Lowcountry Bombshell (A Liz Talbot Mystery) (16 page)

TWENTY-ONE

In case someone was watching the house, Blake parked at The Pirates’ Den and the three of us walked up the beach. Rhett was happy to see us. I poured him a heaping helping of kibble and promised him extra attention later. Blake and Nate searched the house for any sign someone had been inside. I pulled up the DVR recordings from my security feeds. If our ferry driver had been in my house or yard, he was invisible.

After completing their manual sweep, Nate and Blake joined me in my office.

“Nice setup.” Blake studied the split screen. I’d never shown him my security system, which rivaled what Calista had with SSI. The difference was that when my cameras activated, an alert went to my phone and everything was recorded to a DVR. No outside service watched the feeds from my system. I needed to replace my iPhone, which had been in my purse, to make sure I was notified of future intrusions.

“I think we’re safe for now,” I said.

Nate said, “All the same, I’m going by the store to pick up heftier door and window deadbolts. Someone wants in badly enough, we won’t be able to stop him, but we can slow him down.”

“Good idea.” Blake looked grim. “Nate…you gonna be in town a while?”

I could tell exactly what was on my brother’s mind. He’d haul me over to Mamma and Daddy’s in a skinny minute if he thought I was going to be by myself—or worse, send Daddy over to sit vigil on the porch with a shotgun.

A look passed between the menfolk.

“I’m not going anywhere,” Nate said.

“Blake, you have got to promise me you
will not
mention any of this to Mamma and Daddy. The absolute last thing I need is Daddy and his shotgun-toting cronies over here.”

“I’m not convinced of that,” Blake said. “Seems to me the more people around, the safer you’ll be.”

I said, “We’ve got a case to work on, and also client confidentiality to consider. Not to mention Mamma’s sanity and Daddy’s safety.”

Blake blew out a long sigh. “Have it your way. For now. Nate, if you’ll come by the station, Nell will get you a copy of the police report. The insurance company’s gonna want that.”

“Will someone try to recover the car?” Nate asked. “I know it’s ruined, but the insurance company will ask about that for salvage value, anyway.”

Blake winced. “Honestly, nothing like this has ever happened around here before. My understanding, the sheriff’s department will send divers in later today. If they can locate it, they’ll strap it in a harness and lift it out onto a barge. But, yeah. It’s been in salt water overnight. It’s totaled.”

Nate nodded. “I need to pick up a rental and replace my phone and some of the equipment I had in the Explorer.”

“Let me get changed.” I opened my desk drawer and pulled out my Sig Sauer. No way was I going anywhere without Sig until the guy on the ferry was behind bars.

I stepped out of the shower, wrapped myself in my favorite fluffy robe, and hurried into the bedroom.

Colleen waited in a chair by the French doors leading out to the balcony. “Scary night.”

I glanced at the bedroom door, verifying it was closed. If Blake and Nate thought I’d gone to talking to myself they’d worry I was having a breakdown. “You were there?”

Colleen shrugged. Her face was painted with worry. “I had the night off.”

“You helped us escape.” I’d been too panicked to consider that possibility before. I sat down on the chair at my dressing table and stared at her.

She studied a spot on the wall. “That would have been outside the scope of my mission.”

“Odd. That guy impressed me as someone well-practiced with handguns. And yet he missed us both multiple times.” I hadn’t had the chance to reflect much on this aspect of the evening.

The edges of her mouth curled a little, but her eyes were wide with innocence. “Maybe he’s not that good. Could have been Divine Intervention.”

“I suspect you were our Divine Intervention.”

“Best keep those suspicions to yourself.”

I rummaged in the closet for clothes. “Colleen, I appreciate your help—so much. Really. We nearly died last night. But, I’m not sure what happens to guardian spirits run amuck, so please don’t go out on any more limbs for me, okay?”

“You just let me worry about my business. You have more pans on the stove than you can manage.”

I slathered on sunscreen and slipped into yellow capris, a white tank, and a lightweight blouse. “I thought about you last night. I always do when I cross Breach Inlet. But, when we were in Pearson’s inlet, and I thought we might drown….”

“I know,” she whispered softly. “It was a bad moment for me, too.”

“I miss you,” I said. “I miss being able to do normal things with you.”

Her eyes misted. “We can’t change what’s been done. No point in going there. I miss you, too.”

Our eyes held for a long moment. I reached to stroke her arm and stopped myself. She was at once so real and so ethereal.

She grinned. “I’m working on materializing. It’s an advanced skill. Once I master it, you’ll be able to feel me. The downside is others can see me when I do that. But really, who would recognize me?”

Colleen had changed quite a bit since her death. She’d become a perfect version of herself. She was slim now and her skin was flawless. Her hair looked like she’d just stepped out of Phoebe’s Day Spa. Anyone who saw her might think she reminded them of someone. But she was right. No one would recognize her.

“Nate’s waiting for me,” I said.

“Be careful. If you need me, holler  I’ll come if I can.”

“What happens to you if you get caught going off the reservation?”

“As long as I’m not neglecting my primary duties or meddling in my family’s lives, and as long as I’m on the side of the angels, I think I’ll be okay. Like I said, let me worry about that.” Her voice and form faded simultaneously. She disappeared in a poof with a single spark.

I wasn’t comfortable with what Colleen thought about afterlife rules and consequences. But as often happened, when I had more to say, she’d gone elsewhere. I flew through an abbreviated fluff and makeup while pulling my head back into reality.

TWENTY-TWO

Blake called thirty minutes later. “There’s no one parked anywhere near the house. No signs it’s under surveillance.”

“Thanks, Blake,” I said. “For everything.”

He cleared his throat. “Sis, maybe you and Nate should just stay in the house. Lay low a while. Let me pick up the new locks. I can bring you whatever you need.”

“I promise we’ll keep our heads down. But we can’t just hole up here and wait for him to come and get us.”

Silence.

Then he said, “Be careful. Stick together. And keep me posted.”

“We will. I promise.”

Nate and I had to go into Charleston to replace our phones and pick up a rental car for Nate. When we drove onto the ferry, I gripped Nate’s hand and the door handle.

He put the car in park and cut the ignition. “Come on. Let’s check out the guy who’s driving this thing.”

I took a deep breath, steadied myself, and nodded.

Before the ferry left the dock, Nate and I chatted up the captain and crew. I recognized them as regulars, and there was one extra man on duty. Their eyes moved constantly, checking out every vehicle and person.

For our part, Nate and I walked all three decks and greeted as many people as possible, looking into their eyes. Most of them were people I’d known my whole life. None of them had any known connection to Calista.

When we left the Apple store on King Street, I sent up thanks for iCloud backups. Our new phones were clones of our old ones.

“The guy from the boat last night was a pro,” I said. “We need to look Jim Davis in the eye to be sure, but my gut says he’s nothing more than a pawn, lured here to play the role of suspect.”

“Agreed. Anyone who handles two handguns with silencers with that much confidence is probably ex-military.”

“Ex-something,” I said. “Nate?”

“Yeah?”

“Does it strike you as odd that he had two guns and clearly knew how to use them, but missed us both?” Of course I knew exactly why this happened. But I wanted to know what Nate had seen.

He didn’t respond.

I stopped walking and looked at him. “What happened after I went over the side?”

“I was focused on two things. Grabbing life jackets and following you into the water without getting shot. It’s a blur.” He looked uneasy.

“What are you not telling me?”

He was ruffled, which was very un-Nate. He glanced skyward for a moment, then back at me. “I saw sparks. Bright, silver sparks. I keep telling myself it was bullets pinging off metal, but there were too many. Looked like someone lit a roman candle on the deck. Must’ve distracted the gunman. Whatever it was, I’m grateful.”

“Me, too.” I’d seen Colleen’s pyrotechnics before. I took his hand and started walking again. “What say I call Calista and see if I can get her to agree to a sit down with her past. We can kill several birds with one stone if we can get her and Jim to meet with the rest of her loony family at the bed and breakfast. That way, we can interview them all at once and get Grace’s take on their intentions.”

“Sounds efficient.”

“Do you want to interview Jim Davis separately first?”

“I don’t see the point. Let’s see if Calista will go along with a meeting.”

I dropped Nate off at the Budget Rent-A-Car on Meeting Street, then called Grace Sullivan, my godmother the psychic, who owned the bed and breakfast. Grace had indulged me my whole life, and today was no exception. She commenced pulling together a late lunch.

“Everyone will be on their best behavior at the dinner table,” she said. “I’ll speak to Gladys and Grace. They seem a little…confused…misguided, perhaps. But I don’t think they have violence in them.”

“Good to know,” I said. “Thanks so much, Grace.”

“Darlin’, I can’t wait to see you.”

I hung up and called Calista. Initially, she didn’t think much of the plan. But when I told her what had happened to Nate and me, I think she would’ve done anything I asked. My last call was to Jim Davis. The GPS we’d put on his car placed him at his hotel.

He answered his room phone with hesitation in his voice. “Hello?”

“Mr. Davis, my name is Liz Talbot. I’m a private investigator employed by your former wife.”

“Norma Jeane hired a PI? Why would she do that?”

“For security, Mr. Davis. She seems to believe you mean her harm.”

“I’d never hurt Norma Jeane. She’s the love of my life. I only wanted to talk to her. Now the police have questioned me. I’m not sure I’m supposed to leave town. This is all a big misunderstanding.”

“I’d like to help you clear that up. Would you care to join us for lunch at Sullivan’s Bed and Breakfast on Stella Maris at two o’clock?”

“You mean you and Norma Jeane?” The hope in his voice was pitiful.

“Yes.” I decided not to debate the name issue just then. I also left out who all else would be in attendance.

“I’m on my way right now. I can’t believe I’m finally going to see her.” The joy in his voice sounded genuine, but I’d met good actors. I reserved judgment.

“See you at two.”

“Ma’am, I can’t thank you enough. Thank you. Thank you. I can’t believe I’m finally going to get to see her. After all this time. I just can’t tell you—”

“I’m so sorry to interrupt, but I need to go now and finalize the arrangements. I’ll see you at two.”

He was still thanking me when I hung up.

Sullivan’s Bed and Breakfast was a huge Victorian affair with a wide, wrap-around porch dotted with rockers. Live oaks and palm trees punctuated elaborate landscaping that featured private seating areas, a fire pit, and a fountain. Grace Sullivan’s family, like mine, had resided on Stella Maris as long as the sand. The house was over a hundred years old, but had been meticulously maintained and upgraded with all the modern conveniences.

Grace Sullivan was Mamma’s best friend, and the two were the same model of female. By the time I’d dropped off my car, hopped into Nate’s rental, and we’d driven around the north point of Stella Maris, Grace had a lunch spread that would’ve put a gaggle of Junior Leaguers to shame. My mouth watered when Nate and I walked in the room. She had the table set with china, crystal, silver, linen, and lace. Fresh cut hydrangeas spilled out of a Waterford vase. The food was still the prettiest thing on the table. Chicken salad croissants, cucumber sandwiches, deviled eggs, potato salad, pasta salad, marinated tomato salad, cheese straws, and on and on.

“Liz, darlin’. It’s so good to see you.” Grace advanced with outstretched arms and hugged my neck like she hadn’t seen me in years. I had to tear my eyes away from that spread of food.

“Hey, Grace. You look gorgeous as always.” Every blonde hair in her elegant, shoulder-length bob was in place, her pink St. John pantsuit accessorized with a scarf and simple gold earrings.

She hugged me tighter. “You’re such a sweetheart to say so.”

“Thank you again for doing all of this. When in heaven’s name did you have time to make all this food?”

Grace dismissed my question with a wave. “Just a little something I threw together. Nothing special.”

“Where are my manners? Grace, you remember Nate?”

Nate reached for Grace’s hand. “Hey, Ms. Sullivan. So nice to see you.”

“Why of
course
I remember him,” Grace said. Her eyes gleamed at Nate. I could see the wheels turning in her head. “Aren’t you just the handsomest thing? My goodness, you two must be starving. I’m so relieved you’re all right. Of course, I knew you would be.”

Nate said, “I forgot how fast news travels here.”

Grace smiled. “Oh, no, darlin’. I haven’t heard a thing.”

He nodded, apparently connecting Grace’s words to her psychic abilities. Nate wasn’t a certified member of the paranormal believers, but he accepted that Grace had a gift because I did.

“Where is everyone?” I asked.

“Gladys and Grace are upstairs freshening up. My, those two are excited. No one else has arrived yet. Would you like to sit in the front parlor until everyone gets here?”

“That sounds great, thanks,” I said. The bed and breakfast was in an isolated beachfront spot on the west side of North Point. We were as well hidden there as anywhere on the island. Folks didn’t stroll through unless they were guests.

Nate and I followed Grace across the polished wood floors of the wide front hall.

“Maybe we should leave the chairs for those that might not ought sit by each other,” I said.

“Good plan.” Nate sat beside me on the sofa.

Grace glided out of the room on a puff of perfume to finish lunch. No sooner had she left the room than Calista opened the front door. She wore a navy fitted boat-neck dress that only served to make her look every inch the movie star she didn’t want to be. Nate and I went to greet her.

“I wasn’t sure if I should knock or just come on in,” she said.

“You only need to knock if it’s locked. Guests come and go all hours. We’re waiting in here.” I gestured to the parlor.

“I see.” She sashayed into the room and perched on a Queen Anne chair. “I’m terribly worried about what happened last night. I never meant to put you in danger.”

“We’re fine,” I said. “But for all our sakes, we need to drain this swamp PDQ. Nate and I would like to establish whether your family poses a threat to you in any way. Honestly, we don’t believe they do. It appears someone lured them here by telling them where you were. That created a distraction from what’s really going on.”

“And what do you believe is really going on?” Calista asked.

At the same time Nate and I said, “Someone wants your money.”

Calista sat back in her chair. “So few people know about the money, that’s hard to believe. You can’t imagine the lengths I’ve gone to.”

“We’ll talk about that later,” I said. “Right now, we want
you
to get a comfort level that neither Jim, your mother, nor Grace McKee mean you harm. We’re not suggesting what you should or shouldn’t do in terms of your relationships with these folks. That’s not our business. Let’s just try to eliminate them as suspects, okay?”

“That’s going to take quite a bit of convincing,” she said.

“Let’s have a nice lunch and see what they have to say for themselves,” I said.

“Norma Jeane.” A man’s voice, filled with reverence, cracked.

We all turned towards the door. I hadn’t heard Jim Davis come in.

“My God, honey. Can it really be you?”

“Hello, Jimmy.” Calista’s voice was neutral.

Jim rushed towards her chair and stopped short three feet away. “I’ve been looking for you for eighteen years.” The adoration on his face was bare.

Still, people killed the objects of their adoration at an alarming rate. Best to make sure he wasn’t a sociopath. “Mr. Davis, would you have a seat?”

Jim looked around, as if realizing for the first time Nate and I were in the room for the first time. “Hello,” he said. “Of course, I remember you.”

I nodded. “Good to see you.”

Urgent whispers and creaking stairs alerted us to Gladys and Grace’s approach. Nate, Calista and I froze, bracing ourselves. Jim looked confused. Not nearly enough moments later, the women appeared at the French doors.

“Baby girl,” Gladys squealed. “I
knew
you’d come.”

“Norma Jeane, honey, we’re so happy you’re here,” Grace gushed simultaneously.

They both rushed Calista’s chair and stopped short when Jim wouldn’t budge.

“Jimmy?” Grace looked quizzically from him to me, searching for an explanation.

“What the hell are those two doing here?” Jim demanded.