Murder at the Miramar (Augusta Burnette Series) (5 page)

Chapter Eight

My eyes met Ellie’s across Maria’s bowed form and I shrugged. I couldn’t let on that I suspected something, and I refused to give Ellie fuel for her inquisitive mind. She did that on her own just fine.

I went in search of tissues. Our food was getting cold and I was suddenly hungry, in spite of the early hour. I figured we could eat while Maria talked, if she still wanted to.

Walking back into the living room, I saw that Ellie had scooted over closer to Maria and had placed an arm around her shoulders, murmuring quietly in her ear. Maria seemed calmer, and give Ellie credit; she does have a gift for talking folks off the ledge. She also tends to use such moments to her advantage, in my experience.

‘Ah, Ellie,’ I said, careful to not break whatever spell she was weaving but not wanting to give her a chance to whip out the ever-present cards. ‘Why don’t you take the tray to the table? You might as well eat while it’s hot. Maria, you’re welcome to stay and talk if you’d like.’ I stood by the couch, looking down at the two with what I hoped was an encouraging smile fixed on my face. My stomach gave a loud rumble and I grimaced. My body could be such a traitor at times.

‘It sounds like you’re the one who needs to eat, AJ.’ Ellie grinned up at me, standing to her feet. ‘And besides, Maria has consented to let me read for her.’

I started to protest, but Ellie held up her hand.

‘She agrees with me that the police probably need as much help as we can give them. Besides, I may be able to identify a person of interest for them.’ She looked smugly at me, daring me to object.

Put that way, I’d sound like a spoilsport if I protested; after all, I wanted the killer caught as well, didn’t I? I sighed. Ellie certainly knew how to turn the tables on me.

‘Look, Ellie. We don’t even know if Miguel was killed. For all we know, that was an accident. I mean, it was tragic, yeah, but murder? I think that’s stretching things a bit.’ I could play verbal volleyball as well as Ellie, if not better. After all, I’d perfected my game against hers years ago.

‘It was no accident!’ Maria surprised me with an eruption of emotion – Ellie and I forgot our sparring and turned to face her. Her face was contorted with the anger she was feeling, and I took an involuntary step back from her furious words.

Ellie reached over to pat Maria’s arm, but the girl jerked away. I could almost see the steam venting from her ears as she sat there, breathing heavily and staring daggers at me.

‘Maria, I’m sure the police …’ I began but got no further.

‘The police! They know nothing! I tried to tell them about things and they would not listen to me.’ Maria was wound up as tightly as an eight-day clock. ‘Wait,’ I interrupted. ‘What things do you mean? About Miguel?’

‘Yes! I saw her do it, but they take no notice. Just a maid, they think,’ she finished, spitting out the words scornfully, tossing her head. She sat back against the sofa’s cushions, suddenly winding down. Tears began to fill her large dark eyes again. ‘If they will not listen, then she can read the cards,’ she said with a quaver, gesturing toward Ellie. ‘Maybe she can tell us who killed my brother.’

I refused to look at my cousin. It was too early in the day to deal with an insufferable Ellie.

I sighed. I seemed to be doing quite a bit of that already this morning. My stomach grumbled, a bit more loudly this time. I needed to eat something if I was to handle Maria and Ellie.

‘Fine,’ I agreed ungraciously. ‘I need to eat first, and Ellie, you might as well eat something, too. Maria?’ I said, gesturing at the tray.

She waved me away. ‘No, thank you. I am not hungry. You eat, then Miss Ellie will tell us who did this to Miguel.’

She settled back onto the couch with determination on her face. She had found a champion in Ellie, and my cousin was eating it up. I still wouldn’t look at her, but I could feel her preening as she filled a plate with scrambled eggs and a croissant. Ellie was never going to let me forget this one.

We ate in silence for the most part, making inconsequential conversation about news from back home (I’d only been gone a little over a day but Ellie acted like it had been a week) and the day’s plans. Finally I could stall no longer, having all but scraped the finish from the plate in front of me.

‘Ellie, if you’re going to read for Maria, do it quick. She probably needs to get back.’ I figured if I made it sound like Maria was being timed, Ellie might not be so keen to do this. She was always saying that she couldn’t force information from the cards if the ‘spirits weren’t listening’ anyway. Maybe giving said spirits a time limit would drive them away completely.

So much for
that
little ploy. Ellie smiled benevolently at Maria, who sat up expectantly as if she thought Ellie would transform before her eyes into something magical and wave a wand over all her troubles. I rolled my eyes; I’m skeptical about Ellie’s so-called talents and I wasn’t afraid to show her.

Refusing to be a part of Ellie’s dog and pony show, I left them to it while I went to take a shower. My two cups of coffee were kicking in and I needed to get my morning started. I’d planned on being in the main lobby by eight anyway, and it looked like I’d be there with plenty of time to spare. Besides, I was certain Emmy would want to get an early start since work seemed to be a panacea for her.

The water was relaxing and I let it run over my shoulders and neck for a while. I figured Ellie would need about twenty minutes, start to finish, for her little bag of tricks; I could be showered, dried, and dressed by then, ready to face both Maria and the day.

When I walked back into the living room, I was surprised to find it empty. I was stumped: where in the world could Ellie and Maria have gotten to? It wasn’t like the Miramar had a special room for card readings and crystal balls. I thought for a moment and then decided to head down toward the kitchen. Maybe Maria had already gone back there and would be able to tell me where Ellie had gone.

The sight that met my eyes, when I finally found the large, industrially equipped kitchen, nearly stopped me dead in my tracks. My cousin was holding court in a most regal Ellie-like manner, cards spread out across a stainless steel counter and surrounded by a hushed crowd of kitchen staff, Maria at the front.

‘Ellie!’ I exclaimed, breaking the near-reverential silence. ‘What in heaven’s name are you doing?’

All heads swiveled in my direction, eyes wide as though I had just sprouted a pair of horns and a tail. Ellie kept her head down, flipping cards and muttering to herself. She acted as though she hadn’t heard me. Irritation bubbled up inside me; I didn’t need to lose my newly landed job over something like this. I marched over to where she stood, stopping just short of sweeping the entire mess onto the polished floor.

Ellie still didn’t look up, but instead raised one hand in a ‘Stop’ sign. I did as instructed. I really do hate confrontations.

Hesitating just a moment, I leant forward and hissed just loud enough for her to hear me, ‘Ellie! Whatever it is you think you’re doing, stop it right now! Number one, you’re going to get me fired. And number two, we don’t even know if Miguel was murdered or not. Pack it up and let’s get out of here.’

I’d gotten her attention. ‘AJ, would you just chill? I’m almost done and I think I know what happened. Besides, I promised Maria that I’d help.’ With that she continued flipping the cards, finally stopping with a loud, ‘Aha!’

I shook my head, half-disgusted at her theatrics. Only Ellie could make card reading seem like a Broadway show.

‘What do you see, Miss?’ Maria eagerly questioned Ellie as the rest of the folks surged forward to see how the cards were laid out. In spite of myself, I moved closer as well, taking a look at the various figures galloping, hanging, and grinning on the cards’ surfaces. I could make neither head nor tail of them, and frankly, I had no wish to. It was nothing but a lot of mumbo-jumbo to me, but Ellie seemed to believe in the messages she claimed to get. As long as she wasn’t making promises she couldn’t deliver, I supposed it was OK.

A sudden flurry of action dropped me back into the present. The kitchen staff had vanished as if by magic, and I half-expected Ellie to have disappeared as well. Footsteps behind me caused me to turn, and I saw Emmy standing just inside the doorway, her face set, shoulders held stiffly. Something had her knickers in a twist, and I crossed my fingers that it wasn’t Ellie. Or me, for that matter. I had no desire to go back home with my tail between my legs.

‘AJ, you’re up early.’ Emmy Ruiz walked into the kitchen, her expression already harried despite the early hour. ‘Detective Baird has called and tells me that he will be here around two to speak with you.”

‘With me?’ I all but squeaked. ‘What in the world does he want with me?’

‘For that, you will need to see the detective,’ Emmy said with a small smile.

I relaxed. She was just anxious over the on-going investigation, not mad at me. I gave a half-glance over my shoulder and saw that Ellie had evaporated as well, and that was probably a good thing. I wasn’t sure how I’d explain her to Emmy anyway, and I certainly couldn’t imagine justifying a card reading in the resort’s kitchen. I looked back at Emmy, who was staring at me with an unreadable expression that instantly vanished when our eyes met.

‘Let’s get something to eat before our day starts and the handsome detective comes calling, shall we?’ Emmy turned toward the door, stopping to see if I was following.

We made our way to the Palmetto Room, its tables beginning to fill with early-morning risers. Large coffee urns shone at each end of a long serving table, bracketing platters of croissants, fruit, and pastries, alongside steaming dishes of scrambled eggs and bacon. In spite of the fact that I’d already eaten that morning, my stomach began its familiar refrain. I really needed to get that under control pronto, otherwise I’d soon be rolling around the Miramar like an unwieldy beach ball.

That particular thought didn’t stop me from filling a plate with food, although I did manage to get some fruit on there as well. With self-righteous satisfaction, I nibbled at pineapple and mango before diving into the eggs and bacon that took up a large portion of my plate. Ah. Now this was the way to begin a day, I told myself. Especially when the day would hold a visit from a certain detective whose mere presence could send me into a dither.

A girl needs her strength, after all.

Chapter Nine

True to his word, Detective Baird
sans
Fischer appeared in the main lobby of the Miramar at precisely two o’clock. Emmy had departed to parts unknown to take care of resort business, leaving me to fend for myself; even Ellie had done a disappearing act.  I steeled my mind; I would not be taken in by his devastating charm once again.

That resolution lasted exactly three seconds. Spotting me across the room, Detective Baird let go with a barrage of dimples, instantly turning my knees to putty and my mind to mush. Apparently that second breakfast had not done its job.

I could see Detective Baird had ditched his usual costume for jeans and a button-down shirt, tucked into a waistband that emphasized his slim build. He looked more like an executive enjoying a day off for golf, or a casual lunch, instead of an officer knee-deep in a murder investigation. In short, he was lookin’ mighty good.

‘Concentrate, AJ, concentrate,’ I muttered to myself, trying hard not to let my eyes wander in places they had no business going. If I wasn’t careful, I’d find myself confessing to the crime just to keep him around for a while.

He joined me at Emmy’s desk. I’d retreated to the business side to keep myself – to keep myself what? Protected? I almost got the giggles as I had a sudden image of me as ‘damsel in distress’, cowering behind the computer tower as a devastatingly handsome rogue that looked vaguely like Detective Baird leaned over me. Hmm. Maybe that wasn’t such a bad idea after all.

‘Good afternoon, Ms Burnette,’ he said easily as he slipped his well-filled jeans into the chair next to the desk. ‘What, no coffee?’

He looked around the room as if a carafe might magically appear, provided he searched hard enough. I did a mini eye roll; I can take a hint. I reached for the phone and ordered a plate of cookies as well as two large coffees. Besides, I told myself, I was going to do that anyway. I was definitely in need of a dose of equilibrium-restoring sugar.

Cookies and coffee delivered, I sat back and waited for him to tell me what he’d come about. Instead, to my consternation, he chatted about the weather (‘Really nice today. Do you sail?’), the Miramar in general (‘These are really good cookies.’), and why I took the job here (‘What does San Blanco have that your hometown doesn’t?’). That last question gave me pause: what
did
San Blanco have over the place I grew up in? Besides a gorgeous beach, a fabulous job, and him? Exactly nothing. I didn’t share this thought with him, though.

Draining his coffee and brushing the crumbs of his third cookie from his jeans, Detective Baird finally settled into official mode, reaching over to retrieve the clipboard and pen he had laid on the floor beside his chair. My heart rate picked up a bit; I wasn’t certain if it was from the impending questions or the sight of his strongly muscled arms. Either way, I was feeling rattled.

‘So,’ he began, tapping the end of his pen against the paper. ‘What was your day like yesterday? Begin with the earliest thing you can remember and take it from there.’ He looked at me expectantly, and I just stared back. Was he serious?

‘Well, I had breakfast in the Palmetto Room, helped Emmy get Mrs Reilly calmed down –’

‘The mother of the lost girl, I take it?’ he interrupted. I nodded.

‘Then I got my things settled in my room, had lunch there, and went out to help Emmy with a group of scrapbookers who were in town for a convention.’ I paused, looking out the large window opposite me. I could see someone at work on the herbaceous borders lining the drive. That reminded me about Emmy and her walk past those same flower beds.

‘Oh, and I covered the front desk when Emmy went to check on the sound system. That was about four-ish, I think. That’s about it, aside from dinner and the dance.’

I stopped talking, waiting for direction. Detective Baird’s head was down as he wrote his notes with an easy script, giving me a great view of his profile. Absolutely gorgeous, I decided, trying to think of something to say that would bring that ravaging dimple out of hiding. No, that was a bad idea, I reminded myself. I didn’t want to deal with a blushing episode again.

I’ve never been a delicate girl, always a bit ungainly, and I’ve never managed to learn the art of girlie ploys. When I’m embarrassed, I tend to go a mottled reddish-pink, looking more like a sunburn victim than a reticent young woman twirling a parasol or fluttering a fan – you know, like one of those ditzy gals in old movies.

I realized he was waiting for an answer to some question that I had totally spaced, and I could feel the dreaded mottling beginning to creep up my neck. Fabulous. And I hadn’t even had the pleasure of observing that dimple peek out, to make the blush worth it.

Detective Baird was still waiting for my answer, so I sheepishly admitted that I hadn’t heard a word he’d said. His blue eyes twinkled at me, making me feel like he’d read my mind, and I did that crazy hot-cold thing that seemed to happen whenever he was around. Good thing I was sitting down already; I might’ve bit the dust.

‘No, I didn’t actually
see
Emmy check the sound equipment. That’s just what she told me.’ I looked intently at him, trying to read meaning behind his question concerning Emmy’s whereabouts. I had no earthly idea why he’d go down that road; so distressed had Emmy been, I knew she couldn’t possibly have had anything to do with Miguel’s death.

Or could she? A recollection popped into my mind and I remembered that peculiar look on her face when the accident had happened. That had been odd, no doubt about it. But murderous? I couldn’t say.

Detective Baird clicked the pen shut, signifying the end of our conversation. I was disappointed; it hadn’t lasted nearly long enough, from my point of view, and I knew that it showed on my face. I have never been able to file my feelings away as neatly as others can. I could see right away my message had been sent and received, loud and clear. Great. That was all I needed; to come across as a kid with a crush.

He laughed, flashing that amazing smile that sent a bolt of something tingly racing down my spine.

‘I need to talk to some of the kitchen staff, AJ. Care to walk over there with me?’

Oh, wonder of wonders! He’d used my name. This sent my temperature fluctuating again; I was beginning to feel like a water tap, switching back and forth from hot to cold and back to boiling in a matter of seconds. Or maybe I was coming down with some tropical disease. Either way, I was walking on a cloud.

‘Sure, no problem,’ I replied, trying to sound casual, as though strolling with the world’s handsomest man was an everyday occurrence.

Miraculously, I was able to put one foot in front of the other all the way through the maze of corridors. The kitchen, situated near the middle back portion of the resort, had two entrances. I chose to go through the one I’d used that morning when I was looking for Ellie. I figured I’d be able to find at least a handful of staff there, and I would keep an eye out for Maria. After what she’d said in my room that morning, I wanted Detective Baird to talk to her before he left.

I led the way into the kitchen. We were in luck: Maria was standing with her back to us, putting a tray together for a room service delivery. I walked over to her and tapped her on the shoulder, startling her and nearly sending her into orbit. I caught the tray just as it tipped over the counter’s edge. No need to waste those luscious cookies.

I introduced Detective Baird to the timid girl, backing quietly out of the kitchen. I figured she’d be more likely to talk without an audience.

I spent the next hour or so working on a project Emmy had left for me, looking up every time someone walked into the lobby. I was hoping to see a certain pair of jeans strolling into view. And I had to admit that I was curious as to who he was talking to. It would seem that the police department considered Miguel’s death something other than an accident.

I found myself wondering if Emmy knew that.

Sadly, the afternoon passed without another glimpse of Detective Baird. For that matter, I’d seen neither hide nor hair of Emmy. I sat for a moment, thinking, trying to decide if I should try to find her or look for something else to do. I decided not to do either, heading to my room instead to see if Ellie was still here or had flown the coop. I half-hoped I’d find an empty suite, but experience told me Ellie would still be there, ensconced on my couch, making herself right at home.

I was right. Ellie lay asleep, stretched out on the couch, making snorting noises and looking like she could sleep for hours. I stood just inside the door for a minute, watching her and grinning as I recalled the crazy scrapes we’d gotten into as kids. In a town the size of ours, there was little chance of having secrets or getting away with anything, but Ellie and I had managed to fly under the radar, creating mischief and having a blast. 

Here at the Miramar, though, flying under the radar probably wasn’t a great idea. I would need to let the powers that be understand that she was here to act as bodyguard and lookout for yours truly.
And
to take advantage of the resort’s amenities, if I knew my cousin.

I managed to restrain myself from pouring water on her like she used to do to me whenever I spent the night at her house. It would not do to get her wound up; I knew she still had an impish streak, and revenge was her middle name. I contented myself with a quick shake of her shoulder.

‘Hey, AJ,’ she said sleepily, propping herself up on her elbows. ‘What time is it?’ She laid back down, flinging one arm across her face to block out the late afternoon light.

‘Just past five,’ I replied, walking into the kitchen and opening the fridge. Since there was absolutely nothing in there, it was clearly out of habit. I closed the door and leaned back on the counter.

‘How about a quick walk before dinner?’ I suggested, checking my watch. We’d have just enough time for a turn around the resort before the Palmetto Room would be opened. I intended to be in the first crowd of folks so I’d have time to chat with Emmy.

I still hadn’t heard from her and I was getting anxious. I hoped she was OK, considering the bad news about Miguel and the suspicions that surrounded his demise. She was so protective of the Miramar and its reputation and something like a murder inquiry could be devastating.

‘This place is incredible!’ Ellie stood near the path that led to the beach, looking back at the resort with one hand protecting her eyes from the sun.

I felt a proprietary pride, nodding in agreement. ‘Yeah, it sure is. I picked a winner, that’s for sure.’

Ellie turned to look at me. ‘So, what’re your plans, AJ? Do you mean to stay, or will you be coming back to the nest?’

I snorted. ‘Not any time soon. I like it here, and I couldn’t find a job like this back home if I looked for a hundred years.’ And so far, Emmy hadn’t asked to me to fetch her dry-cleaning, so that made it an even better gig in my book.

I took a long look at the Miramar. The buildings spread out proudly across the beachfront, giving no hint of the tragedy of the day before. I earnestly hoped that nothing else would happen to spoil its peaceful ambiance.