Chapter Twenty-Six

Frank sat at the Resort's bar inside the dining room. He was waiting for Nancy. After his conversation with Mr. North Frank had exchanged text messages with Nancy. She was free. Apparently, Bridget did not need Nancy to stay with her.

Frank ordered two iced teas and waited. He was the only person at the bar. In fact, the entire dining room was empty. Dinner was several hours away. Thus, this was a good place to have a quiet conversation. Frank was anxious to share with Nancy what he'd learned from Mr. North.

The bartender placed two iced teas in front of Frank. "On your tab, Mr. Hardy?"

"Yes, please." Frank took a healthy chug of the refreshing liquid and watched the entrance, two large glass doors. He also scanned beyond the large windows. Lots of palm trees and beach to behold. Dots of sunshine sparkled on the water.

Ah, there she was, coppery blonde hair bouncing on her shoulders. The spring in her walk caused a stirring in his heart and a sudden smile on his lips.

She waved to him as she came through the doors. He picked up the drinks and motioned with his head to a table by the windows. Might as well have a beach view while they discussed the case.

As soon as they were seated, Nancy said, "Heard from Gosling?"

"No, nothing yet." Frank was as disappointed as Nancy. "How's Bridget?"

Nancy took a quick sip of her tea. "Much better. I think she and Greta Swan had a very nice, heartfelt conversation. Bridget decided to call her mother." Nancy's expression was bright and cheerful. "Her mother's flying down tonight. She should be here around ten pm."

"Where's her mother live?"

"New York. Bridget said she's already booked a flight. When I left, Bridget was sorting through her things. She said she would go through Bruce's things when her mother gets here. I gathered she didn't want to do that alone. Bruce's death is still too fresh."

Frank nodded. "Understandable. Did you have a chance to ask her if she noticed anything missing?"

"I did and she did a quick check while I was there. All of her jewelry was still in her jewelry case and no credit cards were missing. However, it was a very quick check and, remember, she hasn't gone through Bruce's things yet. She promised to call me if she discovers anything missing."

"Good." Frank sipped his tea. "What was Greta Swan's reaction to all of this?"

Nancy smiled and wagged her eyebrows. "I dare say, she wasn't surprised at all by the news that Jeremy Hill was a thief. I got the distinct impression she knew that. However, and this is just my professional opinion, I think she was horrified to find he had gone through people's bungalows. That piece of news definitely took her by surprise."

"What about the attack on me? How'd she react to that?"

Nancy swung her head slowly back and forth. "That did not surprise her at all. She made a comment, very prim and proper like; 'not the first time, won't be the last time.'" Nancy perfectly mimicked Greta Swan's demeanor. "Kind of an odd thing to say, don't you think? Is Jeremy Hill known for getting in fights?"

Frank let out a soft snort. "Apparently, he is. Mr. North told me as much during our conversation. And yes, Mr. North was fully aware of Jeremy's background .. the stealing and fighting. According to North, that's why he hired Jeremy."

Nancy's dark blue eyes shone with interest. "Do tell."

Frank gladly recounted his conversation with Mr. North. As he came to the end Nancy lapsed into silence. She drummed her fingers on the table and stared mindlessly out the window. Frank knew she wasn't looking at the view. She was thinking, thinking hard about the case.

Frank, familiar with Nancy's quirks, knew not to interrupt. Didn't want to break her concentration. He sipped his tea and waited.

"You know," Nancy finally said, "I think we can cross Jeremy Hill off our suspect list."

"Really?" Frank was only mildly surprised by Nancy's statement. He had come to the same conclusion earlier. Of course, he wanted to hear Nancy's reasoning. Was it the same as his?

Nancy frowned and seemed to reconsider. "Let's at least put him on the back-burner."

This statement also surprised Frank. It wasn't like Nancy to doubt herself or her deductions.

"Okay," he said. "Care to share your thoughts with me?"

Nancy was frowning hard now. She stared at the table as she gathered her thoughts. "I think we need to go back to the beginning. The day all of this started. The day Mr. Graves was going to show me the picture." She lifted her head and locked eyes with Frank. "He saw someone that day. The murderer, I presume, and he shoved the picture back in his wallet without showing it to me."

"Who did he see?" Frank said. "That's the question. This whole case comes down to that one question."

Nancy cast her mind back to that fateful day. "Mr. Graves and I were sitting on that small patio. He was sitting across from me and just about to give me the picture when he went deadly silent. I noticed he was staring over my right shoulder. I heard voices behind me and turned. I saw you and Tim walking through the sand, coming toward Mr. Graves and me."

"I was bringing our drinks," Frank said. He remembered the day clearly.

"Right, and I was happy to see the drinks." Nancy smiled briefly. "I turned back to Mr. Graves and saw he was shoving the picture back in his wallet. I was initially a little upset by that. He hadn't shown me the picture. But then I realized he was frightened and, now, he was staring over my left shoulder. Gary, Lana, Bridget, and Bruce were exiting the Nature Trail just then. I turned and saw them. Mr. Graves would have seen them before I did."

"And those were our initial suspects," Frank said, "Gary, Bruce, and Tim."

"Don't forget Jeremy," Nancy reminded him. "Mr. North's bungalow is at the end of the Nature Trail. Mr. Graves could've seen Jeremy standing on the porch."

"True." Frank gave a quick nod.

"Sooo," Nancy let the word trail off, "can we honestly eliminate Jeremy Hill as a suspect?" Her fingers started drumming the table again.

"I think we can put him on the back-burner as you suggested," Frank said.

Nancy stopped drumming her fingers. "You do? Why?"

"As far as we know, he's never been married. We're looking for someone who's been married twice. No, three times."

Nancy sat up a bit straighter. "You're right."

Frank leaned forward, put his forearms on the table. "Let's look at this logically. Jeremy was in prison for two years four years ago. We know he wasn't murdering anyone during that time. When he was released he immediately started working for Mr. North and as far as Mr. North knows, Jeremy hasn't been married during his employment. I think, given the demands of working for Mr. North, Jeremy would find it difficult to marry anyone even if he had the inclination to, which I don't think he does. All in all, I think Mr. North keeps him busy."

Nancy drank some of her tea and smiled. "I have to agree with you there."

Frank glanced around the dining room. Still empty but that wouldn't last long. Guests wanting a before dinner drink would soon start arriving.

Frank turned back to Nancy. "Out of our original four suspects, one is dead and another – Jeremy – doesn't quite fit the pattern. Therefore, I suggest we focus our efforts on Tim and Gary from this point forward. What do you think?"

"I think you're absolutely right." A smile lit Nancy's face. "How should we proceed?"

Frank saw the excitement of the chase flicker in Nancy's eyes. This part of an investigation, the pursuit, was what she liked best. Frank found her excitement contagious.

But before he could answer her question, his cell phone rang. He tugged it off his belt holster and read the caller ID.

"It's Gosling," he told Nancy.

Perhaps, Gosling had information on Jeremy's condition. Although, Frank thought, that information didn't seem as important now. Not since he and Nancy had decided that Jeremy would be on the back-burner.

A/N: Well, look at me updating quickly. Hopefully, I can keep doing that. I wanted to thank folks for their reviews. I'm glad to hear that people like the characters in this story and that people found Frank's conversation with Mr. North interesting. (Mr. North is quite the character!) I was worried that that chapter might be considered boring even though it's an important chapter. You never know where clues to the real killer are hidden. No, I'm not giving any information away! However, I will say that we are getting closer to the end of the story. Cheers, until next time. :)