“Yes, I’m here with Melinda Blackwell, and we’re trying to decide who could have killed Harris. It wasn’t her, Tyler.”
“Are you sure? Mel went missing from the hospital. The cameras caught two people rolling her wheelchair out the front doors.” Detective Tyler glanced at Melinda Blackwell who clutched her purse to her body.
“It wasn’t me, I swear. I came here to speak with Kayla.”
“I know, Melinda. It wasn’t you who took your niece out of the hospital, but you did hurt her and put her into the hospital. We also know you didn’t kill Harris because you were in the hospital yourself during that time. I checked your schedule out at the nurse’s station.” He eyed her with displeasure.
“Why were you in the hospital, Melinda Blackwell?” Kayla asked heading back to her computer.
“I work there.” She shook her head and stared up at the two officers. “I’m a nurse.”
“Liz visited Elizabeth, and shortly after that, the older woman was dead, Kayla. What does that say about Liz Blackwell and she was adopted, by the way?” Kayla looked over at Tyler and Melinda.
“I’m taking this dirtbag into the station, Tyler. Call me if you need me.” Detective Bernard walked him down the hall.
“That man looks familiar, Tyler. He looks like the man Mel hangs out with.” Kayla put those words into his head.
“Bernard, wait!” Detective Tyler yelled when his partner brought the guy back.
“Do you know, Mel Blackwell?” Detective Tyler asked.
“Nope.” He looked down at the floor.
“You do, and I bet we could prove it when she wakes up.” Kayla surmised with a confident tone.
“Okay, okay. I do. Mel is my girlfriend. We hang out and stuff.” He murmured.
“What else do you two do?” Melinda questioned. “I have seen you a few times near the house.”
“You should know me, Melinda. We go out on dates. I pick Mel up at your place all the time.” He huffed.
“You know him, Melinda?” Kayla looked at her when she nodded.
“Okay, take him away.” Detective Tyler pushed the man off like he was a fly on the wall.
“Back to my wayward family who cannot keep it in their pants to save their lives.”
“What?” Tyler asked.
“Yeah, it was the biggest secret of my family besides the sleeping around by Elizabeth with Henry Blackwell. It’s all a mess, but Liz was never liked by Mel or by me. If a woman took Mel from the hospital, we need to find them and fast. It could be Liz.”
Detective Tyler took his cell phone out and showed Melinda the footage. “Is that Liz Blackwell?”
Melinda nodded, “I’d know that face anywhere. It’s evil, officer.”
“Detective, I’m Detective Tyler. We will get out there and find them before something happens to Mel. What happened to her anyway?”
“To Mel, it was me. I work at the hospital as a nurse, and when I saw her come in, I hurried to her to see how she was doing. I attacked her to protect her from that beast you two just saw. He is an animal. She told me she couldn’t remember what happened, and I was happy to know that. I know that I should not have hurt her, but I wanted her safe from that man’s abuse.”
“Has that taken place before?” Kayla was rolling everything inside her head. “I was wrong about who killed Harris, and now it’s obvious who killed him now.”
“Too obvious. Guess who just had millions inserted into her savings account?” Detective Tyler showed them Liz Blackwell was now a very wealthy woman.
“I never thought I’d say this, but you were right, Kayla.” Tyler’s partner, Bernard peeked into the room and shrugged with eyes appearing sad.
“You’ll love being behind a desk. Think of all that coffee you will drink.” She winked at the detective.
“What?” Melinda asked.
“We need to find your family member before Mel finds her demise.” Kayla and Melinda left with the detectives out the hotel room door, but before Kayla went, she peeked once more at who was related to who on the computer. Mel and Liz spent every summer together in New Orleans, and Melinda was their caregiver. That meant only one thing, Melinda and Liz were actually closer than Melinda said. Kayla’s thoughts ran wild.
“Kayla you come with me. Bernard, take Melinda Blackwell to the station for more questioning, please.” He was smiling when he opened the door for Kayla. Together they rode the elevator down to the first floor, and out the door, they ran.
Once they were safely inside the car, Kayla murmured, “I think Liz coordinated this murder, Tyler.”
“Yeah, I think so too. Melinda or Mel are mere pawns to her sick game, I bet. We need to find them before it’s too late.”
“I think they are by the Mississippi River. That is how all this began.” Kayla held on for dear life after buckling up and hearing the siren blare overhead.
“We’ll find out if that is where they are. Hang on!” Tyler wheeled the car from the parking lot and onto the street.
~~~
Kayla looked out over the river and saw two women standing by the shoreline. Liz was propping Mel up, and Mel was still groggy from the meds the nurses gave her. “There they are.” She leaped out of the car and raced with Tyler to the river’s edge after running down the embankment.
“Stop right there, you two. I’m not going to harm Mel as long as I get what I want out of this.” Liz’s eyes were wide and filled with anger.
“Why are you so upset, Liz? Is it because we now know what’s on the disc and we also know you were adopted into this family, Lizzie Blackwell?” Kayla’s tone was even and not fearful. “I know you followed me here to New Orleans. My boss told you why I was here so you thought you’d throw a wrench into the mix, but it didn’t work.”
“I am too a Blackwell. Henry was my father. I recently discovered that Elizabeth was my mother because my mom couldn’t have children. It was a known fact, and my father wanted kids so desperately he slept with his own brother’s wife to achieve that goal. Here I am, lucky people.”
“Here you are is right. Please drop of weapon, Liz. You are not going to get away with any of this, Liz.” Tyler was eyeing the knife Liz had near Mel’s throat.
“My family never liked you, Liz.” Mel popped off with. “My mother hated you so much, and when she gave birth to you, Henry took you.”
“Yes, I figured it out. Elizabeth Blackwell was my mother, and she confessed it to me right before she died. I killed her by the way, and she deserved to die. Her heart was giving her problems, and the stress of living with that animal of a husband was just too much for her. She begged me to do it.”
“That’s murder, Liz. You just confessed to killing your own mother.” Detective Tyler stood with his gun ready to be removed from its holster at any moment.
“That’s okay, and Harris didn’t deserve to live either. We were siblings. That was great until my father demanded Harris get everything in his will. I had to do something and fast. Without that money, I was going to live in poverty, and I couldn’t have that. I had to sell everything first to encourage Harris to become angry enough to see that I was right.”
“What did you do to your own flesh and blood, Liz?” Kayla asked with her foot sliding closer to Liz.
“I came here to New Orleans and met that blushing bride of his, Mary. She was not what I expected. When I asked him about the money, he denied me what was rightfully mine. Harris told me to go back home, and when I told him that wasn’t going to happen, he tried to call the police, and that’s when I brought them out here and shot them both with Mary’s newly purchased gun. I had to do it, Kayla. He left me with no choice.”
“You didn’t have to do anything, Liz. Your own greed took over, and that’s when you took it upon your self to kill your only brother for what… money and power. How does Mel fit into all this?”
“She doesn’t. Poor Mel here paid for my ticket out here and back, that’s all. She’s completely innocent of everything. I now need to let
her go and head home so I can enjoy my millions.” Liz pushed Mel into the water, and when she started to sink, Detective Tyler jumped in after her.
Liz began climbing up the incline when Kayla leaped onto her and struggled by pushing her face into the sand between two rocks. Liz kicked Kayla in the stomach and went climbing up the incline with slow steps. Kayla grabbed her feet and watched her slid down to her face. That was when Liz sat on Kayla and attempted to stab the knife right through her chest. Kayla rolled out from under her and leaped to her feet.
“You will not perform such a great feat today, Liz Blackwell. I will not become another corpse to you.” She moved to her left when Liz pushed the knife at her.
“I will do what needs to be done, Kayla. I already know all about you, and it’s now time to die.” She screamed and went after her along the rocky shoreline.
Kayla barely got out of the way of the sharp blade when she dropped to the rocks and allowed her body to tumble down to the water where she felt wetness soak through her pants.
“You will not get away that easily, Kayla.” Liz jumped into the air and onto her with the knife held above her head. “It’s time to say good-bye, Kayla. You should let the world know you lost.” She gripped the knife in one hand and went to stab Kayla when Kayla grabbed a rock lying nearby and slammed it into her head, once Liz fell, it was lights out temporarily.
Kayla was on her feet and moving to Mel as her clothing clutched her skin with wetness. “Are you okay?” She asked.
“Yes, thank God you were here to help, Kayla. I fear she would have taken me out next.” Mel cried on Kayla’s shoulder when sirens came to their rescue.
~~~
“What about Melinda Blackwell? What will happen to her?” Kayla sat in a chair near Detective Tyler’s desk waiting for a response.
“Well, Melinda confessed to me at the station. Liz promised her a cut of the money if she did exactly what she was told, and she did, apparently. She’s in lockup as we speak.” Detective Bernard sat opposite her. “I called their family attorney and let him know what was taking place, and he stated that in the will, Mel is the only surviving relative alive and out of jail, so she will get it all. Good for Mel Blackwell.” The detective now sat at his desk when his wife and daughter who came racing in to greet him.
“That’s a good thing for Mel.” Detective Tyler pointed at his ex-partner. “He needed to listen for once in his life.” He elevated the last sentence.
“Yeah, yeah, I hear you. Hello, sweetheart.” He hugged his daughter with a smile. “Guess what?”
“What?” His daughter asked with glee.
“This is my new job from now on. I’m listening to your dreams and Kayla’s dreams too. How does that grab you?”
“Yay!” She screamed.
Kayla looked back at Detective Tyler and queried, “And Lizzie Blackwell? What will happen to her besides going to jail for murdering two people?” Kayla twirled a pen around two fingers and watched Tyler reach out to take it from her.
“It’s my desk. It’s my stuff.”
“Okay, no harm, no foul.” Kayla stared into his eyes and saw something else she was not ready to admit: Tyler standing at the end of a long red-carpeted walkway waiting for her to arrive. She shook the vision from her eyes and stood. “I should get back to the hotel and head home. I know my dad will be happy to have me back home again.”
“I could drive you to the airport in the morning if you want, only if you want, Kayla.” Tyler had the pen in his hand, and when he handed it back to Kayla, she took it.
“That would be nice, Detective Tyler.” She looked down at her feet and asked, “How about dinner?”
“You want me to take you out to dinner?” Tyler took hold of his coat and threw it over his shoulders before Kayla knew what was taking place.
“Yes, to our favorite spot. The food is great, the company is great, and I know it will be great one last time.” She started to walk away from his desk after she was on her feet.
“It doesn’t have to be the last time.” Detective Tyler looked back at his co-worker.
“True, maybe I will roll back into town again real soon. We could have another meal there.” Kayla looked at him and tried not to laugh.
“What?” He hurried behind her.
“Oh, nothing. I feel my night will be filled with another dream. Murder cannot be solved with just a dream, you know.” Kayla slowed and stopped to allow him to catch up to her.
“Your dreams have a lot of truth squeezed in. After what I experienced today, I will never oppose you ever again.” He held the police station door open for her.
~~~
“How did you know Liz was the killer?” Tyler popped a fry into his mouth with an eye on Kayla.
“First of all, she followed me out here, and I believe it’s because my boss, Tabitha told her why I was here in the first place. I bet she was attempting to get ahead of me, but I already knew too much about what was happening with Harris and Mary through my dreams. Melinda was another story altogether.”
Tyler raised a brow. “What about Melinda?” He sipped his soda.
“Someone had to be here to keep an eye on Harris. I will bank money on it that Melinda Blackwell was supposed to observe Harris and let Liz know what was happening here. When Harris decided to marry Mary, that is when her plan came together. That’s my perspective on the whole situation.”
“When the family secret came out that Henry Blackwell who is Harris and Liz’s father, Liz thought that money was rightfully hers, so she concocted a murder and tried to make it look like a homicide between two lovers. I could tell right off the bat that what happened at the river was no I kill you, and I kill myself scenario. It was murder.” Tyler set his cup down and stared off into the distance through the glass pane of the small sidewalk café.
“I agree with that wholeheartedly. When I kept seeing Mel’s boyfriend, I knew right away he was involved too, so what Melinda said was correct, she knew he was a bad man. I bet she discovered he was also being paid by Liz. She made Mel’s fall look like an accident, but after living with her for so long, Melinda had to confess. She deserves jail time too.”
Tyler was looking down at his phone. “Melinda Blackwell is singing like a bird, and she might not see that much time behind bars for her testimony, Kayla.”
“Why doesn’t that surprise me.” Kayla sucked in her lips and closed her eyes.
“What are you thinking about?” Detective Tyler slipped his phone to the table and left it there.
She popped her eyes open and looked down at her food. “Every family has secrets. It takes one tiny slip to reveal it to the world, and it is a small world, Detective Tyler.” She nibbled on a fry with numerous thoughts rolling through her head. “I certainly hope Mel gets it all. She has been through a lot, and with that money, she can start her life over again without chaos.
“Bernard texted me. He wanted you to know how grateful Mel is you came into the picture to save her from what was planned. She was actually doing a little investigating of her own, and she found out Melinda, and her boyfriend acted against her. What she didn’t know was what Liz Blackwell had up her sleeve. I take it Mel never liked Liz.”
“She wanted us to look into Liz, and that is what I thought of too. When I called Liz to ask her questions about her family tree, I recognized her voice immediately. She wasn’t robbed either, Tyler. I think she was the one who took that photo, made a copy of it and returned it to me after slipping the bellhop a few bucks.” Kayla shook her head. “She knew exactly what she was doing, and what I didn’t bank on was Elizabeth Blackwell is her real mother and Liz killed her.”
“Yeah, that came as a surprise.” He muttered with shoulders raised.
“Why would anyone want to kill their own mother? When I lost my mom, I would have given anything to have her back, even given my own life to save her.”
“My dad too. People will kill for what they want, Kayla. Love or money just like Cheryl said. Liz Blackwell i
s no exception. She killed her own half-brother for what she didn’t have. Now, she will never have it. Her half-sister will enjoy it, and hopefully, she will do something good with it.”
“I get the feeling Mel will put it to work for her. She’s a good soul, and when it comes to family, I bet she will get to know those still out there. Mel told me they were scattered all over the place. She’s lucky, you know.” Kayla placed both hands on the table before her.
“She has a lot of love out there.” Tyler reached over the table to place a hand on hers.
Kayla yanked her hands into her lap. “I really should pack and get to the airport. My work here is done.”
“Is it really?” A sweet tone floated to Kayla’s ears.
“Mel, how are you feeling?” She watched Detective Tyler pulled a chair out for Mel when she entered the eatery.
“I can’t stay. I have a family to reconnect with. Apparently, Liz let everyone know I was dead. They all need to know I’m alive and kicking so I will be heading to the East Coast for a family reunion.” She smiled.
Kayla was on her feet. “I’m so happy for you. Take care and enjoy your life.” She hugged Mel.
“I certainly will. You two make a good team.” Mel released Kayla and left the café.
“How did she know we were here, Detective Tyler?” Kayla gathered herself at the door nearby.
“Bernard knew where we were. I wanted you to see her before she took off.”
“How much money did she inherit anyway? It might not be any of my business, but I wanted to know.” Kayla headed outside.
“Not as much as you have, but she’ll be alright.” Tyler wiggled his eyebrows at her.
“You checked on me. I don’t know whether to be offended or happy about that.” Kayla grinned with feet taking her down the sidewalk.
“I had to know if you were the real deal, and everyone backed you up at your father’s station, even his boss.”
“Really, so does this mean you’ll come to my rescue if I ever need you?” Kayla stopped with eyes staring straight ahead.
“You have my number, and where ever or whatever you need, I will be there, even if it means taking time off.” Detective Tyler walked ahead of her when her face flushed.
Kayla's Chronicles- Will Travel For Murder Page 18
