Framed by Friends: A Senoia Cozy Mystery

by Susan Harper

  Felicity frowned. “All we have is a never-ending list of suspects! Was it Gregory Lull, Whitney, Kristopher? Maybe even Brittany? Everyone seems to have some sort of motive!”

  Brian had a look of pure concentration. He snapped his fingers, pointing in Monte’s direction. “It makes sense. All of it. What Kristopher said about Nick not knowing how things worked? Jim Johnson, Kristopher’s father, was not the only one working the drug ring! He’s just the one who Nick busted. What if Gregory Lull and Kristopher were involved too? It would make sense. Jim Johnson probably pulled his son into the game, and Gregory was probably running some of it from the shadows with Johnson. Lull doesn’t like Nick because he busted up his drug operations! From the looks of things, I guarantee Whitney’s father and Kristopher’s father were partners while Kristopher probably worked on something like recruiting enlistees to help. They need Nick out of the picture to keep him from finding them out too. It would only be a matter of time before he pieced together that they were working with Kristopher’s father. And you know what else? I think Whitney is involved too.”

  “Brian, I think you’re onto something,” Jack said.

  “Yeah, but now we have to prove it,” Monte griped.

  “Jack, call up Britany and see if she’ll meet you today. I bet you could get some more from her,” Brian said.

  “I don’t know about that. She’s at the hospital supporting her sister,” Jack said. “She probably won’t just drop everything.”

  “That girl has a crush on you, moron,” Brian said. “She was making googly eyes at you at the party, and then she gave you her personal cell number. Call her, she’ll come.”

  Jack blushed. “Um, no, she doesn’t.”

  “Just call her,” Brian demanded. “See what else you can find out from her. With all that plotting between her father, her sister, and Kristopher, she’d probably be the one person who might have overheard something.”

  “All right,” Jack said. “I’ll call the kid.”

  Brian checked his watch and sighed. “The station’s visiting hours are over. I won’t be able to talk to Jefferson until tomorrow.”

  “We’ll reconvene tomorrow, then,” Felicity said. “It’s late anyway. We all need rest if we’re going to figure this thing out.”

  “Tomorrow then,” Brian said.

  Felicity nodded in agreement. “Yes, tomorrow.”

  Suddenly, Jack chuckled. “Well, I’ll be.”

  The rest of the group looked in his direction. “What is it?” Autumn asked.

  He held up his phone. “I have a text from Brittany…just asking how I’m doing. Guess I’m going to see if she’ll meet me for dinner.”

  “You sly dog, you,” Monte teased.

  “Man, she’s nineteen, knock it off,” Jack warned.

  They closed the shop, each person heading home, with the exception of Jack. Felicity felt a little better knowing they had some leads and a theory. Don’t worry, Jefferson, she thought, we’re going to pull through for you. I promise.

  Chapter 12

  Jack entered the newest restaurant on Main Street. It was a classy burger joint owned by a local celebrity. The menu was fairly limited, but everything on it was always excellent. He went ahead and got a table, then patiently waited for Britany Lull to arrive. She would be driving from Newnan Hospital, so he knew he had at least twenty minutes.

  After forty minutes of waiting, he was beginning to wonder if the girl was ever going to show. He had sat near the door in hopes of spotting her as soon as she entered, and at last he saw her through the restaurant’s front window. She was sashaying her way down the street. At least she looks like she’s in a hurry, Jack thought.

  When she entered, Jack gave her a little wave. She bypassed the hostess and came to sit across from him. “Sorry I’m late,” she said, tucking a manila envelope under her arm.

  “Thought you were just coming from Newnan Hospital?” Jack asked.

  “I was,” she said. “But then I decided to run home first to get this for you.” She placed the manila envelope on the table. Jack reached for it, and she slammed her hand down on the envelope so that he could not grab it. “Not so fast, Jack,” she said. “You promised me dinner, remember?”

  Jack frowned. She was going to be difficult. Great, he thought to himself and waved the server over. They ordered dinner, and drifted into small talk. “So you still in school?” Jack asked.

  “Sophomore in college,” she said.

  “What’s your major?” he asked.

  “Just general studies right now, until I figure out what I really want to do,” she said.

  “You working?” Jack asked.

  “Of course,” Brittany said. “Unlike my sister, I don’t think I’m above an actual job.”

  “I thought your sister was a pharmaceutical rep?” Jack questioned.

  She laughed. “She only does that because it makes it easier to get a hold of painkillers.”

  “You don’t think very highly of your sister, do you?” Jack asked, and Brittany merely shook her head as the server dropped two salads in front of them. Once the server left, Jack asked, “So where is it you’re working?”

  “I work at a life insurance agency,” she said. “I can make my own hours and stuff, which is good for a college student. I just sell life insurance, basically. Which is what this is about.” She tapped the manila envelope.

  “You going to let me look at that?” Jack asked.

  She smiled. “Well, I at least have my salad. I guess that warrants you looking at my sister’s dirty little secret.”

  Jack raised his brow. She had certainly piqued his interest. He took the envelope as she handed it over. Jack opened it up, but was not entirely sure what it was he was looking at. “Is this a life insurance policy?”

  “Yup,” Britany said. “One that Whitney took out on Nick about three months ago. She came to me saying that she wanted to get some additional life insurance on him. Gave me the excuse that with him being in the military, you could never be too careful. Nick’s never seen combat in his life, but I believed her. It did send up a red flag, though.”

  “Why a red flag?” Jack asked.

  “Because she had just gone to see Mom a few days before,” Brittany said, taking a bite of her salad. “I told you, Mom would always get into Whitney’s head. They’re close, despite Mom serving a life sentence for stabbing Dad in the throat. This is exactly what Mom tried to do before she attempted to kill Dad. She took out a crazy life insurance policy to try to get a little extra money.”

  “Your sister was standing right next to Nick when he was shot,” Jack said. “She’s not the killer.”

  “But she obviously knew it was going to happen,” Britany said, and Jack nodded in agreement. The life insurance plan he was looking at was outrageous.

  The server came, picked up their salad bowls, and dropped off their entrees. “I imagine this must be hard,” Jack said once the server left them again. “I mean, it is your sister.”

  “It is,” Brittany said. “But I’m not in denial. Whitney has always been a little off, you know? I’ve always thought there was just something not right about her. They say my mom has some sort of mental illness. I’ve never really cared enough to look into it. But then I look at the way Whitney has always been. She’s a pathological liar. She used to always tell her friends that Jefferson hit her to gain sympathy. She would make up these outlandish stories that just aren’t true. I know because she’s lied her whole life. As kids, I can remember her just breaking dishes for the heck of it and then telling Dad I did it just because it was a fun game to her. As we got older, she’d steal money out of Dad’s wallet and blame it on me, a neighbor, or whatever. And she would convince herself that her lies were true.”

  “That must have been hard growing up with,” Jack said.

  “It was. And the biggest problem was that my dad always believed Whitney. She was just like our mom, but I look just like his crazy ex. So I must be the bad child, right
? Forget that I’m going to college and working. Anyway, Dad and Whitney have been talking a lot lately. A lot more than usual.”

  “I’m going to ask you something, Brittany, that I need to stay confidential,” Jack said, and Brittany nodded. “Jim Johnson, Kristopher’s father, how close would you say he was with your father?”

  “Are you kidding? They were best friends. That’s how Kristopher and Nick met in the first place.”

  “Did you ever notice anything unusual about your father?” Jack asked.

  “You’re asking whether or not I think Dad was involved in the drug trafficking?” Brittany questioned, and Jack nodded. She shrugged. “I don’t know. I know that Kristopher and Dad started talking a lot more after Jim was arrested. And I know Dad was on the phone with Kristopher every other day before the arrest. And I also know that Dad really hates Nick, even though Nick always treated his favorite daughter like a little princess. I’m sure there is a reason for it, you know?”

  Jack crossed his arms and leaned back in his seat. “So we have more theories. But this right here—” Jack pointed at the envelope. “—this is the first piece of real evidence that we have come across. Thank you.”

  “Anything to help Jefferson,” Brittany said. “If you need real evidence, I’d talk to Logan.”

  “Logan?” Jack asked. “Why Logan?”

  “I’m not sure how, but I think he’s involved somehow too,” Brittany said.

  “And why do you think that?”

  “Because I saw him snooping around the Overton’s Events van at the party.”

  It was early the next morning after Nick was shot, and Brian wasn’t wasting any time. He headed straight down to the local jail where Jefferson had been kept overnight. It didn’t take him long before Jefferson was led into an interrogation room so Brian could speak to his client privately.

  Jefferson looked like a wreck. Brian sat across from him and looked at Jefferson with a serious gaze. “Felicity and the rest of your friends are working harder than the police are on this investigation,” Brian began.

  “Good,” Jefferson said. “Because Felicity has a better track record than the police.”

  “You’re not kidding,” Brian said. “I need you to be straight with me about something. Because if Felicity and your friends fail, this thing is going to court. And if we go to court, it sounds like Whitney is going to bring up some old baggage to make sure you’re put in prison.”

  “Ask me anything.”

  “Did you ever hit Whitney?”

  Jefferson gritted his teeth. “Never!” he exclaimed. “Is that what she’s telling people?”

  “Are you being honest with me, Jefferson?” Brian asked.

  “Yes!” Jefferson exclaimed. “I would never have hurt her! I don’t hit women. Do you really think I’m that kind of guy?”

  “But you did break Nick’s nose the night you and Whitney broke up?” Brian asked.

  “Yes,” Jefferson admitted. “We got into a fight. Punches were thrown. He knocked my shoulder out of place when we wrestled ourselves to the ground.”

  “Hospital records indicate that Whitney was checked into the Fayetteville emergency room that night. That seems pretty consistent with her story unless you have another one to tell me?” Brian questioned.

  “I don’t like your attitude about this,” Jefferson warned. “Yeah, she went to the hospital. But not because of me.”

  “What happened that night, Jefferson?”

  “I went over to Whitney’s to confront her about Nick. He was there, and I started to leave. I dumped her, and I shouted at her and called her a few names. I was angry, but after breaking up with her, I tried to leave. Nick… I guess he was just wanting to defend his new girlfriend or whatever, he followed me out,” Jefferson said sadly. He took a breath before continuing. “Anyway, the two of us started throwing fists. He was a smaller guy then, so I did manage to knock him really good in his nose. Then he tackled me, and we wound up on the ground. He reached for the garden sprinkler that was out in the lawn, and Whitney got into the middle of the tussle to try to break us up. He tried to stab me with the sprinkler, and he wound up getting her good in the leg. I left, and Nick drove her to the hospital to get stitches.”

  Brian scribbled some notes down, nodding as Jefferson spoke. “Okay, thank you. Was anyone else there that night?” Brian asked.

  “Logan was there. He saw the whole thing,” Jefferson said.

  “That’s really all I need for now.” Brian rose from his seat. “For what it’s worth, Jefferson, I believe you.”

  Jefferson nodded. “Thank you.”

  Chapter 13

  It had been two days since Nick’s shooting, and Felicity was starting to feel like they were not getting anywhere. Jack, still on sabbatical, had decided to stop by the shop to check on her. It was close to an hour before closing, so he was able to convince her to close up shop early while he took her to get coffee at the coffee shop on the corner.

  Frankly, she needed it. Working the event shop without Jefferson was starting to depress her. She sat with Jack in the window seat, enjoying some coffee and a blueberry muffin, courtesy of Jack. “No new breakthrough, huh?” Jack asked.

  “Not since your conversation with Brittany,” Felicity said. “I’ve been trying to get in contact with Logan like Brittany suggested, but he has been ignoring my calls.”

  “You’re not going to believe this,” Jack said, pointing a finger out the window.

  Felicity turned to see Logan rushing up the street. “We should really come here more often,” Felicity said. “I feel like this sort of thing happens a lot when we’re here.”

  Both Felicity and Jack jumped up and hurried out the door. They saw Logan up ahead, crossing toward the street that ran along the side of the Irish pub’s underground street entrance. Felicity and Jack picked up the pace, catching up to Logan right near the stairwell that led into the basement of the office complex where the pub was located.

  “Logan!” Felicity called out, and she saw Logan stop in his tracks.

  He spun around, and when he saw who it was that was following him, he spun back around and ran faster. Jack took off after him, and Felicity felt relieved that the side street was empty. She watched as Jack rushed to catch up to Logan, grabbing his arms and yanking him to the underground stairwell. “Oh dear,” Felicity muttered as she followed Jack. She watched Jack pin Logan up against the wall.

  “Why are you running, Logan?” Jack snarled.

  “Because you were chasing me!” he exclaimed. “Why were you chasing me?”

  “Because you were running!” Jack shouted. “We need to talk.”

  “I’m not talking to you about anything. You’re crazy,” Logan said.

  “Logan!” Felicity shouted from the top of the stairs. She took several steps down toward them and crossed her arms. “Jack, let him go. You’re scaring him.”

  Jack slowly released Logan, but his wicked gaze kept Logan in place. “What do you two want?” Logan asked.

  “Logan, you know why we followed you,” Felicity said. “We’re trying to help Jefferson.”

  “I know,” Logan said. “And you should. Jefferson is a good person. Like I said to you before, I chose the wrong side as far as friends go.”

  “A little birdie told me that you were snooping around Felicity’s event van at Nick’s coming home party,” Jack said. “Now if I were to call my buddies at the station and tell them to check for your prints, what would they find?”

  Logan’s face turned white. “I didn’t hurt Nick.”

  “But you stole Jefferson’s gun, didn’t you?” Felicity asked. “Logan, please. You say you regret not being Jefferson’s friend back in school. You can change that now. Help us help him.”

  Logan thought for a moment, but he nodded. “Okay,” he said. “I stole the gun from the van because Whitney asked me to.”

  “Oh, Logan, you poor sap. How many things has that woman convinced you to do over the years with a litt
le bit of flirting?” Felicity asked.

  “More than I’m proud to admit,” Logan said. “I didn’t know what Whitney wanted with it, but I got a feeling that it wasn’t anything good. I was told to leave the gun on her nightstand in hers and Nick’s bedroom.”

  “The room where the shot was fired from the open window,” Jack said.

  “Yeah,” Logan said.

  “But that gun wasn’t used,” Felicity said.

  “No,” Logan said. “But that was the plan, I’m sure of it. But I panicked. I could just tell something wasn’t right.”

  “Something other than the fact that a woman wanted you to steal someone else’s gun, right?” Jack asked.

  “Yeah…” Logan said. “Instead of putting it on the nightstand, I stashed it under the bed in a panic.”

  “That’s where the police found the gun,” Jack said.

  “So Whitney wanted you to put the gun in her room so that the shooter could get Nick with Jefferson’s gun. The plan all along was to frame Jefferson,” Jack said.

  “But who pulled the trigger?” Felicity asked.

  “I don’t know for sure, but I know Kristopher was involved,” Logan said.

  “How do you know that?” Jack asked.

  “Because Kristopher was the one who told Officer Lincoln and Officer Monroe to invite you to the shooting range after the party,” Logan said. “Lincoln had mentioned to Kristopher a while back that you had been taking one of your buddies to the range, and when Kristopher found out that it was Jefferson, well, you made it easy for them. All he had to do was make sure that Jefferson brought his gun to the party.”

  “Surely Lincoln and Monroe were not aware of Kristopher’s intentions?” Jack questioned.

  “Doubt it,” Logan said. “Kristopher had invited Lincoln and Monroe to go shooting, and he just mentioned to them to ask you to tag along, knowing that you would invite Jefferson.”

  “So how do we prove that Kristopher was the shooter?” Felicity asked.

  “He was inside when the shooting happened,” Logan said. “I saw him go inside just a few minutes before it happened.”