Murder is a Beach (Maggie, PI Mysteries)

by Pressey, Rose

  I hoped that he didn’t stand Dorothy up because then I’d really have to let him have it. Dorothy and I made our way up the sidewalk and to the front door. I paused when I reached the threshold. She motioned for me to go on in.

  “Mr. Grant, it’s Maggie Thomas and Dorothy Raye,” I called out. “Are you home?”

  “He didn’t answer before, so I doubt that he will answer now,” she said.

  I stepped into the house and looked around. I wasn’t quite sure at first, but something did seem off. I didn’t want to alarm Dorothy any more than she already was. There was no need to panic just yet. Visions of when I had discovered my last client murdered in his home flashed in my mind and I hoped that I didn’t find Mr. Grant in that same situation.

  We stepped further into the room and I noticed a chair turned over. I had hoped I could keep it from Dorothy, but when she let out a gasp I knew that it was too late.

  “It doesn’t mean anything bad happened to him,” I said, trying to reassure her. “Just in case though, don’t touch anything,” I said as if I was a pro at crime scenes. I’d learned the hard way last time after I’d touched a bunch of stuff at the scene of a murder.

  “Why don’t we want to touch anything? Do you really think something happened to him?” she asked.

  “No, I don’t,” I said, knowing it was a lie.

  “We’ll just look around the rest of the house,” Dorothy said.

  She took off across the room headed for the kitchen.

  “What are you doing?” I called after her.

  She was surprisingly fast for her age. I honestly always had a hard time keeping up with her. By the time I caught up with her, she was already standing in the kitchen, looking around with her hands on her hips.

  “What are you doing in here?” I asked.

  She shrugged. “I just wanted to have a little look. Nothing wrong with that, right?”

  “No, I guess not,” I said, peeking around the space.

  The room was mostly white with stainless steel appliances. There was a small window over the sink and a door that lead out to the backyard. I stepped over to the door and peered out the window. There was a fenced in area and a neighbor’s home nearby. As a matter of fact, that neighbor was standing in his back yard and just so happened to glance up at that moment. He noticed me watching him and threw his hand up in a small wave. I wondered if Mr. Grant knew his neighbors well. Would they know where he’d gone?

  When I turned back around, I found Dorothy looking through Mr. Grant’s cabinets.

  “What on earth are you doing? I really don’t think you’ll find him in the cabinets. He’s a small man, but not that small.”

  She waved off my comment. “I thought I’d check to see if he needed groceries.”

  “Do you plan to shop for him?” I asked.

  “No.” She smirked. “But maybe he went to pick up a few things.”

  I didn’t believe her excuse. I think she just wanted to be snoopy. I didn’t blame her though. I was curious and wanted to know where he was and why his living room looked less than normal.

  Dorothy closed the cabinet door and picked up a nearby dish cloth. She started wiping down the counter.

  “Dorothy, we didn’t come here to clean his house. We’re here to find him remember?”

  “I remember, but I want to keep busy when I’m nervous.” She stepped over to the sink. “Maybe we should wash his dishes.” She reached for the dish washing detergent and I grabbed her arm.

  “No way. I have to stop you right there.”

  Someone had to put an end to this madness.

  Dorothy frowned. “I really think you should let me have my way.”

  I reached for Dorothy’s arm and pulled her toward the kitchen’s entrance.

  “It’s not bad in here for a bachelor,” she said.

  I was surprised she hadn’t grabbed something and tried to stop me from taking her out of the room. Dorothy and I hadn’t known each other long, but I was already starting to recognize that look in her eyes. And right now that look said she wanted to clean the house and release her nervous energy. I’d just have to find another way for her to do that.

  “Yes, he’s a good housekeeper. Let’s get out of here.”

  I’d almost gotten Dorothy out of the room when she stopped in her tracks. She made a beeline for the refrigerator. I spotted what she was going for and knew there was no way I would be able to stop her now. A big greeting card was stuck to the front of the refrigerator by a magnet. It was a cartoon card with a drawing of a couple of cute dogs. From what I saw, there were little red hearts on the card too. Dorothy couldn’t take the card down to read it fast enough. I would tell her not to go through personal things, but maybe this would be a clue that would lead us to Mr. Grant.

  Dorothy and I exchanged a glance as she clutched the card in her hands.

  “What does it say?” I asked, leaning over her shoulder for a closer look.

  “It’s a card from Annie to Morton. It’s for the best boss in the world.” Dorothy’s eyes narrowed.

  I snorted. “The nerve of that woman.”

  Dorothy waved the card at me. “Don’t you mock me. Annie is a phony and I don’t trust her. Look, she even wrote smooches on it. That’s not very professional. You wouldn’t write smooches on a card to me.” She scowled.

  “I most certainly would not. Hugs, maybe if you caught me on a good day.”

  Dorothy frowned.

  “Okay, so she sent him a card that doesn’t mean anything. Just put it back and let’s go.”

  Dorothy didn’t budge as she continued to look at the card as if that would make it say something different or make it go away. Finally, I took the card from her hands and placed it back on the refrigerator.

  Dorothy mumbled as we stepped out of the kitchen. “The worst part is she actually kissed the card. It had her lip print on it.” Dorothy fumed.

  Okay, I could see how that would be hard for Dorothy to handle.

  When we made it back into the foyer, I lost track of Dorothy again. She was headed up the stairs.

  “Where are you going now?” I asked.

  “I thought we should check the bedrooms.” She pointed.

  “Oh, no way.”

  That was the last thing I needed.

  “There is nothing else we can find up there. Let’s just leave. I’m sure he will be back soon.”

  Dorothy pointed up the stairs. “But what if he’s up there? What if he’s hurt and can’t call out to us.”

  I frowned. Okay, she had another point, but I didn’t want her to go up there. It was bad enough when she’d gone into the kitchen.

  “You wait down here and I will go up there and check the rooms.”

  She frowned, but ultimately nodded.

  I hurried up the stairs and went to my right. There was one bedroom on that side and I figured it was the master bedroom. I didn’t like going through his house. After opening the door, I stuck my head in. When I didn’t see him, I backed out in a rush. I checked the other bedrooms on the other side of the stairs. Mr. Grant wasn’t in either room, so I made my way back downstairs.

  I found Dorothy straightening up living room.

  “He wasn’t up there,” I said.

  Just then a sound of a car came from the front of the house.

  “See, I bet he’s here now. Nothing to worry about,” I said.

  Dorothy and I went to the front door. She rushed in front of me and peeked out. “The man coming up the driveway isn’t Mr. Grant and he doesn’t look as if he’s a nice guy either. He has a gun in his hand,” Dorothy said in a panic.

  “I don’t know who it is, but I think we’d better hide,” I said, pointing to the closet.

  Unfortunately, I didn’t have my gun with me and I’d be no match for his bullets. Dorothy and I slipped into the closet and waited as we listened to the man move around the house. A flashback of being in the closet with Jake came to me. This was no time to think of Jake Jackson.


  Finally, the sound of the footsteps faded and after a moment Dorothy and I peeked out from the closet.

  “I don’t see anyone,” I said, motioning for her to come out.

  I stepped back over to the door and looked out. Apparently the car and man Dorothy had seen were gone.

  “We need to call the police right away,” I said, pulling my phone out of my pocket.

  I dialed Jake’s number, but it went straight to his voicemail. When he didn’t answer, I had no choice but to dial 911. Dorothy and I waited in the car until the police came. When I looked in my rearview mirror, I saw that Jake was with the other officers. How did he know I was the one who’d made the call? I wasn’t looking forward to explaining this one.

  Jake stepped over to the window, but didn’t say anything.

  Finally, I said, “I guess you’re wondering what’s going on, huh?”

  “I kind of wondered, yes,” he said.

  I quickly explained about Mr. Grant not being in the house and how we’d hidden from a man with a gun.

  “Hey, at least I wasn’t shot at this time,” I said.

  “Why does trouble seem to find you?” he asked.

  “Do you have any idea what happened to him?” I asked Jake.

  Dorothy had a worried look on her face.

  Jake ran his hand through his hair. “At this point, I just don’t know. We’ll do a thorough investigation here though.” He motioned with a tilt of his head toward Mr. Grant’s home.

  “Did you see the way all the furniture was knocked over?” Dorothy asked. “That can’t be good. I just know something bad happened.”

  We watched as police moved in and out of Mr. Grant’s home. I knew all the action was making Dorothy even more nervous.

  “We have to assume he left on his own,” Jake said when one of the police had walked by.

  “What do you mean?” Dorothy said in a loud voice. “There is no way he left on his own. Why would the furniture be turned over like that?” she asked.

  “Just because his house is a mess doesn’t mean anything.” Jake tried to reassure her.

  “What about the fact that a strange man was in his house?” I asked.

  “Maybe he was a stranger to you, but for all we know Mr. Grant knew the man,” Jake said.

  Dorothy rolled her eyes. She wasn’t buying it.

  Jake looked at me and gave a half smile. “I’d better get back to work. Please, ladies, try to stay out of trouble.”

  Now was my turn to roll my eyes, but I refrained out of professionalism.

  “If something really happened to him then I can guarantee that we’ll do everything we can to find him,” Jake said.

  He touched my chin and then walked away.

  I watched him for a moment and then turned to Dorothy.

  “You know we have to find him, right?” she asked.

  I nodded while looking at Jake again. “Yes, I know.”

  Jake must have felt eyes on him because he looked over and smiled at me.

  Dorothy was right. I had to find Mr. Grant. Now I’d lost another client. This wasn’t looking good for my business referrals.

  Dorothy and I drove away. I hated leaving Mr. Grant’s house. It was somehow like I was letting him down by driving away. But I wouldn’t let this go. I had to find him. Of course I should have known that the police wouldn’t take a missing person’s report for Mr. Grant because there was no proof that there was any foul play involved.

  Dorothy knitted as we drove back to my office. She was going on about how we needed to do something to help Mr. Grant.

  “That man probably came back because he forgot something,” Dorothy said.

  I looked at her. “You know, you’ve got a good point. We’ll go back to his house when we can, but how will we get inside? The police will probably secure the door.”

  She waved her hand. “Oh, you’ll think of something.”

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  We’d only been back at the office for a short time when a loud knock sounded against the door. I exchanged a look with Dorothy.

  “Did you schedule an appointment?” I asked.

  She shook her head. “No, you haven’t got a single thing going on.”

  I frowned. “Thanks for reminding me.”

  I eased over to the door. I couldn’t see exactly who was standing in front of the tempered glass, but by the size and height I figured it was a woman. I opened the door and was surprised to see Annie standing in front of me.

  “Annie, what are you doing here?” I asked.

  Dorothy closed the distance between us in record time. “Yes, Annie, what are you doing here?”

  “I just heard the news.” She clutched her chest as if she would faint if she didn’t. “The police won’t tell us anything. They came by asking questions and said that Morty might be missing.”

  Now why hadn’t I thought to go by the jewelry store and ask questions? I’d have to do better than that if I wanted to stay in business.

  “I really don’t know anything that the police don’t know. Dorothy was going to coffee with him and he wasn’t home when I dropped her off at his house,” I said.

  Annie gave Dorothy a dirty look. Dorothy returned it with a smirk.

  “Why don’t you come in and sit down,” I offered.

  Annie waved off my offer. “No, I can’t stay. I just wanted to know what happened. The store is closed without Morty there.”

  Dorothy snorted.

  “I can help you find him,” Annie said.

  I cut a glance at Dorothy. “I’m sure that won’t be necessary. He’ll show up in no time.”

  Annie nodded. “You’ll call me if you need anything?” She handed me a business card with her number.

  “Was there anything unusual about Mr. Grant?” I asked.

  Annie shook her head. “Not that I know of.” She looked irritated at me that I would even ask, but I was just doing my job. After all, we all wanted to find Mr. Grant.

  “I have a question for you, Annie,” Dorothy said as she stepped closer.

  This wasn’t going to end well. The last thing I needed was for these women to start hitting each other with their purses. Peppermint candies would be everywhere once Dorothy started swinging that thing around.

  “How did you meet Mr. Grant?” Dorothy asked, staring at Annie for an answer.

  Annie looked at me as if I would answer for her.

  When I didn’t speak, she said, “We met when I applied for a job at the jewelry store.”

  Annie furrowed her brow. She was obviously perplexed as to why Dorothy was questioning her.

  Dorothy paced her hands on her hips/. “Well, how long have you been working there?”

  She stared at Annie. There was no way she would let her get out of answering. Annie shifted from one foot to the next. “I don’t remember.”

  “You don’t remember how long you’ve been working there?” Dorothy asked accusingly. “You have to have some idea.”

  “It’s been a couple years, I guess,” Annie stumbled over her words.

  She didn’t seem all that confident in her answer. That didn’t matter to Dorothy though. I knew she would keep up the questions as long as I didn’t put a stop to it.

  Dorothy didn’t stop with just two questions. I figured she had at least twenty. That meant eighteen more to go.

  “Do you have hobbies?” Dorothy crossed her arms in front of her chest.

  “Why are you asking me that question?” Annie asked with a frown.

  Dorothy offered a fake smile. I’m just trying to be friendly, dear.”

  “Oh,” Annie said. “Well, I guess I like to go boating, fishing, and I like to read.”

  Dorothy quirked a brow and looked over at me. Annie still looked totally confused, as if she knew she’s said the wrong thing, but unaware of what that was.

  Dorothy moved even closer by stepped up to the window. She looked out as she asked, “Do you know where he may be?”

  “Do I know wh
ere Morty is? If I knew wouldn’t I tell police?”

  Dorothy faced Annie. “What I meant was is there places he likes to go. Maybe a place he likes to go to get away from it all for a while.” Dorothy frowned.

  Annie twisted her hands. “Oh, not that I know of. You know, I already talked with the police.”

  I actually think Annie had started to sweat. Who knew that Dorothy was this good at interrogating people?

  Dorothy stepped back over to her desk. “What does he like to do in spare time?”

  Annie shrugged. “I don’t know.”

  “Well, I thought you knew him so well. At least that’s the way you acted,” Dorothy said.

  “I don’t think I can answer any more questions. I really need to go now.” Annie gestured toward the door.

  “You’ll have to excuse Dorothy,” I said. “She gets a little into the job sometimes.”

  Dorothy frowned.

  “I guess I didn’t know she was a private eye too,” Annie said.

  Dorothy folded her arms in front of her chest, but didn’t answer.

  “What about the store? Who will take care of it? Will it be closed until he comes back?” I asked.

  Annie waved her hand. “The manager is handling everything until Morty comes back. I’m sure it will be soon.” She frowned. “At least I hope it will be soon. I will make sure that everything is taken care of at his store. I’d never let anything happen to Morty.”

  “Yeah, that’s why you give him cards with kisses on it,” Dorothy said under her breath.

  “What did she say?” Annie asked, looking at me.

  “Oh, never mind her,” I said with a wave of my hand. “Dorothy I think you’ve asked enough questions. We should let Annie go. I know she is really upset over what has happened to her boss.”

  Dorothy’s scowl deepened when I said boss. That was a painful reminder of what she’d found. I stepped over toward Annie hoping to put some distance between the women. It would turn out like the Bunco party if I’d had cupcakes.

  Annie glared at Dorothy. They’d now become enemies. At least we’d gotten some questions answered though. Maybe I should have let Dorothy continue. Although I sensed that Annie wasn’t going to answer any more of Dorothy’s or my questions. She had to know that Dorothy was interested in Mr. Grant. Anyone could see that.