Melvin groaned. “This is all my fault.”
“It’s not your fault,” Velma said. “I should have told you about Ashley. I know that now.”
“We need to fix this. Together.” Melvin squeezed Velma’s hand. “We’ll go see Chief Dalton. He’ll know what to do.”
“We can go with you,” I offered. “We were on the cruise with Velma.”
Melvin shook his head. “I think it would be best if the two of us went on our own. The chief can follow-up with you afterward.”
I nodded, then looked at Velma. “Before you go, can you tell us who the man was? Who asked you to lie for him?”
“I’d like to know that as well,” Herbert said crisply. “You fabricated a story which implicated me.”
Velma’s eyes started watering again. “I’m sorry, sir.”
“How about some tea, sweetie? Tea always helps,” Penny said to the young woman.
While Penny went down below to rustle up refreshments, I handed my phone to Velma. “Have a look at this picture again. Can you show us which man it was?”
She pointed at Anthony. “It was him.”
Herbert gritted his teeth. “I knew it. He’ll stop at nothing to get what he wants, even if it means killing his uncle.”
Velma gasped as she realized the implications of what Herbert said. “How could someone kill a member of their own family?” She averted her eyes from the image on the screen, then thrust the phone at me. “I almost helped a murderer get away with it.”
“You didn’t know,” Scooter reassured the young woman. “It sounds like you were just trying to do the right thing for your family.”
She looked down at the floor. “But it wasn’t the right thing, was it?”
“Anthony may not have been the killer,” I pointed out.
Velma furrowed her brow. “But why else would he have asked me to lie for him?”
“I’m not sure. Maybe if you tell us more about what happened that night, we can try to figure it out.”
“Go on,” Melvin said. “You can trust these people.”
Herbert folded his hands in his lap and fixed his gaze on Velma. My stomach twisted in knots. Could we trust Herbert? Until now, there had been a strong possibility that he had killed Fletcher. Velma’s confession now pointed the finger at Anthony, but maybe there was another reason why Anthony had asked her to lie. Herbert could still be the killer.
As if sensing my thoughts, Scooter said to Herbert, “Maybe we should wait down below with Penny. Velma might be more comfortable talking with just Mollie.”
“No, it’s fine,” Velma said. “I don’t mind.”
I took a deep breath. “Okay, why don’t you start with when you arrived at the casino?”
“I wasn’t supposed to be working at the casino that night, but one of the other girls got sick, so she asked me to cover for her. At first, my manager had me working in the main room.”
“You were working there as a waitress, right?” Herbert asked.
“Yes, sir, that’s right. Drinks, mostly. Occasionally some chips or pretzels, that kind of thing. They served food in the VIP Room. That’s where the man . . . what was his name again?”
“Anthony Wright,” Herbert spit out.
“That’s where I first saw Mr. Wright.”
“Let’s get back to the VIP Room in a minute,” I said. “Can you tell us who you saw first in the main casino that night?”
I handed her my phone again. She took a deep breath, then scrolled through the pictures. When she reached one of Fletcher, she said softly, “This is the man who died.”
“God rest his soul,” Melvin said.
“He didn’t treat your niece very well,” I said. “He was rude to her at dinner.”
“It was probably the drink talking.” Scooter pursed his lips. “Although that’s no excuse for his behavior.”
“Well, he certainly got drunker at the casino and ruder. Yet, everyone working there kept putting up with it and smiling,” I said.
Velma shrugged. “It comes with the job. Most of the passengers are nice.”
“Who else did you see that night?” Scooter asked.
“There was that huge guy. He looks like he’s into bodybuilding.” Velma turned to me. “You were playing craps with him.”
“I’m not sure I have a picture of him, but that sounds like Dominic.”
“Hang on a minute.” Scooter helped Penny pass steaming mugs of tea to everyone.
As Penny set a plate of gingersnaps onto the cockpit table, she asked, “What did I miss?”
“A lot,” I said. “Velma is being a huge help.”
“Am I?” Velma’s voice wavered.
“Definitely,” I said.
“Herbert, remember what you told me at the yacht club about how Dominic threatened Fletcher?” After Herbert nodded, Scooter turned to Velma. “Did you see any sort of altercation between Dominic and Fletcher that night? Did they have a fight? Did Dominic seem angry?”
Velma shook her head. “No. The only thing I remember about him is that he asked me for some rutabaga juice.”
“Rutabaga juice? What a strange thing to order,” Herbert said.
“He told me that it was for a diet he was on. Ruta … rutasomething.”
“Rutamentals,” Scooter and I said at the same time.
“I can’t believe people still think rutabagas are the secret to weight loss.” I creased my brow. “Strange that a bodybuilder would be trying to lose weight. Aren’t they always trying to bulk up? Uh … Sorry, I’m getting us off track.”
Velma smiled faintly. “When I told him we didn’t have any, he asked for spicy tomato juice with a celery stick.”
“Oh, a Bloody Mary,” Scooter said.
“No, just plain juice.”
“If you make a virgin Bloody Mary right, you won’t even know that it doesn’t have vodka in it,” Herbert said.
“You tried to get Fletcher to stop drinking that night, didn’t you?” I asked.
Herbert frowned. “As usual, he didn’t listen to me.”
Melvin looked at his watch, then glanced at his niece. “Maybe we should get going.”
“But she hasn’t told us what happened between her and Anthony yet,” Scooter said. “That’s the crucial part.”
Penny offered Melvin a gingersnap. While he dunked it into his tea, he nodded at Velma to continue.
“You want me to tell you about the VIP Room?” she asked.
“Please,” Scooter said.
“They moved me in there around ten. It was really busy. We had lots of high rollers that night, and needed extra help.”
“What time were you there until?” I asked.
“My shift didn’t end until midnight.”
Scooter helped himself to a cookie, then asked, “Were there a lot of people in the VIP Room?”
“There were a number of poker games going on. Let’s see, there was a table of older Japanese gentlemen in one corner. They were very quiet and polite. There was another table of young guys going to the Bahamas for a bachelor party. They were having quite a good time.”
“Rowdy, huh?” Scooter asked.
Velma smiled. “I had to ask them a few times to keep it down.”
“Tell us about the other players,” I said.
Velma looked upward as she tried to recollect that night. “Let’s see, there were two other tables in the middle of the room. Nothing out of the ordinary with them. Then there was the table that Mr. Wright was playing at. That one was located in the front of the room, next to the bar.”
Scooter raised his eyebrows. “So was Anthony there the entire night?”
“No, he left at ten-thirty.”
“How can you be sure of the time?” I asked.
“I had already worked one shift that night, but with some of the crew sick, they asked me to do a double shift. I was so exhausted that I kept checking my watch all evening. I wanted my shift to be over so that I could go to bed.” Velma hesitated for a momen
t, then looked at Herbert. “You were in there as well, sir.”
Herbert straightened his shoulders. “Yes, I came in to check on the potential investors. There’s nothing wrong with that.”
“No, of course not.” Scooter held up a placating hand. “We’re just trying to piece together what happened that night. How long did you play poker with the guys?”
“I don’t gamble,” Herbert said.
“Smart man,” Melvin said. “Gambling is a vice.”
“Didn’t I see you with a scratch card the other day?” I teased.
“Well, that’s different,” Melvin said.
Herbert cleared his throat. “For most people, the occasional flutter or scratch card isn’t a problem. But for others, it can be an addiction.”
I gave Herbert an appraising look, then turned back to Velma. “So, to the best of your recollection, Anthony wasn’t in the VIP Room between ten-thirty and midnight.”
“No, ma’am,” she said.
Scooter cocked his head to one side. “When did Anthony ask you to lie for him?”
“It was early in the morning. I only got a few hours of sleep before I had another shift. I was in the lounge, tidying up the coffee station when he came up to me. He asked me if I remembered him from the VIP Room and I said yes. Then he said that he needed my help. His girlfriend thought he was cheating on her.”
“Wait a minute, this was all supposed to be a cover story for Madison?” I asked.
“Don’t fall for that,” Herbert snapped. “This is all typical Anthony. One lie wrapped around another lie. He was too busy killing his uncle to be cheating on Madison.”
I shot Herbert a glance, then looked at Velma. “Can you finish telling us what happened?”
“That’s it, really. He said that if anyone asked, I should say that he was in the VIP Room the whole night. I assumed he was referring to his girlfriend. When he shoved a wad of cash in my hand, I agreed.”
“When did you realize that there was more going on?” I asked.
“When my manager asked to see me. I went to her office, but before I could knock on the door, Mr. Wright pulled me aside. He handed me more money, double what he had given me earlier, and told me to go along with what he said. Then he went into my manager’s office with me.”
“Didn’t your manager think it was odd that he accompanied you?” I asked.
“She seemed a little flustered at first, but then she explained that it was Mr. Wright who had suggested that she speak with me. After explaining to me that there had been a terrible accident with Mr. Wright’s uncle, she said that the assumption was that he had been inebriated and fallen overboard. She just needed me to confirm that he had been intoxicated. I said that he had been drunk, and that’s when Mr. Wright jumped in.” Velma took a moment to gather her thoughts, then continued, “He described the fight—”
Hebert interjected, “The fight that never happened.”
“Let the young lady speak,” Scooter said.
“I started to say something, but the way Mr. Wright looked at me made me think twice. And it was so much money. I just went along with it.” She wrapped her arms around herself. “My manager excused me and as I was walking to the door, Mr. Wright complimented me on being such a hard worker. He told my manager how he had been in the VIP Room the whole evening. That’s when he nodded at me and I realized he wanted me to back-up his story, which I did. At the time, I thought it was still about his girlfriend. How could I be so stupid?”
As Velma put her head in her hands and sobbed, Melvin patted her knee. “It’s all right. The important thing is that you’re going to make amends. Come on, now … let’s go see Chief Dalton.”
“Poor thing,” Penny said after they left. “We’ve all made mistakes that we’re ashamed of.”
As we all nodded in agreement, I wondered what kind of mistakes Herbert was ashamed of. Did any of them include murder?
* * *
After we all spent a few moments reflecting on the mistakes we had made in our past, Herbert made an observation about how calmly we had discussed Fletcher’s murder.
“This isn’t the first time that Mollie has been involved in this sort of thing,” Penny said wryly.
“Scooter seems to have ice in his veins too,” Herbert said.
Penny looked at Scooter. “Hey, he’s right. You’re as cool as a cucumber. Usually, you look like you’re going to pass out when anyone so much as mentions blood, let alone murder. What’s happened?”
“I’d like to know the answer to that too,” I said. “I bought tons of chocolate at the library, and he’s barely touched it.”
“That’s a sure-fire sign that your husband has been replaced,” Penny joked. “I’ve never known Scooter not to consume chocolate like it’s going out of style when you’re investigating a murder.”
“You do this professionally?” Herbert asked. When I shook my head, he said, “Then why are you involved?”
“That’s a good question,” I said. “To be honest, Scooter is the one who has been leading the charge on this one.”
Scooter arched an eyebrow. “Hey, you were the one who wanted to go on the cruise so you could find out what happened between Herbert and Fletcher.”
“Going on the cruise is different from investigating murder,” I pointed out.
“Hang on a minute,” Herbert said. “What did you mean when you said you wanted to know what happened with Fletcher and me?”
Scooter and I exchanged glances. When we both started to speak at the same time, Scooter smiled. “Ladies first.”
“Well, there were all these rumors that Fletcher had embezzled money from your company.”
I paused, waiting to see how Herbert would respond. When he didn’t say anything, Scooter jumped in. “Mollie was surprised when she found out that the two of you were still partners.”
Herbert nibbled on a gingersnap. “These are good,” he said to Penny.
“I got them at the Sugar Shack,” she said.
“Oh, yeah? I’ll have to check it out.”
“It’s on Main Street—” Penny started to say.
Frustrated with the change of topic, Scooter interrupted. “Basically, Mollie wanted to find out why you were still working with someone who stole money from you. She couldn’t understand why you would work with someone as crooked as Fletcher. Unless . . .”
“Unless I was crooked too?” Herbert said dryly.
“No, that’s not what I’m saying,” Scooter said.
“You wouldn’t be the first person to think that. My reasons for sticking with Fletcher are complicated. They’re also private.” Herbert stood and brushed crumbs off his pants. “I think it’s time I went.”
“We’re not trying to pry,” I said.
“Really? Isn’t that exactly what you’re doing?” Herbert asked sharply before looking at Penny. “Thank you for your hospitality.”
“Sure thing,” she said. “Let me know if you want any more information about moving your boat to Coconut Cove.”
Herbert fixed his gaze on Scooter and me. “I’m not sure if that’s on the agenda anymore.”
“Okay, well if you change your mind, you know where to find me,” she said.
He nodded, then stepped off the boat onto the dock. Before he walked away, he added, “At least one good thing has come out of this. Anthony is going down for the murder of his uncle. It couldn’t happen to a nicer guy.”
* * *
“We never even got a chance to ask him what he saw that night,” I said after Herbert left.
“Even if we had, I don’t think he would have been very forthcoming,” Scooter said as he cleaned his glasses.
“Okay, you all are going to have to fill me in from the beginning. All I knew is what Nancy told me, then that poor girl confessed to lying about who was where and when. What exactly is going on?” Penny asked.
“I’m not sure I actually know at this point. There have been a lot of twists and turns.” I ran my fingers through
my hair. “What did Nancy say? Let’s start from there.”
“Not much. She called me earlier today and told me that someone was killed on your cruise. It wasn’t a very detailed account. I didn’t even know the victim’s name was Fletcher until now.”
“That’s pretty surprising considering the fact that Nancy practically runs the Coconut Cove grapevine. I would have thought she would have told you Fletcher’s full name, date of birth, and other vital statistics.”
Penny chuckled. “True. But she seemed more interested in telling me about your plans for Anabel’s bachelorette party.”
“Let me guess, she told you I didn’t have a plan.”
“Okay, there was a little bit of that. You know how she is.”
“So, what do you think of the idea? Are you still up for sailing to Destiny Key on Pretty in Pink?”
“Sure, it will be fun.” Penny smiled. “I’m really excited for you. This will be the first time you’re captaining Marjorie Jane on your own.”
My heart started beating faster, and I gripped Scooter’s hand. “I’m not sure I can do this without you.”
Scooter smiled. “Of course, you can. I have every faith in you.”
“He’s right,” Penny said. “You’ve come such a long way since you first started taking sailing lessons with me. You’re more than ready for this.”
Scooter winced as I squeezed his hand. “You’ve got this, my little commodore.”
“My little commodore … I might be able to live with that pet name,” I said.
“It ranks above a captain, but below an admiral, because we both know that Mrs. Moto is the admiral of our boat,” Scooter said with a chuckle.
“Are you bringing Mrs. Moto to Destiny Key?” Penny asked.
“Of course. She’s one of the girls,” I said.
“Well, then you don’t have a thing to worry about. She’ll tell you if you’re doing anything wrong. And don’t forget, I’ll be on the other end of the VHF radio if anything comes up.” Penny checked her phone. “Darn, I have to show someone a boat. But I want to hear more about this case you guys are working on. Promise to fill me in later?”
Overboard on the Ocean Page 12
