Tangled Up in Tinsel

by Tonya Kappes

  “If Sean Graves didn’t drive this truck out to the river, I don’t know who did.” There was a grave look on Scott’s face.

  “It makes me sick.” I shook my head and grabbed the big round keychain out of my bag.

  Scott and I had used the bump key to jimmy the lock to the house and the shop since they were combined.

  Scott had taped off the property while I headed in to see what Poppa had found.

  “Those are Leighann’s journals. They date back years and years of abuse from Sean.” Poppa had discovered multiple notebooks in Leighann’s childhood home. “She knew from a long time ago that she was adopted.”

  “This was a shocker to me. It had to be the best kept secret in Cottonwood,” I said of the unusual nature of it.

  “Secrets always make their way out of the woodwork.” Poppa had told me that several times but this time he was spot on. “Leighann and Sean were on thin ice.”

  “The night of the Christmas Cantata, he was aggravated with her because she was there with Manuel having a good time. She didn’t even let it bother her that she was having these issues.” I started to play the back and forth game we loved to play.

  “When she got home, they ended up having another fight and she brought up the fact he wasn’t her father.” Poppa paced back and forth as the scene unfolded before us.

  “She continued to threaten him about how he wasn’t her father and he felt she was ungrateful, using his medication to poison her.” I wasn’t really sure how that fit in, but I threw it in there.

  “How did he get her to drive to Chimney Rock?” Poppa asked a question I’d yet to even mull over since I’d seen the whole mileage thing.

  “He told her that Manuel had called,” I said not so convinced that’s how it happened. “He knew she’d jump in her car to go after Manuel and just to be sure he followed her.”

  “There’s only one way to find out.” Poppa was right. “Bring him in.”

  “Not without crossing all my I’s and T’s just yet. I’ve got some time to get over to Dr. Shively’s to talk to her before they get back from the funeral home.” I pulled my phone out of my pocket. “Just for good measure, I’ll call Max Bogus to give me a heads up when it’s over and they’re leaving. I’ll come back here to get him.”

  “You leaving the new kid here?” Poppa asked.

  “I sure am.” I headed on back out of the house and gave Scott some specific instructions on what I wanted bagged up. The journals and the pills for sure.

  I gripped the Wagoneer’s steering wheel when I pushed the pedal all the way to the floor. Rarely did I ever go over the speed limit and when I did, it was with my siren on. I had some ground to cover before Leighann’s memorial was over. Max told me that the memorial was going well and he’d call me when Sean and Jilly were about to leave. There were some kids Leighann had gone to high school with and the line was longer than they’d anticipated even though there was no body to see.

  Since it was already in the middle of the day, I’d hoped people might’ve cancelled any appointments they’d had with Camille Shively and she’d have an open window to discuss Sean Graves and the prescription. In light of the current evidence against Sean, I still wanted to talk to her about Juanita Liberty’s Crohn’s condition.

  The waiting room was empty like I’d hoped. I walked up to the receptionist window.

  “Sheriff.” Her eyes drew down my nose. “I’m assuming you’re here on official business.”

  “That’s right. Camille is expecting me.” I stood there gripping my bag and watched her rush off.

  I turned around and faced the small brown leather loveseats and perfectly matched end tables. Framed photos of Camille in her graduation cap and gown decorated with all sorts of colored cords hung on the walls. They represented just how smart she was in her class. The all-important piece of paper that told us she that she was in fact a doctor was proudly displayed.

  The doctor’s office was already an unnerving place to be when you had an appointment and I could tell that Camille had taken great lengths to make the office homier to help get rid of the white coat syndrome.

  The water feature in the corner tickled a soothing sound. I couldn’t help but wonder if Camille had strategically placed it there since it was the latest rage in battling anxiety. I could tell her that it wasn’t working for me. The more I thought about Sean Graves and what I was about to arrest him for was stress beyond the normal. Stress came with the job, but when a father figure was accused of such a horrific crime, the level of anxiety was almost unbearable.

  Before I could even sit down, Camille was at the door in her doctor’s whites, looking very much like the girl next door that made her clients feel comfortable with her. Her long black hair was pulled into a low ponytail at the nape of her neck. Her pale face softened as she smiled.

  “Kenni.” She held the waiting room door for me. “Let’s go back to my office.”

  “Thanks for seeing me.” I unzipped my bag and had the papers that she’d requested all ready for her. “Here’s the request for subpoena.”

  “I can tell you that Sean Graves isn’t a man that appears to be anxious or even unstable. He’s got some anger issues that we are working through, but if you think he killed his daughter, I’m going to strongly tell you that in my professional opinion, he did not.” Camille didn’t even give me a chance to ask her any questions before she started right on in as though she’d already rehearsed it.

  “Professional opinion? Pweft.” Poppa appeared next to Camille, blowing her off. “She needs to stick to doctoring and not policing.”

  “He’d been having some trouble sleeping the past couple of weeks because he and Jilly are having some issues coming to agreement with how to handle Leighann’s decisions as an adult, but now they have a whole set of different issues they are going to have to face,” she said.

  “He’s got a lot of issues, lady.” Poppa rocked back on his heels. “You need to give her something to chew on.”

  “I appreciate your professional opinion, but the evidence speaks for itself and right now it’s screaming that Sean Graves murdered his stepdaughter.” My words caught me off-guard. I’d never called Leighann his step-daughter and it did make the awful crime more realistic and believable rather than calling her his daughter. “Her car was towed into the river. She was floating in the back and the keys were in her pocket. The mileage log on his tow truck just so happens to be the exact mileage from his shop to the river.”

  “Weee-dogggy.” Poppa smacked his knee in delight. “Look at that shocked look on her face.”

  I literally had to suck in a deep breath to keep from saying too much. So I went in for the kill.

  “I’m going to need copies of all of your records on Sean Grave as well as the prescriptions because Leighann was given Ambien before she was murdered,” my words were met with the good doctor’s jaw dropping.

  “I’m...” she stammered, “I...um...” She looked away and cleared her throat. “I had no idea. He seemed genuinely concerned about Leighann’s future.”

  “It appears that Juanita Liberty was the same way. And I’d like to know about her Crohn’s disease.” I watched Camille write on a piece of paper. “I know that I have to have all my I’s and T’s crossed with solid evidence that Sean Graves had anything to do with Leighann’s murder. From what I’ve heard, Juanita is battling Crohn’s disease. She felt the same way about Leighann as Sean did Manuel. She too had motive to kill Leighann, but she was at home ill the night of Leighann’s murder, so technically she’s not a suspect. But I’d like to know if she’s as bad off as they say.”

  “I’m assuming you’d get a warrant for that too.” Camille pushed a button on her phone and called for the secretary. “She does have Crohn’s. We are working with a specialist on various treatments but until it’s under control with all the new meds, then I’d say she’s a little
touch and go. We’ve been treating it for years, but now we are having to use some experimental things.”

  The secretary walked over to Camille and took the sticky note she’d written on.

  “I need all the files copied,” she looked up at the secretary under raised brows. The secretary hurried out.

  “I’m sorry to hear that. She’s got a few young children.” My heart ached for Manuel.

  I couldn’t imagine what was going through his young mind and sympathized with how he was going to have to take care of his mother once her disease progressed.

  My phone chirped a text. I dragged it out of my pocket and read it from Max.

  “Did Juanita happen to take Ambien?” I asked just to make sure.

  “No. She’s already tired enough without needing a sleep aid,” she confirmed.

  “I’ve got to go.” I stood up. “Do you think she’s done with the copies?”

  “She should be.” Camille stood up too. “I’m sorry about my thoughts about Sean. I guess it goes to prove that you don’t know someone by what they tell you.”

  “He’s not tried and convicted yet.” I reminded her and left the office, grabbing the files from the secretary on my way out.

  “Good boy,” I pat Duke on the head when I got back into the Jeep.

  “What are you waiting on?” Poppa tapped the dashboard with his fingers. “Get a move on it. We’ve got an arrest to make.”

  I took a couple of deep breaths before I turned the engine over.

  “Well? What are you waiting for?” Poppa asked. He hit the dash a little harder this time. “Go!”

  “Poppa, weren’t you the one who told me that I better make sure because I just can’t go off and accuse people of crimes they didn’t commit?” I asked.

  “Yes, I did, Kenni-Bug.” His chin lifted up and then down in a definitive yes. “What more evidence do you need? He has a prescription of Ambien. He has a history of abusing the poor girl. His tow truck matches up to what happened to the SUV in the river. He flew off the handle when she told him she was going to find her real father. He also had to’ve found out that Jilly was going to leave him. That does a lot to a man.”

  “You’re right. We can’t make the evidence up. These are all facts and it all points to Leighann’s death.” A lump so dry formed in my throat and I could barely swallow to make it wet.

  Instead of fighting the fear inside, I simply put the Jeep in drive and headed right on back to Graves Towing to do one of the hardest arrests I’ve ever had to do.

  Chapter Sixteen

  “Kenni, won’t you come in?” Jilly held the door open for me to enter.

  “I appreciate that, but I’m here to see Sean.” My face set stern, my eyes had a softness to them as they looked at the wife and mother who was about to lose everything. My heart ached for her, but I had a job to do and bringing Leighann’s killer to justice was my only concern.

  “Kenni. Honey.” Sean walked up and stood over her shoulder. “Is everything okay?”

  “Can I see you outside?” I questioned.

  “It’s awful cold and we really just want to get some rest. If you’ve got some information, come on in and we can talk over coffee.” Jilly still continued to try to get me inside. “The Sweet Adelines left so much coffee cake and we’ve got to eat it.”

  “I think she wants to talk to me.” Sean moved past Jilly and stepped outside. It was easy enough for me to size him up when my head came up to his chin.

  “Yep. About the same distance from the pedals in Leighann’s car to the seat.” Poppa had noticed what I’d noticed. “Oh, Kenni-Bug.” The tone in his voice didn’t make me feel any better. “You’ve got your work cut out for you.”

  “You got the killer, didn’t you?” Sean looked down at me.

  “Yes,” I choked out and then cleared my throat. “Sean Graves,” My chin lifted into the air, my voice loud and clear, I said, “You are under arrest for the murder of Leighann Graves.”

  “What?” He drew back. I stood firm. “You’ve lost your mind!” His boisterous voice blew past me and it was so powerful, it almost knocked me over.

  “Anything you say can and will be used against you.” I reached around my utility belt and unclipped my cuffs.

  “I’m not going,” he protested and chuckled. “You’re crazy.”

  “Sean? Kenni?” Jilly stood at the door. The cup of coffee she had in her hands shattered on the front porch when she dropped it. “No, Sean, no,” she pleaded and shook her head. The tears began to flood down her face. “Not my baby. You killed my baby?”

  “No.” He pointed to Jilly and then pointed to me. “You are wrong. Very wrong.”

  “I’m taking you down to the department.” I reached for his wrist. “If I’m wrong, we can sort it out down there.”

  “We are going to sort this out,” he demanded. “Jilly, woman, get yourself together. You hear me?” He hollered.

  “You’ve man-handled her long enough.” I clipped the cuffs on him a little tighter than I’d normally done. “I can’t wait to see you behind bars.”

  “Kenni, stay calm. Just do your job.” Poppa ghosted past me towards the Jeep. “Get him in the Wagoneer and let’s do the job.”

  “Jilly, call Wally Lamb!” He had one good scream before I shoved him in the back seat of the Wagoneer.

  I’d like to say there was complete silence or even some sort of sadness on the way back into town, but he was just piss and vinegar the entire way.

  “You think you’re going to get re-elected, you’re crazy. I don’t care who I have to throw money towards to beat you right out of office, but I’ll donate today.” He spewed hate words the whole way there. “Too bad you’re not like Elmer.”

  “Sean, I’m telling you to stop talking,” I warned him.

  “Are you going to take my right to talk away too?” He asked sarcastically.

  I gripped the wheel so hard that by the time I’d parked the Jeep in the alley behind the department, my fingers were numb and tingling.

  “Finn,” I called after I’d beeped in my walkie-talkie. “Can you come get Sean out of my Jeep?”

  He didn’t even answer back. He bolted out the door. When I got out, our eyes met. There was an unspoken word between us. He knew he had to give me a few minutes to collect myself and I knew it too.

  “Betty, I’m going to go to the bathroom and get a coffee. Please make Sean comfortable.” I didn’t look at her. I unzipped my coat and hung it up on the coat tree.

  “Wally Lamb is on his way,” Betty warned as I pushed through the door between the department and Cowboy’s Catfish. “And your mama dropped off a casserole for you to take to Manuel Liberty. She said something about how he’s grieving too.”

  The bathroom light flickered above my head as I stood at the sink, grasping the edges. My stomach hurt, and I felt like I was going to be sick. I just couldn’t believe that Sean Graves had been given the precious gift of having a wonderful daughter and took her life.

  “Over what?” I looked hard into my own eyes in the mirror. “What did you kill her over?” I asked myself like I was going to ask him.

  Only the hint of tears burned the top of my nose. I knew I had get a grip before I could go in there and interrogate him when Wally Lamb got there.

  I turned on the cold-water knob and let it run for a few minutes to get good and cold. I bent my head overtop the sink and used my hands to splash water on my face.

  “Ding, ding,” Poppa pretend to ring the bell. He pinched a faint smile. “These are the tough times,” he reminded me. “You’ve got to remember all the good. All the donations you do during the year. All the volunteer hours. The citizens who drop by and bring you pies just to thank you. The sticker badges you put in the smallest hands of Cottonwood that look up to you and when they grow up they want to be sheriff. Those are the events you have t
o remember to get you through the bad times like this one.”

  “Sean Graves?” I still questioned with disbelief. “It’s so unthinkable. All the times I went to bat for him and all the times we used his towing company.” I shook my head and used my sleeve to wipe off any left-over water.

  “You and I both know that people lose their minds and do things that are out of their character, but now that the spotlight has been bright on Sean Graves, I think you know deep down that he didn’t lose his mind.” Poppa jabbed his finger towards my heart. “He’s been down-right ornery for a while, only behind closed doors.”

  I wiped my face one more time and shook my head.

  “You’re right.” I sucked in a deep breath. “I really wish you were here.”

  “I am here. Right here next to you,” he assured me.

  “Will you make sure I ask the appropriate questions?” I knew when I proceeded with Wally Lamb there as I questioned Sean, Wally would try and turn every question into a debate.

  “I’ll be right there.” He nodded.

  There was a sense of light that passed between us that gave me a confidence that I’d dug down deep to get. I was ready to bring Leighann’s killer to justice.

  Chapter Seventeen

  “Sheriff Lowry, I think you’ve gone on an all-out hunting spree since you’re trying to bolt out of town with your boyfriend.” Wally Lamb slid his shifty eyes toward Deputy Finn Vincent. “You haven’t even taken the time to properly investigate this case in the last what,” he see-sawed his hand, “forty-eight hours, seventy-two hours?”

  He drew back, duck-billed his lips and gave me a geesh look.

  “Am I right or am I right?” He asked and sauntered over to the cell. “I’m going to have to ask you to let my client go. Now, open the cell.”

  “Listen here,” Finn took a step forward.