by Tabitha Tate
Beth entered a dark narrow hallway at the back of the building. The sound of running water was audible in the distance and there was a dank smell in the air. Beth headed off towards the sound of water, judging each step carefully in order to avoid stepping in the dark gaping holes in the floor. Thin slivers of light from the security lights outside streamed in through the boarded-up window boards and Beth could make out a restroom sign on a door a few feet away.
“Thank Goodness,” she whispered under her breath. The toilet was not very clean and the washbasin was covered in a thick layer of dust. Beth finished up, washed her hands and dried them on the back of her pants before heading back out into the hallway.
She was halfway down the corridor when she heard the sound of voices coming from the eastern wing of the building. The knot in her stomach turned to panic when she heard the sound of a roller door, the screech of tires and the sound of a woman’s voice followed by a gunshot. Her first instinct was to hot foot it out of there as fast as her comfy sneakers would take her but a little voice inside kept telling her that she had better go and see if anyone had been injured. Beth worried that Piper Pots may have been shot—if so she would need urgent medical assistance.
Beth sprang into action. She ran down the hallway, darting and jumping to avoid the holes in the floor. She ran towards the part of the building that the gunshot had sounded from, trying to stay in the shadows to avoid being seen. At the end of the hallway she saw a large open storage space. She slowed down and crept behind a large container to assess the scene playing out in front of her.
A thin woman in her mid-twenties with a head of wild curly blonde hair stood chatting to a plump older woman with a mop of bright red hair as three young men in black clothes unpacked black plastic bags from a white minivan with the words “Al’s Diner” written on the side in bold lettering. Beth gasped. She did not recognize the young woman with the blonde curly hair but she had no doubt as to the identity of the second woman. She recognized Allison Landon’s plump stature and red hair immediately and the words “Al’s Diner” on the side of the minivan were a dead giveaway. What on earth was Allison Landon doing in a deserted warehouse at the harbor at this time of night?
Beth scanned the floor and she could see no sign of anyone with a gunshot wound but there were two mean-looking men with big muscles and machine guns standing on either side of the roller door. Only then did it occur to her that the sound she had heard was probably the sound of the minivan backfiring and not a gunshot. Damn. Beth stood frozen behind the shipping container and watched the two women carrying on, talking as if it was the most normal thing in the world to be unpacking a minivan filled with drugs in a deserted warehouse late at night. One of the young men took the last black bag out of the van and packed it in a shipping container before signaling for the men to finish up. Allison Landon went over to inspect the packed container and called for the curly blonde to follow her. Beth peered out to try and get a closer look, craning her neck around the side of the container only to see the biggest spider she had ever seen crawl across her hand. It was a large silvery spider with legs banded in black and yellow and Beth had just placed her hand through the center of its giant silken web. A stifled scream sounded from her lips before she could stop herself.
Allison Landon signaled to the two muscled thugs at the door and before she had the chance to run, they were dragging her out from behind the container. They dragged her to the minivan, where Allison stood waiting with the curly blonde at her side.
“What shall we do with her, Big Al?” asked thug number one.
Allison had a look of annoyance on her face. She patted Beth down and found the pistol tucked into her sock, which she took and placed in her purse.
Allison looked worried. A frown spread across her face as she looked around the room at the three young men, the two armed thugs and finally her eyes settled on the curly blonde.
“Piper, do you know anything about this?” she asked angrily.
The blonde didn’t say a word, simply shook her head. Allison turned to the men who were looking at her wide-eyed.
“Do any of you know anything about this?” she yelled and pointed a chubby finger at Beth. They all shook their heads in unison.
Beth cleared her throat and said, “I was just looking for a bathroom, I needed to use the toilet.” Big Al laughed hysterically and squinted her beady blue eyes at Beth.
“That’s the oldest excuse in the book. Don’t patronize me, dear.”
Big Al scanned the room again, looked over at the two armed thugs and signaled in Beth’s direction with a small jerk of her head. “Tie her up,” Allison barked, then looked over at Piper and said, “her too.”
Thug number two tied Beth and Piper together back to back with their feet and arms bound together and secured their feet to the overhead crane that was normally used for lifting and stacking shipping containers.
“What do you want us to do with them, boss?” asked thug number two as he hoisted the two women into the air using a hand-held crane remote.
“Get rid of them,” replied Allison, before walking towards the minivan. Beth started to panic and started screaming uncontrollably. Thug number one came over and hit her hard over the head with the back of his gun, causing her to pass out. Piper dug her chin down and spoke into the microphone between her breasts.
“Mayday…Mayday…I require an evacuation, ASAP!”
Within seconds the warehouse was engulfed in flashing blue lights and a SWAT team had banged down the roller door. The two armed thugs looked bewildered and stood frozen. Big Al whipped Beth’s pistol from her purse and started firing wildly as she raced to the minivan. Beth came to just in time to see Lola the ex-police dog jumping up to bite Allison on the arm, disarming her instantly.
The police managed to get the situation under control and all the gang members were taken into custody. Chase Crawford ran over and lowered Beth and Piper to the floor, before engulfing Beth in his strong arms.
“What were you thinking, pretty lady. I thought I had lost you there for a second.”
Chapter 9
Beth sat in interrogation room number one of the Bartholomew Bay Police Department, staring at the cup of coffee in front of her. The room was sparsely furnished with a single wooden table and two plastic chairs on either side of the table. Beth was tired; she had been going over the events that had taken place at the warehouse with Sheriff Hunter and Detective Brady for the past six hours. The paramedics at the scene had examined the bump on her head and found no reason for concern. Sheriff Hunter was furious and had been reading her the riot act for hours. Beth was convinced that he was deliberately stretching things out to punish her. Beth had been answering the same questions over and over again…
“I went to the harbor to try and warn you and Officer Pots that you were in danger.”
“Yes…I know that I nearly compromised your entire operation.”
“No I was not a member of Big Al’s gang.”
“I went into the warehouse because I needed to use the toilet.”
Beth answered his questions for what seemed like the hundredth time before she snapped. “Look, I am tired and I need to get some sleep, so either you arrest me or let me go!”
Sheriff Hunter looked over at her and placed his frameless glasses on the thick manila folder in front of him. He was in his early sixties, with silver hair and a rounded belly, kind blue eyes and bushy eyebrows. Beth thought that he reminded her a little bit of her father.
“Now you listen to me, what happened last night was an absolute fiasco. Never in my forty years on the force have I encountered such a complete disregard for police authority. Now I realize that you may have had good intentions, but if you ever interfere in one of my investigations again, I will have you arrested for obstruction of justice. Are we clear?” The sheriff’s lip was curled and his bushy eyebrows were drawn in together, forming a “v” shape where the bridge of his nose ended between his eyes.
Beth
nodded demurely before turning the tables on him. “Sheriff Hunter, now that we are done with that bit of unpleasantness, I am hoping you can answer a few of my questions.”
A wry smile crept across the sheriff’s tanned face. “What do you want to know, Ms. Andrews?”
“Well I have been looking into my mother’s death and I have come to the conclusion that it was murder. Why did you not consider the findings of the county coroner when you made the decision to rule the case a suicide?”
The sheriff was in an accommodating mood. “I considered the findings of the coroner and immediately became suspicious that her death was somehow connected to the gang’s drug activities. I knew that we were planning a big bust and I couldn’t let your mother’s murder spook Allison into fleeing so I ruled it as a suicide with the intention of re-opening the case once we had the gang in custody.”
Beth was at a loss for words; she had not expected that at all. “Do you think Allison murdered my mother? Why?”
“Well I did think so initially. I had pretty strong evidence that Allison had been blackmailing Mary-Ellen in an attempt to get her to stop growing and supplying medical marijuana in the community. Allison has been selling drugs from her diner and your mother’s little operation was reducing her market share.”
“Selling drugs directly from the diner? But how?” asked Beth.
“I discovered her little operation quite by chance…I ate one of her chocolate brownies late one afternoon, only to discover that it contained an interesting ingredient…let’s just say it made for an interesting dinner conversation with my wife,” replied the sheriff sheepishly.
Beth immediately thought of the strange conversation between Bert and Allison at the diner and suddenly it all made sense.
“Well, have you questioned her yet? Did she murder my mother?” Beth asked excitedly.
“I have questioned her, Beth. She admitted to selling drugs but she was adamant that she had nothing to do with Mary-Ellen’s blackmail or death. Had an alibi too. She was having surgery—had laser treatment for her varicose veins. I checked with the clinic; they confirmed that she had the treatment on the afternoon your mother died.”
Beth was not convinced of Allison’s innocence. “Perhaps she paid someone else to commit the murder.”
“Highly unlikely; your mother knew her killer. She invited them in and drank a glass of red wine with them—a stranger would never have been invited into the house,” replied the sheriff. Beth had to admit, he made a very good point.
“If Allison didn’t do it, the only other suspects are Bernard and Jack Reynolds. Bernard told me he saw you arguing with Mom in the garden the day before her death. I have my suspicions that he was trying to make me think you were a suspect so that I wouldn’t investigate him. I am almost certain that he forged my mother’s will.”
Walt Hunter looked visibly upset. “Bernard is a cunning man and I wouldn’t put it past him to have forged your mother’s will but he is no killer. I was arguing with your mother in the garden the day before she died. I was trying to get her to stop growing and selling marijuana because I felt that her life was in danger. She wouldn’t listen, told me that the elderly could not afford to get it elsewhere. I threatened to arrest her if she carried on. I only wish I had arrested her that day—she might still be alive.”
The conversation with Sheriff Hunter left Beth disappointed; she had been hoping to get answers that would unveil her mother’s murderer. She got answers alright but they all led to a dead end. She was no closer to solving her mother’s murder than she had been at the start of all of this. The only positive thing to come out of the discussion was the sheriff’s concession that her mother had not committed suicide.
Something still didn’t add up though.
“Allison told me that Mom had been a great help to her husband Johnny. After learning about Mom’s little pot operation I assumed that she meant Mom was supplying her husband with medical marijuana. Why would Allison be getting pot from Mom if she was the mastermind behind a large drug cartel operating out of the Bay?”
The sheriff looked over at Detective Brady and said, “Are you taking notes?” The sheriff then turned to Beth.
“Allison is a cunning woman and a very good crook. Once she learned about your mother supplying pot to the elderly in the area she decided to do a little investigating. It was quite fortunate for her that Johnny did indeed have leukemia—she used his illness as a means to sample what your mother was growing. It was good stuff, a lot better than anything she could get her hands on. At first she tried to get a seedling from your mother under the premise of growing it for Johnny but your mother would not give in to her request. This provided us with the perfect opportunity to infiltrate the gang. I had Piper come to town; she went undercover as a biochemistry graduate who specializes in genetically modified plants. It wasn’t long before Allison approached her with a sample of your mother’s pot and asked if she would be able to grow a similar strain.”
Beth had to admit, it all made sense. There were no loose ends that didn’t add up.
“Well, that seems to answer all my questions. Thank you, Sheriff Hunter.”
Beth took her handbag and walked out of the interrogation room where she met Chase who was waiting outside. He was still wearing the blue golf shirt and faded jeans he had been wearing the night before and he looked exhausted. Lola lay sleeping at his feet.
Chase’s eyes lit up when he saw her. “Are you alright, Beth?”
“I’m fine,” groaned Beth. “Please can you take me home? I need to get some sleep.”
~
Beth woke up in the late afternoon. The ocean was full of tiny waves and the late afternoon sun peered out lazily from beyond the horizon, casting longs rays of golden light onto the wooden floor. The window was cracked open and the sheer white curtains in the main bedroom were billowing in the gentle ocean breeze. The salty smell of the sea was invigorating. Beth lay on the bed breathing in deep gulps of crisp sea air. The intense taste of salt lay on her lips and she could almost taste the lingering scent of water and leafy green seaweed. Beth looked down at her naked legs and wished she had the time to catch some sun on the beach. It would have been nice to return to Boston with a nice brown tan. Beth heard the sound of paws clicking on the wooden floor followed by the rattling of pots and pans in the kitchen. She got out of bed and wandered down the hall to see what was going on.
Chase Crawford was leaning over the stove top with a spoon full of saucy ground meat pressed to his lips. He had changed into a white tee-shirt and light blue jeans. His strong muscular arms bulged in the sleeves. The stubble on his face had been shaved off—Beth loved the sight of a clean-shaven man.
“Well, hello there, pretty lady. I hope you don’t mind, I asked Millie to let me in. I thought I would stop by to check up on you this afternoon. You were exhausted when I left you this morning and I didn’t think you would have the energy to cook dinner so I stopped to get a few things on the way here. I hope you like spaghetti bolognese.”
Beth’s heart somersaulted in her chest and she found it difficult to concentrate on anything other than his dimpled, smiling face.
“I like spaghetti,” she replied meekly from the kitchen doorway. Beth had not been expecting any company and she was dressed in nothing but her white night shirt, which covered everything that needed to be covered but was a little on the short side.
Beth tugged nervously at a stray strand of hair and smiled back at him.
“I’m just going to take a shower,” she said and walked back down the hall to her room, slammed the door closed and leaned back against the door to catch her breath. Beth wasn’t sure if she was ready to have a man in her life. It had been almost four years since she’d had a man cook dinner for her and up until now she hadn’t missed it but the sight of Chase in her kitchen had stirred up a whirlwind of repressed emotions.
Beth undressed and got into the shower. She stood under the warm water, taking in the glorious ocean smells a
nd the wonderful sensation of water pounding on her tired skin. After twenty minutes she got out of the shower and pulled on a loose flowing white shirt with lace detail and roll-up sleeves which she paired with three-quarter-length dark blue jeans and white beaded thong sandals. She dried her hair and put on some tinted moisturizer, black mascara and a sliver of pink lipstick before heading to the kitchen.
The kitchen was swirling with the scent of delicious Italian cooking. A pot of meat sauce simmered in a large saucepan, a pot of spaghetti was boiling, a crisp ciabatta loaf was baking in the oven and Chase was busy preparing a green salad.
“Hmmm…smells good,” said Beth.
“Sure does. I hope you are hungry because I have prepared enough food to feed an army,” laughed Chase.
“Oh, I’m hungry all right. I haven’t eaten anything since yesterday,” replied Beth.
Lola’s ears sprang to attention and she opened one sleepy eye to see who had joined them in the kitchen. At the sight of Beth she jumped up, ran over to greet her and curled up at her feet under the table.
Chase seemed pleased by that. “Lola doesn’t normally take to people that quickly but you sure seem to have her golden seal of approval.”
Beth looked down at Lola and smiled. “I like dogs and as I remember it this one saved my life last night.”
Chase took out a bottle of red wine and two large wine glasses. “Wine?”
Beth felt like she needed a big glass of wine after all the excitement of the past week.
“That would be lovely,” she replied.
Chase poured them each a glass of wine and placed the spaghetti bolognese and green salad on the table before turning to get the warm bread from the oven. Beth was starving and the sight of the food coupled with the smell of fresh basil made her mouth water. They talked and sipped on wine over dinner. They both ate two servings and finished the entire bottle of wine. Beth sat back and patted her stomach.