Tarnished Remains: Shandra Higheagle Mystery #2

by Paty Jager

  “That’s sheep rancher. And we grew a few acres of spuds. Yes, I like Idaho spuds,” he replied and swiped one of her fries.

  “Welcome, Martha. Your usual?” Ruthie called as the bell above the door tinkled.

  “Hi Ruthie. Yes, the same as always.” Martha laughed and joined another woman at a booth by the window.

  “Any idea if the other lady will leave before Martha?” Ryan asked, stealing another fry.

  “I didn’t realize she met anyone. I just overheard Ruthie and Treat talking about Martha being a regular.” Shandra bit into her sandwich and watched the two women.

  Ruthie returned with Ryan’s food.

  “Ruthie, who is Martha eating with?” Ryan asked casually.

  “That’s Delia from the post office. The two meet on Thursdays. On Tuesdays Martha meets with Janine Whitmire.”

  “Whitmire? Any relation to Lil?” Shandra asked, wondering that she’d never heard of any other family members before.

  “I believe it would be Lil’s cousin,” Ruthie replied. “Why?”

  “Just curious. Lil never talks about family.” Shandra picked up a fry and pretended to be uninterested.

  “Does Delia go back to work before Martha?” Ryan asked, taking a sip of his drink.

  Ruthie’s brow wrinkled. “What are you two up to? Do you think Martha has anything to do with that body you found?”

  “Shh, Ruthie, we just want to ask her some questions without the other woman,” Ryan said, quietly.

  “Delia does leave first. Why don’t you take her to the police station so my café doesn’t get a reputation for being your headquarters?” Ruthie pivoted and returned to the kitchen.

  “You know, she’s right. You do a lot of your police work from this café,” Shandra said, remembering the times they met here during the last murder they solved.

  Ryan raised a dark eyebrow. “You invited me here. If you hadn’t butted in, I would have called her down to the station.”

  “Oh, look. Delia’s leaving.” Shandra grabbed her purse and scooted to the end of the booth.

  Ryan grabbed her hand, stopping her from standing. “Give the woman a chance to get out the door.”

  She waited until Delia was out the door and several strides down the block. “Now?”

  Ryan released her arm and nodded.

  Shandra picked up her iced tea and sauntered over to the booth where Martha sat pushing lettuce around on her plate.

  “Mind if we sit down?” Shandra asked, not waiting for a reply and sliding into the booth. She scooted clear against the window to allow Ryan space to sit beside her. No sense making Martha feel boxed in.

  “I-I guess not. Ms. Higheagle, Detective Greer why would you want to sit with me?” Her gaze bounced from one then the other and back again. The fork pushing lettuce around dropped to the plate.

  “I have a couple questions for you about Johnny Clark.” Ryan pulled out his notepad, looking very official.

  “I knew Johnny. Anyone living in Huckleberry in the eighties knew him. He was a regular visitor.” Her gaze kept flickering back and forth between them.

  Shandra wanted to ask questions, but she’d promised Ryan she’d let him do the talking. Unless, of course, he didn’t ask something that needed to be asked.

  “And you had a crush on him even though he was dating Lil Whitmire.” Ryan stated the information like a news reporter.

  “I don’t know where you got this information. I can tell you there were many women, young and old, who thought Johnny was a catch. And to see him paying attention to Crazy Lil…well it made some folks wonder about his judgment.”

  Shandra couldn’t let that go. “Why would anyone question his judgment for dating Lil?”

  Martha leaned back and looked at Shandra like her face had cracked.

  “Everyone knew Lil was inexperienced when it came to men. And Johnny, well he’d been married and had experience.” Martha nodded her head as if agreeing with herself.

  Ryan flipped through his notepad “But when I asked you why you thought the Whitmires kept Lil at the ranch, you said, “She was loose. Running off with rodeo cowboys and not coming home for days.’ And now you say she was inexperienced. Why are you giving contradictory information in a murder investigation?”

  Shandra couldn’t stop the delight tickling her insides. Ryan had caught the woman in a lie. She studied Martha. Her cheeks had darkened, and her mouth was opening and shutting like a fish gasping for air.

  “I, well I…”

  “You’ve had a grudge against Lil for years because she caught Johnny.” Shandra said. “Lil said you flirted with Johnny and he ignored you. That must have been a slight you couldn’t handle.”

  “I was told you waited on Johnny the night Lil told him she was pregnant. Lil, the woman you despised, was going to have Johnny’s baby. That irked didn’t it? What I don’t understand, is why did you tell Johnny’s ex, Tracy?” Ryan flipped a few more pages on his notepad.

  “According to her, you called to tell her the news. Were you hoping Tracy would do something to Lil?”

  “No!” Martha stared at Ryan. “No. I just wanted to tell someone who could maybe persuade Johnny not to marry Lil. But then he came in about a week later, grinning and showing me the ring he planned to give to Lil. Said he was going to make Lil his wife.” She groaned. “I tried to tell him she had been sleeping around, but he shook his head and said, ‘My Lil wouldn’t do that. Took me a couple days to realize she never had a chance to be with anyone else. When she wasn’t with me, her grandparents had her up on the ranch.’” She sighed. “He was right. The only time she left the ranch was to be with him.”

  Shandra had a question. “Why didn’t you say anything to Lil about Johnny going to marry her? All these years she’s believed he left her because he didn’t care. The one person in her life who loved her. You saw her at Sally Albright’s the night she and Johnny argued. You could have told him he could find Lil there when he came back saying he wanted to marry her.”

  Martha dropped her gaze to the table. “I was hoping when he couldn’t find Lil, he’d give up. I was hoping for another chance with him.”

  Shandra stared at the woman. “But you’re married. Did you know Johnny was dead, so you moved on?”

  “No! When he didn’t come around after that night, I figured Lil turned him down and he went off and got lost in a bottle.” Martha peered straight into Shandra’s eyes.

  The woman was shallow, but not the one who killed Johnny. Shandra glanced at Ryan. He was staring at Martha. No doubt, he was coming to the same conclusion.

  “Who do you think wanted Johnny dead?” Ryan asked.

  Martha shrugged. “The only one I ever heard threaten to kill him was Tracy. He got along with everyone else that I know of.”

  Shandra studied Ryan. He couldn’t deny her listening in when he called Tracy. They were in this investigation together.

  “Who else was in the café when Johnny came in flashing the ring and saying he was going to marry Lil?” Ryan asked.

  Shandra smiled at Ryan. Someone else could have known Johnny was going to pop the question. Good question.

  Martha stared at Ryan. “That was a long time ago.”

  “Who were some of the regulars? Take your time and think about it.” Ryan coaxed.

  “Mr. Ransford, he owned the Laundromat at the time. He’s dead now. And Mrs. Albright. She’d just lost her first husband and would spend several nights a week in the café. Janine, I think. Yes, we were looking at the hideous bridesmaid dresses our friend picked out for us to wear at her wedding.”

  “Is that Janine Whitmire? Lil’s cousin.” Shandra asked to clarify.

  “Yes. Only they didn’t hang out together. After Lil’s parents died, she didn’t see any family but her grandparents.” Martha shrugged.

  “Do you know why?” Ryan asked.

  “Not really. Janine’s dad didn’t do much with his parents. I think there was a falling out or something.”

/>   Shandra tucked this information away. “Anyone else?”

  “There might have been. Once Johnny walked in, all my attention was on him.”

  Chapter Twenty

  Ryan held the door to the café as Shandra exited.

  “What I don’t understand is if Sally Albright was in the café when Johnny came in with the ring, why didn’t she tell Lil?” Shandra stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and stared at him.

  “I haven’t met the lady. Do you have an answer?” He enjoyed watching Shandra piece information together. It seemed to be as intrinsic to her as molding clay into art.

  “I don’t. But it appears to be the evening Lil went back to the ranch. Perhaps when Lil didn’t become engaged Sally thought he’d changed his mind and didn’t want to give Lil any more pain.” She shook her head. “I’ll have to visit Sally again and see what she says. You know, she wasn’t very fond of Johnny. I wonder if after hearing Lil’s side of things, Sally decided Johnny wasn’t a worthy husband for Lil.”

  “That’s all speculation.” Ryan grasped Shandra’s arm, escorting her down the street to her Jeep.

  “Why are we headed to my Jeep? You need to call Tracy Gilley.” She dug in her fancy cowboy boots, stopping her forward motion.

  “I plan to call Mrs. Gilley.” He crossed his arms. “You sitting in with Martha is all the sleuthing you’re going to do with me today. Go find Sally and question her.” Ryan pivoted and strode down the street. He didn’t hear boot heels clacking down the street behind him, but he refused to glance back and see if Shandra got in her vehicle. He had work to do and the farther away from the woman he was the better.

  When Ryan entered the Huckleberry Police Station, Hazel waved him over.

  “Did my information about Marti being Martha help you any?” She pushed her glasses up her nose and bobbed her gray curls.

  “Yes. It was the missing piece I needed to discover a liar. I’m still trying to find a murderer.” He sat on the corner of her desk. “Did you think Martha killed Johnny?”

  “No. That girl is all mouth and no brains. Are you still liking his ex for it?” The fading green eyes behind the glasses sparkled with interest.

  “She’s the best suspect I have at the moment. What can you tell me about the Whitmires in Hafersville?”

  Hazel stood. “I think we both need a cup of coffee.”

  Ryan smiled and followed the woman down the hall to the break room.

  Hazel poured two cups of coffee and placed them on the table. “Who in Jerome’s family are you looking at now?”

  When Hazel sat, Ryan took the seat across from her.

  “I’m not sure. Martha said Janine was in the café the same night Johnny came in flashing a ring and saying he was going to ask Lil to marry him.”

  “Don’t know where you’re going with this, but Janine never liked cowboys. Rumor was she didn’t even like men.” Hazel took a sip of coffee and peered at him over the brim.

  “She meets with Martha every Tuesday for lunch here in Huckleberry.” An idea struck. “Was Janine swinging that way back in the eighties? Could she have been jealous of Martha drooling over Johnny and whacked him?”

  Hazel spit out coffee and stared at him like he’d shouted profanities. “No! Janine wouldn’t kill a man to get a woman.” She reached across and smacked him on the forehead with a knuckle. “Knuckle brain, if a woman is drooling over a guy she wouldn’t be interested in another woman. Janine knows Martha loves the men. They’ve just been friends for a long time.” She shrugged. “And Martha doesn’t care which way Janine swings.”

  “Shandra may be on to the killer. We discovered Sally Albright was in the café that night, and she had Lil’s confidence, kind of like a surrogate mother.” Ryan rubbed a hand across the back of his neck. Maybe I should drive by this Albright’s house and check things out.

  “Sally Albright is a nice, educated woman, but I’ve also witnessed her wrath. She and her first husband got in a public fight when he refused to publish some information she’d dug up that was damaging to a political figure. And then her second husband…they had many public fights. He was an alcoholic, and she wasn’t about to put up with his drinking and being out all night. He died in an alcohol-related car accident. She’s been single ever since. Back in the eighties she was between husbands and could have taken on the crusade for Lil.” Hazel nodded and her curls bobbed.

  “I think I better go check on Shandra. Excuse me.” Ryan shoved the coffee cup to the middle of the table and hurried out of the police station.

  ~*~

  “Mrs. Albright, sorry to bother you again but I have some more questions concerning Johnny Clark and Lil.” Shandra stood on the front porch, precariously perched on the one board that looked new and less likely to give way under her weight.

  “Come in. If you’d called ahead I could have had tea ready.” Sally pulled her oxygen tank behind her leading the way to the Louis the XV chairs.

  Shandra closed the door and took the vacant chair. “Detective Greer and I just finished talking with Martha about the night Johnny came in to the café with a ring and talking about marrying Lil. Do you remember that night? She said you were there.” Shandra placed her leather bag on her lap and fingered the fringe.

  Sally drew in two long draughts of oxygen. “I was there that night. But I didn’t know Johnny was crowing about marrying Lil. I think I left a few minutes after he arrived. That was the night Lil went back to the ranch. I didn’t feel like eating at home alone so I went to the café for a little bit of company. This place felt lonely after having Lil stay with me for the week.”

  “I know it was a long time ago. Can you remember who was in the café?” Shandra stopped playing with the fringe and willed the woman to remember that far back.

  “Well, there was Martha waiting tables, her friend Janine and another person in a booth. An older couple, I don’t know who they were, Mr. Ransfield.” She squeezed her eyes closed. “I don’t remember anyone else. It was kind of quiet that night.”

  “Do you happen to know if Mr. Ransfield had any connection to the Whitmires or Johnny?” There had to be someone in that café that either followed Johnny or contacted someone who did.

  “He was a widower that ran the laundromat. I don’t think he had any connections with either.” Sally put a hand on Shandra’s arm. “How is Lil doing?”

  “Knowing Johnny came back has helped. Now she knows he didn’t abandon her. When I can tell her he was going to marry her that should help even more. But I don’t understand who had a grievance with Johnny. It isn’t making any sense.” Unless Ryan came up with more on Tracy, they were running out of people who wanted Johnny dead. At least the logical ones.

  “Maybe it wasn’t Johnny they wanted dead so much as to keep Lil from happiness.”

  Shandra stared at Sally. Her dreams. All of them showed Lil having her happiness taken from her. They should be looking for someone with a grudge against Lil.

  “Do you know of anyone?” she asked Sally.

  “Other than every woman who would have forsaken their marriages and boyfriends to be Johnny’s girl, no.”

  Shandra shook her head. “This doesn’t seem like a crime of jealousy. And if they wanted Johnny they wouldn’t have killed him. They would have killed Lil.” She stood. “I need to go have another talk with Lil. There has to be someone she has either forgotten about or is reluctant to talk about.”

  “Good luck. I hope you solve this for Lil’s sake.” Sally stood and started toward the door pulling her oxygen.

  “I hope so too. Lil deserves closure and happiness.” Shandra opened the door and was surprised to see Ryan’s vehicle parked behind her Jeep.

  She strolled to the driver’s side door. “What are you doing following me?”

  His cheeks took on a deeper hue. “I’m not following you. After talking to Hazel and her telling me about Sally’s temper, I thought it would be a good idea to hang out and make sure you came out unscathed.”

 
Her heart thumped. “That’s sweet, but that little old woman can barely lift a fly swatter.” She leaned on the window. “But between the two of us, we think we know who the murderer is.”

  Ryan’s gaze traveled across her face, lighting a couple seconds on her lips before peering into her eyes.

  “Who do you think the murderer is?” His voice dipped deeper, huskier.

  “Someone who had a grudge against Lil. I don’t think the murder was about hurting Johnny. I think he was killed to spoil Lil’s happiness.” She leaned in a little more and inhaled his spicy aftershave.

  “This isn’t the place or the time to be flirting with me.” He slipped a strand of her hair behind her ear.

  The statement, soft touch, and his fingers lingering near her cheek rushed heat to her cheeks and warm memories to her mind. She straightened remembering how those feelings had turned to horror once before.

  When she focused on the man in the vehicle, she noted her pulling back had confused him. She smiled, drawing in a lung full of air. He hadn’t hurt her all those years ago. She had to move forward and realize not all men were hurtful.

  Ryan cleared his throat. “I’d like to take you out to dinner?”

  “Why drive all the way to my place to pick me up, then come to town, then back, and return to town. That’s four times you have to make the long drive. How about you just show up for dinner.”

  “I don’t want you to have to cook.” He protested.

  “I enjoy cooking and it gives us more time to be together.”

  He grinned. “I like that idea.” He started his SUV. “I still have to call Tracy.”

  Shandra was sure Tracy had nothing to do with Johnny’s death. This was all about Lil. She needed to talk with her employee. “I hope you learn something helpful. I’m heading back to the ranch. I need to find out who Lil’s enemies are.”

  “We can compare notes at dinner.” His gaze held hers as she backed away from his SUV.

  “I’d like that. See you about sixish?”

  “If I’ll be late, I’ll call.” Ryan started his vehicle.