Take a Dive for Murder (17 page)

Carrie left Mrs. Faraday’s room feeling elated. She couldn’t deny the positive feelings she had from the meeting.

However,
Carrie couldn’t dwell on the meeting with Mrs. Faraday any longer. She needed to concentrate on the upcoming dinner with Suzanne. She was deep in her own thoughts as she turned the corner in the hallway and bumped smack into Charles. He caught her before she fell to the floor.

“Well, hello! How did it go with Mother?” Charles asked.

“To be honest, it was an unexpected pleasure. We got along just fine. I was just coming to tell you what your mother and I decided. We want to share information with the family, just like you did in your meeting this morning. Where’s Suzanne?”

“She’s downstairs in the study,” Charles said. “She’s still pouting about not having tea with Mother. Why?”

Carrie spent a few seconds filling Charles in on the plan for the dinner and the approach with Suzanne. He said he would let her know that dinner was in the study and then stay downstairs to help Mrs. Cavanaugh get the study ready for the meal. Charles was about to head down the steps, but instead he turned around and gave Carrie a hug.
“I knew it would go well with Mother. You two are more alike than either of you were ever willing to admit.”

Carrie stood and watched him for a moment
. She still wasn’t sure about her personal feelings for Charles, but she was sure glad they were working together on the case.

She pulled herself back to reality
and headed to Christopher’s room. She barely finished knocking on the door when it was flung open.

“I was hoping it was you. It’s about time you showed up.” He took her by the arm and guided her to the chair. “I understand you hid the journal for security reasons, but I wish you had left me a clue. I could have been working on it during the day.”

“I know you’re upset with me, but when I left you the note, I thought Suzanne was going to be here with you. I didn’t like writing down anything about the journal with her around. As it turned out, she went with us to your uncle’s office. Anyway, I figured you would go to my room and look for the journal.”

“Actually, I did sort of toss your room while you were out,” he answered softly.

“Ah, I see,” Carrie responded sternly. Then she broke into a grin. “You did a good job. I was in my room before having tea with your grandmother, and never knew you were there.”

“Good, I was careful to put everything back where it was. I finally decided you must have taken the journal with you. I guess you shared it with the people at Uncle Charles’s meeting.”

“You know about the meeting?”

“Grandmother told me you all went to a meeting about my
dad. I’d have liked to have gone, too, but I guess it was just for adults.” He sounded down. “While you were gone, I did tell Grandmother about the journal. I felt I needed to tell someone since I didn’t know where the book was.”

“First of all, partner, I didn’t have the book with me. It was in my room the entire time. Second, no one at the meeting was told about the journal. You found it, so you should be the one to tell your Uncle Charles about it before anyone
else is told of its existence. Third, don’t forget you also need to tell him about the two men and what you saw the night of the fire.”

Christopher seemed relieved about the status of the journal. Then he thought about what Carrie just said. “Wait a minute! You’re saying the book was in your room? I couldn’t find it, and I looked everywhere.”

“Obviously, you didn’t look in the right place. I thought you would have found it, based on finding your father’s journal.”

“You hid it under the floorboards
?” he asked in disbelief.

“Not exactly, since the room has wall-to-wall carpe
t.” She took him by the hand and led him over to the fireplace in his room. She moved the fireplace set and then lifted the hearth rug.

“That’s where it was? Gee, I even lifted the fireplace set. I should have looked under the rug. Can we go and get the book and go over it now before dinner?”

“I’m afraid looking at the journal will be delayed a little longer. Look, your grandmother sent me over to talk with you. At dinner, we’re going to continue the meeting about your father’s death.”

“Oh, I see,” he said dejectedly. “So you’ve been sent to tell me that my dinner will be sent up to my room.”

“No, silly, I’m here to tell you dinner is being served in the study and don’t be late.”

“Really?” Christopher could barely hide his excitement.

“Really, but there’s a restriction,” answered Carrie.

“I knew it. I have to keep my mouth shut and listen to the adults.”

“Hey, what’s wrong with you? You’re my partner and a full participant. The restriction has to do with Suzanne. We don’t feel we can trust her. We want to be careful what we say in front of her. That’s why any discussion about the journal needs to wait until we are alone with your uncle.”

“Haven’t I been telling you guys she couldn’t be trusted? I never understood what Dad saw in her. If nobody trusts her, why are we inviting her to our meeting?”

“For the same reason your father kept her near. To find out what she knows!”

Carrie left Christopher’s room and returned to her own. She had time before the dinner with Suzanne and needed to relax. She would forget Suzanne for the moment and do some writing.

She liked the atmosphere of her room at the Faraday’s.
It was quiet and comfortable and the desk was a perfect size to hold her laptop and still have room for papers. It was a great place to spend some time with her character Ascot.

Carrie had used her
ATM escape from her two assailants to also save Ascot from the agents who had him trapped in the alley. Now she was working on a scene where Ascot was going to meet the man who had been providing him with information. She decided this meeting would take place in a bar. She wanted the inside of the bar to be old and dark, which seemed appropriate for Ascot’s secret meeting. The bar at the Admiral’s Saloon
gave the impression of being old. Carrie would combine some of its characteristics with some of the features of pubs she had visited in Europe.

Ascot entered the bar. It was so dark that he was forced to stop in his tracks while his eyes adjusted to the light. Once his eyes adjusted, the room came into focus but light was still limited. The walls were covered in a dark wood paneling that no doubt had deepened in color after many years of inhaling smoke and liquor from the patrons.

Ascot spotted two men drinking beer at the bar. It was early afternoon but they were very comfortable in their seats as if they had been there for many hours. Ascot looked down the length of the long bar
; there were no other customers. He looked to his right and saw an alcove that was set up for dart tournaments, but there was no one playing darts. Ascot looked at the booths that lined the right-hand wall of the bar. Although the booths had high backs, he could see no activity or hear any voices. Where was the guy he was supposed to be meeting?

He was just debating whether to leave when he saw an arm extend out from a booth at the
back of the bar. Then the hand made a waving motion, inviting him to approach. Ascot started the long walk to the back of the bar. As he passed the bartender, he nodded. Finally, he reached the booth and he turned to see who was seated there. He couldn’t hide his surprise when he recognized—

Carrie knew t
his piece of writing would need editing, but she was pleased with what she had written so far. She was sitting back relaxing when she noticed the calendar on the desk.

Good grief, I’m about to miss a deadline
, she thought, realizing she needed to call her editor and ask for an extension on a photo shoot she did.

Carrie lifted the receiver on the phone near her bed and heard a conversation that was already in progress.
That’s unusual
, she thought, having been under the impression that this was Jamie’s private line.
I wonder where the extension is.
She was about to put the receiver down when she recognized Suzanne’s voice. However, this voice was not the little girl voice she associated with Suzanne. This voice was all business.

“Did you hear something?” a
soft male voice asked.

“No, but I’m using one of the cordless phones from the studio, so the base station may have been damaged in the fire. I didn’t want to use one of the house lines in case someone picked up the receiver,” answered Suzanne. “Anyway, as I was telling you, I
don’t know what that kid found. All I know is that he went to her car last night and got something out from under the seat.”

“I thought your room was right over the driveway. Couldn’t you see what
the kid got?” asked the man on the other end of the phone line.

“It was dark. That part of the driveway isn’t lit. In fact, if it weren’t for the lights from the fire department equipment, I probably wouldn’t have seen him at all. I could tell it was something small and easy to carry. It might have been a book, or it might have been his father’s journal. The note that Carrie left for him this morning referred to whatever they found as ‘it.’ She seems to be encouraging Christopher’s fantasies by playing detective with him.”

Now Carrie knew the reason why Suzanne returned to her room that morning for a sweater. While Carrie was politely fixing Suzanne a cup of coffee in the kitchen, she was reading Christopher’s note.

“Playing detective or not, she must think whatever the kid found is important. Otherwise, she would have told Christopher where she h
id it,” he suggested.

“But even if he found the journal, we don’t know
if it contains anything important,” Suzanne suggested.

“I hope you‘re right
. Except for that journal there’s nothing to worry about. All the remaining papers and photos went up in smoke last night. We saw to that. We broke open every file and desk drawer before dousing them in flammable liquid. Why don’t you talk to the boy? Tell him you saw him and ask him what he found. Tell him that the two of you must form an alliance to help solve his father’s murder,” Then he added with a snicker. “Becomes the little brat’s friend.”

Carrie listened carefully, hoping to identify the voice as one of the two men who chased her. Unfortunately, the second man hadn’t said enough that night for Carrie to be sure it was him.

“I’ve tried to get along with him, but he doesn’t like me. Look, I’m not sure there is anything else I can do here. Carrie has managed to gain everyone’s confidence. Christopher likes her, and if I’m not mistaken, Charles is infatuated with her. I’m not sure how much longer they will let me stay.”

“Then use the time you have left wisely.
Find out what the kid found and keep a close eye on Carrie She’s a problem we didn’t plan on.”

“She’s not my problem! You guys were supposed to convince her to leave town before something happened to her. If you had you done your job at the harbor, she wouldn’t be a problem.”

Carrie gulped, now she knew Suzanne was definitely talking with one of the men who chased her. She wondered if Suzanne was naïve enough to think those men were only going to talk with her at the harbor. What on earth could Jamie have discovered that would have these people willing to kill others? Carrie forced her brain back to the phone conversation.

“I want to meet with the boss. You tell him that I want out and I want my money.
I’ll simply disappear, no strings attached. In fact, I’m calling the travel agency tomorrow. I want to go back to Europe,” demanded Suzanne.

“I’ll talk to him. I’m sure he will decide to get you out of there. But in the meantime, keep
doing your job!” He paused and then added, be at the public phone booth tonight at ten, and I’ll call you there with further instructions.”

“All right, I’ll be there. Bill, that phone better ring
; no more excuses. I want to leave this house, and tomorrow won’t be soon enough.”

With those last words, Suzanne hung up the phone. When Carrie was sure the other party had hung up, she replaced her receiver. At least now Carrie had the proof Mrs. Faraday and Captain Becker both wanted. Suzanne was definitely connected to Jamie’s murder.

Carrie went to the fireplace and removed the journal from its hiding place. She slipped the book into the band at the back of her slacks. She threw on a sweater to cover the journal’s hiding place. She looked in the mirror and turned to the side to make sure the outline of the journal didn’t bulge out from the fabric of the sweater. As she was fixing her makeup, she saw the determined look on her face. She would confront Suzanne Redmond with the phone conversation she just overheard. She would ask Suzanne why Jamie Faraday was murdered.

The study set-up was similar to the day of the funeral. A large folding table was added to hold the food. The jigsaw puzzle was gone and the round game table was covered with a cloth and was serving as the dining table. Mrs. Cavanaugh clearly added to the request from Mrs. Faraday for sliced chicken sandwiches. The table displayed the chicken, nicely sliced, with an assortment of cheeses along with hot rolls, a green and a pasta salad, plus chips and a relish tray. To round out the meal, there was a plate stacked with brownies, along with individual fresh fruit bowls.

When Christopher and Carrie arrived, Mrs. Faraday and Suzanne were already seated at the table, and Charles was in the process of opening a bottle of wine. Carrie helped Charles place the wine glasses on the table for each of the adults and poured a soda for Christopher.

Carrie and Charles were deciding where to sit when Suzanne spoke. “Charles, come and sit next to me.”

Before Charles had a chance to respond, Christopher practically jumped from where he was standing and slid in next to Suzanne.

“Christopher, I just asked Charles to sit there.”

“I know, but it’s been such a long time since I had the chance to sit with you. This will be like old times. You know, when we were overseas, and
I’d sit next to you at dinner.” Christopher smiled innocently.

Carrie was sure Mrs. Faraday took a quick sip of wine to hide a grin from showing on her face. Christopher’s quick action allowed Charles and Carrie to sit next to each other. Under other circumstances, this would have bee
n a cozy setting for a meal. Only one lamp in the room was on low. The meal was lit by candles on the table and the light from the wood burning in the fireplace. Once the members of the group finished dinner and were eating dessert, Charles changed the direction of the dinner conversation.

“
I’d like to review one more time what we know about Jamie’s death. I feel we are still missing some key information.”

“Oh, Charles, we spent this morning doing the same thing at your office. Can’t we just have a quiet meal together without discussing Jamie’s death?” Suzanne poured herself a cup of coffee.

As if his response was rehearsed, Christopher said, “I disagree. I think this is the perfect time, Uncle Charles. After all, Grandmother and I were not at your meeting. We may know something that wasn’t mentioned there. Our information combined with what you learned today might be the perfect clue.”

“Clues,” snapped Suzanne. “This isn’t a mystery book for little boys. This is real life.”

“I know it’s real! Even if I’m a kid, I’d like to know why my dad was murdered!” Christopher put extra emphasis on the word “murdered.”

“I’ll be glad to tell you what we learned today: nothing! Absolutely nothing that would change the ruling from accidental death to murder,” Suzanne sneered.

They all stared as Suzanne lost her cool. Then she stopped abruptly and sweetly added, “Well we didn’t.”

“Suzanne, I disagree,” Charles said. “I think we learned some important things today, but you
were rather quiet at that meeting. I thought perhaps here, with just the family, you might have something to add.”

Before Suzanne could respond, Mrs. Faraday interrupted the exchange. “I’ll start.” Everyone turned to face her. “My son was an expert swimmer. He
wouldn’t have drowned unless some other factor kept him from using his swimming skills.”

“That’s an interesting place to start, Mother, because Carrie took some photos of the pier area that support that conclusion.” Charles summarized the information Carrie presented at the meeting. Christopher and Mrs. Faraday asked several questions, and then Suzanne inserted herself back into the conversation.

“You’re right, I can share something,” Suzanne said abruptly. “I’d like to know what Christopher removed from Carrie’s car last night. I think it was something he took from his father’s studio just before the fire started. Which reminds me, Christopher what do you know about the fire. You were wandering around just when it started.”

“I didn’t start that fire!” Christopher started to jump up but Carrie touched his arm and he quickly resumed his seat.

All right I won’t go down that road for the moment, but you two won’t deny I saw Christopher at Carrie’s car?” She looked from Carrie to Christopher.

Carrie was surprised by Suzanne’s forthright approach, and Charles was caught off guard by the revelation. Christopher didn’t know what to do and looked to Carrie. Carrie really didn’t want to talk about the journal, but decided to follow Suzanne’s direct approach.

“Suzanne, that’s a fair question. And, yes, we did find something, or rather Christopher did. It was Christopher’s find, and he wanted to be the one to tell everyone about it. Charles, Christopher planned on telling you tonight.” Christopher nodded his head in agreement. “You see, Christopher found his father’s journal in the studio.”

Charles raised an eyebrow and looked at the others sitting around the table. He noticed that only Suzanne shared his surprise at this announcement. “Mother, you don’t seem surprised. Did you know about the journal?”

“Yes, Christopher told me this afternoon. But as Carrie mentioned, he wanted to be the one to tell you.” Mrs. Faraday calmly took a sip of her coffee.

Christopher jumped to his own defense. “Uncle Charles, I didn’t have time to tell you. I was asleep when you left
. This was the first opportunity…”

“It’s all right, Christopher, I understand,” Charles interrupted.

Suzanne looked unnerved. “Christopher, I can’t believe you just found Jamie’s journal! You’ve probably had it squirreled away the whole time while playing detective.” Then Suzanne thought for a moment. “Besides, I bet there isn’t anything of importance in the journal. Jamie rarely used it and he wasn’t writing a story,” she added with emphasis.

“Suzanne, you’re lying,” Charles pushed back. “You and I saw Jamie use his journal right in this room, and
you were there today when we learned that Jamie was starting a story about smuggling.”

“Listen to your own words, Charles. He was ‘starting
’ work on a story. That means he was just beginning. I bet there’s nothing in that journal about smuggling, is there?” She looked at each of them and added, “See, I’m right, aren’t I?”

Carrie didn’t want anything more revealed about the journal. Instead, she wanted to confront Suzanne about the phone call. Carrie cleared her throat and said, “Suzanne, you’re right, but let’s not talk about the journal. Let’s talk about the phone call you made just before dinner to Bill. Bill was one of the two men chasing me the other night, one of the two men who set the studio on fire, and one of the two men who killed Jamie.” It was Carrie’s turn to be direct.

“What phone call? I didn’t make any phone call.” She was clearly nervous.

“The phone call you made on Jamie’s cordless phone. Apparently you weren’t aware that the cordless phone line from the studio is the same line in Jamie’s bedroom. When I picked up the receiver to call my editor this afternoon, you were on the line. I heard your entire conversation.” Carrie looked at Mrs. Faraday. “I think this is the proof we discussed this afternoon.”

“What proof? There’s no proof, because you’re mistaken,” she stammered. “You’re just trying to put me in a bad light with the family.” She looked to Charles and Mrs. Faraday for sympathy, but none was forthcoming.

Carrie continued, “Suzanne, who were you talking with on the phone? Who is the man you told about Christopher taking something from my car? Who is the man
that is going to give you money and a ticket to Europe? Suzanne, it’s time for the truth. Who paid you to be part of Jamie Faraday’s murder?”

Suzanne jumped up from the table and moved away from the group toward the fireplace. “No, you’re wrong. They didn’t kill Jamie. They just wanted him to stop poking around in their business. He had no story, but he kept digging. His death wasn’t murder. It was accidental
. I had nothing to do with it. Charles, you know that! I was here in this study with you the night your brother was killed.” She was speaking rapidly.

“That’s true, Suzanne, but I think it must be obvious even to you that Jamie’s death wasn’t accidental. If you’re working with these people, then you’re an accessory. You can be charged
with murder. You could go to jail,” Charles said, deliberately trying to frighten her.

“I swear I had nothing to do with Jamie’s death.” Suzanne removed a small vase from the fireplace
mantle and was turning it in her hand. “Look, I’m not saying another word until I have an understanding.”

“Suzanne, come and sit down with us. Let us help you. If you cooperate and give us the names of these men, I’m sure we can limit the consequences for you,” offered Mrs. Faraday as she patted Suzanne’s chair.

“There will be no consequences! I want the same things from you Mrs. Faraday that Carrie overheard on the phone call. I want a ticket to Europe and some money.” Suzanne looked at Mrs. Faraday, but her face showed no emotion, so she added, “I just want the money Jamie promised me in his will. Is it a deal?” Suzanne replaced the vase back on the mantle and turned to face the group.

“It’s a deal,” Charles said with no hesitation. “Now, what do you know?”

Suzanne headed back toward the table. But before she could reach her seat, there was the sound of glass shattering, and a gunshot stopped her progress. She briefly put her hand to her head then Suzanne Redmond slumped to the floor in a pool of red liquid.