Justice in Mystic Grove

by S F Bose

  “I think you solved the case, Liz. Rose O’Ryan is one of the killers,” he said.

  “What makes you say that?”

  Matt rubbed a hand over his face and leaned on the table we sat at. He locked his eyes on mine.

  “Means, motive, and opportunity,” he said. “She was at the scene of the crime with her two partners and they had a weapon of some sort. That’s opportunity and means. The motive is clear. Meagher blackmailed her and she hated him,” he replied. “Plus my gut tells me she’s guilty”

  “I’m still not convinced,” I replied. “Her story is just as plausible.”

  “You don’t get it, Liz. This is good for you and good for Nolan Private Investigations. You helped to solve the case and capture a killer. You should be happy,” said Matt.

  “If you find Meagher’s cabin key or St. Christopher’s medal at Rose’s home, I’d be more convinced. I think you should find the two guys in the video and see what their story is,” I replied and stood.

  “We’ll have a search warrant for the O’Ryan house by tomorrow. But have it your way, Liz. You were always stubborn,” he said and smiled.

  I snorted. “And you always jumped to conclusions, Matt.” You still do, I thought.

  Matt’s face turned red and he stood. “Well it’s a fact someone put a transmitter on your car and shot at you. It could have been someone trying to scare you off the case. Or maybe her two partners thought you’d lead them to Rose. I don’t know. But you need to be careful.”

  “It makes no sense. Why track me and not Sam?” I asked.

  “Maybe they’re tracking him, too.”

  Crap. I’d have to call Sam tonight.

  “Matt, nobody would have any reason to think Sam or I could lead them to Rose O’Ryan.”

  Matt shrugged. “Whatever you say. You ready to go?” he asked.

  “What?”

  “I’m going to follow you back to the B&B, Liz. Just in case.”

  “Matt, you don’t have to do that,” I protested.

  “I’m doing it. I’ll meet you in front. I have to get my jacket.”

  Minutes later, I was driving home through the darkness with Matt’s police cruiser trailing me.

  Gritting my teeth, I called Sam’s cell phone. He picked up on the second ring.

  “Hey what’s up?” he asked. I heard Finn barking in the background.

  “Hey Sam. I wanted to let you know they have Rose O’Ryan at the police station.”

  “Really? Did she surrender or did they track her down?”

  “The latter. Rose called me about another audio file she wanted to give me. I met her and tried to talk her into turning herself in. Someone took a few shots at us. Then a few minutes later Matt Durand and Newmont showed up. Someone had called in a phone tip.”

  “Whoa, back up! Someone shot at you? Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine. We both are. I think the shots were a warning of some sort.

  “Liz… ” he said and then there was silence.

  I knew Sam would be angry that I hadn’t called him before meeting Rose. So I continued. “We figured the shooter had followed either Rose or me. I asked Newmont to check our cars and he found a transmitter on mine. So look under your Jeep before you come in tomorrow.”

  Sam exhaled into the phone. “Where exactly did you meet Rose?”

  “Funny story there. Did you know she’s a volunteer caretaker at a cemetery near Black Earth? She brings flowers every few weeks and helps to clean up the grounds,” I replied.

  “You met Rose O’Ryan alone at a cemetery?” Sam asked, his voice rising. “What were you thinking?”

  “Sam, I know you’re angry. I’ll explain everything tomorrow. I have to hang up. I’m almost back at the B&B.”

  “Wait, Liz! Someone shot at you and you’re driving home by yourself?”

  “No, Matt’s following me in his patrol car. Again, I don’t think the shooter was trying to hit us.”

  “Matt Durand,” Sam muttered. He and Matt were often like two bulls butting heads. “Is there anything else?”

  “No, not a thing. Remember to check your car for a transmitter,” I replied. “Night, Sam. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  He exhaled again. “Night, Liz.”

  I pocketed my cell phone and sighed. I wasn’t looking forward to my meeting with Sam.

  Chapter 25

  I arrived at work early next morning. Sam called me into his office first thing and asked me to close the door. Neville looked worried and Flip made a dash for the couch in the reception area.

  “Morning,” I said sitting on the nearest chair.

  “Morning,” Sam replied and looked at me.

  I put my notebook on the edge of the desk. Sam looked serious, so I abandoned any thoughts of breaking the ice with banter.

  “Sam, I’m sorry I didn’t call you when Rose contacted me,” I said.

  He leaned back in his chair. “I’m just disappointed, Liz. You exercised poor judgement last night,” he replied. “You could have been killed.”

  “I see that now. At the time, I thought I could handle Rose, so it didn’t seem risky. I never imagined there’d be a gunman shooting at us.”

  Sam frowned. “In a murder investigation you never know what’s going to happen next, Liz. What if Rose O’Ryan set a trap for you? That’s why you always need someone backing you up. Consider it a rule.”

  I nodded. “I don’t think Rose set a trap but I understand what you’re saying. It won’t happen again,” I replied. To be honest, I thought I had handled things well. However, Sam had a point about the trap.

  “Okay, good,” said Sam and smiled.

  “Did you find a transmitter on your Jeep?” I asked.

  He shook his head. “No. I checked. No transmitters at all.”

  I felt my blood pressure spike. “Why is someone tracking me? It doesn’t make any sense.”

  “I agree. It doesn’t make any sense. But it’s one more reason we need to be more careful,” Sam said.

  “Yeah, okay,” I agreed. “Do you want to hear the audio file Rose gave me? It’s on a file sharing site.”

  “Definitely,” Sam replied.

  Minutes later, he had logged into the site with the directions I gave him. He listened to the recording twice.

  “He’s killed before and could kill again? That’s interesting. His first wife and kids?” he asked.

  “Could be. Or possibly he killed someone else he’d been blackmailing,” I suggested.

  “Yeah, that’s plausible too,” Sam agreed. “Or he could have been lying to scare Rose.”

  Sam’s phone rang and he answered it quickly.

  “Morning Newmont,” he said and listened. “Hang on. Liz is here. I’m putting you on speakerphone.”

  “Hi Newmont,” I said.

  “Hey Liz. I wanted you to know that Detective Swanson is coming out today to question Rose O’Ryan. Chief Durand wanted to talk to the DA to see if we have enough to charge her with felony murder. But Swanson reined him in for now.”

  “Swanson didn’t come out last night?” I asked.

  “No, he was tied up with another case,” Newmont replied. “I also listened to that audio file link you sent me. I can’t say it helps Rose any. She threatened to kill him if he came near her family.”

  “But Meagher threatened her family first. He also said he had killed before,” I said.

  “That’s true. Let’s just say the audio recording didn’t exonerate her,” Newmont replied.

  “You think she’s guilty, Newmont?” Sam asked.

  “I’m not sure, Sam. She looks good on paper. Maybe she snapped and got those two guys to help her kill Meagher. However, what bothers me is Rose seems like a smart person. Why ask her husband to turn in videos that place her at the cabin the day of the murder? If you’re the killer, that’s stupid and Rose is anything but stupid. Then there are all the recordings of Meagher’s blackmail attempts. They both understood it would make her a suspect, but they sti
ll gave us that evidence.”

  “Did you tell Matt Durand that?” I asked.

  Newmont grunted. “Once the chief suspects someone, he won’t give it up.”

  “So Mac Goodman is in the clear?” asked Sam.

  “I’d say he’s dropped down the list. But with Chief Durand, you can never tell. Yesterday, he brought up the possibility that Goodman might be one of the two guys at the cabin.”

  I groaned. “I hope Lou Swanson doesn’t jump to conclusions too.”

  “He’s a good detective and follows the evidence,” Newmont said reassuringly.

  I grunted. Maybe there’s hope. “Did you ask Rose if she knew Mac Goodman?”

  “Yes, in my initial interview and she denied knowing him,” Newmont said. “But the Chief thought she could be lying.”

  “Of course he did. What did you think?” I asked.

  “I didn’t sense any deception at all,” Newmont replied. “Anything new on your end?”

  “No,” I said. “We brought you up to speed on our interview with Larissa Meagher. And you know about Rose O’Ryan, of course.”

  “Okay. I have to get to another meeting. I’ll talk to you later,” Newmont replied and ended the call.

  “Sam, we’re not going to stop our investigation, are we?” I asked.

  “Heck no,” Sam replied. “If they book Rose, we’ll call Simon Goodman and see if he wants us to continue. But until then, we’ll keep digging.”

  I smiled in relief. I wasn’t convinced Rose O’Ryan was our killer.

  “Can you do me a favor, though?” Sam asked.

  “Sure.”

  Sam twirled a pen and looked at me. “Call Mac Goodman and ask him if he ever spoke to Rose after seeing her at the Village Tavern with Meagher.”

  I was surprised. “You think Rose lied to Newmont about knowing Mac?”

  Sam shrugged. “I’d just like to hear Mac’s response so we cover our bases.”

  “No problem. I’ll call him right away,” I replied.

  “Great! We’re talking to Dom Fontana at 9:00 a.m.?” Sam asked.

  I stood and stretched. “Right. You want to take the lead?”

  “Why don’t you start out? Depending on how it goes, we can tag team him.”

  “Okay. Thanks again, Sam.” I smiled and left his office.

  Neville and Flip eyed me as I walked to the reception desk. When I smiled, they both relaxed. Flip wagged his tail and pressed his body into my legs.

  “Everything is okay, buddy,” I said quietly and scratched his head and ears. He barked and trotted into Sam’s office.

  I gave Neville the directions to get to the latest audio file. I also asked him to enter a note that police were holding Rose O’Ryan at the Mystic Grove police station.

  Neville looked surprised and adjusted his glasses. “Really? Do you think she’s the killer?”

  “I honestly don’t know, Neville. If she is, she had help. Chief Durand seems to think she’s the killer, but I’m not sure,” I replied.

  I went to the kitchenette and made a strong cup of coffee. Then I settled in at my desk and considered the possibility of Rose O’Ryan and Mac Goodman conspiring to kill Steven Meagher. It seemed unlikely, but as far as I knew, Mac’s alibi never did pan out which was a red flag. And Rose had also lied to us.

  I grabbed my cell phone and called Mac’s number. He answered on the fifth ring with a very groggy voice.

  “Hello?” he growled.

  “Mac, it’s Liz Bean. Did I wake you?”

  “No. I’ve been up all night working on a client security issue. Why are you calling so early?”

  “Just a quick question I needed to follow up on. How well did you know Rose O’Ryan?” I asked.

  “Rose O’Ryan?” he repeated and hesitated. “Oh! The trustee? I didn’t know her.”

  “Where did you first see her again?” I asked.

  “I told you this already. Kerry and I saw Meagher arguing with a woman outside the Village Tavern. We asked those two paramedics who the woman was. One of them said it was Rose O’Ryan, the village trustee.”

  “Did you ever see her or talk to her after that?”

  “No,” he replied flatly, but there was something in his tone that bothered me.

  “This is important, Mac. You never sought out Rose after seeing her at the Village Tavern?” I asked.

  “Sought her out?” he repeated and barked out a laugh. “No, I never sought her out. Let me guess. You think that Rose O’Ryan and I joined forces to kill Steven Meagher, right?”

  “Why would you say that?” I asked cautiously.

  “I heard O’Ryan was a suspect and you’re asking these leading questions. I’m not an idiot, you know,” he replied.

  “Where’d you hear she was a suspect?”

  Mac chuckled. “I have my sources.”

  I gritted my teeth and decided to try scaring him. “Mac, I’ll be frank. They’re questioning Rose O’Ryan in Meagher’s death today. Your name did come up in passing as a possible accomplice. I just wanted to confirm you didn’t have any contact with her beyond seeing her at the Village Tavern.”

  “Liz, if Rose O’Ryan killed Meagher then she’s my hero,” Mac replied. “If they think I was an accomplice, they’ll have to prove it. I already answered your question about knowing or talking to Rose two or three times and you still don’t believe me. Don’t ask me again. Furthermore, the only reason I’m on Newmont and Durand’s radar is because you gave me bad advice. So don’t call me and expect me to help you with anything.”

  I saw red. “You do realize I’m trying to help you, right?” I asked angrily.

  “Ha! Your help is going to get me charged with murder and thrown in jail. You can keep your help,” he shouted.

  “Mac, I have to ask —” But then I realized I was talking to dead air. The little twerp hung up on me!

  I sat at my desk brooding. Then I dialed another number and smiled when Kerry Goodman answered.

  “Hi Kerry. It’s Liz Bean. Can I ask you something?”

  “Hi Liz. Sure, you can. Any news on the case?” Kerry asked.

  “Well the police have picked up Rose O’Ryan for questioning in the case,” I replied. “They’re going to talk to her today.”

  “Rose O’Ryan, the trustee?” Kerry asked. “They think she killed Meagher?”

  “No, she hasn’t been charged with anything. They just want to question her,” I replied. I didn’t want to share the entire story with Kerry.

  “I know she and Meagher argued outside the Village Tavern that one night Mac and I were there. But it’s hard to imagine her as a killer,” she replied.

  “Yeah, we’ll have to see how the police questioning goes,” I said.

  “So what was your question?” Kerry asked.

  I explained the phone conversation I’d had with Mac. “I know Mac’s angry with me, but Sam and I are working hard to find the killer, which will only help him. I just needed to confirm he wasn’t involved with Rose O’Ryan in anything,” I said. “At first, he said he wasn’t and then he started… tap dancing.”

  “Are you asking if he helped Rose kill Meagher?” Kerry asked. Her voice had risen in surprise.

  “I don’t think he did, but I have to ask the question,” I replied.

  Kerry sighed. “Liz, Mac has some anger issues but there’s no way he helped Rose O’Ryan kill Meagher. I think he’s upset about how the police interview went, so he’s playing mind games with you to get even.”

  “That’s so stupid,” I said. “Doesn’t he realize this is a murder investigation?”

  Kerry laughed. “Yeah, Mac can be his own worst enemy sometimes.” Then she sobered. “Here’s the thing, Liz. He’s really afraid they’ll try to connect him to the murder. He thinks Chief Durand has it in for him. So that’s the filter he’s using for all of this. But I’m positive he never talked to or met with Rose O’Ryan. He would have told me. My little brother drives me crazy sometimes, but we’re really close. We shared
everything we learned when we were researching Meagher. That continued after Dad hired you and Sam.”

  “That makes me feel much better,” I replied.

  “Great! Uh oh here comes my editor. I have to run, Liz,” Kerry said.

  “Okay, thanks Kerry,” I replied and ended the call.

  I went to Sam’s office and related the conversation with Mac. Flip trotted over and leaned against my leg. I patted his head.

  Sam’s face paled even more than usual. “If Rose O’Ryan killed Meagher, she’s his hero?”

  “Yes and if the police think he was Rose’s accomplice, they’ll have to prove it,” I added.

  “But he denied knowing or talking to Rose O’Ryan?” Sam asked.

  “He did — several times,” I replied. “There was something in his voice that worried me. But he’s also still angry that I told him to go talk to Newmont.”

  “Has it sunk into his thick skull that we’re trying to help him?” Sam asked angrily. Then he took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Sam didn’t like getting angry.

  I laughed and sat in the nearest guest chair. “I do have some good news.”

  His eyes popped open. “You do? What?”

  “I called Kerry and she was positive Mac never contacted or spoke to Rose O’Ryan. She’s sure he would have told her because they’ve continued to share information about the case. She also said Mac’s scared of being linked to the murder and thinks Chief Durand has it in for him.”

  “Well he’s probably right about Durand,” Sam replied. “Kerry was sure about Mac not knowing Rose?”

  I nodded. “Very sure.”

  “You believed her?” Sam asked.

  “I did. She’s the more normal sibling,” I replied.

  Sam took a deep breath and then his eyes locked with mine.

  “Liz, why didn’t you lead with the good news?”

  I smiled. “Knowing how Mac reacted was important. I had to tell you that before the good news I got from Kerry. And a small part of me wanted to torture you the way Mac tortured me.”

  Sam threw back his head and laughed so hard, his Irish cap went flying.