Dune House Cozy Mystery Boxed Set 2

by Cindy Bell

  “Jason, can we take a walk?” she asked.

  “As long as it's quick,” Jason said with a frown. “I'm trying to track down Dominic, and we’ve had a tip off of where he might be.”

  “It will be quick,” she promised. Together they began walking down the long sidewalk towards the parking lot that housed the patrol cars.

  “How well do you really know Summer?” Suzie asked in a casual tone. She was trying to remain as calm as possible. Jason set his hand on the hilt of his gun and lifted his eyes to meet Suzie's.

  “I'm sorry?” he asked with a hint of defensiveness. “What kind of question is that?”

  “Just a question,” Suzie replied and held his gaze. Though they hadn't known each other for long she hoped she had given Jason plenty of reason to trust her. Unfortunately, after she had failed to tell him important information she wasn't sure if he still did trust her. She could clearly see the suspicion in his eyes.

  “I know her well,” he replied and slowly folded his arms across his chest as he looked at her. “We've gotten to know each other quite well, lately, actually.”

  “Are you sure about that?” Suzie asked. “With your career you have to be careful who you associate with…”

  “What is this about?” Jason suddenly snapped. Suzie realized from the flush in his cheeks that she had pushed things too far too fast.

  “Look, I like Summer, you know I do. But sometimes we can assume that we know everything about someone, only to find out far too late that we might have assumed too much.”

  Jason settled his gaze intently on Suzie. “Maybe you should just tell me what you're getting at,” he said in his official police officer tone. “If you know something about Summer that you think I should be aware of, you should tell me. Or are you trying to hide information from me yet again?” he asked.

  Suzie froze. She knew that if she revealed the truth about Summer it might just break Jason's heart. In fact Summer might even get into legal trouble, considering she had met with a wanted and actively pursued criminal without revealing his location to local law enforcement. But the truth was, she didn't know exactly what there was to tell. Summer had always been kind to her, and had never given her a reason not to trust her.

  “I'm just suggesting that before you get in too deep, you should be cautious,” Suzie explained and grimaced slightly. “Listen Jason, I've been through many things in my life, but by far being hurt by someone you care about is the worst experience.”

  “What do you mean?” Jason asked.

  “All I’m saying is to be cautious, Jason, be cautious.”

  “I feel like you're keeping things from me again,” Jason frowned. “What I can't figure out is why after all that we've been through since you came to Garber, you still don't trust me.”

  “It isn't like that, Jason,” Suzie attempted to assure him. “I do trust you. I just don't want to see you get hurt.”

  “So, tell me what you know about Summer,” Jason requested and locked eyes with her. “I know you're hiding something, Suzie. What is it?”

  “I'm just a little shaken up with all of this,” Suzie attempted to be dismissive. “Two days ago I would have told you that Antony and Daria were head over heels in love. But the more I learn about their lives, the more I realize that they probably didn't share many of the same beliefs and might not even have gotten along that well.”

  “So, all of this is about some friendly advice,” Jason said with disbelief in his voice. “You came all the way here just to warn me about falling in love with Summer?”

  “Cousins have to look out for each other, Jason,” Suzie said with a slight smile. Jason stared hard at her, his expression stiff. Suzie could tell that he didn't believe a word of what she was saying. She wouldn’t have believed him either if it was the other way around.

  “I'll keep that in mind,” he said quietly. Then he glanced over to the parking lot where his car was parked. Kirk Rondella was leaning up against the side of it. “Now, if you don't mind, I have a murderer to find.” Suzie knew that the conversation was over. What she didn't know was whether Jason would take her advice and be cautious about Summer.

  Chapter 12

  With Jason on the hunt for Dominic, Suzie knew that she wouldn't likely hear from Dominic any time soon. She was actually relieved to think that. She had once believed he wasn't involved with his son-in-law’s death, but after hearing that his fingerprints had been inside the room and seeing what she believed might be a pair of his reading glasses at the scene, she was now beginning to change her mind. She still needed to find Daria, however. She hoped that Mary might have found something regarding a location for Bob Baylor. When she stepped back into Dune House she found Mary still hunched over in front of the computer.

  “Mary,” Suzie called out.

  “Suzie, I didn't hear you come in,” she said softly.

  “Did you find out anything about Bob Baylor?” Suzie asked as she paused in front of the desk.

  “Nothing good,” Mary said darkly and gestured for Suzie to join her behind the computer. “The things this man has done could put serial killers to shame. I've never seen anything like it before.”

  Suzie cringed at some of the reports that were up on the computer monitor. Everything from murder for hire, to taking out random people in the midst of road rage.

  “Looks like Bob Baylor has an anger problem,” Suzie said with growing concern. If Bob Baylor really does have Daria then she was in a lot of trouble if he lost his temper. “What about locations?” she asked. “Did you find anything that might make sense?”

  “I found a few places owned by Baylor,” Mary explained. “But most of them are tenant occupied, one is a convenience store. There's only one place that I think he might be using. It's empty, and practically abandoned.”

  “Let's go check it out,” Suzie said gravely. “The sooner we find Daria, the better.”

  “Did you get any information from Summer?” Mary asked.

  “No, I didn’t get to see her,” Suzie hesitated before she continued. “You will not believe what I did see though.”

  “What?” Mary asked inquisitively.

  “Well, when I pulled up at her office she was standing outside with Dominic and they exchanged envelopes,” Suzie said in disbelief.

  “That sounds ominous,” Mary replied cautiously.

  “I know, it was very weird,” Suzie said with a frown. “I have no idea what was happening, but it was very concerning.”

  “Did you tell Jason what you saw?”

  “Not exactly,” Suzie shook her head. “I want to hear the truth from Summer before I tell him anything.”

  “That's probably for the best,” Mary agreed. “I'd hate to think that Summer was involved in anything criminal.”

  “I don't know if anything involving Dominic Palov could be anything but criminal,” Suzie pointed out as they left Dune House. She glanced down at her phone when it chimed, announcing she had a text message. It was from Paul.

  Will be home soon. I want to hear about everything that is going on. Please behave yourself.

  Suzie raised an eyebrow at that. She knew he was telling her to keep out of trouble. She wondered if hunting down a murderer would qualify as behaving. She shoved her phone back into her purse.

  “Do you mind driving?” Suzie asked.

  “Not at all,” Mary replied. Once they were in the car, Suzie stared out across the water. She thought of Paul out there, starting to make his way back to shore. She hoped that everything would be resolved before he arrived. She didn't want anything to dampen their reunion. It wasn't long before Mary was steering into the parking lot of a warehouse. It was in good shape, except that it looked completely empty.

  “Are you sure this is the right address?” Suzie whispered as she and Mary approached the warehouse.

  “It's the only business I found that is no longer actively in use. There hasn't even been a payment made on the property taxes this year,” Mary explained.


  “I think you're getting pretty good at this research thing,” Suzie said with a short laugh. The laughter did nothing to break the tension. They both knew that they were trying to sneak up on a man who was a violent criminal.

  “There,” Mary whispered and pointed to a car that was parked alongside the building. “That must be his car.”

  “Which means that he must be inside,” Suzie said grimly. “Park over there, behind that auto shop,” Suzie instructed. “That way if he looks out the window, he won't think anyone is here.”

  “Okay,” Mary nodded and parked the car behind the auto shop. There were no cars in the lot they parked in either.

  “Maybe you should stay here,” Suzie said as she stepped out of the car.

  “There is no way I'm letting you go anywhere near that warehouse without me,” Mary said sternly, leaving no room for argument. As they moved closer to the building, Suzie felt a sense of dread building within her. She felt as if she was putting Mary in danger. But Mary was walking beside her with sheer determination. As soon as they reached the wall of the warehouse they flattened against the side of it.

  “Shh,” Suzie said when she heard footsteps approaching. The two women remained as still and quiet as possible. Suzie had to bite her tongue when she saw Dominic skulking around the side of the building. Was he working with Baylor? Was he the one who was holding his daughter?

  “Let's follow him,” Suzie whispered. As they slowly followed after him, Suzie watched Dominic pause beside the entrance to the warehouse. He pushed on the door. The door swung open easily. What Suzie heard next made her stomach lurch and her body tense. It was Dominic’s piercing scream. The scream mingled with the sounds of sirens approaching.

  “Suzie, we have to get out of here,” Mary said and grabbed at her arm quickly.

  “Do you think it's her?” Suzie said somberly. “Do you think it's Daria?”

  The car that had been parked beside the warehouse squealed out of the parking lot. Suzie and Mary started to turn back towards their car, which was hidden in the next parking lot, but before they could patrol cars were screaming into the parking lot. Suzie tugged Mary towards a dumpster. They ducked down behind it. Suzie could see Dominic stumble out of the warehouse.

  “Put your hands up!” Jason shouted as he ran towards Dominic, his gun already drawn.

  Dominic didn't put his hands up, but he did sink down to his knees. From what Suzie could see, it looked like he was crying.

  “She's inside,” he whispered. “Daria's inside.”

  Jason cuffed Dominic and then gestured for some other officers to go inside the warehouse.

  “Dominic Palov, you're under arrest for the murder of Antony Gable,” Jason announced sternly and with adrenaline powering his voice.

  “Jason, better make that two murders,” a voice said from inside the warehouse. Detective Brown was just walking up to the scene. He swept his gaze over Dominic.

  “Well, Dominic, it looks like your lucky run has finally come to an end,” he said with a touch of gloating in his voice.

  “Do you think I care?” Dominic abruptly shouted up at the man. “Do you think I care?” he said again.

  “We should go while Jason's inside the warehouse,” Mary whispered.

  Suzie nodded. It was hard for her to pull her gaze away from Dominic whose expression of dread made her certain that either he had found something shocking inside the warehouse, or he was terrified of going to jail. Mary gave Suzie's hand a light tug. They slipped out from behind the dumpster and across to the other parking lot. When they reached the car they hurried to get inside. With all of the flashing lights and blaring sirens it was easy for them to slip away.

  “Do you think it was Bob Baylor in the car?” Suzie asked.

  “I'm not sure,” Mary replied. “Do you think it was Daria in the warehouse?”

  “I hope not,” Suzie whispered. “But if Dominic is being arrested we can't wait any longer to talk to Summer. We need to warn her about Dominic’s arrest and try to find out what her business was with him, before it comes out in the interrogation room.”

  “You're right,” Mary agreed. “We need to get to her before the police have a chance to.”

  Chapter 13

  The first place that Suzie and Mary stopped to look for Summer was the medical examiner's office. But Sharon informed them that Summer was not in. Suzie managed to get her home address with a little fibbing, a bit of persuasive chatter and a promise of a free night at Dune House. As they drove towards Summer's home address, Suzie felt the tension building within her. She wanted the truth from Summer.

  “It's just two streets down,” Suzie instructed Mary who was gazing steadily through the windshield.

  “Do you think it was Daria, Suzie?” Mary asked nervously. “Are we too late?”

  “From the look on Dominic’s face, honestly, I do think it was her,” Suzie admitted in a whisper. “Which means that Dominic has nothing left to lose.”

  Mary turned down Summer's street.

  “It's the third house on the right,” Suzie said. “But park further down the block. We don't want to give her a reason not to answer the door.”

  “Good point,” Mary agreed. She parked the car between two driveways. Then the two began walking back towards her house. As they were walking, Suzie saw Summer's car turn down the street. She pulled Mary back behind a large tree.

  “She's coming home,” she whispered.

  “I see her,” Mary nodded and stayed hidden.

  “Let's wait until she gets out of the car, then we can catch her before she goes inside,” Suzie said.

  “Are you sure about this?” Mary asked as she stood nervously beside Suzie.

  “I want to give her a chance to give me an explanation,” Suzie explained as she watched Summer park her car in her driveway. “I don't want to ruin things between her and Jason if there's some possibility that I misunderstood what I saw.”

  “Shouldn't that be Jason's choice?” Mary asked softly. “How do you think he would feel about you keeping something like this from him?”

  “Mary, you know as well, if not better than I do, what it feels like when someone you love has been lying to you or deceiving you. I don't want to put Jason through that if it's not necessary,” Suzie sighed. “If it were your son, Benjamin?” she asked. “Wouldn't you do anything you could to protect him from that kind of pain?”

  Mary smiled fondly at Suzie. “I think it's sweet that you want to protect Jason. I just think you're forgetting that he may be just a kid to you and me, but he's an adult, and a police officer. I don't think I'd like being left out of the loop like this.”

  “If there's anything to loop him into, I'll let him know,” Suzie assured her. Then she began walking towards Summer's house. Summer had paused at her front door to unlock it. The house was small, quite modest considering the professional salary that Summer most likely brought home. Suzie noticed that the yard was a little unkempt and there was no sign of decorations.

  “Summer,” Suzie said as she walked up behind her. Summer spun around swiftly, her eyes wide as they met Suzie's.

  “Oh Suzie, you scared me,” she said breathlessly.

  “I'm sorry,” Suzie said, her eyes narrowing slightly. “Who did you think it was?”

  “No one,” Summer said swiftly and tried to regain her composure. “I was just startled. What can I help you with, Suzie?”

  “I have something I need to ask you,” Suzie explained.

  “If it's about the case, can it wait until tomorrow?” Summer requested. “I'm quite tired.”

  “No, it can't wait,” Suzie said firmly as Mary walked up beside her. “It's not exactly about the case.”

  “Then what is it about?”

  “It's about a man you met with this morning,” Suzie explained. “A man that is not exactly the most honest character.”

  “I don't know what you're talking about,” Summer shook her head with a forced smile. “I didn't meet with any man.”
>
  “So, you've never met with or spoken to Dominic Palov?” Suzie asked. She adjusted the purse strap on her shoulder and locked eyes with Summer.

  “Dominic Palov,” Summer repeated nervously. “I've heard of him of course. But Suzie, what are you implying?” Summer asked as she folded her arms across her chest.

  “I'm not implying anything,” Suzie replied sternly. “I'm asking you directly, how do you know Dominic Palov?”

  Summer narrowed her eyes. She glanced past Suzie at Mary, and then looked reluctantly back to Suzie.

  “I don't really think that's any of your business.”

  “I just don’t want Jason to get hurt,” Suzie said with increasing frustration. “If you're involved in this case and Dominic is somehow influencing you…”

  “Suzie!” Summer gasped out and glared at her. “Are you accusing me of taking bribes from Dominic Palov in exchange for distorting evidence?” she demanded.

  “I just want to know the truth,” Suzie said quietly, “I saw you outside the medical examiner's office with him. I saw him hand you an envelope. I know that he paid you for something.”

  “Do you know that?” Summer snapped in return. “You know, Suzie, sometimes I wonder if Jason is really the police officer in your family. You seem to have quite an inquisitive nature.” Though her words could have been taken as a compliment, Suzie could tell from the hard edge to Summer's voice that they weren't meant as a compliment.

  “That doesn't answer the question,” Suzie pointed out impatiently, ignoring Summer's remarks.

  “Okay fine,” Summer sighed and held her hands up in surrender. “If you want to be nosy, I'll satisfy your need even if it really is none of your business.”