Key West
Gone into the Night
A Key West Murder Mystery
Elizabeth Hilleren
BOOKS
BY
ELIZABETH HILLEREN
Napa Valley Books
SLOW REVENGE
TRISTAN
Key West Murder Mystery Series
ZERO DUVAL
SHARKEY’S KEY WEST
KEY WEST DAZE
KEY WEST COLD CASE PACT
KEY WEST SETUP
RISKY SITUATION
KEY WEST FATAL TANGENTS
KEY WEST SHALLOW WATER
KEY WEST DECEPTION
KEY WEST OVER THE EDGE
KEY WEST ENGAGING MURDER
KEY WEST SHADOWFIRE
KEY WEST NINE HOURS TO KILL
KEY WEST KILLER ART
KEY WEST GONE INTO THE NIGHT
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author’s imagination and any resemblance to actual events, locales or people, living or dead, are entirely coincidental and not intended by the author. Locations and establishments are fictional or if real are used fictionally.
Copyright © 2021 Elizabeth Hilleren
All rights reserved.
Cast list
Susan Abbott, mother or Tyler and Mateo
Javier Trujillo, Chilean father of Baby Mateo
Baby Mateo Trujillo
Tyler Abbott, Carl’s seven-year-old son
Carl Abbott, father of Tyler
Ricardo Vasquez, uncle of Javier Trujillo
Consuela Lopez, girlfriend of Vasquez
Stephanie Williams, Susan Abbott’s Mother
Other players
Detective Burt Harris, KWPD
Alex Sloan, ex-bounty hunter
Detective David Sharkey, KWPD
Mckenzie Jones, reporter
Arron Connor, reporter/photographer
Robbin Vanderbilt, reporter
R. Sloan, attorney, son of Alex
Piper Taylor, paralegal to Sloan
Officer Jordan McCabe, KWPD
Nurse Amy Crosby, Alex’s girlfriend
Billy Nash, homeless boy
Frank Demonte, medical examiner
Named Incidentals
Officer Debbie Anderson, KWPD
Shirley Reiner, manager at Sands Inn Motel
Jack Taylor, head of the Forensics team
Inspector Gomez, from Chile
Dr. Jim Olson, from the ER
Silvia Santos, KWPD facial recognition technician
Rita and Kirk Polly, fake abductors
Leslie Graham, kayaker
Gretchen, in the processing lab
Natalie Stone, KWPD HR
Rex Jamison, forensic psychologist and author
Roslyn Jamison, wife of Rex
Hank Foster, the homeless guy
Nancy Duckworth, social services
Officer Cruz Rosario. KWPD
Officer Jenny Springfield, KWPD
Chelsea Burke, attorney
Clancy O’Brian, ads manager
Contents
Cast list
Friday Night.
Saturday Morning
Sunday Morning
Monday Morning
Tuesday Morning
Wednesday Morning
Thursday Morning
Friday Morning
Saturday Morning
Sunday morning
Three weeks later - the rest of the story
Key West Gone into the Night
Friday Night.
The rumble of thunder could be heard in the distance. It was a hot and cloudy night in Key West and the tourists moved down the streets like water trickling from here toward where it would become the flood of a crowded Friday downtown night.
Susan Abbott sat on a plastic chair outside her motel room waiting for her cell phone to ring.
She jumped when it rang.
“It’s late,” she said.
“I know, my lovely. It will not take long. I’ll pick you up at the end of your block in front of the café.”
“I’ll be there in a few minutes. I’m leaving now.”
She put the phone back in her purse, went inside, and picked up little Mateo. “I love you,” she whispered, as she laid him down in the travel crib. Tyler was sprawled out in the middle of the king-size bed. She climbed onto the bed and leaned down and kissed his forehead. His eyes opened.
“I love you, Mama. Are you going out?”
“Yes, just for a little while. I’ll lock the door so you’re safe.”
“Okay…” he said in a sleepy voice.
“I love you, Tyler.” She pulled the blanket up over his shoulders but saw that he was already back to sleep.
Gathering her purse and keys, she locked the motel room door and headed to meet Javier.
He arrived at the Cafe the same time she did. She climbed into the car and he pulled out onto the street.
“Hola, Susan. You look wonderful,” he said, glancing over at her with a quick smile.
“I can’t be gone long. I left the children sleeping,” she said.
“There’s a place up here where we can talk.”
Susan watched as he turned onto Government Road and headed away from the city lights.
“I can’t be gone long. The children are alone.”
He nodded but kept driving.
“Stop,” she demanded. She sounded on the verge of hysteria.
“Relax. It’s good to see you.” He stopped the car in a clearing that led to a coral road and turned towards her. “What’s so important that you had to see me in person? I’m a businessman. I don’t have time to be a father.”
“You never responded to my letter about the baby… I lost my job. The money I get from Carl is not enough for two babies.”
Javier stared at her. It was almost a minute before he spoke.
“There’s a way that I can help you. But it has one important condition.”
“I thought I could raise him on my own. But without my job…” she said.
“Look, I don’t yet know for certain that he’s mine.”
Susan pulled out a piece of paper from her purse. “It’s Mateo’s birth certificate. It’s legal.”
“That paper just records what you told them. Putting my name on a piece of paper doesn’t actually make him mine.”
She pulled out a picture of Mateo. Her voice softened, “He looks like you.”
While Javier looked at the picture she said, “He’s a three-month-old now.”
He smiled. “He’s a very handsome baby. Maybe he’s mine. Can I have the birth certificate?”
“Yes. It’s a certified copy.”
“So, what can I do for you?” His handsome face was now somber.
“I need you to pay child support,” Susan said. “I thought I could make it, but they had a force reduction at my company. They laid off a slew of people. I don’t have a job. I only have the money that Carl pays me. I have trouble trying to get by on that. I can’t afford to pay for day care for two to get another job.” Her eyes filled
