Page 18

It was dinnertime when I arrived back in Cambria, but before I retired for the night, I had one more stop to make. And since Giovanni was away, there was no rush to get home, though I imagined our furry friend was missing us both.

I turned into the parking lot at the Royal Palms Tennis Club, taking a moment to admire the stark-white grandeur of the club’s massive building before I exited the car. It was impressive, giving off an air of wealth and status. Reaching for my phone, I pulled up a text message Hunter had sent me, listing the names of the club’s staff members.

Looking over the list, the most likely woman who’d talked to Noelle about the possible fraud taking place at the club was Annie Jackson in the accounting department.

I entered the club and made my way to the reception desk. A spunky teen with blond pigtails dressed in a fitted, long-sleeved shirt and a tennis skirt blinked at me and smiled. “Hi, welcome. Can I help you?”

“I’m looking for Annie Jackson. I believe she works in accounting.”

“Annie, yeah.”

“Is she here?”

The girl leaned to the side, glancing down the hallway. “Umm, I don’t know. Wait here, and I’ll check.”

The girl bounced her way in the opposite direction, entering an office down the hall. Staring through the office window, I could see she hadn’t gone to find Annie for me. Instead, she was talking to a man. I wondered why.

The man looked to be close to my age, and he was tall and fit, his arm muscles bulging out of the polo shirt he was wearing.

He turned toward me, narrowing his eyes.

Then he advanced in my direction.

The spunky teen stayed behind.

“What can I do to help you?” he asked.

“I’m here to see Annie. I’m not sure why the girl from reception got you instead.”

“I’m Clark Fletcher, the manager. Who are you? And what’s your business with Annie?”

Given his curt tone, I had a feeling announcing myself and my intentions for being there wasn’t a good idea, but he’d put me on the spot.

“I was friends with Noelle Winters,” I said. “Before she died, I expressed an interest in becoming a member of the club and taking up tennis lessons. She was going to teach me, but now that she’s gone, I was hoping I might be able to take lessons from someone else.”

He crossed his arms. “What does that have to do with Annie?”

“Noelle and Annie were friends, and I thought Annie might be able to give me advice on who I should take lessons from now that Noelle is ... well, now that she’s passed away.”

“Annie doesn’t mingle much with our tennis instructors.”

“She mingled with Noelle, didn’t she?”

A door opened down the hall, and a woman poked her head out, blinking in our direction. Given Clark’s back was to her, he hadn’t noticed yet. The woman was on the shorter, stockier side, and she was older, in her early seventies, I guessed. Her long, salt-and-pepper hair was braided on both sides.

Clark cocked his head to the side, eyeing me in such a way that told me he wasn’t buying my reason for being there. “You look familiar.”

“It’s a small town.”

“Yes, it is, but where have I seen you before?”

“I’m not sure. I don’t believe we’ve ever met.”

“Not in person, but ...” he paused, then raised a finger. “Ah, I know where I’ve seen you. It was in the newspaper.”

“I can’t remember the last time I was in the newspaper.”

“It was an article about a local detective solving yet another murder. The detective was you. Now, why don’t you tell me the real reason for your visit?”

“I’ve already told you.”

“I don’t believe you’re telling me the truth, and I don’t believe you’re interested in lessons either. If I had to guess, someone’s hired you. Given the police haven’t solved the case yet, it makes sense. Doesn’t it?”

“Can’t a private detective also have an interest in tennis lessons?”

“Are you saying you weren’t hired to investigate Noelle’s murder?”

At this point, there was no reason to keep up the ruse any longer.

“You’re right. I was hired.”

“Why are you here? And I’d appreciate it if you’d tell me the real reason this time, if you don’t mind.”

“I know Noelle taught lessons here when she was alive, and I thought it might be helpful to talk to some of her friends, starting with Annie. I also thought Annie would know who else had a relationship with her.”

“The police have already been here. They’ve made their inquiries, and we complied with all their requests. If you’re planning to do the same, and it sounds like you are, coming here is a waste of your time.”

“Why’s that?”

“No one here had anything to do with Noelle’s unfortunate death.”

“To your knowledge. Besides, I didn’t imply that they did. I’m trying to get a better picture of who Noelle was, including her friends.”

He shook his head, sighing. “I see no need to continue this conversation any further. I’d like you to leave.”

He lifted a finger, pointing at the door.

Feeling defeated, I was disappointed in myself and how I’d handled things. I should have given more thought to the visit, had better responses to his questions, a backup plan for the backup plan. Now, being left with no choice other than to leave without accomplishing what I’d intended, I decided it best to regroup, come at it again another day with another angle.

I made my way to my car, stopping when I heard the sound of brisk footsteps fast approaching. As I turned, I saw the woman who’d poked her head out of her office door. She had a hand pressed to her chest, panting like she was out of breath.

“I’m Annie,” she said. “Why did you ask to see me?”

And just like that, it seemed I had accomplished something after all.

“I wanted to talk to you about a conversation I believe you may have had with Noelle a few weeks before she died.”

Annie looked around, nervous. “We can talk, but not here.”

“When do you get off work?”

“My shift ended ten minutes ago. I still have a few things to do before I leave for the day.”

I reached into my bag, pulling out a business card. “We can meet at my office when you’re ready.”

Annie accepted the card, nodding as she said, “Give me thirty minutes, and I’ll be there.”