Danger at the Dive Shop

by M. J. Mandrake

  A man in a bright yellow jacket stood at the railing, a phone pressed to his ear. His cap was pulled low over his eyes, but there was something familiar about his jaw, or maybe it was his dark suit under his life jacket. Tucking the phone into a pocket, he started signing to her.

  Well, well. Starling and Swift together again. You know you don’t have search out a dead body just to see me.

  Chica let loose a rare bark of greeting and wagged her tail so hard Kitty was sure she was going to have a bruise where it pounded against her knee. She couldn’t blame Chica. If Kitty had a tail, she’d be wagging it just as hard. As it was, she was grinning like a mad woman.

  Don’t flatter yourself, she signed back. It just seemed wrong to leave you out.

  Chapter Six

  “It is love, not reason, that is stronger than death.”

  ― Thomas Mann

  This was the third police station Kitty had visited in the last two months and she was starting to wonder if she would be awarded some kind of frequent flyer pass. It would be the opposite of the TSA Pre-check. When the police saw it, the pass holder would go to the back of line for extra questioning, a nice long wait, and perhaps an overnight stay.

  “Oh, this is much nicer than that concrete bunker in Tulum,” Penny signed.

  “The lighting isn’t as garish, that’s for sure.” Elaine squinted up at the large hanging pendants. They were almost stylish compared to the fluorescent industrial fixtures in the Tulum station.

  “Chairs are just as uncomfortable, though,” Kitty grumbled. She knew she should be more understanding about the process, but they’d been sequestered in the cramped room for nearly an hour. Toto and Chica were relaxed, but Kitty couldn’t seem to sit still. Maybe it was residual shock. Or perhaps she simply needed some lunch. If the police knew what was good for them, they wouldn’t let her go much longer without something to eat.

  If she were really honest with herself, Kitty knew she was aggravated by how little time she’d spent with Leander before they’d all been whisked away to separate areas. She couldn’t deny how happy she’d been to see his face, and not just because she’d recently dragged a dead body from the ocean. She loved his smile, his easy way around people, the way Chica had nearly knocked him over saying hello.

  “I’m so glad your man friend showed up to help,” Elaine said, her expression innocent.

  Clearly, thinking about Leander was showing on Kitty’s face. She nodded, letting what was probably a goofy grin slide into something more sedate. She decided not to mention the ‘man friend’ label. “Yes. It’s very good luck that he was called instead of someone else.”

  “That’s a real hero. When your woman is in trouble, you rush over. You should have told us you’d called him,” Penny said.

  “I’m not his woman,” Kitty said, wincing. It sounded like something straight out of a Little House in the Prairie book, and not in a good way.

  “Right. We have eyes,” Penny said, wiggling her eyebrows. “He sure didn’t greet me with a hug and a kiss on the cheek.”

  “Don’t mind her. She’s just jealous,” Elaine said. “And he’s just as handsome as I remember him.”

  Kitty wanted to agree whole-heartedly but said nothing. Some people found Leander’s looks off-putting, with his mis-matched green and blue eyes, and the shock of bright white hair that fell over his brow. The first time they’d met, Kitty had recognized at once that it signified Waardenburg’s Syndrome, a genetic condition that could also be responsible for profound hearing loss. Leander had said nothing at the time, but he’d been raised by a deaf couple and was brought in to translate from Spanish to English to sign language for Kitty’s tour group. When he’d seen that Kitty was a translator, he stepped back and let her fill that role so he could observe unnoticed. It had worked so well for them that they’d managed to catch the killer together. And the next. But this time she wasn’t so sure their special skills would be able to make a difference. There was no advantage to their being able to sign, and the killer could be anyone, inside or outside the group.

  Their only secret weapon this time was Chica.

  A knock had Toto pointing at the door and Chica got to her feet. A moment later, Leander and two officers stepped into the room. Kitty recognized one of them, a young man with a thin mustache, as the man who had taken her original statement aboard the boat.

  “You speak Spanish, and will translate for them?” he asked.

  Kitty nodded, and he went on.

  “I’m Detective Soledad. This is Officer Flores, whom you have met already. I’ve looked over your statements and have additional questions. Are you agreeing to this interview?”

  They all nodded. Kitty glanced at Leander, and he met her gaze, his expression carefully neutral. He glanced at her book on the table and a small smile edged his lips.

  “This is an informal interview. You are not suspects in a crime, nor are you under arrest. But anything you say now could be used to support criminal charges filed against you,” he said. This detective seemed to be more rule-oriented than the other officers they’d met. It was reassuring, but also promised a more thorough investigation, which was good for Coleman, but bad for Kitty’s odds of returning to Mérida in time for her next cruise.

  Looking at Penny and Elaine, he asked, “When did you meet Coleman Larson?”

  “We didn’t,” Elaine answered. “Our tour was overbooked and we were handed off to Mark at the dock near Punta Molas.”

  Kitty translated, slightly impressed that Elaine had managed to answer without adding a little bit of attitude. Penny and Elaine were quite wealthy and spent their time traveling the Yucatan on a whim. Ending up in the tiny Cozumel police station surely wasn’t on their list of best ways to spend a Friday, but then maybe the dead body had given the situation some gravitas.

  Detective Soledad scribbled a note, a small frown line appearing between his brows. “Do you have any connection to the Larson family, either here or in Texas?”

  “Texas? Heavens, no. Why would we ever go there? Horrible place. All the humidity of the Yucatan and none of the beauty,” Penny said.

  Kitty tried not to shoot them a look as she translated. She’d spoken too soon. It was near impossible for the two elderly ladies to keep from speaking their minds. She could only hope that Detective Soledad had no personal ties to the state.

  “They say everything’s bigger in Texas, but they’re really talking about the bugs, and the Mexican food is covered in that orange, gooey cheese dip,” Elaine said. “Such a shame. They take perfectly edible dishes and cover them in melted plastic that smells like feet.”

  “Plus, they have too many Texans there,” Penny added for good measure.

  Detective Soledad didn’t smile. He fixed her with a look. “How about other dive shops in the area? Do you have any business dealings in Cozumel?”

  They exchanged glances. “We have a small house on the Western side, near Playa Mezcalitos where it’s quiet. We rent it out, but every now and then we’ll stay here for a week or so.”

  Officer Flores narrowed his eyes. “And that is where you met Mark Larson?”

  “We’ve never met either one of them, until today,” Penny clarified.

  “Have you ever had any business dealings with the Larson family, or have you ever met Senator Larson?”

  Just as Kitty was signing the last word, the light dawned on her. Senator Larson. So, Coleman Larson had been related to the Majority Leader in the United States Senate. The Larsons were one of the most politically powerful families in Texas, and probably the nation. And Coleman had been living incognito while running a scuba diving school in Cozumel, Mexico. Leander’s presence made more sense now.

  Elaine responded, “No, no business dealings with the Larson family, nor have we met Senator Larson. We do have some business connections in Texas, but they’re not related, directly or indirectly, with Senator Larson.”

  Again Kitty was impressed by Elaine’s clear and concise response. Apparen
tly, as long the detective didn’t mention Texas, they’d stay on track.

  Penny added, “Not that we would if we had the chance. That man lies so the Devil will line his pockets.”

  Detective Soledad leaned forward. “You’re saying the man is a thief.”

  “A politician,” Penny corrected him. “He promised to increase money spent on disabled children in the public school system, but then voted against the law that would have made it happen.” She tapped her forehead. “I keep a mental list of senators who try to keep disabled children from reaching their potential.”

  “You feel a personal connection to the senator, then?” he asked.

  “Not any more than a dozen other politicians. He’s not at the top of my hit list,” Elaine said. She paused as if rethinking her word choice. “It’s just irritating that he lies so much. He doesn’t have to anymore. In the beginning, sure, he lied to get elected, but now he’s just doing it recreationally.”

  Detective Soledad made notes for a minute or so. As the silence stretched in the room, Kitty found herself getting more and more nervous about what he might say next.

  “Have you either of you retained a lawyer?”

  Kitty almost gasped. She had been the one to find the body. Why wasn’t she under the same suspicion? Managing to swallow her surprise, she quickly translated.

  “We have a family lawyer. Do we need to call him?” Penny held the detective’s gaze.

  After a second or two, he looked down at his papers. Point to Penny, Kitty thought. These two old ladies looked meek and mild, but they were no empty-headed senior cruisers.

  “No. You are free to leave for now. We’re asking you to stay on Cozumel for the next few days, in case we have more questions.” He didn’t wait for a response, but stood and headed to the door, Officer Flores following behind him.

  “You may confer with the Americans,” he said to Leander. “I will be interviewing the two students in ten minutes.” He exited the room without a backward glance.

  Leander gently closed the door and sat down at the metal table.

  Before he could speak, Penny quickly asked. “They don’t really seem interested in Kitty. Are they saving her for last?”

  She started to translate for Leander, but Elaine waved a hand. “Oh, and you don’t have to do that. We know he can sign as well as we can. We saw him.”

  Leander grinned. “My secret is out. But you should let her. Kitty is the better signer. She has grace. It’s like watching poetry.” It wasn’t true, but Kitty smiled at the compliment anyway.

  “You probably think I’m crazy, pulling the body up to the boat like that,” Kitty said. “I just didn’t realize…” She tried not to remember how long she’d had Coleman’s corpse tucked against her chest as she paddled toward the boat.

  Leander reached out and slid Kitty’s book across the table toward him. “We men of study, whose heads are in our books, have need to be straightly looked after! We dream in our waking moments, and walk in our sleep.”

  Kitty knew that she should take a moment to protest the idea of having to be looked after, but all her defenses seemed to have slumped over into a heap at her feet. One quote from Hawthorne and she was a boneless, Kitty-shaped lovesick lump.

  Her saving grace was that he didn’t seem to notice. “You two okay?” he asked, signing to Penny and Elaine.

  “Sure. We’re just jealous that Kitty found the body,” Penny said.

  “And got a kiss from you.” Elaine winked.

  Kitty felt her face go warm. It had been a kiss on the cheek, nothing more. And if she really thought about it, which she was trying hard to avoid, a large part of her wished that they hadn’t met again the way they had. Her hair was frizzing around her face, she smelled of sea water, she had goggle lines on her cheeks, and her eyes were red-rimmed from crying. It wasn’t exactly the glamorous reunion she’d imagined.

  “We want to know what you’re doing here. I should go full country club president and ask you for your invitation, sir.” Penny glanced at the camera in the corner of the room. “But before you tell me, what do you think are the chances anybody here knows American Sign Language? Will you get in trouble for filling us in?”

  Leander considered that for a moment, then said, “My loyalties are with the investigation first, and the American citizens a very close second. But I don’t think you three are being seriously considered as suspects.” He hurried to add. “And of course, not by me.”

  Penny leaned closer. “I think it’s that young guy, Mark.”

  “Why do you think that?”

  She shrugged. “It’s always the person who’s going to inherit. Or maybe he wants the dive shop to himself.”

  “No way,” Elaine said. “Everybody’s looking at this all wrong. It’s about the treasure. I bet Coleman found the gold and that’s why he was trying to keep everyone away from Punta Molas.”

  “Maybe. What do you think, Kitty?” Leander asked.

  She thought hard, her fingers tracing lazy circles in Chica’s fur. Finally, she signed, “Something’s not right here, but I’m not sure what. I don’t know anything except that he drowned.”

  “Not drowned. There were stab wounds on the body. Very obvious once they pulled him from the water,” Leander said.

  Kitty’s eyes went wide. She hadn’t noticed. Then again, she hadn’t realized he wasn’t a dummy, either. It did explain how the crabs had gotten into the suit, though.

  “What do you know about the others in your group?” Leander asked.

  Kitty shrugged, giving him the little that she’d gleaned from spending the last week in their company. She felt a flash of embarrassment at how little she’d interacted with her tour mates, and often she’d headed to her room instead of staying up to talk. But now that one of them might be a murderer, she’d probably been better off keeping to herself.

  She ended with, “I know it’s not much. I wish I knew more.” Glancing down at Chica, she considered telling Leander about how Chica had been shadowing Angelina, but it didn’t seem to fit anywhere in the present investigation. Chica didn’t shadow violent killers, and if Angelina had been the target, she would have been killed first, instead of Coleman.

  “Everyone kept talking about the treasure, and maybe that’s it. Maybe he really was killed for some old coins. But I have this feeling…” Kitty shook her head.

  Even before the treasure took center stage, she’d felt the dynamics of the dive shop were off somehow. Not because Coleman was a jerk to everyone, but small, inconsequential things. Mark’s tense attitude and arguments with Angelina, and Angelina’s feelings of being misunderstood by her American boyfriend. Lisa’s overbearing behavior, as if she were directing a play. Joan’s quiet anger simmering under the pudgy soccer mom persona. Christina’s over-the-top, enthusiastic show of how much fun she was having. How Andrew was a better and more experienced diver than anyone in their group and yet he was taking a beginning-to-intermediate course. How Jenny said she was working on a very important class project for her graduate program, but never took notes or wrote anything down that Kitty could see. The way Ren seemed so easy-going but then had argued with Coleman several times over the itinerary.

  She looked up to see them all watching her intently. The hanging lights in the small room suddenly seemed overly bright and Kitty’s right eye twitched. “I don’t know. I can’t put my finger on it.”

  Chica walked around the table and ffroooofffffed in her throat at Leander, as if to say, She needs a cold Diet Coke and a siesta now. Make it happen.

  He nodded at Chica as if he understood, and turning to Penny and Elaine, he said, “Where are you staying?”

  “We were staying at Akumal and leaving tonight on the last flight to Miami.” Penny looked worried. “Our house is rented for the week. But I’m sure it won’t be hard to find something.” Penny glanced at Toto and Kitty knew what she was thinking. It was easy to get a room if you were two adults, no pets. But even though Toto was a trained service anima
l, some hotels still balked at accepting them into the room.

  “Why not stay with me at the dive shop?” Kitty asked. “I think the private rooms have vacancies, and this way we can stay together.”

  “Wonderful idea,” Elaine said. “Then we won’t have to hunt around for a place.”

  Kitty nodded, although she had an ulterior motive for wanting the two octogenarians with her. There was a safety in numbers, and two service dogs were better than one.

  “Besides, we can get a lot of detecting in tonight. Between us, I bet we uncover some juicy clues.” Elaine was clearly thrilled at the prospect.

  Leander looked alarmed. He held up one hand and signed slowly, as if not wanting to overstep. Kitty thought it was charming that Leander worried about Elaine and Penny’s feelings. She would bet her last dollar that as nice as they were and as friendly as they seemed, those two would do just exactly as they pleased regardless of anyone’s disapproval. “I think it’s a good idea, too―”

  At that moment the door opened and Officer Flores announced, “You are needed in the next room, Señor Estornell.”

  “Of course,” he said, standing up. “I’ll walk the ladies to the front and make sure they are taken back to the dive shop, and then I’ll be right in.”

  “Oh, don’t worry about us,” Kitty said, hurriedly, gathering her tote and tucking her book under her arm. “We’ll be fine. See you back at the dive shop.”

  There was an awkward moment where Leander seemed as if he wanted to say something else, and Kitty realized that he might not be free to drop by for dinner like any other friend would.

  “I hope―,” he started to say.

  “I mean, only if―,” she said, speaking at the same time.

  Officer Flores looked from Leander to Kitty, his expression one of supreme boredom. “Por favor, Señor Estornell.”

  “Yes, of course.” Leander made a faint gesture that might have been an “oh well” or maybe a “to be continued”, and then he was gone.

  “Oh, this is so exciting,” Penny said, gathering her things.