“Richard Lyon.” He holds out his hand to me. “For what do I have the pleasure of your visit, Officer?”
“I’m Chief Ryan Jacobs of the Oak Grove Police Department and this is Detective Jessica Bailey. We’d like to ask you a few questions if you don’t mind, of course.”
He smirks just slightly at me. He looks smug and expectant, in a way that tells me he knows exactly what I want, and, even if he is guilty, he’s confident that I’ll never find any proof to convict him. I hate this guy already.
“Why don’t we go back to my office? There’s no need to do this out here, especially since we’ll be opening in a little bit.”
He gestures for us to go first, which we do. In his office, Jessica and I take a seat in the chairs at the front of his desk as he sits in his chair behind the desk. The office doesn’t strike me as the typical bar owner’s office. It’s a large room with expensive looking features, like the large mahogany desk complete with a fancy clock and monogram wooden pen set. In addition, there’s a mahogany wall of shelves and cabinets behind the desk. Located in the middle of that wall is a large and very expensive looking Apple computer with two equally expensive plasma flat screen monitors, which is showing security feeds from around the building. To the left of the desk, an open cabinet with a bar full of the most top of the line alcohol you can buy. Even the leather chairs Jessica and I are sitting on are expensive and over the top. They are certainly not your generic office style chairs; these are full on wing backs. The whole office has an old world style that makes me feel uneasy. It’s definitely not a typical bar owner’s office.
“So, what do you need to know?” he asks nonchalantly.
“Do you know either of these men?” I hold out the photos of Ralph and Colby. He leans forward stretching his hand across his wide oak desk and takes them from me.
“Hmm, Ralph is a regular. Well, he was a regular, until he was fired from his job a while back. I believe he moved back to his hometown about five years ago. I can’t say for sure. I haven’t seen him in a long while.”
“And the other?”
“Colby. He’s a good kid. He’s in and out of here sometimes. What’s going on with him?”
Lyon looks genuinely concerned, but I’m not convinced. “You were talking to him on Sunday night. Can you tell me what that was about? Did he say where he was going or what he had been doing?
“I can’t remember him saying anything of the sort. He owed me some money, which he paid and then left.”
“Owed you money for what?”
Lyon arches an eyebrow. “I don’t believe that’s any of your business, but since I’m cooperating, I’ll tell you out of the goodness of my little heart.” He’s really getting under my skin. “I hired him and his buddy to cut my lawn but they damaged my wife’s birdbath in the process. He was repaying me for the damage.”
I nod. I don’t believe it, but I’ll be checking out his story, so I let it go, for now. “Do you know where he was around midnight on Sunday?”
Lyon smiles. “I don’t keep up with the kid’s schedule, but you feel free to ask around. I’m sure there’s someone around here who could tell you. If that’s all, I have some work I need to get back to.”
“Actually, I have one more question.” Lyon gives me a nod, and I continue. “Where were you on Sunday night between midnight and four am?”
He snorts. “Am I being accused of something?”
“It’s just standard procedure, Mr. Lyon.”
He studies me for a moment. I think he’s suspicious of me in general. Of course, I’m sure he’s like that with all law enforcement. He’s been in this business too long not to be smart about it. He leans back slightly in his large chair and offers me a small wink but I’m not phased, whatever he says next I know will be an outright lie.
“I was with my wife at home in bed.”
“Thank you for your time. I think that’s all for now.”
“Why are you asking about Ralph anyway?” Lyon asks as he opens his office door for us.
“He was found murdered three days ago.”
“Murdered, you say? That’s too bad.”
His remorse is one hundred percent fake and cements my gut feeling that he is most definitely involved in this mess in some way. He walks us back out front before heading over to the bar to speak to his employees, leaving Jessica and I to mingle with the small group of people who have started to gather in the now open bar. I spot, who I’m almost positive is, Grant McMann, sitting towards the back of the bar in a corner booth. I motion to Jessica that I’ll be right back. She gives me a nod as she writes down what the woman she’s speaking with has to say. He doesn’t look up as I approach. He looks a little forlorn as he twirls the amber liquid around in his glass.
“Grant McMann?”
He looks up at me in confusion, then spots my badge hanging around my neck, his posture stiffens. “Officer.”
“I’m Chief Ryan Jacobs of the Oak Grove Police Department. I’d like to ask you a few questions.”
He clears his throat. “Uh, sure.”
I gesture to the seat across from him and he nods in permission. I take a seat and then pull out the two photos, but only show him the one of Ralph. “Do you know this man?”
He swallows thickly. “Sure, Ralph Clark. He’s an ex-employee.”
“Do you know of anyone who would want him dead?” I ask.
Grant shakes his head. “No, is he … dead?”
“He is. He was found on Judson Hardenbergh’s property a few days ago.”
“Jud didn’t do this!” He taps the picture sharply. His eyes light with determination and something I can’t place, maybe guilt. “He’d never kill anyone! He may drink a little too much, but he’d never hurt a soul.”
I nod, not wanting him to know we have cleared Judson, at least until I know what his part in all of this is. “Any information you can give me about who may have wanted to hurt Ralph would be appreciated.”
He looks around the room, his eyes widen at the bar, and when I glance over my shoulder to see who he is watching, I notice that he appears to be staring straight at Richard Lyon. Grant quickly looks away and back at me. I see the fear in his eyes.
“Um, I haven’t seen Ralph in years, but when he worked for me, he had a wife and two kids. His wife left him after he got arrested for stealing from J&G. After that, Ralph got into a bit of hot water with gambling debts and drugs. He moved to Oak Grove last I heard.”
“Do you know who he owed the gambling debt to?” His eyes shift to Lyon again and then back to me.
He shook his head. “No, and I don’t know what happened to him after he moved. He used to be in here a lot. Jud and I would come in every Thursday after work to meet up with a friend and he was always here. That’s all I know.”
“Thank you for your time. Here’s my card if you think of anything else.” I hand him the card and turn to find Jessica smiling and laughing with the bartender we spoke to when we first walked in. “Jess?”
“Oh, Chief; this is Justin Clark, Ralph was his uncle. He was just telling me a bit about Mr. Clark’s habits.”
She slowly returns from a rarely seen flirtatious side, to her formal detective stance almost seamlessly. Almost, she still seems to be rather smitten with the young Clark. But knowing Jessica as well as I do, I have no fear that she will not let it interfere with our investigation.
I hand him my card. “If you, or your family, can think of anyone who wanted to hurt your uncle, please don’t hesitate to call.”
“Of course. Thank you.”
I turn to leave, slightly annoyed by the visit. It wasn’t exactly productive, though the nervous glances Grant was giving Lyon was telling enough. I’d bet my pension that Lyon’s the loan shark, or at least the collector. Either way, Grant seemed pretty nervous once he saw him. I know something is going on with Grant and I plan to get to the bottom of it, even if it ends up having nothing to do with Ralph’s murder. My phone pings with a text as we settl
e back into my car. I stare at the guy in the photo, of the drawing by our sketch artist, in disbelief. I turn the phone towards Jessica.
“Who does that look like to you?”
She studies it for a long moment then hands it back to me. “He looks like that guy you were speaking with in there.” She gestures back to the bar.
“That’s what I was thinking as well. He looks a lot like Grant McMann, Judson’s business partner.”
She gasps. “That’s who that was? I thought he looked familiar. I saw his picture with some of the case files.”
“Did you run a check on him?”
“No, he wasn’t a red flag.”
“Be sure to do that once we get back. I did a preliminary search, nothing but traffic tickets and a DUI. Go deeper. Get everything you can on him. I’m not sure what’s going on. I don’t have any proof yet, but I know that he has something to do with this mess.” My brows furrow when an alternative possibility pops in my head. “Or, Jack is messing with us because he knows Grant is linked to Judson.”
“I don’t know, Chief. I really don’t think a man as well educated as Grant would slap Jack with the hand of a dead guy.”
“I don’t believe that for a second and … I think Ralph fought back.”
“I agree, but we need to find out if this guy really is Grant or someone one who looks incredibly like him.”
“If I had my guess, I’d say the guy Colby Jack was working with wasn’t Grant, but he’s been informed to say so if caught. I suppose I could be wrong.”
“Or Colby Jack could be lying. He’s seen Grant around the bar. Thought it would get him off if he described an actual person. We have no proof there was anyone else on the scene.”
“And that right there is why we are going to be working late tonight and getting to the bottom of this.”
Jessica sighs. “I was afraid you were going to say that.”
I chuckle. “Ah, come on. You know you love this part of being a detective.”
She smiles back at me. “You’re right I do. I think we should go ask Judson a few questions about Grant. Maybe he can help shed some light on a few things.”
“Good idea, but we’ll go back to the station and get a plan of action together, and I think I’ll talk to Judson alone. Not that I don’t want you there, but I think he’ll respond better if it was just me. We’ve known each other a long time.”
Jessica nods. “I understand. I have plenty to do to keep me busy. After I run the checks on Grant McMann, I’m going to dig a little deeper into this Richard Lyon character. I have a feeling there’s a lot more to him than meets the eye.”
“I wholeheartedly agree. It looks like we’ll have enough to keep us busy for a few days and here I thought this job would be boring.”
“Yeah, right,” she responds with a laugh.
Chapter Eleven
Ryan
I spend most of the following day at the station doing my necessary monthly paperwork, studying the case files from Judson’s house fire, and the notes from yesterday. I have no way of knowing if they are connected, but my gut instinct has never been wrong. At the very least, if they aren’t connected, I know I’ve done my job.
Around five, I wrap up my day and head home. Shayla won’t be home tonight until late, so I go get Hannah from Gail. Thankfully, Faith has offered to babysit for me so I can run over to Judson’s place for a little chat. I hope that by doing this on my own time, and not in an official capacity, will put him at ease enough that he’ll tell me more information about Grant and his business.
I park in my garage and hurry into my house to shower and change. I may not have done much today, but washing off the day always clears my head and puts me in a better mood. Once I’m finished, I head out the back door to the Thorn’s. I knock on the kitchen door in two quick raps, then head inside.
“In the living room!” Gail calls out.
“How’d she do today?” I ask as I watch my almost one-year-old toddle over to me while she holds on to everything she can reach. “Good job, baby!” I scoop her up and kiss her cheek when she reaches me.
“She was wonderful, but I think something she ate didn’t agree with her too well. She had a bit of diarrhea and a diaper rash earlier today.”
“Oh, no. Does your tummy feel yucky?” I ask my daughter. She babbles and slaps happily at my face, pulling my beard. “Must not be bothering her too badly.”
“I don’t think it is anymore. Shayla had a digest oil in the bag for her so I used that a few times. I think she’s feeling better. She’s not had an accident in a few hours.”
“You find her homemade butt-cream?” I ask, as I sit on the sofa with my daughter on my lap.
Gail smiles. “I did. That stuff is wonderful on my dry hands.”
I laugh. “Yeah, most of the stuff she makes is good for a lot of uses. I even find myself asking her to make stuff for me.”
“I do the same,” Gail laughs. “Shay said that Faith was keeping her for you tonight? Are the two of you going out after she’s off?” Gail gathers up Hannah’s things as she speaks.
“No, I think she’s working until eleven. I’ve got some police stuff to deal with tonight, so Faith is going to watch her until Dylan gets back from the football game. It’s the first one I’ve missed since he’s been here, but I have to get to the bottom of this case.”
“I’m sure he understands.”
“I know he does. I just hate that I’m missing something else. There’s not too many games left.”
“There’s not, but there will be other things you’ll be a part of, you still have time.” She pauses for a moment then adds, “I thought Faith was a cheerleader.”
“She was, but she decided not to do it this year. She wanted to work on the school newspaper. She’s going into journalism, so she thought that would look better on her college applications.”
“Well, that’s wonderful. Have they decided where they’ll go?”
“Not yet. Dylan has put in for a few colleges here on the East Coast, but he also wants to apply at Stanford. I don’t know how I’ll handle it if he chooses to go to the West Coast.”
“Oh, I understand. It was hard on us when Shayla left and she was only four hours away. I went and stayed with her a lot. That was when Tom was very active in the CIA, so he was gone most of the time.”
“I know I’ve said it before, but I owe you guys so much for looking after them when I couldn’t.”
“And I’ve told you before, you don’t need to thank me for taking care of my daughter and grandson. I won’t ever stop as long as I’m able.” She strokes Hannah’s hair. “That goes for her and any others you may have.”
I chuckle. She’s been hinting around about us having another one for a couple of months now. She doesn’t know it, but Shayla and I have agreed to try for another baby after Hannah turns one. Shay doesn’t want to wait too long because of her age. I’m honestly fine with whatever my wife wants. I’ll fill my house with as many babies as she wants to have. I absolutely love being a father.
We say our goodbyes and head back to our house. I put Hannah in the little playpen we have in the kitchen and start on dinner. I’m not as healthy a cook as Shay, but I do try to make a balanced meal. Tonight, I make grilled chicken and veggies, saving some for Shayla in a storage container so I can drop it off to her on the way to Judson’s.
Right at seven, Faith arrives and I leave for the hospital. It seems to be a little busier than normal as I make my way towards the O.R. I see her standing at the nurses’ station laughing with one of the nurses. She looks just as beautiful in her hospital issued green scrubs as she does when she dresses up, but then again, I do love everything about my wife. She smiles as she sees me coming.
“Hey, stud.”
I kiss her softly. “Hey, gorgeous. I brought you dinner.”
“Thank you! I’m starving. Jules and I were just talking about ordering a pizza.”
“Well, I’ve saved you from the fate of having to
eat unhealthy food. Grilled chicken and veggies.” I tap the container.
“My hero!” She kisses me in thanks.
“Faith has Han. I should be home in a few hours tops, but I think Dylan will beat me there.”
“Okay. I’m actually getting out of here an hour earlier than I anticipated. I’m waiting for one more surgery in about twenty minutes, and as soon as that’s finished and my patient is stable, I should be able to head home.”
She picks up her food and I follow her to her office. “If you need anything, call me. I hate when you work late and I can’t pick you up.”
“I know. But, as we discussed the other night, I’m not going to hide just because Jason is on this coast.” I cringe at her use of his first name so causally, but she doesn’t notice as she continues. “Even if he’s in the area, I have a job to do. You’ll find him and he’ll get what he deserves.”
She’s right about that but the thought of him near her both terrifies and angers me. “You have your gun and taser?”
She rolls her eyes. “And pepper spray. The gun is in my car. It’s not allowed inside the hospital.” She eyes mine in its holster. “Well, unless you’re the Chief of Police. I think you can get away with about anything.”
I flash her my badge and puff out my chest. “I’m top dog in these here parts.”
She giggles. “You think you are.”
I drop my mouth open in faux surprise, then grab her, pulling her to me and tickling her relentlessly. She squeals.
“Say I’m top dog, and I’ll stop.” I laugh.
“Never!” She squeals again as I get a really sensitive spot. “Okay, you’re top dog!”
I stop, loosening my hold, but not letting go. “That’s better.”
She catches her breath after a few seconds. “I hate that.” She slaps me softly on the chest.
I shrug and smirk at her, before turning more serious and cupping her face in my hands. “You mean the world to me. I just want you safe. I go overboard and turn into a caveman, but I do it with the best intentions. I love you and I won’t let anyone hurt you.”
Penance (Oak Grove Suspense Book 2) Page 12
