After gazing into my soul, he pulled out his pad, flipped the pages, and poised his pen. “Start from the beginning… may I call you Trixie?”
“Sure.” Who was I to argue at this point?
“Okay, Trixie. Tell me why you were on the beach at four in the morning.” He flicked the pen back and forth on his pad. It unnerved me.
“I couldn’t sleep. After tossing and turning most of the night I decided to take a walk. You know how it’s hard to sleep the first night in a new bed.” I blushed, but the detective didn’t seem to notice. “We ate late, and I had a full tummy.”
Without comment, he wrote in his little book. I wondered what he jotted down since I hadn’t said much of anything relevant to somebody getting killed. “Go on.”
“There’s really not much to tell. I’d walked a short way when I spotted Captain Jack, he’s the resident beach cat, digging around something. I thought he might be digging up a turtle’s nest so I went to investigate. The closer I got, I realized it was something large lying on the beach.”
A shiver ran through me as I recalled the discovery. “Then, I thought it was just some garbage, but when the beam from the flashlight hit it I knew it…wasn’t.” The sight of the bloody body would be seared into my mind forever.
“Did you recognize the person?” He wrote furiously.
“Yes, but…” I wanted to reassure him I hardly knew the woman. “I just arrived today. Yesterday. She was a virtual stranger to me.”
“What did you do when you found the body?”
“I screamed, of course,” I stated.
“Detective Baker?” He stopped writing and looked straight at me. I had his full attention. “People talk. I’ve heard Grace didn’t have many friends. Instead of acquiring friends she had a talent for making enemies. Don’t you think there’d be a long list of suspects who had a motive for murder?” I was as bad as Nana. I couldn’t keep my nose out of where it didn’t belong.
“Ms. Montgomery. I don’t remember saying this was a murder, but I guess it was kind of obvious with the injury she sustained.”
Great deduction, Sherlock.
He leaned forward, inches from my face. I could see flecks of gold in his brown eyes. “I don’t care how many cases you’ve helped solve,” he didn’t need to sound so sarcastic. “You’d better not interfere in my murder investigation.” I guess he didn’t believe me.
But I knew I was at the top of the suspect list since I’d found the body. Was it interference if I was trying to clear my own name?
CHAPTER FIVE
I longed to talk with Dee Dee to debrief, but Detective Baker called her name as soon as he told me I could go. She jumped up, grinning from ear to ear. She seemed way too eager to be questioned in a murder case. She’d changed clothes and now wore a hot pink pant suit with sandals to match. How she had time to change and put on make-up was a mystery to me. A modern day Houdini?
She followed Detective Baker like a lost little puppy dog. Nana appeared beside me.
“Did you notice Dee Dee’s expression?”
“Yes, I did. What do you make of it?”
“Looks like she’s taken a liking to the detective,” Nana said.
“How about you, Nana? You seem to have your eye on George and I must say he is pleasant to look at.”
Nana turned beet red. “What if I do? He’s handsome and a gentleman. Not a bad combination in my book. He’s been around the world you know.”
I gave her a quick shoulder hug. “Aw, Nana. I’m just teasing you. I’m glad you’ve found a new friend. Maybe you’ll get to know each other better while we’re here.” I had no idea what this week held in store for us. I never in my wildest dreams thought we’d stumble upon another dead body.
“Come on, let’s see what Mama’s up to.” We perched on the couch next to her. I scooted closer.
“Trixie, I’m so sorry you found Grace. It must have been awful.” Mama reached over and took my hand in hers. She gave it a squeeze.
“I’ll never forget her lifeless body lying in the sand.” I shivered at the thought. “It doesn’t matter how much you’re disliked, no one deserves to die in that manner.”
“Of course not. But according to Laura, she made enemies like a dog draws fleas. Detective Baker has his work cut out for him.”
We chatted for a while then sat in silence until Dee Dee returned. Detective Baker asked if we knew where Laura was. I guessed she was next in line for questioning.
Mama pointed towards the kitchen. “She’s in there, Detective.”
Dee Dee made a bee-line to the table filled with sweets. “Wow, look at this. Laura sure knows how to take care of her guests.” Frayed nerves must have plagued her but they didn’t seem to interfere with her appetite because she filled her plate with goodies. “Scoot over.” She plopped down, squeezing in-between Nana and me.
“How did the questioning go?”
“That Detective Baker is something else. He was so thorough in his interrogation. I wish I’d had more to tell him.” She took a big bite of a cream-filled donut. The cream oozed out the other end. She took a minute to chew then proclaimed, “I have no doubt he’ll have this case solved in no time at all.”
I was right. She was smitten.
We talked for a while, and then roamed around the inn. Several hours passed before all of the guests had been questioned. At the detective’s request everyone gathered in the living room.
Detective Baker stood tall, reaching his fullest height. He hiked up his pants and placed his hand on the gun strapped in his shoulder holster. “We’ve interviewed every person from the Seaside Cottage and Ocean View Inn for now. You are free to roam the Island, but please stay within the area in case you’re needed. We’ll ask some of you to come down to the department for further questioning.”
“How about Savannah, Detective? Can we visit there?” George moved from behind Bubba.
“Savannah’s fine. Just leave your information with Officer Caldwell or Officer Stevens if you haven’t already.”
He tipped his head in our direction, but his gaze lingered on Dee Dee. “Ladies, I’ll talk to you later.” With that, he was on his way. Dee Dee swooned to my side of the couch.
“Dee Dee, get a grip.”
Laura addressed the guests of the Ocean View Inn. “This is a terrible thing to happen while you’re staying at Grace’s house. I want you to know you’re welcome to come over any time to socialize or share a meal. I’m inviting all of you to the Seaside Cottage for dinner tonight. I’ll be serving at seven.
“That’s right nice of you. I’ll be sure and be here around then,” Bubba said.
“Yes. That is more than kind. I would like to come, too.” George shot Nana a glance.
“Okay. That settles it. I’ll see you for dinner.” After Laura completed her announcement, the guests went their separate ways. That left Nana, Mama, Dee Dee, and me alone with Laura.
“Ladies, if you don’t mind I’m going to take a nap. I’m wiped out and I have a lot to do to get dinner ready.” Laura’s voice shook. “I’m so sorry this happened on your vacation. Grace might have been a thorn in my side, but I’d never wish this on her. It’s scary to think the killer is still on the loose and in the neighborhood.” She chewed on a fingernail.
Mama placed her arm around Laura’s shoulder. “Don’t worry about a thing. I’m glad we’re here so we can support you during this awful time. Go lay down and we’ll see you this evening.” Laura let Mama guide her toward her room.
“You heard the Detective. He said we could go to Savannah. If we hurry we’ll have time to clean up, change clothes, and head on over to Paula’s. After all, she did ask me to come.” Nana put her hands on her hips daring anyone to deny she was Paula’s new best friend.