Wilmington, NC 05 - Murder On The ICW

by my sister's soft coy giggle.
    Spunky awoke, sprang from the sofa, and trailed after them out of the room.
    Walt smiled benignly and Jon and I exchanged looks. Us next, I thought, and caught his look of agreement.
    "According to this report, the investigator believes Shariff was unaware of the meeting," Walt answered.
    " Oooooh ," I said. "The meeting was about him. Were they going to replace him, I wonder."
    Walt replied, "We don't know. Shariff told the police he was at home in his apartment in Wilmington. And guess where he lives? Same apartment complex in Monkey Junction as Joey Fielding. Could be a mere coincidence. It's a very large complex. He made many phone calls but they were from a cell phone and could have been made from anywhere. He doesn't have an alibi. Done of them do."
    "You know what this means, don't you?" I said. " Shariff moves higher on my suspect list. What if he was envious of Brie's coming marriage to Joey? Maybe he feared Joey would exert an enormous influence on Brie, maybe even take over the management of her career, leaving Shariff out in the cold."
    "That's a distinct possibility," Jon said. "What do we know about Shariff , Walt? How does he explain his gun being in the Bitterman house and used as the murder weapon?"
    "He doesn't explain how it got there," Walt said. "His story is the gun had been stolen several months ago."
    "Did he file a report with the police?" I asked.
    Walt shook his head negatively. "Said he didn't bother. Too busy."
    Walt consulted the report again. " Shariff was small potatoes until he met Brie Bitterman . Discovered her singing at Mickey Ballantine's club downtown at age fifteen and recognized her talent. Got her voice lessons, and acted as her coach and agent. Got her bookings in major Southern cities, recording sessions, and she took off. He's made a bundle on her talent."
    "A bundle that he wouldn't want to share with Joey Fielding. Or any other man," Jon said.
    "Was there anything romantic between Shariff and Brie?" I asked. "He's much too old for her too, at least by twenty years. But then Joey Fielding was too old for her, in my opinion. He was close to ten years older than she. There's a big difference between seventeen and twenty-six."
    "Brie appears to be mature for her age," Walt said. "She worked the clubs at age fifteen while keeping her grades up in school. Ambitious even then. Driven. Doesn't drink. No drugs."
    "I still don't get it," Jon said. "If the secret meeting was strictly to hire another agent, why would she refuse to tell that to the police? It must have been bigger. Maybe new production people, a new tour, and she's keeping it under wraps until the contract is signed, sealed, and delivered."
    "My thoughts exactly, Jon," Walt said, nodding his agreement.
    I reached down into my purse on the floor near my chair. "This is the key Mickey Ballantine gave me when I asked him to return Melanie's house key."
    I handed the key to Walt. "This is not Melanie's key. It did not fit any door in her house. I think you ought to have it. I don't know what it unlocks but it might be important to the investigation."
    Walt slipped the key into an envelope and labeled the envelope. "I'll see what I can learn. So far, the police are not aware that you returned to Melanie's house and took her clothes. If they do discover that, we may have a problem on our hands. They could charge you with obstruction in a homicide investigation."
    "But why would they go back to the house?" I asked. "Haven't they concluded their forensic investigation? Jon, Cam, and I walked all over the carpeting before the police arrived. So did the EMTs and the first officers on the scene. Surely, there's nothing they can learn from an examination of the carpeting.
    "Walt, I want to have that carpeting stripped out of there. I never want Melanie to have to see evidence of the carnage that took place in her home. She loves that house. Would you see if you can get us permission to get back into the house just as quickly as possible?"
    "I understand and I'll do my best," he replied.
    "And, Walt, here's something that has been bothering me. How did Joey Fielding get to the Bitterman house the day he was killed? His car is identical to Melanie's and no one saw it. Melanie said it was not there when she arrived. But the construction crew next door said there was a small boat docked at the Bitterman's pier. So did Joey Fielding come by boat? And if so, did he come alone?"
    "I don't have the