“Knowing you as I do, Kelly, I doubt Stephanie ever considered that you wouldn’t keep your promise. Actually, this part of the country is all new to me, and I’m enjoying it. It’s a good thing we’re going home tomorrow, because I’d probably spend all my time and money right here in this restaurant stuffing myself with nothing but she crab soup and crab cakes.”
“Don’t know about you, Sheriff, but it’s been a long morning, and I’m also stuffed. I could be talked into going back to the hotel and napping before we have to meet the group for dinner.”
“Music to my ears, sweetheart,” he said as he motioned for the waiter to bring the bill.
An hour later they were both sound asleep, the white noise of the air conditioner muffling the nearby graduation celebration sounds. Later, they’d look back on that nap as the quiet before the storm, the storm of murder.
CHAPTER 3
“Mike, wake up. I got a text from Stephanie a little while ago that says we’re supposed to meet all of them for dinner in the dining room in an hour. Thought you might want to take a shower first,” Kelly said.
“Definitely. After sitting in the sun at graduation and sleeping for a couple of hours, that sounds good. You want to go first, or do you want me to?”
“Go ahead. There’s a mirror here in the room, and I can use it to refresh my makeup. Think I’ll pass on a shower, because I really don’t want to spend time doing my hair again.”
Her phone rang just as Mike stepped out of the bathroom, a towel wrapped around his waist. Kelly picked it up and listened for a moment, then she said in a somber voice, “Stephanie, start at the beginning. Tell me what’s happened. I’m going to put you on speakerphone, so Mike can hear as well.”
“Rich went to Julie’s room to see if she wanted to join us for a glass of champagne to celebrate our graduation. When he got to her room, the door was open. He called out to her, but she didn’t answer. He walked in and found her lying on the floor in a pool of blood. She was ddeeaad,” Stephanie sobbed. “Please, can you and Mike come to our room? It’s number 35, just down the walkway from yours. The police are on their way. I’ve never had to deal with anything like this. I knew something like this was going to happen. I just knew it. I didn’t want to tell anybody, but it was in the stars.”
“We’ll be there in two minutes. Is Rich with you now?” Kelly asked.
“Yes, he knocked on the door next to Julie’s, told the people what had happened, and asked them to call security and notify the police. A security guard is standing outside her room waiting for them. As soon as the guard got there, Rich came back to the room to tell me. Please hurry. I know Mike can talk to the police a lot better than we can.”
“Stephanie, this is Mike. We’ll be there in a couple of minutes. Just stay where you are.”
Kelly ended the call, and they both dressed as quickly as possible. Five minutes later they were knocking on Stephanie’s door. She opened it immediately and fell into Kelly’s hug.
“Rich, tell me everything you can think of before the police come,” Mike said, “and let me caution you both to only answer the questions you’re asked by them. Don’t give any additional information. I know you had nothing to do with this, but at this point, the less said the better. Trust me on this.”
Rich, who was clearly shaken, took a deep breath and began, “Steph and I bought a bottle of champagne this afternoon and thought it would be nice for the two of us to celebrate before the family dinner tonight. I walked over to Julie’s room to see if she wanted to join us, and that’s when I found her. It looked like she’d been shot in the chest.”
“Okay, I hear some sirens in the distance. Let me ask you a couple of quick questions. Did you see a murder weapon in the room?”
“Not that I recall,” Rich answered.
Mike turned to Stephanie and asked, “Did Julie usually wear jewelry?”
“Yes, her mother is quite wealthy and has given her a lot of jewelry over the years. She always wore a diamond pendant on a gold chain, a gold and amethyst bracelet, diamond stud earrings, and a large diamond ring on her right hand. She stopped wearing her wedding ring when she and Mark separated. Why?”
“Rich, try and remember if Julie was wearing any jewelry when you saw her.”
Mike recognized the classic sign of someone trying to remember something, as Rich looked up and off to his left. A moment later he said, “She must have been wearing her earrings, because I had a thought that diamonds and blood don’t belong together. I don’t remember seeing any other jewelry on her, but I probably was somewhat in a state of shock. I really can’t say with any certainty what jewelry, if any, she was wearing.”
They heard a knock on the door accompanied by a loud voice saying, “Police, please open the door.”
“I’ll get it, Stephanie,” Mike said reaching the door in two long strides. The policeman standing at the door was wearing a police uniform with four stars on his shirt collar. Mike recognized the stars which indicated he was the chief of police.
“Chief, please come in. My name is Sheriff Mike Reynolds,” he said, holding out his hand and giving his identification to the police chief.
The chief shook his hand and said, “Must not be from around here, Sheriff. I don’t recognize you, and I’ve been with the force long enough to know pretty much everyone involved in law enforcement.” He looked at Mike’s identification. “Guess I was right.”
“You are. I’m the sheriff in Beaver County, Oregon. My wife and I are here in Virginia for our friend Stephanie’s graduation,” he said, nodding towards Stephanie who was sitting on the bed weeping with Rich’s arm around her.
“You must be Rich Rocco, and you must be Mrs. Rocco. I’m Police Chief Ken Anders. I was told the person that discovered the body was a registered guest staying in this room. Several of my deputies are at the scene of the crime, looking for evidence. The coroner’s on his way. He’ll conduct his examination and release the body to a local mortuary. Has the next of kin been notified?”
“Julie has a brother and a mother who live in Boston,” Stephanie said. “She and her husband were going through a divorce, but no one has been notified. This will break her mother’s heart.”
“I take it you were close to the decedent. Is that correct, Mrs. Rocco?”
“Yes.”
The police chief turned to Rich and said, “I’d like you to start with how you happened to find her, and anything else you feel would be relevant to her death. I’m reluctant to call it murder at this point, although from what I saw, it certainly looked like she was murdered.”
Rich told him about walking to her room to invite her for a celebratory glass of champagne and how he had found her. The police chief took notes and said, “Mrs. Rocco, she was your friend. What can you tell me about her?”
Mike was standing behind the police chief and Stephanie saw him slightly nod his head up and down, indicating she should tell the chief what she knew about Julie.
“Julie and I met in the doctorate program here at the university. We were both getting our degrees in Strategic Leadership with a concentration in Executive Coaching. We were both interested in physician leadership development. When we met she lived and worked in Boston, and I lived and worked in Portland, Oregon. Coincidentally, we both worked in the health care industry for a federally qualified health care center.” She took the tissue Rich gave her and wiped away the tears that continued to trickle down her cheeks.
“I’m sorry to put you in this position, Mrs. Rocco, but I do need to find out everything I can related to the decedent. I hope you understand.”
“I do. When she told me she and her husband were getting a divorce, I asked her if she would like to come to work for me in Portland. I’d been very impressed with her, and we’d become somewhat close friends. She took me up on my offer, moved to Portland, and started working for me at the company where I’m employed.”
“How would you describe her relationship with her ex-husband?” the police chie
f asked.
“Well, for starters,” Stephanie said, “he’s not exactly her ex-husband. Their divorce won’t be final until next month. From what Julie told me, it was simply a matter of growing apart. He owns a bed and breakfast in York, Maine, and she worked in Boston. She tried to go up there most weekends, but increasingly she found it difficult to manage her work, her studies, and her marriage. She once told me her marriage was what suffered the most. She never really said anything derogatory about him.”
Her statement was interrupted by the sound of the chief’s phone buzzing. He answered it and said, “You found the killer? Already? Who? Where?” Chief Anders listened and said, “I’ll be there in a minute. See if the coroner can take both of them.”
He turned to them and said, “Looks like we’ve found the killer. He had her wallet and what’s probably her jewelry in his pocket along with what I’ll bet is the murder weapon. I’ve got to go. I’ll call you later and tell you what I find out. Mrs. Rocco, could you call the next of kin or would you like me to do it?”
“I’ll take care of it. I’ve met her mother and as bad as it’s going to be, it might help if a friend of Julie’s broke the sad news to her.”
The police chief was walking towards the door when Mike said, “Chief, if you don’t mind, I’d like to come along and see what your deputies have found. Seems awfully convenient to find the killer that quick.”
The chief whirled around and responded in a belligerent tone of voice, “Are you insinuating that we southerners might not take the necessary steps in solving a murder that you westerners do?”
“Not in the last bit, but you must admit, it sure makes it a lot easier when it happens that fast.”
“Sometimes it just happens that way, Sheriff,” he said sarcastically. “Sure, come on.” Mike followed him out the door.
CHAPTER 4
“I am so dreading this call,” Stephanie said, “but I guess there’s nothing I can do to reverse what’s happened. One way or another, her mother has to be told, and I’d rather she heard it from me than someone she’s never met.”
She took a deep breath, picked up her phone, and pressed in a number. A moment later she spoke into the phone and said, “Hello, this is Stephanie Rocco.” She listened and then replied in a tense voice, “It’s good to talk to you to, Celia. I need to talk to Mrs. Logan, but would you please do me a favor and stay near her while I talk to her? Unfortunately, I have some very bad news I have to tell her. Thanks, yes, please put her on.” Stephanie looked pale, and she had a death grip on her phone as she waited for Mrs. Logan to come on the line.
“Hello, Mrs. Logan, it’s Stephanie Rocco. Thank you, yes, we graduated, but I’m afraid I have some very bad news for you.” She listened for a moment and then said, “It breaks my heart to tell you this, but Julie has been murdered. I don’t know any details as of yet. I just finished speaking with the chief of police, and he told me his deputies have found the murderer. I’ll call you when I know more. I am so, so sorry. Would you like me to call anyone for you?”
She listened for a moment. “You’ll have Celia call your son and Julie’s soon-to-be ex-husband? Thank you. I’ve not met either one of them. Here’s my phone number if you need to call me. As soon as I find out any information about the murderer I’ll let you know. Again, I am so sorry.” She ended the call and sobbed deeply. Rich walked over to her and put his arms around her.
“Honey, there was nothing else you could do. She needed to be told and there’s no way to sugarcoat a death message like the one you had to deliver. At least she has someone with her. I remember you telling me she was in bad health or something.”
“Yes,” Stephanie said through her tears. “She has stage four pancreatic cancer. Julie was going to fly up to Boston tomorrow to see her. She tried to visit her mother at least once a month. That poor woman. I can’t even imagine what she must be feeling right now.”
Just then Mike knocked on the door and opened it, a grim look on his face. “This is ridiculous,” he said. “I’ve seen some sloppy police work in my time, but I think that chief of police just topped it.”
“What are you talking about?” Kelly asked as the three of them looked at him expectantly.
“How convenient is it that a drunken transient bum, literally, is the person the chief of police is claiming committed the murder? Of course, he’s dead, but that doesn’t seem to matter. For the police chief it was an open and shut case. Now I suppose he can go back to doing whatever it is he was doing before he got the call and tie a big red ribbon around this investigation. According to him the crime has been solved, clean and simple.”
“Why would he think a transient killed Stephanie?” Rich asked. “Why would she even come in contact with a person like that when she was safe in her room here at the hotel?”
“The chief’s deputies found the bum lying behind a car in the parking lot. It looks like he died from a fractured skull suffered in a fall. He had Stephanie’s wallet and jewelry in his pocket, and a pistol similar to the one he assumed killed Julie, just happened to be in his hand. I mean, how likely is it that a bum who’s so drunk I doubt if he could stand up could go to her room, she’d open the door, he’d shoot her, and then take her personal effects?” Mike said angrily. “It’s absurd to think that could happen. I simply can’t accept it as being a reasonable explanation of how Julie was murdered.” Clearly overwrought, Mike paced back and forth in the small room.
His pacing was interrupted by the sound of Stephanie’s phone ringing. She looked at the monitor, sighed deeply and said, “It’s Julie’s mother.”
“Hello, Mrs. Logan. I’d ask how you’re doing, but I think I know the answer to that. Probably about as well as I am.” She listened for a moment. “Yes, I can tell you what we know so far. A friend of mine who came to my graduation is married to a sheriff. He went with the chief of police when the chief got the call that the murderer had been found.
“The suspect was found dead lying in the hotel parking lot. The chief of police determined that Julie was killed by what appears to be a transient. Her jewelry and her wallet were found in his possession as well as the possible murder weapon. The chief believes he took a fall because he was drunk and hit his head on a concrete curb which caused his death. That’s all we know at this point.”
Stephanie listened for a few moments and then said, “No, I’m so sorry, but I can’t come to Boston tomorrow. I have to get back to Oregon. I’m the keynote speaker at a large conference on Monday, and then my husband and I are leaving on a trip. Let me talk to the others. I’ll get back to you in a few minutes.”
She looked at Mike after she ended the call and said, “Mike, I think Mrs. Logan would agree with you. She asked me if I would fly to Boston tomorrow. She’s certain Julie wasn’t killed by a transient. When I told her I couldn’t go to Boston, she asked if one of you would go there. She said she urgently needs to talk to someone and with her medical prognosis, she’s not sure how much time she has left to live.”
“Stephanie, under different circumstances I’d be happy to do that, but all heck has broken loose in Beaver County, and Kelly and I had to change our scheduled flight for tomorrow to an earlier time as it is. I have to meet with my chief deputy tomorrow afternoon as soon as I get back.”
She turned to Kelly. “You’ve helped Mike solve several murder cases over the last few years. Would you go to Boston and at least talk to her? Rich could probably go, but he wouldn’t know what to do with the information she said she has. I know this is a lot to ask, but if you’re worried about the money, Mrs. Logan said she’d pay all the costs incurred in going to Boston. Please, Kelly, Julie was a wonderful person. She deserves more than to have her death go down as being killed by some transient, supposedly for her jewelry. I’ve never been involved in anything like this, but something doesn’t smell right to me. I’d be curious to see what Mrs. Logan has to say.”
“Kelly, I agree with Stephanie,” Mike said. “You’re very good at things like
this, and I don’t think you’ve ever been to Boston. It may just be the ramblings of an old woman, but on the other hand, she might have some insight as to who might have killed Julie. I have a real strong gut feeling it wasn’t the transient. Anyway, you could use a couple more days off. The coffee shop practically runs itself with the help you have. What do you say?”
She looked at both of them and said, “I have no idea what I can do to help, but if nothing else, Mrs. Logan might get some closure on her daughter’s death by talking to me. It might help her rest easier to tell someone whatever it is she wants to discuss. Okay, I guess I’m off to Boston.”
“Thank you so much,” Stephanie said. ‘I’ll call her right now. You might as well go to your room and make your flight arrangements for Boston. I’ll call you when I find out when she wants to meet with you. By the way, she lives in an incredible old Boston mansion. The trip will be worth it if just for that. Oh, one more thing. I’m cancelling the big celebratory dinner tonight. I’m not up to it. I’ll call my family and tell them what’s happened. I think a sandwich from room service will work just fine. Talk to you later.”
“Wait a minute, Stephanie,” Kelly said. “I have a question for you. When you called to tell us about her death, you said you knew it was going to happen, that it was in the stars. What did you mean?”
“You know I’m interested in astrology. I happened to look at Julie’s chart before we came to Virginia, and it was very clear to me she was going to die. I know none of you probably believe me, but that’s what I saw,” Stephanie said twisting the Kleenex she was holding in her hands and looking away from them.
“I don’t know what mumbo-jumbo that’s all about, but I’m sure glad you didn’t tell the police chief,” Mike said. “He probably would have decided you needed to be committed to the local funny farm.”
“Mike, don’t,” Kelly said. “Stephanie, I know you’re a believer in astrology, but not everyone is. We can talk about this later, okay?”
Murder on the East Coast: A Cedar Bay Cozy Mystery Page 2
