Murder on the Beach: A Diane Dimbleby Cozy Mystery

by Penelope Sotheby

  “Good evening, detectives,” she said. “I was not expecting to see you so soon. Please come in. Can I get you something to drink? Coffee, perhaps?”

  “No, thank you,” Detective Donnelly said. “We are fine. We just need to talk a bit more.”

  “I feel like I have told you absolutely everything I know,” Diane said.

  “Perhaps, but we have some follow-up questions,” Detective Donnelly said. “Did you know Maxwell Carter was a photographer?”

  “As I have told you that I did not know the man, then surely you would understand that I would have had no knowledge of what his occupation or hobbies are,” Diane said, sounding more than frustrated.

  “So that is a no,” Detective Thom said.

  “No, I did not know he was a photographer when I first encountered him,” Diane said. “I did, however, find out today when I went to the market. There was a photograph of him with a short biography under it stating he was a photographer and had a local exhibit.”

  “We are looking for something related to his profession as a photographer that might give some insight into his death,” Detective Donnelly said. “Do you mind if we look around your room and your car?”

  “What exactly are you looking for?” Diane asked, suspecting she already knew what the answer would be.

  “His camera or the memory card from it,” Detective Thom said. “Both are missing. We believe there may be some pictures that may point to who killed him.”

  “And what makes you think that it would be in my possession?” Diane asked.

  “You were the last known person to see him alive,” he said. “We are just covering all our bases.”

  Diane took a deep breath before responding. “Detectives, you have already covered all of your bases with me,” she said. “You know that I could not have killed Maxwell Carter, and I have explained ad nauseam that I did not know the man. Perhaps if you are looking for someone who might have actual knowledge of where he keeps his camera equipment, you should talk to his girlfriend, Angela.”

  The detectives looked at one another, a puzzled looked on each of their faces.

  “How do you know that Maxwell Carter had a girlfriend named Angela?” Detective Donnelly asked.

  “Because I have met her,” Diane said. “In fact, I met her only today.”

  Diane recounted the events of the afternoon to the detectives, explaining that she had been approached by Angela when she returned from the store. She explained how interested Angela was in finding the camera or memory card due to some compromising pictures that Maxwell had taken of her.

  “She seemed very upset about the photos,” Diane said.

  “Why would she think that you had them?” Detective Donnelly asked.

  “I suppose because she knew I interacted with him on the beach,” Diane said. “Although I am not sure how she knew. In fact, I find it extremely odd that not only did she know about what happened, but where I was staying. I don’t suppose that either of you told her about me, did you?”

  “No ma’am,” Detective Thom said. “We do not comment to civilians on pending investigations. Did she say anything else?

  “She did not. Now, I would be happy to let you search my home away from home here, and my car,” she said. “But not without a warrant.”

  The detectives frowned as they put away their notebooks and stood to leave.

  “Are you sure this is how you want to play it, Diane?” Detective Donnelly asked.

  “Oh yes, that is exactly what I would like to do,” Diane said. “I believe my life and liberties have been intruded upon enough during my short time here in Devon. There has been someone in the room going through my things already, and it’s not going to happen again without a warrant.”

  Diane followed the detectives to the door and, before they left, questioned Detective Donnelly about the photographs of her she had seen earlier.

  “By the way, Detective Donnelly, did you know Maxwell Carter?” Diane asked.

  Detective Donnelly seemed somewhat surprised by the question and took a moment too long to reply.

  “Yes I did,” she said. “Although I did not know him very well, I had met him before. Anyway, I’ll have you remember that it is not your place to ask the police questions. That is our job.”

  “It’s a bit strange that you did not know him well,” Diane said, with a small smile she could not stop appearing at the corner of her lips. “After I saw the picture of Maxwell in the electronics store, I decided to go and view some of his photography. I noticed a picture of you in his exhibit. It was a young and barely clothed Hazel Donnelly, but it was definitely you.”

  Diane’s comments obviously flustered the detective, and she quickly looked down to hide her embarrassment. It appeared she was going to make some reply, but instead she left quietly and quickly with Detective Thom following behind her. Diane shut and locked the door and returned to fixing her dinner. She boiled the pasta, cooked down the tomatoes in some garlic and olive oil and tossed everything together with a bit of parmesan. When Diane was finally able to sit down to eat, she found that she was not as hungry as she had been before the detectives came.

  Chapter 12

  After cleaning up the kitchenette and putting away the leftover pasta, Diane sat down in front of her laptop to do a little more writing on her novel. Inside was feeling a little stuffy, so she decided to open the window for some fresh air. As her hand reached out to open the latch, a troubling thought occurred to her. Diane was certain that she had closed the window before her day on the beach when she encountered Maxwell Carter and his umbrella. She could not shake the feeling that someone had been in her room sometime that day or evening before she returned. Diane had assumed that if someone was in her room, it was because they were looking for something to take out of it. A panic began to envelop her as she considered the possibility that the person or people could have been leaving something instead. Someone could be trying to frame her for Maxwell Carter’s murder. Her mind immediately went to the memory card.

  “How would I even begin to find the bloody thing?” she wondered aloud. A memory card would be small enough to hide almost anywhere. Then she remembered something that might be able to help her. In a recent novel, one of Diane’s characters was looking for a piece of jewelry and used a vacuum, piece of string and a scarf to search her car. If this memory card was in her room, that might be just the way to find it. She commandeered a vacuum cleaner from a closet in the lobby area, pulled a stocking out of her suitcase and used a rubber band to secure the stocking to the end of the hose. She turned on the vacuum and began to slowly and methodically search every space in her room. She started with the bedroom area, pushing the hose far underneath the bed and running it along the baseboards. She ran the stocking-sealed hose through drawers, in cabinets and behind furniture and appliances. After about 20 minutes of searching, Diane had found dust bunnies, loose change and small pieces of paper, but no memory card. She began to wonder if perhaps she was overreacting until she shoved the hose between the couch cushions and something caught.

  Diane pulled the hose out, expecting a coin, when she saw a small black plastic rectangle. She pulled it off and saw that it was a digital camera memory card. She stared at the card, a sense of unease flowing through her as she realized that someone really had invaded her privacy. She turned the vacuum off and let the memory card fall to the top of one of the couch cushions. Looking at the card made Diane very nervous, and considering her previous treatment by the detectives, her first instinct was to get rid of it. Diane grabbed a paper towel, picked up the card and hurried outside. She looked around the garden area until she found a flat rock. Diane pried up the rock, wrapped the memory card in the paper towel to protect it and placed it under the rock. After replacing the rock, she patted the dirt back around the rock to disguise that it had been moved. When she returned to her room, she took the vacuum back to the hall closet and readied herself for bed. Before laying down, she double checked the latches on a
ll the windows and the lock on the door.

  Chapter 13

  Shortly after Diane finished her breakfast the next morning, there came a brisk knock at the door. She looked through the peephole and again found Detectives Thom and Donnelly standing outside. As she invited the detectives in, they showed her a warrant to search the premises. Diane took the warrant and reviewed it, noting the language referred to evidence related to or used in the commission of a criminal offense.

  “Seriously detectives?” Diane asked. “I thought that it had been decided that I had nothing to do with Maxwell Carter’s murder.”

  “The evidence leans toward you not being physically able to commit the murder,” Detective Thom said. “There is still probable cause to believe that you may be involved or, based on your assertion that someone was in here without your knowledge, something of interest to the case in your possession.”

  Diane sighed and requested Charles Godfrey’s presence for the search. The detectives reluctantly agreed to wait a short time until the lawyer arrived. Diane took her cell phone from her purse and called Charles, explaining that the police were in her chalet with a search warrant. Diane was surprised when Charles joined Diane and the detectives only fifteen minutes later. When he arrived, the detectives gave him the warrant. He reviewed it and nodded.

  “Everything appears to be in order, and it appears you were able to convince a judge to sign,” he said. “Although I dare say the probable cause for this search is thin by any standards, but that can be dealt with down the line should it become necessary.”

  “Right, then we will get started,” Detective Thom said. “If you will please stand to the side and let us do our job.”

  The detectives put on latex gloves and began their search, while Charles led Diane to a small sitting area for a private discussion.

  “Well, I suspect this must be becoming very stressful,” he asked Diane. “Are you okay?”

  “I believe so,” she said. “I’m just getting extremely frustrated with the situation, but I do so appreciate you coming so very quickly. It’s like you were just around the corner!”

  “Of course,” he said. “It was the right decision to call me. We do not want these detectives, or anyone with the police station for that matter, to make assumptions should anything be found. It is important that you call me anytime there is a chance of new evidence.”

  “I agree,” Diane said. “And I absolutely will.” She felt a slight sense of guilt at not being able to tell him about what she had already discovered.

  Detectives Donnelly and Thom spent almost two hours searching Diane’s chalet, going through every cabinet, cushion, corner, computer file and piece of clothing she had. She found it quite unnerving and even a little embarrassing at times, but was relieved when nothing of interest to the case was located. Well, nothing else, she thought. She expected the memory card was still safely under the rock outside and hoped that the detectives found no reason to search in the garden.

  “I think we are done in here,” Detective Thom said. “Do not plan on leaving, just yet, however. Depending on the evidence we are continuing to collect in this case, the forensics team may need to come back and do some testing on the mysterious opening window.”

  Diane was unsure if Detective Thom was being sarcastic about the window, but decided at this point she did not care. She was just ready for everyone to leave her be, mainly so she could retrieve the memory card and review what might be on it privately.

  “I plan to stay a few more days, but I cannot stay here indefinitely for you to keep questioning me about something I had nothing to do with,” Diane said, although she did plan on staying to continue her own investigation into what occurred.

  Diane thanked Charles, who left with the detectives. She looked out of her window and watched Charles speaking with the detectives as they stood next to the garden area. Her eyes lingered on the rock until movement caused her to look back to Charles and the detectives. Just as she decided to go outside to find out what they were discussing, it appeared their conversation was over. They all walked toward their cars, got in and left. Diane made a mental note to ask Charles what he had been discussing with the detectives the next time she saw him.

  Chapter 14

  After waiting for about thirty minutes, Diane looked outside and saw no sign of the detectives or Charles. She walked outside to the garden area and continued to look around for any sign of unwanted visitors. Satisfied that no one was watching, she picked up the rock, quickly grabbed the paper towel holding the memory card and put it into her pocket. She then put the rock back, making sure it was in exactly the same spot, and hurried inside. Diane realized she was lucky that while they had searched her electronic devices, they had not taken them into evidence for further searches. She was extremely eager to see what was on the memory card but also nervous about what traces might be left behind on her computer. Deciding that what was on the memory card was proof of her lack of involvement in the crime and considering the detective had not technically asked her if she knew where the memory card was after she found it, Diane powered up her laptop and inserted the card.

  It turned out Angela’s concerns over the pictures were somewhat warranted. There were several black and white photos of Angela and Maxwell in various stages of undress, although nothing completely nude. Diane thought the photos appeared to show a loving couple that was comfortable with each other. Angela even had a small tattoo on her upper arm that read “Angela & Maxwell Forever.” The next photos on the card seemed to contradict the tattoo as they pictured Maxwell with another woman. These photos also showed various stages of undress. Diane did not recognize her but wondered if this was meant to be art or something more. The final pictures on the card were of great interest to Diane, and certainly would be of great interest to the police. A series of photos showed the umbrella rolling across the beach, and Diane grabbing it right before it was lifted out to sea.

  Diane now understood why Maxwell was so upset with her when she grabbed the umbrella. He was in the midst of an artistic photo shoot, and she had mistakenly ruined it. Diane recalled the photos she had seen in the exhibit at the local art center, and the images of the umbrella she saw on the memory card fit the photographer’s style. Still, she thought, he could have simply explained what he was trying to do instead of being so rude. Diane continued looking through the pictures that were taken after the one of her grabbing the umbrella. It looked like Maxwell had tried to redo the shoot. There were a number of pictures of the umbrella, followed by pictures of the sky and then the sand. The next picture on the card really caught Diane’s attention when she noticed a person’s leg.

  It had to be the killer’s leg, she thought, and it was certainly a leg that could be easily identified. Although slightly out of focus, there was some type of ugly mark or scar on the leg. A burn mark perhaps, Diane thought. The more she looked at it, the more she felt something familiar about the mark on the leg.

  “Judith Moseley,” she said to herself, staring at the picture. The picture of the leg was the last one of the memory card, so it had to be the person who killed Maxwell Carter. Diane sat down on her chair, relieved that there was now some evidence of the killer as well as concerned that someone had put the memory card in her room. She could think of no explanation as to who could have known when she would not be around or who could have had such easy access. Diane was sure that if she told the detectives about what she had found, they likely would come back and check for fingerprints on the window. Drat, she thought, how was she going to tell the detectives about this? In hindsight, perhaps it would have been better for them to find the card during their search as the pictures clearly showed she did not attack or otherwise harm Maxwell Carter. She would have to find a way to get it to the police. Diane decided that a phone call to Charles Godfrey was now warranted. She fished her cell phone from her bag and dialed his number.

  “Hello?” he answered.

  “Charles, this is Diane Dimbleby,” she said
. “I’m sorry to bother you so soon after you’ve gone, but I’ve gotten somewhat of a sticky wicket situation.”

  “No bother at all, Diane,” he said. “Are those detectives back again?”

  “No,” she said. “At least, not yet. I actually came across a memory card in my couch after everyone left.”

  “I see,” Charles said. “Stay right there, and do not call anyone else. I will be over shortly to retrieve it from you.”

  Charles’ offer seemed strange to Diane. Perhaps he was just trying to protect her, but why would he want to come and get the memory card from her? She had expected him to make arrangements to meet her at the police station.

  “Thank you, Charles, but there is no need for you to come get it,” she said. “I prefer to take it to Detective Donnelly and Detective Thom myself. I just thought you would like to know what had happened. I would be grateful if you would meet me at the station.”

  Charles was silent for a few seconds before replying. “Sure, sure,” he said. “Don’t go just yet. I have some time-sensitive tasks I need to get done.”

  “Of course,” she said. “I’ll have lunch here and then head that way in about an hour.”

  “Good then,” he said, hanging up the phone rather abruptly.

  Chapter 15

  After waiting for about thirty minutes, Diane looked outside and saw no sign of the detectives or Charles. She walked outside to the garden area and continued to look around for any sign of unwanted visitors. Satisfied that no one was watching, she picked up the rock, quickly grabbed the paper towel holding the memory card and put it into her pocket. She then put the rock back, making sure it was in exactly the same spot, and hurried inside. Diane realized she was lucky that while they had searched her electronic devices, they had not taken them into evidence for further searches. She was extremely eager to see what was on the memory card but also nervous about what traces might be left behind on her computer. Deciding that what was on the memory card was proof of her lack of involvement in the crime and considering the detective had not technically asked her if she knew where the memory card was after she found it, Diane powered up her laptop and inserted the card.