Murder and Brandy Boy: A Liz Lucas Cozy Mystery Series Book 2

by Dianne Harman

  When she was through, he sat back in his chair, idly twirling a pen through the fingers of his right hand. Abruptly he put it down and set his elbows on the desk. “So what you’re telling me is you think there’s a connection between Mark Scott’s death and the grade changes on the computer.”

  “I do. Even though I can’t prove it, I’m certain there is. The problem is, just as I told you, there are quite a few people who might have a motive for seeing Mark dead, and it’s hard to sort it all out.”

  “From what you’ve told me, that’s true. My problem is I don’t have the authority to do anything about it. Darcy Martinez, the principal, has been adamant that nothing more needs to be done regarding the break-in and the hack. I also received a call from Chief Williams telling me he couldn’t find any incriminating evidence on the computer, and that it’s not even working now. I’ve heard he’s pretty incompetent, and now I believe it. The computer was working perfectly before he picked it up and took it to the police station. He said the school is going to have to get a new computer, because the one he took is ruined. He told me he was very good with computers, and I was hoping he’d be able to find something on it that might identify who hacked it. From what he said this morning, that isn’t going to happen.”

  “Maybe it’s a good thing we’re having this talk, because I’ve just told you the names of the young people who did it. Isn’t there someone you can talk to who has more authority than Darcy Martinez and could do something about the break-in and computer hack?”

  “Yes, the superintendent of the school district would be the one to go to if I had proof of who did it, but from what you’re telling me, no one is going to own up to it. If anything, there’s a cover-up.”

  “That’s probably true. I wonder if you could call William Bird into your office. As I told you, he’s the one who actually did the hacking. If he’d admit it, you wouldn’t even need the others to confess to it.”

  “I suppose it’s worth a try.” He pushed a button on his intercom. “Sybil, would you find out what class William Bird is in right now and get back to me? Thanks.”

  Almost immediately the light on his intercom blinked. He pushed the button and Sybil told him that Nerdy was in American History during this hour. Rick pulled his desk drawer open, looked at a sheet of paper, picked up his phone, and dialed an extension. “John, it’s Rick. Would you send William Bird to my office? Thanks.”

  A few moments later there was a knock on the door. “Come in,” Rick said.

  “You wanted to see me, sir?” Nerdy said shakily.

  “Yes. I believe you’ve met Mrs. Lucas. William, I’m sure you’ve heard there was a break-in at the school last week, and that the school computer was allegedly hacked. Mrs. Lucas has reason to believe you know who did both the computer hack and the break-in. I would appreciate it if you would tell me what you know. I promise you this. No one will know who told me.”

  Nerdy nervously looked from Rick to Liz and back again. He was pale, and there was a faint sheen of perspiration on his upper lip. He didn’t seem to be aware he was rubbing his thumb and forefinger of his left hand together. It was very clear to anyone looking at him that he was extremely nervous.

  “I don’t know anything about it. I heard some talk, but that’s all I know.”

  “William, if I find out you did know something and that you’re lying to me, I will not be happy. I may be so unhappy that it would cause me to suspend or expel you. I don’t think you want that to happen. I don’t think your mother would be happy about that, do you?”

  “No, sir. She would not be happy about that, but I don’t know anything.”

  “William, would you say you know more about computers than anyone else in this school? I seem to remember that Ms. Martinez even had you fix the school computer once when she couldn’t get the school district computer tech out that same afternoon. Isn’t that true?”

  “Yes, sir,” Nerdy whispered.

  “So if someone wanted to hack the school computer, it isn’t a far stretch of the imagination to think they might come to you to do it. Would that be a fair statement?”

  “Yes, sir, but I don’t know anything about it. I didn’t do it.”

  “Well, I hope for your sake and your future here at Red Cedar High School you’re telling me the truth. You can go now.”

  Nerdy’s frail little body was trembling as he stood up and walked out of the office. When he closed the door, Rick looked at Liz and asked, “Any ideas on what to do next?”

  “None. If he doesn’t admit it he did it and who the others are that were involved, I don’t know what else we can do.”

  “I don’t either. I’d bet everything he did it, but there’s absolutely no evidence. If you think of something, give me a call. I’ve put my cell number on my business card. With graduation next week, we’re running out of time. Thanks for calling me and meeting with me. If I think of anything, I’ll give you a call.”

  He stood up and walked her to the door. “Again, thanks. Seems like we did everything we could, and it wasn’t enough. Maybe those two kids were meant to go to Stanford.”

  “Maybe they were, but I don’t think Mark was meant to die at an early age of murder.”

  She turned and walked out the door.

  CHAPTER 21

  When Liz returned to the lodge from her meeting with the assistant principal, she called Roger. Although she was certain she’d get his voicemail, she was pleased to hear him say, “Morning, Liz. How’s my favorite spa owner?”

  “I’ve been better. I needed to hear your voice, even if it was just your voicemail. I thought you’d be in trial, delivering your closing argument.”

  “It’s already been done, and it’s in the hands of the jury. You can wish me luck, but I think I was able to keep my client from going to jail. This wasn’t a very involved case, so I hope the jury can come up with a verdict this afternoon. It would be nice to have it over with before the weekend. By the way, if it’s okay with you, I thought I’d drive up and spend the weekend at the spa.”

  “I’d love it. I could use a little diversion. I’m getting nowhere investigating Mark’s death, plus I’m being threatened, and Nerdy won’t admit he had anything to do with the break-in or the computer hack. I’m not having a very good morning.”

  “Whoa. Start at the beginning. Tell me about the threat first.”

  She told him how she had discovered the written note on her windshield when she left Gertie’s Diner and the pet store.

  Roger was silent for several long moments and then he started speaking. “Liz, when this is all over we’re going to have to talk about me moving to Red Cedar or you moving to San Francisco. I can’t be with you, and I’m scared to death something is going to happen to you. Would you make me two promises?”

  “I’ll try. What are they?”

  “Promise me you’ll keep Winston with you from now on wherever you go. He’s trained to protect, so let him do his job. That’s the first thing. The second is that I want you to start carrying the gun you have. Keep it with you at all times. I don’t care whether it’s in your purse, on a table, or in your pocket, but promise me you’ll keep it as close to you as you can. Anybody could come to the lodge, and other than the gun and Winston, you really don’t have much protection there. I know you rarely ever even lock the door. This scares the heck out of me. Will you promise me that?”

  “Yes, I have to admit it kind of scared me, too.”

  “Now that we’ve taken care of that, tell me about Nerdy.”

  She related the conversation she’d had with Rick Jones and then the conversation they’d had with Nerdy.

  “Looks like you’re at a dead end with that one. If Nerdy won’t admit he was coerced into doing it, and he won’t identify the others who were involved, there’s not much more you can do. He may be living in fear of his mother or in fear of Manny, so it looks like the fear’s keeping him from telling the truth. Afraid you’re through there. Since the bungling chief of police de
stroyed any evidence that was on the computer, that’s another dead end.”

  “I know. Graduation’s next week, and it looks like Kaitlin and Brent will be graduating and then going on to Stanford. Sure doesn’t seem fair. There are no witnesses who saw someone tampering with Mark’s car, and I don’t think there’s any way I or anyone else can prove who did it. And wouldn’t the burden of proof be on the people accusing someone of murdering Mark? No, there’s just not enough evidence. What I’ve come up with is speculation, just a lot of speculation, rumors, and innuendos. I don’t think I’ve ever been so depressed in my life. It seems like the bad guys are going to win, and I hate it.”

  “Happens sometimes, sweetheart, and there’s not a darned thing you can do about it. Tell you what. I have a dinner meeting with a new client tonight. I should finish up with him about nine. I think I’ll drive up to the lodge after dinner rather than wait until the weekend. I’m pretty sure the jury will deliver their verdict this afternoon. I’ll take tomorrow off, and we can enjoy the weekend. We’ll try and forget about this whole thing. If you can book me a massage while I’m there, that would be a nice treat. How does that sound?”

  “Lovely. I could really use your shoulder to cry on. I’m so frustrated about all of this, and because of Nerdy, my hands are tied. Roger, I’m going to have to go. I just heard a knock on the door. It’s probably Emily. She was going to come here right after she finished her last class. Thanks for listening and good luck with the jury. See you tonight.”

  Liz walked over to the door and opened it. “Come in, Emily, and I’ll show you around.”

  She gave her a tour of the upstairs and the kitchen. “Okay, let’s get down to business. I have two cookie recipes I’d like you to make for dinner tonight. I thought I’d serve them with some vanilla ice cream. Here’s a real easy recipe for peanut butter cookies and then you can make some chocolate toffee cookies. People absolutely love them and why not? Chocolate and toffee are a fabulous combination. Lastly, here’s a recipe for some baked zucchini strips. I want you to prep those for me. Cut them into strips according to the recipe and measure out the Panko crumbs. I’m going to serve them with a baked chicken and some vegetables that I want you to cut up in chunks, so I can sauté them in a little olive oil. They’re on the second shelf in the refrigerator. That should do it for today. Any questions?”

  “No. I’m really excited to be here. Thanks again for agreeing to let me intern for you. I’ve cooked a lot for my family, but this is the first time I’ve done it for other people. I’m a little scared.”

  “Honey, we’re all scared the first time we try something new. Trust me. In a few weeks it will be easy-peasy for you. Promise.”

  They spent the next few hours talking about this and that, small inconsequential talk. It was a few hours of normalcy they both needed given the events of the last few days and what was to come.

  CHAPTER 22

  The rest of the day Nerdy vacillated between telling Brent that Liz Lucas was on to them and not saying anything. He was afraid Brent would use Manny to try and find out if Nerdy had said anything to anyone, and he was terrified of Manny. He couldn’t let anyone know he’d told Mark. Every minute seemed like an eon, and he thought the day would never end. Finally, the bell rang signaling the end of the school day. He hurried out to the bike rack, twirled the combination lock on his bike, but he was so nervous he had to do it several times before he could get it to unlock.

  He pedaled home as fast as he could. Several times he looked over his shoulder to see if Brent or Manny was following him. He hoped the fact they weren’t meant Liz Lucas and the assistant principal hadn’t called them into his office. Maybe they’d be able to get away with the break-in and the computer hack, since it was getting almost too late to do anything about it. The graduation cards were being printed on Monday and graduation was Wednesday. He’d be so glad when this was over, and he planned on never seeing the three of them again.

  He put his bike in the garage and ran up the front steps to his home. His mother was holding the door open for him.

  Oh, no. Please don’t tell me Mr. Jones or Mrs. Lucas called her.

  “Hello, Mother.”

  “Hello, William. You’re a few minutes late from school. Why?” She looked down her nose at him and scowled. “You didn’t get in any trouble, you?”

  “No, I was having trouble with my bike lock, and it took me a few minutes to get the combination right.”

  “Well, I’m glad it was nothing more than that. With some of the things that have happened lately, I was worried.”

  “You don’t need to be. Mother, I want to do some work on my computer. I’ll be in my room.”

  “That’s fine, William. I’ll call you when dinner’s ready. I have a meeting with my Women Whose Husbands Left Them Club tonight. I’ll be leaving about 6:45. It’s been a difficult week, so I’m fixing one of your favorite meals for you – meat loaf with mashed potatoes and gravy. I made a batch of chocolate chip cookies for you earlier today. You might want to take some of them and a glass of milk into your room with you.”

  “I will, thank you, Mother.”

  A few hours later they were halfway through dinner when Mrs. Bird put down her fork and said, “William, what’s bothering you? You’ve hardly said a word since you’ve been home. Is it something about the break-in? Did those boys threaten you again? Tell me what it is.”

  “It’s nothing, Mother. Really, it’s nothing. I just don’t feel too well.”

  “Look at me, William. You’re lying. I can tell. What is it? If you don’t tell me, I’ll lock you in your room all weekend, just like I did the last time you lied to me, and if you don’t tell me, I’ll call the school and find out. Won’t be the first time I’ve talked to that little weasel of an assistant principal.”

  At the word, “assistant principal,” Birdy paled, and his mother’s beady little eyes didn’t miss it.

  “Spit it out, William. I don’t have all night.”

  “Motherrrr,” he said, whimpering, “Mrs. Lucas knows something.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “She was in the office when the assistant principal called me in this morning.”

  “The assistant principal called you into his office? For what? And why was Liz Lucas there?”

  “Mother, they tried to get me to admit I was the one who hacked the computer and changed the grades, but I didn’t tell them anything.”

  “William, start at the beginning. I want to hear everything.”

  For the next twenty minutes he told her every detail of his morning meeting with Liz Lucas and Rick Jones. When he was finished, Mrs. Bird said, “You did the right thing, William. You can go to your room now. I need to think about things for a moment. I’ll let you know when I’m leaving.”

  William Bird was the absolute single most important thing in Mrs. Bird’s life. When her husband left her she vowed to do whatever it took to make sure her son had every possible chance to make the most of his life. After all, she considered him to be one of the most brilliant human beings to walk the face of the earth. She viewed the break-in and hacking as mere trifles standing in his way to future greatness. Nothing was going to stand in her son’s way, neither man, nor beast, nor anything else. She was prepared to do whatever it took to protect her son, and felt it was a small price to pay for having William achieve the brilliant future she knew awaited him.

  I can’t allow that woman to destroy my precious William and everything I’ve worked so hard for to prepare him for his greatness.

  A few moments later she’d come to a decision – a decision which would change many lives forever. She walked over to the black telephone on the kitchen counter and retrieved a business card from the box where she kept them in alphabetical order. She dialed the number that was on the card.

  “May I speak with Liz Lucas?”

  “This is Liz. May I help you?”

  “Yes, Liz. It’s Helen Bird. I’ve repaired the clothes you
left with me. I have a meeting tonight near your spa, and I thought I would drop off the items after my meeting is over. I could be there about 9:30. Would that be convenient?”

  “That would be great. That one pair of pants I gave you is my back-up favorite, and I’ve really missed wearing them. The guests leave dinner here about 9:00. That will give me a chance to clean up the kitchen before you come. See you then.”

  Nerdy’s mother smiled diabolically as she hung up the phone thinking that soon this unpleasant incident would be behind William.

  It’s too bad Liz Lucas is standing in William’s way to greatness, but I can’t let her continue to interfere in the plans I have for him. I vowed to do whatever had to be done to allow William’s greatness to flourish, and if she’s standing in his way, I can’t allow that.

  CHAPTER 23

  “Emily, time to go,” Liz said. “You’ve done a great job. I think you’re a natural. What do you think?”

  “I absolutely loved making these cookies and prepping the food. It seems like the most natural thing in the world to me. I don’t know why I never thought to explore this type of work as a career.”

  “From what I’ve seen today, you might want to think in that direction. Let’s see how you feel after a few more weeks. I’d like you to come Sunday afternoon about 2:30, if that would work for you. A friend of mine is coming to spend the weekend, but he’ll be leaving about then. Does that sound all right with you?”