One for the Hooks

by Betty Hechtman

  “Of course,” I said. “What would you like me to do with it?” I asked.

  “If you wouldn’t mind, could you go through it and separate anything like a bill. Just put them on her desk for now.” She seemed like she was going to sign off but realized I’d made the call. “Sorry. What did you call about?”

  “I found a bracelet I believe was your sister’s. It’s a regular silver bangle with an allergy alert inscription on the inside.”

  “Yes, she was allergic to shellfish. That didn’t have anything to do with what happened, did it?” she asked.

  “Then the detective that called didn’t tell you?” I asked.

  “Tell me what? All they said was that Sloan had been hit in the head with a drone.”

  “The drone had a payload of crab, lobster, and shrimp shells.”

  “Oh no,” Donna said, “Sloan was so allergic, the smell of cooking shellfish alone would give her a reaction and she’d need to use an epi pen, but if the shells touched her it would be a disaster.”

  “Did your sister have any enemies?” I asked, and I heard her gasp.

  “Then you think it wasn’t a freak accident? I can’t imagine anyone wanting to hurt my sister. She was always looking out for me. The reason she was such a jack-of-all trades was so she could pay for my medicine or my rent. She was so good to me.” Donna sounded so sad, it broke my heart. Bad enough to lose her sister, but then to think it was deliberate. “They have to find out who did it,” she said.

  “I’m doing my best to figure out what happened,” I said.

  “Bless you,” she said before she hung up.

  I wondered if the bracelet and what Donna had told me would be enough to convince Barry that someone had deliberately killed Sloan while trying to make it look like a prank.

  I went into the bookstore early on Sunday to clean up any mess from the previous night. Mrs. Shedd and Mr. Royal had gotten rid of all the stray trash, but the yarn department needed attention. I was amazed at how many of the kits were gone. I put all the ones that were left in one display and set the other cardboard case aside to put back in the storage room. Mrs. Shedd came by as I was straightening the chairs around the table.

  “There was a message for you,” she said. “One of the associates took it.” She handed me a piece of paper and I read it over.

  “It’s from the woman we bought the yarn from,” I said. “She said she found still another box of yarn in a closet and said that I can pick it up from the guesthouse, hopefully today.”

  “By all means get it,” my boss said. “We want to have as many kits as possible together before you leave.” She picked up Rhoda’s blood-red sample scarf and compared it with one in shades of green and blue with a blast of textured yarn running through it. “They are exactly as advertised. Each one is unique and stunning.”

  She put down the scarf and glanced around the bookstore. “You’ll make sure everything else is in order before you leave for your trip?”

  I assured her I would.

  “This kit idea seems like a winner. When you come back, we should discuss ways to offer more of them,” Mrs. Shedd said.

  I agreed, but I wondered what my mindset would be when I returned. She was just looking at it as a week away, but to me it felt like a dividing point in my life.

  * * *

  Sometimes weekend days were slow, but this week they were busy. Mick Byrd brought in a box of books he’d taken home for Merry to sign. Anastasia came in with the kit she’d won, asking for help. I took her back to the yarn department, and we were soon joined by some other kit purchasers who needed help. Adele saw me assisting the group and couldn’t help herself. The Adele swooped in and took over. “Pink, I’m so much better at this than you are.”

  I was actually relieved by her comment, knowing she’d be there to offer the help we’d promised would be available. When I left the area, Anastasia was busy telling the others that the yarn was infamous and had been part of a crime scene, before going on about the short-term rental business, which she seemed to think was going to fizzle now that the house was connected to a death.

  I helped customers, got the newsletter together, and was in and out of the yarn department as people came in asking about the scarf kits. Before I knew it, it was time to leave.

  I went directly home to take care of the animals. Then I would go to Sloan’s and take care of things, as I’d promised her sister. The last stop would be to pick up the yarn from Miami’s since it didn’t matter if she was there or not.

  Peter was off somewhere, and my house was peaceful. I soaked up the moment of aloneness, knowing it was all going to change with Samuel’s return, along with my parents’. They had their own place, but all family gatherings were at my house, and my mother treated my living room as a rehearsal hall.

  I fed everybody and gave them all some outdoor time while it was still light. Princess had become part of the crew and was running with Felix and Cosmo. I had no idea how Blondie felt about sharing her pal. The cats did their usual thing. Mr. Kitty found a last spot of sunlight to lie in, and Cat Woman prowled the bushes.

  I got them all back inside and left for my errands.

  It was a short drive to Sloan’s. Her garbage cans were the only ones still at the curb. I dragged them into the backyard. It was already evening, and the yard was in the shadows. I hadn’t noticed it before but now admired how she had created a park-like feeling, making the small space seem much larger.

  I remembered Donna’s request and went back to the street to get the mail out of the box by the curb. The key was just where Donna had said, and I let myself in.

  I felt less like an intruder this time and took the mail into the bedroom that Sloan had used as an office. I sat down at the desk and began to sort through the mail. When I went to move the keyboard of her computer, I accidentally hit a key and the screen came on.

  She had left a bunch of programs open, and out of curiosity, I began clicking around. As various files opened, I figured they were projects she’d been working on. Bitsy had described the backdrop Sloan had created for her parents, and I recognized the shelving and blue-gray color of the wall. It was the perfect backdrop for Zoom meetings. Another file had photos of the rental rooms at Miami’s with mockups of how they might look with various furniture arrangements. The next file had a montage of photographs that confused me, and the last one totally surprised me. As I went through them a second time, I suddenly understood what they were. It was mind-boggling, but a bunch of puzzle pieces fell into place, and I finally had an idea of who had killed Sloan. I just needed to make sure.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  I thought about calling Barry and just dropping it all in his lap, but at the last minute I reconsidered. This was my last hurrah with him, and I didn’t want to go halfway. I’d make sure he had enough to get a search warrant. And there was always the possibility I was wrong. Better check everything out myself.

  I drove to the cul-de-sac and parked in front of Miami’s. Her place was dark, and I assumed she wasn’t home, so I didn’t bother to announce myself. If anything, I think she preferred that I just went through the yard to the guesthouse for the yarn, without contacting her.

  I knew my way well enough to be able to move through the yard in the semi-darkness. I’d get the yarn on the way back. For now I was on a hunt to check something out.

  This time when I opened the gate to go into the secret garden, I made sure to lodge something in the gate to keep it open. I left my purse by the fence but took my phone. Now back in the open green space, I had to get my bearings. When I looked back at the fencing along Miami’s yard, I realized what I’d missed before. It was something that Anastasia had said before that I hadn’t understood. I had only considered the neighbors on the cul-de-sac, but there was a property on the other side of the wild area that faced another street.

  I found the chain-link fence, even though it was almost completely covered in ivy. I pushed away some of the big pointy leaves to peer thr
ough the opening. I couldn’t see much beyond the wall of a building. I ran my hand along the ivy-covered metal fencing until I felt a gate. I tore away at vines until the lock mechanism was visible. The fence seemed long forgotten, and it took a lot of pushing, but I was able to release what held the gate shut. I pulled it toward me until it was open enough to squeeze through. I made sure it stayed open so I’d be able to make an easy exit.

  I figured that I was at the back of the property and did a quick perusal, determining that the yard was much bigger than the ones on Starlight Court. It sloped up toward a grand-looking Spanish style house. The yard was illuminated with landscape lighting. The wall I’d seen belonged to a building that seemed like a garage. I had a feeling it housed what I was looking for. Staying in the shadows, I searched for an entrance. There were no windows, and the front had a pull-up door that was far too obvious for me to use. I toured the final side of it and discovered a normal-size door. When I tried the handle, it didn’t turn, but years of weather and earthquakes had shifted the frame, and when I pulled on the handle, the door reluctantly opened while the handle stayed locked.

  A smell like an aquarium that needed to be cleaned hit me as I walked in. I felt along the wall and found a light switch. A row of lights in the ceiling came on, illuminating one side of the large interior. It seemed like an oversized garage that was being used as a workshop. I stepped closer to the shelving on the wall to get a better view of what was on them. There were a number of drones and remote-control vehicles that weren’t meant to be toys. I recognized the black SUV that had chased me. I pulled out my phone and began taking pictures. I’d give them to Barry and let him figure out what to do with them.

  I knew I should probably get out of there, but I’d noticed something in the shadows. It appeared to be an aboveground swimming pool, but on steroids. It was too tall for me to see over the top, and I went up the metal stairway on the side of it. When I got to the top, I saw there was what looked like a diving board that went halfway across the water. I tested it with my foot, and it seemed to be anchored on the other end. I was considering what it was for when suddenly the whole interior was bathed in bright light. I tried to back down the stairway, but someone was blocking it. Mick Byrd stood on the bottom step.

  A message flashed in my mind that I needed to get out of there. “Sorry for being in here,” I said, trying to keep my voice level. “I’m the one who got stuck in that drainage area before. I dropped something and I came back looking for it. I should have learned my lesson, but I got stuck in here again. I came in here hoping I could use a phone to call the owner of the house next door so she could open the gate.” It sounded pretty lame, but I hope he’d go for it. I saw his eye go to the phone sticking out of my slacks. “It’s dead,” I said. “Too much texting, not enough charging.” I was trying to sound a little daffy, hoping he’d fall for it.

  “You can’t leave without meeting Fred and Ginger,” he said. He came up behind me on the stairway, forcing me to go to the top just before the plank that went across the water. I looked down and saw two long, black, snake-like fish swimming around in the tank.

  “Electric eels are fascinating creatures. Everybody calls them eels, but they’re really knifefish. After all these years they’re making a sequel to Eels. Of course, Merry won’t be in it this time. A horror film hardly goes with her image and brand now.” I remembered now that at that book club meeting Merry had mentioned she’d met Mick on that movie.

  He looked down at the swimming pair. “I’m doing the special effects again. The mechanical eels I made before would never pass muster now. That’s why I have Fred and Ginger, so I can study everything about them before I create the fakes. I spend hours on the plank, watching how they move.”

  “That’s all very interesting,” I said, doing my best to sound casual, “but I really need to go.” I tried to back up, but he held his position, and I felt something sharp poking me in the back.

  “I always carry a pocket knife,” he said. “You never know when it will come in handy. More interesting stuff about Fred and Ginger—their bodies are like six-foot-long batteries. They carry quite a charge and can give off enough to stun a person if they’re bothered. And they keep stunning the intruder until their charge runs out. It’s kind of like being shot with a stun gun fish style. Then, well, unless someone rescues the person, they drown.”

  “So, you’re still working special effects while being your wife’s manager,” I said, hoping to keep him talking.

  “I’m mostly out of it now, but I couldn’t turn down Eels Two. It’s my shot for an Academy Award. I’ve done a great job of keeping Merry’s brand going. Not many actors have managed the career she has. She was never the lead but has become a fixture as the mom or best friend. Everybody knows who she is and what she stands for. Now it’s my turn for a little of the spotlight.” I could feel his breath on my back. “I know you’ve been snooping around. What do you think you know?” he demanded.

  A whole lot came to mind, but I wasn’t about to say anything. I just wanted to get out of there.

  “I was taking pictures of the interior. This is just the kind of building I’d like to add to my property. My son has moved in.” I was on a roll, thinking I’d be so annoying he’d let me go to get me out of there.

  “Shut up. Nobody’s going to buy that story. I don’t know how you know it, but you know too much,” a woman’s voice said. I turned and saw that Merry had joined us. Gone was the cheery upbeat voice she’d used at the book club. Her face seemed different without her perpetual smile. She looked older and harder. “Will you just do it.” She handed him a long pole with a brush at the end used for cleaning a pool.

  “I’ll take care of it,” he said with an annoyed grunt.

  She looked at me again and at him holding the pole. “What are you waiting for?” She threw up her hands. “It’s got to seem like she’s a busybody who snooped one time too many and fell in the pool.”

  When Mick didn’t make a move, she continued, “Do I have to do everything? You wimped out, and I had to fly the drone,” Merry said in an impatient voice.

  “I’ll do it,” he said angrily. He poked the knife a little harder. “Okay then, time to walk the plank.” I couldn’t believe he really said that, but I reluctantly took a step out on the wooden board. I looked back and Merry had joined him on the platform at the top of the metal stairs. He was still holding the pool cleaning pole, and I figured when I got out far enough, he’d use it to knock me off. Unless I could do something first. Though at the moment I was coming up empty.

  “This is taking too long,” Merry said. She grabbed the other end of the pole and tried to pull it away, but he held on, and as they struggled, she started to lose her balance and, with a scream, fell over the side into the deep pool.

  She was thrashing around, trying to get to the side, but there was a flash in the water followed by a loud crack as the eels found her. Her body went limp and floated up to the surface facedown. Mick was too busy trying to save her to pay attention to me. It was my chance to escape, and I backed off the plank and down the stairs until I felt someone grab me.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  “Barry!” I said—well, actually, shrieked. “What are you doing here?”

  “Maybe the better question is what are you doing here?” he said, pulling out his phone as he looked around, taking in the scene.

  Mick was in panic mode and had tossed aside the pole as Merry’s body convulsed again, and I shuddered, imagining the serpentine creatures attacking her. Mick rushed to the shelving, and a moment later a heavy-duty drone took off and flew over the tank. A long hook hung from its bottom. The drone lowered with precision, and the hook slipped under Merry’s arm before the drone rose up. It barely made it outside the tank and lowered before the hook broke loose, and she slipped to the ground. The craft landed next to her, and Mick rushed to tend to her. Finally, I heard some coughing and sputtering as Merry moved, and he helped her sit up. He looked over and sa
w Barry for the first time.

  “Who are you?” Mick demanded.

  Barry pulled out his badge.

  Not missing a beat, Mick pointed at me. “Good. Arrest her for trespassing,” he said.

  “They tried to kill me,” I protested.

  “It was self-defense,” Mick said to Barry. “I was protecting myself against an intruder.”

  “I don’t think that quite flies,” Barry said. “She has no weapon, and you have security cameras in here and by the fence, so you knew she was here before you confronted her. You could have just called us.” I looked up at the ceiling and saw the tiny camera he was referring to.

  Mick seemed stumped for a moment before he said, “Well, she pushed my wife in the water.”

  ]Merry glanced around the room, looking a little confused. Her expression had gone back to the girl-next-door look and she had her usual sunny smile.

  “What happened?” she said. “I feel a little strange.” She looked at her husband. “But what she said is true. We were trying to kill her.” We all looked at her in surprise.

  “Shut up,” Mick said.

  “No, you shut up,” she said. “Molly had become a problem to get rid of, just like Sloan.” She turned back to Mick. “If you hadn’t dawdled and had pushed her in, our problem would have been solved.”

  “What’s wrong with you?” Mick demanded. “You’re supposed to get amnesia from a shock.”

  She shook her head with the smile still plastered on her face. “I just can’t seem to help telling the truth.”

  I heard the loud thwack of a police helicopter starting to circle above just as EMTs and officers flooded in.

  The EMTs checked her out and determined she didn’t need any medical attention. Then, while Mick watched in horror, she started to talk as she looked around at all of us.