Into The Heat (Sandy Reid Mystery Series Book 6)

by Rod Hoisington

  “What was all that nonsense about Charlene being connected to Coleman?” Nigel asked.

  “Just Keller trying to blow smoke,” she said. “He told Julia to lie and give Lester an airtight alibi—always a good defense. The second best defense is reasonable doubt as to who committed the crime. Keller had Julia tell me that Charlene came into her office almost simultaneously with Coleman, which immediately raised suspicions about her with us. He assumed I’d be hungry for all the defense angles I could get, would run with it and suggest there was reasonable doubt about Lester’s guilt. Thereby giving the jurors a reason to acquit him.”

  Nigel smiled. “I’ve been reading up on the reasonable doubt strategy. You create a diversion by suggesting someone else might have committed the crime, regardless of how farfetched it may be.”

  “And some jurors will mistake the resulting confusion for reasonable doubt,” Martin added.

  “But she wasn’t even in the street video, only Lester,” Nigel protested.

  Martin said, “Keller didn’t care. One can always plant the idea that perhaps she was in the background or forced Lester to do it, or some other cockamamie scenario. He wasn’t aware that we knew Charlene well and would never have bought that story.”

  “I’m hoping to get the state attorney’s office interested,” she said. “Unless Julia lives to tell about it, Keller’s motive for wanting Julia dead to hide his involvement with her will never become known. If he takes out Julia, their affair and the real estate scheme, which resulted in the murder of Coleman and Charlene, dies with her. And Keller goes on his merry way. We need to nail Keller for hiring the hitman. Right now, we don’t have a shred of evidence.”

  “So, go ahead and ring the bell on them now. Tell the police what you know. Why do we care?” Nigel said.

  “In short, we need Julia to get an attorney who will approach the state attorney and make a deal to testify against Keller. Right now, without Julia we have no evidence against him. I can’t go to the authorities with the hearsay that she told me such and such and accuse Keller of a crime. It’s up to Julia Bardner herself to come forward, and that means she has to hire an attorney.”

  “But it sounds as if she still wants to protect Keller. Why would she give evidence against him?” Nigel said.

  “She’s a woman scorned, for one thing,” Martin said. “And the possibility Keller will try to murder her, for another. All told, the woman scorned thing is probably more important to her.”

  “She still has feelings for him,” Sandy said. “She must be convinced that Keller is through with her and confessing is the only way to get all this behind her and move on. And the way to do that is to get an attorney and make a deal with the prosecution. I believe the state attorney would allow the entire real estate fraud charge to be swept away and never considered, if she would give evidence against Grant Keller. She’s reluctant to do that as she still loves him and doesn’t want to be the one to bring him down. I need to convince her Keller is coming after her. I’m not certain I can do that. I hope she’ll talk to me tomorrow.”

  Nigel said, “The fact that Charlene was murdered should be enough to scare the hell out of her. What did she say when you explained Keller had already hired someone to kill her and failed.”

  “I don’t dare mention my suspicion that Keller had already tried to kill her, as she would certainly tell him, and we don’t want him to know we suspect him and put him on guard. If he hasn’t already destroyed all the evidence, he’d do it then.”

  “Got it,” Nigel said, “By the way, the background check you asked me to run on Julia Bardner is on your desk. I found it under her maiden name Leandro. There was both a Julia and a Juliet Leandro. Looks like mother and daughter, so I ran both. You want to see them now?”

  “Might as well.”

  “They are ordinary and dull. Unless you call growing up in Panama City, Florida exciting. I knew a girl at Indiana State from Panama City. She took me home one weekend. She didn’t tell me her folks were in Europe. She wanted to christen every room in the house. She was exciting—the town not so much. I haven’t nailed down Julia’s college yet. I assume she went somewhere fancy in the northeast.”

  Nigel brought in the report. After reading about halfway through, she began shaking her head. “This can’t be correct.” She flipped back and forth between the two reports, finished reading and glanced at her watch. “This won’t wait until tomorrow. I’m going back out to see her right now.” She swung her legs down off the couch, found her shoes and grabbed another slice of pizza. “Wish me luck.”

  Chapter Thirty

  Sandy drove back over the Intracoastal Bridge to the island and the upscale beach side area where the Bardner house was located. She found Julia home alone and feeling okay, although reluctant to see Sandy back on her doorstep. She appeared much better, but nowhere near her former strong business woman self. Yet, how receptive would she be to Sandy’s urging that she get a lawyer and turn on Keller? Hiding his involvement with her was his motive for wanting Julia dead and hiring a hitman.

  She held the door open. “If I can stand having my stomach pumped and being detoxed, I guess I can put up with Sandy Reid again. Okay, I forgot to thank you for the ride home, but why are you back, and how can I get you out of my life?”

  “Sounds like a hopeful new attitude. You’re almost ready to face the world again.” Sandy followed her into the immense living room. They sat opposite each other in a charming conversational grouping of upholstered chairs by the window with a view of the side garden.

  “Can’t face myself in the mirror. How can I face others?” She said it as though she really didn’t care. “So tell me how to make this real estate fraud go away. Other than suicide, of course.”

  “The real estate swindle is the least of your worries, Julia.”

  “What do you mean? The real estate scheme started everything and led to the shooting of Coleman. It’s my livelihood. How can you possibly say it’s the least of my worries?”

  “The entire story about how you knew Ben Coleman and encouraged your husband to kill him will come out eventually. In addition, you consciously made your gun available and ditched the murder weapon in the drink. It will all come out in Lester’s murder trial if not before. The prosecution has you dead certain right now as an accessory to murder or for conspiracy to commit murder, which in Florida carries the same penalty as the person who pulls the trigger.” Sandy didn’t want to talk her back into suicide, nevertheless the woman needed to face it all. “All of that was horrible, but you don’t deserve to be executed for it. Get an attorney. He’ll make a deal with the state attorney.”

  Sandy assumed a plea deal would be for Julia to reveal her involvement with Keller. In essence testifying against him. In return, the state would drop the real estate fraud charges and lessen all charges against her concerning the Coleman affair. Sandy seemed to be gaining the confidence of the woman, but still doubted Julia would turn on Keller at this point.

  “You’re in big trouble facing almost certain charges of conspiracy to commit murder for your role in getting Coleman killed. Whatever the charges, you might not live long enough to stand trial. Remember, we talked about Grant Keller needing to cover his tracks. Well, you are one of his tracks that needs to be covered. You are a loose end that needs to be tied. You’re more than just a danger to his reputation and political ambitions. You could put him in prison.”

  “You aren’t talking about murder?”

  “You’re sitting there wondering why he doesn’t call you, meanwhile he’s plotting an attempt on your life. He knows you’ll be arrested. He knows you’ll be forced to bring him into it. And he knows you can bring him down. You can start putting an end to all of this or go into hiding and hope he doesn’t find you.”

  “That’s absurd, Grant would never kill me, he loves me. Earlier, you were telling me Leo was gunning for me and shot Charlene by mistake. Now you’re saying Grant is the one trying to kill me. I think you’re the
one who needs help.”

  Sandy was losing; her strongest argument was that Keller had hired a killer to murder Julia and would try again, but she couldn’t risk explaining it and risking Julia telling Keller and putting him on guard. “You wouldn’t be in this position if Keller hadn’t tried to swindle that old citrus grower out of a million bucks. Face it, the love affair is over. He’d never divorce his wife and give up his ambitions for you. He knows you’ll be arrested and forced to talk about him. You need to get him arrested before he has an opportunity to murder you. It’s that simple.”

  “What if I turn him in and he doesn’t get prosecuted? Then where do I run?” Julia waved off the idea. “No, I won’t testify against Grant.”

  “You’ll feel differently the instant you’re behind cold bars wearing an orange jumpsuit. You are soon to be investigated regarding your part in Coleman’s murder. Are you really going to try to go through all of this and keep him out of it? It won’t work. It can’t be done and Grant knows it can’t be done.”

  “Do you have any idea how tempting suicide looks right now?”

  “Come on! You might be able to start fresh. You gave your life away, now take it back. Make no mistake you’ll be arrested, and it will be a long, hard time. But today is the day you can start back to normal. You can do it, Julia, you can start over. Coming clean is the way out of this. Own up and take responsibility for what you’ve done. Forget Grant and start worrying about yourself.” At that point, she was pleased that Julia seemed resigned to facing the reality of her uncomfortable circumstances.

  However, Julia unexpectedly stopped in mid-sentence. Her eyes circled the room. “No, I refuse to do it. I’ve come too far. I will not give up all this.”

  Sandy was puzzled by the abrupt change in the woman’s behavior. Gone was the shoulder-slumping, downhearted look. The woman had straightened up and was now striking a pose straight and prim on the edge of her chair. Sandy began to recognize her as the cool, classy-looking, professional business woman who first walked into Sandy’s office.

  Whereas as a moment ago, Julia had appeared badly shaken by the horrible events, even to the point of suicide, and had appeared about to confess her guilt and face the consequences. Now she seemed to have gathered new resolve and regained her old confidence and bravado. And not as Sandy had hoped. Sandy watched her, wondering about her next move.

  “I need not confess and cower, awaiting the command of some public servant as you are advising. I am well-known and respected. My many friends and acquaintances simply will not believe that I’m guilty of anything. And I have the resources to fight the criminal charges you seem to believe are inevitable.” She drew a long breath, and said quite sternly, “Ridiculous, my sitting here feeling sorry for myself. No one but you knows any of this. Only you have put it all together. There is no proof and whatever you say I will deny.”

  Sandy had lost her. “So, you intend to ignore reality, stonewall it and pretend you are innocent. Pretend you know nothing about your husband killing Coleman, know nothing of an affair with Keller or of committing fraud with him. And most of all, you will pretend that Keller loves you and will cooperate in clearing you of criminal charges.”

  “The reality is Julia Bardner will continue on as usual.” The woman turned stiffly to face Sandy. She raised an imperious eyebrow and in an arrogant tone said, “And now, since I am back to normal, how do you like your tea, my dear?”

  Sandy mocked her, “Usually with a cup of hot water and a tea bag, my dear.”

  The woman raised both eyebrows in surprise. She stood, took a step away unsure of how to proceed and then turned back. “Perhaps you intended to help me, I’m not certain of that. But now you are insulting. To think I actually invited you into my home and listened to your advice. And in return you smart mouth me. Well, our relationship is over. You will no longer be the attorney for Lester and me. We’ll find another attorney, and I’ll see to it that all of my influential friends are aware of your unprofessional demeanor. I couldn’t care less that you’re supposed to be such a hotshot lawyer.”

  Sandy said, “Julia Bardner is a pretender at least and a fraud at most.”

  They locked eyes and stared.

  Julia was the first to look away, she said, “And what, may I ask, are you talking about?”

  “Your little deception.”

  “I’ll admit I went too far with Coleman. Yet with my money I can get the best lawyer there is and tie all this up in court for years.”

  “Keller isn’t going to give you years. You have a target on your back. Does he know about your posturing?”

  “You mean about Coleman?” She was frowning and her voice had lost its forcefulness.

  “No, I mean Panama City, Florida.”

  Julia’s face gradually faded from a florid red down to a bloodless blot—from the offended to the contrite. Finally, she said, “What gave me away?”

  “Well, it wasn’t your acting, which was flawless. I was entirely taken in. Although, I always assumed you were putting on some airs, I never doubted your legitimacy. Quite aside from your excellent performance, the years just didn’t add up. By my calculation, you must have come here straight from Panama City. And since you’ve been here ten years, you haven’t had time for an affluent New York life with two Wall Street husbands.”

  “So I stretched my background a little. It is nothing.”

  “The biggie is you’re not licensed to sell real estate in Florida—never have been. Your seventy-year-old mother, Juliet Leandro holds the license. My guess is you’ve been operating under your mother’s name all these years. And the reason you can’t get a license for yourself is probably one you don’t want known.”

  The slumped shoulders and sagged face were back. “What happens now? I suppose you’re going to tell everyone.”

  “You can drop the posturing with me. Otherwise, my dear, I don’t give a damn. You’ll have to deal with the deception and fall from grace yourself at some point. I have concerns that are more important. The point is, as soon as this investigation gets underway, and you are named as a person of interest, all of your background is going to come out.”

  Julia pushed off her heels, reached down to rub her feet for a moment, then leaned back with a heavy sigh. A few more seconds ticked by before she grinned, and said, “Hell, I didn’t have a penny when I blew into this town. Guess I can do it again—in some other burg. Forget all those nasty things I said about you. That was the actress speaking.”

  “I’d like that tea now, Julia. If the offer is still open.”

  “Please call me Julie.” She stood and walked barefoot across the sleek hardwood floors to the kitchen.

  Sandy followed, saying, “You must really be something. You did all this in just ten years and you didn’t marry rich. Amazing.”

  “I thought Lester was rich—that would have made it easier. He gets what amounts to a generous allowance from his family trust. And it’s far more than he needs and enough to support two people—anywhere other than on this island.” She put the teapot on the stove.

  “But this house?”

  “My mother, Juliet, sold real estate in Florida’s panhandle, nothing special, barely a living. I learned at her knee and intended to follow in her footsteps, but I was going to set the world on fire. Then I screwed up at age eighteen when my boyfriend and I got busted for some stupid bad checks we tried to pass. I did some easy time, got probation but still had a record and couldn’t qualify for a real estate license. So, I started selling using her number. Sometimes I sign her name, Juliet Leandro—my maiden name is Leandro—and no one seems to care. If someone bothers to check my license with Tallahassee, they’ll find a Juliet Leandro listed, think it’s me and not check further.”

  “Where’s your mom now?”

  “Still up there. I set her up and support her in a fancy retirement village. She’s happy for the first time in her life. I visit her when I can get away. She’s still laughing about what I’m doing.” Julia set out
a selection of tea boxes for Sandy’s choosing. “Five years ago, the former owner of this house contacted me ready to list this place for sale. I was fairly certain the market was coming back, so I offered the woman cash on the spot at her asking price, before the property could be listed and the price bid up. All very legitimate. Realtors fall into such opportunities every day. The catch was I was counting on the value to go up so I could refinance and take money out. My neck was out there a mile, but I had guessed right. After a nail-biting, nearly disastrous struggle to get the necessary money together, it was mine. At last, I could move away from all the ordinary people on the mainland and gain the credibility to access high-end real estate deals.”

  Sandy laughed at her joke. “Of course, away from all those ordinary people. I congratulate you on your success. You made yourself fit in with the affluent folks here on the island. I’m serious. This house and your lifestyle speak for itself.”

  The water was boiling. Sandy had her cup and tea bag ready. Julia said, “I put the milk in first, then the hot water. I tell people that is the way my aunt in London taught me as a child.”

  “Then you blew it, Julie. You got greedy. Decided to cheat some old-timer out of a million he’d never miss, and you didn’t need.”

  “You don’t know Grant, he’s a marvelous man. He said not to worry, he’s done it before and knew what he was doing.”

  “You can tell yourself it was love, but it was greed.” Sandy wasn’t entirely certain, perhaps it was all about love.