The Killing Sands

by Rick Murcer

  “She has a point,” Jake winked at Tessie before handing her a salad.

  “If the killer were to strike here,” Clay said to his wife, reaching over and patting her on the leg, “I’d protect you.”

  “Thanks, honey,” Ramona said, rolling her eyes.

  “Forget serial killers. Let’s talk about this dive trip,” Jake said.

  Chapter Four

  The water was calm on the way out to Gray’s Reef. Tessie was surprised to see the older couple from the pool was joining them. They were recently married (first marriage for the bride, third for the groom). He was a traveling salesman—pharmaceutical—and she was a dance instructor. Tim and Marlo Mathis.

  The captain expertly made his way to the spot where the three couples would spend four hours diving, snorkeling, and swimming in and around Gray’s Reef. While Billy, their dive master and guide, went to get all their equipment ready, the couples sat on the deck discussing—what else but Ramona’s favorite topic—the Honeymoon Killers.

  “I heard the first victims were poisoned. Until the second couple was found, the police thought the first was a suicide pact,” Ramona said. “Could you imagine dying on what’s supposed to be the best night of your life?”

  “What happened to the second couple?” Marlo asked. She was just as intrigued as Ramona.

  “They were electrocuted!” Ramona exclaimed. “They were the couple from the Hamptons. The maid found them in the hot tub the next morning when she showed up to clean. They had been fried while skinny dipping in the Jacuzzi. Who knows what murderous method the honeymoon killer will come up with next time? He seems to like to change it up.”

  “How awful! When did this happen?” Marlo asked.

  “About a month ago,” Tessie answered.

  “Tim, you were in the Hamptons last month. Do you remember that happening?” Marlo asked.

  Tessie and Ramona exchanged glances. Ramona gave her an I-told-you-so look.

  “I heard something about it,” Tim said, shrugging his shoulders.

  “What were you doing in the Hamptons?” Ramona asked Tim, in an accusing tone.

  “Ramona!” Clay scolded his wife. “You’ll have to excuse her. She’s a little obsessed with this honeymoon-killer case.”

  Tim waved off the husband. “It’s okay. I was there for a company function.”

  “Did you know the area where the couple was found?” Ramona asked him.

  Tessie saw Clay gave his wife a warning look.

  Tim laughed it off. “Yeah. The Hamptons is a small place.” He stood up and gave his wife a pat on the leg. “Now, if you’ll excuse me. I think I’ll go give Billy a hand with those tanks.”

  Marlo gave a small, nervous laugh, desperate to change the awkward conversation. “So, have you guys tried horseback riding yet? Tim and I went yesterday morning, and it was so much fun.”

  Tessie tuned Marlo out, taking in her surroundings. Clay and Jake seemed to be doing the same thing: looking at Marlo, but not really listening to her babble on about riding horses. Only Ramona seemed to be studying Marlo with great interest, hanging on to every word she said.

  Marlo had platinum-blond hair (obviously dyed), fake (obvious) tits, booth spray-tan ala orange-creamsicle color, and long, claw-like, red nails. Tessie was sure she would get a recap of this conversation plus a complete analysis from Ramona later—about why or why not Ramona suspected Tim of being the serial killer preying on honeymooners. Even though they’d known each other about twenty-four hours, Ramona had recruited Tessie to be her partner in crime in all things serial killer. Clay was right about his wife. Ramona was obsessed.

  “. . . and so I would recommend riding Thunder if you want a gentle horse. Don’t let the name fool you,” Marlo continued.

  “I’m going to see if they need any help.” Jake was the next guy to up and leave the conversation.

  “I’ll go with you,” Clay offered.

  And then there were just the three girls.

  “The horseback riding sounds like fun,” Tessie said, jumping back into the conversation. “I think we’ll try that tomorrow.”

  “You should!” Marlo said with a little too much enthusiasm.

  “Tim sells pharmaceutical drugs, huh?” Ramona asked.

  Tessie groaned inwardly. Ramona’s questions were starting to sound more like an interrogation.

  “He does. Tim’s worked for the same company his entire career. Top salesman, five years in a row,” Marlo said proudly.

  “How’d you two meet?” Tessie asked, beating Ramona to the punch.

  “A convention in Raleigh. My dance studio was hired to perform at the convention. Tim and I met at the cocktail reception afterward. It was love at first sight, as they say.” Marlo fingered the hem of her sarong, playing with an unraveling piece of yarn. “Tim doesn’t have the best track record when it comes to relationships. But I think he’s changed. He’s much calmer since we’ve been together. So his friends and colleagues tell me.” She shrugged, her boobs bobbing up and down.

  Ramona took this as an invitation to delve into the psyche of the Mathis’s relationship. “What do you mean he’s calmer? Did he have an anger problem?”

  Marlo looked a little unsure, like she’d said too much. “Well, no not really. He’s just a little uptight sometimes. He’s got a stressful job, on the road a lot, and then he’s got to deal with two ex-wives and three teenage children.” Marlo laughed nervously. “Wouldn’t you be a little strung out?”

  Tessie came to her rescue. She had enough of Ramona’s digging. “We all react differently to life’s little situations. Now, we’re going to relax and do some diving, see things from a different perspective.” She stood up to stretch just as the men came back with Billy and the dive equipment.

  “Who’s ready to dive?” Billy asked.

  Chapter Five

  Tessie loved being under the ocean, swimming alongside the colorful tropical fish, where it was quiet and magical. In another life, Tessie was sure she would’ve been a mermaid. Swimming by Jake’s side, she took his hand as they glided through the cerulean blue waters, exploring the coral reefs and admiring all the marine life. Tessie kept an eye on Clay and Ramona, noting they were about fifty feet away from them.

  Clay was excitedly pointing to a large tortoise that lazily swam by them—not a care in the world. Jake pulled them away from the group, and they swam to the other side of the reef. Tessie spotted a lone barracuda peeking out of a coral rock formation waiting for prey. The barracuda flashed his pointy, sharp teeth at her before disappearing back into the safety of the dark. A group of silver angelfish seemed to be following her and Jake around the reef. Jake got excited when he found a large cobia swimming around the bottom of the reef, seemingly playing hide and seek with him. Jake stuck out his forefinger and thumb like he was cocking a gun and then rubbed his stomach. Tessie smiled to herself. There was nothing more Jake loved than fishing. After their dive this morning, the captain was going to take them to another spot so the men could go spear fishing while the girls sunbathed on the deck.

  Just as Jake started to follow the cobia, Tessie spotted Clay and Ramona again. She started to wave them over when she noticed Ramona was in trouble. Through the thick diver’s mask, she could see that Ramona’s eyes were wide with panic. Then Tessie noticed Clay was giving the distress signal that divers use when in trouble. Clay was fighting to keep Ramona from swimming up to the surface. Tessie knew that if Ramona panicked and surfaced too quickly, she would be in danger of getting decompression sickness.

  Tessie sprang into action and got Jake’s attention. They made their way over to the distressed couple and started to perform the buddy breathing system, slowly making their way to the top. When they finally broke the surface, Ramona flung her mask across the deck and gasped for breath. Tessie followed her up the ladder.

  “What the hell happened down there?” Ramona peeled off her wet suit. Her face was beet red.

  Jake and Clay climbed aboard the boat as B
illy and the Mathis couple followed close behind.

  “We saw you guys go up. What happened?” Tim asked.

  “I’ll tell you what happened!” Ramona stormed over to the side of the boat, screaming at Tim while he hesitated by the ladder. “You messed with our tanks!”

  Clay grabbed his wife by the arm. “Ramona! Calm down. You don’t know that.”

  Tessie watched as Tim laughed at Ramona’s outburst, which caused Ramona to go hysterical.

  “That’s the most absurd thing I’ve ever heard,” Tim said, while climbing the ladder. “Why would I even do that?”

  “Because you were trying to kill us!” Ramona exclaimed.

  Marlo came up the ladder behind Tim, looking confused and terrified at the same time. “What’s going on here?”

  “Your husband is the Honeymoon Killer! He messed with our tanks and tried to kill us. That’s what’s going on here!” Ramona pushed Clay away and tried to stand up, but he put his arm around her and held her down in her seat.

  “Your wife is crazy and delusional,” Tim said while he stripped off his equipment.

  Billy stepped in to diffuse the situation. “I was with Mr. Mathis the whole time we were getting the equipment ready. If the tanks were tampered with, I would know it.”

  Tessie watched as Billy and Jake carefully examined the tanks and the rest of the scuba equipment.

  “Well, it’s very suspect that Tim’s the one who handed us the tanks before the dive. He had to know they were low on air,” Ramona said.

  “I had no idea. All the tanks were full,” Tim countered as he walked over to Billy and watched them inspect the tanks.

  Tessie gave Tim credit for being so calm during Ramona’s tirade.

  “I’m not sure why the tanks malfunctioned, but I assure you that I’ll get to the bottom of this.” Billy picked up the equipment and headed back to the cabin.

  Jake put his arm around Tessie and whispered in her ear. “Great job down there, babe.”

  Tessie wondered what would’ve happened if she hadn’t noticed the couple was in trouble when she did. Ramona was so wrapped up on thinking Tim tried to kill them that she didn’t even bother to thank Tessie and Jake for saving their lives. Tessie continued to watch Ramona fume about the tanks and Tim’s possible involvement, slowly beginning to wonder if taking this trip to Jekyll Island was a mistake.

  Chapter Six

  “How’s your headache?” Jake asked as he rubbed his wife’s back.

  “Better.” Tessie rolled over and opened her eyes. She’d dealt with mind-blowing migraines since she was fourteen. This one was probably brought on by the dive incident, coupled with dealing with Ramona’s antics.

  “Feel up to dinner?” Jake asked.

  “I don’t think I can face another round of drama. I just want some time with you,” Tessie said as she reached up and kissed Jake.

  “That can be arranged. Why don’t I go downstairs and have Elsa make us a to-go plate?”

  Tessie looked at the clock. “Damn. It’s already seven o’clock. How long did I sleep?”

  “About six hours.”

  They’d nixed the fishing part of the dive trip when Ramona went haywire, and they came straight back to the B&B. Tessie went right up to the room, the blinding headache already raging full force, and took some painkillers.

  “I’m going to take a shower while you grab dinner.”

  “’K, sweetie. I’ll be right back.”

  After a long, hot shower, Tessie felt better. She decided to forgo the clothing and slid into the cool, satiny sheets a la nude and waited for Jake. Grabbing the remote, she turned on the TV. Tessie flipped through the channels until a news show caught her attention. A buxom, brunette reporter was discussing the Honeymoon Killer. Tessie turned the volume up.

  “. . . the young couple who was found dead in their luxury honeymoon suite. Police have now confirmed they are looking for two, not one, serial killers. The FBI in charge of the case is not releasing information on how they’ve come to the conclusion there are two suspects involved, but it has been speculated the killers were spotted on surveillance cameras.”

  Tessie heard the door open and muted the TV.

  “Jerk chicken with fig and walnut pilaf, steamed garlic broccolini, and ginger pear rum cake with vanilla bean ice cream,” Jake announced as he sat down a large tray of food. Gina, one of the B&B employees, followed behind him with a bottle of wine.

  “Enjoy dinner. I hope you feel better, Mrs. McBride,” Gina said before closing the door behind her.

  “Elsa sends her best,” Jake smiled as he arranged a plate for Tessie. She sat up, letting the sheet fall from her body.

  “Wow.” Jake looked at Tessie’s naked body appreciatively. “Dinner may have to wait.”

  Chapter Seven

  Another beautiful day on the Georgia coast, Tessie thought as she looked out over the balcony, waves lapping up on the beach. Jake came up from behind and wrapped his arms around her waist.

  “Are you sure you don’t mind?” he asked again.

  “Of course. Go, have a good time!”

  Clay had invited Jake to play golf at the famed Pine Island course. Afterward, the foursome would meet for dinner at the B&B and then hit up a local jazz club.

  “I just don’t want to leave you again with Ramona. Seeing how that all ended yesterday,” Jake said.

  “It’s okay. We’re going shopping. We’ll be nowhere near Tim or Marlo, so I think she’ll be pretty tame.”

  “You’re the best.” Jake gave his wife a kiss before heading out the door. “I’ll see you around six.”

  Tessie chose a sleeveless, tangerine-colored sundress and a big, floppy sunhat. While she was putting on gold earrings and matching bangles, someone knocked on the door.

  “Hiya. Ready to go?” Ramona asked as she opened the door, poking her head in.

  Tessie didn’t realize that the door could be opened from the outside without a key. She was used to self-locking doors at hotels and would have to remember to lock the door next time.

  “Yep,” Tessie answered, grabbing her own bag on the way out the door.

  On their way down the staircase, they overheard someone arguing. Ramona put her finger to her lips, and they stopped midway down the stairs. Tessie didn’t feel comfortable eavesdropping on someone’s conversation, but Ramona held her firmly by the arm.

  “. . . not going to worry our guests about this, Elsa. This is supposed to be a special time in their lives. We’re not going to make a fuss about it.”

  “Don’t patronize me, Frank. I just think we need to give them a heads up to be careful. The last thing we need is a murder on our hands,” Elsa responded in a hushed tone.

  “The sheriff didn’t think it was a big deal. He just said for us to take some extra precautions, like locking the doors at night and keeping a watchful eye. This is something we need to do. The guests don’t need to be bothered with it.”

  “Well, if the sheriff didn’t think it was a big deal, then why did he drive all the way . . .”

  Tessie recognized the voices of the couple who owned the B&B. She removed Ramona’s arm from hers and cleared her throat. Ramona shot her a dirty look as Tessie continued down the stairs.

  Elsa and Frank were standing at the reservation desk, looking busy shuffling papers around.

  “Good morning, ladies. I hear that you are off to go shopping,” Elsa said, smiling brightly.

  “We have to punish our husbands somehow for playing golf on our honeymoon!” Tessie said.

  “Right you are!” Elsa answered. “Would you like me to have someone drive you? You can never be too careful.”

  Tessie caught the frustrated look Frank gave Elsa.

  “No need. I’m driving our car,” Ramona answered for them. “Thanks for the offer, though.”

  Ramona waited until they were safe inside the Lexus until she spoke to Tessie. “I wonder what that was all about.”

  “I don’t know. So, where to first?”
Tessie asked, eager to change the conversation.

  Ramona adjusted the mirror, swiped on some brightly colored, coral lip gloss, and turned over the engine. “We’re going to hit up the shops on Pier Road. There’s a place that sells exquisite sterling-silver jewelry.”

  “I’m always up for new jewelry.” Tessie looked out at the beautiful scenery: tall oak trees draped with moss, glimpses of the ocean, and old cottages lining the road. As soon as they turned onto Pier Road, Tessie saw familiar faces coming out of a general store. “Hey, isn’t that the Mathis couple?” she asked Ramona, instantly regretting the words.

  Ramona slowed, almost coming to a stop in front of the store. Tessie slouched in her seat. They watched as Tim, wearing a Carolina Panthers ball cap on his bald head, carried a paper bag out to the car. Marlo followed behind him, her boobs popping out of the tight V-neck sundress she was wearing. They appeared to be arguing about something, Marlo’s high-pitched voice carrying over to Ramona’s rental car.

  “What are you doing?” Tessie asked Ramona, as she turned the car around.

  “Let’s follow them,” Ramona suggested.

  Tessie sighed. “I don’t want to spend my free day following Tim and Marlo around.”

  Ramona pulled the car into a parking lot across from the store. She kept an eye on the Mathis’s car, which was pulling out of the lot. Marlo was driving and still appeared to be annoyed with Tim.

  “Just for a few minutes. I just want to see what they’re up to. Then we’ll go shopping. Please?” Ramona begged.

  Tessie knew this wasn’t going to end well. She could feel a faint pulse behind her left eye, signaling a possible migraine coming on. “Fine,” she relented.

  They followed the Mathis vehicle for a couple of miles, when it turned onto Riverview Road and into the parking lot of the Jekyll Island Airport.

  Ramona and Tessie watched as Tim got out of the passenger side door with a small carry-on bag and headed inside the airport. Marlo gave a wave to her husband out of the window before pulling out of the lot.