by Cindy Bell
“Murdered?” Lavinia clutched at her throat. “How awful!” Her eyes skipped in Michael’s direction. “Maybe this has something to do with that phone call we heard.”
“Excuse me?” Suzie looked between them. “What phone call?”
“It’s nothing.” Michael waved his hand. “At least I think it’s nothing. We were out on the porch the other night, and I guess Amelia must have had her window open. She was shouting on the phone. Something about a will, and that she had the right to do whatever she wanted. She seemed really upset. Lavinia even went up and knocked on her door to make sure she was okay, but Amelia didn’t answer.” He shrugged. “I figured whatever the issue was, it was her business, not ours.”
“Did she say anyone’s name while she was shouting?” Mary took a step forward, her eyes on Michael. “Did you hear her call the person on the phone by name?”
He paused a moment, then shook his head.
“No, I’m sorry. I don’t remember hearing her say anyone’s name. A few curses, but no names. Lavinia?” Michael met her eyes.
“No, nothing.” Lavinia smiled. “I can’t believe this happened. Maybe I should head home tonight. I’m not sure I’ll feel safe here.”
“I can bunk with you if you want. I can sleep on the floor.” Michael offered her his hand. “I check out tomorrow. I want to stay the night. We probably have to clear it with the police before we leave the area, anyway. On the way in they said we needed to speak to them. I guess they want to interview us.”
“I also want to stay tonight.” Lavinia frowned. “I guess that would be all right. If you wouldn’t mind too much.”
“No, I don’t mind.” Michael smiled as he wrapped his hand around hers. “I’ll make sure you’re safe, but I’m sure Suzie and Mary are going to do everything in their power to keep us safe, too.”
“Yes, we will.” Suzie nodded, then suddenly remembered Jason’s instruction to keep the door locked. She walked over to the front door, pushed it closed and locked it. “And Mary and I would like to offer you a refund for two nights of your stay, does that sound okay to you?”
“That’s quite generous.” Lavinia smiled. “Thank you. I have enjoyed my stay here, I want you both to know that. But honestly, I thought this was a safe area. I’m not sure I could ever stay here again knowing that someone was killed here.”
“I understand.” Mary nodded. “But if you ever reconsider, our door is always open.”
Not anymore, Suzie thought. Now, our door is always locked. At least until the murderer is found. As she watched the pair head off to their rooms, she could recall the day that Amelia checked in. They’d had a brief conversation, during which she’d made it abundantly clear that she didn’t want to be interrupted for any reason. It was odd, but Suzie understood that she was focused on getting her manuscript done. Why hadn’t she asked more questions?
The musical ringtone on her cell phone pulled her out of her thoughts. She saw that it was Paul and answered right away.
“Suzie, what is going on up there? I’ve heard some crazy stories, I would head straight there but I have some things I have to finish up on the boat. Are you okay?”
“I am.” Suzie felt some relief at the sound of his voice. She filled him in on what occurred that morning.
“I’m coming up there right now.”
“No, don’t Paul. Finish what you need to do. We are all okay here, I promise.”
“Then I’m coming up as soon as I’m done.”
“That’s fine but take your time.”
After Suzie hung up the phone, she found Mary was on her phone as well. When she hung up, she walked over to her.
“It was Wes, he’s going to stop and pick up Paul on his way here in a few hours. He wants to look into Amelia a little and see what he can find out about her.”
“Perks of a detective boyfriend.” Suzie smiled.
“True.” Mary grinned in return.
Suzie and Mary kept busy by making tea and snacks for the investigating officers and technicians.
It was difficult for Suzie to keep her mind off Amelia, but as she worked side by side with Mary things began to feel a little more routine again.
“I’m so glad you’re here, Mary.”
“I feel the same way about you.” Mary gave her a light smile.
By late afternoon the crime scene investigation unit had completed their task, and most of the officers had left for the night. Jason pulled them both aside and spoke in a gentle tone.
“I know this has been hard on both of you. The room is clear now, and I had the boys clean it up the best they could. If you need any more help with it, let me know.” Jason started to turn away, then paused and turned back. “Like I said, I’m going to have an officer here overnight, in the parking lot. If there are any issues, anything at all, I don’t want either of you to hesitate to contact him, okay?” He looked into each of their eyes in turn.
“Yes.” Mary nodded. “I’ll make sure he has plenty of coffee.”
“That’s not necessary, but very sweet of you, Mary.” Jason smiled at her, then shifted his attention to Suzie. “I mean it, any little thing that happens, I want you to call, and alert the officer outside, got it?”
“Yes, I will, I promise.” Mary smiled. “Thanks for everything, Jason.”
“Don’t thank me until I catch the killer.” He gave her a short wave, then headed out the door. Suzie noticed that he was careful to turn the lock behind him.
When it was time to meet Paul and Wes, Suzie made sure she went through several careful steps. She checked the locks on each window. She ensured that the house phone was working. Then she double-checked that all of the doors in the house were locked. She grabbed Pilot’s leash and attached it to his collar. He wagged his tail eagerly. She met Mary on the porch, where she waited with a thermos of hot coffee and a blueberry muffin.
“Ready to go?” Mary met her eyes.
“Yes, I made sure that everything is locked up tight.”
“Great.” Mary gave her a brief smile, then the three of them walked over to the patrol car. “Thanks for being here.” Mary smiled at the officer as she ducked her head down to meet his eyes. “We really appreciate it.”
“No problem, ladies.” He smiled at them both. He was a young officer, and though Suzie was sure she knew his name, she couldn’t think of it at the moment.
“Here’s some coffee and a muffin.” Mary thrust the thermos and muffin through the window to the officer. “Thanks so much for your help.”
“Thank you.” His smile grew wider. “Are you two going out?”
“Just for a walk on the beach.” Suzie tipped her head towards the trail that led to the beach.
“Alone?” He narrowed his eyes. “I’m not sure that’s a great idea.”
“No, we won’t be alone.” Mary waved her hand as a car pulled into the parking lot.
“Okay.” The officer nodded, then popped open the thermos and poured himself a cup of coffee.
Wes emerged from his car at almost the same instant that Paul stepped out of the passenger side.
Suzie was so relieved to see Paul that she had to hold herself back from running straight for him. He strode quickly towards her. Pilot strained on his leash to reach Paul and licked his hand as soon as he got closer.
“Are you okay?” Paul wrapped his arms around her. “I’m sorry I couldn’t get here earlier.”
“That’s all right, I’m glad that you’re here now.” Suzie rested her head against his chest. Most of the time she was a very independent woman, who resisted public displays of affection, but as the sun set along the horizon, all she wanted was to feel safe in Paul’s arms.
Mary snuggled close to Wes as they walked together towards Suzie and Paul.
“I still think that it’s risky for you and Suzie to stay at Dune House tonight.”
“I think it’s one of the safest places we can be, I truly believe that.” Mary met his eyes. “We have an officer stationed outside, see?�
�� She pointed to the patrol car.
“Yes, I see, and that’s a good thing. But I’d still feel safer if you were with me.” Wes tightened his arm around her shoulders. “I hate the thought of what happened while you were asleep in your bed.”
“Me too. I can’t believe I slept through it. I keep thinking if I had just woken up.”
“I’m glad that you didn’t wake up. Then you might have been hurt or worse. I don’t know what I would do then.”
“You’re sweet, Wes.” Mary sighed, then nodded to Paul as they met up in the parking lot. Wes bent down to greet Pilot and patted his head. Pilot’s tail wagged eagerly.
“Hi Mary.” Paul gave her shoulder a light squeeze. “Are you holding up okay?”
“So far, so good.” Mary nodded.
“She’s been like a rock.” Suzie smiled at her. “I’m glad we could all get together. I’d love to try to figure some of this out.”
“That’s my goal. The faster Jason can get this killer behind bars, the safer I will feel. I did a little digging.” Wes glanced over at Mary. “I hope you don’t mind.”
“No, I don’t mind at all.” Mary squeezed his hand. “Thanks for doing that. What did you find out?”
Suzie let Pilot off his leash so he could run along the water’s edge.
“Well, according to everything I could turn up, Amelia has very few relatives. I found her mother in a nursing home up north, but she is no longer coherent. I believe there is still a living relative called Sophia, but I haven’t found out too much about her. I only found her because both Amelia and her cousin Sophia were listed in an obituary for Sophia’s mother.”
“How sad.” Mary frowned. “She was nearly alone in the world.”
“Aside from the people that were angry at her.” Paul shook his head. “How could one book generate so much hate?”
“According to her, the book told the truth about the company that she used to work for, and her co-workers. But she didn’t tell us much more than that. Now, we may never know because the manuscript is missing. Jason thinks that the killer took it,” Mary explained.
“That makes sense.” Wes nodded as he continued to stroll at an easy pace along the beach. “It’s clear that someone wanted her dead and didn’t want that book released.”
“It seems that way.” Mary kicked some sand with the toe of her sandal. “But what if the killer just took the manuscript to throw off the investigation? Or what if Amelia hid the manuscript somewhere else?”
“She might have been afraid of Monroe coming after her again.” Suzie’s eyes widened. “Yes, that’s possible. She might have put it somewhere to keep it safe.”
“And the typewriter?” Paul frowned. “I don’t think she would have hidden that.”
“No, probably not.” Suzie nodded and gazed out over the calm water. “Most likely the manuscript is gone.”
“But that doesn’t mean there is no record of it.” Wes slowed to a stop. “She might have kept copies of part of it, or at least an outline somewhere else. However, it sounds like Monroe and his co-workers already had a good idea of what was in that book. Maybe we should speak to him to find out what had him so angry.”
“I’m sure Jason has tracked him down by now, but he hasn’t let me know what’s happening. I’ll check with him in the morning.” Suzie picked up a shell and tossed it out into the water. It made a solid splash. “I’m not going to be able to let this go. I need to know what happened to Amelia, not just to honor her life, but to ensure that Dune House can continue to offer safety and security to our guests.”
“Don’t worry, sweetheart.” Paul rubbed his hand along her back. “We’re going to get all of this cleared up.”
“I hope you’re right, Paul.” Suzie fell into step beside him as the group turned back towards Dune House. Even in the evening light it looked majestic against the sky. Normally, she would say it welcomed her, but now as she gazed into its large windows, she sensed dark secrets swirling around inside. Whatever happened there, the tragedy of it would linger until the crime was solved.
That night as Suzie settled into bed, a shiver of fear passed through her. She knew that it was unlikely that the killer would return, but even a small possibility left her unsettled. Dune House had become her home, and now, she felt a little uneasy within its walls.
Chapter 6
Suzie woke up early the next morning. She wanted to make sure she was awake before the guests, and even before Mary. She made her way through the house, double-checking the locks. She found that each one was still in place. Then she headed upstairs to the third floor. The entire floor was empty, which gave the silence around her a sense of thickness. She knew that Mary would help her with her task, but she didn’t want her to have to go through it. She pulled off the remainder of the police tape from the door and balled it up, then opened the door.
When Suzie stepped inside, she was met by unusual scents. Some bitter, some sharp. Whatever the CSI team had used definitely lingered, along with the fingerprint dust, and the mess they’d made of the room. The bedding had been removed, the mattress stood upright against the wall, and all the drawers were opened, the contents emptied. She could only assume that all of Amelia’s personal belongings had been taken as evidence. Despite the relaxing and cheerful nautical theme of the room, a heaviness clung to the walls.
“All right, time to get this place cleaned up.” Suzie stepped back out of the room and gathered some cleaning products from the hall closet. When she returned, her breath caught in her throat. She almost expected Amelia to be there with a cross look for having her privacy intruded upon. After a quick shake of her head she set to work on cleaning. A few minutes later she heard footsteps outside the door. Her heart skipped a beat as she looked up.
“Suzie, I would have done this.” Mary stood in the doorway, a light frown creased her forehead.
“I know, Mary, but you did so much yesterday.” Suzie moved over to the desk, which despite the manner of Amelia’s death had escaped any harm. “I just have to polish this and then—”
“Suzie.” Mary walked over to her. “Don’t you think we should just replace it? I don’t think I will ever be able to look at it the same way again.”
“You’re right.” Suzie nodded as she gazed at the desk. It was a favorite find of hers, but it no longer offered the same pleasure as it once had. “Let’s see how heavy it is. I can get Jason to help me move it out when he gets a chance.” She gave the desk a light tug away from the wall. It was much heavier than she remembered, but then she’d had it delivered. As she tugged the desk again, a piece of paper drifted down from between the wall and the edge of the desk. “What’s this?” She reached down and snatched up the paper. It looked like it was a piece torn from a larger piece of paper. A name was jotted across it.
“JuJu Lurue.” Suzie held up the paper for Mary to see. “What do you think that means?”
“I don’t know, but Amelia must have written it.” Mary eyed it for a moment. “Maybe it was someone she was concerned might be coming after her?”
“Maybe. It’s a very unusual name. JuJu. Maybe it’s a nickname for Julie?” Suzie frowned as she turned the paper over in her hand. On the other side were the initials ‘AP’ and yesterday’s date. She showed it to Mary. “I guess the crime scene team must have missed it since it was wedged between the wall and the desk.”
“Maybe that’s how it was torn. It got stuck?” Mary shivered a little as she looked back at the desk. “Do you think the killer might have torn it?”
“I don’t know. But I do think we need to find out what this name is about. I’m going to send Jason a text.” Suzie snapped a picture of the torn piece of paper, then attached it to a text along with an explanation of how she found it. “I think we’re done in here, Mary. Let’s go have some coffee. Michael and Lavinia are checking out today, and I want to make sure they have a nice send off.”
“Yes, let’s.” Mary passed her gaze over the room one last time. She hoped that remo
ving the desk would be enough to mute the memory of what happened there.
As the coffee brewed there was a knock on the door. It was light enough that it was meant to not disturb the guests.
“It must be Jason.” Suzie started towards the door, and Mary stuck right by her side.
“But it might not be.” Mary linked her arm through her friend’s. “Strength in numbers, right?”
“Right.” Suzie took a deep breath, then peeked out through the side window. “It’s him.” She smiled and unlocked the door. “Jason, you could have used your key.”
“I didn’t want to startle you. I got your text, and I wanted to see the piece of paper for myself and log it into evidence.” Jason sniffed the aroma that floated through the air. “Is that coffee I smell?”
“Come in and have a cup.” Mary gestured for him to follow her.
As Jason walked past her, Suzie fumbled in her pocket for the slip of paper.
“I’m sorry, Jason, but I wasn’t terribly careful with it.” She handed it over to him as he settled down at the table.
“Don’t worry about that. There’s not much chance of getting a print off it, and even if we did manage to get one, it would likely belong to Amelia. I’m curious because I ran that name through our system and it doesn’t return as a legal name, for anyone.” Jason raised an eyebrow. “I thought maybe the camera had smudged some of the letters, but I can see now that it was an accurate picture.”
“It doesn’t sound like a real name does it?” Mary laughed a little as she returned with mugs of coffee. “JuJu Lurue? We thought maybe it was short for Julie.”
“So did I, and unfortunately that name turns up a few possibilities. I’m going to work on it. I will do some more general searches now I can see the name is accurate.” Jason took a long swig of his coffee. “I just thought maybe she mentioned something to you that might stir an idea up about who JuJu Lurue could be.”
“No nothing, I’m sorry, Jason.” Suzie gazed down into the liquid in her mug.
“I can’t think of anything either.” Mary shook her head as she looked at him thoughtfully. “I do hope you are getting some sleep.”
