Death Rides the Surf (17 page)

Saturday morning, November 4

“Kate, did you
know the police checked out one hotel, two restaurants, and three motels in Broward and Dade Counties, all called Casablanca?” Marlene held up her mimosa. “A toast to classic movies and their great dialogue.”

“Yes, Nick told me.” Kate smiled at the detective who sat to her right. “And I’d thought there was only one
Casablanca
.”

Kevin and Jennifer had insisted on hosting a brunch at the Boca Raton Hotel to celebrate Kate and Katharine’s safe return.

Katharine had told Kate, “Mom wants to make nice with Detective Carbone.”

They were sitting on the hotel’s elegant terrace, being served delicious food on beautiful china, sipping drinks from crystal glasses, and watching a surfer trying to catch a wave in the aquamarine water of the Atlantic Ocean.

“And I understand the police arrested Amanda in the Sun Trust parking lot,” Kate said.

“That was such fun,” Marlene said. “I handed her an empty envelope and they carted her off. Her white wig fell off.”

Katharine laughed. “Even with red hair, Amanda wouldn’t look anything like me, ID or not.”

“Roberto would have killed you and Katharine, Nana,” Lauren said. “He’s a sociopath.” There were a few of them running around Palmetto Beach, Kate thought. “He killed Grace because that private detective she’d hired had found out about Roberto’s smuggling operation and he slit his rich mistress’s throat because she’d served her purpose.”

“I think Grace may have been murdered because she’d discovered her daughter wasn’t dead,” Kate said. “She probably saw through Amanda’s Diamond Lil disguise, recognized her daughter’s eyes. They were so like Grace’s.”

“Detective Carbone, I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you I’d gone to Grace Rowling’s room on Monday night,” Jennifer said. “I thought Jon Michael might harm Katharine and that Grace knew more than she’d told me. I made a bad judgment call, the deal in Bangkok was coming to a head, and I didn’t want to be stuck in Palmetto Beach as a prime suspect.”

Kevin, who was sitting between his wife and his younger daughter, put an arm around each of them.

Katharine reached over and patted her mother’s hand. Nick just grunted.

“Talking about sociopaths,” Marlene said, changing the subject. “Amanda aided and abetted her own mother’s murder.”

“But Jon Michael was murdered because Roberto had overheard me talking about my inheritance.” Katharine sounded ashamed

“Well, that was one reason. It’s complicated,” Nick said. “Jon Michael believed that Amanda had been murdered and he was the prime suspect. He also believed Roberto was his friend who’d protected him and given him an alibi. He felt he owed Roberto big-time. Then he found out Amanda was alive and Roberto had been using him. Jon Michael became a threat. Roberto wasn’t about to divide the money three ways. And hell, Roberto had Claude begging to become a smuggler. Roberto rigged the wire cage’s opening so the pig’s blood would seep out of the plastic bag and into the ocean.”

“Now it’s over,” Jennifer said, and turned to her daughter. “Are you coming home?”

Kate heard the nervousness in her daughter-in-law’s voice.

“Yes,” Katharine said. “I’m going back to NYU. Nana, I’m going to write a screenplay about all this. Want to hear the title?”

“Yes, darling.” Kate laughed. It felt good.

“
Death Rides the Surf
. And I’ll get Mary Tyler Moore and Valerie Harper to play you and Marlene.” Katharine looked at Nick. “And Paul Sorvino can play you.”

“As long as I get the girl,” Nick said.