MURDER AT THE PIER (A Sister Sleuths Mystery Book 1)

by Rayna Morgan

  "You're talking about Scott's mother? She helps run the Ranch?" Maddy asked.

  "Yeah. Scott's father died of a heart attack not too many years ago. Right there on the Ranch. Keeled over one day when they were branding cattle. After her husband had his heart attack, she stepped up to help Ralph. I don't know if he could have kept everything going without her."

  "That was a lot for her to take on."

  "Oh, she's a strong woman alright," Paul acknowledged. "Besides her work at the Ranch, she's involved in community affairs. I've served on a couple of committees with her."

  Maddy couldn't help being interested. "What's your impression of her?"

  "Independent, strong willed, efficient at getting things done. She’s also well liked and highly respected."

  "What was their reaction when you asked about selling?" Paul asked.

  "Ralph was in his seventies when we approached him. We figured he might be willing to sell out and retire like the other ranchers in the area. But the old man was stubborn. Wouldn't hear of having the land parceled off."

  "What did his grandson think of the idea of selling?"

  "Scott wasn't living here then. He and his grandfather had a falling out years ago. Ralph wanted his grandson to carry on the family tradition of ranching but his grandson had different ideas about what he wanted to do with his life. His mother encouraged him to follow his own dreams. The irony is Scott ended up with his own spread in Colorado.”

  "What brought him back here?"

  "A couple of things from what his grandfather gave us as his reason for not selling. Ralph was still hoping his grandson would come back to work the Ranch with him for a few years before the old man lost his health. Then, tragedy struck and sealed the deal for Scott to return."

  "What happened?" Maddy gasped.

  "Scott's wife was killed in a tragic automobile accident seven years ago. Apparently, the couple was returning to their ranch from a weekend skiing trip when their car hit an icy patch in the road and skidded into a telephone pole. The five-year-old girl was uninjured and Scott walked away with a fractured collarbone, but his wife died on impact. After a year of mourning, Scott decided it would be best for his daughter to be surrounded by family who could help him raise her."

  "How has it worked out for Scott being back here?"

  "From all reports, he and his grandfather are really enjoying working together. His mother's been able to step back from the Ranch and get more involved in the community. And Scott's a devoted father to his young daughter."

  Maddy's day had been a roller coaster of emotions and what she heard about Scott Miller sent her spirits soaring. She couldn't deny she would be attracted to the tall, handsome cowboy even if he hadn't saved her life. She was sure there had been chemistry between them during both of their recent encounters.

  Her sister kicked her under the table while Paul was telling the story letting Maddy know Lea understood what her sister was feeling, a trait the sisters had shared since childhood.

  Although Maddy would have liked to hear more about Scott Miller, Paul moved on.

  "I assume from how you've described the way Neal and the Ramirez brothers worked their burglary operation that you won't recover any of the stolen goods. I'll have to inform the clients of mine who were victims."

  "I'm sure they sold off the stuff after each burglary," Tom confirmed. "It was a pretty seamless operation. Or would have been once Neal had made enough money and disbanded the operation. If the van hadn't been abandoned at the Pier, we'd probably still be looking for the perps."

  "Sounds like a pretty good motive for murder. If Neal was ready to quit and the brothers wanted to continue but couldn't do it without the information Neal was providing, it might have started a disagreement that ended in his murder."

  "That was our initial view of what happened but when we couldn't place them close enough to the victim, we had to rethink what took place."

  "What's your take on it now?"

  "The coroner's report has come in. It confirmed a blow to the back of the head. Time of death was between nine and ten o'clock."

  Lea's jaw dropped. "Whoa, shortly before the dogs found the body. If we'd arrived much sooner, I may have received a knock on the head myself."

  Tom pointed a finger at her: "Or worse. You could have become a casualty of being in the wrong place at the wrong time."

  Shivers ran the length of Lea's spine. "Were they able to identify the murder weapon?"

  "From the marks left on the skull, the blow was caused by a blunt object, probably one of the rocks on the beach. I sent a couple of my guys to search for one with blood on it at the murder scene but no luck. The murderer probably threw it into the ocean where we’d have no chance of finding it. Even if it drifts back on shore, the blood will have washed off. The murderer destroyed any footprints by brushing strands of seaweed across them. Probably jumped on large rocks to make his or her way back to the Malecon."

  "The blow was to the back of the head?"

  "Yeah, so Neal wasn't facing his killer when it happened. That could mean one of two things. Either he was taken by surprise . . ."

  "Or Neal was talking with his killer," Lea chimed in, "and his killer seized an opportune moment when Neal turned his back."

  Paul leaned on his elbows, brow knitted in concentration. "If he was talking with the killer, he probably knew the killer. It could have been a stranger but it's an odd time of night for someone to be walking on the beach."

  "Chances are Neal wouldn't have talked to the person, especially when he had his own business to take care of with the brothers," Lea reasoned.

  Tom asked her: "What if a stranger approached you at night apparently seeking help?"

  "As a woman, I’d exercise extreme caution. I’d ask from a distance if they were in need of medical assistance. If the answer was yes, I’d dial 911 for them. Otherwise, I would leave the scene immediately." Lea qualified her response. "Neal, having the typical male ego, probably wouldn’t consider an approach from a stranger as a threat. But you haven't indicated signs of a struggle at the scene. You must be assuming Neal knew his assailant."

  "Right again," Tom confirmed. "So the question that has to be asked is why the murder happened then and not another time. Why there and not somewhere else? Was it an argument gone wrong or the coming together of means, motive and opportunity?"

  It was Maddy's turn: "If someone else knew about the meeting, it provided the perfect opportunity to do the crime and pin it on someone else at the same time."

  "That suggests someone who knew about the burglary operation," Paul remarked.

  “Someone who knew the vic intimately enough to have access to information they could use against him,” Tom concluded.

  Maddy clapped her hands. "You think he was being blackmailed by whoever found out."

  Tom nodded. "Definitely an avenue we're exploring."

  He paused as the waitress cleared their plates. "But I haven't told you the other interesting bit of information in the coroner's report."

  Paul punched Tom lightly on the arm: "You've been holding out on us?"

  "The blow to the head wasn't the cause of death. His neck was snapped."

  Maddy gasped. "You mean Neal was strangled?"

  "Yep."

  Paul leaned back, crossing his arms across his chest. "Does that narrow the perpetrator to a man strong enough to strangle someone of Neal's height and weight?"

  "It would except for the blow to the back of the head which rendered Neal unconscious or at least incapable of fighting back."

  Tom's cell phone started buzzing indicating an incoming message. "Here's an update from the coroner now," he read. "Bruises on the victim's neck and chin show an outline of the strangler's hand including an object on one of the fingers, probably a ring. The Coroner also says from the position of the neck when the body was found, he should be able to tell me whether the strangler was right or left handed."

  "Wow," Maddy exclaimed, "I didn't realize a s
trangler leaves that kind of evidence."

  "Keep it in mind, Maddy." His eyes twinkled as he picked up his bill from the tray. "Even though you sometimes want to strangle me, you're bound to get caught if you do."

  "Do you have to go so soon?" Lea asked.

  "This evidence only helps me prove my case in court. Right now, I've got to get back to identifying the murderer."

  "You don't think you have the killer with Roberto Ramirez in custody?"

  "Roberto was talking at the station even before his attorney arrived. He's willing to take the rap for the burglaries but there’s no way he's letting us pin the murder on him. He admits to having an arrangement with Neal for his brothers to steal merchandise and sell it over the border. The heist you busted, Lea, was supposed to be their last job. The purpose of the meet was to get their final payoff from Neal. They planned to stay in Mexico and not come back."

  "So what was his explanation for what went down that night?" Paul asked.

  "Says he drove his truck to the parking lot, the black one with the flames . . . your favorite new mode of transportation," Tom grinned, brushing against Maddy. “He waited for his brothers to show with the van.

  When they came speeding into the lot and jumped out leaving the doors wide open, he knew something had gone wrong. The moment they told him they were being chased and he heard the crazy dog barking in the back of the van, he ran to where Henderson should have been waiting with the payoff. Neal was there alright. Lying dead in the sand.

  He yelled at his brothers to leave the dog and abandon the van. They all jumped in his truck and took off. He drove them to the river to get their car. Roberto instructed them to drive to the border as fast as they could. He'd get the cash they needed and meet them in Mexico.”

  Paul was stunned. "Why didn't Roberto take the cash from Neal's dead body before he ran?"

  "Oh, he tried. Frisked the corpse, being careful to cover his tracks, but there was no money. Either the murderer took it . . ."

  "Or Neal never took cash to the meet," Paul suggested. "How ironic. He may have been planning to cheat the brothers out of the money they had coming, an ill-advised move but right in character for him. If that had happened, Roberto probably would have ended up killing him."

  "That's how I see it," Tom nodded. “Roberto was ranting and raving all over the police station about what a crook Henderson was. He should have been thanking him. Neal getting himself killed undoubtedly saved Roberto from the gas chamber."

  Chapter Thirteen

  Talking with Lea on the phone the next morning, Maddy agreed Tom needed to have the information they had obtained from Liz about a visitor to Neal's office the night before his murder; however, she didn't agree with Lea's reasoning that she should be the one to tell him.

  "If I tell Tom, it will either get back to Paul and I’ll have some major explaining to do, or I'll have to continue to hide it from him. We intentionally omitted to bring it up at dinner last night but it could be important to Tom’s investigation. You’ve got to do it, Maddy."

  "Alright. But if Paul he finds out where Tom got the information, he'll be that much more convinced I'm the source of our sleuthing and a bad influence on you."

  "We all know already you're a bad influence on me," Lea laughed, "but we all love you anyway. Got to run. Let me know how it goes."

  Maddy knew she could stop by Tom's office but the setting of the police station for a conversation highlighted her involvement with the murder. She chose a more informal setting and created a plausible excuse for the meeting.

  Tom answered on the first ring. "Tom Henderson. How may I be of service?"

  "I'm impressed. Do you always answer your phone in such an official manner?"

  Tom recognized the voice of the caller. "Hi, Maddy. Nope. That greeting is reserved for calls from the switchboard. As it happens, our receptionist is sick today so all the calls are coming through to me. But the offer is the same. How may I be of service?"

  "It's been a long time since I've had that offer from a man," Maddy teased. "I could make lewd suggestions but I'm sure all your conversations are recorded."

  Tom had the kind of laugh that made Maddy happy every time she heard it. "I'll make sure to edit this one before it's put in the archives."

  "I don't want to take too much of your time so I'll get to the point of my call without further enticement. I want to talk you into displaying a couple of posters for the upcoming ‘Food and Music under the Stars’ fundraiser."

  "You want to put posters on the bulletin boards here at the station?"

  "Yes, please."

  "I'm not sure this is the best place to find potential donors for your fundraiser. Most of the people passing through our station are stealing money, not giving it away."

  "I'm thinking of the visitors who aren't dressed in orange. From sitting in the front room waiting to file a complaint last year, I remember reading every poster on your board. Two or three times, in fact."

  "Are you implying you had a long wait before you were taken to see one of our officers?"

  "Not complaining. But in planning where to display posters, I thought of every place in Buena Viaje where I've had to wait in a reception room. The police station is on the list, and you're my best contact there."

  "Well . . ."

  "To make my pitch more appealing, I'll make it in person and bring the posters but not to the station. Let me buy you a drink at the Hotel tonight; they have a buffet of free appetizers. Of course, there will be a lot of people there. Singles making a meal of the free goodies so they don't have to cook for themselves."

  "I've been there once or twice myself. More for the drinks than for the food."

  "So you know I'll be able to buy you two drinks for the price of one?"

  "In my business, I have to be able to understand ulterior motives, Maddy. I've got you all figured out. But I'm a compliant benefactor so bring your posters. I'll make sure they get posted. See you there at seven."

  "Better make it six thirty or all the food will be gone. Business people gather there after work. Unlike you, most people end their work day when the little hand is on six and the big hand is on twelve."

  "I'll do my best. Fill a plate for me if you get there before I do."

  "Will do. Thanks, Tom. I appreciate this."

  "You're the one buying the drinks. Besides, it's no problem. You know I’m a pushover for you. You've just never come to grips with that. See you later."

  Maddy was glad they weren't face to face so he could see the wave of heat she could feel rising from her neck to her cheeks. Am I reading innuendos in Tom's last statement that weren't intended?

  * * *

  Tom could have kicked himself. What a dumb thing to say to Maddy. How had that slipped out? It's not how I think of her. She's a good friend, nothing more.

  It had been five years since Maddy's divorce and she had indicated no interest in getting entangled in another relationship.

  Tom hadn't known Maddy when she was married; she and her husband lived miles away. But Tom's marriage fell apart shortly after Maddy's and when Maddy moved to Buena Viaje, Lea was instrumental in ensuring they had each other's shoulder to cry on.

  Tom had been completely surprised by his wife’s announcement she could no longer endure being married to someone in law enforcement. Only in retrospect did he recognize the signs that she hadn’t been coping well with his long absences or the strain he was subjected to during intense investigations. As a homicide detective, he had to be able to control his emotions in order to handle encounters with brutal, sad, or senseless acts of violence. As a result, he had developed an emotional insulation that had driven his wife away.

  Although he improved his attentiveness and emotional availability in subsequent relationships, he eventually resigned himself to casual friendships that called for less emotional involvement. His divorce and the broken relationships since had taught him one thing about women: it was easier having them as friends than having them as
lovers.

  Maddy was the best kind of friend. When she came into his life, she brought an essence important to him on several levels. She never failed to brighten his day and make him laugh. The carefree soul she was brought out his lighter playful side, a side he was infrequently able to display in his leadership role at the precinct. Most importantly, beside Lea and Paul, Maddy was the only one with whom he was willing to let down his guard.

  Their relationship had evolved from a mutual pity party to discovering mutual likes and dislikes. Over time, their friendship blossomed into the kind few people are lucky enough to experience in a lifetime.

  Am I willing to jeopardize that by acknowledging I have deeper feelings for Maddy? Besides, she's my best friend's sister-in-law. If I tried to have a relationship with Maddy and it went sideways the way the last one did, it could put a strain on my friendship with Lea and Paul. That's the last thing I want after all they’ve done for me.

  After his divorce, Paul and Lea made sure he was included in their family outings. They also helped him through the period of binge drinking that followed the breakup of his marriage. It was one of the reasons they got together during the week for drinks and dinner. They understood his need to unwind from his stressful job. They made certain he did it with friends; not sitting alone in a bar, common in a profession where the divorce rate was fifty percent higher than for the general population.

  Still, in spite of all the support they offered, they were a happily married couple. It had been Maddy who had brought him the most comfort during that time and kept him from going into a deep shell.

  Maddy was the person he related to the most. Describing the end of her own marriage as a knockout blow she hadn't seen coming, she understood the shock as well as the anger of being taken by surprise. She empathized with his pain at having his world turned upside down. Other friends attempting to appear sympathetic seemed more relieved that they weren't in his shoes.

  He and Maddy had recounted painful moments; first crying but eventually laughing, together. She gave him the freedom to express exactly what he was feeling without judgment. With her, there was no need to pretend he wasn't hurting or that he was coping well.