Murder is a Beach (Maggie, PI Mysteries)

by Pressey, Rose

  “What do you think that was about?” I asked when Dorothy stepped up behind me.

  “I don’t know, but I’m too old for this running stuff.” Dorothy waved her hands through the air.

  I unlocked the car. “Dorothy, you shouldn’t be running.”

  She climbed into the car. “Well, it was more of a shuffle and not really a run.”

  “You shouldn’t be shuffling either.” I scanned the area one more time, but didn’t see the person, so I climbed behind the wheel. I planned on spending the next day researching, but tonight after I dropped off Dorothy, I would go to the marina and look for that boat.

  I pulled into the marina parking lot and finally found a spot. Dorothy would be angry when she found out that I had gone without her. She’d probably give me the silent treatment for at least ten minutes. Tomorrow night was her weekly Bunco game though and she would be busy getting ready for the big event. More than likely I’d be forced into attending that game was well. If I won again, the Bunco ladies, or Bunco Friends Forever as they called themselves, might not invite me back.

  The marina was full of boats that all looked a lot alike. Of course it was dark and not everything was visible, but I figured coming at night would mean the boat would more than likely be there. Lights from the boats twinkled like rhinestones against the black backdrop of night. Water lapped against the hulls as I made my way down the dock looking from boat to boat. I made it all the way to the end and didn’t see it. This was the closet marina to the restaurant, so I’d assumed this would be the place, but maybe it was one of the other marinas in the city.

  When I turned around to head back toward my car, I noticed a man walking around his boat. He had been watching me, but looked away when I turned my attention on him. It was too late though, because I’d already noticed him.

  “Are you looking for someone?” he asked with a bright smile.

  I looked around, then back at him. “Yes, as a matter of fact I am,” I said.

  He stepped to the edge of his boat. “Oh yeah, what’s that?”

  “A boat,” I offered.

  He slowly looked to his left and then his right, then stared at me like I was crazy.

  “What I meant to say is I am looking for a boat with the word Vida on the back,” I said.

  He shook his head. “There are a lot of boats with that word.”

  Hmm. I suppose he did have a point. I released a deep breath. I guess this had turned out to be a wasted trip.

  “Is there anything else about the boat?” he asked.

  I knew very little about boats, so there was nothing else I could say about it. “Not really,” I said.

  “Where have you seen the boat before? Was it here?” He pointed.

  “The boat was actually at the place where I work. The Captain’s Quarters. There was a man driving the boat. He was a large man with dark hair. Wears a lot of jewelry.” I gestured toward my neck and wrist.

  He shook his head again, but then his eyes widened. “Wait. There was a guy here the other day who matched that description. I remember him because he had a good-looking woman with hm. She wore a white bikini.”

  My stomach flipped. “That’s him. Does he keep his boat here?”

  He shook his head. “I don’t think so. I’d never seen him before. He may have been using someone’s slip without permission.”

  That didn’t help me much. This guy probably moved around from place to place. It would be hard to find him if that was the case.

  “Sorry I couldn’t help more,” he said as he began wiping down his boat again.

  “Thanks anyway,” I said. More than anything I wanted a long shower and then sleep. There would be no time for even Magnum tonight.

  Pulling up to my apartment, I took the first available parking spot along the curb and jumped out. The night air floated across my skin and the memories of Jake popped into my mind. It was dark and the only light was from a streetlight across the street. The feeling of being watched fell over me. I hurried my steps, but when I’d made it halfway up the sidewalk, I glanced over my shoulder.

  There were several palm trees across the street and a man stood behind one of those trees. I guess he thought he was covered by the dark of night. But the streetlight in the distance was breaking his cover. I was sure that he didn’t think I’d noticed him as he hid behind the tree and watched me. I wasn’t as dumb as he thought though. I hurried my steps, but when I glanced back he had moved. I was pretty sure he was moving his way toward me. If I took off in a run then he might try to catch up to me. I didn’t want this to escalate into something ugly. I could guarantee him that I wouldn’t go down without a fight. I’d use whatever means I had to in order to survive.

  My heart thumped as I rushed around the corner. They really needed to add more lights around this place. I had my gun concealed at my waist. Was this a killer? Had Kristin’s killer tracked me down? After all, my name had been in the paper. Maybe he’d found out that I was investigating the case. In spite of the man trying to hide, I’d gotten a glimpse of his face.

  I was almost sure that this man was the employee at the restaurant—the one I’d seen talking to the man on the boat. What did he want?

  As I leaned against the building, I tried to steady my breathing and remain calm. I should turn around and ask this guy what the hell he was doing following me. He had some nerve. I glanced over my shoulder again, but didn’t see him. Was he hiding somewhere else now? The area was so dark now there was no way for me to know. I could pull out the flashlight on my phone and hunt him down. I’d push him out into the light like the cockroach he was.

  I inched around the building so that it would offer more cover for me. Pausing again, I looked around, waiting for this guy to pop out.

  There was no movement, and after a while I figured he must have left. One thing was for sure—I intended on getting to the bottom of why he was following me.

  Even though he was nowhere in sight, I couldn’t get it out of my head that he had followed me. I wanted to know if this guy was still around. If I found him, I should definitely call the police, although that would probably ruin my investigation. I would no longer be able to find out anything about the murder because my cover would be blown.

  This guy would soon find out who I was though if he was poking around. Not seeing him still, I headed back down the path toward my car. When I peered across the street, I saw that his car was still parked along the curb.

  He had to still be around somewhere. For all I knew, he could be watching me at this very moment. I was out there in the open with no cover. It was a vulnerable feeling with the street light shining nearby, highlighting my every move. Of course I was curious about this guy and where he was at the moment. The allure of checking out his car was too great. I had to take a peek in the window. I would just take a quick look. If he came back, well, I’d be brave and confront him. I’d ask him why the heck he was following me.

  With my adrenaline rushing, I hurried across the street. A few cars passed by, but no one seemed to notice me. When I reached the passenger side of the vehicle, I peeked in. The door was locked, but when I saw that the driver’s door was open, I figured it wouldn’t hurt to take a little peek inside.

  I glanced over my shoulder, but didn’t see the guy, so I immediately hurried to the other side of the car. With one last glance around, I opened the door. I cringed when it creaked loudly. My heart thumped in my chest. I sucked in a deep breath of night air and tried to calm my nerves.

  I crawled into the car and peered around. It kind of smelled bad—like dirty socks and rotten food. I wasn’t sure of what I was looking for now that I was inside. This was another one of those crazy things that I did that seemed like a good idea beforehand, but when I was in the midst of the action, I questioned my sanity.

  Food wrappers littered the ground. Other than that, it I didn’t notice anything significant. I just hoped I didn’t find a rodent hiding in this mess. Leaning over toward the backseat, I peered
into the back. This guy liked fast food.

  A black duffle bag was on the floor in the back. I peeked up again to see if the guy was coming back or if anyone was watching me. He had to return soon. Where could he have gone? Was he still looking for me? Maybe he was in my apartment waiting for me. That was a scary thought. I scooped up the bag by its handles and hoisted it over the seat. Placing it in the middle of the front seats, I grabbed the zipper and unzipped the bag in one swift motion. My heart rate increased. What if I found a severed body part in this bag?

  When I opened the bag, I didn’t find a head or arm, but there was a bunch of cash. All of the money was one hundred dollar bills. I had no idea how much money was in there, but it had to be a lot. What was he doing with all of this money? If it was the guy from the restaurant, and he had that kind of cash, then why was he working at there? Did he always carry this much around in a bag? I peered over the seat again to make sure he wasn’t coming. If he saw me with my hands on the bag he’d think I was stealing it.

  I zipped the bag up and tossed it back to the spot where I’d found it. When the sound of a phone ringing filled the car, I jumped and banged my arm on the steering wheel. Where was the phone? It wasn’t my ring because I had the theme song for Magnum P.I. as my ringtone. After checking the seats, I still hadn’t found the source of the loud ring. It seemed to be coming from the front of the car though. I flipped open the glove compartment and not only did I find the source of the ringing, but there was even more ringing.

  The glove compartment contained a bunch of phones. If I counted them correctly, there were ten phones in there and two of them were currently ringing. I didn’t like the looks of this at all. What had I gotten myself into this time? Why would anyone need this many phones? There was only one reason and it wasn’t a good one.

  I pulled out one of the phones and looked at the screen. I didn’t recognize the number, but then again, I hadn’t expected to anyway. I stuffed the phone back and picked up the other ringing phone. That number looked familiar, but I couldn’t place it. There was no way that I knew anyone calling these phones though, so I figured I was just I imagining that I’d seen the number before.

  I stuffed that phone back in and slammed the glove compartment closed. It was time for me to get the heck out of there. I was kind of shocked that I hadn’t been caught already. It would be surprising if I made it away from his car without the guy returning. For a moment, the thought of claiming that I’d innocently thought this was my car if he’d caught me came to mind, but I knew even the most gullible person wouldn’t believe that story. No, if I was caught I’d just have to admit the truth. But so far, I was good, now it was time to get out of there and see what happened next.

  I backed out of the car and slammed the door shut. Again the hinges squeaked, echoing through the area. If he was anywhere near he’d probably hear the sound and no someone was in his car.

  What exactly did he want with me? Running across the street and back down the path, I rushed over to my door, went in, and quickly turned the lock. I leaned against the door and released a deep breath. It had been one heck of a day.

  Chapter Eighteen

  The next morning, I was at the office early. I hadn’t stopped off for coffee and I wondered if I’d missed Jake. Had he stopped for coffee too? Since I was sluggish and couldn’t focus, I was regretting my decision to forgo the coffee. But I intended on finding an address for the guy who had followed me last night. I decided I would pay him a little visit. I didn’t want to confront him at work though because I didn’t want the others to know anything about the situation. Asking this guy what he was up to would definitely blow my cover.

  “Are you ready for work?” I asked Dorothy.

  “As ready as I’ll ever be, I guess,” Dorothy said as she packed up her knitting needles.

  I leaned over and glanced at the project Dorothy was working on. “What are you knitting?”

  “They’re pastry covers.” She smiled widely.

  “You cover pastry with yarn?” I asked.

  She waved her hand. “I thought it was odd too at first, but I think they’re actually to set your cupcakes and stuff on. Just to make them pretty.”

  A knitting book set on her desk, open to the page which I assumed she’d gotten this pattern. “Did you find this in that book?”

  She nodded and tapped the page. “Yes, right there.”

  I picked up the book. “Dorothy, this pattern is for pasties.”

  Her face turned red. “What? Why would I want to knit pasties?”

  I laughed. “Maybe you’ll need an extra pair.”

  She grabbed the book and slammed it shut. “Let’s just go before we’re late.”

  Dorothy draped her purse on her arm and marched toward the car. She ignored my chuckling.

  The guy who I’d talked to at work the night before was standing at the bar when we stepped inside. I headed toward him right away.

  “Hey, how’s it going?” he asked when he saw me.

  “Remember the guy I asked you about last night?”

  He looked over his shoulder. “Yeah, what about him?”

  “What’s his name?” I asked.

  He stared for a beat and then said, “Spencer Johnson. Why are you so interested in this guy?”

  Obviously, I couldn’t tell him the truth. “I accidentally took one of his tips and I need to give it back,” I said as I walked away.

  “Oh, that was really good. He’ll never be suspicious of us now.” Dorothy rolled her eyes.

  “Okay, so I’m not good under pressure. So sue me,” I said.

  There were a few employees in the side dining area prepping the tables for the customers who would soon be there for dinner. “I wonder if Megan is here yet?” I asked.

  Dorothy looked around the room. “I don’t see her. Unfortunately, we don’t know what kind of car she drives so looking in the parking lot wouldn’t help.”

  “Maybe she’s in the back room,” I said as I motioned for Dorothy to follow me.

  Dorothy and I stepped across the room. No one seemed to notice us or care what we did. I walked into the break room and was surprised to see Megan sitting at the table. She was just sitting there looking blankly at the wall. I exchanged a look with Dorothy.

  “I think I’ll get something to drink,” Dorothy said and walked out of the room.

  Oh great, she left me to talk with her. Megan was kind of weird and she freaked me out every time I was around her. I stepped across the room. The whole time I kept my eyes on her. Finally, I said, “Are you okay?”

  She continued to stare at the wall in front of her.

  “Do you mind if I sit down?” I asked and pointed at the chair across from her.

  She shrugged, which other than giving her name was the only reaction I got out of her. I sat in the chair and smiled when she glanced at me.

  “Is everything okay?” I asked.

  “I think she wanted him.” Megan didn’t make eye contact as she picked at the edge of her shirt.

  I raised an eyebrow. “She wanted who?”

  “Kristin wanted to have a relationship with Justin.” Megan met my stare.

  “Her business partner, Justin?” I asked.

  She nodded. “Justin and I are dating, you know. He doesn’t want me to tell anyone, but I figure what difference does it make if he really loves me like he says he does?”

  I nodded. “That’s true.” Her admission was a shock to me because Justin and Megan had never given a clue that they were dating. I figured I would have seen a wink or a smile or some kind of flirtatious look. “How long have you been dating?” I asked.

  Megan looked down at the table. “Six months. Anyway, I guess it doesn’t matter now that Kristin is gone. Does that sound bad?”

  I didn’t know what to say so I opted for a casual shrug. “I don’t know.”

  “They just spent so much time together and I saw the way that she looked at him.”

  This conversation was maki
ng me very uncomfortable. Megan stood from her chair and stared at me. “Forget that I said anything, okay?”

  She didn’t take her eyes off me. I had no choice but to agree so I nodded. “No, I won’t say a word. Heck, I don’t know anyone around here to even tell,” I said breezily.

  She didn’t return my smile. After a couple more seconds of her weird staredown, she walked over to the door and left the room without looking back. I didn’t even know what my next move would be. I had to get Justin’s side of the story. Of course I’d told her that I wouldn’t tell anyone what she’d said, so that made things more difficult. I’d have to get the information from him without telling him what I knew.

  I tapped my fingers against the table and contemplated my dilemma. Could Megan have gotten rid of Kristin just because she thought she’d be in the way of her relationship with Justin? Maybe she’d had the guy on the boat get rid of Kristin for her. Anything was possible. Plus, Megan had acted a little strange and secretive. Maybe Justin and Megan were in on Kristin’s death together. Just exactly who was Justin anyway? I needed as much info about him as I could find.

  The door opened slightly and Dorothy peeked her head through. “I overheard a little of what she said.”

  I nodded as Dorothy walked over and sat down. “She thinks Kristin was having an affair with her business partner,” I said, leaning back against the chair.

  “What do you think?” Dorothy asked.

  I shrugged. “Since I don’t know either one of them very well, I don’t know what to say. I know one thing though: we have to find out more about both of them. Why aren’t more people here discussing Kristin?” I asked.

  “Maybe they didn’t like her,” Dorothy offered.

  “I still think that they would be talking about how much they didn’t like her.”

  “Well, we can’t ask any questions because we’re always working,” Dorothy said.

  “We’ll just have to make time,” I said.

  “You know, your uncle never made me work this many hours.” Dorothy glared.

  I frowned. “You’re the one who got me this job in the first place.”