Trust Can Be Deadly (Sage Gardens Cozy Mystery Book 3)

by Cindy Bell

  Tommy's face paled. He clenched his jaw and looked back at the movers. When he spoke again it was through tightened lips. “How do you know about that?”

  “Does it really matter how I know?” Eddy replied brusquely. “All that matters is whether it's true, and who finds out, right?”

  “It's true,” Tommy huffed. “But it isn't anyone's business. I don't know how anyone found out!”

  “That's why you said you were alone at the movies? You were trying to hide your affair?” Eddy asked. Tommy raised his hand to shush him as the movers carried a mattress out to the truck. Once they had disappeared back inside he turned back to Eddy.

  “Look. It isn't an affair. At least not yet. We're just trying things out. I didn't want anyone to know, she's got a lot to lose. I even cut my own hair so that no one would recognize me,” he said softly. “I didn't want to put her in the position to have to explain to her husband what she was doing at the movies with me. That's why I told the police I was alone. But it doesn't change the fact that I didn't kill anyone.”

  “You say.” Eddy tilted his head towards Anna's house. “Maybe you are using Cynthia as your cover, to prove that you weren't here killing Joel?”

  “Listen, you're really imaginative, with this little fantasy you have in your mind. I had nothing to do with Joel's death. If I was going to use Cynthia as an alibi then why would I lie about her being there?” He glared at Eddy. “Why don't you go find a job at a department store as the greeter or something so you can keep yourself occupied? Running around here playing detective isn't cutting it.”

  “Watch it.” Eddy glared right back at him.

  “Watch what?” Tommy scowled at him. “What are you going to do, cuff me?” Tommy started to turn back towards the house. Eddy was doing his best to control his temper, he knew that Tommy was just trying to goad him into a fight. He'd gotten the confirmation that he needed. Tommy was at the movies with Cynthia Doll. It was very unlikely that he killed Joel. He was just about to walk away when Tommy suddenly spun around.

  “Maybe you should ask Anna who she thinks killed her husband,” Tommy snapped. “I'm sure she has a pretty good idea.”

  “Why do you say that?” Eddy asked with interest.

  “A woman like Anna gets swept up in romance. Not that I blame her with the way Joel treated her, but I'm betting whoever she was getting attention from had something to do with this.” He pointed at the pile of garbage at the curb of Anna and Joel's old villa. “A loving wife doesn't do that, now does she?”

  In the pile of garbage were photographs of Joel, fine clothing, and what looked like a collection of beer steins. Eddy was tempted to snag a few for himself, but he resisted. Tommy was right, it didn't seem like Anna had wasted any time discarding all of Joel's possessions. Perhaps she was just trying to put the tragedy behind her, but she hadn't even bothered to donate the good quality items.

  “Do you know who she was seeing?” Eddy asked as he turned back to look at Tommy. Tommy was already gone. Eddy heard his front door slam shut. He thought about going up to the door and knocking, but he was fairly certain that he was not going to get anything else out of Tommy. He had a new lead to follow, but first he wanted to check in with Samantha.

  Chapter Ten

  When Eddy knocked on the door of Samantha's villa, he noticed something strange. The grass beside the front stoop had been trampled down. The rest of the lawn was perfectly manicured as usual. Eddy thought it was strange that only one patch was damaged. He was distracted by Samantha opening the front door.

  “Hi Eddy, come in.” She left the door open so that he could step inside and immediately walked over to her computer.

  “Samantha, what happened by your front door?” Eddy asked.

  “Huh? Nothing.” Samantha shook her head. “I did some research on dear, old Abe.” Samantha looked over at Eddy with a dark expression. “He is quite the con artist.”

  “What do you mean?” Eddy asked as he walked over to her. He rested one hand on the desk and peered at the screen. “What did you find?” He leaned closer to her.

  “I found that he has been trying to get money out of many people one way or another. He has several lawsuits pending against several companies. Each one as frivolous as the last. It is as if he is waiting for one of them to pan out, no matter how outlandish the accusation is.” She scrunched up her nose. “One of my pet peeves is using lawsuits to get rich.”

  “Well, that's not exactly criminal though.” Eddy shrugged. “A lot of people try to get rich quick that way.”

  “Maybe, but he's also been accused of faking his disability.” Samantha raised an eyebrow. “That does sound criminal to me.”

  “What?” Eddy's eyes widened. “How could he be faking it? He's in a wheelchair!”

  “I know he is, you know he is, but how do we know he has to be in it? I could sit down in a wheelchair, too, and pretend not to be able to walk.” Samantha tapped her finger lightly on the screen. “It says here that three years ago he was accused of fraud. However, the claim was never able to be proven.”

  “I know many people that have to fight to get their disability.” Eddy frowned. “I don't think it's that unusual for people to have their application for it questioned.”

  “That may be true sometimes, but in Abe's case it went a step further than just suspicion. The disability lawyer was ready to bring a case against him. It wasn't just a denial, but an accusation of fraud. There's a big difference.” She slid back in her chair so that Eddy could have a clearer view. “It doesn't say exactly why it was dismissed, just that it was unsubstantiated.”

  “Hmm. That is interesting. Maybe they couldn't prove it because there was no truth to it?” Eddy sighed. “I just can't imagine someone being able to fake that severe of an injury for so long. It's not like he's hobbling around on crutches.”

  “I don't think he could have faked it alone,” Samantha agreed. “Which is likely why the lawyer couldn't prove fraud. He had all of the paperwork to back up his injuries.”

  “Did you find anything about the doctor who substantiated his injury?” Eddy asked eagerly.

  “No, I can’t access those details, but I know from an article I wrote that there are quite a few doctors out there who will diagnose anything if the price is right. I was wondering if you could try to find out who the doctor is,” Samantha suggested. “What do you think?”

  “Sure, I’ll see what I can find out,” he agreed. “Good idea, Samantha, I would have just left it because his injury was substantiated and thought it was a dead end.”

  “Well, it still may be.” Samantha looked up at him. “Until we can confirm that Abe is truly faking his disability we have to assume that he is incapable of committing this murder. How did it go with Tommy?”

  “Tommy.” Eddy rolled his eyes. “I don't get the urge to punch people too often, but that guy.”

  “Yes, I know. But what did he say about Doll?” Samantha was more than a little eager to find out if her suspicions had proven to be true.

  “Samantha, let's not dirty this investigation with trite gossip.” Eddy pursed his lips with distaste. Samantha was quietened by his attitude. She felt a little embarrassed for having asked. Then she saw that Eddy was trying not to grin.

  “Eddy! Just tell me.”

  “Oh, he and Doll were definitely together. In fact he cut his hair to make sure that no one would recognize him when he was out on a date with her,” Eddy lowered his voice. “Does that confirm things for you?”

  “Yes, it does.” Samantha shook her head with some wonder. “Isn't it odd how you can look at someone's life and think that it is absolutely perfect, then you find out about the dark secrets that don't show on the surface?”

  “Samantha, no one has the perfect life. No one,” Eddy spoke with absolute confidence. Samantha knew that he was trying to reassure her, but his declaration actually saddened her. The thought that there wasn't a single person in the world living their fairy-tale, made her question the purpo
se of life. But it wasn't the right time to discuss their differing views.

  “I guess you're right, at least in this case. So, now we can be fairly certain that Tommy didn't murder Joel. My gut is telling me we need to find out more about Abe.” He narrowed his eyes. “Somehow he's involved in all of this. I'm going to call Walt and have him dig deeper into Abe's financials. I’ll see if Chris can send over Abe’s bank records so Walt can look through them.”

  “That's a good idea. If there's something there I know Walt will be able to find it. I'll ask him, and I'll do some research of my own as well. I just hope we can get to the bottom of this quickly. If Abe is involved he has the freedom to disappear.” Samantha gritted her teeth. “I'm sure he thinks that no one is even considering him.”

  “I'm sure of that as well. I'm going to see if I can't find out a little more information about Abe's medical condition,” Eddy sounded confident as he straightened his hat.

  “How are you going to do that?” Samantha asked curiously. She knew that Eddy had his connections but she wasn't sure exactly who they were.

  “I have my ways.” Eddy winked lightly at her. “Let me know if Walt comes up with anything, all right?”

  “Sure.” Samantha nodded. Eddy began to walk towards the door. As soon as he touched the doorknob he remembered the way Samantha had sounded that morning. He stopped and turned back.

  “Are you sure you're okay, Sam?” He looked across the room in an attempt to meet her eyes directly. “Nothing you want to tell me?”

  “I'm fine.” Samantha lowered her eyes shyly. She wasn't sure if she was really experiencing anything after all. She didn't want to advertise the fact that she might be getting a little forgetful, especially to Eddy, who would insist on her taking a back seat to the investigation if he thought it was too taxing for her.

  “You know that you can tell me.” Eddy hesitated. “I mean. We're friends, right?” He shifted uncomfortably and ended up sliding his hands into his pockets. Samantha eyed him with some confusion.

  “Yes Eddy, of course we're friends.” She nodded, but didn't offer any further information. She was entitled to her secrets.

  “Well, then you should know that you don't have to hide things from me,” Eddy repeated. “I guess I kind of come off a little gruff? I just want you to know, that if you need to talk, or you're worried about something, or anything…” he stumbled over his words. His voice trailed off as Samantha continued to stare at him.

  “I know, Eddy.” She smiled kindly at him. “I appreciate it.”

  “All right.” He looked like he might say more, or maybe he expected her to say more. When Samantha replied only with silence Eddy nodded again and then stepped out the door.

  Chapter Eleven

  As Eddy was walking towards the Sage Garden’s offices it was still bothering him that Samantha wasn't being completely honest with him. It wasn't the deceit that bothered him, but the fact that she felt she couldn't be honest with him. He was caught up in what the reason might be, when he reached the front office of Sage Gardens.

  “Eddy!” Owen's voice carried from the door of his smaller medical office. He stepped all the way outside to greet Eddy.

  “Just who I was looking for.” Eddy walked up to Owen with a broad smile. He could see that Owen had been studying as he had a pencil tucked behind his ear and an exhausted look on his face. Eddy knew that Owen was working towards becoming a doctor so he stole every minute he could between the patients he saw at Sage Gardens.

  “Uh oh, am I in trouble?” Owen asked. He smiled warmly, showing that he wasn't actually concerned.

  “No, not in trouble. But I was hoping to get a minute of your time. If you're not too busy.” He pointed out the pencil behind Owen’s ear.

  “Sure, I could use a break. How are you doing, Eddy?” Owen nodded towards the office where two uniformed officers were questioning some of the security staff. “Are you holding up okay with all of this? I still can't believe that Joel is gone. And murder?” Owen lowered his voice. “Are you getting in the middle of all of this, Eddy?”

  “I'm doing all right. Yes, you could say that I am getting involved. We're trying to get to the bottom of a few things, and I was hoping to pick your brain a bit.” Eddy nodded. He gestured to a wooden bench beneath a shade tree. “Can we sit?”

  “Sure.” Owen sat down beside Eddy with a look of concern. “What can I help you with?”

  “I've got a delicate question to ask you.” Eddy cleared his throat. He knew that he was pushing the boundaries of his friendship with Owen. “I'd rather it was kept between you and me.”

  “Oh sure, Eddy, I can get you a prescription for that, it happens to most men as they get older, it's nothing that should cause you any shame.” He reached into his pocket to pull out his cell phone. “I can set you up with a good doctor to get checked out. When are you available?”

  “What?” Eddy blinked. “What would I need a doctor for?”

  Owen looked up at him with a faint blush in his cheeks. Eddy stared at him for a moment. Suddenly he figured out what Owen was thinking. “No, that's not what I meant, Owen. Unbelievable.” He shook his head.

  “Oh.” Owen's eyes widened. “I'm sorry, it's just that I get asked for it a lot and you said the question was delicate.”

  “It's not about me, it's about someone else.” Eddy briefly glowered at Owen and then focused on the information he needed. “It's about Abe.”

  “Abe?” Owen grimaced with recognition of the name. “What about him?”

  “I figured since he is wheelchair-bound that you probably see him pretty often. Is that so?” Eddy knew that Owen was primarily hired to see the patients at Sage Gardens that needed a little more focused care.

  “You're right, I am supposed to see him.” Owen's expression was grim. “Abe is one of my troublemakers.”

  “What do you mean?” Eddy leaned in with interest. Owen was the friendly type, and it wasn't often that Eddy saw him get frustrated with anyone.

  “I mean I schedule him appoints with me, and also with the physical therapist that he is supposed to see, and he always cancels or is unreachable. I've even gone to his villa before for a home visit to make sure that he has everything he needs and he refused to let me in. It's very frustrating. It's not just about the paperwork either. I'm concerned about him.” Owen's eyes widened with hope. “Do you think that you might be able to talk to him for me? See if you can get him to come into the office? It's for his own good.”

  “I don't think so.” Eddy shook his head. He thumped his knee with his fist. “I think he has a very good reason for not showing up at your office.”

  “What reason?” Owen frowned. “I'd give him excellent care,” his voice held a hint of defensiveness.

  “Oh, I know you would.” Eddy met Owen's eyes with a sincere smile. “That's not the problem. The problem is that I don't think Abe needs any medical care at all. At least not the kind that you have in mind.”

  “You've lost me.” Owen looked confused. “Is this some kind of riddle?” He wiped his hands across his face.

  “No. I wish it was a joke. I'm fairly certain that Abe is faking his need for that wheelchair.” Eddy grimaced at the very idea. The leaves in the tree above him fluttered with the faint breeze. He could hear in the distance the sounds of the ducks splashing in the pond. He was sure that everything about Sage Gardens was about to be tainted with what he had to say. It was meant to be a peaceful, safe place for people to grow old with dignity. A place where neighbors could trust one another. Not a place where neighbors were deceitful.

  “Eddy, that is a terrible thing to suggest,” Owen spoke cautiously. Eddy could tell that he was not accusing him of anything. Owen was just shocked by the idea. “Are you sure?” Owen asked.

  “I'm not sure. But I suspect it very strongly. In fact, I suspect that Abe might be a suspect in Joel Westons’ death.” He sighed heavily. “It's not that I want it to be true, Owen, believe me. But I think the facts are adding up to po
int in that direction.”

  “It's impossible.” Owen shook his head firmly. “I would know if he was faking it.”

  “Would you?” Eddy raised an eyebrow and met Owen's eyes. “Owen, if Abe is faking his condition he is a seasoned and skilled con artist. He's had me fooled. What makes you think he couldn't fool you?”

  “Well, I just don't see how I wouldn't have noticed.” Owen appeared mystified. Eddy knew that he was doing the same thing that Eddy himself had done when he first thought of the idea. Owen was sorting through his memories for any hint that Abe could have been faking.

  “Have you ever actually examined his legs?” Eddy asked gently. He didn't want Owen to feel as if he was questioning his skills as a nurse, or interrogating him. But Eddy needed Owen to give him as much information as possible, and fast.

  “No. I've examined other things about him. But there was never a reason for me to examine his legs. The physical therapist is supposed to let me know if there is a problem,” Owen's voice trailed off with disbelief.

  “The physical therapist that Abe has refused to see, right?” Eddy waited for Owen to come to the same conclusion that he had.

  “Right.” Owen stared hard across the circular drive of the entrance of Sage Gardens. The tall grass surrounding the pond waved slowly back and forth in the faint wind. Eddy sat back against the bench. He waited while Owen processed the realization that Eddy might just be right. “Could it be possible?” Owen asked finally. “That he could have fooled all of us, all of this time?”

  “I think stranger things have happened. I've always seen Abe as a pretty private person. I don't think that's terribly abnormal. But now that I think back I can see that he is extremely private. He never accepted help from anyone, which I always assumed was just him being stubborn, but now I see that it was probably a way of preventing anyone from getting too close.” He stood up from the bench and turned to look down at Owen. “Is it possible that I'm letting my imagination run away from me? I suppose it is. But my hunches rarely fail me.”