Murder Is Private (10 page)

Chapter 23

Susan filled Mike in on the Florida experience. She told him how upset she was about Evan possibly spending the summer in Florida.

“Come on, Susan,” her husband said. “Once he thinks it over, I bet Evan’ll choose Columbia or NYU over doing research with some geriatric doctor at Florida Pan-America University. You know that.”

“And if he doesn’t?”

“I have some vacation time coming. If he decides to go to Florida, we’ll just visit. And we can have a little second honeymoon for ourselves. You and me. The beach. Drinks with little umbrellas in the glasses...”

“Sounds kinda nice. Hmm, not sure I want you around all these bikini-clad hotties, though. I swear no one in Florida has cellulite.”

“I’ll only have eyes for you. Did you say bikini-clad hotties?”

“If you were here right now, I’d give you a whack.”

“We’re doing the
50 Shades
thing now? I’m game.”

“Seriously, I miss you. You always make me feel better.”

“I miss you too. Love you. Stay out of trouble.”

Susan rounded the auditorium corner. She smelled the salt water. What was that? Lightning? She looked up. She saw three flashes of light in quick succession. She waited. It happened again. It was coming from the third floor tower of the auditorium. After a pause, it happened again. She walked behind the auditorium to the beach, and she heard something else. A motor boat engine. She saw someone come out the back door of the auditorium and hand a suitcase full of something to the driver of the boat. Then, the boat sped away. She crouched behind the corner of the building. The man who’d carried out the suitcase went back into the auditorium. Susan heard eerie music wafting through the windows. Violin music.
Who’s playing the violin at this hour?

She pulled open the back door of the auditorium and entered the main hall. It was dark inside, except for the emergency lights. The mournful music wasn’t coming from here. She heard it again, Albinoni’s
Adagio
seemingly floating through the ceiling. She located the dark, musty stairwell and started up the steps. Rain pounded against a single, small window. Breathing the stale air was a chore.

She grabbed the handrail and continued up the stairs, following the sound of the violin. She couldn’t imagine who it was. She was almost at the top, when large hands grabbed her neck. She tried to scream but couldn’t. She was choking. Someone shoved a gag into her mouth. She struggled with terror as a hood was pulled over her head, reminding her of terrorists and beheaded journalists. Her hips felt like tires being catapulted over speed bumps as she was pulled down the stairs.

Then strong hands dragged her outside into the rain. The music disappeared into the distance, replaced by the sound of waves crashing against the shore. She felt a salty ocean breeze brush her arms. She was yanked to her feet and pushed through the thick sand, a gun poking into her back. Water invaded her sandals, making it yet more difficult to trudge through the beach with her bruised legs and aching hip. Then she heard wood under her feet. She was at the pier.

Shaking from her hair to her toes, she recognized the sound of a motor boat approaching. What were they going to do to her? She was lifted, then thrown onto the seat of the boat.

“Drop and eliminate her,” said her captor.

“Consider it done,” said another man. Susan assumed he was the boat driver.

The motor revved to full blast. Water splashed into the boat as it sped away from the pier.

Where was he taking her? The gag and hood made breathing difficult and she panicked at the thought of suffocating. The ride seemed to last for hours. Would Lynette and Evan be looking for her? How long had she actually been gone?

Eventually, the motor sputtered and the boat rocked in the water. Silence. What now? She sawed her hands back and forth against the seat, hoping to loosen the duct tape. She prayed the driver would change his mind and bring her back to shore, alive. It wasn’t going to happen. The driver picked her up and threw her over the side of the boat. She plunged under the water with a splash. The boat sped off, leaving her in the middle of the ocean.

She thrashed her way to the surface, coughing and spitting out ocean water. Between the sawing on the boat seat and the water loosening the adhesive, she managed to free her hands from the tape. Her heart raced. She flailed her feet, then started treading water. Realizing her hands were free, she ripped off the hood and the gag.

A sliver of moonlight barely illuminated the surface of the water. She couldn’t remember ever feeling this afraid. She was thankful that the ocean water wasn’t freezing cold like back home. She felt like she was swimming in bath water. Swimming. Could she swim to shore? She had no idea which direction the shore was. The city kept the lights off to protect the baby sea turtles. Warm water. Didn’t sharks like warm water? She screamed into the blackness.

Chapter 24

“Lynette, where’s Mom?” Evan asked his sister.

“Isn’t she in her room?”

“No, I just checked. Audrey hasn’t seen her.”

“She said she was going to take a walk, but that was hours ago. Oh, no, Evan, I’m worried. Maybe she got lost,” said Lynette.

The two siblings searched the house, then the neighborhood. There was no sign of their mother. Audrey volunteered to stay with the baby.

“I hope your mother is all right. She may have gotten lost,” suggested Audrey. “All these streets look alike, especially at night.” She tossed her car keys to Evan.

Evan drove, Lynette navigated. They left the neighborhood and followed the street to the school, scanning every inch of the sidewalks as they passed. They arrived at the campus, and Evan parked at the arboretum. They searched on foot, in the rain. There was no sign of their mother. Lynette’s phone rang.

“It’s Audrey,” the caller’s voice said. “Did you find her? I’m terrified something has happened to her. I knew I should have insisted she stay home in New York. I never should have let her sub. I knew it would be dangerous. It’s all my fault.”

“Calm down, Audrey,” said Lynette. “We’ll find her. She was on foot. She couldn’t have gone far.”

“She’s not here,” said Evan, after they had checked the school grounds.

“Let’s try the beach. She sometimes takes walks there,” said Lynette.

They pulled around the back of the auditorium, facing the beach.

“Which way?” asked Evan.

“I don’t know. Let’s go toward the pier.”

“It’s so dark. Good thing you thought to bring a flashlight,” he said.

Lynette and Evan ran through the sand of the deserted beach. Raindrops pelted their faces.

“You look toward the water; I’ll look toward campus,” said Lynette. Her phone rang.

“Audrey, did Mom come home?”

“No. I was hoping you’d found her. Maybe we should call the police.”

“Tell you what. Call Kevin. His number’s on the fridge under the Las Vegas magnet.”

“Come on, Evan!” cried Lynette. “Audrey’s calling Kevin. Let’s keep looking.”

They ran farther toward the pier. A flash of lightning illuminated the sand.

“Lynette, stop!” He scooped something out of the wet sand.

“What is it?”

“Mom’s bracelet! The one I made for her at summer camp when I was ten.”

Lynette shone the flashlight at the sand. She bent down and examined the shiny, beaded bracelet. “You’re right. It’s Mom’s.”

Chapter 25

Susan’s legs were too numb to tread water any longer. She held her breath, then floated, face down in the water to conserve energy.
Didn’t they refer to this position as the ‘dead man’s float’?
She shook the image out of her head. Every time the water moved, she jumped, certain she was about to be dinner for a shark. Not a single boat had passed during the entire time.

I’ll never see my family again. Was helping Audrey worth dying over?
She pictured Mike watching TV in his recliner. He had no idea how close he was to losing his wife for good. He’ll be devastated when he hears she died in the ocean, chasing criminals. Lynette would say, “She couldn’t just mind her own business. I told her sleuthing was dangerous and should be left to the professionals.” Annalise would have no memory of her grandma at all. Susan made a bargain with God. “God, if you let me live, I promise to leave the detective work up to the police from now on. I’ll just sit home and knit baby blankets for the rest of my days. I’ll even donate the baby blankets to the homeless shelter, and I’ll volunteer at the soup kitchen.”

She closed her eyes and prayed to the Holy Mother, comforted by envisioning her Mom as her guardian angel, protecting her. She prayed to that saint who protected the lost. What was his name? Was it Saint Christopher? She hoped she’d gotten it right.

She opened her salt-swollen eyes. What was that? Something floating, just out of reach. She didn’t know if she had the strength to kick, but gave it the old college try. She doggy paddled toward it.
Was it a piece of wood
? As she got closer, she realized it was a broken oar. She grabbed onto it, appreciating its buoyancy just when she was completely drained of energy. Hugging it to her chest, she thought once again about Mike and Annalise. And Lynette and Evan. She had to live to see her son graduate from medical school.

A light shone from above. This was it. She was about to meet God face-to-face. Then she heard a sound. It didn’t sound like a choir of angels. It sounded like a helicopter. She looked up and saw that it was one! Her heart beat quickened. The chopper got louder and brighter as it came closer. The pilot had a megaphone.

“Mrs. Wiles, is that you?”

“Yes, yes it’s me! Thank God you’re here!” she cried, kicking harder, trying to stay above the water while she waved to the pilot.

“We’re coming down with a basket! We’ll pull you up!”

Susan, afraid of the ski-lift on the bunny trail, didn’t hesitate under the circumstances. The rescue worker helped her into the stretcher-sized basket. Over the sound of the helicopter blades rotating, she heard the pulley hoisting her up. Once safely inside, she sat up and looked out at the ebony ocean. Had she really been in the middle of that? The helicopter landed on the beach. Kevin rushed over and threw a blanket around her. Lynette grabbed her.

“Mom, look at you! Thank God we found you alive. Are you okay? What happened?”

Susan still tasted the salt water as she spoke. “I was in the auditorium. Someone grabbed me from the steps. They pushed a gun into my back and forced me out to the pier. Then they threw me into a motor boat. After that, I was hurled into the water. I don’t know how long I was out there but it felt like days.”

“Oh, Mom! What if they’d killed you? How many times have I said to be careful? How many?”

“I’m sorry. I just went into the auditorium. I didn’t expect this,” Susan mumbled, ashamed.

Susan was lifted into an ambulance. Audrey and Evan ran to her side. Evan was cradling a sleeping Annalise. The doctors insisted that Susan stay in the hospital overnight for observation. As much as she preferred to go back to Audrey’s, she didn’t have the strength to argue.

“Good thing Kevin has connections. He got the Coast Guard to respond immediately. Otherwise, you might still be out there,” said Lynette.

“Something strange is going on,” said Susan. “Listen to this. I saw a man bring a suitcase to a motor boat. Just before that, the lights from the third floor of the auditorium flashed, like some sort of signal. And, this is really weird…” Susan began.

“You mean weirder than flashing lights and a man carrying a suitcase to the beach?” interrupted Lynette.

“Yes,” declared Susan. “There was music. Violin music coming from upstairs in the auditorium. I was on my way to see what it was when I was attacked on the steps.”

“And you’re thinking illegal weapons, or drugs? Human trafficking?” asked her daughter.

“Or passports or who knows what. Kevin has to follow up on it!” Susan demanded.

“You mean you’re leaving it up to the police?”

“I don’t have the strength to deal with your sarcasm right now, Lynette.”

George burst through the door. “Susan, are you okay? Mother told me what happened.” His hair was mussed and he was out of breath. Susan was touched by his brotherly concern.

“I’m fine now. Just tired.”

George was wearing gym shorts, and a t-shirt that smelled fresh from the laundry. Oddly, his athletic socks were dry, but his sneakers were wet through and through. If he’d gotten caught in the rain, why would he change his clothes, but not his shoes? When he turned and walked out, she saw that the back of his hair was wet. Had he been down at the beach? Did he have anything to do with her attack? She fell asleep wondering.