Wipe Out: A fun and fast-paced private investigator cozy mystery/beach read (Maggie PI Mysteries Book 3)

by Rose Pressey

  Jake stood from the chair and closed the distance between us. He took the coffee from my hand and placed it on the desk. He set his cup down too.

  He pulled me close to his body. “Maggie, I don’t want to ever let you get hurt.”

  Then he kissed me and I couldn’t hold back my desire any longer. The next thing I knew, Jake and I were taking off each other’s shirts, tossing clothing everywhere, and kissing as if the world might end in a few hours. We made it over to my bed, which wasn’t far. Jake fell backward. I probably pushed him down a little bit. I was on top of him, kissing him on his chest. Jake sure had a way of getting to me.

  The next thing I knew his phone was ringing. I groaned and he ignored it until finally he reached over and found the phone.

  “Jake,” he said. “Yeah, I’ll be there right away.”

  Chapter 23

  Dorothy and I were at the office. Things were pretty calm at the moment. I was just studying the case file, hoping that something would pop out at me. Dorothy was knitting as usual. It was a beautiful day and my thoughts had turned to Jake a few times and how we had ended up in my apartment. He’d been called away for a different case. I hadn’t had a chance to really see him since that happened. The clicking of Dorothy’s knitting needles had almost lulled me to sleep. I tried to force my eyelids open and concentrate on the page in front of me.

  “How’s it going over there?” Dorothy asked.

  “What?” I asked a little louder than I meant to.

  “Are you falling asleep?” she asked.

  “No, I’m perfectly awake,” I said.

  “You weren’t sleeping, were you?” she asked.

  “I’m fine.”

  I hadn’t told Dorothy about what it happened at the apartment. She would be giddy if she knew. She was a big Jake fan and always tried her best to make sure that Jake and I were in close proximity to each other. She would probably cuff us together if she had the handcuffs readily available. I was glad she hadn’t thought of that.

  “I’m just thinking, that’s all. Nothing’s wrong,” I said, staring at the page again so she would drop the subject.

  I knew she was still watching me. I felt her stare.

  Dorothy went back to her knitting. The click-clack lulled me back into that sleep again. My head bobbed up and down. A noise startled me awake and I almost fell back in the chair.

  “What? What? What?” I asked in shock.

  “Calm down.” Dorothy set her needles down. “It was probably just someone walking by outside.”

  Probably, but with the way things had been going recently, I was never sure if it was something bad. It was probably the seagulls again. Dorothy always failed to mention that. She tried to forget, or make me forget, at least. I went back to trying to read over my notes when another noise sounded. At least it didn’t startle me as much this time. It was kind of a faint scratching noise, so I was almost positive that it had to be some kind of animal. Maybe there was a stray cat.

  I closed the file and pushed to my feet. I’d check it out. What if the noise we’d heard was a cat that wanted some food or water? Dorothy had a tendency to attract all the stray animals. She wasn’t just feeding the seagulls. I’d only made it halfway across the room when a loud noise rattled against the front door. If that was an animal it was a really big one.

  Next, the door burst open. Penelope fell through, hitting the floor with a loud thud. She made no other noise. She didn’t move. Blood oozed from her body. Dorothy might have screamed, or maybe it was the seagulls outside. I didn’t know for sure. It was all a blur from that point forward. Instantly I wondered if we were in danger. Whoever had done this to her might still be out there.

  I rushed over to Penelope. “What happened? Are you all right?”

  I already knew the answer to that, but what else was I supposed to say? By some miracle I was hoping she would say, Yes, I just had a tiny accident. Nothing to worry about.

  That was fantasyland. It didn’t happen. She didn’t speak and she didn’t move. The blood continued to flow.

  “What do we do?” Dorothy said. She stood next to me, peering down at Penelope.

  “Where’s my phone?” I asked. “We have to dial 911.”

  “I’ve got it,” Dorothy said. “I’m calling Jake.” She had my phone in her hand. “I just hit the last dialed number.”

  “Dorothy, not Jake. She needs an ambulance.” I picked up the phone landline and dialed 911.

  How would I explain the situation to Jake? Oh, well, I supposed he would’ve found out eventually anyway. I’d just been hoping it would’ve been well after the fact. After the body had been removed from my office would’ve been a better time.

  The operator on the phone asked me to check for a pulse, so I set the phone down and rushed back over to the body. Dorothy had hung up from Jake at this point and I knew he would be here soon. Blood was coming from Penelope’s chest. I reached and felt her neck. There was no pulse. I wished there was something I could have done for her, but I knew it was too late.

  “What’s taking the police so long?” Dorothy said.

  “I don’t know. Maybe they got held up in traffic,” I said.

  Who had done this to her and were they somewhere nearby waiting to get us too?

  “I should look outside and see if anyone is around,” I said.

  “Oh, Maggie. That’s dangerous. I’m not sure you should do that.”

  “It’s better than being in here and worried that someone is out there ready to attack us,” I said.

  I eased over to the door with my hand on my gun just in case. I paused at the door, trying to collect myself in case there was a fight when I looked out there. Something touched my back. I spun around. Dorothy was right behind me.

  “What are you doing?” I asked.

  “I’m here in case you need my help.”

  “Just stay right there,” I said.

  I peeked around the side of the door, but didn’t see anything unusual. There were no people around. Not even anyone in the parking lot next to the office.

  “I’m going to look around outside. Stay here with her.”

  “Why? She’s not going anywhere,” Dorothy said.

  “I don’t want you to get in trouble if someone is out here.”

  “But you might need my help.”

  “I’ll be fine, Dorothy.”

  Wow, she was so stubborn.

  I walked outside and headed around the side of the building. So far nothing seemed unusual. There was a trail of blood though. I followed it all the way to the back of the building. This had to be where she had killed, but what was she doing back here? Had she been coming to see me and someone had followed her? That had to be it.

  Now I had another murder mystery on my hands. I hadn’t even solved the first two. Two sisters had been murdered and the boyfriend. Sirens sounded in the distance. I hoped they were headed this way. I rushed around the building and back to the front door where Dorothy was waiting outside.

  “What are you doing?” I asked.

  “I was worried about you,” she said. “I thought maybe someone had gotten you too. What did you find?”

  “It looks like she was shot around the back of the building.” I gestured.

  “What was she doing back there?” Dorothy asked.

  I peeked over Dorothy’s shoulder at Penelope’s lifeless body. “I guess she was coming to see me, but the murderer got to her first.”

  Did she have a message for me and they were trying to stop her from telling me? Maybe she’d discovered who the killer was. If I found the killer they might put me on their list as the next victim.

  An ambulance and police cars pulled into the parking lot at the same time. I motioned over toward the office door. The medical personnel rushed toward us, but I knew it was too late for her. They’d better just call the coroner.

  “You called Jake, right?” I asked.

  I was surprised that he hadn’t arrived yet.

  “Yes, I
did, and I explained everything,” she said. “He said he was on his way.”

  I spoke with the other officer and he told me that homicide was on their way. Yeah, I’d already figured that. He probably knew that I had spoken with homicide detectives quite a bit lately. I wondered if Abby would be with Jake. Probably, since they were partners and she never left his side. A few seconds later Jake’s car burst into the parking lot, pulling in right behind the other police cars.

  Jake raced out of the car and over to me. “Maggie, what happened?”

  I motioned toward my office. “It’s Penelope Clark. Skye’s sister. She came into my office. Well, more like she fell into the office.”

  Dorothy nodded. “That’s right. Bam.” Dorothy smacked her hands together. “Just like that she hit the floor.”

  I continued, “She was dead by the time she hit the floor.”

  Dorothy gestured with her arms. “Out like a light.”

  “I guess someone shot her.” I looked to Dorothy to see if she was going to add more this time.

  She stared at me innocently.

  “There was blood everywhere,” I said.

  “So much blood,” Dorothy said, shaking her head.

  “I’ll be right back,” Jake said.

  Jake prepared himself to witness the crime scene.

  “I don’t know how he does this all the time,” Dorothy said.

  “Someone has to do it,” I said. “I guess he’s just tough.”

  “I noticed he was the last call you’d placed on your cell.” Dorothy’s stare was fixed on me.

  “So what?” I looked at the police activity surrounding my office.

  “You need to stop fighting your feelings for him,” Dorothy said.

  “What feelings? Besides, he is too busy for a relationship,” I said.

  Another car pulled up and I groaned when I saw who was behind the wheel.

  “Oh, no, her,” I said.

  “Now I know why you said Jake is too busy.”

  “I can’t discuss this right now,” I said.

  Abby walked toward us. The frown line between her eyes was evident.

  “She should watch that expression. It will leave a big wrinkle,” Dorothy said with a click of her tongue.

  “Where’s the body?” Abby asked as soon as she approached.

  I motioned over my shoulder without uttering a word.

  “Next you’ll be talking to her entirely in grunts,” Dorothy said.

  Dorothy and I paced outside the office waiting for someone to come talk to us. A few more minutes passed and Jake came outside of my office. Abby was right beside him.

  “Did you see anything unusual?” Abby asked when she was in front of us.

  “Other than the dead woman on the office floor?” Dorothy asked.

  Abby frowned. “Yes, other than that.”

  “Well, there is the trail of blood, but I already pointed that out to the officer when he first arrived,” I said.

  “You have no idea why she was here?” Jake asked.

  “I haven’t talked to her since the other day. She didn’t call.”

  “Oh…” Dorothy said.

  I quirked an eyebrow. “Oh, what?”

  “There was a call from her. I checked the voicemail and I guess I forgot to tell you.”

  “You definitely failed to mention that,” I said.

  “What did she say?” Jake asked.

  “That she was coming to tell Maggie something.”

  “She didn’t say what that something was?”

  Dorothy shook her head. “No, she did not.”

  Only a few seconds passed before they brought out her body. They took it over to the coroner’s vehicle and loaded it in the back. I still couldn’t believe what was happening.

  “Are you all right, Maggie?” Jake snapped me back to reality.

  “I’ll be fine, no problem. I have to clean up my office now, but I’ll be all right.”

  “I can come back and help you later, if you’d like to wait.”

  “Thanks, but I’m sure I’ll be fine with it. I can handle these things.”

  Abby was staring at me and I didn’t want to give the impression that I was weak. She would like nothing more than that.

  “We should get going.” Abby touched Jake’s arm in a way that made me want to shoo her away.

  Don’t be jealous, Dorothy would say. That was easier said than done. The police would soon be gone and I’d be left trying to come to grips with what had just happened. This definitely added a new layer to the investigation. I’d be the first to admit that this was a lot more than I’d thought it would be when I first took over the agency. There were plenty of other jobs I could’ve taken that would’ve been less dangerous. However, I’d signed up for this by agreeing to take on the business and I would stick with it.

  “I should have an officer stay here and just keep watch over things for a while,” Jake said.

  I shook my head. “That’s not necessary at all. I’m sure that whoever did this wouldn’t come back. We don’t even know if she was killed because of the case or if it was just a random crime.”

  “Either option doesn’t make me feel any better.”

  How would it look as a private investigator if I had the police guarding me?

  “No, really, I’m fine.”

  “She said she’s fine so we should just leave,” Abby said, motioning for Jake to follow her.

  Abby got her way. They left. I watched as they walked over to the car. Why was Jake letting her call the shots? If he wanted to stay then he certainly could. Jake looked in his rearview mirror as he pulled away, as if I was some kind of lost, sad puppy. Movement caught my attention. They were bringing out the body now. Dorothy and I stared in silence. All Penelope had wanted was to find out who had killed her sister. Though she had made up her mind that it was Henry who had carried out the horrible crime. I suppose Penelope wanted him brought to justice. I had thought maybe Penelope had been responsible for his death, but now that she was dead, I suppose I had been wrong.

  The coroner left with the body and soon after all of the other police took off as well. The only thing that was left as a reminder was the yellow tape surrounding my office, and of course the bloody carpet on the inside.

  “I think maybe I need to go get a mop and some supplies,” I said.

  Dorothy held her hands up. “I am not cleaning it up. I didn’t sign up for that all those years ago when I started working for your uncle.”

  “Don’t worry, I don’t want you to do it. I’ll take care of everything.”

  “Okay, now you’re just trying to make me feel bad,” she said. “What will I do now?”

  “What do you mean? I already said there was no need for you to help.”

  “No, my knitting supplies are in there.”

  “You have to go back in sometime.”

  “Not until it’s cleaned up,” Dorothy said.

  “You can step around the crime scene,” I said.

  She glared at me.

  “Okay, I’ll go get your stuff and bring it back out. You can wait down by the beach and enjoy yourself while I clean. How about you just take the rest of the day off? I think that’s pretty good idea considering we discovered a dead body.”

  She sighed. “All right, if you think that’s the best, but I really don’t want to be here.”

  “I’ll be fine. Now I’m going to get your things, okay? You want to walk me to the door?” I asked.

  Dorothy went with me over to the door. She stopped just at the threshold. I had to admit I was a bit hesitant to step in, as if the body was still there or something. It would take a while to get over that scene. I eased into the office, weaving around the spot where her body had been. I grabbed Dorothy’s bag and needles, then rushed back outside.

  I came back out with Dorothy’s things.

  “All right, if you’re sure, I’ll just go down to the beach and enjoy the water,” Dorothy said.

  “That sounds lik
e a good idea, Dorothy.”

  “Are you sure you’ll be okay?”

  “I’ll be fine. I have my phone if you need me, okay?”

  “All right,” she said.

  I watched her as she walked away. Before I went to get supplies I was going to check back around the office and see if there was anything that the police had missed. It was doubtful, but it was definitely possible, so I had to look. I walked around the side of the office to the back where I assumed she had been shot. I kept my eyes on the ground, scanning to see if anything caught my eye. I had no idea what I was looking for. I reached down to pick up a beer bottle cap. What kind of stuff was going on back here anyway? I needed to make sure this area stayed clean. After all, this was the first thing that my clients saw. I always wanted to make a good impression.

  I moved around the back of the building to the edge closest to the beach. When I caught something shiny out of the corner of my eye, I looked to my left. A small object was on the ground. I reached down and picked it up. It was silver on the back with a pin and a clasp. It was advertising the surf shop.

  This couldn’t be a complete coincidence. I mean, they were surfers and it was a shop, so it could’ve been here at the beach for some reason, but I couldn’t let it go. I had to investigate further. Had the killer dropped this when he’d killed Penelope? This was just another sign that was pointing me back to my two suspects, Roland and Kenneth Bailey. As soon as I cleaned up my crime scene office, I was heading back to that surf shop.

  I stuffed the pin into my pocket and headed back around the side of the building. For a brief moment I contemplated telling Jake about my discovery, but since it could be nothing, I figured I would check into it first. How would I prove that the murderer had had this pin?

  I’d just made it around the side of the building when I smacked right into someone. I screamed and she screamed at the same time.

  “Dorothy, what are you doing? You scared me.” I tried to calm my beating heart and catch my breath.