Two Sleuths Are Better Than One

by Elizabeth Ashby

  "I've got one new potential suspect with links to both deaths, although it's not too likely. Jack Condor. Just because he was the last person I know of who saw the coach alive and he was in a legal battle with Gabe."

  "Why kill Andy though?"

  "That's why it's such a long shot." Maria absently broke a piece off her chip but paused without eating it. "It's possible Condor was cleaning up loose ends after killing Gabe, or else he was just jealous of Andy for being popular. Condor does seem to crave approval. He's apparently entered the salsa contest in a misguided attempt to make people like him."

  "If Condor killed everyone who was better liked than he is, it would be a town-wide massacre, not a single homicide."

  "That's what I thought too. He's really not a great suspect." She chomped despondently on the salsa-covered chip. "I tried to get him to talk to Ohlsen, but Condor insisted he hadn't seen anything useful and didn't want to become a suspect by admitting to having been the last one to see a murder victim alive."

  "Assuming he's not the killer but he saw Andy right before the murder, surely he'd have noticed if someone was forcing the coach into the first aid tent and he'd have been willing to tell the detectives. That would make him more popular than winning the salsa contest would."

  Maria nodded. "But if Andy knew his killer and went into the tent willingly, then Condor wouldn't have thought anything of it."

  "So we should be looking for someone Coach Andy knew and wasn't afraid of."

  "And who also had a reason to kill Gabe," Maria said. "If the cases are connected, then your suspects are mine too."

  "You're welcome to them," I said. "Is there one in particular you want to claim?"

  "Well, Georgia had means and opportunity to kill Coach Andy."

  "But no motive, unless the widows killed each other's spouse. I hope not though. I like Georgia, and I can't really see her doing anything that might cause her to be separated from her children."

  "What about the quilter you mentioned?" Maria asked. "Could she have killed Gabe and then gone after Coach Andy because he knew something that might incriminate her?"

  "Perhaps," I said. "Zoe says she was home alone at both times of death. Weak alibi but no motive for killing Andy unless we assume the cases are connected. That's a bootstrap argument, in lawyer's terms—basing a conclusion on an unproven assumption. She's in the same situation as the mistress, Tess, who has a strong personal motive for killing Gabe, and I found out today that she's still in town, so she had the opportunity to kill Coach Andy. But no motive unless we assume the two are related. Besides, if that's what happened, then why wait a week to target Andy? Why not go after him right away? Everyone in town knows where he lives, and Tess had been staying on his property, so even though she's not from around here, she would know where to find him."

  "If Andy thought she was the killer," Maria said, "he might have tried to convince her to turn herself in. Maybe Tess agreed to consider it, and then things escalated on Saturday and Andy got killed."

  "That makes sense," I agreed. "I wonder what she told the police about Gabe's death. She was staying in the cottage, so she ought to have witnessed something."

  "Maybe she's the person Detective Marshall is on the verge of arresting."

  "If so, I hope he's right for once. I wonder if Jack Condor saw Tess near the first aid tent." Maria took another chip and didn't bother with the salsa before nibbling thoughtfully on an edge. "I guess I'll have to have another chat with him."

  "Good idea. I'll forward a picture I have of Tess in case he wants to know what she looks like," I said.

  Maria swallowed the last of the chip. "Jack Condor told me he felt like he had a target on his back out in the open at the market this weekend. I thought it was just his paranoia about everyone hating him, but maybe it was real. What if Jack saw something and doesn't realize it, and now the killer is stalking him, not us?"

  "It would be nice to think we're not in danger," I said. "But it's too soon to be sure. We need to be careful until both cases are solved."

  "You know," Maria said as she worked on another chip, "I was alone for a while today when Merle was setting up his stall, and I didn't get the feeling anyone was watching me. And you walked up to the Ocean View B&B earlier. If someone was targeting one of us, those would have been perfect times to attack us."

  "You think the killer really has set their sights on Condor?"

  "Perhaps," Maria said. "Or someone near him. Whoever it was didn't get killed though."

  "Which means, if we're right, the killer will try again," I said. "Here. At the next market."

  Maria abandoned the half-eaten chip. "We need to keep a close eye on the main suspects if they show up next week. Condor will, since he's entered the salsa contest, and maybe Zoe, since I know the quilt guild has already arranged to be here."

  "Tess doesn't have any reason to be at the market," I said. "If she's still in town, she has to be at a hotel, not someplace where she'd be cooking her own food. I'd be very suspicious if she shows up then. Georgia too, unless she's just passing by on her way to a walk on the beach."

  "But you agree that the killer will be at the market next week, right? And that making a move on another target would be evidence that the cases are linked, so it's not a bootstrap argument any longer?"

  "I do." Identifying the killer now had a new urgency for me. It wasn't just about protecting Dee and Emma. If the culprit wasn't caught soon, someone else might end up dead. "We need to make sure the police have a stronger presence at the market next weekend."

  "I'll talk to Ohlsen if you talk to Marshall."

  "First thing tomorrow," I agreed.

  The men broke off their discussion of high school football, and Matt said, "Did I just hear you two say you were going to turn over the cases to the police?"

  I hedged. "We'll be turning over some new leads to the detectives tomorrow."

  "Great," Matt said. "The sooner it's resolved, the sooner I can really concentrate on finding the perfect stove."

  Merle gave him a skeptical look. "Seriously? You think their investigations will end with a single visit to the police station?"

  Matt sighed. "No, you're right. I guess the stove will have to wait. And we'll have to postpone any lingering macho rivalry over our salsas so we can work together to help keep Maria and Keely safe."

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Maria Dolores

  Merle wanted to come with me to the police station to talk with Detective Bud Ohlsen on Monday morning, but then the goats got out of their assigned pasture, so he had to stay at the orchard to deal with them. Neither of us thought I was at any risk of self-incrimination, and it seemed unlikely I'd be targeted by the killer at a police station, so Merle reluctantly agreed it would be safe enough for me to go alone.

  Rookie Richie Faria showed me to an interrogation room, where Ohlsen was waiting for me in the small, poorly lit, and gray-walled space furnished with nothing more than a metal table and two ancient folding chairs. If I were in charge, there would at least be some water bottles and a pad of paper. Better lighting too than the hanging metal lamp that emitted all of about 400 lumens of cold white light.

  I was surprised to see Ohlsen pacing around the small table instead of seated and staring contemplatively at the ceiling. Perhaps he was struggling as much as I was with the lack of any viable suspects in Coach Andy's death.

  "So," he said, dropping down into a chair. "What have you got to tell me? Just make it quick because I've got a busy day."

  "I'm not sure how quick I can be." I took the seat across from him while I tried to marshal my thoughts. I almost regretted not having Merle with me. He was much better at giving concise explanations of complicated situations. "It's complicated."

  Ohlsen stood up again. "How complicated?"

  "I'm convinced there's just one killer for both victims," I said. "Coach Andy and Gabe."

  Ohlsen dropped back into his seat. "I'd like to believe you because it would make my life a
lot easier, but Lester Marshall has a different theory, and I can't get him to consider alternatives while he's trying to nail down the last pieces of what he thinks he needs to make an arrest."

  So Ohlsen didn't have any solid suspects either, I thought. And Detective Marshall wasn't as close to an arrest as the mayor thought.

  "There's more," I said. "I think there's a good chance the killer is going to come back to the farmers' market next week and might even kill again if he's not stopped. Assuming you've confirmed that the flashlight was the murder weapon, then you know the killer already returned to the market once with it. There were plenty of other places to get rid of it, places where it would never have been found, so why do it at the market? Unless the killer brought it there for other reasons and only later decided to dump it."

  "So you think it's a market regular?"

  "Or else someone who stalked Coach Andy at the market and now is looking to tie up some loose ends by killing someone else."

  "Someone like you?" Ohlsen asked with a perfunctory glare. "I've told you to stay out of these investigations before for just this reason."

  "It could be me," I said. "But it could also be someone else. Perhaps a witness to what happened on Saturday. Did you know that Jack Condor saw Coach Andy shortly before the murder? Maybe he saw something that would identify the killer but doesn't realize how important it is. He could be the next victim. He even said he felt like someone had been watching him."

  "Condor, huh?" Ohlsen tipped the seat back and assumed his usual contemplative pose. After a solid minute of silence, he spoke again. "I'll talk to him."

  "And would you talk to Marshall again too, please?" I asked.

  Ohlsen let the chair thump forward, and his hands dropped to the table. "I will, but I've got to tell you, he's pretty set on his theory that Gabe's widow killed him. Thinks she heard about his latest affair and couldn't take it any longer. And there's a prenup, so if they divorce, she won't get anything at all out of the marriage."

  "But Georgia only came to Danger Cove after Gabe was dead," I said. "She was in Seattle when he was killed."

  He gave me a pointed glance. "How do you know that?"

  I didn't want to throw Keely under the bus by naming her, so I shrugged. "You know how it is in a small town. Everyone knows everything. And because I thought the two murders might be related, I've paid attention to what's been said about Gabe's death."

  "Hunh." He didn't seem entirely convinced by my explanation, but he didn't bother with another lecture. "What the gossip must have missed, at least according to Marshall, is that Georgia doesn't have a solid alibi for the time of death. He was able to confirm the timing of her trip on the morning she arrived because she has time-stamped receipts from when she stopped on the road, but there aren't any witnesses to the actual time of death, which was late the night before. It's possible Georgia drove down on Saturday evening, caught him with the mistress, killed him, and then raced back to Seattle, with plenty of time the next morning to take a leisurely trip back to Danger Cove and fake her shock at the news of her husband's death."

  "Isn't it just as likely that the mistress killed Gabe?" I asked. "If she was there when Georgia showed up, wouldn't she have said something about that?"

  It was Ohlsen's turn to shrug. "Apparently she and Gabe had a bit of a tiff, and she spent the night in a separate bedroom. Claims she didn't hear anything until Georgia found the body and started screaming in the morning."

  "But if she was in another room, then Georgia wouldn't have caught her husband in flagrante delicto and wouldn't have had a reason to kill him."

  "Yeah, I suggested that to Marshall, but he wasn't having it." He leaned forward. "He may know something more than I do about the widow and the mistress. He isn't exactly good at sharing. Especially when his case looks like it will be easier to close than mine, so he doesn't want to risk being even partially responsible for an unsolved case."

  "If you can't talk some sense into Marshall, would you at least see about getting some extra eyes on the various suspects during Saturday's market? I'm really worried that the killer isn't done and is targeting people at the market."

  "I can do that," Ohlsen said. "Marshall's planning to maintain surveillance on Georgia for the foreseeable future anyway, so that part won't be a problem. And I can get some uniforms out to the market as part of the investigation into Coach Andy's death. Is there anyone in particular you think I should have them keep an eye on?"

  "Condor," I said. "Just in case he did see something. And Keely Fairchild, since everyone knows she's looking into Gabe's death for the quilt guild."

  "And you too, I suppose," Ohlsen said. "You wouldn't let anyone else solve a problem at your market."

  "Me too," I agreed. "And Andy's widow. She might have seen something when Gabe was killed."

  "She wasn't home," Ohlsen said. "She was out of town, meeting with clients, as far as I can tell. Still, I'll assign someone to watch her too. And as long as you're telling me how to do my job," he said dryly, "is there anyone else to watch?"

  "Just one other," I said. "Tess Abbott."

  "She's gone back to Seattle."

  "When?" I asked, startled by the news. "Someone saw her at the market yesterday. It's what made—" I started to say "us," but if I did, Ohlsen was shrewd enough to catch the slip, and then I'd have to admit that Keely and I were working together. "It's what made me wonder if perhaps the killer kept coming back to the scene in order to find another victim. Tess has to be a suspect, and I can't think of any reason for her to keep coming back to the market unless she's the one who dumped the flashlight there."

  Ohlsen leaned back for the better part of two minutes to contemplate what was apparently news to him before the chair thumped back to the floor again. "Marshall thinks Tess is clear, but he wouldn't say why. I'll definitely have people keep an eye out for her at the market." He got to his feet. "I've really got to get back to work now. My goal is to get this case solved before the next market day, so all of this will be moot."

  "There's one more thing," I said as I stood. "It's got to do with Gabe's death, not Andy's, but would you have someone keep an eye on Zoe Costa? She was cheated by Gabe, so she's got a motive for his death, and if she killed him, she might have thought Andy had seen something incriminating, so she targeted him too. She's with the quilt guild, so she may join them at the market on Saturday."

  "Is that all?" Ohlsen asked, raising his eyebrows irritably. "I don't have an unlimited budget, you know."

  "I think that'll do it," I said, hoping that Keely and I were right and we hadn't missed any other suspects. No matter what, I'd pushed Ohlsen as far as I could, and I needed to let Keely know what he'd agreed to, so we could make our own plans.

  *

  When I texted Keely to see if she had time to sit down together, she told me she was on her way to the Danger Cove Historical Museum, and we could use the community room there to talk in private.

  Keely greeted me at the top of the stairs to the second floor and led me down the corridor to the community room. I'd never been inside the museum, a renovated old mercantile building, even though it had quite a few pieces in its collection from my great-great-great-grandmother's time as the lighthouse keeper. I'd been expecting that the community room would be the sort of small, drab space reluctantly shared with the public that I'd encountered in Seattle when I'd done some free introductory seminars on the basics of financial planning. This space wasn't anything like that. It was spacious, with what looked like original wood flooring, high ceilings, and huge windows overlooking Main Street.

  "This is beautiful."

  "I take it for granted these days," Keely said, "but I was pretty overwhelmed the first time I saw it."

  She led me over to where a pair of armchairs upholstered in a striking red paisley print had been set up near a corner table with a coffeemaker, electric kettle, and mini fridge. She held up a bottle of iced tea and said, "I'm all set, but if you'd like something to drink, there's c
offee, although I don't know how fresh it is. Might be safer to go with water or soda in the fridge."

  "Water would be good." I dropped into the chair that didn't hold her quilted messenger bag.

  A moment later, Keely handed me a water bottle and moved her bag so she could sit. She propped her iced tea on her knee rather than risking damage to the upholstery. "So how was your meeting with Ohlsen? Marshall wouldn't even agree to talk to me."

  "Ohlsen listened, but there isn't much he can do," I said. "He did agree to assign surveillance on all the likely suspects, but he doesn't expect to have any luck convincing Marshall to share information. Apparently Marshall has ruled out Tess as a suspect but won't say why."

  "We'll just have to get the evidence ourselves then," Keely said.

  "That's what I was thinking." I opened the water bottle. "Ohlsen told me Marshall is staking out Georgia, so there will be extra eyes on her, in case she's the killer. But that also means we need to be careful and not let the surveillance team know what we're doing. I didn't tell Ohlsen we were working together, but he's no dummy. I'm pretty sure he figured it out. If we do anything too obvious, he might try to stop us."

  "And then there's the possibility that the killer also wants to stop us, so we're in danger if we don't plan this right," Keely said.

  "That too," I agreed.

  "So we need to draw the killer out into the open to make a move on us and incriminate himself. But without taking too many risks. It has to happen somewhere that the increased police presence won't be able to miss any suspicious behavior before it gets dangerous."

  I nodded. "I think I know how to draw the killer out. We just have to let everyone know that we've uncovered some evidence and the police won't listen to us, so we've arranged to talk to Mayor Kallakala at a specified time and place to intervene for us. Somewhere that, unknown to the killer, there will be cops watching what happens. And then we wait for the killer to try to stop us."