Danger in the Depths (Dune House Cozy Mystery Series Book 9)

by Cindy Bell

  “No, I don’t. We both know it wasn’t Ben that put those sneakers in the dive shack. I thought of something while I was with Paul. What if Jim and Curtis found the treasure and Jim killed Curtis for it? Or maybe Curtis lied about finding the treasure? What if he found it, and hid it somewhere? Maybe someone is trying to find it.”

  “Oh, that would be a very strong motive for murder.”

  “Yes, it would.”

  “But how can we know if he found anything?”

  “Maybe the divers we hired will know something. They’re experienced with these kinds of things. I’m going to give them a call.”

  “Okay. Now is a good time, there’s no one else in the house.”

  “I’m calling now.” Suzie sat down at the dining room table and dialed the number for Joe, one of the divers. When Joe answered she held her breath for a moment. He might tell her she was crazy for asking. “Joe, I was wondering. Do you think it’s possible that there was treasure on that shipwreck?”

  “I’m sure there was at one point, I did some research on the ship and it’s a high-end ship known to have transported large amounts of wealth, but it’s not there now.”

  “So someone took it?”

  “It looks that way. There’s nothing reported on the registry of finds either. I checked when we got back. So whoever took it, kept it to themselves. Any finds are supposed to be reported. If the shipwreck is foreign, it’s possible for the country it belonged to, to have a claim to it. Without reporting it, it’s hard to sell anything that’s found.”

  “When I hired you, you said you would have to file paperwork to dive. Does everyone have to do that?”

  “It’s a safety measure and it is highly recommended. Some people don’t file the paperwork, but most do. If you dive in a dangerous location without filing you can be at risk of losing your license.”

  “Thanks Joe.”

  “I’m sorry we didn’t find what you were looking for.”

  “That’s all right. I appreciate your hard work.” She hung up the phone and looked into Mary’s eyes. “There was most likely treasure there once, someone took it.”

  “Curtis?”

  “It’s the only lead we have. I think there is a way we can find out. I need to make a few calls. You and the kids go out today, get away from all of this. When you come home, we’ll check in about the case.”

  “Suzie, how can I relax and have a good time with them when I know at any moment Kirk might pull up and arrest Ben?”

  “Don’t worry about Kirk. He’s on our side. Just enjoy your time with your kids.”

  “I’ll try. But with Rick being a suspect it’s hard.”

  “I know it is. Maybe he’ll let something slip while you’re out and relaxing.”

  “That’s a good idea. I didn’t think of that.”

  “Don’t worry, if anything big happens, I’ll let you know.”

  “Okay, thanks Suzie.”

  As Mary walked away, Suzie began to search on her phone. Once she found the right number to call, she placed the call. She used some of her skills that she had learned as an investigative journalist and about thirty minutes later she had access to online records of all of the dives in the area of the shipwreck, including the dates, and the divers. It was a tedious process, but once she narrowed down the dates she was able to come up with a list of names. Right away she noticed that Curtis’ name was on the list, twice, about two weeks apart. The first date was a week before he checked in at Dune House, the second was a week after. So he’d visited the shipwreck area at least twice. Did he manage to locate the shipwreck on the first visit? Did he go back to retrieve the treasure?

  It was hard to decipher what his purpose was without more information. She skimmed the list a little further. When she noticed one name in particular, her heart lurched. R. Norris. Norris was a common last name, but could it really be a coincidence that Rick arrived at Dune House just in time for Curtis to be killed? He knew how to dive. But how could he possibly know about the treasure? She checked the dates that he registered for a dive in the area and saw that it was a few days after Curtis’ last visit. If R. Norris did stand for the same Rick Norris, then he might have visited the area not long before he traveled to Dune House with Cathy. Was that why he asked to come along with her? It made her uneasy to even consider it. If it was true, which seemed far-fetched, then Cathy could be in danger, as well as Mary and Ben. She called Mary, but her voicemail picked up.

  “Mary, call me when you get this message. There’s something we need to discuss.”

  When she hung up the phone she skimmed through the other names on the roster. None of the other names seemed familiar, but she saved a copy of the list just in case. Jim was not on the list, but it was still possible that he had visited without registering. She guessed that Curtis wouldn’t risk diving without registering, because if he lost his license he wouldn’t be able to teach. Then again if he’d found the treasure, he wouldn’t have needed to worry about money. Confused, she decided to take a walk along the beach to try to clear her mind. The salty air refreshed her, but it did nothing to help her untangle the case. Ahead of her she caught sight of Hal and Trish. They were settled in beach chairs with a cooler between them. It could have been a cozy moment between husband and wife, but she could sense the tension between them as she approached. The wind carried their conversation towards her before she was close enough for them to notice.

  “We should leave, that’s what I think.”

  “We can’t leave now, if we do you’ll look guilty,” Trish said.

  “I’ll look guilty? I didn’t do anything, so why would I look guilty?”

  “You keep saying you didn’t do anything, but that doesn’t matter. You know how these things work, you could end up in prison for something that you didn’t do. If we leave, you’re going to be putting a target on your back.”

  “Oh, bigger than the one you painted there by flirting with the idiot in the first place?” He snarled his words.

  Trish shook her head. “You’re crazy. It’s not my fault you’re crazy.”

  “You made me that way.” He kicked some sand into the air. “Do you really think I don’t know about the kiss?”

  Suzie froze. She was close enough for them to notice if they turned around and saw her, but she didn’t want to interrupt the conversation. She edged up along the sand away from the water, but still close enough to hear them.

  “What?”

  “I know. I saw you kiss him. I chose not to do anything about it, because I knew you were just waiting for any reason to leave me.”

  “That’s not true, it’s not, Hal.”

  “Then why did you kiss him?” He stood up from the beach chair, and in that moment he caught sight of Suzie. He flung the beach chair towards the water and shouted at Trish. “You did this, not me! You want to stay? Then you stay. I’m leaving!” He stalked off down the beach. Trish stood up and retrieved the beach chair.

  “I’m sorry, Suzie. If there’s any damage to it, I’ll pay for it.”

  “You don’t have to do that.”

  “I guess you heard all of that.” She wiped at her eyes to hide the tears that Suzie could clearly see. “I’ve made quite a mess, haven’t I?”

  “It’s not your fault, Trish.”

  “How can it not be?” She closed her eyes. “I’m so embarrassed, I guess you know everything?”

  “I know that sometimes people do impulsive things.”

  “I wish I had never done it. I don’t know why I did. I guess, I’ve just been lonely, and I thought maybe Curtis would be the cure for that.”

  “Was he?” Suzie met her eyes.

  “Do you mean did I have an affair with him?”

  “It’s not really any of my business.”

  “No.” She wiped at her eyes again. “He was so kind, but he turned me down. I’ve never felt so complimented by someone who turned me down. I was a fool, and he didn’t attack me for it. He was gentle with my feelings.” />
  “I’m glad. Curtis was a good man.”

  “Hal is, too. I know it doesn’t seem that way, but he really is. I think part of me did flirt with Curtis to make him jealous. I just wanted him to pay more attention to me. Now, I wish I’d never done any of it. Hal could never kill anyone, I know that, but the police don’t, do they?”

  “I can assure you that the officer investigating the case only wants the truth, and he won’t accept anything less.”

  “I hope that’s true, because Hal didn’t do this. You believe me don’t you, Suzie?”

  “I don’t know what to believe, Trish.” Suzie studied her for a long moment. “When was the last time Hal saw Curtis?”

  “I’m not really sure.”

  “Okay. I’ll take care of the chairs. You head on back. Okay?”

  “Yes, thank you, Suzie.”

  As she walked down the beach Suzie dialed Kirk’s number. After three rings it went to voicemail.

  “Kirk, this is Suzie. If you’re looking at Hal as a suspect, you should know that he is planning to leave as soon as possible.” She hung up the phone and slid it back into her pocket. It felt awful to rat out one of her guests, but it would feel much worse if Curtis’ killer managed to escape.

  Chapter 15

  When Suzie reached Dune House she went through the routine of checking linens, tidying the common areas, and getting some things prepared for dinner. Just as she was about to put the chicken in the oven, the front door swung open.

  “Suzie?”

  She turned to greet Kirk. “Hi, just give me a second.” After she slid the chicken into the oven she turned back to him. “You got my message?”

  “Yes, I did. Is Hal here?”

  “Not right now. But I think they will be back for dinner.”

  “Good, maybe I’ll stay, too. If that’s okay?”

  “Yes, of course. That might be a good idea. Listen, I need to show you something.”

  “All right.” He sat down at the table.

  “This is what I’ve found.” Suzie slid the list across the table to him. She had decided that Paul was right and she should tell Kirk about the shipwreck. “I know there is a shipwreck in this area, it has been confirmed by some divers, and I also know that Curtis was there the week before he came here, and the week after. I also know that a R. Norris registered to dive in the same area, just a few days before Cathy and Rick came to visit.”

  “Yes, but we can’t be certain that it’s the same person. R, could stand for anything.”

  “We thought maybe you could do some deeper digging to see if it was Rick. But at this point, and please don’t laugh at me, we believe that Curtis might have found treasure in that shipwreck.”

  “What?” He tightened his lips for a moment, then cleared his throat. “Okay, I didn’t laugh. Why would you come to that conclusion?”

  “He was researching how to sell antiques and artifacts. He asked Cathy about how to evaluate artifacts to determine their age and worth. So obviously he had something that he wanted to evaluate.”

  “Or he could have been brushing up on his skills for future dives.”

  “Sure, he could have been. But why brush up on those skills before he found the treasure? The diver I spoke to said that anything found has to be registered in case another country has a claim to it. Maybe Curtis was trying to get around that?”

  “Okay.” Kirk nodded. “That is interesting. So you believe that Curtis found treasure, and then what?”

  “The treasure isn’t with the shipwreck anymore. Either someone took it, or Curtis moved it.”

  “Or it was never there in the first place. That’s always a possibility isn’t it?”

  “Yes, of course it is. But if it was there, then it serves as good motive for people to want to kill him.”

  “Yes, it does. Do you think Jim knew about it?”

  “There is a record of Jim diving with Curtis a few months before, but not the two most recent dives.”

  “Isn’t it possible that Jim went diving with him and just didn’t register?”

  “Yes, it is possible. But he hasn’t mentioned it to us,” Suzie said.

  “And not to me either. This is very interesting information. Unfortunately, we can’t prove that there was ever actually treasure at the shipwreck, but we may not need to. I’m going to interview everyone again, and see if this new information stirs anything up.”

  “Ben and Cathy, too?”

  “Yes Suzie. I have to be thorough.”

  “Okay.” She nodded. “I’ll let them know you need to speak with them. They’re out right now, oh never mind.” Suzie tilted her head towards the front door as Cathy, Ben, Rick, and Mary walked in. Ben was dripping wet from swimming. Kirk stood up as they walked further in.

  “Suzie? What’s going on?” Ben looked from Kirk, to his mother, then to Suzie. “Did they find Curtis’ killer?”

  “No Ben, not yet,” Suzie said.

  “I’m here to ask everyone a few more questions.” Kirk looked between the three.

  “Oh sure.” Ben nodded. “Can I change first?”

  “Yes, go ahead.” Kirk looked over at Rick. “I need to speak with you again, Rick.”

  “Why?” Rick narrowed his eyes. “I’ve already spoken to you several times.”

  “I’m just trying to get to the bottom of what happened to Curtis. I’d like your cooperation.”

  “I have cooperated. I’ve done enough.” He shoved his hands into his pockets. “I don’t have anything else to say.”

  “I have some new questions. If you could just step in here?” Kirk opened the door to the study.

  “Rick, it’s okay. I’m sure he’s going to question all of us.” Cathy touched Rick’s arm. “Just answer his questions, it will be fine.”

  “Yes, I am going to question everyone. I have some new information, and I just want to go over some things to see if it sparks anything. Really, I just need your help.”

  “Right, until you find something that you don’t like about me, and decide to put some handcuffs on me.”

  “I’m already not that fond of you, Rick.” Kirk smiled. “And, I still haven’t put handcuffs on you. Just try to relax, a few questions and you’ll be on your way.”

  “This is ridiculous.” Rick started to turn away, but Cathy patted his arm and met his eyes.

  “It’s all right, Rick.”

  “Fine.” He stared at her for a moment, then followed Kirk into the study.

  “Oh Mom, he’s going to hate me for this.”

  “No, he’s not.” Mary rubbed her back. “If he’s the kind of man that you think he is or hope he is, he will understand. Did you know about these problems he has?”

  “I didn’t realize they were this intense. He mentioned that there were some things that happened to him while in the service that made it difficult for him to deal with authority, but I had no idea that it was to this extent.”

  “Isn’t it a little concerning?” Mary searched her eyes.

  “It’s concerning because I didn’t realize it was so much of an issue. He’s needed my help this whole time and I’ve been so caught up in us being together that I didn’t even notice.”

  “Cathy, I know that you’re fond of him, but it seems like he has a few more burdens to carry than you expected.”

  “Is that a polite way of telling me that you think I shouldn’t be with him? Because he’s been hurt?”

  “That’s not what I mean at all, sweetheart. I’m just surprised, I know you’re surprised, too.”

  “He’s a good man, Mom. I know he is. Even with all that he is struggling with, deep down, he’s good.”

  “And what if he killed Curtis?” Mary’s hands clenched. “What if it turns out that he is guilty?”

  “He’s not, I know that he’s not. He would never do something like that.”

  “Not even if treasure was involved?”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Kirk is going to ask you about
this, but Suzie and I think that Curtis might have found treasure. Real treasure. There’s some evidence that Rick might have been diving in the same area where the shipwreck was found. Do you know where he was on this date?” She showed her the date on her phone.

  “This is silly. I’m sure he was at college, with me.” She frowned as she thought for a moment. “Actually I’m not sure that he was. He did take a few days vacation around that time. I can’t be certain of the date.”

  “So he could have been there.”

  “I thought you said he was there?”

  “We only have an initial and a surname.”

  “So you don’t have proof?”

  “No, I don’t. But I have good reason to suspect. Not long after, he invited himself along with you here. That seems a little coincidental doesn’t it?”

  “It seems like a stretch, Mom. He was excited to meet you. Now I feel guilty for ever bringing him here. I never expected this from you.”

  “Cathy, please don’t be upset with me. I am only trying to protect you.”

  “I’m old enough to protect myself now. I don’t need you to tell me who I can or can’t be with.”

  “I don’t think that’s what I was telling you. I just want you to be cautious. Please.” She took her hand and met her eyes. “I’m on your side. I’m not trying to tell you what to do, I promise. Honestly, I’m sorry that this whole trip has been impacted by this. I trust your judgement, and I do like Rick, I think he probably is a good person. I just don’t want to see you get hurt.”

  “I appreciate that, Mom, but if you really believe he could have done this, then I don’t think we have anything to talk about.”

  The door to the study banged open and Rick stalked out of the room. “I have nothing else to say!” He headed straight for the door without even looking at Cathy.

  “Rick!”

  “Cathy, will you come in here with me?” Kirk stood in the doorway.

  “What did you do to him?”

  “I just asked him a few questions, just like I’m going to ask you. Mary do you want to join us?”

  “No, she doesn’t need to.” Cathy stepped into the study and closed the door behind her.