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The Breeze

By: MysteryWriter



"I was sorry to hear 'bout Maude," Poppa John said.

"Thanks Poppa, Aunt Maude thought a lot of you." I said.

He shook his head, mumbled something in his native tongue. Exactly what tongue it was nobody really knew. Some said he was Greek, some Portuguese but nobody ever asked.

"So you gonna run the Breeze?" he asked in his heavy accent.

"It looks like it, at least until the county forecloses for back taxes," I said with a laugh. "I sure got no better offers at the moment."

"I heard about the leg. I'm sorry about that to." he said.

"Oh that's okay, I was tired of playin' cowboys and Indians anyway." I said with a smile I didn't really feel.

"At least you got a pension. When I had to quite shrimpin' all I got was a kick in the butt." he said.

"You seem to have done all right. I have never been in this place when it wasn't at least half full." I said.

"Full would be better," he complained.

"Poppa, you wouldn't be happy without something to be unhappy about." I said.

"You gonna' be just like me, now that you got the Breeze to run. You gonna' learn to hate the customers, the employees, and the government. Everybody wants to rob you when you the owner." he informed me.

"Now I know why you and Maude got along so well. You thought exactly alike. Maude hated everybody." I laughed.

"Everybody 'cept you. She thought the sun rose and set from your asshole," the swarthy little man said.

"You could have fooled me, I thought she just liked the slave labor." I replied.

"Probably a little of that too," he grinned. "Now finish your breakfast and get back to work. You got a lot to do, if you gonna' get that pile of rubble ready for the tourist."

It was my first day as a resident of Holden Beach. I had visited the beach almost every summer until I was eighteen, but I never lived there. I had come down to do maintenance on the Breeze for Aunt Maude. In the early years it had been no more than keeping the parking lot and the pool clean, but as I got older, I began working on the plumbing and even the electrical services. I had pretty much learned to run the place before I joined the Marines.

Even in the Marines, I took my leave with Aunt Maude. She always had a long list of things for me to do during my visits. Later when I was a cop, I took my vacations at the beach. I helped Maude during the day, but played hard during the nights. I had come to think of the Breeze as my second home. 

I was surprised to find that Maude had left the Breeze to me. At the time of her death, I was in rehab for a gunshot wound to the knee. I was as surprised as anyone else when the lawyer called. Maude had left me the Breeze lock stock and tax debt.

Maude hated to pay taxes in the best of times, for some reason she had stopped all together a couple of years before her death. Her estate consisted of the Breeze, a jap Jeep type vehicle, and a twenty thousand dollar county tax bill. The county tax office had agreed to a time payment plan for me. I had no idea why, the Breeze was worth ten times the taxes. They could have tried to foreclose on it. I would have raised the money somehow, but the time payments made it easier for me to keep the Motel.

The Breeze is actually the 'Atlantic Breeze Motel'. All the natives just call it the Breeze. I guess I am enough of a native, I always thought of it as simply the Breeze as well. The building is a two story concrete block monstrosity, which could only be loved by me and Maude. If it weren't for all the doors, it would look like a prison.

The breeze had forty rooms, that were considered efficiency apartments at the beach. That simply meant there was a combination sink, stove, and refrigerator in every unit. The units sleep three comfortably and four if you used the foam pad stored under the bed. Half the rooms had a double bed, sofa, and a sleeping pad. The other half had twin beds, a sofa and the sleeping pad. Maude said it was because half the guests are families and half were fishermen. 

"Fishermen don't really like to sleep two in a bed. If they do, they sure as hell ain't doing much fishin'." she explained.

The building was in need of a coat of paint, but everything else seemed to work. Earlier that morning, I had checked out the place. I returned from breakfast to empty Aunt Maude's apartment. Aunt Maude had two rooms in her unit. One was a combination living room, kitchen, the other was her bedroom. The large closet was filled with her clothes, which my mother had insisted I throw away. The order was explicit, I was not to give them to the good will or anything of the sort. Her Jewelry and family pictures were to be saved for mom. I didn't even try to explain that I was the one to make the decisions about what went to who. With my mother the only thing to get along was say, yes ma'am. It was also best if you did exactly as she said.

By noon, I had the apartment emptied as directed. I also had the moldy food in the trash. I managed to get all the windows open, hoping to clear the smells from the place. I was deep into looking out her kitchen window at the traffic on the beach road, when the door bell rang. I was startled by the sound, especially since I didn't have the sign turned on yet.

The apartment door opened to the rear of the front desk. When I opened it I saw an old black woman standing across the desk. "Lucy?' I asked.

"Now just who the hell were you expecting?" she said with a laugh.

"How the hell did you know I was here?" I asked.

"You know old Poppa called me as soon as you left the restaurant. It took me this long to get these old bones to move." she said.

"Lucy, I swear it is good to see you. How have you been?" I asked as I limped around the desk.

"I been just fine. Don't look like you been doin' too good." she said.

I looked down at my knee. "Yeah well don't ever try to stop a 9mm hollow point slug with your knee." I advised.

She nodded. "I reckon you gonna' be openin' up the Breeze agin."

"Yep, I don't suppose you are lookin' for a job?" I asked. It was too much to hope that Lucy would come out of retirement.

"Not me, I don't ever want to see the inside of them rooms again. I does have a niece who needs a job." she said. "She's got entirely too much time on her hands. Do her good to get away from the trash she's hangin' out with."

"I don't know Lucy," I said.

"You listen to me, you no account white trash. If I tells you I got a niece needs a job, you better hire her. You ain't gonna find no more honest girl on this beach. She got her troubles, but she's a hard worker and she don't steal. You can't say that about many people these days." she ranted with good humor..

"I see you still ain't got no respect for me." I said.

"How can I respect a man I seen laying in his own puke." she said with a laugh.

"That was just once in twenty years," I informed her.

"Your Aunt Maude woulda killed you, if'n I'd a told her. So you gonna hire my niece or not." she asked.

"She ain't doin' drugs is she?" I asked.

"Hell no, I'd kill her myself, she be messin' with that stuff. No she just a little mixed up the same as others. A little hard work will straighten her right out."

"Okay, if I can get some business, I sure will." I said. "You know Maud paid by the room."

"You gonna' get the business all right. Everybody around here wants to help you. Why don't you stop in to see some of the other motel owners. They be more than happy to send you their overflow." she said.

"You know Lucy, I am surprised. You can turn off that jive talk faster than anybody I know." I said.

"I just talk that trash, when I want to make damned sure you white folks listen to me," she laughed.

"Send your Niece by tomorrow, maybe I can use her on the weekends for now." I said not having much hope that I could.

"Don't worry Mister Johnny, you gonna need her." she said turning to leave. "If'n she don't do good you jest call me. I can still whoop her little tail."

"Take care of yourself Lucy," I said as she closed the door. Lucy had been with my Aunt when I first began coming to the Breeze.

I returned to my cleaning. I stopped around three to go through the rooms again. That time I made a list of which rooms had what furnishings. I tried to call Poppa John's to order takeout. That's when I realized, I hadn't had the phone reconnected. It was too late to do it that day, so I locked the door and drove to Poppa John's. 

Poppa John sold breakfast, burgers and a hell of a fish sandwich. Poppa was about the only man I trusted to filet a fish. When he cut one, there were absolutely no bones. I loved his fish sandwiches because the fish actually came from the ocean, not the freezer. Poppa also made a cornbread roll which enclosed the fish. I had never even heard of one like it anywhere else. The fried fish was placed under a patch of shredded lettuce, then topped with his his secret wine vinegar dressing. People drove down from Wilmington regularly for the sandwiches. It was nothing to see a dozen white bags of take out sandwiches sitting on the counter. Poppa was making a killing on the restaurant and everyone knew it.

Even though there was a ton of money laying around in the beat up old cash register, there was never a robbery. It would have been a foolish thing for anyone to do. The Holden Beach Police Department practically had a permanent booth assigned to it. If there wasn't at least one car in the parking lot at any given time, there was surely a major crime somewhere on the strip.

Even without the Holden Beach PD, there were a dozen Wilmington Police detectives that hung out in Poppa Johns. Supposedly they were off duty, but I had my doubts. Poppa had sworn to take the cornbread roll and wine vinegar dressing recipes to the grave with him. The cops hung around to make sure it wouldn't be during their lifetimes. If anyone so much as raised his voice at Poppa, he was likely to be looking down the barrel of at least six police automatics. If a fire fight ever broke out in his restaurant, there were likely to be three cops shot by three other cops. This is how thick they were inside the fish house.

I ordered two of the fish sandwiches to go. I stood at the counter drinking a glass of iced tea while I waited. "Johnny, is that you?" a female voice asked.

"Yes ma'am" I said turning to see who was speaking to me. I saw the woman standing about four feet away.

"I heard you were coming back, but nobody said when." the skinny blonde woman said.

"Ruth?" I asked.

"That's right, don't tell me forgot me already?" she asked.

"Actually, I hardly recognized you without the uniform. God you are gorgeous in real clothes." I said.

"I know, everyone looks like a blimp in those polyester pants. So when did you get back?" she asked.

"I rolled in before sunrise this morning." I answered.

"Well bring your sorry ass over and meet my new partner," she ordered.

"Okay, but I'm waiting for a take out. I will say hello though." 

When I arrived at the cop booth, Ruth introduced me to a man in plain clothes. I would have spotted him as a cop, even if she hadn't told me. His name was Eddie Lawson.

"Hi Eddie, good to meet you," I said extending my hand.

"So you are Johnny Sims, I have sure heard a lot about you." he said.

"How so, I'm not really from around here." I said.

"Ruth told me all about you. How did it go, hell raiser marine, hell raiser cop, so what's it going to be this time?' he asked.

"Well I'm not a cop any more, I sure as hell ain't a marine, and I'm not in shape to be a hell raiser of any kind. I guess I am going to be a crippled up old old man." I said with a laugh.

"Don't let him kid you Eddie, if Johnny is back, hell is bound to follow," she said with a grin. "They better lock up the booze and the virgins." 

"You know that isn't true. I hardly drink at all and I hate virgins." I said with a grin.

"Are you kidding," Eddie said. "I heard you would do a snake if it held still."

"Ruth, what have you been telling these guys?" I asked.

"Honest Johnny I didn't tell them nothin'." she said with a chuckle.

I saw Poppa motion me to the counter. "Well, you guys keep it quiet. Us businessmen like a quiet town," I said as I limped to the counter.

As I paid the bill, I heard Ruth's version of how I got shot. "He was backing up a rookie cop on New Year's eve. He shouldn't have been there, homicide detectives don't back up bar fight calls. Anyway the rookie walked in on a drunk with a 9mil. The kid was about to shoot the drunk, when Johnny walks up and takes the gun away from the kid. The 9mil went off somehow and the slug caught him in the leg."

Her version was close enough to the truth, so I didn't correct her. Actually the drunk was trying to shoot the frozen rookie. I pulled the gun down but it went off. The rookie got a merit badge and I got retired. A pretty good trade, since I was burned out anyway.

I was in the parking lot when I heard her call my name again. "Ruth, I don't want to let this fish get cold." I said turning to her.

"Are you going to reopen Maude's game?" she asked.

"I don't know. Is it going to be a problem?' I asked.

"Are you kidding, this place has been dull as hell since Maude died. Just let me know if you are going to open it. I want to be invited. Hell, we can play even if you don't open the game."

"You know, I never would have gone out with you, if I had known you were one of those broads who kiss and tell." I said.

"Sure you would, like you said, 'I always wanted to screw a cop. After all, turn about is fair play.'."

"Ruth you are a real piece of work," I said.

"Hey, I call's em like I see's em," she said.

"If not that, at least like you want to see them," I said. I paused then added, "After tomorrow, I will at least have the coffee on. Stop by anytime."

"You can bet I will," she said turning back to the restaurant.

I returned to the Breeze. I ate alone, then sat listening to the radio. I didn't have the cable hooked up so TV was out of the question. I could have gotten Wilmington without cable, but I had no antenna. I added cable to my list of calls for the next day, that is if I got a phone by then.

The bell rang around eleven. It was strange to hear the bell, especially on a Monday night. I opened the apartment door, then looked through the safety glass window. Maude had it installed after her one and only robbery.

"Yes," I said into the small opening.

"You got a room for rent?" he asked.

"Sure, I have a Motel full of rooms. How many in your party?" I asked.

"Three, we're down for the fishing. How is it?" he asked.

"I got no idea, I just got down myself. Do you want a room with a double bed or one with twins?" I asked.

"Twins, where's Maude?" he asked.

"Maude passed away a few months ago. I'm her nephew Johnny. I kind of took over for her."

"Too bad about Maude, she was a pistol. So which room you puttin' us in?" he asked

"You got a preference?" I asked.

"Something on the back," he replied.

"Take twenty five then, it's in the middle on the back. The traffic noise shouldn't bother you there." I said.

I checked his registration card carefully, before I gave him the key. "How long you going to be staying?" I asked.

"Just till Friday, You still have that weekday discount don't you." he asked.

"Four hundred bucks for the week. If you are out by ten on Friday." I replied.

"That's the one. Here's my Visa," he said handing it to me.

"Shit another thing I need to do," I thought to myself. I took the card then made the impression. I knew I could take the receipt to the bank. If his card was good, I could get the money. Maude did enough business with the local bank, so that they would check the card for her on the phone. I supposed I could work out the same arrangement.

When I returned to the apartment, I made another entry on my things to do list. I got to bed around midnight. Nobody else rang my bell.

I ordered the phone from Poppa Johns pay phone. It was up and running by noon. I made all the calls on my list, plus a lot more. I called all the big time motels in the area. I simply informed them that the Breeze was open again. The implication was simple, Maude's arrangement held. Anyone they sent to me, got them a ten dollar bill, sent directly to the desk clerk. 

The clerk would call me from a motel to make sure I had a vacancy. Actually he was giving me his name, so that I could send him his commission. If the people showed I called to confirm. If not, I called later that evening to tell him he had a no show. The system was based on trust. Since no one else gave them anything, winning their trust was simple.

During the week, I picked up two more fishing parties. I was a little surprised but it was a pleasant surprise. Friday night I got six couples from the referral system. I was glad to see Tisha, the niece, show up on Saturday. I put her right to work. 

Shortly after noon, she finished changing the rooms. I got a chance to really talk to her. She promised to find me another girl for the days she didn't want to work. She was actually a student at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. She was in the school of nursing. She was also an athletic looking girl. I figured she might want to cut the grass and clean the parking lot now and then as well as make up rooms.

I had all but stopped going out for meals. I was needed at the motel to answer questions for the guest. I was sick of the motel business in just one week. Fortunately, I got a call on Sunday. 

"Uncle Johnny," the voice said. "It's me Lori, you know Bill's daughter."

"Sure Lori," it took me a minute to place her. "So what can I do for you?" 

"Mama said, you would be ready to hire some summer help by now." she informed me.

Her mother, my cousin, knew me pretty well. Everyone knew I would be bored with the motel before a week had passed. "Actually I was thinking about hiring someone. What do you have in mind?" 

"School is out next week, I was hoping I could come work for you." she said.

"What did you have in mind? I mean pay wise." I asked.

"Daddy said to ask for a room and ten dollars an hour." she said hopefully.

"I can do that, as long as you understand it won't be a forty hour week. Before I agree how old are you?" I asked.

"The hours are fine, I can work as much or as little as you like." she said.

"How old are you honey?" I asked pointedly.

"Eighteen, I'm going to be a sophomore at the college in the fall. I'll be nineteen then." she said.

"This is okay with your dad?" I asked.

"It is now. Mama talked to him. I think he is a little worried about me being on my own, but he is okay with it." she said.

He was probably more worried about her being around me. I didn't have a real good reputation with women. I hoped that Bill knew I would never touch his daughter, but he likely also knew there were going to be women in and out of the place at anytime. "Put your dad on the phone," I ordered.

Bill and I talked for a few minutes. He asked that I keep an eye on his daughter. He assured me he wanted her back in the same condition as when she left. I promised I wouldn't let anybody near her. I explained the place would be like a convent. Bill actually laughed, something he seldom did. 

During the next week, I made some repairs around the place and rented a few apartments to fishermen or families taking advantage of the off season rates. The big rate hike came toward the end of May only a couple of weeks away. I managed to slip away to Poppa Johns less frequently, as I began preparing the Breeze for the summer crowds I hoped would come.

On that Friday over breakfast, Poppa asked, "So Johnny, when you gonna' start the game?" 

"I don't know Poppa, I'm pretty busy right now. I guess in a couple of weeks." I answered, not at all sure that I would start it again.


The Breeze



"You better hurry, my wife is threatening to leave me. She says, we together too much these days." he laughed as he turned to curse the cooks. He cursed them playfully in English, but when he got pissed, he cursed them in his strange language.

Back at the motel, I went into room thirty one. In the motel there was only one room numbered in the thirties. The room was above the office and my apartment.. The room was twice the size of the normal motel rooms. When I unlocked the door, the stench of stale beer and cigarette smoke hung heavy in the air. I had been avoiding the room for two weeks. It was the only room in the motel, I had not checked out.

Room thirty one was occupied only during the weekdays, at night. It was never open from Friday till Monday nights. During those nights Maude decided everyone should be with his or her family. Room thirty one was an illegal bar and gambling club. You couldn't just walk into room thirty one, you had to call ahead and be invited. Aunt Maude ran room thirty one as an exclusive club for the business owners and their guest.

The convince store type cooler held only beer and cokes. No liquor was allowed in room thirty one. The beer sold for two bucks a can, on the honor system. You got the beer and dropped the money in an empty gallon mayonnaise jar. The only game allowed at the large round green felt table was five card stud. There were usually too many players for anything fancy.

I found Maude's box fan in the closet of the room, along with the black wooden box of poker chips. I plugged the fan into the wall socket, then sat it in the door. The exhausted air would have knocked anyone passing by the door for a loop. Fortunately, the balcony in front of room thirty one didn't connect to the main building. The office and room thirty one sat perpendicular to the main building.

I turned on the cooler, then left the room. The cooler and the fan were both running full blast as I returned to the office. 

I remembered my younger days at the beach. I had lost a lot of money in room thirty one, until Maude taught me to play five card stud. I continued to lose money for a couple of more summers, but not as much or as fast. Somehow when I was seventeen her rules took hold in my mind. I stopped losing to the other players. Form that time until I owned the Breeze, I never lost consistently again. I don't mean I never lost a hand, and I don't mean I didn't have a bad night occasionally. Hell some nights the laws of average and logic just fly out the window. What I mean is that I never lost over a weeks time. I also learned to recognize the nights when even Jesus Christ couldn't beat the odds. When those nights came, I had the courage to cut my losses and wait for another day.

In Maude's game it was perfectly fine to quite, even if you were winning. I would often sit on a bar stool and watch as some lousy player took pot after pot. Sometimes it just wasn't your night.

As always, I was amazed at how quickly word spread through the small village. If you forget about the tourist, the town had a population of less than five thousand. I began receiving calls about room thirty one within a day of talking to Poppa John. The local police chief came to see me on Sunday. He waited until the weekend checkouts were finished before he approached me. He knew that his job as well as mine depended on the tourist. He didn't want them to overhear our conversation.

"Johnny, I hear you are going to reopen the game." he stated.

It was funny people around town either called it the 'game' or room thirty one. Sometimes both were used.

"I was thinking about it." I stated, neither asking permission nor offering any information.

"Just in case you didn't know, Maude and I had an understanding about the game." I expected a bribe solicitation next. "I allowed her to run the game, as long as there was no trouble. If I get one call to this place because of the game, I will close it." he said.

"I understand," I replied.

"Also Johnny, these guys need to work their own businesses over the weekends. No Friday or Saturday night games." he said. I nodded. "The very most important rule is no tourist allowed in room thirty one. If you break that rule, I will personally whip your ass."

"Now chief, we need to have an understanding. The game will not operate Friday Saturday or Sunday nights. I will personally take care of any trouble here, but there has never been any trouble at the game. I will not allow tourist to play here, nor will I allow them to know what goes on in room thirty one, but if you decide to whip my ass, you better bring a lot of help." I said it with a smile. I really didn't care whether he allowed the game or not. I could get by without the money it brought in.

"I heard you were a bad ass. Well let me tell you, the only reason I'm letting you open the game, is that the businessmen around here want it. I figure, if you run it like your Aunt did, I won't have any trouble. If you fuck up, I will put your ass in jail."

"That's fair,' I said to calm him down.

He suddenly smiled, you will let me know when you open. I like a game of cards once in a while myself. Besides, I figure I can own this place by the time I retire."

"You just might, but I don't think you would like it." I said grinning. I looked forward to winning his police car or at least his badge.

On Monday, I called the beer distributor in Wilmington. I explained who I was, he remembered me from the game. I explained that I would like to buy some beer. He knew instantly that the game was going to be starting up again.

"Just tell me what you want," he said.

"To be honest Frank, I don't know what I want. Why don't you just send someone who is familiar with Maude's game over. He can just stock the cooler and give me a bill."

"No problem but we don't write bills for this kind of thing. It is strictly c.o.d." he said.

"No problem, but you have to come over one night so I can get it back." I laughed.

"If you play like you did when you were a kid, I'll own the Breeze." he said. It was strange how they remembered that I was a lousy poker player as a kid, but forgot how much of their money I had taken sense. Selective memory was a beautiful thing.

I personally cleaned and deodorized the carpet that afternoon. The place smelled a lot better before I went to bed. I was awakened by an early morning fisherman. His party needed a room. There were only two more weeks of the four hundred bucks a week special. There would still be an all weekday special but the price would go to six hundred. At six it was still a bargain for three or four people.

People had begun to check in and out regularly by that time. The house still wasn't more than half filled but it was enough to pay the tax lean. I was feeling pretty good about the upcoming season. Word about the game had swept the beach. I was getting twice as many calls about the game, than I was about rooms. I decided to start the game as soon as Lori arrived. I almost sorry I had hired her. I would never be able to keep the game's existence from her. If she was even a little pissed, she would tell her dad. Then I would have a family fight on my hands.

The Monday, of the week Lori was to arrive, Tisha my maid talked me into having the motel painted. A guy she knew from school needed a place to paint a mural. She knew I needed the building painted, so the two seemed a perfect match. I allowed her to bring a pimply faced kid over with the sketches. His idea was to paint the front as if people were at the beach. The second floor would be the ocean and the sky. He had no plans to paint the rear or the sides of the building. I told him thanks but no thanks.

We haggled and negotiated until I realized how desperate he was to paint something. I found out it would be his summer school grade. The project would comprise kind of a master's thesis. I had him by the short hairs, since no one in Wilmington would allow him to paint on their building. 

"Tell you what kid," I suggested. "You spray the sides and rear with that sky blue paint, then toss in a couple of clouds on the top floor of the sides and rear, and I will allow you to paint anything you want on the front."

"You pay for pressure washing the building to get rid of the loose paint, then pay for the materials and you got a deal." he said.

"What kind of money we talkin'?" I asked. 

No more than five bills. "I can shoot the rear and sides in a couple of days, but I am not going to paint the trim." he declared.

"Sure you are kid. If you don't paint the trim, then I am going to have it painted red, just to fuck up your master piece."

"Damn you are a hard man," the kid with a face like a pepperoni pizza said.

The kid arranged the pressure wash for that very afternoon. By five I had a building that looked a lot like the surface of the moon. I also had two bills in my hand. One was for a hundred and seventy five bucks for the wash. The other was for two hundred and fifty bucks for paint. Tuesday morning the kid showed up at eight. He brought a couple of flunkies and a paint spattered van.

They taped downstairs windows until noon. After their lunch break at Poppa Johns, where I opened an account for them, they began shooting the downstairs. I didn't even look at the job until six when they had gone. The downstairs of the back and the lower half of each side was a sky blue color. I mean everything was the same color, I had expected it but it was still a shock. The next morning they began on the upper parts of the building. I heard the hum of their compressor and the clanking of aluminum ladders all day. I didn't leave the office.

After I saw their van leave the parking lot, I walked around the building. It was hideous. The upper story was a different shade of blue. It looked like crap. I was on the verge of telling them not to return, but I figure a deal is a deal. 

The van pulled into the rear again on the third day. I didn't have any idea what further crap they could pull on my poor building, but I left them alone. I paced the office all day, but contained myself. I drove to Poppa John's just to keep from going to the rear of my building,.

"Hey Johnny," Poppa shouted. "You gonna make me rich, if them boys stay a couple more weeks." His laughter told me I was in trouble. I accepted his bill. The nine meals the boys ate ran me almost a hundred and seventy five dollars. 

"My god Poppa, you feeding them steak?" I asked playfully.

"No but them kids can put away them fancy burgers. You know the ones I sell to the tourist." he laughed.

I paid up, after all a deal's a deal. After my fish sandwich lunch, I returned to the motel. Pimple face was waiting. "Okay Mr. Sims, we are finished with the rear. You want to come take a look?"

"Sure kid," as far as he knew, I had never seen it before. I followed him to the side of the main building. He had on the third day transformed it into a seascape. There were white caps and birds flying between clouds. "Damn kid, you did a fine job on this old wreck."

"Don't sound so surprised Mr. Sims. There are going to be a lot more buildings like this around." he said with obvious pride.

"Kid, seeing this, I have absolutely no doubt about it." I stood marveling at his artistry with a spray gun.

"Mr. Sims, I got a favor to ask. I really hate to do it but I promised the others." he said.

"Okay kid, but I want dinner and a movie first," I said.

"What?" he asked.

"Never mind, what is the favor." I said shaking my head.

"We will be shooting the base coats on the front tomorrow. When we wrap up around five, I won't be having any more help. I would kind of like to take the guys out for pizza and beer. You know as a thank you." he said looking at his paint covered shoes,

"How much?" I asked.

"Sixty bucks should do it," he said.

"Hell kid, you can't have much of a party on sixty bucks." I said handing him a hundred dollars. "Just make sure you are able to work on Monday." I said.

I didn't check anyone into the front that night. I had been checking all the fishermen into the rear, since I didn't think they would mind the paint everywhere. 

Bright and early the next morning the three painters began shooting the front of the building. I had a front row seat in the office. They actually worked quite well together. First the taped plastic over the windows, then more plastic to the walks. After that it was tape door numbers then spray the hell out of the first floor.. After an expensive lunch on me, it was repeated on the second floor. The bottom of the building was sand brown, the middle sea blue and the top sky blue. The colors ran together. It was a total nightmare. I had seen the final product on the rear, so I wasn't worried.

Lori showed up the next morning. I showed her to her room first thing. I gave her a front room, and time to settle in. She arrive at the office around ten, just as pimple face showed. "Sorry Mr. Sims the party got a little out of hand." he said.

"Are you up to working today?" I asked.

"Sure, but I don't think I will be able to do more than blend the colors with the spray gun. I'm not steady enough for the brush work yet." he smiled sickly.

"By the way, this is my niece Lori. She is going to be my assistant for the summer. If I'm not here you can leave a message with her." I said.

"Hi," he said extending his paint stained hand. "Bobby Edwards."

"Lori Sims, nice to meet you. Is that really going to be a mural?" she asked.

"Sure just wait, it's going to be beautiful." he said with a shy smile.

The kid backed out of the office, he was embarrassed. I think he was embarrassed by Lori's good looks. She had just turned eighteen. She was young and quite beautiful in that soft baby fat way. She was a long way from fat, but her body still carried a very slight puffy look. Her hair was red, obviously from her mother's side of the family. She was fair skied with big brown eyes. Somewhat uncommon in redheads. The kid was blessed with a great body, that surely didn't come from her anorexic mom.

"So Lori, let me explain how things work," I said. I spent most of the day on Saturday explaining the check in process. I also introduced her to Tisha. They almost instantly bonded. Tisha was only a couple of years older than Lori. The two of them rattled on about college, and boys.

"Okay you two, get in the car. I am taking you to lunch," I demanded. 

Poppa John's was filled with tourist even though the season didn't officially kick off until the next weekend. Poppa was harassed and raising hell at everyone in sight. I caught him long enough to introduce him to Tisha and Lori. He smiled at both, then returned to cursing his foreign language. One of the waitresses, brought our food in bags. I showed the girls to the outdoor area reserved for locals. There were three picnic table under a couple of pines in the rear of the restaurant.

"I'll call Poppa this afternoon and set you up an account. I guess I can spring for your meals. That is if you stay away from the tourist menu." I laughed.

"How will I know the tourist menu?' she asked.

"Don't order anything with a fancy name. It is the same food, but without the tourist price. Just order what you would at home." I said with a grin.

"So Tisha, how do you like working for Uncle Johnny?' Lori asked.

"I'll tell you when he isn't around," Tisha said seriously.

"Come on Tisha, it isn't that bad," I suggested.

"I don't want to talk about you with you sitting here," she said with a grin.

"Well, we have to get back anyway," I said hurrying them along.

When we got back to the motel, it looked a little better. Bobby had blended the colors and it looked less like a drunk's nightmare. "God," I said when I saw it.

"Don't worry boss, that Bobby is really talented. You will be proud of it next week." Tisha said.

"I hope you are right. If I saw this place looking like it does now, I would run to another motel as fast as my gimpy old leg would carry me.

Even the few hours until five made a difference. Bobby had added the clouds and waves to the seascape. he had even done some shading to create contours in the sand. It actually looked a little like a real seascape by five. That is if you squinted one eye and stood on one foot.

I left Lori alone for the first time on Sunday, her job for the day was to check out our guest. Mostly it was to accept their keys and wish them a safe trip. While she ran the motel, I drove into Wilmington. I made the stops of the local motels giving them a pep talk and delivering envelopes filled with ten dollar bills.

I was in the motel office by five. I found Lori reading a paperback novel. Some kind of murder mystery. She claimed to have found it in the lost and found box. I wouldn't have been surprised, there were plenty of things in it. Most of the items we kept no more than a month. Some which looked valuable, I planned to keep a year or so. I was sitting in my apartment reading the Sunday paper when I heard a female voice ask Lori, "Where is the gimp honey?"

I opened the door to see Ruth standing across the counter. She saw me before I could have closed the door, even if I wanted to close it. "My uncle is resting in his apartment. Could I help you."

"Afraid not honey. You aren't my type. Johnny get you butt out here." she said looking at me.

I stepped from the door. "Don't worry Lori, she is one of the good guys. At least they tell us that. Lori meet Ruth." I said pointing to Ruth.

"Hi," Lori said nervous.

"Hey kid, don't get scared, I'm a cop." Ruth said gently.

"Oh the way you talked I thought you were a longshoreman." Lori said. I broke into laughter. I was joined a moment later by Ruth.

"You have to be related to Johnny. You got that twisted sense of humor." she said. She next turned her attention to me. "Since you got little miss Muppet here to take care of the place, you can take me to dinner."

"Ordinarily I would love to, but tonight will be Lori's first night checking in guest. I really have to stay with her."

"Okay, then we send little miss Muppet out for Chinese. We can all have dinner in your place." she suggested.

One thing about Ruth, she had never taken no for an answer. "Sure why not. Lori would you mind driving into Wilmington?"

"Not if the pig stops calling me little miss Muppet." she said. These two were definitely not going to get along.

"Okay, now both of you play nice or I'm going to send you home." I said laughing.

"Sorry sweetie," Ruth said to Lori. "Being a wise ass is an occupational hazard. I will try to play nice."

"Okay, then draw me a map to the Chinese restaurant." she suggested.

After Lori left, I asked Ruth, "So what's up?" 

"Nothing much, you just pissed the chief off bad." she stated.

"Can you piss him off good?" I asked.

"I don't expect so. He is going to be after your ass." she said.

"I would rather have you after it," I joked.

"That's nice, but I'm serious. If you screw up, he is going to nail you." she said.

"Unfortunately, if he wants to keep his job, he better not fuck with the game. There are too many city councilmen already on the club roles."

"I know, he isn't real happy about that. He would like it better if it were just you and Poppa John."

"Has he got a hard on for Poppa?" I asked.

"Yeah, but he can't touch him either. Everybody loves that old man. Besides he would have a mutiny if he tried to close Poppa's." she said.

"I know he don't like wise assed motel owners, but what has he got against Poppa?"

"The chief tried to get Poppa's beer license. Seems one of Poppa's waitresses sold some beer to a customer to take home. One of our rookies told the chief and he arrested the waitress. Poppa was furious. He went to the girl's arraignment with a lawyer. The lawyer demanded that the girl be released since she acted in good faith. If anyone should be arrested it should be the owner, Poppa John. The law was pretty clear that the owner was responsible for his staff's actions."




The Breeze



"Don't tell me the Judge was a friend of Poppa's." I said smiling.

"Worse, he ate in the restaurant every Friday night. I think the thought of missing Poppa's hot shrimp salad turned the case around. The Judge questioned the rookie. When a Judge asks questions, cops get nervous. The rookie was so confused that he admitted he never saw what was in the bag. He actually only heard the girl say six beers comes to twelve dollars plus tax. Then it was well maybe she said six buds."

"Are you sure it wasn't six spuds?" the judge asked. of course the kid wasn't sure anymore. Then the judge asked Poppa if the girls every referred to french fries as spuds. "Sure," Poppa says with a smile. "Case dismissed the judge says."

"I don't see why that would piss off the chief." I said.

"It was the lecture about training rookies that did him in. The judge jumped the chief in open court, then called him to his chambers. He says to the chief, if you got to arrest somebody make it a tourist. Don't you ever clog my court with a horse shit charge like this again."

"So now me and Poppa are on his list?" I asked.

"One and two and I don't know who is on top." Ruth laughed.

"Well if he busts the game, he is going to be lookin' for a job." I said.

"He knows that, but now if you were DWI or had a joint on you, that's another thing. I really came by just to warn you."

"Thanks but I'm so clean I squeak," I said.

"So you never married?' she asked.

"No and I'm not gay." I replied with a laugh.

"I didn't think that, I know better." she said with a secret smile.

During one of my visits to the beach, she and I had been a thing. At the time I had been a patrol officer in my hometown. We had a hell of a two week party, but it ended when I left. During my next visit I was informed that she had married a straight john. Some kind of banker or something. Then two years ago Maude informed me they had divorced. Since our time had come and gone, I didn't even call her.

"Do you remember the time we sat on that dune all night. I never talked so much about myself. Women are supposed to listen to men talk." she said wistfully.

"I remember, that was the night before I returned home. It was what? Six months before you married the straight john." I said cattily.

"You can't still hold that against me. After all a girl has to look out for herself. You sure as hell weren't offering to marry me." she said.

"You do have a point there. Then again, I'm still not interested in marriage." I said. "So why the friendly warning.?"

"I'm not interested in marriage either. What I am interested in is a good time. So how about buying a girl a drink?' she said.

"Sure, but tonight I have to stay around to help Lori," I said.

"After we all finish dinner, why don't you and I go up to Thirty one?' she suggested.

"Sure, why not. There is some cold beer up there." I said.

"Good, then there will be some cold beer and a hot broad." she giggled.

Whenever the bell in the office rang, I left Ruth to help Lori. What with the constant interruptions nothing much happened. I did fill a lot of the gaps in Ruth's life story. For instance she told me that she wanted to be the first female Holden Beach chief of police. I figured there was a good possibility, especially since she was already a lieutenant at only thirty five. Ruth left shortly after midnight promising to return for the opening of the game.

With my niece pretty well trained in the operation of the motel, I opened the game on Wednesday night. I began my list of calls with the most important people first. I called the mayor on his private line. He was unavailable, but asked to be set for the next Tuesday night. I agreed, then wrote him on the schedule. I allowed only seven players at the game, which did not include me of course. I filled the game with Poppa John and six prominent citizens. As I called, they were allowed to bring either players or non players but I had to know which. Most came alone, some did ask to bring their girlfriends. Only one wanted to bring a player. It was early enough in the scheduling to allow. 

I left Lori in charge of the Motel, while I went to play poker with the locals. I opened the room at seven. The players began to arrive around nine. By midnight the table was filled. The game ran until six the next morning. It was tradition, that the game ended at six. When the chips were all cashed, we had three winners of varying degrees and five losers. Poppa John, I was happy to see was a small winner.

As usual, there were a few good players and a few really awful players. The good ones usually split the lousy player's money. I was one of the good players. That night I won over five hundred dollars. 

Aunt Maude had made the rules for the game and I adhered to them even though she was no longer a player. A player could buy in for any amount between one and five hundred dollars. The game was run strictly by table stakes. No one could be forced from a pot because he was short on money. When a player tapped out, he could not buy in again for the next hour. It was an imposed cooling off period. The maximum bet was five dollars, but there were no limits on the number of bets. Aunt Maude had never cut a pot, because she was a good poker player. The house player, either Maude or me, either won enough to keep the game going or we carried the game ourselves. Thirty one wasn't a casino, it was a friendly game, which is why the cops didn't bother us. Not if they wanted to keep their jobs. On any given night a member of the town council or the mayor was likely to be playing at my table.

Since the game had been closed six months, the number of people wanting to play far exceeded my table capacity. I was forced to call them to set the games. I knew that in a few weeks, I would have games which ran with less than eight players. I expected that like Maude, there would be nights, I would sit at the bar, drinking beer with Poppa John.

Ruth showed up the next night. Like any cop, she didn't need an invitation. Most of the rookies knew about the game, but never came to see it. That is unless their trainers wanted to impress them. I had always expected that some rookie would see Serpico on TV and bust the game, just to be a prick. I wouldn't be at all surprised. Of course he was likely to put the cuffs on a judge.

Ruth hung around till one of the breaks. "So what are you going to do tomorrow.?' she asked.

"Probably sleep all day. These games last until sunrise." I informed her.

"Well wake up around six in the evening so that you can take me to dinner. I promise, I will be worth the meal?" she winked as she went down the steps.

"Johnny boy, you better watch that one. She has plans for you." Poppa informed me.

"It wouldn't surprise me a bit." I replied.

The second game ended with me a few hundred bucks ahead. Poppa broke about even. I was glad he hadn't lost. He seemed to have mastered the game since my earlier memories of him as a poor player. He and I sat at the bar having our first beers of the night.

"Poppa when did you learn to play poker so well. I remember you as being a less than great player?" I asked.

"Your Aunt Maude gave me lessons on those nights when nobody showed up. She was a really good poker player. I think though, you might be even better." he said.

"Nobody was better than Maude. She just got clumsy playing with you yokels." I laughed.

"Probably some truth in that," he admitted. He stood then walked to the front window. "I see the pimple faced kid is back. When is he going to finish that painting? It looks pretty good to me now."

"I think, about the time Lori goes back to college." I said.

"You're probably right, I see them come in and eat together 'bout every day." he said.

"I know, I figure she is safe with him." I said.

"She sure is pretty, I don't know what she sees in that boy. He is always covered in paint." Poppa said.

"I don't know either, but I'm getting one hell of a paint job from it." I laughed.

"People are beginning to use this place as a landmark. I heard one of my girls tell a tourist to go a mile past the funny looking Motel, the fishing pier would be on the left." he laughed.

"Tell me how you do it Poppa? I mean you play cards all night, then go open the restaurant." I asked.

"I don't do much at the restaurant during the week. My wife runs it most of the time now that you opened the game. On weekends I work the hell out if it." he said with a grin.

"Well, I am going to have to run you out. I am not like you, I need some sleep." I said.

"Me too, I guess I'm getting old." he said.

I found Lori asleep on my sofa. I woke her, then sent her home to sleep. She left still dreamy looking. When I checked everything seemed to be running fine, so I lay on the sofa myself. I slept in one and two hour shifts between the check ins. 

Lori arrived after lunch to fill in while I got some real sleep. By six I was back at the desk. Things began hopping as we checked in guests steadily until nine. During the first break we had Lori drive to Poppa's for sandwiches. I was actually staring into space when Ruth came into the office. She was mad as a hornet. "I thought you were coming to take me to dinner?" she said.

"I thought you were kidding," I answered, not wanting to admit I had forgotten all about her.

"If you thought I was kidding, you are as stupid as you look," she said angrily.

"I'm sorry, how about tomorrow instead," I suggested. "I promise I will show up on time and even dressed."

"Okay, but this is your last chance buster. If you don't show tomorrow, I come looking for you with a gun." she said finally smiling.

"Look, why don't I call Poppa's. Lori is down there now getting us a sandwich. I can have her pick up something for you."

"Okay, but afterward you and I are going out. The kid can look after the place for you."

"I try to never argue with a cop," I replied.

"Good policy," she admitted.

I made the call to Poppa's while Ruth stood guard over me. Lori returned a short time after. The three of us ate in my small dining area. Even while we ate, a tourist checked in. The season seemed to have begun in earnest. After the shrimp dinners, Ruth and I left Lori. The kid had the cops number and my cell number. I had bought a cell, when I decided that I could risk leaving Lori alone at night. I made it a habit to never leave her alone after ten. She mostly ran the office while I played cards. She was locked into a bullet proof room, with orders to open the door for no one. The panic button sounded a siren to alert everyone even remotely near the Breeze. I was taking no chances with Lori. Her father would kill me if anything happened to her.

Ruth understood that I had to be home by ten. She didn't much like it but she understood. We didn't even move the cars, we simply walked along the beach to the fishing pier. The night was cool and the ocean was still the ocean, dark and mysterious. We talked as we walked along.

"Johnny, now that you are back for good, do you reckon we could see each other on a regular basis? I mean, we really were a good couple." Ruth said.

"Ruth honey, you know I love you, but you are pushing too hard. Right now I am up to my ass with the Breeze. If things work out between us they do, I just can't drop everything right now to chase after you." I tried to make it sound true. Ruth knew the difference.

"Well, I'll tell you what. I am going to stop chasing you. When you find the time call me. If I'm not too busy, I might go out with you." she snapped. She also turned around to walk back to her car. I followed after her but didn't even try to talk to her. It would only have gotten me into more trouble.

Ruth didn't even say goodnight, she just got into her car and drove away. I stood in the parking lot until her tail lights disappeared down highway 421. It didn't matter much to me what she did. I was just too tired of the crap involved with women. Not that I didn't like to have them around. I just didn't need the involvement. There was a good chance that I would meet a few tourist now that the season had begun. Tourist were a lot less trouble, at least in the romance department. In every other department, they were a pain in the ass.

I sent Lori to her room, while I watched TV. I was the one who checked in guest all night long. I even had to turn a few away. It was indeed a remarkable night for me. I had lost a potential lover and gained a motel full of guests. I wasn't quite sure how I felt about either. 

The next morning, I was sure that I was worn completely out. I hadn't been able to sleep for more than half an hour at a time until the motel was filled at four. Lori came to wake me at seven. She asked me if she could bring me anything from Poppa's. 

"Go, then you come back and run the place. I have to get some sleep. I was up all night." I said.

"Too bad, you could have stayed with your cop slut. At least if you had done that, you would be in a better mood," she said with a laugh.

"If your father hears you talk like that, I am going to get killed," I said with a smile.

"Don't worry, I don't tell them everything," she said as she walked to the door.

I slept till noon, then relieved Lori on the desk. She wanted to hit the beach. Why shouldn't she, she was young and extremely attractive. I watched her go to her room to change. When she returned she was in one of those tiny little bikini swim suits. I wondered how her father let her buy such a thing. At least she wore a beach jacket for some small sense of decency. That swimsuit sure bordered on indecent.

I didn't mention it since it was really none of my business. Besides I got busy with the motels check in and outs. It was turning into a pretty decent summer considering I just reopened the place. I expected a lot of my income to come from room thirty one, but most of it actually came from the motel.

I thought I had it made at least the summer. Then it happened, something always happens when you think you have your life in order. The woman who checked in on that hot June night was not a real beauty. She was very attractive for an older woman, there was absolutely no doubt about that. If it hadn't been a Friday night I wouldn't have been the one to check her into the motel at least not at midnight. On a weeknight I would have still been playing poker. 

I seldom paid any attention to the people who check in, but she was definitely the exception. First of all she was tall, almost equal to my six feet. She was also honey blond, no doubt from a bottle. If it was a dye job, it was an expensive one. The give away that it might not have been her birth hair color were her eyes. They were brown, but not quite brown either, they were some really dark color was about all I could tell for sure. She was thin almost thin enough to border on being sickly looking. She might have been unattractively thin, had it not been for the cut of her clothes. She had probably paid as much for her off white silk blouse as I did for all the clothes in my closet. Her tan cotton slacks were similar in color to those I wore, but the similarity ended with the color. Her slacks hung almost straight from her waist to her sandals. She was a truly beautiful woman, at least in the model sense of beautiful.

I checked her in and should have forgotten her, but I didn't. Something about her lingered in the room. Maybe it was her perfume or a premonition, either way something kept her on my mind until I went to sleep at four am. 

It was Tisha. who delivered the bad news. She came running into the office. At 9am while I tried to sleep behind the counter. She tried to speak but nothing came from her mouth except a low moan. It was the sound an animal makes when it is hurt bad. "Tisha, what is it?" I asked trying to calm her down. She tried to speak but didn't have the air.

I went around the counter and held her against my body. "Come on baby, take a deep breath and tell me what is wrong. I can't fix it unless you tell me." I said.

"Room twenty two, the women in there is covered with blood. I think she is dead." she informed me. Twenty two was on the rear of the building away from the traffic noise. I had picked it for the beautiful blonde.

"You sit here and call an ambulance. I am going to take a look," I said lifting her pass Keys. I hurried to the rear of the building. Running along the walkway wide open took the wind right out of me. It had been too long since I had done any real physical therapy. When I reached the long concrete patio, I walked slowly past the other rooms until I reached twenty two. It was next to the end of the building. When I reached the door, I took a deep breath before I turned the lock. The first view was of the dresser which had several small items spread over it. I turned my head slightly to the right to get a glimpse of the woman spread across the bed. She was covered with a blood stained sheet. I walked slowly to stand beside her. I felt for a pulse knowing in advance there would be none. When I touched her body it was cold and clammy. A sure sign that she was dead and had been for sometime.

While I waited for the ambulance, I took a look at the dresser. I found some change piled on a napkin, a key ring filled with about twenty keys, a small purse which appeared to be closed and a wad of cash. The bills were small but there were several of them. I looked around for her luggage, there was none. The clothes she had worn the night before were piled shelter skeeter on the floor. One leg of her panty hose dangled from the chair beside her bed. 

I took a look in the bathroom, no tooth brush was anywhere to be found. She hadn't spent much time in the bathroom, because she hadn't staked out her claim on it yet. I knew from experience, women tended to stack bottles of this and that on the vanity. It is like a cat marking her territory. This one was as empty as it had been when she checked in. 

I stepped out the door looking for the car she had driven while checking into the motel. It sat in the parking space near the stairs. I liked the car, though not as much as I had liked the Lady. I locked the door, then returned to the office. While Tisha and I waited for the very slow ambulance, I pulled dead lady's registration card. I had noticed her last night, but hadn't even looked at the card. She listed her name as Mary Amos, and her address as somewhere in Asheville N.C. Her car was described as a Chevy Lumina. It was a pretty little thing, but I didn't know one car from another. She had given a plate number as required by law. I had to doubt it's authenticity. She had written it without checking. Not to many people know their plate number. Most of them guess at it for the registration form. No sense walking back outside just for the plate number. Like all the other motel owners, I tended to ignore the law on that one. As long as something was in the space, I was happy.

I finally heard the siren approaching. I walked out to the parking lot to direct the attendants. I expected them to have already called the police. I was correct in my assumption because right behind them came an unmarked car. Naturally the car contained Ruth and Eddie. I motioned the ambulance men to follow me. They followed behind me with their gurney in tow. I led them to the body in the rear room. Tourists began to look out their windows as we passed. This isn't going to be real good for business, I thought.

The para medics checked the woman for a pulse, then left the room before calling the medical examiners office. At that time it officially became a crime scene. "Okay Johnny, what do you know about the woman?" Ruth asked as she stood waiting for the Medical Examiner.

"Just that, she checked in last night around midnight. Nothing unusual about her." I said handing Ruth the registration card. "Next thing I know Tisha came to the office to tell me we have a corpse in twenty two."




The Breeze



"Was she alone?" Eddie asked.

"As far as I could tell. She took a room with a large bed but there could have been ten occupants in the room. From her clothes she looked as though she could afford to pay for a double room in a fancy motel if that was what she wanted." I replied.

"Unless she didn't want you to know she was with anyone, for some other reason." Ruth suggested. I knew what she was saying and why. The room screamed quickie.

"That could be true, I guess." I answered. "Hell she could have been a hooker for all I know," I said.

"I'm going to call the SBI crime scene crew," Eddie advised Ruth.

"That should take an hour or more. Let's take a quick look around before we seal this place." Ruth suggested. "Eddie why don't you get the camera. It might be nice to make a few shots before the SBI gets here. You know just to be sure we have some before shots." 

"Good idea boss," he said trotting down the long porch.

"Did you hear anything?" Ruth asked me.

"Not a sound, any chance we can keep this quiet. It is going to play hell with business as it is," I said.

"You know we are going to do the best we can. Frankly Johnny this happens once in a while down here. More often in Myrtle Beach or in Wilmington, but still it happens." Ruth said.

"Have you had others like this?" I asked.

"Two last year, this is the first this year." she replied.

"Not the same M.O. I hope?" I asked.

"Who knows, I mean a woman comes to the beach to get laid, instead she gets killed. Who can say whether it was the same man who did them all? Odds are pretty good that it wasn't. Serial killers are pretty rare," she said.

"Do you think this woman had another room somewhere?" I asked the obvious question.

"Probably, also probably complete with a husband." she replied.

"Surely she wouldn't leave her husband at midnight to get laid. That sounds pretty stupid to me," I commented.

"You don't know Wrightsville Island these days. There is just too much money there. The rich yuppies bring the family down for the week, or a couple of weeks. Those assholes go home to work during the week, leaving mommy and the kids to get into all kinds of trouble. She might even be rich enough to have a house up on shell island. Who knows, but we are sure as hell going to find out."

Eddie returned and began shooting pictures of everything in sight. When he finished Ruth put on her surgical gloves before opening the small purse on the dresser. "Not much in this," she said emptying it onto the Formica top of the dresser. "Lipstick, face powder, but nothing else."

"Why would there be? her money and keys are on the dresser," I said.

"How about her driver's license and family pictures?" Eddie asked.

"My guess is she left them either at home or in the car. You did know that the Chevy outside was hers?" I asked.

"I figured as much, first things first though." Ruth said taking a deep breath. She then walked to the bed. "I just hate doing this." She pulled the sheet from the body of the woman being careful not to disturb anything underneath. The only thing which kept her from being totally naked was a dress of pure blood. She had bled like a slaughtered animal. Since her complete torso was covered, it wasn't going to take a genius to recognize multiple stab wound all over her body. I notice right away that she wasn't wearing a wedding band but had the white mark where one had been. The body had a pair of ear rings and a watch so it looked like she removed the wedding band herself before going out on the town.

"Any body parts missing?" I asked.

"Doesn't look like it," Ruth answered.

"Don't you think we should ask him to leave?" Eddie suggested.

"Why Eddie, I'm not touching anything. Believe me I know the drill." I said shortly.

"Take it easy Johnny, I know you have a lot at stake here." Ruth said in a calming voice.

"Right," I agreed.

Rather than say any more, Eddie began making digital images of the body. Since there was nothing left for me to see, I walked onto the balcony. One of the other guest cornered me.

"What happened?" she asked.

"Can't say, the cops are trying to keep it quiet. May have been a suicide. Did you hear anything last night?" I asked. Ruth overheard my question and came to stand inside the door.

"Just the usual grunting sounds of two people making love," the older woman said. "Sounded like they were really going at it." 

"Really, did you see the man?" Ruth asked.

"No, I just heard the fucking," the older woman said. She seemed to be enjoying the shock value of her words.

"Didn't you hear the woman scream?" Eddie asked.

"Sure, I heard her scream for about an hour, but it wasn't in pain. At least not the kind you mean." she smiled as she spoke.

"Did you hear the man leave?" I asked. Hell it was my motel.

"Nope, I fell asleep to the sound of the bed banging against the wall. Kind of like old times," she admitted. "You know I wasn't born seventy years old."

"I'll bet you banged a couple of headboards yourself," I said.

"You better believe it sonny, and more than just headboards," she said with a teenager's giggle.

"Ma'am was there anyone with you last night?" Eddie asked.

"Why, you think I killed her?" the old lady asked.

"Of course not," Ruth quickly added. "We just thought someone else might have heard the man leave."

"My tight assed daughter is with me but she was sound asleep and snoring before I fell asleep." the old lady added.

"Johnny we are going to have to speak to everyone on this side of the building," Ruth advised me.

"Why not, I'll go down and get their bills ready. I expect to see them about five minutes after you talk to them." I said turning to leave. On the way to the office, I began to think. I should have noticed if there was another car following. The killer might have been in the car or he might have met her later. If so how would he have known which room. I close the switchboard at midnight, so she didn't make any calls from the room.

I turned to walk back up the steps. "Ruth," I said. "You might look for a cell phone."

"What makes you think she had a cell phone?" Ruth asked.

"Just a hunch," I replied leaving them standing outside the room. I knew Ruth had either called or was about to call for a canvas squad. In about fifteen minutes the place would be crawling with uniformed cops. A death knell for the weekend.

I was surprised how people had changed. I had only one couple check out that morning. Maybe because every motel in the area was filled or maybe people no longer objected to sleeping in a room beside a murder scene. Either way I was just as happy to avoid the mass exodus.

Tisha was pretty upset, but she hung in to finish the rooms.

Lori on the other hand seemed to enjoy the excitement. I don't think the murder was any more to her than a TV type entertainment. Which may have been the way my tourist felt about Mary Amos. I knew from experience that the cops would take most of the day to clear the crime scene. With that in mind, I left Lori in charge while I went to Poppa's for lunch.

"Hey Johnny who got iced down at your place?" Poppa asked before I even found a seat.

"A female tourist," I answered. "How about one of those Mexican burgers."

"So who was she?" he asked.

"Poppa you know I can't tell you that, besides I don't really know. Just some tourist who checked in late last night."

Poppa slid the burger along the counter as he spoke again, "You know we had a couple of killings down here last year. I wonder if it was the same man?" 

"I don't know anything about the others, but this one was pretty bad," I said softly.

"They was too, at least that's what Elmer down a the breakers said," Poppa confided.

"Were they both at the breakers?" I asked.

"Yep, two women cut up bad. Cops never even got a sniff of the killer," Poppa said contemptuously.

"Let's hope they solve this one before the word gets out too far afield. It would be really bad for business, if the papers up north carried it." Anywhere outside the beach strip was considered up north. The true direction didn't matter all tourist came from up north.

"You got a point there. Don't want to scare them little money spending tourist away," Poppa laughed. Poppa wandered off to talk to other customers while I finished my burger covered with salsa and mustard. I expected heartburn within the hour.

When I returned to the Breeze, I sent Lori to lunch, with instruction to take Tisha with her. I sat more or less alone in the office until three. At that time Ruth and Eddie came into the room. "How did you know about the cell phone?" Eddie demanded.

"Not too hard to figure. The bad guy either came in with her and hid inside her car while she checked in, which wouldn't make much sense. I mean, the woman would suspect something, if she caught him hiding under the seat. So my guess was she called him to meet her. She had to give him the room number at least." I answered.

"But why a cell phone?" Eddie continued.

"Because, I switch off the room phones at midnight. She checked in almost exactly at midnight. She wouldn't have had time to make the call from her room. So who did she call, or is that confidential." I asked.

"A pay phone outside the K Mart store in Wilmington." Ruth said. Not much chance anyone noticed him at midnight. We might get lucky and some cop drove by but I doubt it. Our man probably wouldn't have done the woman, if he thought somebody might have seen him. Ruth admitted.

"Do you know who she is?" I asked.

"Well she ain't Mary Amos," Eddie said belligerently.

"No kidding sport," I said nastily. Eddie was wearing a little thin about that time.

"Her name is Katherine Peterson. She lives in Winston Salem. She and her husband also have a house on Shell Island. We called him an hour or so ago. He will be coming down to identify the body. I wouldn't be surprised, if he comes to see you." Ruth said.

"Thanks for the warning Ruth. I would hate to refuse to talk to him just because I didn't know who he was." I said aiming the barb at Eddie.

"So you got any ideas?" Ruth asked.

"A couple, do you want to hear them?" I asked.

"You know I do. My motto has always been steal from the best." she admitted.

"Thanks for that," I said sarcastically. "I expect if you show her picture around the Runner and the Holiday someone in the lounges will recognize her. Maybe you can find out if she had a boyfriend or was just on the make." I suggested.

"That's what I planned to do anyway," Ruth stated.

"If the knife from the lab comes back with a serrated rear edge, you might want to try Mercer's pier. A lot of lonely women walk the pier at night." I suggested.

"You thinking fisherman?" Ruth asked.

"No I'm just thinking, she met him somewhere. If she wasn't cruising the upscale lounges she might have just met someone on the pier. Then again she may have been cruising the Tiki or some other tourist trap." I suggested.

"God you are behind the times. The Tiki is now the Hawaiian Villa," Ruth said with a smile.

"Tiki had a fire I suppose," I said with a smile of my own.

"You know it," she admitted.

It was the classic joke. When a club owner wanted to remodel his place, a fire usually broke out. The fires were always in the winter and usually just gutted the interior. Doing little or no structural damage. Even in the winter, the bars couldn't afford to be closed too long.

"My bet is on the Runner or Holiday," Eddie said.

"Which do you think Johnny?" Ruth asked.

"The pier," I answered simply.

"Why?" Ruth pressed.

"She called the K Mart store, not one of the lounges. If he met her in a lounge, it would be suspicious for him to ask her to call a pay phone. My guess is the meeting was set sometime in the afternoon." I said.

"So why didn't she meet him until midnight?" Eddie asked.

"Try this," I suggested. "Kate stayed home to make sure her husband wouldn't call. When he hadn't called by eleven, which is probably his normal bedtime she took the chance to leave the house. She didn't have her friend come to the house, just in case hubby showed up. If he had shown and waited for her, she took a walk on the beach to think. The phone number was prearranged leaving me to believe the date was made early in the day. My guess is the woman was not a cruiser."

"She just got sweat talked?" Ruth asked.

"You know how the salt air and pounding surf works on women," I reminded her.

"Only on tourist," she replied icily.

"I meant that," I said.

"We will have to check them all, but your version makes pretty good sense to me. You know Hubby could have done it. He had plenty of time to drive home before we called. 

"Could be but why the call and why would she remove her ring to meet her Husband?" I asked.

"When I talk to him, I'll ask." Ruth said. "You know she might have forgot to replace it when she washed dishes last night."

"Could be, but my guess is she has skin under her nails and is full of semen. It won't match up to daddy bear." I guessed.

"The ultra violet revealed some on the sheets," Ruth said.

"I expected that," I replied. "So when can I rent the room again?" 

"You really are a coldhearted bastard," Eddie commented.

"That's me sport," I replied.

"Don't call me sport," he said. 

"We are through in there now, but give it till tomorrow night." Ruth said.

I Ignored him. "No problem, I don't have any others to rent, so I am going to take the night off," I replied.

"Johnny don't go messin' in this," Ruth warned. "I take a dim view of outsiders playing cop."

"Not to worry, I don't want to be a hero," I replied.

"I guess on that note we will be leaving you," Ruth said.

"Ruth have the husband take a look around the house. See if Kate bought anything new since his last trip down." Ruth nodded. She knew the drill.

I wouldn't forget a murder easily, especially since it happened in my motel. I spend most of the daylight hours dodging news whores. Sunday morning bright and early a rather ugly BMW pulled up outside the office. It was during the normal Sunday fishermen checkout and arrival times. The man who stepped from the BMW didn't look like a fisherman. I had never seen a fisherman in a thousand dollar suit. I watched as he walked into the office.

"You the owner," he asked nastily.

"Yes sir, can I help you?" I asked knowing I didn't want to hear the answer.

"I think you have done quite enough for me already," he almost screamed. "I am Edward Peterson and I am going to sue your ass off."

I turned cold at his attitude. "Mr. Peterson, I expected you to come asking me what happened. I expected that you would be upset, but why do you want to sue me?" I asked.

"Because you run the kind of place where a stranger can walk into a room, then rape and murder an innocent woman," he shouted.

"Did the cops tell you it happened that way?" I asked.

"They didn't have to. It couldn't have been any other way." he snapped.

"Mr. Sims, I don't think it happened that way and neither do the police. As a matter of fact I imagine we are both suspects at the moment." I said calmly.

"That's bullshit my wife was raped and murdered. You are just trying to prevent me suing." he shouted.

"Tell you what, you go get yourself a lawyer, let him take a look at the facts, then if he feels it appropriate let him file his action." I said it knowing I had obeyed all the laws. I also that he couldn't find a reputable lawyer, who would take a case he was certain to lose.

"I don't need a lawyer, I am a lawyer. I am going down to file the papers tomorrow." he said.

I was quickly losing my temper. I knew he was hurting, but I didn't feel like taking his abuse. On the other hand no one could predict how a jury would see things. "You know, what I really want to do is throw your ass out of here, but instead I am going to try one more time to reason with you. I checked you wife in legally, the door was not broken, before or after she died. She opened it to the man who killed her. I don't see how you can find any fault with me." I suggested.

"Have you ever lost a key to that room?" he asked.

"I have not," I replied. I knew where he was heading and I didn't like it.

"I understand you took over a couple of months ago. Did you have all the locks changed?" he asked.

"Why should I the place had been vacant for six months?" I replied.

"To prevent this kind of thing from happening." he said. "I am going to hang your ass. As a matter of fact I may just kick the shit out of you right now."

I limped around the counter to face him. I looked him hard in the eyes. "You may sue me and you may wind up owning this place, but you damned sure ain't gonna kick my ass. What you are going to do is get the hell out of my office." I said.

"You will be receiving the papers next week. As a matter of fact, I am going to see that they are served tomorrow," he said as he turned to leave.

"Good, I look forward to the formal apology I am going to demand," I said leaving out the part about his slut wife.

After he had gone, I tried to call Ruth at her office. When I didn't reach her I tried her home. "Hello," she answered.

"Ruth this is Johnny, what the hell did you tell Ed Peterson. He just came over here to tell me I was the cause of his wife being raped and murdered. The son of a bitch is going to sue me."

"You may have to take a number. He threatened Eddie with harassment, just because he asked his whereabouts Friday night. To answer your question we tried to tell him our theory, but he didn't want to hear it. His wife was as pure as the driven snow, according to him anyway." 

I took a deep breath, then said the words I swore I would never say. "Well it looks like we are going to have to prove his wife met a lover here. To do that to his satisfaction we are going to have to come up with the man." I said.

"I'm sorry Johnny but there ain't gonna be no we shit. You are a civilian." she informed me.

"One who may lose everything, if you don't come up with the killer before he rushes this into court. I figure we got a month but no more." I said.

"You can hire a lawyer and drag this out for years," Ruth suggested.

"I can't afford a lawyer," I said.

"Sure you can, call Bunny," she insisted.

"Just who the hell is Bunny?" I asked.

"My old roommate. You remember Bunny, she roomed with me during the summer while she was in college."

"The ugly kid with the thick glasses and stringy hair. You mean to tell me she is a lawyer now?" I asked.

"You didn't expect her to be a Las Vegas showgirl did you?" she countered.

"Actually, I expected her to be a vet." I laughed.

"Anyway she has an office in Wilmington. I expect she could use the business. You know how those new firms are?" she asked.

"About as poor as a small motel owner, I suspect," I agreed. "If we don't find the guy before the first court date, I will pay her a few bucks to get it continued."

"Good, because we got nothing." Ruth informed me.

"What do you mean you got nothing?' I asked. "There is always something."

"Sure you find us the man and we can match his DNA. Too bad we don't have a DNA data base in this country."

"How about prints?" I asked.

"Thousands of them," she informed me. I should have known that in a motel there would be prints surviving from almost every guest who ever stayed in that room. We even have a rubber glove print."

"God I hope that belongs to Tisha," I said.

"Me too, if our man wore gloves then none of the thousand prints will be his." Ruth suggested.

"Did you get anything on the canvas?' I asked.

"Are you kidding at midnight on Friday, everyone was either sleeping or out drinking. We got nothing but the seventy year old woman's story." Ruth answered.

"How about the clubs and the pier?" I asked.




The Breeze



"No one remembers her at all. Too bad I thought we were on to something with that fisherman idea. I really don't see her as the bar type. Too much chance for that asshole husband of hers to find out. You know how people love to talk." Ruth suggested.

"I'd bet my last dollar she met him somewhere that morning for the first time," I said.

"What makes you think they weren't long time lovers," she asked.

"Call it a hunch based on some pretty thin assumptions," I said not wanting her to laugh at my reasoning.

"Well you have been a hundred percent wrong so far," Ruth admonished.

"Yeah, so I have to be right sometime," I suggested.

"Not you Johnny, you can be wrong a hundred percent of the time. Look at me, you could have been married to me all these years." she said with a chuckle.

"Ruth, please try to find someone who can trace her steps Friday for us," I almost begged.

"We are trying, but she has no neighbors up there, at least none who are down at the moment. Before you asked I checked and there were none last week either. Nobody much knows her."

"Did Edward notice anything new around the place?" I asked.

"We didn't get a chance to ask. He got pissed at Eddie and tossed us out." she informed me.

"What did your boy do? Pick his nose?" I asked.

"No, Mr. Peterson thought Eddie was implying that he might have killed his wife. He told us to come back with a warrant, if we wanted to accuse him of anything. We have the Winston Salem police looking into his whereabouts on Friday." she said.

"Have them look for a girlfriend," I suggested.

"Why? do you know something I don't?" Ruth asked.

"Not really, he just strikes me as the type."

"He does at that," Ruth agreed. "A little too outraged you mean?"

"I guess," I admitted. "That and I just don't like him period."

"I know, I didn't think he acted just right either. I expect we are going to have to drive up to Winston to talk to his neighbors. I really hate road trips." she admitted.

"Maybe you can eliminate him from here. If the Winston Salem Police come up with the girlfriend for you."

"You think he was with another woman while his wife was getting herself laid, and butchered?" she asked.

"That's exactly what I think. I really think he is on a guilt trip, but not for killing his wife," I admitted.

"I know with a beautiful house up on shell island, why would they go to dump like yours to screw?" she asked with that nasty chuckle again.

"Thanks for the opinion, but I didn't ask for it." I replied. "Why don't you call a tame judge and get a search warrant for the house. There might be something inside to give us a clue where she have met her killer." I couldn't get over the idea that she had met him while shopping. I don't know why, I had it in my mind except that it is what women do at the, when they aren't sunning themselves. She could have met him on the beach, except shell island is a private community. He wouldn't likely be hanging around the beach up there. Unless he was a resident, in which case why would they bother to come here. Of course he might have his wife and kiddies down, but then why would he kill her. It all pointed to a killer who just picked her as a victim. I had a really bad feeling about the whole thing.

Monday was a pretty routine day until the process server showed up. According to the papers, I had a month to show cause why there should not be a trial. I ignored the papers as best I could. It didn't work too well, I almost lost money in the weeknight game.

The conversation at the game centered around the dead woman. Everybody had a theory and each was as bad as the other. The one that scared hell out of me, was that last year's two murders were connected to my murder. The reason it scared me was that a serial killer are hard as hell to catch. Not only that, every police force in the country tried to deny that they had one until it was shoved down their throat. I sure didn't want to be the one to even mention it. Mainly because it played into the lawsuit's hand. Not too many serial killers seduce their victims. Mostly they target them, then just go kill them. I didn't want it to be a serial killer. I wanted it to be a local man who left a trail a mile and a half wide. Damn I hated 'who dun its'. Most every cop did. I smiled to myself. I wasn't a cop and didn't ever want to be one again.

I slept through a lot of Tuesday. When I awoke, I found Lori behind the counter. "Lori it's time we had a talk," I said.

"What about Uncle Johnny?" she asked. She looked a little worried. "You aren't going to send me home because of that murder are you?"

"Not unless you are frightened," I replied.

"I'm not frightened, I am just not talking to strangers," she said seriously.

"That is a good policy anytime, but right now I can't say extra precautions are in order. What I wanted to talk to you about is running the Breeze. I'm afraid I have a lot on my mind right now. I may have to take off now and again. I mean even more than I have been."

"So you want me to work more hours?' she asked.

"That wouldn't be fair. You are working more now that I anticipated. I was thinking about getting you some more help. How would you feel about another person helping out around here?" I asked.

"Who did you have in mind?' she asked.

"Actually I didn't have anyone in mind. I thought I might try to pirate somebody from Poppa or one of the other motels." I said.

"How about hiring Bobby? He needs a job," she informed me.

"Bobby who?" I asked.

"Bobby the boy who painted the motel. He needs a job until the fall." she said.

"And he wants to be near you?" I asked.

"That too," she admitted.

"Okay, but he has to get rid of the paint on his hands and tell him no jeans and tee shirts. He also has to wear socks. Lori one more thing, he is not be within twenty feet of your room." I said seriously.

"I think we can live with those rules," she said possessively.

"So tell him he has the night shift three nights a week and on call all the other nights. Lori, he is not to know what goes on in thirty one." I ordered.

"I don't really know what goes on in thirty one, but I have a pretty good idea." she smiled.

"You probably have the wrong idea, but it doesn't matter as long as you don't talk about it to anyone, not even your father." I informed her.

"So are you going to find the murderer?" she asked.

"What in the world makes you think I could find the murderer easier than the cops?" I asked.

"Poppa says you can. He told me that the devil couldn't hide from you in hell. You would just reach down there and pull him out by his forked tail." she laughed.

"I think you made that up," I said.

"Oh no, that is the word around here. It seems that Maude told everyone you were a genius." she said smiling at me. "So are you going to find him?"

"No but I may go looking for him," I admitted. "Chances are real good that I won't find him. It's not even fifty fifty that the cops will right now. Their best bet is the tip line. If Kate was trying to hide her movements, then they will probably come up with nothing."

"It sounds so hopeless, what do you think you can do?" she asked.

"Nothing, if I had a place to start it would be a lot easier." I admitted.

"You know they ran a color picture of her in the Sunday paper?" Lori asked.

"Yeah I saw it, I even cut it out," I admitted.

"Well Bobby read it because it happened here. Anyway, he thought he had seen her before." Lori said almost shyly.

"Really where?' I asked not really expecting a coincidence like that to mean anything.

"At one of the arts festivals during the spring. You know Bobby is a member of the Artist Guild." Lori said proudly.

"That doesn't surprise me at all. The kid is talented. So call Bobby and tell him to get his skinny ass down here. I need to talk to him."

Bobby showed around four, just a couple of hours before I usually opened thirty one. "So Bobby," I said before he even got seated. "Tell me about Mrs. Peterson," I demanded.

"I'm not real sure it was her, but the woman I met looked a lot like the picture." he admitted.

"So tell me how you met her?" I asked.

"It was at the spring festival by the river. I had a couple of paintings and she was looking for something in particular. I offered to paint it for her but she wasn't interested in commissioning anything. She didn't give me her name but I'm pretty sure it was her," he said.

"So how can you be sure?" I asked.

"I saw her another time at one of the walk through the park exhibit," he said.

"What the hell is the walk through the park?" I asked.

"The city lets local artist set up easels in the park one weekend a month. A bunch of us try to sell a few paintings there. I am pretty sure she came through a couple of months ago. She talked to several of the artist but didn't buy anything." he informed me. "At least I think it was her."

"Bobby are you sure about all this?" I asked.

"Pretty sure," he said.

"Close enough," I said walking away from them. I went into the office to call Ruth.

"Ruth, why didn't you tell me Kate Peterson spent most of her time at the beach house?' I asked angrily.

"Because, I didn't know that she did. Are you sure?" she asked.

"Tell you what, get the electric bills for the house. I expect there was a sudden jump either last year or this year. They should have remained pretty consistent over the last few months." I said.

"Give me about an hour and I will call you?" she said. "Better yet, I'll come by the game tonight."

"Well don't keep me in suspense too long. You know I have a lot riding on this investigation." I said.

"Tell you what, just to be on the safe side, I am going to bring Bunny to the game tonight." she informed me.

"That might not be a good idea," I suggested.

"She knows about the game. Everybody who ever lived on this beach knows about it. Don't worry she will be cool." Ruth promised.

"Alright but don't sign me up for anything yet. I still have my money on you. Any word on the warrant to search the house?" I asked.

"If this pans out I will have a lot better chance. Sims is a lawyer you know. Judges don't like to pick on lawyers. If I can show he has withheld material information, I might have a chance.

"You can fill me in tonight at the game." I suggested.

"Right," she said hanging up without saying goodbye.

The game started early since we had enough to fill the table by eight. Nothing like a murder to bring in the business, I thought.

I was able to lose myself in the cards as I had not been able to do the night before. I was up a couple of hundred bucks when Ruth arrived. She had in tow a woman who was rather plain but somehow attractive. Bunny still had her freckles but had lost the thick glasses. She had the bright red hair, I remembered but not the twenty extra pounds. These days she was almost too thin. She dressed well enough to hide her lack of a figure. Bunny would never be a knock out, but she was in her own way attractive. Those days everyone was trying for the starved, urchin look.

I left the game and room thirty one so that Ruth and I could talk. Bunny followed. "So?" I asked Ruth.

"The light bill went up in February and hasn't gone down since," Ruth acknowledged. "So how did you know?"

"I found someone who has seen her on a couple of different occasions since February." I admitted.

"So who is this mysterious witness?" Ruth asked.

"Nothing mysterious about him. The kid who painted the motel is an artist. He saw her at a couple of sidewalk shows." I admitted.

"So where is this kid?" Ruth asked.

"I expect he is still in the office fawning over Lori," I said.

"I almost enjoy my job sometimes. I am going down to separate them so that I can talk to the kid. Am I going to need a crowbar?" Ruth asked.

"If you do, I am going to need a bullet proof vest when my brother finds out," I said.

"You stay here and tell Bunny all your problems," Ruth suggested mostly to keep me away from the interview.

"So Bunny, you have certainly changed," I said as Ruth walked away.

"It's called growing up," she said sharply. She paused a minute, before apologizing. "I'm sorry Johnny. I can't believe I said that. I didn't mean to infer that you hadn't grown up."

"Of course you did, and rightly so. I mean you come in to see me sitting at a poker table just like it was ten years ago." I answered.

"I have heard a lot about you over the last few years." she admitted.

"Don't believe it. It is all malicious gossip," I said smiling warmly.

"Damn, I must have missed the good parts," she said it with an equally warm smile. "What I heard was flattering."

"In that case it was all true," I said. We talked for a few more minutes before Ruth returned. Bunny proved to be witty and smart as hell. A combination I usually tried to avoid like the plague. Give me a dull, dumb woman every time.

When Ruth returned it was to inform me that she wasn't sure about Bobby. "He just doesn't seem positive enough." she said.

"Well it seemed like he knew enough to get us looking at the utility bills," I said.

"Yes, but it may have been a coincidence," Ruth said.

"Well, I am going back to the game, you do what you want." I turned to Bunny and said, "You come on back to the game anytime, and I may be calling you about the suit. That is if Super Sleuth doesn't solve this in a couple of more weeks." It was a lousy crack, but I felt lousy.

The game continued until four. After the game Poppa and I sat talking. "So are you going to look for the woman's killer?" he asked.

"I'm going to look, but the cops will be the ones to find him. That is, if he is ever found," I replied.

"You don't have much faith that he will be?" Poppa asked.

"Not unless the autopsy reveals he carved his name and address in her ass." I said.

"I think you will find him. You have more to lose than the cops. You don't know the judge down here, and he sure don't know you. You just might lose this place." he said.

"It's a possibility, but that is a few weeks off, at least." I replied.

After Poppa left, I went to the office. I woke Bobby up and told him to go home. Just as he reached the door I had a thought. "Bobby, tell me something," I demanded. "Was there any other artist she talked to at those show?" I asked.

"You mean the Peterson woman?' he asked sleepily.

"Yes the Peterson woman," I repeated.

"She seemed real interested in Jake McAllister's work." he said.

"Where can I find this Jake McAllister?" I asked.

"He has a studio downtown, but he might not want to see you. He is a strange cuss." Bobby said.

"In what way?" I asked.

"Jake is a con-artist," he informed me as though I should understand.

"You mean like a swindler?" I asked not quite sure I had it right.

"No like in a man who learned to paint in jail. Quite a few good artist learned to paint while doing time. They called it rehabilitation." Bobby said. "Couple of them like Jake actually had some talent. The others are better copy painters than original artist."

"So what was Jake in for?" I asked.

"I don't know. He don't talk about it much," Bobby informed me.

"You go on home and get some real sleep. Come back around six tonight." I ordered.

"Okay, but I am going to have breakfast first," he said as Lori entered the office.

"I'll cover until you get back," I informed Lori.

She nodded as the two of them walked from the office. So what should I do with the information, I wondered. If I gave it to the cops, they wouldn't allow me to sit in on the interview. If I tried to talk to Jake without a badge, he was just as likely to tell me to go piss up a rope. A compromise seemed in order. I called Ruth at the station.

"What is the word on the search warrant?" I asked.

"Two this afternoon, we are going to surprise Edward Peterson," she said with a laugh.

"So can I come along?' I asked.

"You know better than to even ask," Ruth admonished me.

"What if I give you a hot lead, can I come then?" I asked.

"No, but if you withhold evidence the chief will have your ass on a platter, with potatoes." she warned.

"I at least want to be a spectator when you serve the warrant, and I want to go with you when you question my hot lead." I said stubbornly.

"We do have a ride along policy. I guess you could ride along with me and Eddie," she admitted.

"Do we have to take Eddie?" I asked.

"If you are going to ride along we do," she was adamant.

"Okay, pull a rap sheet then come get me," I ordered.

Whose rap sheet do I pull?' she asked.

"One Jake McAllister, he is supposed to be a con artist," I said hoping she didn't know the term either.

"Why would a confidence man be involved in a murder?' she asked.

"Not that kind of con artist. A convict artist, of course he is out now, probably on parole. I just want to know why he was in the joint. If I could do it myself, I might not have even invited you along." I said with a chuckle.

"Sure you would, who else would listen to all this bullshit?" she asked.

"You got a point, how long will it take?" I asked.

"About an hour at Poppa's. You might as well buy my breakfast." she ordered.

"Done," I agreed.

I locked the office forty five minutes later. Lori hadn't returned. I found her at Poppa still drinking coffee. "Young lady, you have work to do," I suggested. "And as for you Bobby, you need to be gone in about ten minutes. The cops are on the way and I don't want you around when they show." I said.

"You aren't really mad that I took so long for breakfast are you Uncle Johnny," Lori asked.

"Not at all, no one will be coming to the office for another hour at least, but just the same you need to get back." I watched as Lori paid the bill. Bobby hadn't been paid yet. "Bobby," I called, then motioned him over. I slipped the kid a hundred bucks. I had a good night at the game. "Call this an advance against your wages." I said.

"Thanks," he said. I nodded as he left the restaurant. I waited another thirty minutes for Ruth and Eddie. "You guys are late," I said.

"Computer was down." Ruth explained.

"So what did our bad assed painter do?' I asked.

"Aggravated assault on a female," she said with a large smile.

"Very interesting," I agreed.

"So how did he know the Sims woman?" Eddie asked.

"For sure he talked to her at a couple of art shows, but I don't know that he really knew her. I know that he talked to her on occasion. I just thought he might be worth a look."

"Everybody is worth a look right now," Ruth admitted. The pressure is beginning to build.

"Is the autopsy report in yet?" I asked.

"By three or I am going to drive to the lab myself," Eddie said angrily.

The waitress came to take our orders. The conversion died until after we had finished eating. "So?" Ruth asked. "What your take on Jake?"

"I never met the man. I kind of wanted a little pull when I talked to him," I admitted.

"You are just an observer, remember?" Eddie reminded me.

"Sure, you don't mind if I suggest questions, if you don't ask the right ones?" I asked pleasantly. They both knew it was anything but a pleasant comment.

"You keep your mouth shut period," Eddie said.

"Sure you just remember where the lead came from in the first place," I suggested.

We left after breakfast. The two of them in their squad car and me in my Jap Jeep. We arrived at the Wilmington address around ten. The address turned out to be an old cotton warehouse. That is at least in the eighteen hundreds it had been a cotton warehouse. That day it served as galleries for various artist and other small business people. The city had waved half a dozen residence requirements to allow them to occupy the cotton warehouse as studio apartments as well as retail space. We found eight mail boxes for the four floors. The door had an electric security lock which gave way quickly under Ruth's lock picks. Entering the public lobby and stairway wasn't an invasion of anyone's privacy she needlessly explained. Jake McAllister occupied one of the third floor lofts. My aching knee wished it had been on the first floor, but I climbed the stairs almost as fast as Ruth. Eddie of course beat us both to the door.