After making stops to change into appropriate clothes and get what they needed for the job, Belinda and Bennett walked onto Alec’s street–or the street where he was staying for now. Hardly any lights were on in any of the houses, which could be good for them. They used the side door, and Bennett glanced through the glass for a security system. He tried the knob before bothering to pick the lock, and it clicked open.
Bennett shrugged. “College kids. Not as concerned about security.”
It was difficult to say whose room was whose in the dark with no idea of Alec’s personality. It would’ve been helpful if each door had a name on it. They split up, looking for evidence of Alec’s bedroom. Belinda thought she’d stepped on some dirty underwear when Bennett whistled low for her.
She followed the sound, squinting to make out where she was going in the meager light from outside. Bennett was on his knees next to a bed, picking the lock of a metal cash box. “Alec left his wallet behind on the dresser with his license inside.” He motioned his head in that direction. “This was under the mattress.”
He flipped open the lid, revealing several piles of cash. The box was full, and it looked like all twenties. “That’s a lot of money for this guy,” Belinda said.
“Especially all in cash, hidden under his mattress.”
“I guess he was afraid his roommates might help themselves.”
“Or ask where it all came from.”
Belinda stood, looking in Alec’s closet for any sign of the paintings. It was a tiny room and there was no other place to hide something, unless he’d put them in another part of the house, kept them in his car, or trashed them. Or was about to trash them…
She made eye contact with Bennett, thinking the same thing at that moment. “The bonfire!” they said in unison. Bennett slammed the cash box lid, stuffing it back where he found it, and they ran back to her car and hightailed it to the beach and bonfire.
There were a good number of people there, though the parking lot still wasn’t as full as when they’d gone for the day with Jonas and Ardith. That felt like weeks ago now, not mere days. Still, maybe it was too crowded to toss some 16x20 paintings into the fire without getting noticed. They ran anyway, dodging kids lingering in the parking lot, until they were past the bathhouse and onto the sand.
“Maybe we should’ve checked the parking lot?” Belinda said when they stopped to get their bearings.
“Maybe.” Bennett squinted to see, but besides the people standing right around the bonfire a little ways down the beach, it was tough to make out detail.
“Let’s split up.”
Bennett didn’t even flinch. “No way.”
“There’s too many people. I’ll go left and you go right and we’ll meet back here in ten minutes.”
“It’s dangerous letting you on the loose.”
“Well, it’s also dangerous letting some college kid destroy potential evidence in a murder investigation.”
Bennett’s eyes darted side to side, and finally he sighed in resignation. “Fine. Ten minutes. Call me if you get into trouble.”
Belinda was off before he could change his mind, walking as fast as she could, trying to ignore the sand sloshing into her sneakers. She hated wearing shoes on the beach, but there was no time to take them off.
It was easier to see once she pulled out her mini flashlight, scanning everyone she passed. Her heart stopped when she saw a guy with a trash bag, but it wasn’t Alec, and he was wearing the official uniform of the people who worked there, emptying one of the trash cans.
After going about halfway in her direction, Belinda doubled back toward the fire. That’s where most of the people were concentrated. And if Alec wanted to burn those paintings, this was where he would be. Unless it was too late, and he’d already done it. Or they were wrong and Alec didn’t even have the paintings.
Belinda scanned the groups and couples and individuals making their way toward the fire like her. She was about to give up and go back to the bathhouse to meet Bennett, when she spotted a figure fighting through the sand, hauling a tote bag over his shoulder. The corners of something that looked like canvases stuck out of one side. Belinda got closer until she could tell for sure they were paintings.
“Alec?” As soon as she said it, she wished she’d kept her mouth shut. Alec turned, his eyes wide in alarm, and he ran. Much faster and smoother through the sand lugging the paintings than she could in sneakers, carrying zip. “Stop!” she said as if that would make any difference.
He ran faster, Belinda’s legs moving like wet noodles through the sand. She felt around for her phone in her pocket, trying to call Bennett and keep running as Alec closed in on the bonfire. But it was impossible to do both. She spotted a lifeguard outside the ring, there to keep order she guessed, and yelled to him instead.
“He’s going to throw something in the fire!” she pointed adamantly at the kid in front of her. “Help!”
It took what felt like forever, but the lifeguard finally understood and hoofed it in Alec’s direction, using his whistle and everything.
Instead of watching the fire, now everyone was watching the lifeguard chase Alec across the beach. Another lifeguard came from the other direction, and the two converged on Alec, who flung his tote toward the fire before they tackled him, pinning him down just outside the main ring of spectators. His tote crashed a few feet from the fire, the paintings spilling out.
Belinda stopped, trying to catch her breath so she could speak. Shelby materialized and came running over. “Alec?” she said. The two lifeguards restrained him on the sand. Shelby walked over to the tote, picking up one of the paintings. “What are these?” she said. “Did you…is this you?”
Alec looked up through the hair in front of his eyes, but said nothing.
Belinda managed to dial Jonas and blurt out something like a command to come to the beach. Bennett jogged up next to her, looking from Alec to Shelby to Belinda. “At least you didn’t try to tackle him yourself,” he said dryly.
Belinda wrinkled her nose, turning back to Alec. “You have a lot of explaining to do.”
Alec squinted to make out her face in the firelight. “Who are you?”
“Someone keenly interested in the fact that those paintings were in Angie Chen’s studio right before she died.”
Shelby stood at a short distance, watching with concern, but not wanting to get involved.
“I didn’t take them,” Alec said, “if that’s what you’re implying. Angie gave them to me.”
“Why?” Bennett said.
Alec held his chin up. “They were a present.”
“She gave you paintings of yourself?”
“She wanted to impress me.”
Belinda folded her arms, thinking this was a ludicrous story, but she’d play along. “Did it work?”
“Guess not.”
Shelby’s eyes were wide. “You can’t be serious.”
Alec didn’t even look fazed, and shrugged.
“Did you throw them in a Dumpster, too?” Belinda said, stepping toward him, a desire to kick him in the stomach crawling up her legs. Even if this was all a pack of lies, as she suspected, it was still obnoxious.
Alec blinked. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
So he didn’t know, or was still lying. Belinda glanced at Bennett, who gave a slight nod like he thought the same thing. However Alec obtained the paintings, it would have been between when they saw Angie drop them off after the Dumpster pickup and when Belinda and Victoria found Angie’s body. Conversely, there could be more than one of each painting. But that made Belinda dizzy.
“When did Angie give them to you?” Belinda said, hearing her voice come out rather stern and authoritative. Similar to how Jonas sounded when he interviewed suspects.
Alec processed his answer. “I guess right before she died.”
“Can someone other than Angie verify this?” Bennett asked with a touch of sarcasm. Belinda suppressed a grin. She liked it when he got all snarky on people.
Alec glanced from her to Bennett. “I don’t know. Can you produce a badge that says I have to answer your stupid questions?”
“How’s this?” Jonas came into view, his police badge reflecting the light thrown across from the fire. “Now you can answer my stupid questions. Can anyone other than Angie Chen verify anything you’ve just said?”
Alec’s face went sour. “No.”
“I didn’t think so.” A couple uniformed officers hefted Alec off the sand, handcuffing him. Shelby watched in confusion from the sidelines.
Alec was escorted away, and Jonas turned to Belinda and Bennett. “You know, I was in the middle of talking to Ardith when you called me.”
“Sorry,” Belinda said.
“And what is it with you stealing my lines? I was waiting for you to ask Alec where he’d been between the hours of noon and three the day Angie was killed.”
Belinda smirked. “I would never presume to say it with the finesse that you do, Detective.”
Jonas grunted. “Alright. We’ll let these people get back to their reveling. The two of you can go home now. Your work is done.”
Belinda took Bennett home, then went home to crash herself, yawning as she examined the living and dining rooms, where the lights were all on. Kyle sat at the end of the dining room table. “Hey, Bels,” Kyle said.
“Hey. What are you doing in here?”
Kyle waved a hand at the laptop screen in front of him. “I checked the security footage for fun.”
Kyle already knew about Colleen’s visit, he was there, so this had to be about something else. And that made her apprehensive. Maybe she should just go to bed and sleep in ignorance.
She took a few uncertain steps toward her brother. He crooked a finger at the screen, which was an outdoor shot around the side door. Those were the only outdoor cameras. For now.
There was a shadowy figure in freeze frame, and it wasn’t Kyle or Belinda or Bennett. Or anyone else who should’ve been there. “Thanks to Bennett’s crazy security knowledge,” Kyle said, “we have this.” He zoomed in on the face, pretty non-grainy. It wasn’t a straight on view, but his head was cocked enough to get a clear picture of who it was.
Belinda sighed. “Jarrett. He’s by the door. Did he knock?”
“Nope. I think he may have wanted to, though.” Kyle played all the footage, which included Jarrett walking around that part of the house, rather aimlessly. He did seem like he was debating about ringing the doorbell. Finally, he left and that was it. Belinda seriously wished now they already had the rest of the cameras installed so she could know for sure if that’s all he did.
“When was this?” she said.
“Earlier tonight.”
She wondered if Jarrett had seen them at the bonfire, but it looked like Jarrett was at her house while they were at the beach. “Kyle, I have to ask you something, and please don’t joke with me. On a scale of one to paranoid, how bad should this freak me out?”
Kyle pursed his lips, staring hard at Jarrett’s face on the computer screen. “All we have is history to go on, and it’s not good. I think we need to install those other cameras.”
Belinda swallowed, knowing that was his way of saying he was nervous. If Kyle was perturbed, it wasn’t good.