by Leena Clover
A tall, black haired youth with mussed hair ambled out on the covered porch. He wore a pair of sweat pants and nothing else. Heather and Jenny couldn’t help but stare at his washboard stomach and six pack abs. Jenny recognized him as the guy who had found Kelly.
He gave them a wide smile and pressed some switch on the wall. The door slid open. The young man beckoned them over.
“Hello ladies,” he beamed. “I’m Enrique. I take care of the pool.”
Heather introduced them.
“Do you live here?” Jenny asked curiously.
“At the moment, yes,” Enrique nodded. “Why don’t you come in?”
Enrique opened a refrigerator and pulled out a few cans of soda. He offered them to the girls.
“I’m sure the boss won’t mind,” he grinned.
Jenny flipped the top off a can of ginger ale and took a big gulp. She was thinking about the locked door they had come through.
“Do people always ring that bell when they want to come in?” she asked.
Enrique shook his head.
“There’s a digital access code. You have to enter it in a panel that’s mounted by the side of the door.”
“And how many people have that code?”
“Just the family, mostly. The boss is pretty stingy about handing it out. She doesn’t like the staff using the pool.”
“Isn’t the pool already on private property?” Heather spoke her mind. “What’s the need for all this security?”
Enrique shrugged.
“Like I said, the boss doesn’t like anyone else using it. The maids used to take a dip all the time when they didn’t have this whole enclosure. The missus didn’t like that.”
Jenny leaned forward and spoke softly.
“I’m sure they all know the code, eh?”
Enrique laughed readily.
“It’s hard to keep it a secret,” he nodded. “That’s why they change it every week.”
“That’s too much!” Heather exclaimed.
“The boss gets what she wants,” Enrique noted.
Jenny asked the question that had been rolling around in her mind.
“Did Kelly have the code?”
“I don’t know,” Enrique said. “Kelly was staying at the country club. There was no reason for her to have the code, unless someone gave it to her.”
Jenny looked at Heather.
“So Kelly either had to have the code or someone let her in.”
They both turned their heads around and stared at Enrique.
“Don’t look at me,” he said. “I didn’t do it.”
“Where were you the night of the party?”
“Right here,” Enrique said. “Sleeping in my bed.”
“You didn’t see Kelly come in?”
“I didn’t see or hear anyone,” Enrique said. He looked sheepish. “I sneaked into the party and stole a couple of drinks from the bar.” He looked down at the floor and muttered something. “Okay, I grabbed half a bottle of tequila. I was pretty drunk.”
“You do realize there was a murder here that night?” Heather burst out. “How could you sleep through it?”
Enrique stretched his arms above his head and yawned.
“I didn’t know there was going to be a murder here. I would have stayed awake if I knew.”
Jenny realized Enrique was a smooth talker.
“Did you know Kelly?” Jenny asked.
She didn’t get a straight answer.
“I saw her around here a couple of times,” Enrique said.
“Did anyone else come to the pool that night?” she asked.
“I told you, I was fast asleep.”
“What happens when someone enters the access code to get in?” Jenny asked. “Do you get some kind of indication inside?”
“I hear a beep,” Enrique told them. “If it’s during my working hours, I come out here.”
It turned out that Enrique also acted as a lifeguard during the day. It was his job to keep an eye on whoever was using the pool and be ready to offer assistance.
“Are you allowed to have visitors?” Jenny asked.
“No visitors!” Enrique shook his head. “The boss will fire my ass if I bring a girl here. And I’m not allowed to mingle with the maids either.”
“That’s a tough deal,” Heather sympathized.
Enrique shrugged.
“It could be worse. I’m not complaining.”
Jenny decided she wasn’t going to get any more information out of Enrique. She wanted to take a stab at talking to Brandon again.
She walked back to the main house with Heather. Heather walked across the patio and opened a screen door.
“Ada doesn’t like this,” she giggled. “But she’s not home.”
A maid saw them and came over.
“Madam has asked you to go into the parlor.”
It turned out Ada Newbury was home after all. She was wearing a snazzy outfit Jenny recognized as the latest in women’s golf apparel.
“I just got back from my golf lesson. We were having tea.”
Jenny looked around and realized there was someone else in the room. A deeply tanned man with a mane of light brown hair sat in a wing chair near the fireplace. His long legs were stretched out before him and his tawny eyes were busy giving Jenny a once over.
“This is Zac,” Ada said. “He’s my golf coach.”
Her cheeks turned pink while she introduced the man.
“Zac Gordon,” the man drawled. “Like Ada said. I’m the golf pro over at the country club.”
“I love golf,” Jenny volunteered. “I’m a bit rusty, though. Haven’t played a round in a while.”
Zac sat up a bit.
“Come see me at the club. I’ll fix you up right away.”
“The country club is members only,” Ada butted in. “It’s not for everyone.”
Zac winked at Jenny.
“Don’t worry about that.”
Ada clucked impatiently and motioned the girls toward a couch.
The girls took a seat. A couple of maids came in with tea and snacks. Jenny wasn’t keen on talking about anything related to Kelly in the man’s presence. Ada forced her hand.
“Did you have any more questions for me?”
“I wanted to take a look at the pool,” Jenny explained. “I didn’t realize it was a restricted area.”
Ada waited until the maids left the room.
“The staff takes undue advantage. They took midnight dips in the pool. Some of the girls even brought men over. I had to get that enclosure built.”
“We met Enrique,” Heather supplied. “He told us about the access codes.”
“How many people know those codes, Mrs. Newbury?” Jenny asked.
“Just the family,” Ada said. “I make sure of that.”
“How do you think Kelly got in there? Did Brandon give her the code?”
Ada turned red.
“He shouldn’t have. Kelly wasn’t family.”
“What are you saying?” Heather burst out. “Brandon was going to marry her in just a few days.”
“He wouldn’t have gone ahead with the wedding,” Ada said suddenly.
Jenny didn’t know whether to believe Ada. Was it just wishful thinking on her part? Did she have a concrete plan to split up the couple? Why was she so confident of getting Kelly out of the way?
“Brandon’s broken up over Kelly,” Heather observed. “I think he loved her a lot.”
Jenny steered the question back to the access codes.
“The important thing here is how Kelly got into the pool house.”
Zac Gordon spoke up, shocking Jenny with his assertion.
“That pool boy let her in, of course.”
“Enrique? Why do you think that?”
“They were having an affair,” Zac said with relish. “Kelly was two timing Brandon, seeing the pool boy on the side.”
Ada didn’t look surprised.
“Did you know about this?” Heath
er asked her.
Ada’s mouth twisted in disgust.
“That girl was not right for my Brandon.”
Zac Gordon was looking pleased with himself. Jenny asked the question uppermost in her mind.
“Wait a minute, Zac. How did you know Kelly?”
Chapter 8
Adam and Jenny were having dinner at Seaview, the three storied ocean facing house Jenny now called home. Adam brought a bottle of the local wine Jenny liked. They started their meal with crab cakes and caught up on what Jenny had been up to.
Jenny told Adam about meeting Enrique.
“Who is this Enrique?” Adam asked, simmering with anger. “He didn’t come forward when we interviewed all the staff.”
“He wasn’t working at the party,” Jenny explained. “Maybe that’s why his name never came up.”
“I’m going to talk to him first thing tomorrow.”
“He looks like a player,” Jenny said with a smile.
She wanted to talk to Enrique herself.
The next morning, Jenny arrived at the café at 5 AM and started prepping for the day. Star came in around eight and helped Jenny serve breakfast. The Magnolias came in after the crowd thinned.
“Ready to hit the road?” Heather asked Jenny.
“I’m ready,” Jenny nodded.
The girls were going back to talk to Enrique.
Jenny hated to impose on Star all the time. She promised to be back in an hour and set off with Heather.
The girls took the path that led to the pool house. They rang the bell again, waiting for Enrique. There was a click as the door unlocked. Jenny took it as an invitation to enter and went in. She walked around the pool and went to the covered porch, calling out for Enrique. He didn’t look too happy when he came out. Jenny was relieved to see he was fully dressed this time.
“I didn’t know you had a uniform?” Heather remarked. “It suits you.”
“Everyone working on the estate has to wear one,” Enrique said with a shrug. “Are you here for a dip in the pool?”
“Can we do that?” Heather asked, surprised.
“I don’t see why not,” Enrique said. “You are on the list.”
“What list?” Jenny asked.
“The list of people who can come in here,” Enrique said in a bored voice. “Looks like this lady here is some relation of the Newburys.”
Heather actually was a Newbury, although she didn’t use that name.
“Grandpa must have added my name,” Heather surmised. “I haven’t been here in ages though.”
Jenny gazed at Enrique.
“Did you talk to the police?”
“They were just here,” Enrique grumbled. “Grilled me for an hour. I told them the same thing I told you. I slept right through that party.”
“You’re sure you didn’t let Kelly in?”
“100%.”
“How well did you know Kelly?”
“I met her when she came to the pool once or twice with Brandon. She was the friendly kind. Not stuck up like some of the boss’s guests.”
“You hit it off, huh?” Jenny asked.
Enrique took a deep breath.
“What are you suggesting?”
“Were you having an affair with Kelly?”
Enrique threw back his head and laughed.
“You can’t be serious.”
“Just answer me, Enrique,” Jenny said, refusing to back down. “Were you and Kelly having an affair?”
“Of course not!” Enrique said irritably. “What gave you that idea?”
“I heard you were,” Jenny persisted. “Why would someone say that?”
“I don’t know … to get me in trouble?”
“Come on,” Jenny cajoled. “You can talk to me. I know how pretty Kelly was. I know how a young buck like you would be attracted to her.”
Enrique looked over his shoulder.
“Kelly wasn’t just pretty, okay? She was friendly too. She didn’t mind chatting with the help.”
“So you flirted with her a bit?” Jenny smiled.
She wanted Enrique to get comfortable with her.
“It was the other way around,” Enrique said. “Kelly came on to me. I had to push her away a couple of times.”
Jenny didn’t have trouble imagining that. Enrique was the male version of a hot swimsuit model.
“You didn’t find her attractive?”
Enrique gave his usual shrug.
“I’m not blind, lady. But she was the boss’s girl. I would be out on my hide if I so much as looked at her.”
Jenny decided to give him the benefit of the doubt.
“She must have felt snubbed.”
“She backed off. I didn’t think too much about it.”
Enrique sounded sincere. Jenny wondered if Adam had been able to get more out of him.
The girls went back to the Boardwalk Café.
Jenny made a batch of shrimp curry for lunch. She had tweaked the recipe after taking feedback from the Magnolias.
Adam came to the café for lunch.
“I hear you visited the pool boy?” Jenny asked as she placed a platter of rice and curry on the table.
Adam pursed his lips.
“Nothing ever stays secret in this town.”
Jenny laughed as she spooned some curry on Adam’s plate.
“There is no gossip involved this time. I have it from the horse’s mouth.”
“You met Enrique again?” Adam asked, leaning forward.
Jenny told him about her latest trip to the Newbury place.
“I hope you were not alone.”
“Heather went with me,” Jenny said. “But that’s beside the point. Why can’t I go alone? I can take care of myself.”
“Will you listen to me this time?”
“Don’t be so controlling, Adam. Enrique is just a harmless boy. He’s the same age as Nicky.”
Adam ate a bite and sat back. He complimented the food.
“I ran a background check,” he said reluctantly. “That harmless boy as you call him was almost convicted.”
Jenny sat down with a thump.
“What did he do?”
“He molested a girl,” Adam said bluntly. “At least, that’s what he was arrested for. But the charges didn’t stick.”
“Do you know why?”
“The girl refused to testify. Rumor is he threatened her.”
“Wow!” Jenny exclaimed. “Was it a local girl?”
“She was local alright. She was a year younger than him. They dated for a while.”
“They dated?” Jenny was curious. “Could it have been a lovers’ tiff?”
She grudgingly admitted to herself that Enrique must have charmed her. She found it hard to believe he was capable of doing anything wrong.
Adam slapped a hand on the table.
“That’s exactly what the girl said later. She said they had a falling out and she wanted to get back at him. But she later realized it wasn’t the right thing to do. So she dropped the charges and Enrique got away.”
“Or he was really innocent,” Jenny said stoutly.
“All I’m saying is, be careful around this guy.”
“Fine,” Jenny said. “I’ll keep that in mind. Now tell me how you like the curry.”
Adam had cleared his plate while they were talking. He asked for seconds.
“You have another winner, Jenny. This shrimp curry is perfect. It’s spicy and exotic but so familiar.”
“Is it too exotic for Pelican Cove?”
“Give us some credit,” Adam said. “I know we like our down home favorites but we do appreciate variety. And the tourists are going to love it too.”
Jenny was pleased. She served herself some of the curry and dug in.
“Who’s your top suspect?” she asked Adam after a while. “Is Ada off your list now?”
“You know I can’t discuss that with you, Jenny,” Adam sighed.
“It all depends on the motive, doesn’t i
t?” Jenny continued. “What did anyone gain by killing a sweet young girl like Kelly?”
“Money?” Adam said reluctantly.
“I don’t think so,” Jenny said. “Kelly was an orphan and she had a regular office job. She was definitely marrying up. I don’t think she had a dime to spare for anyone.”
“We didn’t find much in her room, other than a few clothes and make-up. No jewelry.”
“What about a phone?” Jenny asked suddenly. “She must have had a cell phone. Everyone has one.”
“She did have a phone,” Adam nodded. “The techs are looking at it.”
“Did you go through the phone?” Jenny asked.
“Not yet. Why?”
“That phone could have a lot of answers. Can I have a look at it please?”
“Nice try!” Adam snorted. “That phone is part of the evidence. You won’t get anywhere near it.”
“Did you find it near the pool?” Jenny asked.
Adam didn’t reply.
“If you didn’t find it near the pool, it’s not really part of the crime scene, is it?”
“It’s part of Kelly’s personal effects at the very least,” Adam said.
“Who gets access to that stuff?”
“Her family, I guess,” Adam said.
“She doesn’t have any,” Jenny reminded him. “Brandon might be her next of kin since he was her fiancé. What if Brandon puts in a request for that phone?”
“Okay, stop,” Adam said, holding both his hands up. “What do you want?”
“I just want to look at the phone for a few minutes,” Jenny said with a smile. “I won’t take it out of your sight. In fact, we can look at it together.”
“What do you hope to achieve by this?”
“I won’t know until I look.”
Adam arranged to meet Jenny in a couple of hours. Jenny served the last customers of the day and closed the café. She walked to the police station, feeling excited. She had a strong intuition that Kelly’s phone would point them in the right direction.
Adam sat in his office, staring at a phone encased in a plastic bag. He told Jenny to sit down.
“I’m as curious as you are,” he said. “Let’s get this show on the road.”
He pulled on a pair of gloves and picked up the phone. The battery had discharged. Adam pulled a charger from a drawer and plugged the phone in. The voice mail icon came on.
