Lurking Below the Surface (A Pari Malik Mystery Book 5) by Van Argan

Author:Van Argan [Argan, Van]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: singles trip mystery, murder on the beach book, Hawaii murder novel, tide pool mystery book, Hawaii murder mysteries, fiction mystery Hawaii, murder mystery series books
Publisher: Van Argan
Published: 2019-12-03T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter 22

Unlike Pari’s office desk, which faced windows overlooking parking spaces, Campbell Vaughn liked having his back to the window. The natural light eased his ability to read documents in small print without straining his old eyes. Just as importantly for Campbell, the position of his office desk made a wall lined with shelves the focal point of the room. The shelves displayed a portion of his estate pipe collection — two dozen smoking pipes, perfectly arranged and spaced apart on vintage pipe stands — including an Ashton, Barling, Boswell, Dunhill, Savinelli, and Stanwell. Some were made of briar wood or meerschaum. Some had silver bands or bulbous bowls. All were handcrafted, carefully cleaned, and for display only.

If he really wanted to, Campbell could’ve smoked a pipe in his office. But being a man of principle, and not one to cut corners, the office lease forbade smoking of any kind and he knew Pari detested smoke. Campbell prided himself on a healthy lifestyle, full of activity and good choices, but allowed himself this one private indulgence at home, on the back deck of his bungalow. The presence of his collector’s pipes in his office not only displayed shapes and textures that appealed to him, they reminded him of his daily reward waiting for him at home.

Campbell was staring at these shelves of pipes as he pursued a lead and made a phone call to Redgrave High School in Jefferson City, Missouri, and waited for Felicity Myers on the other end of the line. His research had identified Ms. Myers, a math teacher, as Vanessa Compton’s closest peer and friend. Thanks to a large slate of parent teacher conferences, Campbell was fortunate to reach her at the school during an hourly break, despite the differences in time zones.

Myers began by confirming information Campbell had already collected. Vanessa’s closest living relations were cousins who Vanessa had cordial, distant relationships with since childhood. Vanessa had lived modestly in a townhouse with two cats she’d adopted from an animal rescue society. Myers, with the cousins’ blessings, since Vanessa had not created a Last Will & Testament or trust, took ownership of Vanessa’s cats and was now providing them with a lifelong home with her. Myers described Vanessa as a dear friend and an excellent teacher who was devoted to her students and the ethical practice of journalism.

“Miriam liked challenging the students’ minds,” Felicity Myers said, using Vanessa’s real first name. “For her, it wasn’t about the mechanics of journalism. She knew technology was constantly changing the camera equipment and publication possibilities. Instead, it was about the big philosophical questions in the field for her students. For example, when do you put the camera down and lend a hand? When do you risk becoming a part of the story? To what lengths should a reporter go to protect sources? Is it ever acceptable to mislead sources with false information?”

“Was she well liked by the other teachers and the school administrators?” Campbell asked.

“Oh, yes, very much so.

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