Keeping Mum (A Garden Society Mystery) Read online

  “So where should he have been?” Jake asked.

  Annie opened her iPhone and pressed a few buttons and then looked at a little map.

  “Woods to the left of the second-hole tee, or that was his original note. When I tried to call with more information, he was gone.”

  “So let’s go,” he said.

  Annie looked pleadingly at Cam.

  “We can’t both go,” Cam said. “You two go. Annie, take a bunch of pictures. I probably can’t help, but maybe something will jump out at me. And I should be here in case the club staff finds anything—so I can let you know.”

  Annie smiled, though her eyes were wet with tears.

  • • •

  • • •

  Cam struggled to pay attention to the rest of the murder mystery. She had to text clues to a few “witnesses” for things that came out late in the game, so it was good she could take over for Annie. But the gravity of events was too much. Even when her dad laughingly admitted he was the murderer (as Vivian Macy’s date), she still couldn’t completely enjoy it.

  Rob had arrived halfway into Cam’s attempts at pretending nothing was wrong while keeping the game flowing. He stood with an arm around Cam’s waist, lending support, but not asking much. Finally he nuzzled her neck.

  “Where’s Annie?”

  “With Jake, trying to figure out what happened to her dad. He disappeared at around the time Derrick Windermere was murdered,” Cam whispered.

  Rob whistled. It pretty much said it all.

  “And where is Griggs?”

  Cam pointed. Rob’s boss had followed the action of the game, rubbing elbows with the people he must have deemed most important, aside from Koontz. Koontz was clearly having a ball hamming it up. “We assigned him the role of reporter. He’s been stuck to Koontz all night. We figured it was the best way to get a lot of coverage,” she said.

  “So he doesn’t know there’s been a murder?”

  Rob’s expression was that of a delighted child, and it finally brought a bit of lightness to all this. Rob, in spite of not being the reporter on scene, was going to get this scoop on his boss. He pulled out his smartphone and began drafting the briefest of story skeletons.

  He paused to ask Cam a few questions, then let out a giggle that was probably inappropriate, but Cam understood. A homicide scoop was a big deal, and he’d managed it on the sly. Cam just hoped Griggs wasn’t too bitter about it. If he was, Rob might be stuck with crappy assignments for months. Then again, a sports reporter’s winter was all basketball and hockey anyway. There wasn’t much that would change the majority of what Rob did.

  A tap on her shoulder caused Cam to jump. The headwaiter had returned.

  “Did you find anything?”

  “Sadly, no. We can assure you we search all buildings on the grounds. But we don’t have men for nighttime search of the grounds. A security team is looking at cameras and will tell you if anything is found, but I want to let you know about the buildings.”

  “I appreciate that. It isn’t good news, but it also isn’t bad news, so that helps.”

  Cam sighed when he left. “I guess I didn’t think he’d be inside,” she said to Rob. “But I should still let Annie know.”

  • • •

  • • •

  Rob went to the murder scene to see what he could find and returned a short while later with a police officer she didn’t know. He whispered quietly that he was a police officer trained in high-profile kidnapping and would be coordinating with the FBI, but because of the nature of the senator’s disappearance, they were making some exceptions in the case of the murder.

  “We’d normally hold everybody here to question them, but we’re worried about the safety of the senator and what the publicity might do. Do you have a complete list of everyone who is here?”

  Cam assured him she did, and she made a copy of it for him immediately. He looked it over and nodded. “Best for the senator’s safety if this is kept quiet tonight, okay?”

  Cam not only agreed, she thought it was a miracle they managed to have the event end without any of the guests knowing about the real murder. One astute woman asked about the first body they’d found, and Cam explained there’d been a misunderstanding—that a few people had been preselected and wires had gotten crossed. Cam felt a little guilty of course—nobody deserved to die like that, but she thought avoiding hearing the news tonight would go a long way toward preserving the goodwill of the attendees. A lot of public relations was about timing. Hearing of the murder tonight would have soured the whole evening. Being asked questions tomorrow would have less of an effect, or at least that was what she hoped.

  The officer nodded at her and left, leaving Rob and Cam out of earshot of anybody else.

  “So how serious is this with Annie’s dad?” Rob asked.

  “He wouldn’t have just left without letting Annie know,” Cam said. “He is hurt, abducted, or worse.”

  “Is there anything we can do?”

  “If I were you, as the only reporter left on site, I’d get back to the police for the murder investigation. Ask if there were signs of an additional struggle.”

  Rob kissed her cheek and rushed off the way she pointed. Cam realized she hadn’t even said good-bye to her dad. He would know something was up, but she’d let him enjoy the rest of his night. Vivian Macy seemed charming, and Cam sort of liked the idea of her dad dating a future senator.

  “Cam! Maybe you can tell me!”

  The crowd was clearing, and Samantha rushed at Cam far too fast for the heels she was wearing, and nearly stumbled when she tried to stop.

  “Tell you what?” Cam asked.

  “I saw the police,” she said. “It doesn’t take a genius to tell me something happened.”

  Cam wondered if Samantha was slyly calling most of the party guests idiots, but decided that wasn’t the most productive response. She also thought, with an event planner like Samantha, who’d already noticed something suspicious, that the truth was better than the quiet mix of lies and half-truths the rest of the guests had received.

  “A couple things,” Cam said. “Derrick Windermere is dead and Alden Schulz is missing.”

  Samantha’s jaw dropped. “No!”

  She began to tug Cam’s arm, pulling her back into the pro shop, where she poured two measures of gin over ice. Thankfully, it was a tall enough glass that when Samantha handed Cam hers, Cam could walk behind the bar and add tonic. She wondered just how crucial Samantha Hollister’s membership was to the country club that they would leave her in charge of a full bar.

  “I can’t believe Alden would kill somebody and take off like that!”

  Cam heard a gasp behind her. It was an angle that hadn’t occurred to Cam, but was one that understandably devastated Annie.

  “He did not do this, you old cow!” Annie shrieked. Tears spurted from her eyes. She tried to come forward, but Jake had her around the waist.

  “Oh!” Samantha said. “I didn’t mean . . . only it looks like . . .” she trailed off.

  Jake kept a tight hold, but shared some news with Cam and Samantha. “There were signs of a struggle—a spot in the woods looked like somebody had been dragged away unwillingly. There were heel marks that led to the tire tracks for something wide—a truck or a van. Ms. Hollister,” Jake said, his most polite deference on display. “Is there any way onto the grounds besides the main entrance?”

  “Well, of course there is. A few of the holes on the golf course are unfenced. There are roads that run very close in several places. But it would be difficult to remain unnoticed for long—there are cameras everywhere.”

  “Cameras! That’s helpful,” Jake said. “Would you say all country club members know that?”

  “Most,” she said. “We’ve been told as a warning against hanky-panky on the course. Of course, some think that’s an added thrill . . .”

  Cam really didn’t want to hear those details, but it was good to know there was a camera running most pla
ces.

  “Would you mind taking a quick look at the guest list?” Jake asked. “If you could put a check by the members that would help.”

  “Sure. Why?” Samantha asked.

  “My theory is that members might know better than to misbehave,” Jake said.

  “Oh, of course!” Samantha said. She began scanning the list.

  Cam was glad Samantha hadn’t taken Annie’s insult to heart, but then there’d been a time when Cam liked Samantha a lot. And it was obvious Annie was upset. Rob came in as Samantha read and marked the list, checking about half the names, making question marks by half a dozen. Cam wondered what they meant. Were they former members? Inactive members? Eligible people who Samantha wasn’t sure had joined or not? Whatever the case, Samantha was fairly quick at it and soon handed the list back to Jake.

  “Thank you, ma’am. At this point, we should probably be on our way. Would you like us to help you lock up?”

  “I can lock the door behind you,” she said.

  Cam wondered if she didn’t have a secret guest tucked away somewhere—that was sort of Samantha’s style—but it was none of her business.

  “If you’re sure,” Cam said.

  “Of course I am, hon. I’ll be fine. You kids run along.”

  It wasn’t as easy as all that. Cam grilled Jake first on how things were going, but he assured her the department’s best man was on the kidnapping case and had coordinated with the murder investigation team.

  “It’s not normally how we do a murder investigation,” Jake admitted, “but the safety of Senator Schulz has to take priority.”

  Cam was glad for that, thinking she had “Officer Experience” to thank, though she thought Jake might have bent the rules just a little for Annie if it had come to it.

  They had four vehicles there, and Jake needed to check back with the police team, so musical cars was also a challenge.

  “I don’t think Annie should drive,” Cam said.

  “You’re right,” Jake said. “Annie, gimme your keys. I’ll have my partner take the squad car, and I’ll drive yours to your place. You go ahead with Cam. It might take me a little while to get out of here.”

  Annie looked grateful for the solution and handed her keys to Jake. In Cam’s car, Annie huddled a little, so Cam reached over and pulled her best friend toward her.

  “What do they do when they kidnap someone?” Annie asked.

  “Jake probably knows better than I do, but I think they usually want money.” Cam left off the alternative of just wanting to torture somebody. She had no idea if there was residual anger about Alden Schulz’s senate term, but it was certainly possible.

  “My step-monster’s out of the country,” Annie said. “Who would they call?”

  Annie’s parents were divorced, and as so often happens with men of power, her dad had remarried a trophy wife.

  “That’s right. I guess either the kidnapper doesn’t know, or Elle isn’t the target. Say . . . do you have a key to his house?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Maybe we should look for clues to see if this was personal. I mean, probably he just saw the murder, but maybe he was a target and there would be hints.”

  Annie sat up straighter and turned toward Cam.

  “What about the guys? They’re going to our place.”

  “There are a hundred good reasons you might go to your dad’s. Maybe you’re getting Cruella’s itinerary so you can call her, or maybe there’s a cat that needs tending.”

  Annie laughed at that. Cruella was a nickname Annie had coined for Elle, but Cam hadn’t used it before.

  “You know . . . there is a cat that will need tending.”

  “Is there?”

  “I mean, Louise would take care of him, but I bet he would be happier with me at night if Dad and Elle are both gone.”

  “There we are then.”

  Cam had already turned around. Senator Schulz’s house was back near the country club. Unfortunately, or possibly not, the maneuver took them past Rob, who turned around to follow them.

  “Told you you were going to regret that special-order color,” Annie said.

  Cam wouldn’t have changed the bright yellow of her Mustang for anything, but it was true she had the only one in town.

  “It’s better to have three of us,” Cam said. “You look at computer files, and Rob and I will scan other stuff, then we’ll get the cat. Maybe we’ll even beat Jake back to our place.”

  Annie sighed as they pulled into the driveway.

  They didn’t get their chance to look around, however, as Cruella was pacing the living room.

  CHAPTER 5

  “Elle!” Annie shrieked when she stepped in, though it was much quieter than Elle’s shriek. “I’m so sorry! I thought you were in Finland.”

  “That’s next summer. I was in Milan, but I had a call from my brother to get back to the States. Why are you here?”

  She was always a little terse, or at least she had been the times Cam had seen her before, though Cam knew those had been more formal events. Cam figured new wives within spitting distance of a daughter’s age could be that way, and Annie had probably never done anything to try to smooth the relationship. She talked like it was an investment not worth making, as her dad would probably trade her in for a new model soon. It was just how Annie talked, but Cam thought she believed it to some extent.

  “There was . . . something happened with Dad tonight,” Annie said. “I came to see if there was an itinerary to call you.”

  “My cell wouldn’t work?”

  “Oh! Right. But I have a new cell, so I didn’t have your number in there . . .” Annie trailed off. Cam knew Annie was lying. There was no new cell, but there was also no reason Elle would know that.

  “So?” Elle said.

  “Dad was kidnapped.”

  “He was what?”

  “Big fund-raiser dinner. There was a murder, and the police think maybe Dad saw it. There was a sign of a struggle and he disappeared.”

  “This happened tonight? A murder? And your father . . . kidnapped, you said?” Elle sounded panicked. “I thought he wasn’t running for anything.”

  “He’s not. It was for Jared Koontz.”

  “No!”

  “Well I thought the same thing,” Annie said. “But . . . is there a reason you’re saying that?”

  “Jared’s just sort of a punk. I’ve known him for years. Do people take him seriously?”

  Annie didn’t have a response, and Elle just wore an expression that crossed confusion and disgust, so Cam butted in.

  “Look, I’m sure the police will have more to tell you. Annie just thought you were gone and they wouldn’t know how to reach you, so we were looking for your information. We should go.”

  “Right!” Annie said.

  “If you must,” Elle said, though Cam thought she was glad to see them leave.

  • • •

  • • •

  Rob, fortunately, had not gone inside. It would have seemed like overkill to have three of them just to retrieve a phone number. They passed him where he stood listening from the porch. Without a word, they returned to their cars, turned around in the circle, then headed back to Cam’s.

  “I know she wasn’t back when Dad left the house tonight,” Annie said once they were driving.

  “How would you know that?” Cam asked.

  “Dad was in too good of a mood. He loves her, but this time of year, she’s annoying—has an opinion about every political race, mostly ill-informed, or so he says, though you know my opinion on his political opinions—he’d just rather not deal with her. He would have been grouchier if she’d gotten home before he left for the fund-raiser.”

  “You don’t think she had anything to do with this, do you?” Cam asked.

  “Elle? Like what?” Annie said.

  “I don’t know. I’ve just done this murder thing before and don’t believe in coincidences.”

  “Okay, stop there. My dad was not mu
rdered!”

  “Geez, Annie,” Cam said. “I’m sorry! I totally didn’t mean to imply that. But there was a murder.”

  Annie leaned back against the seat and closed her eyes. Cam knew she understood but was having trouble processing.

  Jake met them as they arrived, and they all made their way into Cam’s apartment. Cam was significantly neater than Annie. In Annie’s apartment, the chance of finding a clear sitting surface for two wasn’t bad, but finding seating for four was out of the question. Between baking, photography, and computer geeking, Annie just had too many hobbies to add cleaning to the list, and each hobby had an array of toys to top it off.

  Cam, on the other hand, was a little OCD. She wasn’t Felix Unger, but there was a really good chance you were safe following the five-second rule in her house. Every surface was washed at least weekly, which was far more often than every surface was used.

  As they went in, Rob held Cam’s elbow.

  “So Mrs. Schulz probably doesn’t know when Annie’s lying,” Rob whispered, “but I have this feeling that wasn’t the full story.”

  “Not quite,” Cam said. “It was intended to be the cover for Jake. I was going to help Annie look for clues about anybody who had it in for her dad.”

  Rob shook his head.

  “Seriously. The police are going to look at the murder first. But what if it was a kidnapping first and the witness got killed?”

  He stared, and for a moment, Cam felt some satisfaction that she’d been convincing, but then realized she had felt convinced, too, and she didn’t want Annie’s dad to be the real target. Especially if this was a crime worth killing over.

  Cam and Rob joined Annie and Jake in Cam’s living room. Annie had found a bottle of wine and some glasses, and Jake was pulling the cork.

  “So where’ve y’all been?” Jake asked. His tone was casual, but Cam knew he was smart enough to know it hadn’t been a snack run.

  “I went to see if Cruella had left her itinerary,” Annie said. “I figured, as Dad’s wife, she deserved to know he was gone.”

  “Uh-huh,” Jake said. Cam could tell he was certain that was only part of the story. Cam felt a little relieved he knew Annie that well, because she knew secrets always came out.