Sun, Sand and Murder: A Suzette Bishop Mystery (Suzette Bishop Mysteries Book 3)

by Kristine Frost

  “Hey, he can’t go in there,” the night nurse said as she ran down the hall. Suzette followed her into the room. “You can’t--” the nurse grabbed his arm, but he had frozen in place, his face going from angry to amazed, then suddenly he smiled. There was a glow brightening his face, but there were tears running down his face. The nurse stopped. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing. He’s my missing partner,” Mike said, almost reverently. “We thought he was dead. He’s been gone for three weeks.”

  “What’s going on here, Miss Adams? I gave specific instructions that this man wasn’t to be disturbed.”

  Suzette took the doctor’s arm and led him from the room. “He won’t be disturbed. Give Mike a minute. You said you needed a firm identification. Mike can tell you that.”

  Mike turned and walked out of the room. He turned to the doctor. “Is he going to be okay? He looks like hell.”

  “Well, he’s been through hell, but with medical care and rest, I believe he will recover. He looks like he was a strong man before his ordeal. That will tell in his favor, but he is in bad shape. Another day or two at the most and he’d have been dead.”

  Mitch stuck his cell phone in his pocket. “I called dispatch and asked for Sheriff Curtis. He’ll be over in a few minutes. He just got into the office. There were two bank robberies tonight. He’s been looking for the men who robbed the First National Bank of Florida and Cocoa Beach. I know him and he’ll work with us,” he said.

  A few minutes later, Sheriff Curtis walked into the hospital. When Mitch introduced him, Suzette thought, he is really different from Chief Miner. This man is a good cop.

  Curtis nodded to them, then said, “One of you tell me what happened.”

  Cordelia looked at Suzette. “It was your idea. You’d better tell him.”

  Quickly, Suzette said, “I am an insurance investigator. I was hired by Jeremy Stewart to investigate a fire on Cordelia Campbell’s property and the murder of his mother. A couple of days ago, Dorothea almost attacked Cordelia. I got very angry and probably overstepped my authority with Jeremy, but I gave Dorothea and her two sons their marching orders. Later, I overheard Doug comment to his mother that if Cordelia backed me up and kicked them out then Justin would disappear permanently. I’ve been sticking to him like a leech. Tonight, he made a phone call, then high tailed it to his car. Cordelia, Sean and I followed him. He turned on to a dirt road off Highway 3. We hid the car and walked down the road.”

  “You are either incredibly brave or totally stupid,” Curtis burst out. “I wouldn’t walk down a dirt road at night around here for all the money in the world.”

  Suzette laughed. “I think everyone would agree that it was totally stupid, but if we hadn’t Justin would have died. Besides, I had these,” She took off her black denim jacket, showing her small but powerful gun in a shoulder holster and the 10 inch Bowie knife strapped to her back which she could reach over her shoulder. “I wasn’t too worried about gators.” She grinned and then handed him the bottle of ‘gator spray’. “We had this too. We’re still alive so it must have worked.”

  Curtis took the bottle, opened it and smelled it. “I don’t know if this would work or not. It smells like bug spray. Go on with your story.”

  Suzette told them how they had sneaked down the road, coming on Doug’s car. “I was trying to stay out of sight when I tripped over an aluminum ladder. Once Doug was gone, we put up the ladder. I climbed into the eagle’s nest and found Justin. Sean helped me get him down and he and Cordelia got him into the car. We decided to bring him here because Sheriff Miner thinks he killed his mother. We thought he’d get a fair chance here.”

  “They hid him in a huge eagle’s nest? You wouldn’t think it was possible for an eagle’s nest to hold him, but I’ve seen nests that are ten feet across and four or five feet wide and several feet thick.” Curtis shook his head, adding, “It’s a good thing that it isn’t nesting season or the eagles would have attacked him and in the condition he’s in, they would have torn him apart.” He looked at Mitch. “It looks like we need to pull Doug in.”

  “He’s small fry. It might be better to use him to get the whole gang.” Mitch looked at Mike. “What do you think?”

  “I agree. Doug might have given Justin a concussion, but he couldn’t have gotten him up that ladder by himself. I don’t think that Doug killed Jeanette. I don’t think he had the guts. We want the man who did all this.”

  “Okay. I think we’d better put a man in the hospital to watch Justin, but I think it would be best if he were inside the room instead of outside the door. We don’t want to alert anyone to his whereabouts.” He turned to the doctor, “Doc, I don’t want this man to have a roommate. I’ll send over an officer to stay in his room and keep a low profile.”

  “Well, he’s being billed for a double room. If I can’t put another patient in with him, then he’ll have to be billed for a private room.’

  “Listen, Roberts,” Curtis said, “I don’t give a damn about your billing and your rates. That man will be in that room alone except for the doctors and nurses that treat him and my men. I will hold you personally responsible if anything happens to him. Understand me?”

  Dr. Roberts took a step back. “Yes, I understand. He’ll get the best of care.”

  “He’d better,” Cordelia said, as she stood up to her full five feet one inch height. “I’ll hold you responsible if anything happens to him and I’ve already said I’d be responsible for his bill so you don’t need to worry about that, and he’s my nephew and I raised him so I have some rights.”

  “Yes, ma’am. Now I’d better get back to my patients. You all may as well go home. You can see him when he regains consciousness. I’ll have one of the nurses call you.”

  Suzette yawned. “I’m ready to head home. I think I could sleep for a week.”

  Chapter 30

  Suzette turned off the motor and reached over to shake Cordelia. “Hey, we’re here. You’ll sleep better in your own bed.”

  Cordelia opened her eyes. “My bed would feel heavenly.”

  Hallie and Lizzy ran down the steps to pull open the car door just as a police cruiser pulled up in back of the Ford. Two policemen got out of the car and immediately pulled their guns. One came around and pulled open Suzette’s door. “Get out of the car and keep your hands where I can see them.”

  “What’s going on?” Suzette asked as she stumbled out of the car. “I wasn’t going over the speed limit.”

  “You three are under arrest for robbing the First National bank of Florida. Put your hands on top of the car.” Quickly, he patted her down while his partner did the same to Cordelia and then Sean. He found the gun in the shoulder holster and the knife strapped to her back.

  “I guess this about cinches it.”

  He pulled his handcuffs from his belt and pulling Suzette’s arms behind her and cuffed them. He read them their rights. Then he took Suzette’s arm, pushing her toward the cruiser. She struggled to turn. “Hallie, call Mitch and Mike. They’re at Melbourne General Hospital. Tell them what happened,” she shouted as she was pushed into the cruiser. Hallie nodded then ran into the house. The cop shut the door on her, then walked over to take Cordelia by the arm. When all three of them were locked in the back seat, the two officers got into the car, went around the Ford and headed for Titusville.

  Cordelia looked at Suzette. “I always wanted to ride in a police car, but not like this,” she said sadly.

  “It will be okay,” Suzette said. “Hallie will get Mitch and he’ll clear this up.”

  “Be quiet back there,” one of the officers ordered.

  Suzette raised her eyebrows and asked, “Since when did Florida become a suburb of China or North Korea?” She smiled at Cordelia, “But you don’t have to tell us twice. You won’t get another word out of any of us until our attorney comes or we are released. As of right now, we all stand mute and you can tell Chief Miner that.”

  When they got to the jail, Miner met the
m at the door. “Book ‘em and then bring them to my office, and hurry.” But 30 minutes later, he came stomping out of his office. “I told you to book them and bring them to my office. What’s taking so long?”

  “They won’t talk. We can’t get their names or anything else.”

  “Connelly, what’s going on?”

  “They said in the car that they would stand mute until they saw an attorney or until they were released. I guess they meant what they said.”

  He looked at Suzette, Cordelia and Sean. “Come into my office,” he ordered. None of them moved. “Bring them,” he told Connelly. He took Suzette and Cordelia’s arms and marched them into his office.

  He pointed to three hard wooden chairs that were in front of his desk. “Sit down!”

  Suzette looked from Cordelia to Sean. She folded her arms and glared at Miner. Silently, Connelly took her arm and forced her into the chair. Cordelia walked over and sat down, followed by Sean.

  Miner ran his hand over his grizzled blond crew cut. “It won’t do you any good to be uncooperative. We’ve got you cold. If you’ll tell us where you hid the money, I’ll ask for a reduced sentence.” Suzette raised an eyebrow but kept silent.

  Miner glared at Suzette, then Cordelia. “Put them in a cell,” he ordered. “Maybe they’ll feel more like talking when they’ve spent some time among the pimps, prostitutes and child molesters.”

  When the cell door clanged shut behind them, Cordelia shook her head. “I’m 73 years old and this is the first time I’ve ever landed in jail.” Her lip trembled. “I think I could have gone another 73 years without this experience.

  Suzette gave her a hug. “I’m sorry. I would have gone by myself if I’d known that you and Sean would land in jail.”

  Cordelia said tartly, “Since I invited myself, I don’t have much to complain about. Besides that you couldn’t have handled our bundle of joy by yourself. We were all needed.” She looked at Suzette, “So what do you suggest we do now? Start an uprising?”

  Suzette laughed, “I knew you would bounce back. At the risk of sounding stupid, I suggest that we take a nap. None of us got much sleep last night, none tonight, and the last few days have been very wearing. It shouldn’t take Mitch much time to get us out of here since we have an alibi from 10:30 on.”

  With a grateful sigh, Cordelia kicked off her shoes and lay down on the bed. The pillow smelled dirty and the blanket smelled of antiseptic. She closed her eyes and began to breathe deeply.

  Suzette lay in bed for a few minutes wondering why Miner thought he had them cold. Then her eyes closed and she went to sleep.

  A key turned in the lock and the door clanged open. “Wake up, ladies, you’re wanted downstairs and the Sheriff isn’t in the mood to be kept waiting.”

  “Sheriff Miner can go to the devil,” Suzette muttered softly.

  “What did you say?”

  Remembering her vow of silence, Suzette just glared at him.

  “Come on, your attorney is here. He wants to see you.”

  Suzette looked at Cordelia, who shrugged her shoulders. Then she turned her back, looked up at Suzette and said, “It must be someone that Mitch or Mike hired. I don’t have a regular lawyer.”

  As they followed their jailer down the hall, they were joined by Sean who looked at them, but didn’t say anything. They were taken to Miner’s office. The jailer opened the door and motioned for them to enter. As Cordelia stepped inside, a tall, well built, blond-haired young man got to his feet. His smile was a bit crooked as he said, “Dear aunt, what the devil have you been up to now?”

  “Jeremy,” Cordelia gasped as she ran across the room to throw her arms around his neck. “I didn’t know you were in town.”

  “I walked in the door about an hour after you were arrested to find my little sister in hysterics and a woman who I would have sworn was you,” he said looking at Suzette, “Trying to calm her down.”

  “What?” both Suzette and Cordelia said.

  “Dr. Austin was at my house?” Cordelia asked.

  “I guess that was the name. When we got Hallie calmed down she said she had to leave for an appointment with the governor, but that she would call when she got back in town.”

  “Blast,” Suzette said as she turned toward Miner. Walking right up to him and getting right in his face, she said, “Now you’ve made me really mad. I’ve put up with your juvenile behavior, your stabbing me in the back, your listening to some anonymous jerk that keeps trying to set me up, but now you’ve interfered in my finding out if this woman is my long lost sister. Well, buster,” she said poking his chest, “Unless you really want a false arrest charge flung at you, you’d better start working with me instead of against me. Your attitude has--”

  “Now, just wait--”

  “You shut up,” she snapped. “I’ve had all of your stinking arrogant male chauvinistic attitude that I’m going to take. You can work with me or I’ll tell the whole world including the press and your precious county commissioners, just what kind of a sheriff you are. When I get through with you, the county won’t hire you as assistant pooper scooper.”

  “You can’t talk to me like that--”

  “Go ahead,” Suzette said, “Make my day.”

  “There won’t be any false arrest charge. You did it. I have a witness that says you did.”

  “Well, your witness is wrong because he’s trying to frame me for something I didn’t do, which seems to be a pattern around here. I understand that there were three people involved in the robberies, so my being with Cordelia and Sean won’t help, but we were at Melbourne General Hospital in full view of their staff from 10:00 on. There were half a dozen cops there part of the time, too. Which I would have been more than happy to tell you, if you had treated us with some respect and dignity. Instead you drag us in here, throw us into jail and in general, act like Saddam Hussein, Hitler, and Genghis Khan rolled into one. If you had treated us like taxpaying citizens, we would have told you where we were and who you could talk to, to verify our alibis.”

  She continued, “You know, I’ve worked with a lot of cops and I admit that most of them are super, concerned, caring men and women who want to protect the people they serve. But occasionally, I come up against one that uses bluff and bravado instead of his brains. Well, sir, you’re the worst one I’ve ever seen. I’m not sure you have any brains to back up your bluff and bravado.”

  “Easy, Suz, you don’t need to make him mad,” Cordelia cautioned.

  “No I don’t, because he’s already mad. He’s been mad at me since the first day I met him. He has judged me by an anonymous phone call that happened three weeks ago, which I’m sure he hasn’t bothered to check out. He is a bully and I’m really hoping he arrests me again.”

  Miner said,” I’ll be more than happy to oblige.”

  “Oh what charge?” Jeremy asked. “I don’t think they have amended the constitution to remove freedom of speech from the Bill of Rights, so you can’t get her on that charge. So what do you have in mind?”

  “I have a witness who says he saw you getting into the car. He claims he was infatuated with you and that he followed you. He saw you put on your black stocking mask and enter the bank.”

  “Let me guess,” she said, “You haven’t met the witness, he just called on the phone.”

  Miner’s chest swelled, “You are wrong.”

  Suzette’s lip curled. “So you did meet him. Well, that’s a first. Let me describe him for you. He is about 6'1". He weighs about 195. He had dark brown wavy hair and brown eyes set a little too close together.”

  “How did you know?”

  “Your witness is my ex-husband, James Grey.”

  Jeremy said, “Why don’t you give him your alibi. I’ll stop you if I think you’re incriminating yourselves.”

  Ignoring him, Suzette continued, “And I think that you are focusing everyone’s attention on me to turn it from you, from your incompetence, if that’s the least of it.”

  Jeremy gra
bbed her arm, “Suzette, think what you are saying. He can sue you for slander.”

  “No he can’t. I said I think and this is still the United States and I can say what I think. Besides if I’m right, I’ll be released, but he’ll probably throw me back in jail, just to stop me from proving it.”

  Jeremy swung her around to face him. “I’d stop while you are ahead.”

  “Yes, little lady. I’d stop while you still have a head.”

  “Suzette, please don’t say anymore. Let Jeremy handle it. We’re getting close to solving this mess and we don’t need you in jail.”

  “You’ll--” Miner started to say, but Jeremy interrupted him.

  “I want to know who the witness is that claims Suzette was involved with the robbery.”

  “I don’t have to tell you that. That’s a matter for you to take up with the District Attorney, but she can tell me what she knows unless she wants back in a cell with crazies.”

  Cordelia looked alarmed at that statement, but Suzette shrugged indifferently saying, “You know everything I know. I’ve just drawn different conclusions from the information and there isn’t anything in any law that says I have to tell you my conclusions.”

  Cordelia said, “I agree, so either book her so I can make bail for her or let her go.”

  Miner looked at Jeremy who kept his face blank. “All right. You give me the names of your witnesses and if they verify your story, I’ll let you all go.”

  “Sheriff Curtis and Lieutenant Gibbons from the Melbourne PD were with us most of the night. Nurse Jackson and Dr. Roberts were with us from 10:00 on.”

  While Jeremy paced the room, Miner called Sheriff Curtis.

  “All right. He verifies that you were with him. He says that you rescued an unconscious man. Who was he?”

  Cordelia shrugged. “We don’t know. We were coming back from a concert, Scottish Music and Dancing, and found him on the side of the road. Since that’s alligator country we stopped managed to get him into the car. When we couldn’t revive him, we took him to the hospital. We called Sheriff Curtis from the hospital.”