The Ties That Bind (Sarah Woods Mystery Book 11) (9 page)

Chapter 19

A few minutes after 4:00, we strolled into the bar unhappy to find that the place was filled with guests. In fact, there was so much activity that it seemed like a convention of sorts. These people could not all be staying at the Inn, so where did they come from?

“Any idea what’s going on here?” I whispered to Carter.

In response, he approached a middle aged woman near us and asked her. “Ma’am, is this a private event?”

“It’s Two-for-Tuesday,” she said, holding up her martini glass. “From four to five o’clock. This place is always mobbed this time every week. Are you staying at the Inn?”

Carter nodded. “Are you staying here, too?”

“I wish. Too pricey for me, but I come here every Tuesday for happy hour. Me and most of my co-workers. We work over at Brown Real Estate, just a mile down the road from here.”

I could see Perry behind the bar working his tail off. So engrossed in his work, he hadn’t looked up to see us. No point in sticking around.

“Maybe we should come back in an hour,” I said to Carter. “We could go for a walk or something.”

“Good idea.” He thanked the woman and we headed back out to the lobby.

As we passed through the empty foyer, no one seemed to be around, although I could hear two muted voices having a heated discussion from behind a closed door.

“Where is that coming from?” I asked Carter.

He pointed to the door directly behind the reception desk with a sign that said
office.
“Sounds like someone is getting reamed out.”

I imagined Mary Garcia was the one doing the yelling - but who was on the receiving end of it?

A few moments later, the door flung open and Zoe came running out, wiping tears from her face. She didn’t even notice Carter and me standing there. She continued through the foyer at a brisk clip and ascended the stairs, taking two at a time.

“Uh-oh,” I said in a lowered voice. “I wonder if Mary found out about her smoking.”

Carter nudged my arm. “Look.”

He gestured to the top of the stairs where the sound of heavy footsteps emanated. Graham came bounding down the staircase, rounded the corner and entered the office, slamming the door closed behind him. More muted shouting ensued.

Carter made a low whistle. “Graham is pissed.”

I searched the area and thankfully no other guests were around. “It feels like we’re in the middle of some cheesy reality T.V. show.”

“Maybe this has nothing to do with Zoe’s smoking.” He grabbed my hand and we went outside. “It seems a little more serious than that.”

Through an opened window, we could still hear the shouting, but now we could actually decipher the words.

Mary:
“How many times do I have to tell that wife of yours, stop drinking on the job? I don’t care if she drinks on her own time, but not around the guests.”

Graham:
“I already told you, Zoe hasn’t had a drop to drink in months. That’s why she goes to AA every week. Hell, you’re the one who mandated her to go to the meetings.”

Mary:
“Then why did I smell alcohol on her breath this morning?”

Graham:
“She took cough medicine because of her cold. If you would just back off and give her some space, maybe she wouldn’t be stressed out. Stress causes sickness.”

Mary:
“That’s bullshit. She gets a little cough and then expects to have a day off. Well, I’m not falling for that.”

Graham:
“This is your problem, mother. You can’t expect everyone to work like you do. Christ, even I don’t want to be here.”

Mary:
“I’m not preventing you from leaving. If you’re so unhappy, then just pack your things and leave. But you won’t do that because you know you won’t get a red cent of your trust fund. I’ll leave everything to Perry and you and Zoe will get nothing.”

Graham:
“You think Perry is happy about being here? He barely gets a day off. He’s exhausted and bitter.”

Mary:
“Perry would never leave. He has loyalty, unlike you and, yes, he hasn’t been himself lately, but considering what he’s been through…”

Graham:
“What he’s been through? He barely knew Nina. He got her pregnant, she moved in, and then she died. I mean, it was a tragedy, but come on. It’s not like he was in love with her. The marriage probably wouldn’t have lasted anyway.”

Mary:
“At least Nina Chapman didn’t have a drinking problem.”

The next sound we heard was the slamming of the door and I assumed Perry had left the office in rage.

Carter put his arm around me and led me toward the walkway which led to the gardens. “Bernice Chapman was right. This family is bizarre. Why does Zoe stick around and take this shit from her in-laws?”

“Well, at least Zoe’s husband is sticking up for her,” I said.

We meandered through the gardens until 5:00, then slowly made our way back to the Inn. Passing through the foyer, we noticed that Mary Garcia was all smiles as she greeted some new guests at the reception desk. Thankfully, the crowd was beginning to thin out in the bar.

We occupied two vacant stools and waited patiently as Perry finished up his business with the other customers.

Finally, about ten minutes later, Carter and I were the only ones remaining. Perry offered us a weary smile as he wiped down the bar. “This happens every Tuesday. I forgot to warn you about it yesterday. Sorry you had to wait.”

“No worries,” Carter said. “We’re on vacation. No time constraints.”

Perry used the bar towel to wipe some sweat from his temple. “Would you like the usual?”

“Yes, please.” Carter gestured for him to slow down. “But first, take a break if you need it.”

Apparently, he didn’t need a break because he immediately poured my wine and began preparing the martini. There was an intense expression on his face and I got the sense something was wrong.

He served the drinks and then stood there, moping.

“Is everything okay?” I asked him. “You seem upset.”

Perry looked up at me and shrugged. “It’s nothing. Same old same old.”

“No,” I said, firmly. “Something is on your mind. You can tell us.”

“I hate to keep complaining,” he said. “It’s pathetic.”

I backed off, knowing it was Carter’s turn to move the conversation to the next level. “Perry, I hope this doesn’t distress you but Sarah and I have been doing a little digging since our last conversation.”

He looked up, perplexed. “Digging into what?”

“Nina’s death.”

Perry cocked his head. “Why?”

“Bernice Chapman hired our services. We’re working for her now. We wanted to tell you because there’s a chance that someone else is behind her murder.”

Perry blinked as if lost for words. Finally, he said, “As a matter of fact, I’ve been asking myself the same thing. The detective in charge of the case told me that Reggie Perez confessed to raping and killing Nina, but he never did say why he chose her or how he knew her.” He closed his eyes and sighed deeply. “I’ve always had this feeling that maybe … maybe there was more to the story.”

Carter flashed me an intriguing look before addressing Perry again. “Is there anyone you can think of who might have wanted to hurt Nina? Someone who might have hired the Perez boys to kill her.”

“No.”

“Does the name Jason Black mean anything to you?”

Perry thought it over. “His name sounds familiar but I don’t know why.”

“He owns a store called Buster’s Comics. We found out that Jason hosts poker nights and rakes in a substantial profit. Reggie Perez had accumulated quite a gambling debt and we believe he was able to dissolve that debt by doing favors for Jason.”

Perry had been listening to Carter’s spiel with intense fascination. “So you think this Jason guy wanted Reggie Perez to kill Nina? Why?”

“We have no idea, yet. When we went to Jason’s store last night to confront him, he threatened us to stop asking questions.”

“Wait a minute.” Perry pointed to Carter’s head. “He didn’t do that to you, did he?”

Carter shrugged it off. “The point is, why would Jason warn us off if he wasn’t involved? Maybe he’s trying to protect someone. Any idea who that could be?”

Perry looked away, his face pinched in confusion. “Look, if I knew of anyone, I would have told the police four months ago.”

“It’s convenient, don’t you think?” Carter’s voice softened a bit. “That Nina was killed only a few weeks after she moved in with you. Have you wondered whether or not someone in your family …”

At first, Perry remained very still as Carter’s words hung in the air. I thought he might protest. Instead, he swallowed and said, “Yes, it has occurred to me. But my family seemed to like Nina. Even my mother liked her, which is rare. And Zoe seemed thrilled to have a sister in law. They bonded right away.”

“What about your brother?” Carter asked. “What did he think of her?”

“Graham didn’t have a problem with her.”

“And your father?” Carter pressed.

Perry swallowed. “He never had a problem with Nina either.”

There was something in his eyes that betrayed him. He looked away with an anguished expression.

I reached over the bar and gently grasped Perry’s wrist. “Please don’t be upset,” I said, tenderly. “I know these are tough questions, but we need your honest opinions. You understand, right?”

Perry nodded. “Yeah, I guess I do. But I’m telling you right now, my family loved Nina. They’d never want to hurt her.”

I released my hand from his wrist and realized that my body was shaking from nerves. The bug I had attached to his watch seemed to have stuck, but it was hard to tell in the dim lighting. I quickly gulped down the remaining wine in my glass. “Honey?” I said, turning to Carter. “I need to get some food in my stomach. Shall we grab some dinner?”

He finished his martini and reached into his wallet. He lay a fifty dollar bill on the bar and gave Perry a wink. “Keep the change, buddy. We’ll catch up with you later.”

Chapter 20

We went straight back to our room after leaving Perry alone in the bar. I could only imagine what he was thinking after Carter and I told him we’d been looking into Nina’s death.

“Check to see if the bug is operating?” I asked.

Carter opened his laptop and started working the keyboard while I plopped down on the bed. I’d been a nervous wreck the whole time we sat at the bar, anticipating the right moment to attach the bug to Perry’s watch.

“It’s active,” he said. “You did a good job, Sarah.”

I let out a long breath of relief. “Can you turn it up? I can’t hear it.”

“The program is voice activated so we won’t hear anything until someone speaks.”

Carter and I stared at the computer screen for two full minutes until we heard Perry’s voice.

Perry:
“Dad, I need to speak with you.”

Glenn:
“Perry, you know better than to come in here, especially during the dinner rush. What’s the big problem?”

Perry:
“We need to talk in private. Let’s go into the pantry.”

Glenn:
“Can’t it wait until later?”

Perry:
“No, it can’t.”

A slight pause.

Glenn:
“What the hell is going on, Perry? Are you in trouble?”

Perry:
“No, but you might be.”

Glenn:
“What the hell are you talking about?”

Perry:
“Do you know someone named Jason Black?”

Glenn:
“Why? Who is he?”

Perry:
“Just tell me the truth.”

Glenn:
“First tell me what this is about?”

Perry:
“Never mind. We should talk later.”

Glenn:
“Hold on a second…”

Perry:
“I have to get back to the bar.”

When the feed went silent, Carter looked at me with surprise. “This is weird. Why does he suspect his father?”

“Something must have happened between Chef Glenn and Nina.”

Carter gave me a strange look. “Sex? I don’t know. Glenn’s a handsome guy, but would Nina really hook up with her fiancé’s father?”

Perry’s voice came on the laptop again and we quickly surmised he was back in the bar speaking with a male customer, who ordered a gin and tonic. The rest of the conversation was between Perry and the customer.

“Maybe Glenn forced himself on Nina and she was going to tell Mary about it,” I offered.

Carter shook his head. “That’s hardly a reason to have her killed so brutally. But obviously there’s more to the story.”

“All we can do is wait for Perry to contact someone else.”