Seaside Secrets (7 page)

“
See you then,” Thomas smiled and turned to walk away from the car.

“
Are you okay, Jason?” Suzie asked as she walked towards the driver's side door of the car.

“
I'd be better if you had just taken my advice,” he said rather shortly as he met her eyes across the top of the car.

“
Is there something you want to tell me, Jason?” Suzie asked calmly. He held her gaze for a long moment as if he was considering it, but finally he looked away and closed the passenger side door he had been holding open for Mary.

“
See you at seven,” he sighed and strolled off down the sidewalk. Suzie watched him for a moment before sliding into the driver's seat. She looked over at Mary piled to her chin with bags and couldn't help but laugh.

“
There is a trunk you know,” she grinned as she pulled the bags off her friend and tossed them onto the back seat. 

“
With that conversation, I wasn't going to say a word,” Mary said with a slow shake of her head. “You know, Suzie, when you first brought it up I thought you were being a little paranoid, but now that I've seen it with my own eyes, I think I agree with you.”

“
Agree with me about what?” Suzie asked as she started the car.

“
Something isn't right with Jason, and I'm certain it has something to do with that mayor,” she added through gritted teeth.

“
I didn't get a good feeling about dear old Thomas either,” Suzie admitted and drove back towards the house.

“
Well, obviously you would be suspicious of him,” Mary said with a shrug.

“
What do you mean?” Suzie asked curiously.

“
I mean the photograph,” Mary reminded her as she looked over at Suzie. “Didn't you recognize him?”

All of a
sudden Suzie's eyes widened and she drew a sharp breath. The truth was she hadn't recognized him. But the moment that Mary mentioned the photograph, she knew exactly who her friend was talking about. There was no question in her mind that the man she had just met was the very same man in the photograph they had found in the safety deposit box.

“
Oh my,” she whispered as they pulled into the long drive of the house. “I'm starting to think that my uncle really did get into the middle of something he shouldn't have.”

Once inside the
house Suzie immediately pulled out the photographs again. Sure enough the man in the photo was identical to the mayor they had just met.

“
If what Jason said was true and Thomas was an old family friend, then he and Harry must have known each other,” she tapped her chin slightly and shook her head. “None of this makes any sense at all to me.”

“
It's a little confusing,” Mary agreed and pointed to the expression on the frightened woman's face. “I think it's time we found out who this person is. Was she his lover? Perhaps he was having an affair and these photos were going to prove it?”

“
Do you really think my uncle would be killed over a simple affair?” Suzie asked as she picked up the photo of the woman with a clear image of her face.

“
We don't know that he was killed,” Mary reminded her. “Maybe he was so stressed over discovering that his friend was cheating on his wife, that he really did have a sudden heart attack.”

“
Maybe,” Suzie said softly as she recalled the firm grip of the mayor's handshake. “Thomas Ralley, TR,” she shook her head and frowned. “I bet that cufflink really does belong to him.”

“
We have some time before dinner, maybe we should head into town and see if we can find out about the woman in the photograph?” Mary suggested as she glanced over the still messy living room. “It beats cleaning!”

“
I guess you're right,” Suzie nodded and then looked up at Mary. “But we should be careful who we talk to. If the mayor is as dangerous as I suspect he might be, then we don't want to make ourselves targets.”

“
He is dangerous,” Jason said from the doorway of the house. It still startled Suzie to see him in his uniform considering her history with the police.

“
Jason,” she smiled at him as he stepped further inside. “We are looking forward to dinner tonight.”

“
Look, I don't know what the two of you think you're doing,” Jason said in a cool tone that did not even pretend to be polite. “But if it involves the mayor, you need to stop. He wants this property, and if I had inherited it, I would have handed it right over to him. He is only taking you to dinner to convince you to sell the property to him,” he paused a moment and looked directly into Suzie's eyes. “He is used to getting what he wants.”

“
Jason, did your father know Thomas well?” Suzie asked, ignoring his warning.

“
Actually my mother, Beverly, knew his wife, Samantha, well,” Jason reluctantly admitted. “My father and Thomas never really got along. My father was always busy,” he added and narrowed his eyes. “Too busy to be there for my mother, or me. Thomas is the one that taught me to play ball, to ride a bike,” he frowned and rubbed the back of his neck. “He's not the easiest man, but at least he cares.”

Suzie had to bite her lip to keep from revealing the letter she had found.
“Was your father always interested in photography?” she asked as she picked up the photo of the sunrise to show him. Jason barely looked at it.

“
After my mother died he started taking photographs,” Jason shrugged. “It was like he needed something to distract him from the truth.”

“
That she was gone?” Suzie coaxed him, trying to salvage a little more information from him.

“
That he wasn't there when she needed him,” Jason corrected sternly. “Before she died he was obsessed with this house. He wanted it to be perfect, wanted to restore it to its historical state. Of course Thomas wanted the town to move on, to get more progressive so he and my father were always arguing over it,” he glanced at his watch briefly. “I should go, I am covering someone's shift for the afternoon.”

“
Jason wait, stay for a little longer,” Suzie suggested.

“
How about a beer?” Mary offered. “There's still some in the fridge that your father must have left.”

“
Beer?” he raised an eyebrow. “My father didn't drink,” he said firmly. “If he did, it wasn't beer.”

“
Oh, well I guess someone else must have left it,” Mary said with a frown.

“
I need to get back to work,” Jason said firmly. “I only came here, because I thought it best to warn you. Thomas has influence all over this town, so if you try to restore this place you're going to be in for a real battle. I wasn't going to say anything about it, but I just didn't think it was fair to let the two of you work so hard, when he'll likely find a legal loophole to sweep it out from under you.”

“
Thank you for the warning, Jason,” Suzie said in a warmer tone. She didn't want to alienate him, but she could tell that he was troubled by going against what Thomas wanted. She could also see a little bit of fear in his expression when he spoke of Thomas. She wondered if he had some kind of influence over Jason as a police officer, as well.

“
So, I should cancel dinner?” Jason asked hopefully.

“
Oh no, we'll be there,” Suzie smiled sweetly. “Wouldn't miss it.”

Jason rolled his eyes as his shoulders drooped. He opened his mouth as if he might have something more to say, then
he just shook his head and walked back out of the house.

“
He's awfully grumpy,” Mary muttered as she watched the door slam behind him.

“
I think it's time we unravelled just what kind of power Thomas has over Jason,” Suzie said as she placed her hands on her hips. “Enough is enough, it's time to put all of this to rest. Let's head to the library, we're going to find out who that woman is in the photograph, and why the photographs are important, oh and,” she snatched up the cufflink from the table, “this is coming to dinner with us tonight.”

Once they got to town again it was late afternoon and many of the small shops and businesses in the town were already preparing to close. Luckily, the library was still open. When they stepped in they noticed a man with stark white hair standing behind the reception desk. He wore a pair of glasses with thick lenses and was leafing through a large reference book.

“
Excuse me, sir,” Suzie said as she walked up to the desk.

“
Yes,” he asked as he peered at her over the rim of his glasses.

“
I was wondering if you could help me with something,” she said as she laid the photo of the woman on the desk in front of him. “I'm visiting from out of town, and I found this photo.”

“
Oh, I know all about you,” he smiled, and when he did the stodgy demeanor that he first gave off faded into something much more mischievous. “Suzie Allen, niece of Harry and Beverly Allen, cousin to our beloved Jason Allen,” he smiled a little as he glanced over at Mary who was standing a few steps behind her. “And Mary Brent, you, I don't know as much about, my darling, but I am glad to meet you,” he offered her a charming smile and a wink.

Mary managed a smile and a nod, but Suzie noticed the warmth of her expression did not warm her eyes. When she looked back at the man before her he was still smiling.

“I'm Louis,” he explained as he closed the book he had been reading. “Don't worry, I'm not a stalker, I just make it my business to know everything I can about this town, and that includes long lost relatives.”

“
Well, then I think I am talking to the right person,” Suzie smiled and pushed the photo closer to him. He glanced down at the photo, then looked back up at her with an arched eyebrow.

“
You must be from out of town,” he said, his voice lowering. “Put that photograph away before you get me fired.”

“
What? Why?” Suzie asked and glanced over at Mary who seemed just as confused. She tucked the photo back into her purse.

“
Why? Because that's a photograph of Samantha, the Mayor Ralley's wife,” he lowered his voice even further so that Suzie had to lean in closer to hear what he was saying. “She ran off about three weeks ago. No one knows why. The rumor is that she was upset with his less than legal behaviors, and she demanded a divorce.”

“
Oh,” Suzie said as her heart fluttered in her chest. “And no one knows where she is?”

“
No one has heard from her. She's got a sister two towns over, hasn't heard a word. She tried to get the police to look into it, but since Mayor Ralley is, well you know, mayor, they dismissed it as a marital dispute and decided not to look into it,” he frowned as he glanced around the library to make sure no one else was listening in. “Last person I know for sure who saw her was Jason. He came in here upset after talking to her, asked me if I knew about some of the different members of the police force taking bribes from Ralley. I told him no of course, because Jason, as good of a kid as he's always been, has no clue what kind of man Ralley is, and I didn't trust that Jason wouldn't turn around and tell Ralley what I said.”

“
And you're not worried about us doing the same?” Mary asked as she rested one elbow on the desk.

“
No,” he replied with a chuckle and shook his head. “No one would believe it coming from outsiders, but if Jason said it, well Jason is known to be one of the most honest people left in this town. He's a good man, a good police officer, just a little clueless when it comes to Ralley. Can't really blame him though, Ralley's been trying to take that boy's father's place ever since he found out Samantha couldn't have kids.”

“
Wow, you really do know about everything in this town,” Suzie replied with amazement. “Is there anything you don't know?” she asked.

“
I don't know how a man as healthy as Harry drops dead of a heart attack,” Louis replied with a darkened gaze. Suzie was a little startled by his words. “Now, if you don't mind, I need to close up.”

“
Sure, thank you for your help,” Suzie said quickly as she could tell that he was worried he had said more than he should have. She wanted to use one of the library computers to see what was on the flash drive but she didn’t want to delay him.

“
Just don't mention it, I mean that,” he said sternly and waved them towards the door.

As soon a
s they were outside on the sidewalk Mary turned and grabbed Suzie by the elbow.

“
You do know what this means?” she asked as she locked eyes with Suzie.

“
Tell me what you think,” Suzie encouraged her.

“
If Samantha saw Jason before she disappeared and she told Jason her suspicions about Mayor Ralley maybe she also told him she was planning to leave her husband. If that's the case, then Jason probably felt terribly guilty about being with her shortly before she disappeared,” she pointed out with a frown. “I bet that's why he's being very loyal to Ralley. If he's as manipulative as everyone says, he's probably got Jason completely on his side.”

“
Maybe,” Suzie nodded as she gazed down the sidewalk at the people who were heading home for the day. “But I think Jason suspects something. I'm sure he doesn't suspect that his father might not have died of natural causes, however,” she tightened her jaw.

“
Do you really think that Mayor Ralley killed him?” Mary asked as she studied Suzie's expression.

“
I think it's time we find out if my uncle's death was as natural as everyone seems to think,” she said with determination.

“
How are we going to do that?” Mary asked.

Suzie glanced at her watch.
“We still have two hours before we're supposed to meet with Jason and Mayor Ralley for dinner. That should be enough time to get some information from the coroner.”

“
Oh Suzie, are you sure?” Mary asked as she touched her arm gently. “It won't upset you too much.”

“
The only way it will upset me is if I never look into it,” Suzie replied with certainty. She glanced up at the fading light in the afternoon sky. “Uncle Harry trusted me with this mystery, I don't know why. Maybe he kept track of me. Maybe he knew that I had a career as an investigative journalist and he hoped that I would look deeper into things. Maybe he just wanted to protect Jason from discovering the truth. Whatever the real reason, he left this responsibility in my hands, and I intend to get to the bottom of this.”

“
Let's get over there then,” Mary said with her shoulders squared. “Mayor or not, Ralley has no idea what he's up against when the two of us are working together.”

When they reached the police station, Mary's cell phone began to ring. She glanced down at it and frowned. She sent the call to voicemail. Then the phone began to ring again.

“Ugh, I guess I better take this,” Mary huffed, knowing that it was her soon to be ex-husband, Kent.

“
It's fine, you wait here, that way if they cuff me you can make bail,” Suzie chuckled and put the car in park. Mary was arguing on the phone with Kent when Suzie closed the door behind her. She couldn't wait for her friend to truly be free of him, but she knew that Mary had to handle it in her own way.

When she walked into the police station, Suzie felt a surge of anxiety. It had been so many
years, and yet the presence of so many uniformed officers and the subtle clang of metal doors reminded her of just how it felt to have her freedom taken from her, even if for only one night. It had been hard to believe that she would ever walk out of that cell, and that had driven the point home well enough for her to avoid investigating anything so serious again. However, here she was again, about to lie through her teeth to the man at the front desk.

“
Hello,” Suzie smiled at him as she walked up to him.

“
Hello,” he replied and swept his gaze over her with curiosity. He was nearly bald with a short, stubby beard that spread awkwardly along his full drooping cheeks and rounded chin. “How can I help you?” he asked.

“
My cousin, Jason Allen, is an officer here,” she explained. “My uncle, Harry Allen recently passed, and I was hoping to speak to the coroner.”

“
Why would you need to speak to the coroner?” he asked as his pale green eyes settled on her.

“
Honestly, I just have a few personal health issues and I'd like to know if he had any of these issues at the time of his passing,” she explained. “It would only take a few minutes.”

“
I'll see if she's free,” he agreed and picked up the phone on the desk. Suzie smiled with relief. She had expected to have to lie more than that, but apparently Jason's reputation was as stellar as Louis at the library had described it.

“
Sure, uh huh,” the desk sergeant muttered into the phone. “All right then I'll send her down,” he said, then hung up the phone. When he looked back up at Suzie his expression hadn't changed. “Just take that elevator there,” he pointed to the elevator at the end of the lobby. “Hit B for Basement,” he explained. “Then go down the hall and it's the third door on the right,” he lowered his voice as he added. “Make sure you go right, the doors on the left, you don't want to see what's in there,” he assured her.

Suzie cringed a little at the idea of what the doors on the left might be hiding. She assumed they might contain bodies. She didn't think a small town like Garber had too many murders to be concerned about, but then she wouldn't have anticipated a crooked mayor either. As she rode down on the elevator she felt her anxiety rising. She wondered if she would be able to convince the coroner to tell her the truth about her uncle's death. Was it possible that she had been bought and paid for by Mayor Ralley as well?

When she stepped off the elevator she found a dimly lit and completely empty hallway. The doors weren't even marked. There was nothing in the hallway to indicate where she should go and where she shouldn't. She counted the doors and made sure that she went to the right. When she opened the door she was greeted by a stark, medicinal scent that made her stomach churn slightly. A woman was standing over a microscope, her dark blonde hair swept up into a half-bun at the back of her head, the rest flowing down over her shoulders to reach her mid-back. When she turned to see who had stepped inside, Suzie was surprised to see how young she looked. Maybe even younger than Jason. She had soft features, and soothing hazel eyes that seemed to set Suzie at ease.

“
Hello, I'm Suzie Allen,” she said as she stepped further into the room.

“
Ah yes, Ms. Allen, sorry,” she pulled the gloves she was wearing off her hands and disposed of them in the bio-hazard container that was closest to her. “I'm Dr. Rose, I'm actually really glad to have the chance to speak with you.”

“
Really?” Suzie asked. “Why is that?”

“
Well, we get a lot of heart attacks around here,” she explained and then hesitated. “I hope that I didn't offend you.”

“
Not at all,” Suzie said gently. “I didn't know my uncle very well.”

“
Well, like I've said I've seen quite a few heart attacks. This particular heart attack is a very rare one. I've never seen one myself before. The heart itself was in perfect condition prior to the attack.”

“
That's strange,” Suzie said as she narrowed her eyes.

“
Very strange,” Dr. Rose agreed with a nod. “Especially since these types of heart attacks are only seen in two types of people. Extreme athletes, and drug users.”

“
Oh,” Suzie cringed as she shook her head. “I don't think my uncle was a drug user.”

“
I don't think so either,” Dr. Rose admitted. “His liver was in good health, habitual drug use or drinking would have caused damage to his liver. I believe he might have taken a very high dose of something, however I couldn't find anything in his blood.”

“
Is that why you ruled his death to be of natural causes?” Suzie pried carefully.

“
Yes, unfortunately, I can't prove otherwise,” she paused a moment and looked into Suzie's eyes. “I can't prove it, but I do suspect otherwise. That's why I was glad to see you. I've tried to get information from Jason about his family's health history but getting two words out of that man is exhausting.”

“
I know what you mean,” Suzie chuckled. “Well, my father did die when I was young, but it was from cancer, not a heart attack.”

“
Hmm, and you?” Dr. Rose asked as she pulled out a folder with what Suzie could only assume was her uncle's medical information in it. “Have you had any problems with your heart?”

“
No,” Suzie shook her head slowly. “I've always been in good health, actually.”

Dr. Rose made a few notes on the paperwork. In the silence, Suzie found herself wondering how someone could cause a heart attack in someone else.

“Is it possible that someone poisoned him, Dr. Rose?” she asked.