A Killer Column

by Casey Mayes

  After she was gone, Zach asked, “Okay, what should we do now?”

  “Let me ask you something first. Are you certain you’re okay with Jenny taking a backseat in our investigation?”

  “To be honest with you, I was a little worried about her being so actively involved myself. This is absolutely for the best.” He paused, and then grinned at me. “Besides, we work better as a team, just the two of us. We always have.”

  “Agreed.” I stared at the bags still at our feet.

  My husband must have been reading my mind. “What are we going to do with these suitcases? I’m not thrilled about the idea of letting them go just yet, especially when we’ve been commanded to surrender them.”

  I thought about it, and then said, “If you’re game, I have an idea.”

  His smile lit up his entire face. “Just try me.”

  “FOLLOW MY LEAD,” I SAID AS I PICKED UP ONE OF THE suitcases and started walking across the lobby where Jenny had just gone. As soon as I knew the clerk had seen me, I nodded to Zach, who followed me with the other one. It was clear that the clerk was wondering what we were up to. Instead of walking to the bag check station as I’d been instructed, I started for the exit. I was curious to see what the clerk would do, and the worst thing that could happen was that we retained possession of Derrick’s clothes. If Cary wanted them back, and I had a suspicion that she did, she’d have to come with us.

  We nearly made it to the door before someone called out behind us, “Ms. Stone. Wait.”

  “It’s Mrs.,” I said when he caught up with us.

  “Mrs. Stone,” he corrected himself. “I believe I told you that you were supposed to check those bags with our service.”

  “Sorry, but I don’t respond well to orders. You can ask him if you don’t believe me,” I added as I pointed to Zach.

  “She hasn’t so far, but I keep hoping,” my husband answered amiably.

  The clerk looked at me as if I’d lost my mind. “But you heard Mrs. Duncan’s wishes on the matter.”

  “I heard what you said just fine.”

  He looked a little relieved by this information. “Then you’re going in the wrong direction. Our claim service is over there.”

  “I know perfectly well where it is. I just choose not to go there.”

  Now he really looked confused. I winked at Zach, who remained silent as he winked back at me.

  “Then where are you going?”

  “I don’t see how that’s any of your business. Mrs. Duncan’s wishes are not my orders. We had an agreement, and if she is choosing to alter it, I have the right not to accept her new terms. Please tell her that if she’d like her husband’s suitcases back, she knows how to reach me.” I doubted very much if Cary had the slightest clue where I was staying while I was in Raleigh, but I didn’t think it would come to that.

  “Would you indulge me for two minutes before you leave?” he asked.

  I turned to my husband. “What do you think, Zach?” “It’s your call,” he said.

  “Two minutes,” I said.

  “Thank you so much,” the clerk said as he scurried back to his desk.

  After he was out of earshot, Zach said, “I’ve got to hand it to you. That was inspired.”

  “I have my moments,” I said.

  “Are you watching the clock?”

  I shook my head. “I can’t imagine that I’ll have to.” I looked back at the desk and saw the clerk walking rapidly toward us. For a moment, I had a devilish impulse to run away, the suitcases in tow, but I fought it and waited for his return.

  “She’ll see you now,” he said, the poor man nearly out of breath.

  “Very good. The room number?”

  “One-two-two-one,” he said.

  “Thank you.”

  “Thank you,” he said. He stood there waiting until Zach and I took the suitcases and walked toward the elevator instead of the exit. What was the clerk planning to do if we made a run for it, tackle us both? He might be able to bring me down, but I would have paid good money to watch him try to keep my husband from doing anything he really wanted to do.

  When we got on the elevator, Zach pushed 12, and as soon as the doors closed, we burst out laughing. It was brief, but extremely satisfying, and when we stopped, my husband kissed me.

  “Thank you, kind sir,” I said.

  “Thank you. Sometimes I forget just how much fun it can be hanging around with you.”

  “Then I’ll try to keep reminding you.” The elevator was fast approaching the twelfth floor, and I asked Zach, “Any ideas on how we should handle her?”

  “Are you kidding? I’m just planning to follow your lead.”

  “Fine. We’ll play it by ear, then.”

  Cary was waiting in the hallway when the door opened, and she looked surprised to see my husband carrying Derrick’s other suitcase. “Savannah, why on earth did you feel the need to bring a bodyguard with you to my room?”

  “He’s no bodyguard,” I said. “He’s my husband.”

  Zach offered his free hand, and she took it, albeit a little reluctantly at first. My husband can be intimidating on his best day, but when he wants to, he can be pretty charming as well.

  “Please, come in,” she said as she stepped aside. We walked in, and I was amazed by how elegant the Brunswick’s rooms were. While Derrick’s hotel was cookie-cutter in its looks and layout, this place appeared to be taken from someone’s living room. Someone who was wealthy and had excellent taste, I might add. The furniture wasn’t a chain knockoff, but looked to be custom-made for the space, and the walls were covered with original art that seemed to enhance the room’s elegance.

  “Would you like to go through these while we’re here?” I asked.

  “No, of course not. Just put them over there. I’m afraid Derrick’s tastes did not match mine. He chose not to pay attention to his wardrobe, so I stopped caring about what he wore.” She must have realized how that sounded, because she quickly added, “I can’t tell you how much I’m going to miss him.”

  “I’m sure,” I said.

  Zach asked, “I hate to bother you, but is there any chance I could use your restroom?”

  She hesitated, and then pointed to a door that led into the bedroom. “Of course.”

  Once he was gone, I asked, “Cary, how have you and Derrick been getting along lately?” She started to cloud up, so I quickly added, “I was one of his biggest fans, but believe me, I know how difficult he could be at times.”

  Cary nodded, but without too much vigor. “He was an artist in his own right, and we must make allowances for creative people. They seem to be wired differently than we are.”

  If Derrick could draw a picture of the sun with a stick in the mud, I would have been surprised. Many words came to mind when I tried to describe the man, but “artistic” wasn’t one of them. “So, things were tense for you?”

  “Of course not,” she said. “Savannah, what are you trying to say?”

  “I’m not saying anything. I’m just making conversation,” I said.

  She didn’t buy it for a moment, and I didn’t know any way to convince her otherwise. “Then let’s change the subject, shall we?”

  “That’s fine with me. I must say, I was a little surprised to hear that Kelsey Hatcher was taking over the Duncan Empire.”

  Calling it an empire was a joke, but Cary seemed to like the notion. “Kelsey is quite capable. I convinced Derrick to hire her, you know. Her talents were being wasted where she was before.”

  “And where was that?”

  Cary started to say something, and then obviously thought better of it. “She’s well suited to run things. I trust you and the others are cooperating during this transition period.”

  It wasn’t a question, so I decided not to answer it.

  Zach came out, and said, “Cary, I’ve got a great idea. Why don’t you join us for a late lunch?”

  I looked at my husband, wondering what on earth he was up to, but it was
time for me to back his play. “Please do. It might be exactly what you need.”

  “Thank you, but no, I’ll have to refuse.”

  “Are you sure?” Zach asked, somehow managing to look crestfallen from the news.

  “Positive.” She glanced at her watch, and then said, “I don’t mean to be rude, but there are a thousand arrangements I need to deal with. Thank you again for taking care of things for me at the suite.”

  “Glad to help,” I said as she walked us out the door and to the elevator. As the doors closed, I could still see her watching us, offering a halfhearted wave at the last second.

  As Zach and I rode down, I asked, “What did you find?”

  “Excuse me?”

  “Zach, I know you were snooping around. What did you find?”

  He shrugged. “She’s alone, no doubt about it. I checked the closets, the luggage, and the vanity in the bathroom. There’s no sign of anyone being there but her.”

  “So it was a dead end.”

  “Not exactly,” he replied. The elevator opened into the lobby, and he pulled me to one side, beside a massive tree planted in a dark gray pot.

  “What are we doing?”

  “Lower your voice,” he said. “I got a glimpse at the notepad on the desk by the bed, and I saw that she has an appointment in a few minutes. Why don’t we wait to see who comes along?”

  “You’re tricky,” I said.

  “I prefer to think of it as being clever,” he replied. We stood there in the shadows of the tree’s leaves when I saw a familiar face coming toward the elevator. I grabbed Zach’s arm and pointed to the man, carrying a bouquet of flowers in one hand.

  He punched an elevator button, and after a few seconds’ wait, got on.

  I pulled Zach out and watched as the floor numbers lit up.

  “Who was that?” Zach asked.

  “Hang on one second,” I said as I continued watching. A few seconds later the elevator stopped, and I saw that it had reached the twelfth floor.

  “I don’t believe it,” I said.

  “Savannah Stone, if you don’t tell me right now who that was, I’m walking out of here.”

  “It was Brady Sims. He worked for Derrick writing the Wuzzle World puzzles.”

  “And now he’s visiting the widow,” Zach said. “It doesn’t necessarily mean anything, you know. He could be here to pay his respects.”

  “He could be, but I doubt it. Did those flowers look like something you’d give to a grieving woman?”

  “You’re asking me? Seriously?”

  “Trust me, they’re not. They looked more like courting flowers.”

  “I don’t know,” Zach said. “It’s a reach.”

  “Maybe, but it’s not one we can afford to ignore.”

  My husband nodded. “Then Brady moves up a few spots on our suspect list.”

  “As long as I keep moving down, I’m fine with that.”

  I tried to imagine Brady and Cary together, but I just couldn’t wrap my head around it.

  Love made up some stranger matches than that, though. I saw it nearly every day.

  But it certainly was something we needed to investigate.

  Chapter 11

  “WHAT SHOULD WE DO?” I ASKED ZACH. “SHOULD WE stay here until he comes back down so we can talk to him?”

  “It’s hard to say how long that might be,” he answered. As he looked around the lobby, he added, “Besides, we’re a little conspicuous standing here, even with this tree blocking us from view.”

  “We could always go to the restaurant and get something to eat while we’re waiting.”

  “Come on, Savannah. Surely we can find someplace better than that,” he said as he glanced at the formal dining room that was connected to the lobby. I was certain that the men in suits offered the reason for his hesitation. Zach didn’t like to go anywhere that he had to dress up for, particularly to eat. It was all I could do to get him to take me out to a fancy restaurant on our anniversary every year.

  “I’m sure they have a jacket you can borrow.”

  “No thanks. I say we leave Brady and Cary to their tryst, or whatever it is, and go talk to another suspect.”

  “I’m good with that,” I said, giving in. “Which one do you want to go after next?”

  “Well, since Brady and Cary are busy upstairs, and Sylvia’s at the other hotel, that leaves Mindi and Frank Lassiter at the top of our list.”

  “I can’t believe we have five suspects already without even trying.”

  “Six,” Zach said.

  “Who did we miss?”

  “Kelsey Hatcher. I keep asking myself, who had the most to gain by Derrick’s murder, and Kelsey’s name keeps popping up.”

  “She is in charge now, isn’t she? That’s quite a step up, from assistant to editor and syndicator. Cary must trust her an awful lot. Or Kelsey must have something pretty damaging on Cary.”

  “Who’s being cynical now?”

  “More like realistic,” I said. “You didn’t see Kelsey when she called us all together. It was pretty clear the power has already gone to her head.”

  “I thought you two made up?”

  “For now,” I admitted, “but I can see some rocky times ahead. There was an edge to her before that she’s trying to hide now, but she’s not what she seems.”

  “To be, rather than to seem,” Zach quoted.

  “Yeah, and mountaineers are always free,” I answered.

  “What’s that got to do with anything?”

  “I figured if we’re quoting state mottos, I’d throw out a few of my own. You gave me North Carolina, and I replied with one from West Virginia.”

  Zach looked into my eyes. “Savannah, I’m not in the mood for any foolishness.”

  I couldn’t keep from laughing. “Boy, did you ever marry the wrong woman, then.”

  He tried to look stern, but his visage suddenly broke into a smile. “I think I did pretty well for myself, thank you very much.”

  “You’re very welcome,” I replied.

  The clerk must have been watching us the entire time we’d been standing in his lobby. “Was there something else you needed?” he asked as he approached us.

  “No, we’re good,” I said with a smile.

  “Very well,” he replied as he backed up a few steps.

  I tugged on Zach’s arm. “Come on, we’re clearly making the man nervous.”

  “We have that effect on folks sometimes, don’t we?”

  I looked up at my powerful husband. “I think they’re more intimidated by you than me.”

  “Don’t kid yourself. I know some hardened criminals who’d rather take me on than you.”

  “Now you’re just trying too hard.”

  I led him out of the hotel, and we got into the rental. As I started the ignition, I said, “We never really decided what we were going to do next, did we?”

  “Is there a place around here I could make a few telephone calls? I hate to be where anyone else can hear me.”

  “How about right here in the car? Or did you want me to leave, too?”

  “Of course not.” He opened his cell phone, and then said, “I’m having a hard time getting a signal in here anyway.”

  “I have an idea,” I said. “It’s on the way to the other hotel, too, if that helps.”

  “I’m in your hands.”

  As I drove through town, I said, “This is a place where you should have plenty of privacy, and the views are pretty spectacular, too.”

  “You’ve got me curious. Any hints?”

  “We’ll be there in a second,” I said. I took the last turn, and wondered for a minute if I’d gotten it right. The neighborhood we drove through was a little sketchy, but a few minutes later, I saw the sign I’d been looking for.

  “We’re here,” I said as I pulled into the parking lot.

  Zach looked at the train tracks and the benches. “Where exactly is here?”

  “It’s Pullen Park,” I said. “Jenny br
ought me here the last time I visited. They have the coolest carousel in the world here.”

  “We don’t have time to ride, Savannah.”

  “Come on. We can at least go look at it.”

  Zach nodded, and we walked down the path of gray brown interlocking pavers. The view, once obscured by bushes, now presented a large lake of beautiful water. There were paddleboats docked close to us, though none were out on the water at the moment. Several ducks were sitting on the wooden docks, as if waiting patiently for their turns to ride.

  “Everything’s closed,” Zach said.

  “I don’t understand,” I said. “The carousel has to be open.”

  As we walked toward the round building, I saw shutters closed at every opening.

  A man was working nearby, replacing the trash bags from one of the garbage cans. “Excuse me? Is it closed?”

  He nodded. “They had to do some repairs. Don’t worry, it’ll be back open in a few days.”

  “Thanks,” I said.

  “Is the train running?”

  He shook his head. “Sorry, you just missed the last ride.”

  Zach shrugged. “Hey, you tried.”

  “Perfect. At least the statues should still be there, unless they’ve hauled them off somewhere for cleaning.”

  “What statues are you talking about?”

  I didn’t say a word. I just grabbed his hand and led him to the place I remembered from my last visit.

  To my delight, they were still there.

  I watched Zach as he rounded the corner, and an immediate grin came up on his face. “Savannah, how cool is that?”

  It was a bronze statue of Andy and Opie Taylor, father and son, from The Andy Griffith Show, a North Carolina love letter to the rest of the world. They each had a fishing pole, and the two held hands as Opie looked adoringly up at his father, while Andy looked lovingly at his son. Growing up, my husband had loved the show, and whenever he saw a rerun channel surfing, he always paused on it.

  “That is one of the neatest things I’ve ever seen in my life.”

  “Go on, I’ll take your picture with them with my camera phone.”

  He looked a little embarrassed by the suggestion. “Savannah, have you lost your mind?”