Lenses, Lust, and Murder: A Crystal Coast Case (Crystal Coast Cases Book 2)

by A M Ialacci

  “Huh,” Charlie said. “How did you know?”

  “There was almost no sign of Harriet in that house except for her treasured pens and journal covers in the office.”

  “We’ll be sure to come back to interview Vi in more detail. Let’s head back to the Visitor Center and see if we can connect with Nick. They should have some of the ERT reports back by now. Do you have time?”

  Allie looked at her watch. “Yeah, I have a couple of hours. Let’s see if they know more about Harriet Brennan than we do.”

  Chapter Twelve

  When they reached the Visitor Center, they were told that Cruz was out at the lighthouse. Even though the ferries weren’t running, they had a captain on standby for investigators. They hopped on a ferry and headed that way to try to catch him before he left.

  With the ferry underway, Allie remarked, “You’re pretty chummy with Dwight.”

  “Ah.” Charlie waved his hand. “Not really. Most of it’s for show. You gotta make small talk and play up the connections with people so they feel comfortable with you is all. We both went to NC State, so he acts like we’re pals.”

  Allie nodded. She was unsure she’d ever get to that point with the people who lived here and thought she’d always be an outsider.

  When they arrived, they found him in the brush where Ryan had discovered the body, studying the ground.

  “Hey, Nick,” Charlie said. “You get any of those reports back yet?”

  “A few. We’ll have to confirm with the ME, of course, but it looks like the victim was killed in the watch house of the lighthouse, then tossed over the side, then dragged to this location.”

  “I thought I saw drag marks,” Allie said.

  “You did,” Cruz said. “There was blood, lots of it, in the watch house. The killer cleaned it up, of course, but we were able to see it with luminol. Particularly near one of the bolts on the door to the gallery, and also some on the railing.”

  “But until we talk to Darius, we don’t know how she was killed, or exactly when,” Charlie said.

  “That’s correct.”

  “Why kill her inside the lighthouse instead of just throwing her over the side in the first place?” Allie asked.

  “That’s obviously the million-dollar question,” Cruz said, looking up at the flashing light.

  “Did you determine where the burlap came from?” Charlie asked.

  “Allie was right. It came from a display in the Keepers Quarters. The killer was familiar enough with the place to know it could be found there.”

  “Not a stranger to the park, then,” Allie said.

  “Maybe not,” Cruz concurred. “We’re still running tests and analyzing evidence. My team is thorough, so between their evidence and the ME’s report, we should know more in a few days.”

  “Which means we cast a wide net, for now,” Charlie said.

  Cruz nodded. “Did you speak to the wife?”

  “We did,” Allie said.

  “I’ll probably head out there next. Seems silly to trace each other’s footsteps, but gotta follow orders.”

  Charlie nodded. “Keep us posted on the rest of your team’s test results.”

  “Will do. See you around,” Cruz said and walked off toward the dock.

  “Wanna take a look in the watch house?” Charlie asked.

  “We won’t disturb the scene?” she asked.

  “They’ve processed it. Should be fine.”

  Allie climbed the lighthouse steps for the second time in two days, and her thighs reminded her that she hadn’t been hitting the bag as much as she should be. “Was Harriet wearing heels?” she asked.

  “I think she was,” Charlie said. “I don’t know how you ladies do it.”

  “I don’t know how she did that either! Whatever she came up here for had to be important.”

  “Hm. Interesting,” Charlie said.

  “Do you think she came of her own free will?” Allie asked.

  “I would think it would be difficult to drag someone up 207 steps. Maybe she was drugged or unconscious?”

  “Possibly. Still a weight to carry. Our killer is either very strong or very persuasive.”

  When they reached the watch house, they paced the small space.

  “Not much room to maneuver in here,” Allie said.

  “No, I don’t think it was designed for comfort,” Charlie said.

  Allie examined the bolted handles on the door to the gallery. “Cruz said there was lots of blood over here.”

  “Head wound, maybe?” Charlie suggested. “They bleed a lot.”

  “An accident?” Allie asked.

  “We’ll need to see the wound.”

  They exited onto the gallery and looked down at the ground.

  Charlie whistled. “I’m sure there was damage to the body from the fall. This is the ocean side of the lighthouse, so unless someone was on the beach and looking this way, it’s unlikely anyone saw the body being dumped.”

  “Still kind of risky. The killer is expecting no one to see or hear the dumping, or find the body before he or she climbs back down the lighthouse and drags the body off into the brush,” Allie said.

  “I’m still having a hard time understanding the why of all this,” Charlie said.

  “That’s why we need to find out more about Harriet. I still don’t have a clear picture of her. Except that her marriage was rockier than her wife wants to admit.”

  “Tomorrow, we’ll start talking to some of the rangers and others that Becca Holt mentioned,” Charlie said. “Do you want to come over for dinner tonight? You can bring Mike if you want. Sheila would love to see Ryan.”

  “I think we can work that into our schedule,” Allie said with a smile.

  “Let’s catch a ferry back to Harkers Island, then, so you can go pick up the boys.”

  “I suppose going down these steps is easier than going up.”

  “And both are better than going over the side like Harriet Brennan.”

  “Too true,” Allie said.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Mike held her hand as he maneuvered around the big bend at the end of Country Club Road. It was a short drive from Allie’s trailer to the Bishops’ house, but Ryan was already involved in a game on his DS in the back seat.

  “You’re quiet tonight,” Allie remarked.

  Mike looked over his shoulder at Ryan and then gave her a quick smile. “I’ve got some news, but I’ll wait to tell you until later, okay?”

  “Good news?” Allie asked.

  “Well, it isn’t bad.” Mike chuckled.

  “Okay,” she said. “I can be patient.”

  “Good.” He smiled again.

  When they pulled into the Bishops’ driveway, Ryan was quick to disentangle himself from his seatbelt, open his door, and bound up the walkway to ring the doorbell.

  “Ah, yes,” Allie said, hearing the dog bark like crazy and watching Ryan flap his hands in happiness at the noise.

  Sheila was holding the door open by the time Mike and Allie reached it. “Welcome, y’all! Come on in!”

  Ryan sat on the floor and played with the Pepper, and the adults gravitated to the kitchen. Allie and Mike found seats on the barstools at the counter while Sheila finished her preparations for dinner and Charlie offered drinks.

  “So you’ve got a mess down at the Cape, huh?” Sheila asked.

  “In more ways than one,” Allie said.

  “Lots of fingers in this pie, but that ain’t all bad. The feds have a lot of resources we simple country folk just don’t have.” Charlie chuckled. “Did you know they took an electrostatic sheet to the floor of that watch house to see any footprints left in the dust?”

  “I’ve heard of those but never seen it used in person,” Allie said.

  “What’s it like working with a task force, Charlie? A lot of egos?” Mike asked.

  “Anytime you get that many men in a room, it always seems to end in one-ups-manship.” Charlie chuckled. “But mostly, their inte
ntions are good. The FBI agent Nick Cruz is a good guy. I’ve worked with him before.”

  “What case was that on?” Allie perked up.

  Charlie’s smile fell. “I can’t really say.”

  “Why not?”

  “It may still be an active investigation,” Charlie said. “Sheila, darling, have your social circles picked up on this case? What are they saying?”

  “Well,” she said. “My friend Tracy is a local down there, and she said that the guy who owns the ferry service has been complaining about Harriet Brennan for months. Says she was always going over his boats with a fine-toothed comb, just looking for anything she could cite as a violation of the contract.”

  “What’s his name again? Tim something?” Allie asked.

  “Tim Douglas,” Charlie supplied.

  “And of course, Lester Fulcher was known to despise Harriet, too. He was always breaking regulations at the park, taking whale bones, driving on the beach when it wasn’t off season, stuff like that.”

  “That man has an issue with authority,” Charlie said, grimacing.

  “You mentioned before you knew who he was,” Allie commented.

  “I have. He likes to pick fights with deputies who like to gently remind him of the law. If he’s jaywalking or panhandling, they’ll suggest he do things the right way, and he’ll make a big commotion and flip them off, spouting some nonsense that it’s perfectly legal to do.”

  “Well, technically, it is legal,” Mike said with a wry smile. “Just stupid.”

  “Right,” Charlie said.

  “Sheila, do you need any help?” Allie asked.

  “No, honey. It’s almost ready. Thank you for offering, though.”

  Ryan came in and put a hand on Allie’s shoulder. “You okay, bud?” she asked.

  “TV?” he asked.

  “After dinner. Sheila says it’s almost ready. You can play on your DS, though, if you promise to pause the game when it’s time to eat.”

  “Okay.” Ryan smiled and sat next to her on an empty barstool.

  “Sheila, have you heard anything about Harriet and Vi Brennan? As a couple?”

  “No,” Sheila said. “I think they kept to themselves, but I’ll keep my ears open.”

  “Charlie, when do you think Darius will be done with his report.”

  “Depends on how much work he has on his plate. I think there was a double murder-suicide in Newport the night before Harriet’s body was found, so he may be a bit backed up.”

  “We really need his report,” Allie said.

  “Don’t I know it,” Charlie said.

  “Are we gonna talk about murder all night?” Mike asked. “Not that I mind. I just need to prepare my stomach.”

  The group laughed.

  “No, I think we’ve dissected it as much as we can for now,” Charlie said.

  “Ew. Did you have to say dissected?” Mike grimaced.

  “All right, everybody. Supper’s ready!” Sheila said and directed various members of the party to carry serving platters and bowls of food into the dining room. Ryan snapped his DS shut and grabbed the breadbasket, following the procession into the other room.

  When supper was over and they had climbed into the truck, Allie turned to Mike. “So, what did you have to tell me?”

  Mike smiled. “Has this been on your mind the whole time?”

  “Of course!” she said. “What is it that’s not good news, but not bad news either?”

  Mike sighed. “Well, you remember that I went to school in Daytona, right?”

  “Yes,” she said.

  “They are offering some training I need at a really good price,” he said. “But it starts in a couple of days, and I would be gone for two weeks.”

  “But that’s great news, Mike!” Allie said.

  “No, it’s not. It’ll be the first time we’ve been apart since we started dating.”

  “I know, but it’s only two weeks,” she said. “It’ll be over before you know it.”

  “And you’re starting this investigation and there’s a murderer out there…”

  “Mike, I’ll be fine. There’s even more law enforcement involved in this one than the last big case.”

  “Yeah, and that one ended in a death match between you and a martial-arts-trained killer!” Mike said.

  “Only because there was a hurricane and Charlie was busy,” she said.

  “A lot can happen in two weeks. And it’s still technically hurricane season.”

  “I will call you as often as you want me to, okay? You can text me a hundred times a day,” she said. “But you’d be crazy not to go because you’re worried about my safety.”

  “Crazy for you.” He smiled.

  Allie loved that he could still make her blush. “You’ll go then?” she asked.

  “I’ll go.” He sighed. “But you’re going to get tired of me, I’ll be texting and calling so much.”

  “I doubt it,” she said and kissed his cheek.

  They pulled into the gravel parking spot next to her pickup in front of the trailer. Allie gave Ryan the keys to let himself in, and she turned to Mike. “When do you leave?”

  “Day after next,” he said.

  “Are you driving?”

  “Yeah, I’ll dead head it and get there just before it starts.”

  Allie grimaced. “You need to take care of yourself, too.”

  “I will.”

  She pulled him closer by the collar of his shirt. “See that you do. I have plans for you.”

  “You do?” He smiled then kissed her tenderly. “What might those be?”

  “You’ll just have to wait to find out,” she breathed as she straddled his lap, took his head in her hands, and kissed him long and hard before pulling the driver’s door handle and clambering out. “G’night, Mike,” she said and blew him a kiss before walking up the steps and disappearing inside the trailer.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Bright and early the next morning, Allie met Charlie at the Visitor Center to begin interviewing people who had been on the Cape the night of the murder and had some relationship with Harriet Brennan. And to help them coordinate it all, Superintendent Dwight Goodwin had agreed to meet with them.

  They entered the lobby and ran into Dwight speaking with Jenny Dowling. “If we can’t find the performance reviews, I’ll have to re-do them. Coordinate with Becca to get them on my schedule just in case,” he said. Jenny nodded and glanced at Allie and Charlie. She gave them a quick smile and wave and headed up the stairs.

  “Ah, Charlie,” Dwight said, grasping his hand and shaking it firmly. “Is that golf game of yours still atrocious?”

  Charlie laughed and nodded. “Yes, I’m afraid it is, Dwight.”

  “You should retire like me. Then you’d have all the time in the world to practice!”

  “You’re retiring?” Charlie asked.

  “In six months.” Dwight nodded and smiled.

  “Are you sure you’re old enough?”

  “Thirty years in.”

  “I shoulda been a ranger,” Charlie said. “You remember Allie Fox from the task force meeting.”

  “Of course. The private investigator. How are you?”

  Allie noticed he didn’t offer his hand for a handshake. “Fine,” she said.

  “Come on up to my office and we’ll get y’all sorted,” Dwight said, gesturing for them to follow him up the stairs. “Have you met any of the staff yet?”

  “Allie met Jenny Dowling the night of the murder,” Charlie began.

  “Actually, I knew her and Harriet slightly from events at the Autism Center.”

  “Oh, you’re affiliated with them?” Dwight asked.

  “My brother attends events there.”

  “Oh,” Dwight said. “Oh, that’s right, he found… uh… Harriet’s… body.” He swallowed hard and showed them into his office. “I’m still struggling to understand that she’s dead.”

  “It can take the brain a while when it’s a shock,”
Charlie said.

  “She was so vibrant, such a presence here and in the community. She’ll be sorely missed,” he said, looking over at a picture of the staff on his wall. He took a seat in his office chair, which was draped with a gray and red varsity jacket with a letter N on the breast.

  “Is that your jacket?” Allie asked.

  “Yes, it is.” Dwight smiled.

  “That’s charming that you’ve hung on to it,” she said.

  “Can you think of anyone who might want to hurt her, anyone who held a grudge against her?” Charlie asked.

  “I’ve been wracking my brain and I can’t come up with a single soul. The staff liked her, the community loved her. She was tough on the ferry captains but fair. I mean, she had high standards, but no one would kill anyone for that, would they?”

  “You’d be surprised by the motives in some of my cases, Dwight,” Charlie said.

  “People are unpredictable,” Allie said.

  “Really? I’ve found them to be the opposite. You can set your watch by how predictable most people are.” Dwight leveled his gaze at her.

  “Unless they’re put under pressure. Then they become walking time bombs,” Allie said.

  “Interesting theory,” Dwight said, leaning back in his chair.

  “We’ll need to speak to some of your staff today,” Charlie said.

  “You have full access. And let me know if you have any problems. Harriet had just finished job performance reviews but hadn’t submitted them yet. We’re looking for them now. I can always go back and make adjustments if anyone gives you a hard time.” Dwight laughed. “I’m only joking. They’re a good bunch. The ferry service is at your disposal, too. I’ve spoken to Tim. Let me just see where everybody is assigned today.” Dwight pulled out a printout and looked at it. “You know what, just take this. I can get another copy from Becca if necessary. It will show you where you can find each ranger.”