The River Waits for Murder

by C. Ruth Daly

  “Not much news, Mom. When does it come on again so we can check? I’d like to know who the deceased is. It is a shame, isn’t it?”

  Donna’s mother agreed, “I do too. I just don’t understand these things. We’ll find out more in a few hours when the noon program comes on.”

  Her mother got up from her seat to tend to the dishes while Donna lingered over her coffee and reflected on the night. She couldn’t help but think about that Dan Green. And who did put the crack in the wall behind the Opera House—like they were trying to break in. What about Trevor? Nah—he was too upset. Then there were those people from Chicago—Tonya and Eric. Man, what a piece of work they are. She shook her head, “Mom, I think I’m going to head upstairs and get a few hours’ sleep. Let me know, please, if the news comes on before I wake up. I want to know the identity of the body. I hope they find out soon. Then I’m taking Evan out to Trevor’s property so he can help clean up and get it ready for the opening tonight.”

  She hadn’t been asleep long before her mother yelled, “Donna, the news is on!”

  Stumbling out of her slumber, she flew down the stairs to the kitchen table where Carol was holding the transistor radio at an angle to capture the best reception. It was a breaking announcement, and Donna’s suspicions were right. The body removed from the river belonged to the county assessor and police are ruling it is a homicide.

  Carol McNally quickly turned off the radio and patted her daughter’s hand, “Don’t worry, Donna. Things will be okay. Just go back upstairs and get some rest.”

  “Thanks, Mom. When I came back from Arizona I thought things would be peaceful and it would be a nice break before I find work. I was looking forward to returning to quiet, little Burgenton, but it’s not really quiet, is it?

  Her mom smiled, “Nowhere is completely peaceful, Donna. Go get some rest. I’ll wake you up in a few hours and you can get Evan and take him out to Trevor’s place. Go rest now.”

  With her mother’s wish for rest, Donna obliged and trotted up the stairs to the room where she plopped down on the bed and slept a solid three hours before she heard her mother call.

  It was time to get Evan and head to the resorts. She left the house and got back in the truck, zipped around the corner, parked, and entered Glynda’s house to find Evan sacked out in the enclosed porch, snoring quietly as he slept on the porch swing. The boys were inside and being very quiet. Poor Glynda’s at work, Donna thought, and she didn’t get maybe two hours of sleep. “Evan!” Donna called, “You’ve got to get up! We’re heading out to Trevor’s to help patch things up before the first guests arrive tonight.”

  He stirred in the swing and almost lost his balance, catching himself on the back of the seat. “Yeah, okay, Donna. Whew. I thought we was back in Arizona. Damn I hate that feelin’.” He plopped his feet on the floor, slapped on his boots, and after bidding goodbye to the boys in the living room, the two left for the river resorts.

  As they drove through the downtown, the pair spotted sheriffs coming out of the short-term rentals on the corner near the coffee shop. “Wonder what they’re doing there, Evan.” Donna mentioned before she noticed the tan car with Arizona plates parked in front. “Crap! Do you think they’re questioning Dan Green in the death of the assessor? That doesn’t make sense, does it Evan?”

  “Don’t know, Donna,” he answered, “maybe Green is here for no good. Hell, I don’t know. All I know is we need to git rid of that gold and git it out of our lives. Where’re ya keepin’ it, Donna? I’d like to know. It’s only fair ‘cause it belongs to both of us”

  “It’s okay, Evan. I should have told you. It’s in a safe deposit box at the bank. Are you okay with that? It only made sense to me. Frankly, I was sweating bullets when I drove it over to the bank the day after we got here. In the meantime I kept it under the bed in the room and slept with the revolver by me. I really didn’t sleep because I kept imagining that my mother would come in to talk to me and I’d be startled by her, then I’d shoot her. That gold has become a nightmare—not just for us, but look what it’s doing to good people like the assessor. At least I’m assuming he’s good. And I’m assuming his death was related to the gold. Who knows?”

  They passed the Burgenton town line and were almost to Lori’s house where the road split and they would turn left toward the river. “I wonder if Lori is at the house or if she’s out at the resorts. What do you think, Evan?”

  “Well, she’s either drunk at the resorts or drunk at home. I know I drink, Donna, but I think Lori Bell can out drink me. What’s happened to her?”

  “Trevor’s happened to her, Evan. What do you think—did Trevor corrupt Lori or did Lori corrupt Trevor or did they corrupt each other or were they both already equally corrupted and we just never spotted it in Lori” Donna turned to her friend and asked, “Well?”

  “I think you’re over thinking things, Donna. I don’t even know. All I think is that gold has made a big mess. Or maybe it’s just being greedy that makes people twisted. Shit. Why do these things happen?” Evan asked as they pulled onto the road that leads to the resort. “Now someone else is dead and you know what? It’s all because of that son-of-a-bitch Hollis. He started the ball rolling and now here we are.”

  They parked in front of the office and got out, scanning the area for any sign of Trevor. The sheriffs were present and finishing up their investigations and the yellow crime tape was still up along the lawn in front of the river.

  “Let’s go inside, Evan, and see if we can find Trevor and Lori.” Donna said to him as she opened the door and stepped into the foyer. Through the adjoining door, she could see Trevor at his desk in the office. He was on the phone and Lori was on the couch thumbing through a magazine.

  He put the receiver down, “Shit!” he said with his head in his hands. “Shit, shit, shit.”

  “What’s the matter, babe?” Lori asked.

  “That’s the second cancellation this morning. Can you believe it?” He stared at his fiancée, seeking condolences.

  From behind her magazine Lori responded, “I’m sure no one else will cancel. We have all summer anyway.” Her eyes never left the page.

  Trevor’s eyes landed on the pair coming through the door before him. “Evan! Donna, you’re here. Thanks for coming out, guys. Evan as soon as the sheriffs leave, let’s get out there and get to work on this place. I’ve already had two cancellations—so much for a full house for opening night,” he sighed.

  “Hi Donna, Evan,” Lori said as she diverted her eyes from the glossy pages and smiled at her friends.

  “Hey guys,” Donna answered. “Sorry about the cancellations, Trevor. Was…was it the news report on the body? You know, have you heard? The body in the river is the county assessor…” She stopped there as both Trevor and Lori stared at her with empty expressions.

  “We know that, Donna.” Lori responded. “We were one of the first to know. We—we just can’t believe it. Frankly, we’re worried because Trevor and Rob had several meetings about valuing the land out here. Well,” and Lori turned to Trevor and back to Donna, “well, we are just going to have to see what comes of all of this. It’s a mess, Donna. We’re afraid we’re going to lose our shirts on this place.”

  Trevor took his eyes off of Lori and with wide-eyed terror, he nodded his head in agreement. “Come on, Evan. Let’s get out there and see what we can do. Lori and Donna, you come too and let’s clean this place up. It looks like the sheriffs are packing up and leaving. I have a refrigerator full of champagne and two maids ready to come back to work to ready the rooms. Lori and Donna, can you finish filling the welcome baskets and put one on the table in each cabin?” The confident Trevor returned as everyone quickly went to work and followed his orders to ready the place for the arriving guests.

  Outside the law enforcement finished their business and Trevor and Evan watched them roll off the property and down the road. Lori and Donna retreated to a structure behind the office where housekeeping, the kitchen and small res
taurant were located. Donna was amazed at the development and its expansiveness. “Wow, Lori. This is so cool,” she said, “How long did it take to build this development?”

  Lori answered, “It went pretty quickly once the sale of the land was approved. Hey, here’s the stuff.” She quickly switched the topic to the champagne in the fridge, opened it, and loaded Donna’s arms with the bottles.

  “Thanks, Lori. Let me set these down,” Donna remarked as she carefully unloaded the bottles on a long steel table. She scanned the room and peeked through the double windows on the door leading to the restaurant. “This is quite a place, Lori. This must have cost a fortune.” Donna peered through the glass to see several round mahogany tables below hanging chandeliers of shiny crystal. The floor was carpeted with a rich burgundy carpet and the walls lined with what seemed to be cedar. “Wow.” It was all she could muster.

  “Yeah, it cost more than you could imagine—but it’s worth it. We’re confident this place will make us rich and then we can travel the world.” Lori smiled at Donna as she leaned over to grab some of the bottles of champagne. “Come on, please get the rest of these, Donna, and now we have to put them in these baskets and roll them to all of the rooms. She motioned to another steel table with rows of wicker baskets filled with chocolates and confections for the dozen cottages at the resort.

  Outside Trevor and Evan were raking the lawn while the night crew began arriving. The roar of the approaching vehicles, car doors slamming, and the buzz of employees beginning a new job filled the air and removed the sterility of the crime scene. From inside the office came the sound of the phone ringing and Trevor dropped his rake and ran across the parking lot to answer it. Bolting inside knowing it was the last ring before it went to voice mail, he lunged over his desk, grabbed the phone and breathlessly answered, “Hello, Morrelli River Resorts, Trevor Morrelli speaking.”

  The voice on the other end rang through the receiver, “Hello, I know this is late notice, but I’m wondering if you have a vacancy for the next few weeks. My husband and I want to spend time at the river resorts. You know—we’re looking to get away for a change. We’d like to be able to come in a couple days.”

  With a sigh of relief, Trevor answered, “Of course. How did you hear about us?”

  “I saw an ad in a newspaper when I was in Indiana on business—we’re from Tennessee and just wanting to head north for a spell.” The woman’s voice was pleasant and Trevor was hesitant to ask the next question.

  “When did you see the ad?” He asked and held his breath in anticipation for fear she may have read about the recent murder on his property.

  “I saw the ad about a month ago. Do you have any vacancies?” The woman was losing patience with him.

  Trevor quickly slid into his role of suave businessman and gave the woman the information she needed, reassuring her that even though it is opening this week, we have one vacancy left. He knew it was a lie and he actually had two cancellations, but he waited for the woman’s response once he provided the details on the accommodations, “No, dinner here is optional, but we do have a complimentary breakfast included in the cost of your stay.” He continued with the total cost to stay per the customer’s request and waited for her confirmation.

  “We’ll take it for three weeks,” she said, “Please book it for Rhonda Davis and Steven—

  Davis.”

  Trevor collected the credit card information and with a boost of confidence in his step he bolted out the door to tell Lori. They weren’t going to lose their shirts after all, he thought.

  Chapter Thirteen

  The view from the plane was an extreme contrast from the stark brightness of Phoenix for below them rested green acres of planted fields. The city was approaching as Steven Lucero gazed out the window, his girlfriend at his side quietly reclining with earbuds in and oblivious to Steven’s anxious demeanor because of the transition to a new location for three weeks. He had never left the West and the sights marveled him as they descended over rivers and cornfields to the concrete city and the airport runway. The plane touched down and skidded slightly on the pavement causing the professor to grip the seat arms and arouse Rhonda, who turned and smiled at him. “Looks like we’re here. We can get the rental and then head up I-65 toward the resort. I’d like to be able to call our Stanley. Dan knows we’re coming, right darling?”

  Steven relaxed his grip and shoulders, and replied, “Of course he does. We’ve covered this already. I do want to make a vacation out of this and not just a mission for your agenda, my dear.”

  The 727 came to a halt and the couple waited to disembark, carefully watching all of the other passengers and then grabbed their overhead bags and exited to the concourse to gather their remaining luggage.

  They collected their reservation and the pair quickly found themselves in the sleek Malibu heading north toward the Burgenton area. Steven was at the wheel with Rhonda beside him mapping out details for the next three weeks. This girl is determined, he thought as his eyes stared at the wet road before him. He was surprised by the rain and the heavy drops pummeled the windshield empowering the humidity that caused his thick forehead to heave with perspiration. His upper lip was beading and he hoped his entire time would not be spent mopping his brow. It was dusk when they turned north off of the interstate and traveled a two lane road toward the river resorts. The horizon seemed to stretch across fields from one woodlot of trees to the next and Steven marveled at the food springing forth from the earth in this nation’s bread basket; he smiled to himself and realized he hadn’t eaten since breakfast. “Do you know how late dinner is served at this place, Rhonda? Or should we try to find a place to stop and eat before we get there?”

  She shrugged her shoulders and replied, “I think they serve till nine o’clock. It’s almost eight. I think we will be there soon, darling, or do you want to stop sooner? There’s a small town not far from here, and we’re not far from Burgenton,” she said, staring at the map with the dome light hovering over her head. “Isn’t that where Dan Stanley is staying and isn’t it where that Hollis man lived? He’s the one Rita dated—the one she said possessed the gold—or at least she thought it was gold. You know she told me he would get drunk and then babble to her about his life and this secret treasure. When she left Burgenton, she was so ready to be done with everything associated with the town and wanted to give that girl, Donna, a parting gift to thank her, so she gave the girl this photo Hollis had taken of her and behind it, you know, she had hid the map. She didn’t know what the map showed for sure, but we do now,” she turned and smiled at Steven, “and now we are going to have to find it—or that gold and get what’s owed to Rita. Rhonda firmly set her jaw and stared straight ahead as they turned right and Steven navigated the rental easterly toward the little town with a railroad track running down its center. He was surprised to see the single eating establishment was a small pizza joint and it and the gas station comprised the only night life of the burg. He pulled up in front, parked, and the two spent the next hour dining on a medium pepperoni—but not before hearing from the server behind the counter that a murder had taken place at the Morrelli River Resorts. “Can you believe it?” he asked as if they should share in his excitement. “And it’s the Camden County assessor who was killed. Looks like it happened right on the property.” He shook his head and continued. “So you’re from Arizona? Wow.” He appeared in awe of the fact they had traveled so far to spend time in the area. Then to make up for divulging the murder, he added, “I heard them cottages at the resort are real cool—very rich. You guys will have a nice time,” he smiled and gave them their change; then Rhonda and Steven got back in the car in solemn stillness.

  Rhonda was worried, “Dan Stanley said he had met the assessor at a coffee shop and then spoke with him at the county courthouse. I wonder when the man was murdered…” Her voice trailed off and Steven let loose a long sigh. They drove in the darkness surrounded by their own silence. Things were not looking as easy as they should
be, Rhonda thought, maybe I had better find Dan tomorrow—I hope he’s not in jail. She cringed at the idea as the car turned and went up the hill to the resorts. The two could hear the sound of the river flowing to the east of them as the car glided down the newly paved road to the office where they found a weary Trevor Morrelli anxious to greet his last arriving guests.

  Trevor Morrelli stood at the entrance of the resorts, welcoming his first customers through the wrought iron gate and into his luxurious accommodations. “Hello, and welcome to Morrelli River Resorts!” He smiled wearily and ushered the car toward the office where he quickly trotted to beat them to the door. “Come on in, please, have a seat and I will go over all of the features of the place,” he said, motioning to the desk in the front office where the two leather chairs waited for the last customers for the week: Steven and Rhonda Davis. Trevor covered the features of the property, dining, housekeeping services, and guided boat rides down the river.

  Rhonda interrupted and mentioned, “We just heard there was a murder on the property. Is that true?” Steven nodded his head in agreement, and to reassure himself that he would not be anywhere near where the murder happened he asked, “Did it take place in any of the cabins or the restaurant?”

  Trevor was guarded and answered, “No—no, no. Only on the river in a bend. It was right at the edge of the property and the boats will not even go near the area. We have groomed paths for walking and a recreation center for indoor activities, tennis courts are near the entrance, and breakfast is served every morning between seven and ten.” He smiled at the couple and gave them their key and a map to the cabin.

  Rhonda and Steven returned to their car and followed the little road to the cabin at the end of the property. They turned to see a series of walkways meandering through the middle of the cottages, connecting each one to the other and to the restaurant and other amenities. Once inside, they set down their luggage and explored the space. “Hmm…this is very nice, Rhonda,” Steven remarked as he sat on the leather loveseat in the living space while Rhonda moved to the back of the cottage to the bedroom where the queen size bed and its silky emerald coverlet was the focus. The room opened up to the adjoining master bath with its whirlpool bathtub, and Rhonda noticed a basket with champagne, chocolates, candies, and other delicacies was on the nightstand. She smiled at the luxuries then moved to the window