“Not only can you run a ranch, you’re very astute. I imagine that’s a very good quality to have when you’re in charge.”
“Let’s put it this way. It hasn’t hurt, and there are a few ex-employees of the ranch who would probably agree with you, but let’s get back to why you’re here,” she said, setting her coffee cup on her desk and looking steadily at him.
He spread his hands out in the ageless movement of hands that indicate ‘You got me.’ “All right. You were honest with me, and I’ll be the same with you. From what I know your brother was engaged to Renee Messinger. She broke that engagement off to marry a man by the name of Bob Salazar, who is a very good friend of mine.”
At the mention of Bob Salazar, Susie’s eyes became cold and her lips became a tight grim line. “Bob Salazar. Know the name well. I’ve never met him, but he’s the one responsible for my brother’s mental breakdown. That still doesn’t explain why you’re here.”
“I got married the day before yesterday and Bob and his wife, Renee, whom I’m sure you know, attended the wedding and the reception. They have a baby daughter, and Renee’s sister, Laura, was taking care of the baby girl at Cindy’s Bed & Breakfast in Red Cedar. She was murdered. Cindy heard the baby crying, opened the door of their room, and found Laura. I’m trying to find out everything I can about anyone who might have had a reason to kill Laura.”
Susie uncrossed her arms and said, “I’m sorry to hear that. I didn’t know about it. I always liked Laura.” She sat up straight in her chair. “Wait a minute. Are you inferring that my brother had something to do with it?”
“I’m not inferring anything. I’m simply trying to get a handle on anyone who might have wanted to get back at Bob or Renee and did it through Laura.”
She looked at the business card on the desk. “Mr. Langley, I can tell you emphatically that my brother had nothing to do with Laura’s death. The foreman of the ranch and I are about the only people who know that each month my brother gets worse. I have twenty-four hour live-in help for him. He’s really not capable of making any decisions. I take care of everything having to do with the ranch as well as his care. I think I’ve told you all you need to know. Please convey my condolences to the Salazar family.” She stood up and walked over to the front door and opened it. “It’s been nice meeting you. You’ve found out what you wanted to know. You can go now.”
Roger walked over to the door and said, “I’ve found out what you’ve told me. I have not found out if your brother managed to get out of the ranch house and take revenge on Renee and Bob Salazar.” He walked out the door and involuntarily flinched as it slammed behind him.
CHAPTER 22
Roger and Liz both got back to the lodge at the same time. She opened the door of her van as he stepped out of his car and hugged her tightly. Winston jumped out of the van and stood next to them, looking up, hoping for an ear scratch. Roger reached down and obliged, while he kissed Liz.
“I hope you’re planning something wonderfully comforting for dinner,” Roger said. “Spending the evening with Reverend Jacobs is not my idea of a good time.”
They walked up the steps to the front door. “You’ll be very happy to know I made a cassoulet earlier, and it’s been cooking all afternoon. A little French bread and a salad will go with it nicely. I’d offer you a glass of wine, but the reverend might frown on that.”
“Right, I don’t want to do anything to get on the bad side of a reverend that had to leave Kentucky in the middle of the night because he was caught with an underage girl in the rectory. Liz, somehow I rather doubt he’d even notice.”
“That may be true, but everyone else might smell the wine on your breath. Think you better forget about it.”
“From what you’re saying, I’m getting the distinct impression that even a small glass of wine will be off limits to me tonight,” Roger said, grinning at her.
“What? Why are you looking at me like that?” Liz asked.
“I’m just happy we’re married, even if it isn’t quite the honeymoon I’d planned. Did you find out anything today?”
“Yes. I found out Laura’s ex-husband is no longer in Serenity Center. His counselor thought he had an excellent chance to beat his addiction, but that was a week ago, and he hasn’t been heard from since. When a patient leaves the Center, they’re supposed to check in every forty-eight hours. No one has heard from him since he left the facility. Naturally, they’re worried he’s relapsed.”
“I would be too. I’ve told you before that a number of the people I’ve defended over the years had problems with drug addiction. Unfortunately almost fifty percent of the males returned to drug use, even after going through some type of rehabilitation. The women did somewhat better. It wouldn’t surprise me to learn Nick has returned to drugs, particularly if Laura didn’t want anything more to do with him. Seems like the whole reason he went through the drug program was to reconcile with her. Kind of feel sorry for him. Who knows, he could be in Mexico or anywhere.”
“That’s what I’m thinking, too. Let me change the subject. Renee’s stepmother is one cold fish.” She told Roger about her brief meeting with Nancy Messinger.
“I couldn’t agree more from what you’re telling me. Wonder what Renee’s father ever saw in her.”
“I have no idea. Maybe it was the fact that she was so devoted to him. I’d really appreciate if you would call Sean and see if he can find out anything about her. Something is bothering me about her and the house, but I just can’t put my finger on it.”
“Does it qualify as a niggle?” Roger asked, grinning, as they sat down for dinner.
“Yes, but I don’t know how. It’s just a feeling I have about her. Now, tell me about your afternoon,” she said ladling the cassoulet into deep bowls and handing him the warm French bread.
He told her he’d driven over to the Lazy K Ranch office in Dillon and told her about his meeting with Susie. “I can’t say we parted good friends. As a matter of fact, I doubt if I could ever again get in that office.”
“Was she really quite beautiful?” Liz asked.
“Yes. I’m sure she was the most beautiful young woman around here when she was younger, but she’s a little hard around the edges now.”
“Sounds like it’s pretty much the same thing that happened to my friend Judy. She was sitting in a movie director’s office in Los Angeles getting ready to read for a part when she looked around her and realized that every other woman in the office was just as beautiful as she was. She walked out and never looked back. I don’t think Judy ever regretted doing it. Yeah, trying to make it in Hollywood is a tough life,” Liz said.
“Probably true, but it sounds like Susie has adapted quite well to running the ranch. I didn’t see a wedding ring on her finger, so I don’t know what the status is on that, but she’s quite bright. Even if Mitch isn’t in any shape to run the ranch right now, it’s in good hands.”
“What do you think, Roger? Could Mitch have done it?”
“Susie would certainly like for me to think he was physically and mentally unable to do it. I don’t know. Maybe she’s covering for him. That’s not unusual. I never saw him, so I really don’t know if he’s as bad off as she says. For the sake of argument, one could assume that he read in the paper about the wedding and reception and that the Salazar family was going to stay at Cindy’s Bed & Breakfast. He could have driven over and killed Laura. She’d open the door for him. Of course she’d probably open the door for her ex-husband as well.”
“So we’re still going round and round in circles.”
“Fraid so. And who knows, if it was the Reverend Jacobs, she might open the door for a man of the cloth. Liz, that cassoulet was fabulous. Slow-cooked pork, chicken, beans. My tummy is very happy at the moment, and it better be since it’s almost time for me to go to the Bible Study class conducted by the reverend.”
“How do you know it’s not closed to outsiders?”
“Sean told me there was a big notice that it wa
s open to the general public and they were more than welcome. He said he thought it was kind of a ploy to pull in new members. While I’m thinking of Sean, let me call him and ask him to do some research on Renee’s stepmother, and then I have to leave. It’ll take me about a half an hour to get to Dillon, and I don’t want to be late to the Bible Study class.”
CHAPTER 23
Roger drove to Dillon and easily found the reverend’s church. There was a large sign in front of it that read “God’s Holy Covenant Church.” In the yard in front of the mega church was a fifty foot tall flagpole with the American flag slowly waving in the breeze. The rectory and the picket fence in front of it appeared to have recently received a fresh coat of white paint. Bright red roses trailed along the fence. Baskets hung from the wraparound porch with pink and purple geraniums spilling over them. It was apparent that Reverend Jacobs’ home was well taken care of, probably by devoted parishioners. A shiny new SUV was in the driveway of the rectory. It looked like business at the church was booming.
He parked his car in the church parking lot and followed several people into a room in a wing of the church which looked like it housed meeting rooms. There was a sign next to a door that said “Bible Study – All Are Welcome.”
Roger walked in and sat down, nodding to several people who then walked over to him and warmly welcomed him. He looked around and saw that there were easily over a hundred people seated in the room waiting for the reverend and the weekly Bible Study class to begin. In a few minutes there was a commotion at the entrance to the room, and a man Roger assumed was the reverend walked in with two other men. From their deferential manner, they appeared to be aides. The reverend walked to the podium and began to speak, putting his coffee cup on a shelf inside the podium.
“First of all, let me introduce myself,” the man said in a deep rich southern voice. “I am the Reverend Lou Jacobs of God’s Holy Covenant Church. For those of you who are returning to our group, it’s wonderful to see you continue with our study of the Bible. For those of you who are new to the church, welcome. Each week we pick a different topic from the Bible and explore it. All are welcome to speak. I strongly advise that you read the Bible at home and spend some quiet time praying over what you’ve read. This really helps us in our study of the Bible. For several weeks now we’ve been exploring the Ten Commandments.
“The Bible described the Ten Commandments as being given to the Israelites by God at Mount Sinai. Reference to the Ten Commandments appears twice in the Hebrew Bible, first at Exodus 10:1-17 and then at Deuteronomy 5:4-21. Tonight we will explore the Commandment, Thou Shalt Not Kill.”
Well, that’s fitting, Roger thought, considering why I’m here. This should be interesting.
The next three hours were spent dissecting the commandment and all of its ramifications such as does the prohibition against killing extend to animals, plants, and so on. The reverend was very clear that it certainly meant not taking the life of another human being. At the end of the three hours the reverend ended the study session with a prayer and then stepped away from the podium. He was instantly surrounded by parishioners and others who had questions. It was obvious his parishioners loved him as they hung on every word he said.
Roger had been drinking coffee during the study session and noticed others washing their coffee cups and putting them back in a cabinet. On his way to the sink in the corner he walked by the podium and remembered that he’d seen the reverend drinking from it several times during the evening. He picked it up and took it over to the sink, intending to wash it along with his cup. Roger looked in the bottom and noticed there was some clear liquid in it that didn’t look anything like coffee. He glanced around and saw that no one was looking at him, so he quickly stuck his finger into the liquid and tasted it. He had to stop himself from choking and disrupting the group. There was no doubt in Roger’s mind that Reverend Jacobs had been drinking straight vodka.
I don’t know how much credence I can put in anything the reverend said tonight about not killing when he’s been secretly drinking straight vodka from a coffee cup while standing in front of a hundred or so parishioners. He sure isn’t quite the pure man of God he’d like everyone to think he is.
People were filing out of the room and Roger happened to be one of the last to leave. The reverend and his two aides were walking just ahead of Roger and he clearly overheard the reverend take the Lord’s name in vain when he referred to one of the people who had attended tonight’s meeting.
Well, if he broke the commandment about taking the Lord’s name in vain, who’s not to say he broke the commandment about killing someone. Don’t think I’d believe anything he said, not from what I’ve seen tonight.
CHAPTER 24
That evening Liz emailed Jonah and Brittany, thanking them for attending the wedding and for all their help. She never knew what time it was in Dubai, where Jonah was based, so she asked him to email her when he had a minute to let her know he’d returned safely. Brittany had already sent Liz an email that she’d gotten back to Palm Springs safe and sound. Just as she stood up from her computer desk her cell phone rang. She looked at the monitor and saw it was Sean.
“Hi, Sean. How did you know to call me on my phone and not Roger’s?”
“When he called me a few hours ago he said he was going to the reverend’s Bible Study class, and that if I found out anything, I should call you on your cell phone.”
“Does that mean you found out something about Nancy Messinger?”
“Well, yes and no. I found out she worked for Don Messinger as his secretary for about a year before he divorced his wife and married her. I guess he and his former wife weren’t getting along, and Nancy was there for him. Happens all the time. I can only assume he married her because she worshipped him. I talked to several people who had known her husband, and that was the general consensus. She waited on him hand and foot and did everything she could for him. Guess he got to liking it, and it seems his wife wasn’t doing that for him.”
“I’ve not met Renee’s mother, but I have a sense she’s not like that. Renee certainly isn’t. What else did you find out?”
“Not much. When they met it was before Facebook or Twitter or any of the social media sites, and it’s much more difficult to find out things about people prior to the advent of social media. Bottom line is she comes from a small nearby town. Her parents are deceased, and she was an only child. She wasn’t married prior to her marriage to Don Messinger, and she has no children. Other than that, I didn’t find out much.”
“Did you check out Don Messinger?”
“Yes. He owned a ranch, sold it for a great deal of money to a developer, and then he began playing the stock market and investing in this and that. He had a small office in Red Cedar, and that’s where Nancy worked. She continued to work in the office a couple of hours a day until he died.”
“Did you find out the cause of his death?”
“Yes. Evidently he had a history of heart problems and died from a massive heart attack. He was estranged from Renee and Laura, so there wasn’t a funeral service or a celebration of life ceremony, even though he’d been the Mayor of Red Cedar many years ago. Nancy had him cremated, and that’s about it. Since I found nothing about her purchasing a place for him in a cemetery or a memorial park, I imagine she probably still has his ashes in the house, or maybe she’s got some kind of a shrine in the back yard. People do some strange things. You never know what to expect.”
“Thanks, Sean. Naturally I wish more could have been turned up on her, but given my brief meeting with her, I’m not surprised. I’m sure you would have told me if you’d found out any character flaws that she was treated for, like an addiction or mental illness.”
“Of course. That’s part of the overall search. No, she’s clean as a whistle. The only thing I kept hearing was what a cold person she was, and how she totally worshipped Don, almost to the point of obsession.”
“Have to wonder if she adored him enough to kill a ste
pdaughter.”
“Could be Liz, could be. Stranger things have happened. I just keep getting a vision of this cold ugly woman – I did see her photograph – in her home with her husband’s ashes. Kind of gave me the creeps.”
“Me too. One more thing. Do you have any idea how much she inherited from her husband when he died?”
“Yes. She filed a Will, and it’s a matter of public record. She inherited twelve million dollars from him.”
“Wow! I wonder what she’s doing with it. There’s nothing about her or the house to indicate she has that kind of money. That’s weird. Again, Sean, thanks.”
“No problem. I’ll look into his finances in the morning. Let me know if you need anything else.”
*****
“That’s the last time I’m going to a Bible Study class at that man’s church,” Roger said, as he walked in the door.
“I gather it wasn’t your finest hour,” Liz said.
“My finest hour? Try my three non-finest hours topped off by the fact that you wouldn’t let me have a glass of wine with dinner tonight, and the good reverend was secretly drinking straight vodka from a coffee cup.”
“You’re kidding! Sit down and tell me everything,” she said.
He related his experiences of the evening to her and concluded by saying that although he didn’t have anything to base it on other than he thought the reverend was a sham, he still considered him a suspect. She told him what Sean had said when he called her. They each looked at the other one with a “where do we go from here look” on their respective faces.
“Well, it looks like both of our nights were rather unproductive. I found out a couple of things about the reverend, but nothing that ties him to Laura’s death, and you found out just what you’d suspected, that Nancy Messinger is a cold fish of a woman who idolized her husband. Wonder how much she inherited? Did Sean mention that?”
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