by Farrell, Lia
“I guess I haven’t made myself clear. This could be dangerous and you need to stay out of it.”
“I’ll stop if you tell me to, of course, Sheriff, but I have an appointment with Arlen Hunter at his office this afternoon.” A blatant lie.
“Fine then.” The sheriff gave a loud sigh. “Just let me know what he says, but after that meeting, you need to stop.”
“Yes, of course. I’ll call you afterwards. Or better yet, I’ll be home around six tonight if you’d like to stop by for some wine and cheese.” Her mother’s training was finally paying off.
“You go girl,” Tammy whispered.
“Deputy Phelps and I will stop by.”
“Fine. If you feel you need to bring a deputy. It’s up to you. See you at six.”
Mae closed her phone and smiled at Tammy, who grinned back.
“Nicely handled. How are you going to get an appointment?”
“I don’t need an appointment. I’ll call Rhonda, his assistant. She and Noah were friends. She’ll help me out.”
“I need to get going,” Tammy said.
“Call me later.” Mae responded as she hopped out of the car and carefully shut the car door, mindful of Tammy’s protective feelings about her prized convertible. She waved at her friend as she barreled down the driveway and went into the house. After checking on the puppies, she decided to call Dory again.
“Hi, Dory. I hope you don’t mind me bothering you again.” Mae wondered if Dory was getting tired of all the phone calls and hurried on before she could protest. “Is it possible that Ruby was pregnant when she died? It didn’t really hit me until just now, but I saw a home pregnancy test box in Ruby’s car. Don’t tell me if you’re not supposed to.”
“You’re an observant girl, and you’re right. The autopsy confirmed that Ruby was pregnant, but keep that to yourself. I probably shouldn’t tell you this, but I talked to Nancy in Stillwell’s office again, too. She heard Ruby and Stillwell arguing. After Ruby left, Stillwell called Nancy into his office and told her that Ruby was going to be the death of him. Apparently, Ruby had threatened the commissioner with some new trumped-up lawsuit. She’d found another reason to delay the road widening.”
“I don’t understand why the fight was so important to her.”
“I think she was an unhappy woman, honey. Seems like it’s always some man—or some money—at the bottom of that kind of a mess.”
Mae hummed as she got out of the shower and towel-dried her hair. She laid a black sundress with a red and yellow poppy print on her bed. Then she put on a black bra and panties and slid the silky dress over her head. Glancing into the mirror, she once again felt grateful for the color black. If she could just lose five pounds she could wear those aqua jeans again, she thought.
Putting on her silvery sandals and grabbing a yellow sweater for the cool night, she came downstairs to the kitchen and poured merlot into a decanter. She got out some crackers, red grapes and a round of Brie. Nearly six o’clock and for the first time in more than a year, she was entertaining a man.
At six on the dot, the sheriff’s car came up the drive. Ben was alone. Mae smiled, pleased he felt comfortable enough to leave his deputy behind. He came up to the screened porch and knocked.
“Come on in,” Mae called. He did, but there was a thundercloud on his face.
“Oh, Ben, what is it?”
“I can’t tell you how upset I am. I only came over to tell you in person to stay out of this case.”
Mae looked at him, crestfallen.
“You barge into my meeting, make a fool of me in front of my staff, produce a cellphone after having trampled all over the crime scene and then you go to Ruby’s doctor’s office and the restaurant!”
“Did someone complain from the restaurant?” Mae asked him with a guilty look.
“No, Dory told me. But this has to stop.”
Tears started to sting Mae’s eyes.
“Miss December, you may mean well, but a murder investigation isn’t for amateurs. These are things my staff is supposed to do, not you. I’m going to leave now.”
“Sheriff …”
“What?”
“I’m really sorry if I caused you any embarrassment by coming to the office with Ruby’s phone. I only wanted to help. I just feel so terrible about what happened to Ruby and to our beautiful little neighborhood. I thought since I know everyone, maybe I could find out a few details that your office couldn’t. I’m good at reading people, too. Finding the phone was some help, wasn’t it?”
“Yes,” he sighed.
“Please stay for a while. I wanted to tell you what I found out about Ruby’s dinner partner.”
He hesitated. “Miss December,” his voice was low, “I need you to promise me you’ll stop all this nonsense about trying to solve this crime. You might be putting your life in danger. This isn’t a … a hobby. It’s a murder.”
“I will. I promise. Please sit down and have a drink, won’t you? You look like you could use one.” He wasn’t wearing his uniform, and in street clothes he seemed thinner and less intimidating. He also looked younger and very tired.
They sat in the two wicker chairs on the porch facing Mae’s backyard. The tulips were opening, the light shining through their blooms casting colors on the grass.
“What did Arlen Hunter have to say about his dinner with Ruby?”
“Nothing. It turns out Arlen Hunter wasn’t her escort. I talked to his assistant and she said he cancelled his appointment with Ruby around four that day. She had dinner with someone, though. She wouldn’t waste a reservation at the Bistro. I wonder who it was.”
“I’ll get my men on it first thing tomorrow.”
“You might want to go over there tonight. They’re only open for dinner.”
“Right. I’ll finish up this drink and go over there now.”
“With me?” Mae heard the hope in her voice and looked away to disguise the warmth that flooded her face at her forwardness.
“No, by myself.” His eyes showed some regret and a bit of amusement. “Before I go, is there anything else you want to tell me?”
“Before I brought the phone to the station, I read some of Ruby’s emails to her brother. There were also some to her husband and to another man. At least I assume so. They were pretty spicy. I think Ruby had a new boyfriend.”
“Somewhere in all this there’s a motive for murder. I’d better get going.”
She walked him to his car and touched his shoulder as they said goodbye. He drove away. It was a beautiful evening, and Mae didn’t want to be alone. She had given Ben her word, though, so she couldn’t follow him to the Bistro. What are friends for? Mae thought and called Tammy.
Tammy called Mae back on her way home. She had arrived at the Bistro before Ben. The hostess and a waiter remembered the reservation because they thought Arlen Hunter would be dining. When Ruby arrived with another man, the staff had been disappointed. Tammy got a description. He was tall, dark haired, and wore glasses. The waiter thought he might be a member of Hunter’s band, but the receptionist thought the server was dreaming. She insisted he was a local businessman.
Chapter Eleven
March 22
Sheriff Ben Bradley
Ben started his staff meeting that morning by asking everyone for their reports. Deputy Fuller informed the group that he located Ruby’s purse and had given it to the lab for testing. Although the M.E. informed Ben the previous day about Ruby’s pregnancy, he announced the information to the rest of the staff. He also told them that on the night she died, Ruby had dinner at the Bistro with a tall, dark-haired man wearing glasses.
Robert volunteered to take a photo of David Allison to the restaurant to see if the wait staff could identify him as Ruby’s dinner partner. Ben asked him to get the receipt for dinner to see who paid for the meal. He had asked for it the night before, but nobody could find it. Perhaps they had paid with cash? The sheriff asked Detective Nichols to summarize their progress to date
.
“As I see it, there were plenty of motives for someone to want Ruby dead. Her ex, or soon-to-be-ex, David Allison, told us he dined with people from work that night. We’ll be asking for corroboration of his alibi. He may not have wanted Ruby to have a child. If it turns out that David had dinner with Ruby on the fifteenth, he might have been the last person to see her alive. We’re going to get a cheek swab and then we’ll know if he fathered Ruby’s child.”
He paused for a moment.
The sheriff nodded. “Go on, Detective.”
“In interviews with her neighbors, we learned that Ruby had two visitors the night she died. Lucy Ingram saw a sedan parked in her driveway around eleven and then a pickup truck around one in the morning. Eveline Ryan identified the sedan as David Allison’s car.”
“We’re considering several suspects at present,” Ben said. “As Detective Nichols mentioned, the most likely is David Allison. Our second suspect is the road commissioner, Mr. Stillwell. Everyone knows that he was furious with Ruby. There have been articles in the paper detailing their feud. We also plan to investigate the people who stand to inherit money from Ruby’s estate. Her attorney might be involved, too. What do we know so far about these primary suspects, Wayne?”
“Most of them have alibis for the fifteenth. Commissioner Stillwell’s alibi seems solid. He played contract bridge with eleven other couples over at the Hilton. His wife told us they left the hotel at about ten o’clock and went home. He wasn’t feeling well so she took care of him until around one, at which time they both went to bed.
“Ruby’s attorney, James Connolly, also seems to have an alibi. He and his wife were at the symphony in Nashville with another couple and, according to them, he never left the group. They all went home after having a few drinks, arriving shortly before midnight. However, the grapevine says Ruby had some sort of hold over Connolly, since he continued as her attorney after the increasingly contentious road decisions. He also owns a pickup truck and two neighbors said there was a pickup in Ruby’s driveway that night.”
“Ruby’s brother, Silas Mead, moved away years ago,” Ben said. “However, since he benefits financially from her death, we’re trying to get in touch with him.
“We’re also keeping an eye on Joe Dennis, the contractor working over at Mae December’s house. He and Ruby were high school sweethearts. He’s married now and has four kids. So, we know he’s capable of being the father of Ruby’s unborn child,” Wayne said.
Eyebrows went up around the table. “Oh, and according to Joe, he was working at his mother’s house the night Ruby died. Nobody was with him, though, so he has no alibi. And Joe drives a pickup,” Phelps added.
“Okay, here are the assignments, everyone. George, I want you to go over Ruby’s property again with a fine-toothed comb. We need the murder weapon.
“Wayne, I’d like you and Emma Peters to go to the Connollys’ and get James’ clothes from the night of the murder. I’ll talk to Allison and get a cheek swab. We need one from Joe Dennis and James Connolly, too. Johns, you’re with me. We’re returning to see David Allison.”
Detective Nichols cleared his throat and said, “I’ll also start checking out those pickups after Emma and I get James Connolly’s clothes.”
“Good. One last thing. We know Ruby sued Lucy Ingram. The argument was about drainage, but Ruby also wanted to purchase a lot that Lucy owned, which Lucy refused to sell. I’m going to check on whether Ruby was involved in any lawsuits with the other residents on Little Chapel Road. Who knows how many folks she stirred up.”
On his way out, Deputy Phelps came over to Ben. “Sheriff, I sure hope you didn’t upset the December woman. We loved her coffee. I hope you don’t mind my saying this, Boss, but the guys and I were talking and they thought I should remind you that you haven’t had a date in months.”
“No comment.”
Ben felt a bit sheepish. His deputy was right. He hadn’t felt much like dating for a long time. Mae was single and hot. Would she go out with him if he asked? Probably not now thanks to his rude behavior, first at the staff meeting and later at her house. He had been angry enough that she had apologized profusely. What happened then? Did you say you weren’t mad at her anymore? No, Mr. Sensitive, you drove away, even after she offered to go to the restaurant with you.
Sheriff Bradley and Tech Johns drove to Steven Fanning’s residence on Little Chapel Road. They knocked on the door. David Allison answered.
“Good morning, Mr. Allison, you’ve already met CSI Tech Johns. May we come in?”
“All right,” David said reluctantly and backed away from the door. He led the men over to the kitchen table.
“Mr. Allison, were you aware your wife was pregnant?”
David’s throat moved as he swallowed. “Yes. Do I need an attorney?”
“That’s entirely up to you. At this point, we only need to ask you a few more questions and get a cheek swab.”
David’s eyes widened. “What for?”
“To determine whether you’re the father of Ruby’s unborn child through DNA analysis.”
David Allison flinched but allowed the technician to take the sample. Tech Johns used a large Q-tip on the inside of Allison’s cheek. He put the swab inside a glass tube and capped it competently.
“Are you the father?”
“I … yes, of course.” David hesitated. “Well, I guess I’m not sure.”
“Was your wife seeing other men? I need to know if you have any information that might clear you of suspicion.” The sheriff deliberately softened his voice. “I appreciate how difficult this must be for you.”
David was quiet for a moment. “I really don’t know. I wanted to reconcile with Ruby. I still hoped we’d have a family. I went over to the house about a month ago to talk to her. There was a car in the driveway I didn’t recognize. When she opened the door, I could hear music playing in the background. She didn’t invite me in, so I assumed there was a man in the house.” David grimaced at the memory. That really made him angry, Ben thought.
“Why do you think Ruby was opposed to the road widening? You were still together when all this started, so you must have some idea.”
“Ruby didn’t want to lose even a foot of her property. That land was all she had left from her father. She wanted to limit development as much as possible. She is, I mean she was, a real fighter. She saw ‘eminent domain’ as an injustice and an attack on the residents of the street. I think she probably would have made a fine lawyer.” The sheriff noted a faint look of pride on David’s face.
After a brief silence he added, “Ruby wasn’t as successful financially as she wanted to be. She also thought she might get more money from the county for the easements if she held out longer.”
“Were the two of you having financial problems?”
“Not really, but she would have had trouble keeping the place up on her income alone. The house needs a lot of work.”
“Why were you divorcing?”
“She was a difficult woman to live with, Sheriff.” David sounded resigned. Despite the long silence that followed, he said nothing more.
Johns asked David Allison if he had any other laundry from the evening in question. He followed Allison out of the room and when they returned, Hadley had a pair of sweats, socks and underwear bagged.
“We’ll be getting back to you.” Sheriff Bradley said.
Chapter Twelve
March 22
Detective Wayne Nichols
After their early morning meeting, Detective Wayne Nichols called James Connolly’s home. A woman answered and he asked her if Mr. Connolly was at home. She told him her husband was at his office.
He introduced himself and said, “Actually, I’d like to stop by and ask you some questions, Mrs. Connolly.”
“Me? What’s this about, Detective?”
“We’re investigating Ruby Mead-Allison’s murder. I have a few questions for you.”
“I don’t know that I should answer the
m.”
“This is very informal, Mrs. Connolly.” He kept his tone light and reassuring. “Could we stop by in about fifteen minutes? We won’t stay long.”
“Well, I guess that would be all right.”
Detective Nichols and CSI Tech Emma Peters arrived shortly thereafter at the imposing residence. Emma was in her early twenties with dark curly hair. She was skilled at the tedious work of DNA analysis, but always seemed pleased if she was asked to do a site visit. Connolly’s housekeeper answered the door and showed them in. At a gesture from Wayne, Emma engaged the woman in conversation and the two of them disappeared down a wide hallway.
At that moment a tall, thin woman, wearing what looked like designer exercise clothes walked into the foyer. She wore her blond hair tightly pulled back from her face.
“What’s going on here?” Laura Connolly’s voice combined tension and belligerence in equal quantities.
“I want to reassure you, Mrs. Connolly, we’re only here to eliminate your husband as a suspect in this investigation.”
“My husband?” She seemed surprised but then rapidly changed her attitude. “Oh, fine then.”
She closed the door behind them and led Wayne into the living room, where she gestured to the dark leather couch and they both sat down. Laura Connolly sat at the edge of the sofa, her back ramrod straight. Tightly wound, Wayne thought, or she has something to hide.
“Were you with your husband on the night of March fifteenth? We already talked with your husband’s secretary. That was the evening you went to the symphony, correct?”
“Oh, yes, you’re right.”
“Did your husband wear a suit to the symphony?”
“Yes, he did.”
“I assumed so, and that’s why your cleaning lady and the crime scene tech are talking. We need to get his clothing from that night. Again, this is merely to eliminate him from suspicion.”
“She should be able to get his suit and shirt. I haven’t taken them to the cleaner’s yet.”
