Pier Pressure by Dorothy Francis Read Free Book Online

are calling her death a suicide, thinking that call will protect Dad—and maybe eliminate a tough murder investigation.”
    “You don’t think Beau had anything to do with Margaux’s death, do you?” I stood and began pacing. “Jass, I simply can’t imagine such a thing.”
    “No, of course not, but when a killer murders a married woman, the husband’s the first and sometimes the chief suspect.”
    I thought about that for a moment before I nodded in agreement. “In this town, Margaux is—was an outsider. New Yorkers sometimes have a brisk attitude that rubs our laid-back locals the wrong way.”
    “Dad’s a Conch, born and raised right here on the rock. Key Westers look out for their own.”
    I smiled. “Once Beau told me he hadn’t been north of the Boca Chica Bridge for over a month. I think he was bragging.”
    “He probably only crossed the bridge then because circumstances forced him to. Dad’s a Conch, born and bred.”
    “You think the police might shade the facts if it’d help Beau?” I hadn’t thought of that possibility and hated thinking of it now.
    “Dad’s a community-minded philanthropist. Face it. The police might tend to latch onto the easy way out of a gritty situation. A call of suicide would not only protect a respected city benefactor, but it’d also eliminate the need for a costly and character-smearing investigation.”
    “You’re right. The police might be tempted to take the easy way out.”
    “I don’t want to see that happen. I’d hate to see Dad—or you—face a murder investigation, Keely. We have to find out who shot Margaux. Even if her death goes down as a suicide, the gossip will flourish forever.”
    “Key West’s usually a live-and-let-live sort of island.”
    “Not always. Who would people blame for unhappiness great enough to cause a woman to take her own life?”
    “Her husband, I suppose.”
    “Right. Gossips would whisper about it for years. I can’t let that happen to Dad.”
    “I understand, and you’re probably right about the gossips.” Jass brought the situation into sharp focus. My stomach muscles tensed and I scowled. I hadn’t seriously thought of myself being investigated for murder because I found the body. Detective Curry had said his questions were informal ones, and I had believed him—sort of. Nor had I thought of Beau being investigated. This opened new territory of thinking for me. Who could I trust?
    “Jass, if the police go after Beau, and if enough influential people don’t want to see him take the rap, maybe I’ll be their scapegoat.”
    “Such things happen. We need to face that possibility. Sometimes juries accidentally convict innocent people of crimes they didn’t commit.”
    “I read several months ago about college journalism students up north doing in-depth DNA investigating as a class project. They discovered several convicts innocent—men convicted of capital crimes and waiting on death row, men who had rotted in prison for years. Our judicial system scares me.”
    “We have to stop a suicide call, Keely, even if it means in-depth investigations of people we know and love. We have to act quickly. I’ve read that if the police make no arrest within forty-eight hours of a murder, the case can drag on for weeks, months, or even years. The villain may never be found.”
    “I suppose you have a bright idea as to how we’ll find Margaux’s killer—if there is one.”
    “We’ll have to do some private detecting on our own.”
    As I sat down, Jass walked to a white wicker desk, pulled out ballpoint and paper, then returned to sit next to me on the couch cushions. “Let’s make a list of the people who had both motive and opportunity for shooting Margaux. Those are the people the police may overlook.”
    At first I wanted to tell Jass she’d been reading too many detective novels, but deep down I suspected she might be right. Why should the police do a big deal investigation if it could be avoided with one