Spring Break Murder Read online

  I launched into the story again, telling him every single detail I could think of because I thought he deserved it. He listened intently, trying to hide his anxiety about everything by fidgeting around and cracking his knuckles. Once I was finished, he collapsed back into his chair, his body deflating like a balloon.

  "Oh man," he said quietly. "What do we need to do to get her out?"

  "That's the problem," I said. "I'm not exactly sure."

  "How can you not be sure, Miss Investigator?" he said. It was a bit forceful before he realized that I was not the person he needed to be upset with. "Sorry, I meant more that you've done, like, investigating before and can't you just do that again?"

  "The problem is that in Shady Lake, I know the town and the people and I have Max at the police station to help me out a little," I said. "Here I don't have any of that. It's just me, myself, and I."

  Trevor just sat and stared off into the distance. I took a drink of my pop and instantly felt a little guilty because even though I didn't technically live here, I felt like I should have at least offered him a drink. Instead I tried not to break the silence with any noisy drinking.

  Outside of the bubble of emotions that was around the RV, life was moving on as normal. Every once in a while someone would go by, usually on foot or riding on a bicycle or in a golf cart. As they went by, they would turn and look in our direction, giving us a little wave and a small smile and then immediately turn to talk to the other people they were with, obviously chewing the fat over what had happened as if someone somewhere in the park had not already heard the news. Now I understood why Bill and Sally might not want to hang out on the deck today.

  "Let's team up, Tessa," Trevor said. "I can help you out with the investigation. I mean, maybe my work as an emergency dispatcher will come in handy. Besides, obviously I can't do what I came here to do."

  Yeah, I'm sure at some point we might need to know how to operate a computer-based telephone switchboard while investigating a drowning. But he had a point that he had a lot of free time on his hands since he couldn't spend it with Mandy, although I could do without the exaggerated eyebrow raising that he was using to try to convey to me that I needed to help him keep his secret.

  "Tessa, can you come in here?" Sally said as the screen door to the sun room slammed open. She stopped dead in her tracks and blinked her eyes a few times at the sudden appearance of a second person on the deck.

  "Hello Miss Sally," Trevor said, standing up and striding over to her. He wrapped her in a big hug and I could see her embracing him back. I had to admit I was a little surprised by the display of affection, but I was glad that they seemed to have a good relationship.

  "Come on into the sun room and tell me what in the world you are doing here," Sally said, bustling through the screen door and giving it a shove for Trevor to catch. She yelled into the RV as she entered. "Bill come out here and see who showed up."

  I followed them in and by the time I was in the sun room, Sally had already slipped into hostess mode. She was over at the bar collecting cans of pop and snacks on a tray that she carried over and set on a small table next to a few chairs. I wanted to stop her from having to play host, but it seemed like the one thing that was able to pep her up a little bit in this horrid situation.

  Trevor and I each took a seat next to the tray loaded with snacks. There was fancy cheese and crackers along with the kind of olives that don't come in a can. The sight of it made my mouth water and I realized I hadn't eaten yet today, unless the can of pop I drank somehow counted. Would it be more rude to eat the food while everyone was emotionally distraught or to refuse the food that Sally put out for us? I debated back and forth in my head, but Trevor started to put together a plate of food, so I helped myself without helping myself too much.

  The door to the RV opened and Bill shuffled out, looking exhausted. It had been almost two hours since we came back to the RV and I would bet he had spent that entire time on the phone. He stopped dead in his tracks, realizing Trevor had somehow joined us.

  "How in the world did you get here so fast?" Bill said. "I mean, even with the first flight out of Minneapolis, I didn't think you'd be able to get here today."

  "I was actually, kind of already here," Trevor said, looking down at the floor. "But if I come clean and tell you guys why, you have to promise to keep it a secret."

  "Of course, sweetheart," Sally said. She leaned forward and patted Trevor's hand. "You know we love you and you can trust us."

  Trevor's chin dropped to his chest and he mumbled something down towards the plate of food he had set on his lap. Even though I was right next to him, I couldn't understand a word he said although I already knew what he was trying to say.

  "Speak up," Bill said. "Nothing else will shock us today."

  I practically held my breath while I waited for Trevor to tell them why he was really in Florida. Did they know anything about his plan? I popped another olive in my mouth as I looked back and forth between Sally, Bill, and Trevor's faces. Trevor finally cleared his throat and spoke up.

  "Remember that time that I asked you for Mandy's hand in marriage?" Trevor said. "Well I came down here to surprise her by proposing."

  I watched Sally and Bill's faces to see their reactions. Sally looked confused, her eyebrows knitted together and her mouth slightly open. Bill on the other hand had a stone face and no matter how much I searched it, I just couldn't read what he was thinking. I munched on a cracker as I looked for anger, sadness, happiness, anything I could put a label to. But if anything, I only saw a small amount of confusion.

  "You asked me for Mandy's hand over five years ago," Bill finally said. "Forgive me, son, but I figured you had just decided not to propose to her. Mandy always seemed happy being with you, so it didn't bother me. I guess I'm just a little confused."

  "Oh hush Bill," Sally said. "Trevor, you and Mandy have always lived life at your own pace and if you are both ready to take that step, then you know that we both support you totally and completely. But I'm assuming that Tessa told you what has happened with our beautiful Mandy?"

  A tear ran down Sally's cheek. Bill stood up and walked behind her chair, covering her slim shoulders with his large, strong hands. Sally sniffled a few times before reaching up and patting one of Bill's hands.

  "Yes, Tessa told me all about it," Trevor said. "And we made the decision to team up to get Mandy out of there. Tessa has solved stuff before and I'm sure I have something useful to offer to the investigation."

  This time, I didn't even feel the urge to roll my eyes. Was I become a bit soft towards Trevor? I guess that is a good thing if he's finally going to marry my best friend.

  "What a great plan," Sally said. "With you two gumshoes on the case, Mandy will be out in no time."

  I tried to squash down my feelings of certainty and replace them with Sally's positivity. I certainly hoped that we could get Mandy out soon.

  Chapter Fourteen

  After Trevor revealed his plan, we finished up the snack tray. Well, mostly Trevor finished the snack tray with a little help from me. Bill and Sally were still too upset to eat but they did seem to perk up when Trevor said he and I were going to work together to get Mandy out of her predicament.

  The first thing I had to do was one of the things that I was dreading the most. I had to talk to Bill to see if he would tell me Mandy's alibi. I knew I would be fighting a losing battle. Mandy was his pride and joy, the apple of his eye. If she was so dead set on not revealing what they had been doing, Bill may as well slap a piece of duct tape over his mouth.

  I waited to see if we would come to a natural breaking point where we could naturally float to that conversation, but one never seemed to materialize. Finally, I decided to just jump in and tell them exactly what I needed to happen. I slapped my hands on my legs, causing Sally and Trevor both to jump.

  "Since I am the unofficial lead investigator, I am going to tell you what I need to do first," I said. "Bill, I'm going to need to talk to you.
"

  "I think she means that she and I both have to talk to you," Trevor supplied helpfully.

  "Yes, obviously I mean both of us," I said, not really meaning both of us. But if dragging Trevor along with me might help in any way, I supposed I would just have to get used to it. "That means that we need Sally to go inside so that we can talk in private."

  "Anything you need to ask me, you can ask in front of her," Bill said. He puffed up his chest, putting on a macho act that made my face start to involuntarily pull up into a sneer. I didn't think Bill was trying to use it as a way to try to be the alpha in this situation, but I also didn't think he realized that it made him seem like a giant jerk.

  He was just trying to show that he and Sally were a pair and they didn't keep any secrets from each other. And as admirable as that was, it also was totally unhelpful. If Bill and Mandy had been doing something bad, Sally would be the last person Bill would want to admit that to. He would go to the ends of the world for Mandy.

  "I know, Bill, but we really need to talk to just you," I said. "We will talk to Sally separately as well, just not right now."

  Bill started to protest, but Sally stood up and put her hand up. She smoothed the front of her dress, which was still just the swimsuit coverup she had thrown on this morning before knowing what the day would hold. She still somehow managed to look elegant in it.

  "Knock off the macho, Bill," she said, in the reproachful way that only a loving wife can scold her husband. "The police won't let me sit in on the interview. Tessa and Trevor shouldn't either."

  Sally started to put all of the dirty dishes on the tray and I bent down to help her, but before I could do much she had already swooped the tray out of our way and floated into the RV. A minute after the door closed, I heard the kitchen sink start to fill up with water and a radio click on with music to drown out anything we might say. I had to hand it to Sally because if it had been me in her shoes, I would have been putting one of those drinking glasses to the RV wall, trying to hear what was being said out in the sun room.

  Trevor and I were already sitting next to each other and I motioned for Bill to sit in the chair opposite us. He hesitated for a moment before giving in and sitting down slowly, purposefully in the chair. Bill was a tall man and while most people start to droop or even shrink as they age, Bill was still as tall and imposing as he had been when I was a kid.

  "I guess the first thing I was wondering about was your job as the keeper of the pool," I said. "What does that entail exactly? Weren't you supposed to close up the pool yesterday?"

  "Somehow I was deemed the keeper of the pool," Bill said before clearing his throat. "But, uh, last night I didn't get the chance to do my job. Every night, I go up there around 10 or so to close up the pool. I get out any late-night swimmers, make sure that everyone has cleaned up and make a note if anyone has left their things there. I also sometimes check the chemical levels and call for pool guys to come."

  "Is it usual for you to skip out on doing your duties as keeper of the pool?" I asked.

  Bill cleared his throat again, obviously a bit embarrassed at being called out on his shortcoming. He shifted in his seat a little bit, moving from side to side. He was a proud man and it looked like it pained him to admit his mistakes.

  "No, it isn't usual," Bill said. "Actually, last night marks the first time I didn't go to close the pool."

  He paused for a moment and Trevor opened his mouth like he was going to say something, but I silenced him with a small swat on the arm. One thing I learned from my true crime infatuation is that sometimes you just have to let people talk and that means that sometimes you wait out an awkward silence instead of filling it up with chatter.

  "I guess I should also tell you that sometimes when I go to close the pool, I do let people stay to swim," Bill admitted. "If it is someone I know I can trust to close the padlock on the gate when they go out, I let them stay. Then all I have to do is go open up the pool the next morning, although usually I send the key with Sally when she goes to do her morning swim."

  I let that sink in. So even if he had gone to close the pool last night, it wouldn't have really mattered because depending on who he found there, Bill may have let them stay. I wasn't sure it meant anything, but I think the fact that Bill sometimes let people overstay their welcome at the community pool may mean that the killer would be someone who knew that. If he showed up to close the pool and found a friend, he may have just walked back to the RV without even taking a peek at who else was in the pool area.

  I only had one other question that I needed to ask Bill and it was one that I knew he probably wouldn't answer. But I could always hope that he would understand why I needed the answer.

  "Bill, you and I were together for most of the morning today," I said. "But what I really want to hear about was last night."

  "You know I can't tell you where Mandy and I went, Tessa," Bill said slowly. He folded his hands in his lap. From the true crime stuff I read, I knew that's supposed to be a sign that he was guarding something. Which, of course there was because he wouldn't say anything about Mandy's alibi. Sometimes the helpful things I learned from true crime podcasts weren't actually all that helpful in real life.

  I nodded, giving myself a minute to think. Glancing at Trevor, I was thinking it would be a great time for him to actually be helpful and think of a way to get Bill talking, but instead Trevor was just sitting there bouncing his knee like a high-school kid who couldn't wait for school to end for the day.

  So even though I had been roped into working as a pair, I was starting to think that I'd mostly have to go this alone. Getting upset or loud or even forceful wouldn't work on Bill. He was a man who was used to taking control of the situation. I needed to make sure I kept my cool. I decided there was only one way I might get him to talk: Mandy. It seemed a bit counter-intuitive since she was also his reason not to talk, but it was all I had.

  "Mr. Bill, if you want us to help Mandy, you need to tell me what you and Mandy were doing last night," I said. "Telling me what she was doing, even if she still might get in a little trouble for it, is the best way for us to clear her name."

  "I can't tell you," he said. "You'll just have to find some other way to exonerate her. But Tessa, I do have to go because I need to go meet Mandy's lawyer at the police station. I'm hoping that while I'm helping her in that way, that you can do this detective thing and help her here."

  Bill stood up and waited a beat to see if we would try to stop him. Trevor and I stayed seated, letting him go. There was no way we could force him to stay and really, there was nothing else we needed from him. He started to walk towards the door to the RV but stopped halfway there, turning back around to face us.

  "Tessa, I hope you know that I'm not doing this to be difficult. I want what is best for Mandy and by golly, I think you can definitely help her out."

  And then he was gone, opening the door of the RV to let him in while letting out the chorus of some catchy song on the radio. I sat for a moment and wondered what he and Mandy could have done that they needed to cover up.

  "We didn't learn anything from that," Trevor said, making me almost jump out of my seat.

  I had almost forgotten he was there. So far, he hadn't been of any help at all except in the destruction of the snack tray. I supposed I could thank him for his work on that since my waistline did not need to take the brunt of it.

  "Yes, thank you for your astute observation," I snarked. "It would have been a bit better if you had, oh I don't know, said or done something to help the situation?"

  Trevor looked at me from under his dark, shaggy hair with that stupid blank look on his face and I suddenly realized why high school teachers aged so fast. I couldn't imagine dealing with this all day long. Technically, at least the high school students had the excuse of age while Trevor was twelve years past being an adult.

  I could feel that my face was getting red with the anger I was trying to hold in, but it all washed away when I realized that the
re were tears in Trevor's eyes.

  "I'm sorry, Tessa," Trevor said quietly. "I just keep thinking of Mandy and how scared she must be and how this trip was supposed to be full of happy memories instead of whatever this is turning out to be."

  He started to quietly cry. I wasn't sure how I was supposed to comfort him. Trevor and I hadn't even hardly texted each other in the years we had known each other, but should I give him a hug? Instead of a full-on hug, I simply slipped my arm around his shoulders and squeezed. I could feel his thin, bony shoulders as he collapsed forward, his face in his hands. I patted his back as he silently cried.

  After a moment, he sat back up and swiped at his tear-streaked cheeks with the back of his hand. After a few more sniffles, he jumped to his feet and started striding to the door.

  "Come on Tessa," Trevor said. "We have work to do."

  Just then, a scream came from outside of the trailer. I closed my eyes for a second, which was just long enough to send up a quick thought that I really didn't want to deal with a second dead body today. Then I charged out the door, prepared to face down a murderer.

  Chapter Fifteen

  I didn't find a dead body outside of the RV, but what I did find was something much worse: Cindy was at the end of the street, yelling her head off in such a screechy manner that I couldn't understand a word that she was saying. She was flapping her arms around and her hair was bouncing up and down in the curls that she had let out of her curlers since I had seen her at the pool that morning. I couldn't understand what she was saying, but the one thing I could tell was that she was absolutely not happy.

  Trevor was standing next to Bill's truck in the driveway, staring at Cindy with his mouth dropped open. His head was cocked to one side like when someone tries to talk to a dog and they look like they are trying their hardest to understand, but just can't quite make the connection. I supposed he would need an explanation of who in the world that woman was, so I made my way down to him.