Murder at Moonshiner Days

by Michelle Goff

  Once everyone was seated, Traci asked, “How can we help you?”

  “For starters,” Maggie said, “I wanted you to tell me a little about Jennifer. I understand you were best friends.”

  Traci put her hands together as if in prayer and said. “Yes, we had so much in common. We both taught young kids and were around the same age.” Winking again, she said, “I don’t want to sound vain, but Jennifer was actually three and a half years older than me. And Blake is older than mine and Todd’s kids, Tessa and Tate.”

  Tate Taylor. Maggie giggled internally before reminding herself that no one named Maggie Morgan had any room to mock another person’s alliterated name. Pulling herself together, she asked, “To your knowledge, did Jennifer have any enemies?”

  Traci’s eyes widened. “Goodness, no. She was a first-grade teacher. First-grade teachers don’t have enemies.”

  Maggie shifted her eyes to Todd, who said, “Everybody has somebody or another who doesn’t like them. That’s only natural. But that’s not the same thing as an enemy who dislikes you enough, no, hates you enough, to kill you.”

  Traci agreed. “And I can’t imagine that anybody would have felt that strongly about Jennifer.” She cast her eyes to the side and tilted her head like she had a secret. “Of course, she didn’t get along with her ex-husband, that’s for sure.”

  “Was this Jeff? Blake’s dad?”

  “Yep. Did you know he once sued her for full custody of Blake?” Traci asked.

  Although Delphene had mentioned this to her, Maggie feigned surprise, “Is that so? When was this?”

  Traci turned to Todd and arched her brows. “Four, five years ago?”

  “That sounds right,” Todd said.

  “Yeah, it had to be around that time,” Traci said. “Blake was, well, she had entered that awkward stage and she and Jennifer weren’t as close as they had been when Blake was little. Jennifer would come here to my room after school and cry until she hiccupped. Even though she and Blake weren’t getting along, she didn’t want to lose her girl.” Traci sighed. “I don’t like to talk about people behind their backs and Jennifer is never going to be able to defend herself again, but even though Jeff eventually dropped the custody fight, in many ways, Jennifer never got Blake back.”

  “What do you mean by that?” Maggie asked.

  “They had nothing in common,” Traci said. “Jennifer was a girly-girl and Blake was a tomboy who would rather hang around her dad’s garage than go shopping. Jennifer had to drag that girl to the store, and she had to make her wear dresses and nice clothes. Well, she did until Blake was old enough to choose her own clothes. Then, it was ball shorts, T-shirts, and tennis shoes. Blake was really into sports, but Jennifer wouldn’t consider letting her play ball until Todd intervened and talked to her. As a coach, you were the perfect person to reach her. Weren’t you, honey?”

  “I don’t know if I can take the credit for that. Mel and Jeff had more to do with it than I did.”

  “Oh, you’re being modest, hon. Not that Mel didn’t play a huge role in changing Jennifer’s mind. Mel never, ever disagreed with Jennifer. He also never, ever interfered when it came to Blake. So when he pointed out that Jennifer should think about doing things a little differently with Blake, she thought, ‘Wow, if Mel is questioning my actions, then I’m being unreasonable.’ I have to hand it to her. She listened to him. And to Todd and Jeff as well.”

  Frowning, Todd said, “I probably shouldn’t say anything –”

  Traci rested her hand on Todd’s knee. “Honey, if it will help find who killed Jennifer, you need to tell Maggie everything you know.”

  “I think Jeff used that custody battle to get Jennifer to ease up on Blake,” Todd said.

  “Oh, is that all?” Traci asked with a wink. “I thought you were going to drop a bombshell on us. I know you’re trying to help, babe, but it was pretty obvious that things changed after Jeff dropped the custody suit. Blake started playing ball after that and Jennifer wasn’t as,” Traci paused, “as insistent that Blake wear makeup and pretty clothes. But again, we don’t know how much of that was because of Mel and how much was because of Jeff. Even though we were best friends, Jennifer didn’t tell me everything. And she would have rather died than give Jeff credit for anything. If he had granted her three wishes, she would have complained that she didn’t get four.”

  “That sounds like lottery winners who complain about taxes,” Maggie said. “Anyway, does this mean that Jennifer patched things up with Jeff?”

  “I wouldn’t say that,” Todd said. “I saw Jeff at the high school basketball tournament a few weeks before Jennifer was killed. He said that things were better between her and Blake, but that she was still too tough on her.”

  “Did he say anything else?” Maggie asked.

  “No. Just that Jennifer liked to waste money. He said she would be in a world of hurt when Blake graduated and she quit getting child support.”

  “Speaking of money, did Jennifer say anything about coming into some?” Maggie asked.

  “Jennifer? Coming into money? Where in the world would she have found money?” Traci asked. “Had she planted a money tree in her back yard? Was money supposed to have started falling from the sky?”

  “What about that property Mel left her?” Todd said. “Maybe she was going to sell it.”

  “I had forgotten about that,” Traci said in a faraway voice. Addressing Maggie in her normal speaking voice, she said, “Mel left her a little tract of property up a holler out in the county. Considering the location and size, I can’t imagine that she would have gotten much out of it.”

  Resisting the urge to tell Traci that she lived on a little tract of property up a holler out in the county, Maggie asked, “You said earlier that you didn’t believe Delphene killed Jennifer. How did they get along?”

  “Jennifer cherished her. If I hadn’t known better, when I heard Jennifer carrying on about her, I would have thought she was her mom instead of her housekeeper.”

  “They exchanged Christmas and birthday presents,” Todd said.

  “And Jennifer had started buying Mother’s Day gifts for her,” Traci added. “She lost her own mom a few years ago and Delphene became a surrogate mom for her.”

  “Had Jennifer said anything about planning to let Delphene go?”

  When the Taylors shook their heads and adopted matching looks of confusion, Maggie said, “According to Blake and Delphene, Jennifer laid off Delphene the day she died.”

  “That’s a surprise,” Todd said.

  “That’s also a motive,” Traci said. “She found the body and her fingerprints were on the murder weapon. No wonder the police think she killed Jennifer. Wow. Just wow.”

  “And you say this happened the day Jennifer died?” Todd asked.

  When Maggie nodded, Traci said, “We had dinner with Jennifer that evening. She didn’t say anything about it.”

  “Did she seem out of sorts at dinner?” Maggie asked.

  “No,” Traci said. “Well, she did talk about everything she planned to eat at Moonshiner Days. All that talk about fried, fatty foods put me out of sorts.”

  “I remember her saying something about taking Blake to the carnival,” Todd said. “I remember thinking at the time that that was a good sign.”

  “I thought it was wishful thinking,” Traci said.

  “She didn’t seem afraid or say anything about anyone lurking around?” Maggie asked. “Or mention having problems with anybody?"

  Once again, both Taylors shook their heads, and Traci said, “Maybe Phil will remember something helpful.”

  Maggie liked the way the skin around Phil Wainwright’s eyes crinkled when he smiled or laughed. According to the story the Sentinel printed nearly two years prior when Phil was named principal of the high school, he was fifty-nine. But in spite of his thinning salt-and-pepper hair, Maggie would have placed his age at closer to mid-forties. Indeed, he looked younger than Scootie and projected an air of youthful vi
brancy. It wasn’t hard for her to understand why Jennifer spent time with him, especially when he collapsed into laughter while recalling the time Jennifer rescued two kittens from underneath his neighbor’s house.

  “There was Jennifer, splayed out on my neighbor’s lawn. She was wearing beige slacks and a white blouse. I kept telling her she was going to ruin her clothes. Not that it matters now, but I was right. Although Delphene tried, she couldn’t get the grass stains out of those clothes. I also cautioned Jennifer that a snake might be lurking under the house, but that only steeled her resolve. She said she couldn’t let a snake get the kittens. I was trying not to laugh at her, but she looked ridiculous. In the end, though, the laugh was on me.”

  “Why’s that?”

  “Because once she pulled them to safety, the kittens became my responsibility.” Mimicking what Maggie took to be Jennifer’s voice, Phil said, “‘I can’t take them home. Blake has allergies.’” Phil picked up a picture frame and held it out to Maggie. “The black one is Shirley and the yellow one is Laverne.”

  “Laverne and Shirley?”

  Phil broke into a smile. “I tried to find homes for them, but I couldn’t find anybody who wanted two kittens and Jennifer insisted they not be separated. Still, I refused to name them. Jennifer kept saying that the black and white kitten looked like something called Boo-Boo Kitty.”

  “Boo-Boo Kitty was Shirley’s stuffed animal. It was black except for a white nose, just like your cat.”

  “I’ll take your and Jennifer’s word for it. To make a long story short, though, when I realized I wasn’t going to find homes for them, I let Jennifer name them Shirley and Laverne. And you know what?” Phil tried to retain his composure, but quickly dissolved into fits of laughter.

  Although Maggie had no idea what was so funny, she laughed along with him. “What?”

  “The cats are boys.”

  Phil laughed so hard that tears formed in his eyes. When he finally calmed down, Maggie said, “It sounds like Jennifer was a lot of fun. How long had you been friends?”

  “For twenty years. She and I were close from the beginning. And, yes, she was a lot of fun. In fact, that’s what drew me to her. Her fun-loving spirit. We both started working at the elementary school the same year. It was her first year teaching and my first year as principal at the school. I guess you could say we gave each other moral support.”

  “And you came here from where?”

  “Vermont.”

  “How did you get from Vermont to eastern Kentucky?” Realizing how that sounded, Maggie added, “I don’t mean literally, of course. I know you drove or flew.” Reconsidering, she added, “Or took a bus. Or a train.”

  Wiping away the laughter from his eyes, Phil said, “After my wife’s death, I realized I needed to get away. Everything that had previously comforted me had begun to dishearten me. It just so happened that the school was looking for a principal.” He winced. “There had been some allegations of nepotism so they weren’t even considering internal clients. I applied at a few other schools, too, but there was no competition. I fell in love with this area. And its people. I’ve been here so long that I’m one of you.”

  “My editor, Joe, has been here for more than thirty years and he feels the same way.” Thinking of the negative opinions Tyler had expressed about the area, Maggie said, “I can’t say the same for other eastern Kentucky immigrants, though.”

  “It’s their loss. Don’t let them bother you.”

  “So, you and Jennifer …”

  “Became fast friends. She was married to Jeff then. She hadn’t had Blake at that point. She came a couple years later. I watched that girl grow up. It breaks my heart that Blake had to lose her mom at such a young age and that Jennifer will never see the woman her daughter will become.”

  “How was their relationship? Jennifer and Blake’s?”

  Phil frowned. “Strained. They didn’t understand each other. But Jennifer loved that girl. Blake was her world.”

  “How did Jennifer get along with Jeff?”

  “Not very well, I’m afraid. He and Blake do understand each other. Blake is a daddy’s girl. Jennifer resented their closeness.”

  “Did Jennifer say anything about specific problems she was having with Blake or Jeff or Delphene or with anybody for that matter?”

  “No. I would say the opposite was true. She was doing so much better the last few months of her life.”

  “Had she said anything about having to lay off Delphene?”

  “She mentioned that as a possibility. I think she was experiencing financial difficulties.”

  “That’s what Delphene said, but she also said Jennifer told her she would be getting her hands on some money. And Blake said Jennifer was planning to renovate her kitchen.”

  “Now that you mention it, she did say something about redoing her kitchen. If I’m not mistaken, she showed us some designs the very night she died.”

  “See, that’s what I don’t understand. Where was this money coming from?”

  Turning over his hands, Phil said, “I don’t know.”

  Changing subjects, Maggie asked, “Did Jennifer have any enemies?”

  “I watch a lot of Investigation Discovery and –”

  “I love ID, too.” After Maggie and Phil chatted about their favorite ID shows, she said, “Sorry that I derailed your train of thought. I had asked about Jennifer’s potential enemies.”

  “Ah, enemies. When I watch one of those true crime shows, I’m always amused when the reporters and the police officers discuss whether the murder victim, who’s usually an average person like you and me, had enemies. Only movie villains and spies have enemies.”

  “Does that mean that you do or do not know if Jennifer had enemies?”

  “I think it’s safe to say that Jennifer did not have enemies.”

  Maggie rapped her pen against her notepad and rushed into the next question. “Were you and Jennifer ever romantically involved?”

  Phil smiled. “No, but I know there was talk about us. That’s bound to happen when a man and a woman spend time together. I was her boss for nineteen years. It would have been inappropriate for us to have a romantic relationship. Besides, I knew I wasn’t Jennifer’s type. She was attracted to, in her words, worker bees.”

  “Worker bees?”

  “Blue-collar workers. Both her husbands were blue-collar workers, Jeff a mechanic and Mel a coal miner. So, I knew where I stood with Jennifer.”

  “If things had been different. If you hadn’t been her boss and she had been attracted to white-collar workers –”

  “It’s impossible for me to answer such a hypothetical question.”

  “I’ll rephrase the question. Did you carry a torch for her?”

  “I did not.”

  “Fair enough. How was she that last night at dinner?”

  “She seemed hopeful, as if she were looking forward to the future.”

  “Delphene said something similar. Do you know what could have caused this good mood?”

  “It could have been a number of things. Maybe it had something to do with this mysterious money she was supposed to be acquiring. But it was probably more basic than that. I think she was finally starting to live again. Grief never ends, but it eventually becomes less oppressive. I believe that’s what happened with Jennifer. Grief no longer required so much from her. Her husband’s sudden death knocked her down and grief kept her down. But she was ready to get up. At least she died in a good place emotionally. That’s both comforting and heartbreaking for those of us who loved her.”

  Maggie closed her notepad and said, “I guess we should end on that profound statement. If you think of anything else, give me a call.”

  As Maggie rose from her chair, Phil said, “If you give me a second to log off my computer, I’ll walk you to your car.”

  Maggie and Phil discussed their favorite Dateline correspondents while they walked to the parking lot. When they reached her car, Phil said his goodbye
s and turned to leave. He had taken only a few steps before he walked back to the car. Clearing his throat, he said, “Earlier, you asked about Jennifer coming into money. Listen, I don’t want to cause trouble for anybody. I’m sure Jennifer was killed by a stranger. I appreciate that you’re taking the time to follow up on these leads, but I don’t think you’re going to find anything. I believe Jennifer’s killer is long gone.” Phil inhaled deeply and exhaled audibly. “I wasn’t completely forthcoming earlier. Although I’m sure this will lead nowhere, I have an inkling as to the source of Jennifer’s mystery money. She had put up for sale a piece of land she had inherited from her husband.”

  With Traci Taylor’s opinion of holler property fresh in her mind, Maggie said, “The Taylors mentioned the property, but Traci dismissed it as a possibility.”

  “They told you about the property?”

  Maggie didn’t realize how tense Phil was until his shoulders fell. “I don’t understand how selling the property could cause trouble for anybody,” she said.

  “Because it also speaks to your question about enemies. I stand by what I said about that, and I’m not accusing her of anything or implying that she was Jennifer’s enemy. But Mel’s sister, Didi, wanted to buy the property. I can’t tell you the exact figures, but Jennifer asked her for much more money than it was worth and much more than she would have asked another buyer to pay. It doesn’t represent Jennifer’s best behavior. I told her she was being petty and that Mel wouldn’t approve, but there was, I don’t want to say bad blood between her and Didi. That’s too strong of an expression. But there was a history there and Jennifer was exacting her revenge. She giggled when she related the details to me.”

  “Did the sale go through?”

  “No.”

  “Do you know what happened to the property after Jennifer died?”

  “Yes, I do. Blake sold it to Didi.”

  Chapter Six

  One of the things Maggie loved most about her job was the opportunity it gave her to travel around Geneva County interviewing regular citizens. On any given day, she might find herself at a campsite chatting with retirees in their cozy camper or in a field snapping photos of a prize-winning goat. She appreciated every interview she conducted outdoors. At least she did when it wasn’t too hot, too cold, or too rainy or when she wasn’t afraid she’d disappear into a crumbling house. But she felt no apprehension as she sat rocking on Didi Barnes’ screened-in front porch. She would have described her mood as approaching euphoria if only it hadn’t been for Didi’s yapping Chihuahua.