Lenses, Lust, and Murder: A Crystal Coast Case (Crystal Coast Cases Book 2)

by A M Ialacci

  “Look. I know this is a little difficult to understand. Your dad was approached by the FBI when he still worked at Cherry Point. We needed to look into some shipping irregularities at the docks in Morehead City. We had reason to believe there was a group involved with one of the Balkan crime syndicates that was doing some smuggling, and possibly even human trafficking through that port. Jack was highly recommended by his command, and because of his background could blend in at the port as lots of Marines from Camp LeJeune ship out through there, as well. Heavy military presence, and a military boat engineer would not look out of place.”

  “My dad was a spy?” Allie hissed.

  Agent Cruz looked at her and raised his shoulders in a small shrug.

  The waitress returned, issuing nervous glances at her. Allie reassured her with a slight nod as she refilled the water glasses and asked if they needed more time.

  “Yes, please,” Allie said and smiled. The waitress retreated and Allie’s smile faded as she returned her gaze to Cruz. “He gathered intel for you, then.”

  “He did,” Cruz said. “And he was damned good at it.”

  Allie nodded, a bit of pride in her dad along with the shock of his secret. “Did Mom know?”

  “We’re not sure what he told her, although we had asked him not to share the specifics with anyone. But I think she knew something.”

  Allie sat for a moment and absorbed the secret. After a few moments, she asked, “And so you were investigating their deaths to see if it had something to do with the group he was investigating?”

  “I was,” he said. “And Charlie knew about it at the time. We worked the case together.”

  “Why didn’t I know about you then?” Allie asked.

  “It was an open investigation. We couldn’t share anything with you at the time.”

  “But you can now?”

  “The investigation is closed. So yes. That’s why I’m able to tell you this now,” Cruz said, folding his hands.

  “And the results of the investigation? Were the Balkans involved?” she asked.

  “We don’t believe so.”

  “You don’t believe so? Not very conclusive, then, was it?”

  “Not to my satisfaction, no. But we work with the information we have,” Cruz said.

  Her father had been a spy, possibly killed by a crime syndicate. This wasn’t what she had been expecting to hear while eating lunch with Agent Cruz.

  “Listen. I thought you knew about all this. I’m sorry. I thought Charlie would have told you all this when he was cleared to do so.”

  “He probably didn’t see the need. And really, it should have come from your agency, anyway. Not really his responsibility,” she pointed out.

  Cruz nodded. “You’re right, of course.”

  “Did you believe the Balkans had something to do with it?”

  Cruz leaned forward on his elbows. “Allie, I knew your dad. He was careful. He was observant. And he drove like a granny. Something didn’t add up about that accident. But I had no evidence to point to anything but an accident. I had to let it go.”

  Allie closed her eyes against the swirl of emotions at that statement. Anger that her father’s death wasn’t important enough for the FBI to pursue. Rage at this group of thugs who had murdered her parents and gotten away with it. Hurt that no one had thought to include her or inform her of the facts. Yet, understanding at the constraints Cruz and Charlie were under. It was a lot to take in.

  “This wasn’t my intention, today. To bring up painful memories and shock you with secrets.” Cruz grimaced.

  Maybe Charlie was right about this guy, underneath all the bravado, she thought. “I know it wasn’t,” she offered.

  “Why don’t we order, forget about the case for an hour, and we’ll talk more later about the task force and how we might be able to help each other?”

  Her stomach rumbled, and she realized eating was a good idea. She nodded and smiled. “I’d like that.”

  Cruz smiled back and raised his hand to flag the waitress.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Shortly after Allie and Cruz returned to the Visitor Center from lunch, Charlie got a phone call. “Let me put you on speaker,” he said and then put the phone on the table. “All right, go ahead Deputy Smith.”

  “We just got back from canvassing Violet and Harriet Brennan’s neighbors. One of them, a Mr. Ipock who lives next door, said he knew they were having marital problems. Heard the fight that Violet told you about around mid-August. Harriet left and he ventured over to see if everything was okay. Vi said she was fine and she was sorry to bother them. He also said she asked him to take her to the Cape the night of the murder.”

  “What?” Charlie demanded. “Is he sure it was that same night?”

  “Yes, he is, sir. Said she came over about 6:15 and asked if he could take her over there because she had to talk to Harriet.”

  “And did he?”

  “He did, sir. Said he dropped Vi at the dock and she told him to wait. He did, said about twenty minutes. She came back, said she couldn’t find Harriet, and they came back home. Returned around 7:30pm.”

  “Did you ask him about her clothes when she came back to the boat?” Charlie asked.

  “I did, sir. He said they looked the same.”

  “You got his name and his statement, correct?”

  “I did, sir.”

  “Excellent work, Smith. I’ll follow up with you later.” Charlie hung up the phone and looked at Allie.

  “Mike never notices what I’m wearing,” she said.

  “You think it’s possible Vi changed her clothes?” Charlie asked.

  “I definitely think it’s possible. But whether or not that happened, I don’t know if we’ll ever know for sure.”

  “We can search the house,” Charlie said. “Whether she lets us or not, we can probably get a warrant if necessary.”

  “If she hasn’t burned them or cleaned them, and if they were bloody. Maybe she really couldn’t find her. Twenty minutes isn’t a very long time.”

  “Well, one thing’s certain. She lied to us,” Charlie said. “And I hate being lied to.”

  “Aren’t you used to it by now?” Allie asked.

  “It’s still aggravating.” Charlie smirked. “Let’s go to talk to her.”

  “Lead the way,” Allie said.

  They rang the doorbell, and they could see Vi pause behind the frosted glass before opening the door. Maybe the neighbor had told her he’d spoken with the deputies. She opened the door and asked them in.

  “Now, before you get upset—” she started as she turned to face them.

  “Too late for that, Vi,” Charlie said. “I do not like being lied to. And I especially do not like being taken advantage of. You know that I had every reason to question your motives because we had evidence of a violent argument. And then you failed to tell us about the pregnancy. And now you’ve lied to us about being at the Cape the night of the murder.” He was thundering by the end of his diatribe.

  Vi had closed her eyes halfway through and paused before opening them. She inhaled and spread her shaking fingers wide before opening her eyes and relaxing her hands again. “I know, Chief Detective. I have not been honest with you, and I can fully understand your mistrust of me.” She looked down. “Whether or not I need an attorney, I promise to cooperate with you fully.”

  “You don’t need an attorney.” Charlie sighed. “Yet.”

  “Tell us about the night of the murder,” Allie prompted.

  Vi gestured to the living room furniture and they sat as Charlie pulled out his notebook.

  “I had just returned home from work when Harriet was dressed and just about out the door. We had made up from our terrible fight, but things were still… strained. She had begun to retrieve some of her things from the boxes in the garage, and we had cleaned up the debris from the fight. She was using her space in the office again, lining up her journal covers and fountain pens. But we were being so polite to
each other. We knew it might take a little bit of time for us to regain the comfort we had with each other before the fight. Before what I thought was one affair.”

  “Did you speak to her before she left that night?” Allie asked.

  “I did. Told her she looked fabulous, because she did. You wouldn’t think red would look good on a strawberry blonde, but she looked good in everything,” Vi said. “She asked if I wanted to come, but I was tired from work and said no. She looked disappointed. I instantly felt bad, but knew I wasn’t up for a long night of smiling and shaking hands. I was also happy because if she was disappointed, she really wanted me there.”

  “Why did you change your mind?” Charlie asked.

  “The more I thought about that look on her face, the more I remembered the fact that we had committed ourselves to working on our marriage, on putting each other on a pedestal as much as we also took care of ourselves. I wanted her to know I was proud of her, so I asked John, our neighbor, if he could take me out there in his boat because I didn’t have a ticket to the event and didn’t think they’d let me on a ferry. I didn’t want to stay, but I wanted to wish her luck and then come home.”

  “But you couldn’t find her?”

  “I saw a couple of rangers over by the lighthouse and the Keepers Quarters, but no sign of Harriet. And the gala visitors were starting to arrive. I wasn’t dressed for it. So I went back to the dock and asked John to bring me home.” She paused, tears welling in her eyes. “I never saw her again.”

  “I have to ask this, Vi. What were you wearing that evening?” Charlie asked.

  “I was wearing a pair of jeans and an off-white sweater.”

  “Could you show those items to Allie?” Charlie asked. “And I think we’ll need to take them for testing if that’s okay with you.”

  “Of course,” Vi said, getting up from her seat.

  “Have you washed them since the night of the murder?” Charlie asked.

  Vi swallowed hard. “You… think there might have been… her blood.” Her face turned white.

  Allie rushed to her side. “Do you need to sit for a minute?”

  Vi nodded, and Allie eased her back into her chair. “I’m going to get you some water.”

  “Vi, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to shock you,” Charlie said.

  She shook her head. “No, I told you I would cooperate and I meant it. Nothing but honest answers from here on out. Because I didn’t kill Harriet and I need you to find out who took her from me. Her and our baby.”

  “Did you wash the clothes?” Charlie asked.

  “No. I don’t wash my sweaters. I get them dry cleaned every so often. And I haven’t worn the jeans again. That’s the honest truth.”

  Allie returned with the water, and Vi took several sips. “I’m okay,” Vi insisted. “I’ll show you the clothes now.”

  When she turned to go up the stairs, Charlie motioned to Allie to take pictures and she nodded. He slipped into the kitchen while he waited to make sure all the knives were accounted for in the knife block, and then went to his patrol car to get a larger evidence bag.

  When he came back in, Allie had brought the clothes down and slipped them into the bag. “Thank you, Vi. We’ll return them when we’re done with them.”

  “It doesn’t matter to me,” she said. “I’ll probably never wear them again.”

  “Thanks for your honesty, Vi,” Allie said. “If there’s anything else you can think of that will help us, please let us know.”

  “I will,” Vi said. “I promise.”

  Chapter Thirty

  “We need to update Cruz, but I can’t get through on his phone,” Allie said.

  “Well, I’ve got to take this evidence in. Maybe you can swing by his motel room?”

  “Where’s he staying?”

  “At the Beaufort Inn, I think,” Charlie said.

  “All right, I can do that. Drop me off at the Visitor Center so I can get my pickup?”

  “Sure thing,” he said. “What did you think of Vi’s new story?”

  “I believe her. Of course, who knows what the evidence will say, but based on what I know about body language and psychology, I think she’s finally telling the truth,” Allie said.

  “Yeah.” Charlie sighed. “Me too. She’d have to be a hell of an actress to produce tears on cue.”

  “You never know. I’ve been fooled before, and I’m sure you have too,” Allie said. “But I think we need to concentrate our focus elsewhere.”

  “All right, here we are,” Charlie said, pulling in next to Allie’s pickup.

  “Thanks, Charlie,” she said. “Catch up with you later?”

  “Yep. You know where to find me,” he said.

  Allie hopped into the truck and looked up the motel on her phone. About twenty minutes. Maybe I’ll give Mike a call.

  “Hey, babe. How’s the case?”

  “I’m not interrupting your class, am I?” she asked.

  “No, we’re on break.” He let out a big yawn.

  “Learning lots?” she asked.

  He laughed. “Tons. How are things?”

  “Well, we found out the victim’s wife lied to us about being over at the Cape the night of the murder,” she said.

  “So you have a lead!” he said.

  “Well, no. Neither Charlie nor I think she had anything to do with it,” Allie said.

  “Damn. Do you have any leads?”

  “A few,” she said. “But nothing definitive.”

  “Are you being safe?”

  “Always,” she said. “So, I went to lunch with Nick Cruz.”

  Mike was silent for a moment. “You what?”

  “I went to lunch with Nick Cruz.”

  “The FBI Agent? Why?” he asked.

  “Because he asked me to.”

  “Like on a date?” Mike was raising his voice.

  “No! Of course not!” Allie said, irritated.

  “Does he know that?”

  “Yes, Jeez, Mike. Calm down.”

  “It’s not just what you think about it, Allie. It’s a small town. People talk.”

  “You’re worried about what locals will think? That your girlfriend is stepping out on you?”

  “Well… yeah, a little,” he admitted.

  “But do you trust me?” Allie asked.

  “Of course!”

  “Then nothing else matters,” she declared.

  “Listen, our break is over. We’ll talk about this later.”

  “No, you listen, Spencer Michael Gillikin. You do not get to boss me around. Do you understand?”

  “Yes, ma’am,” he said and hung up.

  “Damn that man!” she yelled into the dead phone.

  She took several deep breaths and cranked up the radio to distract her thoughts from the fight she’d just had with her usually very considerate boyfriend.

  Allie checked the map on her phone, and within a few minutes pulled into the motel. She called Charlie. “What room is he in?” she asked.

  “Nine, I think.”

  “Charlie! I need a clear answer on this one. I’m not knocking on door number nine if you just ‘think’ it might be Cruz’s room!”

  “It’s nine. I’m ninety-nine percent sure.”

  “Great. Thanks,” she said. She was hoping she wouldn’t bite Nick Cruz’s head off as soon as he opened the door because of how the other men in her life were behaving.

  She knocked on door number nine, and heard “Just a minute!” She relaxed a bit, pretty sure it was Cruz’s voice.

  The door opened, and it was Nick Cruz all right. In only a bath towel. He looked up at her in surprise, and her mouth dropped open. She blushed as her gaze traveled across his muscular abs and arms.

  “I, uh, come on in… let me just…” He hustled off toward the interior of the room, leaving the door open.

  Allie looked around to see if anyone was watching and then stepped inside the room and shut the door. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness of the room,
she could hear Cruz hurrying to put pants on. He stepped out from the bathroom area, buttoning up a pair of jeans, and grabbed the t-shirt he had thrown over his shoulder and quickly wrestled himself into it.

  “Sorry about that,” he said. “I thought you might be the maid with more towels.”

  Allie cocked an eyebrow. “You come to the door like that for the maid?”

  He blushed. “So what’s up?”

  “We tried to reach you by phone but couldn’t.”

  “I think I put it on mute so I could catch up on some sleep, and then I took a long shower,” Cruz explained.

  “I gathered the shower bit,” Allie teased.

  “Anyway…,” he said, still blushing.

  “Charlie had some deputies canvas Vi and Harriet’s neighborhood. Neighbor told us he took Vi to the Cape the night of the murder.”

  “Oh, wow,” Cruz said. “Did you question her?”

  “We did. Bagged the clothes she says she was wearing that night, too.”

  Cruz studied her face. “But…” he anticipated.

  “Neither Charlie nor I think she had anything to do with it.”

  Cruz nodded. “I’ll probably follow up with her all the same. You understand,” he said.

  “Of course,” Allie said. “You have to run your own investigation.”

  “Speaking of that,” he said as he stood and went to the small table in the room. There was a file box parked underneath and he lifted it like it was empty. He set it in front of Allie. “The case files.”

  “Are you serious?” she asked. “You know Kat Matthews would be apoplectic if she found out I was given access to these.”

  “I don’t answer to Kat Matthews,” he said with a smirk. “That doesn’t mean my own supervisor wouldn’t feel the same, but I trust you. Look over them tonight, see if you see anything I haven’t, and get them back to me tomorrow. Deal?”

  “I’m speechless,” she said.

  “No words necessary,” he said. “Just be careful with them.”

  “Always,” she promised and attempted to lift the box. Allie was a strong girl, but it felt like it was loaded with rocks.