A Foreboding Felony

by Constance Barker

  “And has she?” Terri asked.

  “Yes. The loan is now current.”

  Elle looked at the man’s face, staring. “So you are telling me that she knew about the loan?”

  “Of course. She had to. Her signature is on the loan document. We needed her approval as the co-owner of the land.”

  “So when you spoke to her, you learned that she just didn’t know that the loan was in arrears?”

  “Correct. Which is natural, since Jake was making the payments and they didn’t talk.”

  Terri sat back and licked her lips. “This isn’t all lining up right, Mr. Sloane.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I'm not exactly sure yet, but I’m going to need copies of the loan application and the payment record. I also want copies of bank statements for both Mr. Ravenwing and Carmella Garcia for the last two years.”

  Sloane sat up straight, puffing out his chest. “That is privileged banking information. Very private data. There are rules and guidelines we must follow.”

  Terri stood up. “Are there, Mr. Sloane? And the manager has no flexibility? You see, this is a murder investigation, and if I have to get a warrant I will. I have reason to be certain it will be granted. I imagine it would be Judge Parker who signs it and that is a shame because being forced to sign a warrant will make him very cranky. If he banks here, or even if he doesn’t, he’ll complain about it to one and all about it. I can't imagine that would be good for business. This is a small town, as you’ve pointed out. I'd be obligated to notify the bank regulators as well and that means more paperwork for me. You could save us both a lot of trouble and yourself a lot of embarrassment. If you force me to get the warrant, I'll broaden it to include all of your loan documents. There is no telling what we might find then.”

  The wind, the pompous air, went out of him. “I can have the documents copied in an hour,” Sloane said. “Unless we are out of toner cartridges again.”

  “Make sure the copies are sharp and clear, Mr. Sloane. Easy to read. And when they are ready, have someone bring them to the police station, if you don’t mind.”

  “Of course,” Sloane said, clearly minding a lot.

  Charli looked at the man’s face. Was it even more pale now than when they'd come in? Could it get even more pale? That seemed unlikely. For that to happen the bank manager would have to become translucent.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Bill's Secret

  “We just arrested Billy,” Terri told them as they walked into the station the next day.

  “Who is Billy?” Elle asked.

  Terri grinned. “The man who discovered Jake’s body. The man who lives in a trashy trailer nearby the place we found it. My key eye witness, such as he was.”

  “Did he confess?”

  “To the murder? No. I don’t think anyone thinks Billy killed Jake. His arrest is laughable, really. We are still looking for the scene of the crime, the actual place where Jake was shot.”

  “So you thought Jake might've been shot at Billy's trailer?”

  “Not really. Eknar is still on his gambling kick. Billy admitted that he was a convicted felon, so while we were out hunting witches and butchers, Eknar decided that if he was going out to the track he might as well use Billy being on parole to justify a warrant to search his place. It was a fishing expedition, but it paid off.”

  Elle laughed and looked at Charli. “Let me guess. They found a gun.”

  Terri stared at her in disbelief. “How did you know?”

  “Just something that crossed our minds,” Charli said.

  Elle shook her head. “Is it the murder weapon?”

  “We think so. It’s the right caliber and has been fired recently, but it is languishing in the queue at the forensics lab.”

  “What do you think happened?” Elle asked.

  “We aren't sure,” Terri said. “Eknar thinks that when Billy found the body, the gun was there. He took it and squirreled it away in his trailer before he called it in.”

  “Why would he do that?”

  “He needed one for his real business.”

  “His other business?”

  “It turns out he is a drug dealer. Or maybe only a wholesale distributor. When we searched we found a lot of opiates in his trailer. Fentanyl, mostly, probably from China.”

  “And he needed a gun?”

  “That’s speculation. He isn’t talking and his business associates got him a lawyer, but his line of work is a little fraught with danger, so we think that when he saw the gun lying on the ground, he thought he might find a need for it. As a convicted felon, he can’t buy one legally, even in the Wild West. And there was one for the taking.”

  Charli shook her head, unable to believe what she was hearing. “So with a police investigation into a murder taking place on his doorstep it never occurred to him to think of moving the drugs?”

  “There is a saying about playing cards without all the cards in the deck that applies here,” Elle said.

  “And elevators that don't get to all the floors,” Terri added. “Fortunately, there isn’t an IQ test for criminals. We have no idea how long he’s gotten away with peddling drugs here and he’s an idiot. Imagine how awful it would be if he was smart.”

  “I see what you mean,” Charli said. “We have to thank our stars for the help criminals like this give the police.”

  “I do every day,” Terri said.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Another Look at Witchcraft

  Elle sat in front of Terri's desk looking over her notes. Eknar had gone to the track to interview the people at the betting window. Terri was at the coffee pot, refilling her mug.

  “What do you think? ” Elle asked. "If a witch was determined, do you think she could cast a spell that would get one person to shoot another? Billy, say?”

  Charli glared at Elle. “Why are you asking me? How would I know?”

  “You are the resident expert on things that go bump in the night.”

  “Just on things that go bump in my dreams,” she corrected. “I know beans about witches.”

  “Isn’t that something you learned about when you studied cultural anthropology?”

  “It’s a subject for some anthropologists, but what I learned is that the influence of magic and religion are factors to be evaluated in a culture. We didn’t exactly have seminars on witchcraft.”

  “It was a thought.”

  “However, speaking as a mere intelligent human being, my guess would be no. And even if some witches could pull off something like that, Carmella is more a cross-training cosmetologist who couldn't get a love potion to meet muster.”

  Elle slumped in her seat. “True.”

  Terri came walking up with a mug of coffee and sat in her seat. “I caught the tail end of that, and I'm just as happy. I’d hate to have to go into court and present some chicken bones, claim they were the murder weapon, and then try to convince a jury that the actual gun used was irrelevant.”

  “Good point,” Charli said.

  “The problem I have,” Elle said, “is thinking what I'll do if she did kill him through magical means. It’s like your problem with the chicken bones. I doubt the insurance regulators would accept that we won’t pay out on the policy because the beneficiary cursed the insured. I mean, you open that bag of worms and no one would ever get a payout.”

  “Nevermore would like that outcome,” Charli said.

  “Except that a ruling like that would probably have everyone canceling their policies.”

  “A no-win situation,” Terri said. “But the good news is... I really doubt Carmella killed Jake, even with magic, from the convenience of her own hot and sweaty home. And Joe tells me that not only is her car not moving, he saw Ruby driving Carmella around town the day she claimed.”

  Elle was scribbling. “Clearly, Carmella knows more than she is telling us. About the loan, especially.”

  “Definitely,” Terri said.

  Charli considered that. S
he had her own reasons for thinking that Carmella and Sloane had a lot to do with Jake’s death, but Terri wasn’t being driven by strange dreams. At least Charli didn’t think she was. “And you are suspicious because...”

  “For one thing, after I checked her finances, I found I have a lot more questions than I did before.” She smiled. “Good thing she is in town today.”

  Elle looked up. “She is?”

  “She's with Ruby on her way into town. She called to find out how the investigation was going and agreed to meet me at the diner. You ladies hungry?”

  “We can be,” Charli said.

  When they met up with Carmella at the diner and settled into a booth, Carmella seemed nervous. “What else can I tell you people?” Carmella asked. “You can’t believe that I killed him, can you?”

  “I want to ask about Mr. Sloane’s visit to your house,” Terri told her. “There are some things that don’t make sense.”

  “Like what?”

  “Like where you got the money to catch up on the payments on Jake’s loan. I’ve reviewed your bank accounts and you didn’t have enough in your account to do that. You have to barter to get your car fixed. Where did you get the money to catch up on three payments? That's nearly a thousand dollars.”

  “My business is a cash operation,” she said, almost in a whisper. “My clients don’t want receipts and I don’t deposit the money. Please don’t turn me into the tax people.”

  “I’m not working for them,” Terri said sternly. “They can do their own legwork. But even if that is true, there is the fact that you said you and Jake had barely talked in years. That makes me wonder how he convinced you to let him use the property for collateral in the first place. What was in it for you? You certainly didn’t get an infusion of cash around the time of the loan. Or is that under your mattress as well.”

  Her eyes flitted around the room. “Yes, that’s what happened. Jake offered me some cash to approve the loan so he could fix up his house.”

  “You are lying,” Terri said. “I went through the paperwork last night and all of the money Jake borrowed is accounted for. You see, the bank didn’t want to give Jake cash. Instead, they paid the people who did the work directly. They didn’t want him to claim he was going to fix the roof and then just spend the money. It was the same logic that had the insurance policy payments coming from the loan payments. Now I want to hear the truth from you.”

  Carmella looked worried for the first time. “I can’t tell you.”

  Terri put her elbows on the table and leaned forward. Charli was impressed by the stern look she gave the woman. “This is a murder investigation, Carmella.”

  “He made me promise not to tell.”

  “Who?”

  “Harrison. Mr. Sloane. He said I could lose the land if the word got out.”

  “You mean the bank could foreclose?”

  She sighed and gathered herself. “When he came to see me and told me about the loan, it was the first I'd ever heard about it. I had no idea Jake had borrowed the money.”

  “Sloane said you signed the documents.”

  “I know. And Mr. Sloane showed me a piece of paper that had my signature on it, agreeing to the loan. It was notarized and everything.”

  “But it wasn’t your signature?”

  She shook her head. “I showed Mr. Sloane what my signature looks like. That one even misspelled my name. It was Carmela, like a candy.”

  “He was surprised?”

  “He was horrified. He said that meant there had been bank fraud. If anyone found out about it, he thought the State would probably seize the land, the way they take cars that are used to run drugs.”

  “And he gave you an out?”

  “Yes.”

  “Why?”

  “He said that everyone could get into trouble. He’d be fired for being careless. So, if I agreed to say nothing, then he would make up the back payments.”

  “Nice play,” Elle said. “He gave you an option and didn’t bother to mention that you could have sued him and his bank for damages.”

  “I could?”

  Elle nodded. “You were defrauded more than the bank was. If it wasn't your signature, then you probably have a case for negligence. That’s why Sloane was horrified.”

  Charli sipped her coffee. It was bitter. “But the signature on the document was notarized. Wouldn't that cover him?”

  “Angela was a notary,” Carmella said. “I’d forgotten that. But when Jake and I signed that contract I told you about, she notarized our signatures. I recognized her signature on the document, and she notarized it.”

  “So maybe the loan scam was her idea and sloppy work on Sloane's part let it work.”

  “She wasn’t the kind to put up with a leaky roof if it could be fixed,” Carmella said.

  “So the fraud was perpetrated by a now-dead woman. That didn't give Sloane many options.”

  “I think that Mr. Sloane might need to explain a thing or two more about all this,” Charli said.

  “You think?” Elle asked.

  “You do believe me, don't you?” Carmella asked. “That’s really everything I know.” The new information seemed to be overwhelming her.

  “We do,” Terri said. “And that’s why I suggest that you go see Johnny Banks immediately.”

  “The lawyer? Why do I need a lawyer? You said you believed me.”

  “Yes, but you need to tell him about the loan and show him all the paperwork. You have a lawsuit to prepare against the bank. Tell him he can call me if he needs more information.”

  “Okay.” She said. She looked lost, but relieved.

  "You are going to be a relatively rich witch," Elle told her.

  “Okay. Now that we know all this, Mr. Sloane needs to explain some things,” Terri said. I’ll go brief the chief and ask him to join us in Mr. Sloane’s office this afternoon.” She smiled. “Maybe if I let him in on the kill it will improve his attitude.”

  “Just being around you will improve his attitude a lot,” Elle mumbled.

  “What?”

  Elle flashed the policewoman a megawatt smile. “I said that I’m sure you are right—it probably will please him no end to be included. The poor man does want a chance to play detective once in a while; this is a huge case for him and the department.”

  “Along that line,” Charli said, “we should leave the interview with Sloane to you two. There isn’t any need for us to be there for the arrest. Our work is done.”

  Elle nodded. “Now that I know its okay to pay Carmella, I can file my report. Nevermore won’t give a hoot about the details of the murder once they are told the beneficiary didn’t do it.”

  “Are you sure? You’ve invested a lot of time in this.”

  Charli laughed. “Oh, we want to know how it ends, of course, but five will make his office a little crowded. How about if you and Eknar wrap things up then we’ll come around the cop shop tomorrow morning to hear how it went?”

  Terri nodded. “Okay. Tomorrow then.”

  “We can bring coffee,” Elle said.

  “Not this stuff,” Charli said, indicating her cup.

  As Elle and Charli watched Terri go off to brief the boss, Charli nudged her friend. “I take it that you also think that Eknar has a thing for Terri?”

  “Oh yes. Those bright eyes of his sparkle even more when she’s on the scene.”

  “And then there is Paul Ravenwing.”

  Elle rolled her eyes. “Choices, choices. And when you toss successfully closing the biggest murder case the area has seen in a while, plus exposing bank fraud...”

  “...and a major dope dealer—”

  “Oh yes, A rather stupid one, but you’re right that we can’t forget Billy in all this. So our policewoman is going to be riding high for a time, and from all appearances that is in both her professional and personal life.”

  Charli grinned. “She deserves it.”

  Elle nodded. “And so do we. Have you talked to the neglected Roge
r lately?”

  Thinking of him made her miss him terribly. “Not nearly enough.”

  “Time to mend that bridge.”

  The image made Charli laugh. “You know, somehow I think we are going to find that Roger doesn’t feel in the least neglected.”

  “No?”

  “I think grandmother and he are teaming up on me. A plot is afoot.”

  Elle arched an eyebrow. “In a good way?”

  She sighed. “I’m still not entirely sure. They intend it to be good.”

  “You love him and he adores you.”

  “And he’s a ranger with a sweet job in Tennessee, whereas I seem to have a foot in two worlds.”

  “Choices, choices,” Elle laughed.

  It didn’t seem quite so funny to Charli. Decisions had to be made and they affected more than just her.

  Chapter Seventeen

  A Simple Confession

  AT THE POLICE STATION the next day, Charli saw an impossible sight. They walked in to discover an Eknar who was even more irrepressible than normal.

  “You know I never liked the man, not at all,” Eknar said as he took the coffee and donuts Elle had brought. “He always seemed a rather slippery sort to me.”

  Terri shrugged. “Bankers.”

  “Well, you learn to trust your instincts,” Elle told him. “And apparently, they were right.”

  Charli saw his smile of appreciation at the flattery and noted Elle's tactful omission of his gambling theory.

  “Ah, but at the end, it was the prime detective work of Officer Johns that broke the case open. We can all admit that.”

  “We can,” Charli said. They could admire the confluence of Terri's prime detective work, some luck, and the cues from a few dreams. And while her dreams might not have given her such precise clues this time, they had nudged them in the right direction. And ultimately, the story unfolded.

  Coyote and her grandmother were right. Even if the messages in her dreams weren’t specific or seemed silly, they weren’t to be ignored. She'd seen the clues and learned where they fit. It had been pleasant that this time she could be part of a normal investigation and gotten to see the way her her dreams foretold things, just learning what they meant as she went. She'd never had to present Terri and Eknar to deal with information she couldn’t explain. And that kept her from having to explain that she couldn’t explain... not really. Perhaps she didn't need to apply the dream knowledge directly, simply let it guide her. Anyway, it had been fun to be part of solving a mystery just using the same tools that regular people used.