Murder on the Beach: A Diane Dimbleby Cozy Mystery

by Penelope Sotheby

  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 16

  After finishing their tea, Detectives Donnelly and Thom drove Diane to the police station. Instead of returning to an interrogation room, she was taken to the superintendent’s office. Superintendent Darren McDougall stood to greet Diane as she was led into his office by an assistant. Diane took a seat across from Superintendent McDougall who sat behind a massive wooden desk littered with files, empty coffee cups and what Diane assumed were pictures of his family. There were several awards, commendations and framed newspaper articles adorning the walls of his office.

  “Ms. Dimbleby, thank you for coming,” McDougall said. Diane started to say that there was no need to thank her because her visits to the police station had not exactly been completely voluntary of late but thought better of it. “Please call me Diane,” she said instead.

  “Diane, we have had the opportunity to interview Charles Godfrey, as well as the gallery owner, and have learned some information that may be of interest to you,” he said. “It certainly is of interest to us.”

  The superintendent explained that Maxwell Carter had made quite a name for himself as a photographer. A handful of wealthy socialites had taken notice of his work, purchasing whole exhibits at a time. His name then began to spread, and he received a number of offers to showcase his work, the last of which was at a local art gallery.

  “Yes, I saw his exhibit,” Diane said. “It was, well, um, eclectic.”

  “I suppose that is a good description of an exhibit that goes from a watering can to scantily dressed women,” the superintendent said.

  He went on to explain that the photographer was very interested in the female form, as evidenced by several exhibits. He often included nudes, usually ex-girlfriends. Diane was reminded of the photos she had seen of Detective Donnelly at the exhibit.

  “Did you know that Hazel Donnelly modeled for Maxwell Carter?” she asked. “There are pictures of her in the exhibit at the art center. She appears very young, but I am certain it is her.”

  The superintendent nodded. “Detective Donnelly has been very open about this,” he said. “When she first came onto the force, she disclosed this information. She is obviously not proud of what occurred, but as you have pointed out, the pictures were taken when she was young.”

  “Why didn’t you take her off of the case when it was discovered who the victim was?” Diane said. “I mean, considering her possible relationship with him.”

  “There was no reason to take her off the case because there was no relationship,” he said. “At least, not in the way you think. There was no personal relationship between Hazel Donnelly and Maxwell Carter.”

  “How can you be sure of that?” she asked.

  “I can be sure of that because I trust my detective,” he said. “She was very clear that it was an afternoon of modeling work several years ago, and there is no evidence to contradict that.”

  The superintendent explained that the erotic photos were big sellers for Maxwell and the galleries that showcased his work. In fact, the local gallery owner had encouraged him to shoot and include more nude photos.

  “Apparently the commission on the sales of the nude photos was substantial, and the gallery owner wanted his piece of the pie,” McDougall said. “As soon as one of the nudes sold, he was pressuring Mr. Carter for more.”

  Diane recalled her interaction with the gallery owner, and his dismissal of her to focus on the patrons he believed were wealthy enough to make large purchases. She could see based on his actions that he was more interested in money than art.

  “So Mr. Carter continued to enlist women for his exhibits, and his reputation of such continued to grow,” McDougall said. “Everything was running along smoothly for him until he started dating Angela Godfrey.”

  “Godfrey?” Diane said, suddenly realizing the connection. “I take it Angela Godfrey is Charles Godfrey�
�s daughter.”

  “Correct,” he said. “I understand you had an interaction with her.”

  “I suppose an interaction is one way to put it,” she said. “I also take it that Charles did not approve of his daughter’s selection of suitor.”

  “Correct again,” he said. “When Charles Godfrey learned his daughter was dating such a “cad”—his words, not mine—he became annoyed at first, and then when his daughter did not end things, angry. Being a highly respected and powerful lawyer in this area, he did not want his daughter or his name associated with such things.”

  After he had discovered the relationship, Charles Godfrey demanded his daughter end the relationship. Angela, being her father’s daughter, flat-out refused. She had decided that she was in love with Maxwell and had no intention of acquiescing to her father.

  “Charles did not hide his disdain for either Maxwell Carter or the relationship with his daughter,” McDougall said. “Mr. Carter was very well aware of how his girlfriend’s father felt.”

  With this information, Diane thought of another reason why Maxwell would have been so insolent to her at the beach. He may have thought she was trying to sabotage his work on Charles’ behalf. After all, they had spent a fair amount of time together talking at the wedding. It was possible that Maxwell either saw the two together at some point or was made aware of the connection.

  “Mr. Godfrey has continued to deny he committed the murder,” McDougall said. “But I expect we will have a confession soon enough.”

  “I wouldn’t be so sure,” Diane said.

  “Detectives Donnelly and Thom are on it,” he said. “They will get the confession.”

  “No, I mean they shouldn’t bother,” she said.

  “What?” he asked. “Why ever not?”

  “Charles Godfrey did not kill Maxwell Carter,” Diane said.

  “What makes you say that?” the superintendent asked. “Based on the evidence and the way he pulled a gun on you, he is certainly on the top of the suspect list. And there is not denying he had a motive.”

  “The reasoning behind his actions are not those of a murderer,” she said.

  “Well, then whose actions are?” he asked.

  “Do you have the photos that were on the memory card?” she asked.

  “Yes, I have copies of them here,” he said.

  Superintendent McDougall pulled the photographs from a folder on his desk and laid them out in front of him. Diane rose and stood next to him behind the desk.

  “May I?” she asked, reaching for the photos.

  “Be my guest,” he said.

  Diane picked through the photos until she found one of Angela that displayed her arm and the photo that showed the killer’s leg. She placed the two next to one another and turned toward McDougall.

  “Here is a picture of Angela’s arm,” she began. “You can clearly see it is her, and that she has a tattoo on her arm declaring her love for Matthew.”

  “Yes,” the superintendent said. “That only bolster’s the theory that Charles Godfrey is the killer. I am quite sure he was as unhappy with the tattoo as he was with the relationship. Perhaps even more so.”

  “I have no doubt, but I dare say he was not the only one,” she said, picking up the picture of the leg. “As it appears to be the very last one taken, this photo likely shows the killer’s leg.”

  “That is a fair assumption,” McDougall said.

  “The leg in this picture has a scarred, ugly mark on it,” Diane said. “It looks almost like a burn, but it is not. This mark was left when a tattoo was removed. I am quite certain it was another tattoo regarding Angela and Maxwell’s relationship, and the leg in the photo belongs to Angela.”

  “How could you possibly know any of that?” McDougall asked.

  Diane explained that the mark on the leg had reminded her of a woman back in Apple Mews. The woman, Judith Moseley, had been somewhat naïve in her youth about a man she had met. Judith was sure that the man was her soul mate, and she had a similar tattoo placed on her leg thinking they would spend their lives together. A few months after her tribute to the relationship, Judith learned that the man was married and had no intention of carrying on the tryst with her.

  “Judith could not bear to look at the tattoo every day, so she decided to have it removed,” Diane said. “She found a dermatologist and endured laser removal. The process left a very similar type of scar on her leg.”

  “Why would Angela have the tattoo removed?” he said.

  “That’s why,” Diane said, pointing to the pictures of the other woman on the memory card. “She must have discovered that Maxwell was seeing another woman and realized that their relationship was just like all of his other relationships. I suspect Angela has already scheduled the appointment to remove the tattoo on her arm.”

  “It is possible that Charles found all of this out as well and was trying to protect his daughter,” McDougall said.

  “Oh, it is more than possible,” Diane said. “Remember, I said that the reasoning behind his actions were not those of a murderer. I believe the reasoning is exactly what you have stated—a father wanting to protect his daughter. I do believe that is why Charles was so interested in helping me, turning up almost instantly whenever called.”

  “He did point a gun at you,” McDougall said.

  “Yes, but he did not fire the gun at me,” she retorted. “And he certainly had the opportunity to. No, I think that the person capable of murder here is the woman scorned.”

  Diane theorized that Angela likely found out about the other girl several weeks earlier. “After all,” she said. “It takes more than a few days to remove a tattoo. I expect she had that done immediately and continued plotting her revenge.”

  “If he was done with her, how did she know about his trip to the beach?” he asked.

  “I don’t think he was quite done with her, at least not yet, and she certainly was not done with him,” Diane said. “She would not have let on that she knew about the other woman, or that would have ruined her opportunity for retribution. Angela was biding her time and must have followed him daily waiting for her opportunity to pounce.”

  Diane decided that Angela must have been watching Maxwell set up his photo shoot on the beach the day of the murder. When Diane and Maxwell appeared to be arguing after she had picked up his umbrella, Angela knew that it was the perfect opportunity to take care of her cheating boyfriend while pointing the evidence to someone else.

  “As soon as I touched that umbrella, I suspect everything fell into place in Angela’s mind,” Diane said. “The terse conversation between us only helped her.”

  “How do you think she was able to pull this off without you seeing her?” McDougall asked.

  “I went about my business immediately after speaking with him,” she said. “And there was no one around on the beach when I left. I suspect that as soon as I was well out of sight, Angela approached Maxwell. She could have even surprised him while he was setting up his photo shoot again. In fact, I am sure based on the series of photos that this is exactly what happened.”

  Diane went over the photos again with Superintendent McDougall, pointing out the sequence of photos that ended abruptly with the picture of the leg. Angela interrupted the photo shoot, likely causing an argument. After all, this was at least the second time Maxwell had attempted the same thing and was interrupted.

  “Perhaps she grabbed the camera from him when she approached him, and it went off,” Diane said. “That would explain the angle of the leg shot and would have given her the opportunity to remove the memory card from the camera.”

  Once the memory card was removed, the argument likely escalated further. Angela, enraged by the other woman, grabbed the umbrella and drove it into Maxwell’s chest. With no one else on the beach, she wiped her prints off of the umbrella and the camera and hurried away.

  “Then how did she know who you were, and where to plant the memory card?” he asked.

  “Angela had
been following Maxwell for days, probably even weeks,” Diane said. “My chalet is right near the beach. She must have watched me leave.”

  Diane believed that after Angela saw Diane get on the tour bus, she went to the window of the chalet she saw Diane coming from, climbed through and hid the memory card under a couch cushion. She also thought it unlikely that any fingerprints would be found, as Angela had been extremely careful about removing her prints from the crime scene and leaving only Diane’s.

  “She ultimately realized later that while the memory card could implicate me in the murder, there was also a possibility it could implicate her,” she said. “I expect she was working on pure adrenaline when she rushed to place it in my possession and did not consider the possibility that it could implicate her as well.”

  Once reality set in for Angela, she was desperate to get the memory card back to make sure that there were no photos on it that would point to her as a suspect. Angela expected there to be photos from the beach shoot, but it did not occur to her until after she planted the memory card at Diane’s that there could be other photos as well. Despite the amount of time Angela and Maxwell had spent together, she did not know his work habits—specifically when he cleaned off his memory card.

  “When Angela approached me, she gave me quite a convincing sob story about why she was looking for the photos,” Diane said. “It was clear she was desperate to get her hands on the memory card. And when I did not help, she called in her father.”

  “So you don’t think Charles told her anything about the murder or you before then?” McDougall asked.

  “Not until she had to get the memory card,” she said. “I think it was just coincidence that I had met Charles at the wedding and called him when I realized I was suspected of something. He learned later from his daughter what had occurred when she could not get the memory card back. After he had tried and failed to get access to the memory card as my lawyer, he became desperate and confronted me.”