I decided not to call ahead to ask Marlene if I could come over, thinking it would be better to catch her off guard. I had no idea what I hoped to accomplish by paying her a visit. It was unlikely she’d either drop to her knees in front of me to tearfully confess, or gasp and say something like, “Now that you mention it, I saw the butler slipping a knife into his pocket.” I’m a perfectly dreadful judge of character and likely to not notice if a confession was written across the guilty party’s face.
But I drove into town, knowing that I had to try. I might be able to uncover something to take to Detective Watson.
Although when (if?) I did learn something, I might be better off telling Butch first. Watson never seemed overly fond of me.
Thinking of Butch the cop made me think of Butch the man. Oh dear. Now that I realized I was in love with Connor, what was I to do about Butch? Could I continue going out for drinks or enjoying early-morning walks with him? Would I be breaking his heart? Would he be angry at me? Would he say he never wanted to see me again?
Would he even care?
Why is life so complicated? All I want is for everyone to be happy.
I pulled up in front of Marlene’s rental house and reminded myself that right now my complications were pretty minor compared to the mess Stephanie was finding herself in.
Marlene answered the door before the last chime had died away. “Oh,” she said. “I was expecting someone else.” She was dressed in a tight blue T-shirt and white short-shorts that showed off her long, gorgeous, deeply tanned legs. I felt dreadfully dowdy in my librarian uniform.
“Sorry,” I said. “I was passing and thought I’d drop in and check that you’re okay.”
She smiled. “That’s sweet of you, Lucy, but I’m fine. Would you like to come in? I’ve just opened a bottle of chilled white wine.”
“Thanks,” I said, following her into the house and up the stairs. Wow, this detecting stuff was easy.
As we walked past the kitchen, Marlene grabbed a glass from the cupboard. Red-and-white-striped cushions were laid out on the lounge chairs on the deck, and a frosty silver cooler rested on the table beside a stack of fashion magazines.
Marlene handed me the glass and dropped into her chair. “Help yourself.”
I poured a dribble of the wine, although I didn’t particularly want a drink at four in the afternoon. If I had a full glass, I’d be ready for bed by six, but I wanted to keep this meeting friendly and casual. I glanced around, searching for somewhere comfortable to sit. The only seats with cushions on them were loungers, and I didn’t fancy trying to balance on the bare slats of the aluminum furniture. I lowered myself gingerly and tucked my legs up, feeling somewhat silly stretched out in the sun wearing tights and pumps. Marlene had not put up any umbrellas, so I had no protection from the hot sun.
A yellow beach towel was draped over the balcony railing. The blue waters of the pool sparkled and out at sea, waves roared ashore. Farther down the beach, brilliantly colored kites danced on the wind.
“Isn’t this perfect?” Marlene said with a contented sigh.
“It is that. Where are you from?”
“North Dakota. Where the winters are long and cold and the only water is what fills the bathtub and the kitchen sink.” She shuddered, not entirely for show. “I’m never going back there. You’re lucky to live here. Do you like it?”
“I love it.” I wasn’t here to talk about myself. “Are you going to be able to . . . uh . . . stay on?”
“I sure the heck hope so.” She took a long drink, and then she gestured to her own body, spread out and soaking up the sun. “I know you’re thinking that I didn’t exactly pull out the widow’s weeds. But heck, Will and I weren’t married, so I’m not a widow. He was an okay guy, and he could be a lot of fun to be around. He sure knew how to spoil a girl. I’m sorry he’s dead, if that matters, but I intend to go on living. I don’t believe in hypocrisy. I had enough of that in North Dakota. As for staying on here . . . the rent’s paid for a couple more months, and I checked my credit card. It’s still good. I transferred some cash into my own account, just to be sure. Does that make me sound mercenary?”
“Uh . . .”
“I don’t care if it does. A girl’s gotta look after herself, right? Ain’t no one else going to do it for me, is there? That guy Will met the other night, who brought us to your library? The mayor? I heard he’s a doctor too, must have some money. Do you know if he’s single?”
“No!”
Marlene’s eyebrows rose. “Like that, is it? Okay, I know when to back off.”
“I didn’t mean . . .”
“You sure did.”
Marlene was obviously a lot better at reading people than I was. I finished my dribble of wine. Marlene waved her hand. “Help yourself to another.”
I checked the label as I poured. Way out of my price range. I kicked off my shoes, and settled back in my chair. The sun was as delicious on my bare arms as the excellent wine was on my tongue. I wanted to strip off my tights so I could tan my legs too.
“I have a bathing suit I can lend you if you want to go for a swim,” she said.
Tempting as that offer was, I reminded myself why I was here. “No, thanks. I won’t stay long. Has Detective Watson been back?”
“He sent a female cop around with a bunch more questions. She fingerprinted me. She said it was for elimination purposes,” Marlene grimaced, “but it made me feel like a common criminal. I can’t help them, and I told her so. I don’t know who phoned Will last night, or why he went out, or who he was meeting. He might not have been planning to meet anyone. He didn’t talk to me much, not about stuff like what he was thinking. He talked a lot about the old days, when he was young. I didn’t care, so never paid much attention.”
I wondered what it would be like to live with a man you didn’t love, didn’t pretend to love, and who didn’t love you in return.
For many years, my parents’ marriage had not been a good one. Aunt Ellen told me they fell head over heels for each other when they met, her a high school girl, him a college student. Obviously things changed; I’m the youngest of their four children and for as long as I can remember my parents had barely tolerated each other. They went to social occasions together, putting on a show of beaming happily at each other and exchanging not so secret little glances, but otherwise he went to work, played golf, or sat in his den and drank expensive whiskey and smoked big cigars, while she fluttered about with her charities and social (i.e., gossip) circles. Not long ago, Mom had caught him having an affair. It looked for a while as though the sham of a marriage would finally be over, but somehow both of them dug deep and came out of it stronger. They’d gone on an extended European vacation, their first together in decades, and by all accounts had enjoyed spending time in each other’s company.
It was what I’d seen in my parents’ marriage that had caused me to flee when Richard Eric Lewiston III, who everyone called Ricky, had done the long-expected thing and proposed to me. I realized that if I married Ricky, I’d be committing myself to the same loveless life as my mother. And Ricky and I hadn’t even had that mad head-over-heels phase that might have made the dull years worthwhile.
“That cop took Will’s computer,” Marlene said. “I’m going to have to buy myself one now. I can’t just use my phone all the time. Do you know a good place?”
“They took his computer? Did they say why?”
She shrugged. “Checking his e-mails to see if he’d been in contact with someone who was threatening him, I guess. Will really liked his computer. He spent a lot of time on the Internet. I told her, that cop, that. He played a lot of games.” She laughed. “Sometimes, I’d hear him laughing and cheering, and sometimes he’d be yelling like the blazes at the darn thing.”
“Last night you told the book club you’d seen strange lights from shore when you were out in the storm on Monday.” I asked Marlene, “Did you tell the police that?”
“Why would I?”
“Don’t you think they’d find that important?”
“I told her about wrecking the boat, but she didn’t seem interested.” Marlene’s eyes opened wide. “Gosh, I sure hope the boat was insured. It was worth a lot.”
“Was it new?”
“No, it was old. An antique, like. Worth a lot of money. Will bought it when we first got here to the Outer Banks. He said he’d been dreaming of having his own boat for thirty years. He used to go out on the water with his dad when he was a kid. He said that was when he learned everything he needed to know about operating a boat.” She shook her head. Her glossy ponytail bounced. “Will wasn’t good at learning new things. Or at letting people tell him what to do.”
“Did you tell the coast guard people who rescued you about the lights?”
“Nah. What was the point? They were sure mad at Will and he got mad right back. Lots of waving and shouting. He threatened to sue them.”
“Why?”
“He said he’d been managing fine until they interfered and caused him to go off course. That was just Will’s way. Nothing was ever Will’s fault. He never would have taken them to court or anything. I learned not to interfere when Will was on his high horse. That old guy laughed at Will, which made Will all the madder. Will didn’t like to be laughed at. Didn’t matter much anyway. In all that fuss and bother, no one paid any attention to little old me.”
I was sorry to hear that. If Marlene told Watson about the lights now, he’d assume she was only repeating the story Will had come up with, inspired by Louise Jane’s tale, to make himself look like not quite the total fool he was.
“Did Will regularly threaten to sue people?”
“All the time,” she sighed. “It did get tedious sometimes.”
“He must have had enemies then?”
“Nah. No one took Will’s threats seriously. That made him all the madder.”
“How long were you together?” The hot sun and the cold wine were doing their magic on my head. I had to fight to keep my eyes open, to stop myself sinking into the chair and drifting off to sleep.
I doubt Sherlock Holmes ever fell asleep while questioning a suspect.
Was Marlene a suspect? I didn’t know. I liked her. I liked her cheerfulness, bouncy nature, and wide-open honesty. But I was well aware that didn’t mean she wasn’t putting on an act, and had nothing but a heart of pure coal.
“I met him about two months ago,” she said. “He was driving back from Alaska. He wanted to take his time, see the country. Visit all those places he’d never had time to go when he was working all the time. He came into the restaurant in Vegas where I was waitressing. We hit it off right away. I quit my job and left town with him.”
“You just packed up and left? With a man you didn’t know?” Maybe I am an innocent, like Watson had said.
“Sure. The job was useless. I’d been trying to get on at a better place, where I’d get decent tips, but there are more attractive women in Vegas than there are jobs. And let’s say I know I’m not tops on that scale.”
I mumbled something.
“It sounded like fun, and I had nothing to stay in Vegas for. Come on, Lucy, you met Will. Not hard to look at, was he?”
“I guess not.”
“Although he was a bit too much on the short side for my taste. I had to give up wearing high heels because Will didn’t like me to be taller than him. But best of all, he was rich. What’s not to like?” She laughed and took another swig of her wine. She stretched languorously and wiggled her red-tipped toes. “Isn’t this the life? Better than wearing my feet out working in a miserable diner in Vegas and sharing a mouse-infested apartment with three other girls, I can tell you.” Her voice turned hard. “And I can tell you, Lucy, I’m not going back to that life.”
Then she giggled again. “I’ve shocked you, haven’t I?”
“I . . . uh . . .”
“I sure have. You’re so sweet, Lucy. I like you. I hope I can stay on in the Outer Banks and we can become good friends.”
“I’d like that,” I said. And I meant it. Who am I to judge a woman for trying to get ahead in life?
Unless it involved murder. I had to remember why I was here. “Has anything else strange or unusual happened to you and Will since you got here? Like the lights, I mean?”
Her face turned serious, and she appeared to give the question some thought. “Not that I know of. Other than that guy who ran into the back of our car in the parking lot of the supermarket with his grocery cart and threatened Will.”
“What happened?”
“Will was backing out, and some old guy wasn’t watching where he was going. The car and his cart bumped. His eggs broke or something. They got into a shouting match.” She stifled a yawn.
“Isn’t it up to the driver of the car to watch for pedestrians?” I asked.
“Will said the man had deliberately run into us, wanting an insurance settlement or something. Typical Will.” She shrugged.
“Sure is hot,” I said, changing the subject.
“Bathing suit offer still stands.”
“No, thanks. Sounds like Will got into trouble wherever he went. Did he ever mention anyone who might have followed him from Alaska?”
“Gee, Lucy, you’re sounding like a cop or something.”
“I don’t mean to. I’m just speculating. You have to be wondering too, Marlene. Why would someone kill Will?”
“I guess you librarians read a lot, don’t you? I figure there’s no mystery about it. He was out at night, drinking, probably flashing his money around. Someone tried to roll him; Will fought back and he got the worst of it. They had to dump the body somewhere. Poor Will. I can so see him refusing to hand over twenty bucks and getting himself killed for it.” She grimaced and wiped at her face. She hadn’t taken her sunglasses off since I’d arrived, so I couldn’t tell if she’d been crying.
Even Marlene hadn’t connected the dots between the mysterious lights and the death of Will. Maybe I did read too many mystery novels. I’d like to think it was a common mugging gone wrong, but that was unlikely. Will’s expensive watch hadn’t been taken, and Watson had said Will still had his phone and wallet on him.
“You said Will has a son. Have you called him?”
“Yeah. He’s on his way. I thought you were him at the door.”
As if summoned by her very words, the doorbell rang. Marlene jumped up and hurried to answer it. I struggled to my feet. My glass was empty. With a regretful glance at the bottle, I put it down on the table.
When Marlene returned, she was followed by a man dressed in an ironed blue shirt, open at the collar, and pressed gray slacks. He crossed the room in a few quick steps and came out onto the balcony, hand outstretched. “Hi, I’m Mike Williamson. Marlene didn’t tell me she had company.” He was around my age, good-looking, with thick black curls, a strong jaw, sharp cheekbones, and gray eyes. Those eyes again. There could be no doubt that this was Will’s son. Stephanie’s half brother.
I accepted his handshake. His grip was strong, and he held my hand for a moment longer than was polite. At first I thought I’d seen him someplace before, but I decided it was the resemblance to his father. “I’m Lucy,” I said, pulling my hand back, feeling my cheeks flush.
“Great to meet you, Lucy. You’re not leaving on my account, I hope.” He turned to Marlene. “Tell her to stay, Mar.”
I studied the interaction between Marlene and Mike. They seemed friendly enough. I remembered that Mike’s mom and Will were divorced and that Will’s second wife had died. No reason the young man should have anything against his father’s girlfriend, who was the same age as Mike.
“I’ll get another bottle,” Marlene said. She skipped into the house as I tried to say, “No more for me.”
Mike kept his eyes fixed on my face, and the edges of his mouth curled up. A dimple appeared in his right cheek. I shifted, uncomfortable under his gaze. “I’m sorry for your loss.”
“Thanks. Poor old Dad. My folks split up when I was in grade school. After that, my mom moved back to Raleigh and took me with her, so I didn’t see my dad much. He and I weren’t close, but it’s still a shock.” He took a breath. “It’s nice that Marlene’s friends are here to support her.”
“I don’t know that Marlene needs much in the way of support,” I said.
She came out carrying a bottle of Prosecco and a fresh glass for Mike. “I thought bubbly would be nice,” she said. I didn’t think Italian sparkling wine was entirely appropriate, but who was I to object? Once she’d served Mike, she made a move to refill my glass. I stopped her. “I’ve had enough. Thanks. I’m driving.”
“Come on,” Marlene said. “Let’s have a toast to poor Will.”
“Not for me.”
She gave me a pout of disappointment but didn’t press it. “More for the rest of us. To Will. He was a good sport.” She lifted her glass in a toast and then drank deeply, as did Mike.
When they’d finished, she asked him, “Have you spoken to the police yet?”
“Just on the phone. I’ve got an appointment at the station at six with the detective in charge of the case. Better go light on this for now.” He gestured to his wineglass.
“So, Lucy,” Mike said as we all took seats. Rather than laying myself out on the lounge chair, I perched on the edge, my feet on the floor. I had been getting far too comfortable. “Do you live here or are you on holiday?”
“Lucy works at the library,” Marlene said.
Mike’s eyebrows lifted. “A librarian. You sure don’t look it.”
I didn’t bother to ask him what a librarian looked like. “Marlene and I’ve been wondering who might have had it in for your dad. Be mad enough to kill him, I mean. Do you have any ideas? The police will want to know.”
Mike shrugged. “I didn’t know him well, as I said. He and Marlene stopped off at my place for a couple of days on their way here. First time I’ve seen him in years. He might have had a ton of enemies, but I wouldn’t know about it.”
I got to my feet. “Well, I’d better be off. Thanks for the wine, Marlene.”
She leaped up and gave me a hearty hug. “It was so great of you to come over. Let’s go out for a drink one night soon. Dinner, maybe. I bet you know all the fun places.”
“Sure. We can do that.”
“Great idea,” Mike said, although I hadn’t noticed him being invited. “I’d like to get to know Lucy better.”
“How long are you planning to be here?” I asked.
“I might not leave,” he said, giving me a meaningful look. “Not if I have something to stay for.”
I blushed and stumbled on the top step.
“Have you booked a hotel yet?” Marlene said.
“Hotel? Oh no, Mar, I’m not spending money on a hotel. This place will suit me fine.”
“You can’t . . .”
“Sure I can,” he said. “It’s plenty big enough for two. I don’t imagine you’ll be staying much longer anyway, now that the bank account’s been closed.”