RESORT TO MURDER (14 page)

"Yes, it was shortly before ten. I remember
because we nearly didn't reach Mr. Anderson in time to tell him.
It's rather unusual for Rob to do something like that. He's quite
conscientious. So something rather important must have come up at
the last minute."

"Yes," Maggie murmured. "I'm sure it must
have been something important."

She avoided looking at Dyna's eyes.

***

CHAPTER 15

"You're fighting it, Maggie."

"Dyna, I really think I'm just trying to
keep an open mind."

They were having a quick lunch in the dining
room and discussing their recent information quietly. Guests filled
most of the tables around them, everyone apparently having had
hunger pains at the same time.

Dyna took a huge bite from
her pita bread sandwich and chewed for a while. "You know,
Rob
was
around
when you were telling me about Lori's journal this morning at
breakfast. He could have overheard us from the other side of the
hedge. Or maybe one of the kids said something about it. Remember,
the first boy knocked it out of your hands, then picked it
up?"

She looked thoughtful for a moment. "No,
scratch that. They wouldn't have cared about some old journal. So
Rob probably overheard it all. Then, he cancels his lesson, hops in
the van, and tries to force you and your car down the mountainside
before you can take the journal to the sheriff."

"But where did he get a van? Charles said he
drives a Miata."

"Minor point. We'll figure that one out
later. Maybe he borrowed it from a friend."

"Oh, I see. As in, `Pardon me, would you
mind if I used your van for a few minutes? I need to run someone
off the road right now.'"

Dyna grinned. "That's a very defensive joke,
Maggie. I think you agree with me, but you don't like it."

"You may have some good
points, Dyna. But that doesn't mean you're 100% right. And just as
in math, with murder cases
almost
right just doesn't cut it. I just need more facts
before I start making conclusions. I'd like to try to find that
van. Want to help me look?"

"Where? Around here?"

"Yes. At least to start. Maybe it came from
somewhere else, but it obviously was very accessible to whoever
decided to take off after me."

"Yeah, after he shook off the two kids."

"Dyna, please keep an open mind.” Maggie
pushed back her chair.

"I will as long as you do, too.” Dyna
followed Maggie from the dining room. "Remember, if he killed Lori,
he won her trust first. Made her think he was this super-nice guy
who just needed the help of a good woman."

Maggie had to admit that
that could be true.
If
he killed Lori. She was still keeping a big ‘if’ in her
mind.

They walked around the outside of the hotel,
checking first the back parking lot, then the side, and found only
the usual mid-size cars and a station wagon or two. One thin,
grey-haired woman who had just driven in and parked, climbed out of
her Volvo and looked over at them curiously.

"Did you lose something, dears?" she called,
her face puckered in kindly concern.

"Just trying to remember where I parked,"
Maggie assured her.

"Oh, I do that all the time.” She smiled at
them with understanding, pushed the strap of her bulging purse over
her forearm, and walked towards the hotel.

Maggie saw Dyna looking at her and shrugged.
"What was I going to say? That we're searching for a large vehicle
with a murderer at the wheel?"

"No, I guess not.” Dyna grinned. "Not unless
you're good at CPR, anyway. She would have fainted on the spot.
Let's go check the front.”

They left that parking lot and circled to
the front, shoes crunching on the gravel. There was less shade
here, and the temperature jumped about ten degrees. Maggie looked
over the lot, her eyes squinting at the glare. No blue van in
sight. An empty luggage cart banged out the front door, pushed by
one of the bellboys, and Maggie hurried over, heading him off.

"Have you seen a dark blue van parked here
in the last day or so?" she asked.

"Dark blue? No, the only van around here is
that one over there.” He pointed to a cream-colored van at the end
of the row which was spewing out its contents of bags, tennis
racquets, beach balls and children.

"I thought I saw a blue one leaving here
this morning. Does anyone who works here have one?"

"Maintenance has vans. I think some of them
are blue. Maybe you saw one of them?"

"Maintenance? Where are they kept?” Maggie
asked, trying hide the intensity of her interest.

"Over there, next to those buildings.” He
pointed to an area west of the hotel, and Maggie put her hand to
her eyes to shade them and looked over a large expanse of lawn that
she had never crossed. She saw outbuildings in the distance.

"Thanks," she said. The young man shrugged
and smiled and continued on his way to help the family with the
cream-colored van unload. Maggie looked over at Dyna, whose face
reflected her own excitement, and they took off over the grass.

As they walked toward the isolated
buildings, Maggie realized how glad she was that Dyna had stayed to
help with her investigation. She was aware of how risky this could
be for her to come here alone, unarmed. Unarmed! The thought of
needing a weapon made her shiver. She rubbed at goose bumps on her
arms at the same time that a trickle of sweat formed at her brow
from the hot sun beating down on her.

They approached the two buildings and
spotted a gravel road leading to the other side, possibly
connecting to the road that led out to the main highway. Large
overhead doors stood open, exposing lawn equipment, work tables,
and tools. No one appeared to be inside.

Maggie and Dyna peeked in, picking up
pungent odors of gasoline and oil. But seeing nothing of interest
there, they left and walked around to where the gravel road led.
There, side by side, baking in the sun, were two dark blue
vans.

"Oh-my-gosh! Is that it?"

"One of them is. As far as I can tell,
anyway.” Maggie suppressed a shudder as she looked at them, and the
memory of that dark shape looming up close to her own car rushed
back to her. She took a deep breath, then went to examine the vans
closely. There were scrapes and dents on both, but it was
impossible to tell when they might have been acquired. She saw none
of her car's dark red paint on either van, but she noticed that one
had been very recently washed. The windows of both were rolled down
and keys hung from the ignition.

"These are both ripe for picking.” Maggie
ran a hand through her hair in exasperation. "Anyone could walk
over here and just take off with either one.” She glanced around
and saw a door in the second building that looked like it led to an
office. "Maybe somebody's there who can tell us something," she
said, and led the way over to it.

The office was small, cluttered, and
unoccupied. "Hello," Dyna called out as they walked in. No one
responded.

"Here's something,” On the wall near the
door Maggie found a sign-out sheet for the vans. One had been taken
out at eight-fifteen that morning and returned at nine-thirty by a
Mark Walker. After that the sheet was blank.

"Just our luck. Our murderer didn't sign out
his vehicle properly," Maggie said with a rueful smile.

"Don't you just hate it when they don't
follow the rules?" Dyna said.

"What are you doing in there?” A loud voice
barked at them from outside. Dyna jumped, and Maggie swung around.
She saw a tall, sinewy man charging towards the door and recognized
Jack, the gardener she had spoken to about Eric. He didn't have a
patient smile on his face this time, but a challenging, angry
scowl. Maggie lifted her chin. In ordinary circumstances she would
have no right to be poking around here. But these were no ordinary
circumstances.

"What are you doing in here?" he repeated as
he stopped in the doorway.

"We were looking for a blue van, which we
found, out there."

"A van? What for?"

"I had a very close call this morning,
driving down to Coopersburg. A blue van tried to push me off the
road. I wanted to find it, and its driver."

The anger on Jack's face disappeared, his
eyes suddenly showing worry and something else. Maggie wasn't sure
just what.

"You think it was one of our vans?"

"It's possible. I can't tell for sure. Do
you know if anyone took one out about ten this morning?"

"I don't know. I was busy putting in some
new azaleas over on the other side of the hotel. What about...” He
reached for the sign-out sheet.

"There's nothing filled in for that time.
Whoever took it didn't leave tracks."

Jack put both hands on his face and rubbed
at his eyes. He looked very unhappy. "Bob Hill's supposed to be
here, watching things, but he's out sick today.” He squinted in the
direction of the gravel road. "You really think it was one of our
vans?"

"Well, how many dark blue vans are there in
this resort? We didn't see any parked in the guest parking lots.
And it was behind me very soon after I had left the hotel."

"Did you report this to anyone?"

"Yes. The sheriff. He said he'll look into
it."

"Good. I'd talk to Ms. Crawford about it,
too. She was gone for a meeting this morning, but she might be back
by now. She should know about this.” Jack's expression said that
ended the discussion, and he started to turn away.

"Wait. Could we talk a bit?"

"What.” Impatience was in his voice now. "I
already told you I was busy somewhere else this morning."

"I'm wondering about Eric Semple. Remember,
we talked about him before?"

"Eric? What about him?"

"Do you know where he was about that
time?"

Jack scratched his head. His mouth had turned
down about as far as it could go. Maggie got the distinct
impression he didn't want to talk about Eric, that he was aching to
get away from her. "I can't say for sure. I sent him over to work
on some hedges, but I don't follow my helpers around to make sure
they're doing everything I tell them to do."

"Was he out of your sight between ten and
eleven?"

"I don't know. Maybe. Who watches the time?
Look, I gotta go. I'm sorry about your accident, Miss. Maybe the
sheriff will track it all down."

Jack left them and walked into the tool
storage area. They heard puttering noises, then the sound of a
motor starting. Jack came chugging out on a riding mower wearing
ear protectors and a grim expression. He looked determinedly
straight ahead, away from them.

"Eric?” Dyna asked as they watched him go.
"You think Eric might have been the one?"

"It's just a guess. We'll have to find out
more. But did you notice Jack didn't leap to Eric's defense?"

Maggie gazed after the receding mower. "I
think he might have his suspicions too."

Maggie and Dyna headed back to the hotel,
walking in silence for a while.

"At least we know for sure now that someone
here at the Highview is involved," Dyna said. "Rob could have run
over and jumped in one of the vans by the time you were pulling out
of the parking lot. That gravel road probably put him right in back
of you on the hotel driveway."

"But Eric works in maintenance, don't
forget. He would be more aware of the availability of the
vans."

"But why would Eric want to hurt you?"

Maggie shook her head but didn't say
anything. Something had caught her eye over to the side. She turned
to see a figure some distance away walking rapidly toward the
hotel. It seemed to Maggie from the angle of his route that he came
from the maintenance buildings they had just left.

"Hello," she called. The figure didn't stop
or turn around, but instead picked up his pace.

They watched for a moment, then Maggie said,
"Isn't that our waiter from this morning. Remember, Chuck?"

Dyna squinted. "Yeah, I think you're right.
What would he be doing here?"

"That's what I'm wondering too."

Too many questions. Too few answers. Maggie
sighed. The analytical part of her brain had become weary. Looking
ahead she caught sight of the hotel's pool in the distance, its
blue water glinting invitingly in the sun and realized how hot and
tired she felt.

"How about taking some time off from our
investigation and having a swim?"

Dyna's eyes lit up in agreement, and they
picked up their pace to get back to their rooms and change to their
suits. Soon they were plunging into the cool water. Maggie swam
laps while Dyna floated lazily on her back, soaking up the warmth
of the sun on her face.

Maggie found the vigorous exercise relaxing,
releasing pent-up tension she had barely been aware of, so intent
had she been on the recent happenings. She swam for several minutes
until she was out of breath, then pulled herself out of the pool
and collapsed on a lounge chair.

The exhaustion felt good, and she didn't
want to think about murder and murderers for now. She didn't want
to think about her brother Joe worrying about her, or feel guilty
at the thought of her mother, who still didn't know what Maggie was
involved in. She just wanted to rest and let her mind go blank. To
gaze at the sky or the water, breathe in the flower-scented air,
and pretend all was right with the world. For now.

***

CHAPTER 16

That evening, relaxed and refreshed, Maggie
and Dyna were finishing a late dinner in the dining room. Few other
tables were occupied, and the atmosphere was unrushed. Dyna,
wearing a short denim skirt and T shirt tonight, pushed away a
plate with the few remaining crumbs of her dessert, a rich cherry
pie a'la mode, and groaned. "That just undid all my efforts in
aerobics class this morning.” She grinned. "But it was worth
it."