Board Stiff: A Dead-End Job Mystery by Elaine Viets Read Free Book Online

operator, followed her to the hospital. The lifeguards returned to their towers, as per Riggs Beach Ocean Rescue procedure. We can’t leave the beach unguarded. These two civilians were with Sundusky. They stayed behind.”
    “Stick around, you two,” Officer James said. “I need to talk to other witnesses.”
    What other witnesses? Helen wondered. The beach was nearly deserted. The ghoulish gawkers had melted away, leaving a residue of trash-strewn sand. The camera clickers were gone, too. A few swimmers were splashing near the lifeguard tower, as if Ceci’s emergency had never happened.
    “What’s the victim’s name?” Officer James asked, giving Lieutenant Jenecek a lazy smile. He wasn’t immune to her good looks.
    The lieutenant was all business. “Her husband called her Ceci. He took off before I could get more information.”
    “I have it in our company computer,” Phil said. “Ceci and Daniel rented paddleboards from Sunny Jim. Okay if I look it up?”
    Officer James nodded yes. Helen stayed to eavesdrop.
    “What caused the victim to fall into the water?” Officer James asked.
    “I didn’t see that,” Lieutenant Jenecek said. “Kim, the Tower Three lifeguard, witnessed it. I took her statement. She reported that the victim was on a stand-up paddleboard. The victim strayed into the no-swimming area near the pier. The lifeguard blew her whistle and shouted at the woman to turn back. She thought the woman was trying to turn around when she toppled off her board. There was a strong west wind and she couldn’t handle the board. When the victim didn’t get back on, the lifeguard radioed emergency response and I alerted 911. I came on the scene when the lifeguards were carrying her out of the water.”
    “Did the lifeguards see anything that looked like she’d been pushed or deliberately harmed?” Officer James asked.
    “I asked the Tower Three guard,” Lieutenant Jenecek said. “She said no. But visibility isn’t good in that area. The waters are murky from the rip current.”
    “Did she see anyone in the water who was close but not making an effort to render aid?” the officer asked.
    “Like I said, the victim was in a no-swimming area,” Lieutenant Jenecek said. “No one else was in the water there. As soon as the lifeguard blew her whistle, Jim Sundusky and the woman’s husband tried to run out to rescue her, but they didn’t know what they were doing. Our lifeguards arrived first: Kim, the Tower Three guard, and Garcia, in Tower Four.”
    “Did the husband impede the rescue?” Officer James asked.
    “He didn’t aid or impede it,” Lieutenant Jenecek said. “He obeyed their orders and let them proceed. The lifeguards got the victim faceup and on a rescue board. She had a cut on her forehead. They thought maybe she hit a piling when she fell and was knocked unconscious.”
    “How would you describe the current?” he asked.
    “Strong,” Lieutenant Jenecek said. “The lifeguards carried the rescue board with the victim to the beach, where they tried to revive her until the paramedics showed up. The paramedics were still working on her when she was loaded into the ambulance.”
    “Did the paddleboard rental operator follow proper safety procedures?” Officer James asked.
    “Like what?” Lieutenant Jenecek looked puzzled.
    “Was the victim wearing a life jacket?”
    “No, but stand-up paddleboarders aren’t required to wear jackets in a swimming area. When she strayed into the restricted area, the lifeguard signaled her to turn around, but it was too late.”
    Phil returned and read from the iPad screen. “The couple’s name is Odell, Daniel Marcus and Cecilia Ryan Odell,” he said. “They live at 225 Clafin Drive, Kirkwood, Missouri. That’s part of St. Louis, I think.”
    “A very nice part,” Helen said.
    “What did you see, Miss, uh . . . ?” Officer James asked.
    “Hawthorne,” Helen said. She gave him her name and address but didn’t mention that she