Condo Crazies: Murder At The Albatross Read online

  “This is so nice.” Kate looked around as she slid into her seat and took the menu from the hostess. “Thanks. What’re you guys having?”

  “Haven’t had a chance to look at the menu yet, but the salads are good and the fish is fresh. Ally, you may like the quesadillas.” Devin closed his menu and put it on the table. “That’s what I’m having.”

  “Good for me,” Kate said.

  “Me, too,” Alexis agreed. “Look at that cool boat pulling in.”

  A sleek, black cruiser with four women on-board angled to the dock. At the helm was a thirty-something woman, deeply tanned and athletic-looking, dressed in khaki shorts and a white t-shirt. One of the women leaped from the boat to the dock to secure the ropes. The others picked up their handbags and joined their friend on the dock.

  One, a tall, lean blonde, in pink shorts, pink halter top, and large pink sunglasses covering most of her face, turned to laugh at something one of the women said. They began climbing the steps leading to the restaurant. Alexis stared at her.

  “Ohmigod, look.”

  Kate and Devin turned to see what had captured her attention.

  “Well, Ally, you can’t say we didn’t provide some excitement for you.”

  “Is that—”

  Kate laughed. “It sure is. Can’t mistake her for anyone else. It’s Paris, all right. ”

  Some of the diners had noticed as well and looked at the celeb making her way up toward the restaurant, but only for a short time. They returned to their dishes without casting any more looks her way.

  The four women made their way to a reserved table at the top level of the restaurant that offered some privacy. As they passed, Paris smiled at them.

  “Hi,” she said to the star-struck Alexis, and moved on.

  “So, you know her?” Devin teased Alexis as their dishes arrived.

  Alexis’s attention returned to her table. She sighed dramatically.

  “As if. You know I don’t, Devin. It was pretty nice of her. She’s the last person I thought I’d see today. Huh…” She chewed her food thoughtfully.

  ***

  No one noticed the individual hiding behind a menu, watching the laughing threesome. A large brimmed cap and dark sunglasses covered whatever features might have been recognizable. Intense concentration was focused on the trio from The Albatross. The figure leaned back in the chair.

  The mother and daughter are no threat, and Devin…he’s harmless. No need to include any of the three on the list. There would be enough to do without them.

  A server approached. “Ready to order?”

  Without a word, the guest laid down the menu, rose from the table, and headed to the exit.

  Chapter 5

  A soft, rolling sound gently woke Kate. Without opening her eyes, she turned her head to hear it better. It was like holding a seashell to your ear, listening to the distant murmur of the ocean. The sheets were silky smooth. The bed soft. Kate smiled contentedly. She opened her eyes.

  It didn’t just sound like the ocean, it was the ocean. Reality set in. She was twelve hundred miles away from Rumson, New Jersey, the scene of humiliation belonging to a past best left behind. She sighed heavily.

  Kate looked around, taking in the luxury of this room, here in Devin’s home. Pale yellow walls, tasteful furniture. Lovely muted, seashell watercolors decorated the walls—Devin at his best. She stretched, took a deep breath, and waited a few moments before she exhaled. If it were up to me, I would stay in bed forever, but I can’t, for Ally’s sake.

  The bed was so high, she had to slide out of it, feet outstretched, to reach the floor. The porcelain tiles were cool. She padded over to the plantation shutters and opened them wide. The turquoise surf was calm, decorated with ruffled yellow ribbons generously donated by the sun. It was hard not to believe a force created this scene and replayed it every day, Kate thought.

  At the sound of a soft knock, she slipped into her short robe before she opened the door.

  “Good morning, Miss Kate.” Devin entered and set a loaded silver tray on the low table in front of the window. “Thought you’d like to be coddled this morning. Brioche from Paris in Town.” He pointed to the chair next to a low table by the window and poured orange juice into a fluted glass. “Don’t expect this every morning, my darling girl. It’s a first-day-in-Juneau-Beach treat.” Devin raised his glass in a toast. “Here’s to the first day of the rest of your life, Kate Parker.”

  Kate raised her glass. “Here’s to my best friend, who’s given me a place to start the rest of my life. Thank you. I love you, Devin.” They clinked glasses.

  Devin poured coffee from the silver coffee service into a delicate cup and handed it to his guest. He dotted the warm brioche with orange marmalade from a tiny jar and placed it on the Limoges plate.

  Kate took a bite and followed it with a sip of the hot coffee. ”Heavenly,” she murmured.

  Devin looked at her squarely. “How’re you feeling?”

  “Like someone hacked off all my limbs and my head—immobilized.” Kate set the coffee cup in its saucer. “Just a short while ago, life was good.” She raised her shoulders up to her ears and let them go. It seemed to ease the ache in her neck but not the one in the pit of her stomach. “Now it feels like chaos. I’m so angry Stewart did this to our family. He left a lucrative law practice it took years to build, to become a…a monk, for god’s sake. I could stand the chanting and no bathing, because he chose to sleep in the tool shed, but I put my foot down on the incense when it set off the fire alarms.

  “Finally, I convinced him to see a marriage counselor with me. He quit at the first session. Told the counselor he wasn’t going to change. I went alone after that. Know what she said to me? ‘Professionally speaking, he’s a sociopath—narcissistic—with no awareness of his condition or what he’s putting his family through. Personally speaking, you need to make a new life for yourself. He’s not open to therapy or reconciliation.’

  “I paid someone to tell me what I already knew, but at least it was confirmed.” Kate leaned her elbows on her knees and buried her face in her hands. “It’s like a weird dream.” She shook her head. “Hard to believe this has really happened to us. Sorry, Dev. You don’t need my problems in your life.”

  Devin patted Kate’s head. “Hey, you’ve forgotten we shared problems for most of our lives? Let’s go over this. You’ve got money to live on?”

  “Stewart wanted to keep the house and bought my half out. I put the money into the bank. I always had my own money in my own account from the catering business.” She combed her fingers through her hair. “Stewart went through most of the money in our checking account and the savings account dwindled as well.” A short, dry laugh escaped her. “Said he needed to furnish his quarters in the monastery. He showed me a photo. It’s a palatial mansion. I mean, aren’t monks supposed to live in huts, wear hair shirts, and sleep on rocks for pillows? If it didn’t affect us so much, I’d be laughing at this whole scenario.”

  Restlessly, she stood up and paced. “I’m an adult. I can take this crap, but I’m so worried and scared for Ally. I’m afraid it’s going to screw her up for the rest of her life.” She went to the window and stared at the ocean but didn’t appear to see it at all. “I feel as if I’m going to break into a thousand tiny pieces. I have this terrible anger and it has no place to go.”

  Devin slid his comforting arm around her shoulders. He looked at the ocean with her.

  “Don’t take on any blame. This is something Stewart would do. I always thought he was all about Stewart. He was that way in college and people don’t change, Kate. You just get used to their habits. You don’t deserve what’s happened, but it did and now you’ve got to move on.”

  He squeezed her shoulder. “Think of it this way, Kate. You got dumped for God—now there’s a higher authority.”

  “Oh, yeah, Dev, that helps a lot.” Kate elbowed him gently in the ribs.

  “And Ally’s got your genes. She’ll come through th
is. We had a short chat and she is talking about it, which is a good sign.”

  “Dev, I don’t want you to take this whole thing on.” She shook her head at him. “I didn’t come here for that. I just need a place to regroup.”

  “Look.” There was an edge to his voice. “Let’s put this to rest right now. We’ve been best friends since sixth grade, when you were the only one who’d be the friend of a boy who color coordinated his clothes. Know how many problems we faced and figured out together? Who was the first one to come to me when Jonathan died? Who stayed with me for weeks until I came back to life?”

  He raised Kate’s chin with his finger until she was looking straight into his eyes. “This will be the last conversation we have about this—understand? You insult me by not letting me share life with you.”

  The lump in Kate’s throat seemed to choke her and the tears started. She put her arms around Devin and hugged him, talking into his shirt. “You’re not just my best friend. You’re the brother I never had.”

  He patted her back comfortingly.

  “Where is everyone?” Alexis called down the hall.

  “In here.” Kate wiped the tears away with her hand.

  “What’s going on?” Alexis frowned at her mother. “Mom?”

  “I’m okay. Just talking with Devin.”

  “About?” Alexis asked, worriedly.

  “About stuff,” Devin answered. “And now we’re done with the ‘stuff’ phase of our get-together and we’re moving on,” he said, firmly. “Movin’ on, movin’ on down to the be-e-a-ch,” he sang and boogied out the door. “Get your bathing suits on, girls.” Devin’s voice drifted back to them. “We’re going down to the pool so you can lose that pasty, northern pallor. We can talk there. And you can meet The Albatross’s crazies, as well.”

  Chapter 6

  They met in the foyer: Alexis in her bikini and jacket, Kate in a one-piece and a cover-up, carrying a satchel filled with hats, sun block, magazines, towels, bottles of spring water, and Devin in another Tommy Bahama floral print shirt and trunks.

  “Pretty cool, Devin.” Alexis complimented him.

  “Gor-gee-ous, girls, that’s what we are. Gorgeous. Let’s go.” He locked the condo door and they proceeded down the corridor. A thin shaft of light fell across their path. Devin looked up to see its source—Penthouse One. Delores Pruitt. One eye peered through a two-inch opening in the door. The eye was heavily fringed with long, straight black lashes topped with a heavy, dark eyebrow that hadn’t seen tweezers in years.

  “How are you doing today, Delores?” Devin called to her as they walked to the elevator. Her door closed with a loud snap.

  “What is her prob-lem?” Alexis asked. “Doesn’t she ever talk to you?”

  “She has nothing to do, no one to love, no one who loves her, so she invents problems, more for everyone else than herself.” Devin didn’t bother to keep his voice low. He pressed the elevator button. “Just a miserable person.”

  A soft tumbling of a lock signaled that Penthouse One’s door was open again. Devin turned to look. Alexis followed his line of vision.

  “Devin,” she whispered. “Delores is watching us again.”

  “So, what else is new?” Devin asked. Without turning around, he said loudly, “Delores, would you like to meet my guests?” For an answer, the door clicked shut.

  “How do you stand her?” Alexis frowned at the closed door.

  “I kill her with kindness.” Devin grimaced. “On the other hand, there are lots of people who would like to just plain kill her.”

  The elevator door yawned open. They filed in and Devin pressed the ground floor button. “She’s done some terrible rumor spreading. One led to a police investigation of a man’s condo. Delores reported seeing marijuana plants on his balcony. The man is almost blind, a retired minister, and the plants on his balcony were outdoor silk plants. Another led to a divorce, when a man first moved in and mistakenly confided in Delores. He was married. He told Delores an old girlfriend had moved into the area and contacted him. He admitted to meeting her for a drink to talk over old times and it got out of hand.”

  The elevator doors slid open.

  “Ol’ Delores told the wife. Six months later, they were divorced. Stay away from her—Delores Pruitt is the kiss of death. Nothing good happens when she’s around.” Devin shivered as a sense of foreboding swept over him.

  Chapter 7

  Devin ushered his guests through the lounge and out the back doors into the pool area. Royal blue umbrellas adorned the blindingly white deck, some set into glass-topped tables, others into stands next to matching blue-pillowed lounge chairs. Bright red geraniums in big pots dotted the pool setting. Only a few people were in the Olympic-sized pool, bobbing up and down like corks. Two women wore large sunhats, and one man dared the sun to add a few more freckles to his bald head. They waved to Devin as he came through and looked at Kate and Alexis with undisguised curiosity. Devin nodded and waved to them. Wide steps led down to the beach where the sand was clean and soft looking.

  “Let’s stay on the deck. I’m not much for sand.” Devin claimed three lounge chairs with overshadowing umbrellas. “Ladies, put on sunblock and stay in the shade until you’ve had a chance to tan a bit or you’ll broil like lobsters.”

  Ally dabbed sun block on her nose to please Devin, turned, and ran lightly to the deep end of the pool. She did a neat jack-knife off the diving board and began swimming laps.

  Kate did as she was told and slathered on sun lotion. Finally, she put her feet up, took a deep breath, and closed her eyes. Under the heat of the sun, she felt her tired, tight muscles relaxing.

  “M-m-m, have I died and gone to heaven? This is just wonderful,” Kate murmured.

  “And in one hour, I have a masseuse coming in to give you and Alexis massages. Then you’ll really be in heaven.” Devin looked satisfied with himself. “I thought it’d be a good way for you to unwind.”

  Kate squinted out of one eye at the incredibly thoughtful man she called her friend. “You know I’d love it, Dev, but Ally—not sure.”

  “It’s a whole new life for her and she’ll listen to her Uncle Devin. Leave it to me. Now just relax.” He settled himself in his lounge chair and looked at Alexis still swimming laps in the pool. “When she gets done taking out her anger on the pool water, she’ll be feeling a lot better.” The next half hour passed quickly.

  The sound of phlegmy coughing and throat clearing broke the silence. Devin looked at an approaching man, leaned his head back, and closed his eyes. “Quick, Kate, close your eyes. Make-believe you’re sleeping.”

  “Hah, that you, Devin?” a nasal, gravelly voice asked loudly.

  Devin moaned softly. “Yes, it is, Chester. How are you?”

  “How am I? Look at me. Knees swollen, psoriasis making me flake all over, acid reflux killin’ me, wife drivin’ me nuts with her ailments, cat’s peein’ all over the place. Vet says she’s bored. Imagine, a bored cat pissin’ all over the place. Condo smells like a damned litter box. What the hell am I supposed to do entertain her? Told the wife not to bring her here. Shoulda left her at the shelter in Pennsylvania, but no-o-o, Hattie had to have her. Says after fourteen years, she couldn’t leave her there. I’da had no problem getting rid of her mangy feline, no sir.”

  He was a sight—barefoot with yellowed toenails, legs embroidered with blue veins, and an age-spotted body. His straight back and stony-faced glare smacked of a past military life. An exceedingly grumpy face peered at Kate. “Relative, Devin? Know it’s not a girlfriend,” the old man cackled.

  Kate spared Devin the effort. “Hello, I’m Kate. Nice to meet you. And you are…?”

  “Chester Cheney. No relation to Dick, though I’d like to be. Fine man. Knows where it’s at during a war. Gets ‘em where it hurts. Waterboarding…good way to get those vermin to talk. Yes, sir. He kept the kids busy in the army, otherwise they’d a been home getting into mischief. Young’uns are nothin’ but trouble. Got four gra
ndkids. Never come to see me.” He shook his head.

  “Wonder why?” Devin muttered under his breath. He rose briskly, gathering their belongings. “Always good to get your views on things, Chester. We have to run. C’mon, Kate.” He grabbed her hand and pulled her to her feet. “Ally, want to stay longer or come with us?” he called to Alexis.

  “I’ll see you upstairs in a bit,” she answered, stopping mid-stroke and treading water to answer Devin. She began swimming again, this time backstroking down the length of the pool.

  “Ally’s a really good swimmer,” Devin observed. “Patient enough to teach grandkids coming here on vacations?”

  “Could be. She worked at the Y camp last year. Depends on how long she’s here for.”

  “Maybe she’ll change her mind about Princeton? Go locally?”

  “Dev, Princeton’s Ivy League. What local college can come even close to Princeton’s quality of education and prestige?

  “She’s interested in what field?”

  “Right now, veterinary medicine.”

  “I’ve heard good things about Florida U. If you think it’s something you and she want to explore, talk about it with her in a few days. Give her some time to decompress and get her head around what’s happened.”

  They entered the elevator and the doors started to close.

  “Hold eet, hold eet—” a high-pitched voice called out.

  Chapter 8

  A middle-aged, smartly dressed Latina stepped briskly into the elevator, laden with elegant shopping bags from Nordstrom, Saks and Bloomingdale’s. Curvaceously filled white silk slacks, a black gauzy blouse revealing impressive cleavage, chunky David Yurman jewelry, Prada heels and handbag—all evidence of designer shopping sprees. A strong, flowery perfume filled the small enclosure.

  “Valentina,” Devin said. “Out supporting the economy?” He pushed buttons for the eighth and penthouse floors.