The Body in the Gravel

by Judi Lynn

  “Yup, I’m just finishing my section of gutter. The guys have finished one side, and we’re going to tackle the rest tomorrow.”

  “Are they quitting for the day when you leave?”

  Jazzi looked down and watched Ansel and Jerod carrying shutters and flower boxes from the garage. “No, they’re going to work on other stuff before they call it quits. They go out tonight, too.”

  “I’m wrapping up paperwork here,” Gaff told her. “I’ll see you soon.”

  She started down her ladder and helped the guys rake until Gaff pulled to the curb. When she slid onto the passenger seat, she wrinkled her nose. “It smells like Coney dogs in here.”

  “I picked up some for a working lunch,” Gaff said. “Ate at my desk.”

  There was something about their local hot dog joint. When you transported the food, the aroma made you drool the entire time you were driving, and it lingered. She wasn’t even hungry, and it made her crave one.

  Gaff turned onto Fairfield, and they passed the big church on the corner. It was a short distance to Baer Field Thruway. On the drive to Walker’s place, Jazzi admired the trees that had changed. She smiled. Walker might not think of Darby’s house as home yet, but in her mind, he’d already put his stamp on the company.

  A crimson maple and a row of burning bushes set off the house’s yard with vibrant reds. Gaff drove past the tri-level to the outbuildings in the back. Three pickups were parked in a row near the door. It must be a badge of validation for a cement driver to own a pickup. But then Jazzi laughed at herself. She drove one, too.

  She was still smiling when she followed Gaff into Walker’s office. The smile dropped when she saw Walker struggling to hold Colin. Earl pulled on Andy to get the two men away from each other. When they saw Gaff, they tried to look calm, as if nothing had happened.

  “What’s the problem?” Gaff reached for his notepad.

  Andy slumped, and Earl tugged him toward a chair at the conference table. Colin yanked himself free from Walker and stomped to the far side of the table, as far from Andy as he could get. Earl and Walker settled next to them, leaving Gaff and Jazzi to sit at the head of the table.

  Gaff repeated his question. “Explain yourselves, or I’ll ask Walker and Earl their versions.”

  Colin pointed at Andy. “The crybaby tried to get me fired.”

  Andy pushed to his feet. “All I did was tell Walker I saw a shovel with blood on its blade in your locker. I don’t think you put it there. You’re not that stupid. You’d have thrown it in a river or gotten rid of it. But I think it’s the murder weapon, and I thought the detective would want to take it for evidence.”

  Colin narrowed his eyes, studying Andy. “You didn’t accuse me of murdering Darby?”

  “If you’d have let me explain, you’d have known that. All you heard was me telling Walker I saw the shovel there, and you tackled me.”

  Colin pressed his lips together in a tight line, swallowing hard. “All my life, I got in trouble for things I didn’t do. My parents, my teachers…when I told them it wasn’t me…they’d never listen. I got in enough trouble that eventually everyone pointed at me whenever anything went wrong. I guess it made me jump to conclusions.”

  Andy visibly relaxed. “Yeah, I get that. There was a kid in my class who was always standing in the hall or going to the principal’s office. One time, he went for something I did, but I didn’t have the guts to confess to it. I let him take the rap. I’ve felt bad about that ever since.”

  That didn’t surprise Jazzi. She’d believed Andy when he told them he couldn’t kill someone. It would eat at him so much, he’d mess up and get caught.

  Walker looked from one of them to the other. “Are you guys cool now?”

  They both nodded.

  “Then let’s go look at this shovel.” Walker stood to lead them to the locker. It was like the ones Jazzi used in high school, long and narrow, with a combination lock.

  Gaff frowned. “Who else would know the numbers to open this besides you?”

  Instead of answering, Colin banged his fist on the door and pulled it open. “I never use the lock. These were made cheap enough, it would be pointless.”

  They all looked inside at a shovel propped against the back. The hook for a jacket or coat was empty, giving them a full view of it. Jazzi stared at the blade with dried blood on it.

  “When did you first see this?” Gaff asked Colin.

  “I didn’t use my locker today. I left my jacket in my pickup and just wore my flannel shirt. It kept me warm enough. I didn’t open it until it was time to meet with Walker. My throat felt scratchy, and I keep hard candy on the top shelf.”

  Gaff studied the room they were in—a hallway with lockers on both sides that led from Walker’s office to the garage. “I’m guessing you keep all of the buildings’ doors locked when you leave for the day.”

  Walker nodded. “And I keep the keys in the house.”

  “How many sets do you have?”

  “Each driver has a set, in case they come in early to make a run. I have a set, so does Bea. Dad’s set is missing.”

  Gaff made a note. “Did your dad keep his keys in the house, too?”

  Walker shook his head. “Dad carried his with him. He had this big key ring with so many keys on it, I didn’t know what they all were for.”

  “So, in theory, if someone took your dad’s keys, he’d have access to everything on the property.”

  “Pretty much.” Walker glanced at the shovel again, then looked away. “You’re going to take that with you, aren’t you? It sort of creeps me out that Dad’s blood is dried on it.”

  “I’ll get some gloves, try to wrap it, and load it in my car.” Gaff tucked the notepad back in his pocket. “After I do that, I’d still like to talk to each one of you again. I have missing pieces, and one of you might know something you don’t consider important, but it is. Earl, I’ll start with you.”

  Earl nodded glumly, and Walker told the others, “While we wait our turn, let’s go up to the house and sit on the patio. I bought a bunch of donuts this morning. It’s afternoon, but they’ll still taste good.”

  They followed him while Gaff went to get his gloves and load the shovel in his car trunk. Jazzi and Earl walked to the office and poured themselves cups of coffee while they waited. Jazzi took a sip of hers and slapped her hand over her mouth.

  Earl grinned. “This time of day, it tastes more like sludge, but at least it’s wet.”

  She pushed her cup away. She didn’t think she’d ever be thirsty enough to swallow more of that.

  Gaff entered the room and took his usual chair. He nodded at Earl. “Let’s get to it.”

  Chapter 31

  Jazzi watched Earl clasp his hands in front of him. He looked more nervous every time Gaff questioned him. Gaff studied him, obviously noticing, too.

  “Is there something you want to tell me?” Gaff asked.

  Earl opened his mouth to talk. No noise came out. He cleared his throat and tried again. “I didn’t tell you about Bea and me because I didn’t want Bea involved in this mess.”

  “But she is involved.” Gaff clicked and unclicked his pen and kept doing it. It was annoying. Jazzi wondered if he was doing it on purpose to put Earl on edge. “She worked for Darby, and he assaulted her on the day he died.”

  Earl leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. “Bea didn’t have anything to do with his death.”

  “Can you prove that? Did she spend the night with you?”

  “No, she wasn’t ready for that yet.”

  Jazzi zeroed in on the words wasn’t and yet. “Did you use the past tense on purpose? Have things changed?”

  Earl gave a nervous smile. “I hated seeing her so upset, knew it would kill me if anything happened to her, so I asked her to marry me. She said yes.”

  “Con
gratulations!”

  Gaff cleared his throat. “That’s great news and all, but let’s get back to the night Darby died. How long was Bea with you?”

  Earl hunched his shoulders, his moment of happiness bumped aside. “I took her out for a fancy dinner, asked her to marry me, and ordered a bottle of wine when she said yes. I didn’t want the evening to end, so I drove her to Foster Park, and we walked through the flower gardens. It was dark when I drove her back to her car.”

  Now Gaff leaned forward. “Where was her car? Here?”

  Lowering his head, Earl rubbed his hand over his eyes. “She parked it by the office in back, and I drove her there. Darby’s pickup wasn’t in the drive. The house was dark.”

  “What time was this?”

  “Close to nine. I knew he and Whiskers would be at the bar. I watched Bea get in her car and followed her out to the road.”

  “You never mentioned that you drove Bea back here that night.”

  “There was no reason to. Darby was gone.”

  “But he knew Bea’s car was still by the office. He knew she must have gone out with you. Maybe he called her later that night and made her so mad, she came back to have it out with him, just like Andy did.”

  Earl’s shoulders tensed. He gripped the edge of the table. “She wouldn’t do that! She knew he’d grab her again. She’d be alone. Who knows what Darby might do?”

  Gaff stared at him with steady regard. “She’d just told you she’d marry you. How far would you go to protect her?”

  “What? I wouldn’t kill a man. I’d do what I did before and punch him. I’m younger than Darby, stronger. I wouldn’t let him hurt Bea.”

  Gaff made a point of staring at a bruise on Earl’s temple. “Unless Darby used a weapon. Is that bruise where he hit you? Did he knock you down and go for Bea? Is that when you picked up the shovel and whacked him?”

  Earl gave him an odd look. “Do you lie awake at night making up stuff like that? If you have to know, my dog caused the bruise. He got so excited when I came home, when I bent to pet him, he rammed his head into mine. Brute’s big enough, I felt it. Left this.” He winced when he touched the spot.

  “Could Bea confirm that?”

  “How could she? She wasn’t there. After she got in her car, she drove home, and so did I.” Earl let out a frustrated breath. “Look. You’re making too much of Darby grabbing Bea. Yeah, it made me mad, but it was just Darby being stupid. He knew Bea didn’t want anything to do with him, but he had been acting more stupid than usual the last few months. Something was eating at him, and I think it was more than worrying about money.”

  “But you don’t know what it was?” Gaff turned a page in his notepad.

  “None of us did, but he got into arguments with all of us before he died. Wanted us to drive faster, work an extra job every day. Silly, because I saw his appointment book. He didn’t even know who he was sending where most days. He wasn’t as good at running the business as Walker, but he’d never been that bad.”

  “Was he mad at you when you drove off with Bea that night?”

  Earl’s expression grew thoughtful. “No, he looked sad. That’s the funny thing. He knew he’d made a mess of things, and he sat in the dirt and covered his face. I thought he was going to cry, but then he pushed to his feet and stalked to his pickup. We all knew he’d run to the bar. That’s where he drowned his problems.”

  Gaff stopped writing and frowned. “What was important enough to Darby to throw him off balance so much?”

  “Heck if I know. If a doctor told him he only had two weeks left to live, I don’t think it would have bothered him. He’d just drink and squabble with everyone until he dropped over. The most important person in his life walked out on him, and he didn’t go after Rose. He didn’t crawl on his knees and promise her he’d change. As long as he could sit at the bar and drink away his woes, he was okay.”

  Gaff dropped his pen, a look of frustration on his face. “That’s it for now. Will you send in Andy on your way out?”

  Earl didn’t tarry. He didn’t run, but he was out the door faster than usual.

  Gaff turned to her. “What do you think?”

  “I think Earl and Bea stopped worrying about Darby the minute she said yes. From then on, Bea would be driving home with Earl and staying there. Darby was on a downward spiral, but no one knows why.”

  With a reluctant nod, Gaff agreed.

  Chapter 32

  They had a minute between interviews, so Jazzi went to make a new pot of coffee. The aroma of a fresh brew filled the room when Andy stepped through the door to join them. He sniffed appreciatively and glanced at the pot. “Care if I get a cup?”

  “Bring me one, too, will you?” Gaff looked at Jazzi as she went to fill a mug for herself. Andy showed her where the guest cups were kept. Good, no Styrofoam.

  Drinks in hand, they settled at the table, and Gaff took a sip before he reached for his pen. “We already know what you did on the night Darby died. So let’s take a different tack. Who do you think killed your boss?”

  Andy set down his cup and blinked. “I can’t see any of us doing it. Darby drove us nuts, but we were used to him. I think it has to be someone new he met. He went to the bar almost every night, and I know he was looking for someone to replace Rose. He’d grabbed Bea, so maybe he grabbed someone else. Who knows? Maybe he even talked a woman into coming back to his house with him.”

  “But he wasn’t in the house when he died.”

  Andy shrugged. “Could be he told her he had to fill a truck and then they could spend the rest of the night together.”

  Jazzi couldn’t imagine any woman going home with Darby. With his wild hair and bantam-rooster strut, she’d run if he sat at her table. But the world was full of all types. Was there a woman out there who’d find Darby desirable? Maybe that was going too far. Was there a woman who could tolerate him for a night for free drinks and a roll in the sack? She wrinkled her nose and pushed the thought away.

  “Did Darby do anything else on a regular basis? Somewhere else we should check?”

  “Besides the bar? Not that I know of. He wasn’t a churchgoer. I guess he went to buy groceries once in a while. He didn’t go out to eat, usually nuked frozen dinners.” He scratched his chin, thinking. “He had a pretty small circle of people he got together with.”

  “Did he have a run-in with any customers lately? Someone who felt Darby had gypped him.”

  Andy finished his coffee and pushed the cup away. “You know, Colin was telling me about a guy who drove here, fuming, after Colin delivered a truckload of sand at his house. Guess the guy ordered pea gravel and told Darby he wouldn’t be home, so to just dump it beside his garage. Darby got the order wrong and swore that’s what the guy told him. When the guy said to send someone to take the sand back, Darby refused.”

  Gaff gave a low whistle. “So the customer ended up with a mountain of sand he didn’t want and none of the pea gravel he ordered? It would take forever to move that much sand.”

  Andy went for more coffee. “Colin said the man was hopping mad, and when he confronted Darby, Darby just egged him on.”

  “Why would he do that?” Jazzi didn’t see any reason to make a customer madder than he already was.

  Another shrug. “Because Darby liked watching people blow a gasket. He’d perfected the art.”

  Stupid, stupid man. Jazzi shook her head. “What happened with the customer?”

  “He left eventually, screaming that he was going to call the Better Business Bureau. Like Darby cared. And the guy knew it. It just got him more riled up. Colin thought he might punch Darby, but he looked over and saw him and stormed off.”

  Gaff sounded a little happier. They had a new lead. “Can you get me the name and information on the man? Walker probably has it in his books.”

  Andy nodded. “I’m telling you, you�
�re looking at us as suspects, but there are more people out there who could have lost their tempers and killed Darby.”

  Gaff didn’t argue. He laid down his pen and went to reheat his coffee. “I’ll ask around more. Maybe Darby started a fight in the bar, too. It might have been before the night he died.”

  Andy steepled his fingers, waiting for what came next.

  “I’m done for now,” Gaff said, returning to take his seat. “Will you send in Colin? And if you’d get the name and info for me, I’d appreciate it.”

  “Will do.” Andy rinsed his mug and left them.

  Gaff sat back and took a few sips of his drink. “What would you do if you got a delivery of sand you didn’t want and the guy you ordered it from wouldn’t move it for you?”

  Jazzi pursed her lips. They’d never had that happen, only worked with contractors they knew. But she knew her cousin. “Jerod would probably load it in our pickups and take it to the guy’s house and dump it in front of his garage doors.”

  Gaff laughed. “Then he’d have to move it if he ever wanted to park in his garage again.”

  “Exactly. It would be tit for tat. Jerod has an evil sense of humor.”

  “The punishment fits the crime.” Gaff looked thoughtful. “I wonder if that’s how someone felt about Darby and it got out of hand.”

  “He’d make sure of that.” Darby loved to stir the pot.

  Just then, Colin walked through the door and plopped into a chair. He put both elbows on the table and looked at Gaff. “Let’s get this over with. What do you want to know?”

  “Did you come back later the night Darby died?”

  Colin frowned. “Why would I do that? I saw enough of the old man every day.”

  “There wasn’t any unfinished business between you?”

  “I didn’t say that. He was threatening to dock my pay for a load of sand he sent me to deliver. He swore I got the order wrong and cost him a customer. The old fool. He messed up and was trying to blame it on me.”

  Gaff finished writing and looked up. “Andy said Darby and the customer went at it.”