by Leigh Hearon
“That’s one way to put it. Oh! That reminds me. Why didn’t the security system go off the day Hilda was killed?”
“I wondered when you’d think of that. It didn’t go off because it wasn’t on. We realized that the day you found Hilda’s body.”
“So you assumed that Hilda knew her killer.”
“Precisely. Which is why we were concentrating on Marcus, the only human being who apparently was allowed into her hallowed home. That, and the voice message.”
Annie wondered if she should tell Dan now that she’d already figured out the voice mail. Naw, it would just rub salt into his wounds. He’d been so sure Marcus was the guy, and although the case was close to being solved, the primary perpetrator had come out of the blue.
“It’s too bad a bear didn’t eat Todos while he was hanging out, watching Hilda’s place go up in flames.”
Dan looked at Annie quizzically.
“That’s exactly what we did find.”
“A bear carcass?” Maybe those bear sightings everyone had talked about at the Grange were true.
“Not quite. It was a cutout of a bear, fastened to two poles, which I’ll bet you dollars to doughnuts precisely fit those holes found just outside the Truebloods’ fence line.”
“No takers here. Sergeant McCready from Wildlife was looking for that cutout at our meeting last night. That was when I saw Juan, remember?”
“It’s all coming together, Annie. All coming together.”
“What? You don’t believe Juan stole that bear cutout, do you?”
“No, it’d been stolen long before. And my hunch is that Eddie Trueblood had something to do with it. Tony’s out looking for him now. It’s his last job of the day.”
“Hope it doesn’t take all night.”
“It won’t. We know his watering holes. And Eddie’s IQ. Which is disproportionate to his alcohol intake every day.”
“Are you going to try to talk to him tonight?”
“Soon as I hear he’s in custody. That is, if he hasn’t lawyered up.”
Annie decided to let Dan’s usual barb against the criminal defense system go. My goodness, she realized, she was getting more mature by the minute, and her birthday was still five months away.
She looked up at her friend and said with true sincerity, “Thanks for saving my life today.”
Dan shifted his feet and looked down.
“Well, looks like I almost could have saved the county a bullet. Last I saw, Wolf was more than ready to make sure Todos wasn’t getting up again.”
“He’s not in trouble, is he?”
Dan knew she was referring to Wolf, not the dead man. There were laws in Washington State about vicious dogs.
“Nope. The shot from my Glock is what got him. Wolf was just coming to the defense of his owner, as far as I’m concerned. No law against that.”
They both glanced at Wolf, sleeping peacefully in the backseat. He was getting a T-bone tonight, Annie decided, meat and all. Usually all he got was the bone after Annie had gnawed off half the marrow herself.
“You know, Dan, I think Todos is the most despicable, worthless person I’ve ever met. Imagine setting a fire knowing that eighteen horses were trapped in their stalls.”
“Don’t forget he managed to also kill two people. Almost three.”
“And now, if you don’t mind, I’m going home to six equines who rank higher on the food chain than any person I know. ’Cept you, of course.”
“Of course.”
CHAPTER 25
TUESDAY EVENING, MARCH 15TH
“Well, Martha, don’t mind if I do.”
Dan extended his glass, which now held just a touch of amber liquid in the bottom. Martha Sanderson reached over and deftly poured a neat shot of Glenlivet into it. Placing the bottle back on Annie’s table, she picked up her own glass and took a tiny, measured sip. The unspoken question among the crowd in Annie’s kitchen was how such a petite, elderly woman could wield the bottle with such authority, not to mention consume the stuff with such savoir faire.
Lavender was the only one who felt compelled to ask the question out loud.
“Gee, Martha. I never would have suspected you as a single-malt drinker.”
“Fred and I often enjoyed a highball on Saturday nights. And on our trip to Scotland in sixty-eight, we acquired a definite fondness for its authentic taste.” Martha took another delicate sip.
“Wow.” Lavender’s eyes grew big, although it wasn’t clear if it was because of Martha’s declaration or because of the two glasses she’d already consumed herself.
“O, wad some Power the giftie gie us, to see ourselves as others see us,’” Martha murmured as she set down her glass.
“Huh?”
“Nothing dear. Just a little Robert Burns. I thought it was appropriate.”
* * *
Annie had trudged up the road to her house after turning out her horses that morning and straight back into bad déjà vu. She saw, to her astonishment, Lavender humming tunelessly in the kitchen, concocting an elaborate casserole that looked suspiciously devoid of meat.
“Oh, there you are, dear,” said Martha, appearing around the corner. “You’d probably like a nice hot cup of coffee. I’m sure I can find one. Would you like a little toast to go with that?”
The news of the fire had spread as quickly as it had on Hilda’s property, and Lavender and Martha had decided that morning to come over and see how they could help Annie, whom they were sure was still tired from yesterday’s work. She was. In fact, every bone and muscle in Annie’s body ached from exhaustion and she wanted nothing more than to go back to bed. Thanks to her two new caretakers, she could and did, but felt immeasurably relieved. If Martha had brought Lavender, she could take her away again, too.
Now, six hours later, there were more people in Annie’s home that she could ever remember. It was truly a party, except that Annie could hardly be called the hostess. The other two women had taken over. Lavender and Martha had bustled around the kitchen all afternoon, and the entire house was redolent with good aromas. Wolf showed considerable interest in the oven, so Annie was hopeful that a bit of carrion had been added to the menu.
Dan appeared in the late afternoon, just as Annie had finished feeding the horses. He bore a gift of Glenlivet, and Annie ushered him right in. Kim and Tony followed a few minutes later, and to her surprise, they had another guest with them—Travis Latham. As soon as Mr. Latham—who insisted everyone cut the bull and call him Travis—had been seated in Annie’s one cushioned chair, Wolf had left Annie’s side and settled comfortably by his feet. Travis tried not to show exactly how pleased he was by the dog’s gesture. Annie again vowed then and there that the remaining Belgian, once trained, would find a home at the Latham residence.
The three officers were now sprawled in the remaining chairs around the small kitchen table. It was somehow disquieting to see them attired in civilian clothes. Kim’s voluptuous figure was far more evident in skinny jeans and an off-the-shoulder sweater than it had ever appeared in uniform. Tony and Dan were practically unrecognizable in flannel shirts and corduroy jeans.
Annie was dying to ask Dan a million questions, but he obviously wanted to wait until he had his audience’s full attention. He had it now.
“It’s a complicated case. So let’s start with the first murder—that of Wayne Johnston. We know from Annie’s brilliant detecting work”—Annie couldn’t help a small smirk—“that Eddie Trueblood was the guy who spiked Wayne Johnston’s Coke. Millie the waitress has made a positive ID.”
Tony broke in. “I picked up Eddie at the Roadside Tavern last night. Of course, he wouldn’t say anything after I read him his rights—the guy knows his attorney’s number by heart. But there’s no doubt in my mind that Eddie drugged Wayne and is responsible for his murder.”
“I’m also guessing he’s responsible for taking a potshot at you, Annie,” Dan added.
“I wouldn’t be surprised,” Annie replied. “But thi
s obviously was a two-man job. You found the bear cutout back at Hilda’s place. So while Eddie was busy drugging Wayne, Todos must have been setting up the scary bear.”
“Yup. And calling Wayne a few minutes before he took the final pull from his Coke. Turns out that came from a bar within a few miles of Hilda’s ranch. Had to be Todos, making a bogus phone call to distract Wayne so Eddie could do his part.”
Martha held up her hand as if she was in school.
“Do you think Eddie was involved in Hilda’s death, as well? I’d hate to think of him going to prison for life or worse because he’d been pulled into an evil scheme someone else had concocted. Besides, what was his motivation for helping Todos?” Of everyone in the room, Annie thought, only Martha would express concern for a man who had deliberately drugged and caused another man’s death.
Travis now entered the conversation.
“Eddie’s nose was out of joint because Hilda had outbid him for the property, just as she’d outbid me. I wasn’t the only guy who felt cheated. Only, the stakes were higher for him than me. Everyone in the county knew that Eddie had already failed at two businesses. He probably figured this was his last chance to get Cal, his father, to ante up for a third try. I expect that Eddie was even more bitter about Hilda’s ploy to get the property as I was.”
Dan nodded his agreement. “Funny how all the correspondence from you and your Realtor was still in Hilda’s office and Eddie’s wasn’t. Todos wanted you to be considered a suspect.”
“But how did Eddie and Todos find each other?” Martha was intent on finding out the full extent of Eddie’s involvement. After all, they were talking about the grandson of her very best friends.
“I’m guessing the two miscreants met up at some local dive and realized their common ground—pure hatred for Hilda.
“But, in answer to your original question, Martha, my gut tells me that killing Hilda was all Todos’s work. It was personal with him. He wouldn’t have wanted to share the pleasure with anyone else.”
“But why did Todos kill Hilda?” This was from Lavender, eager to join in, and looking extremely pretty, Annie thought. Her brunette hair actually was very becoming and complemented cheeks rosy with excitement. Glancing at Tony, Annie noticed him watching Lavender out of the corner of his eye and wondered whether he found her half sister attractive. She’d warn him about Lavender later—Tony was a meat eater.
“I’ve been trying to figure it out, too,” Annie said grudgingly. “I mean, did Todos mean to kill Wayne, the bay, or both? And if it was the bay, was it because the horse lived that Hilda had to die?”
“Brilliant.” Kim was genuinely complimentary. “Dan, I think we should encourage Annie to apply for a job in the Sheriff’s Office.”
“Over my dead body,” Dan said quickly.
And mine, thought Annie. “Well, here’s all I know. Hilda was alive and well on Monday, and she was dead on Tuesday, the same day Todos was supposed to have gone off and gotten the hay, right? Which was totally unnecessary, since there was enough Timothy in that barn to last the winter.”
“The elephant in the room we all missed,” Tony said sourly.
“Well, we didn’t know Hilda’s stocking habits.” Dan wasn’t ready to make this concession. “And yes, Annie, Hilda was dead on Tuesday. But she’d been dead since Monday—as soon as Todos learned that the bay was still alive. We now believe she died sometime after you hung up the phone with her and before Todos came over to your place to scout out the bay.”
“How do you know all this?” Annie was still skeptical.
“Well, I’m speculating now, but I think the facts will bear me out once I make a few phone calls,” said the sheriff. “And it shows just how cold-blooded Todos was, too. He’d planned the murder and his alibi right down to the minute.
“My guess is that after killing Hilda, he packed his truck with hay from Hilda’s barn and parked it in the back of the party, the tail end of that path you started on, Annie. So after he returned from your place, all he had to do was drive to Pullman, check into a hotel, plant an empty six-pack, order and pay for a load of local hay to be delivered at some future date, and take off again. The entire trip wouldn’t have taken more than eight hours instead of the twenty-four we assumed it had . . . and remember, no one else was allowed up in Hilda’s ranch house, so Todos didn’t risk anyone else finding the body. You actually upset his scheme, Annie, by showing up with the bay and insisting on finding Hilda. Remember how angry Todos was that day? He hadn’t expected anyone to find the body for another day or so.”
Annie shivered as she remembered about how she’d so brashly barged into Hilda’s home that day. No wonder Todos had hated her. But enough to kill her? He must have thought she knew something she still did not. It was time to find out.
“So what did you haul off the property? Inquiring minds want to know.”
“Well, as long as it doesn’t go further than this room,” the sheriff warned.
“To quote someone I know, perish the thought.”
Dan noisily cleared his throat. “Because we’d dismissed Todos as a suspect, we, er, probably didn’t do as thorough a job looking through his digs as we might have. He lived on the property, just a few hundred feet from the arena, but up the hill, so he could always see the horses.”
“Well, that’s refreshing.” Annie couldn’t help her sarcasm. “I never did understand why Hilda lived so far away from her horses. It’s nice to know that she built a horse lookout for a guy who ultimately tried to kill them all.”
“And her, Annie. You keep forgetting that Todos also killed human beings, which is a far greater crime in our great state.”
Annie waved away this small distinction. “So what did you find?”
“Evidence of blackmail.” Tony sounded grim. “Todos had been blackmailing Hilda from the time he stepped foot on the property—we’ll probably find out it started even before that.”
“What could Hilda possibly have been doing to inspire blackmailing?” Martha was aghast.
“Horse doping. She’d been doing it for years, to get peak performance from her show horses and she expected Todos to carry on the tradition.”
Annie yelped. No wonder Hilda’s horses had always seemed like they were tied up in knots. And no doubt she’d planned on doing it to the bay!
Tony glanced at Annie. He knew exactly how she felt. “He did her bidding, but made it clear that it came with a price. Over time, money payoffs weren’t enough. He told her to change her will so that he would benefit from her death. He also wanted the bay. Hilda said she’d make him a beneficiary—easy enough to say. But she refused to give up Trooper. And when Todos realized he wasn’t going to get his way, he tried to engineer the horse’s death before it ever arrived.”
Kim took up the story. “It took us all night, but Tony and I were able to download most of the incriminating letters and texts on what we hauled out of the caretaker’s cabin. Up until now, Todos had had the upper hand. But after Wayne died, Todos realized he was boxed in. He knew Hilda would realize he’d staged the trailer accident and now had something on him. He really didn’t have much of a choice but to get rid of her. Besides, then he’d inherit the ranch.”
“Or so he thought.” Dan gratefully accepted another half glass of whiskey from Martha. “Hilda was by no means stupid. I don’t know what Hilda showed Todos, but there was no way he stood to inherit anything after her murder.”
Another gasp went around the room. Dan smiled, enjoying the suspense he’d created.
“Hilda’s will is going to be released next week, but Fenton gave me the rundown this afternoon. The ranch was in both Hilda’s and Marcus’s names. She didn’t have the authority to deed it or any portion of it over to Todos. She may have dummied up something to placate him, but it never would have stood up in court. He died thinking he would inherit everything. In fact, everything in the will goes to Hilda’s heirs . . . or Marcus, if he’s still alive.” Dan looked uncomfortable. Annie looke
d straight at him.
“You know, of course, that that voice message was a cut-and-paste job.”
She stated it as a fact, not a question. Annie wanted Dan and in fact the entire Sheriff’s Office to publicly admit to her that Todos had concocted the initially damning evidence and that Marcus was totally vindicated in the matter of Hilda’s death.
“We do now,” Tony admitted. “And it was pretty clever the way he did it. We know Hilda’s voice mail password was weak, and I’m not surprised Todos was able to break it. He’d downloaded onto his laptop every voice message from Marcus to Hilda over a six-month period, right up to February 14, when he apparently got the best one to do the job. It would have been easy for him to forward the messages to his own phone, then transfer to his computer.”
Tony pulled out a slip of paper from his shirt pocket. “I know you’d want to know what Marcus actually said, Annie, so here goes:
“I will try to understand your needs, Hilda. But please don’t destroy this relationship now because we’re fighting. It’s not dead yet. You’re a good woman, Hilda, and I love you. I’ll be with you before you know it.’”
Annie sat, lost in thought. He really had loved Hilda. What was she thinking? Had she ever really had a chance? She looked up.
“How about the last sentence—the one about ‘consider yourself warned’?”
Tony folded up the piece of paper and put it back in his pocket. “That was the easy one. Todos took that from a previous message, where Marcus actually said, ‘Consider yourself warned.’ But it was said in an entirely different light. Hilda had been urging Marcus to learn how to ride. He left her a message back in January where he told her he might do that. Those were his parting words.”
“But Todos was even smarter than that,” Dan added. “Remember, he’d planted Travis’s correspondence in Hilda’s desk. The words Todos chose to implicate Marcus had an eerie resemblance to one of Travis’s last letters to Hilda. I guess Todos was hoping that we’d think Travis was a suspect in the case. Got to hand it to the guy. Most killers don’t leave us with not one, but two false suspects to look at. Although it wasn’t to rule out Travis once we’d interviewed him,” Dan added hastily.
