The image of the perfect spot for vacationers didn’t include a dead body in the soft white sand. The police would be under enormous pressure to solve this one. The city needed to be able to reassure everyone that law enforcement was on the ball and that Sarasota was a safe place.
It wouldn’t take long for them to get around to interviewing the old gal. Maybe she hadn’t actually seen anything that would be incriminating. But maybe she had.
Chapter 35
Kathy insisted that her guests go ahead with the Valentine’s Day plans to see Soul Crooners. She was too upset and wanted to stay in with Dan for the night. So Piper, her parents, and Nora went to the show.
“Walter wanted to come,” said Nora as they drove downtown, “but he just had too much work to do. He feels terrible about Shelley, but he’s also concerned about her workload and how he’s going to get that covered. Plus, he’s worried about how all this is going to impact business at the inn.”
“My bet is that it won’t hurt business at all,” said Vin. “He’s got some prime real estate there, with first-class accommodations and some of the best views in the world. People are still going to want to stay at Whispering Sands.”
“I second that emotion,” said Piper from the backseat, thinking about the Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe performance they were about to see. She was looking forward to a couple of hours of feel-good music. She wanted to erase the image of Shelley’s sand-covered body from her mind.
They found seats in the second row to the right of the stage and began perusing the program. Piper scanned the list of songs that would be sung and the bios of the performers. She was reminded again of how many actors, singers, and other entertainers were out there, plugging away, taking whatever roles they could get, attempting to piece together a living doing what they loved. Just like her.
Piper watched as the all-male group of performers bounded out onto the stage in their white suits and purple shirts. They immediately began singing and dancing to Stevie Wonder’s “Signed, Sealed, Delivered I’m Yours.” As Piper’s foot tapped to the rhythm of the music, her mind kept wandering to the scene on the beach that day.
Why would anyone want to kill Shelley? Had she been deliberately murdered? Or had someone wanted to cover up her accidental death? And what about Brad O’Hara? Could he be connected in some way? He’d admitted that Shelley didn’t want to have anything to do with him. Why?
By the time the crooners were singing “My Girl,” Piper was wondering about the time immediately before Shelley’s death. What had it been like for her? Had she been filled with terror? Or had she not even seen it coming?
The ensemble kept up their nonstop show, performing one unforgettable Motown melody after another. Their enthusiasm was contagious. Some in the audience rose to their feet and danced in place, while others smiled broadly, rocking with the beat in their seats. Piper tried unsuccessfully to focus on the music.
It was unlikely that the burial spot had been picked at random. Somebody was familiar with that place. Was it the man Roz Golubock saw?
As Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On” wrapped up, Piper thought about Brad O’Hara. She was curious about his relationship with Shelley. She could ask Dan, but she also was wondering why the groom-to-be had such a seemingly sketchy friend.
Chapter 36
It was getting increasingly difficult to drive at night. But for as long as she was able, Roz was going to continue to go to her book-club meetings. She enjoyed the book selections and the lively, thoughtful discussions. Roz also took pleasure in the fact that she was by far the oldest club member.
Listening to the younger people expressing their views was invigorating to Roz. They got her to look at things in other ways. And they in turn treated her with respect and valued her opinions. Roz knew she’d eventually have to make the switch and find a club that met in the afternoons. She feared that another club wouldn’t be as good, that other members would all be too elderly.
As she backed out of the drive, Roz hoped that none of her neighbors were looking out their town-house windows. Word traveled quickly in the condo development, and she knew that nobody would approve of her going out when she had fainted just that morning. But she felt much better. What was the point of staying in all by herself tonight when she could go out and be with people?
Additionally, knowing that the young woman had been found dead so close to her town house, Roz wanted to get out and be among the living. She didn’t want to sit in and dwell on the knowledge that the detectives were coming to interview her in the morning. She felt slightly guilty that she had put them off when they called, wanting to come see her tonight. She had fibbed, saying that she didn’t feel up to it, when it was really that she didn’t want to miss her book-club meeting.
Roz slowly coasted down the driveway. As she turned out onto Ocean Boulevard, she had no inkling that not only was someone watching her, he was following her.
Chapter 37
On the way home, they raved about the show.
“Did you see how those guys moved?” asked Vin. “Unbelievable.”
“And the songs were the sound track of our school years,” said Terri. “I can remember dancing to them at fraternity parties.”
“Frank and I picked ‘La-La Means I Love You’ for our first dance at our wedding,” said Nora. “I was thinking of him tonight. I so wish he could be here for Kathy and Dan’s wedding.”
“He will be,” said Terri, taking her sister-in-law’s hand. “He’ll be watching the whole thing.”
Piper was about to offer her opinion as the car turned onto Siesta Drive, heading to the North Bridge, which led back to the key. Ahead of them a long string of bright red taillights lined up, reaching all the way to the drawbridge. Vin slowed the car.
“There’s no construction going on, and they don’t open the bridge for boats to pass through at night,” Nora said anxiously as she stretched to get a better view. “I hope there wasn’t an accident.”
Vin shifted the car into park and turned off the ignition. For fifteen minutes they waited. Finally they saw flashing blue lights heading toward them.
“Oh, no,” said Terri as an emergency vehicle sped past. “Seeing an ambulance makes me shiver. I hope it isn’t too serious.”
Slowly the traffic began to move. Their car followed the others up and over the drawbridge. At the other side, they slowed again as red flares and police lights illuminated the area at the foot of the bridge.
“Rubberneckers,” Vin said with disgust. “Everybody’s got to get a look at what happened.”
At the side of the road, a badly mangled yellow convertible was on its side. The windshield was a spiderweb of cracks. The front door was lying on the ground a few yards away.
Vin whistled through his teeth. “Uh-oh,” he said. “It looks like they had to use the Jaws of Life to get out whoever was in there.”
“Oh, no!” cried Nora. “I think that’s Roz Golubock’s car!”
Vin pulled to the side of the road and parked. “You all wait here,” he ordered as he opened the door. “I’ll find out what happened.”
Piper ignored her father’s command, got out, and followed him. As they walked toward one of the sheriff’s deputies, Piper noticed that long black skid marks streaked across the road. She listened as her father identified himself as a former New York City cop. The two men shook hands.
“It looks like somebody deliberately ran the woman off the road,” said the deputy. “We have a witness, a guy who was fishing off the bridge, who says he heard brakes squeal and the sound of a collision. Apparently a car just rammed into the convertible and kept on going. But the witness didn’t get the tag and only describes the car as dark. A lot of good that does us.”
“And the driver of the convertible?” asked Vin.
“An old woman,” said the deputy.
“Was her name Golubock?” ask
ed Vin.
“As a matter of fact, it was. You know her?”
“She’s a neighbor of my sister-in-law’s,” said Vin. He warily eyed the crushed and twisted metal. “Did she make it?”
“So far,” said the deputy. “The ambulance took her to Sarasota Memorial. When she left here, she was still conscious. Incoherent but conscious.”
Chapter 38
Brad stood in the shower with his eyes closed, letting the needles of hot spray douse him. It felt good to wash away the tension that gripped his muscles. It had been a hard day.
Seeing Shelley’s body had brought back so many memories. They’d had a good thing going once, but her brother’s death had changed all that. After Colin overdosed on the drugs that Brad had sold him, Shelley had freaked and turned on him. Her testimony had been instrumental in sending Brad to prison.
He picked up the soap and began lathering his body. He rubbed the bar over his forearm and watched as bubbles scattered across his tattoo. The outline of the woman’s face and the tears dripping down her cheeks were dark and distinct—surprising, since the ink had been improvised, using melted rubber from the sole of a shoe.
Tattooing was forbidden in the prison. It was done in secret with makeshift equipment. Staples and paper clips took the place of sterilized needles. Ink could be taken from pens or made using melted plastic or Styrofoam. The risk of infection was great. The risk of getting caught and being sent to solitary confinement for a couple of weeks for giving or receiving a tattoo was even greater. This heightened the thrill.
Brad had studied the classic prison tattoos and their meanings. The clock face without hands signified doing time. Tombstones with numbers on them signified the number of years in jail. The letters SWP stood for “supreme white power.” And 100% PURE was another “white pride” tattoo.
The face of the crying woman meant that the prisoner had a devoted female on the outside waiting for his release. Brad chose that one but had his own interpretation for it. His woman wasn’t crying as she waited for him. His woman was going to cry when he got out. Brad had vowed that he was going to make Shelley cry when he saw her again. He was going to make her pay.
Chapter 39
Piper, her parents, and Nora sat in the ER waiting room. They looked up every time the door opened, straining to see into the treatment room. Eventually Dr. Robbins came out to speak with them.
“Thankfully Roz is alive, but she’s delirious,” he said. “She’s pretty banged up.”
“How serious are her injuries, Cryder?” asked Nora.
“At Roz’s age any injury can be a serious one,” said the doctor, unwrapping the stethoscope from around his neck. “We’re going to keep her here for observation. We want to make sure she’s not bleeding internally and doesn’t have a head injury. I don’t like that she’s so confused. We’ll run some tests in the morning.”
“Did she say anything about what happened?” asked Piper.
“Not really,” said Dr. Robbins. “But she keeps asking for Sam.”
“Poor thing,” said Nora. “I should call Roz’s daughter and let her know what happened.”
“She’s already been called,” said Dr. Robbins. “Roz had that contact information in her purse. Roberta is flying down first thing tomorrow morning.”
“Good,” said Nora. She gestured toward her brother-in-law. “Vin talked to the police. They think somebody deliberately forced Roz off the road.”
Dr. Robbins looked with concern at Vin. “Do they have any idea who?”
“Some fisherman said he saw a dark-colored car,” said Vin, “but the guy didn’t get a tag or have any other details to offer.”
Dr. Robbins sighed and shook his head. “You’d think after all these years I’d get used to seeing people injured, but I don’t. It’s a little easier, though, when it’s a relative stranger. Roz is such a sweet old gal, it’s especially hard to see her brutalized.”
Chapter 40
In his small room, Levi lay on his bed staring at the ceiling. He had looked everywhere he could think of and still couldn’t find his phone. The only place left to search was the place he most feared to go. Tomorrow he would have to force himself to return to the beach and look for it near Shelley’s grave.
He closed his eyes and said a silent prayer. For Shelley and for the safety of his sister, Miriam.
He had to head out to Siesta Beach anyway to deliver the hex sign. He hoped Piper would be satisfied. It was unlike any he had ever done.
Some of the symbols he’d chosen were different from ones he’d painted in the past. The heart was obviously appropriate. And the turtles represented the creatures that had brought Kathy and Dan together. The teardrops could be interpreted as the vicissitudes of life that a married couple had to survive. The birds with their red breasts seemed to symbolize spring and rebirth.
It had been cathartic to paint it. Levi was relieved to have expressed something so important with his art. Something that would last well after he was gone.
He was startled by a loud, insistent banging. He could hear his father grumbling on the other side of the bedroom wall as he shuffled down the hallway to answer the front door.
Levi strained to hear the men’s voices. He could make out a few words. Phone. Beach. Son. Then he heard his father’s footsteps coming toward his room. The bedroom door opened.
“Levi?” called his father as he held up a battery-operated lantern to light the room. “Wake up, son.”
Levi sat up in bed, his heart pounding, his cheeks hot. “What is it, Father?”
“It is the sheriff’s deputies, Levi. They say they found a phone that belongs to you.”
Levi’s mother appeared in the doorway, wrapping her heavy robe tightly around her. Her hair fell long and loose over her shoulders, so different from the bun and bonnet she wore during the day. Her eyes were wide in alarm as she took hold of her husband’s arm.
“What is wrong, Abram?”
“Go back to bed, Fannie.”
“Tell me,” she insisted. “What is wrong?”
“Fannie, please, go back to bed. Levi has to get dressed.”
“Now?” she asked with trepidation. “Why?”
“He has to go with the deputies to the sheriff’s station.”
Chapter 41
Back in her room at the inn, Piper kicked off her sandals, collapsed on the bed, and called Jack.
“First, I love the flowers, Jack,” she said. “They’re beautiful, and my room smells heavenly. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. I wish I were down there to see them—and you.”
“Me, too,” said Piper. “But it won’t be long now. It’s crazy down here, Jack.”
As she reviewed the details of the day, she realized how good it felt to unburden herself. She also realized how good it was to hear his voice.
“I’ll make a few calls in the morning and see what I can find out,” said Jack after she recounted the grisly scene on the beach and the old woman’s accident.
“I think the two things must be related, Jack. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Roz was run off the road on the same day as Shelley’s body was found. Roz may have seen Shelley’s killer carrying her body a few nights ago. The killer might know that and want to get rid of the person who could identify him.”
“Did she actually see the man’s face?” asked Jack.
“Not really,” said Piper. “But he doesn’t know that.”
“Listen, Pipe. If what you think is true, then you’ve got a dangerous guy lurking around down there. Don’t get any big ideas about getting involved. Let the cops do their thing.”
“You sound just like my father.”
“Smart guy, your dad. Do what he says and stay out of it.”
Wednesday
Even though you can hide from the earth,
heaven see
s you act.
AMISH PROVERB
Chapter 42
February 15 . . .
Three Days Until the Wedding
In the interrogation room, Levi sat with his head down. His face was flushed and perspiration dotted his forehead. His hands were clasped together on the table in front of him to keep them from shaking.
“I know I lost my phone,” he explained to the detective. “But I did not lose it on the beach. I was not anywhere near the beach. I do not know why you found it there.”
Levi knew it was a sin to lie, yet he had to maintain his innocence. It was obvious now, after several hours of interrogation, that the police thought he had killed Shelley. This was all an incredible, horrible nightmare.
“Well, how do you explain it?” asked the detective.
“I have told you over and over!” Levi cried as he rested his head on the table. “I just do not know. Maybe somebody found it and left it there.”
“Why would someone do that?” asked the detective. “Were they trying to set you up?”
“I do not know,” said Levi. He closed his eyes, wishing he could just fall asleep and escape the ceaseless barrage of questions and the sickening feeling he’d carried with him since the night that Shelley was buried.
The detective rose from his chair and left the room. Levi wasn’t sure if the man had taken pity on him and wanted to give him a break or if the detective’s departure was part of a calculated plan to give Levi time to think and reconsider his answers. Whatever the reason, Levi was grateful to be left alone.
He imagined his parents, waiting at home and worried to death. Theirs was a small community, and news spread fast. Soon everyone would know that the police had taken him in for questioning. Everyone would be speculating on Levi’s involvement in a woman’s murder and grotesque burial. His parents would be mortified.
Footprints in the Sand Page 8