by BJ Bourg
I turned to the photographs first and found a picture of Jolene Hedd’s lifeless body. She was lying on her back on the floor in the master bedroom of her house. Her clothes had been ripped from her body and she was completely nude, except for the straps of her black bra clinging to her shoulders. She had been stabbed in the neck and there was blood on her body and on the blue carpet around her. It was a horrific scene.
I flipped though the report, searching for information on Lance Duggart. Why had this successful bar owner killed the woman with whom he’d been having an affair? And why rape her if he was having consensual sex with her on a regular basis?
Susan’s phone began ringing and I glanced at the number. I didn’t recognize it, but I answered it anyway. It was Reginald.
“Clint, I’ve been calling your phone all morning.”
“Oh, yeah, it got lost in the fire at the police department. What’s up?”
“I need to talk to you right away,” he said. “We were all thinking Simon Parker and his brothers murdered Chloe, but the audio recording Mallory recovered changes everything. I strongly suspect her murder is linked to the Lance Duggart case.”
I remembered hearing that Reginald had solved the case when no one else could, and realized he probably knew more about it than anyone else. I told him I was at the sheriff’s office and he said he’d be right over.
CHAPTER 40
3:47 p.m.
Ali Bridges’ Apartment
Susan sat at the small kitchen table holding Ali Bridges’ hand. Ali was crying hysterically and shaking uncontrollably. Mallory walked over with a tissue and sat on the other side of her. After she’d calmed down a little, Ali took the tissue and wiped her face. She finally nodded. “I’m…I can talk a little. It’s just so…so hard, you know? Chloe wasn’t just my boss, she was my friend. She was such a nice person.”
Susan frowned. “I know this is hard. I’m sorry we had to bother you with this, but it’s important we know everything Chloe did on Wednesday.”
Ali took a deep breath and exhaled. Her brown eyes were bloodshot and her long hair was tucked into a rough bun. “Okay, I’m ready.”
“What time did she get to work Wednesday?” Susan asked.
“I’m not sure. I got there at eight and she was already there.”
Susan jotted down the information. “What time did she leave and where did she go?”
Ali was thoughtful. “She left not long after I got there. Maybe nine o’clock? Earlier in the week she had asked me to look up old articles involving the district attorney and a man named Isaiah Wilson. I found a bunch of articles about the DA, but only one about that man.”
Susan caught her breath at the mention of her father. Mallory glanced at her, but Susan nodded to let her know she was okay to continue questioning Ali.
“Did you find any connections?” Susan asked.
“No, not really. The article about the man named Isaiah was just mentioning how he had died during a boxing match.” Ali dabbed at her eyes with the tissue. “It was a good write-up. It talked about all the things he had done as a boxer. Now, Chloe was real interested in the picture from his funeral, because she said one of the ladies in the picture was the DA’s wife.”
Susan pursed her lips. She knew the article well—a copy of it was folded neatly in a box of keepsakes back home—but she hadn’t realized Jolene Hedd was in the picture. “Did you know why Chloe thought to look into this Lance Duggart case? What did that have to do with Isaiah Wilson?”
“Well, Chloe thought it odd that the district attorney’s wife was pictured at Isaiah Wilson’s funeral and then six months later she was raped and killed.”
“Did she think there was a connection?”
Ali shrugged. “I don’t really know, but she did ask me to call the sheriff’s office to see if they had a report on the case. It took a while and they transferred me a half dozen times before I finally spoke with a lady who was able to help me.” Ali explained to Susan that the clerk had to dig around for a while, but she finally found the box containing the case file. “She called me first thing Wednesday morning and told me she would make a copy for Chloe, but it would cost fifteen cents per page. Chloe didn’t care about the cost—she just wanted to get her hands on that file.”
“Is that where she went when she left the office Wednesday morning?” Susan asked.
“Yes, ma’am.”
When Susan asked what time Chloe returned to work, Ali tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and said, “It was sometime in the afternoon. Two o’clock maybe?”
Susan glanced at the timeline Mallory had created. “Are you sure about that? Her phone records show she was at the news station at ten-forty.”
Ali nodded. “I’m positive. She called me about ten-thirty to tell me she had left the sheriff’s office and was heading to the district attorney’s office to speak with Bill Hedd. Afterward, she was planning to have lunch with her boyfriend—”
“Wait, what?” Susan asked, looking from Mallory to Ali. “Clint was in Tennessee.”
“No, not Clint,” Ali said. “It was some new guy. Chloe said she broke up with Clint.”
Susan sank into the chair. “Are you sure?”
Ali nodded and continued. “I don’t know what time she got to the DA’s office or left, but she came into the station around two o’clock. I’m not sure what time she met her boyfriend for lunch, but they probably ate somewhere in town. That’s what they usually do.”
“What was this boyfriend’s name?” Susan asked.
Ali shrugged. “I don’t remember her ever saying his name and I’ve never seen him.”
Fighting to stay focused, Susan glanced at her notes and then back up at Ali. “Is it possible Chloe came back to the news station earlier that two o’clock and you didn’t see her?”
Ali nodded. “She usually leaves her car parked here when she goes to court or the district attorney’s office, because it’s only a block down the street. Besides, there’s never any place to park over there, so she probably just parked here and walked over.”
“What time did she leave the office again?” Susan asked.
Ali was thoughtful. “I believe it was three-thirty, four o’clock.”
“Did she say where she was going or if she was meeting anyone?”
“No, ma’am. If she’s working a story, she doesn’t really talk about it until it hits the paper.” Ali started crying again. “I wish she would’ve said something to me, because I might’ve been able to do something to help find her before it was too late.”
“Don’t even think about blaming yourself.” Susan put her arm around Ali’s shoulders. “There’s nothing anyone could’ve done to save her.”
When she was sure Ali was calm enough to be alone, Susan led Mallory outside. The fall air was cool on her face. It was normally her favorite time of the year, but her heart was heavy and filled with emotions she didn’t understand. When Clint had murdered Simon Parker in cold blood she had panicked. She was certain he would end up in prison for the rest of his life and it killed her inside. When Mallory and Doug tried to question her about what happened, she did something she’d never done before—she refused to cooperate with an investigation. She later spoke with Melvin and Amy, and they said the same thing.
“I told Doug and Mallory to kiss my ass,” Melvin had declared defiantly when they were alone on the street outside of the sheriff’s department. “That piece of shit Simon deserved to die and I’m glad Clint had the stones to kill him.”
“I told them I wasn’t saying a word either,” Amy said. “Doug tried to play me like a fool, telling me I could be indicted if I stood idly by and watched Clint murder Simon. I told him to go to hell and charge me if he wanted to, but I wasn’t saying a damn thing.”
“I’m just glad they decided not to charge Clint,” Susan remembered telling them. “Because I know he went in and told them exactly what he did.”
Susan shivered, trying to shake the foreboding cloud that sti
ll hung over her. All of the hurt and desperation she had felt when Clint was shot a year ago came flooding back last night. Although going to prison was better than dying and she would’ve still been able to visit him on a regular basis, she wanted him in her daily life—needed him in her life. Just the thought of wanting him and needing him caused a wave of guilt to wash over her. She had no right to have those feelings, much less allow herself to verbalize them internally. Clint was Chloe’s boyfriend and, even though Chloe was gone, it would be improper for her to make a move at this point, or any point, really. He was her boss, which meant they could never be an item. Period.
As Susan reached Mallory’s unmarked cruiser, she remembered Clint’s words from the night before, “Cops can’t go around doing things like that, so I have to resign.” A new wave of panic came over her as she wondered what that meant. Where would he go? What would he do? Would he move back to the city? What if he—
“Where the hell are you, girl?”
Susan jerked her head around and saw Mallory standing with her hands on her hips, staring with her head cocked to the side.
“What? Did you say something?”
Mallory frowned. “Your body’s here, but your mind is a million miles away. It’s him, isn’t it?”
Susan felt her face catch fire. “What are you talking about?”
“Don’t play dumb with me,” Mallory said. “I’ve seen the way you look at him, and I’ve seen the way he looks at you. There’s a connection.”
Susan turned her head, embarrassed. “He’s got a girlfriend.”
“Not anymore,” Mallory said softly, taking her place in the driver’s seat. “You heard Ali—they broke up before she was murdered. He’s available.”
“Jesus, Mallory! He hasn’t even had a chance to bury Chloe yet. Give it a rest.” Susan slipped into the passenger’s seat shaking her head.
“All I’m saying,” Mallory explained, “is that he’s available now and so are you—and you’re what he needs right now.”
“What are you talking about?” Susan felt guilty for even entertaining Mallory’s idea, but she was curious.
“He needs a strong woman who can take care of herself when he’s not around,” she said, cranking the engine and pulling out of the apartment parking lot.
“Now you’ve lost me.”
“Think about it—his wife and daughter were killed right in front of him and there was nothing he could do to save them. That kind of thing can bring a strong man to his knees.” Mallory nodded her head for emphasis. “I promise you he’ll never have kids again. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s already gotten a vasectomy.”
“You’re talking crazy,” Susan said.
“Hear me out. As for the women in his life, he’s tired of falling in love just to have his heart ripped out every time they die on him.” Mallory stopped at a red light and turned to face Susan. “He already knows you can take care of yourself, so he knows his heart will be safe with you.”
“If what Ali said is true, he lost Chloe before she was murdered.”
“Either way, he’s coming for you. It might not be today, or next week, or next month, but he’s coming. I saw it in the way he looks at you.”
Susan’s eyes misted over and she turned her head so Mallory wouldn’t notice. She was sorry Chloe was dead, but angry at her for two-timing Clint. Her hands began to shake and her heart raced as she wondered what to do about this revelation. Clint hadn’t shown any signs of having problems at home, and he spoke of Chloe as though they were still together. Should she tell Clint, or leave it alone?
CHAPTER 41
Chateau Parish Sheriff’s Office
It was almost four o’clock when Reginald walked into the conference room. I stood and shook his hand, then pointed to the open murder book on the table. “I bet this brings back some bad memories.”
He nodded, taking a seat across from me. “This was a terrible case, that’s for sure. At the time, I didn’t know Bill personally, but I knew of him, as did all the cops who worked it. We figured if it could happen to him, it could happen to any of us. It made us all feel vulnerable.”
“You mentioned you think this case has something to do with Chloe’s murder,” I said, getting right to it. “What makes you think so?”
“Chloe came to the district attorney’s office on the day she was murdered.”
“That’s not uncommon. She was always at the DA’s office or the courthouse. It was part of her job.”
“But this time was different.”
My brows furrowed and I studied his face. “How so?”
“She walked in asking to speak with Bill. She told the receptionist she wanted to do a feature piece on him. She made it sound like she wanted to highlight his accomplishments since taking office. I mean, what politician doesn’t want a little positive press every time they can get it?” Reginald pointed to the file in front of us. “But that was a lie…she really wanted to ask questions about his wife’s murder.”
“Did he meet with her?”
“Of course, he did. My buddy, Danny, who’s one of our new prosecutors—I played ball with him in high school—was in the meeting with them, and he said it went from cordial to contentious in seconds.” Reginald took a deep breath and exhaled, explaining how Chloe had barely sat down when she began questioning Bill about one of the witnesses in his wife’s murder case. “Chloe told Bill she’d obtained a copy of the investigative report and saw that Megyn Sanders was a witness, but her name hadn’t appeared in the transcript from Duggart’s trial. When Bill acknowledged knowing about Megyn, Chloe wanted to know why she hadn’t been called.”
“What did Bill tell her?” I asked.
“He told her the truth—that Megyn was a friend to Duggart and the prosecution figured she would try to say something that would jeopardize the case against Duggart, so they didn’t call her.”
“Isn’t she the one who broke the case?” I asked.
“She did, but the prosecutor from Magnolia Parish was calling all the shots.” Reginald lifted a finger, shaking his head. “I take that back. Although Bill recused himself, I think he was calling the shots from behind the scenes. After all, he’s good friends with the district attorney in Magnolia.”
“You said it got contentious…what happened?”
“She straight up accused Bill of killing his wife.”
My mouth dropped open. “She did what?”
Reginald nodded and said Chloe had accused Bill of murdering his wife so he could be with his lover, and she accused him of using his position as DA to pin the murder on Duggart, whom he knew was sleeping with Jolene.
“Bill had a lover on the side?”
Reginald shook his head. “Not that I know about, but Danny said Chloe claimed to have a witness who was going to name his lover and it would break the case wide open.”
“How’d he react to that?” I asked.
“Danny thought he was going to hit her—he was that mad.” Reginald frowned. “He kicked her out of the office and told her she was never allowed back in the building.”
I sat quiet for a while, processing this new information. I needed to know what she knew. She went to Bayou View Pub sometime after confronting Bill, so Megyn must’ve been the witness she was talking about. If Megyn did know something that would implicate Bill in the murder of his wife, and she was willing to give that information to Chloe, it would be motive enough for Bill to want both of them dead.
I asked Reginald if Chloe ever tried to interview him about the case, but he said she hadn’t. I told him what I knew about her conversation with Doug and asked why he thought she would speak to him about the case. “You wrote the primary report, so I would’ve guessed she’d have spoken with you.”
“Doug handled the initial investigation,” Reginald explained. “I was brought onboard when the case started growing stale. I don’t know if you know it, but there was some bad blood between us during the investigation. He was mad that the sheriff gave me the lead
role over him.”
I pointed to the investigative report, which I’d read from cover to cover, and asked what had led him to Megyn Sanders. “Lance Duggart wasn’t on anyone’s radar until you met with Megyn, but there’s no mention of how you got to her.”
“I was actually looking for Duggart when I stumbled upon Megyn.”
“Duggart?” I rubbed my chin. “I thought you got his name from Megyn. That’s what the report says, anyway.”
“Bill’s the one who turned me on to Duggart—handed him to me on a silver platter, come to think of it.” He ran his hand through his slicked-back hair and shook his head. “Looking back now, it does seem a little convenient.”
He went on to explain how he had marched into the district attorney’s office and demanded to know where he was when his wife was murdered. Bill claimed he was at a conference two hours away, and when Reginald asked who could verify that fact, he grew belligerent and said there were four hundred lawyers and judges who would back him up.
“But when I told him I’d spoken to every one of those judges and lawyers,” Reginald said, beaming, “and not one of them remembered seeing him between the hours of nine o’clock at night and one in the morning, he lost his shit.”
“That was pretty slick,” I said, knowing he hadn’t spoken to any of them. “I’m surprised he bought it.”
“I was, too, but after his wife died, he’d spent the week in a drunken fog, so he had no idea what we’d done—or hadn’t done—on the case. I used it to my advantage and it paid off.” Reginald shrugged. “That’s where Doug went wrong. He treated Bill like a district attorney instead of like a regular husband who might have killed his wife.”
“But how’d that lead to Duggart?”
“My ploy scared Bill into coming clean about his wife’s affair. He realized he’d have to cough up something or risk being a suspect in his wife’s murder, and—true or not—those kinds of suspicions could wreck a campaign.”
