by Lois Schmitt
Matt held up his fingers and ticked off the three items a detective looks for in solving a crime. “Most of your suspects have motive. Some have means. But as for opportunity…” He shrugged.
“I need to delve deeper into alibis.”
“Kristy, be careful. You’re dealing with—”
“I know. I’m dealing with a murderer. I’ll watch out.” As I powered off my computer, Matt made his way toward our bathroom shower. Looking for something to read before going to sleep, I rolled over to his side of the bed and began sorting through a pile of magazines on his nightstand. In addition to sports and news publications, I came across several copies of the last issue of Animal Advocate.
“Are you taking Animal Advocate into work?” I called out to ensure he could hear me above the running water.
“I want them for the reception area,” he called back. “A few clients have said that they enjoy reading the publication. One person asked if he could take the magazine home so he could finish the article on wildlife smuggling.”
The running water stopped and Matt emerged, wrapped in a large towel. “You did a terrific job on that one,” he said as he donned the sweats that he wore to bed. “My clients are amazed when they read about the strange ways wildlife is smuggled into the country.”
He stretched across Archie who was snuggled next to me. He kissed me good-night and said, “That was one dangerous assignment. I was worried about you.”
I smiled. Matt would worry over a hangnail. Yawning, I decided I was too tired to read. As I turned off the light and pulled up the comforter, my husband’s comments whirled around my head. Something he’d said bothered me, but I didn’t know what. I finally fell asleep.
Three hours later, I woke with a start. I knew what Ruby Diamond was doing.
Chapter Thirty-seven
“I need to be back at the veterinary hospital in two hours,” Abby said as we made our way down Clam Cove’s main street.
“This won’t take long, “I said.
“A lot could go wrong with this scheme,” Abby warned me.
“We won’t know till we try.” I pulled open the door, and we stepped inside Gracie’s Gift Shoppe.
“This is Ruby Diamond’s pottery,” I whispered to my daughter as I picked up a vase from the front display and examined it.
“May I help you?” asked the same gothic looking woman that was here the other day. I remembered she was Grace, the store owner.
“We’re just browsing.”
“Please be careful.” She pointed to a sign that read, “If you break it, you’ve bought it.”
I placed the vase back on the shelf and nudged Abby.
“Perhaps you can help me?” my daughter said to Grace. “I’m looking for a house warming gift for a friend. I have no idea what to get, but I want something with a beach motif.”
“Our shell art might be perfect. It’s on the left. Follow me.”
Once Abby and Grace were out of sight, I scooted to the back of the store. After checking that no one was looking, I quietly opened the door to the storage closet and peeked inside. Ruby Diamond’s pottery still sat on the back shelf. But instead of the seven pieces I’d spotted the other day, this time, there were only five.
I glanced back, noting that Abby and Grace were examining the shell art. Grace’s back was facing me.
I stepped into the storage room and grabbed one of Ruby’s vases. It was the same size and shape as the one displayed in front of the store—the one I’d picked up and examined a few minutes earlier. Only this vase was heavier.
I placed the vase back on the shelf and made my way toward the front, casually approaching my daughter and Grace.
“Did you find anything you like, Abby?” I asked.
“Not sure.” She turned to Grace and said, “Thanks, but I think I’ll look around a little more. I may be back.”
Once we were outside the store, Abby asked, “Okay Mom, did you get the information you needed?”
“I certainly did. I’m pretty sure I know what Ruby is up to, and it has nothing to do with keeping the land pristine.” I told my daughter what I had discovered.
“You still need more evidence.”
I grinned. “We’ll get that Thursday night.”
*****
Abby hopped into her car and scooted off to work. I was hungry, so I stopped at the Tipsy Toad Tavern. Since it was a little early for lunch, only two tables were occupied. A senior citizen couple were eating in a booth in the far right corner. In the left corner booth was a man who was drinking what appeared to be a martini.
“Commander West,” I said. “May I join you?”
He motioned toward a chair. “If you want, but I’m not good company today.”
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“What’s wrong?” He slammed down his martini, spilling much of the liquid. I was surprised the glass didn’t break.
“I’ll tell you what’s wrong,” he continued. “Two of my employees are dead. The aquarium is being screwed out of several million dollars from the Alicia Wilcox-Chandler estate, my head fish keeper is retiring, and I can’t get a replacement. No one wants to be associated with an institution with such high odds of producing murder victims.”
“At least Oscar agreed to stay on until you find a replacement.”
“There’s a slight problem.” He gulped what remained of his drink and motioned the waitress for another. “I may need someone right away.”
“Why?”
“I guess you haven’t heard. I only found out this morning.” He burped. “Excuse me. I might as well tell you as you’ll hear about it soon enough. Oscar Mejas is a person of interest in Katie Chandler’s murder. Rumor says his arrest is imminent.”
“What?” I could hardly sputter out the word.
“They found a crowbar in Oscar’s office. There’s blood on it. Testing showed the blood belongs to Katie. The theory is Oscar used it to bang on Katie’s hands as she tried to climb out of the sea snake tank. This case is unraveling like a soap opera.”
“How did the police find the crowbar?”
“Detective Wolfe was questioning Oscar when one of the fish keepers came into the office. She needed to look up information in Oscar’s fish care manual. She grabbed the book off his shelf, and there was the blood covered crowbar. It had been hidden behind the manual. Now it was in plain sight.”
“What did Oscar say?”
“He claimed the crowbar wasn’t his, and he didn’t know how it got behind the book.”
“It’s pretty damaging evidence.”
“Oscar almost never locks his door, and the fish keepers constantly refer to that manual, so it’s possible that someone other than Oscar put it there.”
“Did the police find fingerprints?”
“No. Whoever handled it probably used gloves.”
“What about his alibi?” I asked. “Oscar claims he was eating at the local pizzeria and attending his grandson’s basketball game at the community center. If Oscar’s alibi can be verified for the time of Katie’s death, that should prove the weapon was planted.”
“The pizzeria and community center are less than a ten-minute drive from the aquarium. It would have been easy for him to sneak out during the basketball game. At a busy sporting event, who would notice?”
“But why would Oscar murder Katie?”
“Money, my dear, money. The police believe he was paid to do this. Oscar needs money. Money, money, money.”
“Needs or wants?”
“Needs. Several years back, Oscar’s grandson developed cancer. He’s cured now. I don’t know the whole story since this happened before my time here, but, supposedly, his son and daughter-in-law didn’t have health insurance. Oscar helped with the medical expenses. It put him in big debt.”
I sat back and let the
facts of the case seep through my mind. “What about Jack Patterson? I believe whoever killed Katie also murdered Jack. Oscar has no motive for killing Jack.”
“Oh, but he does. Detective Wolfe is looking into Oscar for that murder too. Supposedly, Oscar and Jack had a huge argument a few days before Jack’s body was discovered. That’s why Detective Wolfe was in Oscar’s office. He was questioning Oscar about the fight.”
“But Jack was stabbed in a specific spot in the base of the brain. A spot that would cause instant death. Would Oscar know how to do this?”
The Commander shrugged.
The waitress delivered another martini to Commander West. She asked me if I wanted a menu, and I shook my head no. My appetite was gone. I said good-bye to the Commander and made my way out of the building.
Although Oscar had been on my suspect list, something didn’t sit right with me. Why would he be careful enough to wear gloves, but then leave the blood splatter on the murder weapon? Why would he leave it in his office?
*****
My final stop of the day was the aquarium. I spotted Madge, the marine mammal attendant, coming up the path.
“I miss Katie,” she said. “The other sea lion trainer is okay, but it’s not the same. Everything is different now. Oscar will be retiring. I don’t know when. I hope he stays awhile.”
She obviously didn’t know about Oscar’s impending arrest.
“I hope he does well in his new career,” Madge said.
“What new career?”
She frowned. “Not sure. Oscar enrolled in college for the next semester. He told us about it a few days ago.”
“Us? Who did he tell besides you?”
“Bradford Monroe,” Madge said. “You know him, right?”
I nodded.
“Bradford set up a photo shoot with the sea lions and some old guy who’s giving money to the aquarium. Bea and Barney didn’t like the guy. He didn’t want to feed them the fish from his hand—”
“Oscar was at the photo shoot?”
She shook her head. “We ran into Oscar as we were leaving. We were coming down the path, just like I ran into you now. Hey, isn’t that funny.”
“So, what exactly did Oscar say?” I was trying to keep her on track.
“He was real excited. Said he was going to ask Commander West if he could leave by spring, so he could start day classes. Oh, nursing.”
“What about nursing?” I felt a headache coming on.
“That’s what Oscar was studying. Said he always wanted to be a nurse. I better go. Bea and Barney are waiting to be fed.”
*****
Oscar Mejas was making his way up the path toward me. He looked as if he had aged ten years.
“I guess you heard the news,” he said, after we exchanged greetings.
“You mean about the crowbar on your bookshelf?”
“I swear it’s not mine. Someone planted it there.”
“Can I ask a question?” Before Oscar could reply, I said, “I heard you and Jack had been fighting the Saturday before Jack died. What was that about?”
“The police asked the same thing. I told them we weren’t fighting.” He shook his head. “Jack wasn’t angry at me. He was venting.”
“Venting?”
“Jack had barged into my office. I could tell he was upset. He said Katie wasn’t with her sea lions, and he asked if I knew where she was. I told him she had gone into town to pick up supplies.”
“Why did he want to see Katie?”
“He didn’t say. But he became agitated. His face turned red and he muttered something under his breath. He said he was going to see Commander West. When I told him I’d spotted the Commander leaving the aquarium only minutes ago, Jack pounded his fists on my desk and started cursing. I asked him what was wrong, and he said he’d tell me later. He needed to find Commander West and talk to him. But he needed to warn Katie first.”
“Warn Katie? That was the phrase he used?”
“Yes. I told him to calm down, but he stormed out of my office. He said he couldn’t wait for Katie now, but he’d talk to her during the weekend.”
“But he was killed before he had the chance,” I said, thinking out loud. “Do you have any idea what he wanted to tell Katie?”
“Not really.” Oscar hesitated. “I wonder if it was related to his phone call earlier that morning? I heard Jack on his cell. He was furious.”
“Did you overhear his conversation?”
“Only some of it. I heard Jack say, ‘Remember, I knew him years ago’ and ‘he’s up to his old tricks.’”
“Who did he know? Who was up to his old tricks?”
Oscar shrugged. “I haven’t a clue.”
Chapter Thirty-eight
Since Matt was working late and my mother was dining with Paul, I drove to the Village of Clam Cove and entered the local pizzeria, where I hoped to accomplish two goals.
One goal was dinner. The other could determine Oscar’s fate.
It was still early, so only a few tables were occupied. I placed my order with a young woman behind the counter.
“Dad, will you heat up one slice of mushroom pizza,” she called to an older man who had picked up a remote and was changing channels on the small flat screen television facing the dining area.
“Is this a family business?” I asked, smiling.
“Been in the family for more than twenty years.”
“You must know lots of people in town.”
She nodded. “We get some tourists, especially in the summer, but our business is mostly locals.”
“Do you know Oscar Mejas?” I asked as she handed me a diet cola.
“Oscar is a regular. He comes here every Saturday before his grandson’s basketball game.”
“I know,” I said as I nodded and smiled. “He told me he gets here at five-thirty, and he leaves at six. I don’t know how he can be so precise.”
She pointed to the television. “That’s because he and my Dad are big fans of the quiz show Stumper. They bet on who gets the most answers right. Stumper airs on Saturday from five-thirty to six. Oscar usually comes in right after the emcee introduces the contestants. He leaves as soon as the show ends. He always eats the same thing too. One regular slice and a calzone.”
The security guard claimed he was attacked and rendered unconscious after he completed his rounds at about five minutes after six. If I could verify that Oscar went straight from the pizzeria to the community center, Oscar would be in the clear.
After gobbling up my pizza, I bee-lined to the Clam Cove Community Center which was directly across the street. I made my way straight to the gym where a young Asian man was setting up a volleyball net. He stopped what he was doing and headed in my direction.
“May I help you?” he asked.
“I’d like to talk to someone about the basketball game two Saturdays ago.”
He grinned. “The Jumping Jellyfish beat the Lucky Lobsters. Our middle school division. It was a close game.”
“I take it you were here?”
“I certainly was. I’m director of the center.” He held out his hand and I shook it. “Jimmy Chang.”
“Kristy Farrell,” I said. “Do you know Oscar Mejas? He’s a friend of mine.”
“Of course, I know him. Oscar’s a great guy. I’m so happy that he’s planning on staying in Clam Cove.”
“You mean when he retires?”
Jimmy nodded. “Selling his house and moving in with his son’s family is the perfect solution.”
“Perfect solution?”
“You have no idea what I’m talking about, do you?” Jimmy frowned. “I thought you said you were Oscar’s friend.”
“Oh, you mean his financial problems,” I said, guessing that was what Jimmy meant.
“Right. The money
he’ll make selling his home will pay off all his debt and will leave him with enough to build an extension on his son’s home. He’ll have enough to pay for nursing school too, which is something he’s wanted to do since his grandson had his bout with cancer.”
“I’m happy for Oscar too,” I said. “I was wondering if you saw him at the basketball game two Saturdays ago?”
“That’s a strange question.” Once again, Jimmy frowned and eyed me suspiciously. “Why do you want to know?”
I sighed, but decided to open up, at least partially. “I’m a writer for Animal Advocate Magazine. I’ve been doing some research at the aquarium. A lot is going on there. Something happened that night, and I want to verify if Oscar has an alibi.”
“The murder of Katie Chandler. Everyone in town knows about that.” He narrowed his eyes. “So, you’re not Oscar’s friend. You’re just a snoopy reporter.”
“I am a reporter, but I like Oscar and want to help him.”
“How?” The look on his face said he didn’t believe me.
“I want to find out—”
“Something that is not your business,” bellowed a familiar voice coming from behind me. I spun around and found myself facing Detective Steve Wolfe.
“What are you doing here?” He wagged a finger in front of my face as spittle came out of his mouth. “Didn’t I tell you to stay away from this investigation?”
Ignoring his comment, I said, “I heard you were looking at Oscar as a person of interest. Oscar says he has an alibi.”
“That’s exactly why I’m here,” Wolfe replied. “I’m wrapping up the case. I’m looking for holes in his alibi so some smart aleck lawyer doesn’t get him off. I doubt if anyone can verify he was here the entire time.”
“Excuse me,” Jimmy interrupted. “I can verify that Oscar was here.”
Wolfe narrowed his eyes. “Not just verify that he came here but also when he arrived and when he left.”
“Oscar was here at six o’clock. Maybe a minute or two later, but no more than that.”
“Oh, yeah. Did he punch a time clock?”
“Admission to our basketball games is free, but we sell snacks to offset costs. One of our volunteers didn’t show up. She needed to be here by five forty-five. By six, when we start selling, I had to find a replacement. I was about to search the stands for someone to help when Oscar arrived. I put him to work immediately.”
