Cougars at the Beach Read online

  As I venture back past Beverly’s desk, I try smiling and waving this time. I get a tart wave and eyes flashing with irritation from Beverly and not even a hint of a smile or compromise. Beverly has a fine body with long, blond hair and beautiful long legs. She is almost ten years younger than I am. I met her by chance while walking my dog Blue on the beach one day about four months ago.

  We were getting along pretty well until the other day when I went to pick her up for dinner. She was waiting outside the check-in area at Tillman Resort and when she got into my 81’ Corvette, she handed me a present. She said to go ahead and open it before we go to dinner. The gift was rather small and wrapped in bright red paper with a white bow. I opened the package and I found bright red men’s bikini underwear. “What the hell is this?” I blurted without thinking. I’d had a previous experience with red boxer shorts that didn’t go well.

  She quickly answered, “What does it look like? It’s red bikini underwear. I thought you would look cute in them.”

  Again, I opened my mouth and inserted my foot. “You know I only wear boxers, and my God, it looks like something a skinny Santa Claus would wear.”

  With eyes glaring and lips pursed she replied, “Well, I’ll tell you what. Why don’t you lose some weight and wear them on Christmas or better yet, stick them where ………..” She didn’t finish her thought. She got out, slammed the door to my pristine Corvette, and went back inside the complex. I closed my eyes and shuddered as the door slammed. I checked the electric window to make sure it was still working. We haven’t had dinner, lunch, or anything else since. I think this is going to be one of those bad months.

  Once I get back at my desk, I put a call into Detective Sam Concile. I first met Sam when an assassin tried to burn down my office. Later she was the lead detective at two unrelated shootings which took place at my house. Sam is a bleached blonde in her mid-forties and seems like a very efficient detective. She does need a class in how to smile every once in a while.

  She answers on the first ring. “Detective Concile, its Mickke D. How are you today?”

  “Mickke D, what have you done now? Shot someone, blown something up, or burned something down? In addition, I’m still not sure about that cargo ship which sank off the coast of Pawleys Island. I just know you had something to do with that also.”

  “Nice to hear from you too, detective. I haven’t done anything wrong. I’m just calling to ask why you referred Cathy Jay to GSI.”

  She hesitates and then replies, “Oh, you mean that missing persons case?”

  “Yes, that’s the one.”

  She hesitates again. “Her name was Ellen something. We checked out her condo and talked to all the neighbors. Her car was gone and it looked like she just went on vacation and forgot to tell anyone.”

  “So then why the referral?”

  “Miss Jay was adamant that her friend wouldn’t leave without telling her or at least calling her and since she was in real estate, I thought of you.”

  “And good thoughts they were, I’ll bet.”

  “Yeah, right. Just remember, most of those cases where you were involved are still open.”

  “Thanks, detective. I’ll remember that.”

  I have the impression she is just messing with me. If she really thought I was some sort of a criminal, why would she refer the case to GSI? On the other hand, was there something she wasn’t telling me?

  I dig a little deeper. “So detective, is that the end of your investigation? You concluded she went on vacation?”

  “I did a little more checking, but as far as I am concerned, it is. I figure that is about as much information as I am going to get.”

  Now I am confused. It’s as if she wants to tell me more but she is not sure if she should. “Look detective, if GSI is going to look into this missing persons case for you, which is what I think you want, I am going to need everything you have learned up to this point in the investigation.”

  “Okay, Mickke D, but this is off the record. It did not come from me.”

  “Okay, off the record, go ahead,” I answer quickly.

  “Do you know what a cougar is?”

  “Sure, it’s a large brown cat that lives in the mountains.”

  “No, I mean a female cougar.”

  “Of course, it’s a large brown female cat that lives in the mountains.”

  “Very funny. A cougar is defined as a female over forty who dates a male at least eight years younger than her.”

  “Oh, that kind of cougar. Do they really exist? I thought that was just an old wives’ tale.”

  I can hear a smile in her voice as she answers, “Oh yes, they exist big time here at the beach. But they are very discreet and almost a closed society.”

  “And what does this have to do with Ellen?” I ask.

  “You could say, from what little bit of information I have been able to gather, Ellen was the queen of the cougars.”

  “Why did you say that in the past tense, do you think she is dead?”

  “I don’t know, but right now no one is going to talk to the police, so unless we find a body, she turns up, or you are able to gather some information on your own, my investigation is at a standstill.”

  “Okay, thanks for the information, detective. I’ll get back to Cathy and see what I can find out.”

  Before I can end the call she says, “Remember Mickke D, if you find out anything, be sure and let me know.”

  “Of course, you’ll be the first person I call.”

  Chapter 3: Ellen

  Ellen Thorn moved to the beach almost eight years ago from Northern Ohio. Her husband of twenty-five years died unexpectedly from a massive heart attack, and two months after the funeral she was on her way south. She’d had enough of the cold, overcast, dreary winters along with the rain, snow, and ice next to the shores of Lake Erie.

  Now she is sixty years old, slim with a great body, and can dance the legs off a man half her age. She has beauty that has faded little since her youth. She owns a condo on the ocean, is filthy rich, and loves to shag dance. She does not flaunt her wealth and everyone, particularly the men, seem to like her. Among her close, tight circle of friends, she is known as the “Cougar Queen.” Where some women are afraid to make the first move if they see a man they are interested in, Ellen is not. Her philosophy is you can’t be a winner if you don’t play the game. She has no problem making the first move. She figures it’s like buying a new pair of shoes: try them on and if they don’t feel good and they don’t look good on you, don’t buy them.

  She has had several boyfriends since her move to Myrtle Beach, the majority of them younger, and most of them have fulfilled the wants, needs, and desires that her late husband had not taken the time to do. He was always too busy working a stressful job, hence the heart attack. She had grown very tired of that way of life.

  Her latest “friend” Jack is working out extremely well for her. He is a great dancer and has the most magical fingers of any man she has ever met. They sizzle on her body like cold raindrops on a hot metal roof. He always does what she wants, when she wants.

  There is only one problem with Jack. After several months of fun and pleasure in the sun, she receives an unexpected monetary request from him.

  Because of her wealth, she knows there are men out there who would try to take advantage of her, so she knows a sham when she hears one. Jack comes to her and wants to borrow $100,000 for six months. He says he has found a foolproof investment where he can easily double his money and that he is willing to pay her $5,000 in interest for that six-month period. He says he does not have that amount in liquid cash and it would take weeks to get his money out of trusts and CDs. This sends red danger signals blinking through her brain. She tells him she will consider the request and let him know. Her next move was a background check, and decides to do a background check on all of her “new friends” before she starts a relationship. Especially after a bad experience not too long ago with a strange man. She is not into kinky sex and that guy was about three fries short of a happy meal. She ditched that guy in a hurry. She should have learned from that experience.

  Once she receives the background information, she realizes that everything Jack had told her about himself had been a lie. He not only is not the person she thought he was, he had spent time in prison on a fraud conviction. She plans to tell him that their affair is over. She will make it very clear to him that she never wants to see or hear from him again.

  She sets up a dinner with Jack at Filet’s next to the swing bridge in North Myrtle Beach, Sunday night at 7:00.

  Chapter 4: The Hunter Arrives

  Once the hunter arrives in Myrtle Beach, he leases a golf course condo for six months at Crow Creek Golf Course, which is just over the line in North Carolina. He wants to see if he is going to like living at the beach before buying a home or condo. His biggest hurdle to overcome is the heat and humidity. It was warm in Colorado during the summer but the humidity was always low.

  He knows nothing about golf but he acquires a job as a bag attendant at Oyster Bay, which is not far from where he is living. He only works three days a week for minimum wage plus tips. He makes more off the tips than his wages. His job is to smile a lot, talk nice, and remove golf bags from vehicles and put them on the bag stand. He also loads the golf bags onto the golf carts and sometimes takes members’ clubs out to their cars for them.

  The nice thing about his job is that he meets quite a few available women. A lot of women play golf in the Myrtle Beach area. He has learned to ask specific questions to certain women and wait for the right response.

  “So ma’am how did you play today?” he will ask.

  “Oh, not very well but thank you for asking,” she usually replies.

  “Maybe
you need a golf lesson. I know someone who may be able to help you.”

  “Would that someone be you, by chance?”

  “Oh no, not me. I don’t even play golf. The only way I could ever help such a lovely lady like you would be to take her to dinner sometime.”

  If she answers, “I just may take you up on that, young man,” he then gets real smooth. “I don’t want to sound pushy so why don’t I just give you my number and if you’re available some weekend, give me a call.”

  If she is interested she usually comes back with, “How sweet of you, I’m available this weekend and here is my number. Call me.”

  He will of course call and sometimes the dinner will lead to other things, like coffee at her place. He never has any women friends over to his place. He doesn’t want anyone to know where he lives. Now if there were just some way to get them back for a second date. Second dates are very rare for him. Maybe he is too rough with them the first time. However, he likes it rough, so if they don’t come back for more, he figures it’s their loss.

  Chapter 5: The Confrontation

  Ellen tells Jack when they first sit down to dinner at Filet’s that they can discuss his request after they leave the restaurant. She wants to make sure he does not try to stick her with the dinner check.

  Jack is his usual charming self during dinner. He even rubs his beach sandal-covered foot up and down her leg under the table, which sends hot flashes up and down her spine. She thinks that maybe she should just wait until after “dessert” at her place tonight to tell him the bad news, but cooler heads prevail. No, she needs to end this right now.

  The sky has turned from dusk to the color of faded ink by the time they get to the parking lot. There are few cars in the parking area and not a person is in sight as they reach Ellen’s car, which is located in an out of the way parking area.

  Jack says in a coy voice, “Do you want me to meet you at your place or do you want to go to my place?”

  Before Ellen has a chance to answer, a dark figure steps from behind the car parked next to hers. He is dressed in black and has a Richard Nixon Halloween mask covering his face. His voice is hard to understand, as if he has a mouth full of marbles.

  “Unlock the car and both of you get in the front seat. Disobey and I will shoot both of you right here.”

  Both of them notice a gun in the man’s hand. Jack feigns bravery. “Look, if you want money you can have everything we have. Just let us go.”

  “Do as I say and you won’t get hurt. I only want the car.”

  “Take the damn car. We won’t say a word,” Jack replies. He doesn’t care because it’s Ellen’s car, not his.

  The man in black cocks his weapon. Ellen and Jack both recognize the sound. They get into the front seat of Ellen’s car. The hunter slides into the back seat behind Ellen.

  Chapter 6: The Condo

  After speaking with Detective Concile, I call Cathy back. “Cathy, do you have a key to Ellen’s condo? I would like to look around.”

  “Yes I do, when would you like to see it?”

  “You know where my office is on Sea Mountain Highway. Come on down whenever you’re available, the sooner the better.”

  She answers quickly. “I’ll be there in about thirty minutes.”

  Since I have a tee time this afternoon, if it doesn’t rain, and I am not sure how long this will take, I follow Cathy in my vehicle to Ellen’s condo. She tells me it is a gated building so to stay close and just follow her in. The building is very bland in appearance. It is located directly on the ocean, is eight stories high, which does not include the first two floors that are used for parking. You need a key to get in the gate, a key for the elevator, and a key to open any door on any floor if you walk up instead of taking the elevator. As a real estate broker, I would classify it as a very secure building.

  Ellen’s condo is a penthouse unit located on the top floor. There are four units on each floor, two corner units and two inside units. On the top floor, there are only two penthouse condos that aren’t much to look at from the outside but the inside is a completely different story. Cathy tells me the unit is almost 2,700 heated square feet with three bedrooms and three full baths. The living area or great room is massive. It has a vaulted ceiling and the wall facing the ocean is ceiling-to-floor glass with an oversized set of beautiful glass French doors. They blend right in with the glass walls leading out to the balcony, which has to be eight feet wide. Probably ten feet of the corner wall located in the kitchen is also glass and the balcony wraps all the way around. A majestic, breathtaking ocean view is blanketed before my eyes from anywhere in the living area or kitchen. I have shown quite a few ocean-front condos but this one has to be in the top five I’ve seen.

  We start our tour in the kitchen, which is very large with granite countertops and all stainless steel appliances. A small table sits against the glass wall so one could have breakfast inside and still have a gorgeous view of the ocean. Our next stop is the master bedroom. Cathy tells me the bedroom is 25 feet by 20 feet and again the wall facing the ocean is all glass with a sliding glass door out to an extension of the living room balcony. The master bath is huge with a double shower and an over-sized Jacuzzi tub. I count six showerheads in the shower, two in the ceiling and two on each end. I am impressed.

  The other two bedrooms are regular size and the other two baths are nice but not like the master bath. All of the floors in the condo, except for the two guest bedrooms, which have Berber carpeting, are an off-white Italian tile.

  After the tour, we go back to the living room and sit on the burgundy red leather couch. “This place is spotless. Does it always look this nice?” I ask, staring out at the beautiful blue Atlantic. I picture myself sitting in my La-Z-Boy just staring at the ocean and maybe reading a book. Actually, with this view, I may even consider writing a book.

  Cathy breaks my train of thought with her answer. “She has a cleaning lady come in once a week, and yes, it always looks this way.”

  I start to get the feeling that I’m missing something right here in plain sight. I get up and walk around. I go back into the master bedroom and then walk through the kitchen again. I was right. I see the one thing that shouldn’t be there if she is that particular and was going on vacation. The coffeemaker has a full pot of coffee in it. I look closer; it is on auto. If she were planning to go away, why would she have the coffeemaker set to make coffee the following morning? Did she forget or did she not make it home for morning coffee?

  I ask Cathy, “Would she have left the coffeemaker on if she were going on vacation? Could she have forgotten?”

  “No way,” Cathy promptly answers.

  I’m beginning to think Cathy may be right. Ellen could be a missing person. I opt not to call Detective Concile until I get some substantial evidence that there may have been foul play involved.

  I thank Cathy for the tour and tell her that I will contact her the minute I learn something. I make it to River Hills and meet Jim for golf. I don’t play very well because I keep thinking about that gorgeous condo and what could have happened to Ellen Thorn.

  Chapter 7: The Hunter and Jack

  Ellen and Jack had a lot of bad luck that fateful evening, but most of it can be attributed to Jack. The hunter stopped to have a beer in North Myrtle Beach. He usually goes to small, out of the way, oceanfront bars where occasionally he may pick up a woman. He likes to stay away from the Crow Creek and the Oyster Bay area in North Carolina where he lives and works.

  He is having second thoughts about his move to the beach. It has been a real culture shock to him so far. Everyone back in Colorado seemed to be working, liked to hunt and fish, and was not very rich. Here everyone he meets is retired, not working, and very well off, at least they give the impression of being well off. He is having a rough time making the adjustment from almost a reclusive way of life to being out in the public with lots of people. However, if he wants to meet women, he has no choice. They are not going to come knocking on his door. He also has discovered there are quite a few men out for the same thing as him, to hustle some rich divorced woman or widow. There seems to be constant competition for the best-looking and richest women. Of course, the women love it. Some good-looking, younger man is constantly hitting on them.