by Cindy Bell
“I’m sure you did everything you could, Phyllis. It sounds like he cared about you a lot as well.”
“He did and I cared about him.”
“What case was he working on?”
“I’m not sure about the details of the case but the client was Robert Prowlow. He wanted to deal directly with Jerome, so he didn’t give me any details. He called Jerome directly, he got his details from a friend apparently, a previous client of Jerome’s. The case was in Shorehead. But there weren’t any other notes. Jerome’s computer was being repaired and it was just returned to me. So, I only just managed to find Robert’s name. I still need to give the details to the police.”
“Do you know if he found anything there?” Mary’s voice rose slightly in anticipation.
“No, like I said he didn’t tell me anything, he called me after the case and said he was just going to take a couple of days off.” Phyllis sighed.
“Do you know if he ever investigated someone named Ginger Halo?” Mary lowered her voice as she spoke Ginger’s name.
“Ginger. Ginger.” Phyllis repeated the name over and over. “I do remember a Ginger. Give me a moment.” She paused. “Oh yes, I remember Ginger now. That was such an unusual case.”
“Unusual? How?” Mary began to write down every word that Phyllis said.
“Normally, Jerome was very strict about handing over any information he found to his client. But in this case, he did things differently. Adam Halo is the one who hired him because he suspected his wife was cheating. But he was a very angry man, he threatened Jerome a few times. When Jerome found the proof of the affair, he decided to warn Ginger first. He was afraid that Adam might come after her.” Phyllis sighed. “He didn’t get paid for that case, but he did believe that he did the right thing. After he warned Ginger, she divorced Adam.”
“I bet Adam was pretty angry. What happened to him?” Mary’s pen hovered over the notepad in front of her.
“Adam was angry that he hadn’t found any proof. He showed up at the office a few times to harass Jerome. But he passed away about a year later.”
“Adam’s dead?” Disappointment flooded through Mary.
“Yes, Ginger notified us when he passed. She said she didn’t want us to worry anymore. Sweet woman.” Phyllis sighed. “I’m sorry, Mary, I’m still feeling a little overwhelmed.”
“I understand, Phyllis. Thank you for your help, and like I said I’m very sorry for your loss.” Mary ended the call. Was it possible that Ginger had killed both Adam and Jerome? She didn’t see a reason why she would kill Jerome, yet, but it was still possible that she would find one.
Chapter 17
Unable to sleep, Suzie finally tossed her blanket off and climbed out of bed. She pulled on jeans and a t-shirt, then grabbed her jacket. As she slipped out of the house, she had no plan in mind. She just needed to find out more about Travis. She walked in the direction of his house. The quiet of the late evening hour gave her some comfort, but the sound of the distant howl of a dog raised goosebumps on her arms. Perhaps it wasn’t the wisest thing to be out walking alone at night, but in Garber she usually felt safe at all hours.
As Suzie neared Travis’ house, she noticed a faint glow near the porch. It was a tiny pinprick of light, that glowed brighter a second later. As she drew closer, she recognized it as the tip of a cigarette. Suzie’s heart skipped a beat. Was it Travis on the porch? She hadn’t expected him to be awake, or outside. However, a few steps later she could make out the shape of the person. It definitely wasn’t Travis. The figure was too petite to be Travis. Was it the woman he was with at the restaurant?
Suzie softened her steps as she reached the edge of the front yard. Could she spy without being spotted? From her vantage point it appeared the woman faced away from her. She decided to get just a little closer and made her way up the side of the yard. Just then the glow of a flame illuminated the woman’s features. The lighter cut off a second later, but it was on long enough for Suzie to recognize the face of the woman who held it. She’d met her at Dune House. She worked at Pelicans on the Pier. Justine. Justine, on Travis’ front porch in what looked like a nightgown, well after most visitors would be expected to leave for the night. Justine and Travis? Her throat tightened. Was it possible that they had been working together?
Unable to resist, Suzie walked right up to the porch.
“Justine?”
“Yes?” The young woman looked up at her with a faint scowl. “Can I help you?”
“Sorry, I was wondering if I could have one of those.” Suzie pointed towards the pack of cigarettes on the table beside her.
“I guess.” Justine frowned as she opened the pack. “The stores close too early around here.”
“They really do.” Suzie took the cigarette from her.
“Need a light?” Justine flicked the lighter on again. She narrowed her eyes at Suzie. “Wait a minute, I know you. I met you at that beautiful bed and breakfast. Sean told me all about you being nosy. Thanks to you, the police showed up at his house this evening, scared his mother so bad he thought he would have to take her to the hospital.” She pursed her lips as she glared. “You don’t even smoke, do you?”
“Uh, no.” Suzie offered the cigarette back. “I just wanted a chance to talk to you.”
“I don’t have a thing to say to you.” Justine turned and started towards the front door of the house.
“Justine, wait.” Suzie stepped towards her. “I don’t mean any harm. I’m just trying to find out what happened at the restaurant.” Her heart pounded as she prepared to use a technique that she knew could work in certain situations but could also backfire in others. “I’m hearing stories from someone else. Don’t you want your side to be heard before the police find out?”
“My side?” Justine spun around suddenly. “My side of what?”
“Your side of what happened to Jerome.” Suzie locked her eyes to Justine’s. “Somehow that poison got in his food, Justine, and people certainly have theories.”
“Theories about me?” Justine’s eyes widened. She took a few steps towards Suzie. “That’s impossible.”
“Unfortunately, it’s not. Everyone in that restaurant that night is a suspect. Especially those that had access to the kitchen.” Suzie focused on the subtle twitch of Justine’s facial features. Her brows furrowed with concern.
“I was nowhere near Jerome’s food.” Justine crossed her arms.
“So, you never went into the kitchen while it was being prepared?”
“Of course, I went into the kitchen, but that doesn’t mean anything.” Justine scowled.
“I’m guessing that Travis and his girlfriend broke up after that scene with Jerome at Cheney’s? Is that why he asked you to help him get rid of Jerome?” Suzie shook her head.
“Quiet!” Justine glared straight into her eyes. “I had nothing to do with any of this, and neither did Travis.”
“Justine?” Travis pushed open the front door and peered out. “Who’s out there with you?”
“A nosy neighbor.” Justine glanced at Travis. “She’s here to accuse us of murder!”
“Suzie?” Travis stepped out onto the porch. “Is that you?”
“It is.” Suzie’s heart raced. Things had certainly backfired. Justine was not about to confess, and the anger in Travis’ eyes made her think she should run.
“Get off my property. Get away from here and stay away. I’ve already been cleared by the police, I’m not afraid to report harassment.” Travis pointed at her. “You need to stay out of this before you make things much worse for yourself.”
“I’m going, I’m going.” Suzie held up her hands as she took a step back.
“I prefer if you don’t spread this around. There is nothing to our meeting,” Justine snapped. “We just ran into each other today and decided to keep each other company. If you want to use that to try to prove I’m a murderer, it’s not going to work, and you’re going to look like a fool.”
“Get out of he
re.” Travis scowled. “I’m not going to warn you again.”
Suzie hurried back to the sidewalk. Frustrated, and a little embarrassed, she hurried back to Dune House. There was still a possibility that Justine could have been involved, but the young woman was right, she didn’t have a single shred of proof.
Chapter 18
Mary awoke the next morning to the sound of footsteps in the hallway outside her room. She took a sharp breath as she heard the scuff of another shoe. It wasn’t often that anyone woke up before she did. Pilot snored next to her. A quick glance at the clock on her bedside table revealed that she hadn’t overslept. It would still be thirty minutes until her alarm went off, which it rarely had the chance to. As she swung her legs over the side of the bed, she felt a familiar twinge of pain. Mornings were not kind to her anymore, but after moving around for a bit, she knew the pain level would become tolerable. Unfortunately, if she wanted to find out who was in the hallway, she would have to move quickly. She gritted her teeth against the pain and managed to pull open the door seconds later. In the hall she spotted Ginger with her suitcase in hand.
“Ginger? Where are you off to?”
“Oh, we’re checking out, dear. I didn’t want to wake you. We want to get an early start.” Ginger shifted the suitcase from one hand to the other.
“You should stay for the day.” Mary stepped farther out of her room. “It’s going to be a perfect beach day.”
“I think it’s best if we go. We have to get back to reality sometime.” Ginger smiled. “Thanks for being so accommodating, we really enjoyed our time here.”
“At least let me make you breakfast. I know that you didn’t want to eat here during your stay, but I make these cinnamon rolls that are sure to get you through your long drive. It’s a quick recipe. I promise, you won’t regret it.” Mary met Ginger’s eyes and hoped the woman would agree. She knew that Jason would need all of the time he could get before the couple left Garber.
“Actually, that sounds delicious. Thank you.” Ginger smiled. “Maybe we’ll take a quick walk on the beach while you’re baking. It is so beautiful out there.”
“Great idea.” Mary nodded. “It shouldn’t take long to get everything prepared.” She stepped back into her room and grabbed a robe. There wasn’t time to dress properly. If she wanted to be sure that the couple stuck around, she would have to make the best cinnamon rolls ever. Luckily, she really did have a fantastic, fast recipe. On her way to the kitchen, she heard Suzie coming down the stairs.
“Morning Suzie.” Mary glanced over her shoulder to be sure that Ginger was out of earshot, then looked back at her. “Ginger and Sam are planning to leave. You should call Jason and let him know. In fact, invite him to breakfast, that way he can question them one last time if he wants to.”
“Good idea.” Suzie grabbed her phone from the pocket of her robe. “Do you need help with breakfast?”
“No, I can handle it, but if you want to take Pilot out, I’m sure he’s dying for a walk.” Mary stepped around the dog who eagerly followed her every move.
“I can do that. Let me just toss on some clothes.” Suzie put the phone to her ear as she hurried back to her room.
“Here buddy.” Mary gave Pilot a few treats, then she turned her attention to the recipe book that rested on a stand. She didn’t need it. She knew the recipe by heart. But she loved the feel of the pages, and the scents that had become trapped between the covers over the years. She’d made this recipe for her children so often as they were growing up that they still requested it as adults. She knew they planned to continue the baking tradition with their own children.
When Suzie returned to the kitchen, she had jeans and a sweatshirt on. She grabbed Pilot’s leash and clipped it onto his collar.
“Jason is on his way.” Suzie placed a light kiss on Mary’s cheek as Pilot eagerly dragged her towards the door. “I’ll be right outside if you need me.”
“You’ll probably run into Ginger and Sam, they planned to take a walk on the beach.” Mary raised an eyebrow.
“I’ll make sure I do.” Suzie winked at her.
Mary turned back to her baking. A few minutes later she heard the front door open and close, and Jason’s familiar voice called out to her.
“Good morning, Mary.”
“Good morning, Jason.” She smiled as she kneaded the dough for the cinnamon rolls. “So glad you could join us.”
“I wouldn’t miss it.” Jason sniffed the air. “I can already smell the cinnamon. Where are your guests?”
“On the beach. Suzie is also taking Pilot for a walk.”
“I did find something interesting from the information you gave me. Robert Prowlow, the man that apparently hired Jerome in Shorehead, is Ginger’s boss. I still don’t know what the case was about, and I haven’t been able to contact him, yet.”
“That’s interesting. Can you keep Ginger and Sam here?” Mary turned back to the dough.
“No, I don’t know exactly what he was investigating in Shorehead. If she was trying to hide something why would she recommend Jerome to her boss? Ginger and Sam’s address checked out, it’s where Sam works. I can only insist that they are contactable if I need to speak to them, they don’t live very far away. Unfortunately, there’s nothing strong enough to keep them here.” Jason leaned against the counter beside her. “Though that may be for the best. If they’re not guilty of the crime, there’s no reason to keep them here.”
“Even with their past connection to Jerome?” Mary began to roll the dough into buns.
“It surprised me to hear about it, but so far it hasn’t led to anything incriminating. If anything, I’d say that Jerome did her a favor back then. I don’t see why she would be harboring any animosity now.” Jason frowned. “Unless she had something new to hide. Maybe when Ginger saw Jerome was in town, she thought he was investigating her again, and decided she had to get rid of him?”
“I hadn’t thought about that.” Mary frowned as she turned to look at him. “What would she have to hide? Do you think she’s cheating on Sam?”
“Well.” Jason shrugged. “I have heard that cheating can often be a hard habit to break. Maybe she is, and maybe she thought that was why Jerome was here.”
“I think if it was why he was here, his receptionist would have known about that.” Mary sighed as she slid the tray of cinnamon rolls into the oven. “She said that Jerome seemed frightened of what he was involved in, as if he thought it was too dangerous for her to even know about. I can’t see a cheating scandal as being dangerous.”
“Neither can I, but it’s still a possibility.” Jason glanced towards the door. “I think I’ll see if I can catch up with them on the beach.”
“The cinnamon rolls should be ready in about twenty minutes.” Mary nodded to him, then picked up a small mixing bowl. “See what you can figure out, I’ve got frosting to whip up.”
“Wow, now you’ve got my mouth watering.” Jason groaned, then flashed her a grin as he stepped out through the side door in the dining room.
Mary turned back to the stove as a sense of dread washed over her. She always enjoyed making her favorite cinnamon rolls, but this time, there was nothing to celebrate.
Chapter 19
Pilot tugged Suzie along the beach. She saw why within a few seconds. Ginger and Sam were a few feet ahead of them, their hands intertwined, and their heads leaned close together. The two appeared like any other couple strolling along the beach, content with each other, and enamored with the beauty around them. As Suzie watched them, she tried to picture either one of them putting poison into Jerome’s mashed potatoes. Did either of them have it in them to be a murderer? She’d learned long ago that a killer didn’t look a certain way, a criminal couldn’t be pinpointed by a common description, people who did horrible things came in all shapes and sizes, all ages and from all walks of life. But these two?
Pilot barked, alerting the couple to his presence.
Ginger turned to face Suzie and smiled.
“I didn’t know you were there.” She waved to her. “Come join us. It’s such a beautiful morning.”
Suzie smiled in return and caught up with them.
“It is so nice out, isn’t it?” She glanced at Sam. “Mary said you two are heading out. Such a shame when the weather is so beautiful.”
“Enough trying to con us into staying.” Sam frowned. “It’s a long drive home. Besides, after what happened here, it feels wrong to enjoy our time here.”
“Ah, I can understand that.” Suzie nodded. “It is such a tragedy to be faced with.”
“We were faced with it.” Sam locked his eyes to hers. “Ginger and I were right there, at the same table with the poor fellow. I mean, how do you get over something like that? Sure, he may have been a stranger to us, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t shocking.”
“But he wasn’t a stranger to you, was he?” Jason’s words drifted over Suzie’s shoulder.
“Detective Allen.” Ginger jumped at the sight of him. “I didn’t realize you were behind me.”
“Sorry, I came for breakfast, and spotted all of you out here.” Jason narrowed his eyes as he looked at Ginger. “Jerome wasn’t a stranger to you, was he Ginger?”
“What are you talking about?” Sam crossed his arms as he stared at Jason. “Why are you speaking to her like that?”
“Sam. Could you give us a minute.” Ginger glanced over at him. “Please?”
“There’s nothing that you need to say that I shouldn’t hear.” Sam looped his arm through hers.
“There is something that I’d rather not discuss with you right now.” Ginger looked into his eyes. “Please.”
“Ginger?” Sam stared at her.
“I will tell you everything, Sam, but not like this.” Ginger took a deep breath. “Just give me a few minutes.”
“Fine.” Sam frowned as he stepped away from her. He walked along the water but glanced back over his shoulder at her.