Sun, Sand, and Suspects (Garden Girls Christian Cozy Mystery Series Book 11)

by Hope Callaghan

  Paul carried his bride into the camper, placed her on the bed and quietly closed the door before heading onto the deck.

  He stepped outside and found Ian and Victoria McGyver standing near the steps, a somber expression on both their faces. “We have some bad news.”

  Chapter 17

  Paul stepped off the deck and made his way over to the campground owners. He hoped it didn’t have anything to do with the young boy, Billy.

  Ian lowered his voice. “We found your neighbor, Penny, unconscious inside her camper. She’s in the hospital and doctors aren’t sure if she’s going to make it.”

  “We were wondering if you heard or saw anything suspicious,” Victoria added.

  Paul shook his head. “I left early this morning to go fishing. My wife, Gloria, was here first thing this morning but she was gone part of the day. She is sleeping right now. I can check with her when she wakes up and let you know.”

  Ian nodded solemnly. “We would appreciate it.”

  “Do they know what happened to her?” Paul asked.

  “They’re not saying much but we found an empty bottle of Vicodin next to her body.”

  Paul ran a hand through his cropped hair. Vicodin…the same pain pill prescription Gloria had.

  Paul promised the McGyvers he would check with Gloria once she was awake to find out if she could recall anything.

  After they left, Paul paced the lot. The incidents were too close for comfort. Was someone targeting them?

  Paul eased the camper door open and stepped inside. Gloria’s purse was on the counter. Paul opened her purse and peered inside. He let out a sigh of relief when he saw the bottle of pills in the bottom of her purse.

  He remembered picking up two prescription bottles at the hospital pharmacy and that one of the prescriptions was stronger than the other. Paul also remembered placing the second bottle near the sink the night they came back from the ER.

  Paul turned his gaze to the counter. The bottle was gone. He hoped Gloria had put it somewhere else.

  He pushed the nagging thought Penny Green had overdosed after stealing Gloria’s pain pills and began mixing the batter for the fish.

  The recipe was a special one, and one he knew by heart. It had been given to him by his father, which had been passed down by his father, Paul’s grandfather.

  Paul finished mixing the batter and set it off to the side.

  A bleary-eyed Gloria, her hair standing straight up in the air, emerged from the bedroom and hopped to the couch. “Wow. The pain pill knocked me out. I’m gonna have to be careful on the dose I take. Good thing I’m not taking the stronger ones,” she said.

  “Where is the other bottle?” Paul covered the batter with a piece of plastic wrap. “I put it here on the counter but it’s gone.”

  Gloria frowned and shook her head. “Why…I didn’t touch it. You didn’t move it?”

  Paul slowly shook his head. “No.” He stuck the batter in the fridge and proceeded to search all of the kitchen cupboards and drawers, hoping Gloria or he had forgotten they had moved the bottle.

  He made his way into the bathroom and searched the medicine cabinet and cupboard under the sink.

  Gloria followed him, teetering in the bathroom doorway. “It has to be around here somewhere.” She was wide-awake now, wondering why in the world he was tearing the place apart looking for the pills. They couldn’t have sprouted legs and scurried off.

  “I hope you’re right,” he muttered. “Can you look in your purse for me?” he said as he moved into the bedroom to search the dresser and nightstand.

  Gloria eased onto the barstool and grabbed her purse. The only bottle inside was the one she had been taking. “It’s not here,” she hollered across the room.

  “Not here, either,” he said.

  Gloria tilted her head and gazed at her husband. “Something happened? Did someone take my pills?”

  Paul stepped out of the small bedroom and made his way over to his wife. “Penny Green was found unconscious inside her camper. An empty bottle of Vicodin was found next to her body.”

  ***

  A blank expression framed Gloria’s face. “You mean…you think someone broke into our camper, stole my bottle of Vicodin and then poisoned Penny Green?”

  “Or she broke into our camper, stole your bottle of Vicodin and then overdosed,” Paul said.

  The bottle clearly listed Gloria as the patient who had been prescribed the bottle of Vicodin. Surely whoever found Penny’s body would have noticed if the bottle had belonged to Gloria.

  He went on. “Do you remember hearing or seeing anything earlier today, anyone lurking around the camper?”

  Gloria remembered the bag of food she had left for Billy. She quickly dismissed the young boy. “No. Nothing I can recall. You could ask Liz since she and Frances are directly across the street. Of course, we were together all day.”

  “I’m going to check the windows to make sure they’re all locked. Maybe someone spotted the bottle sitting on the counter, broke in and stole it.”

  While Paul checked the windows, Gloria hobbled over to the entrance and stared out through the screen door. She had a bird’s-eye view of Penny’s camper and what she guessed would be her living room window.

  Did Penny have a drug problem and overdose…or, as Paul suggested, had someone had given her the Vicodin and then set Gloria up to take the fall?

  “The windows are locked.” Paul stepped in the living room and grabbed the golf cart keys off the counter. “I’m going to run up to the office and let them know you’re missing a bottle of pills. Do you want to go with me?”

  Gloria slowly shook her head. “No. You go on ahead.” She had other plans.

  As soon as Paul climbed into the golf cart and drove off, Gloria grabbed her crutches and stepped out onto the deck. She eased to the edge, plopped down and slid off, reaching behind her to grab her only mode of transportation.

  As stealthily as possible, she inched her way to Penny’s camper. When she reached the side window, she pressed her forehead against the glass. She was staring into Penny’s tidy living room.

  Her trained eye studied the interior. Nothing appeared to be out of place so she shuffled to the back corner. The first window she reached was covered with blinds and the blinds were closed.

  She made her way to the back. The blinds were open but the window was higher than the ones on the side. Gloria gazed down at the bumper and then up at a small handle on the side of the camper, next to the window. If she balanced just right, she could get her good leg up on the bumper and grasp the handle for a peek inside.

  “Stupid broken leg. Here goes nothing!” She sucked in a breath, grabbed the handle and pulled herself up. She was staring into the bedroom. The bed was not made and the room looked as if a mini tornado had touched down, which was surprising considering the front of the camper appeared neat and tidy.

  She studied the interior then hopped off the bumper, careful to land on her good foot. The landing jarred her broken limb and she winced in pain. “This is gonna be a long two months,” she muttered.

  Gloria grabbed her crutches and made her way to the front side of the camper, the side that faced the road. She hurried as fast as her limp would allow, knowing that anyone passing by would easily spot her.

  Penny’s camper sported a long, narrow deck, similar to the deck in front of Paul and Gloria’s camper.

  Gloria eased onto the deck and hopped over to the window, bent down and peered inside. It was a view of the living room from the other side.

  She studied the room, turned her gaze to the side and into the kitchen. The sink was full of dirty dishes. There was a purse sitting on the counter and next to the counter was a hook with a set of keys. One of the keys was different from the others and an oblong shape with jagged prongs.

  “What on earth are you doing?”

  It was Paul.

  Gloria stumbled backward, clutching her crutches. “You scared me half to death!”

 
; She hopped to the edge of the deck, eased onto her rear and positioned her crutches in front of her. “I was looking for clues.”

  “Did you find anything?”

  “No,” she admitted. “Other than housekeeping isn’t one of Penny’s strong suits. Any news on her condition?”

  “Not yet. Ian promised me he would let me know as soon as he heard something.”

  Paul followed behind Gloria as she made her way to their campsite. “Ian said he is not going to mention the Vicodin and wants to wait to see what authorities come back with.”

  They had reached the camper door when Liz and Frances popped around the corner. Liz was waving a book. “Boy are we gonna have fun on this cruise,” she said.

  She noticed the look on Gloria’s face. “What’s with the glum look?”

  “Penny is in the hospital. She overdosed on pain pills. Vicodin to be exact.”

  “Isn’t that what…”

  Gloria interrupted. “I’m missing a bottle of Vicodin.”

  “I told you that you should have stayed out of this. Now look what happened,” Liz said.

  Paul held up a hand. “We think someone broke into our camper, possibly even Penny, and stole the pills.”

  “You sure it’s not the kid? I mean, he’s everywhere lurking around,” Liz’s eyes darted to the back of the camper. “He’s probably watching us right now.”

  It was true. He could be watching them, but Gloria didn’t feel he was a threat. Troubled – yes. Dangerous – no.

  What if it was the McGyvers and they were some sort of deadly duo. First they kill their parents, now they’re killing guests, one at a time, but what was the motive?

  Penny may have filed a lawsuit against the campground since her camper had burned to the ground, along with everything in it. Could she also have filed a suit for emotional distress because her cat went missing after the fire?

  What about the Zortskis? Maybe they had done something to her. Gloria had witnessed Penny chasing Billy from her camper and yelling at him. Perhaps the parents somehow found out, although Bruce Zortski had told Paul the boy hadn’t uttered a word since the car accident that had killed his beloved grandfather.

  If there were many more deaths or accidents, there wouldn’t be any suspects left. It would be a process of self-elimination.

  Liz waved a bag of groceries. “I picked up some goodies to make a macaroni salad.”

  “A tossed salad sounds good,” Gloria said.

  Liz shook her head. “I’m allergic to lettuce, remember?”

  Gloria rolled her eyes. “How could I forget?”

  She tapped her index finger against her chin. “Hush puppies would go perfect with the fish and salad. In fact, if I remember correctly, the restaurant’s dinner special is fish and chips. I wonder if they have hush puppies, too.”

  “I can run up there after I finish frying the fish,” Paul offered.

  “I’ll go,” Gloria said impulsively. And make a detour around by the Zortski’s camper on my way back. She added silently.

  He didn’t reply but instead gave her the ‘you-can’t-fool-your-husband’ look.

  Paul tossed Gloria the golf cart keys. “Try to stay out of trouble.”

  Chapter 18

  “I’ll go with you,” Frances said.

  “See? Frances will keep me out of trouble.” Gloria smiled.

  “I give up.” Paul headed inside to start frying the fish while Liz trotted back to her camper.

  When they were out of sight, Frances rubbed her hands together. “Are we doing a mini stakeout? Another site investigation? I know! We’re gonna set up some sort of sting!”

  Gloria hated to burst Frances’s bubble. “Nope. Just a quick drive by the Zortski’s place to see if anyone is around.”

  First things first, the girls drove to the camp store / restaurant to hopefully snag a batch of hush puppies.

  Gloria eased out of the cart and sniffed the air. The aroma of fried foods filled the air and it smelled fabulous. She made her way up the ramp with Frances right behind her.

  Frances held the door and Gloria hopped inside and made her way to the back.

  Sandy was behind the counter, her back to Gloria. “Do you work all day?”

  Sandy spun around, fry basket in hand and smiled. “Nah. I work mornings and if the campground is full, I come back to make dinner.”

  She swiped her hair out of her eyes. “We’ve been hoppin’ today, between the cops showing up and poor Penny’s overdose.”

  Gloria nodded. “Such a shame. I had no idea she was a troubled soul.”

  “Me either.” Sandy changed the subject. “You here for dinner?”

  “No. Paul, my husband, caught a batch of trout and snook and he’s back at the camper frying them.”

  “Ah…so you’re looking for my world famous hush puppies. How many do you want?”

  “Enough to feed four.” Gloria thought about Paul and his late night munchies. “And a couple extra for a midnight snack.”

  “Coming right up.” Sandy turned her attention to the fryer and began humming a catchy tune. After the hush puppies were ready, Sandy double-bagged a batch and put a few extra in a separate bag. She handed both bags to Gloria. “One for now and the other for later.”

  After Sandy rang up her order, Gloria handed her the correct amount and added twenty percent. Although they hadn’t eaten in, she figured the woman could use the extra money.

  Frances took the food bags from Gloria, followed her out to the porch and then down to the golf cart.

  Gloria inserted the ignition key and turned to Frances. “I think the Zortski’s place is in the back, near the clubhouse.”

  She backed the golf cart out of the parking spot and turned onto the road. The evening air was warm, minus the humidity. It was the perfect weather for a short sleeve shirt and shorts. “I could get used to this weather,” she told Frances.

  Frances nodded. “Yep. The winter weather in Florida is perfect. It’s the summer months you gotta suffer through. Sometimes this state is hotter than a jalapeño.”

  When Gloria reached the stop sign, she looked both ways and turned right, toward the back of the campground. The road had more twists and turns than the road near the front of the park and she had to be cautious rounding the curves lest she run into a car coming the other way.

  Gloria slowed the golf cart when she reached the campers near the clubhouse. There were vehicles parked in each of the drives and she frowned, unsure of which one belonged to the Zortski family.

  “There!” Frances pointed at the camper to the right.

  Gloria took her foot off the accelerator. “You sure?”

  “Yep. See the redheaded boy peeking out the window?”

  Sure enough, Billy Zortski was watching them. When he realized they had noticed him, he quickly disappeared from sight.

  Gloria turned the wheel and pulled in behind a navy blue Chevy pick-up truck. Parked next to the truck was a silver convertible, the top down.

  A man stepped out of the camper and onto the porch just as Gloria grabbed her crutches and hopped over. “Hello.”

  “Hi.” Gloria stopped and leaned on her crutches. “I’m Gloria Ru-Kennedy. My husband, Paul, stopped by here the other night.” She paused, unsure how to continue.

  The man’s expression relaxed. “Yeah. Nice fellow. Retired cop from Michigan.”

  “That’s my husband. I was just uh…”

  “Billy been bothering you?” the man interrupted.

  Gloria quickly shook her head. “No. Not at all. In fact, if we get too close he runs away.”

  “He’s a might skittish these days. I’m sure your husband told you.”

  “The neighbor next door overdosed,” Frances blurted out.

  Bruce Zortski crossed his arms and rocked back on his heels. “You don’t say. Well, good riddance to the old bat. She was meaner than a junkyard dog.”

  He went on. “Not that I’d do her no harm, although she was a pain in the behind. A r
eal snoop, always sticking her nose in where it didn’t belong.”

  Gloria caught a glimpse of red hair through the screen door. Billy was listening.

  “She dead?”

  “Not that we’ve heard. I-I just thought I would stop by to say hello. We’re leaving day after tomorrow. I…I’ll be praying for Billy,” Gloria finished.

  Bruce Zortski rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “I think God is angry at us.” He shrugged. “Least it seems that way sometimes.”

  Dinner is ready. A female voice called out from inside the camper.

  Bruce Zortski turned to look back. “Better get in there. My wife made homemade spaghetti and meatballs.”

  Gloria nodded and then turned to leave. At least she knew Billy was being fed. She could feel the boy’s eyes on her as she limped to the golf cart and eased into the driver’s seat.

  Gloria started the golf cart and offered up a prayer for young Billy and his parents.

  Frances hopped onto the passenger seat. “So Penny was a nosy Nellie. Maybe she stuck her nose in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

  The Zortskis, at least Mr. Zortski, didn’t seem like the killer type. He seemed reasonable, although Gloria had only talked to him for a few moments. He could be a completely different person in private.

  She had hoped to meet Mrs. Zortski, but Gloria thought it would seem more than a little odd to come right out and ask to meet her.

  When they reached their campsite, Gloria eased the golf cart between the bushes and the rental car.

  Liz was setting the picnic table and the smell of fish frying wafted through the screen door. Fish. Inside the camper. It had been a while since Gloria had fried fish but if memory served her correctly, the smell had lingered inside her house for days after.

  She made her way up the deck steps and into the camper. The smell of grease and fish filled the air and she wrinkled her nose.

  Paul caught the look. “By the time I realized how powerful the smell was, it was too late. He had turned the small fan over the stove on but it wasn’t even close to getting rid of the fishy smell.