by Cindy Bell
“I'm sorry I have some other things I have to do right now,” Suzie said quickly.
“No problem,” he nodded. “I just thought it might help you calm down if you got some fresh air.”
“Thank you,” she said. “I think I'll just find my tea and try to relax. You should walk to the north, there are some flat rocks that you could sit on and see the stars.”
“Thanks for the tip,” he said. He offered her a quick nod and then headed off down the hallway. Suzie was about to try calling Wes again when her phone began ringing in her hand. She saw that it was Paul. Despite the fact that she had declined the invite to go on the walk she still felt a little guilty as she answered the phone.
“Hey sweetie,” she said softly.
“Hello beautiful,” he replied. She grinned. She had always teased her friends about the cutesy names they would use with their boyfriends or husbands, but now she understood how it could make you smile no matter how silly it was.
“How are you doing?” she asked as she leaned back against the wall and sighed.
“I'd be better if I was with you,” he replied in a sultry tone.
“Well, that can be arranged, can't it?” Suzie said with a soft laugh.
“Do you have guests?” he asked.
“I do, but they are settled. I can spend a few minutes on the porch with you,” she assured him.
“Perfect,” he said swiftly. “I can be there in about ten minutes.”
“I'll be waiting for you,” Suzie replied happily. As she hung up the phone she felt a familiar excitement that was only triggered when Paul was on his way to see her. She headed out to the front porch to wait for him. She looked up at the sky which was filled with stars. As she leaned against the railing of the front porch she gazed up at the rising moon. Sometimes in the bustle of life she forgot just how breathtaking the view from Dune House could be. She had been to many beautiful places, but there was something special about Garber, and the small stretch of beach that it claimed. Maybe it was the lack of tourist traps, or maybe it was the surprising quiet in the evenings, all she knew for sure was that she had never felt more at peace.
When Suzie heard the rumble of an engine she turned back to the parking lot, expecting it to be Paul pulling in. However, the car that slowly rolled past was not one that she recognized. It was a dusty mustard color. It moved so slowly that it left her unsettled. Then she watched as it nestled itself in the thick brush on the side of the parking lot. Suzie was sure that the driver hadn't seen her. She hadn't turned on the porch light as she didn't want to disturb either of her guests. But obviously the driver was up to something suspicious. She was halfway down the driveway when she saw another pair of headlights pulling in. This time it was Paul. He pulled up beside her and rolled down the window.
“What are you doing out here?” he asked as she continued to walk past him.
“Did you see that car when you pulled in?” she asked, distracted.
“What car?” he frowned and parked the car. Suzie was still walking to the end of the driveway when Paul caught up with her. “Where are you going?” he asked. He was obviously confused.
“There was a car that just pulled in. It's hidden in the brush,” she said and pointed to the subtle glow of the taillights.
“What's it doing back there?” Paul said as he craned his neck. “Did it look familiar?”
“No, I've never seen it before, not even around town,” Suzie said.
“Well, let's see if we can find out what's going on,” Paul said and wrapped his arm around her. Just as they were about to get to the car, it suddenly pulled out. It spun around and then slammed on the gas. It tore down the road before Suzie could get a glimpse of the license plate.
“Wow, he's going somewhere in a rush,” Paul said with a growl in his voice.
“I wonder where to?” Suzie shook her head.
“Doesn't matter now,” Paul said. “He's already gone.”
“Don't you think it was odd though?” she asked as she met his eyes.
“Very,” Paul agreed. “But maybe he was just lost and looking at his map or something,” he suggested. As they walked back towards the porch, Paul pulled her a little closer. “Try not to worry about it.”
“How could I worry with you here?” she asked with a slow smile.
“That's a nice thing to say,” he said and helped her up onto the porch.
“It's the truth,” she replied and smiled warmly at him. “I'm glad you're here.”
“Well, that makes two of us,” he said and hugged her.
“I wish you didn't have to go back out so soon,” she admitted.
“I know, but I'll be back in time for the party,” he pointed out and met her eyes. “I think that it is going to be great.”
“I hope so,” Suzie nodded. She was still a little distracted by the car she had seen.
“Don't worry so much, Suzie,” he kissed her cheek gently. “Everything is going to be just fine.”
“Maybe it will,” Suzie said grimly.
“Just relax, it will all be okay,” he gave her a soft kiss before pulling slightly away.
“Thank you, I hope you’re right,” Suzie said and kissed him again.
“I better get going,” Paul sighed. “I have to prepare the boat for shipping out.”
“Thank you for the visit,” Suzie smiled.
“Can we have dinner tomorrow night?” Paul asked. “I know you have guests, but I'd love to see you before I launch.”
“I'm sure Mary will be willing to handle things,” Suzie nodded.
“Great,” Paul smiled. “If you see that car again make sure you call Jason to check it out,” he said sternly. Then he turned and walked away. Suzie watched him go until the headlights of his car pulled out of the parking lot.
“Now, I see why you turned down the walk,” a voice said from behind her.
“Warren,” Suzie said as she turned to face him with a smile.
“Looks like you've got a good man there,” he said with a half-smile.
“The best,” Suzie nodded.
“Well, I'm going to turn in for the night. Nice beach you have here,” he said before he turned and walked back into Dune House. Suzie lingered for a few minutes on the porch. She was waiting to see if the car would drive by again. The street in front of Dune House remained quiet.
Chapter Four
Eventually Suzie went back inside. She wanted to check on Mary. When she paused outside her door she still heard quiet crying. Suzie raised her hand to knock, but then stopped herself. It was hard for Suzie to resist, but she forced herself to walk towards her room. She felt a surge of fury rush through her as she blamed Wes for causing her friend such pain. She was very tempted to get in her car, drive over to his place, and teach him what happens when someone messes with Mary. But Suzie knew that Mary wouldn't want that either. She sighed as she stretched out in her bed. She closed her eyes and tried to distract herself with thoughts of the party, but her mind kept returning to Wes and how hurt Mary was.
She was so concerned and angry that she couldn't get to sleep. She lay awake for hours after she went to bed. As she was tossing and turning, she heard a scream. Suzie bolted up out of bed at the sound. It was followed by a loud thump. Her heart jumped up into her throat. She didn't know what had happened, but she was sure it was bad. She grabbed her phone and opened her door. When Suzie ran out into the hall Mary was already there. Her eyes were wide.
“Did you hear that?” she asked in a hushed voice.
“I did,” Suzie replied.
“I'll check upstairs,” Mary said.
“I'll check outside,” Suzie called back as she ran for the door. The thump had sounded like it came from the side of Dune House. As she ran across the sand, her feet slipped a few times. She was more tired than she had realized. But that sensation of exhaustion disappeared entirely when she came upon a body laying face down in the sand.
“Oh no!” she shouted as she realized it was Warren.
“Suzie, is he alive?” Mary called down from the balcony of Warren's room. Suzie looked up to see that the railing was swinging free. Nervously she reached down to touch the side of Warren's neck. Her eyes misted with tears as she felt no sign of a pulse. Suzie's stomach clenched with dread as she gave in to what she already knew to be true.
“I don't think so,” Suzie said. “I think he's gone.”
“This is unreal!” Mary called out. “I'll be right down!”
“I better call Jason,” Suzie said more to herself than to Mary.
“Jason, I'm sorry, I know it's late,” Suzie said quickly into the phone. “We have a big problem here, I need the police out here right away. One of our guests is dead.”
“What?” Jason spat back, his voice becoming more alert. “I'll send everybody out, I'll be there in just a few minutes. Are you safe?”
“Yes, I don't know what happened,” Suzie said tearfully. “I don't know what happened,” she repeated, panic starting to rise in her voice.
“Just try to stay calm, I'll be there in a few minutes,” he promised before hanging up the phone. Suzie hung up as well. Mary emerged from the side door of Dune House and rushed over to Suzie. Waves crashed hard against the beach, moistening the air with their spray. Suzie felt a sense of emptiness in the darkness that surrounded her.
“How could this happen?” Mary asked with disbelief as she stared down at the body. “Is that the insurance man?”
“Warren Blasser,” Suzie said softly, her voice trembling. “He was such an interesting person. So nice.”
“What are we going to do, Suzie?” Mary asked as she looked up at the broken railing. “How could the railing have given way? Is this our fault?” she asked with a gasp.
“Someone must have shoved him into it,” Suzie said with a slow shake of her head. “It couldn't have given way on its own. I know it couldn't. We had all of the railings and balconies inspected.”
Sirens screamed through the early morning darkness shattering the silence that filled the space between them. Suzie shivered and wrapped her arms around herself. She wondered how this was going to be handled.
“Mary, stay close to me,” Suzie said with some urgency in her voice. “The killer may still be in Dune House, or at the very least nearby.”
“I'm not going anywhere,” Mary assured her. She looked warily around at the sprawling stretch of sand. It was empty for the moment, but that didn't mean that somebody hadn't been there only moments before.
Three police cars and an ambulance skidded into the parking lot. One officer, Suzie’s cousin, Jason, climbed out and ran across the sand to reach Suzie's side.
“Are you okay?” he asked breathlessly. The paramedics rushed past him to confirm that Warren was indeed dead.
“I think so, Jason,” Suzie said. “I have no idea what happened. I couldn't sleep, I heard a scream, and then…”
Jason peered up at the railing. “I thought you had those updated?” he asked with an edge to his voice. “I told you to make sure that you did.”
“I did,” Suzie insisted. “We tried to keep the look as authentic as possible, but every balcony was updated and inspected. Someone must have pushed him off. The murderer must still be on the loose and may be nearby. You have to send officers to search the beach.”
Jason frowned and lifted his hat off his red hair. “It doesn't look like a murder, Suzie. It looks like he leaned on the railing and it broke, allowing him to fall.”
“That's not true,” Suzie insisted. “Like I said all of the balconies are solid.”
Jason waved to one of the other officers who was jogging towards the entrance of Dune House. Then he glanced over at Suzie with some concern. “Maybe you missed one,” he said.
“Excuse me?” Suzie asked defensively. “I didn't miss any balconies. When I inherited this house I knew your father had let it get run-down, I had this place inspected from top to bottom and you know that, Jason,” Suzie was really starting to get aggravated.
Jason frowned. “I know,” he said quietly. “I know this is all very upsetting. I'm not trying to make it harder on you. But mistakes can happen, Suzie.”
“It wasn't a mistake,” Suzie insisted with frustration. “The car!” she suddenly announced.
“What car?” Jason asked, obviously confused.
“I saw a car driving by the parking lot really slow earlier this evening. It parked in the brush by the driveway. It must have been the killer.”
“The killer?” Jason frowned again. “Suzie, just take a breath, I think you're getting ahead of yourself.”
“Jason, you can believe what you want, but this was a murder,” Suzie huffed.
“I'm going to take a closer look, then maybe we can figure out what happened,” Jason said and walked away from her towards Dune House. Suzie watched him step into the home that used to belong to his father. She respected Jason as a police officer, and as her cousin, but she didn't like what he was implying. If he was so quick to assume that it was an accident, which might imply that it was due to negligence on her part, then wouldn't everyone else be quick to assume the same thing?
“What did he say?” Mary asked as she walked away from the paramedics and over to Suzie.
“He thinks the railing gave way,” Suzie said darkly. “He thinks it was nothing more than an accident.”
“Well, that is how it looks,” Mary said as she watched the officers step carefully out onto the balcony.
“You know that's not possible, Mary,” Suzie said and turned to look at her friend. “Don't you?”
“I do,” Mary agreed. “I was here for the inspection, I saw it with my own eyes.”
“I'm sure they're going to find some evidence of someone else throwing Warren off the balcony. But the question is why?”
“A murder at Dune House,” Mary sighed. “Even after we prove that it wasn't our fault, we are going to take a hit for this. Good thing it is after tourist season.”
“That’s one good thing at least,” Suzie replied as she watched the officers inspecting the loose railing. “But, I have a feeling we're going to need all the help that we can get with this.”
“I think so, too,” Mary agreed. “I’ll be back in a second, I’m just going to see that John hasn’t been woken by the commotion.” She walked back into the house. Suzie realized that she was still in her loose nightgown with all of these people around her. She shivered in the cool breeze that was coming off the water.
“Here,” Jason said from beside her. She hadn't even seen him come back outside. He draped his jacket around her.
“Thank you,” Suzie said quietly. His expression was tight, his eyes narrowed. “What is it Jason?” she asked.
“Suzie, I'm going to have to ask you a few questions,” he said with a frown. “I know that it's going to be awkward, but I have paperwork that I have to fill out before I can wrap this up.”
“Wrap this up?” Suzie asked with shock. “What are you talking about? Do you know who did it?”
“Who did what?” Jason asked. “It was an accident, Suzie.”
“That's impossible,” Suzie frowned.
“Suzie, there is no evidence of the railing being damaged. There's no sign of any struggle in the room, or on the balcony. My best guess is that the victim walked out on the balcony to wait for the sunrise, and when he leaned against the railing, it gave way.”
“How could it?” Suzie demanded. “It was sturdy, we had it inspected…”
“It looks like it might have lost a screw or two. Maybe in the high winds we had a couple of weeks ago,” he shrugged. “Sometimes the weather does more damage than we realize.”
“Jason, there's no way,” Suzie insisted. “I check the balconies after every weather event.”
“Maybe you overlooked one,” Jason said grimly.
“No, I didn't,” Suzie said, anger rising in her voice.
“Look Suzie, I know that this is going to put Dune House into a bit of a mess, so I understa
nd why you're upset. But I need to ask you a few questions for the record, so are you going to answer them or should I get one of the other officers?” he narrowed his eyes.
“Fine, fine,” Suzie waved her hand. “Ask your questions.”
“Did you have any recent complaints from guests about the state of the balconies?” he asked.
“No, of course not,” Suzie snapped in return.
“Did you actually see the victim on the balcony before he fell?”
“No,” she growled. “I heard a scream, and then a thump, I came running out here to check what it was and found Warren on the ground.”
“Okay, I think that should cover it,” Jason said as he put away his paperwork. “If you think of anything else to add, just let me know. The victim will be taken to the medical examiner for an autopsy, but pending the results this is being considered an accidental death.”
“This is terrible,” Suzie muttered under her breath. “Jason, you must know that we would never put anyone in danger.”
“All I know is that there is no evidence of a struggle, no evidence of external damage to the balcony, and the only injuries I've seen on the victim are those caused by the fall. You say you had the balconies inspected, I believe you, Suzie. But this is a big house, and one balcony could have been missed, or maybe the damage wasn’t noticed. It wasn't a murder,” he said flatly. “That means it's not my department anymore.”
“It was,” Suzie crossed her arms. “Someone killed that poor man and you're going to just write it off as an accident. Jason, you have to do your job and look into it properly,” Suzie demanded. As soon as she spoke the words she regretted it. Jason's expression hardened.
“Suzie, just because you don't want it to be accident due to the railing, doesn't mean it isn't,” he shot back. He took a deep breath and swept his gaze over the scene which was flooded by flashing lights. “Listen, if anything comes up in the autopsy or any other evidence comes to light, then we can start an appropriate investigation. Until then, the death is considered accidental,” he turned and walked away from her. Suzie watched her young cousin go. She was sure she had gone too far with the remark about him doing his job properly. The truth was, he was a good police officer. Suzie knew that. She also knew he could only work from the evidence that was in front of him.