Sun, Sand, and Suspects (Garden Girls Christian Cozy Mystery Series Book 11) Read online

  Gloria, who had left her purse and her phone on the passenger seat, hurried to the car. She plucked the phone from her purse, turned the screen on and dialed 911.

  She pressed the phone to her ear and was met with silence. There was no connection. She pulled the phone from her ear and gazed at the screen. There was no cell signal. “I can’t get a cell signal,” she said. “I’ll have to drive the car to the office.”

  “Okay. I’ll stay here,” Paul said. “The car keys are in my pocket.”

  He pulled the keys from his front pocket and tossed them to Gloria.

  She darted around the front of the car and reached for the door handle.

  Crunch. The sound of tires crunching on loose gravel caused Gloria to look up.

  A blonde-haired man, driving a golf cart pulled in behind their rental car.

  Gloria’s first thought was that he looked as if he were getting ready to head out to the bush on safari. Khaki slacks, khaki button-down shirt and brown safari hat.

  “I’m Ian McGyver, owner of Sun and Sand RV Park,” the safari man said. “You folks settlin’ in?”

  “Well…uh,” Gloria stuttered. “We have a situation.”

  “There’s a man lying face down near the back of the camper.” Paul stepped over to the car and slid his hands in his pocket. “My wife tried to call 911 but can’t get a signal on her cell phone.”

  Ian McGyver scrambled out of the golf cart. “You’re kidding. Where?”

  Paul waved him around the side of the deck. “Back here.”

  Ian McGyver followed Paul to the edge of the deck and stopped near the man’s feet. He lifted the radio attached to his belt, turned it to “on” and pressed the side button. “Vic, you copy?”

  “Go ahead Ian.”

  “There’s another body. This one is on lot 47.”

  “You’re kidding,” came the reply.

  “Nope. Call 911.” He shoved the walkie-talkie onto his belt and knelt down. “Looks like Keith Stevenson.”

  Gloria’s eyes widened. Did he just say “another body?” There were more?

  “We can’t touch anything,” Paul explained. “This may be a crime scene.”

  Ian McGyver stood upright. “Yep. It’s Keith all right. Wonder what he was doing here at the park.”

  Gloria wandered onto the deck. “You know this person?” Her detective radar shot up like a rocket during liftoff.

  Paul gave her a warning look, which Gloria pretended not to see.

  “Yes,” Ian said. “I kicked him off my property two days ago.” He eyed Gloria and then clamped his mouth shut, as if deciding he had said too much.

  The trio stood off to the side, staring at the man. “I wonder how long he has been there,” Gloria murmured, as much to herself as to the others.

  Her thoughts were interrupted when a second golf cart pulled up next to the first one and a woman, wearing an outfit identical to Ian McGyver’s outfit, climbed out.

  The woman darted across the gravel drive and stopped next to her twin. “I called the cops. They should be here any time.”

  The woman thrust out a hand. “Victoria McGyver but you can call me Vic. I’m co-owner of Sun and Sand RV Park with my brother, Ian.”

  Gloria shook the proffered hand. “Gloria Ruth- I mean Kennedy.” She pointed at Paul. “This is my husband, Paul.”

  “Pleased to meet y’all,” Victoria said. “I’m sorry about the body.”

  She gazed at the man on the ground. “I don’t know what is going on around here…dead bodies everywhere.”

  “Vic…” Ian warned.

  Victoria clamped her mouth closed and then opened it up as she changed the subject and nervously rambled on about the camper and how they had given Paul and Gloria the new park model.

  She explained they were the first guests to stay in it and she hoped they would like it. “Would you like me to give you the grand tour while we wait for the police?” she asked Gloria.

  Victoria McGyver didn’t wait for an answer as she made her way up the deck steps and to the camper door, which was wide open.

  Gloria followed her inside and listened as the woman pointed out all of the fabulous features of the RV. After showing her around the kitchen, they stepped into the bedroom. The room was small but the bed was large and took up most of the space.

  Gloria placed her hand on top of the comforter and gently pressed down. “It seems quite comfortable.”

  Victoria nodded. “Yes, ma’am. This one even has a pillow top.” She leaned in and lowered her voice. “This is the nicest bed of the bunch. Heard you two were newlyweds so I figured you’d like this bed.”

  Victoria winked.

  Gloria’s face turned three shades…pale pink, rose and finally scarlet. “I-I’m sure it will be very comfortable,” she stammered.

  Victoria, unaware of Gloria’s palpable discomfort, lifted the bedframe to reveal a large storage area underneath. She pointed to a pair of yellow life jackets, some metal poles and a metal grate. “We have kayaks down by the beach area for our guests. The campfire grate is the perfect size for the fire pit. Just make sure it’s clean and has time to cool off before putting it back under the bed.”

  The woman talked nonstop and Gloria couldn’t decide if she was nervous or a chatter bug. Gloria, determined to get a word in, finally interrupted her.

  “You said there was another body found not long ago. Was the person a guest or worker?”

  Victoria shifted her gaze and lowered her voice. “Ian would kill me if he heard me tell you, but yeah. The other person was a seasonal. You know a snowbird. He came down every winter for as long as I can remember. His name was Harry Fisk.”

  “Victoria! The cops just pulled up.” Ian’s voice carried through the open screen door.

  “Be right there!”

  Victoria and Gloria reached the edge of the deck at the same time officers arrived on scene and made their way over to the back of the camper.

  The first officer tilted his hat and shook his head as he stared at the body. “Do you know who this is?”

  Ian shifted his feet uneasily. “Yeah, it’s Keith Stevenson. We didn’t touch nothin’.” He turned to Paul for confirmation.

  “No, officer. We called as soon as we…” He turned to Gloria. “My wife and I stumbled upon the body.”

  The officer eyed Paul curiously. “You been here long?”

  “No. We arrived today and haven’t even had time to unpack.”

  The officer nodded. “Crime scene is on the way.”

  He motioned Ian McGyver to the side. “I would like to ask a few questions.”

  The men stepped off to one side, out of earshot. Gloria tried to eavesdrop but it was impossible to hear.

  Victoria McGyver joined them while Paul, Gloria and a second officer waited off to the side.

  Victoria began to gesture toward the back of the camper.

  Finally, the first officer returned, asked Paul and Gloria a couple more questions, but they could offer only limited information.

  The officers’ arrival was the beginning of a whirlwind of activity as a white crime scene van descended on the campsite and several investigators poured out. This must be a slow day for criminal activity in Daytona Beach, Gloria decided.

  The officers met the investigators near the van before returning to where the four of them – Ian and Victoria McGyver, along with Gloria and Paul, were waiting.

  “This might take a while,” the officer warned as the investigators, carrying toolkits and backpacks, eased past them and made their way over to the body.

  “We’ll be inside if you need us,” Ian McGyver told the officer.

  Paul, Gloria, Ian and Victoria walked across the wooden deck and stepped inside the camper.

  Paul lifted a brow as he looked around. “Nice.” He turned to his wife. “Well? Does this meet your approval?”

  “Yeah. It even has running water. Look.” Gloria walked over to the kitchen sink and twisted the hot water faucet to demonstr
ate.

  Victoria snorted. “Of course it has water. What did you think? You were staying in a tent?”

  The telltale expression on Gloria’s face showed that was exactly what she thought, although now she felt guilty. Of course Paul wouldn’t have them staying in a tent and sleeping on the ground for their honeymoon!

  She remembered Victoria’s comment about the bed and her face instantly warmed.

  The brother / sister team gave Paul the grand tour of the inside. After they finished, they stepped onto the deck and watched as two investigators carried a stretcher, covered in a white cloth, around the deck and slid it into the back of the van.

  “This belong to you?” Officer Frank held up a clear plastic bag. Inside the bag was a gun.

  Ian shook his head. “No sir.”

  Gloria tried to hold her tongue but couldn’t help herself. “The man…Keith…was shot?”

  The officer shook his head. “Sorry ma’am. I can’t divulge details of an ongoing investigation. All I can tell you is this gun was found next to the body.”

  The officers and investigators left but first took Paul and Gloria’s cell phone numbers and then promised to contact them if they needed additional information.

  After the officers and investigators left, Victoria and Ian McGyver hopped into their golf carts. “We’ll stop by later to check on you,” Victoria promised.

  Gloria hoped it would be Victoria so she could try to get a little more information about the recent deaths. The woman was a talker and with a little prompting, Gloria was sure she would spill the beans.

  Now all she had to do was wait.

  Chapter 3

  Paul and Gloria made quick work of unpacking and settling in and Gloria was warming to the idea of honeymooning inside the camper. It was a home away from home. She couldn’t wait for nightfall so they could build a bonfire.

  She remembered the last bonfire she’d had at the farm in the fall when they’d dusted off the old farm tractor, hooked it to a hay wagon and then taken family and friends on an old-fashioned hayride.

  All of Gloria’s friends, the Garden Girls, plus her family and some of Paul’s family had joined the festivities and the evening had ended with a wonderful surprise. She glanced down at her sparkling engagement ring and wedding band.

  Paul placed the empty suitcases under the bed, lowered the bed and then wiped his hands on his pants. “I’m gonna let you decide whether you want to eat out or if you want to fix some of our meals here.”

  Gloria glanced at the small, efficient kitchen. It sported everything she would need - a refrigerator/freezer and three-burner gas store with an oven. The only thing missing was a dishwasher, which wasn’t a big deal. Gloria rarely used the one at home, preferring to wash the few dishes she dirtied by hand. “Why don’t we do a little of both? That way, we can eat in if we want or go out.”

  With a plan in place, they climbed in the car and drove to Daytona Beach, passing by the high-rise condominiums and sprawling resorts she had noticed on the drive in.

  Paul caught the look. “Are you sure you don’t want to pack up and head to the resorts?”

  “Nah. This will be much more fun,” she said. It would be fun. Not only that, but she was curious about the recent murders at the campground. She silently vowed not to become involved but it wouldn’t hurt to do a little digging around, see if she could help the owners figure out who was murdering not only their workers but their guests.

  They stocked up on hot dogs, hamburgers, buns, ready-to-eat salads, chips and marshmallows. After paying for the purchases, they loaded everything in the trunk of the car and headed back to the campground.

  Inside the campground and on the way to their camper, they passed a Beach Access sign. “After we unload the groceries, can we go check out the beach?” Gloria asked.

  “Whatever you want to do, my love. Your wish is my command.”

  They made quick work of unloading the groceries and Gloria changed into shorts, a new summer blouse she’d purchased during the summer clearance sales back home and a pair of flip-flops. “Can you believe it’s snowing at home and we’re going out in shorts?”

  Paul pulled a crisp, white t-shirt over his head. “I could get used to this. Maybe we should consider becoming snowbirds.”

  Gloria had tossed the idea around before but the thought of leaving the farm, her close friends and family in Belhaven had stopped her. Of course, Gloria’s sister, Liz, and her friend, Frances, lived in Florida full-time so Gloria would still have some family nearby.

  Not only that, but it would only be for a couple months, during the worst of the long, cold winters. “I agree. This will be a trial run for us.”

  Paul held the door and waited while Gloria stepped out onto the deck.

  The hair on the back of her neck stood up, a feeling she got whenever she was sure someone was watching her.

  She peered into the scrub brush on the other side of the camper, through the thick palm trees and caught a movement in the bushes.

  Paul noticed the movement, too. He strode over to the thicket, stuck his hand on the side of the brush and pulled it back, revealing a freckle-faced boy with bright red hair that stuck out like small spikes all over his head. He couldn’t have been more than twelve years old. “Can I help you?”

  The boy violently shook his head and shrank back before turning tail and vanishing from sight.

  Paul let go of the bush and stepped back. “That was odd.”

  Gloria shivered, despite the warm air. “And creepy. I wonder what that was all about?” She made a mental note to ask Victoria about the boy as they stepped off the lot and headed toward the beach area.

  They followed the beach access sign and turned onto a small, winding path, which led them through the thick brush.

  After clearing the brush, they rounded a bend and up ahead were sand dunes, complete with sea oats and saw palmetto.

  Gloria zigzagged around the plants, careful not to brush up against them in case they were prickly. The beach plants were nothing like the plants back home.

  They climbed a small sand dune and when they reached the top, they both stopped. Gloria gasped as she gazed out at the vast, blue ocean.

  The pristine, private beach spread out for as far as the eye could see. They had the place to themselves…not a soul was in sight. “This is gorgeous,” she gushed. “Let’s go check it out!”

  Paul and Gloria meandered along the water’s edge, stopping every so often so Gloria could pick up a shell that had washed ashore. She quickly filled her pockets with shells she deemed too perfect to leave behind.

  “Remember, we have to take them back on the plane,” Paul reminded her.

  Gloria gazed at the perfectly formed sand dollar in her hand. “We can always ship them home.”

  As they walked, Gloria felt all the tension, the stress of the last few weeks slip away. The Christmas holidays, her children’s visit and the wedding, not to mention Paul’s disappearance, had left her drained and she could feel her batteries begin to recharge as she closed her eyes and breathed deeply. “I love this place.”

  “Me too,” Paul admitted. “I could get used to this.”

  They walked for a while longer before turning around to head back.

  Gloria was tempted to pick up more shells on the way back but she had already filled her pockets, plus Paul’s pockets, and they still had the whole week left to visit the beach and go shelling.

  They headed inland and Gloria caught a glimpse of a stack of bright yellow kayaks near one of the dunes. “Those must belong to the campground,” Gloria guessed.

  “You up for kayaking?” Gloria was adventurous, but Paul wasn’t sure kayaking would be her thing.

  She shrugged. “I would be willing to give it a try.”

  They trudged down the trail and turned toward the camper.

  When they got close, Gloria studied the camper next door to theirs. It was close to the same size but not as clean or new. They had almost passed by whe
n the door to the camper burst open and a boy, the same one Paul had confronted in the bushes, darted out the door and raced by Paul and Gloria, his eyes wide and wild.

  “If I catch you snooping around here one more time, I’m gonna call the cops!” A heavyset woman with dark curly hair and an angry scowl on her face charged after the boy but it was too late. He was long gone.

  The woman, realizing she had an audience, quickly recovered and the dark look was replaced by a sunny smile. “Hello.”

  “Hello,” Paul replied. “We’re your new neighbors for the next few days.”

  The woman walked across the lot and thrust her hand out. “Penelope Green. You can call me Penny.”

  Paul shook her hand. “Paul Kennedy and this is my wife, Gloria.”

  Penny squeezed Gloria’s hand in a vice grip. “Heard you had a little excitement earlier.”

  Gloria perked up, certain she was about to get one of her first clues! “Did you know the uh…victim?”

  “Yep. Sure did. He was the part-time maintenance guy, Keith Stevenson,” she said. “Shady fellow, though. Never trusted him, not as far as I could throw him.”

  “If it’s not one thing around here, it’s another.” Penny continued. “Before that it was my neighbor, Harry,” Penny tsk-tsked. “Well, he was my neighbor until I had to move out of my old camper and into this place. Why, gotta wonder with two deaths close together maybe it isn’t time for me to pack up and find a new place to roost for my winter stays.”

  “You’re a snowbird?” Perhaps Gloria could get a few pointers from Penny on the pitfalls of becoming a snowbird.

  “Sure am. Started coming down here the year after my Teddy died, God rest his soul. Been coming to this campground for five years now and this is the first year I ever remember a crime, I mean not even a petty theft, until this year.”

  Penny was a talker.

  “Now, mind you, I love Ian and Victoria, but if I was you, I would stay on their good side,” she advised.

  “Why is that?”

  “Well,” Penny held up her index finger. “First, Harry got into it with them and threatened to turn them in to the authorities. Next thing you know, he’s dead.”