by Mary Ellis
‘Good idea, boss.’
‘Thanks, Nick. Now while I’ll lead this entourage, you stay right behind me. I’ve seen Hunter mad and I have no wish to incite his wrath. Michael will make sure nobody sneaks up from behind.’
Nicki stood on tiptoes to reach his eye level. ‘Fine, but if you recall, I handled myself well on that case we worked together in New Orleans.’
‘Yeah, but this ain’t New Orleans. Just keep watching for clues along the way or something that can be used as a weapon.’ Nate headed around to the front of the house, staying close to the foundation. ‘There’s that fountain and fancy pergola on the terrace.’ Nate pointed in the direction they needed to go. ‘Let’s cross the lawn and find the path to the dock.’
‘Forge on, boss,’ said Michael. ‘I’ll make sure nobody’s following us.’
The path leading to Frazier’s dock was easy enough to find. But after an hour of beating through tall weeds and checking under bushes, they reached the water between Elysian Island and the Georgia coast without finding a single clue. Along the way, they neither spotted another human being nor heard as much as the rustle of leaves behind them. And at Frazier’s dock, they saw no yacht tied up or approaching from the west. There was nothing but calm water and blue skies in three directions.
Nicki shielded her eyes from the sun. ‘No boat, no Kate, no Eric. What now, cousin?’
Nate voiced the first idea which came to mind. ‘Find a rock or log to sit on where you’ll be hidden from the path and any approaching boat. In case the Slippery Eel is arriving later, we don’t want to alert anyone until we see Kate and Eric.’
Members of team one sat and waited until their hands grew cold and their legs numb. Finally, Nate stretched to his feet. ‘I guess couple number four isn’t coming, at least not today.’
‘You don’t think maybe …’ Nicki began.
‘What, Nicki? That Frazier chained them up in John’s condo without food or water?’ Nate shook his head. ‘Don’t let your imagination run away with you. There are plenty of reasons why Eric and Kate haven’t shown up yet. Maybe Eric couldn’t be spared at Bella Trattoria.’
‘Don’t you think Kate would have come by herself?’ Michael leaned one shoulder against a tree.
‘Oh, not you too, Preston. Both of you need to keep level heads. Don’t start imagining Julian Frazier as a reincarnated Freddie Krueger.’
Michael nodded. ‘You got it. I’m just voicing an opinion to my team.’
‘I’m with ya, boss.’ Nicki saluted as though Nate was her commanding officer. ‘What’s the plan?’
Nate took another glance at the water between them and the speck that was St Simons. ‘Let’s find a different way back to the house. Maybe we can find where the suspects hide when they’re released by Frazier.’
But after walking the shoreline for an hour in one direction and an hour in the other, the team found no other way back other than their original path. Armed with heavy clubs found as driftwood, Nate, Nicki and Michael moved slowly along the path, checking the undergrowth for hidden clues while vigilant for suspects or killers out for blood. Yet once again, they fended off no surprise attacks and found nothing until one hundred yards from the rambling Frazier mansion.
There, hanging from a stout limb of an ancient, moss-covered tree, was the body of Charles Sanborn, retired detective from the Atlanta Police Department. Nate and his team stared at the macabre scene for a long moment. A heavy noose had been draped around his neck and then Sanborn had been hauled up until his feet dangled several feet from the ground.
‘Oh, Nate, what a horrible way to die.’ Nicki grabbed his arm with both hands.
‘You’re not kidding.’ Nate swallowed down the bile surging up his throat. ‘Sanborn didn’t deserve this. I don’t care how drunk he’d been the night Mrs Frazier died. He couldn’t have prevented the break-in.’
‘Look over there.’ Michael slipped on latex gloves and carefully plucked an empty whisky bottle from the leaves and pine needles. ‘Looks like the one we saw at Frazier’s first dinner.’
Nate walked to the tree where the hanging rope had been tied off. ‘Sanborn certainly didn’t get drunk and hang himself.’
‘Shouldn’t we let the cops photograph and gather evidence at the crime scene?’ Nicki asked in a whisper.
‘What cops?’ Nate felt his heart pounding in his chest. ‘You really think Frazier wants law enforcement on this island? I’m not leaving Sanborn hanging from this tree.’ Untying the knot, Nate released the rope and lowered Sanborn slowly to the ground. ‘Preston, you bring a bag with you today?’
‘Yep, I did.’ Holding the bottle by the base, Michael dropped it into a plastic bag.
‘Should I remove the rope from Mr Sanborn, boss?’ Nicki pulled gloves from her jacket pocket.
‘No, leave the rope on. Let’s take the evidence back to the house before it gets dark. Stay right behind me, Nicki. We don’t want any other surprises.’
As the three crossed the front lawn toward the terrace, they were greeted by a welcoming party – Jonah Creery and four guards.
‘There you are, Mr Price,’ Creery said. ‘Mr Frazier had begun to worry about team one.’ The guards quickly surrounded them. ‘How was everything on the island today?’
Nate gazed into the cold eyes of Frazier’s assistant. ‘We’re fine, but Detective Sanborn is not. You’ll find him dead about fifty feet into the woods. But you probably knew that already.’ Ignoring the guards, Nate stepped around Creery with Nicki and Michael close on his heels.
‘Dear me, Julian will be brokenhearted to hear that.’ Creery’s words dripped with sarcasm as the guards chortled with laughter.
Nate and his team stomped up the front steps and pounded on the door until Compton finally admitted them.
‘What’s wrong with you, Mr Price?’ the butler demanded. ‘I came as fast as I could.’
‘There are plenty of things wrong, Compton, but right now I want to get to my room and see my wife. See that Mrs Galen gets safely to her room. Michael, I’ll see you at dinner,’ Nate said over his shoulder as the guards caught up with them.
‘Slow down, Mr Price,’ said a guard. ‘None of you can get in your rooms until one of us unlocks the door.’
Without thinking, Nate drew back his fist and socked the guard in the jaw with everything he had. The guard’s head bounced off the wall before he slid to the floor.
Suddenly, someone pressed a gun to the back of his skull. ‘That was a bad idea, Mr Price, unless you’re eager to end up swinging from a rope just like Sanborn.’
Nate unclenched his fists while the guard rubbed his jaw, picked himself up, and retaliated with a right hook that sent Nate flying. ‘You try that again, Price, you’re a dead man. I don’t care about Frazier’s orders. I got nothing to lose in this country.’
Before Nate could get to his feet, he heard a click of the lock opening. Then he was half pushed, half kicked into his suite.
Following his undignified entry, Izzy screamed. And Nate realized he’d just made a bad situation worse.
The first thing Beth noticed after being locked in the library was a sheaf of papers on the desk. The second thing she noticed was a smile on Hunter’s face. ‘What do you know that we don’t, Galen?’ Beth asked.
Pressing his ear to the door to the hall, Hunter held up his index finger. ‘Shhh,’ he cautioned. ‘The guards are still right outside.’
Izzy slumped into one of the two chairs at the desk. ‘That’s probably where they’ll stay until we’re finished.’
‘I’m betting they’ll get hungry and head to the kitchen or wherever they feed hired mercenaries.’ Hunter leaned a shoulder against the door for support.
Beth took the leather-upholstered chair usually reserved for the master of the mansion. ‘What are you up to?’ she whispered.
Hunter stepped away so he wouldn’t be overheard. ‘An old trick I learned in my grandmother’s house in the Garden District. Granny used to lock me in my ro
om until my homework was done. I don’t believe Frazier’s landline is down. If I can get to his office, I might be able to call nine-one-one or send out an SOS. In the meantime, you two study whatever clues are in that folder.’
Izzy shook her head. ‘Maybe I should go instead. Frazier already doesn’t like you.’
‘No way. This is my idea. And if it works, I think I know where the office might be.’
‘Nobody’s going anywhere. Let’s just do what we were told.’ Beth dumped the folder of papers onto the desk. ‘Those guards won’t leave their post while we’re in here.’
Nevertheless, Hunter returned to his listening position at the door.
Despite being captain of their team, Beth couldn’t exactly order Hunter Galen around. She picked up the top sheet. ‘This appears to be the official court transcript for the State of Georgia versus Mack Fallon. The prosecutor on the case was Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Jacobs. After I read a page, I’ll hand it to you, Izzy. Two pairs of eyes are better than one.’
‘I agree,’ Izzy said, but still slid nervous glances at Hunter.
By the time Beth and Izzy were halfway through the proceedings, they’d all but forgotten about Hunter. The case against Mack Fallon had been destroyed by two factors: first, because Mack died from a drug overdose before the trial. And secondly, the wrench which had been bagged and tagged as the murder weapon was ruled inadmissible in court due to Detective Sanborn’s mishandling. Instead of logging in the evidence immediately after leaving the crime scene, Sanborn had left the murder weapon in his unlocked car overnight. According to the transcript, Sanborn had stopped at a bar on his way home and had then forgot about the evidence when he went inside his house.
‘So he was drunk at the crime scene, then he continued to drink on his way home. Could he have messed this case up any worse?’ Izzy asked after reading the same page.
‘I doubt it, and that wrench was the only proof Reuben Fallon was inside the house that night. He must have picked it up in the garage and handed it to Mack at some point. And that’s why the ADA dropped the charges and let Reuben go after Mack died in lockup. She had probably hoped one brother would turn on the other, but with Mack dead she had nothing on Reuben without the wrench.’ Beth dropped the sheet on the pile.
‘Jennifer Jacobs,’ murmured Izzy. ‘She must have been the female in the lineup of suspects. I understand why Frazier has hated Sanborn all these years, but it’s not fair to blame Jacobs. You can’t prosecute without sufficient evidence.’
‘Seems like Mr Frazier holds anyone connected with the case responsible.’ Beth stretched her arms over her head and then moved to the window. ‘I wonder where the other team is,’ she said absently.
‘Someplace not as warm and dry as this.’ Izzy joined her at the window. ‘Hunter, give it a rest and take a look at this transcript.’
He again put his finger to his lips. Then, with the quick movement of a cat, Hunter opened the door and slipped from the library.
They stared with mouths agape. ‘How did he do that?’ Izzy whispered.
Quietly they both padded across the room. Listening at the door as Hunter had, Beth heard no sounds in the hallway. ‘I have no idea,’ she whispered back. ‘But I wish him luck with whatever he’s up to.’
As they waited for Hunter to return, Beth and Izzy re-read portions of the court documents. Twenty minutes later, Jonah Creery entered the library with his guards, destroying the room’s quiet serenity. One guard paused at the doorjamb to pry something out of the strike-plate. He carried it to Creery on the tip of his knife.
‘A wad of gum?’ Creery asked. ‘What a clever group of detectives you are. But not quite clever enough. Poor little Nicki won’t be seeing her overly protective husband for a while.’
Beth rushed toward the head of security. ‘What did you do to Hunter? Mr Frazier gave his assurance none of us would be harmed.’
‘As long as you played by his rules. Trying to sneak into Frazier’s office wasn’t part of your directions.’ Creery glared down his nose at her. ‘You have been ordered back to your quarters. If you’re good girls, maybe you’ll find out what happened to Hunter at dinner.’
One guard grabbed Beth’s forearm while another took hold of Izzy. Then they were dragged back to their rooms with far more force than necessary. Once locked in her room, without a way to call for help, Beth reached down to pat her ace-up-the-sleeve – a small, twenty-five caliber Ruger, hidden in a holster at her shin. Those five bullets might just save their lives.
SEVEN
Monday p.m.
When Nate and Izzy were escorted to dinner that night, they found Michael and Beth already at the table, but neither was smiling.
Frazier, in his usual chair, studied them over the rim of his glass. ‘There you are, Mr and Mrs Price. I was sorry to hear about your altercation with one of the guards. No one likes to be sucker-punched, highly skilled mercenaries least of all. Looks like you’ll have quite a shiner.’
Nate gingerly touched the swollen skin around his eye. ‘I’ll be fine, unlike Mr Charles Sanborn, who’s quite dead.’
Beth pivoted around to face Michael. ‘The detective is dead? Why didn’t you tell me?’
Michael answered his wife without taking his eyes off Frazier. ‘Because by the time we got back, I barely had time to jump in the shower before our escorts were expected to arrive.’
‘Don’t glare at me, Mr Preston,’ Frazier snapped. ‘I didn’t hang that drunkard from a tree. But now that’s he’s dead, I can’t say I’ll mourn his passing.’
‘If you didn’t give the order, maybe your guards are working on their own.’ Nate pointed at the cluster by the door. ‘It would’ve taken more than one person to kill an oversized ex-cop.’
‘And why would they? I’m the one paying a king’s ransom for their services, with the promise of a bonus at the end.’ Frazier thumped his chest. ‘Maybe two of the suspects decided to work together, because they were afraid what Sanborn might say if pushed hard enough.’
But Nate had no chance to argue. When the door opened, Nicki stomped into the room, picked up a butter knife, and stopped at their host’s chair. ‘What did you do with my husband, Mr Frazier? Hunter wasn’t in our room when I returned and he’s still not back yet.’
Two guards closed in on the agency’s skinniest agent, but Frazier waved them off. ‘Sit down, Mrs Galen, and let me pour you something to drink.’ Frazier poured a second glass.
‘Not until you tell me where he is.’ Nicki waved the butter knife menacingly.
Creery pushed away from the wall. ‘Sit down and act like a lady,’ he roared. ‘Then you’ll find out.’
Nate pulled the weapon from his cousin’s hand and maneuvered her into a chair.
Blushing as red as a tomato, Nicki folded her hands in front of her.
‘That’s a little better.’ Frazier passed her the glass of bourbon. ‘As Beth and Isabelle will attest, Hunter refused to do what I asked of team two. Instead, he inserted a piece of gum into the lock on the door and sneaked out while my guards were getting a sandwich.’ Frazier shot a malevolent glare at the two guards who had let hunger get the better of them. ‘Then he tried to break into my office to use the phone. If not for my housekeeper’s watchful eye, Hunter might have damaged the hand-carved cherry woodwork that dates back to the mansion’s original construction.’ Frazier refocused on Nicki. ‘Apparently, your husband didn’t believe me when I said the landline is out of order. Like you, I don’t have any way to contact the mainland.’
‘Is that true?’ Nicki looked from Izzy to Beth, who nodded affirmatively. ‘In that case, I apologize for the butter knife and for any damage done by my husband. But I would greatly appreciate knowing where Hunter is.’ Nicki’s tone and demeanor had changed on a dime.
Frazier’s smile took a long time coming. ‘I’m sure you would, but the exact location is immaterial. For now, Hunter has been incarcerated somewhere on the island where he’ll receive food, water and a
ir to breathe, but nothing else. Regardless of how you sweet-talk or bat your long eyelashes, you’ll get no more information than that. So I suggest you compare notes with the others regarding what you learned today. The sooner you solve my wife’s murder, the sooner Hunter will be released and you can go home.’
Nicki took a swallow of the drink. ‘All right, why don’t I summarize what we found on the island today?’ She directed her question to Nate.
‘That’ll be fine. I’ll take over where you leave off.’
Nicki took another sip. ‘Team one hiked to the same dock where that boat dropped us off on Saturday. We waited there for Kate and Eric a long time, but they never showed up. In fact, no boats of any kind came near Elysian.’
Frazier turned in his chair toward Creery. ‘Didn’t you instruct Captain Burke to pick up the fourth couple on Monday at noon?’
Creery nodded deferentially. ‘I did indeed, sir. But Captain Burke mentioned that if the currents were too strong, he would text Mr Manfredi and Miss Weller, and then try to pick them up Tuesday.’
‘That must have been what happened.’ Frazier turned back to his guests. ‘You’ll see your friends tomorrow afternoon. Hopefully, they’ll add an additional layer of talent. Continue, Mrs Galen.’
‘When we finally figured out the boat wasn’t coming, we tried to find a different way back because we hadn’t found any clues.’
‘Did you find another path?’ Frazier asked.
‘No, your island is an overgrown jungle,’ Nicki muttered as her ladylike tone slipped a tad.
‘My island is a natural maritime preserve. Your use of the term “jungle” implies you know nothing about Eastern Seaboard indigenous plants.’
‘Guilty as charged.’ Nicki filled her glass with white wine. ‘But we did find something interesting on the way back. We found Detective Sanborn hanging from a tree. Dead. Know anything about that, Mr Frazier?’
His brow pulled into a frown and his lips turned downward. ‘As I told your boss, I knew nothing about Sanborn’s death until Mr Creery reported it late this afternoon. I only hope whoever killed him learned something pertinent before he died. Did you find any clues, Mrs Galen?’
