Gloria's Inn

by Robin Alexander

  “I have called in the authorities from the mainland to do a more thorough investigation. They are also arranging for a dive team to come in and search for his remains. My sister has placed a few calls to the States to see if she could locate his family. In addition the Bahamian police are working with the States to see what they can find regarding his background. That’s all we have for now I’m afraid.”

  “Colie, do you have any idea who would do such a thing?” I asked trying to keep Adrienne out of the conversation. I knew she was upset by the way she clutched my hand.

  “We have no leads yet. I will probably have to question the guests and staff depending on our findings. Until then I would like to keep a lid on all of this.”

  “We understand.” I said speaking for the both of us.

  Shelby and Myra were beside themselves until the guests retired for the night. We sat at one of the tables in the bar with a bottle of spiced rum and four glasses while I relayed what we had learned. Myra became visibly pale, and I assumed she felt as I did hearing what Adrienne had said eerily confirmed.

  “How do we lead them to Hank?” Shelby asked.

  “Colie said that depending on what they found out, he might need to interview the guests and staff. Hopefully, by Hanks appearance alone they will suspect him, and dig a little deeper. I suppose we will have to wait and see.” Adrienne added.

  “Do we even know if Hank is still on the island? What if he has already left?” Myra asked.

  “He is still here.” Adrienne confirmed. “He is looking for something, and is very upset that he cannot find it. Leaving the island is not an option until he recovers what he has lost.

  “I take it you still don’t know what it is.” I said while Adrienne stole the cigarette that I had just lit.

  She smiled at me as she enjoyed the stolen cig. “No, but I do know that it is buried somewhere on the grounds of the Inn. Maybe we could do a little digging on our own. If we find what he is searching for and hide it again, then he will be forced to stay on the island. The longer he stays the better the chances that Colie will be able to find evidence to incriminate him.”

  Shelby shook her head. “Won’t he think it strange that we are digging too? He may realize that we are on to him than and decide to do something rash. I say let him get his shit and go. Whatever it is, it was worth killing a man for and frankly I don’t want to find it.”

  “Shelby we cant just let a cold blooded murderer go free.” Myra said as she rubbed the tension from Shelby’s shoulders. “We have to dig around in a way that it wont look suspicious to him.”

  A grin made its way across my face. I had a plan. “When we were clearing the land behind the cottages I noticed that there were all sorts of tropical plants growing wild around here. We can dig them up and replant them on our property. That will give us an excuse to dig around. If we find nothing, its no loss because we have improved the landscaping around the Inn.”

  Even Shelby approved of the plan. Tomorrow we planned to sketch out a couple of plans for our new landscaping project. Everyone agreed that we would have to start off slow with guests occupying the Inn. I was secretly afraid that we would find what Hank had been searching so fervently for. Making this a very dangerous venture. Hopefully, it would be something we could use to prove Hank had a motive.

  Chapter 9

  “Shelby make sure you get as much dirt around the roots as possible.” I grunted as I lifted the palm into the wheel burrow. “We may have to come back out here and dig up some more dirt to make the beds. There is so much sand in the soil on the island. This little thicket is the first place I have actually found something resembling dirt.”

  “Don’t worry Monkey Chop I got it under control. This is not the first time I have dug up a plant or two. You would not believe the honey do lists Myra has for me around the house. Sometimes, I have to go back to work for rest. Don’t let that feminine façade fool you she’s every bit as strong as I am. I think she just likes to bark orders.

  I took a break and sat on the edge of the wheel burrow. “Shelby, I’m worried about Adrienne. I know Hank doesn’t know anything about her gift of knowing things, but I cant help but feel the more she learns the more danger it will put her in. I cannot stand the thought of him roaming loose like this. He beat that man to death according to Adrienne with the intent of killing him. If he had an inkling that Adrienne possessed the power that she does, nothing would stop him from coming for her.”

  Shelby grimaced as she spoke. “That is why I was so opposed to this digging idea. What if he sees us doing it, and feels threatened? We already know what he does when he gets desperate.”

  “I know this is a stupid idea. It’s going to be like looking for a needle in a haystack, but I just can’t sit by and do nothing. We are in a no win situation. We’re stuck with him till he finds what he is looking for. I have a lot of respect for Colie, but we can’t put him on Hanks path without exposing Adrienne. I’m at a loss here.” I could feel the fear and frustration welling up in my throat, but there was no way I was going to loose it in front of anyone let alone Shelby.

  “I know Monkey Chop. All I am saying is we have to be very careful. In addition, to digging around the Inn I think we need to keep tabs on Hank. I would feel better knowing where he was at all times. Isn’t there some sort of project we can assign him to?”

  I sighed. “It would be a good idea to have him do something so we could keep an eye on him. What could we break that would keep him busy for a while?”

  “Let me ponder that while we head back to the Inn.” Shelby said as she grabbed the handles to the wheel burrow. “Now get your ass up Miss Daisy. I aint hauling you and these plants too.”

  Sitting in the cool of the bar Shelby and I discussed our plans with Adrienne and Myra. We brainstormed for a while till Myra suggested we flush tampons down the commodes till it stopped up the sewer. Disgusting, as it was it was the only plan we could come up with. That afternoon we put into action the plan we named “Massive flush.”

  Adrienne and I giggled as we nearly flushed an entire box of tampons. We were beginning to get worried that it wouldn’t work when the toilet finally began to back up. To add the icing on the cake, Billy sent Chris to inform us that he was having problems with his toilet too. I could just imagine that big goof sitting on the toilet with the funnies. It was enough to keep me from joining them for dinner that night.

  Adrienne and I made the trek over to Hanks place. It could only be described as a shack. I expected no less from the pirate. He met us as the door with a grunt. “Hi Hank.” Adrienne said trying to sound casual. “We have a major problem at the Inn. It seems the sewer is backing up again, and with the place full of guests we need some help quick.”

  After a string of curses, Hank assured us that he would be along shortly. I actually toyed with the idea of taking a self-guided tour of his mansion while he worked on the sewer, but thought better of it remembering what he looked like with that monkey wrench. Hopefully, that would be something that Colie and his team would undertake.

  When we arrived back at the Inn, Iris informed us that Colie was waiting for us at Adrienne’s cottage. We found him sitting at the table out front dining on a full plate of fried chicken with all the trimmings. It was obvious that Iris believed in the old adage. “The quickest was to a man’s heart was through his stomach.

  “Good evening ladies.” Colie greeted us warmly with a face covered in chicken debris. “I have some more news for you. “We will be working with the DEA on this one. Mr. Fallon had ties to a drug cartel that has been very active in the Bahamian Islands as well as the States. We believe his death was associated with drugs runners.”

  Adrienne and I exchanged glances. I became very concerned that they would start looking the wrong direction, which prompted my next move. I looked at Adrienne a moment pleading with her with my eyes. When she looked confused I tried to think of a crafty way to throw some suspicion in Hanks direction.

  “Colie, I have
noticed something strange going on and I hope you will humor my paranoia and look into it.” Colie set his chicken down and wiped his hands. He proceeded to take out his note pad and he and Adrienne looked at me expectantly.

  “We have a handyman working for us named Hank.” I felt Adrienne’s body stiffen as I spoke. She reached over and grabbed my knee with a grip so tight that I almost second-guessed brining it up.

  “He has been acting very strange since all of this began. Maybe it’s just me but I think it’s worth looking into.” I patted Adrienne’s hand under the table in an attempt to calm her and bring circulation back to my leg.

  “How so?” Colie’s brow furrowed waiting for me to continue.

  “He has been digging all around the grounds of the Inn. I became suspicious when he broke our sewer line. He said it was leaking and he dug it up to fix it, but the hole was big enough to bury an army in. When we cleared the land behind the cottages we found evidence of digging there also. I just find it very odd.”

  Colie sat silent for a moment. He looked at us both thoughtfully. “How would his digging be related to Brandon’s murder?”

  I truly realized Adrienne’s dilemma at that moment. Without telling him all that I knew the digging would seem unrelated. I was so frustrated, knowing that there was a killer in our midst and we were powerless to do anything about it.

  “Maybe its not Colie, but don’t you think its odd that a man who looks just like a pirate suddenly has the urge to dig up the grounds all around the Inn?” I sounded ludicrous to me as it rolled out of my mouth.

  “I don’t think Hank is connected to this, but I will run a background check on him just to be on the safe side. As I have said before we believe Brandon had ties to a drug cartel. I think he may have crossed the wrong person in his organization and came here to hide out. By no means is the investigation closed. We will continue to pursue what leads we have. I promise you both we will keep you informed.

  Also, we would like to interview the guests you have staying here. According to their background checks, there is nothing to tie any of them to Brandon Fallon. However, we intend to investigate everyone that has had anything to do with Brandon since his arrival, and since Hank is a member of your staff we will question him as well. Have you told the guests anything about the investigation?”

  Adrienne spoke for the first time. “Not much, but they have questioned his whereabouts. We told them that he was missing, and that you were searching the other Inns. They assumed he found someone to play with.”

  Good, lets keep a lid on this until we come to question them. No need to freak anyone out with the gory details.” Colie said as he got up to leave.

  When Colie left us, Adrienne abruptly got up from the table and went into her cottage. The slamming of the door was a sure indication that I had screwed up royally. Saber was kind enough to join me at the table and curled up in my lap. I smoked a cigarette and stroked the orange fur ball in my lap, giving Adrienne a little while to cool down.

  “Well cat man its time for me to take my beating.” I said as I got up and made my way to the door. When I walked into the room I was relieved to find no objects being hurled at me. I walked meekly into the bathroom where Adrienne reclined soaking in the bath.

  I put the seat down on the gurgling toilet and sat down ready to face the music. A pair of beautiful blue eyes focused on me and I shuddered seeing the anger there. “What in the hell did you think you were doing Hayden?” She asked trying to contain her anger.

  “Adrienne, I was afraid they were going to go off on a wild goose chase. I was trying to get Colie to focus on Hank.”

  “Just once, trust my instincts on this. I have lived with this thingy as you like to call it all of my life. You can’t just give someone a tidbit of info and hope they will see the big picture. I have no desire for the entire island to learn of my freakish little talent, not that they would take it seriously anyway.”

  “Baby you are not a freak. I would never expose your ability, that’s not my place. I am just worried about having a psycho pirate running around killing people and having the police looking the opposite direction. Nevertheless, I was wrong. I should have discussed it with you before I opened my mouth to Colie.”

  She looked at me for a long time. When I didn’t see forgiveness in her eyes I made my best attempt at puppy dog eyes. Receiving no favorable response I whipped out the big gun. I flashed a tit. Okay so it was a little gun but it got a giggle out of her.

  Hayden, we have to find what Hank is looking for before he does. That is the only way we are going to be able to convince Colie to look closer at him. We have to find a way to keep him busy so we can search for whatever it is he lost.”

  With that in mind I went to go check on the plumber pirate. I found him at the cleanout snaking the drain. A never-ending string of obscenities flew out of his mouth while he worked. I was glad when he turned down my offer to assist. I snickered all the way to the bar where I found Shelby and Myra.

  Upon entering the bar I found Billy butt head holding court and complaining about the problems the Inn was having with the sewer system. I apologized to all of the guests who seem to understand with the exception of Billy of course. In an attempt to rid us of the pudgy Harry Potter I offered to put up anyone who wanted to go to another Inn. Surprisingly, everyone insisted on staying saying the plumbing was only a minor inconvenience surprisingly Billy shut up then.

  Sarah had the bar under control, so I decided to spend a little time with Myra and Shelby. We sat at one of the tables off from the rest of the gang. None of them seemed to pay us any mind, which made me happy. I was not in the mood to field any questions regarding the disappearance of Brandon Fallon.

  Billy and Chris were playing cards with Annie and Liz. The Calypso music on the sound system had been swapped out for something they could dance to. Madyson and Emily moved into the middle of the floor when a slow song began to play. I was surprised to see Annie and Jerri go to the floor as well, leaving Jerri’s husband to talk to Liz.

  It was not uncommon for an occasional straight couple to come to the Inn, but this couple had made it blatantly obvious that they were looking to incorporate someone else into their bed. For the most part all the other couples seemed to avoid them but tonight Annie and Liz looked to be enjoying their company.

  For the first time since all of this messy business with Hank began, my attention was transfixed on something else. We all watched as Jerri and Annie slow danced. Jerri ran her fingertips up and down Annie’s back seductively. Annie seemed to enjoy her attentions, and Liz watched her lover in someone else’s arms with an amused expression.

  I glanced over at Shelby and Myra who sat watching the display. “Surely Annie and Liz are not going to entertain those two?” I said filling my glass with spiced rum.

  “Looks like it Monkey Chop. They have been as thick as thieves all night. To each his own I guess.” Shelby said as she swiped the bottle from me and began to fill her own glass.

  “How can Liz just sit there and let Jerri paw at Annie like that? I would loose my mind and the ass whoopings would commence.” Myra said in disgust as she stole Shelby’s glass of rum.

  “Hey Hayden. Did you every find that goofy ass Brandon?” Billy yelled from across the bar.

  “We assume he went off in search of a piece of ass, as you so eloquently put it.” Adrienne answered as she strolled into the bar. Effectively silencing the boisterous man as his lover Chris looked on in embarrassment.

  As she joined us at the table she filled us in with Hanks grisly discovery. “Hank is finished with the sewer line. He was cursing loudly at the pile of tampons he pulled out of the drain. We have to break something else that will be more time consuming.”

  We all groaned trying to think of something to keep the burley looking Hank occupied. “I think someone should take a look around his house while the rest of us keep him occupied.” Myra interjected.

  Shelby shook her head vehemently. “No way! What if he
catches us?

  “We will just have to make sure that doesn’t happen. It’s worth a try. Maybe it will speed up things. Shelby we are not leaving this island until that man is behind bars.” Myra said with conviction.

  To my surprise Adrienne agreed with Shelby. “I think we should give it a try. We need to think of another project for him to work on here at the Inn, while two of us sneak over to his place. I think we should do it tomorrow.”

  “Look!” Myra said in a hushed tone. We watched as Jerri and Richard left with Liz and Annie. “I don’t even want to think about what those four are going off to do.” Myra said as she stole another full glass of rum from Shelby.

  Our table exchanged glances with the group playing cards. I shrugged my shoulders, but Billy looked at me with a knowing smirk on his face. “I suppose some women are just as bad as us men.” He taunted from across the room.

  “Some women, but not this woman.” I said starring him back down.

  When all of the guests retired from the bar, Myra and Shelby helped us clean things up along with Sarah. I made a mental note to get Internet access for my laptop, so I could do some online shopping. Sarah and Iris deserved something special for their diligence.

  That night as we lay sleeping, Adrienne shook me awake. “Hayden get up now baby! There is a snake in Madyson and Emily’s cottage!”

  “That thingy works in your sleep?” I asked pulling on a pair of shorts.

  “No, I heard them screaming snake. Hurry!” She demanded as she beat through the door.

  I grabbed a very sleepy Saber from the bed and tucked him under my arm as I ran toward their cottage. He protested loudly as I made my way down the trail. I could feel the hair rising up down my spine thinking of what we might find entering their room.

  The door was wide open when we charged into their cottage. I almost snickered finding two completely naked women standing on top the bed pointing at the floor. “Its under the bed!” Madyson said as she shuddered in fear.