Hidden Hideaways

by Cindy Bell

  “I'm sorry if I was a little out of bounds,” he said swiftly. “I just couldn't stand him talking to you that way.”

  “I understand,” Suzie smiled. “But you can't do that to all of our unruly patrons.”

  “I know,” he agreed. “Trent just has a way of pushing my buttons. I hope the trip goes smoothly.”

  Suzie was a little surprised by his comment. She wondered if he felt the same uneasiness about Trent that she did.

  “Just be careful, okay?” she asked as she looked into his eyes.

  “Always,” he replied and kissed her gently. “I'll be back soon,” he promised.

  After Trent and Paul left, Suzie walked back into the kitchen to wash the dishes.

  “Looks like Paul really knocked some sense into Trent,” Mary commented as she helped clean up.

  “I hope so,” Suzie said reluctantly. “I don't think they're a good match to work together.”

  “Two days trapped on a boat should cure that,” Mary laughed lightly.

  Chapter Four

  With Trent gone there wasn't much to do at Dune House. Suzie occupied herself with catching up on a novel she had been meaning to read. Mary was busy talking with her daughter on the telephone about the new semester of college classes she was lining up. As Suzie tried to concentrate on her book, her mind kept drifting back to Paul, and to Trent. She was a little more worried than usual about Paul being out on the water. By the evening she became a little more relaxed. She found Mary sitting out on the section of porch that overlooked the water. The sun was just beginning to set.

  “Did you have a nice chat?” she asked as she sat down beside Mary.

  “Oh yes,” Mary said happily. “She's really passionate about school this year.”

  “I'm glad,” Suzie smiled. She knew that Mary worried about her children, but both seemed to be off to a fantastic start as adults. “Would you like to take a walk?” Suzie offered.

  “Yes, need to work out these knees,” Mary agreed as she stood up. Mary's knees gave her some trouble from time to time, she called it getting older, Suzie called it having too much weight on her shoulders for too many years. As they stepped down into the sand Suzie sighed contentedly. She was really starting to settle into life at Dune House and the quaint beachside town of Garber.

  “I wonder how far out they are?” she muttered casually as she looked out over the water.

  “Isn't it strange to think there are so many people out on the water while we're walking on the sand?” Mary mused. “Sometimes the ocean seems like an eternity.”

  “It sure does,” Suzie agreed with a touch of worry.

  “Are you still concerned about Paul and Trent getting along?” Mary asked.

  “A little,” Suzie admitted.

  “Men have a different way of getting along,” Mary said softly. “I can't say I understand it.”

  “I'm not sure I would care to,” Suzie laughed, but her laughter faded as she heard sirens wailing in the distance.

  “What do you think is going on?” Mary asked when she saw a police boat zip across the water. It was from the next town over, with Parish clearly marked on the side of the boat.

  “I don't know,” Suzie said with a frown. “But at least it's not happening in Garber.”

  They had walked almost a mile along the beach when they finally turned back. The sun was disappearing and the sky was becoming littered with stars.

  “I couldn't imagine a better way to spend an evening,” Mary said as she kept pace with Suzie. “Do you ever miss the adventure of your old career?” she asked.

  “Probably about as much as you miss the adventure of the teenage years,” Suzie grinned. When they reached Dune House again, Jason was waiting for them on the porch. His partner was not with him.

  “Hi Jason,” Suzie said cheerfully, but her jovial attitude faded when she saw his grim expression.

  “Is something wrong?” Mary asked.

  “I don't know how to tell you this, Suzie, but there's been an incident,” he cleared his throat.

  “Is that what the police boat was about?” she asked.

  “Yes, it's not my jurisdiction, but I wanted to tell you myself,” he frowned and gestured to one of the benches on the porch. “Maybe you should sit down.”

  “It's not Paul is it?” Suzie gasped. “If it is, just tell me, Jason!”

  “It's not Paul exactly,” Jason said. “Trent's body was found in Parish, it looks like it was washed ashore.”

  “What?” Mary muttered in shock. “His body? Do you mean that he is dead?”

  Suzie was so stunned that she couldn't bring herself to speak. She finally forced some words past her lips. “Did the boat sink?” she asked.

  “The coast guard has no reports of a boat in trouble,” Jason explained. “All we know right now is that Trent's body was found on shore. He didn't drown, Suzie,” he drew a shaky breath. “He was beat up pretty bad, and I heard that he might have been stabbed.”

  Suzie sat down on the bench as her legs began to give way. Mary wrapped her arm around her shoulders.

  “Try not to worry too much, Suzie. I'm sure that there has to be an explanation. Paul will be here soon to tell us,” she added.

  “Look Suzie, I know that you and Paul have been dating, and so do the Parish police,” he frowned.

  “What? How do they know that?” she asked, still very confused.

  “Because I told them,” Jason admitted. “When they found out I knew Paul, they asked me some questions.”

  “Oh?” Suzie could barely focus on Jason. “Are they searching for the boat? What if Paul is in the water?”

  “Suzie, all of Parish's police force is on this. A few of the locals are looking into it, too, but we really can't investigate it,” he hesitated a moment and then looked directly into her eyes. “The tracking system has been disabled on Paul’s boat and I think they consider him a suspect at the moment. They may want to question you about his relationship to Trent.”

  “Why would they think that?” she demanded with frustration. “If Trent is dead, Paul must be hurt or overboard. He wouldn't have let anything happen to Trent.”

  “That's not how it looked this morning,” Jason said uneasily.

  “Jason,” Suzie stared hard at him. “Did you tell the Parish police about the argument this morning?”

  “It was more than an argument,” Jason said defensively. “You have to understand, Suzie, I'm an officer of the law, I can't just hide information that could be important in a murder case.”

  “You are insane if you think that Paul had anything to do with Trent's death,” Suzie shot back. Suddenly her legs had strength again. She stood up and glared directly at Jason. “You know he didn't do this.”

  “I didn't say I suspected him,” Jason said as he raised his hands in innocence. “But with Kirk at my side, I had to demonstrate proper protocol, I had to inform the Parish police officer about what I had seen. How could I explain it if I didn't?”

  “Unbelievable,” Suzie said with fury in her voice.

  “Suzie,” Mary said gently as she took her friend’s arm in her own. “Jason has a point. He was just doing his job. But all three of us know that Paul wouldn't have done this. Like you said, I'm sure that Paul will be here soon to clear all of this up.”

  “Let's hope so,” Jason frowned. “I know that you're upset with me, Suzie, but I had no other choice.”

  Suzie frowned and shook her head. She knew that Jason had to tell the truth to the other officer, but it made her sick to her stomach to think that Paul was being treated as a suspect.

  “What if they don't find him?” she moaned. “What if he's out there somewhere suffering and no one finds him?”

  “I'm sorry, Suzie,” Jason murmured.

  “It's going to be okay,” Mary said firmly. “It has to be okay. We all just need to process this. Jason, is there any way you can get on the investigation?” she asked hopefully.

  “I can't,” Jason shook his head. “Pa
rish has a much larger police department and they are very territorial. The captain already told me directly to stay out of it. I argued with him which he wasn’t very impressed about but I managed to convince him to let me be the one to tell you what had happened as I said that if I told you then I might be able find out if you knew anything about Paul’s location. But he made me promise to stay out of it once I had spoken to you.”

  Suzie's expression softened at his words. She knew how important being a police officer was to Jason, yet he was willing to argue with his superior so he could be the one to break the news to her straight away.

  “Thank you, Jason,” she whispered. “I just can't believe this is happening. Can you take me to where Trent was found?”

  “It's not a good idea tonight, Suzie,” Jason said firmly. “The police are doing a full investigation, you won't be able to get anywhere near there. All we can do tonight is hope that Paul shows up with an explanation.”

  “I have to do more than that,” Suzie said with determination.

  “I'm warning you, Suzie, if you get in the middle of their investigation, they will not be happy. Parish PD is not like Garber, they will not hesitate to make you face consequences for interfering. I really should get going I’m in the middle of my shift,” he frowned. “Are you going to be okay, Suzie?”

  “No,” Suzie replied with wide eyes. “No, I won't be okay until Paul is standing here beside me, safe and sound.”

  “It's okay, Jason, I'll be with her,” Mary assured him. “But please call us if you hear anything more.”

  “Of course,” he nodded and took one long look at Suzie. “I'm sorry, Suzie.”

  Suzie could only nod before turning to look out over the vast ocean. “Where are you, Paul?” she whispered.

  Chapter Five

  “This can't be happening,” Suzie kept repeating as she paced back and forth across the living room. Mary was perched on the edge of the couch as if she was prepared to tackle Suzie if she bolted for the door.

  “It's going to be okay,” Mary said for what might have been the hundredth time.

  “How?” Suzie asked as she turned to face her friend. “How could this possibly be okay? Not only is Trent dead, but Paul is the main suspect in his death. You and I both know that Paul couldn't have killed him, so where does that leave Paul?” she gasped out.

  “I…,” Mary tried to think of something that would comfort Suzie, but no good solution came to her mind. “I'm sorry, Suzie, I'm just not sure,” she finally replied before closing her eyes.

  “I think there has to be something I can find out at the crime scene,” Suzie said firmly. “I need to be there, not holed up here waiting for news that may never come.”

  “You heard what Jason said, Suzie,” Mary warned her sharply. “If we get in the middle of the investigation it might look even worse when it comes to their suspicion of Paul.”

  “Suspicion of Paul,” Suzie blurted out with rage in her voice. “Those incompetent pinheaded cops from Parish couldn't run an investigation if they tripped and fell into the murderer.”

  “That's one person's opinion,” a voice carried from the porch of Dune House. Suzie had left the door open in case Jason came back. She wasn't expecting anyone else. But the voice wasn't familiar. Suzie and Mary exchanged a quick nervous look before Suzie went walking towards the porch.

  “Be careful, Suzie,” Mary said as Suzie stepped through the open door and out onto the porch. Leaning against the front railing was a classic, small town police officer, right down to cowboy boots and a toothpick between his clenched teeth. Suzie noticed that like herself he appeared to be in his fifties, but that was where the similarity ended. His eyes were hard and icy as they settled on her.

  “Are you Suzie Allen?” he asked.

  “What if I am?” Suzie replied calmly and folded her arms across her stomach.

  “Well, if you are Suzie Allen,” the officer replied and paused to chew lightly on his toothpick. “Then you're who I need to talk to. My name is Officer Brown, and I work for Parish PD.”

  “Have you found Paul?” Suzie asked urgently. “Is he hurt?”

  “So, you are Suzie Allen,” he said as he narrowed his eyes once more. “Unfortunately, your boyfriend is still missing.”

  Suzie cringed at the term. It sounded so juvenile when the officer said it.

  “Are you looking for him?” Suzie gasped out. “He must be lost, or injured.”

  “Or he's on the run,” the officer suggested in a hard voice. “He killed a man, and decided the best escape was to flee on his boat.”

  “He didn't kill anyone,” Suzie argued with determination.

  “Ma'am, are you going to deny that there was a physical confrontation over breakfast this morning?” he asked as he turned to face her. His muscular frame was rather intimidating. The way he flicked his toothpick was just as disturbing.

  “There was a disagreement,” she frowned. She knew that Jason had already told the police about it, so there was no point in lying.

  “A disagreement that led to Paul's hands around Trent's throat,” the officer clarified stiffly.

  “One hand,” Suzie huffed and lowered her eyes. “It was my fault. I spilled cream all over Trent's pants, and Trent mouthed off about it, and well, Paul is very protective of me.”

  “Protective enough to kill someone?” he asked. “Maybe you even suggested it?”

  Suzie stared at the officer with mounting dislike.

  “I don't know what it is about your investigation that is leading you to such terrible conclusions, but I can assure you, Paul would never have anything to do with Trent's death. So, you are free to continue barking up the wrong tree, or you could actually do something to find a good man who is likely hurt or otherwise detained,” she snapped sharply in return.

  “Slow down there,” he chuckled. “I'm not looking for a lecture. I'm here to ask you for a few answers, that's all. If you really want me to find your boyfriend, then you will answer me honestly.”

  “Fine,” Suzie shook her head and braced herself for the next questions.

  “I want to know if there was anything between Paul and Trent. Had they met before Paul hired him?” he asked.

  “No, I don't think so. Paul even said that Trent didn't have much experience, and that he was taking a chance on him,” Suzie explained.

  “Hmm, so he might have grown frustrated at Trent's lack of skill when it came to being a deckhand,” the officer said and made a note.

  “That is not what I said,” Suzie said roughly. “You have a way of twisting things. Aren't you the least bit concerned about the truth in this situation? A man is dead, and his murderer is on the loose, while Paul is missing.”

  “Well, I'm very concerned,” the officer replied and glared openly at her. “I'm concerned about finding the man who would kill a boy who was barely out of his teens, over what? Insulting his girlfriend?”

  “If that makes sense to you then Parish PD is in a lot of trouble,” Suzie said dismissively. “I don't have to answer any more questions. I want you off my property!”

  “I see you have a bit of a temper as well,” he said gravely and shook his head. “If I need any more information from you, I will be in contact. I expect you to cooperate with this investigation. Especially considering that you have law enforcement in your family.”

  “If you're referring to my cousin Officer Jason Allen, I think you should consult with him on what it's like to be a real police officer,” Suzie snapped back. “Off my property,” she demanded and pointed in the direction of the driveway. The officer shook his head. From the glint in his eyes Suzie suspected he might be trying to think of a reason to arrest her. Instead he just turned and walked down the steps. Mary inched her way out of the doorway of the house.

  “Suzie, I can't believe you talked to him like that,” Mary said with awe in her voice. “Weren't you afraid that he would arrest you?”

  “For what?” Suzie shrugged and sighed. “I might make m
y own citizen's arrest for impersonating a police officer since he doesn't have the ability to backup that badge.”

  “Wow, Suzie,” Mary frowned. “You're on a bit of a roll. But you need to remember that Parish PD is in charge of this case. If they have more questions that same officer is likely to be the one that comes back.”

  “Well, I won't be here when he does,” Suzie replied and stomped back into the house. “I'm not going to leave Paul out there, alone and hurt, while these idiots waste time trying to build a case against him.”

  “Suzie, promise me at least that you won't do anything until morning,” Mary pleaded. “Then I will go with you to check out whatever you want to look into. If you try to go down there now you'll end up arrested, or worse. I know how upset you are, but you have to try to stay calm and think this through. You don't want to make things worse for Paul than they already are.”

  “It's okay, Mary,” Suzie finally nodded. “You're right. I'm just going to try to get some rest, and so should you.”

  “Please Suzie, don't do anything rash,” Mary warned her. “Or at least wake me up before you do.”

  “I promise,” Suzie nodded solemnly. Once Mary headed off to her bedroom, Suzie walked towards her own room. She couldn't bring herself to close the door. It was like closing the reality of what was happening to Paul out of her mind. She walked over to the large windows that overlooked the water and pulled back the curtains. In the sky thunder rumbled low and long. She cringed at the sound. Would nature be so cruel as to toss a storm into the mix? If Paul was still out there somewhere on the water, in his boat or out, a storm could only complicate things.

  “Please,” Suzie whispered to the sky. “Keep him safe.”

  The words were muted by the fear in her voice. Even though she had promised Mary she would try to get some rest that was not a possibility. She pulled out her computer instead. She opened it up. It had been quite some time since she had drawn on her investigative skills, but she was going to need them. She searched Trent Baker. There were of course plenty of Trent Bakers in the world. She clicked on several of the results. But they all led to people that did not meet the description or age of the man she was looking for. She shifted gears and began searching Trent Baker associated with deckhand. There were still a few results, but they all led to dead ends. It was as if the Trent she had met did not exist.