Death on Mt Pleasant

by Steve McMillen

  “What are you talking about, girlfriend? Why would I call 911?”

  Ginny has spotted the man from yesterday who she thinks is Von Spineback coming their way and he is alone this time. He is looking directly at her with a tight smile that seems more like a smirk to Ginny. She panics and draws her weapon from her purse.

  Dr. Jon, who told Mary Jo to relax and spend the day at the spa, is actually trolling the beach looking for some young innocent girl to share an afternoon fling. He can’t believe his eyes when he sees this woman draw a gun and point it at him. All he did was smile at her. With a bewildered look on his face he says, “What’s wrong with you lady, are you crazy?” He looks around and says to no one in particular, “Someone call the police.”

  “I’m not crazy, you’re the crazy one. Why did you follow me to Antigua?” She yells as complete human silence envelopes the beach area around them. The only sounds are coming from the ocean.

  Dr. Jon remembers he has his weapon tucked in his waistband covered by a long beach shirt. “I don’t know who you think I am, but let me get my driver’s license out of my back pocket to show you.” He reaches behind, grabs his wallet with his left hand and pulls his gun with his right hand. He points it at Ginny. “Drop your gun, lady, or I’ll blow you away.”

  The scene looks like a duel from an old movie. They are twenty feet apart and pointing guns at each other. “You bastard,” she exclaims as she pulls the trigger.

  Dr. Jon pulls his trigger at exactly the same time. Witnesses swear they only heard one shot.

  Ginny and Dr. Jon fall to their knees and crumble on the sandy beach. Both shots are fatal. Dr. Jon had no idea who Ginny was and Ginny had no idea it was Jon Spineback and not Von.

  Chapter 78: Shots Fired

  TC and I have just finished having lunch and are walking toward our vehicle when I flinch as we hear the unmistakable sound of a gunshot. It seems to have come from the beach, so we walk quickly in that direction. When we arrive, there is a small crowd milling around and yelling for someone to call for an ambulance. I push my way through and I see two bodies sprawled face up on the beach. Their eyes are open but not seeing. Blood is oozing from their lifeless remains. The tide is washing away their blood and carrying it out to sea. I look closely and can’t believe my eyes. It’s Ginny Ridlinger and Dr. Jon Spineback.

  Just then, the police arrive, and it’s the inspector who not so long ago suggested we leave town. He looks at us and says, “Tell me you two had nothing to do with this.”

  “Not us inspector, we just got here. However, I can tell you who they are.”

  An ambulance arrives next, declares them dead, and takes the bodies away. I fill the inspector in with names and the fact that both of them were suspects in several murders back in Ohio. He tells us to come back down to the station and give a written statement.

  He asks if anyone in the crowd witnessed the shooting and several people raise their hands, including Moozie. The shock of seeing her friend killed right in front of her made her knees weak. She is sitting on the sand with her head in her hands.

  Before heading back to the police station, I call big Steve, “Detective, you’re not going to believe what just happened here in Antigua.”

  “Mickke D, if you’re involved, trust me, I will not be surprised.”

  I ask, “First of all, are you sure Von Spineback is still in Ohio?”

  “Absolutely, he’s being watched 24/7. I just had an update about thirty minutes ago. Why do you ask?”

  “Because Ginny Ridlinger and Dr. Jon Spineback are both dead. Looks like they shot each other right here on the beach in broad daylight.”

  “What? I didn’t know they even knew each other.”

  “I doubt if they did. I’m guessing Ginny thought Dr. Jon was Von. Maybe they had a falling out and that’s why she left town. Maybe she panicked when she thought he was here in Antigua.”

  After a slight hesitation, he replies, “And you were not involved in any way?”

  “Absolutely not. We got there after the shooting and I identified the bodies for the local police.”

  “Let’s see, your boat gets blown up, you shoot three Colombians, and now two people you know kill each other on the beach. I can’t believe they haven’t deported you by now.”

  “That’s not funny. I think that is about to happen. The police have suggested we go back to the States. Can I use you as a reference?”

  Detective Reynolds hangs up without answering. I say into an empty cell phone, “Thanks, detective, I always take no as a definite maybe.”

  Chapter 79: The Confrontation

  Stephanie Langchester also heard the gunshot. In full disguise, she ventures down to the beach to see what is going on. She stays back and surveys the crowd before moving forward. She watches as two men enter the area. She is stunned. She immediately recognizes them as Mickke D and TC. She stares in disbelief. This small island is all of a sudden becoming very crowded.

  As she turns to leave, she quickly turns back around and bends down to fiddle with one of her flip-flops. Her heartbeat increases and she reaches into her purse to be sure her gun is available. She holds her breath as Beverly and that same guy she was with before pass by. She watches as Beverly says something to her companion and they exit away from the commotion on the beach.

  Beverly and Rick were walking by and heard the shot. They venture toward the crowd. Beverly noticed Mickke D and TC among the onlookers at the shooting site. She tells Rick they need to put up more flyers and make some more calls. She needs to get him away from there before he recognizes Mickke D and causes a major embarrassment and possibly a dangerous situation.

  For some unknown reason, she glances to her left and notices a tall, dark-haired woman wearing sunglasses turning to walk away from the scene. Tension fills her body and her palms begin to sweat. She touches her clutch bag and feels the shape of her weapon. She says to Rick, “Stop walking but don’t look around. I think I just spotted my long-lost sister.”

  Rick gives her a big grin. “Really. Is that good or bad?”

  “Well, if she’s packing, it could be bad.” She continues, “I’m going to confront her and I need you to watch my back. I also want her to see you.”

  “Okay MB, it’s your rodeo, but I get paid more for being in a combat zone.”

  Stephanie walks away from the scene on the beach and just as she reaches a small grove of trees, she hears someone calling her name, “Stephanie, how are you? I haven’t seen you since Myrtle Beach.”

  Rick, who is looping around while keeping Stephanie in his sights, stops and says to himself, I thought she said she had never been in Myrtle Beach?

  Stephanie turns and sees Beverly walking toward her and her friend coming at her from her right. “I’m sorry, you must have me confused with someone else. My name is Sista not Stephanie.”

  “Sista my ass,” Beverly says as she stops and puts her hand in her purse. Stephanie puts her hand in her purse and Rick reaches for his weapon.

  TC and I are about to leave the beach when I take one last look around and see a scary scene. Near a small grove of trees, I notice three familiar-looking people, two women and one man, in what looks like a tense situation. I tell TC to stay here but to be ready to call for help if needed. I start walking towards the trio and my worst fears are confirmed. It’s Stephanie Langchester, Beverly, and Rick, and they are not getting ready for a group hug. It looks to me like all three have their hand on a weapon.

  There are quite a few civilians and the police within a stone’s throw. This has all the makings for a bad ending. All three turn as I walk up and say, “How y’all doing? How come I wasn’t invited to the party?”

  Rick, still grinning, is the only one who answers, “Mickke D, it’s Rick from Colombia, how are you?”

  Before I can reply and unexpectedly, Stephanie says looking at Rick, “Do you grin all the time?”

  Beverly replies, “Yes, he does. I think it’s an affliction he has with his face.”<
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  That banter seems to have dropped the anxiety level within the group. I notice all three of them lessen the grip on their unseen weapons and their shoulders drop just a dab, another sign that their bodies are relaxing a wee bit. I need to defuse this situation as soon as possible.

  “Look guys, there are a lot of innocent civilians and police with guns nearby, so let’s discuss whatever problem you seem to be having with each other in a civil manner.”

  None of the three respond. I continue, “First of all, everyone please take your hand off of your weapon. This is not the O.K. Corral. If you want to kill each other, do it somewhere quiet and secluded.”

  I now see two hands visible from each of them. All of a sudden, the group’s anxiety level goes back up. The crime scene inspector walks up to us and says, “Mr. MacCandlish, don’t forget, I need you and Mr. Cadium down at my office right away. Oh, I see you ran into the friends you didn’t seem to know!”

  “That’s right inspector, once I saw their faces, I remembered their names. Small world, isn’t it?”

  With a frown on his face he replies, “I expect you in my office in thirty minutes.”

  “Yes sir, we’ll be there.”

  The inspector turns and leaves the area and as he passes TC, he says something. TC nods his head. I turn back to the group. “I am going to ask some questions and then as soon as you answer you can all go on your merry way.”

  Stephanie says in a defiant tone of voice, “And who put you in charge?”

  Sternly I reply, “I did and I’m going to start with you. Why did you steal TC’s boat and all of the artifacts from The Queen Beth?”

  She pauses and then answers, “That was going to be our retirement fund and I figured TC’s boat was insured anyway. We didn’t harm anyone. It was a victimless crime.”

  “Victimless crime, what about the other three girls? Who killed them?”

  “Well, it certainly wasn’t me.”

  “What about the three guys who purchased TC’s stolen boat and were later found murdered? Witnesses said the killer was a woman.”

  “Don’t know anything about that but you know what, maybe they did something wrong and deserved to die. Anything else, Mr. man-in-charge?”

  I turn my attention to Beverly. “So Beverly, why are you in Antigua, why are you looking for Stephanie, why is Rick with you, and why did you leave Myrtle Beach in such a big hurry?”

  Beverly was thinking of answers as Mickke D was throwing questions at Stephanie. She is ready, “I was hired by an insurance company to try and find the artifacts which were stolen from The Queen Beth. Seems like the State of South Carolina insured everything Stephanie’s crew and TC salvaged. So of course, I started with Stephanie. I hired Rick because I needed a pilot and an airplane to find her. I left Myrtle Beach because I needed a vacation. Anything else?”

  I look at Rick who is still grinning, “That’s right, Mickke D. She needed an airplane and a pilot. I had no idea she knew you. By the way, I’m looking at a bar up your way. I’ll give you a call when I get up there.”

  I look at all of them with a “what a bunch of liars” look on my face. I turn without saying anything and walk away, hoping above all that I don’t hear gunfire. Once I reach TC and look around, they have vanished.

  Stephanie looks at Beverly and says, “So where do we go from here and who are you working for?”

  “If I told you that, I would have to kill you.” Beverly thinks for a few seconds, makes a major decision, and continues, “As far as I’m concerned, I never found you. And, if you didn’t kill your three friends, I could care less what happened to the guys who had TC’s boat. Let’s go Rick, we’re out of here.”

  They slowly back away from each other and go their separate ways. Beverly looks hard at Rick and says, “Rick, if you know what’s good for you, this meeting never took place.”

  Along with his continuing grin, he answers, “You got it Scary Mary, or MB, or Beverly, or Cathy, or whoever you are. I was never here.”

  Donna and Sam are watching the entire episode from across the street. When the group disperses, Sam says to Donna, “Call the boss and tell him the Yanks did not finish the job and ask him if we are to finish it for them.”

  TC and I spend about thirty minutes at the police station while I give the inspector a detailed report on Ginny Ridlinger and Dr. Jon Spineback. As we are getting ready to leave, he makes it quite clear we should leave the island ASAP. We both agree with him. Once we get back to the hotel, TC contacts the airline and they say they will pick us up at 11:00 in the morning.

  We make it to the plane on time the next morning with no problems. We hear no news of anyone being shot and our friend the inspector is at the gate to wave goodbye. We arrive in Myrtle Beach that same afternoon.

  Chapter 80: News from Ohio

  It has been two months since I got back from Antigua. I’ve been burying myself in my work and have seriously considered writing a book. I’ve talked to several local authors in the area and they seem to think I have a great deal of first-hand research for a murder mystery whodunit, but I’m not sure writing is for me.

  I’ve been in contact with big Steve and he has been keeping me updated on Von Spineback’s trial. Two possible witnesses for the prosecution, Robert Dane and Von’s secretary Marian, have disappeared. Big Steve seems to think there could be a mistrial or he may be found not guilty. The judge did allow my deposition to be placed into evidence, but again it was just considered hearsay. I offered to come back to testify in person, but I was told that would not be necessary.

  I ask big Steve how Von could have gotten rid of witnesses if he had him tailed 24/7. His only reply is that maybe Von found himself another Stuart Peterson.

  Chapter 81: Unexpected Visitor

  It’s around 7:30 in the evening and Blue and I have settled in for the night. I’m about half-asleep in my recliner and he is snoring and chasing rabbits on the couch. All of a sudden, I hear him growl and get off the couch. He heads to the front door. I reach for and find my .45 tucked under the table next to my chair. I slowly get up with gun in hand just as the doorbell rings. Blue is now whimpering and going crazy, not bad crazy but good crazy. He must know whoever is at the door. I relax and put my weapon in my waistband. I’m thinking it’s Jim from next door, except he usually calls first.

  I look out the side window and I am truly shocked. Standing on my stoop is Beverly. Blue starts to bark so I open the door.

  She looks at me and says, “We need to talk.”

  We “talk” all night long.

  Last Chapter

  One month later, Liz Woodkark walks into a McDonald’s just north of Atlanta. She orders a cup of coffee and takes a seat in a booth next to one of the exits. As she sips her coffee, she surveys the crowd and all of the customers coming in and going out. After about ten minutes, she sends a text on her phone. Five minutes later, Beverly enters the restaurant with a male companion. They order coffee and walk over to the booth where Liz awaits them. Beverly makes the introductions, “GG, this is Mickke D, Mickke D, this is GG.”

  Two days after my meeting with Beverly and GG, and a week after finding out that Von Spineback was found not guilty, I get a call from big Steve. “Mickke D, have you talked to Jake lately?”

  “No, I haven’t. Why do you ask?”

  “Well, two days ago, he told his secretary that he was going to lunch and then he was going to climb the mountain for a little exercise. He never came back to the office. We found his car in the parking lot at Mt. Pleasant. We searched the mountain and the surrounding area and he is not there. I thought he may have called you.”

  A cold chill runs up and down my spine and the hairs on the back of my neck stand straight up. Should I tell him about the cave or should I wait and see if Jake shows up. Finally, I opt to tell him about the cave and to be careful.

  He admonishes me and hangs up before I can explain.

  My phone no more than touches my desk when it rings again. It’s TC, a
nd he is excited, “Mickke D, I think I may have found it!”

  Excerpt from Steve’s first book, Murder on the Front Nine.

  I sluggishly and slowly pull myself out of bed around 7:00 AM. It’s Saturday morning and I heard my overnight guest leave about 6:30. She told me last night she had to be at work by 7:00 at some resort on the ocean. She was a cute, well put together, young thing, with freckles, I’m guessing in her mid-twenties. I must have really made a big impression on her because she did not even say goodbye. She did leave a note which read, Mickke D, been fun but my boyfriend will be back in town tomorrow. See ya “Pops”.

  She never mentioned she had a boyfriend and what is this “pops” bit? Oh, well, there are quite a few available women in Myrtle Beach. Of course, sometimes I feel I have been married to most of them.

  I walk into the bathroom and with blurry eyes gaze soulfully into the mirror. Staring back at me is a 45-year-old single again male about 6’1’ 190 pounds with sandy blond hair. He looks to be in good shape when he sucks his stomach in and throws back his shoulders. Maybe not the buff, ex-Green Beret he was after mustering out of the Army fifteen years ago, but certainly not a “pops”.

  I throw on some shorts, a t-shirt, and flip-flops before going out to retrieve the morning paper. I smile as the warm, balmy, salt air hits my face. It looks like it is going to be another perfect day at the beach. I may even try to play golf today and forget about my rather mundane way of life here in Myrtle Beach.

  That mundane way of life is about to change.

  Excerpt from Steve’s second book, Cougars at the Beach.

  All at once I freeze. I spot him, maybe seventy-five yards in front of me, almost hidden by a large tree, watching me. Suddenly my adrenalin goes to high octane and the demons, which up to this point have only been hovering near the surface of my mind, begin to venture out.