by J A Whiting
“Why do you think that?” Bobby looked interested. “She was on vacation, wasn’t she?”
“She was here to attend a symposium at the medical school. William said she’d booked a few nights here at the inn.”
“I don’t see why anything would be bothering someone when they’re just going to listen to some talks.”
“Yeah.” Nell smiled and handed some papers to Bobby. “Anyway, we signed the contract for the deck, and here’s a deposit check.”
“Great. I can get started in a day or two. Like I said, my main job is here at The Sandy Rose so I have to fit in the secondary jobs around that. I won’t be working at your house every day, but I will get the deck done in a timely manner.” Bobby took his handmade pen out, signed one of the copies, made a note on it that he’d received the deposit, and handed it back to Nell. “It will look terrific when I’m done and it will last for a long time. Guaranteed.”
* * *
Nell, Violet, and John and Ida Patrick sat around their deck table under a star-filled night sky enjoying a dinner of calzones, salad, and spaghetti. Iris rested on the deck watching the fireflies sparkle on and off as they darted around the yard. The heat of the day had left behind a warm, pleasant evening with a gentle breeze coming off the ocean that pushed away the humidity.
“What a perfect night,” Violet said as she lifted her wine glass to her lips.
“And what a perfect meal,” Nell told the couple. “Everything is delicious.”
“Ida is the best cook,” John said proudly as he smiled at his wife of fifty years.
“John is being too flattering. He’s the one who made the calzones … with his secret recipe,” Ida told them with a wink.
Nell and Violet reported they’d made a decision about their deck and had hired Bobby, the inn’s handyman to do the job.
“He does excellent work. He can be focused and quiet at times so don’t feel like he’s being sullen towards you.”
Nell was surprised to hear this. “He was nothing but personable when he came to give us an estimate and when I saw him this morning when I dropped off the paperwork.”
“Bobby swings between being charming and pleasant, and moody and sour. It’s his personality. Don’t take it personally,” John said. “It never affects the quality of his work.”
The sisters were glad John shared the information with them.
“I would have thought he was angry with something we’d done or said,” Violet told the couple.
The conversation moved from one topic to another, and then Ida said, “The police still haven’t found that hit-and-run driver. It’s a shame someone can kill another person, take off, and not have to face the consequences of his actions.”
“They’ll find him one of these days,” John said, pouring more wine into the glasses.
Although the Patricks were aware that Nell was a tetrachromat, she hadn’t spoken to them about seeing Pepper Forrest shaded in red on the afternoon of the accident. Having known and trusted the couple for years, she decided to share her experience with them.
When the details had been explained, John and Ida took the tale in stride.
“It’s nothing more than an expansion of your already special abilities,” Ida told Nell.
“It’s plain that you were able to pick up on the woman’s emotions in a visual way,” John said. “It is amazing to people like us because we don’t share the capability, but as you and Violet said yourselves, the incredible things people have accomplished or developed in recent years would have been considered impossible just decades ago.”
“Dani’s boyfriend, Peter, told Chief Lambert what I’d seen. The chief asked me to assist on certain aspects of the case,” Nell said.
“Did you accept the offer?” Ida asked.
“I did. We decided we might as well give it a try and see if I can find a clue of some kind.”
“Or at least, provide another point of view or some insight that might have been ignored by everyone else,” Violet pointed out. “I think Nell not only sees things in a different way than most of us, but she thinks about them or considers them from a very unique perspective.”
“You might think about keeping some notes when you see the colors on people,” John said. “It will probably take time to analyze what it all means, like if you see red coming from someone does it always mean the person is in danger? Could it mean the person is simply angry? Could it mean something entirely different? Keeping notes about the colors will help you understand the meanings they have.”
Iris got up from her spot on the deck, walked over to sit next to John, and rested her head on his knee.
“I think Iris likes the idea,” Nell said causing the others to chuckle at the dog’s input. “I’ll make some notes when we go home tonight.”
“It will help you organize what you’re seeing so you’ll be able to make sense of it,” Violet said.
A sound like distant thunder rumbled in the distance and Nell’s breath caught in her throat.
John noticed her distress, and understanding how the tornado she’d lived through caused Nell to react to storms, he attempted to comfort the young woman. “We aren’t supposed to get any bad weather tonight. If it was thunder, it is miles and miles away from here. It could have been the rumble of a plane or the sound of something else.”
Iris hurried over and Nell began to stroke the dog’s head.
“Take some calming, deep breaths,” Ida suggested in gentle voice. “That storm you experienced was very, very unusual for Massachusetts. The chances of another storm like that one is one in a trillion. You’ll never be in another storm like that. You’re safe.”
Nell took in deep breaths and focused on what Ida had just said. She closed her eyes for a few moments paying attention to the warm breeze, the rustling of the leaves in the trees, and Iris’s smooth fur under her hand. The feelings of panic slowly disappeared, and she lifted her lids. “I feel better.”
Violet leaned over and hugged her sister. “I’m so glad.”
Ida brought out a chocolate layer cake and a bowl of cut-up fruit and John passed around dessert plates.
“When will Bobby start work on your deck?” Ida asked once everyone had been served slices of the cake.
“He’s going to come by tomorrow afternoon,” Nell said, and suddenly she thought of the contract she and her sister had signed, and then recalled standing at the rental car company’s counter talking to the employee who had waited on the man who leased the vehicle that had hit Pepper Forrest.
I should ask the police if I can see the rental car contract they took into evidence.
And then she wondered why the idea to look at the contract came into her mind.
14
Nell and Violet arrived on the Fuller University campus and found the small amphitheater where the memorial service would be held for Dr. Pepper Forrest. A reception room with drinks and light refreshments had been set up in a large conference space where about a hundred people had already congregated.
“Do you feel like we’re crashing a party?” Violet leaned towards her sister.
“Sort of,” Nell admitted, “but I’m guessing there are probably a good number of people here from the university who barely knew Pepper, but want to pay their respects.”
“If anyone asks, we’re going to say we met Pepper in Bluewater and wanted to come down to acknowledge her at the service, right?” Violet asked.
“That’s right. It’s the truth, only we’re leaving out the part about being involved in investigating the case.”
Violet gave her sister an impish look as they approached the refreshment tables. “People don’t need to know every detail.”
They carried glasses of sparkling water and two small plates of hors d’oeuvres to a high table at the same time a young woman walked over from the opposite side.
“Mind sharing the table?” the dark-haired woman asked. “It’s getting crowded in here.”
“We’re glad to,” Violet
said.
“I’m Julia,” the woman said as she placed her glass of orange juice on the tabletop. Slim and stylish, she added, “I’m an administrative assistant in the chemistry department.”
“This is my sister, Violet, and I’m Ellen, although everyone calls me Nell.”
“Nice to meet you both,” Julia told them. “Do you work here at the university?”
Violet explained how they’d briefly met Dr. Forrest in Bluewater when the professor had been visiting the town to attend a symposium and liked her instantly. “We wanted to come down to pay our respects.”
“That’s very nice of you,” Julia said. “Pepper was a great person. I enjoyed talking with her. She was always helpful and easy-going.”
“Did you know Pepper well?” Nell asked.
Julia said, “Well enough. We weren’t best friends or anything, but we did go out a couple of times a month for drinks or dinner. We ran together three days a week. I really can’t believe what’s happened. I think I’m still in shock over it.”
“Pepper told us she had lived in California for many years,” Nell said. “I forgot which state she said she was born in.” Nell hadn’t forgotten, but she wanted to judge how much Pepper might have shared about her life with the young woman.
“She was born in New Hampshire. She and her parents moved to California when she was about eight-years old.”
“What made her move to Boston?” Violet questioned.
“Pepper did her doctorate in at MIT and then stayed when she got a job offer,” Julia said.
“She told us she’d been married, but that her husband died shortly after they were wed.” Nell hoped to learn more information from Julia.
“What a sad story. Pepper and her boyfriend, his name was Justin, had been involved in an accident right after they got engaged. It took them months to heal and recover. Justin was in a second car accident about six or seven months after he and Pepper got married. He was killed.”
“Was he alone in the car?” Violet asked.
“He was. It seems he lost control of the vehicle when he was driving on the coast road. Do you know what those roads are like?” Julia asked. “They wind like a snake and run right along the edge of the cliffs. He went off the road and crashed down the huge drop.” The young woman visibly shuddered. “So terrible. I still cringe every time I think of it.”
The sisters agreed with Julia that it was a terrible accident.
“Did Pepper move away right after the loss of her husband?” Nell asked.
“I think it was pretty soon after. I’m not exactly sure of the timeframe.”
“Did you see Pepper pretty much every workday?” Violet questioned.
“Yeah. Mondays through Fridays. It’s so weird now. Sometimes I think I hear her coming into the department, and then I realize she’s gone.” Julia brushed at her eyes. “It’s ironic, isn’t it? Pepper and Justin were in a bad crash during the time they were engaged, Justin died in an accident right after they got married, and then Pepper was killed in a hit-and-run car accident. Fate had it in for them, didn’t it?”
Nell was pretty sure fate wasn’t the reason for Pepper’s death. “Did Pepper seem worried about anything lately?”
Julia straightened and blinked at Nell. “Why do you ask that?”
“Pepper seemed a little nervous when I talked to her,” Violet said. “I’m not sure if nervous is the right word, maybe distracted would be a better description. She said she came to Bluewater on the spur of the moment. I didn’t get the impression she was enjoying herself very much. I wondered if she and a boyfriend had broken up or maybe there might be something else going on.”
“She wasn’t seeing anyone at the moment,” Julia said stiffly, but didn’t address the question of whether or not Pepper had been worried or concerned about anything.
“What about work?” Nell asked. “Was she having trouble with anything here at the university?”
“I don’t know anything about that.” Julia swallowed the last of her beverage. “I’m going to go get a seat in the amphitheater. Nice to meet you.” The young woman walked swiftly away.
“I think we touched a nerve,” Violet said.
“I think you’re right. But what was the cause? Julia seemed to think Pepper was worried about something, but what was it? And did it make her run away to Bluewater?”
A woman’s voice said Nell’s name from behind the sisters and when they turned, Nell saw Pepper’s friend, Dr. Janis Littleton, walking towards them.
Nell introduced Violet to the woman, and then told her sister, “Dr. Littleton came to Bluewater shortly after Pepper’s passing. I met her at The Sandy Rose Inn.” Nell addressed her question to Dr. Littleton. “You spoke with the police after we met? Did they give you any answers?”
“I’m afraid it was a useless trip to talk to them,” Janis said. “They wouldn’t say much of anything. They told me they couldn’t share much because it was an active investigation, but I also think it was because I was only a friend, not a relative.” The professor let out a sigh. “You came down for the service?”
“We wanted to pay our respects, especially since we were some of the last people to see Pepper alive,” Violet said.
Janis winced slightly at Violet’s words. “I have not come to terms with the idea Pepper is gone and I won’t ever see her again.” The woman looked off across the room full of people. “You know, I’ve been thinking and thinking about it. Is it possible someone deliberately hit Pepper?”
“Who would do such a thing?” Nell asked, hoping that Janis had an idea about who might have been driving the car.
“Something’s been bothering me,” Janis said. “There was an incident about six months ago with a student of Pepper’s. He was very angry about the grade he received. He was a senior. He blamed the bad grade for not getting the job he wanted. He told Pepper she’d ruined his life. The student complained to the dean over and over, but Pepper had the paperwork to back up the grade she’d assigned to him. He started to stalk her, even showing up outside her townhouse a few times. She was freaked out about it. When he graduated in December, the stalking stopped. I wonder if it started up again. I wonder if he followed Pepper to Bluewater and chased her down with his car.”
Flutters of nervousness moved over Nell’s skin. “Do you know the student’s name?”
“David Belk.”
“Is he still living in the Boston area?”
“He’s a real estate agent in the city,” Janis said. “I saw his photo online in a real estate advertisement.”
“Do you know where he works?” Violet asked. “Do you remember the name of the firm?”
“CityPlace Realty.” Janis looked like she might break down in tears. “Do you think that student hurt Pepper? Do you think he carried his grudge against her for the past six months?”
Nell wasn’t sure about the young man and if he might have held onto his anger at Pepper after graduation, but she tried to calm the professor’s fears. “I doubt it. He must have moved on, got the job, and forgot all about his college troubles.”
“I hope so.” Janis took in a long breath. “I hope he didn’t have anything to do with Pepper’s death.” Passing a hand over her eyes, she said with a tentative tone, “Pepper told me something interesting. She said that right after her husband died in that accident on the California coast, she received a message from someone.”
Nell’s eyes widened. “What sort of a message?”
“Pepper told me it was threatening,” Janis said. “I asked what was in the message, but she wouldn’t say. She told me it had upset her. It was the main reason she left California.”
“How did she receive the message?” Nell asked.
“It was in her home mailbox. It hadn’t been mailed. Someone placed it in her box.”
“Did she report it to the police?” Violet questioned.
“I don’t know. When I brought it up a few weeks later, she wouldn’t talk about it,” Janis said. “She seemed
sorry she brought it up with me.”
People began to move out of the reception room and towards the amphitheater for the service.
“It was nice to see you. I’m going to find a colleague. We’re supposed to sit together.” Janis shook hands with the sisters and hurried away.
Nell and Violet joined the throng leaving the room.
“Pepper got a threatening message, huh?” Violet asked. “It worried her enough that she left California and moved to the East Coast. She was running from someone.”
“It could have been a nut who read about the death of her husband and decided it would be fun to mess with a widow,” Nell suggested. “It’s something to add to the collection of details we have on Pepper.”
“Definitely.”
Nell moved closer to Violet. “I have an interest in renting an apartment here in the city.”
“Oh, do you?” Violet gave her sister a sly smile. “Did this desire begin when Janis was telling us about the creepy student who was stalking Pepper? The one who became a real estate agent in Boston?”
“Possibly.” The corners of Nell’s mouth turned up. “You know me all too well.”
“Should we pay a visit to David Belk after the service?” Nell questioned. “Talk to him about you wanting to rent an apartment?”
“I think that’s a great idea.”
“Yeah. I come up with a lot of great ideas,” Violet joked. “Hopefully, this guy isn’t a murderer. Talking to a killer isn’t exactly the way I want to spend my afternoon.”
“Should I go without you?” Nell asked.
“Fat chance.” Violet playfully poked her sister with her elbow. “I can’t let you have all the fun.”
15
Nell and Violet sat at the glass table in the real estate office across from David Belk. The high-end realty firm was located on Boylston Street in Boston and the place had brick accent walls, a fireplace, modern lighting, tall windows, and comfortable stylish furniture.
David Belk looked to be in his early twenties, had light blond hair, cool blue eyes, and was dressed in a slim-fitting gray suit.
