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

by Kristine Frost

  Mitch said, “We were hoping you could tell us.”

  Justin looked at him in surprise. “Who are you?”

  “This is Mitch Scott, U. S. Marshall,” Mike said. “He’s been helping us.”

  Justin shook his head slightly, then groaned. “I don’t want to do that again. Is this all as confusing as it seems to me. Or am I just nuts?”

  “Well, I hate to tell you that you’ve been nuts for a long time, partner,” Mike said with a grin, “But it is confusing and complicated.”

  “Okay. That’s a relief. Can someone tell me where you found me?”

  “Suzette, since you found him, you should tell him about it.”

  Suzette nodded. Quickly, she explained how she, Cordelia and Sean had followed Doug when he left the house. She told him about the eagle’s next and how they got him out of the nest. She explained the problems they had getting such a big man out of the tree and how they had gotten him to the hospital. She even told him about running over the alligator to save his leg.

  Justin said, “I don’t remember anything about being in a tree. I do remember coming up the drive. I had the taxi driver let me off at the road so I wouldn’t wake anyone up. I watched Derek and Deidre, both dressed in bikinis, head for the summer house.” He shook his head. “I don’t know what she sees in him. He looks like a balloon with two white strings for legs.”

  They all laughed. He continued, “I saw Jeanette follow them. It worried me so I dropped my bag by the stairs and started to follow her. I headed toward the summer house. It was empty. I thought I heard something on the beach. I tiptoed across the boardwalk. When I got to the other side, I saw something dark on the sand. I went over to look. It was Mom. I dropped to my knees, looking for a pulse. I thought I heard something behind me, but before I could turn around, something hit me and that’s all I remember.”

  “You didn’t see who hit you?” Mitch asked.

  “No, I didn’t.” He shook his head. “I don’t remember much of anything. I had some really wild dreams.” He pounded his fist on the bed. “Don’t you think I want to know who did this?”

  The doctor walked in just as Suzette said, “Easy, Justin. No one is blaming you for anything. You’ve been through a really rough time. I think you should follow the doctor’s orders and relax and rest and get better. You were pretty close to death when we found you. It may be that you’ll be able to tell if your dreams were dreams or something else once your body heals.”

  Dr. Roberts said, “I told you not to upset him.” He turned to Mike. “If I had known that you were going to interrogate him, I wouldn’t have allowed you all to stay. You need to leave now.

  Suzette bent over and kissed Justin’s cheek. “The doctor’s right. We’d better go and let you get some honest sleep.” One by one they said good night and left the room.

  Later that night, Suzette was just getting into bed when her cell phone rang. When she flipped it on, the hated voice said, “You may have rescued your friend, but you’ve signed your own death warrant.” The tone was vicious, cutting. The man laughed and the phone went dead.

  Chapter 33

  Slowly, Suzette dropped the phone, all thought of sleep forgotten. Unsteadily, she dialed John Marshall’s cell phone.

  “Hello?” Suzette breathed a sigh of relief at his calm tone. “John, this is Suzette. Did I catch you at a bad time?”

  “No. What’s up?”

  “I just got another threatening phone call. The tone of the voice was so malignant that it really shook me up.”

  John sighed. Suzette could picture his frowning face. “Did you change your number after the last call?”

  “That’s what’s so weird. I did. It just went into effect today. And, John, I haven’t given the number to anyone, not one person. How is he finding out my number so quickly? This one wasn’t even listed.”

  “I don’t know, Suz. Obviously the guy is a computer genius or has a friend at the phone company.” He paused a minute then said, “Do you have any idea what set him off this time?”

  “We found Justin late last night.” She explained what had happened. “He’s in the hospital, but he doesn’t remember anything other than finding Jeanette’s body. Someone hit him over the head before he could turn around and see them.”

  “Good work,” he exclaimed. “You know, Suzette, you are wasted on insurance cases. You ought to be heading up a homicide team. You just have a knack of getting to the heart of a problem and you aren’t afraid to act on your intuition.”

  “Thanks, John. That means a lot especially coming from you.” She shook her head. “John, I don’t understand why these anonymous calls are getting to me. I’ve had them before and I was stalked on my last big case, but this is different. I’m feeling so rattled that I can’t think and I’ve got to think! Help me!”

  “Suzette, calm down. The reason these calls are getting to you is that it’s personal. When you were undercover, you felt like the threatening calls were to someone else. This is real hate that you’re dealing with it and it’s directed against you, not some alter-ego. No one likes to think that someone hates them that much, but Suz, your business and mine are pretty much alike. We stop people from getting away with, well, literally murder. Perps don’t like that.”

  She took a deep breath. “You’re right. I’m too involved with this. I just don’t know how to take my emotions out of the equation. I did what you suggested before, solve one thing at a time. I’ve taken care of Justin. I should know whether or not Dr. Austin is my sister in the next couple of days. So the only thing I need to do now is find out who set the fire and who murdered Jeanette.”

  “You weren’t hired to find out who murdered Jeanette. That’s Miner’s job.”

  “Yeah, right. He’s fixated with Justin. It doesn’t matter that there is no evidence, he thinks Justin did it. Just like I’m the one who pulled off the robberies even though I was with Melbourne’s Chief of Police. John, I’ve got to do this. It’s my gut feeling that Jeanette’s murder, the fire, and Justin’s kidnaping were the instruments to get me down here. I know you want me to drop this case and go back to San Francisco, but I can’t. I know that if I run, the danger won’t stay here.”

  “I don’t like this. You’re getting too close to solving this mess. You can’t watch your back constantly and I’m not sure that anyone else is watching your back for you. They all seem to have their own agendas.”

  “I know. I’ll just have to do the best I can.”

  “Listen Suzette, do you want me to take some time off and come down there? The chief won’t like it, but I don’t want your murder on my conscience. I do know how to watch your back, and I don’t have any other agenda.”

  “Thanks, John. You’re wonderful, but I don’t want you to get in trouble with your boss. Besides, if I’m right about who’s behind this he’d know why you were here and he’d either take you out or drop out of sight.”

  “You think it’s your ex?”

  “Yes, I do.”

  “Then you’re probably right about me showing up. You know you can call me anytime, day or night. Of course, if I’m in the middle of a hostage situation I won’t be able to talk, but then you know that.”

  “I do and I understand.”

  “Suz, I talked to the guy who transferred here from Cocoa. I told him what was happening and he said that Sam, the bartender at the Lobster Den, is someone you can trust. He was a career MP in the military but was badly injured and invalided out. Jack said that Sam’s gotten him out of several sticky situations. The cops use him from time to time. He’s a good man to have at your back.”

  “Okay, I’ll remember that. Thanks.” Suzette could hear the radio in the background.

  “Hey, I’ve got to go. There’s another situation to take care of. You be careful, okay? And watch your back!”

  “I will. Thanks. Bye.” Suzette sat for a long time, tapping her notebook against her knee. Finally, she shook her head, like a horse trying to shake away deer flies, o
nly it was her thoughts that were the flies. She said softly, “I need to talk to someone about everything. Mitch and Mike are following Deidre, who is probably our best lead, but I have a feeling we’re missing something. I don’t think I should talk to either Cordelia or Hallie since the funeral is tomorrow. I’m not sure that either of them could handle any more stress, so it looks like maybe I’ll head to the Lobster Den. If Sam’s working and not busy, maybe he can help me see what I’m missing.”

  Quickly, she tiptoed down the balcony stairs, pausing for a moment to enjoy the sound of the surf. “The tide must be coming in. The surf sounds really close.” Silently, she climbed the steps to the boardwalk, crossing to the other side. She looked down at the barely visible dent in the sand where Justin had dropped to his knees beside Jeanette’s body.

  “It all started here, and somehow, I feel like it will all end here. I’m getting close, really close. I can feel it.” She turned quickly and noiselessly walked across the boardwalk and down the drive to her rental car.

  A few minutes later, she pulled into a parking spot under a light at the Lobster Den. Remembering Marshall’s warning, she looked around the parking lot and gathered up her purse and notebook before she unlocked her door. Then she walked quickly into the nearly empty lounge.

  Sam nodded to her when she sat down at the bar. “What will it be?”

  “A Sprite.”

  “How about a virgin Daiquiri or Margarita?”

  “Well, a Shirley Temple is very tempting.”

  He laughed. “I would say that you’ve had a rotten day if you need all that sugar syrup.”

  “Well, I found Justin, I’ve been arrested for a robbery I didn’t commit and I just received another death threat. I’d say that I need something that will give me a bit of a high.”

  He looked at her sharply. “Another death threat, that implies that you’ve gotten death threats before.”

  “Yes, this is the third one. They get progressively more malevolent. This one was just plain scary. I’m getting the idea that whoever is doing this means business. And what’s weird is that I just changed the number today and he still called me.”

  “Let me see your phone.” He reached out his hand. Without saying a word, she placed the small silver phone is his large hand. He turned it over, examining it carefully. Then he got a small screwdriver from under the bar. While she watched, he popped the bottom of the case free from the top. “Here’s your problem.” He pointed to a tiny chip. “Anytime you receive a call or return a call, this chip sends out a signal that can only be picked up by a designated phone. As long as you use the phone, he knows your number no matter how many times you change it.”

  “Get rid of it,” Suzette said sharply.

  He frowned. “I’m not so sure that’s a good idea. It might frustrate him so much that he accelerates his plan.”

  Suzette glanced at him. “Plan?”

  “Oh yes, he’s got a plan.” He pointed to the chip. “This proves it. The big question is how he got into your phone. Did you lose it for a while?”

  Suzette sat thinking for a few minutes. “No, not that I can think of.”

  “Then he must have had access some other way. Do you leave your phone laying around?”

  “No. I always leave it in my room when I’m at Cordelia’s.” She looked up at him. “I don’t like where this is leading. What you’re saying is that he has access to my room at Cordelia’s.”

  “It sure looks that way or else there is someone in the house that is working for him.” He shrugged again. “It’s an ugly thought, but you’d better face the fact or face the consequences.”

  Suzette took a deep breath. “So what do you suggest I do? I was thinking of writing down who might be doing this.”

  “It’s a start. Just writing the list might trigger some idea that would help figure this out.”

  Suzette started writing. “I’ve put some people in jail in the course of my job, but most of them are still there.” She looked up at him. “What’s the likelihood that someone in jail would send a hired killer after me?”

  “Well, it’s possible. Just about anything is, but one thing that you need to consider is, how would the hit man know where to find you and gain access to your phone? You said that this trip was spur of the moment. You didn’t buy the airplane tickets or tell anyone but your boss and your client, so how would anyone know how to find you?”

  “You’re right. I guess I can cross off most of these people because the same would apply to them.”

  After she finished crossing off names, Sam pointed to one and asked, “Who’s this?”

  “My ex-husband.”

  “And you’re going to cross him off?”

  “I don’t know. He’s the only one who hates me enough to try to kill me, but I don’t think he’d go in for anything as subtle as killing Jeanette so he could kidnap Justin just to get me down here so he could kill me.”

  “Did you ever think that maybe some of this is coincidence that he’s just taken advantage of?” Sam wiped off the bar, a habit he had when he was thinking deeply.

  “No, actually, I hadn’t. I did try to find out where he was before I headed down here, but all Lt. Marshall could find out is that he was in jail in Tennessee, was released early for good behavior, and then dropped out of sight.” She shivered and rubbed her arms which were suddenly covered with goose bumps.

  Sam filled a stein with a clear, amber beer and handed it to the waitress. “I don’t think I’d cross him off. It’s amazing what can happen to a man in jail. It can really warp the mind.” He shook his head like he was shaking off memories. “I think you should get one of my cop buddies to put an All-Points Bulletin for information about where he is. The only way I’d cross him off my list would be if he were for sure dead and I saw him buried. Or if he was in jail and then I’d be wondering if he’d hired a hit man. Ex-spouses, in my experience can be the most deadly enemy the person can have.”

  She picked up her phone. “Maybe I’d better call John and ask him to do the All Points thing. I know that James was still on probation when he disappeared so that could be a reason for checking on him.”

  He put his hand on her phone. “I wouldn’t use that phone for a call like that.” He pulled a small, compact phone out of his shirt pocket. “Use mine. We know it hasn’t been tampered with.”

  Suzette nodded her head. “Good idea. I’m having a hard time realizing that I’ve been bugged.” She pushed the buttons.

  He looked at the clock. “Closing time. Let me run these bums out of here and then maybe we can share a cab. My car’s on plus time for a leaky radiator.”

  “I’ve got a rental. I can give you a ride home.”

  “Sounds good. You can take me as far as the Palms. I can walk from there. I don’t like the idea of you driving alone this late at night.”

  As soon as the bar was empty and Sam had checked the restrooms and back rooms, he walked Suzette to the door, unlocked it, then locked it behind them. “My car’s right over there,” she said, pointing to the dark green rental car. As they started across the parking lot, there was a sound of a car reviving into life, then a squeal of tires, and 2,500 pounds of car came hurtling out of the dark. Just before the car reached them its bright lights came on, blinding them. Sam leaped, shoving Suzette out of the path of the car. Before they could get a look at the license number it had turned right and vanished from sight.

  Groaning, Sam grabbed the light pole and dragged himself to his feet. Then, still holding on to the pole, he reached down to grab Suzette’s hand and pulled her to her feet. “Are you all right?”

  She brushed off her pants. “I guess so. I hope Cordelia knows of a good cleaner. I’m not sure that my clothes will ever be the same again.” She looked around, nervously. “Do you think he’ll come back?”

  “I doubt it. He took off like the IRS was after him.” He let go of the pole, took a step, then sank to his knees.

  “Sam, what’s wrong?” She looked down.
“The bumper must have caught your slacks.”

  “I think it caught my good knee. My bad knee doesn’t work very well at the best of times. It doesn’t want to work at all right now.”

  “I’ll go get the car.” She ran to the car, pulling her keys from her purse. She slipped behind the wheel and started the car in one smooth movement. Quickly, she drove the car over to the light pole. Using the pole and the car door, Sam managed to work himself on to the seat.

  Looking at the injury under the dome light, Suzette said, “That’s a nasty gash. I think I should take you to the emergency room.”

  “No, I’ll be okay. If you’ll just take me home, I’ll get a hot bath and be back to normal tomorrow.”

  Sam pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and called a number. Briefly, he explained the situation, then said, “You’ll meet us at my apartment, right?” There was a pause, then Sam said, “I owe you one. See you in about ten minutes.”

  Suzette said, “You’ll have to give me directions.”

  When they arrived at his apartment complex, a tall thin man dressed in dark blue and a short, very muscular man dressed in a white tank top and black jeans walked over to the car. Suzette’s breath caught in her throat as she wondered what was going to happen.

  Sam said, “Relax, these guys are friends of mine. Pedro is going to help me up to my apartment and Josh is going to make sure you get home okay.”

  “But--”

  “Forget the buts. After what happened tonight, you shouldn’t go anywhere by yourself. We got off easy this time. You may not be so lucky next time. Okay?”

  Trying hard to smile, Suzette nodded, her eyes full of fear. “Thanks,” she whispered.

  Chapter 34

  Late the next morning, Hallie ran into Suzette’s room and jumped on the bed. “Suz, you’ll never guess who’s here?”

  “Huh?” Suzette pushed her hair out of her eyes. “What are you talking about?”

  “Rough night again?” Hallie asked sympathetically. “You’d probably feel better if you got to sleep at a decent time.”