Murdered by News

by Dianne Harman

  Kat was tempted to agree with Mitzi. It was less complicated, less messy, to dehumanize Ashlee and just think of her as a ‘bad person’. But she couldn’t. Not after what she’d seen yesterday and today. “No,” Kat said softly, “I caught a glimmer of someone human today, beneath her tough gal façade.

  “When I was leaving today, Ashlee burst into tears, real tears, and said she’d never forgive herself if she was the cause of her husband’s death. It turns out practically everyone loves him, and it’s very likely that the murder has something to do with one of her… less savory journalistic doings, for lack of a better term.”

  “Oh, right. So, potentially, it could be her fault that her husband was murdered?”

  “I don’t know if I’d exactly say it’s her fault,” Kat said. “It’s no one’s fault but the murderer’s. But her actions could very well have been a contributing factor. So yes, there certainly is a good chance.”

  Mitzi sighed. “Well, you’re a better woman than I am. I wish you the best of luck with your investigation. And I’ll always be here if you need a sounding board. Or a slice of cheesecake.”

  Cheesecake, especially a lemon-flavored one, was Mitzi’s specialty. Kat smiled. “You know I’ll be taking you up on that offer. Though I may have to bring the dogs over to walk it all off.”

  “Sounds good to me,” Mitzi said, and Kat could tell she was smiling right back.

  After they ended the call, Kat stood in the doorway to eat her sandwich. Usually she would have sat at the kitchen table, but the sun was shining right on the doorframe, and the warmth it radiated felt wonderful against her skin. She watched Jazz and Rudy chase each other around, and luxuriated in the gentle breeze that blew through the open doors, carrying with it the sweet scent of flowers. She’d planted some lavender not too far from the doorway, and the scent was comforting, rich and warm.

  Once she’d finished the last bite of her sandwich, she wasn’t exactly sure what to do. Of course, she should have been writing, but she wasn’t in the right frame of mind.

  Don’t wait for inspiration to strike, she mentally scolded herself. Just sit down and do it! The one thing she’d learned from being a professional writer was that she couldn’t wait for the muse to appear. She had to plunk her behind down on a chair and stare at that blank screen until something came. Otherwise nothing would get done. She willed herself to sit at the kitchen table with her laptop, but she only managed to produce a few hundred words.

  The words came to her slowly and her writing felt like she was walking through deep mud. Every sentence was like a battle to get unstuck. Soon exasperated, she let out a long sigh and called it a day. It would all simply have to wait until tomorrow.

  She had to admit she just didn’t feel like writing. But what did she feel like doing? She looked around, thinking. She considered taking Jazz and Rudy for a walk, but that didn’t particularly excite her. If anything, she felt like cooking. Sure, it was still early, but she could always make a meal in the slow cooker

  She began to put together one of her slow cooker favorites, a spicy lentil soup. She pictured Blaine and her eating it at dinner with crusty bread fresh out the oven, warm enough so that the butter melted on the bread. The warm bread, dipped into the steaming, spicy, slightly creamy soup would make a perfect meal. She knew the May night would bring with it a pleasant cool breeze, so it was a perfect time for a nice bowl of soup.

  She was raiding the spice rack for the numerous ingredients that the soup called for when Nick called back.

  “Hello?” she said as she grabbed her cell phone. “That was quick.” “We try to do our very best and quickest work. Are you free to talk for a moment?”

  “Sure,” Kat said.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Kat wanted to devote her full attention to Nick, so she decided to sit outside on the patio and take advantage of the nice breeze and late afternoon sunlight. “Just a second,” she said to Nick. “Let me grab my note pad.”

  “Take your time,” he said.

  When she’d gotten comfortable on her favorite lounge chair with pad and pen in hand, she said, “I’m ready.”

  “Here we go. First, the Bartons. Sunny Barton was seen at the graduation. When the graduation was over, she attended a tea for the graduates and their families at the Pi Phi sorority house. That’s documented.”

  “Okay,” Kat said. “What about her husband?”

  “He has a rock-solid alibi as well. He was in Wichita, at one of his dealerships, so the Bartons are a dead end. There’s no way they had anything to do with the murder.”

  “What about the others?”

  “Mickey Cohen, the owner of the Topeka Tribune, was definitely in Topeka. It turns out he was at the Washburn University graduation, and after the ceremony was over, he was doing the same thing Chance Nelson was doing when he was murdered. He was writing an op-ed piece on the future of our country.”

  “But Topeka’s not that far from Lindsay,” Kat said. “He could have driven over here and then back to his office.”

  “He could have, Kat,” Nick said, “but he didn’t. He was overseeing the work of two interns at the paper and helping them write the op-ed. Both of them confirm that he never left Topeka. They were with him from the time of graduation until late in the evening. I’ve verified they went to the Dutch Goose Sports Bar in Topeka to have a few beers and celebrate their first story, so that means he’s also out of the picture.”

  “All right,” Kat said. She crossed his name off the list and once again was amazed at how quickly Nick could come up with all this information.

  “I do think there’s one name you better take a closer look at,” Nick said. “Jenna Stewart, the owner of Jenna’s Diner, that popular hangout for the college crowd. I can’t get an alibi for her, and it turns out she dated Chance before he met Ashlee. She and Ashlee are the same age and went to college at the same time. May be a little history there, me thinks.”

  “Yes, I heard they’d dated,” Kat said. “Ashlee even mentioned it. What do you mean, though, you can’t get an alibi?”

  “Just that. About an hour before the time of the murder she left the diner and said she had to go home and check on her daughter. The daughter’s quite young and had been running a fever before Jenna left for work that morning. She returned to Jenna’s diner about an hour after the murder. I can’t find anyone who saw her or knows anything about her whereabouts during that time.”

  “What about her daughter?” Kat asked.

  “She’s eighteen months old,” Nick explained, “so she’s not a credible witness.”

  Kat paused to think for a moment. “Well, she must have someone who watches the child while she’s at work. Is Jenna married?”

  “Not married, and no man on the scene,” Nick said. “From the information I got on her, she’s single. She does have a babysitter, but none of her neighbors know anything about the sitter. That’s about all I’ve got, Kat. I expect more on the other two in the morning.”

  “Thanks, Nick. I really appreciate it,” Kat said. “I can’t believe how fast you were able to get this information. You’ve given me a lot to think about. Thank you.”

  “You’re more than welcome,” Nick said. “I’ve got another case I need to do some work on, so I need to take off.”

  “I understand. Thanks again,” Kat said quickly, glad she wasn’t the one paying him for his time and skills. She made a mental note to include those services on Ashlee’s invoice.

  “Be sure and tell Blaine hi for me. I still haven’t gotten around to calling him, but I will,” Nick said.

  “I’ll tell him.”

  Kat’s time in the kitchen had resulted in the whole house smelling of mouth-watering freshly baked bread and lentil soup. She’d also managed to walk the dogs and write several hundred more words before she heard Blaine’s key turning the lock in the door. Given the circumstances, it had turned out to be a pretty productive day after all.

  She realized she’d left the doubl
e doors leading to the back yard open, and it was starting to get a little cool, so she called the dogs in, then closed the doors behind them. The dogs bounded down the hall to meet Blaine.

  “Hi sweetheart,” he said, coming into the kitchen and setting down his briefcase. Jazz and Rudy tagged along behind him. She loved it that his eyes still seemed to sparkle with joy whenever he first saw her. “It smells wonderful in here,” he said.

  He walked over, kissed her on the forehead and said, “I’m curious about your meeting with Ashlee. Did everything go alright?”

  “Somewhat,” she said, then rested her head against his chest. “Your brother has been very helpful and has given me a lot of information. I’m already doing some investigating.”

  “That sounds good,” Blaine said as he took off his tie.

  “How was your day?” Kat asked.

  “Fine,” he said. “Just the usual, but it’s left me starving. I don’t think I can really concentrate on anything else until I fill the hole that I have in my stomach. What is it that smells so incredibly good?”

  “You’re smelling creamy lentil soup and freshly made bread,” Kat said.

  “I can handle that. It sounds wonderful,” Blaine said.

  Kat began to ladle the soup into bowls. The butter and warm bread were already on the table.

  “I don’t know about you, but after my day, I could use a glass of wine,” Blaine said, opening the refrigerator. “How about a nice white wine to go with the soup? I think the wine police would approve of that pairing.”

  “Sounds good to me,” Kat said.

  Before long they were seated at the table, enjoying the fruits of Kat’s labor.

  “I think after that bowl of soup and two pieces of bread, I now have sufficient energy to find out what Nick had to say,” Blaine said.

  “Well, he said to say hi to you.”

  “That’s not quite what I meant,” Blaine said with a smile. “What did he have to say about Chance’s murder?”

  “Basically, the upshot was that I should keep an eye on Jenna Stewart. You know, the woman who owns Jenna’s, the diner that’s just off-campus. Ashlee nearly got the diner closed down after just a couple of pests were found in the kitchen by some food inspector. It wasn’t an infestation or anything, and the inspectors even said that what they found was pretty minor, but Ashlee blew it way out of proportion and apparently Jenna’s business has really fallen on hard times as a result.”

  “Okay,” Blaine said, “sounds like she definitely has a reason to hold a grudge.”

  “There’s a little history there too. Jenna had been seeing Chance when they were in in college. He chose Ashlee over her in the end. Perhaps it’s some sort of delayed revenge.”

  “I can sure see where Ashlee wouldn’t be her favorite person in the world,” said Blaine. “I rather doubt that Chance was, either. She very well might have seen it as a betrayal at the time, and the whole thing came back to haunt her when Ashlee’s report about the pests and bugs in the kitchen went on TV.”

  “Exactly. Though I’m not sure how much Chance’s interactions with Jenna and Ashlee back then overlapped, if you see what I mean.” Kat raised her eyebrows to emphasize her point.

  “That’s probably something you need to look into,” Blaine said.

  “I’ve pretty much decided to do just that.” Kat dipped another piece of bread into her soup and savored the taste as she bit into it. She made a mental note that she definitely needed to make the bread and the soup more often.

  “That had to have been quite a few years ago,” Blaine said. “How many years do you think it’s been since they were in college?”

  “I don’t know for certain,” Kat said. “Maybe about ten? I know Ashlee’s eight years older than Tyler, so that seems to be about right. It would be a long time to carry a grievance, though, wouldn’t it?”

  “I agree with what you said earlier. Maybe it was simmering under the surface, and the pest control situation brought it back into contention,” Blaine suggested.

  Kat nodded. “Could be.”

  “What’s next?”

  “I’m not sure. Nick’s going to get back to me in the morning with more information,” Kat said. “I need to go over to Ashlee’s again tomorrow. I want to see if Lacie’s all right. She may need to go to the sorority house and pick up some more of her clothes, and I want to ask Ashlee if she’s come up with any more information for me. I’m having a hard time believing that Ashlee hasn’t made a lot more enemies over the years than the list she gave me.” She raised an eyebrow at her husband. “I want to make sure my list includes everyone.”

  Blaine nodded and smiled at her over his soup bowl, a smile that let her know he was exceptionally proud of her. That warmed her even more than the soup.

  CHAPTER nineteen

  Kat had been so inspired by the success of her slow-cooked lentil soup she decided to make a breakfast casserole for the next morning. Since Blaine loved Mexican food, she decided to try a recipe she’d had in her kitchen drawer for a couple of months, a huevos rancheros casserole. When she started assembling the salsa, cheddar cheese, scallions, tortillas, and sour cream, she knew she had a winner. The next morning, she and Blaine both enjoyed it immensely.

  “I’ve just become a convert to the slow cooker and make ahead breakfast dishes,” Blaine said. “This is absolutely delicious.”

  “Thank you, sweetie,” Kat said. “I agree. Think I need to look up some more recipes for both.”

  When they’d finished breakfast, Blaine took Jazz and Rudy for a quick walk, while Kat drove to Ashlee’s house.

  When she got there, Ashlee opened the door. She looked a lot better than she had the previous day. She was dressed, makeup on, and her lustrous blonde hair was brushed. Unfortunately, though, she had that look in her eyes that Kat knew meant she was going to be just as difficult to deal with as ever.

  “Good morning, Kat,” Ashlee said. “You’re here early.”

  “Yes,” Kat said with a smile. “I’ve got a few things to do today, and I was wondering if Lacie wanted to go over to the sorority house at some point, to pack up some of her things and get some clothes.”

  Ashlee led her into the kitchen. “Probably not. Tyler took her yesterday.”

  Tyler and Lacie were both in the kitchen eating Greek yogurt with fresh fruit. They, too, looked a lot better.

  “Mornin’, Mom,” Lacie said with a smile, looking much more like her old self.

  “Good morning, Ms. Denham,” Tyler said.

  Kat waved at them. “You don’t have to be so formal, Tyler,” she said. “Please, call me Kat.” She chuckled. “Everyone else does.”

  “He can’t help it, mom. He’s so polite,” Lacie said with a smile as she rolled her eyes.

  “Kat, let me get you a cup of coffee,” Tyler said, then he smiled. “With cream and sugar.”

  “That would be wonderful,” Kat said. “Ashlee told me you’ve packed up most of the things that were in your room at the sorority.”

  “Yep,” Lacie said. “I can’t wait to move into my new place.”

  “What are you doing for the summer?” Ashlee asked. She was sitting on a stool at the kitchen island, sipping on a cup of coffee. Kat was surprised that she asked the question. Her impression had been that Ashlee was so self-centered, she could care less what anyone else was doing.

  “I’m going to intern at a child psychology clinic,” Lacie said, smiling. She bubbled with excitement just thinking about it. She gave Kat’s hand a quick squeeze.

  Kat knew that was a ‘thank you’. Kat was paying for the apartment and graduate school. Greg, Lacie’s father, would have wanted her to, and besides, Lacie was so responsible and grateful for anything Kat did for her, that Kat was happy to do it. Besides, it would be the first time Lacie would live independently, and Kat knew it was time for her to have her freedom. Blaine and Kat had become quite comfortable and somewhat set in their ways, so there was no need to disrupt their routine.

&
nbsp; “Oh,” Kat said, feeling her pocket tingle. “My phone’s vibrating. Just a second.” She looked at the screen and saw that it was Nick. “I’ll be right back. This is important.” She walked out of the kitchen and into the hallway.

  “Good morning, Kat,” Nick said. “I’ve got some more information for you. I’ll have to be quick, since I’m just about to go into a meeting.”

  “No problem, Nick, fire away.”

  “I’ll do Luke Morrison first. He got out of prison a few weeks ago, but I can’t find out very much about him. Apparently, he was staying with his mother in a rough area of town, but he’s not there now. I did find one thing out about him that I find interesting. He became quite religious or spiritual while he was in prison and became somewhat of a counselor to the other men there. From what I learned, he was a model prisoner.”