by Rose Pressey
Was I supposed to say something? I guessed I had to speak first since it didn’t seem he was talking any time soon. We both stared at each other. If he wasn’t going to talk I would. I held Dorothy by the arm and we walked over to the man. He still looked skeptical, as if he wanted us to leave.
“Good afternoon,” I said. “Do you live here?”
“I own the place. What do you want?” he asked with a gruff voice.
I could see this would go well.
“My name is Maggie Thomas.” I gestured. “This is my assistant Dorothy Raye and we’re looking into a murder investigation.”
He quirked an eyebrow as if he didn’t believe us.
“I don’t know anything about any murders,” he said with anger in his voice.
“I know you don’t have anything to do with the murder, but I know that someone who works here is friends with the murdered man.”
The look on his face let me know that he knew exactly what I was talking about. Why he was so angry about it I wasn’t sure. But I would crack him if it was the last thing I did.
“I’m looking for Aaron Dennison. Does he work here?”
I wasn’t sure if the farm owner would answer me honestly or not. If he was this hostile, then why would he offer to give me any information?
“Yeah, I work here,” a male voice said from over my shoulder.
I whirled around to see a young guy standing nearby.
“Never mind old grumpy Davis. He’s still like he was in his drill sergeant days.”
I cast a glance at Davis. Yeah, his stare was still focused on us. Aaron had dark hair that reached to his shoulders. He wore loose-fitting jeans and a white T-shirt. Sweat dripped from his forehead and soaked the front of his shirt.
“What can I do for you?” he asked, pushing his hair out of his eyes.
“We came to ask you questions about Luke. We heard that you were friends with him. Any information that you can give us would be very beneficial,” I said.
“Are you a cop working on the case?” Aaron asked.
I’d leave out the part about being a private detective, but whatever.
“We’re working the case.” That wasn’t a lie, just avoiding his question. Deceptive, yes.
“Yeah, we were friends. I was surprised to hear what happened to him. He worked for the attorney, Adam Boles. He was killed too, right?” Aaron asked.
“Yes, that’s the right,” I said.
“Do you really think their murders are somehow related?” Aaron asked.
“My guess would be yes. Considering they worked together. Do you have any idea why anyone would want them dead?” I asked.
The other man still watched us. He seemed as if he was uncomfortable with the questions. Yet he didn’t tell the guy to stop answering my questions.
“I really can’t think of anything,” Aaron said.
“Did you know Brigette Whitmore?” I asked.
“I met her a few times,” Aaron said.
“What do you think of her? Do you think she was involved with the murders?”
“I don’t think so. I mean, they seemed to get along well. Even though I didn’t think they had much in common.”
Not having things in common wouldn’t be reason for murder. There had to be some connection other than the fact that Luke had worked for the lawyer.
“Did Luke mention anyone following him, or someone upset with him?” I asked.
“As a matter of fact, he said someone was following him. They drove a black car.”
Immediately anxiety rushed through me. A flash of the black car I’d seen popped in my head. I had hoped maybe that was just my imagination, but now after the description Aaron gave, I was beginning to wonder if the person had driven by on purpose. Of course, now that made me a bit panicked. It could have been the killer.
“Do you know anyone named Annie Jensen?” I asked.
He frowned. “The name sounds familiar.”
I wasn’t going to tell him exactly who it was. Maybe he would say no, he didn’t recognize her, just based on the fact that she was Brigette’s neighbor. However, if I told him maybe it would spark a memory. Okay, if he didn’t remember right away I would mention the fact that Annie was the neighbor. With any luck that would trigger something. I was putting too much thought into this. I needed to just go with the first thing that popped into my head.
“It seems as if he mentioned someone named Annie before, but I can’t remember why.” Aaron pulled a rag from his back pocket and wiped his face.
Annie was a common name so maybe it was nothing. I wouldn’t get my hopes up too much.
“Well, if you happen to remember could you give me a call?” I asked.
“Yeah, sure, no problem,” he said, stuffing the rag back into his pocket.
The farm owner watched Dorothy and I until we pulled out of the drive. I hoped to get a call from Aaron, but I wouldn’t count on it.
Chapter 14
Dorothy and I had headed over to South Beach to look for another one of Luke’s friends. The streets were crowded and already something had gone wrong. We’d only been here a few seconds. However, Dorothy wasted little time getting into trouble.
I looked around for Dorothy, but she was nowhere in sight. How had I lost her that quickly? It was as if I had a toddler who had gotten away. Maybe I should have held her hand. I was the frantic mother scanning the crowd for any sign of my kiddo’s little head.
“Are you looking for the lady who was with you?” the woman standing beside me asked.
“Yes, I am,” I said excitedly. “Have you seen her?”
The lady pointed down the sidewalk. “She went in there.”
“The cigar bar?” I asked with a frown. “That can’t be right.”
The woman shrugged. “That’s where I saw her go.”
What was I going to do with Dorothy?
“Thank you,” I said as I headed down the sidewalk toward the shop.
Maybe Dorothy was looking for the restrooms. She should have told me before she walked away. The smell of tobacco hit me as soon as I stepped into the place. The smell was okay, but I couldn’t handle the smoke. That always made my allergies go crazy.
The wide-open room was full of plush leather sofas. Other tables and chairs were scattered about the room. Flat screen TVs on the walls played sporting events. This looked like the ultimate man cave. A few people were sitting around on the sofas smoking their cigars. I went over to the bar.
“What can I get for you?” the dark-haired man asked.
“Did you see a little old lady come in here?”
He chuckled and gestured with a tilt of his head toward the back of the room. I almost fell over when I spotted Dorothy sitting on one of the sofas, puffing away on a stogie. When I finally regained my senses, I marched over to her.
I stood in front of her with my hands on my hips. “Exactly what do you think you’re doing?”
“What does it look like I’m doing?” A ring of smoke circled above her head. A glass of bourbon sat on the table in front of her.
“Are you drinking?” My voice was louder than I intended.
A man sat next to her with a cigar in his mouth.
He eyed me up and down. “She is uptight, Dorothy.”
I narrowed my eyes and glared at him. “Exactly what does that mean?”
“I think you’re proving his point right now, Maggie,” Dorothy said.
I narrowed my eyes at the man. “Who are you?”
He stuck his hand out toward me. “Arthur Vandiver at your service.”
When I didn’t shake his hand he shrugged his wide shoulders. The white fabric of his golf shirt stretched across his large frame. A bit of grass stain lined the hem of his gray slacks.
“Not so good at the links?” I smirked.
“I might have missed a few shots on the green today.” He took another puff from his cigar.
“Again, I’m going to ask why you left me and came in here to smoke a cigar?”<
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“Because I needed to use the restroom and my feet hurt. I sat down to take a break and this kind man right here offered me a cigar and a drink. I figured it wouldn’t hurt to just take a little puff. Plus, I figured you’d text me when you were ready.” Dorothy patted Mr. Vandiver’s hand.
“Really? Well, it does hurt. It’s not good for you. Now let’s get out of here.” I motioned.
“My granddaughter tells me what to do as well,” Mr. Vandiver said.
“She’s probably only trying to help,” I said.
“Yeah, help not have fun.” Dorothy laughed.
“Dorothy tells me that you’re a private investigator,” Mr. Vandiver eyed me up and down.
I’d rather that Dorothy not mention that. I liked going undercover and being stealthy like a ninja.
“I know what she’s thinking right now.” Dorothy pointed her cigar. “She didn’t want me to tell you because she’d rather be undercover like a stealth… like a ninja.”
“Never mind that,” I said. “Yes, I’m a private investigator. Now come on, Dorothy, we have to leave.”
“So you’re looking into these murders. I read about them,” he said.
“Yes, I am,” I said, trying to keep the conversation brief.
“I knew that lawyer. Adam Boles.” Mr. Vandiver pointed with his cigar.
I stopped in my tracks. “You did? How did you know him?”
“I was an attorney before I retired,” he said before taking another draw from his cigar.
I was kinda hoping he would get to the point instead of dragging this out. Literally.
“How did you know him?” I pushed.
“We met at a couple events and even played golf once.”
It looked as if this conversation was going nowhere fast.
“Well, that’s nice,” I said, motioning for Dorothy.
“Yeah, he was a strange guy, but I can’t imagine why anyone would want to harm him. Actually, I heard some details through another lawyer. We were discussing the fact that he’d been murdered and wondered if a client did it.”
“Yes?” I asked with curiosity.
“Anyway, this man I spoke with told me that someone had been following Adam and he believed it was a client.”
“So someone was unhappy with the way their case had turned out?” I asked.
“Yes, that’s what I believe. It’s not uncommon for something like that to happen. I’ve heard of it before and it’s always a concern.”
“The other lawyer didn’t mention the name of the client?”
“No, he didn’t share that with me.”
“Would you happen to remember the name of the lawyer that you spoke with?”
“Of course, it was Reynold Mitchell. I believe he’s over on Biscayne.” Mr. Vandiver winked at Dorothy.
I had to get Dorothy out of there. Morty would not be happy with the way Mr. Vandiver was flirting with Dorothy.
“I’ll find him,” I said. “Do you think he’d be willing to talk to me?”
“Well, he’s quite a ladies’ man so I’m sure he wouldn’t mind at all.”
Oh, great. That sounded like a lot of fun. Nonetheless, I wanted to visit him. If I could get a name of this potential client, then maybe I could solve the murders. More than likely the lawyers wouldn’t share that information with each other, but it was worth a shot to ask. Plus, any other information like a description could help lead me in the right direction.
“Thank you for the information. I really appreciate it,” I said.
I was shocked that something positive had actually come out of Dorothy’s field trip.
“See, it wasn’t such a bad idea that I came in here,” Dorothy said.
I took the cigar from Dorothy and put it out in the ashtray on the table in front of her. “All right, that’s enough. We have work to do. I don’t have time to babysit.”
Dorothy rolled her eyes.
“It was nice meeting you, Dorothy, and Dorothy’s pushy granddaughter,” Mr. Vandiver said.
I waved my hand at the man. “Go see your granddaughter right now and behave.”
Maybe Dorothy was right. I wasn’t having a lot of fun and I was too stressed. After this case was solved maybe I would take a break. I walked behind Dorothy to make sure she didn’t try to maneuver her way to the bar again. When I looked over at the bartender he just laughed. I was glad this caused amusement for everyone.
“Dorothy, we need to have a serious discussion about this,” I said.
“I thought you knew where I was going,” she said.
“How would I know that? I can’t read your mind. I thought you’d been kidnapped.”
“I won’t do that again,” she said around a sigh.
Her reaction was what I’d expect out of a teenager who’d just been grounded for sneaking out of the house.
“Thank you,” I said. “Now we need to get back to business. We still haven’t found the location that I was looking for.”
“I just don’t think it’s here,” Dorothy said.
Dorothy and I stepped back out into the sunshine. The ocean air drifted across my skin.
“It has to be here. This is the address I have.” I flashed my phone’s screen at Dorothy.
“Maybe they’re closed for good,” she said.
“I don’t think so. This was recent. Unless they closed within the last day. I think we’re just missing it.”
“Well, you should at least ask someone.” Dorothy pulled out her bright pink lipstick to reapply after losing most of it on her cigar.
“Who should I ask?”
“We could’ve asked someone back at the cigar bar.” She popped her lips together to even out the lip color.
“I’m not going back in there,” I said. “And I think that guy was a little creepy.”
“Oh, he was innocent enough,” she said as she dropped the tube of lipstick back into her bag.
“I don’t want to find out.” I checked my phone again for the address. “Let’s go this way.”
Dorothy and I headed down the sidewalk. I knew we couldn’t waste much more time around here. If I didn’t find the place soon I’d have to give up.
“As soon as I see someone who looks friendly I’ll ask for directions,” I said.
“So far no one is even looking at us, so I don’t know how you’re going to make eye contact,” Dorothy said.
“When I see a shop with a friendly-looking employee that’s the one I’ll stop at.”
“That’s a terrible plan.” Dorothy shook her head.
As we walked it felt as if someone was behind us and way too close. When I glanced back, no one was following too closely. However, I still felt as if we were being trailed. I tried moving to the right so that I could get a better look at the area.
A woman walked behind us, but she didn’t seem interested in our movements. Someone else caught my eye though.
Chapter 15
A man fell into step beside the woman. He seemed as if he was trying too hard not to look at us. That made me immediately suspicious. I took Dorothy by the hand and moved out of the way just a bit so that we could stop at a nearby shop.
“What are you doing?” Dorothy asked. “Did you find a place that looks friendly?”
“No, it’s not that. I think someone was following us,” I said.
When I looked over, the tall, dark-haired man, wearing a dark blue baseball hat, white shirt, and black shorts, was staring right at us. This sent a shiver down my spine. When he realized I was watching him he darted to the right and spun around.
The man hurried down the sidewalk. It was plainly obvious that he had in fact been following us. Now he was getting away. If he had done nothing wrong, then why was he trying to flee? I wasn’t going to let him get away with this. I wanted answers from him. Who was he and why was he following us?
“We have to go after that man.” I pointed.
“Oh, no. I have a feeling this isn’t going to end well,” Dorothy said. “It usua
lly doesn’t.”
“Give me some credit. We’re still alive, aren’t we?” I asked.
Dorothy quirked an eyebrow. “Barely.”
“We have to find out who he is. What if he tries to harm us?”
Dorothy’s big eyes widened even more. “Then what are we waiting for? Let’s get him.”
Dorothy and I weaved around a group of beachgoers as we rushed down the sidewalk. We received a lot of strange looks when I bumped into a guy on roller skates.
“Watch where you’re going,” the skater said.
“Sorry,” I said from over my shoulder.
The man we were following turned down the street up ahead to the left. Of course, he moved faster than us, and he was already ahead, so I wasn’t sure if we would be able to catch him. This might be nothing but our cardio for the day. At least we were getting some exercise in. Now I wished I had a scooter or bicycle.
“He certainly is a fast one, isn’t he?” Dorothy said breathlessly.
“Are you all right, Dorothy? Maybe we should just let him go.”
“No way. I’m as fit as a fiddle,” she said with a forced smile.
When we reached the street, we made a left. Luckily my eyes locked on the man as soon as we got around the corner. I guessed fate had helped me out. The man slipped into the hotel up ahead. If we lost him in there, then there would be no way we would find him. The place was big and we couldn’t go door-to-door. That would be impossible.
If we caught him on the elevator that would be awkward. But I was just speculating what would happen at this point. My racing thoughts were clouding my judgment. I would just have to wait until we got in there and see what happened. No matter, I liked to be ready though. For all I knew he could be waiting by the door for us and try to kidnap us or something. Though he wouldn’t be able to take both of us at the same time. We would put up a big fight. He had no idea who he was messing with. If need be Dorothy could be vicious. I wouldn’t mess with her and I was glad she was on my side.
“Oh, we got him now,” Dorothy said.