Murder Page 7

  “I can’t. I was alone with him in his office when he was killed, and I have the murder weapon with my fingerprints all over it. I have no way out of this, Jo, and unless we figure something out right now, I’m going to prison for murder.”

  I wanted to throw up. She had handled this wrong at every turn. And now, here I was, already wanted for attempted murder, and I was aiding and abetting a murder suspect.

  “If we talk to Sergeant Rorski right now, we can probably still get out of this ok,” I said. “We just need to tell the truth.”

  “No!” she screamed. “Don’t you see? No jury in the world will believe me when I say I didn’t do it. Everyone who works there knows he hits on me and that I can’t stand him. Everyone will testify I killed him.”

  I was yelling at her now. “What do you want me to do? You’re going to get me sent to prison right along with you. You’ve already made me an accomplice.”

  She began sobbing again – harder this time.

  I instinctively drove to the interstate and headed for Patterson. Getting out of town for the night suddenly seemed like a good idea.

  My heart sank even further when I remembered Glenn was coming over tonight, and now I wouldn’t be there to see him. It occurred to me the unpleasant incident in the flea market was a sign of what was to come, and it wasn’t good. Pepper and I had both just been flushed down life’s toilet.

  When Pepper regained control, she said, “Take the exit for Treenhorn Lake.” She sounded confident – almost as if she had a plan.

  “Do you know someone there?” I asked. “That’s not a good idea. I don’t think we should see or talk to anyone right now.”

  “Do you remember Grandpa Frasier talking about ice fishing at Treehorn Lake?”

  I nodded. “Yeah. So what?”

  “He had a small one-room cabin up there. It belongs to me now. We’ll go there.”

  “What do you mean Grandpa had a cabin and you own it now? How did you get it?”

  “I bought it from him. When he got too sick to do much of anything, I used to sit with him. He told me he wanted to sell the cabin and asked if I wanted to buy it. We didn’t tell anyone. Grandpa said it was our secret. I only paid him five hundred dollars for both the cabin and the property.”

  My jaw dropped. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “It’s probably worth a small fortune by now.”

  “That’s what I’m hoping. I never told Buck about it. It’s my insurance toward the kid’s college tuition.”

  If my jaw dropped any farther, it would be on the floor of the truck. “You never told Buck?”

  “If he knew, he would have sold it a long time ago – probably for a new cab. I want it for college for the kids. He’s on the road so much, and he never sees the bills, so I pay the utilities, insurance, and taxes on it, and he’s none the wiser.”

  I swear, sometimes I didn’t know my sister at all. This wasn’t the first big secret she’d ever kept from me.

  “If you’re planning to hide there, will Mama guess where you are and tell someone or come looking for you?”

  “No. No one knows I own the property. No one.”

  I exited the interstate at the Treehorn Lake exit. I didn’t want to scare her, but it would only be a matter of time before Sergeant Rorski or someone in the District Attorney’s office ran a check of all her records and discovered she owned the cabin. They’d send a SWAT team for her.

  That didn’t leave much time for me to prove her innocence.

  Chapter Eight

  “Tell me exactly what happened,” I said. “Don’t leave out the smallest detail.”

  Pepper and I were seated side by side on an old leather sofa. It had proved to be the easiest piece of furniture in the room to wipe down. No one had been in here for years, and the dust was considerable.

  She had led me to the northwest corner of the large lake. This section of land hadn’t yet been developed for homes the way the southern and eastern sections were. The heavy growth of trees around the cabin gave us good cover and the privacy we needed. Pepper began telling her story.

  “Sarah Powers is the new general supervisor. She oversees all the employees and handles our schedules. Tonight, she pulled me from parking lot runs and told me to go up to Tony’s office. She said he was upset with my performance and wanted to talk to me about it.”

  That didn’t sound right to me. “If Sarah is in charge of the employees, why would Tony want to talk to you about your performance? Shouldn’t she have done that herself?”

  “I didn’t think about it at the time. I was so nervous about Tony yelling at me, or firing me, I ran right up. I told him Sarah said he wanted to see me, and for a second, he seemed surprised. He told me to shut the door and have a seat.”

  She stopped for a minute. I knew she was thinking.

  “What was the room like?” I asked. “Were all the lights on? Was all the furniture where it was supposed to be? What about the windows? Are there blinds or curtains? Were they open or closed?”

  She shook her head the entire time I was talking. Surely, every answer to my questions couldn’t have been no.

  “I guess all the lights were on. The furniture was where it was supposed to be, and the curtains were open. As a matter of fact, it was chilly in there. The window behind his desk has two smaller windows on each side, and he had one of them open.”

  “Was that normal? Did he always have a window open?”

  “I don’t know. I’m never in his office. He usually corners me in the supply room or the walk-in refrigerator.”

  “Ok. What happened next?”

  “I sat down, and he starting going on and on about what a good job I was doing. I couldn’t understand why Sarah said he was unhappy with me, when he wasn’t. He leaned forward to tell me he was attracted to me, and I saw something over his right shoulder. The next thing I know, I hear a loud noise, and he falls forward on the desk. I see a hand reach in the window and drop the gun on the cabinet behind him.”

  She had to be mistaken. “Someone shot him and left the murder weapon behind?” I asked. “Why would they do that?”

  “I don’t know. You’re the private eye. You tell me.”

  “What did you do?” I asked.

  “I’m not sure. I think I was in shock. I just sat there. When I jumped up and looked out the window, whoever shot him was gone. I couldn’t figure out how they even got up there. When I turned around, I saw the blood on his shirt.”

  “Did anyone come running up to the office after the gun was fired?”

  She shook her head. “No. There’s a guy who lives down the alley, and his car backfires all the time. I think everyone is used to loud noises like that.”

  “Did you check to see if he was alive?” I was on the verge of shouting at her again. We should have never left Chummy’s without calling Sergeant Rorski. I raised my voice. “Tony could still be alive.”

  She shook her head hard. “He wasn’t. I don’t know what was wrong with me, but even after I saw the blood, I didn’t think he’d been shot. Look at that stupid gun.” She pointed to the small derringer on the rough-hewn wood table in front of us. “It looks like a toy.”

  Pepper wasn’t familiar with firearms. The small size of the gun, coupled with the mother-of-pearl handle and metallic green metal did make the gun look unreal. I might have made the same mistake if Glenn hadn’t taken me to a gun show a few months back. I had almost bought a gun just like this in an orange color, but Glenn insisted I didn’t need a gun – certainly not a bright orange gun.

  “Why did you take it?” I asked.

  “I don’t know. I picked it up, and when I realized it was real, I shoved it in my pocket. I checked Tony for a pulse. I swear, Jo, if he had been alive, I would have called someone, but that one shot must have hit something vital, because he was dead.”

  “Did you go out the window?”

  “No, the side windows are too small and the big one doesn’t open. The door to Tony’s office has one
of those locks on the doorknob that you just twist, so I locked the door and pulled it shut behind me. I went down the back stairs by the walk-in refrigerator and out the back door. Nobody saw me leave.”

  I glanced at my wrist to check the time and felt a pang of sadness. I wasn’t wearing my new watch, because it was broken and back at Glenn’s house. I pulled my phone out of my bag and checked the time - eleven thirty on the dot.

  “Ok, here’s what we’re going to do,” I said. “There’s enough time for me to get back to Chummy’s.”

  Pepper’s eyes flew open wide. “No! You can’t go back there.”

  I stood and fished my keys out of my bag. “Yes, I can. I have to.” I put my hand up to stop any further protesting. “Listen to me for a minute. I’ll go back to pick you up at midnight – just like I was supposed to. No one will know I’ve even seen you tonight, and I’ll say I have no idea where you are. That will buy us some time, and I can find out what’s going on. We don’t need the police looking for both of us.”

  She calmed down. “Ok. That might work. Are you coming back here then?”

  “I’m not sure. It depends on what happens at Chummy’s. If I can get back here without raising suspicion, I will. Otherwise, look for me tomorrow before noon. I’ll bring you some clothes and personal items.”

  “And food,” she said. “Don’t forget to bring some groceries.”

  I nodded. “Don’t use your phone. Turn it off and don’t turn it on unless it’s an emergency. Hide the gun, and keep the curtains closed. Don’t turn on any more lights than you have to.” I gave her a hug. “Are you going to be all right?”

  She nodded. Her eyes filled with tears. “I’ll be ok. Buck and the kids are going to call tomorrow night. Do you think you can have this solved by then?” She attempted a smile, but it looked more like a grimace.

  “I’ll do my best,” I said.

  I tried to think logically on the drive back to Buxley. There was something in her story that held the key to who shot Tony Lucas. I knew it was there, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. I needed to work in my murder room space. I could always think better when I could sit on my loveseat and stare at my whiteboard.

  The feelings of panic I felt earlier were gone now. It helped knowing Pepper was in a safe place. My own problems seemed far away, and I told myself I could handle this. There was no way I was letting my sister go to prison.

  It was only a few minutes before midnight when I pulled up to Chummy’s. Several police cars, an emergency vehicle, and the official car from the coroner’s office blocked the entrances. I parked on the street and raced up to the building.

  Jackie stood next to Sergeant Rorski just outside the main entrance. She was writing in her notebook but at a pace that indicated she had most of her information and was now filling in minor details. I rushed over to them.

  “What’s going on?” I asked. “Is Pepper ok?”

  Sergeant Rorski gave me his best scowl. “What did you do with that sister of yours?”

  I was prepared for questions about Pepper, but I didn’t expect him to be so direct and accuse me immediately. I flinched inside but attempted an innocent facial expression on the outside.

  “I didn’t do anything with her. I’m supposed to pick her up at midnight. Buck and the kids are on the road, so we’re having a sleepover at her house. Isn’t she here?”

  His scowl turned ugly. “Dee said you almost ran her down at ten thirty. That was close to the time of the murder, and I know you took Pepper out of here.”

  “Murder?” I screeched. “Who was murdered?” Sergeant Rorski looked ready to blow a gasket. I turned to Jackie. “I have no idea what’s going on here.”

  “The new operations manager, Tony Lucas, was murdered around ten fifteen,” she said. “Sarah Powers, the general supervisor, said Pepper was in the office with him at the time.”

  I pretended to be upset. It wasn’t that hard to do. “There’s no way Pepper killed Tony. You guys know her. She wouldn’t hurt a fly. She opens doors and lets them out.”

  Sergeant Rorski wasn’t giving up. “If you didn’t pick her up, why were you here at ten thirty?”

  “I came early to get a milkshake for my stomach and wait for Pepper, but I realized I left my camera with evidence in it at the flea market,” I pointed at him, “all because your officers are inept, so I kept on going through the parking lot and out the back. Dee ran out in front of me. It wasn’t my fault I almost hit her.”

  His face was beet red. He turned and walked away without saying a word.

  “Pepper isn’t here,” Jackie said. “And she isn’t at her house. Are you sure you don’t know where she is?” The look on her face let me know she didn’t believe what I had just told Sergeant Rorski.

  “I don’t have a clue. She was looking forward to my staying with her tonight, so it doesn’t make sense she took off. Jackie, you know she didn’t kill Tony.”

  “I know, but so far, everyone who’s given a statement says the same thing – Pepper was in his office, and the door was locked. They’re also saying that Tony was sexually harassing her, and that’s why she killed him.”

  “That’s whale blubber. Pepper can hold her own with any man. His advances were tame, and she thought he was a jerk.” A brilliant thought popped into my head. “Jackie! What if the killer abducted Pepper? Everyone is thinking she killed Tony, but what if she was kidnapped? Did anyone see her leave?”

  Jackie cocked her head and stared at me. I could tell the wheels were spinning in her head. She walked into the building and stopped to talk with Sergeant Rorski.

  I didn’t want to answer any more questions. I was telling so many lies, the chances of one of them tripping me up were high.

  I slipped around to the alley. The back door to the restaurant was closed. There was no way to know if the guys on the force had searched back here or not. I grabbed my flashlight from my bag and made a quick sweep of the area, hoping the killer had left something behind. I spotted a notepad on the ground next to the dumpster. It was Pepper’s order pad. She either dropped it or it slipped out of her pocket when she was hiding. I could use this.

  I opened the back door and saw Clay and Frankie talking together in the hallway. They looked over at me. Both smiled.

  “You two are despicable,” I said. “Come out here.” They followed me to the dumpster. “I haven’t touched a thing, and this looks like Pepper’s order pad. Those are her initials – PMS.” Clay snickered. I shot an evil eye his way. “Oh, grow up. Her name is Pepper May Swenson. I know Pepper didn’t kill Tony, and Clay, I know you feel the same way. I think whoever killed Tony kidnapped Pepper and forced her into a vehicle at gunpoint. It’s obvious she was out here. She probably left her order pad behind for a clue.”

  Clay nodded his head and looked thoughtful. “Frankie, go get Sarge. We’ll see what he has to say.”

  She went into the building, and I shoved my finger hard into Clay’s chest. “If you spread one word about what happened in the flea market tonight, I swear, I’ll never let you back in my house again.”

  His eyes twinkled in the moonlight. He smiled broadly, stepped back, and held his hands up. “I won’t say a word.”

  “Good. I don’t want to be out here when Sergeant Rorski comes out. You handle this.”

  I opened the door and peeked inside. There wasn’t anyone in the hallway. There was some type of commotion in the kitchen, but I didn’t wait to see what it was. I ran up the stairs to the second floor.

  When I walked into the office, the town coroner, Howard Sanders, looked up from his paperwork and made his usual gah sound of contempt when I showed up at a crime scene. “What are you doing here?” he asked.

  Two of Howard’s employees were in the room as well as Officer Collins. There was a private bathroom to my right, but the door was partially closed, and I couldn’t see who was making so much noise while he searched in there.

  Tony was still slumped over the desk. The window behind him remained op
en, and the cool night air poured in. Everything matched up with Pepper’s story.

  “Since everyone is saying my sister killed Tony, I wanted to see the room.”

  “Stay out of the way and don’t touch anything,” he said.

  I sidled up to Officer Collins. “Gunshot?”

  “Yep. Shot in the back at close range.”

  “Shot in the back? If Pepper was in here, and she allegedly killed him, why didn’t she shoot him while she was facing him? Why would she walk around behind him and shoot him in the back? That doesn’t make any sense at all.” I pretended to shiver. “Who opened the window?”

  “It was open when the body was found. Pepper probably escaped out the window.”

  My mouth fell open. “Have you seen my sister? Do you think for one minute her butt would fit through that window? If she tried to go out that way, you’d already have her in custody, because she would have been stuck.”

  He had the audacity to look at my butt and then look back at the window. “Yeah. You’re probably right.”

  I addressed him on a personal level. “Tom, you know Pepper. She didn’t do this. I think the killer kidnapped her, and we’re wasting time. You guys have to get on this and find her before something happens to her, too.”

  It was time for me to make an exit. I’d planted enough seeds of doubt that Pepper killed Tony, and I was afraid if I hung around any longer, I wouldn’t be able to keep my stories straight.

  Before I could turn and leave the office, Glenn and Barbie came out from the bathroom. When Barbie saw me, she immediately began preening, smoothing her clothes and hair. A slight smile for me crossed Glenn’s face, but he quickly distinguished it.

  Glenn looked at Officer Collins and said, “Bathroom’s clean as a whistle and no murder weapon.”

  I had no idea how long they’d been in there, but whatever police work it involved couldn’t have taken more than thirty seconds, not the five-plus minutes since I’d come into the room.

  I glared at Barbie with a death stare before turning and storming out of the office. Glenn may have thought I was acting, but I wasn’t. I couldn’t stand the sight of her.