by Carly Winter
Touché. I hadn't had a drop.
The grass seemed to stretch for miles. To the left stood a forest of pine trees, and to the right were amazing views of the red rocks. I had to admit, it was a very pretty place to spend the day.
Adam hurried out of the clubhouse and slid in the driver's seat. “Ready?”
“Yes,” I replied. “But there’s one more thing I think you should know.”
“What’s that?”
“I have a lawyer from California staying with me who says he has a license to practice in Arizona. He said he was at a hotel but he needed a quiet place to meet his clients. As Ruby pointed out, there is a pretty low chance that there are two lawyers from California here who are working right after a murder has taken place. I think it may be Belinda's guy.”
“Holy cow,” Adam whispered. “What's his name?”
“O'Malley.”
Adam sighed and shook his head. “Unbelievable. That's him. Why didn’t you tell me about this yesterday?”
“Honestly, I forgot about it. I was too worried about revealing what Ruby and I had been up to at the hotel.”
“Fair enough,” Adam said. “I’m assuming Ruby’s been visiting him as well?”
“Yes,” I said. “But she hasn’t reported much of anything except Belinda and Nancy’s room number.”
“Not much going on in there,” Ruby said. “Besides, I don’t speak legalese very well.”
With her record, I would think she’d be well-versed, but then again, she’d never been accused of murder.
“Let’s get moving,” Adam said, starting the cart.”
“Woohoo!” Ruby yelled.
I sighed as I pulled on my baseball hat.
“Now remember, Art and Trevor had a tee-off time fifteen minutes ago,” Adam said. “We should be able to catch up to them without a problem.”
“Got it,” I replied. “We're supposed to be surprised when we run into them.”
“Exactly,” Adam said, snickering. “And the fun tidbit of today: according to Ruby's jacket, she was arrested at this golf course for streaking a few years before she died.”
“Aww... he remembers my record!” Ruby gushed. “That's so darn sweet.”
“Why in the world would you strip down on a golf course?” I asked.
“Why not? The urge overcame me.”
“I'm guessing that beer woman you mentioned had visited you a few times,” I said.
“Well, yes, she had. You're very perceptive, Bernie.”
“Okay, let's get out of here,” Adam said, pulling onto the trail.
“Can you tell him to drive faster?” Ruby asked. “What is he? A hundred and two?”
When we reached the first hole, Adam exited the cart and went to the back to pull out a club. As he lined up his shot on the tee, Ruby also got out and began to dance. “What a beautiful day!” she yelled as she bounced around Adam. “Bet you can't hit me, copper! Give it your best shot!”
Clueless to the chaos that had descended on him, Adam stared straight ahead, managing his grip on the club.
“Come on, copper! What are you waiting for? Christmas? A written invitation? Hey, batter, batter, batter... swing!”
He gazed at the ball at his feet and slowly raised the club behind him. For a second, he froze, then brought his club down and turned to me. “She's right here, isn't she?” he called. “Is she taunting me? I swear I feel like someone is taunting me.”
I nodded and burst out laughing as Ruby continued her antics.
“Ruby, I can't concentrate!” he said, laughing. “Knock it off, woman!”
Thrilled that she was being addressed, Ruby only became louder and after a minute, lay down right on the tee in fits of giggles.
Adam finally got his shot off, and they walked back to the cart, side by side.
“What was she doing?” he asked, sliding in.
I shook my head and smiled. “You don't want to know.”
“I can't see her, I can't hear her, but I swear I'm beginning to sense when she's around.”
“Ha!” Ruby shouted. “I'm going to be testing you on that one, copper!”
We drove up ahead to the second hole. More antics ensued. Adam told Ruby to leave him alone, but of course, this only drove her to become more annoying. Was he really beginning to sense when she was near him, or was he just saying that?
He shot the ball, and by the third hole, we'd caught up with Trevor and Art. The silly mood quickly became more serious.
“Okay, here we go,” Adam said. “The tall, bald guy is Trevor. The other one is Art. Remember, we're just two people enjoying a golf game and we've run into them.”
“Right. Is there one we should be paying more attention to than the other?”
“Well, Nancy said Art was the last one to join the group on the cliff after Harold had been pushed, so let's keep an eye on him.”
I nodded, suddenly nervous. It was one thing to spy on people, but to confront them face to face gave me sweaty palms.
“Let's grab you a club and mosey on over.”
I exited the cart with him and he handed me one. Together, we strode up to the tee.
“What a surprise to find you two here!” Adam said, once we'd arrived. The men turned at his voice. As their faces fell, I knew they weren't happy to have the police interfere with their day on the course.
“What can we do for you, Deputy?” Art asked.
“Nothing! Nothing at all,” Adam said. “We're just out enjoying this beautiful day.”
Art turned back to the course and lined up his shot.
“Nicely done,” Adam said after he'd swung. “Looks like you're going to be right on target.”
Next up was Trevor. He cursed after his ball veered into the trees.
“Listen, I just realized that I do have a couple of questions for you guys,” Adam said. “Can we talk for a few minutes?”
The two men exchanged glances.
“Or I could have you come down to the station,” Adam continued. “Personally, I'd much rather stay out here and I promise not to take too much of your time. It's a gorgeous day, isn't it?”
“What do you want?” Trevor said.
“Just a couple follow-up questions.”
“Go ahead.”
“You two didn't know Belinda, Harold, and Nancy. Correct?”
“We've already answered this,” Art grumbled. “We live in Seattle. They're from Los Angeles, if I remember correctly. How in the heck would we know them?”
Adam nodded but I wasn't buying the answer. The world figuratively grew smaller every day, the internet playing an important role. People virtually gathered from all over the globe. It was quite possible that someone from Seattle knew another from Los Angeles.
Still, there was no way to prove them wrong.
“Trevor, you and Harold almost came to blows. Is that right?”
The tall, bald man nodded. “That guy was a sorry excuse for a human being. Yes, I wanted to rearrange his jaw, but I didn't kill him.”
“And where were you two when Harold was killed?”
“Both of us had wandered as far away from that crew as we could,” Art said. “We'd paid good money for the tour, and we wanted to enjoy it. I'd noticed that Harold and Belinda had walked toward one side of the cliff, so Trevor and I went the opposite way. The moon that night was spectacular.”
“So you two were together the whole time up there?”
Trevor and Art exchanged glances and nodded.
I recalled in Nancy's statement to the police that she mentioned Art being the last one to join the group when Jack whistled for everyone to return to the Jeep. Either she'd been mistaken, or lied, or these two were having trouble recalling the truth.
“If you had to make a guess, who would you say killed Harold?” Adam asked.
I found the question interesting because he was acting as if he'd cleared the men from suspicion, but he obviously hadn't or we wouldn't be out on the golf course orchestrating a run-in.
“I have no idea,” Trevor said. “Belinda seemed like she was drunk, so I'm not sure if she even had the strength to push her husband. But if I had to guess, I'd say it was her.”
“Same here,” Art said, nodding his head. “That woman has some problems, though.”
“When can we head home?” Trevor asked. “We'd like to return to Seattle as soon as possible.”
“I really appreciate you guys hanging out,” Adam said. “We're close to making an arrest, so maybe two to three days, if not sooner.”
“You're going to make an arrest?” Art asked, pushing his mirrored sunglasses up his nose.
“Yes,” Adam replied. “We're just tying up some loose ends, but an arrest is imminent.”
“That's great news,” Trevor piped up, smiling.
“I'll see you two later,” Adam said. “Enjoy your game!”
As we strode back to the cart, I glanced over my shoulder to find the two men talking to each other. What were they saying?
“Go back to the cart,” I said to Adam, handing him my club. “Ruby and I are going to listen in.”
“Wait!” Adam hissed. “Bernie, don’t!”
After making sure they weren't looking in my direction, I dashed over to the forest area, Ruby trailing behind me. Crouching behind a tree, I noted Trevor had one hand fisted at his side while their faces were inches apart. Things seemed to be getting a little heated. Spying a tree with a thick trunk, I ran up to it and braced my back against it. “See if you can get close enough to hear anything,” I whispered to Ruby.
“Aye, aye, Captain,” she said, saluting me.
I peeked around the trunk to find her a few feet away from the arguing men. They may have been upset, but they spoke in low, harsh tones. She tried to move forward, but our tether held her in place. With no other trees to hide behind, I was as close as I could get.
Adam drove by slowly and stopped in an area where he and the cart would be hidden from Art and Trevor. I pressed myself against the trunk as though I may become one with it, the bark digging into my back. My breath came in short spurts and my heart thundered while I tried to think of excuses I’d give for hiding in the trees if the two men caught me. The only thing that came to mind was the need to pee. At least I was in Adam's sightline, so I relaxed a little. If I was discovered, Adam could come to my rescue if need be.
Not daring to look around the tree again, I waited for Ruby to return and strained to overhear the conversation. Unfortunately, a noisy crow also decided to let his presence be known in the branches above me. Any hopes I had of picking up bits and pieces were quickly swept away with the breeze.
The moments stretched on and finally Ruby showed herself at my side.
“What happened?” I whispered.
“Stay here just a little while longer,” she said. “They're walking the course, so they don't have a cart. They just left, but they'd still be able to see you.”
She stood next to me whistling while rocking from her toes to her heels, her hands laced behind her back. I remained still as I waited for her to give me the all-clear.
“Okay, we're good to move,” she finally said, heading toward Adam in the awaiting cart. I let out a breath I didn't realize I'd been holding and followed. Relief washed through me when I glanced over my shoulder and didn't find any sign of Art or Trevor.
“What happened?” Adam asked as I slid into the seat next to him, Ruby following me.
“Yes, what happened?” I asked, turning to my ghost.
“Not a lot,” Ruby said. “It was hard to hear them. I wanted to move closer, but I couldn't.”
“Did you understand anything they said?” I asked.
Ruby shrugged. “I thought I heard them say that 'they have to let her know.'”
“Let who know what?”
“I have no idea. If it relates to the murder, the only two chicks involved are Belinda and Nancy,” Ruby said. “And they all claim they've never met. But then again, it may be one of them has to call his wife and tell her he's on his way home in a few days.”
“What's she saying?” Adam asked as he drove.
After I relayed the information, he banged his hand on the steering wheel. “I was hoping we'd get something more out of this trip.”
“Like what?” I asked.
“Beats me,” Adam muttered. “You scared me to death darting into the forest like that, Bernie.”
“I'm sorry,” I said, guilt settling heavily in my chest. “I saw an opportunity for Ruby to listen in on them and I took it.”
“I'm not upset with you. It's everything about this case. I appreciate you and Ruby more than you'll ever know. I just wish you would’ve given me notice on what you intended to do.”
Feeling a little bit better about everything, I squeezed his hand. “It was a spur of the moment idea.”
Adam chuckled. “I could see that.”
Of course, Adam was correct. What I had done could have been very dangerous.
“Are we heading back now?” I hoped the day of golf would be blessedly cut short.
“No!” Ruby wailed. “Dang it! We’re just getting started!”
I didn’t relay her sentiments of opposition.
“Yeah, I guess we better,” Adam said, sighing. “I've got to figure out who they're discussing and what information needs to be passed on. This dang case makes no sense to me.”
Chapter Fourteen
Ruby and I headed home and she complained the whole way. Once we were inside, she disappeared—probably to her tunnel, which was fine with me. I needed a little time alone before Adam swung by after he made a stop at the office. He said he'd shouldn't be more than an hour.
The low tone of Mr. O'Malley's voice filtered down the staircase. I debated whether to head upstairs and listen in. Now I was waist-deep in this case and determined to find out who had killed Harold, not only to help Adam, but because he was right: the case made no sense, and I had the distinct feeling more than one person was lying. Not that I expected a murderer to be an honest, law-abiding citizen, but I hated liars—a trait Ruby and I both shared.
I climbed the stairs, avoiding the spots where they creaked. When I reached his room, I carefully pressed my head against the panel.
“How's Daddy's little girl?” O'Malley said. “I miss you.”
I retreated quickly. I wouldn't be garnering any important information listening to him talk to his child. Although, he’d definitely had the kid later in life, or he was much younger than he appeared. With his bald head and extra tire around the middle, I pegged him to be in his late fifties or early sixties.
As I threw my baseball cap onto the rocking chair and fell onto the bed with a long sigh, my phone vibrated in my pocket. With a groan I pulled it out and read the notification I had a reservation in two days. At least I didn't have to do a deep clean on any of the rooms—just a quick spot check.
As my mind wandered while I waited for Adam, I couldn't help but think of Darla. I hoped she was okay and her mother would call me with an update when she had the chance.
I must have drifted off because the next thing I knew, a tapping at the back door in the kitchen woke me and I found Elvira sitting on my chest, purring loudly. “I didn't feel you climb aboard,” I said, stroking her back. “But I have to go answer that.”
Setting her aside, I rose from the bed and strode out into the kitchen. Adam smiled as I opened the door.
“Is O'Malley here?” he whispered, shifting his backpack from one hand to the other.
“I think so,” I replied. “He was when I got home, but I just woke up so I'm not sure if he left or not.”
“I thought I'd come in the back way to avoid seeing him,” he said.
Smart idea. He wouldn't like the officer investigating his clients' murder hanging around. “Let's go into my bedroom,” I replied.
Adam sat on the bed and I took the rocking chair. After unzipping his backpack, he pulled out his laptop and fired it up. A moment later, he handed it over
to me. “This is the transcript of the police interview with Trevor. You can skip to the second page. The first is just his name, age, address and all that garbage. I highlighted what I want you to read.”
I scrolled down to the second page and read the yellow area.
* * *
Q: What can you tell me about that night?
A: I can tell you Harold was a jerk and I'm not sad he's gone.
* * *
Q: That seems to be a recurring sentiment. Tell me about when you arrived up at the cliffs.
A: I couldn't wait to get out of the Jeep. It was like a pressure cooker in there.
* * *
Q: It's my understanding that you and Harold almost came to blows.
A: That's true. He did threaten to fight me.
* * *
Q: Where did you go once you were on top of the cliff?
A: Art and I walked over to the opposite edge of where Harold and his wife had gone. I couldn't wait for the tour to be over and we talked about maybe asking for our money back.
* * *
Q: That bad, huh?
A: Yeah. But it wasn't Jack's fault, so we decided against asking for the refund.
* * *
Q: When was the next time you saw Belinda?
A: When Jack whistled for us all to return.
* * *
Q: Did she seem okay at that point?
A: Yes. A little off-balance, but yes.
* * *
Q: In regard to who came back to the Jeep in what order, where did she fall?
A: She was the last one.
* * *
Wait. Was that right?
I glanced up at Adam. “Didn't I read Nancy thought Trevor was the last one back to the Jeep?”
“I'll have to double-check to be certain, but yes, it rings a bell.”
Returning my gaze to the screen, I continued reading.
* * *
Q: And you didn't know anyone from the group, correct?
