Murder at the Marina

by Ellen Jacobson

  Jack clenched his fists. “I had nothing to do with it, Sandy. But I can’t say that I’m not glad he’s gone. He’s caused enough trouble for us financially and otherwise.”

  He stormed off, ignoring me as I tried to say hello.

  Sandy waved me over. “Sorry you had to see that. I think this murder has stressed out all of us. Come on aboard and I’ll fix us some coffee.”

  “Will Jack be joining us?” I asked as I followed her down into the boat.

  “No. He has to take care of some business matters.” Sandy put a kettle on the stove and pulled out a French press from the cupboard.

  “What kind of business is he in? I thought the two of you were retired?”

  “Oh, we are, but you know how it is. Retirement savings only go so far, and we’ve had some financial difficulties. Jack has been making extra money buying and selling used marine equipment, like outboard motors, replacement parts, that kind of thing.”

  “Does he also sell winch handles?”

  Sandy shrugged. “I guess so.” She pulled a container of milk out of the fridge and scooped some coffee into the press. “I try to stay out of his business, except for helping with the bookkeeping. He gets mad whenever I ask him anything about it. After so many years of marriage, I’ve learned to bite my tongue. You know what I mean, don’t you?”

  “I think Scooter would be surprised if I ever started biting my tongue.”

  Sandy smiled. “Go on, have a seat. It won’t be long.”

  I sat down on one of the couches and was admiring the embroidered throw cushions when a calico cat jumped onto my lap, turned around a couple of times, and then settled down on my legs.

  “Sorry about that,” Sandy said. “I hope you don’t mind cats. That’s Mrs. Moto.”

  I scratched Mrs. Moto behind the ears. “I know you, don’t I?” I explained to Sandy, “She jumped onto our boat yesterday, and then I saw her again later at the marina office. Nancy was chasing her away with a broom.”

  “Oh, Nancy hates cats.” Sandy held up a cup of steaming coffee. “How do you take yours?”

  “Milk and sugar, please.” Mrs. Moto perked up at the word “milk.” “Do you like milk too?” The calico responded with a loud yowl, which I took to mean “Yes, please.”

  “She’s not allowed to have milk. Vet’s orders.” Sandy passed me a cup of coffee and placed hers on the table. She sat next to me and started to sniffle. “I don’t know what I’m going to do with her when we sell the boat. They won’t let us have cats at the condo we’re moving into.”

  “You’re selling your boat?”

  “Yes, Captain Dan was going to list her for us. Now we’ve got to find another boat broker and a home for Mrs. Moto.” Sandy’s sniffles turned into a loud crying noise. “I’ve put notices up everywhere, but no one wants her. I hate the idea of having to take her to a shelter.”

  The Japanese bobtail rubbed up against my hand, demanding that I scratch under her chin. I hated the idea of her going to a shelter as well.

  I took a sip of my coffee while she dried her eyes. “Why exactly are you moving?”

  “We can’t afford to keep the boat and our condo. We’d been renting out the condo, but the tenants just left. We thought about selling it and staying on the boat, but to be honest, we’re getting too old for all the work involved in boat ownership. So we decided to move into the condo and sell the boat. Things have been tight, so any money we can get for the boat would be a big help.”

  Sandy groaned and rubbed her temples with her fingers. “Feels like I’ve got another one of my headaches coming on.”

  “Oh, no! Can I get you anything?”

  “Would you mind? There’s a bottle on the counter in the head.” I must have looked confused. “The head is what we call the bathroom. Just down the passageway before the aft cabin.”

  I nudged Mrs. Moto. She moved over to Sandy’s lap and purred while I went in search of the head. I peeked in and saw Sandy’s pill bottle. As I picked it up, I noticed a white pillowcase in the sink covered in red spots.

  I came back out and handed Sandy the bottle. Her hands shook as she swallowed two pills with her coffee. While she sat back and rubbed her neck, I saw bruises on the back of her arms. “Sandy, what happened to your arms?”

  She lowered them. “Those marks? Oh, I don’t know. I’m always getting bruises and cuts and I don’t remember how.” She pointed down at her legs, which were covered in small cuts and deep-purple bruises. “Like these ones here. No idea how they happened.”

  “I saw the pillowcase in the bathroom—I mean, head. Was that blood on there?”

  “Yes, I must have gotten a nosebleed during the night. It happens from time to time. I’m just glad I was able to sleep last night. Sometimes, it’s hard to fall asleep and stay asleep. I’m constantly having nightmares. Did you know that last night I dreamed someone was operating on me in a dark metal room? Must be the financial stress. And worrying about finding Mrs. Moto a new home.” She frowned and stroked the cat’s glossy fur.

  When I sat back down on the couch, the calico ran over, plopped next to me, and rolled over on her back.

  “She must really like you,” Sandy said wistfully. “She rarely does that for anyone. Go on, rub her belly. She loves that.”

  Mrs. Moto really did love having her belly rubbed. Her purring grew so loud that I could barely hear what Sandy was saying. “If you can’t find anyone to take her, maybe I can talk Scooter into letting us adopt her,” I offered impulsively.

  “That would be fantastic,” Sandy said. She hesitated and then added, “Maybe this is too much to ask, but Jack and I are running up to the condo later today. It’s north of here, about four hours away. We’ll be away overnight, possibly two nights. Maybe you could look in on her and feed her while we’re gone?”

  “Sure, I’d love to.”

  “You’re a lifesaver,” Sandy said. “I had originally asked Penny if she’d take care of her, but she told me last night that she wouldn’t be able to.”

  “What time did you see her at?” I asked.

  “Oh, I don’t know. I went for a walk before going to bed and saw her sitting out on the patio. She seemed really distracted.” Sandy lowered her voice. “Between you and me, I think she and Captain Dan had a thing going on. I heard a rumor that she even moved up here from Texas to be with him.”

  “Really? I didn’t think she was all that sweet on him. I overheard them last night arguing about the boat brokerage. It sounded like she had invested money in his last business, and he’d promised to make her a partner in the boat brokerage.” I quickly added, “Not that I was eavesdropping or anything.”

  “Hmm. That’s interesting. I saw them fighting last week too. I couldn’t hear what they were saying and just assumed it was a lovers’ quarrel, but maybe it was more than that,” Sandy said. “Do you think she could have had anything to do with Captain Dan’s murder? I mean, I hate to think that anyone we know is a murderer, but you can never tell about people, can you?”

  While I reflected on this, Mrs. Moto decided that I wasn’t paying enough attention to her. She jumped onto the floor and chased after a toy mouse.

  “When we spoke with Chief Dalton this morning, he said Captain Dan had been murdered between six and eight o’clock.” Mrs. Moto dropped the toy mouse at my feet and was delighted when I threw it on the other couch for her to chase. “What time did you see Penny at?”

  “It was probably around six thirty, maybe a little earlier. We left the barbecue around six and headed back to the boat. I’m not sure about the time, but it was probably fifteen minutes later that I went out for a walk. I needed a break from Jack and a few minutes to clear my head.”

  “Where exactly did you run into Penny?”

  “On the patio. She was sitting there, biting her nails and looking at something on her computer.”

  “What was she looking at?”

  “I’m not sure. When she saw me, she turned her computer off and put it away quick
ly in her laptop bag. I probably talked to her for about five minutes, and then I headed up to the trail that leads around the cove. There’s a nice lookout there with a park bench.”

  “When did you go back to your boat?”

  “Oh, not too much later. I was probably back by eight.” She paused. “When I came back to the marina after my walk, I saw Penny walking down from B Dock—you know, the dock where you keep Marjorie Jane.” She shook her head. “It’s all probably a coincidence. I can’t imagine Penny was involved in anything like that.”

  Mrs. Moto meowed loudly, jumped onto my lap, and deposited her toy mouse. I told her what a good cat she was. She seemed pleased with herself.

  I thought about Penny and Captain Dan’s argument. Was it possible Sandy was right, and the two of them were involved? If that were the case, why was he flirting with Sandy? And why did he look so familiar?

  “I can’t figure out why Captain Dan seems—I mean, seemed—so familiar,” I said. Sandy winced at the reminder that Captain Dan was dead. “I keep thinking to myself that I’ve seen him someplace before. Has he always been a boat broker?”

  “I’m not sure. I suppose so. I don’t think you just become a boat broker overnight. It’s not like just anyone can sell boats.” Sandy rubbed her temples again. “It would appear that my pills aren’t taking care of this headache. I think I’m going to lie down for a bit if that’s okay.”

  “Of course,” I said. “Is there anything else I can get you?”

  “No, I just need to rest in a dark room.” She hesitated. “So, you’re sure you’re okay to look after Mrs. Moto?”

  “Not a problem,” I reassured her.

  “Okay, Nancy has a key to our boat at the office, and I’ll leave a note with some instructions with her later today. We’ll be leaving later this afternoon. I’m really not looking forward to the long car ride with this headache.”

  I couldn’t imagine the car ride with Jack would be very pleasant, headache or not, given their fight, but decided to keep that thought to myself. Their relationship certainly was a puzzler. Last night, Jack had alternated between hot and cold with Sandy. Maybe he was just jealous of Captain Dan’s flirtations, but maybe it was more than that.

  CHAPTER 6

  FLYSWATTER

  I WAS HALFWAY DOWN the dock when I realized I hadn’t checked my phone since the previous night. My phone’s always stuck somewhere down at the bottom of my purse, and half the time I don’t hear it go off, something that annoys my mom to no end. She hates it when I don’t reply right away and then sends a million more texts asking where I am as some sort of punishment.

  Yep, there were a million texts from my mom. Most of them said things like, Where are you? Why are you ignoring your mother? and Why don’t you ever check your phone? I could be dead for all you know. I’m not sure how she could be texting me if she were dead, but knowing my mom, she’d find a way. I scrolled back to her original message.

  Who’s Penny? What happened to Marjorie Jane? Did he ditch her already? Has Scooter moved on to another bimbo?

  As usual, she had gotten it all wrong. I thought about explaining that Scooter was stuck on a sailboat, not on another woman, but that would require a lengthy conversation, one I wasn’t really up to dealing with just now. After her latest divorce, she tended to think the worst of men, including Scooter.

  Nothing’s going on, I texted back, hoping that would be the end of it.

  Her response was quick. Almost like she had her phone glued to her hand. Don’t be so sure. Where there’s smoke, there’s fire. Just as I started to respond, she followed up with another one. Why did it take you so long to reply to my original text? You know I worry.

  I typed a response as quickly as I could. Things have been crazy. Someone was murdered. I’ll call later. For some reason, she didn’t respond right away. Maybe the battery on her phone died. As I was waiting for her inevitable response, I saw Jack walking toward me pulling a cart. I quickly popped my phone into my purse and rushed over to speak with him.

  “Hey, Jack,” I said. He looked like he wanted to avoid me, but I stepped in front of him and blocked his path. “I’m so glad I ran into you. When I was visiting with Sandy earlier, she wasn’t feeling well. I left so she can try to get some sleep.”

  Jack rolled his eyes. “Another one of her headaches, isn’t it?” I was surprised by the bitterness in his voice. “She always seems to get one whenever there’s work to be done. I told her that I need to get these parts inventoried and priced right away. She promised she’d help enter everything into the computer. Now what am I supposed to do?”

  I thought he might start by offering to give Sandy a foot rub. Scooter always does that for me when I have a headache. Jack didn’t appear very receptive to my suggestion, so I decided to change tack. “You know, I’m awfully worried about Sandy. Not only does she have a really bad headache, but she also has all sorts of cuts and bruises on her. She told me she had a nosebleed last night as well.”

  “If she wasn’t so clumsy, then she wouldn’t have all those cuts and bruises, would she?” he asked angrily. “You don’t see me complaining every time I get a little boo-boo.”

  “But it sounds like more than that. She also said she has a hard time falling asleep and staying asleep.”

  “Well, she’s always been that way. Terrible insomnia and waking up in the middle of the night screaming. Even sleepwalking sometimes.”

  “Sleepwalking?”

  “Yeah, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve woken up late at night and discovered she’s disappeared. I go out and find her walking along the docks in the dark. I’m worried that one of these times she’s going to fall in the water.” His expression softened. “It wasn’t always like this. We’ve been married for over thirty years. At first, things were great; she slept like a baby.” He smiled gently at the memories. “But over the past few years, it’s gotten worse.”

  “What do you think caused things to change?”

  “I don’t know. It was probably right around the time we moved onto the boat. Must have been around four years ago. She said it was the lights that kept her from sleeping well. She began sleepwalking a lot more.”

  “What lights are you talking about?” I asked. “Bright white lights shining in your cabin?”

  Jack furrowed his brow. “You mean like moonlight?”

  “Not exactly.”

  “Well, the moon can shine brightly, but it’s more the lights here at the marina that bother her. There’s also the fishing boats that are coming and going at all hours. Sandy did get some drapes made for the cabin that block out a lot of the light, but she’s still sleepwalking.”

  “Maybe your trip will be a chance for her to relax,” I said.

  “What trip?”

  “Sandy said that you were going to head up to the condo and that you’d be away for a day or two. She asked me to look after your cat.”

  “We’re not going anywhere. I don’t know where she comes up with these things. Besides, it’s her cat, not mine.” He looked down at his cart. “I should get going. I’ve got a lot of work to do, and it sounds like I’ll be doing it all on my own.”

  I peered at the cart. I didn’t recognize anything except for one item. “Is that a winch handle?”

  “It is. I bought a bunch of them from a salvage dealer.”

  “Did you know that the murder weapon was a winch handle?” I asked, regarding Jack carefully.

  Jack fidgeted with the cart. “I might have heard that. But I’m sure it wasn’t one of mine.”

  “How can you be so sure?”

  “I keep a careful inventory of everything I buy and sell. I know for a fact that all of my winch handles are accounted for.”

  “Sounds like something the police will be interested in.”

  “Excuse me, sir. We need to have a word with you.”

  I turned and saw Chief Dalton standing behind me. “Speak of the devil,” I said.

  He looked at me and scowled. “Y
our husband is on the patio, Mrs. McGhie. Perhaps you want to join him?”

  “Definitely. He should have some brownies for me.”

  AFTER GRABBING A BROWNIE from Scooter, I walked down to the beach and called Brian Morrison at FAROUT headquarters. I filled him in on my interviews with Sandy and Jack.

  “I’m sure of it, Brian. She’s got all the signs. Her husband said she sleepwalks at night. There’s been many times he’s found her walking along the docks in her nightgown. He’s been afraid that one of these nights she’s going to fall in the water and drown. I also found a pillowcase with blood on it in the bathroom. I asked her about it, and she said that she had a nosebleed the night before.”

  “Hang on a minute, Mollie. Let me make sure I’ve checked off all the boxes on the official checklist. Okay, that’s two indicators—sleepwalking and nosebleeds. What else do you have?”

  “She has unexplained marks on her body. Cuts and bruises on her legs and arms. When I asked her about it, she said she can’t remember how she got them. And, get this, she said they weren’t there the previous night. She claims she must have bumped into something, but I don’t think that’s what it was.”

  I heard Brian scratching down notes. “Let’s see. That’s one more indicator—unexplained marks.”

  “Her husband mentioned that Sandy was complaining about bright lights shining into their boat at night. He tried to pass it off as moonlight and fishing boats, but he could be in denial or trying to cover things up.”

  “Good, lights,” Brian said. “That’s another indicator.”

  “And it’s not just Sandy who’s been seeing lights. When Scooter and I were out walking on the beach last night, I saw flashing red and green lights on the water.”

  “Oh, now that’s interesting. Did you get any video?”

  “No, they were gone too quickly. I’ll have to get back out there one night and see if they reappear.”

  “Okay, but please tell me you’ll be careful. I’d hate to think of anything happening to you.”

  “Don’t you worry about me. I took your safety course last year, remember?”