Sugar and Spite

SUGAR AND SPITE

Masson Murder Mystery Series, Book Six

Laura Burke

SUGAR AND SPITE

Copyright © 2017 by Laura Burke

All Rights Reserved

Smashwords Edition

This book is a work of fiction. Names and characters are of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to an actual person, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, please contact the author through her website:

www.authorlauraburke.blogspot.com

Cover design © 2017 Victoria Landis

www.landisdesignresource.com

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Sugar and Spite / Laura Burke

Registration Number 6168845366

Chapter One

October 10, Daytona Beach, Florida

Sariah Livingston came to Daytona for a vacation. She thought being at the beach would recharge her batteries and help get her back into a good mood. Sariah had been snappy at work with her coworkers, and it had been several years since she had a chance to get away on her own. She felt restless and very unsettled.

Sariah, a thirty-two-year-old white female with a terrific body worked hard to keep her figure tight and keep her perfect weight at one hundred ten pounds. Her frame, perfect for her height of five foot six. Sariah’s breasts were still perky, and stood up with no sag. Everyone said her legs were perfect also, long and muscular, but not overbuilt. They had told her many times she should have them insured for millions. Sariah’s long red hair up was in a bun on her head as she always wore it. When she wasn’t working, she let it down and it fell in waves past her shoulders. Sariah never wore it down unless she was out night clubbing, then she wore it down, letting it lay in natural waves that glistened in the dim light of the clubs.

Sariah had rented an apartment in Vista’s Resorts. It was a high-rise, and she was on the tenth floor facing the ocean. She had a month to enjoy her vacation and high enough up to see the ocean without any trees or building to obstruct her view. Being on the back-side of the building, she didn’t have to hear the noise from the traffic either. She loved the sound of the waves kissing the shoreline. The apartment had two sets of sliding glass doors and when they were open, the sound of the waves was very soothing. The colors of the apartment were in island greens and tans. Even the color of the carpet was a light tan to match the decor. The bath was like a high price spa, which made relaxing even more enjoyable after a day in the sun.

The first couple nights she slept like a baby. This was the third night, and for some reason she lay in bed tossing and turning. Sariah looked over at the clock, seeing it was nearly one in the morning. She tried her breathing exercises, but that just made her more restless. Sleeping nude most nights, but tonight she had decided to wear a very thin silk full-length white nightgown. Some nights it just felt good to have the touch of silk next to her skin. Sariah got out of bed and walked over to the sliding glass doors. She decided to open them and stepped onto the balcony. She was expecting something to go down, but didn’t know exactly what time it would be going down.

The ocean seemed angry this night, and as she looked out across the ocean from the full moonlight dancing off the waves. She could see the white caps on the waves as they rushed onto the shore to crash onto the beach. Because the wind had picked up, she could feel the salt air kiss her skin and blow her gown tight against her body.

Her long red hair blew back away from her face. She looked up and down the beach when something caught her eyes. There were two men on the beach just north of the marina. It looked as if they were burying something on the beach. One man in a white T-shirt and what appeared to be blue jeans; the other appeared to be bare chest and wearing jeans. Sariah stood there for several minutes watching them. Sariah could see something on the beach next to them in a large duffle bag but couldn’t quite make it out.

They seemed to take turns looking up and down the beach like they were expecting someone to come along. Sariah wasn’t sure if they saw her or not. Suddenly, a chill went up her spine and she wasn’t sure if it was the air chilling her or the thought they may have seen her watching them. Quickly she decided to go back inside and get back into the bed. She wanted to see if sleep would come this time.

Sariah left the sliding doors open so she could hear the ocean as she laid there. She laid there for about a half hour and just started to feel her eyelids become very heavy. Sleep was just around the corner. Suddenly, she could see flashing lights becoming closer. It appeared to be headed to the marina. She stepped back out onto the balcony again to see what the lights were when she heard a loud bang, which immediately startled her. There were two, three, four more large bangs. This time she realized it was guns being fired, and very close; she could see the flash of the mussel in both directions.

Next, she heard more sirens in the distance. The sound was coming closer and closer. Sariah, being from the big city and hearing sirens in the night, was used to the every night occurrence. After a while, she just tuned out the sirens and never heard them anymore. The apartment had been mute except for the ocean's waves. Now hearing the sirens and the loud bangs from guns really rattled her.

Suddenly, there were more than lights on the beach. Standing on the balcony she could see the flashes of light from flashlights. The flashlights shining also lit up the uniforms of policemen looking up and down the beach for someone. They had their guns drawn and ready for action. Sariah strained her eyes trying to see exactly what they were looking for on the beach. She then saw a flash from a gun fired toward the police. Next, she heard a scream but didn’t know where it came from until she saw the flashlights point toward her direction. The scream had come from her lips without her realizing she had screamed.

Quickly, she tried to hide by stepping back inside. She closed the sliding glass doors hoping nobody saw her. She even pulled the drapes closed. With no lights on in the apartment, it became pitch-black inside. She was on the tenth floor. How could they have seen her, she thought. Sariah still felt fear and curled up on the sofa in a fetal position, pulling a throw pillow close to her body. Sariah didn’t know if she’d ever move from that position again. Once the adrenalin calmed in her system, she started to doze off.

The sun streamed through the crack in the draperies in the living room, shining on her face. She carefully opened one eye and then the other. It was morning, and she had slept on the sofa. Sitting up and rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she brushed her hair from her face. Deciding to make some coffee, she hoped it would shake the cobwebs from her mind so she could remember what happened. Did she dream the events last night? Did something really happen? Sariah had to find out what went down last night without seeming that she knew anything.

These questions ran over and over in her mind. Looking up at the clock on the kitchen wall, she saw it was nine in the morning. Next, she walked over to the calendar and marked off another day, September 11.

Sariah was hungry but didn’t want to cook anything. As she finished her coffee, she listened to the morning news; she planned every event for her day. This was a habit Sariah had ever since high school. Always planning what she’d wear the next day and making sure she had all her homework in order according to her classes. This was something she continued doing every night. She walked into the bedroom and there on the chair were her shorts, shirt, shoes and a swimsuit with a towel for the beach.

Her stomach began growling at her, so she had to get dress and find something to eat. There was a small diner just down the beach. They had the best blueberry pancakes with double blueberries on top and whipped cream. Just what she had in mind. She was ready for a hearty breakfast. For good measure, she’d throw in some sausages on the side. Perfect, hey, she was on vacation, she told herself. Sariah quickly dressed and grabbed her beach bag sitting by the door.

Sariah forgot about what had happened the night before and decided it must have been just a nightmare; that’s what she told herself. It couldn’t have happened for everything was normal this morning. Several people were on the beach and she didn’t see any crime scene tape, so it had to be a dream. Everything was normal to the naked eye as if nothing had gone down.

Sariah had eaten at the diner several times and the waitresses all knew who she was even though it had only been four days.

Good morning, Miss Livingston. How are you this morning?

Fine, starving as usual.

Can I start you off with some orange juice and coffee?

Yes, sounds good and how about an order of blueberry pancakes, sausage and don’t forget the whipped cream.

Yes, ma’am, you got it. Say, did you hear what happened on the beach last night?

Sariah decided to play it cool and let her tell what happened. No, what happened? Sariah acted surprised.

I don’t know all the details, but from what I heard this morning, oh, let me put your order in. I’ll be right back.

Okay.

A couple of minutes later, she came back. There wasn’t anyone else in the diner so the waitress knew she could talk without being interrupted. "Well, from what I heard this morning from Joe, he’s a fisherman who goes out at night and brings in his catch in the morning. Anyway, he told me the ocean was so rough he came into the marina around one. Well, this speedboat came flying into the marina, and a white van pulled up, and they started unloading these huge bails.

Now, Joe said he didn’t know what the bails were but he had a good idea. You know, the white stuff? Well, the next thing he said was the Coast Guard came flying in with lights and sirens after the speed boat and the white van took off.

No, they didn’t stop the van?

Hold on, honey, your order is up. I’ll be right back.

Okay, hurry back. I want to hear the rest of the story.

She came back with Sariah’s order. This time she brought a cup of coffee back with her and sat down at Sariah’s table. She continued the story. Well, anyway, Joe said he just sat on his boat because he didn’t want to get involved. Next, he heard cops coming from every direction. They were running up the beach and then he heard gunshots and a woman scream. He figures one of the three men that were trying to get away ran down the beach and some woman got in the way and he shot her.

Did the guy, I mean, did the police get him?

Joe didn’t know whether they did or not. I do know Joe said when he came in this morning there wasn’t any crime scene tape on the beach ’cause he walks here from the marina. You know, it’s only about a half mile down that way. The waitress pointed toward her building.

You’re staying down that way, in that high-rise, right?

Yes, up on the tenth floor. I can see the marina from my balcony.

Did you hear anything at all last night?

No, I guess I slept through it all. Does this happen a lot around here?

No, not really, most of the time the drug dealers pick a place on the beach that is deserted. These guys must not have known where they were. They had a chance to dump their load but decided to bring it onshore even though they were being chased.

Sariah stopped eating and sat silently looking around the diner being very thankful there wasn’t anyone else in the place. Sariah had only eaten about half of her breakfast. A flood of things started bombing her mind. Did the guy running on the beach see her on the balcony? If he did, would he think she saw him too? It was very bright last night and if he thinks I saw him? She didn’t want to think about it so she began looking around at the diner and its furnishings.

It was small with ten booths, several tables, and a counter with eight stools. Everything in the diner had colors of an old fifties diner, silver and red with gray counter tops. Even the tables had gray mica tops. There was even an old jukebox in the corner.

Hey, is that a working jukebox over there? Sariah thought changing the subject would make the waitress go to another subject.

Yeah, and it still has the old records in it. Would you like to hear one? The guy comes in once a month and changes some of the records. Everyone loves it, on Friday and Saturday night we get some of the teenagers in and they love to play the jukebox and dance. I just love to watch them. Reminds me of when I was a teenager.

How many hours do you have to work?

I work the morning shift three times a week, and I work the evening shift Friday and Saturday. The good thing is I get Sundays off.

How long have you worked here?

Gosh, I guess I’ve been here for about five, no six years.

How many waitresses does he have working here?

We have three right now, but when the season starts in October, we usually put on one more. Right now, its fall and things are slow during the fall but comes October when season starts we get really busy. She pointed to the fact there weren't any customers at all in the place.

What about locals, don’t they use the diner?

Oh, yes, we have regulars for breakfast usually around five to seven and then lunch from twelve to one or two. The dinnertime can be hit or miss.

Haven’t you thought about getting out of the waitress business, I mean, it can’t pay much?

No, not really. I never finished high school, and I tried to go to night school but I just couldn’t get it when I was younger and now I’m just set in my ways. Besides old Clyde wouldn’t know what to do without me. I run this place for him.

Oh, then being in management, that’s a step up. Sariah looked at her watch and saw it was now nearly ten-thirty. Hey, you want to give me a check? I’m missing my sun today.

Sure, by the way, you’ve been here what three, four days? Your tan is coming along great. The waitress saw the half-eaten pancakes as she was figuring her check out.Do you want to take those with you?

No, that’s okay. Thanks, I’m trying to do the tanning slowly, I don’t want to get burnt and ruin my vacation. Sariah looked at the check and put down fifteen dollars. She got up to leave and turned around to look at the waitress in her little green uniform with a white apron and cap. Hey, see ya, maybe for lunch.

Okay, have a great day at the beach.

Sariah waved at her and walked out the door. Walking back toward her building she took her time, not sure if she wanted to set in the sun or go into town to the mall. Sariah would do anything to get her mind off what had happened last night. When she arrived at her building the pool and beach boy walked up to her.

Miss Livingston, do you want your beach chair today?

It was a courtesy of the resort offering their guests complimentary amenities, beach chairs and towels were part of those services. It was like a hotel, but all the rooms were apartments. The rentals were from one week to several months. It was perfect for the person who wanted to get away in the wintertime for three or four months or just for a couple of weeks.

No, not right now. I think I’m going to go shopping this morning.

Okay, but if you want to get any sun today, it better be early for we’re expecting rain this afternoon.

Oh, I didn’t see the weather today. I’ll keep that in mind and maybe I’ll come back early.

Okay, have a good day, Miss Livingston.

Thank you, you have a good day also.

There was a bus stop just outside the resort. Sariah took her beach bag back upstairs and dropped it off. She decided to put on a skirt and change her shirt to a light blouse. This would be more comfortable for walking around the mall. It only took about fifteen minutes for the bus to arrive at the stop, and she boarded the bus. The mall would be bustling with people, and the noise would distract her mind from going over the events of last night.

The bus made a couple of stops before reaching the mall. Once it pulled in front of the entrance, she was nearly first getting off. Sariah wanted to get inside as quickly as she could. She was right, the mall was full of people shopping and the noise was loud from everyone talking at once it seemed. Sariah liked looking in the shops windows and just window shopping, and sometimes she even went inside the stores to see what was on sale, she very seldom bought anything, just looked around. She wasn’t married and had no children or other family to buy trinkets for, so buying gifts for anyone wasn’t a priority.

Looking down at her watch, she could see she had killed more than three hours walking around and going into almost every store in the mall. She was hungry, so she headed for the food court.The food smell coming from the food court became stronger and stronger as she became closer to the court. Sariah read over the menus to each server, the hamburger and cheese fries with a coke seemed to be very appealing to her. She stepped up to the counter and placed her order.

It only took a few minutes for them to prepare and call her number to pickup her order. She picked up the red tray with her food and walked over to an empty table. The first few bites were like heaven to her. She usually never ate hamburgers or fries because she believed if she did eat them it would put five pounds on her body from the fried food. Today, Sariah decided she would indulge herself.

Sariah had just taken a big bite of fries when suddenly there were four or five large bangs just down the hallway, and people were scrambling in every direction. Sariah jumped up from her chair and then dropped down to the floor under the table. She had her eyes closed tight and was afraid to open them. Not knowing what was going on, she began to hold her breath and whimper under her breath. Then came the laugher and soon it appeared everyone was laughing, but Sariah couldn’t understand why.

Peeking with one eye barely open she looked up and could see several people standing around laughing and it appeared to be at her. Sariah was still on the floor under the table. A man, approach her and extended his hand to help her to her feet.

Sorry about that, miss. It was a couple of stupid kids with some leftover fireworks. They thought it would be funny. So they hid in one of the gardens in the middle and decided to light the firecrackers. The rest you know, and both these young men were arrested for their prank.

I’m sure they didn’t mean any harm, you know little boys are made up of snails, and puppy dog tails.

Oh, yes, and little girls are made up of sugar and spice and all things nice.

Both began to laugh. This was the first time Sariah had let go and really laughed out-loud. This was something she hadn’t done in years, it seemed. Sariah was all business with a stern facial expression and smiling wasn’t in her vocabulary.

Miss, you should finish your lunch now that everything is back to normal here.

I’m afraid I lost my appetite. May I ask you name?

I’m the mall security, Frank Roman, but my friends call me Frank.

Well, Mr. Roman, my name is Sariah Livingston. Thank you for coming to my rescue. I guess I’ll be leaving now. I’ve had about all the excitement I can stand for one day.

Chapter Two

Sariah picked up her plate, walked over to the trash and deposited the rest of her lunch in the receptacle. Sariah then worked her way back to the exit door to the mall. She wanted to find a taxi to take her back to the resort. She didn’t feel like riding the bus back. There was always taxis outside. Walking up to the one in the front of the line, she leaned over and told him the address, then got in the back of the taxi. She thought to herself, she still could get maybe an hour on the beach.

The taxi pulled up to the front of the apartment building, and Sariah handed him a ten -dollar bill. As the taxi driver started to make change for her, she told him to keep it. Sariah walked into the lobby, and the front desk clerk called her over. She had a puzzled look on her face for she couldn’t think of why they would want to see her.

Yes, is there something wrong?

Miss Livingston, the manager would like to see you. Do you have a couple of minutes?

Sure, what’s this all about?

Ma'am, I don’t know. You’ll have to speak to the manager.

The desk clerk called the manager’s extension to see if he was in his office. The manager promptly answered the phone. He told the clerk to send her on back to his office. She hung up the phone and then turned to Miss Livingston and gave her directions to the manager’s office.

She walked down the long hallway and looked on the door for the sign ‘Managers Office.’ Once she found it on the left side of the hallway, she approached the door and knocked lightly.

Come in. It was a female voice who answered and said for her to come in. So, she slowly opened the door and peeked in to see who had answered.

Miss Livingston? Please have a seat, and the manager will be with you in a minute.

Sariah did what she was told and had a seat on the small sofa on the opposite side of the room.

Miss Livingston, would you like a cup of coffee or a bottle of water?

No thank you. I’m fine.

The buzzer on the secretary’s desk went off, and she pushed the button down to hear what he wanted. Yes, sir?

Please bring Miss Livingston into my office.

Yes, sir. She stood and motioned for Sariah to follow her.

Sariah stood and followed her to the next room. The manager’s office was very large and beautifully decorated. There was a plush carpet on the floor and gorgeous silver light fixtures. Even the artwork on the walls were the expensive kind.

Hello, Miss Livingston, please have a seat.

Okay, I’m afraid you have me at a disadvantage. Sariah was nervous, and it was very visible. This was a very strange feeling for her. She was a defense attorney and she dealt with harden, mean, bad criminals on a daily basis and never showed fear; in fact, the criminals feared her.

Please relax, Miss Livingston. I had a visit from a couple of police officers today, and they were looking for you.

Looking for me, but why would they want to see me?

It appears they questioned several of our guests on the beach side of the building about an incident that occurred last night.

An incident? I don’t understand why they would want to talk to me.

Well, I’m not really sure. They left their number for you to call them. The police also asked me how long you were staying here. They wanted to know what type of work you do. I really didn’t give them any information except you had just checked in four days ago and that you were here on vacation. The manager handed her the card from the police so she could take care of it.

Thank you for letting me know. I’ll call them as soon as I get to my apartment. Sariah stood and extended her hand to shake his.

Miss Livingston, I hope you enjoy your stay with us. If there is anything we can do to make your stay better, please let me know. The manager walked her to the elevator.

Thank you, but really there isn’t anything else.

Sariah walked into the elevator and pushed the button to call the car to the ground floor. Now this was something she really didn’t want to deal with. Sariah was here to relax and just spend time for herself. She was a defense attorney in New York and had been with this law firm for over seven years. They dumped every case that was almost impossible to win on her, but she had pulled off almost ninety-five percent as wins for her law firm. She had hoped they would make her a partner. Sariah worked harder then any other lawyer, all being men, at the firm and put in more hours than any of the other attorneys in the firm.

Sariah always went the extra mile for her clients even if she believed they were guilty. The case she had just won was with a man from Louisiana. The client was arrested in New York under the suspicion of trying to rob a bank in Brooklyn. They ran his arrest record and found out he was from a small town called Villa Platte, Louisiana, which had a population of seven thousand four hundred.

Going the extra mile, she flew down there to see where he had come from and to talk to his family. She wanted to see exactly what he was all about. His arrest record was for small petty stuff. Nothing drastic and nothing like robbery.

After talking with his family, she found out his father was terminally ill. He was trying to get money to help his father. In the courtroom, she proved the man to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, and the witnesses that identified him were mistaken. It wasn’t him at all. He had come in to ask for a loan, and the real bank robber had walked in just before him.

It looked like they were dressed alike and the way he was standing around waiting to get up the courage seemed to be as guilty as the actual robber. He ran out of the bank just before the real robber ran out, so it did appear he was in on the robbery as the real robber’s partner.

Sariah arrived on her floor and walked to her apartment. She was still holding the officer's card in her hand. Unlocking the door and going in, she stopped and turned around. She hadn’t had to lock her door before in the daytime, but she felt very uneasy so she locked the door and put the security chain on also.

Walking over to the phone, Sariah looked down at the card and then took a deep breath before dialing the number. It began to ring, and she started to hang up but then decided to hold on. Sariah knew it would be better to get it over with instead of worrying about what they wanted.

A voice came on the line. Hello, this is Officer Howe, can I help you?

Yes, this is Sariah Livingston, and you left a card for me to call you.

Hi, Miss Livingston. How are you today?

Fine. What do you need to speak to me about? She wanted to cut through the chase and get it over with.

We spoke to most of the guests in your building on the beach side except for you and we needed to interview you.

What about? Sariah knew they were lying for they never came inside the resort to talk to anyone.

Miss Livingston, last evening approximately two in the morning, there was an incident involving a shooting on the beach. A woman screamed, and when the police shined a light on the building we saw a female on the balcony. It appears that female was you from the tenth floor. Were you on the balcony around that time?

Sariah wanted to say no, but she knew she had to answer truthfully. "Yes, I was having trouble sleeping and had