Mud Bog Murder

by Lesley A. Diehl

  Frida’s shoulders slumped, and she shook her head. “That’s not the way things work from our point of view. We’ve got our suspect in custody.”

  It looked to me as if proving Grandfather Egret’s innocence might depend on finding out who made that call.

  I contacted Madeleine to make certain she could handle the store today.

  “I’ll be in later,” I told her and gave her no other explanation. I didn’t want to load additional worry on her.

  My thinking that tracing the phone call was the key to proving Grandfather’s innocence was correct, according to Attorney Lightwind, but it took me an hour to track him down so I could confirm my suspicions.

  First Grandy and I had gone to the police department, only to be told we couldn’t see Grandfather. We waited around for Frida in hopes of extracting more information, but she was, according to the desk officer, “busy in her office.” Well, you can’t hide from me forever, I thought. You’ll have to come out to use the bathroom. After an hour of stewing and getting nothing out of anyone in the department, I collapsed on a bench in disgust.

  Then Grandy had a revelation. “They probably moved him out the back and transported him to the county jail. That’s why we haven’t seen anybody here—not Frida, not Sammy, not Mr. Lightwind.”

  I shot an angry look at the desk sergeant. “You could have at least been honest and told us he wasn’t here.”

  “You didn’t ask.” He grinned and turned his attention once more to the papers in front of him.

  At the county jail, Mr. Lightwind was just stepping out of the building as I drove up.

  I rushed over to him. “Frida told me earlier that the police aren’t interested in who made that call.”

  “No, they aren’t. They were delighted when they called in Shelley McCleary and she ID’d the ring as her mother’s. I’ve never seen the authorities complete paperwork and shuffle a man off to jail as quickly as they did Mr. Egret. Tracking down that caller will be our business. We’ll need a good PI to handle the job.”

  I knew just the man. Maybe Alex wasn’t so keen on me just now, but he liked Grandfather Egret and he would be offended if I didn’t at least tell him we needed help.

  “I know someone who’s a pretty good PI, and—”

  Mr. Lightwind interrupted me. “Alex Montgomery. Yes, Mr. Napolitani told me the two of you were friends. I know his work. I’ve hired him a time or two to do investigations for me.”

  I called Alex on my cell.

  He answered immediately. “Eve? What’s up?” His voice sounded friendly, filled with expectation.

  “Grandfather Egret is in trouble, and we could use your help. I mean, Attorney Lightwind who’s representing Grandfather said you’d done some work for him in the past. Could you free yourself from your other cases?”

  I heard silence on the other end of the call. “Alex. Are you there?”

  “Of course I’ll help in any way I can. I’m between jobs now, and I’m returning to Sabal Bay as we speak. What’s up?”

  “Let me put Mr. Lightwind on.”

  The last time Alex and I had been in touch was that night he proposed at the Biscuit. Our status was unclear. We should have talked about it, but neither of us had made contact. It already felt as if our relationship had shifted—and not in the direction of permanence. His involvement in Grandfather Egret’s case meant we were back in touch, only not in the way I might have predicted. Now it was certain we’d be running into each other.

  Mr. Lightwind ended his conversation with Alex and handed my cell back to me.

  “Uh, I’m just curious. What else did Nappi tell you about Alex and me?”

  Mr. Lightwind’s deep-black eyes twinkled for a moment, and I thought I saw the corners of his mouth twitch as if he was suppressing a smile.

  “Mr. Napolitani only said that you two are better friends at some times than at others.”

  True, that.

  “He also said that you occasionally join Mr. Montgomery in his investigations and that Mr. Montgomery finds that very annoying.”

  I feigned surprise. “Alex has never told me that. In fact, on more than one occasion I saved his ass as well as uncovered significant information in a case.”

  “Well, then. This should be interesting.” Mr. Lightwind tipped his cowboy hat to me and walked toward his car.

  “Can I get in to see Mr. Egret now?” I yelled after him.

  “Tomorrow.” He slammed the car door and drove off.

  I shuddered to think of what a night in jail might do to my dear friend.

  When Grandy and I arrived at the jail the next morning, we learned that Grandfather Egret was being arraigned and we would have to wait to see him. Sammy entered the jail only minutes after we did. In no time cars and trucks filled with tribal members entered the parking lot. Soon there were no slots left. The tribe gathered at the door but were refused entry. I could feel the mood of the crowd begin to shift from anxious to angry.

  Attorney Lightwind stepped out the door and held up his hand.

  “Mr. Egret has been arraigned and charged. He asked me to convey a message to you that he is eagerly awaiting justice and that he is certain it will come quickly. He wants you all to return to your homes and prepare to welcome him back soon.”

  Sammy took his place next to Attorney Lightwind. He added, “I know we want justice and we want it now, but we must learn to be patient like Grandfather. He counts on us for his support, and we must not fail him.”

  There were mutterings among the people, but then the crowd began to disperse. Soon the parking lot was empty.

  Sammy turned to Mr. Lightwind. “Don’t let that speech fool you. I do not have the patience of Grandfather. I want to see him. Now.”

  “I understand, but I must abide by my client’s wishes. He asked that Ms. Appel come in to see him first.”

  Sammy’s gaze left Mr. Lightwind’s face, and he fixed his eyes on me. They were as cold as black ice.

  “Sammy,” I said, “I’m quite certain he has a good reason.”

  Sammy seemed about to speak, but then he turned on his heel and strode toward his truck. “Maybe he’ll want to see me tomorrow,” he shot back at us, “after he’s spoken to all the important people in his life.” He started up his truck and spewed gravel as he drove from the lot.

  “Mr. Egret said his grandson wouldn’t like his speaking to you before he talked with Sammy,” Mr. Lightwind said.

  “I don’t understand why he wants to see me first.”

  “He indicated there was something evil he needed to warn you about.”

  I needn’t have worried about Grandfather. He appeared quite relaxed as I entered the visitors’ room. He was sitting cross-legged on a chair, humming quietly a tune I recognized as a Miccosukee song he chose when he was at peace.

  He reached for my hand and looked into my eyes. “Something came to me last night, and I knew I had to warn you about it right away.”

  I stopped him from speaking further. “Grandfather, you must know how angry, how hurt Sammy is because you asked to see me first. What could be so important that you would ask to see me before Sammy?”

  “Sammy is safe, but you are not. I should have talked with you about this before, but I wasn’t sure then. Now I am. The new shop you’re having worked on has been invaded by bad spirits. I could help get rid of them, but I’m trapped here and I don’t know for how long. You must not enter that shop until I can chase out the bad.”

  “Don’t be silly, Grandfather. It’s only the plumbing and the electrical. I’m sure Sammy’s relative’s company will fix it. No problem.”

  I was so wrong about that, and all because I dismissed his warnings, like I always did when people who cared about me gave me good advice.

  I don’t listen well, if at all. Maybe I should work on that.

  Chapter 13

  Grandy and I got to our rig late in the morning. When we drove up, I noticed that the side window had been replaced by plywood. I assumed t
hat was Nappi’s doing.

  Last night I’d called Madeleine to tell her I might be late, so she’d offered to open in the morning. She greeted me by asking how my wounds were healing, and after I told her “Well,” she proceeded to chew me out for not letting her know about Grandfather Egret’s arrest.

  “I’m sorry, Madeleine. I didn’t want to worry you more.”

  “I worry when I don’t hear from you hourly,” she said in a snippy tone. “Sorry. I don’t mean to be so, you know, so—”

  “Bitchy?” I suggested, then wished I hadn’t said anything.

  Madeleine took my comment better than I expected. “Right.”

  I felt a twinge of guilt. Madeleine had been minding the shop too often while I ran around tracking down clues and getting myself shot at. To placate my guilty conscience, I reflected that her color was once more peaches and cream, and that she looked better than she had for days. That was only partially true. Her brow was furrowed, a sign of her concern for Grandfather. As it turned out she was worried about more than that.

  “How is Grandfather?” she asked.

  “Better than all of us, I expect. Mr. Lightwind has hired Alex to find out who made that phone call to the police.”

  “That should add some drama to this case,” she observed.

  Grandy nodded.

  “Look, you two, Alex understands this is purely professional. I’m certain we can both behave as friends for the time being.”

  I got skeptical looks in return.

  “How is Sammy reacting to all this?” asked Madeleine.

  I chose to ignore the part of her question I knew she really wanted answered and addressed Sammy’s response to Grandfather’s arrest.

  “Sammy is furious, as are many of the tribe members. They see his arrest as blatant racism on the part of the police department. You can’t blame them for feeling that way. They’re afraid that arresting a Miccosukee will end the murder investigation. Mr. Lightwind agrees. He told me he knew the police weren’t interested in determining who made that damning call.” I didn’t share with them Grandfather’s insistence on talking with me rather than Sammy this morning.

  The arrival of Sammy meant I didn’t have to.

  He pulled up in his truck, jumped out, and bounded up the steps of the rig. “What the hell was that all about, Eve? My own grandfather prefers his first visit after being arrested to be with you.”

  Though I understood Sammy’s anger, it was misplaced, and I felt my own grow as he continued to blame me for what happened.

  Before I could lash out, Grandy stepped in. “Sammy, my boy, calm down. Your grandfather had a reason for what he did. It was his decision to talk with Eve and not her fault. Get your butt back to that jail and do it now or you’ll regret not coming through for him.”

  Sammy stopped talking and looked at Grandy in astonishment. His size and demeanor usually cowed people, including me at times, but Grandy had not backed down. She knew there was more hurt than anger in his outburst.

  My cell rang. I answered and listened to the caller.

  “It’s for you, Sammy.” I held out the phone.

  He talked for only a short while, then ended the call. “I have to go.” He started to leave, then turned back to me. “Sorry, Eve.”

  “What was that all about?” asked Madeleine.

  “Grandfather Egret sent a message to Sammy through Mr. Lightwind. I think he told Sammy the same thing you did, Grandy: ‘Get your butt back here.’ ”

  “I like that man. Nappi couldn’t have recommended a better lawyer for this case,” Grandy said.

  Madeleine nodded enthusiastically. I was about to make a comment to her about how wrong she had been about Nappi, but Grandy placed a restraining hand on my arm. This ability to read my mind on the part of both Grandy and Grandfather Egret was robbing me of my privacy. How did they do that? What kind of special receivers did the two of them possess to be able to tune into the frequency of my brain waves?

  “We need to talk, Eve,” said Madeleine. She rolled her eyes toward the back of the rig, indicating that the conversation should be private.

  We walked back to the dressing room.

  “When I got here this morning, there was a crowd of people at the entrance. Several of them held up placards reading, ‘Yankees keep your hands off our land.’ ”

  How ironic. Now we protesters were the target of other protesters.

  “Several of them told me they were going to boycott our shop.”

  “So how was business this morning after that?” I asked. I knew what the answer would be, but I had to hear it from Madeleine.

  “The same as since the protest. No one showed up.” Madeleine looked sad and droopy. Her entire demeanor expressed defeat.

  “Don’t worry about it. We’ll take the rig to the coast to Stuart. We always sell well there on the weekends. We’ll pick up the snowbird trade and some of our patrons from West Palm will drive over to see us. This will all blow over.”

  I sounded confident, but was I correct? How long would it take the people in Sabal Bay to forget? Maybe the best we could hope for was for them to forgive us our Yankee intrusion into what they saw as their business.

  Alex drove up shortly after the lunch hour. He didn’t stay long, only long enough to tell me he had taken the case and that he’d assured Mr. Lightwind I would not be interfering.

  “Thanks a lot,” I yelled at him as he strode back to his car.

  To round out the day’s unpleasantness, Sammy returned after visiting Grandfather and conferring with Mr. Lightwind.

  “I understand you recommended Alex to Mr. Lightwind. So should I assume it’s back on with you two?” He towered over me in a confrontational stance, his voice cold and clipped.

  I sighed. Much as I adored Sammy and Alex, these men wanted to intrude into my life in ways I didn’t like. Both of them were trying to make me feel responsible for things I had no control over. I was a curious gal. That was my nature, a special compound in my DNA. I was proud of it. I had been helpful on numerous occasions. Grandfather could verify how useful I’d been in trapping those Russian mobsters. I knew the difference between friendship and something more. I’d made that very clear to Alex. Well no, not really. We never got around to discussing exactly what our relationship was now. Maybe it only felt different to me. Maybe we did need to talk about it. As for Sammy’s comments about Alex, I could only say that Alex was a damn good detective, especially when he had me to help him.

  Grandy sunk her fingers into my shoulder and squeezed, a signal I should keep my cool.

  I hated having Sammy angry at me, so I decided to play nice or at least as nice as I knew how.

  “What we need to focus on here is getting Grandfather out of jail. Alex is the best person to help with that, don’t you think? You’ve seen him work. Can you think of anyone better?” I reached out and touched Sammy on the arm, while looking up into his face as beseechingly as I knew how.

  Sammy’s eyes softened from the black of obsidian to the warm brown of milk chocolate. So compelling was his gaze that I almost forgot what we were discussing.

  “You’re right,” he conceded. “Grandfather told me I shouldn’t come here with anger in my heart. He said I’d only be using you as a scapegoat for the authorities—how wrong they were to arrest him.” His eyes welled up with tears. “I love that old man. He’s my life.”

  I pulled Sammy toward me and put my arms around his waist. “I love him, too. He has the best team working on this. He’ll be out of there before you know it.”

  Grandy and Madeleine joined me in hugging Sammy. When we stepped back, I knew all of us felt better because we’d been able to reach out to one another. It was more than a hug of comfort. It was as if we were transferring some kind of healing energy. Looking into the eyes of the others, I knew they felt it too.

  “Well,” I said, clearing my throat, “I guess we’d better close up for the day.”

  My call to shutter the rig must have brought Madelei
ne’s thoughts back to our business issues. The light in her eyes dimmed and her face drained of color.

  “Oh, honey,” I said, “I know you’re worried about the business, but everything will be fine.”

  “Do you really think so? I think we’ve lost a significant portion of our clientele, and I don’t know how to win them back. No one will work for us to fix up our new shop, and we can’t do it ourselves. Not that it matters. Nobody will trade there either.” Madeleine’s earlier healthy color seemed to drain from her face.

  “I told Eve I’d get her a Miccosukee company I know to do the work on the shop,” Sammy said. “I just haven’t had time to contact them yet.”

  “It doesn’t matter.” Madeleine looked as if she might burst into tears.

  “Well, this might,” said Sammy. “Grandfather told me why he wanted to speak with you, Eve.”

  “He warned me I was in danger.”

  “Yes, because he believes there is evil in that shop. He told me not to let either of you enter it until it had been cleansed of the bad spirits.”

  Madeleine snorted in disbelief. “Oh, please. You can’t mean the place is haunted? And that’s why our business is off? Don’t be silly. Ghosts or evil spirits have nothing to do with it. It’s our stance on the mud bog thing.”

  “Maybe it’s related to what’s happening to your business and maybe it’s not. Grandfather is convinced you need someone to help you cleanse the place.” Sammy looked desperate to help us, despite his own troubles. I felt grateful he was trying to cheer up Madeleine with Grandfather’s theory about what was going on. The rig wasn’t possessed but no one wanted to buy here either. But what the heck; it was worth a try. It was taking action instead of just feeling helpless while waiting for the business to fail. I touched the amulet around my neck. Who was to say Grandfather might not be correct? The store had been owned by a malevolent woman. Maybe her bad energy had contaminated the place.

  “Come on, Madeleine. Let’s give it a go,” I said.

  She perked up a bit. “Okay. Why not? We have nothing to lose. Now don’t forget that all of you are coming by my house tonight for dinner.”