I'll be posting a chapter from "Murder in Half Moon Bay" every day until the end of the month. Enjoy!
CHAPTER 20
My gut reaction to the Westovers was twofold: a
strong dislike for Evelyn and pity for Thomas. Hopefully, tea with Ann would
produce more insight into this strange couple’s history.
I never tired of the Ritz-Carlton’s afternoon tea.
Warm sunlight filled the soft peach and muted green lobby where they served tea
every afternoon.
Ann waited for me, sitting comfortably in a green-and-white
upholstered booth. A white tablecloth was adorned with a small bouquet of fresh
fall flowers. Ann smiled upon seeing me come toward her and moved over to make
room for me to join her.
“Hello, Jillian. You look pretty discouraged. The
tea ought to revive you. Here’s our server.”
A young dark-haired woman wearing the hotel tan and
green print uniform smiled and asked if we would like the ‘Set Tea.’ After
answering in the affirmative, Ann and I put our heads together and debriefed.
“How did the Westovers’ visit go?” She made a
grimace.
“Let’s just say I’m glad it’s over. I really
couldn’t get anything out of her. She didn’t even flinch when I mentioned The
Venus Flytrap.”
Ann nodded and sat back in the booth. “I found out
who the Westovers got rid of. That ought to perk you up a bit.” She chuckled.
“I’m glad you’re in such a good mood, Ann. Let’s
have it.”
“Well, after talking at length with Marianne, who
seems to know more about the Westovers than even the Westovers do, I found out
that at one time the Westovers’ son had a girlfriend that didn’t meet with his
parent’s approval.”
The server brought our tea–a pot apiece, steaming
with our individual choices, plus a three-tiered plate stand filled with sweets
and savories of every description.
We helped ourselves to the delicacies as the
server, Alicia, poured out. “Milk?” she asked. We both nodded a “yes,” and then
she asked, “Sugars?”
“Three for me, please,” I replied.
Ann declined.
After Alicia departed, I continued the questions.
“Don’t tell me they had the girl killed because they didn’t want her dating
their son.”
Ann smiled at my impatience. “Not exactly. Marianne
said their son told his parents he wouldn’t see her and they believed him until
the girl showed up on their doorstep with her parents, claiming she was
pregnant with their grandchild.”
I almost choked on my cucumber sandwich. “I bet
Evelyn loved that.”
Ann ignored my comment and urged me to drink a sip
of my tea. “Actually, it seems Evelyn took it quite calmly. Evidently she
invited the trio in, served them coffee and said that she would handle
everything according to whatever they wished to do.”
“Which was…?”
Ann smiled and twitched her head. “To have the baby
and keep it, insisting the Westovers’ son marry her as soon as he turned
eighteen in three months.”
“And Evelyn agreed?” I was incredulous.
“It seems she did. The girl and her parents left, apparently
on good terms.” Ann’s tone was serious.
She took a sip of tea and a small bite of a smoked
salmon and dill sandwich.
“So how did Marianne say the Westovers got rid of
her?” I was totally mystified.
Ann put her teacup down thoughtfully and looked at
me full in the face. “The girl was killed in a freak car accident two weeks to
the day after she made her demands to the Westovers.”
“What did the police report say?”
Ann nodded her head and took a petit fours.
“I knew you would want to know so I asked Marianne
that as well. The police found no foul play. The girl was alone driving home
from work that night around nine o’clock. Evidently, she lost control of the
car and hit a tree off the side of the road. She was killed instantly.”
“And Evelyn’s grandchild along with her.”
“The police couldn’t prove any connection to the
Westovers. Shortly after it happened, the girl’s parents moved and the whole
affair just went away.”
“Ann, the whole affair may have gone away for the
girl and her parents, but how could a grandchild ever go away? I think that
would have stayed with Evelyn forever. It certainly would have cast a dim light
on her son, don’t you agree?”
Ann put her teacup carefully on its saucer. Without
looking up, she took a deep breath. “There’s something else.”
I braced myself emotionally after thinking about an
innocent life lost.
Ann looked at me. “The Westovers’ son overdosed on
barbiturates three days after the ‘accident’.”
I sat quietly for a moment thinking about the total
dismay Evelyn must have felt losing a grandchild and a son at the same time.
People don’t just pick up and carry on without going through the process of
shock, acceptance, grief and recovery.
Maybe that’s why Evelyn didn’t seem to act normal
at times.
Nicole came into the lobby from quite a shopping
spree from the looks of her armful of bags.
Walter saw her and offered to take the bags to her
room. She let him help her. She handed him her plastic key and he declined, informing
her the front desk always had a spare.
A light came on in my brain and I said aloud before
I could stop myself, “A spare key.”
Nicole heard me as she walked toward our table.
“What are you talking about, Jillian?”
“I said, ‘a spare key.’ Regina might have given a
spare key to her lover to come and go as he pleased.” My brain started churning
up a scenario.
“What if Regina got ready for bed, took off her
jewelry, and then someone entered her room using a spare key. She would
probably assume it was her lover. She would have no reason to be alarmed. She
wouldn’t have screamed. That’s why no one heard anything.”
Nicole sat down and ordered her own tea service.
“But, Jillian, everyone has a pretty solid alibi for the hours between two to
four in the morning, like the chief said.”
“I know, I know, but they aren’t all air tight.
Something was amiss with several of their statements. Nicole, have you found
out anything else about Spencer’s background or the Westovers’ financial
condition?” I stored up the questions of alibis for later contemplation.
Alicia brought Nicole a pot of Lady Earl Grey and
poured some out for her over milk.
Nicole took one sugar. “You’ll be pleased to know
my friend at the credit bureau gave me an earful on both parties.”
“Good girl.”
“To begin with, Spencer worked for Desert Nursery
and Landscape Sales in Henderson, Nevada–right outside of Las Vegas, before his
stint at the Seaside Nursery.”
“Bingo! It’s the connection with the gambling debts
just as I thought. Sorry, Nicole, please go on. I’ll try to keep quiet.”
“That’s all right, Jillian. I’m anxious to get to
the bottom of these murders, too.”
“What about the Westovers’ financial situation?” I
took a sip of tea.
Nicole smiled and tossed her head. “It’s just like
we thought. Evelyn has everything in her name. It’s probably because she
initially inherited everything from her father’s estate including the Seaside
Nursery wholesale business.
“My friend said that according to their records,
Thomas gets an allowance every month and a pretty generous one at that.”
“How generous, Nicole?”
“Thomas receives $5,000, which covers his cars,
golf trips, wardrobe and restaurant tabs. Evelyn makes him account for
everything.” She rolled her eyes. “It’s really unbelievable the control she has
over him.”
“Thomas goes along with it though, and that’s
unbelievable. Then again, he may have no choice.”
Yes, everything about Thomas’s behavior indicated
his unwillingness to challenge her in any fashion. “Nicole, How about their
finances… are they in good shape? Is their nursery business profitable?”
Nicole finished a curried chicken sandwich and took
a sip of tea before answering. “Their finances are in impeccable shape.
“They do have other interests but they seem
legitimate. They have a rental company for farm equipment, a manure processing
plant, and a small high-end florist shop in downtown Half Moon Bay called,
let’s see, I wrote it down here....” She looked through her purse. “Here it is.
It’s called Chelsea Gardens Flower Shop, right on Main Street.”
I wrote down the names and addresses of the subsidiaries
and planned to check each one of them out.
“Nicole, this is most helpful. I need to check on
Teddy, but let’s meet for dinner. Why don’t we go into town for Mexican food
tonight? I saw a bunch of cars in front of a taqueria on Highway 1 last night.
It must be good if the locals go there.”
“Mexican food sounds fine to me.” Nicole nodded,
looking toward Ann her for approval.
“Mexican food is not my favorite, but I could
manage a couple of tacos or even some fajitas tonight. Six-thirty?”
“Yes, six-thirty.”
***
I was about the business of finding my room key
when I noticed that the door stood slightly ajar.
The
housekeeper again?
“Teddy? I’m home.” I pushed it open and stepped
inside. A towel lay rumpled on the floor. Teddy was gone!
How….
Then I saw the note lying on the bed.
My heart sank to my knees as I read the contents.
“Go home, lady. Quit snooping if you want to see your dog alive again. If you
don’t, your dog is toast.”
I picked up Teddy’s towel and ran into the bathroom
to find his dish and toys still there. “He probably doesn’t have any food or
water. I must find him!”
I called the chief immediately, shaking as I dialed
my cell phone. His number rang three times before he picked up.
“Chief Viscuglia, here. How may I help you?” His welcome
voice came over the line.
“Chief, it’s Jillian.”
“Jillian, what’s wrong? You sound really rattled.”
“Someone’s taken Teddy. They left a note telling me
to quit investigating and to go home or they’d harm Teddy.
“I don’t even know how they got into my room. I’m
so mad at whoever did this! They’re a bunch of cowards picking on my dog
instead of me.” I choked back the tears.
“Listen, Jillian. We’ll do our best to find Teddy.
I’m coming over to the hotel right now with some forensics people to see what
clues they may have left. Don’t touch the note any more than you have to.”
“I’m one step ahead of you. I read it without
picking it up. Chief, we must have stepped on some toes for someone to go to
this length.”
“Exactly, Jillian. We’re on our way. Just stay
put.”
“I will.”
As I ended the call, I bowed my head and silently
prayed for Teddy’s safe return.
I needed to get out of the room. Some criminally
insane person could be mistreating my poor Teddy. My thoughts ran round like a
storm–I needed some air.
The halls were empty, except for a young
housekeeper cleaning and restocking the rooms. Her nametag read, “Cecilia.”
She eyed me intently when I stopped her.
“Have you seen anyone with a small dog? About this
big…they might have just come down this hallway.”
It took a second, but then she replied with
wide-eyed recognition, “Yes, I saw a man just a few minutes ago carrying a
small sack down the stairs. I thought I saw it moving.”
“This is very important.” I touched her arm. “Can
you describe what the man looked like? Anything at all?”
“Well, he looked a little foreign to me. He was kind
of heavyset. He had brown hair, quite a lot of it I noticed, and he was wearing
a hotel uniform liked he worked here, but I’ve never seen him before.”
“That’s good, Cecilia. Thank you. Was there
anything else?”
“Only that he wasn’t wearing the right shoes for
work. They were some sort of sandals, ‘native-looking’. He didn’t fit in with
the hotel staff here, if you know what I mean.” She seemed to be growing
nervous. Perhaps she realized that she should have reported it.
“Thank you, Cecilia. I’ll need your last name and a
number where I can reach you in case we need you to identify him later. Would
you be willing to help me in that way?” I prayed she would.
“Of course I will.”
She told me she had just taken this job to work her
way through college. She didn’t plan to work in service forever.
I took her name and number and tucked it in my
pocket. I dialed the chief. He seemed pleased when I told him the news of the
sighting.
“Would it be all right if I went to the Club Room,
Chief? I have to get out of this room.”
“We’re coming up now. It should be okay. Don’t go
anywhere else without letting me know, though.”
“Call me if you find anything.”
I hung up and forced myself toward the Club Room to
gather my thoughts. The window I chose faced the ocean. Its breakers rushed to
the shore and back to the sea again.
There was an Asian couple sitting two tables away
from me serving their two children a late afternoon snack of cookies and milk.
They looked at me and smiled.
With Teddy gone, I was alone.
I swallowed. My cheeks grew flushed. I could feel
their heat radiating into the tepid air. How could someone try to intimidate me?
My blood just boiled.
No more fear,
no more self-pity.
I had to put my thoughts on hold when I looked up
and saw Celeste standing in front of my table. I hadn’t seen her come in.
“Hello, Jillian. Mind if I join you?” She pulled
out a chair and demurely seated herself.
I had to admire the way she looked. Her hair was
now a different shade of blond, somewhat darker than before. Her makeup looked
freshly applied. I wondered if she’d just had a shower.
“What have you been up to, Celeste?” I honestly
couldn’t care.
“Nothing much, I’m sorry to say. I’ve just spent the
afternoon at the spa. I had my hair done, got a massage, a manicure, a pedicure
and a facial. I feel like a million dollars. How about you? Have you found any
clues to the murders yet?”
“Actually some information has surfaced. We
know that Regina was involved in some subversive activities, and Spencer was
probably mixed up in them as well.”
“Really.” Celeste acted impressed with my
sleuthing.
“The bad news is that someone has kidnapped my dog,
and I have no idea how I’m going to get him back.”
“That’s terrible.” She sounded truly sympathetic.
She shook her tousled tresses, which landed perfectly back in place. “I can’t
believe someone would stoop so low as to kidnap a pet.”
Paul wandered into the room and locked eyes with
Celeste.
She waved a small jewel-encrusted hand in a
sophisticated flourish and motioned for him to join us.
Paul looked resigned but sauntered over to our
table. In spite of losing Regina, he looked no worse for wear. He wore a black
mock turtleneck underneath a natty brown sports coat, and a pair of black wool
slacks neatly pleated in front. Shortly cropped sandy brown hair framed his
tanned face and deep blue eyes.
I thought of how I would have been attracted to
such a man thirty years ago and glanced at Celeste who eyed him hungrily.
“Hello, ladies.” He pulled up a chair and joined
our table. “I’m really sorry to hear about your dog, Jillian.”
“How did you find out?”
“I heard it from Marianne just a few minutes ago.
She saw the cops arrive and inquired. I was waiting for the elevator when she
came over and told me.”
“They’re here? I’d better excuse myself and meet
them.”
“Oh, that’s quite all right.” Celeste smiled. “Good
luck finding your dog.”
I didn’t like the way that she said it, but I
thanked her anyway and went back to my room. As I left, I looked back and
noticed Paul staring after me. He looked sorry to see me go.
If you like to read about lovely places and fabulous cuisine, enjoy the Jillian Bradley mystery series. Book 1 MURDER IN HALF MOON BAY for your e-reader is free!
All books are G-rated and contain no profanity.
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See you in my books!
~Nancy Jill
Mystery
novelist Nancy Jill Thames has published Christian fiction since 2010.
The author of seven books in the Jillian Bradley series, she is an award
winning blogger and listed numerous times on the Author Watch Bestseller’s
List. In addition, she won first place in her church's 4th of July celebration for her chocolate cream pie.
When she isn’t plotting her next
book, she spends time with her six
grandchildren, tags along with her husband on business trips, and
plays classical piano for her personal enjoyment. She is an active
member
of the Leander Writers' Guild, American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW),
CenTex Chapter-ACFW, and supports the Central Texas SPCA with a portion
of her book sales. She resides with her husband in Leander, Texas.
CONTACT INFORMATION jillthames@gmail.com
