When she turned the corner from the hallway into her living room, she found the usually tidy room in a mess. The built-in cabinets along the wall were all open, and the contents were now on the floor. The pillows and cushions were pulled off the sofa.
She turned and went down the hall into her second bedroom, which she used for an office, and found the closet door open and the contents of the shelves pulled out. The sofa bed was open, and the sheets were askew. Her desk was pulled away from the wall, and the desk drawers and dresser drawers were emptied onto the open sofa bed.
“Don’t touch anything.”
Libby turned and Officer Maria Rodriquez was standing behind her.
“I know the drill. This really pisses me off. It’s so…so invasive.”
“Bobby was telling me about your week. It sounds like whoever they are, they think you have something they want.”
“That’s just the thing. I don’t exactly know what it is, but it has to do with Pilar and computers.” Libby walked past Officer Rodriquez towards the living room. “How about if I make some coffee?”
“Sounds good, it’s going to be a long night.” Maria Rodriguez followed her into the living room.
Chapter 14
Early Friday Morning
A Close Encounter
Libby and the two police officers were sitting on the front porch drinking coffee when the crime scene unit arrived. The officers left their coffee cups on the porch and met the CSU technicians at their truck.
Libby watched as Bobby gestured towards the back of the house.
She knew they would be looking for latent prints that the burglar may have left on the back door and inside the house as well as footprints or other evidence. Being as he had touched practically everything in her house, it truly would be a long night.
“Are you all right?”
Libby opened her eyes to Jack Seiler leaning over her, his hand touching her shoulder.
“Oh, I must have dozed off.” She sat up quickly, dropped her coffee mug and watched it bounce and then roll off the edge of the porch into the flower bed.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you,” Jack said. He stepped down and picked up the mug.
“What are you doing here? It’s late.”
“I was awake when the call came out over the radio. I told dispatch this was related to a case I’m working on, so I’d take the call.” He set her mug on the porch. “Are you all right?”
“Yes. Shook up and pissed off, but all right.”
“We have another call,” Bobby stood in the yard at the corner of the porch. “Since the detective is here, we’ll be on our way.”
“I doubt if your intruder comes back, not tonight anyway,” Maria said.
“I’ll stay until the CSU techs leave,” Jack said, taking the seat that Bobby had recently vacated.
“Jack, do you have the forensics back on my laptop?” Libby asked as she watched the police car back out of the driveway and then turn right on Shell.
“No, not yet.”
“He wants some files on my laptop. He asked me for them through the bathroom door.”
“What? He asked for files on your laptop?”
“Yes, well demanded. All of this, everything that’s happened must be related to computer crimes. It’s the only thing that makes sense.”
“Not necessarily.”
“There’s the mess in Pilar’s apartment, the break-in at the café, and the related break-ins at Pilar’s other customers, and now this,” she said, counting them off on her fingers. “They all must be connected.”
“Yes, I agree with you there, and it appears they haven’t found what they are looking for or you wouldn’t have had a visitor tonight.”
“He probably thought I wasn’t home. I left my car at the store because I packed it today with the tables for the concession stand at the play tomorrow, now tonight.”
The lead CSU technician came around the corner of the house carrying his kit, letting them know that their tasks were complete. Jack walked with him to the van. Libby watched as they spoke for a moment before the tech climbed in. His partner closed the back door and got into the passenger seat.
Libby stood on the porch and watched them drive away. Jack waved, then turned to walk back towards the house.
“Are you all right staying here alone?” He asked, looking up at her on the porch.
“Yes, of course, I am.”
He stepped onto the porch. “Are you sure? I could stay.”
“That won’t be necessary. I’m sure I’ll be fine.” She backed towards her front door.
“I’ll sleep on the couch,” he said. “Strictly professional.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of,” she muttered.
“What’s that?” He asked.
“Nothing. I’ll be fine.” She opened the door then turned back towards him.
“If you have some cardboard, I’ll cover that window for you.”
“Yes, I think I do,” she said. “Thank you. Please, come in.”
Jack followed her through the living room and into the back bedroom where she began rooting around in the items pulled from the closet.
“He made a real mess of your house,” he said from the doorway.
“Yes, he was quite determined in his search.” She picked up a broken down box from the floor of the closet. “Here it is. We can cut it up in the kitchen.”
Items from the closet were piled on the floor between the closet and the bed. She stumbled over a pile of sheets on the floor and nearly fell. Jack caught her, and suddenly she was in his arms with the cardboard box between them.
“Oh, sorry,” she muttered.
He was way too close, and he smelled so good, like soap and shampoo, just out of the shower. His hands felt hot on her bare arms. She could feel his breath on her face. She closed her eyes. His mouth brushed hers.
BANG. BANG. BANG.
Libby jumped out of his arms, tripped on the sheets on the floor and fell backward onto her bed still holding the cardboard box.
Someone was pounding on the front door.
“Libby, are you in there? Are you all right?”
Jack leaned against the wall, took a deep breath and asked, “What the hell?”
“That’s Ida Sullivan. She lives across the street.” Libby covered her face with her hands. This is so embarrassing.
“Does she have a dog? I’m sure I just heard a bark.”
“That’s Zsa Zsa.”
Jack laughed as he offered his hand. Shaking her head, Libby took it. She pushed the cardboard box into his hands and headed towards the front door. He followed carrying the box.
“I’m coming in,” Ida called, opening the door just as Libby reached it. “What’s going on? I saw the cops leave. Who’s that?” She asked, pointing at Jack standing in the living room. She let the little dog down, and she ran past Libby, straight to Jack.
“That’s Detective Seiler. I had a little break-in tonight. That’s why the police were here. He’s going to cover the broken window until I can get it fixed in the morning.”
“The bastards get anything?” Ida stood at the door wearing a hair net, a flowered snap-up house dress and slippers.
Jack stifled a laugh.
“No. The guy was looking for my laptop, which isn’t here. I hid in the bathroom while he searched my house.”
“Sure made a mess. I’ll help you pick up.”
“It’s late. You should go home and go back to sleep. I can do this in the morning.”
“When you get old, you don’t sleep much at a time. I’ll keep you company while the young man fixes the window.” Ida winked.
Libby looked at Jack and smiled, “All right, come on in,” she said to Ida who was already inside the front room.
Libby closed the front door, and Jack headed towards the kitchen with Zsa Zsa on his heels.
“You go help him, and I’ll start putting your stuff back on the bookshelves. At least they will be off the floor.
You can put them where you want them later.”
“Great idea,” Libby said, following Jack into the kitchen.
When she turned the corner into the kitchen, Jack was rummaging through the kitchen drawers.
“I think there’s a box cutter in the far drawer,” she said. “There’s some duct tape in there, too.”
The galley kitchen was narrow, and she didn’t think getting so close to him was a good idea, even with Ida in the other room and Zsa Zsa between them.
He found the items and turned back towards her.
“I’ll cut it up outside,” he said, brushing against her as she opened the door for him.
Libby looked back into the living room where Ida was shelving books. Unfortunately, she could only reach the built-in-cupboards and the first shelf above them. Libby smiled and turned to follow Jack, making sure to keep Zsa Zsa inside. By the time she joined him at the table outside, he had already cut up the box to fit the broken window pane.
“Thanks for doing this. I’ll have the guy from the hardware store fix the window tomorrow.”
“Good idea.” Jack secured the cardboard with the last bit of duct tape and said, “Are you sure you don’t want me to stay?”
“Yes, I’m sure. He’s not coming back. At least not tonight anyway.”
“All right then. I’m sure you’ll be safe with your baseball bat, your gun, your eighty-year-old neighbor, four elderly ex-spies and a ferocious guard dog.”
Chapter 15
Friday
A Spa Day
Late Friday morning, Libby packed the last batch of cookies for transport to the show. She had five hours before Mimi was to meet her back at the café. Jumpy and nervous from the encounter with the intruder the night before, she hadn’t slept much at all after Jack left and she had shooed Ida and Zsa Zsa back across the street. He had smiled and waved before backing out of her driveway, leaving her standing there watching his truck’s tail lights until he turned the corner towards the main road to the interstate. She almost regretted turning down his offer to sleep on her sofa.
She still felt sore and achy from being assaulted on Wednesday, and the tension from the night before didn’t help at all. Standing at the one remaining saloon door dividing the kitchen from the café, she looked across the street at the Mariposa Inn. She was sure a massage from Seham, the massage therapist at the Mariposa Spa, would help her relax and ease the soreness.
Twenty minutes after a call to the spa, Libby was lying face down on the massage table.
Seham was Iranian. Her parents escaped Tehran ahead of the Shah in 1979. She was born in New York City four years afterward. She was dark and beautiful with warm brown eyes and a long black ponytail that fell below her shoulders. For someone so tiny, she had tremendous strength in her hands.
“Seham, I’m so happy you had an opening this afternoon,” Libby said melting into the table, breathing deep to allow the lavender aromatherapy to fill her nostrils.
“I was sorry to hear you were hurt in the break-in,” Seham said, kneading Libby’s neck muscles into submission. “Do you know what the burglars were looking for?”
“No idea.” Not wanting to discuss the cafe, last night’s burglar or her suspicions any further, Libby denied knowledge of anything.
Seham ran her hands along Libby’s spine and used her thumbs to work on the knots in her back. Just as Libby was starting to drift off, Seham said, “I saw Pilar on Saturday.”
“This past Saturday?” Libby was suddenly awake and alert.
“Yes, she had a massage.”
“How was she? Did she say…? Ouch, you found a knot there.”
“They did a number on your neck and back.” Seham adjusted the drape and moved to the other side of the table. “She was tense, but she said she was looking forward to a weekend with her boyfriend. Who knew it would end up like this?”
“Did she say or do anything out of the ordinary?”
“No, not really, but after I finished her massage, I went out to the Veranda Bar to have some lunch. I saw her sitting at the side table by the ferns with a man. She looked upset, and then she seemed angry. She got up and left him sitting at the table.”
“Did you hear either one of them say anything?”
“Not much, but I did hear her say something like “I don’t have it” or “I didn’t have it” – something like that – and the man said something like “this isn’t good.”
“What did the man look like?”
“He was maybe six feet tall, wavy dark hair, nice looking, probably mid-thirties. He looked Hispanic.” Seham held the drape. “Roll over onto your back.”
Libby rolled over, and Seham reset the drape. “What did the man do after Pilar left?”
“He downed his beer, left some money on the table and then followed her out towards the parking lot.”
• • •
After the massage, Libby wandered out to the Veranda Bar. She knew the table well. It was a two-top in the corner with large ferns dividing the bar area from the entrance to the hotel lobby. The table was empty, so she sat down, deep in thought, wondering about Pilar and the mysterious man.
“Miss Libby, would you like something?”
Libby looked up and smiled.
“Good afternoon, Julio,” she said. “Yes, a glass of water, if that’s all right. I had a massage with Seham. You know how they always tell you to drink lots of water after a massage.”
Libby was still lost in her thoughts when he returned a few minutes later. “Are you all right?” He asked placing the glass in front of her. “I heard you were hurt on Wednesday.”
“Yes, I’m fine, just some soreness and a hell of a headache, but otherwise, good as new.”
“I’m so sorry about your café. And Miss Pilar is missing. I don’t understand what is going on.”
“Speaking of Pilar, were you working last Saturday afternoon?” Julio had been a staple at the Mariposa Inn for more than twenty years. If the man was local, Julio might have known or seen him in the bar.
“Let me think,” he said, taking the seat across from her. “Yes, I came in about one o’clock that day.”
“Do you remember seeing Pilar sitting here at this table with a tall, dark man? It would have been a little after one or maybe one-thirty.”
“Let me think.” He touched his hands to his face and thought for a moment. “Yes, I do,” he said pointing to Libby. “He ordered a draft beer. She was sitting across from him, where you are sitting now.”
“Did you recognize him?”
“No, I don’t think so.”
“Did you hear anything they said?”
“Not much. I do know, Pilar became upset and ran off. The man threw some money on the table and left. That’s all.” He looked around and stood. “I’d better get back to work before I get in trouble.”
She smiled. “I don’t think you have anything to worry about.” She took a drink, looked around the bar and across the street to the Mariposa Café. She thought about Pilar and the mystery man. Then she realized what her next step was going to be.
Chapter 16
Friday Afternoon
Breaking and Entering
A few minutes later, she was knocking on Mimi’s door.
“Libby, you’re early. We don’t need to leave for the theater for at least an hour.”
“I know,” Libby said pushing by Mimi into the house. “Have you walked your dog yet?”
“No, I was just going to do that,” Mimi said. “Why?”
“Come on. I’ll walk with you.” Libby picked up Skipper, Mimi’s cocker spaniel. “Where’s the leash?”
“Libby, what is going on?” Mimi asked taking the leash off the hook. “You’ve never been interested in walking Skipper before.”
“Let’s walk over towards Sawgrass,” Libby said as she led the way down the street.
As Mimi walked the dog in front of Pilar’s house, the plan was that Libby would sneak around the back and go inside the house. Libby
decided she needed to get inside the house for two reasons. Number one – to see if any work papers would link Pilar to the other vandalized businesses around the same time as the Mariposa Café, and number two – to gain any information that might identify the man that Pilar was talking with at the Veranda Bar.
Libby thought it could be Pilar’s cousin who Javier Montoya had mentioned earlier that day or perhaps a co-worker from the computer company. Everything was connected: Richard’s death, Pilar’s disappearance, the burglary at the bar, the footprints in her yard, her midnight visitor and the man that Pilar was with on Saturday. Libby was sure of it. And, if she were able to connect the dots, then perhaps she could figure out where Pilar was being held and by whom.
“So I’m just supposed to walk the dog down this side of the street and then back up the other side, and you’ll meet me on the street in front of her house?”
“Yes, I’m going to come up from the back. The house behind hers has the storm shutters down. I’m sure those people went up North for the summer.” Libby did a drive-by through the neighborhood before showing up at Mimi’s house.
“How are you going to get in?”
“I know where she hid the key.”
“What if you get caught?” Mimi asked.
“I’ve got it covered. Don’t worry. Don’t forget to text me when you turn the corner to head back this way.”
As Mimi walked in the opposite direction, Libby slipped behind the empty house and entered Pilar’s lanai from the back. The French doors were locked, so she checked the hiding place for the key, but it wasn’t there. She pulled lock picks from her back pocket. They were another item from her past that she kept in the box. She inserted the tension wrench into the lock. Using the pick, she worked the pins and smiled when the tumblers fell into place.
Murder in Mariposa Beach Page 9