Dune House Cozy Mystery Boxed Set 2

by Cindy Bell

  She glanced up and down the street to make sure no one but Suzie and Mary were close enough to hear her. “When you saw me outside with Dominic, he didn't hand me money. I handed him money.”

  “You were making a shady investment with Dominic?” Suzie gasped with surprise.

  “No,” Summer frowned. “I was paying off one. In exchange he handed me the deeds to this house, and my parents' house.”

  “Why would he have the deeds?” Mary asked with surprise.

  “My parents fell on hard times, unfortunately they didn't tell me about it until it was too late. They got involved with Dominic Palov in an attempt to get their finances in order. They are just proud people, who made a bad decision,” she explained with a sigh. “I couldn't risk going to the police about it, because I was worried that we might lose both houses, or worse put my parents in jail.”

  “You could have told Jason,” Suzie said softly.

  “It wouldn't have been fair to him,” Summer pointed out. “He would have been obligated to report the crime. I didn't want to put him in that position. Especially since we've really only just started dating seriously. Of course Dominic took full advantage and just milked them for money. Every time they tried to make a payment, he just kept raising the interest. By the time they told me the truth about it, they had already turned over the deed to their house. I had to give him the deed to mine to keep him from taking their house from them. It took a month or two to get the money together that they owed him, but I paid him off. Today I was making the last payment, and he was returning the deeds to me. That is what you saw,” she said grimly. “You can believe me or not believe me, but that is the truth. If you feel like you have to tell Jason, I'll understand.”

  “No,” Suzie shook her head. “There's no need for me to tell him anything. You've already handled the situation. But you should know that I think Dominic Palov might be arrested soon and honestly if he is I'd be concerned that he might try to implicate you.” Suzie was trying to warn Summer about Dominic’s arrest without actually letting her know that they were aware that he had already been arrested.

  “So, I should tell Jason,” Summer said in a murmur. A blush of shame arose in her cheeks.

  “You did what you had to do for your family,” Suzie said. “Jason will understand that. I'm sorry for the difficulty that your family was facing,” Suzie said cordially. “But Dominic and his partner have a very dangerous history.”

  “I know,” Summer sighed. “You have to understand how important my parents' house is to them. My father built the back porch on that house. He engraved it with all of our initials. I wasn't about to let Dominic take it from them. Yes, I shouldn't have gotten involved with him, but if I had gone to the police he would have made things much worse for my parents. Can you honestly tell me that you've never done something you knew wasn't quite right for someone that you cared about?” Summer asked as she looked between the two women. “I wasn't going to make my parents suffer just because of moral standards.”

  “It's understandable,” Mary said softly. “It was very kind of you to help your parents.”

  “Kind maybe,” Summer frowned. “But not exactly legal. If my boss were to find out…”

  “We're not telling anyone,” Suzie assured her. “But like I said, I do think it would be a good idea to talk to Jason about it.”

  “Maybe I will,” Summer said with a slight nod. “I can't say I'd be unhappy if Dominic is arrested,” she said as she started to turn towards her house, but her cell phone began to ring. She paused to answer it. “Hi Jason, I need to talk to you about something…” she hesitated. She glanced briefly at Suzie and Mary. “I understand, I'll be right there,” she said in a professional tone. She hung up the phone and looked at the two of them again. “I've been called to a crime scene. The two of you should head back to Dune House and stay put until all of this settles down.”

  “That’s the plan,” Suzie agreed.

  As she and Mary walked back towards the car, Suzie had an unsettling certainty that Daria was the body Summer would be tending to.

  Chapter 14

  When Suzie and Mary arrived back at Dune House, they were both quite somber.

  “We don't know for sure it was her,” Mary said in an attempt to soothe Suzie.

  “I think we do,” Suzie replied in a murmur and set her purse down on the kitchen counter. “What I don't believe is that Dominic is the one who killed her.”

  “He was there,” Mary reminded her.

  “I believe it was only because he was looking for Baylor,” Suzie sighed. “Just like we were. Did you see his face when he came out of the room?” she shook her head. “I don't believe that was fake. I don't believe that anyone can fake that kind of grief,” she swallowed thickly. She didn't mention that she had seen grief like that before and it was moments like those that had driven her out of her previous job and into the much more peaceful experience of interior decorating. It seemed as if since she had settled in Garber, however, the town was designed to bring the investigator out in her.

  “We need to eat,” Mary said. “Let me make us something.”

  Suzie nodded with a small smile of appreciation. She knew that Mary's way of dealing with emotional situations was to cook and feed people. She adored her friend's comforting nature. It was not something that seemed to come naturally to Suzie.

  She settled down at the table and pulled out her cell phone to text Paul. Before she could, her cell phone was ringing. She saw that it was Jason and answered it.

  “Hello?” she said. Silently she reminded herself to be careful not to reveal that she and Mary had been at the crime scene.

  “Suzie, it's not good,” Jason said with darkness in his voice.

  “What is it, Jason?” she asked, bracing herself.

  “I shouldn't even be telling you this, but I think you need to know,” he sighed. “We just found Daria's body.”

  “Daria's dead?” Suzie asked with a mixture of genuine and feigned shock. “How?”

  “A bullet to the head,” Jason sighed. “Execution style, Suzie. Cold, like it was a professional hit.”

  “Where was she all of this time?” Suzie asked carefully, not wanting to give away that she already knew quite a bit. “Was someone holding her captive?”

  “Well, we found her in a warehouse on the outskirts of Garber, near Parish. This is going to be a joint investigation now. But that's not the strangest thing,” he paused a moment to give direction to someone at the scene. When he started talking again he had lowered his voice, “She had a fraudulent passport on her, Suzie. She wasn't just planning on getting out of the country, she was planning on becoming a new person. Those two weren't going on a dream vacation, they were on the run from someone.”

  “But who?” Suzie asked with growing confusion. She couldn't understand why Jason wasn't telling her about Dominic's arrest. She knew that he had been arrested. She had seen him on his knees in front of the police. “They were just an innocent loving couple when they showed up at Dune House. How could I have missed that they were in trouble?” she asked, doing her best to cover up what she knew.

  “Suzie, I don't know who was looking for them but whoever was hunting them found them. I think that you and Mary should be safe there now, but you should still be careful. In fact, be extremely careful about who you talk to. If the wrong people get wind of you sniffing around, they might panic and think you know more than you do,” he spoke sternly.

  “I'll be careful,” Suzie promised him. “But Jason there's got to be more to this story. I hate to see two people killed with no one facing justice for the crime,” she baited him, expecting him to confide that Dominic had been arrested for the crime.

  “I'm on it, Suzie,” Jason assured her. “I'm not going to let this one go.”

  “Jason, do you think her father might have had something to do with it?” Suzie asked as casually as she could. “He seems like the type to be involved in criminal activity, like murder.”

>   “Is there a type like that?” Jason asked with a hint of annoyance.

  “You know what I mean, Jason,” Suzie said firmly. “Dangerous men don't get that reputation from shaking hands and kissing babies.”

  “I get it,” Jason sighed. “All right, I guess I might as well tell you. I had strict orders not to tell anyone, because this is going to cause some serious media attention and all around drama, but I'm trusting you to keep this information to yourself, Suzie.”

  “You can trust me, Jason,” Suzie said with relief. She was glad that his reluctance to share with her was only because of orders.

  “We've just arrested Dominic Palov for the murder of his daughter, Daria Gable, and his son-in-law, Antony Gable,” Jason said with a hint of pride. “It didn't take us long to figure out who was responsible for their deaths. Now, we can wrap this whole thing up, but I doubt he'll be in jail for long. This man has more connections than most criminals I've dealt with before.”

  “Are you sure it was him?” Suzie asked. “Couldn't it have been an enemy of his?”

  “We found him practically standing over his daughter's dead body, Suzie,” Jason said. “I know it's hard to think of someone doing that to their own daughter, but the evidence is there. His fingerprints are all over the room they were staying in at Dune House and the warehouse where Daria was found. He was seen in the area at the time of the deaths. I found a motel room registered in his name, where the staff said he and his daughter had been staying. Then of course there is the fact that he was at the scene of the crime.”

  “But why would he keep his daughter alive for so long, only to kill her?” Suzie asked. “If he killed Antony right away, then why did he wait so long to kill Daria?”

  “I don't think I want to know,” Jason replied evenly. “A cruel man's mind, is a cruel man's mind, Suzie. I'd rather let the lawyers squabble over the whys, the important thing is he has been arrested for the crime.”

  “No, that's not right,” Suzie said quickly and with growing frustration. “Dominic didn't do this,” she added before she could stop herself.

  “Dominic?” Jason asked with an edge to his voice. “You're on first name basis with this murderer now?”

  “No,” Suzie frowned. “I just know that he didn't do this.”

  “Well, you're wrong,” Jason said sternly. “All of the evidence points directly to Dominic. He had motive, opportunity, and no alibi for the times of the murders.”

  “But it doesn't make sense, does it?” Suzie pressed with urgency in her voice.

  “Murder doesn't always make sense,” Jason said with a sigh. “In fact, in this case, it looks like it was the result of out of control rage. Dominic found out about Antony being involved with the Parish police department. So, he took his revenge. He must have assumed that Daria was involved as well and took her life.”

  “He is her father,” Suzie breathed out. “It would have taken so much for him to kill her. Like I said, why keep her alive for so long? Have you even questioned him?”

  “Playing the father card doesn't work in my mind,” Jason said in a darker tone. “I think my own experience with my father shows that not all parents always care that deeply about their children.”

  “Jason, don't say that…” Suzie began to say.

  “Suzie,” Jason said sharply. “The murderer is in custody, the case is closed. I don't know what you think might have happened, Suzie, but I have some loose ends I need to tie up for Summer.”

  Suzie was relieved to hear that. She was sure that Summer had revealed the truth to Jason, which might explain why he was being so short about Dominic. Unfortunately, Suzie suspected that Jason's anger at Dominic for what he did to Summer, might be clouding his judgment. Then again, she had to admit, a part of her still wondered. Could Dominic have been putting on an act the entire time?

  “All right, Jason, just keep me posted,” Suzie said softly. “I'm just asking that you consider the possibility that someone else might have been involved in this crime. Wouldn't you want to know if you have the wrong man in custody?”

  “Well, if that turns out to be the case then I will make sure that you are first to know,” he said with a hint of sarcasm and forced politeness. “Now, if you don't mind, I've been working for two days straight, and I am looking forward to turning off my cell phone for a few hours.”

  Suzie hung up the phone reluctantly. She could tell that there wasn't much chance of her changing Jason's mind. What she needed to figure out was how to prove that Dominic was not the killer.

  “Was that Jason?” Mary asked when she brought their plates to the table.

  “Yes,” Suzie nodded. “He was telling me about the arrest. They are considering the case closed.”

  “Maybe it is,” Mary said with a frown. “Dominic is certainly capable of being the murderer.”

  “Maybe so, but my instincts tell me he isn't,” Suzie said as she recalled his scream and his shocked look when he discovered her. “However, maybe my instincts are wrong. I noticed when he was talking with Summer he used reading glasses. I didn’t see Antony nor Daria wearing reading glasses. Remember the crushed glasses beside the car?”

  “I do, but many people wear glasses,” Mary said slowly. “But you think he was at the scene of Antony’s murder. If they are his it certainly would be evidence that Dominic was the one who suffocated Antony. Maybe during the accident and murder Dominic stepped on his glasses.”

  “Maybe,” Suzie nodded. “Or maybe Dominic was trying to protect Daria and Antony and he was the one driving and his glasses were knocked off in the accident. Maybe Baylor was there and he moved Antony into the driver's seat to cover up the suffocation. He might have assumed that the airbag would have been blamed for the bruising around Antony's mouth and nose,” she added thoughtfully.

  “From what I read about him online Baylor is clever enough to do that,” Mary said with a shrug. “Unfortunately, Dominic is as well and I think he is going to have a hard time in court proving that it wasn’t him. That’s if it really wasn’t him.”

  “I think we have a bigger problem,” Suzie said in a murmur.

  “What's that?” Mary asked.

  “While Dominic is in jail for two murders, I believe the true murderer, Baylor, is out and about walking free. I'm certain that if Baylor is the real murderer, he's going to be doing his best to hunt down anyone and everyone that could possibly connect him to the crime,” she shook her head. “Jason may think this is over, but I have a feeling it's not over yet.”

  Chapter 15

  Everything seemed quiet, almost normal, for about a half hour. Then there was a knock on the front door of Dune House. Suzie looked up from the dishes she had been washing. Mary stood up and put down the book she had been reading.

  “Who do you think that could be?” Suzie asked with some concern. She was sure it wasn't Jason since he had said he was taking a few hours off. She was also fairly certain it wasn't Paul, as he wasn't supposed to arrive until later that night.

  “Only one way to find out,” Mary said and walked towards the door. Suzie felt uneasy. She followed after Mary. Her mind kept traveling to the possibility that it could be Baylor.

  “Detective Brown,” Mary said with a smile when she opened the door.

  “Wes,” he reminded her firmly. “How are you, Mary?”

  “I'm fine,” she replied. Suzie paused beside them.

  “What brings you here, Wes?” Suzie asked as she studied the man.

  “I wanted to let you know about Dominic's arrest,” Detective Brown explained. “I didn't want you to have to worry about whether you were safe or not.”

  “Thanks,” Mary said with a small smile.

  “Jason…” Suzie started to explain that Jason had already informed them, then she remembered his warning about not letting anyone know that he had told her. “Must be so happy,” she finished lamely.

  “He is,” Detective Brown nodded. “He's a fine police officer, your cousin.”

  “Wha
t about you?” Mary asked. “This must be a big win for you. You've been after Dominic for a long time.”

  “That's true,” he nodded. “But to be honest I won't be celebrating until he's officially permanently behind bars. He's a slippery fellow, and he finds his way out of just about everything.”

  “What about his partner, Bob Baylor?” Suzie asked. “Isn't anyone concerned about whether he might be involved?”

  “It’s a possibility,” Detective Brown said thoughtfully. “I'm still on the lookout for him of course, but Dominic was always the brains of the team. I doubt Baylor can handle much on his own.”

  Suzie wanted to argue with him, but she decided against it. She didn't want to explain her suspicions when she was fairly certain that he wouldn't be the least bit interested in them and they would just expose how much information she had managed to gain about the case.

  “Well, thank you for coming all the way over here to tell us that,” Suzie said politely.

  “Actually, I had more than one motive,” he said shyly.

  “Oh?” Mary asked. Suzie braced herself, wondering if Detective Brown somehow knew that they had been at the crime scene earlier.

  “It wasn't appropriate while there was still a murderer on the loose, considering that we're both involved in the case,” Detective Brown explained as he looked at Mary. “But now that Dominic is behind bars, I was hoping you might agree to spend a little time with me. On an unprofessional basis,” he stumbled over his final words.

  Suzie's eyes widened. She was stunned to think that Detective Brown had a romantic interest in Mary. She hadn't picked up on it at all. She waited with a slightly amused smile for Mary to shoot him down in no uncertain terms. Mary might have been a romantic at heart, but she had shown no interest in dating anyone since her divorce. Suzie only hoped it wouldn't be too awkward for her when she turned Detective Brown down.

  “That would be lovely,” Mary said softly, her voice wavering with a hint of shyness. Suzie's eyes widened even further. She looked from Mary, to Detective Brown, and then back to Mary again.