Terror on Tybee Island (A Trixie Montgomery Cozy Mystery Book 3) (5 page)

CHAPTER NINE

A
frantic knock on Laura’s bedroom door demanded our attention.

“Come in,” Laura said.

“Come quick, Ms. Laura. The dogs escaped.” Louise wrung her hands. “I’m so sorry. I opened the back door to let the dogs out for a little while. They flew out and the gate to the pen was open.” Her chin quivered.

“Oh no! Ladies please help me round up the escapees. I’ve already been fined once. Those blasted sea turtles have caused me nothing but trouble.”

We followed Laura downstairs, through the kitchen and outside. I spotted the dogs on the beach, bottoms up, digging for all they were worth. I hoped we’d go unnoticed while they dug.

The dogs stayed so intense on retrieving their prey the mischievous pups didn’t have a clue when we snuck up behind them. We carried them back to the house and Laura sequestered them to their kennels. “This is not going to work. I’ll have to call my friend and tell her to come pick them up. I can’t handle their care.” She sat in a dining room chair and covered her face with her hands. “I don’t think I can take one more catastrophe.” Dee Dee patted Laura on the back, but she looked at me like she needed me to throw her a life-line.

Laura removed her hands and looked at me with teary eyes. “Trixie, will you help me?”

I put myself in Laura’s Dockers. “I’ll do what I can. How about I talk with Edna and see what she can tell us?”

“If she worked for Grace all these years, she should be able to enlighten us if there are others who’ve had run-ins with her,” Dee Dee said.

Mama walked up and placed her hand on Laura’s shoulder. “Laura, what can I do for you?”

The waterworks started again. “Oh, Betty Jo. I don’t know what to do.” She sniffed and wiped her nose with a clean napkin. “Trixie and Dee Dee took pity on me and offered to interview Grace’s housekeeper. If anyone knows Grace’s secrets, Edna should.”

“I’m so glad they’ve agreed to help. Trixie and Dee Dee have a knack for sniffing out the bad guys.” She looked at me with a mother’s love written all over her face.
Geeze, talk about a guilt trip.
I smiled back sweetly.

Father, you are going to have to help me on this one. It’s way too big for me and Dee Dee.

“Dee Dee, let’s take a walk and see if Edna can answer some questions.”

“Okie dokie.” Dee Dee grabbed a danish from the table before we left. “What? I’m still hungry.”

“The least you can do is share.” She tore off a small corner and handed it to me. I popped it in my mouth happy to get a morsel.

“Mmm.” I licked the sugar off my fingers and wiped them on my pants. I know – not very dainty.

Ellie walked out the door behind us. “Hi. It’s a beautiful day for a walk on the beach. I thought I’d get some exercise before lunch, then go site-seeing after we eat.” We walked through the garden featuring a kaleidoscope of roses. Pink, red, yellow, and coral roses painted a colorful landscape. Rock walkways wound through the little bit of heaven on earth.

Ellie asked her own question. “What are you two ladies up to?”

Dee Dee piped up. “Oh, we’re going over to ask Edna…” I grabbed Dee Dee’s arm and gave it a hefty squeeze. She looked at me with raised eyebrows. I didn’t want her to divulge our plans. The less people knew about our involvement the better.

“Yeah, we’re going over to the Inn to see if Edna needs any help during this difficult time.”

“What a wonderful idea. How about I go with you?”

I couldn’t help but wonder if she was sincere about helping, or if she was just curious. “Thank you, Ellie, but you go ahead and take your walk. We don’t want to overwhelm her.” I crossed my fingers and hoped she’d decide to follow her original plans. We didn’t need an extra set of ears around when we questioned Edna.

“Well, if you don’t think you’ll need me.” I shook my head and watched her stroll toward the beach.

Dee Dee and I walked to the front of the bed and breakfast. I had to admit it was a cute cottage. The two story wood structure was painted coral with white trim, surrounded by a porch scattered with rockers. Swings hung at each end offering the weary traveler an invitation to rest.

Before we knocked, the door swung open. We jumped simultaneously. Bubba stood there, dressed in shorts and a tropical shirt dotted with colorful toucans. “Hi there, y’all. Come on in.”
Had he been watching us?
He opened the screen door and motioned for us to enter. “Hasn’t this been a terrible thing about Grace bein’ murdered and all? Who would’ve thought winnin’ the lottery would lead to bein’ involved in a murder?” He shook his head like a wet dog. “No siree. I didn’t know what I was gettin’ into. I sure didn’t sign up for this.”

“Uh, Mr. Maxwell,” Dee Dee said.

“Just call me Bubba. I don’t stand on ceremony. Just because I’m a millionaire now I’m still country folk at heart. Money won’t change that.”

“Okay, Bubba. Is Edna here?”

“She sure is. I’ll go get her for ya.” He headed toward the back.

I took the breather to look around the room. It was absolutely beautiful. A huge rock fireplace covered one of the walls. Wicker furniture filled the room. The accent color was the same coral color painted on the outside. It shouted, “Welcome!” It was easy to see that Seaside Cottage and Ocean View Inn were both comfortable and welcoming places to stay. I could see where the defining factor could be the kindness and personality of the hostess. It could tip the scales one way or the other. If Grace had been as grouchy as Laura claimed, there was a good probability she ran off quite a few guests.

“Country boy’s taking his time,” Dee Dee said.

“Shhh, here they come.”

“Here she is, ladies.” Bubba’s rotund frame hid Edna from view. “Well, I’m off to see the sights. Hope y’all have a good day.” He bowed as far as his pouch allowed and went on his way to reveal the petite lady behind him.

“Hi, Edna.” Dee Dee extended her hand. “I’m Dee Dee Lamont and this is Trixie Montgomery. We’re staying at Seaside Cottage.” Edna looked a little bewildered, but offered her hand to Dee Dee.

“What can I do for you? I’m sure you’ve heard the owner of Ocean View has passed away.”

“Yes, and we’re sorry for your loss.” I didn’t know how to approach this delicately so I charged ahead. “Look Edna, we’re friends of Laura’s and we’d like to ask you a few questions about Grace.”

“I don’t understand. Why do you want to know about Grace? That Detective Baker has already talked to me.” She took a cloth tucked in her pocket and wiped off a glass tabletop.

“The truth is, Laura’s been questioned and named a person of interest in Grace’s murder. She’s a long-time friend of my mother. Laura’s devastated and my mother’s asked us to see what we can find out. We thought since you knew her so well you’d be a good place to start.”

She hesitated, weighing her words. “I know one thing for sure. That’s one lady I ain’t gonna miss.”

CHAPTER TEN

I
s there somewhere private we can talk?” I searched the room to see if any of the other guests lingered. I didn’t see anyone, but didn’t want to take a chance they were in listening distance.

“I have a small apartment off the kitchen. We can talk in there.” Edna had taken a small area and made it into a comfortable living space, and small described the living area right enough. It consisted of one large open room with a double bed on one side of the room and a couch, small dinette table, and television on the other side. A tiny bathroom was located off to the side.

“How cute, Edna,” Dee Dee said.

“Thank you. I’ve lived here for fifteen years. It’s the only home I have.” Edna plopped on the couch as if her legs wouldn’t hold her up another minute. Tears glistened on her cheeks. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to cry.” She pulled a wadded up handkerchief from her pocket and wiped her eyes.

“Oh, don’t worry. We all need a good cry every now and then.” Dee Dee sat down beside her. “And under the circumstances, you have every reason.”

I thought of all the times I’d boohooed on Dee Dee’s shoulder. Even though she’d been through her own trials when her husband Gary died suddenly almost three years ago. I strived to follow her strength and faith.

Edna sniffed. “I’m not crying over her murder. That woman never caused anything but grief and sorrow to those who crossed her path.” She blew her nose and emitted a sound akin to a pig snort.

“Did she make your life hard?”

Edna shot Dee Dee a look like she was plum crazy. “Hard? She made my life miserable. If I ever threatened to quit, which I did quite often, she said she would tell everyone I stole from her. She’d make sure I’d never work on the island again. Can you imagine what it was like to live under those circumstances?” We shook our heads in unison. She continued.

“I’m sorry about Ms. Laura being fingered for killing the old bat. I can’t imagine her killing a fly. I’ll help you in any way I can. As a matter of fact, if you do find out who did it I sure would like to shake their hand.” She released a maniacal laugh. I wondered if the stress had made her a little uneven. Considering her giddy behavior, I easily pictured her knocking off Grace.

“Trixie? Edna asked you a question.”

“Uh, sorry. What did you ask?”

“She asked what she could do to help. You know, with the investigation.” Dee Dee shot me a questioning look.

“Oh. Right.” I scooted to the edge of the chair. “Edna, could you give us a list of people who might have had a run-in with Grace in the past?”

Dee Dee rummaged around her gigantic purse and popped out a notepad and pen. I’ve never been with Dee Dee when she wasn’t carrying a larger than life pocketbook, usually color coordinated with her outfit.

“Well, shoot. I expect you don’t have enough paper in that little notebook of yours to write down all the names.” Dee Dee and I exchanged glances. This wasn’t going to be an easy task. “Now let me see.” She looked up as if the names were written on the ceiling.

“The first person that pops into my mind is Mary Sue. She was a cook at Flounders, a local seafood restaurant.”

“Do you know Mary Sue’s last name?” Dee Dee’s pen was poised ready to write.

“Sure, it’s Bartlett. Mary Sue Bartlett. Anyway, Grace had it in for poor ole Mary Sue.” She shook her head at Mary Sue’s plight. “She used to help out here and I treasured her help as much as her friendship. Everything was fine until she took the job at Flounders.” She had a faraway look in her eyes.

“What did her job have to do with Grace?”

“Well, that’s just it. She had all these wonderful recipes she introduced at the restaurant. The dishes became big hits with the customers, and the owners promoted her to head chef. Before long, a producer invited her to host a local cooking show. She was ecstatic, and all her friends were happy for her.

“Of course, she quit her job here. I missed her, but was glad she wasn’t stuck here like me. It wasn’t long until the feathers started to fly. Grace found out that the recipes she’d been using at the restaurant and on the cooking show were ones Mary Sue had developed when she worked here. Grace had all new hires who worked in the kitchen sign a contract, and the fine print stated her recipes couldn’t be shared outside the Inn. She claimed they were original family secrets, and she didn’t want anybody else discovering the ingredients.”

Dee Dee shook her hand as if she had a cramp, and caught my eye, her brow raised.

“I imagine Grace didn’t take too kindly to that. But I don’t see how she could prove they were her recipes. A lot of dishes are made with similar ingredients.” Didn’t sound like much of a case at this point.

“Grace could’ve let it go, but it wasn’t her way. She hounded poor Mary Sue to death. She threatened a lawsuit. She literally stalked the woman. Eventually, Mary Sue couldn’t take it anymore. She finally quit her job at the restaurant and the cooking show. Poor thing, she became so depressed there were times I thought she’d trip over her lip.”

Dee Dee shoved the pad toward me. “You write. My hand is cramped up.” I grabbed the items. “What happened to Mary Sue?”

“She wound up working at a fast food joint. She barely makes enough to feed herself and her kid. She was furious with Grace. Said she’d get even with her.”