Murder By Duplicity

by B. T. Lord

  “Let Bill go and we can come to some sort of arrangement.”

  “What do you think I am? Stupid? You’re never going to let me walk out of here. Now, for the last time, put your weapons down or I pull the trigger. Hey, I’ll be Twin Ponds’ version of Lee Harvey Oswald.” He laughed, but there was no humor in his eyes. Only deadly intention.

  Cammie’s mind raced through a thousand possible scenarios that would save the mayor, but at the end, she was frustratingly helpless. If either she or Dave made a sudden move, Bill was dead. But if they gave up their weapons, she was certain Bill wouldn’t be the only one who would die.

  “Okay, sheriff. Time’s up. His blood is on your hands.”

  “No, wait!” she screamed.

  The next few moments would go down in the annals of Twin Ponds.

  As Cammie leapt onto the dais, she saw a flash of rust emerge from her right. Jim abruptly shrieked in pain and let go of Bill. Seizing the moment, the mayor had enough presence of mind to turn and shove Jim as hard as he could into the chairs, sending them both toppling over. As Jim fell backwards, the gun flew out of his hand and landed on the grass behind the dais.

  Cammie and Dave ran up to Jim with their weapons drawn.

  “Get it off me!” he yelled as he kicked at his ankle with his other foot.

  “Stop moving!” she ordered angrily as she swooped down and grabbed Augie, who was still clamped onto Jim’s ankle. Once she had the little dog securely under her arm, she turned to Jim. “You’re under arrest for the murder of George Peabody and Reginald Steepman, and for the attempted murder of William Barnes.”

  Augie added his two cents with a proud bark.

  It turned out Tom’s only injury was a mild concussion when Jim suddenly knocked him down and grabbed his revolver. Cammie asked Dave to stay with his colleague until Doc arrived.

  Bill offered to drive her and her handcuffed prisoner to HQ to avoid calling unwanted attention to themselves. However, word had spread of the incident, and she was embarrassed to hear the townspeople cheering both her and Augie as they parted to let the car pass.

  Bill remained silent throughout the short drive. He only spoke when he pulled up in front of HQ. “I need to get back.” He turned in his seat and gave Jim a scornful look. “No scumbag is going to ruin Logger-Palooza for the fine citizens of Twin Ponds.”

  Cammie unceremoniously yanked Jim out of the car and escorted him inside the red brick building. She was happy to see Rick sitting at his desk. Doc had finished bandaging him up and was now tying a sling around his neck to hold his arm in place. Emmy ran up and took Augie from Cammie’s grasp.

  “And to think I considered you family,” Rick growled as he struggled to stand up. He approached Jim and suddenly spat in his face. Jim coolly met Rick’s hard gaze and responded with a cruel, sarcastic grin.

  Cammie quickly hustled him into the back where he was booked and fingerprinted before being locked up in one of the cells. She returned to the foyer just in time to find Doc gone. A few moments later, Emmy’s mother burst in.

  “Oh my God, you found him!” she wailed as she rushed forward and grabbed Augie from her daughter’s hands. “I was on my way to hear the mayor give his speech when all these people started running past. Somebody bumped into me and I lost my grip on Augie. He jumped out of my arms and took off. I’ve been so frantic that I’d never find him again.” She immediately started smothering the little dog with kisses.

  “That little dog is a hero.” Cammie swiftly recounted what happened.

  “Looks like you’ll have to change your thinking about Augie,” Rick said, grimacing slightly against the pain as he sat back down at his desk. “That little poochie saved the day.”

  Cammie went up to the dog and added her own kiss to the top of his head. “Yes you did. You’ve definitely earned the title of mascot to this police station.”

  “This is certainly a Logger-Palooza for the record books,” Rick smiled.

  “And it isn’t over yet.”

  After ordering Rick to go home and rest, Cammie climbed into her Explorer and drove a few blocks to the neat row of Victorian houses. She walked up the pathway, past the profusion of flowers and rang the doorbell. A few moments later the door opened.

  “You’re under arrest for accessory to murder after the fact. You have the right to remain silent…”

  As Cammie recited her Miranda rights, Sally Nichols gasped, took a step backwards and fell onto the floor in a swoon.

  After locking up Sally, she’d just entered her office when Jace rushed in. He went up to her and enveloped her in his arms. “My God, I just heard what happened. Are you alright?”

  “I’m fine.” She pulled away and looked him up and down. “That was the outfit you didn’t want to tell me about?”

  Jace was dressed as a 19th century logger, with dark workpants, suspenders and a red bandana tied around his neck. What had her astonished was that beneath the suspenders, he was bare chested.

  He gave her a sheepish grin. “Yeah. The guys decided they were going to give the ladies an extra thrill during the parade this year.”

  She raised an amused eyebrow. “The ladies?”

  “Well, in my case, one particular lady.” He bent down and kissed her. “Now that I know you’re okay, I’d better get back to my parade float. The mayor has decided to go forward with Logger-Palooza, despite what happened today. And I hear he’s going to honor Augie by giving him a lifetime supply of free dog food for saving his life.” He nuzzled her ear. “Maybe later, you’ll let this big strong lumberjack escort you to the fireworks.”

  She laughed as she brushed back his bangs with her fingertips. “Only if afterwards, you let me play with your ax.”

  “I’m sure that can be arranged.”

  The next morning at breakfast, she told an enthralled Doc and Jace what had led to Jim and Sally’s arrest.

  “Sally Nichols is Jim’s mother. When her son murdered George and told her what he’d done, she felt compelled to move to Twin Ponds and change both her name and her looks. With the $50,000 Jim took from George after he killed him, she was able to buy the Victorian next door to Margo.”

  “Why?” Jace questioned.

  “She needed to make sure Jim would never be suspected of George’s murder if the bones were ever found. The only way to do that was to move here so she’d be able to act if anything came to light. She also wanted to keep an eye on Margo.”

  “You can’t blame her for being curious about her lover’s wife, once she found out he had a wife,” Doc replied.

  “I agree. As part of the pretense, she needed to keep her distance from Jim and Naomi so no one would suspect they were related. They worked out a plan where Jim was able to visit at least once or twice a month under the pretext of delivering packages to her home. Their charade was aided by the fact that Jim’s father is a full blooded Penobscot.”

  “And he looks just like his dad,” Jace added. She nodded.

  “But how did you know Sally was Jim’s mother?” Doc questioned.

  “Bill had a photograph taken of her ten years ago. She’s obviously dyed her hair and put on a ton of weight, but when I studied the photo carefully, I could just about make out the resemblance between Sally Nichols and the woman in the picture. My suspicions were confirmed by good old internet detective work. And cashing in a few favors with the Bangor Police Department.”

  “Doesn’t Jim have kids?” Jace asked. She nodded. “So she basically gave up being a part of, not only her son’s life, but her grandchildren’s lives in the interest of protecting him. I don’t know if that’s admirable or sad.”

  “How is Naomi taking the news?” Doc queried.

  “Not well. It must be shattering to discover that your husband of nine years is a murderer. But Rick has a huge family. They’ll help her and the kids get through this.”

  “What about Margo? She has to be upset that you wrongfully arrested her.”

  Cammie sighed. “She was released yes
terday after we arrested Jim and Sally. We had a good case against her, but we’ll just have to wait and see what she decides to do.”

  “You suspected something was wrong when Jim reported the assault. I saw it in your face when you were standing by the pig sty,” Doc replied.

  She nodded. “The area around the pig sty was wide open. It would have been difficult for anyone to sneak up on him, no matter how busy he was. I’m sure the pigs too would have let him know if someone was approaching. You heard the racket when you and Rick came up to me.”

  “So he basically injured himself and accused Margo of attacking him,” Doc said, shaking his head in amazement.

  “He must have heard about Forensics being at her home. He wanted to make sure that if they didn’t find anything, we’d still have cause to arrest her.” She clicked her tongue in disgust. “I can’t believe I missed the clues. They were staring me in the face the whole time, but I was too fixated on proving Margo and/or Bill guilty. I know better. Or I should anyway.”

  “What made you realize it was Jim?” Jace asked.

  “I was checking on the vendors Friday when I saw Jim making some deliveries. For the first time I saw his crippled hand. He’d been careful to keep it hidden in his pocket when we interviewed him the first time. And Rick didn’t think it important enough to bring it up.”

  “An error I’m sure he’s kicking himself over,” Doc smiled.

  “We’re both guilty of that. As I watched him bringing in packages to the various stores, I suddenly remembered Dr. Logan telling me that the day they had those two emergencies, he’d had to send the delivery man home. We have only one delivery man in Twin Ponds and that’s Jim. That confirmed he was at the clinic that day and had perfect access to the sux. Once I pulled up the weather report and saw it had been too cold for Jim to have fallen asleep in the woods, I knew he’d lied to me. I started going back over all the witness statements and realized that the white cat hair found on the back of Steepman’s chair had more than likely come from Pookie. Her fur would have gotten onto Jim’s clothes when he visited his mother. My suspicions that his disability would have prevented him from holding a hunting rifle turned out to be wrong. But it did point me in another direction.”

  “One that allowed you to catch the real killer.” Doc reached over and patted her hand. “Don’t beat yourself up. The important thing is that you finally figured it out and saved an innocent woman from going to prison.”

  “That may be true, but there’s still another victim in this whole wretched situation. And I can’t even imagine what he’s going through right now.”

  The log rolling competition was the last event scheduled for Logger-Palooza and it was a crowd favorite. People flocked to watch the contestants, dressed in their 19th century loggers outfits, jump two at a time atop huge logs and roll them in the waters of Waban Pond.

  Although this too was one of Cammie’s favorite events, one she rarely missed it, she opted instead to stroll along the upper end of Main Street later that morning. With the majority of the townspeople watching the log roll, the streets were fairly empty, giving her an opportunity to relax and enjoy the temperate weather.

  The sizzling heat had disappeared and there was already a hint of cool autumn breezes in the air. She stopped for a moment and took a deep, refreshing breath before letting it out slowly through her nose. She was standing next to the bank and it was then that she noticed a familiar sticker plastered to the red brick. Drawing closer, she saw the sticker still had the town logo depicting the two ponds with the tree in the center. However, the tiny wimpy looking dog had been replaced with what looked like a poodle on steroids, complete with bared teeth, a ferocious expression on his face and a t-shirt that read ‘Sheriff Dept. Mascot.’

  Cammie threw her head back and burst out in delightful laughter.

  While the sheriff was out making her rounds, Emmy was seated at her computer. She wasn’t supposed to be working today, but she’d had a feeling Rick would be there. Despite both Cammie and Doc’s orders that he stay home for a few days, he’d opted to come in, complaining that he’d be bored out of his mind if he stayed home. He was now seated at his desk, flipping through some paperwork with his good hand.

  Emmy, by nature, wasn’t a forceful woman. She definitely wasn’t the ‘in-your-face’ type of person. Studying the deputy who wore his arm in a sling and winced every time he moved, she debated long and hard over what she wanted to do. Finally, a saying Cammie was fond of saying drifted through her mind.

  Shoot, shit or dismount.

  She took a deep breath, let it out, and stood up. She strode over to Rick and tapped him on the shoulder. When he turned around to see what she wanted, she grabbed his face, bent over and kissed him as hard as she could. She then took a step back and waited.

  “Emmy…” he said with a hint of regret in his voice.

  Her heart was pounding furiously, but she forced herself not to give into her fear.

  “I’ve had feelings for you ever since I started working here three years ago. I know I’m not as pretty as all your girlfriends, and I’m definitely not as thin as they are. But I’m smart, I’m loyal, and you’ll never have to wonder if I care about you or not.”

  “I know.”

  “Then what is it, Rick? You took me to the Grandfather Tree so I wouldn’t miss out on seeing it. You invited me to go to Mark’s party with you. You risked your life to save mine a few months ago. Surely all of that means you must feel at least a little something for me.”

  “I do! It’s just that--”

  “Just what?”

  He rubbed his cheek with his hand. “I – I--” She crossed her arms against her chest and stared down at him, which only seemed to make him more nervous. “I don’t want to hurt you,” he finally muttered.

  “Because you’re a serial dater who’s afraid you can’t commit to me?”

  He looked at her in astonishment. “Yeah, pretty much,” he admitted.

  She bent down and kissed him again, more tenderly this time. “I know exactly who and what you are. If I’m willing to take a chance, maybe you should too. Let me worry about getting hurt or not getting hurt.” She straightened. “I’m not here to change you. Only you can change you. But I think you’re afraid of commitment because you don’t want to give your heart and have someone walk away with it. In fact, I’ll bet that’s what happened. And you’ve convinced yourself it’s going to happen again. But I’m not that kind of woman. So you think about what I said. Like the sheriff always says, this is a situation where it’s time to shoot, shit or dismount. I won’t wait forever, you know.”

  She walked back to her desk, grabbed her purse and headed towards the front door. “I’m off to see the log rolling competition.” She stood there and gazed at him.

  He looked into her eyes. He saw her love for him reflected back at him. He didn’t know what to say.

  So he said nothing.

  EPILOGUE

  Two weeks after the arrest of Jim Newton and Sally Nichols, life in Twin Ponds returned to normal. Summer was winding down and the Labor Day week-end was just around the corner. Everyone desperately held onto the last warm, sun-filled days before the chill of autumn turned into the harsh cold temperatures of winter.

  In another week, Cammie and Jace would finally be moving back into their cabin on Mkazawi Pond. The work was almost complete; all that was left was the installation of the new flooring.

  As the day drew closer for their departure, she noticed a quiet sadness envelope Doc as he realized he’d be alone again. Jace noticed it as well. They agreed between themselves to arrange having dinner with him at least twice a week. Not only would it ease his loneliness, it would allow them to continue to enjoy his superb culinary skills.

  Lars Landry won the pool of when Cammie would solve the case, beating Jace by just a week.

  “Don’t worry,” she laughed when he told her. “The reno didn’t cost as much as I thought it would. We have more than enough to take that
trip to Bar Harbor.”

  Jace smiled as he slipped his arm around her waist. “In that case, screw Bar Harbor. Let’s go to the Caribbean.”

  The rumor mill, which had died down upon the arrest of Jim and Sally, ramped up when it was discovered Margo had abruptly put her house on the market and left town without saying a word to anyone. Speculation wavered between the possibility that she’d met someone else, to the belief of some Twin Ponders that, despite Jim and Sally’s arrest, Margo was still somehow involved in her husband’s murder. They were convinced she’d left to avoid being arrested again.

  Then there was Bill.

  He hadn’t been seen in his office or around town since making his Logger-Palooza speech. Strange stories began to spring up that he was giving up the mayoral seat to spend the rest of his days in a monastery to contemplate the life he’d almost lost. Cheryle tried to reach him several times on the phone, but it was as though he’d dropped off the face of the earth.

  Cammie stayed away, giving him the space she thought he needed to work through the traumas of Margo and a near assassination. However, when days turned into weeks and there was still no sign of him, she knew she had to intervene.

  Once again, she cut through the woods and emerged into his back yard. Unlike her last visit, the back door was locked. However, she’d come prepared. Whipping out her pick, she had the door unlocked in no time and was soon standing in his kitchen. She wrinkled her nose as the stench of rotten food assailed her nostrils. Glancing at the sink, she saw it was piled high with unwashed dishes and decomposing remains of meals he obviously didn’t have the stomach to eat.

  Concerned over the uncharacteristic sloppiness, she went through the downstairs. There was no sign of him.

  Taking the stairs two at a time, she peeked inside his bedroom. Nothing. Tamping down the growing panic, she opened the door to the study where she breathed a sigh of relief, followed by a sigh of pity.

  Bill was lying on the couch, an empty bottle of Jack Daniels near his hand. He wore a stained velour sweat suit and reeked of booze and body odor. He hadn’t shaved in ages and his hair was plastered against his scalp. He was asleep, the room filled with the sounds of his loud, gurgling snoring. She knelt down beside him and gave his shoulder a hard shake.