by Cindy Bell
“Jim said he saw you out by the beach,” Suzie volunteered. Jason shot her a dark look of warning. Suzie realized she might have overstepped the mark.
“Oh right, yes, I was out on the beach, but only for a few minutes. It's just so hot,” he added.
“Can you tell me if you noticed anyone else around the building? Or maybe out on the beach?” Jason asked.
“I did see that other woman that's staying here. Alice I think her name is. She was poking all around the house,” Martin explained. “I saw her looking under the porch and such. I thought it was a little odd.”
“Thank you,” Jason said as he put away his notepad. “You've been very helpful.”
As they stepped out of the room, Jason turned to look at Suzie.
“You have to let me ask the questions, and let the guests answer on their own,” he said firmly.
“I'm sorry, Jason, I didn’t mean to interfere,” Suzie cringed at the thought of affecting one of Jason's investigations.
Mary walked towards them and stood silently in the hall, looking between the two.
“I know,” he nodded, but his expression was still dark. “I'm going to check in with the department and make sure we can get a rush on the forensics. The body should be removed soon.”
Suzie closed her eyes at the mention of 'the body'. “Poor Doug,” she said softly. Mary gave Suzie's shoulder a light squeeze.
“Yes,” Jason nodded. “Oh Mary, can you have Ben meet me at the station when he’s ready so I can ask him some questions?”
“I'll let him know,” Mary promised. Jason returned to the other officers investigating the scene. Mary grimaced as she guided Suzie towards the dining room.
“This is some mess we have on our hands,” Suzie sighed
“It sure is,” Mary agreed. “From the sound of it, there are no suspects. But who could have killed Doug? It makes no sense!”
“Martin said something about Alice snooping around. Why would she be doing that if she had nothing to do with this?” Suzie asked.
“That's a good point,” Mary agreed. “She must be up to something. But I have a hard time believing that she would sneak under the house.”
“Maybe, but she was laying it on pretty thick, wasn't she? With her spoiled attitude? Maybe it was all a farce to throw us off,” Suzie suggested.
“You know we could say the same about anyone,” Mary sighed. “I think the key to all of this, is why. Why did someone kill the plumber? If someone had a personal vendetta, there were plenty of easier ways to handle it. Why would they wait until they had to crawl under a house to do it?”
“Maybe that's it,” Suzie suddenly gasped. “What if it has nothing to do with the plumber?”
“What are you talking about, Suzie?” Mary shook her head. “Of course it's about the plumber, he's the one that's dead.”
“But think about it,” Suzie said quickly. “Someone was trying to get under the house before the plumber ever arrived.”
“So, if it wasn't about the plumber, if the plumber just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, then what was it about?” Mary said softly. “I mean, there is nothing under Dune House but pipes.”
“Remember that Doug said it looked like someone had intentionally damaged the pipe. We thought maybe it was one of the locals,” Suzie said as she sat back in her chair. “But now that I think about it, I don't think anyone local would have done this. Why go to all the trouble of damaging a pipe when they could have just broken windows or even started a fire?”
“You're right,” Mary nodded. “So, why would someone have damaged the pipes on purpose?”
“Here's the thing,” Suzie said in a whisper. “At this point it could have been anyone. The key is knowing exactly what they might have been doing under the house.”
“If it wasn't intentional sabotage, then it must have been something else,” Mary narrowed her eyes. “For someone to go to all the trouble of risking getting caught, as well as killing another person, then they must have had a very good reason for going under the house.”
“I think we should do a little research,” Suzie suggested. “Maybe there is something about Dune House that we don't know.”
Mary's eyes widened. “You know, Ben said he thought he saw someone walking around the house. But when he went outside no one was there. Maybe that person went under the house,” her face paled with fear. “To think that my son could have been that close to a murderer.”
“I'm sorry, Mary. That must be a terrible thought,” Suzie grimaced. “But I think you're right. Ben did see someone, and that person probably did go under the house. So, even before our guests arrived, something strange was going on here.”
“If it's none of the guests, then it had to be someone local. We need to get to the bottom of this,” she said sternly.
“Yes, we do,” Suzie agreed. “I know just the person to ask.”
“You do?” Mary asked with surprise.
“Louis, the librarian,” Suzie said. “He knows more about this little town, and this house, than either of us put together.”
“Why don't you pay him a visit, and I'll stay here to look after the guests?” Mary suggested. “I want to talk to Ben about what he saw, and let him know that he needs to meet Jason at the police station.”
“Are you sure?” Suzie asked. “I don't want to leave you with too much to handle.”
“Don't worry about me,” Mary insisted. “I can handle it,” she said with confidence. Suzie was sure Mary could handle it, but she wasn't sure if she would be able to handle finding out the truth about Dune House. What if one of its secrets was so terrible that she wouldn't be able to continue to live in it?
Chapter Seven
As Suzie drove towards the library she wished that Paul was on land. He would help her sort through things. He was very intelligent, something that Suzie respected deeply about him. But he was out at sea, and likely wouldn't be back until the next day. So, she had no choice but to try to piece things together herself. She parked in the nearly empty parking lot and walked up to the library. There were a few people inside, but not too many. The librarian behind the desk smiled at her as she walked in.
“Hi Louis,” Suzie smiled.
“Hi Suzie,” Louis said. “How is opening weekend going?”
“Oh well, it's going,” Suzie said casually. She didn't want the whole town knowing about the murder just yet. “I was wondering if I could tap into some of your knowledge about Garber's history.”
“Anything for you,” he said with a slight smile. Suzie wasn't sure if he meant it, but she was happy he was willing to help her.
“What can you tell me about the history of Dune House, anything that involves something under the house?” Suzie asked hopefully.
“There is so much history with Dune House,” Louis said as he pulled his glasses off and began to polish them with the hem of his shirt. “But as for something being under it,” he hummed thoughtfully and put his glasses back on. “I only know of one thing involving that.”
“What?” Suzie asked, trying not to hold her breath.
“Well, a long time ago just as the civil war was moving through the area, Dune House was supposed to be used as the governor's mansion. It was renovated and filled to the hilt with luxuries. Unfortunately, before the governor could even move into it, the civil war shifted and fighting began in Garber.”
“Oh,” Suzie said with a slight shake of her head. She was trying to be attentive but she didn't see how any of that had anything to do with something under the house.
“In the midst of all the fighting, a few of the governor's men were rumored to have made an effort to protect his riches. They piled everything of value into a solid chest and buried it under the house. Supposedly, gold, jewels, even a rare painting or two. For a little while after the fighting moved on, it became like a local fable. The riches by the sea. But no one dared to look for it, because the governor still owned the house and he threatened to murder anyone w
ho stepped on his property. There were rumors of a few people attempting to search for the riches, but they didn’t turn up anything.”
“So, no one ever found the valuables?” Suzie asked with surprise. “It could still be under there?”
“Of course not,” Louis laughed. “If there was gold, it was found, I can promise you that.”
“How do you know?” Suzie asked.
“The house changed hands a few years later. They renovated the house again, and did their best to repair all of the damage that had been done by the fighting. The rumor persisted for a little while, before it just died out.”
“Huh,” Suzie said thoughtfully. “And that's the only information you have about something hidden under the house?”
“Yes, no buried bodies, no secrets,” he shrugged.
“That must be it then,” Suzie said softly. “Someone was trying to find that gold.”
“Well, that would be a pipe dream, I mean think about it. If it was the governor's men who hid the gold, the governor would have demanded they retrieve it,” he explained. “The pipes in that old place had to have been redone at least three times. I'm sure that someone would have stumbled across hidden money if it was still there.”
Suzie nodded. “Thank you, Louis, you've been very helpful.”
“Well, I try,” he smiled. “Now, as to the other stories about Dune House...”
“Another day,” Suzie said with a polite smile. “I have to get back to my guests. Thank you again, Louis.”
“Anytime,” he nodded as he turned back to the pile of magazines he had been sorting through.
Suzie's mind was spinning as she drove back to Dune House. She was now very suspicious of one guest in particular. When she arrived Mary was sweeping the front porch. There was no sign of any of the guests.
“Where is everyone?” Suzie asked as she hurried up onto the porch.
“Alice went into town, Jim and Diana took a pamphlet for the local museum,” Mary replied and rested the broom against the outside wall of the house.
“And Martin?” Suzie asked, narrowing her eyes. “Have you seen him?”
“As far as I know he's still in his room,” Mary shrugged.
“I think we need to be very careful about that,” Suzie said. “I think he's the one that was under the house.”
“What? Why do you think that?” Mary asked with a frown.
“Because there was once a rumor that there was gold and other valuables hidden under the house,” Suzie explained. “With all of that equipment that he had I bet he was using that to figure out exactly where the gold might be hidden.”
“Do you think he was involved with Doug's murder?” Mary asked in a hushed voice.
“I don't know,” Suzie replied nervously. “But I think that we need to be extra cautious around him.”
“Have you spoken to Jason about it?” she asked as she stepped closer to Suzie.
“Spoken to me about what?” Jason asked as he stepped out of his patrol car. Suzie was startled by his sudden presence as she hadn't even heard the car pull up. Ben was with him, and climbed the steps up to the porch to stand next to his mother.
“I'll let her tell you,” Mary said as she looked over at Ben. “I want to talk to you in private, please.”
Ben raised an eyebrow as if he was instinctively wondering if he was in trouble. Once Mary and Ben had stepped off the porch and into the house Suzie turned to face Jason.
“I need to talk to you about Martin Cotes,” she said quickly. Jason held up a hand to silence her.
“Listen Suzie, I found out some information about Alice Montreal,” Jason said as he leaned back against the porch railing.
“What is it?” Suzie asked curiously. “Does she have a criminal past?”
“No, not criminal,” he replied. “She runs a B & B in the next town.”
“What?” Suzie asked with surprise. “She must have come here to check out the competition.”
“Must have,” Jason agreed. “It doesn't make her a killer.”
“No, it doesn't,” Suzie agreed. “But she might have been the one that damaged the pipe in the first place. Maybe she went under the house to cause more problems and Doug caught her. If he did, then maybe she panicked.”
“It's possible,” Jason said and cringed. “But she doesn't look like she's ever had a trace of dirt on her. Somehow it's hard for me to believe that she wiggled her way under the house.”
“Ah Jason,” Suzie said sweetly. “You're still young. Just because a woman is pretty, doesn't mean she's not capable of terrible things.”
“I know that,” Jason said gruffly and then rubbed his chin slowly. “But it still doesn't quite add up to me.”
“We might not know exactly who yet, but I have another idea as to why,” Suzie said. “I visited the library today to talk to Louis about the history of Dune House. He told me a story about gold and other valuables being hidden under the house during the civil war. I believe that whoever went under the house went under looking for that gold.”
“Well, that's a theory,” Jason said hesitantly. “But that was so long ago. Who would even have that knowledge?”
“Maybe Martin Cotes,” she pointed out. “He knew that the bannister on the porch was not the original. He seemed very interested in the history of the house. He also has strange tools and equipment in his room.”
“Plenty of people will stay here because they are interested in the history of the house, and those that do will probably know some of the history of the house. Besides, Martin explained to us that he was using the equipment on the beach for beach combing. Do you know how many tourists and locals do the same thing?” he shook his head. “That's not enough reason to suspect a man of murder.”
Suzie nodded. “I guess you're right. I was a little quick to judge. It would make a lot more sense if this was simple competition issues with another B & B. Alice was poking around the outside of the house. She probably damaged the pipe to make us look bad. Maybe she was under the house to do more damage when the plumber caught her.”
“It is a solid lead for right now. I want to see if I can catch up with her,” he suggested.
“Yes, I'd love to see what she has to say for herself,” Suzie said. As they walked into the house, Suzie could hear Ben and Mary talking in the kitchen. It sounded like Mary was warning him about Martin. Suzie made a mental note to speak to her about Alice. Just as she had the thought Alice walked in through the front door. She glanced between Jason and Suzie and then walked past them.
Suzie moved to chase after her, but Jason held her back.
“Wait, give her a moment. I don't want to spook her.”
“But she might not come back out of her room,” Suzie pointed out impatiently.
“She will, she's too curious not to,” Jason said with confidence. Jason’s cell phone rang, “I have to get this,” he said as he walked towards the front door.
After a few minutes Jason still hadn’t returned and Alice was back dressed in her bathing suit and walking casually towards the side door that led to the beach.
Suzie didn’t want the opportunity to pass as she wanted to talk to her.
“Alice,” she said firmly. “Can I talk to you for a second, please?”
“I don't have time to talk,” Alice smiled sweetly and attempted to dodge around Suzie.
“It will only take a minute,” Suzie said as Alice tried to slip passed her to head out to the beach.
“What?” Alice asked as she glared at Suzie.
“I know who you are, Alice,” Suzie said calmly.
“I should hope so,” Alice replied. “I'm your guest.”
“You run a B & B of your own, don't you?”
Alice frowned. “So, what if I do?”
“So, maybe you came here to see what Dune House offered,” Suzie pointed out.
“And?” Alice asked and flipped her long, dark hair. “That's not a crime the last time I checked.”
“No, it isn't,” Su
zie agreed. Suzie saw Jason walk back into Dune House and straight over to Alice.
“I haven't heard from your lawyer yet, Ms. Montreal,” Jason said in a stern voice. “Maybe it's time you really called one. Because there is evidence building up that you might have had something to do with this and if you didn’t I imagine you would want to clear your name.”
“Well, the evidence that you're both certifiably insane is building up pretty fast as well,” she growled as she glared at both of them.
“Are you denying that you are here because I am your competition?” Suzie asked.
“Ha, you think this is competition?” she demanded. “You have no idea what you're talking about. My bed and breakfast is beautiful. It has a hot tub, it has breakfast in bed, this place is a dingy old dump compared to it,” she said arrogantly as she turned on her heal and pranced out onto the beach, as if she didn't have a care in the world.
“Why didn’t you arrest her?” Suzie looked over at Jason
“I don't have enough evidence,” he said in a low voice. “I have to let her go.”
“I can't believe you just let her go,” Suzie said with frustration.
“Suzie, I can't just arrest everyone I see,” Jason countered with reflected irritation.
“Can you arrest a murderer?” she demanded.
“What's all this shouting about?” Martin asked from the hallway.
Suzie fell silent as she turned to look in his direction. Jason looked towards him as well. Martin stood perfectly still in the entrance of the hallway. Now, that Suzie had another look at him, he really did seem harmless. Dressed carefully in his fancy suit, he didn't look like the type to go digging around underneath a house. Her eyes dropped down to his shoes, where she noticed no trace of dirt caked on them. In fact his shoes looked spotless.
“Sorry, to have disturbed you, Martin,” Suzie said calmly.
“Well, it's hard not to be disturbed when I hear all of this shouting and carrying on,” Martin said grimly. “First you violate my privacy by coming into my room with a police officer. Now, I can't even do my research in peace.”