100 Proof Murder

by Mary Ellis

  ‘I know, but at least I tried. What can I do for you?’

  ‘First of all, thanks for paving the way with Mr Broadhurst. Michael thoroughly enjoyed interviewing him yesterday. He was especially thrilled because he loves bourbon and loves horseracing.’

  ‘I’m glad I could help.’

  ‘Can I help you with your father’s funeral?’

  ‘That’s very sweet, but everything is done – the church service, the flowers, the organist, the catered luncheon. I even have my dress.’ A hitch in her voice revealed her raw emotions. ‘Whatever happens with the medical examiner won’t change anything on Saturday. I hope you and your partner can come.’

  ‘Of course we will.’ Without thinking, Jill answered for both of them.

  ‘Good. I know you have other distilleries and your time in Louisville is limited. Would you like to tour Parker Estate today? You’d have full access, as I said.’

  Jill’s mouth dropped to her chest. ‘According to your website, tours have been suspended until sometime next week.’

  ‘This won’t be a public tour. You’ll be on your own, but free to ask all the questions you want. Production was suspended yesterday and our employees given the day off with pay. The same will be true on Saturday, but production resumed today and will continue tomorrow since our company has obligations to meet.’ Alexis punctuated her sentence with a sigh.

  ‘I’m sure that’s how your father would have wanted it. But with everything you have to worry about, I don’t want you—’

  Alexis didn’t let her finish. ‘No, Jill, the arrangements have already been made. You can enter the distillery at entrance B, which is used by employees. The security guard has been briefed and knows you have carte blanche. He has a badge waiting for you.’

  Given carte blanche to research her story? This was another journalist’s dream-come-true. ‘Thanks, and if you need me for anything, just call.’

  ‘I will. Enjoy your tour.’

  When Alexis clicked off, Jill considered going upstairs to get Michael. But since she was uncertain how much Alexis would want videotaped, Jill hurried to the distillery alone, before the magical door closed before her eyes.

  Everything at the distillery was exactly how Alexis said it would be. The guard, who’d been expecting her, handed Jill a map and a VIP guest badge. Then he reiterated Alexis’s words precisely: ‘Feel free to wander anywhere you want and ask questions. If the employee you ask doesn’t feel knowledgeable enough to answer, he or she will direct you to someone who is. Whenever you’re hungry, follow the arrows to the cafeteria where your lunch will be on the house.’ With that, the guard tipped his hat and walked back to his wall of security monitors.

  Jill stepped into a corner to study the map. Since starting at the beginning made the most sense, she headed to the room where workers ground the corn, rye and barley. Next, she watched the mash cooking in limestone well water, where it would then be mixed with malted barley and sour mash from a previous fermentation. This started fermentation in this particular batch. Jill moved from the area where huge tanks boiled the slurry mash twice, evaporating the water from the mash to give a smooth bourbon in preparation for aging in oak barrels.

  ‘What on earth are you doing here?’ a hostile voice demanded.

  Jill slowly turned to face Alexis’s mom. Rose Parker Scott wore track shoes instead of high heels with her business suit, her only concession to being inside the plant.

  ‘Hello, Mrs Scott. Alexis gave me permission to take a quick tour of the plant on my own, since public tours were cancelled,’ Jill added unnecessarily.

  Rose arched her neck and glared down her nose. ‘My daughter had no business doing that. Production facilities can be hazardous environments. That’s why only employees covered by our insurance are allowed in here.’ Rose yanked the VIP badge from Jill’s lapel. ‘I’ll have security escort you to the nearest exit.’

  ‘I beg your pardon, ma’am. I didn’t mean to create trouble for you or Alexis.’ Jill slipped her notebook into her tote.

  ‘If you truly mean that, Miss Curtis, you’ll stop butting your nose into our family’s business.’ With that, Rose turned on one heel, which didn’t work very well with sneakers, and stomped off.

  Jill had no choice but to the leave the plant and the red-faced security guard, wondering what the widow had to hide.

  FOUR

  When Nick awoke Thursday morning, he momentarily didn’t know where he was. Then he spotted the Star Wars poster on the wall. His mother’s house in Lorraine, two hours and a world away from Louisville. But for now, his responsibilities as a son needed to take precedent over everything else. At least the smell of coffee brewing and bacon frying got him out of bed and into the shower.

  ‘Good morning.’ Nick bussed his mother’s cheek with a kiss on his way to the coffeemaker.

  For a moment, Julie Harris looked confused. ‘I had forgotten you were upstairs.’ She laughed with good humor. ‘The bacon’s almost done. Do you still like your eggs over-easy?’

  ‘Sure do, but let me cook the eggs.’ He poured fresh milk into his coffee.

  ‘Where did that come from? I thought we were out.’

  ‘I picked it up when I was driving around Lorraine.’ Nick took out the toaster, along with the bread and butter. Unfortunately, the butter had been stored next to the bread in the pantry.

  ‘Did you run into any of your old friends?’ Julie carefully transferred the bacon onto paper napkins with tongs.

  ‘Nope. Everyone in town must go to bed early.’ Nick fried her egg in butter and his in bacon grease. ‘When did you last talk to my sisters, Ma?’

  ‘Oh, it’s been weeks,’ she said after a short ponder. ‘They must be busy with their kids. What are your plans for today? Will I have my favorite son for dinner again?’

  That jest never failed to make him smile. ‘You will. I thought I’d clip hedges, clean out your gutters, and pull out the dead plants in the garden.’

  Julie glanced up from the newspaper. ‘Didn’t your father do that at the end of summer?’

  Not knowing which summer she meant or even if she knew Dad was gone, Nick chose a simple answer. ‘He did not.’

  ‘Well, your father became very weak at the end.’

  She did remember his passing. ‘I’ll take care of it,’ he said, exhaling with relief. ‘And I’ll call a plumber about the disposal and have your furnace serviced.’ He slid her egg onto a plate like an adept chef.

  ‘Thank you, Nicky. I’m not used to taking care of those kinds of chores.’

  After breakfast Nick tackled one yardwork project after another, while his mother washed dishes. When he reached the Diaz side of the hedges, Carlos dragged over a chair to watch him work. Mr Diaz didn’t seem as concerned about Julie’s memory loss as Inez. Then again, maybe he wasn’t as observant as his wife.

  ‘Don’t worry,’ Carlos said, glancing at his watch. ‘I promise to be just as nosy as Inez in the future. We’ll make sure nothing happens to your mom. Your parents have been good neighbors for years.’ He pushed to his feet. ‘It’s time for lunch. Inez sets a ham sandwich and chips on the table every day.’

  Nick paused mid-cut. ‘Doesn’t she ever fix you anything else?’

  ‘She’d better not. I like ham.’ Carlos folded up his chair. ‘If you get bored, come over at seven and watch the ballgame with me. I have a six-pack of beer to share.’

  Nick watched him lumber back to house with sadness. Carlos used to play catch with him in the backyard. The man had gained at least fifty pounds since those days. When he finished the hedges and gutters, Nick called a plumber and an HVAC serviceman, instructing both contractors to contact the Diazes if they had trouble getting inside his mom’s house. After lunch, he took his mother to the grocery store and bank, then helped her put everything away in logical places. When his mother laid down for a nap, Nick spent his free time tracking down Jill’s new suspect, the irate bourbon competitor of William Scott. Hopefully the M.E. would confi
rm death by natural causes and put the mystery to rest.

  Nick found plenty of information about the lawsuit Dennis Donagal filed against Parker Estate in Jefferson County Circuit Court. The story appeared in the Louisville Courier Journal, along with several internet news outlets. According to business insiders, the lawsuit lacked credible evidence of propriety theft and appeared doomed from the start. One unnamed source went so far as to suggest Donagal simply wished to discredit William Scott, without any illusion of winning his case. In the highly competitive world of distilled spirits, image was everything. Yet damaging the competition’s bottom line didn’t necessarily boost your own. And with the passing of Parker’s master distiller, Donagal’s lawsuit might have had the opposite effect.

  Whether or not the court’s decision had angered the plaintive, Donagal couldn’t have murdered William Scott. According to his wife’s Instagram, he and his family had been on vacation in Tuscany for the past eight days, with numerous pictures to prove it. So unless Donegal had hired someone for the job while his family toured Italy’s hill towns, Alexis and Jill’s suspect number-one was off the hook.

  Although Jill might not be happy with the news, Nick couldn’t wait to talk to her. But first he needed to make the calls he’d been dreading – to his sisters. As he did most things in life, Nick tackled the list logically and called his oldest sister first.

  ‘What?’ Sarah exclaimed once Nick dispensed with niceties and described the situation. ‘It hasn’t been that long since I was home, Nicky. I saw nothing out of the ordinary.’

  ‘How long, exactly?’ he asked.

  ‘Three months,’ she answered after a short hesitation. ‘And there were no yellow Post-its all over the kitchen.’

  ‘Inez came up with that idea when Mom stopped paying her bills.’

  ‘Oh, no,’ Sarah moaned. ‘Last time I was there I asked if she needed help financially and she said no. I never thought she would forget to pay them.’

  ‘I checked her account and she has plenty of money, so I set up three utilities with auto-pay. I’ll take care of the water and sewer bills in person before I drive back to Louisville.’

  ‘That’s a great idea. I’ll check her bank balance each time I’m there. Is her checkbook still in the kitchen drawer by the stove?’

  Nick cleared his throat. ‘It is, but don’t you think it’s time to discuss the next steps?’ He could feel tension emanating from the phone.

  ‘What next steps? You said you caught up her yardwork and fixed the disposal and furnace.’

  ‘Her pantry and fridge were practically empty of food. I took her shopping and stocked up, but what about next week and the week after? I had to pour half a gallon of sour milk down the drain.’

  ‘That happens to everyone occasionally. Maybe I’ll talk to her about having groceries delivered and remind her about the sniff test for dairy products. She’s the one who taught me.’ A definite note of nostalgia laced Sarah’s words.

  ‘Maybe it’s time to discuss a durable power of attorney or have one of our names added to her back account.’ Nick sucked in a breath. ‘Or maybe we can look for assisted living near her church or, better yet, close to one of us.’

  One might have thought he’d suggested blasting Mom into outer space.

  ‘Give it a rest, Nicky! You just spotted some minor lapses in memory and you’re ready to stick Mom in an old people’s home?’

  ‘Mom is old and maybe she shouldn’t live alone.’ He tried to remain as non-confrontational as possible.

  His sister snorted like an angry bull. ‘This is the first any of us have heard about the problem. I’ll admit I haven’t visited as often as I should.’

  ‘Look, I’m guiltier than anyone on that count since I live the closest. But if we could just discuss—’

  ‘We can’t discuss anything until I see for myself. I’ll pack up the family on Saturday and we’ll be there by noon. Don’t tell Mom we’re coming,’ Sarah insisted. ‘I don’t want her to fuss. Plus I want to see the house realistically.’

  ‘Sounds good,’ Nick said, mildly relieved. ‘In the meantime, I’ll call Susan and Bobbie.’

  ‘No. I’ll call our sisters. You’ll only cause a panic.’ She paused for a moment. ‘I appreciate what you’ve taken care of with the furnace and plumber, but don’t do anything else without us coming to an agreement. Susan and Bobbie will probably want to see for themselves too. Understand?’

  He did. ‘OK, call me next week. In the meantime, I’ll ask Mr and Mrs Diaz to keep an eye on things.’

  ‘Fine, as long as they don’t upset Mom. Inez means well, but that woman is the definition of “nosy neighbor”.’

  The siblings hung up, leaving Nick bewildered. Denial was the last thing he’d expected from the eldest Harris daughter. But Sarah was right. He’d dropped this on her without warning, so she had every right to assess the situation for herself.

  With the first phone call made and relieved of duty regarding the other two, Nick emptied out his closet and bureau drawers. He made a small pile of items he would take back to Louisville, two large piles to bag for charity, and a fourth pile headed straight to the trash. He hung his high school letter jacket back in the closet to deal with another day.

  Downstairs he found his mother chopping celery in the kitchen, while potatoes simmered on the stove. ‘What can I help with?’ he asked.

  Julie turned around, her eyes sparkling. ‘I defrosted chicken drumsticks and thighs. Could you barbeque them on the grill like your father used to?’

  ‘Of course, I can. Anything else?’ Nick reached for a bottle of sauce from the pantry.

  ‘I can’t think of anything. We’ll have potato salad, sweetcorn and barbequed chicken. I defrosted both packages so there’ll be plenty of leftovers.’

  After a thorough cleaning, the gas grill was soon sizzling with chicken. Luckily, the tank still contained propane. The two of them ate dinner on the patio as memories of happier times drifted back to haunt them. Later, when the kitchen was clean and his mother was watching her favorite show, Nick settled in the old hammock to call Jill.

  ‘I’d been wondering when you’d call, Magic Man,’ Jill said the moment she picked up. ‘How did things go with your sisters?’

  ‘Fair to middlin’. I am to make no decisions regarding Mom until they can assess the situation for themselves.’

  ‘That makes sense. You four have hard choices to make.’ Jill spoke up as though she was in someplace noisy. ‘Did you have time to look into Dennis Donagal, Alexis’s suspect?’

  Nick noticed Jill didn’t call Donagal her suspect, which was a good sign. ‘I did, but one source in the media felt the lawsuit was nothing but a publicity stunt for his brand, while trying to discredit Parker Estate.’

  ‘Donagal might have killed Mr Scott when he lost the case.’

  ‘Photographs posted to social media show Dennis and his family in Europe the entire week. So most likely, you and Alexis can rule him out.’

  ‘He could have hired a hitman before leaving town,’ Jill said more to herself than him.

  ‘You said it seemed the guy had a heart attack. That doesn’t sound like a hitman’s standard MO.’

  ‘With your sisters demanding time to assess your mom, does this mean you can come home? I’ve missed you madly.’

  Nick laughed. ‘I have a few errands to run, then I’ll hit the road and be home tomorrow. How did you spend your day?’

  The noise in the background ratcheted up a level. ‘Ah, I’m sorta in the middle of something here. Could we catch up during your drive to Louisville?’

  ‘Sure, no problem.’

  ‘Sweet dreams, Trooper.’ Jill made a smooching sound and hung up, leaving Nick with nothing to do. Reluctantly he walked next door, where he watched a ballgame and drank two beers, while Carlos, his host, slept like a baby in his recliner.

  Funny how life works out, Jill thought. After getting kicked out of the distillery by Mrs Scott, she’d spent hours in her hotel room
, hoping that the man of her dreams would call. But he hadn’t. So she typed up everything she’d seen inside the plant, concentrating on what made the Parker Estate process different from the two distilleries she featured in Roseville, Founders Reserve and Black Creek. Then she brewed a fresh pot of coffee and studied everything she could find online about the distillery started by Alexis’s great-grandfather, Robert. Jill also made a list of questions to ask Alexis after the funeral, since not all information found on the internet could be trusted as accurate.

  While waiting for the call from Nick with an update on his family, along with a pledge of his undying love, Michael suggested they visit a famous hangout for bourbon-lovers and interview a few aficionados. Jill agreed, as long as Michael agreed to remain relatively sober. Even though they arrived by Uber, Jill stuck to Coke all evening, because she would be conducting interviews. Unfortunately locals were holding their annual dart competition in Jerry’s Bar and Grill that night, so the noise level ranged from general commotion to ear-splitting cacophony. Of course, that’s when Nick got around to calling her.

  Jill managed to hear most of the news about his mother and the fact his sisters were getting involved. But Nick’s conclusion that Dennis Donagal wasn’t a suspect seemed premature and careless. Why wouldn’t a potential murderer pay someone while he was out of the country? All those photos posted on Instagram seemed like orchestrating an alibi. At any rate, Jill chose not to argue the point while surrounded by twenty-somethings chugging beer and throwing darts. Besides, no point in arguing anything until the medical examiner amended the cause of death to homicide. Jill couldn’t wait until Nick was home tomorrow. Hopefully, they would have more important things to talk about than whoever killed William Scott … if someone actually did.

  Jill returned to her partner and the raucous festivities inside Jerry’s. People loved talking about their favorites and everyone had strong opinions about the best bourbon. Price seemed no object to some young professionals who bought rounds for their friends in the forty-dollar-per-shot range. Whatever happened to dollar draught night like her college days?