Murder in Paradise

All was quiet in room 311. It had a perfect view of the forests and mountains from their third floor balcony suite. Jack thought- “Maybe Lucy was right- a romantic getaway would be perfect”. Jack woke early without an alarm clock- his usual time 5:45. He stared at the dresser. He swore he had moved the lamp a foot to the right before retiring. He likes to put his wallet exactly at the corner so he can grab it quickly. Now, the lamp was back on the corner and his wallet to the right. “Honey, did you move the lamp?” Lucy slowly opened her left eye. Speech was still impossible. “Honey”. Her right eye decided resistance was hopeless and it slowly opened. Lucy responded “I didn’t touch the lamp. Maybe the maid moved it”. He thought for a moment- “No, I’m sure the lamp was at the left corner of the dresser last night and I moved it to put my wallet at the corner, as usual”. Lucy, a bit exasperated, responded- “Look- what does it matter where your wallet is?”. He couldn’t provide a rational explanation other than “I like to be organized”. She sighed.

The maid was instructed to just leave the towels and linens at the door. Jack made the bed the way he liked it. As usual he also picked up after Lucy who carelessly left shoes in the open. He picked up her clothing left on a chair and carefully hung things. Bath towels were hung to dry properly. Jack understood he had a different way of doing things. He didn’t resent having to pick her things up all the time. 

They sat on the porch of the B and B- a gorgeous three story old Victorian building nestled in the foothills of the White Mountains. He carefully measured the sugar, levelling it off with a knife edge before adding it to his coffee and swirling it in exactly six times. He reflected on their choice of the Wellington Inn. “Lucy, I know this place has quite the history. Generals and presidents have come here. But the most interesting part of the history was that murder six years ago. I wonder what could cause a husband to murder his wife in such a peaceful place?”

Lucy tossed a teaspoon of sugar into her coffee, swirling it around a few times. Jack noted a few grains of sugar fell off the spoon onto the table. He decided to clean that later. “Yeah, I read about the murder”. Lucy laughed a bit- “That’s why I booked this place. They say the murdered person’s ghost may still live here. Maybe we’ll see her. I bet the murder was all about money or sex”. Jack thought- “Yes, that’s certainly a common reason, but this seemed spontaneous with no planning”. Lucy changed the subject- “Look, we have our hike in an hour. Let’s think of something more peaceful. Nature will be good for you. You worry too much”. 

The pileated woodpecker was amazing, but Jack couldn’t shake it. He had to know what happened to trigger a murder. While Lucy napped he worked on his research. Police reports are public documents and after a couple of calls he was soon checking out the police reports on his laptop. 

The police report stated the maid overheard an argument from the hall, followed by the crash as Jennifer was thrown through the window by her husband, Marvin. The door was locked. The police report stated that Marvin confessed- “I couldn’t take it any more. She touched my wallet for the last time”. A chill ran down Jack’s spine. He continued reading the perpetrator’s statement- “Jennifer was always controlling everything. I snapped”. Marvin’s attorney pleaded with the jury to find him innocent due to temporary insanity. They didn’t buy it.  Marvin was found guilty of second degree murder. He was given the maximum sentence- 40 years in prison. 

Jack read old newspaper articles. In one story Marvin was quoted, as he was taken out of the courtroom after sentencing- “At least I can do what I want in my cell”. Another article stated “The hoel room was sealed off for three days while police searched thoroughly. There were no drugs, guns or suspicious letters or notes found- in room 311”. Jack fell back in his chair almost knocking over his glass of Chardonnay, Chimney Bluff, 2017- his favorite. It’s a good thing he  brought a case with him. The glass sat safely on two drink napkins placed precisely together, exactly seven inches from the table’s edge. Jack thought about the lamp and the wallet being moved-  “the ghost stories may be true”. 

That night Jack left the lamp in its rightful place at the corner of the dresser and respectfully placed his wallet to the right of the lamp. It was very difficult to change his ritual but he understood Jennifer’s need to keep order in room 311. 

The week flew by. Jack made major changes in his life. He tried swirling the spoon around five times instead of six. He deliberately left his pants on the chair one night which surprised Lucy. He changed their dinner reservation time twice. He asked Marge to “surprise me” with her afternoon plans. The week flew by. They enjoyed bird watching- and he already had 25 species spotted by mid week. Canoeing was wonderful after the oars were sprayed for germs. They loved the view from the sliding door of their suite. Room service brought a delicious breakfast for them each day allowing them to to enjoy sunrises at the table adjacent to the sliding door. They didn’t venture out onto the balcony because it was a bit cold and windy up on the third floor according to Lucy. Finally, it was time to go.

As they got into the car Lucy said’ “This was a wonderful vacation. I hoped the country air would help you to relax”. She went on “I’m just going back to the desk to thank the manager for this wonderful vacation- which may have saved our marriage”. Jack looked a bit stunned at the word “saved”. Lucy ran off to the desk. Jack commented on her return- “I had no idea things were that rough”. She smiled- ”We’ll see how it goes”. She waved to the manager as they pulled away. The manager smiled and looked down at the repair order he had just written at Lucy’s request-. “Balcony railing in 311 is loose and dangerous”.