Death at Tidal Creek: Book 5 of the Myrtle Beach Mystery Series by Caleb Wygal

Author:Caleb Wygal [Wygal, Caleb]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Franklin/Kerr Press
Published: 2023-10-02T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter

Twenty-Four

We stepped into a Hoarders episode. I’ve never watched the show but knew enough about it to understand the gist of it. The show finds people who collect things, sometimes odd things, to a degree where it takes up their lives and homes.

Marie hoarded items from Coastal Carolina. What should feel like a large apartment seemed tight among a teal and bronze collection of kitschy items, posters, banners, and other decorations. They covered all the furniture in the same busy pattern of Chanticleer mascots. Teal kitchen towels hung from the stove with Coastal Carolina embellishments. The toaster was topped with a Chanticleer’s head. The ceiling fan had bronze blades with Chanticleer painted along their length. They painted the walls teal. All the door hardware was bronze. My eyes hurt.

Not even my dorm room over twenty years ago had this much teal and bronze decor. Gomez hesitated as she took in the visible living space, as did I. Marie lived with an anxiety disorder. Part of me wondered if an overabundance of teal and bronze and Chanticleer mascots brought it on.

“Come on in,” Marie said.

“Thank you,” Gomez responded, taking a hesitant step forward. “I appreciate you speaking to me. I understand this is difficult for you.”

“That’s not the half of it.” Marie’s face pinched as she turned to Gomez. “Were you the one who interviewed Colton?”

I glanced at Gomez. She had kept the information about interviewing him compartmentalized. She didn’t look at me but held her focus on Marie.

Gomez smoothed her ponytail. “Yes, that was me and my partner, Detective Moody.”

Marie wrung her hands together. “Do you need to chat to him again?”

“Maybe,” Gomez responded, “but not right now. I want to follow up with you first. Then I’ll decide if I need to converse with Colton.”

“Okay,” Marie said. “He was just so torn up about her death.”

“Emilie’s?” Gomez asked.

“Uh-huh.” Marie attempted to smile. “She and my Colton dated freshman year at Coastal.”

“Such a tragedy,” Gomez said. “They broke up and then ended up working together at Tidal Creek for a while a few years later.”

“What was Colton’s job there?”

Marie waved a hand. “Nothing glamorous. He bussed tables, washed dishes, cleaned the bathrooms, and such.”

“Why did he leave there?” I asked.

“He got a job as a mechanic’s assistant over here at the airport. Putting his degree to some use.”

“Good for him,” I said. It was always nice to hear good news about someone from my alma-mater, even if it was the first stop on a longer journey. “Does he still go back to Tidal Creek?”

“Every once in a while,” Marie answered.

“Did he go there the night of the murders?” I asked.

She shook her head. “Nope. Was here with me. Watched a Metallica concert on YouTube together.”

“Nice,” I said, if only to keep her talking. “Did you ever have any run-ins with Stanley?”

She huffed. “Yes. I did. He fined me for having pumpkins on display outside our door two days after Halloween.”

I couldn’t help but look at Gomez to get her reaction. To her credit, she didn’t smile or flinch and pulled out a small voice recorder.

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