“Of course not. I’ll have my manager copy it and leave it at the front desk at the spa for you. I’m glad you liked it.”
“I’ve been here three times, and I’ve never had a bad meal. It’s one of the reasons I keep coming back and telling all of my friends about your spa. I always feel so good after I’ve been here. I have to leave tomorrow afternoon, but I’ll be back in a few months.”
“Great. I’ll look forward to seeing you again,” Liz said, closing the door. She spent the next half hour helping Gina finish cleaning up the kitchen. “Gina, you’ve been here long enough. Go home, and I’ll see you tomorrow afternoon. Thanks for everything. I’m really happy Emily referred you to me.”
“So am I, Mrs. Langley. I love working here.”
“Well,” Liz said with a twinkle in her eye, “I’m glad you do, but if you’re serious about staying, it’s time to start calling me Liz instead of Mrs. Langley.”
“Yes, Liz,” Gina said grinning as she took her coat from the coat hook on the wall. “See you tomorrow.”
Liz was letting Winston in when she saw the lights on Roger’s car coming up the lane. She walked over to his car and said, “Hey handsome, if you don’t have a place to stay tonight, how about bunking down here?”
“Think I’ll take you up on that, pretty lady. I’m easy,” he said as he got out of his car and put his arm around her. The three of them, Winston, Liz, and Roger, walked back into the lodge. She looked out one of the large floor to ceiling windows and said, “Look at the lights out on the ocean. Must be a cruise ship. It’s beautiful.”
“Whenever I look out that window or the ones from down below, I can’t believe how different it is each time. One time I’ll see an eagle and another time a pod of whales. Now I know why you bought this property. It’s really special.”
“I know. I feel so lucky, but this has been a long day, and I’m really tired.”
“How’s Gertie doing? Is she here or did she go home?”
“Suzie picked her up and took her home. I got a call from Seth. Remember when he called last night about the missing woman?” She told Roger about the conversation she’d had with Seth.
Roger walked into the bathroom, and returned a moment later holding his toothbrush. “Liz, I’ve been thinking. I’m a little concerned about you going to that woman’s house tomorrow. What if this Ruby woman murdered David? They have a history, and who knows what took place? Maybe she wanted to get back at him for something, perhaps some sort of revenge.”
“I don’t think I’ll be in any danger. I’m not getting the niggle that’s usually present at the first sign of trouble. Tell you what. I’ll take Winston with me if that will make you feel better.”
“Take your pistol as well. That will make me feel even better.”
“Okay, but I think you’re overreacting.”
“I’d like to think so, but I remember a few other times when having a pistol and Winston would have been a lot better for you, but you didn’t think you needed them. Humor me, please?”
“Just for you. What’s on your schedule tomorrow?”
“Lewis Jefferson called and asked me to meet him at his office. Evidently the employee of his who wasn’t at work today called him tonight and told Lewis he’d seen some people out in the forest yesterday in the area where they were conducting logging operations. He said it was late in the afternoon. He didn’t think anything about it until he saw on the news tonight that someone had been murdered on the company’s property. He didn’t want to tell Lewis exactly what he’d seen over the phone, so Lewis thought since he was meeting him at the office tomorrow, I probably should be there too.”
“Roger, please call me after the meeting if you think it’s anything I should be aware of. You know I’m trying to help Seth, and I’m trying to help Gertie as well.”
“I certainly didn’t know when we were introduced at my law office in San Francisco that I’d end up marrying an amateur sleuth who had a talent for almost getting herself killed while investigating a murder. I sure didn’t see that one coming.”
“Sounds like you’re having second thoughts about having married me.”
“Not in the least, Liz. I just love you too much to have anything happen to you, so being manly and all, I’m trying to do whatever I can to protect my woman.”
“Roger, I love it when you go caveman,” she said as she warmly kissed him. Winston knew when he wasn’t wanted and walked down the hall to Roger’s office and his dog bed.
CHAPTER 15
As soon as Roger left for the office the following morning, Liz sat down at the computer in her office. She wanted to see if Ruby Myers was on Facebook and if so, what she looked like. She was afraid that if she was avoiding her husband and the chief of police, there was a good chance she’d try to avoid Liz as well. She pulled up Ruby’s Facebook page and saw a photo of an attractive red-haired woman. She spent a few moments reading about her and looking at her page. There was nothing unusual on it, certainly nothing that hinted of being tied to a murder. Liz read that she was married to George Myers and worked for the California Forestry Service. She had several inspirational sayings on her page and photographs of her mother as well as some colleagues at work. She posted rather sporadically, and the last one was two weeks old.
Hmm, that red hair would be hard to hide. I’m glad I had a chance to see her photograph. At least if she opens the door and pretends Ruby isn’t home, I’ll know she is. And the name Ruby. With all that red hair, I bet that’s why her parents named her Ruby. Better see if I can find anything out about her mother, Joyce Samuels.
She cleared her computer screen and then pulled up Joyce Samuels on Facebook. She saw a photo of a rather nondescript looking woman with mousy brown hair, about fifty years old, and from the photograph, it looked to Liz like she carried too much weight.
Ruby must have gotten her hair from her father. Says here that her mother is divorced and works as a checker at the Pleasantville Market. She posts even less than her daughter.
Liz got dressed and called out to Winston. “Come on, boy, we’re off to Pleasantville.” He wagged his tail as if he knew exactly what she was saying as he jumped in the van.
Twenty minutes later she saw the sign for Pleasantville. Seth had been right. The town consisted of a main street with several stores, a small cafe, and a gas station. Liz guessed the population couldn’t have been more than 1,000 people. There were only a few streets intersecting the main street, and she easily found Center Street and the address Seth had given her.
She parked her van about a block from the address and walked to the house which was just as nondescript as the owner. It was clearly in need of some tender loving care. Grey paint was peeling off the siding, and the window screens were torn. Weeds had taken over the lawn, and the walkway and steps leading up to the house were badly cracked.
Liz knew Roger wouldn’t approve of her leaving Winston in the van, but she didn’t think a menacing looking big boxer was going to help get Ruby or her mother to open the door for her. Although the street was very quiet she heard the soft sounds of a television coming from inside the house. She knew someone was probably home, she just didn’t know who. Liz knocked on the door, and a few moments later it was partially opened by a woman who resembled the photograph of Joyce Samuels she had seen on Facebook.
“Mrs. Samuels, my name is Liz Langley. I’d like to speak with your daughter, Ruby Myers. I know the manager of the local Forest Service office, and he’s concerned because he hasn’t heard from Ruby today, and she didn’t show up for work.”
“Don’t know nothin’ about that. Haven’t seen Ruby for a couple of weeks. Have you tried her husband? She’s probably at home, playing hooky. Poor girl works so hard she needs a day off from time to time. No, can’t help you,” she said shutting the door.
Liz had no choice but to walk back to her van. She got in and petted Winston. “Well, Winston, I want to go to that gallery I saw yesterday, but I have a feeling if I wait here
a little while, Ruby may show up. Evidently she’s not going home to George, and from her Facebook page it doesn’t seem like she has a lot of close friends or family members. Looks like her mama may be it for her, and George told Seth he saw her car here. Think we’ll just sit here for awhile and see what happens. Lie down, big guy, and make yourself comfortable.”
CHAPTER 16
Liz sipped the coffee she’d brought with her and opened the gourmet food magazine she’d thrown in the van just as they were leaving. Forty-five minutes later she heard the sound of a car approaching. She looked up from her magazine and saw a nondescript grey car turn into Mrs. Samuel’s driveway. The engine stopped, and moments later an attractive red-haired young woman got out of the car and quickly entered the house. Bingo, Liz thought, opening the van door and walking up the sidewalk.
When she got to the porch she knocked on the door. There were no sounds coming from within the house. Even the television had been muted. Liz knocked again and said in a loud voice, “Ruby, I know you’re in there. I saw you go in the house. I want to talk to you. I’m not with any law enforcement organization, but if you don’t open the door, I’ll have to call the chief of police over in Red Cedar and if I do that, he’ll be here shortly. Please open the door.”
She waited and decided to count to ten before she left to call Seth. When she got to seven Ruby opened the door. “Who are you, and what do you want?” she asked.
“My name is Liz Langley, and I’m a good friend of the owner of Gertie’s Diner over in Red Cedar. Her step-brother, David Sanders, was murdered yesterday. I’m trying to help her find the killer.
“Ruby, I know you’re the one who called the chief of police about David Sanders’ death. I want to help you. Please tell me what you know. Every hour that goes by makes it much harder for his killer to be caught.”
The attractive redhead wiped tears from her eyes and said in a quiet voice, “Come in. I’ll tell you what I know, but you have to promise me you won’t tell my husband I’m here.”
“I promise you I won’t, but I think he already knows,” Liz said as she entered the living room. Ruby motioned for her to sit down in a chair and she took a seat across from her.
“What do you want from me?” Ruby asked.
“I want to know how you found David and what you can tell me about that.”
Ruby wrung her hands together and began to speak in a shaky voice, “I never should have left the office yesterday to meet David. There was always something about him I couldn’t resist and sure enough, when he asked me to meet him at the lumber company’s property where he was going to look for a blue butterfly, I said yes. I knew it was a bad decision as soon as I’d said it, but it was as if it was out of my hands. He always did have that kind of effect on me.”
“I understand you left the forestry office about a half an hour after he did. Does that sound about right?”
“Yes. I didn’t want people to think I was meeting him. My husband is a very jealous man, and I knew if he even suspected I was meeting David, George would kill him.”
“Let me ask you something. Do you really think your husband is capable of killing someone?”
“Yes. When we met he had a terrible temper and often acted on it. I refused to marry him until he got some psychological help which he did. He hasn’t had a temper incident for months, but that doesn’t mean I don’t think he could.”
“All right. Tell me how you found David. When you got to the lumber company’s property, what happened? Did you talk to David?”
“No. I parked my car and walked up the trail. I heard the sounds of chainsaws and trees being cut, and I knew there must be some people nearby. I was concerned someone would see me and tell my husband. I waited for a few minutes until the sounds began to lessen. When they did, I figured they were cutting in another direction. I walked to the place where I was supposed to meet David, and when I got there his body was on the ground surrounded by a pool of blood. I didn’t know what to do. I was panicked, so I ran back to my car and drove away as fast as I could.”
“Did you see any cars in the parking lot that you recognized?” Liz asked.
Ruby looked down at her hands and then away from Liz.
“I don’t think you had anything to do with David’s death, Ruby, but if I’m going to help you, I need to know everything. What aren’t you telling me?”
Ruby stood up and began to pace the length of the room. Finally she spoke in a soft voice, “I recognized George’s car. There was no one in it. I’m sure it was his car, because he has a San Francisco Giants bumper sticker on his car. He’s a huge fan, and I always told him that everyone would know it was his car because of the sticker, so he better not get in any trouble. We used to laugh about it, but he refused to get rid of it. It was definitely George’s car.” She started sobbing.
“You’re afraid of him, aren’t you?” Liz asked.
“Of course I am. In fact I’m more than afraid, actually, I’m terrified. He had to have seen my car in the parking lot, and David was driving a Forest Service car, so he could easily put two and two together and assume I was meeting David.”
“Ruby, he knows you’re here. He called the chief of police and told him he’d seen your car here at your mother’s house. If you’re afraid of him, and based on what you’re telling me, I think you probably need to go somewhere until the murder is solved, and he’s either cleared or arrested. Right now the only thing he has against him is you testifying that you saw his car in a parking lot. I’m married to a man who has been a criminal defense attorney for thirty years, and from what he’s told me, I doubt that would be enough evidence for him to be arrested for David’s murder.”
“I don’t know where I can go.”
“Wait a minute. I have an idea. You lived with David in his apartment in Sacramento before you came to Red Cedar. Isn’t that right?”
“Yes. We were there for almost two years. Why?”
“Well, I may be sticking my neck out here, but I don’t think you were involved in David’s murder. I talked to Mitch Stevenson yesterday, and he was going to have David’s apartment cleared out and cleaned by a cleaning woman who works for him. Why don’t I call him and tell him that you’re going to spend a few days there until this situation is taken care of?”
“That would be wonderful. I’m really afraid of George. I think there’s a good chance he killed David, and I think there’s a good chance he’ll try to kill me, but you don’t even know me. Why are you doing all of this for me?”
“Gertie told me she really likes you. She’s my friend and as you know, David’s step-sister. I think if the killer isn’t found pretty fast, the chief of police will charge Gertie with the murder. I feel certain she didn’t do it, and I want to help her. Is there anything else you can tell me about when you discovered David?”
“No. I didn’t even get close to him. I was terrified, and the first thing that came to mind was to get out of there, even more so when I saw George’s car. I called my mother from my car, and she said I could come to her place and stay with her. I couldn’t sleep all night, and that’s when I called the chief of police. I didn’t want David’s body to be eaten by animals. I should have called the chief night before last, but I was so distraught I wasn’t thinking very straight. My mother had her hands full trying to keep me calm.”
“Ruby, if you’re so afraid of George, why did you leave the house this morning?”
“My bank has a branch in the next town over from here. I went there and cashed a check. I wasn’t sure how long I could stay with my mother before George came, and I thought I’d probably need some money.”
“That makes sense. When I leave here I’ll call Mitch about you staying in David’s apartment. He seems trustworthy, and I’ll tell him why. I’ll ask him to get the key from the apartment manager and leave it under the door mat for you. Here’s my telephone number. If you think of anything, please let me know. I’d also like your number.”
“Of course.”
Ruby quickly jotted down her cell phone number on the back of a business card and handed it to Liz. “I’m going to leave as soon as I say goodbye to my mother. I’ll call you later today when I get to the apartment. Again, thanks for everything. Please tell Gertie how sorry I am about this.”
“I will. Be safe.” Liz turned and walked out the door. When she got to her van she called Mitch and explained what had happened. He assured her no one would know about Ruby, and he would personally make sure the apartment key would be under the door mat. When Liz’s thoughts turned to Gertie and Ruby, and there wasn’t any sign of the niggle, she started to drive back towards Red Cedar.
CHAPTER 17
Liz was glad she’d been able to help Ruby. The niggle was nowhere to be found when she thought about Ruby, and that was an encouraging sign. She was certain the only crime Ruby had been guilty of was agreeing to see a past lover while she was married, and of course that wasn’t a crime at all. Unfortunately the man she was married to had a violent temper according to several people. She dreaded talking to Ruby’s husband, George Myers, but she knew if she was going to solve David Sanders’ murder, it had to be done. She looked at the address Seth had given her, googled it on her cell phone, and began driving to his residence.
The one story house was medium-sized for the area with blooming flowers lining the walkway that led to the porch where someone had planted several oak tubs that spilled over with brightly colored plants and flowers. Several different kinds of ferns hung from the porch overhang. Although she hadn’t met George Myers, the bright colors seemed to be something that would fit more with his redheaded wife than him.
Liz decided to take Winston with her. She wasn’t sure how she would be received by George Myers and hoped that the sight of the big dog would cause him to think twice about doing anything other than talking to her. She rang the doorbell.
The Blue Butterfly: A Liz Lucas Cozy Mystery Page 6