“She’s due to start her shift in about…” He looked at his watch. “half an hour.”
“Okay, thank you,” Liz said. She appreciated that he hadn’t asked her any questions.
While she waited for her food and Danica, time passed painfully slowly. She sent text messages to Roger, Gina, Bertha, and Julita, to let them know she’d be staying here in town overnight. Just as her food arrived, a young woman pulled up in an old car. She got out of it, swishing her strawberry-blonde ponytail, and adjusting her too-tight uniform.
The waiter who brought Liz’s food, was a different young man from the host who had taken her order, rolled his eyes as the woman approached. He caught Liz looking at him, and tried to regain a professional manner.
“That’s Danica, right?” she said.
“Yes, ma’am. Do you know her?”
“Well, let’s say I know of her.”
His eyes widened. “Are you…” his voice trailed off.
“Am I what?”
“Well, sometimes we have women come by here who…” He glanced at Liz, then at Danica as she approached. He shook his head.
“Women who’ve had their husbands cheat on them with Danica?” Liz said quickly.
He nodded and made wide eyes acknowledging what she’d asked. “Will that be all, ma’am?”
“Yes, thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
Danica was making her way up the steps from the parking lot to the patio when Liz said, “Danica,” in a friendly tone, like they were friends who hadn’t seen each other in ages, while at the same time noticing how rapidly her heart was beating.
Danica waved, smiled, and said, “Hey,” back, in an equally friendly way. Then she frowned. “Sorry, I can’t place your name. You’re my mom’s friend, right?”
It would have been all too easy for Liz to say yes, and wheedle information out of Danica that way. But Liz had a little more integrity than that, and, besides, she knew she could very easily get caught. She didn’t even know Danica’s mother’s name.
“No,” Liz said. “Actually, you don’t know me.”
Danica’s face clouded with suspicion. “Yet you know me…?”
Liz decided to dive right in. “You know Connor Moynahan. He’s been murdered. I’m trying to get as much information on him as I can…” Liz jumped up and grabbed Danica, who had turned ghost-white and lost all the strength in her legs. “Hey, hey,” she said, supporting her as she led her over to a chair. Then she hurried inside and asked for a glass of water.
She returned to Danica, who had staggered out of the chair and over to the patio railing. She threw up over the side of it. Then she managed to return to her chair and slump in it. “You’re lying,” she said.
“I wish I was,” Liz said. “And I expect that Charlotte Moynahan wishes it was all a lie as well,” she said pointedly, hoping to get a reaction from Danica, and it worked.
“Her!” Danica exploded. “She doesn’t love Connor. She just wants his money.”
“Are you sure?” Liz said. “How do you know? Did he tell you that?”
“He told me everything,” Danica said, looking somewhat proud. “He said I was the only person in the world who really understood him. Charlotte just wanted to control him. She even threatened to kill him, and not just once, but twice. She was a domestic abuser. I kept encouraging poor Connor to leave her, but she’d ground him down so much over the years, he couldn’t do it.”
Liz nodded. She didn’t believe anything Danica was saying, but she tried to clear her mind of judgments and preconceptions. After all, if there was one thing she’d learned from investigating, it was that anything was possible, and people were not always what they seemed to be. In truth, she was always amazed at how well some people could act, day in, day out, fooling everyone around them, even their own families.
“Danica. What on earth are you doing out here?” the waiter asked as he came out on the patio with a glass of water and heard Danica ranting at Liz.
“It’s okay,” Liz said. “Don’t worry.”
“The boss says to get inside and get to work,” the young waiter said to Danica. “He’s going to go mental if he sees you out here ranting at a customer.”
“I’m not ranting at her,” Danica said, snatching the glass of water so sharply it sloshed over the sides.
The waiter’s face darkened. “Just get inside.”
Danica gulped down the water, and the waiter snatched it back from her as soon as she was done.
“When do you finish your shift?” Liz asked. “I want to talk to you some more about Connor.”
“Midnight,” Danica said. “I’ll meet you out here, if you want to.’”
“That would be great. I’ll see you then”
Danica went inside. Liz’s burger was getting a little cold, so after she cut up Winston’s steak, she wrapped it up to take back to the room, and began to imagine how she was going to spend her time back in the hotel room.
CHAPTER 18
Liz thoroughly enjoyed her evening. Just as she’d planned, she took a lovely hot bath, then laid on the bed in the fluffy white hotel bathrobe, watching reality shows on TV that she’d normally never watch.
Winston curled up on the carpeted floor next to the bed. After she’d finished her hamburger, Liz took a dark chocolate candy bar from the mini bar and ate it, feeling delightfully decadent.
She looked at her phone, and saw that it was only 9:00 p.m. She changed back into her clothes, desperately wishing she had something freshly laundered and ironed to wear. She made a mental note for the future to pack a ‘you never know’ overnight bag and keep it in the car in case something like this ever happened again. But how often would she be driving for hours and hours to strange places to investigate murders? She sure hoped it wouldn’t be a regular occurrence.
Just when she was wondering whether she could find a movie to watch to pass the time until she met Danica, the hotel phone on the bedside table rang.
“Hello?” she said.
“Is this Liz Lucas?”
“Yes.”
“It’s Reception here. Bradley. Your husband is here to see you.”
Liz rocked back in surprise. “You’re kidding?”
“No. He says his name is Roger. Is that right?”
“Absolutely, yes, please send him to my room.” Liz grinned as she fixed a pot of coffee. What a surprise! She guessed he’d probably had a business commitment the next day nearby here, and on the spur of the moment decided to keep her company after he got her text.
A couple of moments later there was a knock at the door.
She opened it with a huge smile, leaning forward, ready to kiss Roger.
But it wasn’t Roger.
It was Simon.
He pushed her roughly into the room, then closed the door behind him.
“Simon, what are you doing here?” Liz shouted, clearly shocked.
He sneered. “I had a nice drive here. I was only a couple of cars behind you the whole way. You really should be more aware of what’s happening around you.”
Winston stood up and started to growl, but Simon kicked him in the face. Winston fell back, yelping and dazed.
Liz started to call for help, but Simon rushed over and clapped his rough hand over her mouth. “You listen, and you listen carefully. Connor Moynahan’s money is mine. I’m his father. I need to know where his will is. Word on the street is they can’t track it down, but I’ll bet that disgusting wife of his knows. Call her and make her tell you where it is.” He loosened his grip on her mouth so she could talk. “Got it?”
“Absolutely not,” Liz said, trying to sound confident even though she was quaking on the inside.
“Oh yes you will,” he said, closing his hand around her neck and beginning to squeeze it.
But he’d forgotten about Winston. Winston had regained his strength, and leaped up, barking and growling so aggressively he even intimidated Liz. She’d never seen him like that before.
>
Simon tried to bat Winston away, while at the same time trying to hold on to Liz, but he couldn’t do both. Winston was in full attack mode and ready to fight. In fact, ready to kill. He leaped up at Simon’s neck, his mouth wide open, his teeth ready to sink into Simon’s flesh. Simon yelped, grabbed a lamp from a side table, and hit Winston. Although the blow didn’t hurt Winston, it did stun him for a moment, giving Simon just enough time to dash out the door, slamming it shut behind him.
For a moment Liz was stunned, but then she opened the door and ran after Simon. Winston took the lead, charging forward with Liz following, but Simon was so fast all they saw was his back as he went through the door into the lobby.
“Stop him! Stop him!” Liz yelled.
When they arrived in the lobby, Bradley was standing at the front desk, looking panicked. “What on earth is going on?” he asked.
“That’s not my husband,” Liz said, then ran out into the parking lot. But Simon was nowhere to be seen. Had he already left the area? Or was he hiding behind one of the cars, or a bush, or a tree that lined the parking lot, ready to grab Liz? It was dark now, the parking lot illuminated by orange lamplight, and it looked eerie and unsafe.
Winston stood at the hotel entrance, barking and growling.
Bradley came out. “Do you want me to call the police?”
“Yes,” Liz said. “Wait, no.” She took a deep breath, trying not to feel afraid. “There’s no way I can stay here tonight, even with Winston. I’m going to have to drive back home. I really don’t want to be hanging around here giving statements to the police.”
“I understand,” Bradley said. “I’m still going to have to report it, though. Of course you’re free to leave, that’s up to you. It’s just, if I don’t report it, I’ll probably get fired.”
Liz nodded. “I understand.” She looked around, feeling on edge, and shivered.
“Who was that guy?”
“It’s a long story.”
“Must be a stalker since he knew your husband’s name,” Bradley said. “Maybe I should have gotten some ID from him, but I’ve never had anything like this happen before.”
“Don’t blame yourself. It wasn’t your fault,” Liz said. She tried to calm herself and think what she should do next. “I’m supposed to meet someone later tonight, but I think I’ll just insist on having the meeting right now. I want to get home as soon as I can.”
“I don’t blame you,” he said. “And I’m going to give you a full refund for your stay here.”
“That’s very kind of you.” She took a deep breath. “I need to go back to my room and pick up my purse.”
He nodded. “Okay. I’ll process the refund for you right now. By the time you come back, I should be finished.”
Liz went back to her room and as soon as she was in the room, she looked at the windows for any signs of forcible entry. Seeing none, she grabbed her purse and nearly jumped out of her skin when Winston accidentally stepped on the remote control and turned the TV on.
Then she laughed at herself, took a final quick look around the room for anything she’d missed, and headed back to the reception desk.
“Here you are,” Bradley said, handing her a refund voucher for her credit card charge.
Liz put it in her wallet. “Thank you, Bradley. You’ve been very kind to me.” She grinned. “Tell your manager I said he should give you a pay raise.”
He laughed. “That’ll be the day. Take care of yourself, Ms. Lucas.”
“You too,” she said.
Liz left Winston tied up outside the bar, where he was happily sniffing the bushes in front of the bar, and she went into Randy’s. Despite the late hour, it still wasn’t busy. Although the bar had around fifty tables, only three of them were occupied, and there were only a couple of people sitting at the bar.
Liz recognized the host she’d talked to earlier, who was putting his jacket on. She figured his shift was over.
“Hi there,” Liz said.
The host looked up. “Oh, hello, ma’am. You were here earlier, weren’t you? May I help you?”
“Yes, I was,” Liz said. “I’d arranged to speak with Danica when her shift was over at midnight, but something unexpected has come up and I really have to speak with her now. I need to drive home, and I won’t be able to meet her at midnight.”
The host frowned. “I’m sorry, but Danica went home an hour or two ago. She said she was feeling really sick.”
“I see.”
“And she was supposed to meet you here at midnight?” he asked.
Liz nodded.
“Okay, give me a second. I’ll call her cell.” He put the receiver to his ear, then after a couple of moments he said, “I’m sorry, but there’s no answer.”
“I wonder where she is,” Liz said with a frown.
“I wouldn’t worry about it,” he said. “She’s somewhat unreliable.”
“All right. Could you give me her cell number?”
He looked her up and down for a brief moment. “I’m sorry. It’s against the restaurant’s policy. I’d like to, but I can’t. I hope you understand. You could call the bar when she’s on her shift, and you’ll be put right through to her.” He raised his eyebrows. “If she turns up.”
“Okay. Thank you,” Liz said. She went outside, untied Winston’s leash, and started the long drive back to Red Cedar. It was already 10:00 p.m. At best, she’d be home by 3:00 a.m., providing there was no traffic, which seemed likely at this hour.
She made a Bluetooth call to Roger to let him know what was going on, and another to Bob Salazar to explain what had happened with Simon Moynahan. Bob said he’d call the Highway Patrol and alert them about Simon. He assured her that if the man was driving, he would be arrested, and that she could feel safe while she was driving back home
She stopped at a service station and bought a cup of coffee and an energy drink, turned the radio on to a talk show to keep her mind from drifting off or falling asleep, and drove towards Red Cedar, hoping that the time would go quickly.
CHAPTER 19
Liz woke up at 9:00 a.m. the following morning, much later than her usual wakeup time of 7:00 a.m. Roger slept in, too. He’d waited up for her, passing the time by doing work on his laptop, and they’d gone to bed at around 3:30 a.m.
They missed breakfast, but found a basket of pastries on the kitchen table when they got up, courtesy of Gina. They ate them on the back porch, looking out at their view of the Pacific Ocean, and accompanied the pastries with several cups of strong coffees to kickstart them awake.
“How was everything after I left yesterday?” Liz asked.
“Fine, darling,” Roger said. “Charlotte seems to be relaxing a little, which is encouraging, given her condition.”
“That’s good,” Liz said. “I felt bad about leaving her, but at least I know she’d be well looked-after.”
“Oh, one thing I forgot to mention. Yesterday evening we got a call from a young man called Ash, asking for you. He said he researched the number of the lodge on the internet.”
“Ash, Ash, I’m drawing a blank. Cindy Wilton’s son? Oh, I know who he is. It’s the boy who was at Opal Bowers’ office. What did he want?”
“He said he’d heard you were involved in an investigation through something he was told by a friend. He said he wanted to come and talk to you about it.”
Liz chuckled. “I expect he’s looking for a job, and telling me what he thinks I want to hear.”
“I don’t know,” Roger said. “He sounded pretty convincing.”
“When I talked to him, he told me he was just out of juvenile hall and looking for work.”
Roger raised his eyebrows.
“Well, at least he was honest,” Liz said. “I’d better call him and see if I can find out what he really wants.”
“I think that’s probably a good idea. He really did sound sincere.”
Liz made the call. “Hello, Ash? It’s Liz Lucas.”
“Oh, hey… Ms. Lucas.
” He added he name on the end of his greeting, realizing his manners had come up short.
“My husband said you called yesterday evening?”
“Yeah. I want to see you. It’s urgent.”
“Why, Ash?”
“Can’t say, the line could be tapped.”
Liz paused, sucking in her breath at this unexpected turn of conversation. Was he crazy? She laughed shakily. “Why, are the FBI onto us?”
“I’m serious.”
“Well, you can come here,” she said. Police were all over the place, so she felt safe and protected. “But how will you get here? Are you still in Gray?”
“I’ll hitch a ride,” he said. “And naw, I’m in Newton.” Liz recalled that Newton was a little closer to Red Cedar, only about an hour away.
“Are you sure you want to hitch a ride?”
“Yeah. I’m used to it.”
“Well, okay, if you insist.” She would have offered to pick him up herself, but she was still tired from yesterday, and last thing she wanted to do was any more driving.
“Wait,” Roger said. “How is he getting here?”
“Just a moment, Ash. Roger’s talking to me.” She turned to Roger and said, “Hitching.”
“I’ll go get him, if it’s not too far from here. Where is he?”
“Newton.”
“That’s not a problem,” he said, going back inside the lodge to get his car keys.
Liz took down the address and gave it to Roger for his GPS, then hung up the phone. “What you’re doing is really nice, Roger,” she said, “but why are you so eager to do this?”
“I don’t know,” he said. “I have a hunch he really does know something. ‘Missing piece of the puzzle’ comes to mind.”
Liz nodded. “Okay. And believe me, I hope your hunch is right.”
*****
Liz spent the time Roger was picking Ash up with Julita, Patsy, and Charlotte. They’d invited the lady who owned the baby boutique to the lodge, and had purchased some beautiful clothes for Charlotte’s baby.
“I’m not a fan of pink on baby girls,” Charlotte said, as she showed Liz the clothes that were primarily in colors of green and yellow.
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