A Finder's Fee

by Joyce

  Pam was tearful and contrite. “I’m sorry. I was so angry that people weren’t doing anything. Mad Dog came home and settled right back in like it was nothing. My brother will never come home again.”

  “I’m sorry that you’ve had to live with that all these years. But trashing our council meeting and accusing the wrong person of killing your brother isn’t right either.”

  “I know. I didn’t realize that other woman was responsible. I don’t even remember her—she looks like all the rest of them. Otherwise—”

  “Otherwise?”

  “I—I did something. Maybe it was wrong as I look back at it, but at the time it seemed right.”

  I waited for her to tell me what she’d done. She obviously wanted to.

  “I wanted to make sure he was going to be put away for good.”

  “Mad Dog?”

  “Yes.” She nervously sipped her tea. “I had Joe’s car. I’ve had it all this time.”

  Chapter 25

  “What?”

  “We found it.” The words came flooding out of her. “Me, Mom and Dad. We found it on Highway Twelve, a few miles from home.”

  “When did you find it?” I was thinking about what Chief Peabody had said about giving Joe a ticket, in his car, a week after he was supposed to be dead.

  “It was the next day after the race where Mad Dog was hurt. Joe didn’t come home that night. He always came home. That was one of my mother’s strictest rules. Even if he was late, he always came home.”

  Was she telling the truth? “So you went to look for him.”

  “Yes. We found his car. The keys were still in it. There was no sign of Joe, then or . . . until you found him. My father drove number twenty-three home and finally put it in the old shed out back. As long as my parents were alive, they made sure it was taken care of—in case Joe came back. I took care of it after they died.”

  “Can you prove when you found the car?”

  “I don’t know.” She thought about it. “Maybe.”

  “So you put the car in Mad Dog’s garage?”

  She started crying again. “Yes. I thought it was the best thing to do. I thought if they found Joe’s car there, they’d convict Mad Dog of killing Joe.”

  “Why are you telling me this? You have to know the police could arrest you for creating false evidence.” I wasn’t sure if that was really a charge, but I thought in this case it probably should be.

  “You know everyone. I’ve seen you on TV. I was hoping you could tell the police. I know I may have to go to jail, but I don’t want that evidence to help convict the wrong person.”

  Now she thinks about that. “I’ll be glad to go with you to turn yourself in to the sheriff, but I can’t take care of all of it for you. Sometimes you have to admit your own mistakes.”

  “You’re right, of course. I want to do that. If you could come with me, that would be great.”

  We devised a plan that I would go with her to her house and she could show me where Joe’s car had been before she’d moved it. I could also take her car back home for her, in case she was arrested. She was more worried about her car, it seemed, than about what was going to happen to her.

  I closed Missing Pieces and let Gramps and Kevin know what was going on. Kevin agreed to come and get me when it was over, if I needed him to. I didn’t want to drive Pam’s car back to Duck.

  Pam chattered all the way to Manteo. It was odd, but it was as though her life had ended at the same time Joe had disappeared. The event, and what had happened since then, was all she could talk about. Maybe it was the impression her parents had left with her. It sounded like their whole lives had been dedicated to finding Joe. Pam didn’t seem to have a personal life or relationships with other people, even as an adult.

  When I could get a word in, I asked, “Did you know your brother was married to Rosie Carpenter?”

  She almost swerved her little car off the road. The expression she turned to me was one of horror and indignation. “No! He wouldn’t have done such a thing. My mom completely disapproved of her.”

  I took the marriage license out of my pocketbook. “They got married right here at the courthouse two days before he died.”

  She had to pull over to control her breathing, snatching the paper from me to stare at it with anger.

  “This is ridiculous. It was probably some kind of stunt. Joe wouldn’t have—he couldn’t have. He wouldn’t have hurt me and my parents this way.”

  “I’m sorry. He obviously loved Rosie and wanted to spend the rest of his life with her.”

  Pam screamed as she ripped the marriage license to shreds. She had to get out of the car and walk around in the abandoned parking lot where she’d stopped.

  I got out with her, worried what she might do. Obviously, she was having a hard time realizing that there was more to her brother’s life than her and their parents.

  “How could he? She pounded on the hood of the car. “I can’t believe he was going to leave us for that tramp.”

  “I thought you said you couldn’t tell them apart.”

  “Oh, her. That’s different.” Pam laughed a little hysterically then paced the parking lot where grass was growing through the old concrete. “I remember her. Everybody knew her. Of everyone who followed him around, she was the worst. This was exactly what Mom and Dad were afraid of. She got her hooks into him but good.”

  “It’s been over for a long time.” I glanced at my watch. “We need to get to the sheriff’s office and sort through this thing about Joe’s car. Are you ready?”

  “Doesn’t it seem a little ironic that I might go to jail for trying to make the police put my brother’s killer in jail when all the time he meant to leave us?”

  I didn’t know what to say. It seemed Pam had crossed a line that had taken her to another place. I wasn’t sure if she could come back.

  I offered to drive. She didn’t care. She directed me to her house, and we got out to look in the garage where Joe’s car had been. She wanted to make sure the house was locked up when she left too.

  The home was an older split-level that she’d inherited from her parents. It appeared as though time had stopped here forty years ago. Most of the furniture was covered with old sheets. Cobwebs hung between lights in the ceiling and against the wall. There were still yellowed newspaper clippings from before Joe’s death on the refrigerator.

  The only room that looked used at all was Pam’s bedroom. Even there, everything was dated from her childhood up to Joe’s disappearance. The walls were filled with pictures of Joe, their family and friends. Many of them had faded until they were barely visible.

  I sat in a chair by the door, waiting, while Pam bustled around the room trying to find the key for the garage. I was beginning to think we should go to the police first and let them deal with it.

  “I wonder how long I’ll be in jail.” She looked dazed and confused. “What do you think?”

  I wasn’t sure she could handle that type of stress. I realized that they might have to find a spot for her at the hospital. Finding out about Joe’s marriage seemed to have devastated her. No wonder, since she had no life without her memories of him. I really wanted to get her someplace where professionals could evaluate her.

  “I took all of these pictures with my little Kodak camera my parents gave me for my birthday.” She forgot about the key and pointed proudly to the wall. “I loved my brother so much. I guess he didn’t really love me.”

  I didn’t correct her. I stood at the wall and exclaimed over her photos. Even though it had been many years, it was easy to spot La Donna—a young, shapely La Donna—who wore a lot of bathing suits and short sundresses. She’d aged very well and still wore her hair in the same basic style. It was hard to imagine that Rosie Carpenter was more attractive.

  I asked Pam which of the hundreds of girls was Rosie. She didn�
�t say anything, just pointed her out. Once I knew what she looked like, I realized how many of the photos she was in with Joe.

  “I know I should take my own toothbrush with me.” Pam wandered into the bathroom. “I’ll be done after this and we can go.”

  I moved closer to a group of pictures that showed Rosie clowning around with Joe. Her signature short-shorts weren’t so bad by today’s standards. I thought La Donna’s dresses were much more provocative.

  One thing teased me about Rosie. She looked vaguely familiar. Maybe not familiar as in someone I passed every day, but someone I’d seen before. It made me wonder if maybe she’d taken over her father’s car dealership and was doing commercials that played late at night when Gramps was watching Gilligan’s Island.

  She’d be older, of course, like La Donna. It might be that Rosie had aged as well as La Donna and that’s why I’d recognized her.

  “I’ve seen both of them,” Maggie whispered as I searched the photos. “Here, let me—”

  “Okay. I’m ready.” Pam stood at the door holding her toothbrush. “I wish I would’ve done more with my life. I would’ve if I’d known I might spend the rest of it in prison. I guess it’s too late now.”

  “I know exactly what you mean, lady,” Maggie commiserated with her. “My life was over before it began.”

  Pam’s reddened eyes narrowed as she stared at me. “Who is that in there with you?”

  “No one.” I pushed Maggie back. “Let’s go and get this over with. I don’t think you’ll spend the rest of your life in prison. What you did was wrong, but I think the sheriff will take everything into account. You’ll have time to do some things with your life. You have to get past Joe.”

  She agreed and we got in the car together. Was Pam psychic? She’d reacted differently than most of the people who’d heard Maggie speak through me. Could she see spirits?

  In less than ten minutes, we were at the sheriff’s office, waiting to see Tuck Riley. I thought there was no point in talking to a deputy. This way, Pam would know something about her fate in less time.

  Tuck strode in a few minutes later with his customary grin, holding his tie against his chest as he went around his desk and sat down. “Mayor O’Donnell. Always good to see you. I don’t believe I’ve met your friend.”

  He reached across the desk to shake Pam’s hand. “Sheriff Tuck Riley, ma’am. And you are?”

  Pam held her hands out. “Guilty.”

  He glanced at me. “Everyone is guilty of something, ma’am. Let’s start with your name and address, if you don’t mind.”

  He wrote down Pam’s information. “That’s right. You’re Lightning Joe’s sister. I know your name. Exactly what crime have you committed, Miss Walsh?”

  Pam told him what she’d done in a surprisingly calm tone. “I wouldn’t be sorry except that now it looks like one of Joe’s old girlfriends may have killed him instead of Mad Dog. My mother told him those girls would be the death of him.”

  Tuck grinned and looked at the information he’d written. “This is a serious offense, ma’am. Tampering with evidence is a big deal. I understand your anger and frustration. We can’t work around the law, can we? It’s all that keeps us from running wild in the streets.”

  “Yes, sir. I know.” Pam hung her head.

  “I’m sure you’re contrite about this lapse. I do suggest you retain an attorney in case something comes up about it during the trial—whoever the defendant is. In the meantime, we’ll keep your brother’s car in the impound lot. It will be released to you after the trial is over.”

  Pam lifted her head. “Is that it? You aren’t going to arrest me?”

  Tuck grinned. “No, ma’am. I feel sure this won’t happen again. We needed that car anyway. No harm, no foul.”

  I don’t think she could quite believe it. I was surprised too. I was glad he’d taken everything into consideration—Pam wasn’t a criminal. I hoped she’d be all right though.

  “Thank you very much, Sheriff Riley.” She jumped up and shook his hand. “I appreciate you going easy on me—especially since I didn’t vote for you in the last election. I will in the next one.”

  Pam turned to head out the door, and I started to go with her.

  “Mayor,” Tuck called me back. “If I could have a few more minutes of your time. I’ll make sure you get home, if you need a ride.”

  “Sure.” I turned back and Pam was gone. “What can I do for you?”

  “It’s what I can do for you.” He grinned. “Sit down a minute, will you?”

  I took my chair again as he walked around the desk and closed the door to his office. Whatever it was, he seemed to be more serious about it than usual. Surely he wasn’t upset because I’d brought Pam there.

  “I heard a disturbing rumor about some federal agents operating in my county without telling me they were here.” He sat back down and stared at me. “Do you know anything about that?”

  I cleared my throat and hoped I didn’t look guilty. “I don’t think so. I’m not sure I’d know a federal agent if I saw one. Maybe they’re friends of Kevin’s.”

  “It’s rude for federal agents to invade a county without briefing the local law enforcement. Whatever they’re doing here, it may be below board. A person would be foolish to get involved in a clandestine operation of that sort. You aren’t involved in that sort of operation, are you, Mayor?”

  Obviously he knew something about Agents Moore and Jablonski. He also knew I couldn’t say anything without getting into more trouble. What was he up to?

  His phone rang before I could think of a polite answer to his question. He took the call after excusing himself and spoke in low tones for a moment before he hung up.

  “I’m sorry, but we’ll have to have this conversation at another time. You might as well know that Mrs. Nelson has come to her senses and made a compete confession to Joe Walsh’s death.”

  Chapter 26

  The Dare County deputy sheriff who drove me back to Duck was not a talkative person. Traffic was heavy for that late in the year, creeping almost bumper-to-bumper between Manteo and Duck. I couldn’t see anything that would cause the backup, but the deputy answered his radio a few times. He obviously didn’t want to share any information he’d received.

  My worst fears had been realized with La Donna’s new confession. I cautioned my overactive imagination to wait for the facts. As we’d been discussing the last few days, anyone could make a mistake.

  Did this involve Chief Michaels? Had La Donna told Sheriff Riley how Joe had ended up buried in the car? I didn’t want any of it to be true.

  I realized that I hadn’t even had a chance to tell Tuck about the two different stories involving Joe’s race car. I guess it wouldn’t matter anyway, if La Donna was confessing. Forty years was a long time to remember if Chief Peabody had given Lightning Joe a ticket the night after he’d been killed or a week later.

  The same thing could be true for when Pam recalled her parents finding the car. She was only a child. Her life was suddenly very stressful. Her memory might not be clear either.

  Traffic was still heavy when we reached Duck. Not wanting to go through one more silent moment with the deputy, I asked him to let me off at the boardwalk. I thought Nancy might have more information on what was going on. She usually did. Being the town clerk, she heard everything. She didn’t always want to share, fearful that people would call her a gossip. Unless she knew something for fact, she rarely indulged in idle speculation.

  Though she could be persuaded.

  “Dae.” She smiled when she saw me. “I’m glad to see you. I suppose you’ve heard that the DA has dropped all charges against Councilman Wilson. It’s crazy. Now La Donna is saying she killed Joe Walsh. I thought she’d flipped out at the meeting from the stress last night, you know? I can’t believe she could kill anyone, can you?”

  I sat
down at her desk. The office was empty. Chris was probably out supervising something. He was very hands-on, which was what made him such a good town manager.

  “I was with Sheriff Riley when he got the call about La Donna.” I explained about Pam having her brother’s car towed to Mad Dog’s house. “Something is still wrong.”

  “What’s wrong?” Mad Dog’s booming voice interrupted our conversation from the doorway.

  I’d had Chris put WD-40 on the office door last week because it was squeaking. My mistake.

  “Go on, ladies.” He sat down near us. “What doesn’t seem right? That La Donna Nelson killed Joe Walsh instead of me? Why? I’ve never hurt another human being in my life. I thought you were on my side, Dae.”

  “I’m not against you, Mr. Wilson.” I tried to be polite about it. “I know you didn’t kill Joe. I trust the things I see more than any police report. That doesn’t mean I can imagine La Donna killing him either. Can you?”

  He looked away, studying his walking cane for a moment. “I’m not saying she did it—she’s saying it. Not that I’d think of her as being a killer, but it always seems as though it’s easier to imagine a man committing violence.”

  Nancy’s expression was carefully guarded. She didn’t want to lose her job.

  I had no such issues. “I’m sorry. It made sense, looking at the facts. I’m glad you’ve been exonerated. Please don’t expect me to like the idea that La Donna could go to jail.”

  “Bah.” He got up and waved his cane around. “You’re sorry I still have some time to campaign. I could still win this election.”

  Nancy and I watched him walk out the door before saying anything else. Nancy even made sure the door was closed all the way.

  “I guess that’s who he is.” She shrugged as she sat back down at her desk. “What are you gonna do?”