Heavenly Honeymoon (Zoe Donovan Mysteries Book 15) (3 page)

I put my hands over my face. This was looking bad. Really bad. My only alibi for the time of the murdered man’s death was someone who apparently was a figment of my imagination.

“Look,” I pleaded, “I know how it looks. I really do. But I didn’t kill Ricardo Jimenez. Yes, I was angry with him, and yes, I threatened to carry out all sorts of heinous crimes against him, but I promise that my threats were simply that: threats.”

“At this point you’re our only suspect. I don’t see that I have much choice other than to detain you until we can figure things out.”

“There were seventeen people on board the yacht tonight. Why am I the only suspect?”

“It seems you were the only one who was absent from the lounge other than Mr. Jimenez.”

“That’s not true. Jimenez left the lounge before I went for the knife. I don’t know where he went and I didn’t see him between the lounge and the kitchen, but he wasn’t in either place. When I got back to the lounge after trying to retrieve the knife the first time, Park wasn’t there. I’m pretty sure both Charles and Jensen Ewing disappeared for a short time during that period as well. And neither the chef nor the two servers were in either the kitchen or the lounge. By my calculation that makes seven of us who had the opportunity to kill Jimenez. If you include the man I saw in the hall that makes eight.”

“The man you met in the hall who took the knife from you but apparently doesn’t exist?”

“He exists. I know what I saw.”

“Perhaps. But still, at this point you seem the most likely suspect.”

I closed my eyes against the tears that were threatening to fall. I really didn’t know what more I could say. I was about to try one last time to reason with the man when Toad came in and whispered something in Talin’s ear. Toad handed Talin the phone. He left the room, so I couldn’t hear his end of the conversation, but he’d left the door open so I could watch his face as he spoke.

He was smiling. Eventually, the smile gave way to laughter. His face had softened quite a lot. I only hoped his change in mood was in some way connected to me. He hung up the phone and returned to the room where I was waiting.

“I just had a very enlightening conversation with a Sheriff Salinger from your hometown of Ashton Falls.”

“How did he know I was here?”

“I imagine your husband called him. He has assured me that this isn’t the first time you’ve been the prime suspect in a murder investigation. It seems you’re a bit of a hothead.”

“Maybe. But I’m an innocent hothead.”

“This Sheriff Salinger must really like you. He has personally guaranteed your innocence. Combined with the fistful of hundred-dollar bills your husband offered as bail money, I’m inclined to let you go under three conditions.”

“What conditions?” To be honest, I didn’t really care. I just wanted out of there.

“You will promise not to leave the island until I indicate that it’s all right for you to do so.”

“Agreed.”

“You will promise to check in with one of our detectives twice every day.”

That sounded easy enough. “Who should I check in with?”

The man thought about it for a minute. “I believe Toad will be able to adequately serve this need as he’s here most days.”

“Okay, I’ll check in with Toad twice every day. What’s the third condition?”

“You must stay away from this investigation.”

Uh-oh.

“Your Sheriff Salinger tells me that you like to meddle.”

“It’s not so much that I meddle; it’s more that I seem to stumble across clues. Really, it’s more a case of them finding me than me finding them.”

“If you should stumble across a clue you are to come to tell Toad immediately. If I find that you’ve been snooping around without keeping Toad in the loop I’ll put you in jail immediately. Do you understand?”

“Yes,” I regrettably answered. “I understand.”

After signing a ridiculous amount of paperwork, I was allowed to return to the guesthouse, where I tossed and turned all night. I finally decided that the only solution to my current dilemma was to figure out who’d actually killed Ricardo Jimenez. I know Talin had warned me to stay out of the investigation, but I had very little confidence in Toad’s ability to solve the case on his own. Talin did say that he’d toss me in jail if he found out I was snooping around without keeping Toad in the loop. To my way of thinking, that simply meant that for the duration of the investigation Toad was going to be my hopefully silent partner.

Of course I did need to figure out a way to fit investigating into sharing a fun, family-style vacation with the people who meant the most to me. Zak and the kids would be disappointed if I spent all of my time with my new buddy Toad.

“Good morning, Alex,” I greeted the young girl who had acted as flower girl for our wedding along with Zak’s dog, Bella. “I see you’re writing in your journal.”

Alex had confided that she’d started a diary after she’d read one written by a young girl who lived decades ago that she’d found in the attic of Zak’s house during Christmas vacation. I’d learned that she was quite serious about anything she committed to doing, and she’d been entering her thoughts in the journal on a daily basis.

“Yes. I thought I’d take advantage of the quiet. The boys are in the pool.”

By
boys
, she meant Zak and Scooter. Charlie had slept in with me and was currently standing by the door, waiting to be taken out.

“Did you have a nice time last night?” Alex asked as she completed her thought and then closed the journal.

“We did. The food was delicious and there was a very interesting couple there who were celebrating their fiftieth wedding anniversary.”

Zak and I had decided not to mention the murder or my arrest until we could figure out how to tell the kids what had occurred without sending them into a panic. We didn’t want them to hear about it from anyone else, however, so we were planning to sit them down and explain things later that afternoon, after Zak had a chance to do some digging.

“Wow. Fifty years. I hope I find someone who I can be happy with for fifty years. Do you think you’ll still be married to Zak in fifty years?”

“Absolutely.”

“I sometimes wonder if my parents will make it that long.” Alex sighed.

“They seem to have a lot in common.”

Alex’s parents were archaeologists who traveled the world digging up rare artifacts. They were gone from Alex’s life a lot more often than they were in it, which was one of the reasons I was committed to taking care of her myself. Still, they did seem to share a love for the lifestyle they’d chosen.

“They have their work, but sometimes it seems like their work is all they have. I found out recently that they only got married after they found out I was on the way. I guess I was an accident—an unwelcome accident who really didn’t have a place in their lives from the very beginning.”

“Oh, honey, I’m sure that isn’t true.”

Alex looked at me. “Actually, I think it is. I don’t think they wanted me to know, but the last time I saw them they seemed even more preoccupied than usual. I asked my mom if everything was okay and she said it was, but I could tell it wasn’t. I guess I pushed when I should have let it go, and she admitted she never really wanted to marry my dad. She said they made better friends than lovers. I asked her why they got married in the first place if that was true, and that’s when she told me they got married because of me.”

I sat down next to Alex. Charlie tilted his head, as if to inquire about the delay in my taking him out, but I knew that comforting Alex was more important. It seemed like her mom had dumped some pretty serious information on a mature girl who was still only a child.

“Even if your mom and dad did marry because of you I’m sure they both love you,” I tried, even though, based on their actions, I wasn’t certain that was true. “Adults sometimes have complicated emotional baggage that children aren’t equipped to understand. I know you wish you could spend more time with your parents, but Zak and I are so very happy to have the opportunity to fill in when they aren’t around.”

Alex smiled. “I really love spending time with you and Zak too.”

“How about we put serious thoughts on the back burner and focus on having a wonderful time during our family getaway?”

Alex hugged me, and my heart melted just a tiny bit more than it already had where she was concerned. There was no doubt about it: the girl had carved a permanent place in my heart.

“Did you have a nice time with Oria last night?” I asked, deciding to change the subject to something less stressful and confusing.

“We did.” Alex brightened considerably. “She’s really nice, and she invited us to go horseback riding with a group from Kids Club today.”

Kids Club was an activity group that entertained kids from ages five to twelve during the day so their parents could partake of adult-type activities. So far we hadn’t sent Scooter and Alex to the club, but this sounded like a wonderful way for them to be entertained while Zak and I investigated.

“Would you like to go horseback riding?” I asked after I clipped Charlie’s leash onto his collar.

Alex hesitated. “Scooter and I want to do whatever you and Zak would like to do. It’s your honeymoon, after all. But if you don’t have plans, I do like to ride.”

“I don’t think we have plans today. How about I speak to Zak about it after I take Charlie out? What time is the group leaving?”

“The ride is from ten to four. They’re bringing lunch for us.”

“Sounds fun. It’s only eight, so let me speak to Zak and then I’ll let you know.”

After taking Charlie for a short walk I tracked Zak and Scooter down at the pool. Scooter likewise was excited about the ride, and Zak thought it was a good way to give us some time alone, so I called Oria and made the arrangements for them to go. She asked us to meet her at the clubhouse a half hour early so she could get Scooter and Alex registered because they hadn’t taken part in any club activities yet. I showered, dressed, and grabbed a quick bowl of cereal for breakfast, then accompanied Scooter and Alex to the clubhouse while Zak caught up on some phone calls.

“I’m so glad it worked out for you to come along,” Oria greeted the kids.

Following my conversation with the law enforcement personnel in Hades regarding the discontent of many of the locals, I looked closer at Oria’s smile in an attempt to discern whether it was authentic. On the surface at least, it seemed to be.

The tall blonde handed me a packet of paperwork. “These are just release forms and emergency contact information. If you could fill them out we’ll be all set for any activities Scooter and Alex want to participate in with the club during your stay at the resort.”

I took a pen from the cup on the table and began to write. “Have you worked here long?” I asked.

“Seven years.”

“And you like what you do?”

“I love it,” Oria gushed. “If I had to invent the perfect job this would be it. I get to live in a beautiful place where I have good friends who mean the world to me and, best of all, I get to work with kids all day. I really am in heaven.”

The speech didn’t
seem
rehearsed. The woman seemed genuinely happy.

“Do you live in Hades?” I asked as I continued to write.

“Yes. I have an apartment just a block from the beach. It’s a two-bedroom, so I share it with my friend Leta.”

“Does Leta also work at the resort?”

I turned to the second page of the registration packet. There was a lot of information requested that I could only guess at, but I did the best I could.

Oria nodded. “She works in guest services. You might have met her when you checked in. She’s short and a little plump, but she has a great smile. She usually works the registration desk.”

“I do remember her.” I stopped writing and looked up. “She has short hair with highlights?”

“Yeah, that’s her.”

“She seemed friendly and welcoming. Does she love her job too?” I inquired.

Oria shrugged. “Maybe not as much as I do, but she likes her job okay. Leta grew up on the island, so she has a certain nostalgia for the way things were before the resort was built, while I only moved here to take the job with the resort, so I don’t miss the old way of life. Still, I think she’s mainly content.”

“How long ago was the resort built?” I asked as I continued with the paperwork.

“It opened eighteen years ago, but they started construction several years before that.”

“Someone told me the construction displaced some of the local families, who were forced to move from their homes to the other side of the island.”

“Yes. Leta was only fourteen when the land the resort sits on was purchased. Her family had to move over to the east side of the island before construction got underway. Her parents were unhappy about it, but Leta said it wasn’t so bad. The house they lived in before the resort came was old and in disrepair; the house they were relocated to was brand-new and much nicer.”

“And her parents were unhappy?” I stopped writing and looked directly at Oria.

“The house they owned on the west side of the island was on a large piece of land. The new house was part of a housing tract. While the house itself was an upgrade, they lost the ability to raise animals and grow their own food. Which, in Leta’s opinion, was fine because animals and a garden simply represented chores to a fourteen-year-old girl. Still, I guess her parents took the move pretty hard.”

“And Leta’s parents? Do they still live on the island?”

“They do. They still live in the same house they were given when they were forced to move.”

“And do they work at the resort as well?”

“Her dad works in maintenance and her mom works in the laundry. Don’t forget to add the medical information on the back of the second page. It’s important that we know about allergies and medical limitations.”

I looked down at the sheet where Oria was pointing. I really didn’t know the answers to many of the questions. I looked at Alex. “Do you have any allergies?”

“No. Not that I know of.”

I looked at Scooter. “How about you?”

“The headmaster at school says I’m allergic to mornings and homework.”

I smiled. “I don’t think that’s what they mean by allergies. Have either of you been in the hospital?”

Somehow, with the kids’ help, I managed to get the form filled out. I explained to Oria that I wasn’t the parent of the children, and although I’d been given permission by the parents to make emergency medical decisions, I didn’t have firsthand knowledge of their medical situations. She said she’d keep that in mind.

“We’ll be back at four,” she informed me. “You can pick the children up here.”

“Okay, great.” I hugged both kids. “Have a wonderful time.”

After I left the clubhouse I checked in with Toad, who reported that he had no news, and then headed back to the house with the intention of figuring out who killed Ricardo Jimenez. The key to solving the case seemed to lay with discovering the identity of the missing crew member. While identifying the man might seem like a long shot, Zak and I had solved other cases that seemed unsolvable, so I felt good about our chances. If we couldn’t find the real killer I didn’t know what I’d do. I certainly wasn’t willing to go back to the dungeon the islanders referred to as a jail.

As I walked along the path that led to the house, I tried to clear my mind and focus on the beauty surrounding me. There were a few white, fluffy clouds on the horizon, but the sky was mostly a deep blue that matched the color of the endless sea almost perfectly. One of the guests last night—I believe it was Park Lee—mentioned something about a storm on the horizon, but I hadn’t paid much attention, and it certainly hadn’t shown up today.

The waves on this side of the island tended to lap effortlessly onto the white sand beach, while the ones on the back side were larger and favored by surfers. Zak liked to surf, but so far he hadn’t had the chance to do so. I wondered if we’d have the opportunity to do any of the activities we’d planned to schedule into our week now that finding a killer had jetted to the top of the list.

I paused briefly at the top of the bluff, where the path changed direction and headed inland for a bit. I closed my eyes as I listened to the sound of the waves, which served as a backdrop for the seagulls who squawked as they competed for the small crabs that dotted the beach. I’d always loved the ocean—the smell of the salt as it mingled with the seagrass that washed onto the shore during the night, the heaviness of the air, moist with the humidity that can be found in a tropical environment, and the sound of children laughing as they played on the beach below the bluff on which I was standing.

I turned toward the interior of the island, which was thick with foliage, as I continued on my way. I hadn’t seen any monkeys, but I’d been told that Jensen had imported some in order to give the island a wild and rugged feel. At first I hadn’t been sure how I felt about importing animals that weren’t indigenous to the area, but I’d since learned that the island had at one point been home to monkeys that were wiped out in an epidemic over seventy years earlier. Besides, the island was beautiful. I guess if I were a monkey I wouldn’t mind living here.