Murder by Kindness

by Barbara Graham

  The Lundy clan had practically died out. The ones who remained were either extremely old or, as Orvan liked to say about some of the younger ones, “They were picked before they were ripe.” A few of the younger Lundy men had passed through the Park County jail, but they had mostly given up crime, which was a good thing because they weren’t very good at being bad. Tony recalled the time one of them had purchased a stocking cap ski mask, then asked the sales clerk for assistance in putting it on, and then, garbed in what he perceived to be the correct costume, tried to rob the store. The same store, the same clerk, without even going outside for a minute. The arrest had taken fifteen minutes. The first thirteen of the minutes were used up waiting for the clerk to stop laughing long enough to report the event. “I swear, Sheriff. I thought it was a joke. I mean, who is that stupid?”

  By the time Tony and Wade arrived at Orvan’s home, the fire in the small still had already been extinguished. Old Orvan sat on a stump watching the firemen taking care of the last of the hot spots. Tears ran down his face and dripped on the bib of his threadbare overalls.

  Tony did not approve of stills. He wasn’t fond of drunks. He enjoyed a good beer and occasionally a little whiskey, but even if he wanted to over imbibe, he couldn’t because he was always on call. Orvan, on the other hand, didn’t drive, didn’t sell what he made and could barely afford the ingredients. If he’d delivered some to another person, it couldn’t have been much. He’d been making his own, and drinking it, for decades. Tony guessed it was the only pleasure left to him.

  Ruth Ann’s husband, Walter, stood near Orvan. Anger tightened his usually jolly chocolate-brown face. He stared at Tony. “First they steal his stash, and now they come back and burn the still? Who would do this?”

  “I don’t know.” Tony looked from the firefighters into Orvan’s face. “I swear everyone in my office is trying to catch the arsonist. The destruction of private property, and the very real danger of forest fires, put them high on our list of priorities.”

  Orvan snuffled, wiping his nose on the frayed cuff of his long-sleeved shirt. “It’s just pure meanness.”

  Tony couldn’t disagree.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Frustrated by the arsonist, Tony was not amused when he returned to his office and found information on his desk supplying the names and addresses of two more Mrs. Daniel Crisps. The Crisp bride count was now up to five. Of the two new ones, one lived in nearby Knox County and another in equally close Blount County. According to the notes, written in Ruth Ann’s clear handwriting, the newest widows had heard about the death on the news and contacted his office. Geographically, these two lived the closest to Silersville.

  Even though it would take more time to drive to each of them for a visit than to make phone calls, Tony wanted to meet them in person.

  Nikki, now in Tony’s notebook as “wife number four,” lived in Knox County. After a brief telephone call to verify her location, Tony drove to her home in Knoxville.

  Wade accompanied him, but the two of them spoke little on the drive. Along with the continuing melodrama after the discovery of Daniel Crisp’s body, Tony had stills burning all over the place, Mrs. Plover’s death and Blossom’s missing sister moving in a continuous loop in his brain. He found it confusing and tiresome. At least, the bar-fight victim, in spite of losing most of an ear, had refused to cooperate or press charges. Tony wasn’t sure if he was more irritated or intrigued. Clearly the man felt he’d deserved to lose an ear. It left them with a ton of paperwork, but they could scratch one investigation off their list.

  Nikki opened the door to their knock.

  “We’re sorry for the circumstances,” Tony began.

  Nikki said nothing but waved them into the apartment. The room was small but tidy and its most striking feature, as far as Tony was concerned, was the large color photograph of the couple in wedding regalia. As she stood near the photograph, almost like she was posing, Tony noticed that Nikki’s hair—short, brown curls—looked the same as it did in the picture.

  “How long have you been married?” Tony thought he’d jump in. He’d offered brief condolences when he called to make the appointment.

  “A year.” Nikki’s red-rimmed eyes met his. “Our anniversary was just last week.”

  “I’m sorry,” Tony murmured. And he was. “How did you two meet?”

  “I’m a nurse at the hospital, and I usually work in the emergency room.” She dabbed her overflowing eyes with a tissue. “Daniel came in one evening with an infected wound on his hand. We talked. He was nice and he told me his wife had recently passed away, and even though I shouldn’t have, I agreed to have dinner with him. He was lonely.”

  Tony sincerely hoped the widower story was one Daniel told for the sympathy factor and there wasn’t a deceased wife somewhere.

  “And you married him.” Other than the photograph, Tony saw nothing in the apartment that he thought might have belonged to Daniel.

  “Yes.” A sob shook her. “I hardly ever saw him. I work shifts at the hospital, and he traveled for work. And now he’s dead.”

  “I wish there was a better way to tell you this, but, well . . .” Tony wondered if it was easier when the wives had learned about Daniel’s death from someone else and all he had to report was the duplicitous nature of the marriage. “As it turns out, Daniel has several wives, er, widows.”

  “What do you mean?” Nikki straightened quickly, as if he had slapped her.

  There was simply no way to sugarcoat his explanation. “As unpleasant as this is, you are the fourth wife I’ve talked with, and I’m going to see another after I leave here.”

  “Four?” The word hung in the air.

  Tony and Wade simply nodded, waiting for the meaning of the words to truly sink in.

  “That’s not possible.” Finally Nikki blinked as if she’d stepped from a dark room outside into bright sunlight. “He’s married to me.”

  “I’m afraid that isn’t necessarily true.” Tony gave her the condensed version of Daniel’s marital deception. When she had nothing to add, he decided he’d learned everything here that he could. He and Wade left her to her misery.

  Wade had been silent through their drive and the entire conversation with Nikki. He had carefully not interrupted Tony’s thoughts. At least not until they were back inside the Blazer.

  “Daniel Crisp was lower than the lowest.” Wade squeezed both hands into tight fists. “Why would he treat all of these women so poorly? They have cooked for him, loved him and probably even done his laundry. Some have given birth to his children, and now they are all dropped by the side of the road with no insurance, no claim to any property or money, and aren’t even legally considered the widows.”

  “I believe the word you are looking for is ‘bastard.’” Tony felt the same rage.

  “We didn’t ask her if she’d ever been in Silersville.”

  Tony realized Wade was correct. He stared at the apartment building. “We can ask her at another time.”

  Their next stop was actually not far from the hospital. Wife number five, the second Nancy, worked at a car dealership between Knoxville and Maryville. Tony decided he would refer to her as Nancy2 in his notes. He’d use the correct name when he wrote his report.

  A name plate reading “Nancy Crisp” was prominently displayed on a modern laminate desk between the entry door and a wall decorated with a calendar and a small quilt. The woman sitting in the chair behind the desk had dark red hair and green eyes. In appearance, she could have been Nina’s sister.

  “May I help you, gentlemen?” Nancy2 smiled up at them. Her smile lingered a bit longer on Wade, but not much.

  Tony studied her ring finger. Maybe he was just cynical, or maybe with all his recent practice he was learning the difference between high quality and fake, but he’d bet the diamonds in her wedding and engagement rings were paste. These didn’t have any fire. “Mrs. Crisp?”

  “Yes.” She pointed to the name plate. “That’s me.”

/>   “I just wanted to make sure you were sitting in the correct desk.” Tony nodded to the pair of chairs facing her. “Do you mind if we sit?”

  Nancy2 looked confused but waved for them to join her. Tony and Wade pulled the chairs closer to the desk before sitting.

  “We have come with bad news.” Tony thought about suggesting they leave her desk area and go outside into the fresh air where there would be relative privacy, but there were no clients or salesmen immediately near them.

  Some of the perky expression on her face faded. “Daniel? Is this about Daniel?” The words were spoken quickly, fearfully.

  “Yes, I’m afraid it is.” Tony said. The news of the man’s death had been on television before they learned of the additional wives. He thought the nurse could have been working at the hospital when the story aired, but this one? “Did you happen to watch the news last night?”

  She nodded. “I assumed it was a different Daniel Crisp. The news said his wife’s name was Nita, no, Nina.”

  “His ex-wife is Nina.” Tony emphasized the “ex.”

  Nancy2 made a sound like a cross between relief and anger. “So why are you just now notifying me? Shouldn’t you have been here before anything was said on television?”

  “We would have, or certainly would have tried, had we known of your existence.” Tony wasn’t in the mood to fight with a widow. “As it turns out, your husband has an extensive number of wives.” He hurried into his explanation of their discovery.

  Her eyes widened and her mouth opened. Then closed. “Well, that no good, dirty, two-faced cheater.”

  “Pardon me?” Tony wasn’t sure he’d heard correctly.

  “So, I guess we aren’t really married, are we?” Her eyes flashed with more anger than grief.

  “Most likely not.” Tony added a shake of his head for emphasis. There was always the chance Daniel had a legally married wife in the harem. “You don’t seem as surprised as the others. Did you suspect he was already married?”

  “I suspected something. I think he could sell ice to Eskimos. Isn’t that the phrase?” She didn’t wait for an answer. Her anger level rose quickly. “He came in here and found me and swept me off my feet. I believed him when he told me it was love at first sight.”

  “Have you been to Silersville lately?” Wade finally managed to speak.

  Nancy2 stared at him.

  Wade threw in his second-best smile.

  She melted a bit. “No. I never go there.”

  Tony was sure she was lying. But why would she? Silersville was a popular place for day trips from the nearby counties. People enjoyed picnics, hiking, shopping. He spoke softly. “Do you quilt?”

  Nancy2’s spine straightened so quickly, it should have made a snapping sound. “Why yes, I do.” She pointed to the small wall quilt hanging above a calendar. “I made that.”

  The odds were good she’d at least visited Theo’s shop. He could ask his wife if she recognized Nancy2. It wasn’t crucial, but Tony felt certain he was correct about the lie.

  It was late afternoon by the time he and Wade returned to the Law Enforcement Center. Tony spread a large map of the state on a table in the conference area. He found it interesting that all of the wives lived in a line running from northern Georgia and traveling northeast. It made him wonder if Daniel had a regular pattern, like Mondays he was in Chattanooga and Tuesday was Cleveland.

  If so, maybe the pattern would help the investigation. Somehow.

  He studied the list of wives. All of the first names began with N. Now they had two Nancys, a Nikki, a Nannette and a Nora. If he threw in the first wife, Nina, there were six Ns.

  Wade said, “All those wives.”

  “And why all Ns? Do you suppose they were cataloged in his head as N-one, N-two and on up to five?”

  Mike stood in the open doorway. “How many did you say?” He looked like he hadn’t quite understood Tony’s comment.

  “You heard right. We are up to five current wives now. That we know about.” Tony gestured to his map. “All along this line.” He guessed Daniel Crisp’s marital adventures were going to become a continuing melodrama. It was going to take lots of man hours and more than a single jumbo jar of antacid tablets. He considered buying them by the case. “And one ex-N.”

  Mike came into the room and sat down, watching Tony and Wade making notations on the white board. “How do you suppose he kept them straight? You know, like birthdays and anniversaries.”

  “I can’t believe any of this.” Tony lifted a box already filled with documents and files. “He could have a wife in every county.”

  “Only one out of state?” Mike’s fascination was obviously growing.

  “Just the one we know of in Georgia.” Tony simply couldn’t get inside Daniel’s head. “I’ve dealt with some truly bad people from time to time, and I’d swear they made more sense. Kill a man because he’s wearing a T-shirt celebrating some team that beat one of your favorites? That’s bad, stupid, crazy and displays really poor impulse control.” He exhaled sharply. “But serial marriage? That’s planned.”

  “And why only Ns? Coincidence or a fetish?” Wade shuffled the files. “Do you suppose he called them each by name or were they all ‘Honey’?”

  “We’re going to number them according to the sequence of our encountering them.” Tony pulled out some sticky notes. “Number One is the buxom blond.” He looked at Wade and Mike for their opinions.

  Wade began. “I think that’s as good a plan as any. So, then Number Two is Nannette, the small woman from Georgia and Number Three is Nora, the Cleveland bride.” Wade developed a frog in his throat and stopped to clear it.

  Mike leaned forward. “Who’d you learn about this morning?”

  “Number Four is Nikki from Knox County.” Tony watched as Mike’s expression went from curiosity to amazement and, still holding a handkerchief over his mouth, Wade bobbed his head, agreeing. “And Number Five lives in Blount County. That’s our second Nancy.”

  “Those two are practically in our backyard.” Mike looked stunned.

  Tony wanted to meet with the rest of the day shift. He pushed the intercom button to talk with Rex on the dispatch desk. “I know where Wade and Mike are; what’s Sheila up to?”

  “It’s pretty quiet. She’s just driving around.”

  “At the risk of jinxing that, would you ask her to come join us for a quick meeting?”

  By the time Tony gathered a few files and notes, the three deputies stood in the meeting room, staring at the white board. “I’ll make this brief.”

  He handed each of his deputies a copy of wife Number One’s driver’s license. “She was here, visiting from Chattanooga. Did anyone see her in the past few days?”

  They all nodded.

  “How about numbers two or three?” He had taken a photograph of the next two wives standing together and had printed it out.

  “I saw this one,” Sheila pointed to the wife from Georgia. “She and a child were downtown, at the coffee place next to Theo’s shop.”

  “When?”

  Sheila closed her eyes and was silent for a moment. Her eyes opened abruptly. “It was at least two days ago. I saw them, and then Rex sent me to check on some vandalism. We can check the call log.”

  Then Tony pulled out the newest two pictures, Nikki and Nancy2. Everyone said they looked familiar. They had been in Silersville, if not in the past two days, frequently enough to be remembered. No one could remember seeing them together.

  “I’ll check with the others at shift change.” Tony’s stomach protested with a gurgle of acid. No one smiled. “Keep an eye out for these ladies. I don’t know whether they’re friends, foes, or unknown to each other. Is their being here coincidence? A family reunion? Or a plot among the wives to do away with a problem husband?”

  He decided to go visit Nina. With the chaos created by the water damage, she might welcome his questions about her ex-husband as a diversion. “Wade, Mike, you two go and do your usual thing. Shei
la, I want you to meet me at Nina Crisp’s home.”

  Tony thought Nina’s past few days must have felt like a nightmare. The stress showed on her face, which looked tired and pale instead of her usual pretty and perky. There was no sparkle of mischief in her brilliant green eyes. Just a combination of fatigue, sorrow and confusion.

  Tony hated to bother her with more questions. He knew without a shadow of doubt that Nina played no part in Daniel’s death. The pathologist hadn’t relayed all of his findings yet, but had shared his decision about the window of time during which Daniel’s death could have occurred. Nina was gone during all of it.

  “I’m sorry to have to ask you such personal questions.” Tony led Nina away from the deconstruction at the house toward a quieter, more private location. “Unfortunately, I’m guessing you know things that could help clear up some of the confusion.”

  Sheila caught up with them near the woods.

  Nina didn’t try to smile. “Go ahead. Ask me anything.”

  “Do you know where Daniel actually lived?” Tony thought he’d start with something easy and totally impersonal. “Did he ever give you his address?”

  “No.”

  “What if you needed to get in touch with him? Or forward papers to him?”

  “For all I knew, or cared, he lived in a cardboard box. If I needed to talk to him, I’d call his cell phone.” Nina blinked. “If anything came in the mail for him, I forwarded it to his post office box. It’s here in town.”

  “And the kids? I know he visited them. Did they ever go stay at his home?”

  “He was good with the kids,” Nina said. Her hands trembled as she pulled her sweater tighter around her. “I’m sorry my children have lost their dad. Whenever he came to visit them, he’d take them to his folks’ house, or sometimes they’d go over to Pigeon Forge and stay in a motel and have a fun weekend. The kids never mentioned Daniel taking them to a house or an apartment, or wherever he actually lived.”

  Tony wondered how the man had been able to afford it all. “Was Daniel paying you alimony and child support?”