by Kay Jennings
“How old are you?” Fern teased.
“What? It’s a great movie,” Jay defended. “I never miss a Star Wars.”
“Wouldn’t every kid know where ‘Rogue One’ in the title came from?” Matt asked.
“If you watched the movie you would know.”
“So maybe young Jack didn’t watch the movie after all. He told me that he and Joey jumped around some,” Matt reported.
“Kids don’t really pay attention to movies,” Ed said. “At Jack’s age, it’s only an excuse to get away from their parents, and to eat lots of crap. Or, to make out with their girlfriends. It would be more likely if Jack and Joey met girls there and weren’t paying attention to the flick for that reason.”
“Dammit,” Matt growled. “I didn’t think to ask him if he has a girlfriend. Gary either. We’ll have to get on that, but first things first. Ted Frolick is telling the truth about Marjorie and Kenton, I’m convinced. Or, at least his version of what he believes to be the truth. I’m going to prioritize getting a statement from Kenton, and then confronting Marjorie.”
“Are you 100 percent sure Frolick’s got this right?” asked a dubious Jay. “If we’re wrong on this, it could come back and bite us big-time.”
“Now you sound like the DA talking,” Matt said. “Until the killer confesses, I’m not sure about anything. But Frolick is certain, he’s a lot sharper than people give him credit for, and Patty and I both believed him. We have to take the next step. No choice.”
* * *
Sunday, 3:30 p.m.
Craig Kenton caved almost the minute he saw OSP Lieutenant Sonders walk into the hardware store. According to the blonde, well-muscled Kenton who wore his jeans tight, he’d been having an affair with Marjorie Bushnell for five months.
Kenton had a bad Sunday, ever since Marjorie phoned him about Emily’s murder. He told Sonders he didn’t believe Marjorie had anything to do with her daughter’s death, but he knew their affair was bound to come out.
And so it had. Kenton revealed to Sonders that an exploration of his computer would expose email exchanges between them, going back to last September.
“You’re telling me this?” said Ed.
“I know how you cops work,” said a defeated Kenton. “It’s going to be obvious once you start checking into it. Might as well tell you the truth now and get it over with.”
“That’s an adult attitude, Kenton, I appreciate it.”
“I didn’t have anything to do with Emily’s death. I want you to write that down, OK? I mean it,” he said, pointing at Ed’s notebook. “I might have been fooling around with her mother, but I don’t know anything about this. I swear.”
Ed made notes in his notebook, even though his tape recorder was running. “How did you learn about Emily’s murder?”
“Marj called me this morning to give me a heads up.”
“What time?”
“About 8:00 a.m. Said they found her body yesterday on the beach.”
“Where were you Friday night between the hours of 6:00 p.m. and midnight?”
“I was in Twisty River Friday night.”
“Doing what?”
“I had a date.”
“And it wasn’t with Marjorie, I’m guessing,” Ed said.
“No.”
“Do you want to tell me who you were with, or do I have to pull out your fingernails?” asked Ed, maybe kidding.
Craig Kenton filled in all of the details of his Friday night alibi for Ed, agreed to turn over his computer to him, and signed his statement.
Ed texted three ‘thumbs up’ emoji, followed by the word ‘big!’ to Chief Horning.
CHAPTER 22
Sitting in the squad car at the end of Cranberry Drive with Jay and Fern, Matt’s phone buzzed: new text arriving. He quickly saw the thumbs up from Ed, and said to his colleagues: “Affirmative. Let’s go. Jay, you are to keep Fred in the other room while Fern and I take on Marjorie. Be direct in your questioning on if and/or what he might have known about a possible affair between his wife and Craig Kenton. Keep it calm, civil, and don’t lead him—let him tell you whatever he does or, I suspect, does not know.”
“Should I name Kenton when I start, or should I see if the mayor comes up with his name?” Jay asked.
“I wouldn’t say his name unless Bushnell asks first,” said Matt. “But he will ask. Wouldn’t you?”
“I sure would,” Jay agreed. “So, if he asks who it is, I tell him, right?”
“Yes. See how he reacts to the name.”
“He’ll also probably want to know who told us. How do I
handle that?”
“I don’t think it serves our purposes to have Frolick brought into this yet . . . not until Patty can get a better bead on him,” Matt said. “Let’s just tell the mayor and Marjorie that we have a witness who saw her coming out of the A-frame cabin at the Pacific View Motel with Kenton, and leave it at that. The pressure is on them, particularly Marjorie. Fern, I want you to pay close attention to her body language, and be prepared to jot down your observations, OK?”
“Yes, I understand.”
“This is going to be tense,” Matt warned. “Stay cool like the cool cats you are. We’re here to get the truth, not to judge. We’re doing a job, and it’s not our fault if the mayor and his wife have marital issues. Got it?”
“What if Marjorie really killed that child to cover up an affair?” Fern asked no one in particular. “It’s unbelievable.”
“If she did, we will uncover the truth.” Matt’s voice and demeanor were hard-boiled.
Matt knocked on the front door of the Bushnell house. He noticed that Fern tossed a penny in the wishing well along the front sidewalk as they approached the door.
“Couldn’t hurt,” Fern said when Matt caught her eye. She looked very, very nervous, as did Jay.
“We need to clear up a couple of details from this morning,” Matt started somewhat brusquely, stepping into the foyer when Fred opened the door.
“Is there anything new?” Fred asked.
“Nothing concrete yet, but we are following some leads today. Please rest assured that we will let you know the minute we have any information. For now,” Matt continued, “Jay will go with you, Fred, into the kitchen and, if you could call Mrs. Bushnell, Fern and I would like to talk to her. Is she available?”
“Marjorie is resting. I’ll get her.” He went to the end of the hallway, cupped his hand around his mouth, and said up the stairs: “They’re here, Marjorie.” If she responded, Matt couldn’t hear her, but she soon appeared, looking more ashen than she had this morning. Both parents had calmed down since their earlier reaction to the search of their home. Probably worn out from the stress.
“Marjorie, Fern and I would like you to come with us into the living room. Is that OK with everyone?” Matt didn’t care if it was OK with them or not, that’s what was going to happen.
Matt closed the French doors between the dining and living rooms to block noise into the kitchen. Marjorie immediately had her hackles up, probably because she was outnumbered. Fern took her seat on the sofa next to Matt across from Marjorie, and subtly reached into her tote bag for her journal.
Marjorie, cool as a cucumber, said, “How can I help you this afternoon, Chief?”
“I want to ask you about Craig Kenton. Do you know him?” Matt asked.
Marjorie twisted the gold earring in her right ear, first one way and then the other.
“He’s a volunteer fireman, and he also works at the hardware store,” Matt prompted.
“I know of him,” Marjorie finally said, “but I wouldn’t say I
know him.”
“So, it’s not true that he and you are having an affair?” Matt said, lowering his voice.
Marjorie smoothed her skirt and leaned toward Matt, staring at him hard. She did n
ot utter a sound, but her eyes grew wider, and her whole body seemed to quiver.
“Let me repeat the question, Mrs. Bushnell,” Matt said. “Are you having a romantic affair with Craig Kenton?” He leaned back against the sofa and looked at her. He was twirling his pen, which Fern thought was an excellent touch.
“How dare you come into my house after my daughter has been murdered and ask me a question like that,” Marjorie said. There was pure rage in her voice.
“So, it’s not true?”
“Of course it’s not true. Who told you this?” she demanded.
“We have a witness who claims to have seen the two of you together in compromising circumstances.”
“Where?” she spat out.
“At the A-frame cabin below the Pacific View Motel, and in the parking lot behind Goodie’s Market. To name two occasions.”
Any existing color in Marjorie’s face drained out, but she remained belligerent. “That’s ridiculous,” she said, looking first at Matt and then at Fern. “You don’t believe this, do you?”
“We need to know the truth, Marjorie,” Fern said sympathetically, glancing at Matt who gave her a go-ahead nod. “It would be helpful if you told it to us first.”
“Fern is right,” Matt informed her in his tough-guy voice. “We’d rather not have to go into phone and computer records to confirm if you and Kenton were in contact.” He let that statement hang in the air.
“Who told you this?”
“We’d rather not say at this point in time.”
Marjorie looked defeated, but she wasn’t about to admit it.
“I am not having an affair with this person, and whoever told you I was is mistaken,” Marjorie said, sticking her chin out. “Why would I do something like that? I’m a married woman and a mother. And, a prominent member of this community, in case you’ve forgotten that fact. I strongly suggest you let go of this line of questioning.”
“So, Emily saw the two of you together, and you were worried about her telling Fred?” Matt said, ignoring her threat, and going in for the kill. “Or your boyfriend was afraid the little girl would talk?”
The stark reality of what the police chief was saying hit her hard. Marjorie began to panic a little.
“You can’t really think that,” she said nervously. “Even if I was involved with another man, I would take care to not let my family know. And you can’t be suggesting that I had anything to do with Emily’s murder. She’s my daughter.”
“Someone killed Emily,” said Matt. “There can’t be too many reasons why someone would do a horrific thing like that, and it’s my job to explore all possibilities. I’m going to ask you one more time, Marjorie. Are you having an affair with Craig Kenton?”
“No, I am not.”
“It’s my judgment that you are not being candid with us. Lying to the police in a murder investigation is a serious offense. Would you like to take a moment to think about your answer?”
“Marjorie,” cajoled Fern. “It would really be better for you if you told the Chief the truth.”
“Shut up!” she hissed in Fern’s direction. “Are you going to share this ridiculous story with Fred?” she asked. She was tapping the index finger of her left hand on the sofa cushion.
“Jay is questioning your husband now to see if he has any knowledge of your activities.”
“I can’t believe you are doing this,” Marjorie cried. “We’ve just lost a child, Chief. How can you be so cruel?”
“My job is to get to the truth, whatever that truth is, ma’am. I’m sorry if you are hurt further, but we have to chase down every lead. If the mother of the victim has something to hide, it could be important to my case.”
“It’s not your case,” she screamed. “It’s my daughter’s life. Badgering me about some man is not going to find my Emily’s killer. You should be ashamed of yourself.”
“I’m not the one who slept with Craig Kenton.” As Matt said that matter-of-factly to Marjorie, Ed Sonders came in through the front door, and handed a single page of paper to Matt.
“Last chance, Marjorie. What’s it going to be?” he said after scanning the document.
“I told you the truth.” Stiff, upright, formal.
“No, I’m afraid that you have not. In the interest of saving us all time, I have proof.” On the coffee table between them, Matt slapped down Kenton’s statement, and turned it to face Marjorie so that she could clearly see Kenton’s signature on the document.
He let the paper lay there for a quiet moment while she scrutinized it. Marjorie looked down, crossed her legs at the ankles, and said nothing.
“And, in addition to Craig Kenton’s admission, we have several email messages—both from your computer and from his—that passed between you over the last few weeks. A couple of them leave no doubt as to your relationship.” Matt was bluffing here, as they hadn’t yet analyzed either of the lovebirds’ computers. But he was now certain what they would find.
Matt leaned forward toward Marjorie, his elbows resting on this knees and his hands clasped, and waited.
Fern was afraid to even blink.
“That cheap, no good prick,” Marjorie snarled. The glacial chill in her voice brought goose bumps to Matt’s arms. “We had a deal. How dare he do this to me? You’re all alike, aren’t you?” She looked directly at Matt.
Matt figured it was a rhetorical question. He also figured that
the red-hot love affair between Marjorie and Craig was now
pretty much over.
“Did Emily see the two of you together?” Matt demanded. “Did you kill her because you were afraid she was going to reveal your secret?”
“You mean my ‘dirty little secret’, right? That’s what you wanted to say, isn’t it?”
“I don’t judge, ma’am. I’m only here to get to the truth. Did you kill Emily to keep her from spilling the beans? Did she see the two of you together and say she was going to tell daddy?”
“I did not kill my daughter!” Marjorie screamed, and moved within inches of Matt’s face. Fern leapt up and grabbed Marjorie by the arm. She pulled her back toward her sofa. “Sit down!” Fern ordered.
“Leave me alone,” Marjorie yelled at Fern, pushing her away. “The two of you make me sick. So righteous.” Her face was contorted, and she lost whatever filter she’d had. “Harassing me when you should be out there finding whoever really killed Emily. How can you possibly think I could do such a thing? She was my baby.” She was now sobbing, and buckets of tears ran down her splotchy face.
“You lied to us, Marjorie,” Matt said calmly, trying to defuse the situation. “That makes us wonder what else you’ve lied about.”
She started to rise up again, but Fern firmly placed her hand on Marjorie’s shoulder, causing her to slump back on the sofa.
“Of course I lied about Craig. Anyone would under the circumstances. That doesn’t mean I stabbed Emily.”
“Did Emily ever see the two of you together?” Matt continued.
“No. Oh, wait. Maybe one time. We ran into each other at Goodie’s Market, and Emily was with me. We talked briefly in the parking lot, but it was very brief.” Marjorie interlocked her fingers, leaned back, and then stretched her neck, trying to get comfortable.
“She didn’t say something like ‘Who’s that man, mommy?’, or ‘I’m going to tell daddy you talked to a man’? Anything like that?”
Marjorie glared at Matt. “My daughter was a sweet little girl. She would never question or threaten her mother. You are way off base.”
“Did Kenton like Emily?”
“He didn’t know her.”
“Not at all? Never met?”
“Never. Emily was asleep in her car seat that time at Goodie’s.”
Ted Frolick said Emily was wide awake, remembered Matt.
“Is Kenton capable of murder
, Mrs. Bushnell?”
“How would I know?” she grunted. “Obviously, I don’t know him at all. Except for how big his penis is.”
A faint blush crept across Fern’s cheeks.
“Does he seem like the kind of man who could kill a child if he felt threatened?”
“Maybe,” Marjorie said. It appeared that if Marjorie was going down, Kenton was going with her.
“We’ll need to update your original statement,” Matt said, officially. “You’ll have to come with us now to City Hall. We’re through with this interrogation.” Matt strode out of the living room, and went into the kitchen.
Things weren’t going any better in there. Fred’s face was red with emotion, and his body language was aggressive.
“The mayor doesn’t know anything about his wife’s possible relationship with Craig Kenton,” Jay reported as Matt came in.
“Your wife admitted to us that she and Kenton are having an affair. Kenton admitted it to Lieutenant Sonders just now as well. I’m sorry, sir.”
“This is crazy, Horning,” Fred said loudly. “Marjorie wouldn’t do anything like this, and I would know if she did. You are browbeating my wife. You’re barking up the wrong tree, and I won’t hear any more of it. Have you upset her?”
“Yes, I’m afraid I have,” said Matt. “Did you not hear what I said, Fred? Both parties have admitted it. It’s possible that your wife might be hiding even more from us, and we need to understand what that might be. I’m taking her down to City Hall now to sign an amended statement.”
“But I’m telling you this isn’t possible. Marjorie can’t have anything to do with this awful thing. She’s the girl’s mother, for God’s sake. Please focus elsewhere, Chief,” the mayor pleaded. “We don’t even know this Kenton guy.”
Jesus, get a clue, thought Matt. “A check of Marjorie’s laptop will confirm that she does know him, sir,” replied Matt, trying to soften the blow as best he could. “If our witness is wrong, and I’ve made an error, we’ll know soon enough.”
“I already asked Jay who it was that told you this malicious lie, but he won’t tell me—will you tell me where you heard this?”
