Caught Dead Handed

by Lyndsey Cole

  “I’ll get some treats to keep Petunia busy if you drag the hose into her pen,” Hannah told Samantha.

  It was slim pickings in Ruby’s kitchen but Hannah found some leftover plain popcorn which was Petunia’s favorite treat. That, along with apple peels, were sure to please the potbelly pig. She threw the treats and a few homemade dog bones in a basket to bring into the pen along with Petunia’s sunhat and sunglasses.

  Samantha had the hose ready to go. While she waited for Hannah to bring the treats, she crooned and scratched behind Petunia’s ears. “That’s the spot, isn’t it, pretty girl?”

  Petunia’s sensitive nose tested the air, found the scent hidden in the basket, and charged at Hannah, nosed the basket, and began devouring the spilled contents.

  “This is as good a spot as any.” Samantha turned on the hose to a gentle spray and began cleaning the mud off Petunia’s skin with an old brush.

  While Samantha scrubbed and scratched and Petunia grunted, groaned, and gobbled down the treats, Hannah got the halter ready. “Once she’s clean, I’ll get this on so she doesn’t head back into her muddy corner for a nice roll.”

  With the mud washed away, Petunia stepped right into the halter with barely a push on her hind end. Hannah clipped on the leash. Petunia looked from Hannah to Samantha as if to say, okay, what’s next for fun?

  “I think all of Petunia’s mud splattered on me,” Samantha said. “I need to do my own makeover. Want me to come back and pick you up in an hour?”

  “Sure. I’ll get Olivia and she can help me walk Petunia and the dogs. Jack can probably use a break from babysitting.”

  The walk to Jack’s house wasn’t far and Petunia strutted proudly next to Hannah. Maybe being in front of a camera was exactly what would bring out her dynamic personality.

  Hannah took a deep breath to relax the unsettled feeling about this whole photography thing. She had to be supportive for Ruby’s sake since the success, or failure, of this event would reflect directly on her sister.

  A happy shriek pierced the air when Olivia spotted Hannah. She jumped with excitement at the opportunity to walk on the beach leading her potbelly pig while Nellie and Patches chased seagulls. The warm sand buried Hannah’s toes with each step. The waves’ rhythmic in and out, the ever-present salty breeze, and the call of gulls hoping to find a bit of food was the background of her existence.

  And Hannah loved every second of it. Her Great Aunt Caroline left her with more than an oceanside property; she left Hannah a way of life that she would never abandon.

  “Aunt Hannah,” Olivia’s high pitched voice beckoned. “Look at what I found.” She held up a piece of blue sea glass that was smooth on the edges from its time washing back and forth across the sand and rocks. “I’m adding this to my treasure box.”

  Hannah ran her hand over Olivia’s French braid. “That box must be getting pretty full by now.”

  “Cal promised to make me a new box that I can lock,” she announced.

  “Cal is very talented.” Hannah loved the cottage he’d built for her and depended on him for any and all repairs. “We’d better turn around. Samantha’s on her way to pick me up and your mom is still at work so you and the dogs will be staying with Jack.”

  Olivia whispered in Petunia’s ear, but loud enough for Hannah to hear. “Jack promised to take me to The Fishy Dish for ice cream after dinner, but I can’t tell Mom.”

  Hannah chuckled. Jack loved to spoil Olivia with attention and ice cream. She brought out the softer side of Jack’s personality.

  As soon as they were in sight of Jack’s house, Olivia ran ahead with Petunia trotting alongside. Nellie and Patches were already waiting at the door while Samantha and Jack chatted next to her royal blue Mini Cooper.

  As Samantha twirled around, her fuchsia gauzy sundress flew out to the side. “What do you think? Will Mr. Harold the Photographer notice me?” A matching fuchsia flower was clipped to the side of Samantha’s silver curls.

  “Of course.” Harold definitely would notice Samantha but what Hannah wondered, would it be for the reasons Samantha hoped? For a woman in her eighties, Samantha was petite, sparkly, and full of energy. But was she cut out to be a bathing suit model? Time would tell.

  Petunia used her sensitive nose to examine Samantha’s toes exposed through the straps of her sandals. “That tickles,” she screeched and jumped. “You get to sit in the back seat, Petunia. Away from my feet.” Samantha opened the door. “Hop in.”

  With Petunia sitting in the back seat with the seat belt strapped around her chest, Hannah in the passenger seat gazing out the window and wondering what she was headed into, and Samantha behind the wheel bopping to the rock and roll music on her radio like a teenager, they backed out of Jack’s driveway toward the Paradise Inn.

  With the new owner, the Inn had a new look. Hannah took in the lovely blue hydrangeas and clumps of birch trees that lined the driveway. Two small pools with water cascading over well-placed rocks had been added to each side of the front entry. It gave an elegant and relaxing impression.

  Samantha jumped out of her car, raring to go. Petunia’s hooves tapped on the tarred parking lot as she pranced along next to Samantha toward the entryway. And the small pools.

  “Hang on to her good and tight, Samantha.” Hannah imagined a disaster if Samantha wasn’t paying attention and Petunia had her way.

  “What?” Samantha turned her head back toward Hannah.

  “The pools!”

  Petunia lurched forward, ripping the leash from Samantha’s grasp and settled herself in the cool water.

  “Oops.” Samantha reached for the leash, slipping on one of the rocks along the edge, almost tipping into the water with Petunia. She managed to catch herself and the leash but Petunia couldn’t be budged.

  Hannah, knowing how Petunia could be stubborn at times, had treats in her pocket. She held out a tasty molasses dog biscuit which did the trick. The only problem now was that they had a dripping wet potbelly pig.

  Hannah sent Ruby a text to come out with a towel so they could get the situation under control before the growing crowd became a problem.

  “Is that our dinner tonight?” one guest hollered at Hannah as he pointed to Petunia.

  She clenched her fists into tight balls and glared at the man.

  Samantha walked right over to him with her hands on her hips. She pointed her finger in his face. “You should be asking for an autograph. Don’t you recognize Petunia the Potbelly Pig? She’s here for a photoshoot.”

  The man’s mouth fell open. “This Inn doesn’t allow animals.”

  “Ha. It allows working animals. She’ll have the best suite in the place.” Samantha tossed her curls and marched back to Hannah. Without lowering her voice, she said, “Can you believe he even thought about eating our Petunia? What a jerk.”

  Ruby rushed out the front door with an armful of towels. “Thank goodness, you’re finally here. Harold’s nose is all bent out of shape ever since the dog-napping attempt. And once Juliette found out it was Monique, the two of them had a real hair-pulling, eye-gouging wrestling match. I have to get this under control or I’ll never get the promotion I have my eye on. At least I haven’t seen Monique since Harold pulled Juliette off her. She’s probably in her suite licking her wounds.”

  Hannah rubbed her sister’s back. “The first thing you have to do is calm down. As soon as Samantha gets Petunia dried off, you can show us the set-up.” She nodded toward Samantha. “She wants to be in charge of Petunia in the hopes that she’ll get noticed by Harold for a walk-on modeling spot.”

  Ruby’s eyebrows shot up under her bangs. She shook her head. “I can’t even think about that for now.” She pulled Hannah, with Samantha and Petunia following behind, into the Paradise Inn.

  “Take a deep calming breath, Ruby,” Hannah told her sister. “You need to stay focused.”

  Ruby nodded. “Okay. I can do this.” They walked through the lobby and down a hallway. “Harold has this whole w
ing of the Inn rented for the weekend. Besides the rooms for himself and the models, he has a suite for his inside shots plus the private pool and hot tub on this wing.” Ruby leaned close to Hannah’s ear. “I don’t know how he pulled that off, it must have cost him an arm and a leg.”

  They turned a corner, just as Juliette came through the door marked pool. Her mouth was set in a tight, thin line. Maisy, firmly tucked in her arms, whined and wiggled. Juliette dodged around Ruby, not stopping or even acknowledging her or Hannah.

  “That’s odd,” Ruby said as she looked at the retreating figure. “She really hasn’t been herself ever since the fight, but she hasn’t been ignoring me.”

  A young man holding a clipboard rushed toward Ruby. “Where’s Monique? Harold is livid that she’s late for her time slot.” He ran his fingers through his already-disheveled light brown hair. “She’s not answering her phone. I pounded on her door and she never opened it. I’m dumping this on you, Ruby. I don’t get paid enough for verbal abuse from a customer.”

  “I’ll find her. Go back inside with Harold and try to keep him calm. Monique is a spoiled, temperamental model but I’ll find her one way or another.”

  The young man nodded, turned around, and headed down the hallway in the same direction Juliette had disappeared.

  “This is turning into one big nightmare,” Ruby mumbled more to herself than to Hannah. “Samantha, you take Petunia to the room that Harold set up as his indoor studio—room one-fifteen. Hannah, you can help me search for Monique.”

  Samantha and Petunia disappeared down the hall.

  “Who was that guy?” Hannah asked.

  “Colin Simmons. He recently got hired as my event assistant but my suspicion is that he’s after my event manager job so it wouldn’t surprise me if he tries to undermine this whole affair to get me out of the way. I’m learning that this is a cutthroat career.” Ruby started to walk down the hall. “I’ll check in Monique’s room first. She’s probably pouting about the dog bite incident. All of this would be solved if Harold would just get rid of Monique.”

  Hannah stood next to her sister as Ruby pounded on Monique’s closed door. Nothing. “Should I try my master key? Maybe she’s hurt or something.”

  Hannah nodded. “Knock again and say you’re going to come in.”

  A second round of door knocking had the same result as the first attempt. Ruby inserted her key card, the light turned green, and she pushed the door open. With the blinds drawn closed, the room was dark and stuffy.

  Hannah flipped the light switch. Clothes were strewn on every available surface including the floor. “I thought this was a bathing suit shoot. Why would she have all these other clothes?”

  Ruby’s shoulders bobbed up and down. “She’s a model is the only answer I can think of.” Ruby peeked into the bathroom. “Well, she’s not here. Her friend’s room is next door. Apparently, Monique can’t travel alone and brings Vanessa with her. Maybe she knows what’s going on.”

  The two women left Monique’s room and moved to the next door. Repeating the knocking got the same results. “What should I do now?” Ruby glanced at her watch. “This is going to send Harold into a meltdown.”

  Before Hannah could reply, the door opened. An attractive woman who could very well be, or once was, a model herself, stood looking at Ruby. “What do you want?”

  “Sorry to bother you Vanessa, but do you know where Monique is? She’s supposed to be with Harold and we can’t find a trace of her.”

  Vanessa, dressed in a plush white terry bathrobe and with a towel wrapped around her hair, rolled her eyes. “I dared to take a half hour to myself and you’ve lost Monique?”

  Hannah’s pulse pounded at the tone and sneering look Vanessa directed at Ruby. Words fell out of her mouth before she could stop them. “I imagine your friend is quite capable of losing herself.”

  Vanessa’s mouth opened and she slammed the door in their faces.

  “Okay. I probably shouldn’t have let that thought leave my brain,” Hannah said.

  “Don’t worry about it. Those words were absolutely the truth but, unfortunately, it doesn’t help us find her.” Ruby looked up and down the hallway. “I don’t know where to look next.”

  Petunia charged from a room at the end of the hall toward Hannah.

  “Huh?”

  Samantha appeared with the harness and leash dangling from her hand, but she was too far behind to catch the potbelly pig.

  Petunia swerved around Hannah who managed to get a hand on her, but without her harness, there was nothing for Hannah to hang onto. Hannah, Ruby, and Samantha dashed after the fleeing pig.

  As a group of people rounded a corner ahead of them, Petunia detoured through a door that happened to be propped open.

  Ruby followed, straight into the room with the indoor pool and hot tub. “Pull the door closed behind you,” she shouted over her shoulder. “We should be able to corner her in here.”

  Hannah stopped to make a strategy. Humid air engulfed her. The rectangular pool was only a few feet in front of her with the hot tub beyond. Thankfully, both were empty. Petunia stood at the shallow end of the pool with her back feet on the tiles and her front feet in the water on the first step.

  As everyone slowly advanced from both sides, Petunia moved deeper and started to doggy paddle in the shallow end.

  “She’ll get tired soon enough,” Hannah said hopefully.

  Samantha stood next to Hannah while Ruby circled around the pool in case Petunia decided to try a different escape route. She crouched down and stared into the water. “Hannah?”

  When Hannah saw Ruby’s pale face, blinking eyes, and mouth hanging open, she rushed to Ruby’s side.

  Ruby pointed through the bubbles from the pool’s jets. Her eyes lifted to meet Hannah’s. “I recognize that red bikini and long blonde hair.” Her voice came out barely over a whisper. She sat back on her heels. “Do you think she fell in?”

  “That’s what it looks like.” Or, someone pushed her. But Hannah kept that thought to herself before she jumped in to try to save Monique.

  Chapter 5

  It didn’t take long before the Paradise Inn swarmed with police. Deputy Pam Larson arrived, holding a cardboard coffee cup. “Hannah Holiday!”

  Pam’s voice echoed in the tiled room as she wiggled her finger in a gesture indicating Hannah needed to join her at the edge of the pool. She pulled off her glasses, using the sleeve of her uniform to wipe off the condensation.

  “What happened here? You pulled this body out of the pool?” She slid her glasses back on.

  “I did, but I couldn’t revive her.” Hannah’s head hung down. Her whole body slumped with exhaustion. Water dripped off her long wet braid and her clothes, making a puddle around her feet. Someone draped a towel around her shoulders. She shivered from the release of adrenaline, definitely not from any cold in the steamy pool room.

  “How’d she end up in the pool?” Pam sipped her coffee. Her mouth turned down. “This is the worst coffee I’ve had all day, and that says a lot.”

  Hannah looked at Pam. “No clue. We,” Hannah indicated her sister and Samantha with a nod of her head, “followed Petunia in here and Ruby saw the body at the bottom of the pool.”

  Pam smoothed some strands of her brown hair behind her ear. “You think Petunia pushed her in the pool?”

  “Listen, Pam, don’t put words in my mouth. I never said anyone pushed her in the pool. She was already at the bottom when we arrived.”

  “So, no one else was in here?” Pam swept her hand around the humid room.

  “I didn’t see anyone. Ruby told me that this is part of the private space that Harold Chandler had reserved for his swimsuit photoshoot but they weren’t in here yet.”

  Pam tossed her cup into a trash can. She pulled out a notebook and jotted some notes.

  Hannah couldn’t help but wonder how long Monique had been at the bottom of the pool. Long enough for her to be dead but not long enough for her body to flo
at to the surface. That should help pinpoint when she died.

  “You and your friends can wait outside while we finish up in here. But don’t leave the Inn,” she added. “And don’t forget to keep the pig with you; I might still need to question her.” Pam grinned.

  Hannah ignored Pam’s attempt at humor or an insult. She wasn’t sure which it was. Ruby slipped her arm through Hannah’s. Samantha had Petunia back in her harness and held her leash as they left the pool area.

  “What now?” Samantha asked.

  Hannah knew that Samantha was itching to jump into an investigation, even from the sideline, since she had spent the better part of her life pretending to be a private eye. Hannah did not share that desire.

  “I want to get a closer look at the crime scene.” Samantha twisted her head one way then the other. “Maybe there’s a back way in.”

  Hannah glared at Samantha. “Forget about that. Pam won’t let us near the pool until every inch has been examined. Let’s find Juliette. Remember how we saw her come out of the pool area when we first arrived? She might have seen something.” Or done something, Hannah thought as she turned toward Ruby. “Where do you think she is?”

  Ruby stopped. “You’re soaking wet. I’ll scrounge up some dry clothes and meet you in room one-fifteen.”

  Hannah suspected that Ruby had the same concern about Juliette that niggled in the back of her own brain. Juliette had been completely distracted and obviously upset when they saw her earlier as she left the pool area. Something had happened, but what?

  The tapping of Petunia’s hooves on the tiled floor brought Hannah back to the moment and she dashed to catch up with Samantha.

  “I thought you got stuck in a daydream,” Samantha said when Hannah caught up. “If we can’t search around the pool, maybe we can get a jump start on information from the others who knew Monique. My guess is that room one-fifteen is where the center of all the action is at the moment.”

  Petunia pushed through the door and Maisy darted to greet her. The Moodle danced around the potbelly pig before lowering herself into a play bow.