CHAPTER FORTY
I looked at Jock. “Now there’s a nasty coincidence.”
“Yeah. That’s the same agency that bought the gift certificate at the Anna Maria Inn.”
Doug said, “That’s right.”
“What do you know about that?” I asked.
“I had dinner with the Brewsters the day Kat was killed.”
I interrupted him, an edge to my voice. “Don’t lie to me, Doug. The Brewsters already pulled that one on me. You were on the boat with Kat that evening. I’ve got the picture to prove it.”
He nodded. “I was.”
I was puzzled. “How do explain having dinner with the Brewsters and still making it to the boat that evening?”
“We finished dinner about one in the afternoon, and I caught a plane out of here a little after three.”
“So you had lunch with the Brewsters?”
“Well, yeah. Lunch, dinner, whatever.”
The light dawned and I looked at Jock. “We’re forgetting our roots, old buddy.”
Jock laughed. “That we are, podna.”
I mentally kicked myself. The Brewsters hadn’t lied to me. In the South, a lot of people still called the midday meal “dinner” and the evening meal “supper.” Jock and I had both grown up knowing that dinner was served at noon. Lunch was something your dad took to work in a lunch-box or you took to school in a brown paper bag.
“What made you decide to go to Katherine?”
“I was talking to the Brewsters about her trip. She’d called them and said she liked the area and was enjoying being alone for a little bit. They told me Kat had called the charity that sent her the gift certificate. She wanted to thank Mr. Brumbaugh, the man who sent it to her. The people at Charlotte Learns had never heard of him.”
“Didn’t they think that was a little strange?”
“Yes. But Kat only called the morning she was supposed to leave, and she really wanted to go. Told her mom you’re not supposed to look a gift horse in the mouth.”
“But this was the first you’d heard about it?”
“Yes. I asked where the gift certificate had come from and Mrs. Brewster went and got a copy of it that Kat had made for what she called her memory box. When I saw it had been issued to EZGo Travel, bells started going off. I figured the bastard from Hooters was trying to get her to Florida for some reason.”
“You thought she was in danger?”
“Yes.”
“Did you call her?”
“I tried, but she didn’t answer her cell. I called the Anna Maria Inn and a lady there told me that Kat was out. I left a message for her to call me as soon as she got in. The lady said Kat was going on a dinner cruise and it might be late before she got back. Then I checked airline schedules.”
“Did you ever hear from her?”
“No.”
“How did you know where to find Kat?”
“The lady told me the name of the restaurant the boat left from and the time. I went there and bought a ticket for the boat. I barely made it. I got there just as they were taking the lines off.”
“Did you see the stalker on the boat?”
“No. The boat was crowded. He might have been on it, but I didn’t see him.”
“Why did you run?”
“Run?”
“Yeah. After Kat was killed.”
“I didn’t know she was dead. She was really pissed when I showed up. Told me to get the hell out of her life. I left. I figured we’d sort it out when she got back to Charlotte.”
“Did you tell her about EZGo Travel and the stalker?”
“Yes, but she wasn’t concerned. Said the guy wouldn’t come all the way to Florida to harm her when he could do it in Charlotte. She thought the gift certificate was just one more ploy on his part to get to see her. She said she might as well enjoy it.”
“Didn’t you miss her when the boat docked?”
“No. She told me to get lost and that pissed me off. I went to the front of the boat to wait until we landed. When we hit the sandbar, I went back looking for her, but the lights were out and I couldn’t see a damn thing. I didn’t want to piss her off any more than she was, so I went back to the front of the boat and stayed there until we docked. Then I started for home.”
“When did you first find out that she’d died?”
“When I got back to Charlotte. Her mom called me late that morning. The police had called her.”
“Did you tell the police about the stalker?”
“I called the Charlotte police and they told me to call the Longboat Key Police Department.”
“Did you?”
“No.”
“Why not? Didn’t you think it important that Katherine might have been set up by a stalker?”
“Yeah, I thought it was important, but it wouldn’t bring her back. One of the other girls at Hooters had told me this guy bragged about being part of the mob. If he was, I didn’t want them coming after me.”
“The mob? What mob?”
“I don’t know. I guess he meant the Mafia.”
“Where are the Brewsters?”
“They’re at a friend’s house outside of Hickory.”
“Why did they run?”
“When Mrs. Brewster told me about you coming to visit, I thought it might be the mob coming for us all. I told them what I thought about the stalker and the EZGo Travel thing. We decided it would be best if they hid out.”
“What about you?”
“I doubt they know who I am. Besides, I’ve got a job and school. I couldn’t just leave town.”
What’s the name of the waitress at Hooters who told you about the stalker owning the travel agency?”
“Sally. I don’t know her last name.”
I looked at Jock. “You got anything else?”
“No. I think you covered it, Counselor.”