06 Suspects and Surprises (12 page)

“Go after him,” he said tilting his head towards the woods. Kirk's eyes lingered on the gun for a moment, but he slowly nodded. He took off at a fast run into the woods. Suzie continued to hold tightly to Mary.

“Is this your gun, Mary?” Jason asked as he studied her intently.

Mary shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other. “Not exactly,” she replied hesitantly.

“Mary?” Suzie asked with surprise. “Where did you get it from?”

“I'd rather not say,” Mary replied with a grimace.

Jason narrowed his eyes. He opened the chamber to ensure it wasn’t loaded then he handed the gun back to Mary.

“Jason, I…” Mary started to say.

“Not another word,” he warned her sharply. “I don't want to know whose weapon it is. As far as I'm concerned there was never a weapon here.”

Mary looked down shamefully and tucked the gun into her purse that hung at her side.

“What about Kirk?” Suzie asked nervously.

“I'll take care of Kirk,” Jason assured her. Just then Kirk radioed Jason to let him know that he had found Larry in the woods. “Is the suspect injured?” he asked.

“No,” Kirk's voice came back over the radio. He paused a moment before adding. “Says the ladies have a gun, but I didn’t see one.”

Jason nodded and smiled a little. “Me neither,” he replied.

“The two of you, just don’t mention the gun,” Jason warned them.

Mary nodded soundlessly. Suzie smiled faintly with appreciation. She knew that Jason was trying to protect them from getting into trouble for being in possession of a weapon that they didn’t own. As Jason jogged off into the woods to assist Kirk with Larry, Suzie looked over at her friend.

“It's over now, Mary,” she said soothingly.

“I was so scared,” Mary sighed.

“I know, so was I,” Suzie admitted. “How did you get in the house? How did you even know I was here? More importantly, whose gun is that?” Suzie demanded.

“I think I need to sit down,” Mary said as she sank down onto the first step of the small porch of the house.

“Okay,” Suzie said softly. “Louis must have called Jason when he ran. But I still don't understand, how did you know we were here?”

Mary shook her head. “I know you too well, Suzie.”

“What does that mean?” Suzie asked with confusion.

“It means I knew that you were up to something. I could tell that you were trying to keep me out of it. Which meant that it had to be pretty dangerous. So, when you left with Louis, I followed you. I parked a few houses down and was walking through the backyards so you wouldn't see me. That's when I saw you with Larry. I was behind the house so I tried his back door, and it was open. I walked through the house, and that's when I saw him holding that screwdriver at your neck. I knew that if he got you inside he would hurt you, so I was holding the door shut. When I saw Louis run, I knew that I had to act fast, because Larry was going to panic.”

“I told Louis to run,” Suzie said gently. “He tried to protect me.”

“I know you did,” Mary sighed. “Always trying to save others.”

“Not this time,” Suzie pointed out. “This time you saved me. But I still don't understand whose gun this is?” she asked.

Mary grimaced, “Wes questioned Gerald and found out about Larry, he told me what he had found out about Larry's past and that he suspected there was a connection between Larry and Warren, which led him to believe that Larry really was involved with Warren's death. I knew that it was going to be dangerous, and I knew that you and Louis were going to get in the middle of it. I also knew where Wes kept his extra weapon…”

“This is Wes’ gun?” Suzie asked with a gasp. “Does he know you have it?”

“No, absolutely not, he would be furious if he knew. I made sure it wasn’t loaded when I got it. I didn’t want to hurt anyone I just wanted to protect you,” Mary shook her head. “I'm very lucky that Jason didn't take it. Then Wes would be in trouble, too.”

“You took a lot of risks, Mary,” Suzie admonished. “You could have been hurt or killed!”

“This from the woman who was being held hostage by a murderer?” Mary demanded as she looked into her friend's eyes. “I know that you think I've lived a sheltered life as a wife and mother, Suzie, while you've been out doing adventurous things. But when it comes to you, there is no way I am going to hesitate to do what I have to do to protect you.”

Suzie smiled warmly at her words. “I appreciate that, Mary,” she said as she hugged Mary again. “You're right. I didn't want you to get in the middle of all of this. But it's not because I think you're sheltered. It's your birthday, I just wanted it to be a special time for you.”

“Well, I held a gun,” Mary laughed a little.

“Not a word,” Jason warned as he and Kirk emerged from the woods with Larry handcuffed between them. Kirk swept his gaze over the two women. His expression was stoney. Suzie still wasn't sure that he could be trusted, but he didn't seem to be asking about the weapon, and he was the one that said he hadn’t seen a gun.

“I guess you'll be going back to prison after all, Larry,” Suzie said smugly. “For a much longer time, this time.”

Larry scowled at her. Kirk led him to the police car and guided him into the back seat. Louis appeared from the bushes beside the driveway. Only then did Suzie realize he had never really left. He had only hidden.

“Is everyone okay?” he asked as he walked up to Suzie and Mary.

“We will be,” Suzie promised him. “Thanks to you calling the police,” she added.

“I didn't know what else to do,” Louis admitted.

“You did exactly the right thing, Louis,” Mary said.

“Jason, we better get him down to the station,” Kirk said as he rapped lightly on the roof of the police car. Jason glanced over at him and nodded. When he looked back at Suzie and Mary he frowned.

“I'm going to need statements from all of you,” he said grimly. “Do you want me to get another car to bring you down to the station?”

“No, I'm okay to drive,” Suzie said. “Jason, Larry is the one who killed Warren Blasser. I think he did it by throwing pistachio shells at his window until he came out onto the balcony. He must have removed the screws from the balcony earlier in the day,” she pointed to the screwdriver that was laying on the ground nearby. “I imagine that is what he used. If you search his car you might even find the screws.”

“I don't think you need to worry about it,” Jason said. “I'm sure he'll confess in exchange for a shorter sentence. But I will have his house, car, and property searched for any further evidence,” he started to turn away. Then slowly he turned back to face her. “Suzie, I'm sorry that I didn't believe you straight away. I should have looked into everything more deeply from the start.”

“It's okay, Jason,” Suzie said. “You were just doing your job. There was nothing to indicate that anything sinister was going on in the beginning.”

Jason nodded and then headed off to the police car. Louis sat down on the step beside the two women.

“I think I like being a librarian much better than being a detective,” he said grimly. “My heart is still racing.”

“Don't worry, soon you'll be back in the nice, safe, quiet library,” Mary said with a slight laugh.

“I can't wait,” Louis admitted.

“At least you got your book back,” Suzie pointed out.

“And as least we cleared Gerald's name as a murderer,” Mary stated.

“Yes, Richard would be happy about that,” Louis said wistfully. “Gerald might not have been honest, but he was not a murderer.”

“We better get going,” Suzie said. “Jason will be expecting us. Mary, I think you better call Wes and tell him the truth about his weapon.”

“He's going to be so angry,” Mary cringed.

“Maybe,” Suzie agreed. “But if he has to report one of his weapons missing he's going to be in a lot more trouble with his boss. Better to tell him the truth, just in case anything comes up later.”

“I guess,” Mary nodded.

“Let's get you home,” Suzie said and hugged her friend. “Tomorrow is your birthday.”

“It is, isn't it?” Mary asked with a vague smile.

“I'm glad to hear that you and Wes are talking,” Suzie said hesitantly. She still wasn't sure if she should tell Mary what she had seen in the bar.

“Me, too,” Mary admitted with a girlish smile. It was that smile that made Suzie keep her mouth shut.

Suzie and Mary spent the rest of the afternoon fielding interviews by Jason and Kirk, as well as sharing quite a bit of wine. Suzie was fairly sure that there wasn't enough wine in the world to take away the memory of that screwdriver pushed against the side of her neck. When she finally crawled into bed, Suzie felt as if she could sleep for a century. She was finally able to rest, now that she knew Warren's killer was behind bars, and that it wasn't a faulty railing that had killed him. She could only hope that would be enough to save the reputation of Dune House. She fell asleep with plans for regaining the community's trust floating through her mind.

It seemed like a cruel joke when Suzie’s alarm began buzzing. She slapped the button to quiet it down. Then she yawned as she stretched out in her bed. She was awake, but did not really want to get up. After the incident the day before, she was savoring the ability to just relax. Then slowly reality began to creep into her sleepy mind. Not only was there no time to relax as party preparations had to be made, Benjamin and Catherine would be arriving in just a few hours.

Suzie suddenly jumped up out of bed. She rushed around her room getting dressed and searching for the lists she had made of party information. One list was for supplies. Another list was for guests. The last list was for the errands she would have to run in order to get everything she needed that day. Just about everything depended on Mary being out of the house. Originally, Suzie had intended to let Wes handle that for her, but since they weren't exactly on speaking terms, she wasn't sure if that was going to happen. She felt a little worried as she padded out into the kitchen. She hoped that Mary might be sleeping in. The scent of fresh coffee indicated that she was not.

“Mary?” Suzie called out. She didn't see her in the kitchen or the dining room. Suzie frowned and then helped herself to a cup of coffee. She thought perhaps Mary had gone for an early morning walk along the beach. She walked over to the side door off the dining room that led onto the beach.

When Suzie stepped out onto the porch, she noticed Mary's robe tossed on the back of one of the lounge chairs. She thought it was a little odd as Mary usually dressed before she went out onto the porch. There was also a cup of coffee, half full on the table in front of the chair. Beside it was a newspaper. Suzie noticed that it was turned to an article about Larry and his involvement in Warren Blasser's death. To Suzie's relief the article did not mention the location of the crime. She was sure that Paul had something to do with that as he knew everyone worth knowing in the town, and he had likely called in a few favors to protect Dune House. Suzie was pleased to see that Warren would be getting his justice, even though it still saddened her to think of him.

Suzie’s mind was distracted by the fact that Mary was missing. She couldn't imagine her friend walking along the beach in her pajamas, birthday or not, Mary was much more modest than that. Suzie began walking around the wraparound porch in search of her friend.

“Mary?” she called out. She was beginning to grow concerned.

“I'm over here, Suzie,” Mary called back. She was on the rear porch. She had a bunch of flowers in her hands.

“Happy birthday!” Suzie said and gave Mary a quick hug. “What are those?” she asked as she looked at the flowers.

“A gift from Wes,” Mary said sadly. “He must have pre-ordered them. He certainly wouldn't want me to have them now.”

“What do you mean?” Suzie asked with concern.

“They were delivered early this morning while I was having my coffee. I knew you'd be up soon, I didn't want you to see me upset,” she admitted.

“Mary, you don't need to hide your feelings from me,” Suzie said and shook her head. “But, why do you think Wes wouldn't want you to have your flowers if he ordered them for you?”

“Well, because when I returned his gun to him last night, he was quite upset,” Mary admitted. “He was furious really. He told me that I never should have taken it in the first place, that it was a very dangerous thing I did, and that he couldn't trust me.”

“Oh, Mary I'm sorry,” Suzie said and frowned. “I'll talk to him. I'll explain to him how you saved my life.”

“No,” Mary shook her head. “I don't think there's really a point. He was right. I never should have taken it. He said if I had just told him the trouble I was in he would have been more than happy to help me. He lectured me about going there alone,” she sighed and looked out over the water. “You know, I thought I was ready for romance again, Suzie. But, I rather like not having anyone around to lecture me, or have an opinion on my life.”

“Hmm,” Suzie narrowed her eyes playfully. “Well, you do still have me,” she reminded her. “I plan to lecture you and have an opinion on your life for a very long time to come.”

“Very funny,” Mary cracked a smile. “But seriously. All of this questioning and mysterious behavior, it has left me exhausted. Is love really worth all of this work?” she shook her head as she looked back down at the flowers. “I guess there's really no reason to even think about it, considering that he wants nothing to do with me now.”

“Did he tell you that?” Suzie asked.

“Not in so many words,” Mary admitted. “But I knew that he meant it.”

“I'm sorry, sweetie,” Suzie said and hugged her. She was absolutely livid inside. She couldn't imagine a man who could be so cruel as to break a woman's heart right before her birthday. Sure he did have a reason to be angry since she did steal his weapon, but that didn't mean that he had to be so hurtful about it. “Maybe he will cool off and come to his senses.”

“To be honest, I'm not so sure that I want him to,” Mary admitted. “He was obviously focused on other things all week. I don't think the message could be much clearer. He is not interested in being part of my life.”

“Try not to think about it too much,” Suzie said. “It's your birthday today, remember?”

“Yes,” Mary smiled. “We should go out together and do something, Suzie. I don't want to spend the whole day thinking about Wes. Would you like to go to the movies or something?” she asked hopefully.

Suzie realized she was in a very difficult position. She had a ton of preparations to complete, including picking up Benjamin and Catherine from the airport. She had no idea how she could do any of it if she was spending the day with Mary. But she knew it would hurt her friend if she turned her down now.

“Why don't we go to lunch and then make plans from there?” Suzie suggested.

“Sounds good,” Mary said. She frowned for a moment and then spoke again, “I tried calling both Benjamin and Catherine this morning. I just wanted to hear their voices so I could cheer up. Neither of them answered. I know they're busy, and I really don't expect them to remember that it is my birthday, I just so wanted to hear them.”

“They might still be sleeping,” Suzie pointed out and tried to swallow back her guilt. “You know how college kids are.”

“You're right,” Mary shook her head. “I guess I'm just in a funk. I hope I can get out of it soon.”

“I'll make sure that you do,” Suzie assured her. “I'm going to make us some pancakes,” she said decisively.

“That sounds delicious,” Mary agreed with a wide smile. “Thank you, Suzie.”

“You just stay out here and enjoy the view,” Suzie encouraged her. “I'll bring everything to you.”

“Okay, I will,” Mary said as she gazed out over the glittering water. “I can't complain about the view, that's for sure.”

Suzie ducked back into the house. As soon as she was inside she ran to her room and grabbed her cell phone. She dialed Paul's number. She could only hope that he would be awake early even though it was his first day off the boat.

“Hello?” he finally answered groggily.

“Paul, I need you,” she said urgently.

“Oh baby, I need you, too,” he mumbled half-asleep.

“Paul! Be serious!” Suzie said sharply.

“What? What is it? Are you in trouble?” he asked, suddenly wide awake.

“No, I'm not in trouble, but my surprise party is,” Suzie sighed. “I'm sorry for waking you, it's just that I don't know who else to ask for help.”

“You can always ask me for help, Suzie,” Paul said firmly. “What can I do?”

“Mary and Wes are on the outs, so now she wants to spend the day with me. But I'm supposed to be picking up Ben and Cathy from the airport in two hours,” she explained as she walked cautiously back towards the kitchen.

“Wow, that is a problem,” he said. “Would you like me to pick them up?”

“Would you?” she asked warmly. “That would help me out so much.”

“Of course, and if there's anything else that you need, just let me know,” he replied. “I think it's amazing that after all you went through yesterday you're still sticking with the party today.”

“Well, it's her first birthday away from Kent, and she needs to have it even more now that Wes is being such a jerk,” she sighed.

“Now, to be fair she did steal his gun,” Paul pointed out.

“Paul, I don't need you getting all brotherhood of man on me right now,” Suzie said. “I just need to get things together for Mary.”

“Don't worry,” Paul laughed. “Wes is being flat out stupid if he's passing up on a chance to spend time with Mary. I'll get the kids from the airport, just text them and let them know that it will be me picking them up.”

“Okay, I will,” Suzie sighed. “Thanks Paul, and sorry for being so out of sorts this morning.”

“Don't apologize to me, sweetheart, I love you no matter what kind of sorts you're in,” he replied lovingly. Suzie smiled to herself. It was nice to be reminded how lucky she was. But it stung a little to think that Mary was not getting the same kind of treatment. She decided to call Wes and give him a piece of her mind. She dialed his number, but it went straight to voicemail. She was just pouring some pancake batter into the pan when Mary stuck her head inside the house.

“Suzie, I'm going to get dressed, let me know if you need help with breakfast.”

“Okay, I've got it covered,” Suzie smiled at her. Soon she had a plate filled with fluffy pancakes. She was fairly proud of them as she wasn't always the best cook. Just then she remembered to send the text to Benjamin and Catherine. She knew that they were probably already on the plane. She hoped that they would get the text when they landed. She prepared two plates for breakfast, and then heard a knock at the door. She walked over to the door and opened it to find Jason and Kirk standing outside. Suzie felt her heart skip a beat. She wondered if there had been a problem with Mary being in possession of the gun.

“Morning, Suzie,” Jason said as he took his hat off. He ran his hand back through his short red hair. “We wanted to check in with you two and make sure you're doing okay. I know today is Mary's birthday.”

“How nice,” Mary said as she stepped up behind Suzie. “Come in, have some breakfast,” she offered warmly. Jason glanced over at Kirk who nodded eagerly.

“It smells delicious,” Kirk said.

“There is plenty,” Suzie said in a welcoming tone and opened the door further so that they could step inside. Soon, all four of them were on the porch sharing breakfast.

“How did things go at the station?” Suzie asked.

“Larry gave a full confession,” Jason said. “He even detailed how he took the screws out of the balcony. He used a ladder and climbed up, took the screws out, and climbed back down. Then, in the middle of the night he threw pistachio shells up on the balcony to get Warren to come outside. He said he waved and hollered as if he was in trouble to get Warren to lean forward against the railing. After that he fled off down the beach.”

“He would have gotten away with it,” Kirk said. “There was no physical evidence. He didn't even leave a fingerprint on the balcony, he never touched it, just the screws which he took with him. If it wasn't for the three of you getting in the middle of things, Warren Blasser's death would have been ruled an accident.”

“I'm just glad that his family will get some closure,” Mary said sadly.

“Listen to us talking about murder on Mary's birthday,” Jason said with a shake of his head. “Today should be a happy day.”

“With good friends and good food how could it not be?” Mary asked. She seemed to be in a much better mood. Suzie was glad that they had stopped by.