A Deadly Pair O'Docks

by Nicole Ellis

  “Janelle Dixon. She was supposed to be one of four partners in the dental practice with Declan, Bill, and Jared, but before they opened, Declan vetoed having her be in the partnership.”

  She nodded. “Oh yeah, I remember you talking to Bill about her. So why would you think she killed him?”

  “When your friends got to the Boathouse last Wednesday, I saw Declan arguing with a woman in the parking lot. Lindsay told me her name when we went there on Friday. I may or may not have gone to visit her yesterday to ask her about Declan.” I snuck a peek at her.

  She sighed. “You were snooping, weren’t you? Remember, we promised Tomàs we wouldn’t get involved with any other police cases again.”

  “I just wanted to find out if she had anything to do with Declan’s death. But I think she’s in the clear if he actually drowned in Lake Elinor.”

  “I probably would’ve done the same thing if I’d known about her arguing with Declan. But if she didn’t kill him, who did?”

  “I think it had to have been one of your friends from college.” I watched Desi closely.

  Her good mood disappeared. “One of my friends?” The corners of her mouth drooped. “Why does it have to be one of them? I just don’t think that’s possible.”

  “Think about it. Who else had access to him at Lake Elinor? It would have been pretty suspicious for Janelle to have gone all the way out there.”

  She paused in contemplation. “Then how did his boat end up at the Boathouse’s dock? And why was Declan’s body in Puget Sound? Tomàs said they found his truck and trailer at the Ericksville boat launch parking lot. If Declan didn’t drive it there, who did?”

  “I don’t know.” I stared helplessly at her. “None of this makes much sense.”

  “Well, I don’t think it was one of my friends,” she said stubbornly. “It could easily have been someone who killed him at the boat dock.”

  “I guess so.” Based on what the police officer who responded to the baby gift theft had said about the probability of it being someone Declan knew, that seemed unlikely.

  Desi checked her watch. “I’ve got to get to work, but let me know if you find anything else out.” She waggled her finger at me. “And don’t do any more investigating on your own. It isn’t safe.”

  “Uh, huh,” I said dryly. She wasn’t above snooping herself.

  She gave me a lopsided smile. “Well, at least take me with you then.”

  So much for not listening to Tomàs’s advice to stay out of police business. But then again, it wasn’t like she could completely avoid her friends for the rest of her life, right?

  “Aye, aye, Captain.” I saluted her. Sail Away camp was rubbing off on me. “I’m meeting Becca today after preschool summer camp is over if you’d like to tag along.” Usually clients came to our office to discuss their events, but after the snafu with Becca’s rehearsal dinner, I was laying out the red carpet for her.

  “Huh? Why do you have to wait?”

  I scowled and she started laughing.

  “Oh yeah, I forgot you were helping with Sail Away camp.”

  Desi left the office shaking her head and grinning.

  While good news; the conversation with Desi hadn’t been on my agenda. I was behind on my to-do list and there was one more thing I had to get done before I left for the preschool—find a babysitter.

  My friend Brenda had recommended BabySitNW.com, so I pulled up their website. Images of giggling babies and smiling women, who I assumed represented the babysitters, filled my screen. I completed a short questionnaire and I was officially a member of the site. Now for the hard part—sorting through all the candidates.

  There weren’t many that I’d give serious consideration. One woman’s ad was full of emoticons and misspellings. Another said she’d been convicted of a DUI recently, but it had been years since her previous DUIs. I stared at the screen. If only Beth wasn’t sick. From recent experience, I knew far too well how seemingly ordinary people could be hiding dangerous secrets.

  I pushed that thought out of my head. I’d always known that I needed to have a backup babysitter for when both Beth and I had to work, but with Adam home more this summer, we’d been able to make it work thus far. Now, it was no longer an option to hold off on hiring someone to watch the kids.

  I knocked my forehead against the desk, then sat back and dug in. There had to be someone in here that was trustworthy enough to care for my children. By the time I had to leave for the preschool, my brain was numb, but I’d set up meetings with two prospective babysitters.

  I packed up my things and set out for a day of crafts and games. The walk did relieve some of my stress, and it felt good to stretch my legs. I swallowed the last dregs of my coffee, took a deep breath, and entered Busy Bees.

  Summer camp wasn’t nearly as bad as I’d thought it would be. In fact, I actually had some fun with the day’s craft project, a sail with drawings of each child’s family members on it. Mikey’s was cute, with a picture of Adam and me holding hands with him and Ella. For a few hours, it felt like my life was back to normal.

  14

  I picked up Desi and drove out to Lake Elinor with her. Now that I was familiar with the route, it seemed like it took less time to get there. Only two cars were in the driveway when we arrived.

  “Looks like everyone’s gone home for now,” I observed.

  “Poor Becca. She had wanted this to be a fun week of relaxation for everyone, and nothing is going as she planned.” Desi exited the car and shut her door, eyeing the house. “I hope Lindsay isn’t here. I don’t think I can deal with her anymore.”

  Unfortunately for Desi, Lindsay opened the door right then.

  “Becca’s in the living room being fitted for her dress.” She disappeared into the house without any type of friendly greeting.

  Desi and I looked at each other.

  “Well, that was a nice welcome,” I said.

  “No kidding. Did we do something to make her mad? She has to know by now that the Boathouse had nothing to do with Declan’s death.”

  “I’m pretty sure my existence makes her angry.” I frowned, remembering how Lindsay had treated me the last time I’d seen her. “That and I’m pretty sure she still holds us responsible.”

  We walked into the living room and found Becca standing on a stool with a magnificent white dress trailing to the ground behind her.

  “Wow,” Desi said, circling her friend. “You look gorgeous. That dress suits you perfectly.”

  “It’s so pretty,” I said. The dress was strapless but not low-cut, and had beads on the bodice and flower patterns embroidered on the satin skirt.

  Becca beamed. “Thank you. I love it too.” She swished side to side, causing the elderly woman who was pinning her dress to sigh in exasperation.

  “Sorry, Glenda,” Becca said. “Do you know how much longer it’ll be until I’m done?”

  The seamstress pulled a pin out from between her lips and assessed the dress. “Maybe another ten minutes? Depends on whether you move around like you just did.”

  “Ok, girls, go ahead and get something to drink. There’s chips and dip in the kitchen, too, if you’re hungry.” She craned her neck around, taking care not to move the dress. “I’m not sure where Lindsay went. As soon as I’m done here, we can talk, ok?”

  I froze in place. She’d told me before that she wasn’t planning on canceling their wedding at the Boathouse, but her words still turned my stomach into a pit of dread. We couldn’t afford to lose any more business.

  “Jill,” Desi said, her hand on my arm. “Let’s go grab something to drink.”

  When we were alone in the kitchen, she turned to me and said, “What’s going on? You were a statue in there. I thought I’d have to throw cold water on you to get you to move.”

  Heat rose up through my shoulders and neck. “It’s all the cancellations. They’re making me crazy.” I looked directly into her eyes. “You don’t think Becca and Bill will cancel, do you?”
/>   “No, no. Don’t worry. If they haven’t said anything by now, they’re not going to, ok?”

  Her words were mildly comforting.

  “Now, let’s get something to drink. Do you want water? Coffee?” She opened the refrigerator. “There’s soda pop in here too.” She twisted a can of Diet Pepsi in the air. “I know you want some more caffeine.”

  I held my hand out. “Thanks.”

  She took another can of Diet Pepsi out and popped open the tab. It sprayed up in the air and down her arm. “Ugh. It got on my shirt. I love this shirt.” She pouted and held up the edge of her off-white lace-trimmed blouse.

  “Maybe Becca has some stain remover in the laundry room?”

  “I hope so.” Desi went off down the hallway, leaving me alone in the kitchen, staring at my drink.

  “I told her not to have the wedding at the Boathouse,” Lindsay said from behind me.

  I swiveled around. “I’m sorry, I don’t understand.”

  “I told Becca not to have it there in the first place. It’s a second-rate place in a rinky-dink town. But she insisted because of Desi’s connection to it.” She leaned against the doorframe, resting her wine glass on the counter.

  My jaw dropped. The Boathouse was consistently ranked as one of the hottest places to have a wedding in all of Puget Sound, including much more expensive locations in Seattle.

  “I’m sorry you feel that way,” I said in even tones. My long-ago yoga instructor would have been proud of me.

  “Well, I’m not going to let anyone else get stuck having an event at your establishment.” She twisted her lips into an evil smile. “I plan to tell everyone I know to avoid it at any cost, including my aunt at the KINO news station.”

  Her words echoed in my mind. Her aunt at KINO? If her aunt had any power there, that could bring some seriously bad publicity slamming down on the Boathouse.

  “Why would you do that?” I couldn’t understand how anyone could be so vindictive.

  “Because my husband died there.”

  I didn’t bother to correct her. He’d actually died at Lake Elinor, and she was most likely one of the police’s prime suspects. She certainly was high on my suspect list. As such, why was I alone in the kitchen with her?

  “Excuse me.” Without another word, I turned and, with my head high, walked in the direction Desi had gone.

  After a few wrong turns in the massive house, I found Desi scrubbing away at her shirt in a spotless laundry room.

  “I think it’s coming off,” she said with a smile.

  “I just had a conversation with Lindsay,” I said.

  Desi stopped mid-dab and met my eyes. “Oh? Was it bad? What did she say?”

  “Basically that she wants to ruin us.”

  Her lips formed an O. “I don’t understand what’s going on with her. I mean, Lindsay’s always thought a lot of herself, but she didn’t use to be this vindictive.”

  Becca appeared in the doorway. “Hey, I thought I heard voices down here.” Her eyes caught on Desi’s shirt. “What happened?”

  “I fought a Diet Pepsi and it won,” Desi quipped.

  “Do you want to borrow something to wear?” Becca asked.

  “No, I think I’m done. This material dries quickly.” Desi dropped the hem of her shirt and replaced the sponge and stain remover.

  “Ok, then let’s go back to the living room, and we can talk about the wedding plans.”

  Back in the living room, I sat on one of the long overstuffed couches and Desi sat on the other end. Becca perched on the edge of an armchair. Her mood was somber, and fear filled me again.

  “I wanted to talk to you about changing the catering.”

  “The catering?” I sighed with relief, which I hoped she hadn’t taken as exasperation.

  “Yes. Instead of a buffet, I’d like for dinner to be served to each guest at their table.”

  “Ok.” She didn’t seem to have noticed my sigh. While not as bad as canceling the event, this last-minute change would put a kink in the event plans. I’d have to change the staff schedule to accommodate the need for more servers, and we’d need to shift around some other supplies. I made a note to ask Lizzie to work on that.

  “Sure,” I said finally. “Did you want the same menu?”

  She squirmed a little. “I would like to have risotto instead of the rice pilaf. Is that possible?”

  I breathed another sigh of relief and smiled at her. If she’d changed the entree, I didn’t know what I would have told her. “Risotto will be fine.” I made the changes in my notebook and set an alert on my phone to remember to tell the kitchen staff of the change.

  “Great!” she said brightly. “That was it.”

  Desi shot me an “I told you so” glance. I shrugged. With the way things were going, nothing would surprise me now.

  Becca had opened the curtains, and I saw a car pull up to the driveway. The front door slammed shut before the car door was open. I got up to see who had just arrived. Lindsay approached the vehicle. Jared got out and stood about a foot away from her, leaning against the hood of the car.

  Their conversation didn’t look like a friendly social encounter. Lindsay’s face grew more and more animated, and she waved her hands around in the air as she spoke. I couldn’t hear what they were saying, but Jared seemed like he was getting angry with her. Neither of them looked up toward the house. Finally, he brushed past her and came into the house.

  Becca and Desi had joined me at the window. We all quickly sat back down in our seats to pretend as though we’d been there all along.

  Lindsay’s voice drifted into the living room from the entry hall. “I’m not done talking to you.”

  “Well, I’ve told you. Declan’s share of the practice wasn’t worth anything. There’s no money.”

  “You’re lying.”

  “I’m done with this. If you don’t believe me, fine.”

  A minute later, Jared entered the living room with a smile on his face. “Good afternoon.”

  “Hey,” Becca said nonchalantly. “We were just chatting about the wedding plans. I’ve decided to have a more formal dinner.”

  He nodded, obviously not interested. “Great, great. Well, I just wanted to say hi. It’s been a long day. I think I’m going to rest for a while before dinner.”

  “Sounds good,” Becca said.

  We watched him leave the room.

  “What was that all about?” Desi leaned toward Becca. “Why was Lindsay so mad at him?”

  “I don’t know.” Becca shook her head. “I’m sure the dental practice is fine. Bill would have told me if they were having financial difficulties.” She lowered her voice to a whisper. “Lindsay’s been worrying about money for a while though, even before Declan died.”

  Desi and I moved closer to her.

  “Wouldn’t she get half of everything in the divorce?” I asked.

  “No,” Becca said. “They had a prenuptial agreement. Declan never did trust that she wasn’t after his money.” She pursed her lips. “Lindsay would have received nothing if they divorced. She had her lawyers fighting the prenup, but she lost the case last week. However, she told me he never updated his will. She’s still his sole heir.”

  Desi nudged me and I elbowed her back. I could tell she wanted me to pry into it further.

  “So now that Declan is dead, Lindsay gets everything,” I said slowly.

  “Right.” Becca stared straight ahead. “Everything.”

  We were all quiet.

  “That’s a pretty good motive for murder,” Desi said.

  Becca put her head in her hands. “This was supposed to be the perfect pre-wedding vacation. Now I may have a murderer staying here with me. I can’t believe it could be one of our friends. I just don’t think any of them could do that to Declan.”

  “Who could do what?” A voice asked from the hallway.

  Our heads shot up. Lindsay.

  “Who could I have make the first toast,” Becca said smoothly. “I
’m thinking Desi, as the matron of honor.”

  Lindsay glared at Desi. Well, at least I wasn’t the only one on her naughty list.

  “I should go first. I already have my toast prepared.”

  “I think she should go first,” Desi said.

  Becca appeared to be considering it. “That will work out well then.”

  Lindsay nodded and continued down the hallway.

  Becca stood from the armchair. “How about we all go out on the deck now? I’d love some fresh air after that long dress-fitting session.”

  “We should be going,” Desi said. “Jill and I need to pick up our kids from preschool.”

  “Sure. Next time bring the little guys. I’d love to meet them.”

  I looked around the room. Most of the furniture was light-colored and the carpet was pristine. “I’m not sure you want our boys here.”

  Becca laughed. “This place has seen worse. Remember, my brothers and I came here every summer when we were kids.”

  “I’ll make sure to bring Anthony next time I see you.” Desi smiled at her. “Actually, next time I see you will probably be at the wedding.” She hugged her old friend. “You’re going to be a beautiful bride, and the wedding will be perfect. Jill will make sure of that, right, Jill?”

  I nodded. “I’ve got your requests on file and will brief the staff. Everything will be wonderful.”

  “I hope so.” Becca’s smile faded. “Bill still needs to find another groomsman, and Lindsay is losing it. I don’t know if we’ll make it to the wedding. I guess there’s always elopement.”

  “Becca! Don’t worry.” Desi hugged her again and backed out into the hallway. “C’mon, Jill, we’ve got to go.”

  I didn’t need to be told twice. Between the shadow of Declan’s murder and Lindsay’s mood swings, the house had a bad vibe. Becca walked us out and waved goodbye.

  On the way home, I felt myself relax. “I hadn’t realized how stressed that house made me feel,” I said.

  “Me neither.” Desi shuddered. “I’m starting to think Lindsay is a little upset that Becca made me her matron of honor instead of her.”

  “Ya think?” I laughed. “Her eyes were shooting daggers into your skull when Becca talked about having you lead the toasting.”