by Cindy Bell
“Or he slipped out before the police arrived.” Mary’s heart pounded at the thought. “It seems so extreme to poison someone.” She narrowed her eyes. “That’s something that a restaurant can’t recover from. No matter what the truth turns out to be, Pelicans on the Pier won’t be a place that people want to dine at anymore.”
“That’s an interesting point.” Suzie glanced over at her with a raised eyebrow. “Maybe, Jerome was just a victim of circumstances. Maybe the point was to deal a blow to Pelicans on the Pier and force it to close. Not everyone is welcoming to new businesses around here, remember?”
“Yes, we had a few rough patches when we first opened, but no one poisoned us. Who would want to do that?” Mary crossed her arms, then her eyes widened. “Do you mean you think someone at Cheney’s might have had something to do with this?”
“I don’t know what to think just yet.” Suzie shook her head. “But we can’t rule anything out. My guess is that Travis wasn’t the only person that Jerome made an enemy out of due to his line of work. The police are going to have a long list of suspects to work through.”
“This is going to be a scandal for the whole town.” Mary looked over at Sam and Ginger as they spoke to one of the officers. “I’m sure this is not the weekend away that they were hoping for.”
“You’re right about that.” Suzie took a deep breath. “I’ll be surprised if they don’t check out tonight.”
“Maybe we should offer them a free night?” Mary frowned. “It might at least boost our chances of still getting a good review.”
“That’s not a bad idea. It isn’t fair that their vacation has been ruined by this. I’ll offer it to them when they get back.” Suzie turned back towards the crowd of people. “I just hope that no one else was harmed by this.”
“I think if they were, we would know by now.” Mary’s mind swirled as the sirens from new police cars jostled her thoughts. She took a deep breath of the crisp night air. “I think I need to head back, Suzie. I need a break from this, and I think I should get Pilot home.”
“I’m right there with you.” Suzie slipped her arm through the warm crook of Mary’s elbow. “There’s nothing we can do here right now, anyway. It looks like Louis is being interviewed, so he should be released soon. It would be better to get back and have some tea and snacks waiting for Sam and Ginger. Who knows if they were able to finish their dinner.”
“Let’s hope they didn’t.” Mary winced.
Chapter 6
Once back home and Pilot was happily chewing on a bone, Mary prepared an assortment of snacks and some hot tea.
Suzie set the silver cream and sugar tray down on the wooden dining room table, just as the front door opened.
“Sam, Ginger.” Suzie straightened up.
Mary hurried from the kitchen to join her in the foyer.
“Are you both okay?” She watched as they undid their jackets and hung them on the pegs on the wall.
“We’re fine.” Ginger smiled, though not nearly as wide as normal. “It wasn’t an easy night, though.”
“We heard.” Suzie clasped her hands together. “We thought you might like some tea and snacks.”
“Actually, we just want to go to bed.” Sam’s shoulder brushed against Suzie’s as he stepped past her.
“I understand.” Suzie walked after him. “But I did want to offer you both an extra night, free of charge.” She glanced back at Ginger, who had accepted a hug from Mary. “I know this evening couldn’t have been a good experience for you, and we thought you might like to have another day to enjoy yourselves.”
“That’s wonderful.” Ginger met Suzie’s eyes. “How kind of you.”
“Ginger, it’s better if we leave tomorrow, just like we planned.” Sam frowned. He tapped his foot beside the entrance to the stairway in the kitchen.
“Sam, relax. We planned an extra day off to recover from our vacation. Instead we can use it to enjoy one more day here, how can you turn that down?” Ginger smiled.
“Maybe because I just watched a man die, poisoned by the food he ate, here in this town.” Sam narrowed his eyes. “Sorry, but that doesn’t sound like a good vacation to me.”
“Sam.” Ginger joined him at the bottom of the stairs. “There’s no need to be rude.”
“He’s not wrong.” Suzie joined them in the kitchen, with Mary right behind her.
“It had to be terrible.” Mary nodded, as inwardly her chest tightened. “We completely understand if you don’t want to stay, but I can assure you, we have eaten at all of the restaurants around here, and nothing like this has ever happened to us.”
“Maybe it didn’t happen to you, but it sure did happen to Jerome.” Sam tipped his head towards the stairs. “I’m going to bed, Ginger. If you want to stay here, that’s your choice.” Sam’s shoes struck each step heavily as he climbed.
“I’m sorry, I’m sure he’ll feel a little better in the morning.” Ginger’s cheeks flushed. “We’d love to stay another night, thank you.” She turned and followed her husband up the stairs.
“Interesting.” Suzie smiled as she turned back to face Mary.
“Sam’s attitude?” Mary shook her head. “I know he’s been through a shock, but he’s just so gruff.”
“No, I meant, it’s interesting that Ginger decided to accept our offer, even when Sam didn’t want to. With his attitude, I thought maybe he liked to be in charge, but it seems to me that Ginger is the one who calls the shots.” Suzie helped Mary clean up and put away the snacks she’d prepared.
“They do seem to have a very interesting dynamic in their relationship. Did you notice that Sam called Jerome by name?” Mary raised an eyebrow. “Do you think they got to know each other over dinner?”
“I’m not sure.” Suzie set the last dish in the sink.
A knock on the front door made Mary jump.
“Who could that be?” She glanced at the clock. “Well, I guess it’s not as late as I thought.”
“I’ll go check.” Suzie walked up to the door, then peeked through the window beside it. “It’s Jason.” She pulled the door open and waved him inside.
“Thanks.” Jason pulled his hat off as he stepped in. “I just wanted to stop in and see if everything was all right here.” He looked between them and clutched his hat in his hands. “Are your guests sleeping?”
“Yes, they are.” Mary led him towards the kitchen. “Would you like some tea? I just made it.”
“Sure. My nerves could certainly use some. Thanks.” Jason leaned against the counter as she poured him a cup of tea. “How are your guests?”
“They were shaken up, but we offered them a free night, and I think that helped.” Mary handed him the tea. “I’m sure a quick police response helped, too.”
“I appreciate that.” Jason smiled, but the expression faded quickly. “Are you aware of what Ginger does for a living?” He ran his fingertips along the brim of his hat.
“Not really, no.” Mary shrugged as she gazed at him.
“She is a scientist. A chemist. She develops medications. In fact, it’s possible she’s worked with the very same compound that is suspected to have killed Jerome. It’s not an uncommon substance, but it’s also not something that you can just buy off the shelf. I need to speak to her about it.” Jason tilted his head to the side. “I think there may be a connection there.”
“With Ginger?” Mary took a sharp breath, then covered her mouth.
“Jason, are you serious?” Suzie stared at him. “You think she had something to do with it?”
“I didn’t say that.” Jason sighed and glanced towards the stairs that led from the kitchen to the guest rooms. “I’d appreciate if you both don’t allude to the idea that I suspect her. I’d rather she stick around long enough for me to talk to her again. I just find it interesting that she happened to be in the restaurant, when it looks like it’s possible she worked with the same substance that likely poisoned Jerome.”
“We won’t say anything.” S
uzie crossed her arms. “But Sam sounded eager to leave. I’m not sure that they will stay the extra night.”
“I understand. I don’t have a motive yet, but I think the connection warrants a little more investigation. I’ll do as much digging as I can tonight.”
“So, you didn’t arrest anyone at the restaurant?” Mary studied the creases in his face. They seemed to tighten each time she or Suzie spoke. “No initial suspects?”
“Yes, we have the chef in custody. But that is just so we can question him on a few things. He does have a record of assault and attempted murder.” Jason sipped his tea.
“Really?” Mary’s eyes widened. “Are you saying that Wes and I ate at a restaurant where the chef is an attempted murderer?”
“It’s more common than you might think. Many criminals don’t have a lot of options once they have a felony on their record. Restaurants can be pretty lax in their background checks.” Jason took another swallow of the tea. “I’ve read over his file. I’m not so sure that his guilt was actually proven, but I wasn’t the investigator on the case. Either way, it makes him a prime suspect, I’m just not ready to believe that he should be the only suspect. Thanks for this.” He held up his tea cup. “Do you mind if I take it to go?”
“Of course not.” Mary smiled and gave his shoulder a pat. She grabbed a paper cup from a stack they kept for their guests and transferred the tea into it. “Jason, if there’s anything Suzie and I can do to help with the investigation, just let us know.”
“Do your best to get Sam and Ginger to stay the extra night.” Jason took the paper cup from her. “I’d rather not have to force them to stay.”
“We’ll do what we can.” Suzie nodded, then watched as he stepped through the door. “What a tough night.”
“Very.” Mary frowned as she crossed her arms. “I can’t help but be a little concerned about what he said, though. Do you think that there’s any chance that Ginger could be involved?”
“I don’t see how.” Suzie glanced towards the stairs. “But if there is a connection, I’m sure that Jason will find it. No matter what, I think we all need a good night’s sleep.” She started towards the stairs. “I’ll see you in the morning, Mary.”
“Good night, Suzie.” Mary started towards her room, and Pilot bounded right after her.
As Suzie reached her room, she heard hushed voices in the guest room. She paused. Normally, she respected her guests’ privacy. But she couldn’t get her feet to move forward, or her ears to stop listening to the muffled words.
“Do you think it’s wise to stay?” Sam’s voice drifted through the door.
“I think it’s fine. It can’t hurt anything.” Ginger responded in a slightly louder tone.
“That’s what you said about this entire idea.”
“And everything is fine. If you would just relax, it would be even better.”
“I never should have agreed to this.” Sam’s voice rose.
Suzie jumped as she saw the doorknob begin to turn. She hurried across the hall to her room and managed to close the door just before she heard the guest room door swing open.
“I’m going to get some extra towels,” Ginger said. “Then we can have a shower to relax and try to get some rest. Everything will look so much brighter in the morning.”
Suzie pressed her forehead against the cool surface of the door as Ginger’s optimism washed over her. It was easy to believe that someone as cheerful as her could never hurt anyone, but from that conversation she had to wonder what exactly had driven them to be in Garber, and at Pelicans on the Pier, on the same night that Jerome was killed. Maybe Jason’s suspicions weren’t so off base.
Chapter 7
Suzie settled in her bed with her computer and began to conduct some searches about Jerome. After just about an hour of attempts she realized she wasn’t going to get very far. As a private investigator Jerome was good at cleaning up his tracks. She found his name mentioned on a few sites, but only to describe his business, nothing personal. She couldn’t even pin down where he went to high school to find any family information about him. Frustrated, she shifted gears and focused on Ginger and Sam instead.
As Suzie conducted a search on their address, she discovered that it didn’t belong to an actual house. Instead it was the address of a company. Curious, she searched a little further and found a social media profile for Ginger. It was her picture on the profile, however the profile’s privacy settings didn’t allow her to view any more information about Ginger. She finally gave up and set her computer on the bedside table. Maybe Ginger had a positive attitude, but apparently, she also had a few secrets. She turned out the light and closed her eyes. The moment she did she recalled the look in Jerome’s eyes as Travis turned on him in the restaurant. He was afraid. Did he have reason to be? Did Travis decide to finish the job? Her mind refused to allow her to rest.
By the time Suzie was too exhausted to keep her eyes open, she’d journeyed down several possible paths of how the murder might have happened. However, the last thought that crossed her mind was Marco Cheney. How upset was he that he didn’t get the building on the pier? What was he willing to do to prevent the loss of his business to a new restaurant?
Suzie woke up later than usual the next morning, likely due to her mind launching into full investigative mode the night before. As she pulled herself out of bed, the aroma of coffee tickled her nostrils. Mary was already up. Did that mean that Sam and Ginger were, too? She recalled the conversation she’d overheard the night before, and instantly she worried about Mary being alone with the two of them. If they had planned this, then maybe they didn’t plan to stop with just one victim. She threw on her robe and hurried down the stairs into the kitchen.
“Suzie.” Mary gave a short gasp and laughed. “You startled me. You came down those stairs so fast.”
“Where are Ginger and Sam?” Suzie peeked into the dining room. “Have you seen them yet this morning?”
“No, I haven’t seen them. They were gone before I got up.” Mary shook her head. “I’m not sure how that’s possible, but they did leave a note saying that they would take the extra night.” Mary poured Suzie a cup of coffee. “Are you doing okay? You look exhausted.”
“I didn’t get much sleep last night.” Suzie shook her head as the coffee mug warmed her palms. “I heard them talking before I went to bed.” She shared with Mary what she could remember of the conversation as Pilot came over for a cuddle.
“That does sound pretty incriminating. It’s certainly not an admission of guilt, but they are definitely up to something.” Mary leaned back against the counter.
“Yes, and I found out that the address they gave us is bogus. It belongs to a business. Why would they give us a fake address?” Suzie took a sip of her coffee. She closed her eyes as the hot liquid singed the surface of her tongue.
“That’s pretty suspicious, too.” Mary shifted closer to Suzie. “I guess we should tell Jason about it.”
“Yes, I think we should.” Suzie pulled her phone out of her pocket. “I’ll give him a call.”
“Don’t bother.” Mary tipped her head towards the window that overlooked the parking lot. “He just pulled in.”
Mary met Jason at the door and opened it for him.
“Good morning, Jason.”
“Good morning, Mary.” He pulled his hat off and frowned.
“My, you look worse than your cousin.” Mary frowned as she studied the dark circles under his eyes and his ruffled red hair. “Did you get any sleep last night?”
“No.” Jason looked past her, to Suzie. “I need to speak with Sam and Ginger.”
“I’m sorry, Jason, but they’ve already gone out.” Suzie shrugged. “They said they would stay the extra night, though. They were gone before Mary got up this morning.”
“Interesting.” Jason sighed. “I guess I’ll have to wait until later to speak to them.”
“Jason, I did learn a few things about them.” Suzie filled him in on what she had
overheard, and her search on their address.
“Yes, their address is part of the reason I’m here. They gave a fake address to one of the patrol officers. It might have been the same one they gave you.” Jason sniffed the air. “Is that coffee?”
“Sure, let me get you a cup.” Suzie walked back towards the kitchen.
“How are you holding up, Mary?” Jason looked over at her.
“That’s so sweet of you to ask, when you’re the one under so much stress.” Mary led him into the dining room. “I’m fine I suppose.”
“I know you ate at the restaurant the night before Jerome died. I just want you to know that there haven’t been any other reports of sickness from anyone that ate there since it opened.” Jason looked into her eyes. “You have nothing to worry about.”
“You know what’s strange? I hadn’t even thought about that.” Mary settled in one of the chairs at the table. “I’ve been so caught up in what happened to Jerome that I hadn’t really considered that anyone else that ate at the restaurant previously could be at risk, including myself.”
“As it looks right now, Jerome was the only one poisoned. The restaurant is going to remain closed for the time being.” Jason set his notepad on the table between them as Suzie returned with a cup of coffee and the cream and sugar tray.
“I had a terrible time keeping Marco Cheney off my mind last night.” Suzie sat down across from him. “Do you think he might have had anything to do with this?”
“Actually, the Cheneys have an alibi. They were both at the restaurant last night at the time of the murder, with plenty of witnesses to prove it.” Jason spooned some sugar into his coffee. “However, that doesn’t clear them completely.”
“It doesn’t?” Mary looked over at him. “How is that possible?”
“Although they may not have been the ones to put the poison into the victim’s food, there was someone at the restaurant that could have been acting on their behalf.” He pulled out his phone and displayed a picture of a man. “This is Chef Cody Shouder. He was recently hired by Pelicans on the Pier. Only about a week after he was fired from his job at Cheney’s.”