Murder by Kindness

by Barbara Graham

  “I’ll wear a wire and carry my best purse.”

  Tony knew the purse she referred to. It wasn’t very big. The pocketbook had enough space to hold a quarter and a tube of lipstick. The rest of it contained a tiny gun.

  Prudence, practically in tears because she was so grateful her daughter would be forced to stay home, went to work on Sheila. “You men go away. We don’t have much time to turn Sheila into Karissa.”

  Only fifteen minutes later, Tony returned with the wire they would attach to Sheila. He was amazed by the transformation. He knew Sheila’s hair was long and blond, but seeing it brushed out and curling around her face was a striking contrast to her normal neat braid. The teenager’s party dress exposed way more skin than her uniform.

  Tony thought Sheila looked vulnerable.

  Wade, entrusted with her codes, had gone to collect Sheila’s special purse. He came through the back door of the salon and handed it to her. “Damn, Sheila, you are a girl! Has Not Bob seen you in a dress?”

  Prudence suggested, “Someone, quick, take a picture.”

  Tony felt the weight of responsibility too strongly to be amused. “I don’t like it.”

  “The limousine is on the way.” Darren radioed from his assigned post.

  Maybe half an hour had passed since the fake Karissa was picked up in the limousine. Listening to every word, Tony heard Sheila try chatting with the driver to find out how many other girls he was collecting, but got nowhere. Probably to entertain herself, and keep Tony and Darren from following their desire, which was to stop the car and jerk her out, she began to sing.

  At first the words sounded like nonsense to Tony but the tune was familiar. Then he understood what she was saying.

  “I’m going to be the only girl. Get me out of here. These doors have to be opened from the outside.”

  “Sheila?” Tony spoke into the microphone. “What can you see?”

  If it were anyone else in the car, he’d have sent Sheila with her rifle up into the woods above the cabin with Wade to be her spotter. With any luck, she’d find herself a great vantage point and take a strategic shot if there was trouble. Locked inside the car, she was helpless. So were they.

  “The limo is just making the last of the turns.” Sheila’s voice was steady. “I can see the front door on the cabin is opening. Looks like five guys coming outside. Karl’s Bad is in the center of the pack.”

  “Where’s Bear?” Tony hoped his description of the man and his trustworthiness were spot on.

  “He’s part of the escort. Wait. Now I don’t see him.” Sheila hesitated. “The limo has stopped.”

  Through his binoculars, Tony saw Bear working his way around to the far side of the limo, away from the entourage. At least Tony’s gut instinct about Bear and what line he was not prepared to cross seemed to be about to pay off.

  “Sheila, Bear’s headed your way.” Tony spoke into the microphone. “When the door on your left opens, get out. Go with the bodyguard.” Silence.

  The sound of gunfire coming through Sheila’s microphone was unbelievably loud. Tony was about to charge forward when he heard Sheila’s voice again. “I’ve disabled the limo.”

  Tony heard the high-pitched sound of Karl’s Bad shrieking. Then complete silence. “Sheila?”

  Nothing.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  “Sorry sir. Everything is fine.” Suddenly Sheila’s voice came through the microphone. “I had to make sure I didn’t need to take a shot. I can’t talk and breathe at the same time. My new hero is Bear. He punched the Wonder Boy in the jaw and got me out of the car, and then he shot the car and we ran into the woods.” Sheila continued a commentary, not terribly complimentary, about the actor and his pack of toads. “We’ll stay out of sight until you can come down and pick up the trash. Who would think I’d miss wearing that uncomfortable vest?”

  Tony, Wade and Darren arrived at the cabin before she finished speaking.

  As soon as the three county cars came to a stop, forming a road block, Bear shepherded Sheila from the woods and into Darren’s car.

  Karl’s Bad had still not noticed the switch. He called Karissa by name and bleated his innocence and devotion. “Come out, wherever you are.”

  Surprising no one, the wonder boy feigned shock that they would believe he’d ever harm Karissa or any other girl. He fired Bear on the spot for punching him, and then threatened to sue the former bodyguard for abandoning his job. “You were supposed to keep me from getting hurt.” He bleated like a sheep when the limo driver hurried to tell his side of the story, incriminating the star. He’d been ordered to pick up the girl and keep the doors locked and the barrier glass between them closed.

  Newspaper woman Winifred Thornby, having been tipped off to follow them, snapped a photograph of the limousine, the bad boy and his toads. Not a single photograph was taken of Sheila or Bear.

  Tony didn’t think the feud between himself and the newspaperwoman was over, but he thanked her for her part in the little melodrama.

  Tony stuck his head into Darren’s car. “Sheila, are you really okay?”

  “Yes, sir.” A brilliant smile and nod was her response. “Can I go home? I feel extremely underdressed.”

  He handed her his cell phone. “You’d better call your fiancé right now. Evidently you promised to meet him for dinner, and he’s been plaguing dispatch looking for you and calling the cell phone you left at the Klip ’n’ Kurl. Prudence told Holt the thing hasn’t stopped ringing since you left.”

  “Oh, no.” Sheila laughed. “I couldn’t tell him, and no one else could know, either.” Her fingers flew over the surface of the cell phone.

  Seeing one of the toadies attempting to slither away from the scene, Tony stepped in his path, assisted by Bear. Not a happy day for toads. Tony wasn’t sure what, if anything, he could charge the crew with, but he didn’t care. He’d wanted Karl’s Bad, the wonder boy, out of his county and the residents safe. Now he would have. For the moment.

  Deputy Darren Holt had one of the young men handcuffed, leaning against Tony’s Blazer. “Holt, dump that one into Wade’s car and take our Karissa home.”

  Darren hustled to follow instructions.

  Minutes later, the parking area in front of the cabin was empty except for the fatally wounded limousine and Tony’s Blazer. Tony stood next to Bear, watching the last of the crew headed down the hill. “I’m afraid you’re out of a job. My guess is he’s probably not going to take you back.”

  “Man, it felt so good to help a nice person.” Bear grinned. “I hated my job. I hated waking up every day feeling like I was a bad guy because I was paid by scum. Worse than scum, because I’d do anything for money. Standing there listening to garbage spewing out of his mouth was getting harder by the hour.”

  “Did you know what they planned?”

  “Not exactly, but I knew it wasn’t going to be good.” Bear clenched and unclenched his fists. “Your deputy shocked me, though. I thought I was going to snatch a teenager who would try to fight me. I expected screams and fingernails, maybe a kick or two.” He blinked. “Instead, I heard her say my name and ‘let’s go,’ like she was expecting me.”

  “I told her to run to you if there was trouble.” Tony exhaled sharply. “I had to hope I wasn’t wrong about you.”

  “Oh, man, that makes me feel so good. Clean, you know?” Bear turned his face away and hid his expression.

  Tony waited in silence for a little while, watching the procession of vehicles. “I recently fired a new deputy. He was two months into a six-month probation.”

  Bear straightened and stared into Tony’s eyes. He listened attentively to every word. Hope lit his eyes. “The cost of living better here than in California?”

  “Oh, yeah.” Tony had to smile. “On the other hand, the incomes are lower, too. What’s your background?”

  “Played college football and earned a degree in education.” Bear shook his head. “I wasn’t good enough myself to play professional ba
ll, but I can coach.”

  “Arrests? Drugs?”

  “No, sir.” Bear smiled. “Neither of those.”

  “And your wife?” Tony thought this might be the deal breaker. “Do you think she wants to move to Tennessee?”

  Bear hesitated only a moment. “She’d love it. That is, as long as we have access to good doctors for our kids. We’ve got a little guy whose special needs make him a medical frequent flyer. He’s why we need the extra money.”

  Tony could tell the man wasn’t complaining, just stating the facts. “There’s a children’s hospital in Knoxville.”

  “That sounds real good.” Bear pressed his lips together as if he was trying to keep from laughing.

  “Okay then. Come in tomorrow and fill out all the paperwork. If everything checks out, you’ll have a six-month probation before going to the academy in Greeneville.” Tony felt relieved that it might be just this easy to find a competent deputy. “I’ll bet you don’t have wheels to get you back to town.”

  “You’d be right. Can you give me a lift? I’ve got to call my wife.”

  Tony’s smile disappeared when he turned back to face the front of the cabin. He hated the idea this was going to turn into a media mess. The lurid headlines about Karl’s Bad being arrested were bound to create some kind of backlash. He just didn’t know if his department was going to look stupid or heroic.

  It was up to Winifred now.

  First thing the next morning, Tony took Daisy to the vet’s office for her regular shots and checkup. He wasn’t surprised to see Boston and Mouse in the waiting room. He sat near the pair and smiled when Daisy slithered close to Mouse and started licking the shepherd’s ear.

  “Mouse all right?”

  “Yeah, he’s good. Just needs a little maintenance, you know. I think I’m getting the hang of living here,” Boston said. “I like working with the dogs and Mrs. Dixon.”

  “I’m glad to hear it.”

  Daisy looked up and gave Boston’s hand a quick lick.

  Boston appeared to relax. “I know I’m not alone, and my life’s an old story. The classics, I guess, never go out of style. I enlisted in the Army and gave my girlfriend a ring. She was all ‘I’ll wait forever and love you until I die.’”

  A flicker of wry amusement lit his face, showing Tony a glimpse of the boy he had once been. The smile vanished as quickly as it had come and was replaced by bitterness.

  “Either forever is shorter than it used to be or she lied. I came home all screwed up, you know, and found she had married my brother. They have a baby girl.”

  “So you left.” It wasn’t a question.

  “Yeah. I thought I’d leave them to each other. I still had to take care of Mouse, so we just walked away. There’s something wrong in my head, you know. It’s not just that I can’t hear out of this ear.”

  Tony watched him tap the left ear. “You still can’t sleep inside?”

  “Not really.” Boston ran a hand over Mouse’s back. “It’s coming though. I made it inside several nights in a row during snowy times. I didn’t sleep, but I keep trying. Now at least, I start out inside and then some time in the night I have to go out. Mrs. Dixon set me up with a bed and a shower and a place to lock up my stuff. Not to mention a mailing address.”

  “And money?”

  “I’m okay now.” Boston’s smile flickered again. “It helps to have a mailing address and it is quiet out here. I get disability payments and Mrs. Dixon has chores for me to do. You know, I shovel, mow, paint fences. Clean dog kennels. She’s good people.”

  “And her husband?”

  “Oh man, he’s awesome. Mouse needed his shots, and the man won his trust. Dr. Dixon doesn’t talk much, but you can see his heart is good and he and his missus are sweet on each other. I like them both.”

  After her visit with the veterinarian, Tony dropped Daisy off at the house and went to work.

  He’d barely made it to his desk when the phone on it began to ring.

  “Sheriff, I think we found your missing Dahlia.” A man’s deep bass voice boomed through the earpiece on his phone.

  Even though Flavio had informed Tony there was a caller on the line for him about Blossom’s missing sister, he was startled by the powerful voice. “Who are you and where are you?”

  “Oh, sorry, Sheriff, I’m detective Gabe Johnson. I gave my name to the man who answered the phone and guessed he’d passed it along. I’m here with a man you’ll want to talk with. We’re in Southport.”

  “Southport?” Tony’s geography was only fair and thought it quicker to ask. “Are you near Nashville?”

  “Not even.” Johnson burst into laughter. “We’re not far from Wilmington over on the coast of North Carolina. I’m giving the phone to Mr. Sawyer.”

  “North Carolina?” Tony couldn’t imagine what Dahlia was doing there. “Is she all right?”

  In contrast to Johnson’s voice, Mr. Sawyer sounded like he was whispering. “I met Dahlia the other evening, or some woman of that name. According to Gabe here, she matches your description of the missing lady. Dahlia seemed real nice. She was unhappy with her husband and said she was going to visit her sisters.”

  Although he was confused, Tony was glad Dahlia wasn’t injured somewhere. “Did she give a reason for being in North Carolina? As far as I know, her sisters, at least most of them, live here in East Tennessee.”

  “No, sir. When she wasn’t crying in her beer, she spent her time listing everything her husband had done to annoy her in the past ten years. I’m a bartender, and a lot of people think I get paid to listen to them.” Mr. Sawyer’s voice developed a pronounced whine. “I don’t.”

  “And when she left, do you know where she went?” Tony pulled a worn road atlas off the shelf and opened it to North Carolina. His finger followed the highway until it reached the end of the road.

  “If you’re asking if she was okay to drive, she was definitely not, but she said she was staying in the motel next door and had walked over.” He coughed, sounding a bit like he was covering a laugh. “Then I watched her stagger back to her motel. She had to stop about halfway there and leave her dinner and drinks in a shrub.”

  “When was this?”

  “Like every night for a week now.” Irritation filled Sawyer’s voice. “It’s time for her to go home.”

  If Tony had to guess, he would guess that Dahlia had been so busy being mad at her husband, she didn’t even noticed her surroundings until she was faced with the Atlantic Ocean. She had gotten on Interstate Highway 40 and hadn’t stopped until the road ended.

  Glad one mystery was solved, Tony finished the call and notified Blossom.

  His next duty was a sadder one.

  Tony had agreed to take Jenny Swift to the Plover house to pick out an outfit for Eunice Plover to wear to her own funeral. With seals on the doors because not all of the evidence had been sorted through, he couldn’t let her go alone. He was sure Jenny had a set of keys to her best friend’s house, but took the ones they had found in Eunice’s purse, just in case.

  The drive was quiet. Neither of them felt like making small talk. Parking in the driveway, he followed Jenny as she led the way around to the kitchen door. Her hands were shaking too hard to get the key into the hole.

  Tony took the key from her. Seconds later the door was unlocked. Jenny stepped inside.

  “Oh, no! How did she get my pie plate?” Jenny’s voice was more of a scream than a question.

  The last thing Tony expected when he agreed to escort her into the house was this. Tony watched as Jenny frantically ran into the kitchen and stopped in front of the counter next to the sink.

  “What pie?” He glanced around the room and saw an empty pie pan sitting on the kitchen counter. It was beige ceramic with the words “world’s best pie” written around the outside in blue script.

  “That’s my favorite pie pan. Eunice gave it to me for my last birthday. I made a lemon meringue pie in it and gave it to Jack Gates. He was supposed to be
the one who ate it. Not her! Never her!” Her words ended in a wail. “I’ve killed her. I’ve killed my best friend.”

  “Wade, get Doc Nash up here now.” Tony spoke into his radio even as he pulled the hysterical woman away from her friend’s belongings. “Don’t touch anything.”

  Tony glanced around. The last time he’d been in the house, Mrs. Plover’s body had been taken to Knoxville, and he and Wade were combing through the house, looking for something, anything that might explain the woman’s death.

  The clean pie pan sat on the counter the entire time. He remembered seeing it in photographs of the kitchen.

  With only a few words, Jenny Swift’s hysterical statement changed everything he knew about the case.

  Mrs. Swift did not appear to be listening to him, so he moved her away from the doorway and forced her to sit on a ladder-back kitchen chair. Her eyes were glassy, and he could tell from her short, quick breaths that she was about to hyperventilate.

  “Jenny. Try to take a slow deep breath.”

  She blinked at him as if she couldn’t see. Then her voice, reedy and quiet, whispered, “I don’t feel at all well. Can you help me?”

  Wade, accompanied by Doc Nash, rushed through the doorway.

  The doctor immediately hurried to Jenny’s side. “What’s going on?” He stared at Tony.

  Tony would’ve answered if he could’ve come up with a reasonable statement.

  “We’re going to need an ambulance. She has a history of serious cardiac problems.” Doc Nash kept his stethoscope pressed against Jenny’s chest.

  Complying, Tony radioed for assistance. He stepped out of the way and signaled for Wade to join him. “She says she killed her friend with a pie.”

  “A pie?” Wade looked as confused as Tony felt. “Why would she kill her friend?”

  “More to the point, why did she just find out?” Tony watched the doctor even as he said, “I think she said the pie was for Jack Gates.”

  “That’s bizarre. He doesn’t live anywhere near here.”