Ruffled Feathers (Dune House Cozy Mystery Book 7)

by Cindy Bell

  “Ah yes, thank you, this should help.” She took a sip. “Delicious.”

  “It is, isn’t it?” Paul said.

  Suzie picked up her fork and began to eat some of the fish. “Oh wow, Paul, this is amazing.”

  “Is it?” He took a bite as well. “Yes, it is.”

  They sat in silence while they enjoyed their meal.

  Suzie reached for her glass, but her hand moved a bit too fast. She knocked into the glass and splashed wine all over her white blouse. “Oh no! I’m such a klutz.” She frowned. Paul jumped up and handed her a napkin.

  “You’re not a klutz. The boat might have rocked a bit. I’m so used to it that I don’t even notice.”

  “Excuse me for just a moment, Paul. I want to see if I can rinse this a bit.”

  “There are some clean shirts in the drawer if you want to put something else on, Suzie. You can change in my room.”

  “Thank you.” She ducked into the small bedroom and slid the door closed behind her. One look at the wine stain on her blouse made it clear that there was little hope for it. She sighed and opened one of the drawers in Paul’s dresser. She reached in and pulled out one of Paul’s t-shirts. When she did a black velvet box flipped out of the t-shirt. It landed in the drawer. The moment that Suzie saw it her heart stopped. It began to pound again only when she picked the box up. “It can’t be. It’s not what I think. It must be earrings or a necklace.” She couldn’t resist finding out for sure. Her hand trembled as she flipped open the lid. The diamond engagement ring stared up at her from the ivory cushion. Her hand trembled.

  “Suzie? You okay? Did you find something to wear?”

  Suzie glanced up at the door. She swallowed hard and tossed the ring back into the drawer. “Yes, I’ll be right there.”

  “Okay.”

  Suzie changed into the t-shirt and wrapped up her blouse. Mary’s skills with stain removal might just save it. When she stepped back out into the living area Paul stood up from the table.

  “Wow, I have to say, Suzie, you looked gorgeous when you walked in here, but I think I like you even better in my t-shirt.”

  “Ha.” Suzie smiled. “It is comfortable, I’ll give it that. I’m sorry about spilling the wine.”

  “No problem. Let’s just enjoy our meal.”

  Suzie sat back down at the table across from him, but she couldn’t bring herself to look him in the eye. She knew that there was no way to avoid the truth now. She saw the ring with her own eyes. Paul was going to propose. The only positive thing was that the ring was still in the drawer. Maybe he bought it and was just waiting for the right moment. Maybe if she dropped big enough hints he would get the idea that she was not interested.

  “You know, Paul, I do miss you when you’re away, but sometimes I think that we’re luckier than most.”

  “Oh?” He looked across the table at her. “Why is that?”

  “Well, they say that absence makes the heart grow fonder. Yes, we have to spend time apart, but that makes us value our time together so much more.”

  “I guess that’s true. But if it were up to me, I’d never leave your side.”

  Suzie took another bite of her food. She wondered if Paul was the one who made sense in the scenario. If he could feel that way about her, why couldn’t she feel that way about him?

  “I love your company, Paul. But do you ever feel like if you don’t get a little time to yourself you’ll lose your mind?”

  “Suzie. I’m alone on a boat a lot of the time. I get plenty of time to myself.” He squinted at her. “Is there something you’re trying to tell me?”

  “No, I just…” The shrill ring of her cell phone interrupted her. She was relieved by the distraction. “I’m sorry, Paul, I have to take this.”

  “In the middle of dinner?” He raised an eyebrow.

  “I know, I’m sorry. It’s Louis. I asked him to look into some things for me earlier.”

  “If it’s about the murder I understand. I’ll be here.” He smiled.

  Suzie stood up and stepped out onto the deck of the boat. When she answered the phone Louis’ voice was impatient.

  “I didn’t think that you were going to answer.”

  “I’m sorry I was in the middle of dinner with Paul.”

  “Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt.”

  “It’s okay. Did you find anything of interest?”

  “Yes, I did. I think I did anyway. It looks like Leanne and Neil have quite a history. In fact Leanne’s been arrested a few times and at least two of her arrests were directly related to her encounters with him.”

  “Really? What happened?”

  “Leanne staged a protest over the encroachment of conservation land. She and her group made a human chain around the access point that the bulldozers needed to use. When Neil tried to convince them to move he and Leanne got involved in a shouting match that ended with her slapping him in the face.”

  “Wow. Poor Neil.”

  “Maybe. Another incident made it seem like Neil was the aggressor. Leanne and a few like-minded friends hosted a sit-in to protest the hiring of a professor that was involved with the destruction of a foreign forest to make room for more houses. This had nothing to do with Neil that I can tell, however he still showed up at the protest and baited her into another argument. From what I understand he tried to drag her out of the room.”

  “Wait a minute. Why would he do that?”

  “I’m not sure. The more I looked into the connection between the two the more it seemed rather paternal.”

  “So, Neil was playing the role of father?”

  “Maybe there was something more between Priscilla and Neil than they were letting on?”

  “Maybe.” Suzie tapped the back of her phone. “It’s honestly hard to say. The way they interacted when I saw them together was not anything near romantic.”

  “Maybe things went sour?”

  “So, Neil decided to end it completely?” Suzie nodded slowly. “I guess that is a possibility. Or maybe Neil and Leanne worked together and killed her.”

  “Oh, that’s a scandalous thought.”

  “Yes, it is.” Suzie frowned. “Thanks for the information, Louis.”

  “You’re welcome. I hope that it helps. Let me know if there’s anything else that I can do.”

  “I will.” Suzie hung up the phone. She turned around to step back inside the boat, but found Paul in the doorway.

  “I just put everything away, I hope you don’t mind.”

  “No, it’s fine. I’m sorry that I interrupted dinner, twice.”

  He studied her for a long moment. Suzie shifted under his scrutiny. “Suzie, I don’t care how many times dinner gets interrupted. But it really gets under my skin that you’re not comfortable around me. I feel like ever since I got back you’ve been distant, or even worried. I know it’s not about the case. So, what’s going on? Did something else happen when I was out to sea?”

  “No, nothing.” She frowned. The last thing she wanted to do was lie to Paul, but she also didn’t want to hurt his feelings. “I’m glad you’re back. My mind is just in too many different places.”

  “If you say so.” He cupped her cheeks with the weathered skin of his palms. “I just want you to know that you can tell me anything, Suzie. You don’t need to hold anything back. I want us to be honest with each other, not because we have to be, but because we want to be.”

  “I want that too, Paul.” Suzie searched his eyes. “I feel really lucky that we found each other.”

  “Good. That’s all that matters to me.” He hugged her. “Now, your mind may be in a million places, but I know one thing that will clear it right up.”

  “What’s that?” He took her hand and led her further out along the deck of the boat.

  “Look up.” He squeezed her hand. Suzie lifted her eyes to the sky. As she gazed at the star filled expanse her shoulders relaxed. She eased into Paul’s arms. In that moment it struck her that she was exactly where she wanted to
be, just as they were. She held on to him a little more tightly and hoped that nothing would ever change that.

  Chapter Fifteen

  On the drive home to Dune House Suzie thought about Leanne and Neil. Could they really have committed Priscilla’s murder together? Could they be so ruthless?

  Suzie stepped into Dune House to find Mary asleep on the couch. The luxury of not having any guests meant she could camp out in the living room. Despite her hesitation to live with Paul, she didn’t regret sharing her space with Mary for a second. They understood each other in a way that only sisters could, even if they weren’t blood related. Suzie tucked a blanket around Mary and set the book on the coffee table so that it wouldn’t get bent.

  Suzie walked down the hall to her room. She sat down on the edge of her bed and closed her eyes. She was relieved that Paul hadn’t proposed yet, but after seeing that ring in his drawer she knew that it was only a matter of time. Maybe if she wasn’t so distracted by the murder she would be able to think of a way to let him know that she had no interest in marriage. But she was mentally exhausted from the back and forth between suspects. She didn’t think she was ever going to be able to communicate to Paul that she simply was not the marrying type.

  Suzie sprawled out on her bed and hugged her pillow. She thought that maybe if the murder was solved her focus could return to Paul. Maybe if she made more of an effort to pay attention to him he wouldn’t be so interested in changing what they had. She fell asleep with her heart heavy and her jaw tense. In the morning she woke to the shrill ring of her cell phone. Bleary-eyed she sat up in her bed and reached for it. She expected that it would be Paul, but when she answered it was Summer’s gentle voice that greeted her.

  “Morning Suzie. I’m sorry if I woke you.”

  “It’s fine.” Suzie glanced at the clock. She had slept quite a bit later than she usually did. “Did you get the test results?”

  “Yes, I did. I’m afraid they weren’t a match, Suzie. Wherever Priscilla was killed it was not in Redhawk River.”

  Suzie’s heart dropped. A big part of her had already decided that was where Priscilla was killed. It hadn’t really occurred to her that the test might not be a match. “That is surprising.”

  “I know. I really expected it to be a match. The preliminary results from the water in her lungs have come in. They indicate it was most likely tap water that she drowned in. She could have been killed anywhere that there was enough room to immerse her head. Maybe a bathtub.”

  “Wait a minute.” Suzie’s eyes widened. “Did you say bathtub?”

  “Yes, I did. Why? Does that mean something to you?”

  “It might. The night that Priscilla was killed the bathroom on her floor had puddles of water on it. Mary and I just assumed that someone forgot to bring a towel in there with them. Then we noticed that the towels from Priscilla’s room were missing, but we didn’t think much of it, because guests take towels all the time. Or we thought perhaps they were mixed in with another load of laundry. I never considered that it could have had anything to do with Priscilla’s death.”

  “It just might, Suzie. It’s a place to start. I’ll call Jason and send him over to take a look.”

  “Thanks.” Suzie hung up the phone with a sinking feeling. Had the crime scene really been right under their noses the entire time? It seemed impossible to her and yet the truth was they never figured out where the missing towels were. She didn’t think they were in any of Priscilla’s luggage. She shuddered at the thought that Priscilla could have actually been killed in the bathtub. How could that have happened and no one know about it? Was it Stewart after all? Had Leanne followed her mother back to Dune House? She dressed and headed to the kitchen to find Mary.

  “Morning.” Mary smiled. “I’m glad you slept in.”

  “Mary, I think we have a serious problem.” Suzie shook her head at the cup of coffee that Mary offered.

  “What is it?”

  “I think that Priscilla might have been killed here, in the bathroom.”

  “What?” Mary dropped the cup of coffee she held. The mug didn’t break, but the coffee splashed all over the polished kitchen floor. “That’s not possible.”

  Suzie grabbed a towel and began wiping up the mess. As she did she reminded Mary of the state they had found the bathroom in the night of Priscilla’s death.

  “That’s terrible. I hope that’s not the case.” Mary frowned. Both were so engrossed in the conversation that they didn’t even hear Jason enter the bed and breakfast. He was already in the kitchen when Suzie sensed another presence and glanced up to see him.

  “Morning. What happened here?” Jason looked at the remainder of the coffee on the floor.

  “My hand slipped.” Mary frowned.

  “Need any help?” Jason reached for another towel.

  “It’s okay, Jason, I have it.” Suzie straightened up. “Did Summer tell you about the bathroom?”

  “She did, but it seems pretty unlikely that Priscilla was killed here. Still, we should check it out. Do you think the bathtub was used since that night?”

  “I can’t be sure but I don’t think so. The rooms have small bathrooms with showers and both of our guests checked out pretty soon after Priscilla was found.”

  “Let’s take a look.”

  “I’ll show you to it.” Mary led Jason down the hall. Suzie finished cleaning up the coffee, then joined them. When she arrived Jason had a flashlight pointed down into the drain of the bathtub.

  “There’s something in here.”

  “What?” Suzie frowned. “We keep it very clean.”

  “No, it’s something shiny, metal. Hang on.” He pulled a small knife out of his pocket and flipped it open. With careful movements he loosened the grate over the drain. When he slid it out of the way the hole was just large enough for him to fit his folded hand into. He pulled something out of the drain and held it out into the light.

  “What is that?”

  “It looks like a charm.” Mary peered at it closely. “Like someone would wear on a bracelet.”

  “Is it what I think it is?” Suzie squinted at it. “I think it’s a bird.”

  “It must be Priscilla’s,” Mary said.

  “Well, we don’t know that, yet,” Jason said as he fished a small plastic bag out of another pocket. He dropped the charm into the plastic bag and sealed it. “I’m going to take another look.” He shone the flashlight beam down into the drain. As he searched it, Suzie noticed something strange about the tiles on the wall. One of them was cracked.

  “Jason, look at that. I know that wasn’t like that before. We do a maintenance check of the bathrooms before every check-in, including the tiles.”

  Jason looked up at the tile. He snapped a picture of it with his camera. “If we assume that Priscilla was killed in the bathtub the killer still had to move her body. It wouldn’t be easy to sneak a body out the front door, so it looks like the killer pulled the body out through this window,” Jason said as he looked at the window. “It looks like the window has been pulled off the track.”

  “I noticed that the other day, I was going to ask Paul to fix it,” Suzie said.

  Jason leaned forward and peered through the window. “Yes, that’s not much of a drop. I’m going to go take a look.”

  Suzie and Mary followed after him as he rounded the house to the space under the window. Suzie remained close to Jason. When she paused behind him he gestured for her to back up a few steps

  “Here it is. Right here.” He crouched down and peered at the soil beneath the window. “See?”

  Suzie crouched down beside him and Mary peered over her shoulder. There were deep grooves in the soil. “What caused that?” Suzie frowned.

  “They’re drag marks. If Priscilla was killed in the bathtub then she was pulled out through the window and dragged across the ground.”

  “Can we just follow the trail?” Mary glanced around. “Maybe we can find more evidence.”

  “No, it ends a
t the path. There’s nothing more to find here. But I can tell you, this is very likely where the murder took place. I’m sorry, Suzie, but I’m going to have to have the bathroom sealed off until a crime tech team can comb through it.”

  “I understand. Of course, anything that is needed for the case.”

  “Suzie, you should be prepared for something else.” He looked between her and Mary. “If the murder took place here at Dune House, as it seems that it did then you can expect that you and Mary will be added to the list of suspects.”

  “That’s ridiculous. We had no reason to kill one of our own guests.” Suzie shook her head.

  “Sure you did. You had the same reason that everyone else who lives in this town did. You didn’t want some large resort to take over Garber, so you decided to take matters into your own hands. Then there’s the fact that even if you didn’t commit the crime you might look compliant or involved, because it was done under your roof.”

  “Jason, you can’t be serious.”

  “I’m just telling you what you can expect. It’s not as if the rest of the town doesn’t feel the same about the development on the beach. However, if it is confirmed that Priscilla was killed at Dune House then the spotlight is going to be on you and Mary. The one good thing is that Stewart is already a good, solid suspect.”

  “What about Leanne?” Suzie frowned.

  “Possibly. But when I spoke with her she didn’t strike me as particularly strong.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean, if things happened the way we think they did then someone lowered Priscilla out of the window. She might have been a small woman, but it would still take a strong person to be able to do that.”

  Suzie’s eyes suddenly widened. “What about the driver?’

  “The driver?” Jason raised an eyebrow.

  “Yes, Priscilla’s driver. I saw him at Cheney’s. He was meeting with Neil, which I thought was strange.”

  “Hm.” Jason narrowed his eyes.

  “And Leanne said that she sent Priscilla home with her driver.” Suzie groaned. “I forgot all about that.”

  “Well, Leanne told me that as well and I did speak with Conner,” Jason said. “He confirmed that he drove Priscilla back to Dune House and dropped her off.”