by J A Whiting
Josh put his arm around his fiancée. “The land on the point should never have been taken from her. I wanted to make things right.”
“Thank you.” Squeezing his hand, Angie leaned in and kissed her husband-to-be.
Jack walked around the bluff. “I don’t see any problem with orienting the lots the way you suggest. The town would have no objections to how it will be sub-divided.” Turning to Angie, Jack said, “Ellie told me you were there when Chief Martin found the bodies of those dentists. I went to Dr. Chase for my dental care. He was an excellent dentist.”
Angie suspected that Jack wanted to say something more.
“But there was something about the man that I didn’t like. So much so, that I was planning to leave the practice and go elsewhere.”
“What made you uncomfortable?” The breeze blew a strand of Angie’s honey-blond hair into her eyes and she pushed it aside.
“He had an arrogant manner. The man was disrespectful of others, he treated the staff rudely. I didn’t care for the over-bearing way he treated his wife.” Jack adjusted his bowtie as they walked back to the car. “I thought I should mention it. I told Ellie, but she gets very emotional about death and I wanted to be sure you knew what I’d observed. I could see Dr. Chase getting into trouble if he rubbed the wrong person in the wrong way.”
Angie thanked Jack. “I’ve recently heard something similar from someone else.”
“The whole thing is horrible.” Jack shook his head slowly. “There are times when I almost lose faith in humanity.”
Josh put his arm around the attorney’s shoulders. “We can’t do that, Jack. We can’t let the evil-doers win.”
Jack gave a nod of his head as Josh turned to see where Angie was.
Angie stood a few feet behind the men, looking over to the resort spread out over acres of lushly landscaped grounds at the edge of the promontory.
“Angie?” Josh called to her.
Angie blinked and faced Josh and Jack, her face looking tense and worried.
“Is something wrong?” Josh asked.
Standing with her arms hanging limply by her sides and her shoulders rounded, Angie said in a quiet voice, “Yes … but I don’t know what it is.”
9
“I felt like something was pulling at me.” Angie gestured towards the resort. “It felt like the pull was coming from the resort.”
Josh stared blankly across the green lawn at the buildings that made up the seaside hotel. “What would have caused the sensation?”
“I don’t know, but it sure drew my attention.”
Jack looked puzzled, his forehead scrunched and his blue eyes inquisitive. “Shall we go over and see what the cause might be?”
They walked to the front entrance of the Sweet Cove Resort and entered the elegant lobby where groupings of sofas and chairs clustered around the large, high-ceilinged room. A stone fireplace stood on the far wall and the lighting was soft and flattering.
“The feeling has subsided.” Angie pressed her fingers against her temple. “Whatever bothered me seems to be gone.”
Josh headed for the reception desk and spoke with one of his employees. “Did someone check-in within the last ten minutes or so?”
“No one.” The man behind the granite counter was dressed in the resort uniform of black slacks, a pressed, light grey shirt, and a dark plum-colored necktie. “But someone came in a few minutes ago who was here before. He was here early in the morning when those dentists got murdered.”
“He was here that morning? What did he want?” Josh asked.
The desk clerk leaned forward. “That morning the man said he was supposed to meet someone in one of our cottages. He said an associate was supposed to reserve one of the bungalows. There wasn’t anything under the name he gave. The cottages were all filled so I described the suites and rooms that were available. The man seemed very distracted, he took a look at his watch and said he had to go. He turned around and left in a hurry. The same man was just here again a few minutes ago.”
“What did he want this time?” Josh asked.
“He asked if anyone else besides him had come looking for his associate the other morning. I told him that no one had.”
“What did this man look like?” Josh questioned.
“About mid-thirties, medium build, looked fit. He had dark blond hair, he was dressed business casual.”
“Had you seen him before the morning of the murders?” Angie moved closer to the desk.
“I don’t recall seeing the man before,” the desk clerk said.
“Did he happen to tell you his name?” Jack spoke in an official-sounding voice.
“He didn’t, no.”
“What was the name of his associate?” Josh asked.
“Mr. Kravetz.”
“Did this man arrive by car? Did you happen to notice if he got into a vehicle when he left?” Josh glanced out of the glass door as if he thought the man might still be nearby.
The desk clerk looked crestfallen. “I’m sorry, I didn’t notice how he arrived or how he left.”
“Thank you,” Josh said to his employee as he took Angie’s elbow and moved towards a sofa and two chairs.
“I think my unease must have been because of the man who was looking for his business associate.” Angie kept her voice down.
“Who could he be?” Jack kept looking around the room in case the man returned.
“That’s the million-dollar question.” Josh looked at Angie. “Are you feeling better?”
“I am. My concern left with whoever that man was.” Angie slipped her hand in Josh’s. “Jack and I should head back to town. The chief is expecting Dr. Chase’s mother to arrive early this evening and he wants me and Courtney to sit in on the interview.”
“I’ll walk you back to the car,” Josh said. “If that man is important, you’ll figure it out.”
Angie was pretty sure the man looking for his associate in one of the resort cottages would provide some important information to the case of the murdered dentists … if she was able to find him.
“I raised Marty on my own. My husband died when my son was only a year old.” Mrs. Chase, Marty’s mother, sat at the conference table in the police station across from Courtney and Angie. Chief Martin sat at the end of the old, fake wood table writing some notes.
Jack had dropped Angie at the Victorian just as she received a text from the chief informing her that Dr. Chase’s mother had arrived from central Massachusetts.
Greta Chase was in her late-sixties and gave the impression that she was energetic and intelligent. A petite woman with a few extra pounds, her silvery-blond hair was cut in a chin-length bob and she wore gray slacks and a navy jacket. She folded her hands in her lap. Her eyelids were tinged red … Angie assumed from bouts of crying over her dead son.
“Marty was my only child.” Mrs. Chase dabbed at her nose with a crumpled tissue. “He was always a handful, full of energy, couldn’t sit still, was always on the move. Marty was so smart, everything came easy to him. He was valedictorian of his high school class, went on to college, and then to dental school.”
“Were you and Marty close?” the chief asked.
Mrs. Chase let out a long breath. “I had to be a disciplinarian with Marty. He was high-spirited. He had an attitude and I don’t know where he got it. My son could be arrogant. I don’t think he was unkind, but he focused on himself a good deal and sometimes was so engrossed with his own needs and wants that he forgot about other people’s feelings. He wasn’t a bad boy, but if you gave him some rope, he’d hang himself with it. I had to keep my eye on him at all times. It was exhausting.”
“I understand he was a talented archer,” Angie said.
“Oh, yes. I put him in archery so that maybe he’d learn some self-control. He learned it, but he only demonstrated it when he had a bow and arrow in his hands. Self-control didn’t carry over into the other areas of his life. He was always impulsive, didn’t take the long view of things.”
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“He was in a car accident?” the chief asked.
Mrs. Chase shook her head sadly. “That accident … it was a turning point. Marty lost his desire to excel at archery. His injuries were severe. He didn’t want any part of the long, slog back to his championship form. He abandoned the sport. He struggled with addiction to pain killers. I demanded that he go into treatment. He came out clean and went to dental school.” The woman wrung her hands. “You asked if Marty and I were close. Our relationship consisted of me nagging him to be his best and to stay out of trouble and him dragging his feet to reluctantly meet his challenges. I loved my boy, but our relationship was a difficult one.”
“What did you think of Carlie?” Courtney asked.
Mrs. Chase smiled. “Carlie was a sweetheart. Smart, kind, loving, hardworking.”
“But...?” Courtney waited for the woman to go on.
“But she wasn’t a good match for Marty. Marty needed a firm hand and Carlie was too soft. Marty walked all over her. I didn’t like it. Her gentle nature allowed Marty’s disagreeable side to run wild.” Mrs. Chase said, “I hate to say so, but my son could be rude and selfish and arrogant. The older he got, the more that side came out.”
“Was Marty in trouble with anyone?” the chief asked.
Mrs. Chase looked surprised. “I have no idea.”
“Do you know why the couple left New Hampshire and came to live in Sweet Cove?” Angie asked the woman.
“If I had to guess, I’d say Marty might have needed a change. He might have run his mouth off or annoyed people in some way. Maybe they lost friends because of Marty’s behavior. Maybe he got himself into trouble with someone. I really don’t know. A fresh start in a new place could have looked like a good idea.”
“You mentioned Marty had become addicted to pain killers after his car accident.” Chief Martin made eye contact with Mrs. Chase. “Did he ever show signs of being back on drugs?”
Mrs. Chase blinked a few times. “I never thought he was. I didn’t see him much though. I hope that hadn’t happened. I think Carlie would have told me.”
“Your son had some expensive automobiles,” the chief said.
“His Mercedes?”
“He had a Lamborghini and a Ferrari.”
Mrs. Chase’s eyebrows raised. “I didn’t know about the Ferrari.”
“Those are very expensive vehicles,” Chief Martin noted.
“Marty always loved cars.” Mrs. Chase seemed to be thinking about her son’s possessions.
“The house they purchased in town was also quite expensive.”
Angie eyed the chief.
Chief Martin asked, “Did your son or his wife inherit any money that you know of?”
“Inherit money? No. Carlie’s parents had passed away years ago. There wasn’t anyone to inherit money from.”
“Was your son an investor?”
“I think he had some mutual funds.” Mrs. Chase nervously adjusted her necklace. “I didn’t know him to be much of an investor. Marty preferred to spend money, not save it. Maybe Carlie took their finances in hand and made some good investments?”
“That could be.” The chief nodded and then shifted in his seat. “I have to share some other news about what was found at the couple’s home.” He went on to tell the woman as gently as he could about the body in the trunk of the car.
Mrs. Chase gasped and placed her hand on her stomach. “Who was he? The young man in the car?”
“We haven’t made an identification yet.” Chief Martin hesitated and then asked if she would be able to look at a photograph of the man to see if she could identify him, explaining that there were no upsetting signs of foul play on the body.
“I guess so.” Mrs. Chase’s cheeks flushed pink.
When the photograph was passed to the woman, she held it gingerly, took a look, and then passed the picture back to the chief as quickly as she could. “I don’t know him.” She watched as the photo was slipped back into its manila envelope. “How did he die? What was the cause of his death?”
“Overdose,” Chief Martin told her. “Opioids.”
“Drugs,” Mrs. Chase said. “You don’t know who the man is?”
“Not as yet. He doesn’t match any missing persons reports. He isn’t known in town. It will take some time, but we’re confident he’ll be identified.”
Mrs. Chase’s facial muscles tensed. “Did that man kill Marty and Carlie?”
“The coroner puts his time of death around the same time as the attack on Dr. Chase and Dr. Streeter.”
Mrs. Chase said in a shaky voice, “Then the same person probably killed him and my son and daughter-in-law.”
“The investigation is ongoing. We don’t yet have anything concrete to link the deaths.”
Yet.
Anxious sparks of electricity jumped over Angie’s skin as she exchanged a look of worry with her sister.
10
Angie and Josh rode side by side on their bikes along the paved trail that ran for miles along the ocean. The day was warm and dry with a brilliant sun shining against the azure blue sky dotted with a few puffy white clouds. Angie had been telling Josh about the interview with Dr. Marty Chase’s mother last evening.
“In plain English, the guy sounds like a real jerk.” Josh kept his eyes on the path ahead. “I’m sorry to put it so bluntly and I know his mother described him as having been hyper and inattentive and kind of wild, but the guy doesn’t seem to have felt the need to ever modify his behavior.”
“I was surprised the mom was so forthcoming about how difficult Marty was to raise,” Angie said. “And about how difficult his personality could be.”
“Marty seems the type who could get himself into trouble pretty easily.” Josh took a look at Angie. “Did you believe what the mother was saying?”
“I did. It all seemed very sincere. Marty was not an easy child. It sounded like she’d done her best to try and put him on the right path forward.”
“Seems he might have messed things up,” Josh noted. “Did Marty get into trouble with someone? Was he back on drugs? Did the medical examiner do toxicology tests on Marty and Carlie?”
“They did. The results aren’t back yet.”
Josh and Angie pedaled along admiring the beautiful scenery of the coast, the crashing waves, the expanse of ocean mirroring the color of the sky, the sandy dunes, the fragrant pink and red rosa rugosa blooming along the path. Angie wished they could forget about crime and murder and misdeeds, but it was impossible to push it very far from her mind.
“Has the chief looked into the dentists’ finances?” Josh asked. “It seems like they were spending their money like water. I know they must have made huge salaries from their practice and maybe they invested well, but that house? And those cars? They would have blown through their money pretty fast at the rate they were going.”
Angie pondered, “I wonder if they spent so extravagantly when they lived in New Hampshire.”
“That could be telling.” Josh weaved around a rock on the path. “If their spending started when they moved here, what was different? Where did they suddenly get all the money?”
“If they spent the same way when they lived in New Hampshire,” Angie said, “where were they getting the money to spend so lavishly for so long?”
Josh raised an eyebrow. “It could be that the couple was supplementing their income somehow.”
“Illegal stuff?” Angie asked.
“Possibly, or maybe they had rental properties or other streams of income. The police must be thinking the same things that we’re thinking. They’ll look into it and figure it out.”
“That could help us unravel the strings of the case.” Angie shifted gears on the bike. “One thing could lead to another.”
The two bicyclists pulled off the trail and parked the bicycles. Josh removed a blanket from the pack on his bike and Angie unsnapped the small cooler containing their lunches. They walked to the edge of the bluff to eat and rest and admire the v
iew.
“What do you think of what you’ve heard about Carlie Streeter?” Josh took a long swig from his water bottle.
Angie unwrapped her sandwich, thinking about her response, and she lifted her eyes to Josh. “You know, I have a feeling that Carlie wasn’t as passive and malleable as she’s being portrayed.”
“You’ve heard the same report from different sources though.” Josh removed a cookie from the container and gave Angie a sheepish grin. “I can’t resist these cookies you made so I’m eating my dessert first.”
Angie teased, “You know that’s very naughty, don’t you?”
Josh winked as he bit into the chocolate chunk sweet. “It won’t ever happen again.”
Angie chuckled. “We’ll see how long that promise holds.”
Josh leaned back on the blanket and watched the birds fly overhead. “What makes you think Carlie was different from how she’s been described?”
Angie finished her sandwich and put the container back into the cooler. “I can’t point to anything specific. It’s just a feeling I have. Think about it. Carlie was super smart, she excelled at her studies, excelled at track. Could a weak-willed person do all of those things just because someone else expected them to?”
Josh gave a shrug. “I have no idea. I think if someone was so demanding about what I needed to do, I’d become resentful and maybe sabotage my activities to show I couldn’t be pushed around. I know that would be really dumb, but, who knows how we’d react in a situation like that.”
“I find myself feeling a connection to Carlie.” Angie redid her ponytail to contain loose strands of hair that had fallen out. “I know I often appear to be very compromising and concerned about my sisters and Mr. Finch. I want things to go well for them, I try to smooth things out for them. It’s probably because I’m the oldest.”
Josh chuckled. “Well, you beat Jenna being born by a few minutes so yes, you are the oldest in the family.”
Angie went on. “So I bet people think I’m sort of weak or impressionable or easy to manipulate.”
Josh adjusted his position on the blanket, leaned on his elbow, and looked Angie in the eye. “Those things you do for your family aren’t signs of weakness and anyone who thinks so is ignorant. You, Angela Roseland, are not only one of the finest people I’ve ever known, you are also one of the strongest.”