Die Before Your Time (Elia Christie / Luis Echevarria medical mysteries)

by Polonus Mucha, Susan

“Angel? Can you?” Elia asked.

  She nodded. “Thanks, Mrs. Riser. I'm free.”

  “Wonderful. And call me Bonnie. Let's meet at the spa at two.” She gave directions. “Give my name at the desk if you get there first.” Bonnie turned to leave, then stopped and addressed Angel. “Shall I call in a pass for you?”

  “No, that's okay. I have one through Vicente.” She sighed. “I guess it's still good.”

  “Good. I'll see you both tomorrow.”

  Elia looked out the window as Bonnie got in her car. “Angel, how could she call in a pass for you? And how did she get on the island?”

  Angel joined Elia at the window. “See that sticker on her window? That gets her in. The Risers have a home here.”

  “They live here?” Elia looked astonished.

  “Not really. Weekends, I guess.”

  Chapter 29

  They stepped out of the elevator and walked half the length of the hall and stopped in front of elaborately paneled double doors. One knock and the doors swung open. They were welcomed by a middle-aged man dressed in black pants, white shirt, and black bow tie. Behind him were similarly dressed people serving drinks and hors d'ouevres.

  They found themselves in a room-sized foyer. As they walked through the foyer to the living room, Elia's heels clicked on the marble floor.

  The balcony doors in the living room were opened to the ocean breeze. The sun had not yet set, so the view was the focal point for the guests already assembled. Soft music played over speakers.

  Luis! Elia! Welcome. Frank Hanssen broke away from the couple he was talking with and strode to the new arrivals. “I am so happy to see you again. I had hoped Bonnie would invite you. Come with me. I'll get you a drink.” He motioned to one of the waiters, who approached with a tray of wines, bourbon and scotch.

  “Now I'll introduce you to our host.” Hanssen took Elia's elbow and guided her and Luis down the hall to a dark-paneled study. The man behind the walnut desk had just set the phone down. He had a pad of paper in front of him and circled the name Jack Alexander, a reporter at The New York Times. He stood when Hanssen tapped on the open door.

  Harry Millen was tall, thin, and balding. What hair he had was gray. His white shirt was heavily starched and seemed to sit back from his neck, as if it held the man in high regard and would not touch him.

  “Bermuda? Sailors?” he said when Hanssen introduced them as friends from Bermuda.

  Luis smiled and shook his head. “Hardly. As a matter of fact, we were there for our wedding.”

  “And a friend of ours was there for a conference,” Elia said. “He was going to present a paper on one of your drugs, but he died before he got the chance.

  Millen looked at Hanssen and frowned. “I heard. I'm sorry. I hope his paper gets published posthumously.” Millen walked toward the door and ushered his guests ahead of him.

  Bonnie and Jacob Riser had arrived by the time Luis and Elia returned to the party. Bonnie glanced at them, but her gaze rested elsewhere. Elia turned to see who or what held her interest. It was Frank Hanssen.

  Before Elia could react, Bonnie came forward. “I'm glad you're here. I saw you coming from the study with Harry. Good. You met our host.”

  Millen welcomed the Risers, then went off to greet more guests. Bonnie turned her attention to Hanssen, and Riser spoke with Luis. Elia sipped her drink and watched Bonnie and Hanssen. Bonnie's blonde hair fell over her left eye, and she slowly pushed it back.

  Hanssen had his back to Elia, but she saw him shift his weight and take a deep breath. When Bonnie left him, he turned and looked after her. Then he looked in Elia's direction. She was staring.

  Chapter 30

  “I knew I didn't like him.” Luis and Elia had made their way to the dining room and the buffet that awaited. If this had been a sit-down dinner, twenty guests could have been seated comfortably at the table. A butler's pantry separated the kitchen from the dining room. Staff from The Sanctuary were working in the non-descript kitchen, obviously there only for caterers’ use.

  “Frank.” Elia showed her contempt.

  “Frank? Why single him out? What about Bonnie? From what you said, she was the one doing the flirting.”

  “Men. You're all alike.” Elia turned to leave, and Luis reached for her hand.

  “What is it? Why are you taking this out on me?”

  “You're right. Bad memories, I guess. That cheating creep I used to date popped into my head.”

  “And the girl? She had a lot to do with it, too.” Luis smiled. “You emptied your apartment when he was out of town, dumped his things on the street, and moved to Georgia. Perfect.” He squeezed her hand. “And I for one am glad you had a cheating boyfriend.”

  “What!”

  He held onto her hand. “Admit it. Aren't you?”

  Elia took a deep breath and nodded. “I am now, but back then I hadn't met you.”

  “Seriously, it's none of our business. Forget it.”

  “Forget what?” Hanssen had ambled up as they were talking.

  “I don't know. I forgot it already.” Elia pierced a shrimp with a toothpick and dipped it in the seafood sauce.

  “Frank, we're surprised to see you here. We didn't know you were in town.” Luis moved along the table as he spoke, sampling local fish.

  “I have friends at Pavnor, so I was included tonight.” He looked around the room. “Big party.” He lowered his voice. “Have a meeting at a fancy resort, and not many people pass it up. Especially if the spouses are involved.”

  “Pavnor has a lot of meetings. You were just in Bermuda a few days ago.”

  “That wasn't a Pavnor meeting, Elia. That was a scientific meeting. A few Pavnor people were there along with reps from dozens of companies.”

  The suite began filling with more guests. “Speaking of spouses, Aaron Scharff's wife is here. Come with me, I'll introduce you. As they made their way to the living room, Hanssen stopped midway and was about to speak to a man who was engrossed in conversation. He caught the man's eye, nodded, and said, “Kitt.”

  “I'll introduce you to Kitt later when he's not so busy.” Hanssen took Elia's elbow and guided her through the room.

  Even though the night was mild, a fire burned in the fireplace, which was flanked by bookshelves overflowing with hard back copies of classics and popular fiction as though someone lived there permanently.

  Frank inclined his head to a woman standing beside the fireplace. Dot Scharff looked at her watch, then glanced at the door.

  Frank held out his arms to Scharff's wife as he crossed the room to greet her. Her face was almost hidden behind oversized glasses. She gave Hanssen a half-hearted smile and glanced again at the door as she absently brushed a few curls off her forehead. Hanssen made introductions.

  “Where's Aaron?”

  She frowned. “He had an errand to run.” Again a glance toward the door. “He should be here any time.”

  “Are you staying here?” Elia asked.

  The question erased Dot's frown. “Yes. But not in something as grand as this.” She made a sweeping motion with her arm.

  “It is lovely. I wonder how many suites the hotel has.”

  Elia turned to Hanssen. “Do you have any idea, Frank?”

  “Don't know, but I understand this one is the best — the presidential suite. In fact, President Clinton stayed right here recuperating after surgery.”

  “I can imagine that. It's roomy enough for several presidents.”

  “Thirty-five hundred square feet of roomy comfort.” Frank said.

  As they talked in the living room, the doorbell sounded.

  While Elia and Hanssen carried on their conversation, Luis noticed Millen going to the door and talking to two uniformed police officers. He saw the color drain from his host's face. Then Millen walked slowly toward them. He whispered something to Dot Scharff and escorted her and the officers to the study.

  Hanssen and Elia continued to carry on a conversation after Dot excused
herself from the group.

  Luis looked down the hall toward the study, and when Millen came out a few minutes later, his skin was chalk white. Luis approached him. “Harry? What's the matter? You don't look well.”

  Millen shook his head. “It's Aaron Scharff. He's had an accident.”

  “Bad?”

  “He's dead.”

  Chapter 31

  “What kind of accident? Elia and Luis had retreated to their room. “Auto?” Elia sat on the edge of the bed and waited for the answer.

  Luis nodded. “On Main Road. Apparently he was on his way to the party. He had a woman with him. She's critical.”

  “Where was he coming from? Wasn't he staying here?”

  “He was. And that's what Harry Millen says has him confused. They played a round of golf today with Hanssen and another fellow and talked about the party. He told Harry he was going to the spa and then take a nap.”

  “What was so important to take him off the island? That's a thirty-minute trip down a long narrow road.”

  “Harry didn't know. He was surprised he didn't arrive with Dot.

  “But the woman. Who is she?”

  Luis shook his head. “When we met Scharff in Bermuda, didn't he tell us he lived in Connecticut?”

  “So?”

  “So how does he even know anyone in Charleston?”

  “His wife said he had an errand. Maybe he was picking up someone for the party.”

  Luis shrugged.

  “Think the police will tell us anything?”

  “You're kidding. Why would they?”

  Elia jumped up from the bed. “Because Vicente was involved with Pavnor and he's dead, that's why. And now someone else involved with Pavnor is dead.”

  Luis was silent.

  “Luis, you were there, do you think Millen was surprised to hear of Aaron's accident, or was he acting?”

  “If he was acting he did a great job. I don't know many actors who can turn pale on demand. He was upset. Very upset.”

  “We have a busy day tomorrow,” Elia said.

  “Oh?”

  “First we'll do some packing at Vicente's, then we'll drive to the accident scene, and then I relax at the spa. I am really looking forward to that.

  Chapter 32

  By 8:30, Luis and Elia headed out of the parking lot on their bikes. It took them ten minutes to reach Vicente's house. Elia pulled two keys out of her jacket pocket. She studied one, slipped it back in her pocket, and used the other to open the door.

  “I always know when you've got something going on in your head.” They had been working for two hours, packing contents of drawers and closets. Luis taped up a box and waited for a reply.

  She held up a stack of cards and papers. “I feel like a voyeur.”

  “A voyeur?” He lined his box up beside four others and sat down on it. “That's what you're thinking about? Being a voyeur?”

  She shook her head. “No. Where's Angel? She was supposed to help. We have no idea what might be hers, or what she might want. I don't know what to do with half this stuff.” She picked up a handful of utensils from a kitchen drawer and dropped them on the counter.”

  Luis held up his hands in a stop gesture. “Did you stop to think this might be hard for her?” He reached for her hand and pulled her toward him. “This isn't like you.”

  Elia burst into tears. “We shouldn't be looking through his personal belongings. Look.” She handed Luis a tattered valentine from a box. It was a handmade card. A paper lace doily and red and pink construction paper were cut into hearts in three different sizes and pasted one on top of the other. The pink heart had writing in red ink.

  Across the miles, I send my smiles

  And say, be mine, my Valentine

  And I answer your plea

  I'm yours, with glee

  Love,

  Elia

  Elia took the card from Luis. “I had such a crush on him. I was in fifth or sixth grade.” She held up the card. “Why did he keep this? After all these years?”

  “He loved you.”

  Elia sat back down on the bed and let the tears fall. “Angel should be here.”

  Luis took her hand and steered her toward the kitchen. “Hot tea. You're tired and you have a lot of work to do. Don't take it out on Angel.”

  “I know this would be hard for her, Luis. It's hard for me, too. I had to do it for my parents.”

  “She's young, Elia. And she's all alone. You had Raf to help you. You told me so yourself.”

  “She has us. We're here to help.”

  “We're strangers, honey. She's devastated.”

  She got up and put her arms around Luis. “You're a wise man.” She kissed him on the cheek. “And I'm a brat.”

  “You're human. And because you're human, you need a cup of tea.” He winked at her and brewed the tea.

  They sat at the kitchen counter, drank tea, and finished off the Thin Mints.

  “She could have called.”

  Chapter 33

  “Why are we doing this?” Luis was behind the wheel as they drove down the narrow two-lane Main Road toward Charleston. Huge ancient oaks bordered either side, their giant umbrella-like branches sheltering the road. The sun seemed to flash on and off, as it peeked through the leaves.

  Before Elia could answer, Luis slammed on his brakes as the car in front of them stopped suddenly to make a left turn. Brakes squealed behind them as a small car, unable to stop, shot to the left of Luis's car and stopped in time to avoid hitting the turning car. It was over in a matter of seconds. The small car returned to its lane and continued on its way — this time in front of Luis.

  “Mierda! Why are we doing this, Elia? This could be a sign.”

  Elia had her hand over her heart. She took a breath. “You led me to believe the police wouldn't tell us anything; I thought we'd look around on our own.” She patted her chest. “And keep your eyes on the road.”

  “Where was the accident?”

  “I asked at the security gate if they'd heard anything. The guard told me fifteen minutes from Kiawah. After that scare we just had, I'm surprised there aren't more accidents.”

  There was no shoulder, and in between the grand oaks were thin pine trees. No place to go if a car left the road. And pine could be as lethal as oak.

  “Luis. There. That's it.” On the opposite side of the road, the brush was flattened and two pine trees were marred with gouges. On closer inspection, glass littered the road. Luis pulled into a driveway ten feet from the scene. A man and woman sat on the porch of a faded green cinderblock house. The man was almost as skinny as the pine trees; the woman sturdy looking as an oak. Their ancestors had lived on the little piece of land since they were freed from slavery one hundred forty years earlier. Some of their longtime neighbors had given up their homes to deep-pocketed horse breeders. But this couple had no plans to sell out.

  The man practically jumped off the porch; the woman ambled down the three steps, her worn shoes flopping on her feet.

  Luis and Elia walked over to meet them.

  “We noticed the trees. Looks like something hit them. What happened?” Elia asked.

  “Terrible accident.” He turned. “Where's my woman?”

  “I'm right here. And it were no accident. I seen the whole thing; you didn't.” The woman was short of breath after her walk from the porch. “I seen it. I sat right here and seen it.”

  Luis spoke in a calming voice. “Let's take a minute. We'd like to hear.”

  The woman's breathing slowed. “They didn't have nowhere to go.”

  “What do you mean? Were they trying to pass?” Elia asked.

  “No ma'am. A car come onto them from the other way. The way you just come from.”

  “The other car was passing someone?”

  “No ma'am. It just come.”

  “Like on purpose?”

  “Now who would do something like that on purpose?” The woman looked at Elia as if she expected an answer.

&n
bsp; “Well, who was in the wrong lane?” Elia asked.

  “The other car. It come at them. And they tried to get clear, and they slammed into the trees.”

  “Did the other car stop?” Luis asked.

  “Uh uh. Not at first. It kept going, then turned around and come back and slowed down, but then it just kept going, back the way it come from.” The more she talked the more labored her breathing.

  “I guess you told the police all of this,” Elia said.

  The woman nodded.

  “What kind of car was it?” Luis asked.

  The woman shook her head. “The police wanted to know that. I don't know cars.”

  Luis looked at her husband. “Do you?”

  “Now woman, you told the police it were an army car.”

  “That's all I could say. It looked like one of them army cars.”

  “Like a Jeep?” Luis asked.

  “If that's a army car, then, yes, like a Jeep.”

  “Accident?” Luis and Elia were driving back to Kiawah. Luis had both hands on the wheel; he watched the road as he spoke. “That was no accident.”

  Chapter 34

  “I'm not waiting for Angel.” They had returned to Vicente's house. “I'll leave my cell phone with you and if she calls me, tell her I'm at the spa.”

  “Want me to drive you?” Luis picked up the car keys.

  “No, Honey.” She looked around the living room and smiled mischievously. “You can keep packing.” She gave him a quick kiss and left before he could comment.

  She drove the short distance to the spa and checked in at the desk. “Is Bonnie Riser here yet?” Elia asked.

  “Mrs. Riser telephoned and said she would be late, but for you to go ahead with your service.”

  “What about Angel Carter? Has she arrived yet?”

  The receptionist checked the computer. “Her appointment was cancelled yesterday.”

  “She called and cancelled? She didn't tell me.”

  “I don't know who called, but we have you listed.” The receptionist smiled and directed Elia to a sitting area in front of the stone fireplace. A flickering blaze added ambience.