by Cindy Bell
With the edge of her fingertips she managed to catch a corner of the material. When she slowly pulled it up she was holding the edge of the sleeve of a bright yellow jacket. Her heart pounded as she noticed traces of blood on the hem and sleeve of the jacket. Was this it? Was this the same jacket that the killer had worn?
Suzie slowly got to her feet and with a trembling hand she reached into her pocket for her phone. She dialed Jason’s number and waited for him to answer. As the phone rang several times, she noticed a shadow further along the dock. Her heart jumped. What if it was the killer and he saw her standing there with his jacket in her hand? She panicked and climbed aboard Paul’s boat. Jason didn’t answer. She tried calling the police station to see who was on duty, however the voice that answered was unfamiliar so she said that she had called the wrong number and hung up. She didn’t often need the police in the middle of the night and hadn’t gotten to know the night staff.
“Suzie, what are you doing?” She jumped at the sound of Paul’s voice. When she turned to face him, his eyes were wide. “I heard someone out here, I was ready to come out and toss you off the boat. What are you doing here?”
“I couldn’t sleep.” She cringed. “But look what I found.” She held up the jacket.
“What is that?”
“It’s the yellow jacket. I think it even has blood on it.”
“And you brought it on my boat?” He narrowed his eyes. “Why?”
“Sh! There’s someone out there.”
“Who?” He looked past her to the dock.
“I don’t know. I just saw a figure. That’s why I jumped on your boat.”
“Okay, but it isn’t a good idea to have the jacket here. I could easily be the next suspect on the list. Let’s get it to Jason.”
“I tried, but he’s not answering his phone.” She frowned. “I think I’m just going to take it over to him.”
“Here, put it in this. It’ll hopefully protect what evidence might still be on it.” He held open a plastic bag for her to drop the jacket in. “Do you want me to come with you to Jason?”
“No, I’ll be okay.”
“Are you sure we shouldn’t just call the police to come pick it up?”
“I don’t want whoever was on the dock to know we found the jacket. Besides, if I call the police to come get it, there’s no guarantee that they won’t suspect both of us. I’d rather make sure it gets into the right hands.”
“Okay, I trust your judgment on that. I’ll walk you to your car.”
“Paul, I said I would be fine.” She sighed.
“And I said I’d walk you.” He stepped off the boat and reached back for her hand. She followed after. On the way to the car he looked over at her.
“Do you know how dangerous it was for you to be out here in the middle of the night?”
“Paul, this overprotective stuff has to stop. I’m a grown woman, more than capable of taking care of myself.”
“But it was my boat you jumped onto wasn’t it?” He opened the door for her.
“Yes, it was.” She kissed his cheek. “Good night, Paul.”
“Good night, Suzie. If you have any trouble let me know.”
“I will.”
The drive to Jason’s house wasn’t very long. However, in the span of time between the docks and his house Suzie managed to fixate on the man on the dock. Was it Mike? Someone else? It was hard to tell even the man’s height or build from the distance and the brief amount of time she saw him. What if he was the killer? Did he know she had the jacket? The thought made her shiver. If the killer did know, then he might just be desperate enough to hurt someone else, or disappear entirely, leaving the case unsolved.
Suzie parked outside Jason’s house and immediately noticed that the porch light shone bright. When she walked towards the house, she was surprised to hear voices from inside. Her heart beat faster as she wondered if he might be in danger. When she reached the door she recognized the second voice. It was Summer. She and Jason sounded more than a little engaged in an argument.
“Why would you even say that to me? That’s the point I’m trying to make.” Jason’s voice strained to remain at a calm level.
“It was just a question, Jason, and I think a warranted one. I don’t see why it upset you so much.”
Suzie clutched the plastic bag in her hand. She didn’t want to eavesdrop on their fight, but she also didn’t want to interrupt it. If they knew she was outside and had overheard them they might be embarrassed.
“It’s not warranted. Asking me if I want to postpone the wedding? All I want to do is marry you, Summer, and the idea that you don’t know that, that bothers me. Yes, I’ve been distracted by the case, so have you, but that doesn’t change the way that I feel about you.”
Suzie’s eyes closed. She knew then that she couldn’t give him the jacket. She couldn’t interrupt the couple. However, she also couldn’t keep the jacket. She made her way down off the porch and hurried back to her car. She would have to take it to the police station. It was her only option.
As Suzie drove in that direction she thought about the fight that the two were having. Without the pressure of the case maybe they would have blissfully wandered down the aisle. But then again maybe their relationship would only be strengthened by the tension they had to work through. When she walked up to the police station she noticed that the lobby was empty. There wasn’t much activity in the middle of the night in the quiet town. She opened the door and stepped inside to find an unfamiliar face at the front desk.
“Can I help you?” He settled his gaze on her inquisitively.
“I need to turn in some evidence.”
“Evidence?” He stood up and eyed the bag. “Where did you get that?”
“From under the walkway at the docks. I think that it is evidence in the murder that took place there.”
“Oh?” He took the bag from her and looked inside. “So, why didn’t you call for an officer to pick it up?”
“I thought I’d take it to Jason myself, he’s my cousin. But I was unable to get hold of him.”
“It would have been better if you called an officer.”
“I understand.” She bit into the side of her cheek to keep her frustration from spiraling out of control. “I don’t mean to cause any problems, but I need to make sure this gets into evidence as soon as possible. I think there is some blood on it.”
“Great.” He started typing on his keyboard.
“My name is…”
“I know your name, Suzie. Jason talks about you all the time.” He smiled at her. “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of this for you.”
“Thank you.” She sighed with relief and all at once she was struck by just how exhausted she was.
By the time she arrived back at Dune House she collapsed onto the couch. She didn’t bother to get a blanket or even take her shoes off. As she snored Mary crept into the kitchen with the first light of dawn. She started coffee and a small breakfast without disturbing Suzie. However, when there was a sudden knock on the door Suzie nearly fell off the couch.
“What? Where am I?” Suzie blinked as the ceiling spun above her.
“It’s okay, Suzie, I’ll get the door.” Mary patted her shoulder as she passed her by.
“Why did I sleep in the living room?” Suzie rubbed her eyes. As the night before began to resurface in her mind she finally embraced reality.
“Suzie? You okay?” Paul smiled at Mary as he brushed past her. “I’ve been calling all morning.”
“I’m sorry.” Suzie picked up her phone to see that it was dead. “I was so tired last night I must have just passed out. Are you okay?”
“Yes, but we were going to go on a boat trip this morning, remember?”
“Oh yes.” She yawned and blinked a few times. “Coffee first?”
“Sounds great.”
“I’ll just go have a shower quickly,” Suzie said as she headed upstairs to her room.
“Come sit, Paul, I’ll make
you some eggs and toast.”
“Thank you so much, Mary.”
Suzie joined them downstairs just as Mary had finished dishing up breakfast.
“That was quick,” Paul said.
“I’m quick when I want coffee.” Suzie smiled.
As they shared breakfast Mary updated them on the wedding plans and Suzie filled her in on the jacket she had found.
“I ended up dropping it at the police station.”
“I thought you were going to take it to Jason?” Paul finished his toast.
“I did, but he was occupied.”
“How so?”
“Never mind that.” She forced a smile. “I just hope we can find something on our trip today.”
“You two, be careful out there. There’s a murderer on the loose.”
“We’ll be fine,” Paul said.
“Just make sure you’re careful with her.” Mary collected the dishes.
“I will be.” Paul smiled. “Though don’t tell her that, she thinks I’m overprotective.”
“With her you have to be. She’s always getting into trouble.”
“I am sitting right here.” Suzie rolled her eyes. “And you’re one to talk about people getting into trouble, Mary. Should I tell him about the time that…”
“No, don’t do that.” Mary laughed. “Just be careful.”
“Don’t worry, I have no interest in going for a long swim.” Suzie stood up and washed the dishes that Mary piled in the sink. “I think we’d better head out though.”
“I’m ready when you are.” Paul stood up.
“Mary, call me if anything goes wrong with the wedding plans, okay? We’re in crunch time now.”
“Trust me, you will be the first person I call.”
Chapter 9
As Suzie and Paul walked to the docks Suzie tried to call Jason. She heard his voicemail.
“He’s not answering.”
“What happened last night?”
“I didn’t want to say anything in front of Mary, because I don’t want to worry her about the wedding, but Jason and Summer were fighting when I showed up. I didn’t want to interrupt.”
“Oh boy.” He breathed out a heavy sigh. “How bad was it?”
“That’s the funny part. They were fighting about how much they cared about each other. It was kind of sweet actually.”
“Hm. That’s a good sign.” He smiled. “Do you think they’re going to make it to the end of the week?”
“Yes, I think so.”
“It might be a better idea to just postpone the wedding.”
“No, no.” Suzie shook her head. “It will ruin the magic.”
“I thought you didn’t believe in the magic?” He smiled.
“I believe in their magic. If they postpone the wedding, then what’s to stop them from postponing it again when something else comes up?”
“You mean if someone else ends up dead?”
“Don’t say it like that.” She frowned. “But yes, that’s what I mean. Or some other disaster happens. They picked this date for a reason. It was the day that they went on their first date. They really want the wedding to happen then.”
“Well, then we better get this case solved before then.”
“Good plan,” Suzie said when they reached the docks. Suzie’s attention shifted right away to one of the boats.
“Let’s get out onto the boat.” Paul started to head towards it.
“Suzie wait!” Mary's voice made her turn back to the parking lot. As Mary approached Suzie waved to her.
"Mary, what are you doing here?"
"We have a big problem."
"What is it?" Suzie studied her friend.
“The cake. It isn’t going to be ready on time. I guess there is some kind of shortage of the type of chocolate that she planned to use and now they won’t have it ready for the wedding.”
“So, tell them to use a different chocolate.”
“She won’t, she says that is the only chocolate that will work in that cake. We need to order a different cake. I’ve been trying to reach Jason, but he’s not picking up his phone. So I went by his house, and he’s not there. I went by the police station, and he’s not there either. I’m starting to think that he took off.”
“Took off?” Suzie raised an eyebrow. “Jason, I don’t think so.”
“Wedding jitters?” Paul frowned. “I doubt Jason would do that.”
“Then where is he?” Mary asked.
“Maybe he went to speak with Mike’s wife. Or maybe he’s following up on another lead. He might have forgotten to charge his phone, just like I did. Mary, I’m going to be honest, Jason isn’t going to care what kind of cake it is. Just pick one out of those that Summer originally chose, and the frosting, and it will be fine.”
“Okay, I’ll head right over to the bakery. But if you hear from Jason, let me know. I’m worried about him.”
“Jason can handle just about anything. I’m sure he’s fine. But if I hear from him you’ll be the first to know.”
“Thanks Suzie. I'd better get to the bakery right away.” As she hurried off Paul gave Suzie’s hand a tug.
“Look who’s here.”
“I know, I noticed right away. He’s been watching us. But it looks like Pedro has his eyes on us, too.” She noticed him looking at them out of the corner of his eye.
“Yeah, fishermen don’t like it when people step on their turf. I want to go talk to Mike.”
“Let’s get going, Paul. We probably shouldn’t rile him up again.”
“No, I’m going to find out once and for all if he saw that man that Pedro saw. If he did, then we might be able to figure out who it was. I’m not going to let Robbie’s death go unsolved because Mike has an attitude problem.”
“Just remember to keep it mellow, Paul. We don’t know if he’s the murderer and we can’t afford to add another complication to this situation.”
“I’ll be good, I promise.”
Suzie studied him for a moment. She wasn’t the slightest bit reassured. She followed him to Mike’s boat. The moment that Mike spotted them headed towards him he groaned.
“What do you want?”
“Mike, I want to know if you saw a man wearing a yellow jacket hanging around Robbie’s boat. Don’t hold out on me or you will pay for it.”
“Oh, look at you big tough guy?” He laughed. “Showing off for the girlfriend?” He rolled his eyes. “Nice try, pal, but there’s not one hair on your bushy head that intimidates me.”
“Enough.” Suzie pushed past Paul and climbed onto the boat.
“Again with the trespassing?” Mike glared at her. “You think because you’re a woman I won’t throw you right into the water?”
“Watch it!”
“It’s okay, Paul.” Suzie turned back to Mike. “I know that you probably want to actually. Considering the problems that you’re having with your wife, you probably have a lot of anger at the moment.”
“She told you about it?” He frowned.
“No, I haven’t even spoken to her. I noticed that your laundry is piled up and you’re sleeping on your boat. What’s going on with your wife, Mike?”
“It’s none of your business.”
“No, it’s not. But sometimes it takes a woman to explain a woman. I might be able to help give you a little insight into what’s going wrong.”
He sighed and rubbed his hands together. “She wants me to give up fishing.”
“What?” Paul’s voice softened. “Really?”
“She says I don’t spend enough time with her, I’m always gone, and she’s always worried. She knew what I did for a living when we got married. Now, all of a sudden it’s a problem.”
“Oh Mike, it’s not a problem.” Suzie smiled warmly at him.
“Huh? How is it not a problem?”
“She’s just showing you how much she loves and values you. You see it as her trying to take away your passion. But what she’s really trying to do, is hold as
tight as she can to you. She’s scared of losing you. Maybe you’ve been a little too distant lately, not taking the time to show her how much you value her. Those things add up in her mind, and soon she thinks the only way to save the marriage is to have you at her side all the time. I’m pretty sure if you just talk to her about what might be bothering her, you two can work this out.”
“I never really thought about it that way. I have been distracted lately. I have more runs than I can handle sometimes.” Mike’s expression relaxed. “I’ll talk to her about it. Maybe I need to cut back.”
“Oh, and you know what? There’s a perfect opportunity for that conversation. A special romantic dinner at Dune House and a room for the night.”
“I can’t afford that.” He scrunched up his nose.
“You don’t have to. It’s on the house. A little romantic evening will soften her heart to you. It’s a great time for the two of you to reconnect.”
“Really. For free?”
“Yes, if you tell me about the man with the yellow jacket, it will be.” Suzie set her hands to her hips and looked straight into Mike’s eyes. “We’re all after the same thing here. Right?”
He nodded slowly. “All right. I did see him. In fact I saw him right next to Robbie’s boat. I didn’t know what he was up to, but I figured it had something to do with Robbie, and I didn’t want to get involved.”
“When did you see him?” Suzie held his gaze.
“A few hours before Robbie turned up dead and then an hour or two before. I remember because I thought he had been snooping around for quite a while.”
“And you never mentioned this before?”
“Look, it’s not like I got the man’s ID or something. I don’t know who he is.”
“Did you notice anything about him physically?”
“He was a bit thicker than most. He also had his jacket hood covering his head the second time I saw him, which was strange because it wasn’t raining and it wasn’t that cold.”
