Pelicans, Piers and Poison

by Cindy Bell

  Mary looked in the direction that she did and saw a police officer and a man in a suit walking towards Ginger. Mary clenched her teeth. She knew that Suzie had sent Jason a text letting him know that Sam and Ginger were at the house. It was only a matter of time before someone was sent over to question them. However, these men didn’t lead Ginger towards the house. Instead they remained a few feet away from the porch with her.

  Ginger took a step back and shook her head.

  Mary couldn’t hear what she said at first, then Ginger’s voice grew louder.

  “That is ridiculous. How could you even ask me that?”

  Mary’s muscles tensed. She could feel the tension between Ginger and the man in the suit rising. She decided to get a little closer, just in case things got out of hand.

  “Ma’am, I just need to ask you a few more questions.” The man spoke in a calm, but stern voice.

  “You can’t. You can’t ask me questions like that. How horrifying. I was there last night. Obviously, you know that. I saw what happened to that poor man. To think that you would even consider that I would do something like that is highly offensive.” Ginger’s voice wavered, followed by a faint gasp.

  “It’s important that we find out everything we can about what happened last night.” The man softened his tone.

  As Mary neared the pair, she recognized the man. It was Detective Kirk Rondella, Jason’s partner.

  “I’ve been trying to forget about it all day.” Ginger wiped at her eyes as she took a shaky breath. “My poor husband couldn’t sleep at all. He kept thinking that his stomach was upset, he had a headache. I thought I was going to have to take him to the hospital because he was so scared that he ate something that had been poisoned.” She frowned. “That’s not bad enough? Now you’re asking me if I did it?”

  “That’s not what I’m asking, ma’am.” Kirk shifted his feet. He glanced briefly at Mary, then looked back at Ginger. “I’m asking if you have ever worked with the particular substance that was used to commit this crime.”

  “I can’t answer that. I won’t.” Ginger took a big step back and held up her hands. “I know my rights. You can’t force me to incriminate myself.”

  “I’m not trying to force you to do anything.” Kirk’s eyes remained on her. “However, it does always look better if you’re willing to cooperate with an investigation.”

  “I won’t be intimidated.” Ginger caught sight of Mary. “Can you believe this? Did you hear what he asked me?”

  “I’m sorry, Ginger, I’m not sure what’s going on.” Mary stepped closer to her. Her eyes darted from Ginger, to Kirk, and back again. “But I do know that Detective Rondella is just trying to do his job. I’m sure it’s not easy for him to ask these questions.”

  “His job is not to accuse me of murder.” Ginger crossed her arms. “His job is to find out who actually killed this man. Now, are you going to arrest me, or can I go?” She looked back at Kirk.

  “I’m not here to arrest you, ma’am. But if you’d be willing to answer a few more questions for me, I would greatly appreciate it.” Kirk held up one hand. “I’m just looking for information here. You may have more knowledge about this particular drug than anyone else right now. To be honest, we could use your help.”

  “My help?” Ginger narrowed her eyes. Her voice sharpened as she spoke. “How stupid do you think I am? If I give you any of my expert help, it will just make me look more guilty, and you won’t call me cooperative when you put the cuffs on my wrists, will you?”

  “Again, I’m not here to arrest you.” Kirk frowned. “Here’s my card.” He held out a business card to her. “If you change your mind, and would like to share any information with me, please contact me.”

  “Sure, I’ll do that.” Ginger pursed her lips as she snatched the card from his hand.

  “Mary.” Kirk nodded to her, then turned and walked back towards the parking lot.

  “This is insane. Absolutely insane.” Ginger scowled at Kirk’s back. Then she took a sharp breath and turned to look at Mary. “This is because of you, isn’t it?” She stared hard at her. “After what we talked about earlier, you called the police and told them, didn’t you?”

  “No Ginger, I didn’t.” Mary caught her hand and gave it a light rub. “I understand why you’re upset, but the police are going to question everyone who was there that night. Everyone who might have seen something, might know something. It’s the only way they’re going to find the killer. I know it’s hard to be questioned like that, but please try not to take it personally.”

  “This is all just too much.” Ginger pulled her hand away, then walked past Mary, into the house.

  Mary watched as Ginger slid the door shut behind her. It was clear that Ginger was shaken up by Kirk’s visit. But why? Was it because she was offended that she was questioned, or was it because she was surprised that they figured it out so fast?

  With her heart still pounding, Mary walked back into the house as well. As she stepped in, she found Suzie in the dining room, staring at the stairs that led to the second floor.

  Mary slid the door shut, as Suzie turned to look at her.

  “What’s with Ginger? She just blew past me and ignored me when I tried to ask her what was wrong.” Suzie frowned. “Did something happen? Are you okay?”

  “Kirk just questioned her about the murder.” Mary spoke in a hushed voice, afraid that Ginger might be listening in. She grabbed Suzie’s hand and pulled her close. Then she whispered in her ear. “I think we need to talk to the chef, no matter what it takes. We need to figure out what happened, before all of this spins out of control.”

  Suzie nodded in agreement. She pulled out her phone, and dialed Jason’s number. As she did, she started towards the front door.

  Mary followed after her.

  “Jason? Mary and I are coming down to the station. We were hoping to get a few minutes with the suspect you have in custody. Cody.”

  “Suzie, I don’t think that’s such a good idea.”

  “We’ll talk about it when I get there.” Suzie gestured for Mary to follow her. As they reached the car, Jason sighed in her ear.

  “Fine, I’ll be here.”

  “He sounds tired,” Suzie muttered as she ended the call. “He definitely needs some help.”

  “You don’t think it’s bothering him that we’re just going to show up and ask to talk to Cody?” Mary settled in the passenger seat.

  “Maybe, but once he understands why, he’ll be fine with it.” Suzie put the car in drive and headed for the police station. After she parked, she walked into the station with Mary at her side.

  “Are you sure about this?” Mary stepped through the door behind Suzie. “I don’t want to upset Jason.”

  “Trust me, he’s already upset, and he will continue to be upset until he puts the killer behind bars.” Suzie smiled at the officer at the desk, then walked past it into the hallway that she knew would lead to Jason’s office.

  “I’m going to see if I can find Kirk.” Mary walked off down another hallway.

  Suzie nodded to her, but continued on to Jason’s office, full of determination.

  “Suzie.” Jason greeted her at the door and gestured for her to come inside. “Why exactly do you think you need to talk to Cody?”

  “It couldn’t hurt, could it? He knows me, he might be more forthcoming with information with me.” Suzie looked into Jason’s eyes. “I know that you have already questioned him, and I’m sure that you and your officers have questioned him several times. Have you been able to make any progress?”

  “No.” Jason wiped his hand across his face, his fingers splayed over the stubble that had begun to grow on his cheeks. “In fact, we are going to release him soon if we don’t come up with something substantial to keep him in custody. Just him being in the kitchen at the time of the murder is not enough to keep him behind bars.”

  “Maybe he’d say something to me.” As Jason lowered his hand, Suzie met his eyes. “It might thr
ow him off to have someone who isn’t a police officer, someone who he knows, talk to him. I won’t question him, just act like a friend, see what I can find out.”

  “It’s certainly an unusual thing to do.” Jason frowned, as he looked at her. “But you’re right, it couldn’t hurt. Worst case scenario, he may say nothing at all.”

  “Great. Then let me talk to him.” Suzie rubbed her hands together. “I will give it my best shot. Maybe he will slip up and say something that you can use to prove his involvement.”

  “I hope so.” Jason rubbed his hand over his head. “Things didn’t go well when Kirk tried to question Ginger.”

  “I’ll do my best to convince her to be more cooperative.” Suzie walked beside him as he led her to one of the interrogation rooms.

  “We’ve already been questioning Cody this morning, so he’s inside. Here are the ground rules.” Jason turned to face her, his expression stern. “No inciting him, understand? I don’t want to hear shouting of any kind. You are not a trained interrogator. You’re not in there to get a confession. If he happens to say something that is useful, that’s great, but it’s not your job to get him to do that.”

  “I understand.” Suzie locked her eyes to his.

  “I’ll be beside you the whole time.” Jason started to open the door.

  “Jason, wait.” Suzie placed her hand over his. “Don’t you think it would be a little more surprising if I just walked in there on my own? If he sees me with you, he might just go silent. But if I walk in on my own, he’s going to be more relaxed. He will probably be more forthcoming with information.”

  “Suzie, I don’t like that idea.” Jason frowned.

  “I’ll be careful, I promise.” Suzie held his gaze. “You know I’m right, Jason.”

  “I’ll be watching.” Jason pushed the door open, but remained outside in the hall, as she stepped in.

  Chapter 12

  The click of the door closing behind Suzie made her muscles tense up. She had asked to be alone with Cody, but now that she was actually alone with him, she wondered if that was wise. His large frame huddled in a small chair. His folded arms on the table looked massive as they stretched against the t-shirt he wore.

  “Who are you?” Cody lifted his head from his arms. “What are you doing here?”

  “I’m Suzie, remember?” Suzie smiled. “I own Dune House.”

  “That’s right.” Cody cleared his throat. “Nice place.”

  “I just wanted to see how you are going.” Suzie shrugged.

  “Great, I’m behind bars for something I didn’t do.” Cody scowled.

  “Maybe I can help you with that.” Suzie sat down across from him and tried not to show the fact that her legs trembled a bit. “I thought maybe we could talk about what happened last night.”

  “How are you going to help me?”

  “Before my new life as an owner of a bed and breakfast, I used to do some investigative reporting.” Suzie shrugged. “This crime, it’s drawn my attention. Mostly because the police were so quick to arrest you. I wanted to see why that is and help you if possible.”

  “You noticed that, huh?” Cody frowned. “One minute I’m doing my job, the next I’m behind bars. Where’s the justice in that?”

  “That’s what I’m wondering. Have they been treating you okay?” Suzie studied his face.

  “So far.” Cody straightened up in his chair. “They just keep asking me the same questions over and over again.”

  “That must be frustrating.” Suzie sighed. “Have you had a chance to speak to your lawyer?”

  “This morning.” Cody nodded. “He says as long as I stay quiet and don’t give them a reason to keep me, they have to release me.”

  “That’s good, at least.” Suzie frowned. “I’m sorry they were so quick to accuse you. Why do you think they did that?”

  “I’m a criminal.” Cody shook his head. “Once you have a rap sheet, you’re always going to be the first one they slap the cuffs on.”

  “So, you don’t think it has anything to do with the fact that you were the one that was in the kitchen when this happened?” Suzie’s heart skipped a beat as she wondered if he would sense her shift in questioning.

  “Yeah, I was in the kitchen when it happened. Of course, I was. I’m the chef. So was the dishwasher, so was the sous chef, so were many members of the waitstaff. It’s ridiculous that I’m the only one behind bars.” Cody balled his hands into fists.

  “You’re right.” Suzie did her best to keep her voice steady, though the flex of his knuckles made her scoot back a little in her chair. “Did you know the man that died?”

  “No, I didn’t know him.” Cody glared at her. “Why are you really asking me all of these questions? You’re acting like you’re on my side, but you’re asking me the same questions the cops did.”

  “There’s no need to get upset, Cody. I’m just trying to figure out exactly what happened here. Did you notice anyone else in the kitchen, acting a little suspiciously? Maybe someone sneaking around?” Suzie met his eyes and hoped her voice was soothing enough to settle him down.

  “Get out.” Cody scowled at her. “I don’t want to say another word to you. You think I don’t know what you’re doing? What is this, some kind of strange good cop bad cop routine? I’ve done this dance before, lady, and I’m not interested. I’m not saying another word until I get released.” He crossed his arms and tightened his lips.

  Suzie sighed as she stood up from the table. “Suit yourself, Cody, but the only way you’re going to be able to move on from this, is if the police are able to find the real killer. You might want to think about helping them out with that.”

  He stared hard at the table and didn’t say a single word.

  Suzie knocked lightly on the door. She glanced back at Cody, whose cheeks had reddened with anger. When the door swung open, she stepped out into the hall.

  Jason closed the door behind her.

  “I’m sorry, Jason. I think I might have made things worse.”

  “Don’t be.” Jason shook his head and leaned against the door. “He said more to you than he has to anyone else. Unfortunately, it’s nothing that can help the investigation. He’ll be free to go in about an hour. I’m not sure that I’ll ever be able to get him to talk. But at least if he’s out, I can track him, see if he talks to anyone else that works at the restaurant.”

  “That’s something.” Suzie nodded as she walked beside him towards the front of the station.

  “It’s really not.” Jason spread his hands out in front of him. “But it’s all I’ve got.”

  Mary met Suzie at the front of the station. She gave Jason a short wave as he walked away.

  “I couldn’t find Kirk, I guess he’s still out working the case.” Mary slipped her hands into her pockets. “Did you have any luck with Cody?”

  “I’ll tell you about it on the drive home.” Suzie led her back out to the parking lot. In the few minutes it took to get back to Dune House she managed to recount her entire conversation with Cody. “So, you see, I got absolutely nothing from him. I know Jason is just as frustrated as I am. And tired.”

  Pilot greeted them at the door.

  “I’ll make us some coffee.” Mary hurried to the kitchen and Pilot went to his empty dish. He stood in front of it eagerly.

  “Hungry pal, let me get you some food.” As the dog food clanged into the metal bowl, Mary’s own stomach twisted with hunger. While the coffee brewed, she threw together a platter of cheese and crackers for her and Suzie to share.

  “Oh, Mary that coffee smells delicious.” Suzie walked into the kitchen and sniffed the air.

  “Perfect timing. You grab the coffee, and I’ll bring the food. Let’s eat outside so we’ll have a little privacy, just in case Sam and Ginger show up.” Mary poured coffee into two cups.

  “If they haven’t taken off yet.” Suzie cringed.

  “After the way that Ginger reacted to Kirk’s questioning, I’d be surprised if they didn’
t.” Mary followed Suzie out onto the porch and set the coffee down on the table beside the tray of food.

  “So, do you think he did it?” Mary blew some steam from her cup of coffee. “I mean, what does your gut instinct tell you?”

  “I’m just not sure.” Suzie sighed as she glanced out over the water. “I won’t say I wasn’t nervous being around him, but I know that he has a history of violence, so that is to be expected. It doesn’t mean that he’s guilty of this particular crime.” She looked back at Mary. “I have to say that he didn’t act guilty. He didn’t try to tell a bunch of lies about why he couldn’t have done it. He didn’t accuse anyone else in particular. But then he knew he was due to be released, so he might not have felt the need to deflect suspicion.” She picked up her cup of coffee. “All I know for sure is that Cody definitely had access to the food. However, I can’t put the poison in his possession. Jason hasn’t been able to find a connection to the poison, either.”

  “Remember what Ginger said earlier?” Mary took a small sip of her coffee. “She said they’d been working on a heart medication at the lab. Didn’t Summer mention something about the chemical that poisoned Jerome being used in some medications?”

  “Yes, she did.” Suzie narrowed her eyes. “What are you thinking, Mary?”

  “Well, maybe that’s how Cody got the poison. Maybe, he is taking that medication for some reason.” Mary tapped her fingertip against the table. “Maybe he crushed it up and dumped it in the potatoes.”