by E B Corbin
“You’re welcome.” Callahan flashed his crooked smile.
“I guess that means I should thank you.”
“No need. I’m turning into a regular Sir Galahad where you’re concerned.”
“I ‘m not sure about that. But I am grateful you showed up.”
“Don’t tell me you were being threatened by the Chief Justice?”
“No, not at all. It was merely uncomfortable. How did you find me?”
“Sylvia Patterson saw you in the alley with two men. It looked to her as if they forced you into their car, so she checked the license plate.”
“She has access to the DMV too?”
“No.” Callahan laughed. “She didn’t need it. It was a vanity plate: JUDGE W. I figured it out from there.”
“You know the judge?”
“We’ve met— under less than ideal circumstances.”
“And…?”
“He tried to strong-arm Gramps to sell his farm. What did he want with you?”
Roxanne hesitated. Her mind scrambled to come up with a believable reason since the judge asked her to keep their discussion private. If she told Callahan about it, would it queer the deal? It seemed like a legitimate request when Judge Walters first asked. Now, Roxanne felt doubt creeping in.
Callahan prodded, “He made an offer on Roxy’s land, didn’t he?”
“Um, yes.” So much for keeping it private.
“You going to sell to him?”
“Is there a reason I shouldn’t?”
“Depends on your position on fracking.”
“He said he wanted it for hunting.”
“You believed him?”
“Why would he lie about it?”
“If word got out the Chief Justice of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court had a monetary interest in continued fracking in the state, how do you think it would go over with those fighting against it in court?”
“Might be of a conflict of interest.” In truth, she had no opinion on fracking; never much thought about it.
“Ya think?”
“OK, OK, I see your point. It doesn’t matter because I can’t agree to anything right now. I won’t even know for certain I own the land until I find Roxy’s will.” She turned in the seat for a better view of Callahan “You’re back sooner than I expected. Did you meet your guys in Pittsburgh?”
“They’re on it. They don’t need my help at the moment. As soon as I learned about Patterson, I headed back.”
“How’s Sylvia taking it?”
“Hard. They were married close to thirty years. She started off as his legal secretary and spent a lot of time helping Ralph with his cases, even after she began selling real estate.”
“Do they have family around here?”
“Not close by. Their daughter is in law school at Cornell. Classes are almost done for the semester, so she’ll be here as soon as she reschedules her finals. Their son is a long-haul trucker somewhere in Idaho, on his way to drop off a load in Oregon. He’ll get back as quick as he can, but it will take a couple of days.”
“His daughter is studying law and his son drives a truck? That’s an odd combination for siblings.”
“Yeah, Brody was bored with life in the sticks. Wanted to check out the rest the world.”
“So, no one is coming to stay with Sylvia for at least a few days.” Roxanne paused. “I should stop by to see if there’s anything I can do.”
Callahan glanced at Roxanne. “It can’t hurt for her to see a friendly face.”
“Do you really think I could help, or would it be a bad reminder for her?” Roxanne felt uncomfortable, still uncertain if what happened to the attorney had something to do with her aunt’s will.
“You’re just a victim of circumstance in all this. Still Sylvia’s grieving… she could use a friend right now.”
“I’m not exactly a friend, but I can visit her.”
“Not a bad idea.” Callahan shrugged as they pulled up in front of Roxy’s house. He glanced in the rearview mirror as the Oilville police cruiser pulled in behind them. “First, it looks like you’re going to have to speak to the police.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
Luke, accompanied by a middle-aged man in a wrinkled gray suit, followed Roxanne into her aunt’s house. Luke told her they had a few questions. Better than sitting in a drab room in the police station, she waved them into the living room while she hung up her coat.
When she returned, Callahan stood in the kitchen making a pot of coffee. At her questioning look, he said, “They want to talk to you alone. I’ll stay here. Yell if you need me.”
Anxious to find out the reason for their visit, she took a seat on the sofa, facing the state trooper. Luke stood by the fireplace with his arms crossed, thinking he looked threatening. She ignored him.
“We have a few questions for you, ma’am.” The state trooper didn’t introduce himself.
Roxanne nodded. “May I see some identification?”
He dug in his pocket for a badge and an ID card. They looked authentic although Roxanne had never seen state police identification. The card read Sergeant John Murphy, Troop C, Area 1, Bureau of Criminal Investigation. “You can keep the card,” the sergeant added.
Roxanne studied it a second longer then lifted her hands in a ‘go-ahead’ gesture.
The trooper took out his smartphone. “You mind if we record this?”
“I’d rather not,” Roxanne told him.
Luke asked, “You got somethin’ to hide?”
Roxanne locked eyes with him until he looked away. Did he really presume his bad cop persona would intimidate her?
Sergeant Murphy shrugged tucking the phone back in his pocket then pulled out a small notebook from another pocket. “No problem. Let’s move on.” He rested his elbows on his knees, leaning forward. “We’d like to know your whereabouts last night around two a.m.”
She answered without hesitation even though the question surprised her. “I spent the night at my condo in Pittsburgh. In bed, asleep.”
“Were you alone?”
“In my bed? Yes.”
“No one with you in the condo?”
“Mr. Callahan. In the living room.”
From his spot against the wall, Luke stated, “So the two of you were together all night.”
“You might say that.”
The sergeant shot Luke a warning glare. “Mr. Callahan already told us the circumstances but we’d like to hear what you have to say about it.”
Roxanne sighed. “Does this concern Ralph Patterson’s death?”
“Yes, ma’am, it does. We need to establish your whereabouts.”
“You think I’m involved?”
“No, ma’am, not at this time. We’re trying to get all the facts straight. If you could give us a detailed description of what you did yesterday.”
“All day?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Roxanne wanted to tell them to get the hell out of her house— her aunt’s house. Instead she held her temper keeping her voice cool as Canada in January. She gave them a succinct version of events. “When I went back to my condo yesterday morning, I found two men wearing ski masks in my kitchen. They threatened me with a gun until Callahan scared them away when he rang the buzzer. He chased them, but they got away.”
“Likely story,” Luke mumbled. Despite the earlier warning glance from his colleague, Luke was unable to keep his mouth shut.
“That’s what happened.” Roxanne shot Luke a disgusted glance before she turned back to Sergeant Murphy. “Oh, since Callahan reported the incident to the Pittsburgh police, they have a record of it, if you check with them.”
“We already did. Callahan was there but you weren’t. The Pittsburgh guys thought it strange you didn’t stick around to talk to them”
“I had work to do to free up time to return to Oilville and talk with Mr. Patterson. I needed to make sure everything was handled at the office.”
“How long were you in the office?”<
br />
“Until around seven that evening.”
“And after that?”
“It was too late to drive back here, so I stayed in Pittsburgh until this morning.”
“Callahan was with you the whole time?”
“Not at the office. He waited at the condo until I returned. He worried about my safety, so insisted on staying with me last night. My assistant, Anne, can verify I stayed around all day.”
“We’ll touch base with her.” The trooper made a note in his pad. “When did you return to Oilville?”
“This morning around ten. I had hoped to see Mr. Patterson.”
“You never made it to the hospital.” Once again Luke interrupted. “What were you doin’?”
The sergeant nodded at Roxanne, indicating she should answer Luke’s question.
Roxanne kept her gaze on the trooper. “When I called the hospital, the operator told me he had died, uh, been murdered.”
“Why did you want to see Ralph Patterson?” Sergeant Murphy asked before Luke jumped in with his inane remarks.
“We needed to tie up some details.”
“Such as…?” the trooper prodded.
“Trying to locate my aunt’s will.” Roxanne remembered the envelope in her aunt’s study but didn’t bring it up. The sooner she got rid of these two, the sooner she could open the letter. “I still haven’t seen it.”
“Then you never spoke with Mr. Patterson?”
“Only on the phone to set up a meeting on Sunday.”
“Can you think of anyone who would benefit from Mr. Patterson’s death?” The sergeant continued to scribble in his note pad, lifting his eyes briefly to Roxanne.
“Look, I never even met the man. I know nothing about him, and haven’t a clue who would benefit.”
Luke spoke up again. “Odd Patterson crashed right before he was gonna meet with you?”
“Yes, it is,” Roxanne snapped, losing patience. “But I don’t know why, or how, or even if, my aunt’s will had anything to do with Mr. Patterson’s accident or death. Speaking of which, I’d like to be kept informed on the status of the investigation into my aunt’s death.”
Sergeant Murphy cleared his throat. “We’re investigating Mr. Patterson’s death at present.”
“Don’t you believe they’re connected?” Roxanne took over the interview, directing her question to John Murphy, ignoring Luke. She didn’t understand why he was here anyway. Hadn’t Luke told her he could get no information on her aunt’s death? Why the sudden involvement in Patterson’s death?
“We don’t think anything yet,” the state trooper told her. “Although we appreciate your cooperation in both matters. That’s all the questions we have. If you could please stay in town. We might need to talk again.”
“I work in Pittsburgh. I can’t guarantee where I’ll be.”
Sergeant Murphy slid his notebook across the table to Roxanne. “Give me the best number to reach you if you have to go back to work. However, it would be best if you could stick around for a few days.”
Roxanne gave him her cell number and her landline at the condo. No way she wanted cops calling her at the office. Bad enough they would contact Anne. Still, she felt confident her assistant would keep the call out of the office gossip. “Is there anything else?”
“Not at this time.” Sergeant Murphy stood, moving toward the front door, while signaling for Luke to follow.
Luke slowly surveyed the room before he moved. Roxanne wondered what on earth the man thought he’d find. His inane attempt at intimidation left her angry even as she fought off the urge to laugh at his incompetence.
Callahan entered drinking coffee from a mug. He nodded to the two men as they passed in the hall. John Murphy returned the nod while Luke kept walking.
“What the hell was that all about?” Roxanne turned to him. “Do they really think I had something to do with Patterson’s death? And my aunt’s?”
“No, they’re just fishing for anything at this point. This is way over their heads.”
“You think those men searching my condo are involved.” It was a statement, not a question.
“Don’t you?”
“I’m not sure.” Roxanne dropped back onto the sofa resting her feet up on the coffee table. “This is way over my head too.” She smiled at Callahan. “Got any more coffee? I could sure use some.”
While he went for a second mug, Roxanne let her mind wander. She jumped up, almost knocking one of the mugs from his hand as he returned. “There’s a sealed envelope in the den! I forgot all about it until now.”
“What’s in it?”
“I didn’t get a chance to open it. I found it in Roxy’s desk.”
Callahan followed her as she ran into the den and tossed the insurance papers around on top of the desk, searching for the envelope.
“It’s not here. I left it right on top. Now it’s gone! Goddammit!” She threw the papers down.
“Take it easy, maybe you missed it in this mess.” He sat the mugs on a side table before he straightened the papers. “What am I looking for?”
“An envelope. It has ‘To whom it may concern’ written on the front. It was down here.” Roxanne reached under the desk top, searching for the button. She finally located it. At her touch the hidden drawer popped open.
“You found it in a secret drawer but you didn’t open it?”
“I wasn’t sure I wanted to know what it said. What if it wasn’t meant for me? It struck me as important, but I didn’t know my aunt so I couldn’t bring myself to open it.” She shrugged. “Then I got hungry. I couldn’t find anything except pseudo-health food in Roxy’s kitchen so I was on my way to the diner for lunch when those goons waylaid me.”
“Did you lock the doors on your way out?”
Roxanne held her head in her hands. “I think so…” She couldn’t remember. “Shit!”
Callahan shuffled through the papers one more time. “Whatever it was, it’s not here now. Sounds like it might have been one of those instruction letters people leave open in case of death.”
“Exactly! And now I’ve lost it! What if Roxy left instructions about her burial? Or something she wanted to say to my mother? Or to me?” Roxanne slammed the drawer shut with her foot. “Now, I’ll never find out.”
They searched the den twice. Roxanne went through the desk, while Callahan searched the floor, the bookcases, and under the sofa. Then they switched: Callahan took over the desk while Roxanne examined the rest of the room.
Finally, she dropped into a chair. “It’s not here.”
“Seems that way,” Callahan agreed.
“What could have happened to it? It was just a stupid letter!”
“Let’s take a break. We’ve done all we can for now.”
Roxanne wanted to argue even as she accepted the truth in his remark. “Dammit, dammit, dammit!”
“We’ll figure it out.” Callahan tried to divert her self-recrimination. “You never ate lunch, did you?”
“What? No. I had too much on my mind.”
“Then let’s go. I could use something to eat.”
◆◆◆
For mid-afternoon, the diner held a decent amount of customers. Patti stood behind the register with a stack of credit card slips in her hand. When she saw Roxanne with Callahan, she stuck the printouts back under the money tray and grabbed two menus. “Hey, how are ya? Sit anywhere.” Patti followed them to a corner booth. “Did ya hear about ol’ man Patterson? What a shock!”
Roxanne nodded. “We did; it’s a shame.”
“Did you ever get to meet up with him?” Patti asked.
“No, I planned to do so today, but…” Roxanne lifted both hands in a shrug.
“Too bad.” Patti shook her head. “So we still don’t know what’s gonna happen to this place?”
“You should keep things running as usual here until I find out what’s going on,” Roxanne told her. “I’m looking for Roxy’s copy of the will.”
“You mean y
a haven’t found it yet?” Patti turned to Callahan. “Aren’t you helpin’ her, hotshot?” She winked at him.
“I’m trying.” He smiled at the waitress. “I need food to keep up my strength.”
They both ordered cheeseburgers and fries. Callahan asked for water while Roxanne tried to decide between a Coke and a chocolate milkshake. Needing comfort food, she ordered the shake. If she didn’t get out of this town soon, she would need a new wardrobe, at least two sizes bigger.
After a long draw on the chocolate confection, Roxanne asked Callahan, “So what’s the plan?”
“Thought you had one. I’m only hanging around to keep you out of trouble.”
“I wish I knew what happened to the letter.”
“Are you sure you left it on the desk? You didn’t stick it in that suitcase you drag around?” He pointed to her messenger bag.
“No, I definitely left it on the desk.”
“Well, then either it will turn up or someone doesn’t want you to know what’s in it.”
“Have you heard anything about our Irish friend?” Roxanne felt as if her mind had turned into a Mexican jumping bean.
“Not much. They checked with the rental car place. He’s got the truck for a week. But if we wait around until he returns it, it may be too late. I doubt he snuck into the country to steal letters.”
“You think he’s up to something?”
“Since he helped those two at your condo to escape, it’s safe to assume he’s not here on a sightseeing trip.”
“Will you get called back to help search for them?”
“It’s not my area of expertise. I’m sure Ron and Gabe can handle it. If they find out anything, they’ll keep me informed.”
“What is your area of expertise?” Roxanne lifted the straw to her mouth for another long swallow.
He smiled at her. “You’ve heard the saying, ‘If I tell you…’”
“I don’t believe you’ll kill me.” Roxanne finished for him, returning his smile.
Patti brought their food to the table. “Can I get ya anything else?”
“No, we’re fine,” Callahan told her.
“Well, I’ll be around if you need me.” She hung around watching Callahan bite into the burger then turned to Roxanne. “Ya know, I might can help findin’ the will. Maybe Roxy kept it in her office.”
