Justice in Mystic Grove

by S F Bose

  Dom: I’m not paying you anything. You could be making this up and I can hardly confirm it with Meagher.

  Silence.

  Tommy: You’re telling me you won’t pay for information that could save Larissa’s life?

  Dom: I don’t know you from Adam, pal, and I wasn’t born yesterday.

  Tommy: (sighs)

  Silence.

  Tommy: I can’t believe this. Okay, look I'll just tell you and you can do what you want. I don’t want her death on me. Her husband offered me twenty-five grand to kill her. When I hesitated, he offered me fifty grand. I told him I had to think about it.

  Dom: Is this on the level?

  Tommy: Totally. He knows all about you and Larissa. Tell her my name. She knows me.

  Dom: Tommy Vann?

  Tommy: That’s me.

  Dom: When and where?

  Tommy: What?

  Dom: When and where are you supposed to do this?

  Tommy: We didn't get that far. Like I said, I told him I'd think about it and call him back. But I'm no hitman. I hoped you’d pay me for the information.

  Dom: Look, maybe we can do business but I need to talk to Larissa about this first. Give me a number and I'll call you tomorrow. Okay?

  Tommy: No, I'll call you back at this number the same time tomorrow. And listen, Dom. Tell Larissa she is not to mention my name to Meagher. He’s a nut case.

  Dom: Okay I’ll tell her. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.

  Tommy: Okay.

  When the recording ended, Dom erupted. “That's not me! It’s fake! He got someone who sounded like me.”

  Larissa said quietly, “I had nothing to do with this.”

  I glanced at Sam who was frowning and staring at Larissa. I looked at her too. Did Larissa play us?

  Tommy smiled and looked at Newmont. “Just check the phone records. For this call, I used my regular cell phone to call his business number. Same for this next call. After that, I used my burner phone. I can give you the dates of the calls if you need them.”

  “He’s a felon for God’s sake,” Dom said. “He’s lying!”

  Newmont’s eyes flicked back and forth between Dom and Tommy. Finally, he stared at Tommy.

  “How did Steven Meagher find out about the affair?” Newmont asked.

  Tommy shrugged. “He never said. The first time he brought it up, we were drinking at a bar. He said he knew his wife was sleeping with another guy and wanted to get even. He told me the guy’s name was Dom Fontana. I was shocked and said it was hard to believe Larissa would cheat on him. Steve said he knew it for a fact.”

  Newmont nodded. “That’s when he offered you fifty thousand to kill Larissa?”

  “No, he didn’t say anything like that during our first conversation,” Tommy replied. “We met again at another bar a few weeks later. That’s when he told me he wanted someone to kill Larissa. He said it had to look like an accident so he could collect the insurance. Then he offered me twenty-five grand to do it. I told him I wasn’t a killer. We talked some more and he increased the amount to fifty thousand. I said I had to think about it. When I asked him if he planned to kill Dom Fontana too, he said he would take care of him later. His priority was killing Larissa and collecting the insurance money.”

  “You have another recording?” Newmont asked.

  “I do. Here’s call number two,” Tommy replied.

  Dom groaned and slapped his hand on the table.

  Tommy tapped his phone and sat back. Voices filled the room again, but there was a new addition.

  Tommy: Dom, it’s Tommy.

  Dom: Hey Tommy. Larissa is here. Let me put you on speaker.

  Tommy: Are you guys alone?

  Dom: Yeah no worries.

  Larissa: Tommy, is this true about Steven? Why didn’t you come to me first?

  Tommy: Sorry, I’m afraid so, Larissa. Frankly, I hoped to get some money from Dom for the information. Then you two could figure out what you wanted to do.

  Larissa: You’re sure Steven knows about Dom and me? He never said a word or acted funny.

  Tommy: I’m positive he knows.

  Larissa: How did he find out? We were so careful!

  Tommy: He didn’t tell me, Larissa.

  Larissa: Does he want to kill Dom too?

  Tommy: He said he’d take care of Dom later.

  Silence.

  Larissa: Tommy, I thought we were friends. Would you have really done this terrible thing?

  Tommy: No, I wouldn’t have done it! I called your boyfriend right away.

  Larissa: I just can’t believe Steven wants to kill me.

  Tommy: Larissa, he’s pissed about the affair but he also wants to collect the insurance money.

  Larissa: Oh my God, the one million? Is that what he’s after?

  Tommy: Yes, he wants the insurance money. He said the hit has to look like an accident so he can collect with no problems.

  Larissa: That bastard! He never let on he knew about Dom and me.

  Tommy: Well, now you have the information and can handle it. Just keep my name out of it. Steve Meagher can’t know I told you or he’ll come after me.

  Dom: Hang on, Tommy, We talked it over and had an idea. Larissa and I will pay you fifty thousand dollars to kill Meagher. Right babe?

  Larissa: Right. I want him dead and buried. He thinks he’ll get the insurance money but I’ll get it instead.

  Dom: We’ll get it.

  Larissa: Right. We’ll get it. This whole thing has made me so angry!

  Tommy: Look, like I said I’m no hitman. I don’t know why Meagher even asked me

  Dom: Think about it, Tommy. All you have to do is get Meagher’s plan for the hit. Then you and I will turn the tables on him. You take whatever he’s willing to pay you up front and we’ll add fifty thousand to it.

  Silence.

  Tommy: I need thirty grand up front

  Dom: Twenty-five grand the day of the hit. The other twenty-five grand when Meagher is dead.

  Silence.

  Tommy: Okay but you have to be there Dom. Meagher’s built like a tank.

  Dom: I’ll be there. I want to make sure he’s dead.

  Tommy: You’re really sure you want to do this?

  Dom: Positive.

  Larissa: We discussed it, Tommy. Dom and I want Steven killed. What other option do we have?

  Dom: Yeah, we can’t talk to him about it. We also can’t report it to the police, since he’s a deputy sheriff. And we sure can’t ignore it. We have to eliminate him.

  Silence.

  Tommy: Okay, I’ll call Meagher and tell him I’ll do it. Once he gives me the plan, I’ll call you. I’d suggest getting burner phones that we can dump later.

  Dom: I don’t need a burner phone. Nobody will ever connect us to the murder. We’ll all have to come up with solid alibis.

  Tommy: Suit yourself. I’m getting a burner.

  Dom: That’s fine. Call me when you know more. And it goes without saying to keep your mouth shut about this

  Tommy: That works both ways. And Larissa?

  Larissa: What Tommy?

  Tommy: You have to act natural around him. You can’t let on that you know.

  Larissa: Don’t worry, Tommy. I’m the best actress you’ve ever seen.

  Tommy: Okay good. Talk to you soon.

  The call disconnected and we all looked at Larissa. Her face was red and I thought for a second that she was going to attack Tommy Vann.

  “You were lying all along?” I asked in disbelief. Larissa ignored me. “Your entire story was one huge lie.”

  “Quite the actress, indeed,” Sam commented.

  “Unbelievable,” I muttered.

  “You can’t believe those recordings. They’re fabricated,” said Dom.

  Larissa nodded. “I never said any of those things. He got a voice double or whatever they call them. Furthermore, I was in Chicago when Steven was murdered.”

  “Because that was part of the plan,” Tommy replied. “It had to
look like Meagher was killed in a failed home invasion. Larissa needed a solid alibi, so she’d get the insurance money right away.”

  “BS,” Dom growled.

  Newmont focused on Tommy. “What happened after that call?”

  Tommy took a deep breath. “I phoned Meagher and we met at another bar. I told him I’d do the hit for fifty grand, but I wanted thirty grand up front. He didn’t like that, so I said he was free to find someone else. In the end, he agreed to pay the thirty thousand. Meagher told me he was leaning toward using his cabin for the hit and it would be on a Wednesday because that was one of Larissa’s days off. Once he had a solid plan and a date, he said he’d contact me. We shook on it.”

  Newmont shook his head. “What were you thinking, Tommy?”

  Tommy leaned forward. “Deputy Newmont, I never planned to follow through with any murder. I decided to play both Meagher and these two idiots. If I could get money in advance from both Meagher and Dom, I was going to disappear before the day of the hit. I managed to get thirty grand from Meagher. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get the twenty-five grand from Dom and leave before the job.”

  “What was Meagher’s exact plan?” asked Newmont.

  Tommy nodded. “He called me later with the plan but he still didn’t have a date. He was going to ask Larissa to meet him at the cabin for a getaway. She’d arrive around 11:00 a.m. or so on a Wednesday. I’d get to the cabin much earlier and hide. When she walked in, I was supposed to take her by surprise and hit her on the head until she was dead.

  “Then what?” Newmont asked.

  “Then I’d call Meagher and he’d drive out to the cabin to make sure she was dead. In the meantime, I was supposed to tear the place apart, like a robber looking for stuff to steal. He repeatedly said it had to look like a burglary that was interrupted. After he was satisfied, he’d give me the remaining money.”

  “Okay, what happened after you told Meagher you’d kill Larissa?” Newmont asked.

  “Meagher said he’d call me the Sunday before the hit so I’d be ready. All I could do is wait. A few weeks went by and I put it out of my mind. I thought Meagher gave up on the idea. Finally, he called on Sunday, May 3rd, and said the hit would be on that Wednesday, May 6th.”

  “Go on, Newmont prompted.

  “After Meagher called on Sunday, I phoned Dom the same day and gave him the news. He said he’d tell Larissa to schedule a day trip to Chicago with a girlfriend for that Wednesday. That way she’d have an alibi for the day of the murder. When Meagher invited her to the cabin, Larissa would agree to meet him there. Instead, on Wednesday morning, she would drive to Madison and park her car in a lot where Dom could find it. Then Larissa would meet her girlfriend and they would drive to Chicago in the girlfriend’s car.”

  “Why wouldn’t Larissa take her car to Chicago?” Newmont asked.

  “Because Dom wanted us to drive her car out to the cabin so it would be the first thing Meagher saw. It would reassure Meagher that Larissa had driven out to the cabin. Then when Meagher came in the door, we’d take care of business,” Tommy replied.

  Dom’s hands curled into fists on the table. “He is lying!”

  Newmont gave Dom a long look. “You’ll get your chance to talk.”

  Dom swore and sat back in his chair.

  “When did you get the advance from Meagher?” Newmont asked.

  Tommy squinted. “Let’s see. Meagher called on Sunday to let me know the hit would be that Wednesday. On Monday, I met him at a restaurant and followed him out to the cabin. He wanted to show me some places to hide inside. He gave me a key to the place and the thirty thousand in a duffle. Meagher also threatened to kill me if I ran out with the money and didn’t kill Larissa.”

  Newmont looked at Tommy. “Instead, you planned to kill Meagher.”

  Tommy shrugged. “That was Dom’s plan. I never showed up.”

  Dom’s head snapped toward Tommy and he opened his mouth to say something. Then he reconsidered and glared at Tommy.

  “We were supposed to meet at Dom’s house in Black Earth on Wednesday,” Tommy said. “When I called him on Sunday, I told him that I wanted to get the twenty-five thousand at his place on the day of the hit and then I’d follow him to the cabin in my car. Instead, he insisted we both drive to the cabin to Larissa’s car. So there was no way I could get the money from Dom and run for it. That’s when I decided to bail on the hit,” Tommy said.

  “You decided to bail on Sunday, but you still met Meagher on Monday?” I asked.

  “Right. I wanted the thirty grand,” Tommy replied and I nodded.

  “You never thought about bringing a gun and just taking the twenty-five thousand from Dom?” Sam asked.

  Tommy shook his head. “You have to remember I had never met the guy. Our only contact had been over the phone. When I Googled him online, he looked big. I decided it was too risky to try to steal the twenty-five thousand from him. So I cut my losses and kept the thirty thousand I got from Meagher. I didn’t think Dom would try to kill Meagher on his own, so I realized I had to leave Mystic Grove. I was scared of Meagher’s reaction when he realized I’d run out with the money.”

  “You changed your plans on Monday?” Newmont asked.

  “No, I decided to leave after I talked to Dom on Sunday. But I waited until after I got the money from Meagher on Monday,” Tommy replied. “I packed my bags and stayed with a friend in Madison. I was still planning my next move when I heard that Meagher had been killed. I figured Dom had either murdered Meagher by himself or had quickly recruited someone else.”

  “Dom or Larissa didn’t contact you?” asked Newmont.

  “Dom called me on Friday. He chewed me out for not showing up, but said he got the job done anyway. He told me if I talked to anyone about the killing or our previous calls, that he had a guy who would take care of me. I told him I hadn’t liked Meagher either and we hung up on good terms.”

  “So Dom killed Meagher by himself?” Newmont asked.

  Tommy shook his head. “He didn’t give me any details and I didn’t ask. I decided I could return home.”

  “Why didn’t you blackmail Dom for the murder?” I asked.

  Tommy’s eyes slid to me. “I was tired of the whole thing. I had thirty grand and was happy. Besides, if I tried to blackmail Dom with the phone recordings, he’d just point out the recordings incriminated me too.”

  Dom looked at Newmont. “Deputy, he’s lying. Every time he opens his mouth, a new lie comes out.”

  “I’m not lying,” Tommy replied. “I’ve got evidence. What do you have?”

  “You are lying, Tommy,” I said quietly. His eyes snapped to me. “You were at Meagher’s cabin that day and I can prove it.”

  Chapter 40

  Tommy stared at me and shook his head. “I am not lying!”

  “Empty your pockets on the table, Tommy,” I replied.

  “My pockets?”

  “Just do it,” Newmont said quietly.

  “Okay, okay.” Tommy stood and emptied his pockets on the table. After a nod from Newmont, Officer Williams walked over and patted Tommy down.

  “There’s something else in your left pocket. Empty it,” Williams said.

  Tommy reached into that pocket and placed one more item on the table.

  I stood and leaned across the table, sorting through the mixture of keys, cash, and change. I held up a golden, Italian key ring with a brass key and gold lion’s head.

  “You still have the key to Meagher’s cabin,” I said.

  Tommy stood with his hands in his pockets and smiled. “I forgot I had it in my pocket. When I heard Meagher was dead, I decided to keep it.”

  “Then how did Dom get into the cabin the day of the murder?” I asked.

  Tommy frowned. “What?”

  “The cabin was locked. If you had the key, how did Dom get inside?” I asked.

  Dom snorted.

  Tommy shrugged. “Larissa probably gave him a key.”

  Larissa shook h
er head. “No, I didn’t.”

  Tommy looked at Larissa. “Hard to believe you at this point, isn’t it? Maybe Dom picked the lock or jimmied the door. I don’t know.”

  “There was no forced entry,” I replied.

  Tommy shrugged again. “Then I don’t know how he got in.”

  I set the keychain down and reached across for the last item Tommy had pulled from his left pocket. After examining it, I smiled.

  “And this?” I asked, holding up the large, golden St. Christopher’s medal.

  “That’s my medal. I carry it with me all the time,” he replied quickly.

  Larissa squinted and started to speak. “That’s—.”

  I interrupted her. “Really? Then why is ‘Steven Meagher’ engraved on the back?”

  “It is his medal!” Larissa exclaimed.

  Tommy’s face deflated. He dropped into his chair. I gave the cabin key and medal to Newmont and sat down.

  “Did your husband always wear this medal, Larissa?” he asked and handed it down to her.

  “Always. He never, ever took it off,” Larissa replied, looking at the medal. “He was wearing it on his gold chain the last morning I saw him.”

  Dom smirked at Tommy. “You’re the one who needs a lawyer now.”

  “Tommy, I don’t want any more lies from you,” Newmont said. “You were at the cabin the day of the murder right? You stole this medal from Steven Meagher?”

  Tommy touched the change and cash on the table in front of him. Then he pushed it to the side and leaned forward. After a pause, he nodded his head. “I was there, but I didn’t kill Meagher.”

  “Was anyone else with you?” Newmont asked.

  “Dom was with me,” Tommy replied in a quiet voice.

  “I was not with him!” Dom shouted. Newmont held up his hand.

  “No more outbursts!” he said loudly. “You’ll get your chance.”

  Dom turned his chair to face Tommy. “Think carefully about what you say next,” he warned.

  “Or what?” Tommy replied and gave Dom a hard look.

  “Or you’ll spend the rest of your miserable life in prison,” Dom replied.

  “Fontana be quiet or I’ll have you removed from the room,” Newmont said sharply.

  Dom just stared at Tommy.

  “Tell me what happened, Tommy,” Newmont said.