All About the Money (A Jesse Watson Mystery Series Book 7)

by Ann Mullen

  “Where’d he go?” Billy asked, irked. “He could’ve killed us.”

  “Was he trying to run us off the road?”

  “I don’t know, but he almost did.”

  “I didn’t even have a chance to see what color the car was. It all happened so fast.”

  “It was a red Dodge Charger,” Billy said as he turned right at the light. “I caught a quick glimpse of the front end as he zoomed past us. Idiot.”

  “Do you think it was a bad driver, or someone trying to send us a message?”

  “I thought of both the minute it happened.”

  Billy’s cell phone beeped. He picked it up and flipped it open. “Hello, brother,” he said. “What do you have for me?” Billy listened, and then said, “I want you to find out who owns a red, Dodge Charger. The first three letters on the plate are ZMK. Sorry, but that’s all I have.” A few minutes later, Billy closed the phone and said, “Jonathan’s been doing some checking for me.”

  I was surprised that Billy even got a look at the license plate, but then again, he’s very observant. I should’ve known he would see more than I did. He has eyes like a hawk... as they say.

  “You have good eyes,” I said. “I barely saw the car, let alone the license plate.”

  “I’m an Indian. We don’t miss much.”

  I laughed, and then said, “Maybe we should add Jonathan’s name to the front door of our detective agency. He works with us on just about every case.”

  “He likes to help, but he wouldn’t want to be committed. Putting his name on…”

  “I was just kidding.”

  Billy smiled. “He ran a background check on Downer Rhodes for us. He’s got a layout of his house, including the security system, which will be just what we need if we decide to bug his place like Flo suggested.”

  “I don’t think I like her plan. It seems too risky, and if we do get anything on him, we can’t use it in court.”

  “That’s why I’ve come up with a better plan. Jonathan says that Downer lives at 56 Jack Rabbit Road. We got lucky on this one. It just so happens that the property next to him belongs to a friend of mine. It’s a wooded lot. No house on it.”

  A plan was formulating in my head as Billy talked, and by the time he finished explaining his idea, it was the same one that I had come up with.

  “So… you’ll get your friend Keith to let us camp out on his land, and we’ll use that cool listening device like we did that time we staked out Rose Hudgins’ house.”

  “I think that would be the best plan. If we do get anything that the cops need to know about, we’ll tell them we got the information by accident.”

  “I agree. I like your plan better. Trying to get into someone’s house to plant bugs is not something I want to do if I don’t have to.”

  “I just hope I can reach Keith. He travels a lot.”

  “Oh, you’ll be able to find him. I have confidence in your ability to do anything you set your mind to. You have the innate ability to make things happen. No matter what it is.”

  “I do my best, `ge ya. I do my best.”

  We were close to our office when it dawned on me that Billy hadn’t told me the news about Savannah. As he pulled up to the front door, I asked, “What about Savannah? You said you had some news. What is it?”

  “Sheriff Hudson’s going to close the case. Savannah was defending herself. There won’t be any charges brought against her.”

  “What about the photos I have in my purse? They clearly paint an ugly picture. After looking at them, it makes me wonder.”

  “About what?”

  “Where did the pictures come from? Did Andrea bring them with her to show to Savannah so she could blackmail her, or use them against her in some way? Or… did the pictures belong to Savannah? If they belonged to Savannah that means she already knew about the child. The photo with Andrea, the infant, and McCoy clearly shows that he’s probably the father. Wouldn’t you think?”

  “Pictures don’t always show the truth. Perhaps McCoy went to visit his secretary at the hospital when she had the baby.”

  “I doubt that.”

  “Such a skeptic.”

  “I saw the look on his face. That was the look of someone with pride. It makes you wonder why Savannah and McCoy didn’t have children. Maybe she can’t, and when his secretary gave birth to his baby, he was thrilled.”

  “Getting a woman pregnant, who isn’t your wife, isn’t something one would be proud of. I guess we’ll find out soon enough. When we leave here, we’ll go by the hospital to see Savannah.”

  “I’m starving. Can we order a pizza while we’re at the office?”

  “Sure,” Billy replied as we got out of the truck and headed to the entrance. He opened the door for me and then followed me to the front desk where Lila was. She greeted us with a smile.

  Seeing the office brought back fond memories of the time when I met Billy. The place looked the same, but the relationship between the two of us is completely different now. Now… we’re a husband and wife team. I smiled at the pleasant thought.

  “Hello,” Lila said, handing Billy a stack of messages. “I have them in order of importance. There are two cases worth looking into. The rest are ones you probably don’t want to mess with.”

  “Did our phones and vests arrive?” Billy asked as he looked through the messages.

  “What?” I asked, looking at Billy. “You bought us new phones?”

  “Don’t you think it’s time we upgraded? Besides, we need GPS and all the other apps the phone comes with. These new phones are terrific. They do everything but drive your car for you.”

  “If you say so, but I’ve just figured out how to use the one I have. I like my Razr. And what’s this about new vests?”

  “It’s time we had those, too. The one I have needs replacing, so I bought both of us one. You need one, too, now that you’re a full-fledged, gun-toting mama.”

  Lila laughed and then pointed to the box sitting on Billy’s desk. “The vests are in the box, and the phones are plugged into the chargers. They should be charged by now. They’re set to be activated at 5:00 today, so after that your old cell phones will be cut off.” She looked at me and said, “Don’t worry, Jesse. You’re smart. This new phone won’t be hard to use.” She looked back at Billy. “Jonathan came by earlier and added an extra app to each one… if you know what I’m talking about.”

  “Ah, so they’re going to be even more juiced up, huh?” I asked. “Jonathan does have a way with electronics.”

  “Would you order a couple of pizzas for us?” Billy asked.

  “Sure,” Lila replied. “Any preferences?”

  “Papa John’s, and no pepperoni for me,” I said. “I don’t care what else is on it.”

  “I’ll take the works. Get one for yourself.” Billy walked away and went to his office.

  “Thanks, but that’s okay. I’ve already had lunch.” She looked back at Billy as she dialed the pizza place. “Your mother went to the doctor today. I just thought you’d like to know.” She placed the delivery order, and then said, “Ten minutes.”

  “What did the doctor say?” I asked with concern. “Normally, Sarah tells me about her doctor visits. She knows I’ll hound her if she doesn’t.”

  “She says her diabetes is under control with her new diet. That’s about all I know.”

  “I’ll call her later,” I added. “If she’s hiding anything, I’ll find out.”

  Billy walked out of his office wearing his new bulletproof vest. He held out one for me and said, “Try it on.”

  I slipped into the vest. It wasn’t as confining and cumbersome as I would have expected. It actually felt comfortable. “I think I can handle it,” I said. “As long as it isn’t too hot. It’s probably ninety-five degrees outside. Does it come with air-conditioning?”

  “Only if a bullet pierces it,” Lila said, jokingly, and then recanted. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. It wasn’t funny.”

  �
�Sure it was.” I laughed. “Besides, you were only kidding.”

  Billy handed me my new cell phone and said, “If you get lost, I’ll be able to find you through this. I’ll show you how everything works.”

  The pizza arrived just about the time my old cell phone rang. Savannah’s name appeared on the screen. I grabbed a slice from the carton and said, “Hello.”

  “You can bring my photos back now, Jesse,” she said. “Thank you for keeping them. I wouldn’t want the police to get their hands on them. It wouldn’t look good.”

  So... she knew all along.

  Chapter 6

  My mouth fell open as I choked out the words, “How did you know I took them? I didn’t tell you.” I felt embarrassed that she now knew that I had swiped the photos. I tried to explain my actions further. “I saw them lying next to your purse, so, naturally, I looked at them. I didn’t know what to do, but I didn’t want to leave them for the police to find. They looked incriminating.”

  “They are,” she replied. “They prove that my husband had an affair with that woman.”

  “But you told me that… oh, never mind. Let’s not talk about this over the phone. We’ll be there shortly.”

  “I’ll be waiting. I’m still in the emergency room.”

  We hurriedly ate our pizza, took off our vests, and started to leave. Billy handed the messages back to Lila and said, “Set up a meeting with that body shop person, and the woman with the husband problem. Handle the rest like you would usually do when we’re not going to take the case.”

  “Will do,” she replied. “I’ll let you know when it’s arranged.”

  We left the office and headed to the University of Virginia Hospital. It was almost four o’clock, and the day was wearing on. Billy and I discussed our plans on the ride over.

  “As soon as Keith returns my call, we’re going to…”

  Billy’s cell phone rang.

  “Hello,” he said after flipping the phone open. “Glad to hear from you so quickly.”

  The call was from Billy’s friend, Keith, who agreed to let us use his property for our stakeout. Billy explained what we had planned, and Keith was more than glad to help us out.

  “It’s nice to have so many friends,” I said after Billy completed his conversation. “You sure do know a lot of people.”

  “I’ve been in this business a long time. You make a lot of friends, and you make a few enemies.”

  “When is this stakeout going to take place? Have you decided?”

  “Tonight.”

  “Why tonight? Can’t it wait until tomorrow?”

  “No. I want to find out for myself what’s going on over at the Rhodes’ household. I want to be sure we have a reason to spend our time trying to get the dirt on the man.”

  “That tells me you’re not sure of Downer’s guilt.”

  “I’m not, but once you make that call to his house, we’ll know for sure. You’ll get him to talk.”

  “Me? You want me to call him?”

  “I don’t want Flo to do it. She’s liable to say something we don’t want her to say. She might mess it up. To make matters worse, she’d probably lose her temper and threaten the man. That wouldn’t be good.”

  “What am I supposed to say? He doesn’t know me.”

  “He doesn’t have to. You’re going to pretend that you’re Flo. He won’t know the difference. All you have to do is tell him you know everything. Let him think you know more than you do. You won’t have to go into great detail. Less is more.”

  “This ought to be interesting.”

  “We’ll go see Savannah, and then head home to pick up the rest of our gear.”

  “Maybe we’ll even have time to eat dinner with the kids.”

  “I assume you have Savannah’s photos in your purse. You need to give them back to her. I don’t want us to be in possession of evidence.”

  “She wants them back anyway. That’s why she called me. However, they’re only pictures. They don’t prove anything. Isn’t that what you said?”

  “True, but it’ll look bad that you took them. The sheriff will swear that you were trying to conceal evidence, trying to cover up something.”

  “I was. As soon as I saw those pictures, I knew something was going on. They were pictures of Andrea, the woman Savannah had just killed, with her infant and Savannah’s husband. Now, what does that tell you?”

  “It looks as if Savannah killed Andrea because she found out that her husband had fathered the woman’s child.”

  “Yeah, but we don’t know how long Savannah has known about the child. That makes all the difference in the world. If Savannah knew about the child all along then why would she wait until now to do something about it?”

  “Savannah isn’t the kind of person who takes matters into her own hands. She’s non-confrontational. Most likely she’d kick McCoy out first. She wouldn’t kill someone over her husband. It’s just not her way.”

  “I guess we’re going to find out, huh?”

  UVA Hospital was a busy place. There had been a pileup on I-64, and the accident victims were still being brought in. Even though traffic was being stopped to allow for emergency vehicles, we didn’t have to wait too long. We parked in the parking garage, and then headed to the main entrance of the hospital.

  I had stuffed Savannah’s packet of photos down the front of my pants, since I rarely carried my handbag unless I absolutely had to. I’ve learned that the less you drag with you, the better. I carried my new cell phone in my hand, and stuffed the old one in my back pocket. I wanted to be prepared and not without my phone service for a minute. Anything could happen.

  We walked the corridor until we saw McCoy standing outside the emergency room.

  Billy held out his hand. “How are you holding up, my friend?”

  “I’m hanging in there,” McCoy replied. “I guess it could be worse.”

  I walked over to McCoy and gave him a hug. “I’m sorry about this.”

  “I guess you guys have a few questions for me, huh?” he stated. “I can just imagine what you must be thinking. You probably think we’ve been lying to you about our relationship.”

  “Your relationship with your wife is your business,” Billy replied. “My concern is how it impacts the outcome of Savannah’s case.”

  “We’re a case now?”

  “It won’t be the first time,” I joked, lightheartedly. “That’s how we met you, remember?”

  “I remember well. Savannah still has nightmares about that guy.”

  Billy changed the subject. “Let’s go talk with Savannah.”

  “You go ahead,” McCoy said. “She doesn’t want to see me. I’ve been waiting out here ever since…” His voice trailed off.

  “You mean you haven’t seen her since she was brought here?”

  “No, I haven’t. She refuses to see me. Back at the house, she told me to go back to Fancy Gap. That’s when she fell and hit her head. Then, when I tried to see her in the emergency room, she screamed for the doctors to throw me out. I’ve just been hanging around the hospital. She wants me out of her life, but I couldn’t bring myself to leave. I have to know how she’s doing. I tried to talk to her, but it’s not happening. Maybe you could convince her to see me. Her lawyer’s been with her the whole time. I think he’s got a crush on her.”

  “Let’s not worry about that right now,” I interjected. “You and Savannah need to talk about your marriage. I think it can be salvaged. You both love each other.”

  “Oh, I think she’s way past that now,” he said, looking at me. “She’ll never forgive me.”

  Billy squared his shoulders, stood firm and asked, “And why is that? What’s the story?”

  McCoy looked at Billy and replied, “You’re a good investigator. I’m sure you know all my dirty laundry by now.”

  “I’m not so sure I do anymore. Why don’t you fill me in?”

  “There’s not much to tell,” McCoy answered. “A little over a year ago, I got drunk
at the Christmas office party, and Andrea gave me a ride home. I’m sure you can figure out the rest of the story.”

  “Where was Savannah?”

  “She was here in Stanardsville. I was still living in Fancy Gap. We weren’t separated. We were just not together very much. My practice was there, and she loved it at our place here. We were in limbo. Then, she told me to move here or our marriage was over. So, I started spending as much time here as I could while I sold the house in Fancy Gap and cleared up my caseload. That cruise we went on was supposed to be a second honeymoon for us, but, actually, it was a last ditch effort to save our marriage. It worked for a while.”

  “Until Andrea showed up here.”

  “That’s my fault. I take full responsibility. I don’t remember much about the night of the Christmas party, but I do remember sleeping with her. I was drunk. It was like I knew what I was doing was wrong, but I couldn’t stop myself.”

  “Hmmm,” I said in a sarcastic manner. “I guess you were just too drunk to control your urges. That’s too bad. Look where it got you.”

  McCoy ignored my snide remark and continued, “When she told me she was pregnant with my baby, I couldn’t turn my back on her.”

  “You’re a married man, McCoy,” I added. “Didn’t you realize that Savannah would find out eventually, and then your marriage would be sucked down the drain? Women don’t forgive something like that.”

  Billy looked at me and asked, “They don’t?”

  I rolled my eyes at him and firmly stated, “No, they don’t, Mister Smarty Pants. So… if you ever…”

  McCoy started laughing, and then Billy joined in.

  I threw my hands up in the air and said, “Men! It must be a guy thing. Who else would ask such a ridiculous question?”

  “Come on, Jesse,” Billy said, teasing me. “You know you’re the only `ge ya for me.”

  “Get over yourself, buster.”

  After the two of them stopped laughing, Billy turned back to McCoy and asked, seriously, “How long has Savannah known about the baby?”