Bitter Justice (Cowboy Justice Association Book 12)

by Olivia Jaymes

  "What does it say?"

  "Cause of death isn't a surprise. Strangulation with a scarf. Bibi's blood alcohol level was fairly high, point-one-five. Not falling down drunk but she was definitely impaired. To what extent I can't say. It would depend on her alcohol tolerance." Tanner tapped on a section of the paper. "Now this is interesting. She had old bruises on her body, mostly on her upper torso."

  "Abuse?"

  "That's a possibility. Because of the way they're clustered, the coroner has suggested that Bibi might have taken a fall. I'll mark that down as a question for friends and Leo, too." Tanner paged through the report. "Not much else. They took skin samples from under her nails for DNA analysis. She put up a fight. There may be more on the final report. This is only preliminary."

  Tanner had specifically looked at Leo's hands and arms for wounds but hadn't seen any.

  "So all they need is the results of the DNA test and they can tell who killed her? Easy-peasy."

  Maddie made it sound like all they had to do was sit back and wait.

  "Assuming they have a match in the system. If they can't get a warrant for Leo or anyone else's DNA they'll have to hope that the suspect volunteers their saliva."

  "Why would a guilty person do that? That would be crazy."

  "Exactly. That's why we still have to gather evidence. So we can get a judge to sign off on a warrant to compel the suspect to give a sample. Criminals aren't usually all that bright but they're not dumb as a rock, either."

  "What about that guy that robbed the barbecue joint in Springwood? He sat down to eat some ribs and that's where you found him after he'd tripped the alarm."

  Chuckling, Tanner recalled that particular break-in. The alarm had been silent and the robber had thought he'd have plenty of time to enjoy a nice meal before absconding with the cash.

  "Okay, he wasn't all that bright. But most of them don't wander into the station and confess, offering up their DNA and fingerprints. It would be nice, though. It would make the job a hell of a lot easier."

  "Did you tell the sheriff that Leo is planning to leave town?"

  "I did when I talked to him last night. He didn't seem particularly concerned since like you, he thinks the entire case rests on the DNA evidence."

  "Did you counsel him otherwise?"

  "I may have given him some advice. That's what he wanted from me so that's what I gave him."

  "How'd he take it?"

  "Quite well. I have to say that Smith really seems to want to learn the job and be a good lawman. Unfortunately, he's going to have to learn it all the hard way. On the job training."

  "So what's the plan for the day?"

  Tanner eased out of his chair, coffee cup in hand. "First, I'm going to whip us up some breakfast. Then I'm going to talk to Randy and Carrie Knight. Separately. I've got the fun job of asking Randy if he was having an affair with Bibi. Then I get to ask Carrie if she'd heard the rumors about her husband."

  "You're going to be about as popular as the plague," Maddie teased. "Way to win friends and influence people."

  "I try and be sensitive but when a murder happens privacy is a thing of the past. They can hate me if it makes them feel better."

  "I love you if it makes you feel any better."

  It did, and it always had.

  16

  Randy Knight wasn't difficult to find. He was in the gym of the condo building, jogging on a treadmill, covered in sweat, earbuds in his ears. He gave Tanner a wave and then slowed down the machine, hopping off when it came to a halt.

  "Hey, you're not exactly dressed for a workout," Randy joked, drinking down half a bottle of water. "I can lend you some exercise clothes if you wanted to lift. You can work in with me if you want."

  "Not today, but thank you. Actually, I'm helping the sheriff with the investigation into Bibi's death. I was hoping I could ask you a few questions."

  The easygoing smile fell from Randy's face. "It's not true."

  "What's not true?"

  Although Tanner had a decent idea what the other man was talking about.

  "There are rumors running around town about me and Bibi but they weren't true. I love my wife."

  Lots of men said that, but in Tanner's experience their idea of love and his were two different things.

  "Why do you suppose people were saying you were having an affair?"

  Randy mopped his face with a towel. "Because we were friends. All four of us spent a lot of time together, going places and doing things. Let's face it. People love to gossip and if they can't find something to talk about, they'll make it up. Bibi was a good friend but that's all we were. I've never cheated on my wife."

  Tanner would take the man at his word. Until there was solid evidence that said otherwise.

  "According to the coroner's report, Bibi had bruises on her upper torso. Do you know where she might have got those?"

  Randy nodded, looping the towel around his neck. "I sure do. Bibi was in a fender bender last week. She was rear ended by another car and her airbag went off. The other driver didn't stick around and took off."

  Were the accident and the murder connected? Or just a coincidence?

  "Did Bibi have any enemies? Anyone that would want to hurt her? Did she a disagreement with anyone recently?"

  Will he mention Ashley?

  "Not that I can think of. She was a sweet woman who wouldn't hurt a fly." Randy groaned and his head fell back for a moment before he continued. "Frankly, she could have done a hell of a lot better than Leo. I like the man and all but he was a less than stellar husband, if you know what I mean."

  "Women? Gambling? Drinking?"

  Those were the usual suspects when it came to marital disharmony.

  "All three," Randy confirmed. "Leo can be the nicest guy in the world but when he drinks too much, he's a real asshole. As for women, he's not the biggest fan of monogamy and he doesn't make a secret of it."

  "And the gambling?"

  "He gets bored and he likes to bet on sports. I don't think he loses too much though and I've never heard Bibi give him a hard time about it. They lived separate lives to a certain extent. She had her interests and he had his."

  "Was Leo seeing anyone recently?"

  Tanner would need to talk to her. She had a motive for murder.

  Randy's smile was grim. "Ashley. From what we could see she was vying to be the fourth Mrs. Leo Gordon."

  Not exactly the most coveted position.

  "Did Bibi know?"

  "Of course, she did. Leo never bothered to hide it. As I said, he can be kind of a jerk. I might like going waterskiing with the guy but I sure as shit wouldn't want to be married to him."

  "One more question?"

  "Sure. Go ahead."

  "Where were you at midnight yesterday?"

  Randy's expression went blank, his smile gone in an instant. "At home. Asleep. You can ask my wife."

  "I will. I ask these questions to rule out people one by one."

  "I'll make it easy for you. I didn't kill Bibi. I really liked her."

  "I appreciate your time. Let me know if you remember anything else."

  Tanner turned to go but Randy stepped into his path. "Leo was talking about getting a divorce."

  "They were unhappy?"

  Randy shrugged. "They never seemed like it but Leo was prone to boredom. He said something about maybe getting a divorce a few months ago."

  "Thank you, Randy. You've been very helpful."

  Had Leo become impatient and decided that murder was easier than a divorce? The husband was certainly still on the suspect list.

  Next stop? Ashley Monroe.

  Maddie had wanted to accompany Tanner but he'd insisted that she keep her appointment at the spa. Under Sherry's close supervision, he'd set up a spa day for her that included a massage, a mani-pedi, and a facial. When he'd told her about it, she'd been thrilled, thinking it sounded like a day of heaven. But a hell of a lot had happened since then and she felt like she ought to be helping he
r husband catch a killer. He'd assured her that there would still be work to be done when she was finished.

  The massage had put her in a relaxed mood despite all that was going on, so she was happily reading a glossy magazine while having her toes painted a bright fuchsia when Carrie sat down at the pedicure chair to her left.

  So much for peace and serenity.

  Carrie might have been smiling and welcoming that first night but now her expression looked like she'd just sucked on a lemon. She cast Maddie a nasty look and then angrily opened her own magazine, studiously avoiding any eye contact.

  Okay. Fine. Tanner had warned her that they weren't going to make any friends during this investigation. It wasn't like they would see these people ever again once they left Florida.

  Content not to rock the boat, Maddie kept her nose between the pages and ignored the woman next to her who was fussing and sighing every ten seconds.

  "I hope you're happy."

  Generally, yes.

  But Maddie had a feeling that wasn't what Carrie was referring to.

  Keeping her tone even, Maddie looked up from her magazine. "Excuse me?"

  Carrie gave up reading, tossing the periodical onto an empty chair. "I said I hope you're happy."

  I'm going to regret this. Tanner would tell me not to engage.

  "About what, exactly?"

  "Your husband sticking his nose into things that aren't his business," Carrie said through gritted teeth.

  Her cheeks were red and she was almost shaking with anger.

  Should I do this? Should I bother? What the hell...

  For most of her life, Maddie had avoided conflict but she'd learned over the years that sometimes a person had to meet it head-on. She had a gut feeling that there was no way that Carrie was going to let Maddie out of this spa without a confrontation.

  "Tanner is not sticking his nose into anything," Maddie responded, trying to sound patient when she wasn't. She'd had a great deal of practice as a doctor. "He was specifically asked for his help by the sheriff of this town. I would think as a friend of Bibi's you'd be glad that a well-respected, knowledgeable, and experienced lawman was assisting in the investigation to find her killer."

  "He doesn't understand us," the other woman hissed, her gaze darting around the room. The only two other people were their aestheticians and while they were pretending that they weren't listening in...

  They were definitely listening. If this town worked anything like Springwood, the gossip mill would have this all over by sundown.

  "He doesn't understand you?" Maddie echoed, not even sure what that meant. "I wasn't aware that you needed understanding from a police officer when he's investigating a cold-blooded murder."

  "He's not one of us," Carrie explained as if that cleared it all up. Far from it. "He should leave this to Sheriff Smith."

  "Who has absolutely no experience with a murder case. Don't you want Bibi's killer to be brought to justice?"

  Carrie turned her body toward Maddie, pulling her foot out of the manicurist's hands and sloshing water all over the floor. "Of course, I do. I loved Bibi like a sister."

  "But she doesn't deserve a professional investigation?" Maddie challenged. "The killer isn't going to just walk into the sheriff's office and confess, you know. It doesn't work like that."

  As I was reminded by my husband this morning.

  "We don't need outsiders to help us. The sheriff can handle this."

  "He says he can't," Maddie shot back. If she could have stomped away, she would have but her toe polish was still wet. "Tanner is helping where he can and that's it. I would think you all would be happy about that."

  "Happy?" Carrie almost screeched the question. "You think I should be happy that he practically accused my husband of being a murderer?"

  There was no way Tanner would have done that. He'd done this a time or two.

  "I assume that Randy was asked to account for his whereabouts at the time of the murder?"

  Carrie nodded, her lips pressed together in a mutinous line.

  "Everyone has to account for their whereabouts, Carrie. Not just Randy. Everyone. Leo, Randy, Ashley, and...you, too."

  The woman's eyes went round and if anything, she seemed to shake even more with rage.

  "What about you?" she demanded. "Nothing ever happened in our town until you and your husband showed up. How do we know that you're not the killers?"

  Maddie almost laughed but somehow kept her features under control. Carrie was certainly grasping at straws if she was accusing strangers of murdering Bibi.

  "What motive would Tanner or I have?"

  Shrugging, Carrie didn't answer immediately. "I don't know. You don't need a motive. Maybe you just like killing people."

  "Tanner has caught one or two people like that. We're not one of them, though. I'm sorry that you're upset. I really am. But investigations by their very nature uncover secrets. Sending Tanner away isn't going to stop that from happening."

  Carrie's fingers curled tightly around the arm of the chair, the knuckles white. "We don't have any secrets."

  "Then you don't have anything to worry about," Maddie replied, her tone gentle. "But if you do–"

  "No," Carrie interjected swiftly and firmly. "We don't have any secrets."

  "Then it will all be okay."

  Would it really? Carrie was extremely rattled, and not in an innocent bystander sort of way. Could she have snapped and murdered the other woman - Bibi? Did Carrie know that her husband had been with Bibi that night? She was afraid of something, that was for sure.

  Maddie needed to talk to Tanner and find out what Randy Knight had said.

  After talking to Randy, Tanner headed back upstairs but stopped in the lobby when he saw the concierge Brad at the desk. The young man was paid to keep an eye on people's comings and goings.

  "Brad, how are you this morning?"

  Brad greeted Tanner with a smile and a wave. "Really good, Mr. Marks. How are you?"

  "Doing well, thank you. And please call me Tanner."

  "How can I help you today, Tanner? Restaurant reservation? Movie tickets?"

  Tanner was about to say no but then paused, remembering that he and Maddie were on vacation. He was supposed to be romancing his wife, not finding a killer. She wasn't upset about it but he could do better.

  "Actually, I'd like to find a great beach restaurant to surprise my wife. Someplace casual but has terrific food. Any suggestions?"

  "I know just the place. They don't take reservations but this time of year you shouldn't have to wait for a table." Brad reached for a paper and pen. "I can draw you a map. It's just down the beach a few blocks."

  Tanner probably didn't need a map to walk two or three blocks but he didn't want to hurt Brad's feelings. He did, however, want to talk to him about more than good food.

  "Thanks, I appreciate that. I was also hoping you might answer a few questions for me. I'm not sure if you're aware but the sheriff asked me to help out on this murder investigation."

  Looking up from his hand-drawn map, Brad frowned. "Why would he ask you to help? Are you a cop or something?"

  Or something.

  "Yes," Tanner replied, not going into detail. "I've solved a few murders in my career and this is your sheriff's first."

  "What kind of questions do you want to ask me?"

  Brad sounded guarded but he hadn't said no.

  "Just a few simple ones. Have you seen anyone hanging around lately that shouldn't be here? Anyone out of place or acting strangely?"

  Brad shook his head but then nodded. "Yes, there was this one guy about a week ago. He was here to deliver a package and I told him he could leave it with me but he said no. He had to deliver it personally. I couldn't allow him upstairs, of course, and he got mad and stomped out."

  Interesting.

  "Who was he delivering the package to?"

  "I don't know." Brad shrugged. "We didn't get that far in the conversation. He was really aggressive and kind of a
jerk from the get-go. To be honest, he never should have gotten through the guard at the gate of the parking lot, but we have a new hire and sometimes he lets people through if they have a good story."

  "Then the security guard would have his name and license plate? Do you remember the day and approximate time?"

  "He should. Let's see...it was Wednesday and it was morning. Maybe ten or ten-thirty. I can't be exact."

  "This is good and helpful." Tanner scribbled down the details in his little notebook. "Just a few more questions and we'll be done. Did you ever see Bibi Gordon arguing with anyone recently?"

  Brad looked like he wanted to do just about anything but answer the question. He shuffled on his feet, his gaze darting all around the lobby and then settling on his shoes.

  "I'm not sure I feel comfortable answering your question."

  "I'll find out about whatever it is you’re not telling me eventually," Tanner replied. "There's no such thing as a secret in a murder investigation, so you might as well say it."

  The young man groaned and finally raised his head. "She argued with Leo."

  Husbands and wives argue. Ninety-point-nine percent of the arguments didn't prove fatal.

  "Did you hear what they were arguing about?"

  Brad's cheeks turned a bright shade of red. "She accused him of having an affair."

  "Did she say with whom?"

  More clearing of the throat and stalling. Eventually he sighed, his shoulders slumping.

  "Ashley Monroe."

  Ms. Monroe was definitely on Tanner's list to talk to.

  "Did you ever see Bibi with another man?"

  "What? No. No way." Brad shook his head, his brows pinched together. "Not once."

  "Do you only work days? Or have you worked any evenings?"

  "I get off at six normally. Once a month I have to fill out a report for management so I might be here until six-thirty."

  Then Brad wouldn't have any idea if Bibi made a habit of walking on the beach at night.

  Tanner closed his notebook and tucked it in his pocket. "Thank you for answering my questions. Sometimes the smallest detail becomes the biggest break in the case."

  Scraping his fingers through his short dark hair, Brad shook his head. "Are you going to tell Leo that I talked about their argument? I don't want to get in trouble."