A Puzzle in Paxton Park

by J A Whiting

  “Are the new windows in?” Shelly asked.

  “They’re all set and looking good. They needed upgrading anyway,” Jay said.

  “Are you feeling okay about what happened?”

  “I’m only surprised it hasn’t happened sooner. Sure, I was boiling mad when we walked in and saw the mess. It’s a violation, someone entering your home, trying to intimidate you, frighten you. It can make a person feel down about humanity.” Jay gave a shrug. “But the feeling doesn’t last long. I need to focus on the fact that the majority of people are good-hearted.”

  “Sometimes that isn’t easy, is it?” Shelly asked.

  “We have our moments, but like I said, the pessimism dissipates. I can’t do this job if I’m not optimistic and hopeful.”

  “Are you feeling that way right now?”

  “I am.” Jay smiled.

  “Good,” Shelly said. “Because I need to tell you what we heard last night about Steve Carlton.”

  “I heard some information through the grapevine,” Jay said. “It seems things are falling apart for Steve.”

  “That’s right.” Shelly proceeded to tell Jay what she’d learned from Linden Parker. “It sounds like he’s falling into depression. And the part about the guns was worrisome.”

  “I agree. As a precaution, we sent an officer over to the Carlton’s house to do a wellness check on Steve. The names of some doctors and counselors were left with him. The officer offered to make an appointment for Steve, but the man declined,” Jay said. “He can’t be forced to seek medical care.”

  “No, I suppose not,” Shelly said. “Not yet anyway. I hope he doesn’t do anything stupid with those guns.” With her thoughts turning to Emma, she added, “He may already have done something stupid with them.” After a few moments thinking about Steve Carlton, Shelly told Jay, “We ran into Dawn Barry last night.”

  With a raised eyebrow, Jay said, “You and Juliet were busy last night.”

  “Dawn was cursing and kicked her car. It had broken down. It seemed an overreaction, but I guess, from what I’ve heard about her, her behavior can be like that.”

  “Did she talk to you?”

  “She did. I pretended not to know about her ‘fling’ with Charlie. I asked her if, in addition to being friends with Emma, she was a friend of Charlie.”

  “And what did she say to that?” Jay asked.

  “She told us Charlie was a loser, an idiot, that he wasn’t good to Emma, that she couldn’t stand him.”

  “Trouble in paradise?” Jay asked.

  “It certainly seemed so. Dawn was angry. It didn’t seem like she was pretending to dislike Charlie, it seemed like she really couldn’t stand him.”

  “Maybe they had a falling out,” Jay said. “Maybe the ‘fling’ is over.”

  “What was the reason for that, I wonder,” Shelly said.

  “Maybe now that Emma is gone and Charlie is free of his wife, he wants to play the field.”

  Shelly shook her head. “That guy. Whoever gets mixed up with him is in for a bad time.”

  “Speaking of Charlie,” Jay said with a serious tone, “I have some news about his phone.”

  Shelly adjusted her position on the step to better face Jay. “What is it?”

  “Through the phone records, we’ve just learned that Charlie’s phone pinged a cell tower in the vicinity of Paxton Park on the evening Emma was murdered.”

  With an open mouth, Shelly stared at Jay.

  “The phone hadn’t pinged any towers again until the day you found the phone in my house and turned it on,” Jay said. “The report also indicated that a text from Charlie’s phone was sent to Emma around the time she dropped Leena Tate at the automotive garage to pick up her car. About an hour after the text was sent, a second text was made from Charlie’s phone to Emma’s.”

  “No one replied to the text?” Shelly asked.

  Jay shook her head.

  “What does it all mean?”

  Justice lifted her head and growled low.

  Jay said, “It means that Charlie’s phone was in or close to Paxton Park on the night that Emma died. The texts were made to Emma’s phone, then Charlie’s phone went quiet for days until you found it and turned it on in my house the night of the break-in.”

  “So Charlie lied about going to the mall.” Shelly thought out loud. “But he had his receipt for the boots. Did someone else go there and buy the boots for him so he would have a receipt?”

  “That could be,” Jay said. “Charlie’s daughter claims he went to the mall so unless she’s lying, he left the house that night to go somewhere. And if he didn’t go to the mall, who might have gone in his place while he was busy finding Emma?”

  Shelly’s eyes widened. “Dawn Barry?”

  “That is my thought.”

  “What do you think happened? Emma’s murder was all over the news. Did Dawn suspect Charlie was the killer? Did she get scared because she went to the mall for him? Maybe she worried he would say she was in on the murder and knew all about it. He could say she was his accomplice.”

  “It’s an interesting scenario, isn’t it?” Jay asked.

  “Wow.” Shelly thought of something else. “Were fingerprints found on the knife that was stuck into the photograph at your house?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Then the person who broke in wore gloves or wiped down the knife. What about Charlie’s phone? Were there fingerprints on it?” Shelly asked.

  “Only yours and Juliet’s.” Jay’s face looked tired.

  “Charlie’s phone was wiped and cleaned, too,” Shelly said. “So that makes me think Charlie didn’t give his old phone away to anyone who lost it in your house. If he had given it away and it got dropped in the house, there would be fingerprints on it.” Shelly sat straight. “So whoever dropped the phone in your house may have intended to do so.”

  “Maybe you should join our police force,” Jay gave the young woman a little smile.

  Shelly speculated, “Another scenario could be that Charlie asked Dawn Barry to go to the mall, buy the boots, and keep the receipt for him. Charlie told Dawn he killed Emma, or she heard about it on the news or the radio. Dawn gave him the boots. For some reason, they ended their relationship. Who knows why? Then Charlie broke into your house and dropped his phone.”

  “Possibly.” Jay nodded. “Now I need to find some real evidence.”

  Shelly’s face clouded.

  “What is it?” Jay asked.

  “But, what about my dream? Lauren takes the glass away from me and turns it upside down. How does that relate to what happened to Emma?”

  “Maybe it doesn’t?” Jay said gently. “Maybe it’s just a dream?”

  Shelly looked out across her small front lawn to the road. “No, it isn’t just a dream. Lauren is trying to tell me not to drink the wine. There was something wrong with the wine in Emma’s glass the night she went to dinner with friends. It has something to do with her murder. I’m sure of it.”

  Justice let out a low hiss. The fur on her back stood up straight.

  Shelly looked at the cat. “Justice agrees with me. Have you talked to Emma’s friend, Peggy Lane, yet?”

  “Only once, the day after Emma died,” Jay said.

  “Talk to her again. When Juliet and I spoke with her at the photography store, I was sure she was going to tell me something important. Go see her. Ask her about Emma’s drink.”

  “It can’t hurt,” Jay said. “I’ll arrange a meeting.”

  “I know I’ve been reluctant to believe that my dreams can reflect something important, something I miss about a situation when I’m awake.” With a serious expression, Shelly looked at Jay. “I understand that most dreams are only dreams. But this dream of Emma at the restaurant is trying to tell me something. We can’t ignore it. I’m sure of that.”

  21

  Jack and Shelly held hands as they walked around the town common together. The night was surprisingly warm, but no one was complaining. Sev
eral musicians had set up on the bandstand and a good-sized crowd had gathered to listen. Food stands were selling cotton candy, candy apples, caramel corn, sausage sandwiches, and pizza slices. The bonfire blazed off to one side and lots of people stood close to watch the flames shoot high into the air.

  Jack bought some cotton candy and he and Shelly sat on a bench to watch the people and nibble on the sweet, pink confection.

  “I haven’t had this since I was little.” Shelly smiled as she put a wad of the pillow-y candy into her mouth where it melted against her tongue.

  “Neither have I. It’s great, isn’t it? Why has it taken me so many years to get some?” Jack pulled a long section of pink fluff off the white tube stick.

  When they finished, Shelly and Jack wandered over to the bonfire and bumped into Patti, one of the adventure guides, and her sister, Loni. Jack introduced Shelly.

  The four young people chatted for a few minutes and then Patti said, “I still can’t believe what happened to Emma Pinkley. I knew her from working at the resort. She was such a nice person. Now, I look at people when we’re in crowds and I wonder if one of them is the killer. It’s a terrible feeling to think he could be walking around town and passing us on the sidewalk.”

  “Emma was always so cheerful,” Loni said. “I can’t imagine getting shot and driving back to town. It’s a horrible thought.”

  “Do you work at the resort?” Shelly asked Loni.

  “No. I work at a bank in Linville. I’ve been a teller there for years.”

  Shelly said, “Emma’s mother lived in Linville. Is that how you knew Emma?”

  “Not through her mother, no. Emma did some banking where I work,” Loni said.

  “At the bank in Linville?” Shelly tilted her head.

  “Yeah. She had an account there.” Loni cringed. “I saw her about an hour before she got killed.”

  “You did? She came into the bank?”

  Loni nodded. “It was just before 7:30pm. We close at 7:30. Emma made a deposit.”

  “Why would Emma bank in Linville?” Shelly asked knowing Emma was the only one who could accurately answer that question. “There’s a branch of the same bank right here in town.”

  Loni smiled, “Well, you know. When it comes to finances, sometimes people want a little privacy.”

  “Do you think that was what Emma wanted?” Shelly asked. “Was she after privacy?”

  “If I had to guess, I’d say that was the reason she used our branch.”

  “But, why?”

  Loni shrugged. “We don’t ask that question when people open accounts.”

  “Was Emma’s husband on the account?” Shelly asked.

  Loni bit her lower lip. “I’m not supposed to give out any information like that. But I’m not working in the bank at this moment so let’s just say there wasn’t any reason for his name to be on the account.”

  “Why not?” Shelly didn’t understand.

  Loni said, “The account was actually in Emma’s sister’s name, Evelyn Billings Wentworth. But, it was clear that it was Emma’s money that was in the account.”

  “Why would she put her money in an account with only her sister’s name on it?”

  “Think about it,” Loni said. “Why would you put your money into a secret account under someone else’s name?”

  “Because you don’t want someone to know about it,” Jack said.

  “Exactly,” Loni told him.

  “I don’t get it,” Shelly said. “Are you sure it was Emma’s money? Was she trying to help her sister by providing her with money?”

  “My bet would be Emma was putting money aside because she didn’t want her cheating rat of a husband to find out about it,” Loni said. “I shouldn’t be telling you this stuff, but Emma is dead so what does it matter if I talk about it? Emma made a huge deposit an hour before she was killed. All in cash. I won’t tell you how much she put in her account, but it was a lot of money.”

  “Now the money will go to Charlie?” Jack asked.

  “No. In fact, it will go to her sister, Evelyn. Anyone can make a deposit to someone else’s account. Some banks don’t allow cash deposits to a different account, but our bank does. Only the owner of the account can actually withdraw the money.”

  “You think Emma was hiding money from Charlie by putting it into an account under her sister’s name?” Shelly asked.

  “That’s my theory. That way, Charlie couldn’t gamble it away.”

  “When Emma came into the bank, did she seem nervous or worried or upset about anything?”

  “No.” Loni shook her head. “She seemed like herself. The transaction only takes a few minutes though. She could have been hiding concerns that she had. I probably wouldn’t have picked up on it.”

  They moved from discussing Emma to other topics of conversation and after about fifteen minutes of chat, Shelly said, “We’re going to head off now. Nice to meet you.”

  She took Jack’s arm and they moved away from the bonfire.

  “Why did you want to leave?” Jack asked.

  “I’d like to go see Emma’s sister, Evelyn. Care to go for a little drive?” Shelly asked her boyfriend.

  “Now?”

  “It’s not late. I don’t think she’d mind.”

  “Okay then. Let’s go,” Jack said.

  “I hope we’re not bothering you,” Shelly said to the woman who answered the door. “I was here days ago with Jayne Landers-Smyth from the Paxton Park Police Department. Do you have a few minutes to talk?”

  Emma’s sister, Evelyn, stood staring at the couple on her front porch. She blinked several times and then nodded and invited them inside. “I remember you. Come in.”

  Taking seats in the living room, Jack sat quietly next to Shelly on the sofa.

  Evelyn asked, “Is there some news?”

  “Oh, no. I’m sorry. I’m not here on official business,” Shelly said. “There was something I wanted to ask you about. I’ve heard recently that Emma was at the bank here in Linville about an hour before she died.”

  Evelyn’s lower lip trembled. “Yes, she was. She made a deposit. She came here right afterwards to give me the deposit slip.”

  “The account is in your name only?”

  Evelyn clutched her hands together. “Emma wanted me to set up an account that she could deposit to. All the money belonged to Emma, but the account was in my name.”

  “Why did your sister want a secret account?” Shelly asked.

  Evelyn rubbed her forehead. “She didn’t trust Charlie anymore. She knew he cheated and had affairs. She’d known it for years. He has the gambling problem. Emma felt like he didn’t contribute to the family as he should have. She also thought she and Charlie would end the marriage sooner than later. She was coming to the end of her rope with him.”

  “Emma was hiding the money from Charlie?”

  Evelyn said, “Emma was sure he would gamble it away and then when they divorced, she’d have nothing. She’d been saving for years. She’d put any extra cash aside and when she managed to save a good amount she’d go to the bank in Linville. Emma wanted the account in my name so that Charlie couldn’t get at it.”

  “What will happen to the money now?” Shelly asked.

  Evelyn said, “Emma was adamant that Charlie never get his hands on the money. I’m going to pretend it’s mine and when the kids, Aubrey and Mason, are older, I’ll give them the money.”

  “I have something else to ask you,” Shelly said. “There’s something that’s been bothering me. When Emma went out to dinner with her friends, she was very sick when she got home. Did Emma talk to you about her illness?”

  Evelyn’s face looked hard. “She thought she came down with the flu. I didn’t think it was the flu. I think Charlie slipped her something before she left the house.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I’ve always thought Charlie did something to try to get rid of Emma. I wondered if he’d poisoned her.”

  Shelly’
s eyes went wide. “Poison?”

  “How could Emma get so sick so quickly? No one else caught her illness. Not the kids, not Charlie, not me or our mother.”

  “It’s possible that no one would catch what Emma had,” Shelly suggested. “On occasion, only one family member comes down with an illness.”

  “Emma didn’t have a cold or the flu or a virus or whatever,” Evelyn’s eyes flashed. “Someone tried to poison my sister. I know it. I just have no way to prove it.”

  “You didn’t bring this up with the police?” Shelly asked.

  A miserable look washed over the woman’s face. “No. What’s the point? They’d just think I was crazy. It’s too late to prove anything. Maybe a blood test at the time would have shown something in Emma’s system, but it’s too late now.”

  “Did you discuss the possibility of poisoning with Emma?”

  “I did. At first, Emma thought I was letting my imagination get away from me, but then she wondered if I might be on to something.”

  “Do you think Charlie murdered Emma?”

  Evelyn looked down at the floor. “Yes, I do.”

  “Does Charlie own a gun?” Shelly asked softly.

  When Evelyn lifted her face, tears glistened on her cheeks. “He killed my sister. He has to have a gun.”

  22

  I’ve been concerned with how it might look to have a private citizen sitting in on interviews that I do,” Jay told Shelly when the young woman arrived at the police station late in the afternoon.

  “Oh. I’ll leave then,” Shelly said. “We don’t want to do anything that might compromise the investigation.”

  “Hold on,” Jay said lifting a piece of paper from her desk. “I’m hiring you for contracted services to consult on a case by case basis. That way everything is aboveboard.”

  Shelly was dumbfounded. “But I don’t have any credentials.”

  “I’ve discussed it with the higher-ups. I told them how you’ve helped out on the past two cases and it’s been approved. So if you agree to get paid for the time you consult with me, you need to sign here.” Jay pointed at the line on the bottom of the page and handed Shelly a pen.