Fear Thy Neighbor (43)

“As I said, I know of your family. They’ve been on the island for a long time, but that isn’t what I’m interested in. Ali, when you arrived in Fort Charlotte, you spent the night at the Courtesy Court, right?”

“If you weren’t stalking me, then how do you know?”

“I’m a reporter—it’s my job to know. I can’t reveal my sources, so you’ll have to trust me.” His eyes met hers. “You’re free to contact anyone at the paper in Miami. They’ll vouch for me.”

“What do you want to know about that place?” she relented, wanting to get this over with.

“While staying there, did you experience anything unusual?”

Taking a sip of tea, Ali nearly choked. Coughing, then clearing her throat, she nodded. “Yes,” she managed to say.

“I had no idea you’d stayed there.” Valentina said.

When she had control of her voice again, Ali spoke. “I didn’t know it mattered, but now I understand why you’d want to know.” She told Kit about her stay, how Betty invited her for tea and cookies, how sick she was after her visit. “The next morning is still a bit fuzzy. I thought I’d eaten too much sugar at first. I went to a local drive-thru for a burger that evening on my way back from the beach. I assumed I had food poisoning. I’ve had it before.”

“It’s not my business, but how does Ali’s stay at that place connect to Koreshan Park?” Valentina asked Kit. “I don’t understand. She’s new to the island. How can you say she’s involved? With your . . .” She paused. “Story, or whatever you’re working on.”

“I am not in a position to say,” Kit said.

“Are you telling us you can’t or that you won’t?” Ali asked. This was getting weirder by the minute.

“I can’t give you an answer, but if my investigation leads me in the direction I believe, then I’ll have my answer soon. So will you, and all those involved and the public, as well.”

“Is that all you wanted to ask me?” Ali said, thinking he’d gone to a lot of trouble for one question.

“No, there’s more.” Kit tapped on the table with his index finger. Ali noted that his hands were well-manicured, but not to the degree that they appeared feminine. “What is your connection to the yellow cottage on the beach?”

This captured her attention. “Why?”

“I need to know,” he said. “It’s part of my investigation.”

“I just purchased the house this morning, but something tells me you already know this,” she said. “You know about what I found when I was clearing out the overgrowth?”

“I wouldn’t be much of a reporter if I didn’t,” he said. “That’s what I wanted to ask you about—the house and the grounds.”

Valentina held up a hand. “I doubt Ali knows anything about that bone or those that were found years ago. Is this what you want to know? I remember when . . .” She paused. “Never mind. It’s your job to figure things out, not mine.” She leaned back in her chair.

“This is about the bones, right?” Ali asked. “I can tell you this—the bone that I dug up was a femur. I couldn’t tell you how long it’d been there, though it was tangled in the roots. It took a hard yank to remove it.”

“What did you do when you realized what you’d found?” Kit asked.

“I called 9-1-1, and the operator told me to put the bone back where I found it. Which was unprofessional to say the least, but I did as she asked. An hour later, the sheriff’s department arrived, then the forensics team. They asked me a few questions. End of story.”

“But you’re interested in the bones I’m thinking of, right?” Valentina asked Kit.

“Are there others you know about?” Kit asked Valentina. “Older bones, maybe twenty plus years ago?”

“Actually, about five or six years ago, bones were discovered close to Ali’s new place, but as far as I know, they never identified who they belonged to. I never heard anyone mention another set of bones. Twenty years ago, I might’ve been traveling with my parents. Is there more going on that you can’t discuss?”

Kit’s expression went from questioning to intense. “Do you know who found these bones five years ago? I’ve been through dozens of records. I never came across anything that mentioned a second set of bones found on the property. I’m working on finding an older set of bones myself. Would you remember the investigator from five or six years ago? I’d like to speak with him.”

“I don’t know if there was ever a formal investigation. Renée was ten, and I refused to let her out of my sight until they made an arrest.” Valentina’s voice rose. “And as far as I know, there was never an arrest. No one around here likes to talk about this. After a while, everyone on the island seemed to forget. Myself included. From what I understand, the remains were never identified. Supposedly they’re still being held at the county morgue.”

“Lacey, the owner of Mariner’s Cottages, where I spent the past two nights, knew about the bones. The ones found a few years ago,” Ali offered.

Kit nodded. “Do you recall why this particular topic came up in your conversation?”

Ali finished the last of her tea. “I do, because it ticked me off. I told her I was planning to purchase the yellow cottage. That’s what the locals call the place. She told me this practically as soon as we met. She said there was a rumor, that the remains of a young girl were found a few years back. Brian something-or-other, her brother-in-law, owns Diamond Realty. She told me she could call him, see if the rumor was true. Said she’d only lived in the area for a few years. I was excited about buying my first house and irritated at her for spreading gossip. Her bad news ruining my good news kinda thing,” she explained. “Odd she would know all this, and you don’t, being a reporter and all.”