Murder By Duplicity

by B. T. Lord

  Margo stared at Cammie for a long moment, then unexpectedly smiled. “Because I fell in love.”

  Cammie instantly knew she was lying. Disgusted at how she’d tricked Bill, and tired of her nonsense, she snapped, “Did you kill George Peabody?” Margo’s jaw dropped. “You obviously like money. I’ll bet you were expecting to see the investment you’d made in George’s business flow back to you. Instead, he was gambling away everything he earned. That is, except for the money he was using on the woman he was having an affair with. Is that why you killed him, Margo? Let’s face it. You’d gotten away with murdering Avery, and all you wanted from him was his money. George however was cheating on you. And it looked as though he’d only married you for your money. So you decided to get rid of him as well. You’d done it before. You could do it again.”

  Margo stared at her in dumbfounded astonishment. Then, in one swift movement, she stood up. “I want to speak to an attorney.”

  Cammie drove up the long driveway to Bill’s house. She got out of her vehicle and stood for a moment looking out over Waban Pond before going up to the front door and ringing the doorbell. A few moments later, Bill answered.

  “I have a few questions I need you to answer,” she said.

  They went into the living room where she produced the same picture with the design on the sledgehammer handle that she’d shown to Margo that morning. “Do you recognize this?” she asked.

  He took the photo and looked at it. “Yes. It’s similar to a set of woodworking tools Margo gave me after George left Twin Ponds.”

  “When you took the set, did you notice any tools missing?”

  “I knew the set Margo had purchased for him. and I noticed the sledgehammer was missing, but I chalked it up to George being careless with his tools.”

  “Do you still have these tools?”

  “They’re in my workshop.”

  “Can I see them?”

  “What is this all about?”

  “Just let me see them.”

  He sighed, then led her down to the basement where he had a large, fully equipped workshop. The walls were filled with all sorts of tools, meticulously hung up, as well as metal cabinets that contained all sizes of nails and screws. There was a large table saw, drill press, wood lathe and countless other pieces of equipment that left her in awe.

  “If Jace were to see all of this, he’d think he’d died and gone to heaven.”

  “My father and I used to make furniture together when I was young. It was one of my most pleasant memories growing up. Unfortunately, I don’t have the time or inclination anymore, so feel free to tell Jace that he’s welcome to come over anytime. Someone should make use of all this.”

  He led her over to where various woodworking tools and hammers were neatly hung in a row along the wall. “This is the set Margo gave me,” he pointed.

  Her heart skipped a beat when she noticed the exact same designs on the tools that were on the photograph.

  “Do you recall exactly when she gave you these tools?”

  Bill was about to reply when comprehension suddenly spread all over his face. “Dear God,” he whispered. “The missing sledgehammer is the murder weapon, isn’t it?”

  She didn’t respond. But she didn’t need to.

  Bill sat back on one of the workbenches. “I suppose it won’t do me any good to tell you that she gave me those tools about two weeks after George left Twin Ponds.”

  “You didn’t think it suspicious that she was giving away all his things so soon after his departure? As if she knew he was never coming back?”

  He obviously hadn’t because his face paled at her words. “I refuse to believe she had anything to do with his death,” he finally said. “Margo is the most honest, trustworthy woman I know.”

  If you only knew.

  Because Bill was still a viable suspect, she decided to keep the truth about Margo’s net worth quiet for now. However, seeing how much he trusted and loved a woman who had so shamelessly betrayed him, Cammie felt herself overcome with a deep sense of pity for him.

  A heaviness enveloped her that followed her all the way back to the office. It didn’t help that as she approached HQ from the Main Street entrance, she noticed someone had taped, on the building’s red brick exterior, a picture of a tiny cute toy poodle on the town emblem, between the depiction of the two ponds and a tree.

  Obviously word had gotten around town that Augie was the Sheriff’s Department mascot.

  “Great,” she muttered aloud to herself as she tore down the picture, stuffed it into her pocket and entered HQ. Emmy was on the phone, so she offered a desultory wave, walked back to her office, sat in her chair and stared at the victim board. Unfortunately, all she could think about was how devastated Bill was going to be when he found out the truth about Margo.

  Her relationship with Bill had always been filled with ups and downs. He might even be a murderer. Still, it didn’t dissipate the sorrow that shrouded her. Despite his faults, it was easy to see that he was truly in love with Margo. A love that had probably never been reciprocated. A love that never would have happened if he hadn’t been rich. Or mayor.

  Taking out her cell, she called Jace.

  “Hey, what’s up, babe?”

  “It’s close to five o’clock. I’m ready to call it a day.”

  “You okay? You sound – I don’t know.”

  “Depressed? Discouraged? Disgusted? Take your pick.”

  “Alrighty then,” Jace said. “I’m ready to go when you are.”

  “I’ll be there in a few.” She hung up and found Rick at her door. She half listened to him confirming what they’d all suspected – if anyone had visited Steepman, they’d done so completely under the radar.

  “Any luck cracking the black widow?” Rick asked as he watched Cammie shut down her computer for the night.

  “If you’re talking about Margo, she’s lawyering up.”

  “With all her millions, I’m sure she’ll get the best of the best. What about Bill?”

  She shared with him the events of her afternoon. “I’m going to ask Judge Drury to grant me a search warrant for both Margo and Bill’s homes.”

  “Bill is going to have a fit.” She made a face. “So that’s why you didn’t tell him about Margo’s millions?”

  “He hasn’t been ruled out as a suspect. I have to be careful about what I can and cannot share with him.”

  He noticed her dejected mood. “You can’t let it get you down, Cam. You weren’t the one who got those two together.”

  “I know. But it’s still not going to be easy seeing his reaction when he realizes how well she’s snookered him all these years.”

  She let herself out the back door, climbed into the Explorer, picked up Jace and was soon heading out of town towards Doc’s. Jace noticed her quiet, downcast mood. Respecting her silence, he reached out, took her hand and held it tightly all the way to Doc’s. He knew once they arrived, she’d open up and tell them what had her so down. Which is exactly what she did.

  After halfheartedly eating a filet mignon and baked potato dinner, she shared the events of the day with them.

  “Bill Barnes may be a pompous, know it all, but even he doesn’t deserve to find out he’s been used as a personal piggy bank all these years,” Doc replied as he took a sip of wine.

  “Does this mean you don’t think he’s guilty of killing George Peabody?” Jace asked.

  Cammie shook her head. “He’s not off the list, even though my gut says that if it’s between him and Margo, Margo wins hands down.”

  “Are you basing that on what she did to Bill?” Doc questioned.

  “No. I’ve been thinking about the way Steepman died. I’m not sure I picture Bill injecting sux into the victim’s neck.”

  “People are driven to do uncharacteristic things when they’re desperate,” Doc reminded her.

  “As for Margo, there’s just something about her. Besides the fact that she’s a fantastic liar. And an incredibly g
reedy bitch.” Cammie absently folded and unfolded her napkin. “There’s an underlying current to her. What she shows to the world is not who she really is.”

  “Aren’t we all guilty of that to some extent?” Doc asked.

  “Why? Are you not really gay?” Cammie teased.

  “This from a woman whose mascot is a tiny toy poodle. You do know how ridiculous that looks.”

  She sighed. “Yeah, I know. If it was a German Shepherd, a Doberman, or even a Mastiff, I could live with it. But a miniature toy poodle isn’t exactly the stuff of nightmares.”

  “Unless you’re an insect. Though I believe there are insects bigger than that dog of yours.”

  “Well, Augustus technically isn’t my dog.”

  Doc cocked an eyebrow. “Augustus?”

  She shrugged. “Makes him sound tough, doesn’t it?”

  Doc chuckled. “Have you reached any conclusions on how Steepman’s killer came to have the sux in their possession?”

  “Unfortunately, we’ve hit a dead end there.”

  Seeing the gloomy look return to her face, Jace put his hand over hers. “Tell you what. Put the case aside for tonight and chill out. We’ll watch a movie. If you don’t think about it, an answer may come to you.”

  “I say that’s an excellent suggestion,” Doc replied as he stood up from the table. “I have some paperwork to finish up in my study, so the living room and television are all yours.”

  After clearing the dining room table and washing the dishes, Cammie and Jace retired to the living room while Doc disappeared into his study. A moment later they heard the sounds of Maria Callas singing Puccini’s Tosca.

  “Quick, turn the TV on!” Cammie shrieked, as Jace dove for the remote.

  Neither were fans of opera, and they were just able to drown out the CD as Jace flipped through the channels. They finally settled on an old 1930s movie starring Bela Lugosi as a mad scientist.

  They cuddled up on the couch and listened to Bela’s distinctive accent competing with the crystal sounds of Maria Callas.

  The movie wasn’t all that captivating. In the interest of keeping Cammie’s mind occupied, Jace began to nibble on her neck. He then moved to her ear. She laughed and started to give herself over to the delicious feelings, knowing this was exactly what she needed to forget about Bill, Margo, George and Steepman. Just as Jace bent down to kiss her on the mouth, her gaze rested on the TV. There she watched Bela, working in his laboratory, transferring liquids from one test tube to another. Suddenly, a thought clicked into place and she abruptly sat up.

  “Holy shit!” she exclaimed.

  “Not exactly the reaction I was hoping for,” Jace muttered morosely.

  She jumped off the couch and hurried to Doc’s study where she knocked on the door. Before he could answer, she barged in.

  She found him at his desk, wearing his pink bunny slippers, going through a stack of files piled in front of him.

  “Doc, I think I may have figured out where the sux came from.”

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  “I thought you said you already checked with Dr. Logan, and he told you his supply of sux was accounted for,” Doc said as he and Cammie stood outside the veterinary clinic.

  “I did.”

  “So why did you drag me over here? Maria was just getting to my favorite aria.”

  “Because Bela Lugosi told me to.”

  He gave her a sharp look. At that moment, the door opened.

  Dr. Kyle Logan was a tall, distinguished gentleman with grey hair and a friendly, open manner. He lived in a large house behind his veterinary practice, and was surprised when Cammie called to tell him she was coming over.

  “You have me intrigued, Sheriff,” he said as he stepped aside and let Cammie and Doc inside the now closed clinic. “As I told you earlier, my vials of sux are all accounted for.”

  “I know that. Tell me, when was the last time you had to use sux?”

  “Two months ago when I had to intubate a horse.”

  “Did you use the entire vial?”

  “No, I did not.”

  “Do you still have it?”

  Logan looked at her for a long moment. “What exactly are you getting at?”

  “Is it possible that the sux was taken out of the vial and replaced with something else?”

  He frowned. “Just why are you so concerned about my supply of sux?”

  Cammie hesitated. “What I’m about to tell you is of a highly confidential nature and could compromise a homicide investigation if it gets out.”

  Logan raised a concerned eyebrow. “If you suspect sux from my office was used in a murder, then I insist you tell me the details. I will be discreet.”

  “We believe the sux was used to murder Reginald Steepman.”

  Logan sucked in his breath. “But I heard he died of a heart attack!” Cammie’s face told him he was wrong.

  “As far as we know, you’re the only person in Clarke County who has access to sux. Now we’re not accusing you or your staff of any wrongdoing,” she quickly added as Logan began to protest. “But the thought occurred to me that the sux in the opened vial could have been substituted for another similar looking liquid so it wouldn’t be missed.”

  “I don’t see how that’s possible. I keep that medication locked up. I’m the only one who has the key.”

  “Could you please indulge me? Doc has the equipment back at the Crypt to check the contents of the opened vial.”

  “Do it, Kyle, or there’ll be no living with her,” Doc said.

  Logan shrugged. “I think you’re wrong.”

  “I may be. But we won’t know until you look.”

  The vet reluctantly went into his lab and up to a white, glass paneled cabinet. Taking out his key chain, he unlocked the cabinet and withdrew a vial. He handed it to Doc, then locked up the cabinet again. “I insist on accompanying you,” he said.

  “By all means,” Doc replied.

  Logan followed the Explorer back to Doc’s house. They trooped into Doc’s lab and waited while he put the contents of the vial through various tests. Logan glanced about the Crypt and saw the skeleton still laid out on the table.

  “So that’s George Peabody,” he said.

  “Yes,” Cammie concurred. “Doc is releasing the remains tomorrow to his widow. Did you know him?”

  “Not personally. I tend to know people who own pets or livestock. But I do recall the election between him and Mayor Barnes. It was one for the history books.”

  “I heard it was acrimonious.”

  “Two opposing sides saying whatever needed to be said in order to win. Not much difference from what goes on in Washington.”

  Cammie smiled. “Who did you vote for?”

  “Actually I didn’t. I had a mare with a difficult birth, and I didn’t get done until long after the polls closed. But Barnes has done well by Twin Ponds. I can’t complain about his leadership.”

  They were interrupted when Doc called Logan over. “Take a look at that,” he said, pointing to his computer.

  Logan bent over and read the screen. He involuntarily took a step back. “My God,” he whispered.

  “You were right, Cammie,” Doc said. “The vial contains water.”

  “But how is that possible?” Logan asked rhetorically. “No one is allowed in our lab without authorization.”

  “I’ll need to interview your staff,” Cammie told Logan.

  “I can tell you right now they are not killers. Nor would they have any reason to murder Mr. Steepman. As far as I know, they don’t even know him.”

  “Nevertheless, I’ll still need to interview them. And I would prefer that you keep this information under your hat for now.”

  Shaken by the discovery, Logan took his leave. When he was gone, Doc gave Cammie an admiring look.

  “An excellent hypothesis that turned out to be true.”

  “It doesn’t tell me who substituted the sux, but at least we now know where it came from.”

&nb
sp; “Do you honestly think Logan’s staff is responsible?”

  “I won’t know until I interview them, but his receptionist is right out of high school, his two vet technicians grew up outside of Clarke County, and the new vet he hired six months ago came up from New Hampshire. As far as I know, they don’t have any ties to either George Peabody or Steepman. So do I think they killed Steepman? No. But perhaps they were responsible for getting the sux into the murderer’s hands.”

  “Illegal sale of drugs?”

  “You got it. As usual, one question gets answered while forty more pop up.”

  Doc clasped her on the shoulder. “I’m sure you’ll get your answers for your additional forty questions.”

  “I hope so. Now to get upstairs and finish up what Jace started.”

  “Do I want to know what that was?” he asked, his eyes twinkling mischievously.

  “No you do not. Good night.”

  “I’d say the same to you, but why be redundant?”

  As Cammie suspected, Logan’s staff reiterated what the vet had already told her. Only he had the key to the medicine cabinet, and it was only through him that the meds could be accessed. She was careful not to mention that the sux had been substituted; so far the manner of Steepman’s death had not leaked out. She meant to keep it that way. Instead, she said some medicine had been stolen and she was investigating whether it had come from the clinic. They were all emphatic that, unless Logan himself unlocked the cabinet, no one had access to it. They were also emphatic that he was very meticulous about making sure the cabinet was locked at all times.

  Yet someone had gotten in there and knew enough to exchange the sux with water. Why go through all the trouble? Why not just take a vial and be done with it?

  Cammie asked Emmy and Rick to do a background check on Logan’s staff, but nothing came up that would make her suspect they’d been responsible for either taking the sux, selling the sux, or injecting Steepman with it.

  Her frustration was amplified when Emmy informed her that the man who’d used his credit card to buy Steepman’s items was nowhere to be found.

  “His neighbors said they saw him packing up his car a few days after we spoke to him. They figured he was going away on vacation.”