Murder in South Carolina

by Agnes Alexander

  “I was married, but he decided he didn’t want to be tied down to a cop.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Thanks, but it was a couple of years ago. That’s how I ended up in Myrtle Beach. He was on the force at home so one of us had to go. I decided it might as well be me.”

  “Are you sorry?”

  “Not now.” She smiled. “Besides I like living at the beach.”

  “I’m glad for you.”

  “Is sending your daughter off to school the only thing bothering you?” Bett asked.

  “Well, I did break up with a man I’ve been seeing for several months. I get kind of lonely sometimes and I actually thought he might be someone I could be interested in.”

  “Maybe you can patch things up.”

  Nola Dean shook her head. “No way. I was the one who called it quits. He turned out to be a real louse.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be. I’m glad I found out before things became serious between us.”

  Bett didn’t say anything and Nola Dean said, “How about you, Bett? Is there a special man in your life?”

  She chuckled. “No. I’m still waiting to meet that special dude.”

  Nola Dean laughed and they spent the rest of the meal chatting about their former husbands and about their futures. Before saying good night they exchanged telephone numbers and promised to get together again soon.

  When Nola Dean got home, she decided she wasn’t going to do anything except walk Maxie, watch a little television, and then go to bed. She hoped when she finally did go to sleep she wouldn’t dream about falling over dead bodies all night.

  Chapter 8

  The next morning Dolly decided to go back to the bank. She couldn’t wait to look at the money again. And the fact that she’d spent over six hundred dollars last night made her think she had to replenish the supply in her purse.

  She wondered why the bank attendant looked at her funny when she arrived, but she brushed it aside. It was her safe deposit box. What business was it of theirs if she chose to visit it every day?

  But once inside the little room with her money, she decided she’d have to cool it for a while. She didn’t want to raise any suspicions. She’d take three thousand today and then she’d stay away for a while.

  Once she counted out the money, she closed the box and handed it back to the teller.

  “Thank you,” she smiled brightly. “I have what I need now. I hope I won’t have to come back tomorrow.”

  “Come as often as you like, Mrs. Overton.” The young woman smiled back. “We’re here to serve.”

  Dolly didn’t answer. She simply nodded and left the bank.

  Without hesitation, she drove up the beach to another branch of her bank. She filled out the deposit slip and put the three thousand dollars in her account.

  She wondered if she should explain that she’d cashed a Certificate of deposit or something as she handed the deposit to the teller.

  The bored middle-aged woman counted the bills, stamped the receipt and said, “Thank you, Mrs. Overton. Have a good day.”

  “You too,” Dolly said, glad she hadn’t bothered to explain anything to the woman.

  Opening the door to her Cadillac, she frowned. The black car with the dark windows hadn’t left her much room to get inside. She had to be careful not to ding his door or hers.

  “Some people are so inconsiderate,” she mumbled as she pulled from the parking space.

  Not wanting to go home, she decided to pay Nola Dean a surprise visit. After all, they were friends and she needed to stay in contact with her friends. She was going to need them when the news came out that Walter had run off and left her.

  She was going north on Highway 17 when she noticed the dark sedan close to her bumper. She frowned. It looked like the same car that had her hemmed in at the bank. She pushed the accelerator and the Cadillac went to sixty miles per hour. The black car stayed right behind her. She slowed down to fifty and he also slowed.

  For a moment Dolly felt a little afraid, but she knew it was silly. What did she have to fear? Surely Walter hadn’t put anyone up to this. She shook the thought from her mind and decided to concentrate on something else.

  She didn’t have long to think because the black sedan suddenly came from behind her and pulled alongside her car. In less than two seconds, the car rammed into the side of her car and Dolly felt the Cadillac slip out of her control and head for the side of the road. It seemed to have a mind of its own as it began to swerve and slide toward the ditch. The black car didn’t stop to see what happened. It swerved back into the lane and sped away.

  The air bag exploded and for a minute Dolly wasn’t sure what was happening. She knew she was all right, but she was shook up. In an instant she heard voices. The car door opened and a man said, “Lady, are you all right?”

  “I think so,” she mumbled as she started to get out of the car.

  “Maybe you’d better sit still until an ambulance gets here. My wife called 911.”

  Dolly ignored him and tried to get out of the car. She felt woozy, but she wanted to show him she was okay. She took a step, but it was too much. Her legs gave way and she collapsed.

  The man caught her before she hit the ground. Then she heard sirens. She knew she was in no shape to help herself, so she let the man put her back on the front seat of her car.

  * * * *

  “Mommy, I want to go to the pool. Please let me go swimming. There’s a pool inside. I don’t have to go to the ocean.”

  “For heaven’s sake, Patty, can’t you wait until we get everything unpacked? We’re going to be in this hotel for a week. You’ll have plenty of time to swim.”

  “But I want to go now. If you don’t want me to go alone, Ellen will take me.”

  “Oh, Mom. Do I have to take her? She’s such a little drip.”

  “Don’t talk like that about your sister, Ellen. She’s excited to be at the beach.”

  “I want to go swimming, Mommy? Please,” Patty begged.

  “Take her for a little while, Ellen. That way I can get all the clothes put away. I promise to make it up to you.”

  “If I have to.” She turned to her little sister. “Let’s get our swim suits on, runt. I’ll go with you for one hour. That’s all.”

  As soon as the girls were out of the room, Glenda Jenkins turned to the business of getting things sorted out for the week. She decided she’d put the clothes in the closet first.

  She moved to it and tried to open the door.

  It wouldn’t budge.

  She tried a little harder and realized the door was locked. She looked around for a key, but didn’t find one. She dialed the front desk.

  “I’m sorry, Mrs. Jenkins,” the young voice said. “I’ll send someone right away to unlock it for you.”

  “Thank you.”

  While she waited, Glenda busied herself by placing the folded items in the chest of drawers. She’d finished when there was a light tap on the door.

  “Mrs. Jenkins,” the maid said. “I’ve come to unlock the closet for you.”

  “Thank you.”

  Jennifer Rogers moved to the closet and put her key in the keyhole. It didn’t fit. She tried a few other keys and then shook her head. “None of these work. May I use your phone to call maintenance?”

  “Of course.”

  When she got an answer she said, “Billy, this is Jennifer. I’ve got a closet door on the third floor which my key won’t open. Can you come and help me?”

  She told him the room number and turned to Glenda. “He said he’d be right up.”

  Within a few minutes Billy arrived. “Say you’re having trouble with a door?”

  Jennifer nodded and he took out a ring of keys and attempted to open the door. “It looks like somebody has put a new lock on this door. None of my keys fit.”

  “What can be done about this?” Glenda asked.

  “I’ll remove the lock and put a new one on, if you don’t mind
me working in your room.”

  “That will be fine.” Glenda looked helpless.

  “It won’t take long to remove the doorknob. Then I’ll have to go downstairs to get another one for you. I hope you don’t mind being without a lock for a little while.”

  “I don’t mind at all. I can still hang up my clothes, can’t I?”

  “Of course,” Billy said as laid the knob on the floor, stood back and opened the door.

  Glenda and Jennifer screamed in unison as Arthur Brown’s body tumbled into the room.

  * * * *

  Nola Dean sipped a glass of iced tea and looked around the condo. It had taken some hard work, but the kitchen sparkled. She was tired, but at least everything was done to her satisfaction.

  “I guess that’s all we need to do in here, boys.” She said to her cat and dog.

  They ignored her. Maxie was asleep on a blanket she’d put on the sofa. Bubbles was in the rocking chair.

  The telephone rang.

  “Ms. Buckingham, this is the hospital. Your friend, Dolly Overton asked us to call you.”

  “What’s the matter?”

  “She had an accident. She asked if you could come down.”

  “Of course. I’ll be right there.”

  Thirty minutes later Nola Dean was standing beside Dolly’s bed.

  “What in the world happened to you?”

  “Nola Dean, it was awful. A car ran me off the road and then took off. It was a wonder I wasn’t killed.”

  “Who would do such a thing?”

  “I don’t know. It had those dark windows and was following me, I thought he might ram me in the back, but he came up by me and deliberately hit the side of my car.”

  “Are you sure? Maybe the driver was drunk.”

  “I don’t think so. I think he ran me off the road because he wanted to.”

  “Was it a man?”

  “I don’t know. I assumed it was. A woman wouldn’t do a thing like that, would she?”

  “I’m not sure, but whether it was a man or a woman, why would anyone want to run you off the road, Dolly?”

  “I don’t know.” She looked away. “I just know they did.”

  “Did anyone see it happen?”

  “A man and his wife stopped to help me, but they said they were too far back to get the license number. He said the car did it on purpose and then sped off.”

  “I’m so sorry, Dolly.” She took a deep breath. “Have you gotten in touch with Walter?”

  “No. I haven’t heard from him.”

  “Not at all?” Nola Dean was surprised.

  “No. He said he’d call me, but he hasn’t. I tried his cell phone several times, but he won’t answer. I have no idea where he is.” She looked back at Nola Dean. “The scoundrel is probably with a woman somewhere.”

  Nola Dean avoided her eyes. “What makes you say that?”

  “Don’t play dumb. You know Walter plays around on me, Nola Dean. Everyone knows about it, including me.”

  “I wouldn’t say that.”

  “You know damn well he’s been unfaithful to me. I’ve only put up with him because of the money and regardless of what anyone thinks, I really do love the old scoundrel. Besides, I can’t face the fact that I’d be poor again if I left him.”

  “You could easily get a job making all the money you need.”

  “I’m not so sure. I tried to find a job one time. It wasn’t that easy.”

  The doctor came back into the room. “Mrs. Overton, your x-rays look good. We haven’t found any broken bones and there doesn’t seem to be any major problems. How are you feeling?”

  “I think I’m fine, but I have an awful headache and my wrist and chest hurts.”

  “That’s to be expected. You twisted your wrist and there is a strain on the tendons. You’re probably feeling the results of the bruises caused by the seat belt on your chest, but if you hadn’t had it on, you could have gone through the windshield.”

  “I always wear my seatbelt.”

  “That’s a good habit.” He smiled at her. “We’ll keep you overnight for observation if you like and I’ll give you something for the pain.”

  “Yes. I want something for pain, but I want to go home.”

  “Then I’ll see about getting you released. In the meantime, there’s a policeman here who wants to talk to you about the accident.”

  “I don’t know what I can tell him that I didn’t tell the other officer, but I’ll see him.”

  Nola Dean stood. “I’ll wait outside for you.”

  “Please stay here. I’ll feel better having you in the room.”

  “Whatever you like.”

  The officer came in and Dolly told him the story of the wreck once again. He took it down and then thanked her. As soon as the questioning was over Dolly was allowed to leave the hospital. Nola Dean picked her up at the entrance and drove her home, stopping only to get the medicine at the pharmacy.

  “Why don’t you lie down and rest and I’ll make us some tea,” Nola Dean suggested when she saw Dolly stumble into the room.

  “I think I will.”

  When she brought the tea into Dolly’s room she found her friend in bed with the covers to her chin.

  “Do you feel that bad, Dolly?”

  “Not really. I just think this is a good excuse for a nice afternoon nap. Do you mind, Nola Dean? I guess I’m a little more shook up than I thought.”

  “You go right ahead and take your nap. I’ll read until you wake up.” She handed Dolly a pill and a glass of iced tea. “Take this and I’ll let you rest.”

  Dolly swallowed the pill. “Help yourself to anything you can find in the house to read or otherwise.”

  “I’ll do that.”

  Almost before Nola Dean left the room, Dolly was asleep.

  * * * *

  “Well,” Joe looked at Bett as the coroner took the body down the hall to the back elevator of the hotel. “I guess there’s no longer a mystery about who the body on the beach was.”

  “He looks too much like the man in the picture on Walter Overton’s driver’s license photo not to be him.”

  “It’s him all right. Of course, we still have to get a positive ID from someone who knew him personally.”

  “And you recognized the guy from the closet?”

  “Arthur Brown. He’s been in and out of jail all of his life. His rap sheet is as long as this hall.”

  “I wonder if he killed the Overton man.” She looked at Joe.

  “He had something to do with it, that’s for sure.”

  “Do you think it was for the money?”

  “Of course. Arthur Brown would do anything for money. There’s no doubt now that Overton’s death was murder. The question is, who killed Arthur Brown?”

  “You don’t think he could have overdosed himself. There was a syringe in the closet.”

  “Not likely. It’s too much of a coincidence for both men to be killed from an overdose of drugs. Of course, anything is possible.” Joe shook his head. “If Brown did himself in, how could he lock himself in that closet? There’s no logical reason why he would get into the closet in the first place. Besides, I can’t see Arthur Brown renting a luxury suite like this one.”

  “There are a lot of unanswered questions, aren’t there?”

  “Yes. For one thing, why did Arthur keep the wallet? He’s the type who would take out the money and throw the billfold in the nearest trash can.”

  “I’m beginning to see there’s a lot more to this than a simple murder and robbery.”

  “Somehow it seems to begin with Nola Dean Buckingham’s condo complex. I’m still not convinced she isn’t a nut, but on the other hand...”

  “I don’t think she is, Joe. I believe her story. When we had dinner last night I saw that…”

  “Wait.” He stared at his partner. “You had dinner with Nola Dean Buckingham?”

  “It wasn’t a planned thing. I ran into her at Bennett’s. She was alone and so was I. W
e ended at the same table and we had an interesting conversation.”

  “About what?”

  “She’s a widow. Did you know that?” He shook his head and she went on. “She’s also an artist.”

  “She did mention something about doing sketches on the beach.”

  “Yes, I’d forgotten about that, but it’s like you to remember.”

  “What do you mean by that?”

  She smiled at him. “You may be the lead detective, but I’m a woman. I saw the way you looked at her when we got out of the elevator at her condo. The moment you noticed those short cut-off jeans, those blue eyes and that blond hair you decided you’d learn all you could about her.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous.”

  “I’m not. Just observant. I think she intrigued you from the minute you laid eyes on her.”

  He shook his head, but didn’t answer. Bett went on. “I’m convinced she did find a body when she arrived at her condo.”

  “Then why was it moved?” He frowned. “And why didn’t the killers do away with her when she walked in on them?”

  “You said killers. Then you’re convinced there was more than one?” She looked at him.

  “Absolutely.”

  “Well, I guess the fact that the lights were out and she didn’t see their faces saved her life.”

  “Or maybe…”

  “Maybe what, Joe?”

  “I’m not sure. Let me think on it a while.”

  Bett knew there was no need to press him. “Is there anything else we need to do here?”

  “I think we’ve done about all we can. Our next step is to go see if this Overton fellow has a family. They’ll have to be informed about the death. We also need to get someone to make a positive identification.”

  “Do you want to take the back elevator to see if we can avoid the press?”

  “Sounds good to me. I don’t want to face their questions yet.”

  * * * *

  “I’m sorry I don’t know where Walter is,” Megan said for the third time. She was about to burst into tears. How could he have changed so drastically? Yesterday, he’d treaded her as if she was a queen. Took her to his condo and even made love to her on the king sized bed in the master bedroom. Now, today he was demanding things she couldn’t produce. Usually, he saved his wrath for the receptionists, but today he was grilling Megan as if she had personally sent Walter away to harm the company.