Murder in Cottage #6 (Liz Lucas Cozy Mystery Series Book 1)

by Dianne Harman

  “Right. The only two things that could protect my back side are my gun and Winston, and I can’t get either one of them on an airplane. Let’s go, I need to get on the computer and make our flight reservations.”

  CHAPTER 19

  “Judy, would you please check and see when we can get a flight out of San Francisco? I’d like to get on one this afternoon. I just had a thought, and I want to ask Stephanie about it. I shouldn’t be gone long.” Winston stood next to her, ready to follow.

  Liz walked over to the spa and was glad to see that none of the guests were in the reception area. “Delores, is Stephanie available?”

  “Good grief, Mrs. Lucas. When Stephanie and Nikki came back from the lodge, they mentioned that you were having a reaction to your facial, but I had no idea it would be that red and swollen. Anyway, Stephanie’s with a guest. Can I help you?”

  “I don’t remember anyone mentioning that Gina had a car. Do you know if she did?”

  “She didn’t have a car. That was one of the reasons she was so excited to room with Stephanie and Nikki. Stephanie has a car and could take her back and forth between their cabin and work. Why?”

  “Well, if she didn’t go to the cabin last night, she must have gotten a ride from someone. Who leaves here around that time?”

  “The other people here at the spa were working late last night because we were booked full and running behind schedule. Let me look at the book for a minute, and I should be able to tell you more.” She examined it, and after a moment she looked up. “Gina finished about 4:30 last night. Stephanie and Nikki didn’t finish until 5:00. Often the staff will leave through the back door, so they don’t have to encounter any guests. She may have left the spa that way, and that’s why I didn’t see her leave.”

  Kelly mused aloud, “Well, if she didn’t ride with them, and the other staff members were still here, I wonder how she left the area.”

  “You might want to check with Zack,” Delores said. “He parks in the lodge lot, and I have a direct view of it. I often see him leave about that time, although I don’t remember seeing him last night, however if I was making a reservation or a client was paying for their treatment, I wouldn’t be looking out the window.” She realized what she’d said and quickly went on, “Not that I look out the window all that much. I’ve just noticed him once in a while. I have so much to do keeping the reservations and taking people’s payments that I really don’t look out the window very often.”

  Uh-huh, Liz thought. “Thanks Delores, I’ll go check with him.”

  She left the spa and saw Zack working in the potting shed. She walked over to him and said, “Good morning, Zack. Are those the flowers you were talking about planting?”

  “Yep. Mrs. Lucas, I probably shouldn’t be sayin’ anything, but do you know how red and swollen your face is?”

  “Yes, Zack, believe me, I’m well aware of it and doing everything I can. Aloe vera and water have become my best friends. Anyway, tell me about the flowers.”

  “They’re gonna look real good when I’m finished. I like to see a lot of color around the lodge and cottages. We’ve got so much green from the forest I think it makes a nice contrast.”

  “Zack, do you know Gina, the young woman Bertha hired about a week ago?”

  “Funny you should ask. I hadn’t met her until yesterday because, as you know, I was on a little vacation. I was getting ready to leave yesterday evening when she walked up to me and introduced herself. She was carrying a large tote bag and wanted to know if I could give her a ride into town. She said she was going to ride the bus to San Francisco and then fly up to Seattle. I asked if she was going to be gone long, and she said she didn’t know. She mentioned that a family member was having some problems and needed her. Why?”

  “She didn’t tell anyone at the spa that she wouldn’t be at work today, and it’s causing some scheduling problems with some of our guests. How did she seem to you?”

  “Well, Mrs. Lucas, I did a few drugs in my younger days, you know, like most of us did, and I remember thinking when I was talking to her that she was acting really strange. I wondered if she was on something, but I know Bertha is very careful about who she hires, so I had my doubts. I remember wondering to myself if Bertha had carefully checked Gina’s references.”

  “So you took her to the bus depot in town?”

  “Yep, I did indeed. Why? Did I do something wrong?”

  “No, it’s just that everything about Gina seems to be quite strange. Thanks, Zack, I appreciate you telling me, and those flower pots are going to be beautiful. I know the guests will love them, and so will I!”

  She walked back to the lodge and as soon as she entered, a very excited Judy said, “It was hard to find a flight for us. Guess there are a lot of graduations this weekend, and people are flying all over the place. Anyway, I was able to get us seats on a flight that leaves San Francisco at 6:30 tonight. That’s the best I could do, and we’re darned lucky I got those. I don’t need to go home. We can take my car directly to the airport, and depending on what happens, I can drive you back here when we return. I need to call Tiffany and tell her I’m going, and I need to pack a few things. We’ve got a couple of hours before we have to leave. I think I’ll go soak my face in ice water until we go.”

  “That’s not a bad idea. I think I’ll do the same thing after I take care of a few things in the kitchen. I did find out something interesting.” She recounted her conversation with Zack. “I need to call Roger, and I know he’s not going to be very happy about us taking off for Washington, but I’m sure he can find out if Gina used her credit card for her airline ticket, rental car, or maybe even a motel. I’m hoping I’ll get his voice mail, and I won’t have to talk to him directly. I’ll just leave a message and call him after he’s had a chance to calm down. Oh, I need to ask Bertha if she’ll keep Winston. She offered to do it if I ever needed someone to keep him, so I don’t think that will be a problem. I’m hoping she can serve dinner for the next couple of nights, or if she can’t, she can probably have Sarah do it. She’s single, so I would imagine she could juggle it into her schedule. I’ll make a couple of casseroles and leave instructions. It should work out fine.”

  “Okay. Plan on leaving from here about 3:00. By the time we drive to the airport, park the car in an outlying lot, and go through security, we should easily make it by 6:30, but we’ll still have a little wiggle room in case we run into traffic. Never knew I’d he headed to Seattle when I woke up this morning, but it’s kind of exciting. See you later.”

  After Judy closed the door, Liz picked up the phone and sent a silent prayer to the phone gods that she’d get Roger’s voice mail. Shortly she heard the words she’d been praying for, “You have reached the voice mail of Roger Johnson. I’m not available to take your call. Please leave your message after the beep.”

  “Hi, Roger. It’s Liz. I know this call is not going to please you, and I’m sorry. Judy and I are flying to Seattle tonight to see if we can stop Gina before she tries to do something terrible to her mother. You could help me by finding out if she used her credit card for anything and also if you have a way to find out if her mother is still living in Bellingham and if so, her address. Winston is staying with Bertha. Roger, I promise I won’t take any chances. Please try to understand, but I really have a niggle that I have to do this. If one of my employees does something bad to her mother, and she did say she wished her mother was dead, on top of the murder that occurred here, it could sink my spa business. I have to do this to protect the reputation of the spa which is the only investment I have. Here’s Gina’s personal identification information that I’ve taken from her personnel records here at the spa to help trace her credit card activity. I’ll call you later.”

  Just as she began cooking her phone rang. She looked at the screen and saw that it was Roger. I know he’s going to try and talk me out of going. I’ll let him cool down for a couple of hours, and I’ll call him when I get to the airport. Maybe he will have
found out the information I need by then. For the next few hours, she concentrated on getting everything ready for the guests’ dinners for the next few nights.

  CHAPTER 20

  The drive to the airport, parking, and security all went smoothly. They still had a half hour until their plane was scheduled to leave. “I need to call Roger. I’ve avoided talking to him all afternoon, and I can’t put it off any longer. I’m really dreading it. Wish me luck,” Liz said.

  She punched in his number on her cell phone and took a deep breath. He answered on the first ring. “Hi Roger. I’m at the San Francisco airport, and I’ll be taking off in just a few minutes, so I can’t talk for long. I left a message on your voice mail earlier today. Did you have any luck?”

  “Yes. I’ll get to that in a minute. I’m a little calmer now than I was when you first called, and while intellectually I understand what you’re doing, emotionally I don’t like it at all. Anyway, we can talk about that another time. First of all, my dermatologist friend said that phenol is the ingredient that probably did a number on your face. He said there’s not much you can do but put a lot of cool water on it, and he also said aloe vera would be fine and would probably help to reduce the itching. Finally, he indicated that your face will gradually get back to normal, but it will probably take a couple of weeks.”

  “Thanks. That’s exactly what Judy’s friend said who’s a facialist. I guess I’ll have to live with it, but at least I’m not going to die from it.”

  “That’s one thing we can be thankful for. Okay, here’s what I’ve got for you. I called a friend of mine who’s with the San Francisco Police Department. He was able to trace Gina’s recent transactions on her credit card. She flew to Seattle on Alaska Airlines last night, rented a car, and checked into a motel located near the airport called the Day and Night Inn for two days. Her mother still lives in Bellingham, so I called a captain at the Bellingham Police Department and told him everything we know. I’ll give you her address in a minute. Does that help?”

  “Very much. Thanks. Roger, I can tell from your voice you’re really angry and I’m sorry, but this is something I have to do to protect the reputation of my spa. I just have to do it. Please, try and understand.”

  “Liz, I’m trying, I really am, but I’m so worried about you. Is this something you do a lot? Go off half-cocked? This is a side of you I haven’t seen before, and quite frankly, I’m not sure I like it. Gina sounds like she’s gone over the edge, and I’m concerned about your personal safety. Will you promise me you won’t do anything dangerous? Let the Bellingham Police Department take care of it. Please, for me.”

  “I’ll be fine, Roger, and no, I’ve never done anything like this before. I’ll be home in a day or two, and we can put this behind us. Honest. I’ll call you tomorrow. Nite.”

  After she hung up from talking to Roger, Liz turned to Judy and said, “Judy, when we get to Seattle we need to rent a car and find the closest motel to the Day and Night Inn. That’s where Gina’s staying. She made a reservation for two nights. We can stake out the motel in the morning and follow her to see what she’s up to.”

  *****

  Liz wasn’t sure what Gina had planned, but her niggle told her to find Gina, follow her, and tell the police what she observed. She hoped they weren’t too late to stop her from whatever she was planning to do to her mother.

  The next morning Liz woke Judy up before dawn. They hurriedly dressed, drove their rental car in the gentle rain to the nearby Day and Night Inn, parked in a remote area of the parking lot, and waited for Gina to leave the motel.

  Several hours later Liz roused Judy from her nap and said, “Look, there she is. I’m sure it’s her. She’s got a scarf wrapped around her head, and she’s wearing sunglasses. I mean, come on, you wouldn’t wear sunglasses when it’s raining unless you didn’t want to be recognized.

  “I think you’re right. Let’s go.”

  Gina drove to the nearby I-5 freeway and turned north. Judy followed, staying several car lengths behind her. On the north side of Seattle, Gina exited the freeway and drove into a Wal-Mart parking lot. Judy parked two rows behind her. Gina walked over to the entrance of the store and handed some money to a man who was sitting at a table under a sign that read, “Help Homeless Veterans.”

  “Did you see her just give money to that man?” Judy asked. “I never would have thought she’d give money to some cause. That seems so out of character from what we know.”

  “When I tipped her after my treatment she mentioned she gave half of her tips to homeless people. I remember thinking I hadn’t seen too many homeless people in Red Cedar and yes, I agree, it seems out of character.”

  They followed her into the store. Both of them wore hooded plastic raincoats they’d purchased at the airport convenience store the night before. Their faces were still various shades of reddish purple, but far less noticeable with the raincoat hoods surrounding them.

  “Liz, she’s looking at phones. Everyone her age has one. Why would she need a second one, and why would she come here to buy it? If she needed to buy one, she could have bought it much closer to the motel. That’s the only thing she’s buying. How strange.”

  The two women hurried back to their car, unnoticed. They watched as Gina got in her car and reversed directions, driving south, back towards Seattle. She went past the Seattle off-ramps and exited the freeway close to the airport, not far from where they’d started out a couple of hours earlier. After several turns, she parked her car in a hardware store parking lot. Judy stayed in the car while Liz followed Gina into the store. Gina paid for a box of large galvanized roofing nails and left. From there she drove to a nearby mall anchored by a large Sears store. Judy followed her to the small appliance department where she bought a pressure cooker.

  “Liz,” Judy said, when she returned to the car, “She just bought a heavy duty metal pressure cooker. So what is she going to do with a phone, roofing nails, and a pressure cooker? I can’t imagine what she wants them for.”

  “Wait a minute. I think I remember reading something about those things being in the bomb that went off at the Boston Marathon. I wonder if she’s planning on doing something like that. Look. Now we’re in a light manufacturing area. What could she possibly want here? Uh-oh, I think she’s driving into that gun shop parking lot.”

  They looked at each other, both of them realizing that this could potentially be very dangerous for everyone. Guns killed and there could only be one reason Gina was buying something from a gun store. Liz followed her into the large store and pretended to be captivated by the photos on the wall of Weimaraner and Brittany hunting dogs working in fields with their owners. She was able to get close enough to eavesdrop on the conversation between the clerk and Gina.

  “May I help you?” the bearded grey-haired man in a red flannel shirt and jeans asked.

  “Yes, I’d like to buy some gunpowder. I’m having a real problem with snails, and I read if you mix beer with gunpowder and put it in shallow dishes, they’ll crawl in and die. They’re eating all of my plants, and I don’t know anything about gunpowder. Do you have different kinds or strengths? I want the strongest I can get, so I don’t have to do this again.”

  “That’s a new one on me,” he said laughing. “Yes, there are different strengths. Let me get you a can of our most potent gun powder. It comes in an eight pound container. That should be enough to take care of the little devils, but at least they’ll die happy. Me, if I’m ever in an accident, I want to get hit by a truck that’s loaded with beer,” he said, laughing.

  Gina paid him and got back in her car. Liz discreetly followed her at a safe distance. “Judy, she bought eight pounds of their strongest gunpowder. You wouldn’t need gunpowder for a gun, but you would for a bomb. What would she know about a bomb? If it’s not that, I can’t imagine what she’s going to do with it.”

  Once again she returned to the I-5 and headed north. Two hours later she exited the freeway a few miles south of Bellingham and pa
rked in the lot of a fast food restaurant.

  “Thank heavens,” Liz said. “I’m starving. Let’s drive-thru and order. That way we can park in the rear of the lot and be ready when she leaves. I’m not surprised she’s near Bellingham, I just can’t figure out what she has planned. Do you think I should call the Bellingham Police Department and tell them what we know?”

  “Not yet. Let’s see what happens.”

  Forty-five minutes later Gina left the restaurant, got in her car, drove a few blocks, and pulled into a large shopping mall anchored by a movie theater complex. She got out of her car and headed towards the movie complex.

  “Park over there. We need to find out which movie she’s going to see.”

  Liz overheard Gina tell the cashier that she wanted “One ticket for Midnight Charm.” They followed her into the theater and split up. Liz sat three rows behind Gina on the right, and Judy sat six rows back on Gina’s left, one seat over. She wanted to see if Gina was texting anyone. Gina sat quietly waiting for the movie to begin, eating a large box of popcorn.

  Two hours later the movie ended. Judy and Liz followed her as she strolled in and out of the shops in the attached mall and appeared to be killing time. She spent a long time in the Barnes & Noble bookstore, going from section to section, looking first at one book and then another. At 6:15 she began walking in the direction of the parking lot. She drove out of it at 6:30, and got back on the I-5 freeway. Ten minutes later she pulled off at a rest stop and parked at the far end, away from any cars. She opened the door on the passenger side of the car and inserted her key in the trunk, raising it. She made several trips back and forth, taking various objects from the trunk and putting them on the passenger seat and the floor.

  “Judy, I’m glad you threw in those binoculars. Are you picking up anything?”

  “Nothing new. She’s got a Sears bag, a sack from Wal-Mart, a sack from the hardware store, and an unidentified sack. Now she’s taking the big pressure cooker pot with the lid out of the bag. I can’t figure out why she’d have a pressure cooker. I remember my grandmother had one, and I don’t think I’ve seen one since.”