A Dickens of a Crime

by Phyllis H Moore

“Our office is always looking for a reason to have a pot luck,” Crawford said. “However, we all recognize that having your eyes in the community and your willing spirit helped to solve this murder. I’m grateful for your tenacious attitude even though you made my heart skip a few times.”

  Meg noticed Tom wasn’t smiling and Crawford seemed a little reserved also. “What’s the matter? It’s bad news, isn’t it?”

  Tom looked at Crawford and smoothed his brow. Meg could tell he was hesitant to begin.

  “Just tell me straight, Tom. I can take whatever it is.”

  “I know you can, Meg. It’s just always a little sad when things turn out this way.” Tom leaned toward her, placing his hand on the desk and running his palm across the wood. “Sometimes people get used, and they fall into situations that go against their character through no fault of their own. I want to assure you that we’re going to try to manage this the best way we can.

  “Here’s the deal. Giselle was present in the room during the murder of Lena Hillard. Because she was there, she’s an eyewitness and very important to the prosecution of this case. We’ll keep her safe until she’s able to testify. However, the murderer she’ll be testifying against is Geneva.” Tom sat back and exhaled.

  “What? I didn’t expect that. I had a bad feeling and a suspicion, but for heaven’s sake.” Meg closed her eyes, turning her head to the ceiling.

  “We feel the same way. I’m not going to give you all the gory details, but this case is directly related to another one, and the older adults in this situation are the manipulators and major players.” Tom straightened in his chair, putting his hands on the arms. “Geneva’s been arrested. She turned herself in and has agreed to be a witness in the larger case. She’ll be able to enter a plea deal, and we’re willing to work with her. There’s been a long manipulation of these girls that started before their father even met Lena.”

  Tom shook his head, looking toward Crawford. “Wayne Landry’s been watching these girls for a long time. He identified them as vulnerable shortly after their mother’s suicide and has been grooming them to do the bidding of his group of thugs. We need the twins to continue to be cooperative to help us prosecute this organized crime ring. They’re the key now, and we can’t allow Wayne or Hal to get to them.

  “Something else Giselle said. According to her, Brian Hillard isn’t their biological father.”

  Crawford sat forward. “Tom, I’m sorry with all that’s been going on, I didn’t get a chance to mention that Meg’s known that for a while. She brought me evidence, photos of their birth certificates. Tom looked toward Meg, his brows raised.

  “Do they know who their father is?” Meg asked.

  Tom fidgeted. “Giselle has a story about her mother and Wayne Landry. Apparently the twins are convinced Wayne is their father, but since he was already married to Nell and Brian’s wife had left him, Brian had agreed to marry Mildred. Giselle says she and Geneva have known since they were very young that Brian wasn’t their father.

  “It’s true.” Meg closed her eyes. Wayne’s name is on the birth certificate. In my mind, that makes him a real special kind of jerk.

  “Yeah,” Tom agreed. It’s such a shame the girls were set up to kill the person who could’ve stopped all this.”

  Meg was overwhelmed by what Tom was saying. She couldn’t understand how anyone could be manipulated into committing murder. And, how could two young girls grow up in such convoluted relationships. It was mind boggling. “So Geneva used Lena’s scarf and strangled her?”

  Crawford nodded. “We were able to get a search warrant as a result of the photo you sent me. The scarf is in evidence now. We’ll have experts examine it, but it looks like a good match to me. The prosecutor asked if you’ll serve as a witness.”

  “I’m willing to do that,” Meg agreed. “But what were the girls doing at Darrow? What was Lena doing at Darrow?” She cocked her head, looking from Crawford to Tom and back.

  Crawford glanced toward Tom. “It gets complicated. The girls were frequently in town, though Brian had no idea of their comings and goings. They were beholden in many ways to Hal, who was assigned by Wayne and Nell to be the contact person for them. He supplied drugs, automobiles, clothing, a condo, anything they asked for.” Tom said.

  Crawford uncrossed her legs and sat forward in her chair. “When they were in their late teens and attending college, it was great for them. They even had an allowance. However, Giselle grew tired of the manipulation, especially when they were asked to introduce the adult males in Wayne’s circle to their college friends. One girl in their dorm had a nervous breakdown and dropped out of school. That was the tipping point for Giselle. It wasn’t fun after that, and she got scared.

  “Hal told Lena to have a chat with the girls to get them to straighten up and cooperate. Giselle didn’t like Lena, and it really ticked her off that Lena was trying to sway their behavior while she was having an affair with Hal. She also knew Lena was considering cooperating with the FBI.” Crawford took a sip of punch and threw the plastic cup in the waste basket. “Even though they knew Brian wasn’t their father, he was the closest male figure they had behaving anything close to a father.”

  “Yes, and the really sad part about that is that Giselle may have tipped Hal off about Lena agreeing to cooperate.” Tom added. “She’s conflicted about that. She thinks if she hadn’t mentioned it, Lena would still be alive and they would’ve been freed from Hal.

  “Sheesh. I guess I’ve lived a sheltered life. It never occurred to me that this happened to people in our town. I’d never really considered that church out there until all this came to light. So I don’t suppose you can tell me what these people were doing at Darrow on that day? That question really hasn’t been answered.” Meg said.

  “Because we consider you a key player in this investigation, we want to let you know what happened,” Crawford began. “Lena and Hal were into what we call ‘danger sex.’ They got some kind of rush from having sex in public places. I know it’s hard to believe, especially since they’re both married.”

  “Hal’s married? I would never have thought that.”

  “Yes, we’ve interviewed his wife. She seems to be a very nice person with five small children at home. She’s totally overwhelmed, much younger than he is, no driver’s license. It’s sad, really,” Crawford said. “She was apparently in the dark about everything Hal did. She was homebound with so many young children, and he seemed happy to have her there and not out with him. He’s in jail, by the way. We found some outstanding warrants from other jurisdictions. I’d like to include his children in the Blue Santa benefit. Talk about a sad situation.”

  “Never did like that guy,” Meg agreed. “I think I would believe anything derogatory you could say about him. He was at the top of my list as the murderer.”

  “In a way, you’re right, Meg,” Tom said. “He was the mastermind. We know he alerted the twins to show up at Darrow at the right time, knowing he and Lena would be there. He knew how upset the girls were with her, and he fed them bits of information to let them know she was taking advantage of Brian. They were livid, especially Geneva. Their family structure is so undefined, they have no idea where their loyalty lies.

  “Lena parked her Cadillac in the carriage house behind Darrow. That yard is secluded and wooded.” Tom stood and began pacing, glancing out the blinds on Crawford’s window. “She and Hal entered the house from the back. However, Giselle says Hal instructed her to come to the front of the house, and that the front gate would be left open for them. She thinks he wanted her to be seen. But they didn’t follow Hal’s instructions, driving to the back also, leaving Geneva’s car beside Lena’s.

  “Geneva went upstairs first. The twins had no plan except to catch Lena in the act and take photos to show Brian. Giselle was timid and slower to follow, so Geneva left her behind. Apparently when Geneva entered the bedroom, Lena was completely nude and straddling Hal.” Tom walked back to Crawford’s desk and sat down. “Gi
selle won’t say this in front of Geneva, but she suspected Geneva and Hal of having a relationship.”

  Meg closed her eyes and shook her head. She couldn’t imagine what that might be like. She listened as Tom continued.

  “Giselle heard the screaming from the bottom of the stairs and bounded up to find Geneva running across the room. She picked up Lena’s scarf from the floor, looped it around Lena’s neck and twisted until Lena fell limp. According to Giselle, Lena struggled, but she’s petite and Geneva’s tall and fit, and Lena’s hands were handcuffed behind her back. Giselle told us Hal didn’t budge and had a smirk on his face.”

  “That’s so disgusting,” Meg said. “I can’t imagine. Handcuffed?”

  “I agree,” Crawford replied. “The handcuffs were something Lena and Hal were into. They scurried around, picking up Lena’s clothing. Giselle said Hal pushed Lena’s body off him so he could get up. He was fully clothed—all he had to do was stand and pull up his zipper.” Crawford pursed her lips and ran her index finger around the face of her watch. “Hal took the handcuffs off Lena and put them in his pocket. Geneva was apparently in shock, only responding to commands from Hal. Giselle heard a truck pull up in front, Boughs to You delivering the arrangements for the evening tours. Hal stepped over Lena’s body to look out the window, and then they all hid in the closet and stayed there, until they heard the truck pull away.”

  “Oh my gosh, I was in that very closet not long after that,” Meg gasped.

  Crawford nodded. “Hal reportedly told them they were in big trouble and they would need to follow his instructions to the letter. He instructed Giselle to follow them in Geneva’s car knowing she would if he had Geneva in the Cadillac with him. Geneva drove the Cadillac at Hal’s insistence. We’ve confirmed his fingerprints are on the passenger side of the car and Geneva’s are on the steering wheel.”

  Meg twisted in the chair. “So they took Lena’s car to the Double Gates?”

  Tom nodded as Crawford continued. “Yes, once they were all in Geneva’s Volvo, Hal told them to drop him at his house and get themselves back to Dallas so they’d be there for their father’s call to notify them of their stepmother’s death. We’ve confirmed with two of Hal’s neighbors that a Volvo did indeed drop Hal off at his house on that date. It was easy for the neighbors to remember because of the snow earlier in the day. Everyone on the block had children out in front of their houses building snowmen, including Hal.”

  “I guess they left the house in a hurry and none of them thought to close the back door,” Meg stated.

  “It seems so. Giselle wasn’t aware the door was left open,” Tom said. “She said she went out ahead of Hal, and Geneva followed him. I assume Geneva might’ve been in a state of shock.”

  “That doesn’t explain my locket, or the fragrance that was so strong for me when I entered the house.”

  “I might be able to make a connection with the locket at least,” Tom told her.

  THIRTY-FOUR

  “LENA WANTED THE locket from my desk,” Tom said. “She had been pestering Hal, asking if he could get it for her. Hal finally told her he had it and would give it to her when they had their date at Darrow. Apparently he dropped it either when he entered the house, or later when he was leaving. He might have been concerned about his fingerprints being on it and it being found there.”

  “That’s a likely explanation,” Meg agreed. “I’m just glad to have it back. I cleaned it last night. It’s exactly like the one Dorie found on an antique jewelry site. It’s always been priceless to me, but now I know why Lena had her sights on it. I had dark thoughts that maybe someone was trying to set me up for the murder.”

  “That was my first thoughts too, but after talking with you, I just couldn’t put that together. It didn’t fit,” Crawford said.

  “What worries me is how will Hal be held responsible for his role in this situation?” Meg asked.

  “We have new complaints against Hal since the Miss Steampunk Pageant. Several parents are willing to file charges. The warrants from other jurisdictions are similar to these complaints, and a couple of them involve girls as young as fourteen,” Tom explained. “It’s not good for the foundation, but at least we can keep him detained.”

  “I hate to hear about anything like that, but I’m glad there are other reasons to keep him behind bars. By the way, I overheard a conversation yesterday.” Meg proceeded to tell Crawford and Tom about the possibility of evidence in the tractor shed at Wayne and Nell’s property.

  Tom sat forward in his seat, making notes on the tablet in front of him before breaking into a wide grin. “That may be just the thing we’ve been looking for to tie up that Tyler case. That’s the best news I’ve heard in a long time. If this works out, I might be able to take a vacation and move on to another location. Oh, and you should probably stay out of closets for a while.”

  “I hope it does clear up that case, but I’d miss you at the foundation. And trust me, I may not go in my own closet for a few days,” Meg said. She sat back in the chair. “Now, I have another question for you, Tom. When you left town for that time after Lena’s death, why did you leave your car with Hal?” Meg asked. “That’s never made sense to me.”

  “That’s a fair question. My car has a tracking device on it. We wanted to be able to verify Hal’s visits to the twins. It turns out that will be useful. I tried to befriend Hal, and I thought it would indicate my friendship if he was left in charge of something I cared for. It wasn’t easy to come up with anything we had in common, though he does like expensive cars.”

  “We found the paper license plates when we searched Hal’s car,” Crawford said. “I think he’s the one who followed you when you went to the Double Gates the second time.” She looked toward Tom. “That’s another thing I forgot to tell you about.”

  “That makes sense now,” Meg said. She crossed her legs, twisting in the chair. “Why in the world would Lena consent to a rendezvous on the very day Darrow House would be featured on a home tour?”

  Tom rubbed his finger across his chin. “That seems to be part of this ‘danger sex’ thing. I don’t understand it, but our profilers say their behavior fits the personality of people who participate in such things.”

  Meg held her hand to her mouth, looking at Tom over her reading glasses. “If they say so, I guess that’s a thing. It’s all new to me.” She waved her hand in the air. “Another thing I’ve wondered about, Tom. You called me when I got home from Darrow the night of the murder. You asked me what I was doing at home and if I was going to deal with the docents.” Meg lowered her chin and raised one brow. “I was flustered at the time and just wanted to get you off the phone, but when I thought about it later, I knew you were aware of what was going on. When I thought about that conversation, it made no sense to me. Why did you call?”

  Tom smiled. “I thought it was awkward too. I didn’t do a very good job of acting. The scenario was so odd: you being at Darrow to pick up a petticoat, you finding the body, the back door being left open, and so on. We didn’t want anyone to suspect my role, so I had to look as unaware as anyone else.” Tom shrugged. “I reasoned that it might look suspicious if I didn’t follow up with you, since you had a major role in coordinating the event. At that time, Detective Crawford and I really didn’t know if you could be involved in the murder or not. I was pretty sure, but not a 100 percent, so we decided I’d give you a follow-up call. I waited until after Crawford called you, but I should’ve written down my script. I know I stumbled and asked stupid questions. After I hung up, I was holding my head in my hands thinking I shouldn’t have called at all.”

  Meg smiled and shook her head. “I guess you did okay for an off-the-cuff situation like that. Don’t be too hard on yourself. It was just one of those things that kept me awake at night. Now, I for one, am glad the arrests have been made and there’s enough to follow up with Wayne Landry. I suspect there will be more than just the shed to look into over at the parsonage. I find it hard to believe tha
t the house and furnishings have been purchased with the tithes of the congregation. And what about Brian’s involvement? Is he totally unaware of all this?”

  “Brian is taking the arrest of the twins hard. We’ve had him in for questioning, and he admits he was aware of Lena’s affairs. Hal wasn’t the only one. We’re not done with him. There’s money laundering going on in that mega-church. They’re exempt from taxes. Brian’s the financial person in the group. We haven’t tied it all together yet, but it’s close. We have someone monitoring him.”

  “Hal was abusive to Giselle,” Crawford said. “She has an untreated break in her forearm, and claims Hal literally twisted her arm during one of her attempts to leave. Giselle is a cutter, so she’s going to need some mental health services also.

  “Both girls will need to be treated as if they were kidnapped and held against their will. They’ve been enduring this manipulation for a long time, probably longer than they even realize. It’s been a gradual grooming by Wayne and Hal, and the twins aren’t the only victims. There are other girls in other jurisdictions. The reach of the church and the potential for the money laundering is endless. This whole situation is a type of modified sex trafficking that we haven’t had experience with before.”

  Tom leaned forward in his chair. Meg could tell he was intrigued by this new twist. “There’s not a definite profile for things like this when they happen in a group. Each of these characters has his own profile, and it gets complicated. When women are involved, like Nell and Lena, it adds another dynamic and even more confounded. But thanks to the breaks in this case, we’ll be able to identify other situations occurring in other places, maybe stop it before it gets too organized.”

  Meg sighed, partly from relief and partly at the state of the world and what some people had to endure. “I have another question. The day of the homes tour, when you came to Darrow House, you looked at me like you didn’t know what was going on. Why weren’t you involved in the investigation?”