glanced over at me as they walked by the shore. They probably wondered what I was doing. Sadly, I wondered if it looked more like I was injured instead of trying to be healthy. Oh well. It was better than nothing.

  I placed my towel on the sand and sat down. I gazed out over the water. It was so tranquil and peaceful at this time of the day. I wanted to unwind before I started my day. I knew I would have to talk with Jake eventually, but for now I allowed my surroundings to calm me. I lay back on the towel and closed my eyes. A slight breeze caressed my skin. I hoped that I didn’t fall asleep out here. I could really get used to doing this every morning.

  “Excuse me,” a woman’s voice said.

  I jumped up, startled by the voice. The blonde woman stood close to my towel. Too close, in my opinion. She wore dark sunglasses and a large straw hat. I assumed she was staring right at me, but I couldn’t see her eyes, so I didn’t know for sure. I glanced around, but there was no one else near. She had to have been talking to me.

  “I’m sorry if I startled you,” she said.

  I shielded my eyes with the back of my hand so I could get a better look at her. “Can I help you with something?”

  Why was she talking to me?

  “Are you Maggie Thomas?” she asked.

  “That depends on who’s asking.” Now I was on guard.

  She glanced around. “Is there somewhere we can talk in private?”

  I scanned the surroundings too. It wasn’t exactly as if anyone was around watching us, but I understood what she meant. “Who are you?” I asked. I wouldn’t go anywhere with her until I knew who she was.

  “My name is Cora Shears. I need a private investigator.”

  What kind of trouble was this woman in? Dark sunglasses and a hat? Who was she trying to conceal her identity from? Oh, wait. I’d been wearing that same getup. Nevertheless, she looked suspicious. Then again, maybe I thought everyone looked suspicious.

  I stood from my spot on the beach and picked up my towel, shaking off the sand. “We can go back to my office.”

  She nodded and turned to head back toward my place. Obviously she knew where it was located. I caught up to her and walked along beside her. She still seemed on guard, watching the surroundings.

  “How did you find me?” I asked.

  Had it been a Google search? Or a newspaper article of my run-ins with murderers? Yes, I was getting quite the reputation around town for my detective skills. It was no wonder that everyone wanted to work with the best. Okay, I was getting carried away. The sun was getting to me.

  “I Googled for a private investigator and your name came up. You have some impressive skills,” she said.

  I smiled. “Why, thank you.”

  “I stopped by your office and spoke with Dorothy. She’s quite a character,” Cora said.

  As we walked along, I said, “So do you want to talk about this situation you’re in?”

  “I’d rather wait until we’re out of public view.” She looked over her shoulder.

  I looked around. No one was paying attention to us, and I was on guard for those things too. I would respect her wishes and wait until we got back to the office, although it caused an awkward silence between us as we walked along toward my place. Thank goodness we finally reached the parking lot and I saw my office door.

  A couple of steps later she grabbed me and pushed me to the ground.

  “What is this all about?” I shoved her away as I tried to get up.

  “Stay down. They’re watching us,” she whispered.

  Who was she talking about? I peeked up and scanned our surroundings. Again I saw no one. Was this woman delusional? Maybe she was having a hallucination?

  “I don’t see anyone,” I whispered. I tried to avoid scraping my arm on the palm tree stem next to me.

  “I think they’re gone now,” she said with a sigh of relief. “We can get up now.”

  I hesitated for a moment and then stood from the spot where she had knocked me to the ground. She rushed over to the door and motioned for me to hurry too. This was definitely one of the strangest women I’d ever met.

  I walked into the office after she had led the way. Dorothy didn’t even look up. She was still knitting and apparently not too worried about who was here. What if I’d needed help?

  “Hello, Dorothy, I’m back,” I said.

  “I know.” She clacked her needles together, still not looking at me.

  “How did you know?”

  “I sensed you. I have that psychic connection.” With that she glanced up. She gestured with her hand toward her eyes and then over toward me.

  Dorothy smiled and waved at Cora.

  “Thanks for the help, Dorothy,” Cora said.

  Dorothy went back to focusing on her knitting. “Not a problem. That’s what I’m here for.’

  “Please have a seat, Ms. Shears,” I said, gesturing toward the chair in front of my desk.

  “Thank you.” She eased down on the seat. “Please call me Cora.”

  I had upgraded to a nice brown leather chair for my customers. Meanwhile I sat on the squeaky metal one that had been my uncle’s. Someday I would upgrade. That was probably what my uncle had said too.

  “Tell me, what service do you need? What seems to be the problem?” I folded my hands together and placed them on top of the desk.

  “I think the police believe I murdered my husband and I want to find out who really murdered him.” She looked me right in the eye.

  “Well, I didn’t see that one coming.” My eyes widened. I had been expecting a cheating husband case. Definitely not murder. “Why do they think you murdered your husband?”

  She shifted in the chair. “Different reasons, I suppose.”

  “All right. Let me approach this a different way. Did you murder your husband?” I studied her face.

  “You get right to the point, don’t you, Maggie.” Dorothy didn’t look up from her knitting.

  “No, absolutely not,” Cora said defensively. “I thought I could come to you for help. I didn’t know you were going to accuse me too.”

  I put my hands up. “Hey, I didn’t say you did it. I asked you if you did. That’s the first thing I need to figure out. Because if you aren’t being honest with me, then I can’t help you.”

  “I’m being com
pletely honest,” she said.

  “All right then, so how did your husband die?”

  “He was on a boat and it exploded,” she said.

  I almost fell off the metal chair.

  “It happened yesterday,” I said.

  “Yes, that’s right. I suppose you heard about it.”

  “Not only did I hear about it, I saw it happen,” I said.

  Her face turned pale. “What do you mean?”

  “I was on the water in a boat and I happened to be looking in that direction when it happened. I’m so sorry for your loss.”

  “I’m sorry too,” Dorothy said.

  Cora batted her eyelashes, as if that look would work with me. “Thank you. So can you help me?”

  “Well, don’t you think you need a lawyer?”

  “They haven’t charged me with anything, so I suppose I don’t need a lawyer just yet, but I do have a lawyer if it comes to that.”

  “That’s good news,” I said. “So essentially you want me to figure out who murdered your husband so that the police will no longer look at you?”

  “Yes, that’s right, but I’m not worried about me.” She waved her hand. “I just want to find the killer… whoever he is. He needs to be in jail.”

  She was right about that. Plus, after the way Jake had basically ordered me not to be involved, I was definitely going to take this case.

  “All right, I’ll do it,” I said.

  “Fantastic,” she said, forcing a smile.

  I was a bit suspicious though. Why did she think someone was following her? She had acted out of control outside just a few moments ago.

  “Can you tell me why you pushed me to the ground out there? Do you think someone was following your husband too?”

  Dorothy stopped knitting and looked at her. “She pushed you?”

  “Yes, but it was just because she thought we were in danger,” I said.

  Cora looked a little scared of the way Dorothy was glaring at her.

  “Oh, okay, I guess that makes sense,” Dorothy said and then continued knitting again.

  Dorothy would have let this woman have it if she thought she’d attacked me.

  Wouldn’t Jake be shocked when he found out I was investigating this case? He’d tell me to mind my own business. However, this was now my business. Not that I was feeling smug about that or anything. It was as if fate had stepped in and brought the case to me.

  “Can you tell me a little about your husband? I understand that this is probably difficult for you,” I said.

  Actually, she didn’t seem that upset. Though everyone handled this kind of thing differently.

  “His name is Robert.” She wiped away a tear that apparently wasn’t visible from the other side of my desk.

  “Was he alone on the boat?” I asked.

  “Yes, he just went out for a short while. He does it all the time.”

  “Why do you think someone killed him?” I asked. “A list of people he knew and was involved with would help a lot.”

  “The police say a device was placed on the boat. I suppose a couple witnesses saw me alone at the boat yesterday morning early before my husband took the boat out.” She announced this casually.

  “That would certainly make someone suspicious. So why were you there?”

  “It’s our boat. Do I have to have an excuse for being there?” Hostility filled her voice.

  “No, certainly not. It’s just that police will think that’s suspicious. Trust me, I know this. So you have to be honest with me or this won’t work.”

  She stared at me for a moment, and then said, “Okay, I was there to clean up the boat for my husband. He doesn’t do that great a job. I wanted to make sure he had a clean boat when he went out. I was coming back from the gym so I stopped by.”

  I stared at her. She seemed honest enough. “Okay, is there anything else?”

  “Not that I can think of.” She shook her head.

  “I need you to put together all his contacts for me. Anyone he did business with or had any contact with. Friends, family…” I hesitated. “A girlfriend?”

  Dorothy coughed. I glanced over to make sure she wasn’t choking on a peppermint.

  Cora’s eyes narrowed. I hated to mention the prospect of her husband having an affair, but it was a possibility. “He didn’t have a girlfriend,” she said.

  Maybe he did and she didn’t know it. Either way, I’d find out if he did. There would be no hiding anything from me.

  “I just had to ask,” I said. “We can move on to the list.”

  “I’ll get the information to you right away.” She stood from the chair. “Thank you for the help.”

  “You’re welcome. I promise I will get to the bottom of this.” I moved around my desk.

  She nodded and then walked out of the office. There was an energy left behind in her wake. The feeling remained for several seconds. I thought she was nice enough. I couldn’t place my finger on what it was about her that felt off.

  I looked over at Dorothy. “What do you think?”

  “She’s a tough one to judge. Usually I can tell right away, but with this one it’s harder.” Dorothy gestured with her knitting needle. “I guess she’s just an odd duck.”

  “Well, it looks as if I have my work cut out for me, but it will be worth it. Just wait until Jake learns that I am working on this case.”

  “It’s not a competition, Maggie,” Dorothy said.

  “Tell that to Jake,” I said.

  “He doesn’t think that. He’s just trying to keep you from harm.”

  “I’m not a little porcelain doll.”

  Rattling of the door caught our attention. Another customer so soon? Or had the woman forgotten something?

  Chapter 3

  Neither was the case. Jake walked through the door. He looked right at me. At first he had that tough detective expression. Then it softened and he smiled.

  He shifted his gaze to Dorothy. “Good morning, Dorothy. How are you?”

  “I’m great, Jake. Nice to see you.”

  Jake turned his attention to me again. That was when his eyes widened. I remembered I still had my swimsuit on from my trip to the beach.

  “Relaxed dress code now?” he asked with a laugh.

  I sighed. “I was at the beach and a client needed me. I hurried back here so she could speak with me about the case.” I put emphasis on the words ‘the case.’ I wanted to make sure he knew it was an important one. Soon enough he would find out just how important it was.

  “Mind if I have a seat?” he asked, pointing to the chair in front of my desk.

  I was acutely aware of being undressed now. Regardless, I nodded. “Sure, please sit down.”

  Did my words seem icy still? I supposed I was less angry with him now, but not completely over it.

  As soon as Jake sat down, he asked, “So what is this case you’re working on? It sounds important.”

  I knew that I had piqued his interest. Although I wanted to wait a bit before telling him. He still had to apologize for making me leave the scene of the crime.

  “Oh, it’s a regular case,” I said with a wave of my hand.

  He raised an eyebrow. Now I knew he was even more curious.

  “I missed talking with you last night,” he said.

  Dorothy interrupted the small talk when she handed us peppermints. Jake smiled and took the candy. He popped it into his mouth. “Are you still angry with me?”

  I unwrapped the candy and took my time before answering him. I wanted a bit more time to think about my answer. It was hard to be angry with him when he looked at me with those gorgeous blue eyes. After all, he was just doing his job.

  Jake stared at me for a moment, and then he finally said the words that I had been waiting for. “I’m sorry, Maggie. I’m sorry that I asked you to leave the scene of the crime. I just hope that you can understand why I did that. It’s not that I think you’re not a great detective, because you are. I just didn’t want you to be hu
rt.”

  “See, Maggie, I told you that was the reason,” Dorothy said, gesturing with her knitting needles.

  “I understand that,” I said. “Maybe you could have just asked me in a different way.”

  “And how would that be?” Jake asked with a smile.

  “I don’t know. I’ll get back with you on that,” I said, hiding my smile.

  “It’s just that, you know, you’re kind of hardheaded.” He leaned back in the chair.

  “Pointing out a character flaw when you’re apologizing is probably not a good idea, Jake,” Dorothy said while knitting.

  I agreed with her on that.

  “Good point,” Jake said around a laugh.

  Did he think this was all humorous? I just hoped that he took me and my business seriously.

  “So you accept my apology?” he asked.

  “Yes, I do accept it. Thank you.”

  I felt better about everything now.

  Jake stared at me for a moment then he said, “Are you going to tell me about the special case you’re working on? I can tell by the tone of your voice that there’s something special about it, and I think that it’s something you want me to know.” He raised an eyebrow.

  Darn it. He knew me too well. He was reading me. So now it was time that I revealed the truth.

  I folded my hands together and placed them on my desk in a very professional position. “All right. The woman who came to see me this morning is the wife of the man who was on the boat that exploded yesterday.”

  Jake’s eyes widened. “Why was she here?”

  “She hired me to investigate the case.” I remained expressionless.

  Jake eyed me suspiciously. “Are you making this up just because I don’t want you involved in the case?”

  Now I would have to take back the acceptance of his apology. “No, I’m telling the truth.”

  “She was here, Jake, I saw her,” Dorothy added.

  “What did she say about the case?” Jake asked.

  “I’m not sure I can give you that information,” I said.

  “When she hired you did she tell you exactly what was going on?”

  “She told me that her husband was killed in the explosion. Of course she said the police suspect her of the murder.”