Diver Down (Mercy Watts Mysteries) (15 page)

 
“You know where we’re going?” I couldn’t have got us back to the exact place where Lucia had been attacked if my life depended on it.

“Yes, I remember the spot. Mercy, I think you’re right about Lucia. Someone is trying to kill her.”
 

As soon as he said it, I wanted to deny that it could be true. It was so much more awful when it couldn’t be an accident. “Why’s that?”
 

“That doesn’t sound like a native barb and the place where it happened isn’t a place where stingrays would normally be. They don’t like coral and narrow areas. They’re flat.”
 

“So someone brought in a barb to make it look like an accident. It’s our best evidence.”
 

“We must give it to the police immediately,” said Mauro, lowering his own mask.
 

“Your island cops won’t take this seriously, unless she’s dead,” I said. “Dr. Navarro clued me in on how it works around here.”
 

“It’s not the best system, but they do try. Why are you so interested?”
 

“My dad’s a detective. I can’t just sit by.”

“You think Graeme did it?” he asked.

“He’s the natural choice. He had access all four times,” I said.
 

“Four. Did I miss something?”

I checked my regs twice. Paranoia was setting in. “Lucia said she packed two inhalers in her purse. They disappeared. Second, both her regs were tampered with. Third, another inhaler disappears from her beach bag on the boat along with her wallet. Fourth, the stabbing. Graeme was there at every incident.”
 

“Why would he hurt his own wife?”
 

“Have you seen the bruises?”
 

Mauro looked down, his handsome face somber. “I have.”
 

“All is not well. That’s all I know,” I said.
 

“There were others around.” He smiled. “You and me, for instance.”
 

“And the Gmucas, Todd, the frat boys, my mom and Dixie. None of us have a history with her though, and the husband is always the first choice. But Graeme, I don’t know, he doesn’t seem the type. This is pretty cold-blooded.”
 

“Maybe you should consider the rest.”
 

“I should, but one suspect is just so much easier.” I smiled. “I’m all about efficiency.”
 

“Do you want me to make it worse?” he asked.

“Not really.”
 

He put my reg in my mouth. “There were other boats in the area. Someone could’ve swam over.”
 

Crap! Double crap!

Mauro pushed me back and I fell in cursing. I descended a little too quickly, causing my ears to pop painfully. Mauro came to my side and gestured for me to follow him. I thought maybe I would recognize something once we got down, but I didn’t. Pablo’s Place was all new to me. A parrotfish glided by and I spotted a large lobster backing into his spot under the coral. I was so busy looking around, I was surprised how quickly we made it to the attack spot. We went over every inch of the area and found nothing. Mauro’s eyes got increasingly worried the longer we looked. He’d put it together. Whoever attacked Lucia had cleaned up after himself. We took Lucia to the surface and he retrieved the barb. The evidence.
 

Mauro gave me the thumbs up and we surfaced. Bobbing next to the hull of our boat, we raised our masks.
 

“He planned it all out, didn’t he?” he said.

“Looks like it,” I said. “I wonder how many other ideas this genius has.”
 

“What do you mean?” asked Mauro.

“He planned for failure. If the regs didn’t work, he had the barb and whatever he dipped it in.”
 

“You think he might have more.”
 

“I would. Two backups is prudent.” I took off my flippers and tossed them over the side of the boat. “You know, this degree of planning, it just doesn’t sound like a husband killing a wife.”
 

Mauro helped me onto the ladder. “I thought Graeme was your suspect.”
 

“He is, but we couldn’t find the barb. I don’t know. It just feels wrong. Husband’s beat wives to death. They strangle them. Shoot them. How many men make a three-part plan and clean up? Besides, Graeme got to Lucia quickly and went to the hospital with her. He didn’t have time to retrieve the barb.”
 

“Graeme could have a partner and they could’ve gotten it. Maybe you should ask your dad?”

I climbed over the side of the boat. “Not if I can help it.”
 

Lucia and Graeme were on the beach under a pair of pink striped umbrellas when we pulled up onto shore. Ever faithful, Aaron sat ten yards away watching them like a nerdy owl. Lucia and Graeme didn’t seem to know he was there. Thank goodness. If I had a guy like that following me, I’d be pretty freaked out and that’s saying something. I’d had some pretty weird guys follow me.
 

Mauro and I unloaded our tanks and equipment while I watched Graeme out of the corner of my eye. Was he the kind of guy that would hatch an elaborate plan to off his wife? If I knew his financial situation, that might help. Divorce was expensive. Divorce from a Fibonacci, well, that might be straight up unhealthy. Maybe Dr. Carrow, DDS, thought her accidental death was preferable to his.
 

Graeme kissed Lucia’s forehead and walked off the beach in the direction of the restaurant past Colin the frat boy passed out on a lounge chair with his hat over his face. Finally, a moment alone with Lucia.
 

“Are we done?” I asked Mauro.

“Yes. What are you going to do?”
 

“I’m going to tell Lucia someone’s trying to kill her.”

“Good luck with that.” Mauro drove off and I walked over to Lucia.

She put down her book,
“P” is for Peril
. “Mercy, where have you been?”
 

“Actually I wanted to talk to you about that. May I sit down?”
 

“Of course.”
 

I looked to wave Aaron over. He could be my character witness or at least Dad’s character witness. But Aaron was gone. He abandoned his post, the twerp. I sat and tried to look reliable, not something I’m great at, especially with the hair from hell.
 

“How are you feeling?” I asked.

“Not great. I think I just need to rest. The painkillers help. Thanks for those.”
 

“Don’t mention it. I don’t know how to tell you this, but Mauro and I went out to try and find the stingray barb. He thinks it wasn’t a native species.”
 

“Really? That’s weird.”

“I agree. It’s even weirder that it’s not where you dropped it. The barb is gone.”
 

“Oh.” Lucia looked so pretty with her big eyes and fluffy dark hair. I hated to wipe that innocent expression off her face.
 

“Somebody took it,” I said.
 

“It would be a cool souvenir, I guess.”
 

“I don’t think it’s a souvenir. I think it’s evidence.”
 

There. I did it.

Lucia tilted her head. “Evidence that I got stung?”
 

I guess I didn’t do it. Second try. “Evidence of attempted murder.”
 

She gasped and put her hand on her chest. “There was a murder? Who was it? Oh my god!”
 

Wow. I really stink at this.
 

“No. No. Of an attempted murder of…um…you.” I bit my lip and waited for her to freak.
 

Instead, she laughed. She laughed so hard, she had to wipe the tears away. “Oh, Mercy. That’s a good one.”
 

“I’m serious, Lucia. Truly I am. Look at what’s happened on this island, since you got here. The missing inhalers. Two broken regs and a stabbing. You have to listen to me.”
 

“Who would try to kill me? I’m a housewife. I volunteer and walk the dog.”
 

“Well, usually in cases like this, the police look at the husband.”

She laughed again with fresh tears and everything. I felt like an idiot. Surely a woman with a violent husband wouldn’t think this was so crazy.
 

“Graeme’s a dentist for heaven’s sake. A dentist,” she said.
 

“Dentists can kill people.”
 

“Name one killer dentist.”
 

Oh, crap. She had me. I couldn’t think of one.
 

“There are a lot of killer husbands,” I said.
 

“How would you know that?” She held up her novel. “Have you been reading a lot of murder mysteries?”
 

This was not going the way I thought it would. “I never read them. My father’s a retired police detective. I’ve lived with crime my whole life. I don’t want to read about it.”
 

Graeme walked up. “Ah, the two most beautiful ladies on the island.” I think he cringed when he looked at me. “What are you talking about?”

Lucia took a mug of coffee from him. “Mercy thinks you’re trying to kill me.”
 

“Well, that is on my bucket list.” He sat on the end of Lucia’s chair and they clinked mugs.
 

I’m sure I’ve felt stupider at some point in my life, but I sure didn’t know when.
 

“Look, I have some experience in this area. You should listen to me,” I said.
 

“Are you a cop or something?” asked Graeme. I detected no worry in his eyes. Confident bastard.

“My dad’s Tommy Watts.” I hated to do it, but I had to pull out the rep. “He’s kind of a famous detective.”
 

Lucia brightened up. “Tall guy with red hair. Kind of gangly?”

“That’s him.”
 

Lucia pushed Graeme’s shoulder. “The master of ceremonies at the last Policeman’s Benevolent Association dinner.”
 

“That’s your dad?” asked Graeme with a shocked look. “There’s no resemblance at all.”
 

“It’s all on the inside. So you two were at the PBA dinner?”
 

“I organize fundraising for the Widows and Orphans Fund,” said Lucia.
 

Didn’t see that coming. A Fibonacci at a dinner for cops. WTF.
 

“Um…that’s nice. So I’m trying to tell you that I know what I’m talking about. Nobody has that many accidents, Lucia.”
 

Graeme took a sip of coffee and looked at me quietly. I think he was trying to detect some Tommy Watts in my face. Good luck. I was all Mom on the outside. “Accidents happen, Mercy. This has just been an unlucky trip.”
 

“Or very lucky trip, depending on how you look at it,” I said.
 

Lucia patted my shoulder. “I appreciate your concern, but I’m not worried. No one would take the trouble of murdering me. I’m not that interesting.”
 

In other words, you’re crazy.
 

“Please be careful,” I said. “There is cause for concern. You should stay on the resort where there are guards.”

“We’re not letting some freak accidents ruin our vacation,” said Graeme.
 

“Once I feel better, we’re going on a glass-bottomed boat tour,” said Lucia, smiling. “Don’t worry. Those are pretty benign, unless a fish jumps in the boat and bites me.”
 

There was nothing I could do. Lucia couldn’t conceive of a killer husband or any threat at all. As a bonus, Graeme now knew I suspected him and could come after me, if he was the one. I suppose I should’ve been afraid, but I sensed no malice from him. I’d been fooled before, so all I could do was cross my fingers and hope.

“Mind if I take a look at your leg?” I asked.

“Absolutely.”
 

I lifted the skirt of her long cover-up and frowned at the stain of yellow pus that had soaked through the bandage. Lucia winced as I peeled back the tape and gauze. The wound had swollen to twice the size it had been the night before. It was gaping open, red, and hot to the touch.

“That doesn’t look good,” said Graeme.
 

“No, it doesn’t. You definitely have an infection. The Keflex should be taking care of it. Did you take your dose yet today?”

“I thought I should wait until the same time as yesterday,” said Lucia.

“Let’s go ahead and take it now. I’d like to soak it in Epsom salts as well.”
 

“You brought Epsom salts with you on vacation?”

“I wish I had. I’ll get Aaron on it. If there are Epsom salts on the island, he’ll find them,” I said.
 

“Your little guy is pretty interesting,” said Graeme. “So are you two—”

“Oh my god no. Why do people think he’s my significant other?”
 

Lucia laughed. “You’re always together.”
 

“Not by choice. He’s kind of my partner. He’s supposed to look after me, if you can believe that,” I said.
 

“I can believe it. He’s alway right there with whatever you need.”