Pelicans, Piers and Poison

by Cindy Bell

  Pilot nudged her hand with his head. He looked up at her with wide eyes.

  “It’s okay, boy.” Mary smiled at him as she stroked his head.

  “I think he can tell that your knees are bothering you.” Suzie frowned. “Is the medicine not helping anymore?”

  “I try not to take too much of it.” Mary cleared her throat. “Do you think the chef might have planned this ahead of time?”

  “That is definitely possible, but I’m not sure that it adds up for me. If he planned to poison someone last night, then why was he so stressed over getting the food prepared? Why did he care if he was doing a good job or not? And why just one person?” Suzie frowned. “If someone does something like that, don’t they want to make a big splash and get lots of attention?”

  “That’s a good question. It’s probably best answered by the man himself.” Mary reached down to pet Pilot. “Any chance that Jason will let us speak to him?”

  “I doubt it. He’s their prime suspect and he’s keeping him under lock and key.” Suzie raised an eyebrow. “But there might be someone else we can speak to, to get a better idea of exactly how the poison was put into the food, and what kind of poison it was. Why don’t we meet Summer for lunch?”

  “Do you think she’ll be free?” Mary gave Pilot a treat.

  “Only one way to find out.” Suzie pulled out her phone and dialed Summer’s number. After three rings, Summer answered.

  “Suzie, I was wondering when I would hear from you.” Her voice wavered with amusement.

  “Would you like to meet for lunch?” Suzie smiled.

  “Sure. I can be at the diner in thirty. I could use a break from all of this.” Summer ended the call.

  “We have a lunch date, Mary.” Suzie stood up and clipped Pilot’s leash on. “I’ll take Pilot for a quick walk, then we can head over to the diner.”

  “Great.” Mary grabbed her phone as it rang. “Hello?” She paused, then nodded. “Yes, I’ll put some in your room.” She ended the call. “That was Ginger, she wanted to know if she can have some more shampoo, or if she needed to buy some. I guess they are definitely still planning to stay.”

  “That’s good news.” Suzie smiled as she led Pilot out through the sliding glass doors.

  Mary pulled open the door to the diner and held it for Suzie so that she could walk through. Familiar smells greeted her, a bit of grease, a bit of ketchup, and the air freshener that pumped out tiny bursts of flowery scents. She crinkled up her nose and held her breath.

  “There she is.” Suzie grabbed Mary’s hand and led her to a table where the medical examiner, Jason’s wife, sat. “Hi Summer.”

  “I ordered us some chicken fingers and fries.” Summer stood up and hugged each of them, then settled back in her chair. “Sorry, I’m starving, and I know that you both like them.”

  “It’s perfect, thanks.” Mary sat down across from her. “I’m guessing this is the first break you’ve had?”

  “Just about.” Summer nodded, then took a sip of her soda. “I’ve been running every test I could, and I think at this point I’m finally done. I’m just waiting for a few final results, but nothing is expected to be out of the ordinary on those.”

  “Has Jason contacted you?” Suzie smiled at the waitress as she delivered their plates of food. After she and Mary ordered their drinks, she turned her attention back to Summer. “About the mashed potatoes?”

  “Yes, he did. That was a great help, Suzie. I was able to identify that the source of the poison was in one bowl, which put us all at ease that it’s likely no one else ingested any poison.” Summer shook her head. “I was very concerned that we might have quite a few cases of poisoning on our hands, but now I’m pretty much convinced that Jerome was targeted.”

  “Can you tell me a little bit more about the poison that was used?” Mary settled back in her chair and picked up one of her chicken fingers. She eyed it for a minute, then set it back down on her plate.

  “The poison that was used, isn’t a common household product.” Summer took a bite of her chicken and closed her eyes as she savored it.

  “So, it wouldn’t be hanging around in a restaurant?” Suzie dipped a fry into some ketchup and popped it into her mouth.

  “No. There’s really no reason for it to be in the restaurant. In some cases, it is used in medications, but other than that it is primarily used for medical research. It is not harmful or lethal in small doses, but obviously in high doses it can be deadly. Chemists like Ginger might use it in their lab to test out different reactions to it.” Summer shrugged. “If someone had it in that kitchen, it was on purpose. This isn’t something that can just be purchased. I would expect a scientist, or maybe a pharmacist to have access to it, but not your average person.”

  “Can’t you get just about everything on the internet?” Mary nibbled a tiny bit of her chicken finger.

  “There are some poisons that you could come across on the internet. But not this one. This one is highly regulated, and I just don’t see how an average person would have access to it, unless it was given to them or someone they know for medical reasons.” Summer frowned as she looked at Mary. “Aren’t you hungry?”

  “Yes, I am.” Mary nodded. “All this talk of poison is making it hard for me to enjoy this. I’ve never thought about just how vulnerable food in a restaurant is. I mean, we have no idea who exactly is handling it, or what might be getting put in it.”

  “You can’t let yourself fixate on that. Yes, it’s true, we don’t have much control over our food, even what we buy in the grocery store. But cases of intentional poisoning are extremely rare, and not something that you should be worried about in your everyday life.” Summer took a big bite of her chicken finger. “See? Not worried.”

  “I guess I am being a little silly.” Mary smiled.

  “I don’t think you’re being silly at all.” Suzie narrowed her eyes. “In fact, this reminds me of something.”

  “What’s that?” Mary looked over at her.

  “How Sam and Ginger have avoided eating just about everything at Dune House.” Suzie pointed a fry at Mary. “They said they would get their meals elsewhere, remember?”

  “Yes?” Mary shook her head. “Why is that important?”

  “Because who would be more cautious about their food than someone who planned to poison someone else? It would make you paranoid, wouldn’t it?” Suzie raised an eyebrow.

  “That’s a good point.” Mary nodded slowly. “But they had no problem with going out to eat at Pelicans on the Pier.”

  “Maybe they went there in order to put poison in the food, but they didn’t actually eat any food there. I mean, Ginger is the one suspect that we know of that probably had access to the hard-to-get poison that was used to kill Jerome.” Suzie looked back at Summer. “I’d say that this case is pretty cut and dry.”

  “Unfortunately, suspicion isn’t going to be enough.” Summer leaned across the table and lowered her voice. “Without proof, some kind of evidence that connects them directly to the crime, it’s not going to be enough to warrant an arrest. And, it shouldn’t be.” She looked between the two of them. “The chemical might be hard for most people to access, but that doesn’t make it impossible. We can’t just assume that because of Ginger’s profession she had something to do with this. She might never have worked with it at all. I have no idea what she does in her workplace.”

  “That’s true.” Suzie signaled to the waitress. When she walked over, she smiled at her. “Can we have to-go boxes please?”

  “Leaving already?” Summer picked up another chicken strip.

  “Sorry Summer, but I think the best chance we have of finding out what Ginger was working with, is to spend some time with her, and Sam. Maybe we can find out something that will help.”

  “And they’ll be leaving town by tomorrow more than likely.” Mary narrowed her eyes. “We need to find out what we can, fast.” She scraped her food into the to-go box she was handed. “Summer, thanks for the
information.”

  “Sure, I think Jason is going to speak to them in more depth.” Summer frowned. “If you do speak to them be careful. Don’t push things too hard, or they might get the idea that you suspect them.”

  “We’ll be careful.” Mary nodded. On the way out the door she slipped the waitress the money to cover all of their meals, as well as a tip. “Make sure that she gets a piece of chocolate cake, too. She loves that.” Mary winked at her, then followed Suzie out the door.

  “That was sweet of you, Mary.” Suzie flashed her a smile as they walked to the car. “Do you think Sam and Ginger will be at the house?”

  “I’m not sure. But it’s a good first place to check. Either way, I’m getting rid of anything that’s open in the fridge.” Mary frowned.

  “Do you really think they might have put something in our food?” Suzie pulled open the door to the car and looked across the top of it at Mary.

  “I’m not sure what to think. But I’m not going to take any chances.” Mary met Suzie’s eyes. “I think we need to be cautious, extremely cautious, especially if we’re going to continue looking into this. Summer is right, if the killer suspects that we have figured something out, then we might become targets, too.” She shuddered at the thought.

  “You’re right. From now on, we only eat what we make, from our own kitchen.” Suzie frowned.

  As they drove back towards Dune House, Mary’s heart pounded. She hated the thought of suspecting Ginger and Sam, but at the moment she didn’t see any other options.

  Chapter 10

  Suzie felt some relief as she pulled into the parking lot of Dune House and spotted Sam and Ginger’s rental car parked there.

  “It looks like they’re home.” She parked beside their car.

  “And alone in the house.” Mary looked over at her with a tight frown. “Who knows what they might be doing.”

  “Let’s try not to get too paranoid, Mary.” Suzie met her eyes. “We don’t know if they were involved in anything yet.”

  “And we don’t know if they weren’t.” Mary stepped out of the car.

  Suzie frowned as she watched Mary walk ahead of her. She hated to see Mary worried. But she couldn’t blame her for being concerned.

  When they stepped inside, Ginger and Sam were just past the foyer, in the dining room.

  “Hi there.” Suzie smiled at them both. “I’m glad we caught you. I just wanted to make sure that you have everything that you need.”

  “Yes, I think we’re just fine.” Ginger nodded to her and smiled in return. “We went on a nice, long hike this morning.”

  “Long, very long.” Sam reached down and rubbed the fronts of his thighs. “I don’t think I’m built for the outdoor life.”

  “You did good once we got started.” Ginger winked at him.

  “I’m going to lay down for a bit.” Sam glanced between Suzie and Mary, then looked at the stairs in the kitchen. “It’s been a busy morning.”

  “Oh Sam, I wanted to go to the beach.” Ginger frowned as she caught his hand.

  “Ginger, I can’t.” He sighed as he looked at her. “I know that you want to get every last minute of activity out of this vacation, but I need to rest. You know that I didn’t get much sleep last night.”

  “I know.” Ginger released his hand and nodded. “You’re right. Go on, I’ll be up in a minute.”

  “Or, if you’d like, we could all go for a stroll on the beach.” Suzie smiled at Ginger. “I’m sure Pilot would enjoy a chance to get a good run in.”

  “Really?” Ginger’s lips quirked up into a smile. “I’d love that, a girls’ trip to the beach.”

  “Yes.” Mary grinned. “I’ll pack us some drinks so that way we can enjoy the sunny afternoon. If we have a few more days like this, the water will start to warm up. Too bad you two can’t stay a little longer.”

  “I have been trying to talk Sam into staying a bit longer.” Ginger slid her hands back through her hair. “We could really use the break. But he’s too logical to agree.”

  “I bet you could use a break.” Suzie grabbed the soft-sided cooler from Mary that she had stocked with bottles of water and ice packs and slung it over her shoulder. “I imagine your work can be very demanding.”

  “Demanding isn’t the right word.” Ginger shook her head as she followed them to the door. “I don’t think there’s been a word invented in the English language that could describe the pressure I am under most days.”

  “That sounds awful.” Mary opened the door, and Pilot bolted past her, straight for the sand.

  “It is rough sometimes. I get a lot of pressure to produce results that certain companies want, but that’s not always what happens, and then I have to endure their reactions. I think I get yelled at more than someone working in retail.” Ginger descended the steps to the trail that led to the beach.

  “I’m glad you’re getting a little break then.” Suzie matched her pace. “I wish it could be longer.”

  “Me, too.” Ginger laughed as Pilot bounded after a seagull.

  “Couldn’t you just decide to stay?” Mary glanced over at her. “Or does Sam make those decisions?”

  “Oh no, it’s nothing like that.” Ginger grinned. “Trust me, I’m usually the one making the final call. But in this case, he’s right. We’ve been having some financial trouble, and we have a plan to get things straightened out. The more we stray from the plan, the less likely it’s going to happen. So, he does remind me of that and try to keep me on track. But his job isn’t as pressured as mine. I guess he can’t understand why I’d rather be out playing in the sun, instead of back home working to pay off our debt.” She cleared her throat. “Don’t get me wrong, we have enough money, but we were both hoping to retire early and do some traveling, so we’re trying to tighten our budget like crazy. I had to convince him to come on this trip.”

  “I bet you needed it.” Mary shook her head. “It sounds like any time away from your work would be helpful.”

  “I did need it. I love what I do. I love getting to explore chemicals, and potentially come across breakthroughs. But it is never going to be relaxing. Actually, the only reason we were able to come is because there was a spill at the lab, and it closed for the week.” Ginger picked up a piece of driftwood and tossed it across the sand for Pilot to fetch.

  “That sounds scary.” Suzie squinted against the sunlight as she looked at her. “What happened?”

  “I’m not sure exactly. Someone on the janitorial staff apparently got into something they shouldn’t have and spilled some chemicals all over the floor. Of course, he claims that it wasn’t him, that he just found it like that, but he can’t prove it. He says that there were signs that someone broke in. Anyway, my boss is investigating it and no matter what happened it was unpredictable how the chemicals would react together, so they brought in a special cleaning crew and wanted to give the lab time to air out before anyone is allowed back in.”

  “Aren’t there cameras in the lab, to show if the janitor did it?” Mary tugged the stick free from Pilot’s mouth and tossed it again for him.

  “Not inside the lab. There are some outside the lab, but they’re not always working. The company that owns the lab insists on no cameras inside because some of the work we do is classified. It’s too much of a risk to have any of our activity recorded.” Ginger laughed as Pilot splashed into the water and snapped at a wave that rushed towards him.

  “Wow, it sounds like you might as well be in a spy movie.” Mary kicked a bit of sand into the air. “It might be stressful, but I’m sure it’s very important work.”

  “I like to think so.” Ginger paused and turned to look out over the water. “But then I see beauty like this, and I think about how many hours a day I’m stuck inside, peering through microscopes, sifting through deadly chemicals, and I wonder what is really more important.” She took a deep breath of the salty air. “You two were smart. You combined your work with living in such an amazing place.”

  “M
aybe.” Suzie stepped up to the water beside her. “But running a bed and breakfast isn’t going to save lives. Medications can help save lives. You’re responsible for developing medications, aren’t you?”

  “Yes. That’s true.” A faint smile passed across Ginger’s lips. “It does feel good when I hear that I’ve been involved in developing a treatment for something serious. I had a part in creating heart medication for a condition that strikes mostly women, in their early forties. Many times, they don’t even think about having heart issues, and by the time they’re diagnosed it’s too late. But with this medication, they’re getting a longer life.” She took another deep breath. “Thank you for reminding me of that. It does make the pressure worth it when I feel like I’m making a difference.”

  “You do make a difference.” Suzie smiled. “But that doesn’t mean you don’t deserve a vacation. There’s some beach chairs set up ahead. Why not soak up some sun for a little while?”

  “That sounds perfect.” Ginger nodded, then headed up the beach towards the chairs.

  Mary stepped closer to Suzie. “Interesting, hmm?”

  “Very.” Suzie crossed her arms as she watched Ginger grow smaller. By all accounts she seemed sweet and harmless, still, a shiver crept up along Suzie’s spine.

  Chapter 11

  While Ginger was on the beach, and Sam was upstairs resting, Mary took the time to clean out the refrigerator. Although she did think she was being a little paranoid, she knew she wouldn’t be able to rest until she was sure that there was nothing that could put any of them at risk. She even tossed out Pilot’s dog food and washed both of his bowls, just in case. By the time she was done, she was a little worn out.

  Mary stepped out onto the deck just in time to see Ginger walking back towards the house. She watched the woman approach and tried to imagine her putting poison in Jerome’s food. It was unlikely that she had access to the kitchen, so she would have had to put it in at the table. Wouldn’t someone else have noticed that? Someone who sat close to them, or someone that served the food? She knew that Sean had made no mention of seeing anything suspicious. But he had also told Suzie that it was very busy, and he was feeling overwhelmed. Maybe the chaos in the restaurant was enough to cover up someone slipping a bit of poison into someone’s mashed potatoes. She waved to Ginger, but the woman didn’t wave back. Something else had her attention.