Boats and Bad Guys (Dune House Cozy Mystery Series)

by Cindy Bell

  “Are you sure you'll be safe to drive in this?” Suzie asked hesitantly as she looked up at the gathering clouds.

  “I'll be fine,” Paul murmured and held her gaze as she looked into his eyes. The moment drew out longer than it should have, before Suzie lowered her eyes.

  “Have a good night, Paul,” she said cheerfully and backed away.

  His smile didn't falter as he turned and walked towards his car.

  Suzie was stealing a glance at him walking away when she felt a sharp smack along the back of her head. It wasn't enough to cause much pain, but it certainly startled her.

  “What are you thinking?” Mary demanded as Suzie spun around to face her.

  “That my head hurts,” Suzie complained with narrowed eyes and rubbed at the back of her head.

  “He came here to check on you, and offered to ferry you around the neighborhood, and then gave you the 'kiss me now' look!” Mary huffed as Suzie closed the door.

  “The what look?” Suzie laughed and shook her head. “Mary, have you been reading some kind of romance novel?”

  “I know that look,” Mary said sternly. “Just because I was married for so long, doesn't mean I don't have good instincts. Paul was lingering because he hoped for a kiss, and you backed off! Why?” Mary met her friend's eyes, and Suzie realized she wasn't as angry as she was concerned.

  “I don't know,” Suzie shrugged slightly. “I've made it this far on my own, I guess.” Even though Suzie had had her share of male interest over the years she had never really had anyone very serious.

  “Trust me, Suzie,” Mary said with a slight sigh. “It's much better to have someone checking to see if you're safe.”

  “Maybe,” Suzie frowned. “But what happens when you get used to that? What happens when it gets taken away?”

  “Oh,” Mary nodded a little. “I suppose you have a point there.”

  “See, no more smacking,” Suzie admonished as she walked back over to the map.

  “I still say you're avoiding,” Mary warned as she stepped up beside her.

  “Nothing to avoid,” Suzie insisted. “Maybe the key to finding out more about this map, is finding out more about the artist,” Suzie suggested thoughtfully as she continued to study the map.

  “Well, I imagine if her death was so tragic there would be a record of it in the local newspaper,” Mary suggested.

  “I bet there is,” Suzie nodded. “Good thing we know of a friendly librarian, hmm?”

  “I don't know if friendly is the right word,” Mary laughed a little. “But I'm sure that Louis would help us out.”

  “We're not going anywhere tonight,” Suzie said with disappointment as the wind whipped by the window.

  “No, but we can try to head out first thing in the morning,” Mary yawned. “I'm a little worn out from toting that painting around.”

  “Me, too,” Suzie agreed. As they walked down the hall towards the kitchen, Suzie felt that strange uneasy feeling once more. She glanced towards the floor-to-ceiling windows that lined the kitchen. It was too dark to see clearly but for a split-second she thought for sure that someone was standing outside, looking in.

  “Mary,” Suzie gasped as she grabbed Mary's arm. “Do you see that?”

  “What?” Mary asked as she peered at the window. “I don't see anything there,” she yawned again.

  When Suzie looked again, she didn't see anything either. “I guess it is nothing,” she sighed. “Let’s have something to eat and then an early night. We need to get some good rest. We hunt for treasure tomorrow!”

  Chapter Three

  The next morning, Suzie woke up with the memory of the face in the window on her mind. She was still feeling uneasy about it. The storm had died down to a steady rain with an occasional gust of wind. When Suzie paused beside Mary's room she could hear her light snoring. Suzie grabbed her jacket and her boots and threw them on over her pajamas. She didn't want to wait any longer to check on what she thought she had seen the night before.

  As Suzie opened the door to step outside she felt a rush of cool air. It felt almost icy compared to the balmy beach weather she had become used to. She tightened her jacket around her neck and walked around the side of the large house. When she neared the kitchen she studied the sand for any sign of footprints. But the way the rain was pelting down made it clear that any evidence from the night before had likely been washed away. As she stepped closer to the window she noticed something. Small smudges on the glass. She was very careful to clean the windows, and knew that neither she nor Mary had touched the glass since it was cleaned. She frowned as she studied them. They were nothing more than nearly invisible blemishes. It would be hard for anyone to take them as evidence of someone looking in from outside. But Suzie just couldn't shake the certainty that someone had been there the night before.

  When she felt a hand touch her shoulder, Suzie nearly jumped out of her skin.

  “Ah!” she cried out as she spun to face whoever was touching her. “I have mace!” she shouted with her eyes half-closed.

  “You have pajamas,” Mary pointed out and tried not to laugh. “I'm sorry if I scared you. I thought you heard me coming.”

  “Oh Mary, you nearly gave me a heart attack,” Suzie sighed and laid her hand against her chest.

  “Well honestly, I thought you might be sleep-walking. I saw you out here through the kitchen windows and you were staring so blankly at the glass that I thought maybe you had wandered out,” Mary frowned and studied Suzie intently. “Why exactly are you standing out here in the rain in your pajamas?”

  Suzie didn't want to frighten her friend so she didn’t tell Mary about the fingerprints and the face she had seen, especially when she had no proof that anything had really happened.

  “Just wanted some fresh air,” Suzie said softly.

  Mary narrowed her eyes as if she did not believe her, but she did not press.

  “Well, come inside before you get sick,” Mary insisted and tugged at her friend's arm.

  “First you try to give me a heart attack, and now you're concerned about my health?” Suzie joked to break the tension.

  “I didn't mean to,” Mary insisted. “Let's get some breakfast. I think that the weather is mild enough for us to head to the library, don't you?”

  “Have you been dreaming about treasure maps?” Suzie asked as they stepped back into Dune House.

  “Maybe,” Mary replied with a short laugh. “I'll get some breakfast going for us, you go get dried off and dressed.”

  As Suzie changed, her mind traveled back to the fingerprints on the window. Was it possible that someone really had been outside the night before? If so, who could it be? She was still feeling unsettled as she had breakfast with Mary. She tried to distract herself with talk of looking for where the map might lead them.

  “What do you think it could be?” Suzie asked as she took the last bite of her eggs.

  “I just hope it's nothing too sad,” Mary said with a frown. “She did kill herself after all, maybe the map leads to some of the reasons why.”

  “Maybe, I hadn't thought of that,” Suzie said in a murmur. “It could be something like a final confession.”

  “Well, the best way to find out is to ask,” Mary said as she cleared the breakfast dishes. Suzie washed and dried them while Mary was getting ready to go. Suzie noticed as they left Dune House that Mary had applied a modest amount of pale pink lipstick. She smiled a little to herself as she realized her friend was beginning to experiment with her looks again. To Suzie that meant that she was beginning to come out of the painful fog of her divorce. As they drove to the library the wind was still whipping wildly. It didn't affect the roads much, but the waves were large and intimidating as they crashed against the shore.

  “Good thing Paul's on land,” she muttered to herself as she turned down the main street towards the library. There was no sign of the art fair that had taken place the day before.

  “I'm still so nervous about going out on the wate
r with him,” Mary sighed and shook her head. “I know I shouldn't be, but I remember what it was like to be out in the middle of the water on that awful cruise ship. It just seems like there's no way to get back to land. It makes me a little scared.”

  “Try not to worry too much, Paul won't take us out on the water unless it's safe,” Suzie assured her as she parked the car in the library's parking lot.

  “Look at you, already trusting,” Mary said with a playful smile as she stepped out of the car. Suzie stepped out as well and shook her head as they walked towards the library.

  “Stop it, Mary, it's not going to happen,” she said firmly.

  “Sure,” Mary nodded as she opened the door for Suzie and they escaped the rain that was coming down a little harder.

  When they walked into the library, their footsteps muffled by thick carpet, Suzie spotted Louis who was busy with a sticky-fingered toddler. The child seemed to think that a book about ice cream was for licking, not reading.

  “Ugh,” Suzie cringed and looked away from the sight.

  “Isn't he adorable?” Mary cooed as she watched the child slobber all over the book.

  “If you say so,” Suzie laughed and began looking over the books on the sale table. As she was sorting through them she had a strange feeling. She couldn't quite place what it was, but she just felt uneasy. She looked up and glanced over her shoulder. Yet again it felt as if someone might be watching her. Shaking off the sensation she turned back to the books on the table. There wasn't anything of much interest to her, so when Mary called to her she headed over without hesitation.

  “Look at this,” she said as she handed her a thin book.

  “What is it?” Suzie asked as she glanced over the images on the cover. It was more like a booklet than a book.

  “It showcases all the local artists in Garber and the nearby towns,” Mary explained. “Turn to the first page.”

  When Suzie opened the book she found a similar painting to the one she had purchased, pictured on the glossy page. The artist's name was printed underneath the picture.

  “Alexandria Black,” Suzie read in a soft tone. “I wonder if there's a picture,” she flipped to the back of the booklet where there were a few small black and white photographs of the artists. She found Alexandria's name and was surprised by the picture beside it. The young woman in the picture was smiling warmly. She had hair that flowed down over her shoulders in luxurious waves. Her soft features were very pretty, and her expression was eager, without a hint to what the future would hold for her.

  “Oh Mary, look how young she was,” Suzie said with a shocked gasp.

  “She couldn't be much older than my daughter,” Mary said with a frown. “I couldn't imagine feeling so desolate at such a young age.”

  Alexandria was smiling right into the camera, and Suzie could detect pride in her eyes. She might have just been in her twenties. She appeared so full of life it was hard to believe that she was no longer living.

  “Hello Mary, Suzie,” Louis nodded at both women as he walked up to them. “Sorry for the wait,” he pushed his glasses up along his nose and peered at the book Suzie was holding. “Are you still looking for some art for Dune House?” he asked curiously.

  “Actually, I found the perfect painting,” Suzie admitted as she held the book out to him. “But now I'm curious about the artist of the painting. Do you know anything about Alexandria Black?” she asked.

  “Oh,” a dark expression consumed Louis' otherwise plain features. His brown eyebrows knitted and he looked from the picture of Alexandria then up at Suzie with hesitation. “Yes, I do know a few things about her,” he said softly.

  “Are you okay, Louis?” Mary asked with concern as his voice trembled slightly when he spoke.

  “I'm sorry,” he forced a smile on his lips. “It's just she was a friend of mine.”

  “She was?” Suzie asked with surprise and then realized what that meant. “Oh Louis, I'm sorry for your loss.”

  “Oh, it was some time ago,” he shrugged a little. “Maybe ten years,” he added and then briefly closed his eyes. “I was quite good friends with her late father. When we were younger we used to go fishing together and he often used to bring his young daughter with,” he said with a faraway look. “He died quite young. She and I weren't terribly close, but when someone you know does something like that, it is hard to get passed,” he shook his head as if he was still in disbelief about it.

  “So, she did commit suicide?” Suzie asked as gently as she could. It was a very sensitive topic to broach.

  “Yes,” he sighed as he glanced towards the front window of the library. “She jumped off a cliff, not far from Dune House actually,” he cleared his throat. “It was a shock for the whole town. She was well-known for her artwork and she was very generous with it. She would donate it to the local museums and even here to the library. Well that is, until she sold it all off.”

  “Was she struggling with depression?” Mary asked tentatively.

  “That's the thing,” Louis said with a shake of his head. “She was never depressed, at least not that I saw. I mean I know that people can hide these things, but she was the last person I would expect to be depressed. She was always so warm, and had a kind thing to say about everyone she met. Even that screw-up she married.”

  “Screw-up?” Suzie pressed curiously, it was the first she had heard of a husband. “She looks so young to have been married,” she added.

  “She married him at eighteen. Thought she was in love. I tried to warn her, a few of her friends did. Darren was from a few towns over, I forget which one now. He wasn't a bad guy, but he was always getting into bad situations. She was always defending him and was always supporting him. They seemed so in love. But, he was determined he was going to be rich, and would try just about anything to make that happen. Not long before she passed away he was arrested, and I guess with him being in prison, it might have sent her into a deep depression that no one noticed,” Louis shrugged slightly. “She sold all of her paintings but one, and most of her belongings to try to get him out of prison, but there was nothing anyone could do. It's the only thing that makes any sense. Who can know what's really going on in someone's mind, right?”

  “Right,” Mary agreed gently. Suzie was staring down at the photograph of Alexandria. It was hard to believe that such a youthful smile could be hiding all of the difficulties she had faced.

  “So sad to see such a talent wasted,” she said with a sigh.

  “Yes, it was. She was so desperate to help him. She became obsessed with trying to get him released. No one understood, because it was clear he was guilty, he never even tried to claim he was innocent,” he frowned. “Once all of her artwork was gone she had nothing left to sell. Maybe she just gave up.”

  “What was so special about the one she kept, do you know?” Mary asked as she looked intently at Louis. “We bought one of her paintings yesterday, it must be the one she held onto as it was part of her estate.”

  “Oh?” Louis asked with surprise. “Well, they must have got around to clearing out some storage. I know she always had her favorite. She wouldn't ever really tell me why it was her favorite, but after Darren was arrested I would always find her sitting and staring at it when I dropped by to check on her.”

  Suzie's eyes widened slightly. She wondered if the painting was never sold because Alexandria knew the map was hidden inside the frame. If that was the case then the map had obviously been important to her, which might mean it could lead to something valuable after all.

  “Are there any articles about her death, or her husband's arrest?” Suzie asked hopefully.

  “I'm sure there's something. I'll bring up the dates for you,” he said and headed back to his desk. “Is there a reason you're so interested?” he asked.

  “I just think the painting is beautiful,” Suzie said with a faint smile. “It might seem silly but it seemed as if I was guided to it. I'd like to know as much as I can about the artist who could create
something so stunning.”

  “Yes, she had a way of capturing nature,” Louis agreed and printed out a list of pages. “Here are the pages and dates of the newspapers that mention Alexandria's name, or Darren's. Let me know if you need any help with the microfilm,” he added.

  “Thanks, Louis,” Mary said as she took the paper. “And I'm sorry for your loss.”

  “Thank you,” Louis said with a slight smile. “It's been some time since I thought of Alexandria. It's nice to remember the good memories.”

  Suzie and Mary walked to the back of the library where the machine was located.

  Suzie sat down in front of the screen and Mary pulled up a chair beside her. They began perusing the articles for the dates that Louis had mentioned.

  “Look, there,” Mary said as she pointed to a small article almost hidden by large ads. “Local artist meets a tragic end,” she read the title of the article.

  Suzie zoomed into the article and looked at the picture of the artist.

  “Alexandria Black was found today at the bottom of Alba's Cliff,” she read in a whisper. “It's believed that she committed suicide. No further information is available at this time.”

  “It doesn't say much, does it?” Mary said with a sigh. “It's sad to think that her life could be summed up in so few words. Didn't she have any family?”

  “It doesn't list anything about family,” Suzie said with a frown. “It seems that perhaps she only had her husband after her father died. Imagine how he must have felt getting news like that while being locked up?”

  Mary shook her head. “This whole thing is just too sad.”

  “It is sad,” Suzie agreed. “But it's also intriguing. The article doesn't mention her husband, but Louis said there might be articles about the day he was arrested. I wonder what he's in for?”

  “Let's take a look,” Mary replied. Suzie flipped through the articles until she came to the date that Louis had given them. Splashed across the front page of the newspaper was an article about three men getting arrested for armed robbery.