Death Over Spilt Chowder

by Wendy Meadows

  “Come on,” she said and tugged on his arm. “We’d better go check it out.”

  Already a steady flow of partygoers progressed across the lawn toward their position. The good folks muttered and cast wary glances into the darkness, ladies holding up the skirts of their dresses or clinging to the arms of their dates.

  Jake led Olivia toward the hedge, then past it, and they all trudged across the lawn quickly, though Olivia’s heels sank into the moist grass a few times and frustrated her to no end.

  Darkness swathed the gardens, and the rushed noise of breathing and muted talk was soon accented by the tinkle of the fountain. The silhouettes of trees to their right were almost spindly in the half-dark – apparently Albert hadn’t thought to put up fairy lights here.

  “What’s that?” Jake asked, pointing toward the underbrush, where a shape lay humped on the ground.

  A bucket of ice dropped in Olivia’s stomach. Behind her, folks raised their cellphones and switched on torches, aiming the light toward the point of interest.

  Karen was sprawled in the grass, her eyes closed and blood sprouting from her temple.

  A volley of screams pierced the night.

  “Someone call the cops!”

  “What’s going on?” a man blustered.

  “George?! Where are you? George?” That came from Belinda, who’d shoved her way to the front of the crowd. “George!”

  Another figure detached from the trees and rushed at the group of partygoers, steps thudding on the grass. Olivia held out her hand to stall everyone and the chatter silenced instantly. Lights flickered up and illuminated the wrinkles, the frown, and the fear on George Gomez’s face.

  “George!” Belinda shrieked. “What the heck is going on? Why are you out here? What happened to – to her?”

  “I can explain – we were out for a walk and Karen tripped over a rock. She hit her head on a stone.” George was clearly miserable, his eyes watering. However, he likely thought he couldn’t express his sadness in front of his wife.

  Jake and Olivia exchanged a glance.

  “Move aside,” a gruff voice said from behind them. “Coming through, move aside. Come on, come one. Hurry it up. Police.”

  The crowd bulged outward and spat out another figure, this of Detective Newman. The policeman lifted his phone and aimed the flashlight at the body. His expression gave away nothing, but he shifted the light toward George, who squinted and lifted his hand to block the light. It was clean – no soil or mud in sight, and no blood, either.

  Perhaps it really had been an accident, but after the fight they’d just heard, was that truly likely?

  “I don’t believe this,” Belinda whispered. “I knew she would get you into trouble. I knew this would happen. You couldn’t stay away from her, could you? You just couldn’t—”

  “Belinda, be quiet,” George snapped.

  “That’s enough,” Detective Newman said and strode across the grass. He crouched down beside Karen’s body, her pearls glimmering by the flashlight’s beam, and pressed two fingers to her neck. “She’s still breathing.”

  George whimpered and clutched a hand to his throat. “Thank heavens.”

  Newman proceeded to dial on his cell. “Everyone back to the main building. I’m calling the ambulance and then for back-up. No one is to leave until I say so. An attendance roster has already been taken, so if you do leave, I will find you and arrest you for obstruction of justice. This is officially a crime scene.”

  Olivia rubbed her forearms. “Here we go again,” she muttered as they turned away from Karen’s form and Newman’s anger. “This is the second attack in less than a week. It’s terrible, it’s horrible. Poor Karen.”

  Jake grunted by way of reply, but didn’t comment.

  They continued walking, this time mulling over what’d just happened. George charged past them, closely followed by Belinda, who harassed him in stares and whispers. Olivia’s ears perked up as they passed and she strained to listen in.

  “I can’t believe you did this to me,” she whispered. “To her.”

  “Fool woman, I didn’t do a darn thing. I – Listen, why don’t you just shut up and stop making a scene. There are people watching, listening.” George glanced back and directly at Olivia as he said that.

  She averted her gaze, but it was already too late. He’d seen her listening in.

  Jake’s grip tightened around her waist. She looked up at him and caught him glaring daggers at George. The other man quickly looked away.

  “I don’t like this,” Jake said. “I don’t like this one bit. And I don’t trust this George.”

  “Come on,” Olivia replied. “Let’s sneak out and go back to the hotel. It feels like we’re on the brink of something big.”

  “Or disastrous,” Jake put in.

  Chapter 16

  Olivia sat on the small love seat in her room and munched on the fries they’d ordered from room service. Jake had just run out to check on the others and if she didn’t control herself, she’d eat the entire portion and leave the poor man with nothing to snack on when he came back.

  But the worry, the incessant questions in her mind, drove her to distraction. She had to keep her hands busy somehow.

  Who could it be?

  Karen had been hurt, knocked unconscious, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t the killer. After all, a note from her had been found on Joseph’s body. But other than that, what was the connection?

  And Albert? Well, he’d clearly despised homeless people, and specifically old Joe, which was a motive, but not necessarily a strong one. However, he’d had the ivory handled knife set, one of which was used to murder the victim.

  George, well, she couldn’t quite connect George with it, other than his connection to Karen and the affair, and the possibility that he might’ve been at the Garden Club quite frequently with her and had the opportunity to steal a knife if he’d wanted one.

  Belinda, however, was still the question mark here. She’d clearly had some form of relationship with Joseph, as she’d spent time with him out on the water. And George surely hadn’t approved of it.

  “Ugh,” Olivia said and gobbled down more fries. “Ugh, ugh, ugh. There’s got to be an answer to this!”

  Dodger whined and lifted his head from his paws, giving her that typical questioning doggy look with his golden head tilted to one side and his ear flopping up.

  “I’m fine,” Olivia said, though she was most definitely not fine. She didn’t want to worry poor Dodgy, though.

  The dog didn’t buy it. He flopped his tail once and kept giving her the “know-it-all” expression.

  “I promise I’m fine,” she repeated. “Oh all right, I’m not fine, but I guarantee I will be fine when I get to the bottom of all of this, and that will be darn soon.” She hoovered up another handful of fries and crunched through them. Gosh, they were salty and delicious.

  All four people had been at the dinner crawl. All four had been connected to the murder somehow, whether the connections appeared to be distant or close. If only she had some more information, specifically about Belinda and Joseph.

  To her, it seemed the missing link, now, particularly after what had happened with Karen. Was it conceivable that Belinda had circled through the bushes and attacked Karen when George wasn’t looking?

  Or was it the heated argument between Karen and George which had angered him and he’d consequently attacked her?

  The thoughts swirled through Olivia’s mind, but there weren’t any answers in sight.

  Finally, the door to her room opened and Jake strode in, pink in the cheeks, his eyes glistening with excitement.

  Olivia scooched upright. “What is it? You look like you’ve heard something.”

  Jake opened his mouth to tell her, but stalled at the sight of the now empty plate of crumbs which had been fries. “Really, Olivia? Not even a few left for me?”

  “Oh, I’m so sorry, Rog, I was starved. And nervous. And starved some more. We’ll order a
nother plate. And maybe a burger. Oh, and some chocolates. I think I have a few left down in the refrigerator.”

  “There’s no time for that now,” he said and waved the suggestions away. His stomach grumbled as if to contradict him and he rubbed it. “All right, we’ll have to pick up something to eat on the way there.”

  “On the way where?”

  “To Belinda’s place,” Jake said. “I’ve just heard from the gossips at the front desk that Newman has taken George in for questioning regarding the attack on Karen. Or whatever happened to Karen. Not sure how to phrase that.”

  “Meaning that Belinda’s at home!” Olivia lurched out of her seat and Dodger barked. “And alone! She’ll be able to talk freely now. We’d better go see her, right away.”

  “Yes, and pick up a burger while we’re at it,” Jake replied.

  They rushed for the door and Dodger barked a complaint behind them. Olivia tut-tutted but went back to fetch her doggy dearest, unhooking his leash from the back of the door. She made quick work of clipping it onto his collar, then led him out into the hall.

  “This is it,” Olivia said. “I can feel it in my bones. I just know she’ll tell us something we can use to find the killer.”

  “Don’t get your hopes up,” Jake said and scratched Dodger between the ears. “This is just another step. And, after all, don’t you think the cops would’ve interviewed her already? I mean, she surely told them everything she knows. They have the information.”

  “We don’t know that for sure,” Olivia replied.

  Every investigatory sense in her body tingled. It was as if she was one giant nerve-ending, raw to the world.

  There had to be an answer to all of this. There just had to be.

  They skedaddled out of the resort and down the road, the night brisk and wind plucking at them. Nothing could keep Olivia’s spirits in check now, and in no time they arrived at the Gomez’s Boating Tours building.

  “How do we know she’ll be here?” Olivia asked.

  “The lights are on,” Jake said and nodded toward the chrome building. “And wouldn’t you know it, there she is.”

  Belinda Gomez sat at the desk in the center of the room, her head bowed and sandwiched between her palms, still dressed in her floral print gown, her shoulders shaking ever so slightly.

  Chapter 17

  Olivia rapped her knuckles once on the glass front door and Belinda raised her head and squinted at them. Her eyes were red and puffy, her cheeks wet, but she paled even further the minute she recognized who they were.

  “May we come in?” Olivia asked.

  Belinda licked her lips, rose from the reception desk and brushed off her dress, then came around to the front door and unlocked it. She opened it a crack. “Hi,” she said, “can I help you with something?”

  “We’ve come to talk,” Olivia said. “You seemed very upset at the charity event. Are you all right?” Dodger barked a greeting to second the concern. It was true, they were concerned, but first and foremost, intrigued about the connection between Belinda and Joseph.

  “I…I’ll be all right. They’ve taken George down to the station to question him. I – oh, how did it come to this?” She burst into tears and covered her face with both hands.

  Olivia entered immediately and enveloped the poor woman in her arms. “Oh dear,” she said, “oh, this must be so stressful for you.” She handed Jake the leash with one hand, then walked the poor woman over to the desk.

  “Is there a place I can make you some tea? Or get you a soda?” Jake asked.

  Belinda nodded and pointed toward a door in the back, cracked open to reveal a small kitchenette. “There.”

  Jake hurried off, taking Dodger with him, and commenced clanging around in there, making noise like only a man in a kitchen can.

  “Sit,” Olivia said and helped her into the chair. She quickly dragged one over for herself and sat beside Belinda. “I’m sorry all of this has happened. I can’t imagine what it must be like to have your world turned upside down like this.” Though she could, in a way. She’d been through several hairy murder investigations and experiences.

  “I just can’t believe it,” Belinda murmured. “Or maybe I can, I don’t know. You heard, I ‘spose. George is cheating on me with Karen, and now this has happened. I can’t deal with it, Olivia. I feel like my head is going to explode.” She massaged her temples.

  Olivia was at a loss for words for once. She stroked Belinda’s back and tried her best to bring comfort to her.

  “I don’t know what I did wrong. Or what I could’ve done to make things better. Then again, things haven’t been right for a long time, now,” Belinda muttered.

  “What do you mean?” Olivia asked, her heart skipping a beat.

  “Well, things between me and George have been strained ever since Joseph came to town,” Belinda said, then clamped her lips together as if she’d just locked down a vault.

  “Belinda? Please, if there’s anything you know, anything about Joseph, you have to tell me. Or the police. If you haven’t already told them.”

  “I couldn’t,” Belinda whispered, and her large doe eyes practically quivered with emotion. “Tell them, I mean. I was worried they’d think I was involved somehow. I – I shouldn’t talk about this. George might be back any minute.”

  “Please, Belinda,” Olivia said. “Whatever it is, we can talk about it. Work it out.”

  “I don’t think we can.”

  Jake chose that very moment to return with three steaming mugs of tea. He doled them out, smiling, totally unaware of what’d transpired in the interim. “Is everything all right?”

  Belinda’s bottom lip quivered. The dam was about to break.

  “You can tell us anything,” Olivia said. “You can trust us.”

  “I suppose I would’ve told you anyway,” Belinda whispered. “If none of this had happened. Oh, I’m so confused – I – I just wish things were simple.”

  “Maybe talking about it will help you,” Jake suggested.

  Dodger took that moment to lay his head in Belinda’s lap, and that seemed to cheer her up – she scratched him behind the ears, stroked his furry head and sighed. “All right,” she whispered. “I have to admit that I wasn’t just friends with Joseph. He was my brother.”

  Olivia managed to keep a straight face, but barely. “Your brother?”

  “Yes. Long lost brother, to be exact, but we had the DNA tests to prove it and everything. I found him after mom died because I wanted to know who he was. She always regretted never having found him after she gave him up for adoption. It took me a while, but I had him here, at last. Another family member. I was going to give him a part of the inheritance, share it with him equally. We discussed how life would be for him at length, how he could live and work here. It was going to be perfect for him, and for me, well, it just felt right. It felt like what my mother would’ve wanted for him. She would’ve been tortured at the thought that Joseph hadn’t had a good life because of her choices.”

  Silence filled the interior after her monologue.

  Olivia dared not look away, but she did blink back tears. “Wow,” she said, “I had no idea.”

  “No one knows. Well, except for Ge—”

  The front door opened and George stormed inside, cursing under his breath. Olivia and Jake swiveled to look at him, and Dodger barked.

  “What? You – what are you doing here?” George snapped.

  Belinda practically shriveled in on herself. She brushed stray hairs behind her ear and looked down at the lap of her fancy gown.

  “We were just offering Belinda some comfort. She was very upset about Karen,” Olivia said carefully.

  “Offering her – she didn’t care about Karen. She barely liked Karen. Why are you really here?” George was all puffed up, his face red and glistening with sweat. It had been a trying evening, apparently. He’d lost his fancy tie along the way and the top buttons of his shirt were undone, exposing the top of his equally sweaty chest.r />
  Belinda struggled upright, grasping a little of Dodger’s fur on the way. “It’s true, George,” she said. “They came to check in on me because they saw me crying at the event. They don’t know why I’m crying, though. Should I tell them?”

  If possible, George went even redder. He stammered, and his mouth dropped open. He was positively apoplectic with rage.

  He knew about the inheritance. He bullies his wife, even if it’s just verbally. What if…? No, but there aren’t enough pieces to the puzzle.

  Regardless, the questions Olivia had were answered; some of them, at least. She focused hard on George and his sweat, his fear and foulness.

  He had visited Karen at the Garden Club and had potentially seen the knives.

  Karen had written a note to Joseph.

  George surely had motivation – he wanted Belinda to keep the inheritance. Perhaps he planned on taking some of it for himself.

  “What are you staring at?!” George thundered at her. “Get off my property at once.”

  “There’s no need to get angry,” Jake said and placed his hand on Olivia’s forearm. Dodger growled, and his hackles rose. “We’ll leave.”

  “You’d better.”

  “George, please,” Belinda managed. “These people are my friends and they’re here because they care about me.”

  “Care about you?” He took one shuddering step forward and raised a finger, then jabbed it in his wife’s direction. “They don’t even know you. They’re tourists. Belinda, you of all people should know better than to take in a couple of strays. These aren’t good people. They’re strangers. And they’re prying into your life for their own personal gain.”

  “I’m not going to stay here and listen to this,” Olivia said calmly. She took a piece of paper out of her handbag, then scribbled her number on it. “Belinda, please call me if you need to talk or for any other reason. I’ll be available to you as a friend.” She pronounced the last word clearly, then handed the slip of paper over to the other woman.

  Belinda took it and clutched it to her chest. “Thank you.”