Independence Day Murder Read online

  "You'll have to forgive me for the boring party, but it was just so spur of the moment," Rebecca said. Her eyes were glazed over and she seemed like she was lost in some sort of dream.

  She picked up a remote off of the bar and turned on the stereo. Some sort of jazz music started floating out and I wondered if she thought she was in some sort of costume drama. I had to admit that it was all a bit surreal. Here we were, all dressed up with a formal killer pointing a gun at us while she got drunk.

  "I know," Rebecca said. "Let's go for a boat ride. I know Murray's beloved speed boat isn't available, but we can just go for a lake cruise on the other boat. The door outside is that way. Lead the way!"

  Gesturing with her gun, Rebecca stood and waited for us all to go first out of the door. Once I was in the backyard, I turned to see that Rebecca was following me with the gun in one hand and the bottle of whiskey in the other. We walked single file across the well-manicured grass, following it towards a set of wooden stairs that were built into the slight hill.

  Down below was a large, lower-case m shaped dock. There was the boat I assumed we would be taking, a little fishing boat, and an empty spot where the speed boat was supposed to be docked. One by one, we climbed down the stairs. I had to pick up my dress with one hand and walk with my other hand on Max's back to steady myself. Even without heels on, this staircase was somewhat treacherous.

  Once on the dock, Trevor hesitated and we all stopped behind him. He turned to look at Rebecca and I was surprised by just how serious and mature he looked. Normally his goofy self seemed young, but I was glad to see how confident he could be.

  "I'm not sure this is a great idea," Trevor said. "You've been drinking, ma'am, and you aren't supposed to drink and operate a boat. You could let one of us drive instead."

  "What do you think I am, stupid?" she screeched, waving the gun around, but always keeping it pointed toward us. "I will be the one in charge of this vessel. Now everyone climb in."

  Trevor glanced at the two of us before he stepped into the boat. Offering me his hand, I stepped in. With a bit of a bobble, I lurched forward, but Max grabbed me around the waist and steadied me. I turned to look at him and his dark eyes locked onto mine.

  "We are going to be alright," he whispered to me. "Just keep playing it cool."

  I nodded, biting my lip slightly. Max looked under the bench seat in the back and found a stack of life jackets, which he handed out to us. Trevor, Max and I all slid on one of the big, bulky jackets and buckled them across our chests, but Rebecca scoffed when Max tried to hand one to her.

  "No thanks, I'd rather die than wear that thing," she said.

  She walked over to the captain's chair and started up the boat. Putting it in reverse, she piloted it out of the spot between the docks and out into open water. I'm not sure what her plan was, but I knew this was not going to just be a leisurely boat ride.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  For a while, Rebecca cruised around the lake. Slow and steady, she alternated between turning the wheel back and forth and taking swigs of whiskey. There were a lot of other boats out on the lake, taking advantage of the beautiful weather. Somehow, Rebecca managed to steer pretty clear of all of them, although there was at least one close call with a boat pulling some people on an inflatable tube.

  "We are going over to the beach," Rebecca said once we had cruised all the way to the other end of Shady Lake. "I want to show you where Murray died."

  Pulling up to the beach, Rebecca cut the engine and we floated, listening to the waves hit the boat and the shouts of people having fun. The beach was full of people and I could see that there was a big sign over a picnic table at the beach celebrating the success of the Save the Beach club.

  "Look at those imbeciles," Rebecca said. She sank down into the captain's chair with the bottle on her lap. "Here they put all that time and energy into making signs and having meetings when all they had to do was grease someone's palm. Murray knew that and it obviously worked."

  She spun the chair to face us, laughing when she saw us with the life jackets on.

  "You look like a bunch of fancy, overstuffed marshmallows," she giggled like a school girl. "But can you believe that these people could have just paid some of the politicians and they would have gotten their stupid load of sand. Money makes the world go round, no matter what other people might say."

  Rebecca put the bottle up to her lips, tipping it back again. I was amazed at how she could drink straight whiskey so casually. She sat and watched the beach for a little while and I couldn't help but wonder if any of them noticed us out here.

  "When Murray died, this place was a lot more peaceful than it is now," Rebecca said. "But I suppose that is just how it is in the middle of the night."

  "How do you know Murray died here?" I blurted out. I could feel Max exhale next to me. This was not playing it cool, according to him.

  Rebecca turned slowly and looked at me. She had a strange expression on her face, like she was trying to figure out if I was serious or not.

  "Because I was the one who shot him," Rebecca said slowly. "I thought you would have figured that out by now. I thought you were some kind of brilliant detective. Why else would I be holding you all hostage?"

  "We knew that," Trevor said. "Why don't you tell us more about it?"

  Rebecca swayed a little as she looked at us, not so much because the boat was rocking but because of all the liquor she had been consuming. After a moment, she set the bottle on the ground and stood up. She seemed to have a flair for the dramatic.

  "Murray and I were in love," Rebecca said. Her eyes seemed to almost unfocus as she delved deep into her thoughts. "He was married to Carol, but he really loved me. He was so rich and so powerful and I loved that whatever he wanted, he got it. Murray would decide that he wanted a mansion and then he would make it happen. He wanted a private beach, so he made it happen. Shortly after he and Carol got married, he started to flirt with me. Every time I thought about finding another job, Murray would beg me to stay. He told me that he was going to leave Carol and then we could be together."

  Rebecca seemed so sincere as she talked about Murray. I didn't believe Murray loved anyone besides himself, but Rebecca seemed to really have loved him. It made me feel a little sorry for her. I thought of how Murray must have been her ray of hope when she found herself having to play the role of housekeeper. But I had a hard time thinking that Murray actually loved her. It made more sense that he was stringing her along so that they didn't have to find another housekeeper.

  "On the Fourth of July, he said he wanted me to come watch the fireworks with him," Rebecca said. "I figured maybe he would propose to me that night. It seemed so romantic. But as we were waiting for the fireworks to start, he got mean."

  I held my breath to stop myself from blurting out questions. From my true crime obsession, I knew that sometimes you just have to let the other person talk because they might talk themselves right into a trap they can't get out of. I hoped that the whiskey would help with that.

  "I told Murray that I was glad he was finally leaving Carol and that we could run away together," Rebecca said. "But he laughed in my face. He told me I was ugly and there was no way he was going to leave his trophy wife to be with me. Murray said that he needed Carol's good looks to show how successful he was. He said he had never loved me and that it had been like a fun game for him to string me along."

  Murray's cruel face popped into my head. I thought of how he had let the taunting at the parade wash over him like it was nothing.

  "He said that he couldn't believe I had stayed with them as the housekeeper for seven years," Rebecca whispered. Tears were starting to fall down her cheeks. "He said I was pathetic and that if I was a stronger woman, I would have left long ago. He said that he would have respected me more if I had left."

  Rebecca broke down in heaving sobs. Max started to scoot slowly off of the bench and towards her, but she noticed the movement immediately and shook the gun towards
us again.

  "Don't even think about it," she said. "You all just stay right there. How dare you try to interrupt my moment. I am grieving for my lost love."

  Max slid back into the seat and grabbed my hand, giving it a squeeze. I wasn't sure how the rest of this boat trip was going to go, but I knew that we were in this together. Things would be okay in the end, even if I didn't know how we would get there.

  "Anyway, Murray was sitting in the driver's seat of the boat and he thought he was so smart laughing at me, but I knew how to scare him," Rebecca said.

  The tears suddenly stopped and her lips curled up into a sneer. She smoothed the front of her dress and primped her hair as she was getting to the high point of her story.

  "Murray kept a gun on the boat in case one of the those Save the Beach weirdos ever tried something funny while he was out for a boat ride," Rebecca continued. She gestured towards the beach with her gun. "It was in one of those compartments under the benches, so I dropped to my knees and grabbed it out. That was when he stopped laughing."

  Rebecca took a dramatic pause from her story. She picked up the whiskey bottle and took another drink. Sounds of laughter and fun floated towards us from the beach. Boats drove by blasting music and pulling people on waterskis. Summer fun was all around us and we were stuck on a boat with a madwoman. Just my luck.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Max, Trevor, and I were all squished together on the bench seat at the back of the boat while Rebecca paced back and forth, muttering to herself while she waved the gun around. It was like watching an action movie where the villain monologues their life story and every bad thing they did except our villain was drunk and wearing a sparkly ballgown.

  A loud noise came from the beach, interrupting Rebecca's story and I turned in time to see two large dump trucks pulling up, both filled to the top with sand. There was a clear path in the sand for them to drive down, dump their load, and drive off. People who had been there with the Save the Beach club were producing shovels seemingly from nowhere. This must have been what Derek was talking about when he said they wouldn't have to wait a week for their sand. They must have just gone ahead, somehow, and ordered some sand.

  For a moment I felt bad that Derek couldn't join them but then I spotted a man that looked like him walking in from the parking lot with a shovel. He was wearing a suit still, so I assumed he was headed back to the groom's dinner after he helped move some of the sand.

  Rebecca paused her quiet ranting long enough to turn and watch the dump trucks. Anytime one of us moved, she would level the gun at us again before turning back to the beach. All four of us watched the trucks dump their sand and drive off.

  Enthusiastic beach lovers attacked the sand with vigor, helping to spread it evenly along the water's edge. I wondered if this was how it was supposed to go or if the club had just gotten sick of bureaucracy and decided to do things their own way. Ronald had said that the sand would come next week. I made a mental note to ask Derek about what exactly they had done, just because I was curious.

  Trevor's phone started ringing. He pulled it out of his jacket pocket and looked at it, his face going pale.

  "It's Mandy," he said.

  "Is that your bride to be?" Rebecca sneered. "Don't you dare answer it."

  Trevor looked longingly at his phone before hitting the end call button and shoving it back in his pocket. He scowled at Rebecca. Mandy was his life and I wondered if this was the first time ever that he had ignored a call from her.

  "I'm assuming that was the bride from the bachelorette party I got roped into a few nights ago?" she asked. I nodded at her. "She's pretty. And she seemed really nice. It's a shame that I'm going to kill you before she gets to marry you."

  Trevor's eyes widened and instead of going pale, his face turned a sick shade of green. I reached around Max's back and put my hand on Trevor's shoulder. I gave it a little squeeze, trying to convey that I wouldn't let anything happen to him.

  I could feel my phone ringing now. I pulled it out and saw that Mandy was trying my phone. Looking up at Rebecca, I ended the call before she could say anything. The same thing happened to Max's phone and he also ignored her call. Poor Mandy. Her groom and maid of honor had disappeared and now weren't taking her calls. I'm sure our calm, laid back bride was no longer calm nor laid back and I couldn't blame her. I hated that I was the reason for that, but I hoped she would have enough sense to figure out that we would never ignore her calls if we could help it.

  "Please, can't we at least tell Mandy that we are alright?" I asked. "I won't say anything about you or the boat or anything. I think she deserves some peace of mind."

  Rebecca narrowed her eyes at me, trying to determine if I was lying. Finally, she acquiesced.

  "Whatever," she said. "But if you say anything about this, I will shoot one of you."

  I nodded and pulled out my phone, trying to gulp down my fear. Rebecca aimed the gun right at me, letting me know that she was ready if I said anything wrong. There was something about Rebecca that made the threat seem even more real. I knew that she would do it.

  Instead of punching in Mandy's number I dialed Philip instead, hoping he was smart enough to stay with me through a confusing conversation.

  "Tessa, where are you? I'm at the house but no one is here," he said. "I see your bike and Max's car though."

  "Hi Mandy," I said, hoping he wouldn't get too confused. "I hope that you are saving some fish for us. It was caught right here in Shady Lake and I really wanted to try some. Save some for us because I know that it will go bad fast."

  "You can't talk, I get it," Philip said, picking up on my hints faster than I thought he would. I really needed to start giving him more credit. "I'll find you. You're on the lake. How do I get to you?"

  "Don't worry, we will be right back," I said, hoping he would think to walk around to the back of the house. "Did you say you knew about the fish? I think Derek went out on his fishing boat one time over by the beach and caught them."

  Rebecca looked at me, cocking her head in curiosity. I shrugged and made a face back like I wasn't giving anything away. She held the gun up higher and pointed it straight at my head.

  "Well I should go," I said. "I hope I'll see you soon."

  "You will," Philip said.

  I clapped the phone shut and shoved it deep into my pocket, hoping Rebecca wouldn't take it and see who I really called.

  "That was getting pretty close to saying where we were," she said. "Why did you mention the beach?"

  "I couldn't help it," I said. "Mandy was talking dinner and saving some for us. I was trying to play it cool. Besides, I really do want that fish they are serving."

  Trevor shot a look at me and started to open his mouth. I forcefully pinched the back of his neck to stop him before he could ask me what I was talking. I knew full well they were serving steak at the groom's dinner.

  "Ouch!" he yelped, jumping out of his seat.

  Rebecca whirled around, trying to figure out what had happened. Trevor hurriedly sat back down next to Max, shimmying back until he fit back into the crammed space.

  "My heart just hurts," Trevor said, trying to think on his feet. "I just miss Mandy."

  For once, I was glad that Rebecca was drunk because the haze of alcohol somehow made her accept what Trevor said. She nodded and put her hand on her own heart like she understood heartache.

  I wondered how long we had been sitting in the boat like this. The shovelers on the beach were making some headway on the giant piles of sand. It could have been ten minutes since the trucks left and it could have been an hour. I really wasn't sure.

  All I knew was that Rebecca was not going to let us just sit here all night. We needed to come up with a plan and it needed to happen fast. I had an idea, but it was either going to work great or it was going to go south real fast. At this point, we just needed something to happen.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  I grabbed Max's hand and gave it a quick squeeze before I droppe
d it. I hoped that he would understand to just play along with what I was about to do. It wasn't that I had a plan so much as I hoped a plan would fall into place if I just kick started some action.

  "Max when you called me, you said that you had found a clue," I said. "What did you find?"

  Turning to look at me, Max searched my face, trying to figure out where I was trying to lead him. I desperately raised my eyebrows at him, just enough to tell him to answer. He gave the slightest nod.

  "Well you had said that maybe the gemstone from the crime scene was from a different piece of coordinating jewelry, so I went to the house to look," Max said. "We had already been through the jewelry boxes and I knew nothing in there matched what I was looking for, so I figured I could do a quick look around on the way to the groom's dinner."

  "I was just trying to have a nice night," Rebecca jumped in, interrupting. "I've gone through enough in the last week that I put on my best dress and I was going to go out on the town, just me, myself, and I. After all, Murray had said I would never be able to look like a trophy wife, but I have proved him wrong. Too bad he is dead and can't see me now. Anyway, Mr. Police Officer knocked on the door and I thought it was all over. I figured he had come to arrest me."

  "Rebecca let me into the house, but while I was upstairs searching around, she pulled a gun on me," Max explained. "That was when I called you the first time."

  "He said he was there to look for something to go with the brooch, but I knew he was really there to arrest me," Rebecca said. Her eyes were flashing, a crazed look running through them. "He was playing it all out and making it seem like he had no idea I was the one who had killed Murray. I had to make the first move. I couldn't let him get a leg up on me."

  Rebecca had admitted she was the killer, but I wanted to clear up one thing before we came back to that. There must have been something that Max had found. I was dying to know what it was.