Shades of Murder

by J A Whiting

  “What do you do after the lab? Do you usually go back to your office?”

  “Much of the time, I do. On occasion, there’s a guest lecturer visiting the hospital and I go to hear the speaker. Or I do rounds in the hospital as a consultant to some of the physicians. Other times, I write.”

  “You don’t remember where you were when the accident happened?” Nell asked one more time with a gentle tone of voice.

  Atkins’s jaw was set as he looked into Nell’s eyes. “I already answered that question.”

  Nell watched as Atkin’s slowly washed over with red from the top of his head all the way down to his shoes.

  He abruptly moved away from her and started a conversation with Peter leaving Nell blinking at the spot where the researcher had been standing.

  17

  Iris rested in a patch of shade next to where Nell, wearing a baseball cap to keep the sun out of her eyes, worked at her easel set up right off of the cliff walk pathway. People strolling by stopped to admire the seascape painting that was receiving its finishing touches.

  The picture wasn’t an ordinary painting of sea and sky, cliffs, sand, and waves. It burst with every paint color that was humanly possible to create, which was inadequate and impossible to match what Nell saw in nature.

  Some people who stopped asked questions and she was always happy to answer especially if it was a young person or a child who showed interest in artwork.

  The day was pleasantly warm and clear and she and Violet had plans to meet later for a quick swim in the ocean.

  “Hey, look who’s here.”

  Nell recognized the man’s voice and looked up to see Detective Michael Gregory heading towards her.

  Iris bounced over to greet the man and she was rewarded with some pats on her head and neck.

  The detective stood slightly behind Nell’s stool so he could get a good look at what she was painting. “Whoa. What style is this? It is impressionist?”

  “Sort of,” Nell smiled. “Some people might call it that.”

  “There’s so much color to it. It’s stunning,” the detective told her.

  “I’ve always seen a lot of colors in the world,” Nell said.

  “Well, no one sees all the colors you have in this painting. When I look out at the sea and the sky, I see blue. I also see white sand.”

  “What else do you see?” Nell asked. “Look again. Pay more attention.”

  Michael looked around the cliffs and down at the waves crashing onto the beach. “Green in the grass, reddish-pink flowers, white foam on the waves as they hit the beach.”

  “Does the foam sparkle or is it flat white?”

  “It sparkles. It’s kind of glittery.”

  “What about the grass?” Nell asked. “Is it all just green?”

  Michael moved his gaze around the pathway and over the cliffs. “No. There are different shades of green, a little bit of it is almost yellow.”

  “So it seems you’re seeing far more colors than you first told me you saw.”

  “I guess so.” Michael grinned at Nell. “But nowhere near what’s on that canvas of yours.”

  “If you train yourself, you’ll be able to see more,” Nell said. “If you really look deeply at things, you’ll surprise yourself with what you can see.”

  “I’m not sure about that. I don’t have an artist’s eye.”

  “Everyone has an artist’s eye,” Nell said. “But not everyone sees what they’re capable of.”

  “This is beginning to sound like a philosophy class,” Michael said.

  “And you thought you were just out for a walk.” Nell pulled the brim of the baseball cap down a little to keep the sun from shining directly into her eyes.

  “This is a beautiful town. I don’t know how I haven’t been here before this.”

  “It’s easy to miss,” Nell said. “Bluewater doesn’t get the same attention that Salem or Gloucester or Newburyport get. We’re kind of tucked away. A lot of people have never heard about the great beaches here or about the good shopping and dining. I think that’s starting to change. Violet and I notice more people here in the summers and more people coming earlier in the season.”

  “It will mean more business for your shop,” Michael said.

  Nell laughed. “We don’t want to be too busy. Violet and I want to enjoy the summer, too.”

  Michael’s face turned serious. “Chief Lambert and I are going to Boston in a few days to speak with David Belk.”

  “Good.” Nell was relieved that the officers would pay Belk another visit and would be able to use their experience to assess the young man.

  “The chief didn’t tell me why he asked you to help out on the case,” Michael said. “Did you work in law enforcement in the past?”

  Nell looked up at the man, but didn’t say anything right away. “What did Chief Lambert say?”

  “He told me he knew your parents. He said they’d passed away. The chief said he knew you and Violet from when your family spent summers here. He said you and your sister were very perceptive and that you would be a new and different set of eyes on the case.”

  “That about sums it up.” Nell gave a nod.

  A grin worked at the edges of Michael’s lips. “You aren’t going to tell me about your special skills and experience?”

  “Nope.”

  “Okay, I won’t ask about it again.” Michael shrugged. “Maybe that’s a lie. I might ask about it again.”

  “You can ask all you like,” Nell told him with a sparkle in her eye. “But if I were you, I wouldn’t waste the time.”

  * * *

  Nell and Violet spent almost an hour swimming and riding the waves on their boogie boards. The dog jumped and ran and raced the waves under the perfect blue sky until she needed a rest and joined the two women on the beach blanket sunning themselves.

  “That was the best. The water isn’t even that cold,” Nell told her sister as they warmed up in the sun.

  Violet gave Nell a look like she was crazy. “The water was like ice. I don’t know how we stayed in for so long.”

  “Because it was fun, that’s why. And like Dad always said, we’re both part fish.”

  They rubbed at their limbs with the beach towels to get the circulation going again.

  Nell had told Violet that Detective Gregory had run into her while she’d been working on a painting on the cliff walk.

  “He’s cute, isn’t he?” Violet teased her sister.

  “He’s an attractive man, yes. He also seems very nice.”

  “Did he ask you out yet?”

  “No, he didn’t.” Nell gave Violet a playful poke.

  “You need to act more interested,” Violet suggested.

  “No, I don’t. I don’t want to get involved with anyone. Anyway, he’ll be gone when this case is solved, so what would be the point of starting something?”

  “Maybe he’ll stay in Bluewater,” Violet said.

  “Most likely, he won’t.” Nell put on her sunglasses and her baseball hat. “He and Chief Lambert are going to speak with David Belk.”

  “Oh, good,” Violet said with a sense of relief. “They can figure out if Belk is dangerous or not.”

  “They’ll look into where Belk was at the time of the accident. That could easily eliminate him as a suspect.”

  “And what about Atkins Murray?” Violet slipped a t-shirt over her swimsuit. “You saw the red on him again when we were all at the pub. He seemed to play dumb about his whereabouts for the timeframe when Pepper was hit by the car. I’m going to bet he remembers very well where he was. Did you tell Chief Lambert that you saw red on Atkins?”

  “I told him. He’s going to look into where Atkins was on that day.”

  Violet used the towel to dry her long, straight hair. “Did you ask the chief if you could get a look at the car rental agreement the killer signed when he leased the car he used to hit Pepper?”

  “I’m going to the police station the day after tomorrow to see
it,” Nell said.

  “What do you expect to see when you look at it?”

  “I don’t have any idea. I just got the idea that I should look at it, see how the killer signed it. I don’t know. Maybe it will lead to a clue. Or not.” Nell frowned. “Most likely, it will be a dead end.”

  “The chief also has three witnesses lined up for you to speak with,” Violet pointed out.

  “Would you come with me when I meet with them? I’m feeling nervous about it.”

  “Of course, I’ll come. Beforehand, we can go over the questions we should ask them about the day,” Violet suggested.

  “This is such a mess,” Nell sighed. “How can a killer commit a crime and slip away so easily? What if he’s never found?”

  “He’ll be found. It might take a while, but he’ll be found eventually.”

  “Why did Pepper come to Bluewater out of the blue?” Nell tried to examine the details they knew. “She came on her own without inviting her colleague and friend to the symposium.”

  “Coming here wasn’t a big trip for her. She lived only about thirty minutes away. It seems that Pepper needed a break, she wanted to go to the symposium, maybe she needed to recharge. She also wanted to speak with a private detective so she needed to get away alone.”

  “She made an appointment with a PI,” Nell pointed out. “I think she needed alone time, but not because she needed rest. She needed to quietly meet with a private investigator.” Nell turned a little on the blanket so she could better see her sister. “What was going on in her life? She thought someone was following her?”

  “That, yes, and because we think she was trying to locate someone,” Violet said. “But who was it?”

  “It’s also interesting that Pepper didn’t drive herself here,” Nell said.

  “Why?”

  “I don’t think she wanted to bring her own car because if someone was following her, he’d most likely know the make and model of the car,” Nell said. “She could be less conspicuous if she hired a car service to take her here, and then used the trolley service when she was in town. She could hide among the tourists.”

  “Who in the world was she hiding from?” Violet asked. “Why was she hiding? What was the reason? Who was after her? Who wanted her dead?”

  The million dollar questions, Nell thought. How is the killer ever going to be found?

  18

  After the workday had finished, Nell and Violet decided to take a bike ride on the state park trails. On the way out to the garage to get the bikes, they heard the sound of a hammer and then a man cursing.

  “Bobby’s working on the deck.” Violet rolled her eyes. “He’s been kind of sullen the past few times he’s been here. He acts angry and impatient and curses every few minutes. I asked him a question the other day and he acted really annoyed about it. He was pleasant when he was here to give us the estimate, but I guess that goes out the window once he actually gets the job.”

  “John and Ida warned us Bobby had mood swings. It seems they were right.”

  The garage bays were located to the left of the deck and the sisters had to pass by it to get the bikes from inside.

  Nell called a greeting to the man who didn’t even bother to look up. Because his dismissive manner annoyed Nell, she walked over to where Bobby was preparing to lay a board. “How’s the work going?”

  Bobby glanced at her with a frown. “It’s going.”

  “We’re heading out for a while. Need anything before we go?”

  “I’m good.” Bobby picked up his nail gun and started to place the nails.

  When Nell went into the garage for her bicycle, Violet had already checked the tires. “I guess he’s not so much for small talk, huh?”

  “So it seems.”

  Nell looked up to see Bobby standing in front of the garage bay.

  “Sorry,” he said. “I don’t mean to be rude. I’ve got a lot on my mind. I have some decisions to make and it’s wearing me down. I wanted to apologize.”

  “It’s okay,” Nell told him. “No worries.”

  Bobby returned to the deck work and the sisters exchanged looks of surprise.

  “I wasn’t expecting that,” Violet said. “It was nice of him to apologize.”

  The sisters rode down Main Street and took a left on a country road that led to the entrance to the state park. The paths were dappled with the sunlight filtering through the tall trees as Nell and Violet made their way to one of the more challenging trails in the park. The view from the top was so striking that the young women thought the difficult ride was worth the effort.

  Nell puffed as they made their way up one of the steep hills. “I’m rethinking whether or not reaching the top is worth this pain.”

  Violet laughed. “Just think about how easy the ride down will be.”

  Nell answered with a groan.

  They were drenched with sweat by the time they reached the top and they drank greedily from their water bottles.

  Nell removed her helmet, poured some water into her hand, and spilled it over her face and neck. “That was rough. I didn’t think I was so out of shape.”

  “You’re not out of shape. It’s our first hard bike ride of the summer.”

  The sisters sat on a rock and admired the pretty view of the hills, the town, and the ocean stretching far out to the horizon. White, puffy clouds floated slowly against the deep blue of the sky.

  “You’re going to the police station tomorrow to look at the rental agreement?” Violet asked.

  “I’m meeting the chief at 6pm. Early in the morning, I’m meeting with the three witnesses. Can you still come with me to that? I don’t know why, but I’m feeling nervous about the whole day. And I’ll have so little time to spend on any of my commission work.”

  “Don’t worry. You’ll get it all done on time. You’re almost finished with the paintings you’re doing for William.” The innkeeper at The Sandy Rose commissioned Nell to paint three small seascapes each with a different boat in the picture.

  “Yeah.” Nell took a swallow from her water bottle. “I’m feeling rushed. I’m also feeling useless helping on this case.”

  “You’ve reported several important details. You’ve told the chief about Atkins and how he seemed very annoyed when you asked him where he was when Pepper was killed, you reported on David Belk’s behavior when we met with him, you told them Pepper had made an appointment with a private investigator. Those were things they didn’t know.”

  Nell blew out a long breath. “You’re right, but it just doesn’t seem like enough. I’m glad I’m an artist and a graphic designer because I’m not cut out to work full time for the police. It’s so difficult to find the answers that can solve crimes. I’d be frustrated all the time. I’d always feel like I was letting people down.”

  “I think I’d feel the same way,” Violet admitted. “Thank heavens there are people who can handle the job.”

  “I’ve been thinking about Pepper a lot,” Nell said. “She didn’t have it easy, did she? Her parents died young, she didn’t have any other relatives. Then there was the car accident she was in with her fiancé where they both suffered serious injuries.”

  “And then her new husband died in a crash several months after they were married.” Violet shook her head.

  “Pepper was afraid of something. She was worried enough about it that she was planning to see a private detective,” Nell said. “She died before she could make it to the appointment. Do you think her worry and her death are connected or is it a terrible coincidence that she was killed when she was visiting Bluewater?”

  Violet thought it over while she redid her braid. “I’m leaning towards the two things being connected.”

  Nell asked, “Was Pepper her real name or was that a nickname?”

  “Most everything on the news refers to her as Pepper,” Violet said, “but didn’t one article mention that was her nickname? What was her real name? Let me think. Priscilla? Penelope? Patricia? I can’t remember, but
I’d bet money I read or heard that Pepper was just a nickname.” Violet faced her sister. “Why does it matter?”

  “I don’t know. I feel like it does somehow.”

  “You can look it up when you get home.”

  “Her friends told us Pepper didn’t like to do things alone,” Nell said. “They were surprised she came to Bluewater by herself to attend the symposium. And they said it seemed like a spur of the moment decision.” With a soft voice, she added, “Pepper must have been afraid of something and she must have known it was getting closer to her. That’s why I was able to see her feelings of worry, her feelings that danger was nipping at her heels. Her emotions were so strong that they manifested visually.”

  “It makes perfect sense,” Violet nodded.

  “Why did someone want her dead?” Nell asked. “If we can figure that out, I think the why will probably lead us to the who.”

  * * *

  It was late, but Nell was still sitting at her workstation in the studio, with Iris sleeping at her feet, trying to make headway on all the design work she had to get done. She glanced out the window and as the menacing darkness sent a shiver of unease through her body, she was comforted by the streetlamps shining golden spots of light here and there on the sidewalk outside ... little pools of hope in a dangerous world.

  Sitting in front of her computer monitor, she tapped a pencil absent-mindedly against the desktop considering the logo and website design she was working on for a local accounting firm, and then she remembered she wanted to look up Pepper’s real name.

  Tapping at her keyboard, she brought up articles reporting the hit-and-run incident and read through them trying to find mention of the woman’s birth name, but couldn’t find anything about it. Wading through the many stories, she finally gave up thinking it must have been a television news report where she heard Pepper’s real name.

  The police must have her given name, Nell realized and decided to ask about it when she was at the station in the morning.