Paul's Island - A Kit and Kat Mystery 1 Page 4

  We search the drawers and cabinets in the kitchen, as Kat isn't sure where she saw the flashlights. We finally find the right drawer, with three flashlights inside. I take one and give one to Kat. We turn them on to make sure they're working, and then leave through the kitchen door.

  I tell Kat, "Wait a moment," and go back into the kitchen and take the other flashlight, putting it in my back pocket, just in case.

  When I return to Kat, she says, "Remember, Kit, please don't leave me outside for even a second."

  I took hold of Kat's hand. We've not yet been to this side of the house. The first thing we notice is an outside stairway leading up to the second floor. I'd thought the only ways out of the house were from the front door, the kitchen door that we'd just used, and the sliding doors to the patio deck.

  We look at each other, and Kat says, "Paul could have gone out this way to move Sue's body. None of us would have seen or heard him go."

  I add, "When he went upstairs to get the note."

  We walk cautiously along the edge of the island with the moon shining on the water, and don't need our flashlights. There's no breeze; it seems so quiet and still.

  Sometimes we think we hear something and stop, turning around and putting a finger to our lips. But we never see anyone, so we continue our walk.

  From the pier at the far end of the island, by the house of Paul's aunt, we can see the large house high on top of the cliff. It looks so spooky in the moonlight. I think I see a flicker of light and realize it's the moon shining on a window. But I can't help wondering why it had flickered. It flickers again, and I can see now that it's a window that's partly open, moving in the breeze. It's probably left like that to keep the air circulating in the house.

  When we look out over the water we can see why Paul says the house has a beautiful view. The Main Island in the distance is aglow with twinkling lights.

  A large sign, identical to the one on Paul's pier, warns intruders that they will be prosecuted.

  Kat looks at me. "I wish we were over there with all those lights. The Inspector should never have told us we have to stay here."

  I nod in agreement.

  On the other side of the pier, we see a small boat moving up and down on the water, tied to the deck.

  Kat says, "I wonder why it's here. The house is unoccupied. Surely no one would leave a boat like this out all year long."

  I go toward it. "It's not just a row boat with oars. It has an outboard motor."

  When we reach the boat, I lean down and touch the motor. "It's still warm."

  Suddenly we hear something in the bushes behind us. We spin round, flashing our lights in that direction. No one is there. At least, no one we can see.

  Kat whispers, "Maybe it's some kind of wild animal."

  "I don't think there are any large animals on this island. If there were, I'm sure Paul would have told us."

  With that, we turn around and head back to Paul's house. We stay as close to the water as possible, holding on to each other's hands all the way back and trying to figure out why that boat was there with the motor still warm. We wonder if someone was watching us, and maybe even following us now.

  We arrive at the house. It's dark, except for the kitchen light we'd left on. Before we go back through the kitchen door, we again look at the outside stairway leading up to the second floor. I'm wondering where it comes out inside the house.

  Kat looks at me as though she can read my mind. "We'll find out tomorrow."

  I nod. "It could be a quick exit for someone. For someone like a murderer."

  Chapter 10

  The next morning, Inspector Charles and Detective Donna arrive half an hour late, in Henry's barge, the one that brought us over here on our first day. We're on the patio deck when they arrive, and Henry joins us, probably hoping to hear what the Inspector has to tell us about what they know about the murder.

  The Inspector apologizes. "Someone broke into our patrol boat last night, disconnected wires and stole parts that are hard to get. I've had to hire Henry here to bring us over."

  Henry is staring at us in contempt. I don't like the man at all, nor do I trust him. When the Inspector mentions the broken patrol boat, Kat and I look at each other. I'm sure her thoughts are the same as mine: did Paul do it?

  Kat and I talked for over an hour in the house last night before we went out to explore the island. We'd been walking for at least an hour before we found the row boat, and it took us another hour to get back. If that boat belongs to this island, Paul must know about it. And I imagine he'd know of a shortcut to his aunt's place. He could have used the outside stairway we found last night, gone to the Main Island in that small boat we saw, sabotaged the patrol boat and returned to the big house along a shortcut before we got there.

  Perhaps Paul is the person we heard making a noise in the bushes. He could have gotten home before Kat and me, and pretended to be asleep when I walked into the bedroom. But why? That's the question going over and over in my mind. Why?

  The Inspector is speaking. "I have three things I want to talk to you about, before I make an arrest today."

  "Arrest?" I think everyone in the group shouts it out at the same time. We must all be hoping it's not one of us.

  "First of all," the Inspector continues, ignoring our outburst, "has anyone seen this knife before?" He holds up a clear plastic bag containing the knife that I assume is the murder weapon. "I want you all to examine it carefully, but don't open the bag. Does it look familiar to any of you? And if it does, why?"

  There are still traces of blood on the blade. He hands the bag to Steve. Steve shakes his head.

  Nat takes it. "Nope, not to me."

  I shake my head.

  Paul says, "Yes, it's my mother's favorite knife."

  "How interesting," says the Inspector. "It seems that the murder weapon was your mother's favorite knife."

  He hands it to Nadia, who says, "No, I've never seen it before."

  Erica looks at it and bites her lip. "Yes, I used it on our first evening. I remember it, because the handle had indents for my fingers. I thought to myself, 'What a great idea,' and wondered why no one had thought of that before."

  "Are you sure?" The Inspector frowns. "It's very important to be sure, because if the murder weapon is from here, from the kitchen, then someone in this house took it to kill your friend. That means it's an inside job and one of you is the killer."

  Again, a unanimous response. "No way!"

  Erica says, "I can't be sure if this is the knife that killed Sue, but yes, I am sure this knife, or one exactly like it, is what I used on our first night in the kitchen."

  The Inspector looks over at Paul. All our eyes turn to him, including Henry's. Henry is grinning. "Now this note." The Inspector holds it up. "Paul, you say you typed the word 'Welcome' on the envelope and Sue typed the note on the inside, using a computer and printer at the university. Is that correct? And that you sealed the envelope?"

  "Yes, of course … Why?" Paul sounds angry.

  "Because the typing on the envelope is not the same as on the note. A computer printer was used for the note, and an old fashioned typewriter was used for the envelope. The letters look completely different. Computer printers are much sharper and more even."

  Paul says, "What are you getting at? I told you we used the inkjet printer at the university."

  The Inspector asks Paul, "Is there a typewriter here?"

  "There's one in the library. It's very old. No one uses it. I think it was my grandfather's. It's just a sort of decoration now."

  Inspector Charles motions for all of us to follow him and Paul into the library. Detective Donna also follows, but thankfully Henry remains on the deck. Paul points at a really old upright typewriter that's almost a museum piece on a wide shelf, and the Inspector takes an envelope out of his pocket that looks like the one that was on the door. He says, "I bought a pack of them on the Main Island."

  He turns to Paul, "Here," as he gives him the e
nvelope, "type the word 'Welcome' on it."

  As Paul takes the envelope, Henry joins us, still with that annoying grin. Paul puts the envelope in the typewriter. I'm surprised to see how confidently he uses the machine, slipping the envelope behind the large black roller and winding it into place. I don't think I could have done it that easily. With a loud clatter from the keys, Paul types, "Welcome," just as the Inspector requested.

  The Inspector takes the original envelope out of his pocket and compares the two. He takes a magnifying glass from his other pocket, and says, "Just as I thought. Can you see how the letter "O" is damaged and isn't closed at the top? It's the same with this one you've just typed. Why do you think that is?"

  He's directing his question to Paul, who says, "I have no idea. All I know is that Sue and I used the same computer and printer for the note and the envelope. We didn't use this typewriter. We did it at university. How could I have got here and used this old machine? The envelope was on the door when we came up the path. It was Kit who got to it first, not me."

  We're all staring at Paul. I glance over at Henry the boatman and can tell he's really enjoying this. He has that "Peter Lori smile" on his face.

  The Inspector says, "Now for the results of the autopsy."

  He shocks us all when he asks, "How many of you know that the victim was pregnant?"

  Chapter 11

  We all turn to Erica. If anyone knows that Sue was with child, it will be her. Erica begins to cry again.

  Kat gets up and goes to her. "Erica, did you know Sue was going to have a baby?"

  She responds with a big, "No! There must be a mistake. Sue is the only one who never dated, especially in her senior year. She said she had too much studying to do. Look, she didn't even go out with us much during the last six months. She spent most of her time at the school library preparing for her finals."

  I ask the Inspector, "How far was she?"

  "About seven weeks. I'm going to ask you men to do me a favor. I want the four of you to take a DNA test."

  "That's ridiculous!" I say irritably. "What makes you think one of us is the father?"

  "It's not what I think. It's to ease my mind. Whoever got her pregnant is likely to be the murderer. If it's none of you, then we can start looking elsewhere. So are you all willing to take the test?" He's looking directly at me, and that makes me uneasy.

  I swallow and say, "Yes, Inspector, I'm willing."

  At that moment I look over at Kat who's smiling, her eyes filled with trust. It's like she's saying to me, "I know you're not the father!"

  My heart starts racing. I look at Kat and mouth the words, "I love you."

  She mouths back, "Me, too."

  This is something we said to each other many times during our friendship, but only in affection. This time I feel like my heart skips a beat.

  The Inspector turns to Steve. "How about it, Steve? Will you take the DNA test?"

  Before Steve can answer, Paul stands up. "There's no need for anyone to take the test. I'm the father of the baby."

  No one says a word except for Henry the boatman. "Well, I'll be!" And then his annoying snicker.

  Inspector Charles says, "I'm sorry, Paul, but I'm arresting you for the murder of Susan Greene. But first I must read you the Miranda Rights. Paul, you have the right to remain silent, anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to have an attorney present now and during any future questioning. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed to you free of charge, if you wish." He is reading all this from the little black book he has with him.

  I have a feeling the Inspector has come prepared to arrest Paul and I wonder why, especially as he couldn't have known before now that Paul is the father of Sue's baby.

  I look over at Kat. She's looking at me. I'm sure she's thinking my same thoughts. The Miranda Rights is one of the lessons we needed to get an "A" in our criminology course. We had to know where, how and why it existed. Right now it's going over and over in my mind, as we weren't allowed to read it as the Inspector has just done. We had to have it memorized.

  In the early 1960s, Ernesto Miranda in Phoenix, Arizona was arrested for stealing eight dollars in cash. He was questioned by police for two hours and never offered a lawyer. He confessed to the crime, also to kidnapping and raping an eighteen-year-old woman. Based on his confession, he was convicted to twenty years in jail.

  His attorney unsuccessfully appealed to the Arizona Supreme Court, and then appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. The U.S. Supreme Court reversed the Arizona Court decision and granted Miranda a new trial. His confession could not be admitted as evidence.

  The Miranda Rights were born.

  The ironic part of the story is that after eleven years Miranda was released, and at the age of thirty-four was stabbed to death. The suspect of his murder was eventually released, because he had not been told he had the right to remain silent until he had a lawyer present. Miranda's murderer was free because of what Miranda had created.

  After the "rights" are read to Paul, he says, "Please, Inspector, before you take me to the Main Island, let me explain to my friends how this all happened. And I don't need an attorney present right now."

  I can't believe that Paul is about to make a confession.

  Chapter 12

  Inspector Charles hesitates, then says, "Okay, you have ten minutes."

  Paul nods. "It began about eight months ago. Sue and I were sitting together in the library at the university. We were both studying for our final exams. After we were through, I walked her home. It was perfectly innocent.

  "For the next six months we'd meet at the library and I'd walk her home. Sometimes we stopped for coffee and a sandwich. We talked for hours about our growing-up years and our future plans. We really got to know one another.

  "A few months later, nature took its course, and we fell in love and talked about getting married. We had fun planning how we were going to tell all of you, wondering what your reactions would be. We knew that you'd be happy for us. Sue could hardly wait to tell all of you, especially you, Erica." He looks over at Erica.

  "About two months ago, we let our emotions get carried away. After that, we vowed to each other that we'd never let that happen again until after we were married. From that moment on, the only touching we did was holding hands.

  "About a week ago, Sue told me she thought she was pregnant. We were really happy, and decided to get married right away. When my parents told me they wouldn't be using the island for a month, and that they'd given the servants the month off, we decided to come here with all of you and get married here on the island.

  "Tonight is the night we were going to tell you about the baby and that we were getting married tomorrow night. I arranged it all before we came. We wanted just you, our close friends, to be our witnesses. It would have come as a surprise, but that's the reason I asked you all here."

  He looks at all of us. "That's why Sue wanted tonight to be dress-up night. She said it would be our engagement party. I even bought her a ring as a surprise."

  Tears filled his eyes. "Erica, Sue was going to tell you first, while you both were getting dressed. You see, her dress was a special kind of dress. That's how she was planning to tell all of you about the baby. She had such fun planning all of this.

  "Her trip to the doctor before we left wasn't for a physical for her teaching job, as she told you, but to confirm the baby's due date and to make sure all was well. It took longer than she expected, which is why she nearly missed the flight."

  I now know why Paul was so broken up when he found Sue.

  "Inspector, you can confirm with Reverend Andrew on the Main Island about our wedding plans for tomorrow night."

  The Inspector says, "I'm sorry, Paul, I still have to arrest you, as we now have a clear motive. Perhaps you were afraid your parents would disinherit you when they found out about the baby and your relationship with Sue. After all, it looks as though you were getting marr
ied behind their backs. Were you going to tell them later, or pretend Sue was just a friend and not your wife, in case they cut you out of their wills? I'm trying to contact your parents on their cruise, but it will take time for them to get back here. And we've not been able to reach Sue Greene's parents yet. It seems they're away too. Their neighbors are trying to help us locate them. So remember, no word leaks out from here to any of your families or friends. The next of kin must always be informed first if possible."

  Maybe that's just as well. I know my parents would start panicking if they knew we're all alone on an island with a murderer! I'm sure everyone's parents would do the same. I'd much rather wait until the murderer is caught before phoning home.

  After he gets the nod from the Inspector, Henry goes out and starts the barge-like boat. We all walk out with Paul and the Inspector. Just before Paul gets into the boat, he turns and looks at us with tears in his eyes. "Please believe me. I didn't kill Sue. I loved her."

  When the barge leaves, we all walk onto the patio deck and sit at one of the tables. We are in our own thoughts, mulling over what has just happened. I notice that our table umbrella is open, and the other table umbrella is closed. I say aloud, "That's strange. We never closed the umbrellas at either of the two tables."

  Steve nods. "So who closed it?" He makes a motion with his head directing the group to look at the other table.

  Nadia says, "What's that?" as she points to a white envelope pinned to the inside of the umbrella.

  "Don't touch it," I say quickly.

  Welcome is typed on the envelope, presumably using the old machine in the library. Well, there can't be many ancient typewriters still in use. I can feel something inside the envelope. Presumably it's another note. I get up and call the office of the Inspector from the house phone, as our cell phones are still without signals. A woman in the office says Inspector Charles hasn't arrived yet. I explain who I am, and ask her to tell the Inspector to call me on the house phone as soon as he arrives, and that it's very important.

  I go back to the table. We all stare at the envelope, and finally Nat says, "Let's open it."

  Everyone agrees. We are all so curious. Nat reaches over the table to unpin the envelope. Just then, the phone rings inside the house, startling us all. I say, "Wait, it's probably the Inspector."