Murder By Duplicity

by B. T. Lord

  He passed his hand over his brow. “You’re right. I was stupid. I don’t know what I was thinking.”

  “This could compromise the entire investigation. What are people going to say when they find out the person who tried to assault George is now investigating his murder?”

  “Not many people knew about it. Peabody didn’t say anything and Lucy and I sure weren’t going to.”

  “Zee knew.”

  Rick clicked his tongue in mild disgust. “Zee is like a damned crystal ball. He knows everything.”

  She sat down. “So tell me now what happened.”

  “I’d been dating Lucy for about two weeks when I went over to the bakery and found her in tears. She showed me the letter she’d received from the IRS – they were freezing her bank accounts in order to pay off this huge lien. She told me this wasn’t the first letter she’d gotten from the IRS regarding the bill she owed. She always brought the letters to George who said it was a misunderstanding with the IRS and he’d take care of it. Of course he never did. So now the IRS is freezing her assets. When she went to see George, he hemmed and hawed and told her once again he’d take care of it. By this time, she’d lost all hope. I went down to his office and confronted him. We yelled at each other, calling each other every name in the book. I think we even invented some new ones.”

  “Did you actually hit him?”

  “I started to. I wanted to. I actually had my arm back, ready to smash my fist into his face, but at the last minute, I pulled back. I knew I wanted to become a police officer and I didn’t want an assault charge to ruin my chances of getting into the academy. I also knew that if I hit him, I was no better than he was. I told him if he were smart, he’d get out of Twin Ponds before someone did to him what I didn’t do.”

  “And that was it?”

  “That was it, I swear.”

  “How long after your confrontation did he leave town?”

  “About five weeks later.” He paused, then glanced at her from beneath his brow. “I’m sorry, Cam. I see now I should have said something. I swear that will never happen again.”

  “Why? Have you assaulted anyone else in town?”

  “Heck, no. I’m a lover, not a fighter.”

  “If it leaks out that you had a potentially violent confrontation with George, I’m going to have to pull you from the case. In the meantime, see if you can track down your ex-girlfriend. I’d like to ask her some questions.”

  “You think Lucy killed him?”

  “She had the perfect motive, didn’t she?”

  “She wouldn’t hurt a flea! It wasn’t in her to hurt, much less kill George.”

  “Maybe not. Then again, she lost the bakery. That would certainly make anyone act in ways they may not ordinarily act in.”

  “I just can’t see her doing it,” Rick persisted.

  “Come on. How well can you get to know someone in two weeks?”

  “Actually, she was one of my longest relationships.”

  Cammie couldn’t hide her surprise. “Really?”

  “That’s right. We lasted an entire month.”

  She rolled her eyes, then asked, “Did you find out anything on Margo?”

  Rick inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. Her question showed she’d forgiven him – at least for now - and moved on to familiar territory. “Evelyn was right. Family was wealthy. Her father was a surgeon, and her mother was a classical pianist who played with the Augusta Philharmonic Orchestra. She was a late in life baby so she didn’t have any siblings. They both died in an airplane crash just after Margo and George got married.”

  “When was that?”

  “They got hitched in May of 2003. Her parents went up in flames in July of that year. Now you’re going to find this next bit interesting. When I looked into George’s background, I saw that he was way out of her league when it came to financial worth. He too was an only child; his parents died when he was in his twenties, both from cancer. He worked as a high school math teacher until he met Margo. He left the school and began work in a public accounting firm. I managed to get his employment records. They show he was a good employee, received decent raises, but nothing spectacular. It wasn’t until he opened up his accounting business here in Twin Ponds that he started earning in the six figures.”

  “Which it seems he may have been gambling away on the internet. I’m curious as to why a woman who came from wealth would settle for a high school math teacher.”

  “Love?” Rick ventured to ask.

  “Does Margo strike you as the romantic type?” Cammie stood up. “I think enough time has passed for Mrs. Peabody to have calmed down enough for another round of questions. I’m going to pay her a visit.”

  “Want me to go with you?”

  She threw him a look. “I’m sure she’d love to talk to me with the man who threatened to beat up her husband standing right beside me.”

  “Oh yeah, right.”

  “Just try to find Lucy Perez before I get back.”

  After she’d left, Rick remained seated in her office. He knew he should have said something. Yet why hadn’t he? Why couldn’t he have just come clean about what happened all those years ago? Was it because he was still ashamed whenever he thought back to how easily he’d lost his temper? That for the first and only time in his life, he’d known what it was like to want to kill someone? Because in that moment, standing in George’s office, seeing the look on his face that told Rick he didn’t give a shit over what he’d done to Lucy, he’d wanted nothing more than to punch George and keep punching until he was dead.

  Rick shivered at the memory.

  And shivered again when he considered what Cammie was going to do if she found out about the additional piece of information he was now holding onto. His career in the Twin Ponds Sheriff Department would be as dead as George was.

  Making sure he was alone, he took out his cell and made a phone call. “We’ve got to talk. Now,” he said when the call was answered.

  Margo lived in one of the larger, more striking Victorian homes in a neighborhood of Victorian homes. She was at the end of the street, with almost two acres of manicured lawn surrounding her home. It was beautifully landscaped and immaculately maintained, courtesy, Cammie now knew, of Bill Barnes’ generosity.

  She rang the doorbell and waited. A few moments later, the door opened and Margo stood there.

  She was dressed in dark slacks and a light beige top. Her hair and make-up were done up perfectly. It was the bags under her eyes and the drawn expression on her face, however, that made it obvious she hadn’t been sleeping well since discovering her husband was dead.

  Was it grief that was keeping her up? Or guilt?

  “I’m sorry to bother you, but I was hoping I could ask you a few questions.”

  Margo nodded wordlessly and stepped aside to allow Cammie to enter.

  She found herself in a lushly carpeted foyer with an antique credenza that ran along the wall. To the right was a set of stairs that led upstairs to the bedrooms.

  “We can talk in the living room,” Margo replied in a toneless voice as she turned to the left, through a set of glass doors into the large living room. The furniture was plush and inviting, with two sofas facing each other in front of a stone fireplace. Margo sat down on one sofa, while Cammie sat opposite her on the other.

  “Would you care for some coffee?” Cammie shook her head. A moment later, a fluffy white cat meandered into the room and rubbed itself against Cammie’s legs. She noticed its front right leg was shaved as it purred against her.

  “What a beautiful cat,” she said as she looked down at the animal. “I’m sorry sweetie, but I can’t pet you.” She looked up at Margo. “I’m allergic to cats.”

  “She belongs to a neighbor, though for some unknown reason, she seems to prefer to spend her afternoons here.” Margo stood up, gently picked up the cat and put her outside in the hallway. After sliding the doors closed, she returned to the sofa where she sat with her ankles crossed an
d her hands folded in her lap.

  “You’ve got a lovely home,” Cammie said as her gaze took in the room, resting on the paintings and antiques strategically placed for the greatest effect. Her relationship with Doc had taught her the difference between imitation art and the real thing. These were definitely the expensive and highly valued real deal. Had these once belonged to her parents? Or were they bought with Bill’s money?

  The sheriff glanced at Margo and noticed that despite her usual outward appearance of professional detachment, she was wary and on her guard. And determined not to say the wrong thing. She sat back on the sofa with an air of casual curiosity. “How did you meet George?”

  “He was an avid concert goer. My mother played the piano for the Augusta Philharmonic so, as you can imagine, I spent many afternoons and evenings there. He had season tickets and we found ourselves seated next to each other for several concerts. We began to chit chat and soon we were having dinner after the concerts.” She closed her eyes for a moment and wistfully smiled. “We fell in love over Beethoven’s Piano Concerto Number 5 in E Flat Major.”

  “Ah, the Emperor Concerto.” Margo snapped opened her eyes and gave Cammie a surprised look. It was the same look Doc used to give her whenever she said something that proved she was well read and intellectually curious, despite her humble beginnings. Now he knew better. Margo obviously didn’t.

  “Ludwig and I go way back,” she smiled. “Twin Ponds is quite a way from Augusta. How did you end up here?”

  There was a slight pause before Margo answered. “We longed for a life away from the city. We loved to take off on weekends and drive around with no particular destination in mind. One day we stumbled onto Twin Ponds and we both felt this was the place for us. Our decision was helped by the fact there was no professional accountant in town which allowed George to open up his business.”

  “How well did his business do?”

  “Oh, he was quite successful almost from the very start. George was very meticulous. He spent hours and hours making sure everything was perfect for his clients.”

  “Then what happened with the tax returns of Lars Landry and Lucy Perez?”

  Margo sat up, her face flushed. “They were honest mistakes. George felt terrible about them.”

  “Yet Lucy lost her bakery.”

  “He tried his best to work out some sort of arrangement with the IRS, but they just wouldn’t listen. He was absolutely distraught. We were both humiliated by what happened.”

  “Margo, did George know about your affair with Bill?” The woman stared at Cammie, taken aback by the abrupt change in subject. It was a tactic Cammie had learned long ago and one which she liked to use to keep the person she was questioning off kilter. She watched as Margo’s hands tightened in her lap as anger flashed in her eyes.

  “How dare you imply that Mayor Barnes and I--”

  “As I already told Bill, the entire town knows you two are doing the – er – involved in a relationship. They’ve known about it for years.”

  She stared at Cammie for a long moment as if doubting what she was hearing. Cammie calmly met her gaze. “I have no idea,” she finally said.

  “When did your relationship with Bill begin?”

  “Is this really necessary?” she asked in a tight voice.

  “I’m afraid it is.”

  Margo gave an angry sigh. “About a year after we moved here. As I already told you, he and I worked on several committees together. We struck up a friendship which evolved into something deeper. I’d never planned to cheat on my husband, but the heart wants what it wants.”

  Especially when the heart leads to holding a lot of power in your hot, little hands.

  “Did George have a gambling problem?” Margo gave a start. Then reluctantly nodded. “Is that why you opened up another bank account under your maiden name? And is that why Bill has been quietly transferring money into that account for over ten years now?”

  Margo caught her breath. “How did you --?”

  “As part of this investigation, we have to look at everything.”

  For the first time, a look of fear quickly passed over her features before she covered it up with her usual, coolly professional façade.

  “I don’t know when it started, but it soon became obvious that George was running through our funds as though it were water. We were on the verge of bankruptcy. The only way I was able to sustain our lifestyle was through the generosity of Mayor Barnes. I’d had that account for years and decided to use it to keep those funds away from George.”

  “So he never knew about this bank account, or about the money you were getting from Bill?”

  “No.”

  So far Margo had been confirming everything her staff had been able to come up with. She decided to test it one more time. “You came from a wealthy family, Margo. They weren’t willing to help you out?”

  “My parents died just after George and I got married. They left me a trust fund which I used to buy this home, as well as set up George’s business here in Twin Ponds.”

  “Did that also include paying for the expensive suits and ties he liked to wear?”

  “If one is to be successful in business, they must look the part.”

  “Boy, you must have been pretty ticked off then. I mean, you do everything you can to help him out, including using your own trust fund to set him up and buy him fancy clothes, and he pays you back by gambling away every cent he made. Not to mention he could have ruined your reputation by screwing up the tax returns of two honest, hardworking people.”

  It took a moment for Margo to realize what the sheriff was saying. And why. Her face flushed a deep red. Just as she opened her mouth to protest, Cammie swiftly asked, “Did George have a cell phone?”

  She once again looked momentarily confused by Cammie’s sudden change in subject. “He did. We both did.”

  “We didn’t find a cell phone in the forest. Do you know if he took it with him when he left?”

  “He must have. I’ve never seen it around here.”

  “I’d like you to stop by the station when you get a chance. We recovered articles of clothing from the skeletal remains. We’d like you to identify those.”

  “Why? I already identified him through that photo you showed me.”

  “It’s standard procedure.” She paused, then asked, “I know you said your marriage was pretty much over by the time George left, but it still must have irked you somewhat. I mean, if word got out over what happened to Lars and Lucy, he was basically leaving you holding the bag.”

  Margo curled her hands into tight fists as she jumped to her feet. “I resent your implications, Sheriff Farnsworth. You came over here with the intention of tricking me into admitting I murdered my husband.”

  “Did you murder your husband?”

  She audibly gasped.

  At that moment, they heard a light tapping on the glass doors. Turning, they saw a short, overweight, middle-aged brunette woman standing there waving at them.

  “That’s my neighbor, Sally Nichols,” Margo replied with a hint of frustration in her voice.

  “Sounds like you don’t like her,” Cammie observed.

  “There’s truth to the saying that fences make good neighbors,” she said enigmatically as she went to slide open the door.

  “I hope I’m not interrupting anything. I noticed the front door was unlocked,” Sally chirped cheerfully, seemingly oblivious to the tension in the room. She held up a pie she had in her hands. “I know how upset you’ve been, Margo, so I made you a meat pie.”

  “That’s very kind of you, Sally,” Margo responded. “You know Sheriff Farnsworth, don’t you?”

  “I’ve seen you around town. I hope you’re here to tell Margo that you arrested the person who murdered her poor husband.”

  “The case is still under investigation.”

  “I just can’t imagine why anyone would want to kill George.”

  “Did you know George?”

  Sally
shook her head. “Oh no, I never met him. I moved to Twin Ponds after he and Margo divorced. But I’m sure he was a wonderful person.”

  Cammie knew she wasn’t going to get any more information from Margo that day. She forced a smile on her face as she stood up. “I’ll just let myself out. Thank you for your help, Margo. And we’ll see you at the station before the end of the week?”

  Her answer was a swift nod.

  As Cammie pulled away from the curb, she glanced back and saw the curtain move in the front window. She was sure Margo was probably throwing her arms around Sally for interrupting the interrogation. Well, no matter. She’d gotten what she came for. Watching Margo’s reactions to her questions, she was now convinced she was dealing with a cold, calculating woman who did nothing without carefully considering it from all angles.

  She had no solid proof, but she’d bet her badge that Margo knew and didn’t care about George’s gambling addiction. Nor did she care about his mishandling of Lars and Lucy’s tax returns. No, she didn’t care because she’d already gotten what she wanted. A man with power and wealth who had no problem keeping her in a lifestyle she’d become accustomed to.

  That left two questions Cammie still didn’t have an answer for. Just why did she marry George in the first place? And did she get rid of him when he was no longer useful?

  CHAPTER TEN

  Billy Davenport was late. And his mother was going to have a fit.

  The twelve year old boy pedaled his bike faster along the wooded path, glancing worriedly at the shadows around him. He usually didn’t take this way home. Although he’d never admit it to anyone, the forest here creeped him out. You never knew when a vampire, or a zombie, or one of those swamp monsters might be lurking behind a tree, ready to snatch a kid like him off his bicycle and devour him.

  He never should have allowed his friends to talk him into playing another round of Champions of the Galaxy. But he couldn’t help it. He was the leader in scoring and he had to maintain his superiority. Now it was getting dark, and he was stuck taking this short cut through the woods that would get him home sooner.