Both Max and Sheriff Kwinault looked at her.
Kellen answered their unspoken question. “None of the current guests seem likely—” a lie, she thought Carson Lennex was very likely, but she wasn’t ready to accuse him “—and I don’t believe any of the employees are users. They’re all functioning at a strong level. Right now, we don’t have enough staff that anyone can slack off.”
“They don’t have to be users to distribute,” Sheriff Kwinault said. “Assuming Temo was telling the truth—”
“He isn’t a seller,” Kellen said fiercely.
“—Lloyd Magnuson came back to get Priscilla Carter’s body and he was already stoned. As he drove, he got progressively less able to operate the car, tried to stop somewhere, drove into the brush and out of sight. He died there, and at some point, someone took the plastic container with the corpse out of the vehicle.” Sheriff Kwinault leaned forward. “Why was there a corpse with no hands? Why was Lloyd Magnuson given drugs? Why was the body stolen? What is going on here?”
Max answered, “Someone is using the Yearning Sands dock for smuggling.”
Good. Kellen hadn’t had to anguish over how much to tell Sheriff Kwinault. Max had taken the issue out of her hands.
Sheriff Kwinault was patently not surprised. “Do we know what? Or who?”
“We don’t know what is being smuggled,” Max said.
Kellen didn’t correct him.
Max continued, “But we do think the head of smuggling is someone here at the resort.”
“Very likely it’s drugs, and whoever gave Lloyd the heroin is our felon.” Sheriff Kwinault looked at Kellen. “You say not Temo?”
“No.” Yet he needed to support his sister, and he’d do anything for her. Kellen feared he could be desperate enough to join a ruthless smuggler. Why not suspect him of distributing heroin, too? “Maybe.”
“Any other suspects?” Sheriff Kwinault asked.
“I think too many?” Max looked at Kellen for confirmation.
She nodded.
Sheriff Kwinault sighed. “Have you called the Coast Guard?”
“Yes,” Kellen said. “That is, not me, but yes, they’ve been contacted.”
“Then they’re keeping an eye on things here in between other duties.” Sheriff Kwinault tapped her fingers on the desk. “Let me talk to them. The fact we’ve got a mutilated body that’s missing and a dead law officer should get their attention.”
“Will they listen to you?” Kellen asked.
“Yes. I’m the former Virtue Falls Coast Guard commander.” Sheriff Kwinault gestured at the star on her chest. “And I have this nifty badge.”
Max indicated Kellen. “She’s a veteran of a war zone.”
“Really?” Sheriff Kwinault looked Kellen over. “I wouldn’t have guessed. Keeping up with your fitness?”
Kellen thought of Mara and their daily sparrings. “Yes.” Like she had a choice.
“With any luck, our smugglers will underestimate you.” Sheriff Kwinault stood. “I’ll send officers to check in every few hours. Call us for any reason, no matter how small. Max, you’re working security for the duration?”
“I am.”
“Good. You look big. You look scary. Maybe that’ll keep the bad guys at bay until the Coast Guard can scoop them up.”
“I’ll do my best Incredible Hulk imitation,” Max promised.
Sheriff Kwinault smirked at him. “You’re closer to the giant Marshmallow Man.”
Yes. They had obviously met before.
Kellen and Sheriff Kwinault shook hands again. “Can I offer you dinner in our restaurant before you go?” Kellen asked.
“Thank you, I’d be delighted to take you up on it, but the weather folks are predicting a big storm and I’m on duty.” Sheriff Kwinault shrugged her way into her coat. “Not that the weather folks have been right very often this winter.”
“Dinner to go?” Kellen asked.
“That would be much appreciated,” Sheriff Kwinault conceded.
“I’ll set her up,” Max said and took Sheriff Kwinault to the elevator and the lobby.
While he was gone, Kellen texted Mr. Gilfilen the news of Lloyd Magnuson’s death and ended with a plea that he cease his operation.
His text came back. Acknowledged.
By which he meant he had received her news, and he would continue to do what he thought right.
When Max came back, Kellen was staring out the big window, where the everlasting gray clouds churned and threatened. “I gave Frances instructions to give Kateri anything she wanted as a to-go meal.”
“Thank you.”
“I called Annie and Leo to tell them about Lloyd Magnuson.”
“Thank you again.” She hadn’t even thought to do that. “I informed Mr. Gilfilen… You do know about Mr. Gilfilen?”
“Leo told me. I think it’s a stupid idea, but Vince Gilfilen is a force to be reckoned with.” Max watched her watch the sky and asked, “Are you okay?”
“Somehow, that was worse than I expected.” Kellen found she was sitting ramrod straight, her fists clenched at her sides. “I don’t want to think of Lloyd being tempted by a devil. It’s cruel and callous, and whoever it is, whatever it is, is here at the resort.”
“At your refuge.”
“Yes.”
“And whoever did this could be your friend.”
“Yes.” The word was no more than a sigh.
He came around the desk and knelt beside her chair, and made his offer with every evidence of sincerity. “It’s dangerous here. If you’d like to go away, I can assume control.”
Shocked, she looked him square in the face. “What? What are you talking about?”
“I’ll talk to Annie. I’m capable of being resort assistant manager. You can go on vacation, take a leave of absence. No one would think the worst of you. This situation is dangerous and—”
She pushed her chair away from him. “I can’t leave. Run away? The resort is my responsibility. The people here are my responsibility. If one of my friends is guilty of these heinous acts—well, I recommended them to Annie and Leo. What kind of person would I be if I ran away?” She would be Cecilia, running away from her own cousin’s death.
“I thought—”
“Stop thinking. You’re security until Mr. Gilfilen returns to his regular duties, that’s all. I’m in charge of the resort. I’ll stay in charge of the resort.” She stood up. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to make rounds, talk to the guests and employees, assure them everything is being handled to the best of our abilities and their safety is our first concern. I suggest you do the same thing—go meet your security team, and after that, see if you can talk Mr. Gilfilen in before he gets killed, too.”
*
Max watched Kellen stride out of the office.
This was not going at all like he expected.
30
Kellen arrived in the guest lounge in time to see the Shivering Sherlocks off to their last evening with Carson Lennex in his suite. Tonight, they assured her, they would discover who was guilty of…whatever silly mystery murder had occurred.
Kellen scolded herself. Guests had the right to come to Yearning Sands Resort and enact whatever frivolous drama they wished. These women deserved their vacation. They never expected to arrive when real murders and real terrors abounded. But Kellen did know she didn’t have the patience, not tonight, to serve appetizers and drinks, and so she commissioned Sheri Jean. Then Kellen toured the rest of the resort: the kitchens, the spa, the housekeeping services. She did not visit the maintenance building. She knew she should show herself, but she feared her friends. She feared what she would have to do if one of them was guilty.
Instead, she went to her cottage, walked in, shut the door behind her and took a moment to breathe. In. And out. In. And out.
Xander would be proud.
She needed a moment alone in a place of her own, no guests, no staff, no noise. Just a meal eaten in peace without the constant yammer and the faces and the fear and the drama. She owed that to herself. She wandered through the kitchen, looking in cupboards. She had everything to put together Ni?oise salad. That sounded good and easy, and—