Drowning the Daffodils (A Heavenly Highland Inn Cozy Mystery) (5 page)

BOOK: Drowning the Daffodils (A Heavenly Highland Inn Cozy Mystery)
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Well, I'm glad you did,” Vicky replied with a patient smile. “I’ll look into it.”


You'll just look into it?” Will asked with mounting aggravation. “I'm telling you I think I witnessed a murder,” Will said more urgently.


Now Will,” Vicky said calmly as she looked at him. “We don't know what you saw…”


Vicky,” Aunt Ida said sharply as she walked up behind Will. “If Will says he saw someone attacking poor Simon, then he saw it.”


I'm sorry Aunt Ida, but we can't be certain,” Vicky explained as she frowned. “Even if Will did see someone attacking Simon, we still don't know who it was. That's why I'm looking through what the cameras recorded yesterday to see if there's anything captured on video,” she looked back at Will. “Will, I will make sure your information gets passed onto the police. If Mitchell has more questions for you, I'll let you know.”

Will
huffed a little as he could tell that Vicky wasn't taking him too seriously. Aunt Ida looped her arm through his and patted the back of his hand lightly.


Don't worry, Will, we'll spend some time together,” she suggested. “Have I shown you my new tattoo?” she grinned as she led Will back towards the restaurant.

Vicky cringed and then pulled out her cell phone. She frowned as she looked at the phone. She needed to give Mitchell the information just in case, but she wasn't looking forward to talking with him. Normally it was her favorite thing to do, but things were so tense between them that she felt guilty every time she talked to him.

Before she called Mitchell she decided to check the cameras. When she pulled up the feed on the computer screen she grimaced. The picture was grainy and it was difficult to tell what anything was in the image. Still, she rewound it to the day before in the window of time that she believed Simon's death had taken place. As she did she noticed the two men that Wilbur had witnessed. One of the men was not wearing a hat. He was clearly Simon. The other man was wearing a hat, but his back was to the camera. The man in the cap raised his hands as if he might try to strangle Simon, but instead he just waved them with frustration. From the angle that Wilbur had been looking it was possible that it looked like the man in the cap was strangling Simon.

The man in the cap stalked off across the lawn toward
s the parking lot. Simon sat down on one of the chairs and opened a beer. He was drinking it when a figure appeared from off screen. He must have been standing directly in front of the camera because the image was very blurred. She caught a glimpse of Simon standing up. Then she saw what could have been a struggle. Then the figure moved away from the camera, and there was no one in view. Vicky guessed that during the time the camera was blocked Simon had been pushed into the pool. There was no sound on the recording so she had no idea if there was a verbal argument or a splash. She rolled it back, and watched it again hoping to discover something about the blurred figure. But there was no way to decipher anything.

The one thing the recording did give was a time stamp of the murder. It happened at exactly four
fifteen. With this information she decided to run things by Wilbur again. She would then contact Mitchell and hand over the tapes. She wanted to know if he could recall the time he had seen the fight, and whether he had any idea of who the man in the baseball cap was. She found Aunt Ida and Wilbur in the restaurant with fresh cups of coffee and bagels.


Hi, mind if I sit?” Vicky asked as she smiled.


Please do,” Wilbur said and got to his feet while Vicky took her seat, then he sat back down.


Listen Wilbur, I want to talk to you…” Vicky began, but her phone ringing interrupted her.


Excuse me,” she said to Wilbur and Aunt Ida as Ida replenished their coffee mugs. Aunt Ida nodded as Vicky stepped away from the table.


Hello?” she said into the phone.


Hi Vicky, it's Mitchell,” he said quietly.


I know who it is,” she replied and found herself smiling without meaning to.


Listen, I have some information about Simon's death,” he paused a moment and sighed before continuing. “It was no accident, Vicky.”


Are you sure?” Vicky asked without much surprise. She had been expecting the call. 


Yes, there was alcohol in his system, but he also had defensive wounds, and he did not die from drowning. He died from a blow to the head, which could have happened if he slipped, but that doesn’t explain the defensive wounds.”


Oh no,” Vicky sighed and closed her eyes briefly. “I just looked at the cameras that cover the pool, there's not much that's helpful on them,” she frowned.


I'm sorry, Vicky,” Mitchell said soberly. “I know it's not what you want to hear. I'm going to be over there in about twenty minutes. This is now a homicide investigation, and,” he paused a moment before speaking again. “Sheriff McDonald is coming with me.”


Great,” Vicky did her best to cover up a sigh. Sheriff McDonald was not someone that she enjoyed seeing. He was a bit of a bully and was always giving Mitchell a hard time.


Can you please get all the tapes from the pool cameras together from around the time of the murder so I can look at them,” Mitchell requested.


Of course,” Vicky replied with a sigh.

When Vicky hung up the phone she turned back toward
s Aunt Ida and Will who were still chatting over their cups of coffee.


Well, Will it looks like your suspicions were right,” Vicky said as she studied the man intently. Now it was even more important than ever that he recall exactly what he saw.


What do you mean?” Will asked with surprise as he looked up at Vicky.


It turns out that Simon's death wasn't an accident after all,” Vicky explained as she paused beside the table they were sitting at. “Mitchell just called to tell me that this is now a homicide investigation.”


Oh no,” Aunt Ida gasped and shook her head. “What does that mean?” she paused a moment as she looked towards the nearby elevator. “Someone here killed him?” she asked as she turned back to Vicky.


It looks that way,” Vicky said with a frown. “I doubt that anyone would have just randomly hurt Simon. It must have been one of his family members.”


Or his fiancée,” Aunt Ida pointed out.


Well, it was a man I saw by the pool,” Wilbur said firmly. “Of that much I am certain.”


Mitchell asked me to gather the family members in the lobby so that they're easily available to him when he arrives to question them. Will, I am sure Mitchell will want to talk to you as well, so are you okay to stick around?”


Of course. Anything I can do to help,” Wilbur nodded, though his face had paled. None of them had expected this to really turn out to be a murder. As Vicky walked away from the table she called Sarah to inform her of what was unfolding. Even though she was taking some time off she wanted to be kept apprised of any happenings at the inn. This certainly was a happening.


Do you know if they have any suspects?” Sarah asked after Vicky filled her in on what was happening.


I think everyone is a suspect at the moment,” Vicky replied with disappointment. But of course, there was one particular person that Vicky suspected the most. The person she believed was having an affair with his brother's fiancée.

 

Chapter Five

 

Once all of the Carters and Jane were gathered in the lobby Vicky stood nervously in front of the group. As she looked among the faces staring back at her she knew that one of them was responsible for Simon's death. As likely as it was that it was Mike, she still couldn't rule out anyone else. The way the Carters bickered, there was probably more than one reason why they were angry at each other.


Why are we here?” Alina asked with annoyance. “Don't you think you should be letting us grieve, not disturbing us?”


Well, this is now a police matter,” Vicky explained as calmly as she could. “And in a few minutes Sheriff McDonald and Deputy Sheriff Slate will be here to speak to each of you.”


What?” Jane asked with surprise. “The sheriff, why?”


Because,” Charlene said as she crossed her arms. “They don't think it was an accident.”

Vicky quickly studied the faces around Charlene searching for one that might indicate surprise or fear. Although everyone did react with some level of shock, she didn't notice any
one looking obviously guilty.


It's true,” Vicky said quietly. “It looks as if Simon's death was not caused by a slip.”


But he was so drunk,” Mike reminded everyone, his eyes narrowed. “Obviously he slipped. I mean, who would want to hurt Simon?”


Well, I know that there was some arguing going on,” Vicky reminded the group before her.


What are you trying to say, young lady?” Lawrence growled as he stared straight at Vicky. “Are you accusing one of us of having something do with Simon's death?”


No sir,” Vicky said quickly as she realized her mistake. “I was just pointing out that there were some charged emotions yesterday. I didn't mean anything by it.”


I bet,” Lawrence scowled and looked away from her. Vicky felt a twang of fear. She didn't want to alienate one of the wealthiest men that had stayed at the inn. It could do great harm to the inn's reputation.


Hello, everyone,” Mitchell said as he walked through the door. Sheriff McDonald stepped in behind him. He fixed the entire group with a suspicious glare while Mitchell spoke politely to the family. “I'm very sorry for your loss,” he said with genuine sympathy. “I'll do my best to make this as quick and painless as possible. Because of some evidence that the medical examiner discovered we have reason to believe that Simon met with foul play,” he glanced among the faces of the people before him. “So, I'm going to divide you up, and all I need to know from you was where you were between three and five yesterday afternoon,” he explained as he pulled out his notebook. “Sheriff McDonald will take some of your statements, we need to confirm your whereabouts at the time of Simon's death.”


And if we refuse?” Jane asked shyly. Her cheeks were flaming red. Sheriff McDonald laid his hand on the butt of his gun and stepped up beside Mitchell, his glare deepening though he remained silent.


You have the right to refuse,” Mitchell admitted as his jaw tensed. “However, that will mean that I will have to name you as a suspect and bring you into the station. I just want all of you to know that this is simply to rule out all of you as suspects. With this information documented we can move onto outside suspects.”


Outside suspects?” Lawrence asked with surprise. “Do you mean you think someone just walked off the street and decided to kill Simon?”


With all due respect, Mr. Carter, with your wealth and the history of your corporation, I believe that it may be possible that someone harmed your son in order to harm you,” he arched a brow slightly as he met Lawrence's eyes.


I never thought of that,” Lawrence said slowly. “I do have a few enemies.”


Well, any information about them will be helpful,” Mitchell said quickly. “Let's go ahead and get started. Let's see,” he glanced down at his notebook where he had written a list of all the family members. “I'd like to speak with Simon's immediate family, and Sheriff McDonald will be speaking with the spouses. If that's all right with you, sir?” he asked as he glanced over his shoulder at Sheriff McDonald.

Sheriff McDonald nodded without a word and pulled out his notepad. Vicky could tell he was trying to be his usual intimidating self. She glanced over at Mitchell, who seemed to be waiting to share a grimac
e of annoyance with her at the sheriff's behavior. It was the first time he had even looked in her direction. Vicky studied him for a moment and then returned the grimace. As Sheriff McDonald gathered the spouses together, Jane nervously glanced in the direction of the immediate family.


Do I even count as a spouse?” she muttered under her breath as she stood beside Vicky.


Yes, you do,” Vicky said as she met Jane's eyes. “Just be honest.”


I can handle the questioning,” Sheriff McDonald interrupted gruffly. “I'll take it from here. Can you tell me where you were around four yesterday afternoon?” he asked as Vicky stepped aside.


Of course I can,” Jane replied. “I was with Lawrence,” she admitted and lowered her eyes.


Lawrence?” Sheriff McDonald asked with surprise. “Were you alone with him?”


Yes,” Jane sighed. “I wanted to talk to him about Simon, and convince him that we were really in love, that I wasn't after anyone's money,” she frowned.

BOOK: Drowning the Daffodils (A Heavenly Highland Inn Cozy Mystery)
6.59Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
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