Murder in Cottage #6 (Liz Lucas Cozy Mystery Series Book 1) (5 page)

“Good morning, beautiful. I hope you
slept as well as I did. Stay where you are,” Roger said as he swung his long
legs out of bed and stood up. “It’s too early for you to get up, but I have to
get on the road in case I hit some traffic going into the city. I’m hoping it’s
early enough I can avoid it, and I could use a couple more hours of pre-trial
work.”

“Absolutely not,” Liz
answered. “I’m getting up and making you coffee. I made some sweet rolls for
this morning’s guest breakfast, so you can take a couple of those on the road
with you. I’ll even give you a bunch of napkins so you don’t spill on your go
to court suit that you’ll be wearing.”

“If you insist. While
you’re making coffee, I’ll shower and shave. There’s something else I want to
tell you when you come back.”

A few minutes later she
walked into the bathroom with a cup of coffee in each hand. Roger had wrapped a
towel around his waist and stood in front of the mirror, shaving.

“I put your sweet rolls in
a container, but I thought you’d probably want the coffee now. I also have a
travel cup you can take with you for when you’re on the road. What did you want
to tell me?”

“I was going to tell you
last night, but I got sidetracked,” he said, looking over at her and smiling.
He turned back to the mirror and resumed shaving. “I have a friend who trains
guard dogs. The police buy their dogs from him as well as private individuals,
particularly men who travel a lot and want to feel that their families are safe
while they’re away. I called him yesterday afternoon after I talked to you. I
told him I wanted to buy one as a gift for someone who had a large piece of
property and a lot of people coming and going. I told him the dog had to be
non-threatening unless the owner gave an appropriate command to the dog. I
asked him if he currently had any dogs that fit that description, and he told
me he had just completed training a dog that perfectly fit into that category.
The dog is a nine month old large fawn colored male boxer.

“My friend told me he’s so
good with people that he’s been taking him home at night to play with his
children, but he said the dog was trained to obey commands to attack or guard.
He said the dog could take a two hundred fifty pound man to the ground in a
matter of seconds and hold him there until the release command was given by the
dog’s owner. He also said the dog’s deep growl alone was enough to stop most
intruders. I asked him if a woman could handle the dog, and he said most of the
people who bought that particular breed were women, because the breed isn’t as
frightening looking as say a bull mastiff or a doberman pinscher.”

“I think I know where this
is going,” Liz said.

“If you thought that my
friend would be delivering a dog by the name of Winston to you, you’d be right.
I know how much you love Brandy Boy, but let’s be honest, a guard dog he is
not.” He turned away from the mirror and faced her again. “Liz, after I talked
to you yesterday afternoon, I really became concerned for your personal safety
given the somewhat remote location of the spa. This is a big piece of property
with a lot of people coming and going. If the woman’s death isn’t murder,
you’ll just have a nice guard dog for the property. If it was murder, you’ll
have protection with you at all times. I’d really like you to take the dog with
you everywhere you go. It sure would make me feel a lot better if you agree to
accept my gift.”

“Actually I’ve been
thinking about getting a guard dog. I agree that Brandy Boy is a wonderful dog,
but guarding and protecting is not his thing. Since I’ve been living alone, I’m
much more aware of the night sounds. Yes, I accept your gift, although I
imagine it was pretty pricey. Thank you, Roger. Did you and your friend set up
a time for me to meet Winston?”

“Yes. I know I was acting
presumptively, but this is really important to me. I know I don’t have the
right to insist that you do anything, but I was hoping against hope it would be
okay with you. He told me he’d be here about noon today unless I called him and
told him you’d refused the dog. He told me to tell you you’ll need a dog bed, a
leash, and some dog food. He said Winston eats anything, so whatever kind of
dog food you get will be fine. Winston is fully housebroken and trained not to
chew on things other than his own toys, but he did suggest you might want to
get a couple of chew toys, just in case.”

“Well, I was going to
Gertie’s Diner this morning to see if I can learn anything at the local rumor
mill, so I can get whatever I need when I’m in town. It’s been a few years
since I’ve had an active dog. At least the spa property is fenced, other than
the section where the cliff leads to the ocean, so I won’t have to worry about
him running away.

“Liz, this dog will be
better trained than probably any of our adult children. He not only is trained
to protect and guard, but my friend makes sure that all of the other basic
commands are covered in his training. About the only thing you’ll have to do is
open your home and your heart to him.”

“It’s thawing. As you can
probably tell, it’s definitely thawing,” she said smiling. “Well, didn’t know
when I woke up a half hour ago I’d be looking forward to becoming a dog owner.
Guess you just never know where the day is going to take you. By the way, you
look great. If I was a juror, I’d definitely think the guy wasn’t guilty just
because the way his attorney looks,” she said with a smile on her face and a
twinkle in her eye.

“Thanks for the
compliment, but it’s a little more complicated than that. I have to try and
keep this guy out of prison for life.”

“Roger, is it ever hard
for you? I mean, there must be times that you know in your heart of hearts the
guy you’re defending is guilty. Isn’t that difficult for you?”

“No. From the time I
graduated from law school and decided to go into criminal law to and through
this moment, the one thing I’ve held sacred is that every person accused of a
crime is not guilty unless proven so. It’s my job to make sure that no one
proves my clients guilty, and over the last thirty years my track record is
pretty good, but your question is one I get asked a lot. I’d love to stay, but
I’ve got to get on the road.”

She walked him out to
where his car was parked, noticing that the spa and all of the cabin lights
were off. “Doesn’t look like I have any early birds this morning. Sometimes the
guests who are really ‘Type A’s’ are already jogging this early in the morning.
Personally, I like to break gently into the day. Good luck and I’ll call you
tonight with the autopsy results.”

He put his suitcase and
bag in the trunk and turned towards her, wrapping her in his arms. “Last night
was one of the most special nights of my life. I won’t forget a moment of it.
Thank you.” He kissed her and got in his car.

“Be safe,” she said, as he
put the car in gear and began his drive back to the city.

Well, my life sure has
turned upside down in the last twenty-four hours. Let’s see, a possible murder,
a man who is suddenly more than just a good friend, and a new dog. Couldn’t
have predicted this in a million years, but other than the murder, I sure like
the other two.

“Hi, honey. Good to see you. What
brings you to town this morning?” Gertie asked. Liz looked up from her menu and
couldn’t help but smile. She thought if someone drew a caricature of a woman
who owned a place called Gertie’s Diner, it would look exactly like the woman
standing in front of her, from her dyed bottle blond hair worn in a beehive
style that had been popular in the 1960’s, to her four inch high heels. She had
a habit of chewing bubble gum and blowing big pink bubbles, but she was blessed
with a heart as big as gold.  You only had to come to Gertie’s once, and from
then on, you were her friend for life.

            “Heard there was a little
excitement out at your spa yesterday. Seth and Leroy were telling everyone in
hearin’ distance how Barbara Nelson bit the dust. Said she died from an
overdose of sleeping pills and booze. Any truth to that?”

            “Gertie, that’s not a
fact. Wes is doing the autopsy today, and as of now no one knows the exact
cause of her death. They really shouldn’t have said anything, but I’m not
surprised considering the source.”

            “You ain’t kiddin’ about
that. Those two yokels don’t have enough smarts between them to get out of the
rain. Seth was playin’ it up to the hilt when he was here. Everyone was hangin’
on every word the two of them said. I suppose it made ‘em feel real important,
but it’s a fact we don’t have many suicides ‘round these parts. Makes me kinda’
wonder if those two bozos know what they’re jawin’ about. Seth said she did it
cuz’ she found out Darcy and Dave were having an affair, but lawdy, everyone
knows that’s not the first time Dave’s been visiting another henhouse. Beats me
why she’d do it now. What do you think?”

            “I don’t have enough
information to make a guess and until Wes releases the autopsy report, I think
everyone should keep their opinions to themselves. If Dave was having an affair
with Darcy do you think he wanted to leave Barbara and marry Darcy?”

            “From what I hear, and
it’s only what I hear, Darcy would do anything to get Dave to marry her. She’s
gettin’ a little long in the tooth to be very marriageable even if she is a
looker, and the pickins’ are pretty slim ‘round here. Now it looks like she’ll
get what she wants.”

            “To change the subject,
the man who ran against Dave. Darn. I can never remember his name.”

            “Think you’d remember it
cuz’ the handyman you got workin’ out at the spa’s his brother. Name’s Gene
Harris. Kinda too bad he lost the election. That’s the third time he’s lost to
Dave. Bound to make a body mad. Hear Zack was at his brother’s on election
night, got drunk, and a coupla their friends had to keep him from going over to
Dave’s victory party and beatin’ him up. Don’t know for sure. Just heard it. You
know, I hear a lot of things in this ‘ol diner. Some true, and I’m sure some
not.”

            “I didn’t know Gene and
Zack were brothers. Zack does a great job for me. He’s been working at the spa
ever since we bought it, and I’ve never had any problems with him.”

            “Like I said, never know
for sure if what I’m hearin’ is true. Tell you one other little rumor I picked
up on yesterday. Heard that Dave was going to sue Bart over at the Trib for
libel because he wrote those editorials hintin’ that Dave was takin’ city funds.
Course like everything else, don’t know what’s true. Always felt like Barbara
was the one who kept Dave from actin’ up. We’ll see what happens now.”

            “Do you know if Dave’s
going to have a funeral for her?”

            “Sakes alive, of course
he is. Dave wouldn’t miss a chance to have all of Red Cedar pay homage to him,
even if it was his wife that died. Yeah, there’s gonna be a big funeral at St.
Isadore’s Catholic Church. That’s the church Barbara attended and then she’s
going to be buried in the town cemetery. Gonna be a big reception at the Elks
Lodge followin’ the burial. From what I’ve been hearin’ this mornin’, it’s
gonna be a pretty big deal. Drove of Does is gonna’ prepare all the food.”

            “The Drove of Does? I’ve
never heard that term. Who or what is it?”

            “Those are the wives of
the Elks’ lodge members. It’s a woman’s organization that helps the lodge
members when they have a party or a big event. We got a lot of Does around
these parts. They kind of like belongin’ to somethin’, and the bartender over at
the Lodge pours a mighty stiff drink. Course I’m sure the Does never imbibe,”
she said, winking. “I’ve been jawin’ too long. What can I get you?”

            “I’d like a chocolate
malted milk. Can’t justify a hamburger this early, but I don’t think there’s a
special time for malted milks. They’re always good.”

            “Back in a sec, honey.”
She and her high heels tottered off to the kitchen while Liz said a silent
prayer that she wouldn’t fall on her way.

            Liz pulled her phone out
of her purse to see if she’d had any calls. She had her head down looking at it
when she heard a voice that made her want to retch.

            “Well, lookee here. If it
ain’t my lucky day. So little lady, got any black lace on today?” the fat jowly
faced police chief asked as he tried to work his belly into the booth opposite
of her.

            “I’ll pretend I didn’t
hear that, Seth. Have you heard anything from Wes about the results of the
autopsy?”           

            “Nah, usually takes him a
few hours for him to cut ‘em up. Think he gets his jollies from it, if you know
what I mean,” Seth said in a suggestive voice. “Anyway, glad yer’ here. Gettin’
some reports that Zack Harris has been making noises ‘bout knockin’ Dave’s head
around. Ya’ know anything about that?”

            “No. I didn’t even know
until a little while ago that Gene and Zack were brothers. I don’t schedule the
employees’ time off, but I think Bertha mentioned something about Zack taking a
little vacation time before we got real busy during the summer season.  I
haven’t seen him for several days.”

            “Well is that so? Guess
I’ll have to keep an eye out fer him. By the way, jes’ got me a new Victoria’s
Secret catalog delivered in the mail yesterday. Seen a coupla things that got
yer name on ‘em and I circled ‘em. Uh-oh, Leroy jes’ stuck his head in the
door. Probably lookin’ fer me. When I get them VC things, I’d like a private
showin, if ya’ know what I mean.” As Seth tried to slide out of the booth, Liz
wasn’t sure who was going to win the battle over Seth’s stomach, the table or
him. Ultimately he won and was able to free himself and get out of the booth.
“Be seein’ ya soon I hope, pretty lady,” the grossly obese police chief said,
oblivious to how ridiculous he looked and acted.

           
I feel like I need a
shower after I’m around him. If it turns out Barbara didn’t die of natural causes,
I’m definitely going to have to do whatever I can to clear the spa’s name. If
Seth can’t get his belly out of a booth, I doubt if he could ever solve a
murder,
she thought.