1 Lowcountry Boil (23 page)

I closed the door, locked it behind him, and leaned against it.

Arrrhhh! I dug my fingers into my hair. I took a few slow, calming breaths, and then went into my office. I called Blake and, thankfully, got his voicemail again. I left him a message letting him know I was fine, and I was working, and I was so, so sorry, and I would see him later that evening at Mamma and Daddy’s. Blake would be steamed I’d been gone all day when he’d asked me to wait for him that morning—which now felt like three years ago. But he would get over it.

I grabbed a banana and a glass of tea to hold me over and went into my office. I pulled out Gram’s list and studied the names and, in particular, the question marks. If my hunch was right, Gram had been sure that Mackie made Grace vulnerable, and Marci was Michael’s vulnerability. Mildred and Olivia each had one question mark, indicating perhaps Gram suspected there was something that could be used against Lincoln and Robert, but wasn’t quite sure. Evidently, she hadn’t uncovered Mildred’s prior occupation.

Gram was even less sure that John Glendawn’s history with Hayden Causby and Stuart Devlin could be used against him—they had two question marks. And apparently Gram had considered Merry a possibility—though a long shot with three question marks—as leverage against Daddy. Or maybe she thought Merry could convince Daddy to go along with a zoning change that allowed her to build her camp. That made sense. But I would have put four or five question marks there. Convincing Daddy to go along with oceanfront development was not a likely scenario.

I pulled out my phone and tapped Quincy Owen’s saved phone number, with no real expectation he would answer.

He picked up on the second ring. “Quincy Owen.”

“Mr. Owen. Glad I caught you. This is Liz Talbot calling from South Carolina.”

“Oh, right. The private investigator.”

“Yes. Am I catching you at a bad time?”

“No, no. I’m sorry I haven’t returned the call. I’m in the middle of a new project that’s pretty much consumed me, I’m afraid. Down your way, actually.”

I had a sinking feeling. If this camp turned out to be legit, I’d be left with a lot of loose ends.

“That’s what I wanted to speak with you about.”

“You from the Upstate, are you? Could have sworn you said you were calling from the Charleston area.”

“Wait.” I scrunched my face so hard I could feel the wrinkles setting in. “I’m calling from Stella Maris, near Charleston. That’s where you’re planning your new camp, right? On Stella Maris?”

He chuckled. “I wish that were possible. We’re building a camp in the foothills near Lake Jocassee. A benefactor left the property to the foundation in her will.”

“Mr. Owen, does David Morehead work for your organization?”

“Who?”

“David Morehead.”

“Never heard of him.”

“How about Merry—Esmerelda—Talbot? Are you by chance trying to recruit her for a project?”

“She related to you?”

“Yes. She’s my sister.”

“Sorry, I haven’t had the pleasure.”

“That’s what I needed. Thank you for your time.”

I leaned back in my chair and pondered the New Life Foundation. Merry was one of the smartest people I knew. She would have researched these folks on the web. And she would have found exactly what I’d found. Pictures of pristine campgrounds and happy teenagers. And she would have called David Morehead back on the number he gave her. Many people used cell phones for business these days. That wouldn’t have raised her suspicions.

I pulled up the South Carolina Secretary of State’s webpage and did a query on New Life Foundation.

Oh my, my. The New Life Foundation
of South Carolina
popped up.

With Adam Devlin as the registered agent.

It was not a nonprofit organization.

THIRTY-TWO

St. Francis Episcopal is the oldest church on Stella Maris. It’s built of stone with a steeple and stained glass windows. The gym doubles as a fellowship hall. The Most Fabulous Spring Bazaar Ever was still in full swing at three o’clock when I pulled into the parking lot. Tables of pickles, jams, casseroles, and every homemade or hand-stitched thing under the sun spilled out of the gym and onto the shady lawn. Throngs of people examined the merchandise and chatted with their neighbors.

I smiled and waved my way into the gym and tried to find Mamma. I needed her to see me, preferably after I’d purchased something. The noise level in the gym was deafening. I picked up snatches of conversation as I worked my way through the crowd.

“…just can’t believe poor Emma was murdered…”

“…serial killer…running loose…”

“…strange lights over the ocean…”

“…all be murdered in our sleep…”

“…my Tom has all our guns loaded…”

I spotted Kate Devlin behind a table selling her chicken potpies. I could see stocking up on those. I pushed through the crowd in her direction. I slid behind two women engaged in earnest gossip, and smiled brightly as I popped out of the crowd and landed right next to Michael.

Kate smiled at me, but continued talking to her son. “Where have you been keeping yourself, son?”

Michael glanced at me. Tacitly, we agreed to keep things simple just then. “Hi, Liz,” he said. “Good to have you home.”

I tingled from head to toe. My mouth was so dry I struggled to make it work. “Hey,” I said. “I didn’t mean to interrupt. I’m just here to get some of your mamma’s pies. I’ll just browse. You all go on and visit.” I focused on the pies and casseroles.

Michael turned back to his mother. “Mostly I’ve been working, Mamma. How are you feeling? Are you taking care of yourself like you’re supposed to? You look a little weak.”

“Yes, I’ve been following the doctor’s orders precisely, and aside from feeling a bit drunk from the medication Warren gave me for my heart, I feel fine.”

“You’ve cut back on the caffeine like he said, right?”

“Warren Harper is an alarmist,” she said. “Always has been.”

“Have you been walking, like he told you?”

“I walked just this morning. Early. Before your brother came by.”

Michael stiffened. “How is Adam?”

I was wondering myself if she’d seen him before, or after, Michael blackened his eye.

“He seemed in a stew,” Kate said. “But you know your brother. Always in a stew about something. He was by before breakfast.”

Michael visibly relaxed. “What was bothering him?”

Kate’s smile diminished somewhat, and she glanced down at her folded hands. “He didn’t want to talk about it, whatever it was. After I told him Blake had been by asking about Emma Rae, that’s all he wanted to talk about.”

“Emma Rae Talbot?”

“Yes.” Kate glanced at me. “Blake has some farfetched notion that Emma Rae was murdered.”

Michael asked, “What does that have to do with Adam?”

Kate shrugged. “Nothing more than it has to do with any of us, I suppose. I guess he was concerned for my safety. And poor Emma Rae…” Kate turned towards me. “She was one of my dearest friends, you know.”

“Listen, Mamma,” Michael said. “Adam didn’t say anything to upset you, did he?”

“Why, no. He hasn’t mentioned anything in months about that other nonsense. It’s a moot point now, anyway. I told you, I’m donating two hundred acres of that land for a camp.” She turned to me and smiled. It was an odd little smile. I couldn’t quite read it. “Merry’s camp.”

Michael nodded. “That’s for the best.”

What nonsense was she talking about? I gathered my wits. I needed to buy my pies and get Michael out of there so we could compare notes. “Kate, I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed that potpie you brought by the other day. It was delicious. These freeze, right?”

“Well, of course.”

“I’ll take half a dozen. And two of the chicken rice casseroles. Do you have a bag?” You should never shop for food when you’re hungry. That banana hadn’t gone far. I was starved.

Kate did the math, took my money and bagged my food. I thanked her, motioned Michael with a nod, and headed towards the back of the gym, leaving him to say goodbye. Foot traffic was chaotic. People were not sticking to the whole “walk on the right-hand side” rule. I hadn’t gone three steps before I was feeling claustrophobic. I hate crowds. They make me feel like I’m suffocating, perhaps because I’m afraid to breathe. You just know a third of the people in any given herd have something contagious. I had an impulse to bolt for the nearest door.

Michael came up behind me. “Here. Let me carry that bag. You’ve got a month’s worth of food in there. Maybe you’ll need some company for dinner to help you eat it.”

“I doubt it. I’m a healthy eater. And I can carry my own bag, thanks.” I stopped walking. “Look, we need to talk.
Not
about us, not now. But there’s something I have to tell you. I just have to say hey to Mamma, and then we can get out of here.”

A concerned look crossed his face. “Okay. Your mamma’s in the back, at the information booth, near the quilts.”

We pressed though the crowd in that direction. It seemed like hours before I caught sight of Mamma. I waved through the crowd. We negotiated our way over to the information table.

“Well, there you are,” Mamma said. “Your brother’s been looking for you.”

“I know, Mamma. I tried to call him. Several times. I’ll see him tonight at your house. What a great turnout.” I offered her my brightest smile. “I’ve been shopping up a storm.” I lifted my bag.

“Well, I’m glad you made it,” she said. She turned to Michael and her smile widened. “How are you, Michael?”

“I’m fine, Carolyn,” he said. “Looks like the bazaar’s a big success. Congratulations.”

“Thank you so much. A lot of folks had a hand in it, of course. Liz, did you see the quilts?”

“Not yet, Mamma, but I’m going to right now. And I just have to have some of Alma’s bread and butter pickles. I’ve only made it half way around the gym.” I could tell I had only partially redeemed myself by showing up late in the afternoon. “I’ll see you later at the house, okay?”

“All right then.” She eyed me like she might inventory my purchases later.

Michael and I found a quiet spot outside on a bench under a live oak. “What’s wrong?” he asked.

“Tell me what ‘other nonsense’ Adam has been bothering your mother with.”

He gave me an odd look, but answered. “Adam has tried, several times now, to bully her into going along with developing Devlin’s Point. Last winter when she was still on town council, he had some harebrained scheme to turn Devlin’s Point into a high-dollar resort, and he was trying to badger Mamma into voting for a zoning variance when it came before the council.”

I nodded.

Michael said, “Of course she wouldn’t have any of it, but he hounded her for weeks. I didn’t know anything about it until Mamma broke down and told me. He didn’t want me to know.”

“I’ll bet he didn’t.”

“The whole thing was crazy. It would’ve taken more than Mamma’s vote to pass something like that. But he insisted he could get the other votes. Said we’d all be billionaires. Mamma was so upset she resigned from the council. That’s when I took over her seat.”

“How do you suppose he was going to get you to go along with this scheme?”

“No idea,” Michael said. “I really believe he had a lot to do with her heart problems back last winter. That’s when it all started, right about the time he was carrying on with all this.”

“You’d expect him to be mad as fire about your mamma donating the land for that youth camp, wouldn’t you? Seems like he’d never be able to build his resort.”

“I think that’s her intention.”

“But he’s not mad about it, is he?”

Michael shrugged. “We haven’t discussed it. That alone tells me he’s not. Seems like he’d be hounding me to help him talk her out of it.”

“But in fact, he’s in favor of the camp. He’s been lobbying on Merry’s behalf.”

Michael grew very still. He stared at me for a long moment. “Why would he do that?”

“Because Adam
is
the New Life Foundation of South Carolina. If your mamma deeds that land to the foundation, she’s deeding it to him. And it isn’t a non-profit. The whole thing is a bait-and-switch.”

“Son of a
bitch.
” Michael stood. “I’ll put a stop to that right now.” He stormed back into the fellowship hall.

My phone sang out Nate’s ringtone. I glanced at the time as I answered the call. It was almost four. “Hey. Are you boarding?”

“No.” Nate bit out the word. “No, I’m not. There’s weather in Atlanta. The airport is backed up. They pushed my departure twice, then cancelled the flight.”

“Oh, Nate.” I felt sick that he was living this airline nightmare on my account.

“I’m going to see if there’s a flight on any airline that will get me to Charleston tonight. I’ll call when I know something.”

“All right. I’m so, so sorry.”

“Not your fault. Tell me what’s going on there.”

My head spun. “Adam and Scott are using Merry as a front to get the land for their resort. Merry’s not involved, although she was almost killed last night.”

“She okay?”

“She’s fine. Her roommate is not. I’m fine. Oh, and Scott dropped by earlier. He wants me to run away with him to the Caribbean. This is all such a mess. I’ll explain everything when you get here.”

Silence.

“Nate?”

“Scott dropped by where?”

“Gram’s house.”

“You were there alone, weren’t you?”

“Nate, what is wrong with you? You of all people know I can take of myself.”

He sighed. “Our typical case load doesn’t involve murderers on the loose. We’re usually working to get the guy
out
of jail. Because we think he’s innocent. Correct me if I’m wrong, but that’s not the shape of this situation, is it?”