Justice in Mystic Grove

by S F Bose

  “Can I still get a deal?” Tommy asked. “I’ll tell the truth, I swear.”

  “It will be up to the Assistant DA,” Newmont replied.

  Tommy took a deep breath. “Okay. Dom and I met at his house in Black Earth on the day of the murder.”

  “Why did you change your mind about meeting him?” Newmont asked.

  Tommy shrugged. “I really wanted the money.”

  “Okay, go on,” Newmont said.

  “Dom gave me a bag with twenty-five thousand dollars and I put it in the trunk of my car,” Tommy replied. “He was driving Larissa’s car and that’s what we took to the cabin. We both had handguns and lead pipes.”

  “So you did plan to kill Meagher,” said Newmont.

  Tommy shook his head. “No, Dom came up with a plan. He wanted to get the drop on Meagher and disarm him. Then Dom would have Meagher face him and I was supposed to club him with the pipe from behind.”

  “Tommy, you planned to kill Meagher,” Newmont repeated.

  “No! That was Dom’s plan. Look, I decided I wanted to get as much of the money from Dom as I could. But I wasn’t going to kill Meagher to get it. So once we confronted Meagher, my plan was to hang back and pretend to freeze until Dom was forced to kill Meagher himself. I had no intention of killing anyone.”

  Newmont nodded. “Okay, go on.”

  “I used the key Meagher gave me to open the cabin door and we settled in to wait,” Tommy said. “I called Meagher at 11:30 a.m. to tell him the job was done. He said he’d be right out. The front door was unlocked so he could walk right in. There was a small fireplace in the living room. I found a fireplace poker and leaned it up against the wall. Then I moved a coffee table out of the way and sat in a chair in the living room facing the front door. Dom sat on the couch. We waited for almost two hours before Meagher arrived. When we heard his vehicle outside, Dom hid in the hallway.

  Tommy paused. I thought he was reconsidering telling the story, but then he continued.

  “Meagher came through the door and stopped. I stood and greeted him. The cabin had a medium-sized entryway and for a second I was afraid he’d stay by the door. But then he took a couple of steps forward. Dom came out from the hallway with his gun drawn. He told Meagher to take his gun out of his holster with two fingers, put it on the floor, and kick it toward me.”

  “He just complied?” Newmont asked.

  “He did. I picked the gun up and put it in one of my pockets. Then Dom said he should do the same thing with the gun in his ankle holster. Meagher did it but I could tell he was pissed that Dom noticed his spare gun. I put that gun in another pocket.”

  “Okay, where was Meagher standing at that point?” Newmont asked.

  “He was at the middle of the entryway, facing the living room,” Tommy replied.

  “Did he say anything?” I asked.

  Tommy looked at me. “When he came in he asked ‘What’s going on? Where is she?’ After Dom came out with his gun, Meagher kept saying, ‘Let’s talk about this.’ But we didn’t really have a conversation. I remember thinking that disarming him had been too easy and Meagher seemed… too calm.”

  Tommy paused and shook his head. “We were stupid.”

  “Tell us what happened, Tommy,” Meagher said.

  “Meagher said, ‘Hear that? That’s my buddy pulling up,’ and he half-turned toward the front door behind him. Dom turned his head toward the front door too and Meagher spun around. He pushed Dom back through the entryway. They slammed into the door.” Tommy replied and rubbed his face with both hands.

  “There was no buddy outside?” Newmont asked.

  Tommy shook his head. “No, Meagher just wanted to distract Dom and it worked. Dom’s back was against the door and Meagher had pinned his gun hand. Dom yelled for me. I wanted to do something so Dom wouldn’t realize I was faking it. So I grabbed the fireplace poker and approached the entryway, but then I stopped. They were both fighting with one hand because Meagher had Dom’s right hand pinned against the door with his left hand. Dom hit Meagher in the face several times. Then Meagher punched Dom in the face and head. After he head butted Dom, Meagher connected with a right upper cut. Dom went down on the floor and his gun went flying.”

  “Where were you standing?” Newmont asked.

  “I was just inside the entryway. Meagher turned and took a couple of steps toward me, so I backed up into the living room. His nose and face were bloody. I went into panic mode. I forgot I was carrying my handgun and two of Meagher’s guns. I forgot the lead pipe in my belt. I just talked.”

  “Where were you both standing?” Newmont asked.

  “He was right on the edge of the living room and I was in the middle of the room.”

  “Okay, what happened next?” Newmont asked.

  “I told him it wasn’t what he thought. I said Dom just wanted to talk to him but we wanted to make sure he didn’t shoot us. I told him I couldn’t kill Larissa. I noticed he was listening, but then he moved toward me again. He took me by surprise. I swung the poker and released it. I wanted to hit him in the face or head but he dodged and I hit him on the shoulder instead. Meagher just stood there and laughed at me. He picked up the poker and said he was going to kill me.”

  Tommy paused and Newmont waited.

  “Then I saw Dom near the front door. He was back on his feet and had his lead pipe in his right hand. I wanted to give him time to get closer to Meagher. So I said in a loud voice that I was sorry and that I had something important about Larissa that he needed to hear. That got his attention. I told him Larissa was seeing a third guy. Meagher wanted to know who it was. While he stood there, Dom came up behind him and hit him on the back of his head two times, maybe three. Meagher went down hard.”

  “How did he fall? What direction was his body facing?” Newmont asked.

  “He fell to his knees and then face down,” Tommy replied.

  “So his body was on the floor with his head facing toward you and the back of the cabin?” Newmont asked.

  “That’s right,” Tommy agreed.

  “Why didn’t Dom just shoot Meagher?” I asked.

  “Two reasons. When Meagher knocked Dom down, his gun went flying into the side hallway. So Dom grabbed the pipe he’d brought. More importantly, Larissa would have killed Dom if he shot Meagher. Meagher’s death had to look like an accident so Larissa would get the insurance payment faster,” Tommy replied.

  Dom groaned. “He’s lying! It’s like he can’t help himself. If anyone killed Meagher with a pipe, it was Tommy Vann.”

  “I’m not lying,” Tommy replied.

  “He is lying,” Larissa said and we all looked at her. “Dom told me what happened at the cabin. If you give me a deal, I’ll tell you everything.”

  “Like I told Tommy, the Assistant DA said if anyone offers truthful information that results in a conviction in this case, he’ll take that cooperation into consideration,” Newmont replied.

  Larissa stared at him. “So how does that work, exactly?”

  “You share truthful information and the Assistant DA looks at it. If the information helps to convict someone in this case, then he’ll consider that when looking at your case.”

  “I could get off?” she asked.

  “No way,” Tommy said and laughed.

  Newmont shrugged. “I can’t make any promises or speak for the Assistant DA, Larissa. But helping him get a conviction can only help you and not hurt you.”

  “Okay,” she replied and sighed. “Dom said Steven had him backed against the cabin door and was hitting him. When he yelled for help, Tommy hit Steven with the fireplace poker, but it didn’t have any effect. Then Tommy hit Steven two or three times on the head with a pipe and he collapsed. That’s what Dom told me.”

  Tommy grimaced. “Not only is that a lie, it’s hearsay right? It’s not like you were there, Larissa. Not to mention the fact that you’re lying for the guy you’ve been sleeping with.”

  “It’s the truth, Tommy, and you kno
w it,” Larissa replied.

  “I never told you anything like that because I wasn’t there!” Dom said to Larissa. She looked at him and laughed.

  “Tommy, tell me again. After Dom hit him, how did Meagher fall?” Newmont asked.

  Tommy looked confused. “What?”

  “How did Meagher fall after Dom hit him?” Newmont repeated.

  “Like I said, he fell to his knees and then face down on the floor,” Tommy replied.

  “In the living room?”

  “Yes! I told you that!” Tommy said. He looked and sounded frustrated.

  Dom leaned forward and stared at Newmont. “I’m telling you one last time that Tommy Vann is lying through his teeth. I’m done. I’m staying quiet. You should too, Larissa.” He looked down the table at her and she glared at him.

  “Do you want a lawyer?” Newmont asked Dom.

  “Can I stay and listen to jerk face here so I can protect myself?” Dom asked.

  Newmont shook his head. “If you ask for a lawyer, we’ll move you to another room and read you your Miranda rights.”

  “If I don’t get a lawyer, can I stay here and just listen?” Dom asked.

  “You can,” Newmont agreed.

  Dom thought for a minute. “Okay, that’s what I’ll do.”

  “Larissa, do you want a lawyer?” Newmont asked.

  Larissa also shook her head. “Not yet. I want to hear what Tommy says too.”

  “Tommy, do you want a lawyer?” Newmont asked.

  “No! I want a deal!” Tommy replied.

  I kept my face neutral but inside I was marveling at the stupidity of all three of these people.

  Newmont turned back to Tommy Vann, “Okay, what happened next, Tommy?”

  Tommy sighed and drummed the table with his fingers. “Next?”

  “You said Dom hit Meagher and he dropped to the floor face down toward the back of the cabin.”

  “Yeah, that’s what happened,” Tommy replied.

  “So what did you and Dom do next?” Newmont asked.

  “We pulled Meagher further into the living room and rolled him over. We checked and he was dead. After we rested for a couple of minutes, I put his guns back in his holsters. Then I took the medal and Dom took the chain. We searched for Dom’s gun and found it in the hallway. Then we tore the place up and left. Dom mopped behind us to obscure any bloody tracks. I hid the pipes and the poker in the trunk of Larisa’s car. Then I checked Meagher’s van for the money he owed me, but it wasn’t there,” Tommy said.

  “Keep going,” said Newmont.

  Tommy groaned. “We drove back toward Madison. Dom called Larissa on his cell phone and I lost it. I told him to hang up and that cell phones can be tracked. He listened for once and ended the call. When we arrived in Madison, he parked Larissa’s car in a lot. I got the lead pipes from the trunk but I totally forgot about the poker. It was longer, so I’d hidden it in a side compartment she had in the trunk. I just spaced out and left it there. We walked to Dom’s condominium garage to get his car. I hid the pipes in his trunk in case we were stopped by the cops.”

  Tommy paused and Newmont waited.

  “I know, I know. What happened next, right?” Tommy asked and shook his head. “We drove back to Dom’s house in Black Earth. After we started a fire in the fire pit, we burned anything with blood on it. Then we sat by the fire and drank some beer. I had the shakes but Dom was calm. I told him he needed to come up with a story for his face because he looked like he’d gone a few rounds with a heavyweight. Dom said he’d already arranged to pay a guy to provide him with an alibi for the day. But he’d have to come up with a new story for the bruises and black eyes.”

  “Moose Crotty?” Newmont asked.

  “He never mentioned a name to me. Then Dom told me there’d be a delay in getting the second twenty-five grand he owed me, which pissed me off royally. After a while, I went home. I should have left town right away but I wanted that money.”

  “The lead pipes?” Newmont asked.

  Tommy grimaced. “I forgot about them too. Between what happened at the cabin and drinking the beers, I was wiped out. I was also angry about not getting the second payment from Dom. So when I left, I just forgot about the pipes.”

  Newmont frowned. “You never remembered that you left the poker and pipes in two different cars?”

  Tommy shook his head. “No, I swear I didn’t. After seeing Dom kill Meagher, all I wanted to do was lay low and drink. That’s what I did.”

  “Okay, let’s go back to the murder. After Dom hit him, Meagher was face down in the living room.”

  “We’re going over that again?” Tommy asked.

  Newmont ignored his question. “Was he bleeding?”

  “Yeah, like I told you. From the fight, he had blood on his nose, face, and mouth. Then his head was bloody where Dom hit him with the pipe,” Tommy replied.

  “And Meagher’s head faced toward the back of the cabin and you rolled him over. Did you move the body after that?” Newmont asked.

  Tommy shook his head. “No, we left him like that.”

  Newmont sighed. “Then we have a problem, Tommy. We found Mr. Meagher’s body on his back with his feet facing toward the back of the cabin. Not his head.”

  Tommy frowned but didn’t say anything.

  “To further complicate matters, Tommy, the crime scene analysis concluded that Meagher was attacked and hit by the front door,” Newmont said. “He fell parallel to the front wall. The blood trail showed he was dragged face down by his feet into the living room. Then he was rolled over on his back. You lied again, Tommy. You’re the one who hit Meagher with the pipe.”

  Tommy shook his head. “Deputy, I’m just confused. I’ve done so much drinking since the murder, it’s hard to remember the details. I got the direction of the body mixed up. What difference does it make?”

  Larissa and Dom both smirked.

  “Like I said, he’s a liar,” said Dom.

  “It’s not just the direction of the body, Tommy. It’s where Meagher was clubbed. He was hit by the front door, not by the living room,” Newmont said.

  Tommy sighed and shook his head. Then he leaned toward Newmont. “Give me a break, Deputy Newmont. I can help you. I have other recordings that I hid. I have some recordings of Meagher setting up Larissa’s murder. I also have a recording of a very recent phone conversation between Dom, Larissa, and me. It was the day those two interviewed her.” He nodded at Sam and me. “Larissa wanted Dom and me to follow Liz Bean and shoot at her. She said the police were already looking for Rose O’Ryan and would think she was the shooter.”

  “That doesn’t even make sense,” I said, glaring at Larissa. “Why would Rose O’Ryan shoot at me?”

  Larissa just shrugged.

  “She wanted you to kill Liz?” Newmont asked Tommy.

  “No,” Tommy replied. “Just shoot to scare her.”

  “Did you do it?” Newmont asked.

  “Not me, but Dom did,” Tommy replied.

  “I did not. You’re lying again,” Dom replied.

  Tommy ignored him and addressed Newmont. “Dom called me the next day and told me the entire story. I have a recording of the call.”

  Dom’s head dropped and for the first time Larissa looked worried.

  “Tell me about the shooting,” Newmont said.

  Tommy sat back and smiled. “Larissa had a GPS tracking transmitter she was going to put on Meagher’s car but she never used it. So after her interview with the two PIs, she went home and got the transmitter. She came back and slapped it underneath on Liz Bean’s car on the frame. It was in a magnetic holder.”

  “You are some piece of work!” I said to Larissa.

  “You can’t believe anything he says,” she replied.

  Tommy laughed. “You’re forgetting the recording.”

  “You faked it,” she retorted.

  “You’ve never heard of voice prints, have you, Larissa?” Tommy asked.

  “Shut up,” s
he replied, folding her arms.

  “Larissa, stop talking,” Dom barked.

  “Keep going, Tommy,” Newmont said.

  “Okay. After planting the transmitter, Larissa called Dom and he drove in from Black Earth. He parked across the road at the Emporium and waited. Larissa had the monitoring software for the transmitter on her computer at home. When she saw Liz’s car move, she called Dom and relayed directions to him. That allowed him to hang back as he followed Liz’s car. He told Larissa it looked like she was driving toward Black Earth. Liz told him when Liz’s car stopped moving. Dom drove by and said she had parked outside the old Peabody cemetery,” Tommy replied.

  “None of this is true,” Dom said loudly.

  “What happened next, Tommy?” Newmont asked.

  “Dom doubled back and parked on the side of the road,” Tommy replied. “The call with Larissa got disconnected. He ran across the road and into the woods with his gun. When he reached the tree line, he saw Liz Bean walking in the cemetery. He called Larissa back and told her what was happening. She said to wait. He did and then he saw another woman. He watched Liz go over to the woman and talk to her. When he told Larissa that, she said he should watch them for a while before shooting. Then she said she had to go show a house and hung up.”

  Tommy glanced at Larissa again but didn’t say anything to her. He turned back to Newmont.

  “Dom watched Liz Bean and the woman talk for a while. Then he fired his gun at them. He said he aimed over their heads. Dom freaked out when both of them returned fire. He fired a second time and ran for his car. He jumped in and drove away from the cemetery,” Tommy said.

  “Keep going,” Newmont replied.

  “Dom said the strange thing was how quickly the police got there,” Tommy said. “He had just reached the first intersection minutes away from the cemetery when he saw two Mystic Grove police cars with lights flashing fly by. He didn’t understand how they got to Black Earth from Mystic Grove so fast. So he turned at the intersection and looped back around. Sure enough, he saw in the distance that the police cars had stopped at the cemetery entrance. Dom turned around again and went home.”

  Dom stared down at his hands on the table.