Murder in Cottage #6 (Liz Lucas Cozy Mystery Series Book 1) (6 page)

As Liz turned onto the lane that led
to the lodge she noticed a large SUV turning in right behind her. She looked at
the clock on her dashboard and realized it was almost noon.
Uh-oh,
she
thought
, I got carried away talking to Gertie and stayed too long at the
diner. I’ll bet that SUV belongs to Roger’s friend. Don’t think Roger would be
very happy with me if I’d blown the appointment, particularly after he went to
so much trouble for me and the guy drove all the way up from San Francisco.

She pulled up to the lodge
and couldn’t help but smile as she looked at the simple rustic building made of
wood and glass standing before her. Brightly colored plants and tubs of
blooming flowers stood in stark contrast to the green forest and blue Pacific
Ocean in the background.

There’s nowhere else in
the world I would want to live, not that I’ve ever been anywhere else in the
world. I remember how I used to tell Joe we needed to travel and visit some
foreign countries. He always refused, using the excuse that he couldn’t leave
his auto dealerships for that long. Now that I probably could go somewhere once
in a while, I have absolutely no desire to leave here. Everything I want is
here and now with the addition of Roger in my life, I have more of a reason to
stay here. Even with Barbara’s death, I still think I’m one of the luckiest
people in the world to be living right here in Red Cedar!

Lost in her momentary
reverie, she hadn’t noticed that a man had gotten out of the SUV and was
walking over to her van. She opened the door and greeted him. “Hi, I’m Liz
Lucas. You must be Roger’s friend.”

The tall lanky man dressed
in jeans and a leather jacket with his white hair tied in a ponytail smiled
warmly at her, extended his hand, and said, “I’m Ed James, and I’ve brought you
a new little friend. Well, actually he’s not so little. Are you ready to be
introduced to him?”

“This was a huge surprise
to me, but yes, I think I’m ready. I’ve never had a boxer before, so you’ll
have to give me some guidelines on how to handle him.”

“His name is Winston. I’ve
had him since he was eight weeks old. I don’t know if Roger told you, but I’ve
been taking him home with me after work. My three boys love him, and they
really wanted to keep him. My wife put her foot down, saying that five dogs
were more than enough.”

“You have five dogs and
three boys? Good grief, I don’t blame her. Should Winston and I meet out here
or in the lodge?”

“Right here is fine. After
you’re introduced we’ll go in the lodge. He’s completely housebroken and
trained.” He walked over to the SUV and opened the rear door. “Winston, come.”

Liz’s breath caught in her
throat as she looked at the beautiful boxer jumping out of the SUV. He had four
white stocking feet and a blaze of white on his face, along with a full white
collar. She bent down and put out her hand. Winston walked over to her, sat,
and licked her hand. He held out his paw to her and they shook. She looked up
at Ed. “He is just beautiful. I can’t believe he wanted to shake hands with
me.”

“Along with training my
dogs as guard and attack dogs, I like to teach them some tricks. Dogs like
Winston look pretty threatening to children, so when a child can make them do
tricks, they aren’t so afraid of them. Let’s go in the lodge. You can tell him
to follow you.”

“Winston, follow,” Liz
said. Winston stood next to Liz and walked into the lodge with them, ignoring
Brandy Boy who was asleep on the porch. “Would you like a cup of coffee, Ed? I
can make some in just a few minutes.”

“No thanks. I have a
couple of other deliveries to make today, so I need to get back. I’ve written
out a list of commands you can use for Winston. Roger mentioned you own the
lodge and the spa. He said you had living quarters of your own below the lodge.
Is that where you plan on having Winston sleep?”

“Yes. I put his bed down
there, and I also bought another one. Do you think it would be all right if I
put the other dog bed over there in the corner of the great room?”

“Liz, let’s be honest.
Winston is here because he’s primarily a guard dog who will be guarding you.
Yes, he knows tricks, but that’s not why Roger wanted you to have him. He
wanted to make sure you were protected at all times, however, if Winston isn’t
with you, he can’t protect you. I can see from just driving in here that this
property is an invitation to someone thinking about committing a crime. Anyone
could enter this property.

“You have a fence, but
it’s more of a fence that enhances the looks of the property rather than being
a fence built for protection. I’m certain, given the nature of your business,
that an electric fence is not an option, nor is a gate at the property entrance
that would have to be unlocked. I’m also sure your guests need to feel free to
come and go as they please, and it would probably frighten some of them if they
had to pass through a locked gate. Quite frankly, living here on your own, I’m
rather surprised there aren’t some types of security devices in place for your
protection. Things like motion activated exterior floodlights or a video
security camera would be something you might want to consider having
installed.”

“When my husband was
alive, I never thought about it. I have a handyman who’s here during the day,
but at night there are just the guests and me. I suppose a deranged guest could
stay here, but I’ve never had any problems. In all honesty, I have thought
about getting a dog for protection, but I never got around to it. I’m sure you
saw the St. Bernard asleep on the porch. Obviously he’s not much protection. I
have to admit I’m glad Roger took care of it.”

“I don’t know what your
relationship is with Roger, but he must care a great deal about you to buy one
of the dogs I train. Believe me, they don’t come cheap. My business supports my
family, and I have a reputation on the West Coast as being the number one
trainer of guard dogs. I met Roger years ago when he needed me to testify as an
expert witness in one of his cases. A woman had been attacked by a man’s dog
and she was suing him. I was able to show that she had antagonized the dog and
his client walked away from the lawsuit. Roger and I have been friends ever since.
He’s a good man. He took the death of his wife pretty hard. In fact, it darned
near destroyed him. Work was his salvation, but it looks like he may have found
another salvation,” Ed said with a twinkle in his eye and an easy smile on his
face.

“In all honesty, I don’t
know any more than you do about what my relationship with Roger is, but I will
tell you this, I like him a lot and yes, like you said, he is a good man.
Thanks for telling me that.” She bent down and scratched Winston behind his
ears. “Well, boy, it’s you and me. Brandy Boy’s here, but that doesn’t mean
much. Say goodbye to Ed, and then I’ll give you the grand tour.”

“Winston, come,” Ed said,
kneeling. “You take care of Liz. You’re a good boy, and I’m going to miss you.
Stay.” He stood up and turned towards the door, but not before Liz saw that his
eyes were a little too shiny. She was pretty certain it was from unshed tears.

“Ed, thanks for taking the
time to deliver Winston to me. I promise he’ll have a good home, and I also
promise we’ll pay you a visit in a few months.”

He walked down the steps
to the SUV and gave her a half wave. Seconds later he was gone.

Liz spent the next hour
showing Winston the lodge, her living quarters, the spa, the cottages, and
ended where the lane met the highway. She’d glanced at the sheet of
instructions Ed had given her. On it he’d written that if there was an area
where she didn’t want Winston to go, she should use the words, “No go.” The
only thing that had concerned her about Winston’s safety was the highway at the
end of the lane. It was fairly busy and she was worried that Winston might go
onto it and get hit by a car. When they reached the end of the lane, she turned
to him, took his head in her hands and looked directly at him. “Winston, no go.
No go.” She put her foot on the highway and repeated the command. He backed up,
and she could swear he understood exactly what she was telling him and why she
was telling him. They turned and began the short walk back to the lodge, a
happy dog and a happy new dog owner.

*****

Just before they reached the lodge,
she heard the noise of a car engine coming from behind them on the lane, and
she stepped to the side and stopped. “Winston, come. Sit.” Winston instantly
sat and looked up at her expectantly, waiting for his next command.

“Hey, Mrs. Lucas. Got a
new dog?”

She turned and looked at
the man behind the wheel of the run-down rusted truck. It was Zack, and it was
obvious from his appearance that he hadn’t paid any attention to his grooming
for a couple of days. She didn’t know what he’d been doing during his short
vacation, but it didn’t appear to be anything health-related. His hazel eyes
were bloodshot, and he obviously hadn’t shaved for several days as there was
far more than a five o’clock shadow on his face. His sandy colored hair looked
like it hadn’t been washed for a long time, and his shirt was covered with food
spots and what she suspected were beer stains.

“Hi Zack. How was your
vacation? And yes, this is Winston. I just got him.”

“Scary looking, but he’s a
beauty. As for my vacation? Not so good. Don’t know if you knew that my brother
was the one who was running against Dave Nelson for mayor. He’s run twice
before against Dave, and once again, he lost. Losing wouldn’t be so bad, but
what’s tough is that he had to lose to that man. He’s as dirty as they come.
Just can’t prove it. Got Bart over at the Red Cedar Trib to write a couple of
pieces about Dave, but I just came from his office and he told me he won’t be
writing any more articles. Something about getting sued by Dave for character
assassination. Said he didn’t have any hard evidence that Dave had ever done
anything wrong. Looks like that snake in the grass covered his tracks, that’s
for sure.”

“I’m sorry your brother
lost, but I really haven’t been involved in the city elections.”

“Well, I wouldn’t bother.
It’s obvious people don’t think when they vote or worse yet, don’t even want to
know the facts. Guy has so much dirt on him he’d need a case of bleach to get
himself clean. Cheats on everything from his wife to his taxes. Understand his
wife died in one of the cottages here. Too bad it wasn’t him.”

“Zack, that’s pretty
harsh. I don’t think that’s something you want to say publicly! If someone
hears you say that, they’re going to want to know where you were when she died,
and right now we don’t even know what happened to her.”

“Seth says she called it
quits ‘cuz of the affair that slimy husband of hers was having with Darcy
Martinez and as far as where I was, I have no idea. Got to drinking a little too
much on my vacation ‘cuz my brother lost the election, and things are a little
hazy. I’m feeling much better today and ready to get back to work. Anything
special you need me to do?”

“Can’t think of anything
offhand, but you better check with Bertha.”

“Think I better start
planting some flowers I bought before my vacation. I’ve got a bunch of empty
pots I can get them going in, because in a few weeks all the ones we have next
to the cottages and on the steps of the spa and lodge are going to need to be replaced.”

“Thanks Zack. That sounds
good. I love the flowers. They’re a nice contrast to the forest and the ocean.
Tourist season is just around the corner, and we’re always booked solid in the
summer. See you later.”

“Think it’s a good thing
you got a little protection for yourself with that dog. Strange things can
happen at a place like this,” he said as he started the truck and drove it
towards the lodge parking area.

That’s a weird thing to
say. Wonder where he was during the night and in the early morning hours
yesterday. Actually, I hope it won’t be necessary to find out. I’m hoping
against hope Barbara died from natural causes. It sure would make my life and
everyone else’s a lot easier if that was the case.

“Okay, Winston. You’ve had the grand
tour of your new home. The only thing I haven’t done is give you the tour of
the van, but I think that can wait until we actually go somewhere. For now, why
don’t you lie down and get comfortable while I check the messages on the
answerphone.”

So it’s come to this. I
must be getting old. I’m actually enjoying conversing with a dog.

Liz decided when she and
Joe bought the lodge and spa that Bertha would handle the reservations for the
cottages. After taking a reservation for a cottage, Bertha would transfer the
guest to the spa receptionist who would set up their spa treatments. Liz hadn’t
wanted to get bogged down taking these types of reservations. One of the main
reasons she’d wanted to buy the lodge and spa was so she could cook the family
style meals that were served to the guests. She’d always loved to cook and
entertain and Joe had pridefully maintained that she was one of the reasons his
car dealerships had been so successful. When they lived in the San Francisco
area they’d entertained clients and friends weekly at her infamous dinner
parties, and she’d always enjoyed it. The only difference at the spa was that
every night there was a different cast of characters, all with a different
story, a story she was a master at getting them to tell. Meeting the people,
cooking, and making their stay at the Red Cedar Spa memorable was something she
enjoyed every minute of the day.

With almost all of the spa
reservations and calls going through Bertha, she knew when she saw the blinking
red light on the answerphone it meant a message had been left, and it was
probably a personal one for her. She also knew it wasn’t her daughter,
Brittany, or her son, Jonah, since they always called her on her cell phone.
While she was of an older generation that still relied on land lines, her
children definitely were not. Their cell phones were as much a part of them as
their hands and feet.

She pressed the blinking
button to listen to the message while she looked over and smiled at Winston who
was fast asleep in his new bed, the stuffed toy she had dubbed Mr. Hedgehog,
lying right next to his nose.

“Mrs. Lucas, this is Wes
Anderson, the county coroner. I’m afraid I have some bad news. Barbara Nelson
did not die of natural causes. It looks like murder, and due to the lack of any
signs of a physical struggle or needle punctures indicating that something was
injected into her body, my feeling is that she died from something she ate or
drank. In other words, she was poisoned. I’m able to do some very basic testing
for foreign substances in my lab, and I found no traces of the chemicals found
in sleeping pills or the bourbon that was on her nightstand. However, she
definitely had some type of a foreign substance in her body, but with my
limited testing equipment, I don’t have the ability to determine exactly what
the substance was that killed her.

“Like I said, I feel
certain she was poisoned. I’ve sent a sample of her blood to the police lab in
San Francisco. They usually get back to me pretty fast, so I’m hoping I’ll know
something by tomorrow or the next day. The problem then becomes, while we may
know what killed her, we won’t know who killed her or how the poisonous
substance was introduced into her body. I don’t want to tell you how to run
your business, Mrs. Lucas, but you don’t have to be a psychic to understand
that having this happen at the Red Cedar Spa is not going to be good for your
business. Word will be out shortly because I have to tell the police chief, and
he suffers from a severe case of diarrhea of the mouth. Rather imagine it will
be all over town in a few hours. As bumbling as he is, if he can solve it, and
that’s a big if, it will probably be later rather than sooner. My advice is to
see what you can find out on your own. If you have any questions, feel free to
call me.”

Liz listened to the
message for a second time, not fully comprehending what the coroner was saying.
Stunned by the disclosure, she sat for a moment, trying to digest the enormity
of what he had said.

So Barbara was murdered.
She didn’t die of natural causes, and she didn’t commit suicide. The coroner
thinks she was poisoned but doesn’t know by what or by whom. Word will soon be
all over town, and the spa will get a huge black eye unless I can find out who
did it. I’ve never done anything like this, and I don’t know where to begin.
About the only thing I have is my little niggle and Winston, but I have no idea
if that will be enough. Uh-oh, I better find out if the coroner told Dave. If
not, I better be the one to tell him. I’d hate for him to go into Gertie’s and
find out from someone that the police chief had already been there and shot off
his big mouth to anyone who would listen. Like Roger said, the spouse is
usually the first suspect in a murder case.

She called Wes back. “Wes,
this is Liz Lucas. I got your message. I have one question, well, actually two.
Have you told Seth yet, and have you told Dave?” She listened and then said,
“Would you do me a favor and wait about an hour before you tell Seth? I’d like
to tell Dave myself, and I’d also like to ask him where he was from the time
Barbara left the lodge after dinner at about 8:30 until the time when Bertha
found her a little after 8:00 the next morning. It seems to me there’s almost a
twelve hour time frame when anyone who is a possible suspect needs to account
for their whereabouts. It sounds very strange to me to be using terms like
suspects, but I guess I better get used to it if I’m going to solve the crime.
By the way, I appreciate your words of advice about me trying to find out who did
it, but I have to tell you this is completely new territory for me. Looking at
something through the eyes of a private investigator is nothing I’ve ever done
before, but it’s something I better try to do if I want to keep my spa’s
reputation from having mud splattered all over it. When you get the results
back from the police lab in San Francisco, I’d really like to know what they
found out. Thanks a lot for telling me first about the autopsy results.”

After she ended the call
she said, “Winston, come. Time for your first trip in the van. We need to go
see Dave and tell him his wife was murdered. Just the visit I really want to
make. Let’s go.” She picked up her purse and headed out the front door. As
usual, Brandy Boy was sound asleep on the porch. He opened one eye when Liz
closed the door, not bothering to acknowledge Winston.

“You’re a good rider,
Winston,” she said a few minutes later. “I’d take you into Dave’s house with
me, but I don’t think I’m in any danger from him. You stay in the van. This shouldn’t
take long.”

She knocked on the front
door, and this time it was quickly opened by Dave. “Hello, Liz. I hope you have
a more pleasant reason to be here than you did yesterday. Please come in.” He
looked past her and saw Winston standing on the front seat of the van. “New
addition to the family, or have you always had him?”

She walked into the
hallway. “A friend gave him to me today. He thought I needed a guard dog out at
the spa.” She took a deep breath and said, “I wish this was purely a social
visit, but I just had a call from Wes Anderson. The autopsy report indicates
Barbara was murdered.”

She was curious as to what
his reaction would be. He bent over as if he’d been punched in the stomach, and
said stuttering, “BBaarbara wwwas mmmurdered. That can’t be. Wwhho would murder
Barbara? WWhhy?” He stumbled to a nearby chair, sat down heavily, and put his
head in his hands. “Are you certain?” he asked after a few moments, taking his
hands away from his face and looking at her.

If he’s acting, he’s doing
a very good job, but then again, I’ve never had to tell anyone their wife was
murdered, so I really don’t know if this is a normal or abnormal reaction to
hearing news like that.

“All I know is what Wes
told me. He thinks she was poisoned. Wes said he had the necessary testing
equipment to determine that she didn’t die from an overdose of alcohol or
sleeping pills or a combination of the two. He couldn’t identify the substance
used to poison her because his testing equipment is not state of the art. He
didn’t see any needle marks on her body, so he assumed she ingested whatever it
was orally. He sent a blood sample to the police lab in San Francisco and said
he should hear something from them tomorrow or the next day.”

“Barbara didn’t take drugs
of any kind. She wouldn’t even take aspirin. I really don’t understand this.
Someone must have given her something, maybe hiding it in her food or whatever,
but who or why?”

“I have no idea. It’s been
my experience from the little I’ve had to do with the Red Cedar police chief
that solving this case in a timely manner is not going to happen. Since her
death occurred on my property, I’m going to ask a few questions of the people
who knew her well. Sorry Dave, but any good detective would ask where you were
between the hours of 8:30 night before last and 8:00 yesterday morning.”

“You’re kidding, right?
This is ridiculous. I don’t have to answer that question. It’s none of your
business,” he said angrily.

“Since it’s my reputation
that’s on the line here, I’m definitely not kidding. If you don’t tell me, I
may have to ask the state police to come in and investigate, and I don’t think
either one of us wants that along with the bad publicity that will go with it.
I wouldn’t think a recently re-elected mayor who might have thoughts of higher
office would like that kind of publicity.”

He was quiet for a moment
with a grim look on his face, seemingly deep in thought. “You met Darcy
Martinez when you were here yesterday.” He looked down at his hands. “Barbara
and I had an agreement. Over the years, we’d lost interest in each other. There
just wasn’t anything there anymore. We had nothing in common. I was interested
in politics. She was interested in antiques. Darcy shared my passion for
politics, and in the last few months, we’ve been seeing one another. I was with
her on the night in question, but let me make one thing crystal clear. I
respected Barbara and almost put her on a pedestal. She knew about Darcy, but I
was very careful to be discreet. I don’t think anyone in town even suspects
that Darcy and I are seeing one another. As the principal of the high school,
she had to protect her reputation as much as I had to as mayor.”

This man is living in a
dream world. Gertie, the police chief, and everyone else in town seem to know
about the affair. What is he thinking?

“Thank you for sharing
that with me. I know it must be painful to have to admit something like that,
but sometimes in life these things happen. I won’t be the one to sully your
reputation by telling people about it. I’ll leave you alone now. Stay where you
are and I’ll let myself out. Oh, by the way, where does Darcy live?”

“Why? Are you going to
check my story with her?”

“I’d like to know where
she was during those hours. Given the circumstances, I’m sure you’ll agree that
a prudent investigator would want to ask her that question.”

“Well, she’ll tell you the
same thing I just told you. She lives in the apartments across the street from
Lucky Boy Supermarket. Her apartment number is 201.”

Liz opened the front door
and walked down the sidewalk to her van. Winston was wagging his tail, clearly
glad she’d returned from possible harm’s way, safe and sound.

“Good job guarding the
van, Winston. Good boy. I have to make one more stop, and then we’ll go home.
When we get back to the lodge, I need to call Judy and confirm she’s coming up
tomorrow. Also, I need to discuss everything that’s happened today with Roger.
He’s going to want to know how I like you, which I really do, and I’d like to
know how his trial is going.”

A few minutes later Liz
pulled up to an attractive brick apartment building with white wooden shutters
and brightly colored flower beds flanking the sidewalk that led to the large
cedar entry doors. She turned to Winston. “Stay. I’ll be back in a few
minutes.” She entered the building and saw the elevator a few feet down the
hall. She took it to the second floor and made her way to apartment 201 which
was only a few steps from the elevator. Liz heard music coming from inside the
apartment. She knocked on the door, and a few moments later it was opened by
Darcy.

She stood there looking at
Liz, obviously trying to place her. After a moment she smiled with recognition
and said, “Please come in. I met you yesterday at Dave’s home. You’re the owner
of the Red Cedar Spa. I just left the high school. What can I do for you?”

Liz told her what the
coroner had said. Darcy stood quietly for a moment, looking out the window, and
then she began speaking. “I only met Barbara once, but she seemed very nice. Do
you have any idea who might have killed her?”

“No, I wish I did. Since
she died on my property, I definitely want to find out who did it. I don’t want
to lose business because of this, and if the case isn’t solved quickly, there’s
a very good chance I will. I’m visiting the people who might have known either
her or Dave. You seem to be a good friend of his. I’m wondering where you were
between the hours of 8:30 night before last and 8:00 yesterday morning.”

There was no mistaking the
look of anger that flashed across Darcy’s face. “What makes you think I’d tell
you that? You’re not part of law enforcement. There’s no reason for me to tell
you.”