While You Were Sweeping

by Christy Barritt

Riley nodded. “That’s the one.”

  “Nice place,” Todd said. “I could probably put ten of my apartments in that square footage.”

  When Riley thought of the times that he’d been in Mr. Parksley’s house as the man had taught him to whittle, a bittersweet feeling filled him. He’d actually had moments when he had enjoyed himself. If he found evidence that proved Mr. Parksley had killed someone, Mr. Parksley would be going away for a long time. It seemed a shame that someone would throw away his life like that.

  They finally crept around to the other side of a small peninsula of trees.

  “Mr. Parksley owns all of this land. It would be the perfect place to dump evidence.” Or a body. Riley couldn’t bring himself to say the last part, though.

  “You and Todd already checked out the woods?” Sophia asked.

  “Only part of the woods,” Todd said. “It would take hours to search the entire area, plus we’d be trespassing.”

  They rowed closer to the land and paused, staring at the shoreline a moment.

  “So, what if Mr. Parksley killed Gretchen, let’s say. Maybe he pulled his truck up to the water, weighed her down, and dumped her here,” Riley said.

  “But what did he weigh her down with? Did he just happen to have something on hand?” Sophia asked.

  “I have no idea. A spare tire? An old toolbox?” Riley was trying to think of things that would have been in Mr. Parksley’s truck. “The other thing that bothers me is how did she get to his house? There were no other cars there.”

  “What if she parked somewhere else?” Todd asked.

  “Why would she do that?” Sophia asked, her breath frosty in front of her face.

  “Maybe they had a secret meeting,” Todd suggested. “Maybe she went there, hoping her car wouldn’t be seen, so she stashed it somewhere else.”

  “But why would she do that?” Sophia asked again.

  “Because she had something to hide,” Riley said.

  “You’re not suggesting an affair, are you?” Her eyes widened. “Although, she always had expensive clothes and even drove a car that seemed far beyond her income. I don’t claim to know any of the details of her life. Maybe her parents are rich. But I always thought it was odd that someone like her could afford the things she afforded.”

  “So you think Mr. Parksley bought those things for her? Maybe as a way of keeping her quiet?” Todd asked.

  She shrugged. “It’s just a theory—and there are no bad ideas when you’re brainstorming.”

  “I think it’s a pretty good idea,” Todd said.

  Riley looked away and tried not to roll his eyes. Those two just needed to admit their feelings for each other and start dating.

  “Unfortunately, ideas aren’t going to get us very far. We need proof.” Riley felt like a killjoy as soon as he said the words. “So maybe we can find some tire tracks or something?”

  “That’s a good idea,” Todd said. “We’ll row along the shoreline. There are only a few places that a truck could fit back here. We should be able to rule a lot of this out.”

  As they glided along the water, Riley searched for something that would connect dots in his head. This could all be for nothing, but he really hoped it wasn’t.

  “Check that out over there!” Riley pointed to a small stretch of shoreline in the distance.

  They rowed that way, pausing as they got closer.

  “It looks like some kind of service road,” Todd said.

  Riley pointed to an old fishing boat. “Or maybe an access road for fishermen.”

  The canoe hit the shore and wobbled for a moment. Carefully, Riley stood and stepped onto the damp soil by the water.

  As soon as his feet hit the ground, something caught his eye. “Look, those are tire tracks. It’s weird. These tracks almost look like they go right into the water.”

  Todd helped Sophia out before pulling the canoe farther onto the shore. They all examined the tracks for a moment, but the evidence was solidifying in Riley’s mind. The lake, at its deepest, was probably 14 feet. That was plenty of depth to conceal a body.

  On a hunch, he began to follow the tire tracks. The trees were just far enough apart for a car or truck to squeeze through. He wasn’t sure where the access to this area was, but someone obviously knew. Most likely, the person who owned this property.

  He stopped midway into the woods and stared at the ground again. He squatted to get a better look. “This is strange. These are two different sets of tires. Look at the tread. They’re not the same.”

  Todd bent down beside him, his jaw set in a hard line. “You’re right. There have been two vehicles here recently. But why two?”

  “Because Gretchen parked here,” Riley realized. “Mr. Parksley drove back here with her body, put her into the car, and then pushed it into the water. It was the perfect location because that stretch of trees would conceal it from anyone around.”

  Sophia glanced toward the distance, her eyes widening. “You guys, I think I hear something. Is that a car coming down the road?”

  “The road’s too far away,” Riley said, shaking his head. “That car’s coming through the woods.”

  They ducked into the woods just as a truck appeared in the distance. Staying concealed behind a cluster of trees, Riley peeked out, being sure to stay low so he wouldn’t be spotted.

  As soon as he had a better view of the vehicle, Riley knew exactly whom it belonged to.

  Mr. Parksley.

  CHAPTER 22

  Riley watched motionlessly as Mr. Parksley pulled near the lake, parked his truck, and stepped outside. The man stuffed his hands into the pockets of his leather jacket and stood looking over the lake silently.

  What was he doing? Reflecting on what he’d gotten away with? Smirking because he thought he was more clever than the police?

  At once, Riley pictured the man coming out here each day, reflecting on his devious acts. How could someone who seemed so kind be capable of this? How could he live with himself?

  Just then, a twig cracked behind them. Riley jerked his head toward the sound and saw Sophia’s mouth drop open. “I’m sorry,” she mouthed.

  Riley swung his head back toward the lake. Mr. Parksley’s gaze shot their way. He’d heard it also.

  “Who’s there?” Mr. Parksley called, peering into the woods.

  Riley and Todd exchanged a look. It was only a matter of time before they were discovered. Certainly they could outrun the man. But Riley had a different idea. He was tired of the fear, of regret.

  “Stay there with Sophia,” Riley whispered to Todd. “And call the police.”

  “You sure about this?” Todd asked, gripping Riley’s shoulder.

  Riley nodded, not really sure about anything. But it was time to put an end to all of this speculation. If Riley was correct and Mr. Parksley was a killer, then the police needed to know. He only hoped they arrived before Mr. Parksley took drastic measures.

  Riley stepped out and stiffly walked toward the shoreline. “It’s me, Mr. Parksley.”

  “Riley?” Surprise registered on his face. “What are you doing out here?”

  He nodded toward the canoe in the distance, which was only partially concealed by marsh grass. “Took a little boat ride earlier. Then I heard someone coming and got nervous.”

  “You know this is private property, right?” One hand remained in Mr. Parksley’s pocket. Did he have a gun in there? Riley couldn’t be sure, but he needed to remain on guard, just in case.

  Riley nodded. “I do realize that.”

  “I don’t mind if you use it. Just ask me first. I let my friends who fish come out here all the time.”

  Riley swallowed hard, wanting to choose his words carefully. “Mr. Parksley, I heard about what’s going on at the hospital, with the missing drugs.”

  The man straightened, his entire body looking rigid and uptight. “I’m well aware of the situation.”

  “That had to be stressful for you as CFO. You probably knew about it month
s ago.”

  “It’s an ongoing investigation. I can’t comment.” The wrinkles on his face seemed to deepen as he frowned.

  “What about Gretchen?” Riley asked. It was a risky move, but he still had no evidence. Maybe confrontation wasn’t the best idea. However, he knew he had no other choice but to have this conversation.

  Mr. Parksley’s eyes widened. “Gretchen?”

  “The nurse. She’s the one you shot, isn’t she?”

  The man’s skin went pale and he took a step back. “What are you talking about?”

  “I was taking a walk behind your house that day when I heard the gunshot. I’m the one who called the police. Fortunately for you, you had everything cleaned up before the detective got to your house that evening.”

  Mr. Parksley’s hand remained in his pocket, and Riley had to wonder about what was concealed there. In his mind, Riley could still feel the gunshot wound, he could still feel the repercussions the crime had on his life. Flashbacks began to hound him, begging for his attention, begging for . . . his entire life? That’s what his injury had become, wasn’t it? Something that defined his existence.

  He needed to change that.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Mr. Parksley said with a weak laugh. “Are you sure your medications are what they should be?”

  “I saw the shoe outside by your truck after you dragged the rug outside. It was a size 11 Jimmy Choo. Gretchen just happened to have an affinity for Jimmy Choos and was always lamenting about the size of her feet.” It was his ace card, the one sure fact that proved something had happened.

  Mr. Parksley’s skin looked even paler than usual. “Why would I kill anyone? The idea is . . . crazy. If you keep talking like this, I’m going to have to call the police.”

  “You told me you didn’t own a gun. But you do. You hunt.”

  “I got rid of my guns years ago after some pressure from my wife. She doesn’t believe in guns.”

  “That doesn’t mean you don’t have a gun or that you couldn’t get one from a friend.”

  Something changed in Mr. Parksley eyes. The denial faded. But a new emotion rose to the surface. Could it be . . . regret? No. That couldn’t be it. Anger and rage made more sense.

  “I knew you were the one who called the police, Riley.” Mr. Parksley continued to stare at him. “You’re the only person who takes walks around the lake. It’s just one of the reasons I volunteered to teach you to whittle. I wanted to keep an eye on you as well. You have to admit: that’s the only reason you agreed to take lessons. You wanted to keep an eye on me also. But things aren’t always as they seem, Riley.”

  Riley shook his head, unable to comprehend where the man was going with this. “What do you mean?”

  Mr. Parksley’s hand came out of his pocket, and Riley braced himself to see the gun, to hear it fire, to feel the intense pain that followed.

  Riley raised his hand, urging his neighbor to stop. “Mr. Parksley, my friends just called the police. I wouldn’t do anything rash now. You’ll only regret it.”

  Mr. Parksley held up his cell phone. No gun. Thank God it wasn’t a gun. Riley’s heart rate slowed, but only slightly.

  “I knew exactly what everyone would think,” his neighbor continued. “That’s why I saved all of the text messages between Gretchen and myself.”

  Riley remembered the other theory that had been thrown out there. Sophia had said Gretchen had a lot of money. Was that because of Mr. Parksley and some kind of off-limits relationship? “So you really were having an affair?”

  “An affair? Certainly not. I’m a married man! You’ve got this all wrong.” His gaze flicked behind Riley and he took a step back. “I see you brought backup.”

  Todd and Sophia stepped out from the brush. Now that they knew the man didn’t have a gun, they must have figured the coast was clear. It was a pretty safe bet.

  “Sophia?” Mr. Parksley asked.

  “Hello, Mr. Parksley.” She nodded and clasped her hands in front of her as if the confrontation made her uncomfortable.

  “An affair is the only thing that makes sense,” Riley continued. “She must have parked down here so no one would see her car. You drove your truck back here, with her body wrapped up in that rug. My guess is that you put the body into her car and then pushed both of them into this lake. It’s the only thing that fits.”

  He shook his head, pinching the skin between his eyes. “I knew it was only a matter of time before someone figured it out. I’m surprised I got away with it for as long as I did.”

  “How could you take someone’s life?” Sophia questioned. “I . . . I looked up to you.”

  Mr. Parksley shook his head again. “That’s where you have it wrong. I didn’t kill Gretchen.”

  “Then what happened?” Riley asked, fighting desperately to keep his thoughts under control.

  Mr. Parksley’s shoulders drooped. “You have a lot of the story right. Gretchen did park here, and she snuck to my house to meet with me. But she was trying to convince me to get rid of all of the evidence that she was guilty.”

  “Guilty?” Riley repeated.

  Mr. Parksley nodded, his voice listless. “That’s right. She was the one stealing drugs from the hospital. How else do you think she afforded her lifestyle?”

  Sophia gasped. “Gretchen really was behind the drugs? I kept hoping that everyone was wrong and she was above all of that.”

  Mr. Parksley nodded again. “I’d had suspicions for a while. I confronted Gretchen, and she tried to tell me I was wrong. I found the proof I needed to take to the authorities. Gretchen came to my house to convince me not to.”

  “So you killed her?” Riley asked. “Were you trying to save your reputation? Was she trying to incriminate you in some way?”

  He shook his head. “No, she pulled out a gun on me. She was crazy. I think all the stress finally caught up with her and she was desperate. She was going to kill me before I took the information public.”

  “What?” Riley’s hands went to his hips as his thoughts collided.

  “It’s true. She pulled the gun out, and I knew she was unhinged enough to pull the trigger. We struggled. The gun fired. The bullet hit her in the chest, and she died almost immediately.” He let out a soft moan.

  “So why didn’t you call the police?” Riley asked.

  Mr. Parksley’s head swung back in forth with agony. “I panicked. I didn’t know what to do. So I wrapped her in my rug and dragged her out to my truck. Everything else happened as you said.”

  “So you did dump her here?” Riley clarified.

  “I did. As soon as I got back home, I scrubbed everything down. After the police came and talked to me, I went out and bought another rug. I scuffed it up a little bit, and then donated it, along with some old shoes, just in case anyone got suspicious. But this whole thing has been haunting me ever since.”

  “Is that why you’re here now?” Sophia asked, a touch of compassion replacing her outrage.

  Mr. Parksley nodded. “It is. I can’t get over my guilt. I may not have killed her, but I didn’t do right by her either. And now I’ve gotten myself in a world of trouble.”

  “Why didn’t you just come forward?” Todd asked.

  “I kept justifying it to myself. You see, my wife isn’t at a spa. She’s in rehab. She’s an alcoholic. And that jewelry that went missing? The maid didn’t take it. My wife just called last night and owned up to the fact that she hocked it in order to have more money to fund her habits.”

  “It sounds like she has a lot of problems,” Riley said.

  “I feared if news got out about what happened that she’d turn back to the bottle again, that all of her recovery would be for nothing. Then so much time had passed that I knew how it would look either way.”

  “The police might be lenient on you when you tell them what happened,” Todd said, standing tall and strong, just like a good soldier might. “You’ll probably get involuntary manslaughter, at the most. Obstruction
of justice, at the least.”

  Just then, sirens wailed in the distance. Two police cars pulled up, and Detective Gray stepped out.

  Mr. Parksley nodded in resignation. “I need to tell you something, Detective Gray.”

  CHAPTER 23

  That night, after the police had taken statements, everyone gathered in Riley’s parents’ home. His mom fixed some gingerbread cookies and hot chocolate, and they all gathered in the living room to explain what had happened. For the first time in a long time, Riley felt like celebrating.

  Except he didn’t.

  He hated to think of the consequences of Mr. Parksley’s actions. He only wished the man had called the police right away. Todd’s words were probably correct, though. He doubted Mr. Parksley would do any time in prison. Maybe he’d get some community service and a fine. It was hard to say.

  “I’m sorry we doubted you, Son,” Riley’s dad said, placing his heavy hand on his shoulder.

  “I know it was a crazy story,” Riley conceded. “I would have probably doubted my story also if I hadn’t lived it.”

  “Maybe you can finally put your mind at ease.” He shifted. “My friend wants to talk to you, by the way. Jim Gleason was impressed with your previous work with the law firm, and his firm is wanting to hire someone to take over social justice cases.”

  “I really don’t want to do anything permanent right now, especially not in this area. You know I want to go back to Norfolk.”

  “Just hear him out. There’s a lot of flexibility in it. And stability. I really think it could work for you. As soon as the doctor approves your clearance, of course.”

  “I’m not making any promises. But I’ll talk to him.” Riley had no desire to settle down in this area. But he did need to get his foot in the door again. He would keep his options open. If he didn’t have an income, there was no way he could move out on his own again.

  He had to remind himself to take baby steps forward.

  “Thank you,” his father conceded.

  Sophia, who’d been having her own private conversation with Todd on the couch since they arrived, finally stood. “I’m going to get going. It’s been a long day.”