A Treasure to Die For (A Seaside Cove Bed & Breakfast Mystery Book 1)

by Terry Ambrose

  “Nobody in particular. What can I do for you?”

  “Let’s stop with the lies and evasive answers. Where’s Mark Joshua?” Rick demanded.

  Cadman sighed and hung his head. “It’s all coming out, isn’t it?”

  “Your addiction, the lies about the monopod, yes, everything is coming out. Who were you expecting, anyway?”

  “Brad. He called a couple of minutes ago. Said we had to talk.”

  “Mr. Richardson, I’m about one minute away from arresting all of you for the murder of Jim Gordon. You have that long to answer our questions.”

  The deputy flipped open his small pad and fingered his pen. It was obvious, at least to Rick, he was also tired of the runaround.

  “What do you want to know?” Cadman massaged his forehead with his hand; his shoulders shook.

  “What did Mr. Luhan want to talk about?”

  “I don’t know. That’s the truth. He said you guys were getting close. I didn’t understand what he meant by it so I told him to come on up.”

  Deputy Cunningham made a note before he glanced at Cadman. “Did you purchase oxycodone from Mr. Joshua?”

  “Yes.”

  “Did Mr. Luhan tell you where to find your monopod?”

  Cadman rolled his neck from side-to-side and his shoulders slumped. “Brad came to me and said he’d heard it was near where Jim died. He told me exactly where it was. He asked me if I was the killer and I denied it. But, the longer we talked, the more I realized what it would look like if someone found it. That’s why I was down there. If you hadn’t seen my flashlight none of this would have happened.”

  “Not quite,” Rick said. “Jim Gordon would still be dead.”

  Deputy Cunningham asked, “Where is Mr. Joshua now?”

  “He left to see the boat guy.”

  “The boat guy?” Rick asked. “You mean Joe Gray?”

  “That’s the one. He said they had some sort of business to conduct.”

  Chapter 49

  RICK

  Rick and Deputy Cunningham drove to the harbor in the police 4x4. It would have been a little-boy fantasy come true with one exception. They decided to keep the lights and siren off to prevent Mark running at the sound of the approaching cruiser.

  The back door of Joe Gray’s houseboat stood open. Mottled sky reflected off the windows, giving them a faux-painted appearance. Roses and lavender in large pots lined the back end of the rear deck, which was a good ten feet from the dock. With each step on the dock’s old planks, a few more creepy-crawlies inched up-and-down Rick’s spine. One thing he knew for sure, he could have never been a cop.

  “How do you do it, Adam?”

  “Do what?”

  “Stay calm in this kind of situation.”

  Adam snickered. “Who said anything about being calm? Right now, I feel like my blood pressure’s through the roof.” He took a deep breath and led the way onto the houseboat.

  They both stopped and listened for a moment to voices coming through an open window. Rick said, “That’s Mark talking to Joe. Doesn’t sound like they’re arguing or anything.”

  “Let’s find out what arrangement these two have.”

  The deputy opened the front door and entered. Joe stood behind the counter, Mark in front. Joe smiled, quick and earnest. He waved a hand and invited the newcomers in.

  “To what do I owe the honor, gentlemen?”

  “Hey, Joe,” Deputy Cunningham said. “We have a few questions for Mr. Joshua.”

  Rick kept a wary eye on Mark, who backed up as the deputy spoke. “Don’t be trying to go anywhere.”

  “It’s all good,” Mark said. He leaned against the counter and raised his other hand. “Fire away.”

  The deputy asked, “What kind of work do you do, Mr. Joshua?”

  “Excuse me? What’s that got to do with anything?”

  “Please answer the question.”

  “Whatever. I work in a hospital.”

  “Do you have access to prescription drugs?”

  “No.” Mark’s fingers shook slightly as he stroked his beard and neck.

  Recognition dawned on Joe’s face and he narrowed his eyes. “What are we into here, Adam?”

  Deputy Cunningham didn’t look away from his suspect, and that seemed to make Joe even more uncomfortable. Now, he was also paying full attention to his supposed customer.

  The deputy licked his lips. “I’m not quite sure yet.”

  Rick didn’t like the way this was going at all. If Mark denied providing the drugs to Cadman, this would turn into a he-said, he-said contest. And Mark probably had his tracks covered.

  “Were you renting a charter?” Rick asked.

  “He was.” Joe slid a piece of paper across the countertop.

  Rick recognized the missing section of the treasure map immediately.

  “How lucky can you get?” Joe said. “He found the—what the devil?”

  Mark bolted through the open back door. Adam charged after him, but Joe hung his head and chuckled when they heard a loud splash and someone thrashing in the water.

  “Could’ve told him you can’t get out that way.” Joe said. “Not unless he’s a great jumper.”

  Joe sauntered to the door and peered out. Rick stood behind him. The deputy watched Mark tread water from the edge of the houseboat. Over his shoulder, he said, “Would one of you get me some rope or a pole to pull him out, please?”

  “Sure thing, Deputy,” Joe said as he reached to his right and handed Adam a long pole.

  Once they had Mark out of the water, Joe brought a towel from inside and huffed. He muttered, “I just did the laundry yesterday.”

  As Mark dried off, the deputy began asking more questions. From the moment the interrogation started, it was obvious everything had changed.

  “How did you meet Jim Gordon?” Deputy Cunningham asked.

  “Through the San Manuel Society.”

  “How did you get the drugs you resold?”

  “A nurse at work hooked me up with a supplier when I was injured. I discovered there was more money reselling oxy than working.”

  “Was Jim Gordon aware you were dealing?

  “Yes.”

  “Did he buy drugs from you?”

  Mark laughed. “Are you kidding me? Straitlaced Gordon? He threatened to expose me if I didn’t stop. For a guy who played so loose with the rules himself, you’d think he would have cut me a little slack. Not him. Not a chance. Gordon was one of those people who thought everybody else was put on this earth to serve his needs.”

  “So he wanted to do what? Have you arrested for dealing?” Rick asked.

  Mark’s face appeared to be lined with experience. Had he survived because of his wits? Brilliance? Neither mattered now. Apparently, he realized the same thing.

  “Oh, why not? It’s all falling apart and you guys will have enough to hang me. Maybe if I cooperate the judge will go easy.” He gazed at Deputy Cunningham, who hadn’t stopped scribbling notes, then to Rick.

  Rick shrugged. “Worth a try.”

  “Yeah, worth a try.” Mark snorted and ran a hand through his shock of wavy hair. “I’ve got nothing to lose. Jim made threats. All kinds. Told me if he ever saw me again, he’d call the cops.”

  “Was this at the B&B?”

  “No. It was about a week before Heath sent the invitations. Should’ve seen the look Gordon gave me when we met. He wasn’t expecting me, so he went ballistic when we ran into each other in the hall. Didn’t say hello or screw you. The first words out of his mouth were, ‘I’m done with you.’”

  “I lied and told him I was only there for the treasure. I wasn’t dealing anymore. He saw right through me. Asked me to go for a walk down to the shore. I was like, sure. Anything to salvage my life.”

  Deputy Cunningham was still writing in his notepad, so Rick decided he was free to ask any questions he wanted. “Is that how his body wound up on the rocks?”

  “Call it a game of chicken that got out of ha
nd. I guess he wanted to humiliate me or something because Jim climbed up on one of those rocks first and dared me to follow him. He said he’d let me off the hook if I showed him I had some guts. I looked down and saw Cadman’s monopod. Right at my feet. Right by the pathway.”

  “He’d forgotten it when he left?”

  “Must have. Anyway, I figured, his loss, my gain. I’ve used walking sticks before, so I extended it and joined old Straitlaced’s little game. All of a sudden, Jim wasn’t such a big man. He must’ve realized I had better balance and a weapon. He started backing up. Almost fell and broke his neck once. I backed him up all the way to the edge. That’s when I made him give me his copy of the map.”

  Mark laughed and a shiver ran through him. “I thought I had him. Beaten him on his terms. And then a wave hit him. The fear on his face when he fell into the water rear end first was priceless. Then he realizes how cold it is and the ocean’s beating him up pretty good. After he smashed into the rocks a couple of times, he finally got it. He couldn’t get out on his own. I considered leaving him out there. Just letting him die.”

  “But you didn’t, did you?”

  Mark’s jaw quivered; his voice shook. “No. He begged me to help him. Promised to leave me alone. I wasn’t sure I could live with myself if I walked away so I held out the monopod. He grabbed onto it. We got him back on land, and he started cursing at me again. He accused me of attempted murder. That was it. I’d had enough. Instead of the guy being thankful for saving his life, he wanted to make me pay even more. I still had Cadman’s monopod in my hand. I can tell you one thing, the world’s better off without him.”

  “One last question, Mark. What did you do with the monopod afterwards?”

  “I started to throw it in the ocean, but I lost my balance and it landed in the rocks by accident. Hayden was coming, so I hid behind a big boulder and let him discover the body. As soon as Monica showed up, I joined them. I got worried someone would find the monopod, so I told Brad right where it was. I knew the little weasel would go straight to Cadman.”

  “One accident,” Rick whispered.

  “What’s that?” Mark asked.

  Deputy Cunningham gazed at him. “Rick?”

  “Nothing. It’s funny how quickly things can change.” Rick shook his head. Mark Joshua’s life had gone downhill all because he’d been injured in an accident. In some ways, he almost felt sorry for the guy.

  Deputy Cunningham made one final note, then looked up from his pad. He glanced down at a small laminated card in his hand. “Mr. Joshua, I’m going to read you your rights. After that, you may want to call an attorney.”

  Rick stretched to relieve some of his pent-up anxiety. Somehow, it all seemed so anticlimactic. “If you don’t mind, Deputy, I’ll walk back to the B&B. I have a few things to sort out.”

  Chapter 50

  RICK

  Rick didn’t go straight home, but took a path through downtown. He barely noticed the tourists. Instead, he focused on the architecture. Along Main Street, old Victorian homes painted white with brightly colored trim had been converted to businesses. He passed the candle shop, the soap shop, and Scoops & Scones. He peered into windows, something he’d never really done. So many things he’d never noticed in this town. And now, he wanted to experience them all.

  There was something else. For once, he felt connected to a place. To the people. Yes, even to those twenty-two mothers who wanted him to marry their daughters.

  When he arrived home, he went straight to the kitchen, where Marquetta and Alex were standing at the center island. They each had a bath towel lying on the countertop in front of them. They’d rolled the ends to the middle so they formed two parallel tubes.

  “Now, all we do is fold the towels over,” Marquetta said. “Leave some room for the elephant’s body, and the rolled parts create four legs.”

  Rick snickered. It really did look like an elephant’s body—sort of. “So how do you make the head?” he asked.

  Alex jumped up and ran to him. She grabbed his hand and pulled him to where her elephant body stood. “It’s over,” he whispered to Marquetta.

  “I know,” she said. “Adam called and said the guests could leave. Mr. Luhan and Miss Kelley checked out almost immediately. Mr. Richardson and Mr. Kalstone say they’re staying until tomorrow morning.” She grimaced. “Miss Potok will be with us for a while.”

  “She’s a guest, that’s all.” Or were those simply words to make Marquetta and Alex feel better? If he were truthful, he still wasn’t sure how he felt about Reese.

  “Daddy, Marquetta’s teaching me to make towel animals. We’re doing an elephant now! Then we’re gonna do a menu for a dinner party to benefit Robbie’s family. We’re inviting people so we can raise money to help them.”

  “It was all her idea.” Marquetta gave Alex’s shoulder a little squeeze and smiled at her.

  “Marquetta told me about the accident Robbie’s mom was in and I wanted to help out.”

  Alex rolled the corners of a hand towel into a triangle to match Marquetta’s. They turned their towels over and pulled down the wide end. “This is the trunk,” Alex said as she positioned her creation. She tilted her head to one side. “It looks funny cause he doesn’t have any eyes.”

  Marquetta opened a wooden box which was filled with plastic baggies containing what appeared to be colorful eyes. Alex squealed and grabbed the one with blue eyes. “I’m gonna name her Ellie!”

  What a delight it was to watch these two together. He hoped it would never end, and a fundraiser might be just what they needed. “What a great idea, Alex. Who are we inviting?”

  “The whole town.”

  “So, this isn’t just a way for me to meet the parents of my daughter’s future husband.”

  “Daddy!” Alex said and hugged him.

  Marquetta began to laugh. “Now I know you’re a Planner. I’ve already been recruited to prepare the meal. And, Alex has talked to the florist about decorations.”

  Rick’s vision blurred as he gazed down at his daughter. When he looked up at Marquetta, he whispered, “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome,” she mouthed and swiped at her cheek.

  There was a tug on Rick’s waist. He looked down. Alex had one arm around him, the other around Marquetta’s waist. He swallowed hard, content to enjoy the moment.

  Chapter 51

  ALEX

  June 19

  Hey Journal,

  Sorry I haven’t written anything lately. It’s been kinda crazy around here the last couple days. Mr. Richardson and Mr. Kalstone left yesterday. That Miss Potok is still here. She’s been nice since Mr. Joshua got arrested, but I don’t trust her. I bet she’s trying to steal my dad away.

  Me and Daddy and Marquetta are working on the dinner party for Robbie’s family. So far, everybody we’ve asked has said they want to help. We’ve got flowers and candles and food and all sorts of stuff coming in. Marquetta says the tickets are selling like hotcakes.

  I wasn’t sure if Robbie would be cool with the whole dinner thing, but he’s super excited. We’re getting along better than ever. Daddy says I’m too young, but he’s right. I’m gonna marry Robbie when we grow up.

  xoxo,

  Alex

  PS I told Robbie about riding in the dumbwaiter. He’s doesn’t want to do it cause he’s afraid of getting in trouble again. But if I ask him real nice, he’ll give in. I don’t wanna make my dad mad again this week, so we’ll wait. But we’re totally gonna do it. It’s gonna be awesome.

 

 

 
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