by Cindy Bell
Roger’s eyes widened. “No.”
“Right. So you come home, Valda’s in a panic, she’s got her phone out, she’s dialing the emergency line. You try to get her to stop, to listen…”
“No.” Roger shook his head.
“But she won’t listen. She wants her necklace back. You try to get the phone from her.”
“No I didn’t,” Roger whispered. “I didn’t do any of that.”
“She’s getting irate, she doesn’t understand why you are trying to stop her. She starts screaming, maybe cursing, threatening you!”
“No!” Roger stood up. “None of that happened!”
“Yes, you’re angry. You’re angry because Tony stole the necklace, and you’re angry that your wife won’t listen to you and wants to call the police. You just want her to keep quiet.” Jo met his eyes and took a step towards him. “So what did you do? You picked up a muffin. You shoved it into her mouth, just to make her be quiet. That was all you were going to do. You just wanted her to be quiet long enough that you could figure out what to do.” Jo paused for a moment and crossed her arms across her chest. “I think I’m right, Roger. You didn’t mean to kill her you just wanted her to keep quiet. The lie you’d been living for so long was crashing down around you, and you knew that if Valda told the truth, you would be in prison for a very long time. You just wanted her to be quiet. That was all.”
“No, no, no!” Roger turned away from her. Just as he did there was a knock on the door. Jo jumped at the sound. Roger gasped. “This is it. I’m going to die tonight. I deserve to die anyway.” Tears streamed down his cheeks. Jo crept towards the door.
“Who’s there?” Jo asked cautiously.
“It’s me, Walt.”
Jo jerked the door open and found Walt on the doorstep.
“What are you doing here?”
“I’m here to stay with you, to make sure that you’re safe.” Walt met her eyes through his thick glasses. Jo couldn’t help but smile a little. She was about to thank him, when there was a crash. She spun around to see that Roger had barreled through the back door.
“He’s bolting!” Jo started to run after him, but Walt grabbed her arm.
“What are you going to do if you catch him?”
“Walt! He’s getting away!” Jo tried to pull away, but Walt was stronger than she expected.
“What are you going to do if you catch him?” Walt asked again. “Are you going to arrest him? Tie him up? What?”
“He killed his wife!”
“Did he actually admit that?” Walt raised an eyebrow.
Jo paused. Then she shook her head. “No, I guess he didn’t. But I still think he did it. It’s the best explanation I’ve come up with.”
“It doesn’t mean it’s true and even if it is that doesn’t mean you can prove it.”
“So, you’re going to be just like Eddy and say that this is all over? We have to give up?”
“No.” Eddy stepped through the door behind Walt. “No, that’s not what we’re going to do.”
“Eddy?” Walt looked over at him and smiled. “I’m glad you’re here.”
“I’m sorry for earlier, Jo. You know me and my temper.” Eddy rolled his eyes.
Jo sighed with relief. Only moments before she had felt completely alone, but here were her friends, ready to help.
“Roger took off.” She pointed to the open back door. “I was trying to get him to confess to killing Valda after Tony took the necklace.”
“Do you believe that’s what really happened?” Eddy closed the door behind him.
“I honestly don’t know what to think anymore. I mean the timeline doesn’t fit with Roger being the murderer.” Jo shook her head. “Even if Tony took the necklace, he was a thief, not a murderer.”
“You don’t know that. He had decades in prison to plan his revenge on Roger,” Eddy said. “Maybe he found it too hard to have the self-control to only take the necklace from Valda without causing her any harm.”
“I find it hard to believe that Valda would give it up without a fight.” Jo shook her head. “It’s all too confusing. None of this is adding up. Something is still missing.”
“Well, we’re not going to find out anything else standing here.”
“Do you think it’s safe to leave?” Jo frowned. “What if Roger comes back?”
“Roger made the choice to take off.” Walt crossed his arms. “He’s on his own now.”
“All right.” Jo nodded. “But just in case.” She jotted down her phone number on a piece of paper and stuck it to the refrigerator.
“Do you think that’s wise? Now if someone breaks in they’ll have your number.” Eddy frowned.
“Trust me, if they wanted it, they would already have it.” Jo walked past the two men and out of the villa.
“Jo, let me walk you home.” Walt stepped up beside her.
“No, thank you. I’m going to walk a bit and try to clear my mind.”
“Are you sure?” Eddy frowned.
“I appreciate your concern, I really do. But I need some space. Okay?” She looked from Walt to Eddy. “Why don’t you check in with Samantha and see if she needs any help putting out the fires we started.”
“Jo, what about Drew?” Eddy reached for her arm. “Just because he protected you this time, that doesn’t mean that you can trust him.”
“I know that, Eddy.” She gently pulled her arm away from him. “I don’t trust him at all. I’m glad that he was here today, but the fact that he was here today is even more reason for me not to trust him. But I think that the police turning up today would have spooked him enough to leave me alone. Drew is not going to risk going to prison for any reason.”
“Don’t forget that Tony is out there, too. He’s probably feeling pretty cocky about the fact that he got away with what he did today.” Walt sighed. “But if you insist on walking alone, there’s nothing that can be done.”
“I do insist.” Jo smiled at them both. “I am capable of taking care of myself, I promise.”
“But you don’t have to do everything alone.” Eddy met her eyes. “Call us if you have any trouble.”
“I will.”
Jo walked away from the pair with a warm sensation in her cheeks. It meant a lot to her that they were both so ready to protect her, even if she didn’t feel as if she needed protection.
Jo wandered the streets for some time. She wasn’t really looking for anything in particular, she just wanted to be outside in the open air. After confronting Roger multiple times she was beginning to believe that he was not guilty. He didn’t crumble or confess. Maybe when he seemed a bit cold about his wife’s death soon after she passed away it was because he was in shock. But now he seemed genuinely distressed by his wife’s murder. But he was also the most likely person to have the necklace. Tony showed up, even Drew showed up, to look for the necklace. That meant that if their theory was correct neither of them had it.
Jo pulled out her phone to check in with Samantha to see if she had dug up any new leads. When she did she realized she still had the phone on silent from her search through Roger’s villa. She had missed three calls from Roger. There was a voicemail as well. Jo turned her phone off silent and then she dialed in to listen to the voicemail. Roger’s voice was high and frightened.
“Jo, someone is here I know it. Someone is looking in the windows. How could you leave? Where are you? Why did you make me a target? Please send someone to help me!”
Jo’s heart stopped for a second, then began to race. She dialed Roger’s number. The phone rang then went to voicemail. She broke into a sprint towards Roger’s house. When she reached it, the windows were dark. There was no sign that anyone was inside. Jo called Roger’s number again. Again the phone went to voicemail. She tried the doorknob. It wasn’t locked. When the voicemail beeped she began to leave him a message.
“Roger, I’m at your place to check on you now.”
Chapter 16
Jo pushed her way through the
door of Roger’s villa and stepped into chaos. The entire pristine living room that Valda paid so much attention to decorating was destroyed. Furniture was overturned, paintings were ripped off the wall, even the silverware drawer had been emptied onto the kitchen floor. There didn’t appear to be anyone in the villa. Jo’s first thought was that someone must have abducted Roger. Then she heard a light rustling from the hallway.
Jo pulled out her phone and sent a text to Eddy to let him know that she needed help. Then she crept carefully down the hallway. If someone had done so much damage to the house and its contents, what might they have done to Roger? She made her way to the back bedroom. She could hear more subtle sounds of movement. Though she listened close she did not hear any voices or groans. The bedroom door was partway open. She was tempted to push it all the way open, but she had no idea what she would be walking into. Was Roger alone in there? Was someone else in there with a gun?
Just when she worked up the nerve to push the door open, her cell phone chirped. It was an announcement that she had received a text message. She could have kicked herself for not turning her ringer off after sending the text to Eddy. She knew that now whoever was in the bedroom knew that she was there, right there, outside the door. Her heart raced as she placed her fingertips against the smooth surface of the wooden door.
“Roger? I’m coming inside.” She pushed on the door and then jumped back, just in case whoever was inside decided to fire. She was met with only silence. Slowly she poked her head around the corner of the doorway. In the middle of the room strapped to a wooden chair was Roger. He had tape over his mouth, but his eyes were wide open. They looked towards the closet. Jo’s heart pounded as she moved silently towards the closet. Her hand shook as she picked up a lamp from the bedside table.
She opened the closet door, with the lamp in her hand, ready to attack. Tony lunged out at her in the same moment that she swung the lamp forward. It connected with his head and shattered into pieces. Tony groaned and sank to his knees.
“Ow, you didn’t have to do that!”
Jo grabbed the gun from Tony’s hand. “And you didn’t have to hide in a closet with a gun waiting for the chance to shoot me.”
“Well, I didn’t know what else to do!” Tony stood up slowly, stumbled out of the closet and sat down on the edge of the bed. Jo tucked the gun into the back of her pants and walked over to Roger to untie him. As she bent down to untie his feet, Tony jumped up and snatched the gun from her waistband. Jo spun around so fast that she almost lost her balance. She leaned heavily on Roger’s knee to catch herself.
“Tony!” Jo shouted.
He pointed the gun at her. “Get away from him, back away.” Tony gestured with the gun.
“Tony, I let you live, now this is how you’re going to repay me?” Jo said.
Jo moved carefully to the side. She kept her eyes fixated on the gun. At any moment Tony might eliminate all of his problems, that meant her and Roger.
“Get down.” Tony pointed to the corner of the room. “Don’t move a muscle.”
“I’m not moving. Just take it easy, Tony.” Jo tried to meet his eyes, but he already looked back at Roger.
“Now, you’re going to tell me where that necklace is. I know you stole it back from me.” He reached out and ripped the duct tape off Roger’s mouth in one swift movement. Roger let out a shriek.
“I didn’t,” Roger shouted. “I didn’t take the necklace. I hope I never see that thing again. It wasn’t worth it when I stole it. It’s given me nothing but problems ever since.”
“Why do you continue to lie to me?” Tony shook his head. “If you would just tell me what I need to know, all of this will be over.”
“You’ll just kill me, like you killed Valda.”
“You can’t prove that.”
Jo froze. Those words sent a chill down her spine. It was true that they couldn’t prove that Tony killed Valda, but that wasn’t a denial of guilt.
“Please, Tony haven’t you done enough to me? Haven’t I paid enough?” Roger gasped.
“I don’t know, Roger, have you spent years of your life locked behind bars while your partner in crime is completely free to do whatever they please? You are angry at me about losing your wife, but I never even had the chance to have one!”
Jo’s heart jumped into her throat. The amount of venom in Tony’s voice made her think that she and Roger were not going to get out of the situation alive.
“Tony, stop. Think about what you’re doing. You’re never going to get out of this. You’re going to go back to prison or worse. Right now you have the chance to walk away,” Jo said.
Jo’s phone chimed again. Then again, several times, rapidly.
“Who is that? Who is contacting you?” Tony glared at her.
“It’s nothing, just a friend, no one important.”
“Did you tell someone that you were here?” Tony scowled. “Are you setting me up again?”
“No one knows.” Jo clutched her phone tightly. “Maybe someone is looking for me.”
“Well, they better not find you or they’re going to be in a world of trouble, too.” Tony reached out and snatched the phone from her hand. He flipped it over and looked at the screen. Whatever was on the screen made his eyes widen. He dropped the phone to the floor and released the safety on his gun. “All right, Roger, last chance to come clean. Trust me, you’d rather be alive. There’s nothing in this world worth dying for.”
“I don’t have it.” Roger closed his eyes. “I went looking for it to steal it back, but I couldn’t find it.”
“I looked, too.” Jo edged the phone closer to her with the tip of her toe. She tried to get Tony’s attention off Roger before he could pull the trigger. “I didn’t find anything. I thought it was in the curtain rod…”
“It was!” Tony turned the gun on her. “You do have it!”
“I don’t!” Jo managed to get a glimpse of the text on her phone.
Be careful. The medical examiner flagged Valda’s death as a homicide. An official investigation has been started. It might spook the murderer.
Jo grimaced. Thanks a lot, Eddy, she thought to herself. Tony was definitely spooked. “That’s it, there’s no more time to argue. One of you is going to tell me the truth right this second or you’re both going to die.” Tony raised the gun and pointed it at Jo. “You can be the first, since you can’t seem to mind your own business.” Jo’s eyes widened. She knew that she was out of excuses. Drew had saved her once, would he be able to do it again? Tony had a gun. There was no escape.
Just then Samantha burst through the bedroom door with a flurry of swinging arms and shouting. Jo stared at her, perplexed. Samantha continued to swing her arms and shout. Tony stared at her as well with his mouth half open. Suddenly, Eddy jumped through the window behind them. In the same moment that Eddy’s feet struck the floor with a loud thump Walt burst through the door from behind Samantha and tackled Tony to the floor. Eddy piled on top of Walt and wrenched the gun out of Tony’s hand. In the middle of it all Roger struggled to get out of his chair, while Jo continued to only stare with shock. She blinked when Samantha finally stopped shouting.
“What was that?” Jo stepped back as Eddy wrestled with Tony until he had him locked into a set of zip ties.
“You’re alive aren’t you?” Samantha grinned.
“Good point.” Jo shook her head. “You guys managed to arrive right on time.”
“Are you okay?” Walt looked over at her, his brows knitted with concern.
“I’m okay.” She nodded. “It looks like we have our murderer here. Don’t we, Tony?”
Tony rested his head against the floor and sighed. “All right. It was an accident, but I guess it doesn’t matter now, does it?”
“Yes, it matters,” Roger whispered. “It matters why my wife had to die, when all you had to do was ask me for the necklace.”
“Like you would have given it to me.” Tony twisted his head to glare at him.
“If you had given me a choice between Valda and the necklace, yes I absolutely would have given it to you. She stayed with me even when I had nothing.”
“It’s easy for you to say that now, but that’s not what would have happened and you know it.”
“I guess we’ll never know.” Jo crossed her arms. “Because Valda is dead. You killed her.”
“It was an accident.” He groaned. “I just wanted her to be quiet. When I told her that Roger was a thief, that her necklace was stolen, she kept shouting at me that it wasn’t possible, that I was a liar. Then when I tried to take the necklace from her, she ran for the couch and screamed. I tried to catch her, but she got away. She was running for the door and I grabbed a pillow.” He rested his forehead against the floor. “I just needed her to stop. I needed her to slow down before she drew too much attention. I put the pillow over her face and held it there until she was quiet. But then…”
“It was too late.” Eddy frowned.
“I just wanted her to stop. I just wanted the necklace. I never meant to kill her.” He shook his head. “If only she had just kept quiet, and given me what I asked for.”
“It was not her fault!” Roger shouted. “You can’t blame her for her own murder.”
“It wasn’t murder, it was an accident,” Tony said.
“Well, I guess we’ll have to let the police decide that. I am calling them right now, okay Jo?” Eddy met her eyes.
“Yes, please.” She nodded.
“We all heard your confession, Tony. We all know you tied Roger up and held a gun on Jo. You are not getting out of this one,” Eddy said.
“But I don’t have the necklace.”
“No one cares about the necklace.” Jo crouched down beside him. “We care about Valda. Now her death will not go unnoticed or unpunished.”
As they waited for the police to arrive Jo felt a sense of peace wash over her. Maybe they hadn’t solved the entire crime, the necklace was still missing, but Tony was going to pay for Valda’s murder. When the officer arrived, Jo recognized him from the last time Eddy called the police. He looked from Roger tied up in the chair, to Tony zip tied on the floor.
