Sabrina practically skipped to the area where the four rental jeeps were parked. The minirevolt launched by Gavin resulted in Detective Hodge issuing a stern warning that “Each of you must report to police headquarters at nine on Tuesday morning to be interviewed—with or without attorneys.”
“Sean wants his own jeep so he can go find Neil,” Henry said, grabbing the keys to a bright-orange Wrangler from Sabrina, who handed him a form for Sean to sign.
“Heather and I would like one so we can go grocery shopping and pick up food for dinner. We don’t feel much like going out. And if there’s some place on island that sells art supplies, I’d love to know,” Kate said.
“Art supplies? There are a number of places you can get them. This island is crawling with artists.” Henry took out one of the St. John guide maps from the glove compartment and marked locations for her.
“We’ll take a jeep and a map that shows where you can buy some decent bourbon and cigars,” Jack said, while Paul scrawled his signature for Sabrina on the rental form.
“How about you, Lisa? Do you want a ride back to the Westin or a rental jeep of your own?” Sabrina asked as she gazed at Gavin driving away alone in his mother’s rental jeep in the distance.
“I guess I’d better have my own jeep at this point,” Lisa shrugged as the others pulled away behind Henry’s van, which was leading them to town. Sabrina wanted to get away from Detective Hodge before his fury at them for asserting their rights got the best of him, but she couldn’t resist asking Lisa what led her to insist on having counsel present during an interview with the police.
“Are you kidding? After I heard the go-round between Detective Hodge and my mother-in-law last night, I am terrified of that man,” Lisa said.
“I didn’t know about that. What happened?” Sabrina asked. She’d wondered if Detective Hodge and Sergeant Detree might head over to the Westin after hearing Kate suggest the signature they had been asked to identify was Anneka’s.
“He and a female officer banged on the door until he woke up everyone in the condo, including the kids. Gavin was furious, but Detective Hodge demanded to speak to Anneka alone in the kitchen,” Lisa said.
“Did she agree?” Sabrina asked.
“You don’t know my mother-in-law very well, do you?” Lisa chuckled.
“I’ve only met her once, not under ideal circumstances.”
“With Anneka, there are no ideal circumstances. The only people she treats with less than brute force are her granddaughters, fortunately. But with everyone else she’s a relentless tyrant. She told Hodge he had no business bullying an elderly visitor in the middle of the night and that she intended to lodge a complaint against him. Why was she being intimidated to identify a signature at such an ungodly hour, which certainly could wait until morning? I will say, she gave Hodge a run for his money.”
“Did he back down?” Sabrina asked, wishing she could have seen the contest between Hodge and Anneka Lund, not sure she could root for either.
“No, but he dialed it down a bit and cajoled her by saying surely, she must understand his concern when a beautiful bride was murdered on the island on the eve of her wedding, particularly when Anneka’s own son, his wife, and her grandchildren had been staying at the scene of the crime,” Lisa told her as she signed the rental form Sabrina had given her.
“So, did she admit it was her signature?” Sabrina cut to the chase so they could get off the Villa Nirvana property if Hodge was tempted to come out and detain her, or even to demand she clean up after his food orgy.
“Of course not. She said she was too tired, had taken a sleeping pill, and couldn’t be positive it was her signature. She told him she would have to see the entire document after she got some sleep and after she contacted her attorney to be present with her. Hodge got nervous when he heard that. These island cops don’t seem to like getting lawyers involved. That’s why I knew to demand one.” Lisa had the keys in the ignition now, the car running with the air conditioner turned up full blast. She seemed hesitant to leave.
“Sabrina, the necklace I told you about, the one Gavin is giving me for our anniversary, it wasn’t in our room and it wasn’t on Hodge’s list. Do you think, would the cops take it? I mean, would they steal it?” Lisa asked.
Would one of the island cops steal an expensive diamond necklace during a search? Lee Janquar wouldn’t. Sabrina didn’t think Lucy Detree would either, from what she had observed of her. The cops who had helped solve Carter Johnson’s murder months before had seemed honest. But Sabrina believed Hodge and the crew who had basically looted the Villa Nirvana wedding feast, including the liquor and wedding cake, were capable of stealing from guests. But she knew that, in this case, they hadn’t and that the necklace Lisa was concerned about was sitting in the pocket of her shorts. She wanted to tell Lisa not to worry, the necklace was safe with her, but couldn’t and felt the weight of one piece of jewelry was more than she could bear. She needed to get rid of it and fast.
“I don’t know, Lisa. There could be a lot of explanations for where the necklace is. But for now, what’s important is that you and I get as far away from Villa Nirvana and Detective Hodge as fast as we can.”