“What!” Shades of my conversation with Amanda. Call me stupid, but these accusations still held the power to shock me. A sharp punch to the stomach couldn’t have hurt more than these lies. “That’s ridiculous. She’d been in and out of drug rehab many times before Detweiler and I even met! We kept our relationship platonic until she kicked him out of their home!”
Clancy raised her eyebrows and answered me with a dismissive snort. “Look. He has to blame somebody. His daughter is dead, and his campaign is dead, too. Typical politician, he’s using this tragedy as a way to further his career. You knew he was running for State Representative, right? My neighbor, Calvin Tyson, works for the Republican Party as treasurer for the local candidates. He told me that Milton was behind in the polls and out of money before this happened. Now, he’s got the sympathy of the entire party. Even if he withdraws, he’ll be a darling with the local politicos.”
“I wonder where Milton was when his daughter died.”
“Up at the Palmer House.”
“That’s what he says …”
“He flew his own plane into Midway. It hasn’t been out of the hanger since he arrived. Calvin told me this morning that Milton’s name was on the roster for the session held on social media. He’d signed in to the morning session. In fact, Milton was in a session on campaign finances shortly after lunch when the Illinois State Trooper came to tell him his daughter had been found.”
Clancy continued, “Milton sent an e-mail to the leadership of the local Republican Party, explaining he wants to keep them informed. According to him, the authorities best guess about Brenda’s time of death is between seven and eight, the morning after the shooting. Milton was in an educational session for new candidates at eight. People saw him.”
“How does this Calvin know all that? Usually the authorities withhold information to help with the investigation. But now you’re telling me that your neighbor even knows Brenda’s time of death. That’s weird.”
Suddenly my appetite was gone. I knew Chad had spent that night at his parents’ farm, because he’d told me as much. Could he have gotten to the empty house in time to shoot Brenda and go back home?
“Milton Kloss went on to say that his son-in-law wanted to get rid of Brenda so he could remarry, and that Brenda had resisted the divorce, hoping they’d get back together. He said that Detweiler wasn’t interested in upholding the sanctity of their marriage, but that Brenda was.”
“Let me guess. He mentioned that I’m pregnant.”
My friend gave me a slight nod of her head, a move full of regret and sadness. “I’m sorry, but yes. Kiki, the whole world knows you’re pregnant. Milton told the committee members that Detweiler wanted to marry you to give his baby a name. I guess your honey has made no secret of the fact he’s crazy about kids.”
I opened my mouth to tell Clancy that I’d promised Anya I wouldn’t marry Detweiler until after the baby came, but the store phone rang. And my cell phone rang. And the door minder rang. And in walked two reporters with microphones in hand.
“I’ll take care of them,” Clancy said, with a nod to our uninvited guests.
kiki lowenstein’s memory box project
Wooden keepsake boxes are available at many big box craft stores or online from www.craftandplay.com. Of course, you could also use a cardboard box and adhere the tangle to the upper lid!
1.Paint the boxes with acrylic paint or cover them with Duck Tape. (Tip: Duck Tape also comes in flat sheets that are very easy to adhere.)
2.Create a tangle design large enough to fit in the inset. (Tip: If you aren’t using a box with an inset, create a tangle that is 1" smaller than the lid all around. This allows you to “frame” or mat your finished design.)
3.Cut a clear plastic report cover to the corresponding size of your design. (Tip: If using a box, cut the report cover ½" larger than your tangle all the way around.)
4.Adhere the clear report cover to the tangle with a clear-drying glue. (Tip: If using a box, center the tangle and use clear-drying glue to adhere it to the plastic report cover. Then attach the tangle and clear cover to a piece of background cardstock. Glue the tangle unit to the lid or use brads to secure it.)
Note: “Duct” tape is the term for that silver adhesive tape used in construction. “Duck Tape” is a brand name for a tape that comes in a variety of patterns and colors. It’s strong like duct tape, but more versatile.
thirty-three
While Clancy handled the reporters, I scuttled into the backroom like a cockroach runs from sunlight. As I checked the number on my cell phone and recognized it as belonging to Thelma Detweiler.
“Oh, Kiki,” she groaned. “I wouldn’t wish a morning like this on my worst enemy, and he was there: my worst enemy. I don’t know when Milton Kloss grew horns, but I saw them with my own eyes. That man was nasty. Blames all Brenda’s problems on Chad! Accused Chad of all sorts of mischief ! His wife, Carla, couldn’t look us in the face, and it’s no wonder. I never liked that man, never felt comfortable with him, but I thought it was just me. Now I know I have good reason to hate his guts.”
“What did the judge decide?” As much as I wanted to hear all the gory details, I couldn’t stand the suspense. Thelma needed to cut to the chase.
“Chad is remanded to our custody. Basically under house arrest. But he has to wear an electronic monitoring device. An ankle bracelet. Of course, he also surrendered his passport, which is silly, and he also can’t go to work over in Missouri because he can’t cross state lines. What a bunch of hooey. I suppose I should be relieved, and I am, because the only reason Judge Imbert agreed to the ankle bracelet is that a crooked cop up in Cook County was strangled to death last week while in jail, and that wonderful attorney Mr. Schnabel pointed out that there was very little evidence linking Chad to Brenda’s murder.”
All this came at me way too fast. Detweiler and I were doing more than our share of dodging bullets these days. This one definitely sailed right past us.
“Have you seen the newspapers?” I asked.
“Great day in the morning. Can you believe it? Milton knows none of that is true. That man even held a press conference on the steps of the courthouse before we got there. Crying about how poor Brenda deserves justice. Of course, she does! We want to see her killer caught as much as he does, but honestly, she was playing with fire, doing drugs, meeting with dealers, stealing from the hospital and who knows what else. Chad begged her. We did an intervention. My daughter Patricia, who was once Brenda’s best friend, sobbed and begged her to get help. But Brenda had her own agenda. Always did. That girl wanted out of the house and out from under her daddy’s heavy hand in the worst way.”
She stopped. “What in the world is wrong with me? Kiki, hon, you aren’t worried about what Milton said about you, are you? No one believes that. Anyone who knows Chad or knows about the situation knows you aren’t to blame for one iota of this. Not one jot.”
I closed my eyes and tried to block out the image of the reporters barging into our store. “I appreciate that, Thelma, really I do. However, the news media on this side of the river is right out there on our sales floor, hungry for blood. My blood. Worse yet, my daughter is getting teased at school. So whether people believe Mr. Kloss or not, he’s sure doing a good job of making all our lives miserable.”
Then I remembered I was talking to a woman whose son was accused of murder and felt ashamed of myself. I added, “Not that it matters. What’s important here is making sure that Chad is safe. The Illinois State Police will figure out that he didn’t do this. As long as your son isn’t in jail, isn’t in danger, justice will take its course.”
Thelma’s laugh was tinged with bitterness so sharp it crackled over the phone. “Ha! Kiki, the man in charge of the investigation here is an old friend of Milton’s. They went to that military academy over in Indiana together. When Chad left the police force here, his old boss to
ok it hard. Bad-mouthed him up one side and down the other. Ever noticed that Chad’s a particularly careful driver when he crosses the state line? That’s because a few of the state police here know their boss hates my son. Trooper Jeffries thought Chad would be his lackey forever and ever. But Chad wanted to work for Robbie Holmes. Heard how professional Police Chief Holmes is. When Chad decided to leave Illinois, holy heck broke out. He didn’t tell you that?”
“No,” I whispered.
“I guess he didn’t want to worry you. Anyway, Mr. Schnabel is on top of the situation. He’s contacted an investigator to go to the crime scene. He’s talking with experts about how a ballistics test could be wrong. Also creating a time line. See, Chad came to after being drugged and called you. When you didn’t answer, he called the St. Louis Police Department. Heard what happened. Drove to the slough. Got there in time to watch them load you into the ambulance. Followed the bus to the hospital. Was turned away. Came here. We were with him. He spent that night here, and most of the morning. Brenda was killed that morning. The coroner puts the time of death at seven or eight a.m. The only time we didn’t have our eyes on Chad, he was out taking a run.”
“When was that?”
“Around seven-thirty. But he couldn’t have run that far. Or that fast. He’s good, but we’re not talking about Usain Bolt!”
This was worse than I expected. If Detweiler’s only alibi was his parents, he was in trouble. Big trouble. After all, he could have pretended to go running, hopped in his car, shot Brenda, and gotten back in time for a hot breakfast. The air left my lungs, and I couldn’t breathe.
Was it possible that Chad Detweiler actually did shoot Brenda?
thirty-four
“Why don’t you come on over and have dinner with us?” Thelma suggested. “I know Chad would love to see you.”
“That’s kind of you but I can’t. Not tonight. I’m in charge of the crop. We have twenty-two scrapbookers coming. I need to get projects ready and double-check the arrangements. My boss, Dodie, has cancer. We thought she had it licked, but it’s come back and attacked her brain. There’s a lot to do here at the store, and I’m trying to make life easier on her.”
Thelma sighed. “Puts everything into perspective, doesn’t it? My son is alive. You’re alive. The baby is all right. Sure, this is inconvenient, but we’ll cope with it.”
I smiled to myself. I liked Thelma’s calm, matter of fact approach to life. Actually, Louis was the emotional one in the family. From the outside he seemed like a hard-working farmer, a man who made a living by the sweat of his brow. An updated “American Gothic” with the stoicism common in those who wrestle a living from the earth. After getting to know him better, I understood he was the romantic, the dreamer, the one who suffered emotional highs and lows. Thelma stood quietly by his side, with both her feet planted in terra firma. A clear-headed realist, her hand on Louis’s shoulder kept him heading on the right path.
“Hang on, hon.” She left the phone for a minute. “Chad wanted
to talk to you but poor baby, he wandered off into his old room, fell on the bed, and went to sleep. I tried to rouse him, but he couldn’t do more than grumble at me.”
My heart hurt, thinking of him. The night I’d spent in the county jail had been a nightmare, and no one had paid any particular attention to me. Being a cop behind bars must have scared the living daylights out of him. All it would take was one renegade guard and his cell would change from a safe haven into a trap.
Before Thelma and I said goodbye, I promised I’d come over for an early dinner the next day, Saturday. “When Chad wakes up, tell him … tell him that I love him.”
“I’ll do that, hon. I know that’ll cheer him up. I’m sure he knows how you feel. We can all see it in your eyes. And again, thank you so much for getting us John Henry Schnabel.”
I still couldn’t imagine how Laurel managed to pull that particularly big rabbit out of her hat. The schedule said she would be in at one-thirty to help us prep for the crop. With my gratitude in mind, I decided that for our Monday night crop project we would create a “thank you” card, a note of appreciation. That way I could make two samples and give one to Laurel later today. The project was bound to be a big hit because a lot of our papercrafters love making cards. It’s a great way to practice scrapbooking skills on a small scale, to use up extra paper, and to save money because really nice cards can be pretty expensive.
First I needed to check out our supplies. Fortunately, puttering around in the backroom would keep me out of sight if the reporters were lurking. This was the perfect time to poke into those boxes on our uppermost shelves.
Grabbing the stepladder from the back closet where we kept cleaning supplies, I dragged it over to a unit and pulled down a box. This one had “cards” written on one end in a thick marker, but the handwriting wasn’t familiar to me. It must have been relegated to that top shelf long before I came to work here.
Inside sat unopened packages of plain white greeting cards with matching envelopes. “Perfect!”
On Monday, we could make card toppers, designs that could be later adhered to the front of a card. Card toppers are a smart way to stockpile different designs. Since most of them are flat, they are easy to store. You don’t need to own an endless supply of card “bodies” and envelopes. When an occasion comes up, you simply go through your stash of card toppers and choose one that is appropriate and attach it to the card “body.”
Excited about my find, I did a quick inventory. Satisfied we had more than enough, I grabbed a set so I’d have the proper dimensions. After text-messaging Clancy and discovering the coast was clear of reporters, I took the card body over to the worktable on the sales floor. While Clancy helped a customer find embellishments for an upcoming trip to Disney World, I went to work creating a topper that our customers could copy.
As I waxed creative, Clancy handled a steady stream of customers. Nothing overwhelming, but enough to keep her busy while I worked on a design and a handout. Luckily, the media didn’t come back. I mentioned that to Clancy and she snickered. “That’s because I text-messaged Robbie Holmes and he sent an officer by to remind them this is private property.”
“Good old Robbie!” I laughed.
When Laurel came in at one-thirty, I filled her and Clancy in on the bail bond hearing.
“I’ve been listening to the radio all day,” said Laurel. “Brenda’s father has been saying horrible things about you and Detweiler. Much of it is outright slander. If you wanted to get an attorney and sue him for defamation of character, I suspect you’d have a good case.”
“I think I have my hands full already. All I care about is keeping Detweiler out of jail and finding the real killer so we can move on.”
Clancy sighed. “I understand grief and guilt, but honestly, Milton Kloss has gone overboard. He’s really trying his best to bury Detweiler, isn’t he? Was he always so hateful toward his son-in-law?”
I rubbed the back of my neck because it ached with tension. “Thelma mentioned having reservations about the man, but gosh, he’s really turned on Detweiler, hasn’t he?”
Laurel’s eyes narrowed. On her it looked sexy. She bought all her clothes out of a Boston Proper catalog. Today she wore skin-tight jeans, a low-cut lime surplice top that emphasized her bust, and a gaggle of jangly bracelets. On her feet were tiny lime-green ballet slippers. “Remember that line from Shakespeare? ‘I fear he doth protest too much.’ I watch a lot of those true crime shows, and usually the in-laws stick by the guy, even long after the evidence has shown him to be a valid suspect. Seems to me that Brenda’s father has decided that Detweiler is Public Enemy Number One—and he’s come to this conclusion awfully quickly. Too quickly for my taste.”
“Look at it from his viewpoint. His daughter is dead. We don’t know how much he did to dissuade her from using drugs. Or how quickly he realized she was an addict, and whether he hurried
to get her help. Maybe this is major misplaced guilt,” Clancy said. “He can’t blame himself, so he’s blaming Detweiler.”
“Mr. Kloss knew that Brenda was willing to go into rehab.” I paused to mull this over. “He asked Detweiler to stay married to Brenda so the police department insurance would cover the costs of rehab. Otherwise it was going to come out of Mr. Kloss’s pocket. Unfortunately, the county employees’ insurance has a limited number of treatment providers. Brenda couldn’t go in until a spot opened up.”
“Maybe he’s blaming Detweiler because Brenda had to wait for a spot to open up, right?” Laurel asked.
“Possibly. If Milton Kloss had been willing to foot the bill, Brenda would have had more options, more places where she could have gone. If so, maybe she would have gotten the help she needed. She might still be alive today. So he’s being totally unfair, if that’s his beef.” I shook my head in disgust.
“Pure speculation on your part. Whatever the reason,” said Clancy, “Milton Kloss and his wife are hurting. When people hurt, they strike out and don’t care who they hit. I can’t imagine losing my child, first to drugs and then to a murderer.”
She was right. Put that way, I did feel a lot of sympathy for the Kloss family.
Laurel nodded. “He must be feeling like the world’s biggest loser. His political aspirations hit a brick wall, he’s burying his daughter, and the whole world knows she was involved in drugs.”
“Good point,” Clancy said. “Short of his wife leaving him or his stock portfolio going bust, things can’t get much worse.”
I didn’t tell her that the Detweiler family owed Mr. Kloss money. Yet another reason for the man to hate Detweiler. Since Milton Kloss didn’t know that Schnabel was working pro bono, the man might well assume he’d never be repaid for the loan he’d given the family, thinking all the Detweiler resources would go to defending their son.
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