A Crying Shame: A Jesse Watson Mystery

by Ann Mullen

  “Who, in their right mind, would hire a hit man and then pay him with a check?” Randy asked.

  “The important question is what kind of a crazy killer would accept a check?” Abby added.

  “Suppose the hit man knew the person who was giving him the check, and trusted that person,” Mom suggested.

  “I don’t think a hit man would trust anyone well enough to take a check. If he did, he’d be pretty stupid to leave a paper trail like that,” Billy said. “The point is that Carl’s going to need a good lawyer and a good private detective to get him acquitted. He told Frank Trainum that he wanted to see me and Jesse.”

  “My son’s the best criminal lawyer in the world, and he lives in D.C.,” Abby said, looking over at Randy. “Carl needs a man like my son.”

  “I’m going to charge more than a dollar,” Randy said, chuckling. “This is probably going to be a high profile case.”

  “Oh, I think it’s going to get bigger than you think,” Claire said. She got up from the table, walked to the kitchen and poured herself a cup of coffee. “May I pour anyone a refill?” Without a response from any of us, Claire turned and walked back to the table. She sat down and said, “I have a whole bag of incriminating evidence that I took out of the safe at my house. Carl’s company has been laundering money for years. They’ve been so discrete and so good at what they do that nobody has even suspected for a minute they were involved in criminal activity. When Carl found out, he started collecting evidence. He swears that he didn’t know what they were doing and that he had nothing to do with it. Even after I left Carl, he called and made me promise to keep quiet until he had what he needed to go to the cops. I agreed because he said they would kill him and us if he got caught.”

  “That does put a new slant on things,” Randy said. “The possibilities are endless. If this has been going on for years, someone could’ve found out that Carl was onto them and sent Sherry Lane in as a plant. She probably was supposed to get next to Carl and find out what he knows, but in the meantime, she falls for the guy. Sherry decides to join forces with Carl because now, she’s in love with him. Once the relationship comes to an end, she turns on him. As far as who killed the husband, I’d say she probably did. He died in a fiery car crash, right? She could’ve gone online and found out a hundred different ways to cause a car engine to explode. Her husband stood in the way of her relationship with Carl, so she got rid of him. When Carl dumped her, she came after Claire. Killers always want revenge. I’m confident that after she got rid of Claire, Carl would’ve been her next target. That would’ve put an end to the whole mess. The woman is unstable and she’s a killer. Who knows? As I said, the possibilities are endless.”

  “You’re a good lawyer,” I said. “I’m astonished at how quickly you came up with a completely different scenario. If I was in Carl’s shoes, I’d definitely want you on my side. No doubt about it.”

  “Here’s something else to ponder,” Randy said. “Ophelia Pitman could’ve found out that Sherry Lane killed her husband, or hired someone to do the job, either way, when she confronted her, Sherry lured Ophelia to Carl’s house on the promise that Carl would pay her money to keep quiet. Or—Ophelia found out that Carl and Sherry were plotting to rat out the company and decided to get in on the action. Unfortunately, Ophelia Pitman didn’t know what she was up against when it came to dealing with Sherry Lane.”

  “Wow! I’m impressed,” Claire said. “You should have a look at some of Carl’s papers. Maybe you can tell me what they all mean. It looks as if they’re financial spread sheets. There might be something else there that I’ve missed.”

  “That’s a good idea. Where are they?”

  “They’re upstairs in my duffel bag. Shall we go have a look?”

  “Lead the way.”

  Randy and Claire got up from the table and headed upstairs. They had their heads together as they climbed the flight of stairs. I knew right then and there a relationship was forming. I also knew that the chief’s prediction probably had some merit to it.

  “Huh,” I mumbled. “I see that the chief might be right, again.”

  “What do you mean?” Mom asked.

  “Weren’t you in the room when he announced that Claire was going to marry Randy?”

  “Oh, you don’t really believe that, do you?”

  I smiled and threw my hands up in the air. “You just never know.”

  Abby got up from the table and headed over to the coffee pot. “I’m willing to pay for the house expansion,” she said, looking over at Billy and me. “If Minnie and Claire are moving in, and Claire’s going to marry my son, I want my own room.”

  “What about me?” Isabel asked.

  “Oh, yeah, and we’ll need a room for my sister.”

  I looked at Billy and he looked back at me. We couldn’t help but laugh.

  “Do we get to use your private plane, helicopter and limo?”

  “Of course, you do,” she replied, giggling. “We’ll be one big happy family. What’s mine is yours.”

  “You don’t know what you’re getting into,” I said to her. “Come on back over here and sit down. I want to tell you about my relationship with Billy and how we got together. Then I’ll tell you about some of the unsavory characters I’ve come in contact with since we met. You might want to change your stance on the situation.”

  “Tell her about the time you and Claire and Sarah were almost killed right in this room by two crazy people. That ought to give her food for thought.”

  I heard the sound of a car and looked up to see Cole’s Jeep coming up the driveway.

  “We have company,” I said.

  All eyes turned to the front kitchen window.

  Billy got up from the table and went to the front door just about the time Cole was preparing to knock. Billy opened the door and invited him in.

  “How’s it going?” Billy asked as he shook Cole’s hand.

  I was so proud of Billy. He always manages to be polite even though I was sure that he still held a strong contempt for Cole and his crazy idea that he was my baby’s father.

  “I got suspended from the force pending an investigation,” Cole said.

  Mom got up from the table and walked over to him. “I’m so sorry,” she said. “Why don’t you come in and have a seat. We’re having coffee. Would you like some?”

  “Yes, please,” he replied. “That sounds good.” He walked over and joined the rest of us at the table.

  “How long is your suspension?” I asked.

  “Thirty days.”

  “Why were you suspended?” Mom asked.

  “The department’s view is that I didn’t perform my duties by the book. I should’ve cuffed Brian’s hands behind his back. It might’ve saved his life. The worst part is that they’re right. I let my emotions get in the way.”

  “I’m sure they’ll see that you meant no harm,” Mom said, trying to give Cole a little comfort. “You’re a good deputy. You have feelings just like everyone else. I’m sure they realize that it was an accident.”

  “We’ll see.”

  Mom brought Cole a cup of coffee, placed it in front of him and said, “You just hang in there, Cole. I’m sure everything will work out okay.”

  “I feel so bad,” I said, looking at him. “I’m the one who asked you to take off the cuffs so Brian could hold Maisy. I put you in an awkward position. I’m so sorry.”

  “It’s not your fault, Jesse. Taking the cuffs off wasn’t the problem; it’s how I cuffed him afterwards. I made a mistake. I should’ve known better. There’s no excuse for what I did, and now I’m going to pay for it.”

  “I should go to Sheriff Hudson and tell him what I did.”

  “I’m not concerned about Sheriff Hudson. He backs me all the way.”

  “But…”

  “No, Jesse,” Cole demanded. “You’ll only make it worse if you try to take up for me. We had a relationship once, and they’ll use that against me. It won’t help me.”

&nbs
p; “Okay, but…”

  “I don’t believe it!” Randy’s voice echoed down the stairs. “Claire, is this for real?”

  Everyone exchange glances as if we were trying to hide something. We all had a guilty look on our faces and nothing was missed by Cole. He got up from the table and excused himself.

  “I guess I’ve come at a bad time.” He turned to leave. “I can see her later when she’s not so busy.”

  “It’s not what you think, Cole,” I said as I got up from the table and walked over to him. “Randy is going to handle Carl’s defense. He’s going over some paperwork with Claire that Carl had hidden in his safe. Let me tell Claire that you’re here.”

  “No, don’t do that, Jesse,” Cole said. “Just tell her that I came by, and if she wants to talk to me, she knows my number.” He looked around the room and said, “Nice to see you all again. Thanks for the coffee, Minnie. Have a good day.” He turned and walked out the door.

  I felt sorry for Cole. Regardless of the fact that he was obsessed with the idea that I’m pregnant with his child, and I could see how he might think that, his life was falling apart. I wanted to run outside, hug him, and tell him everything was going to work out, but I couldn’t do that. I couldn’t give him the comfort he needed. Yet, my heart ached for the pain he carried. He’d been through so much this past year, but I knew that Cole was a strong man and he’d get through this without my help. He had to.

  EPILOGUE

  Spring finally arrived in all its glory and by the end of May; I was bigger than a house. I tried not to be so grumpy, but it’s hard when you’re carrying a basketball around in your stomach. I can hardly bend forward, and when I sit down, I can barely get up. Billy adores seeing me develop into a walrus. I’m fat, but he says I’m cute, which is not something a pregnant woman wants to hear. Tell me I’m pretty or sexy, but don’t tell me I’m cute. If one more person tells me I’m glowing, I’m going to scream. Pregnant women don’t glow, they grow, and grow, and grow. Oh, and my cast was finally removed and my arm seems to be as good as new.

  Maisy is trying to crawl, and it’s all I can do to keep Athena and Thor from licking her face all the time. The minute I turn my back, one of them finds it necessary to show her their affection. Spice Cat has found a new home with us because Benny thought it was better for Athena and Thor. He said Spice Cat was lonely without them when he went back to Grandma’s house. Carrie said that Spice Cat would meow all night long and it drove everybody crazy. No one could sleep when he was around. So now I have two dogs and a cat. Oh, and Billy decided to build a stable for the horses he plans to buy. He says his children must learn to ride. He also enlisted his brothers to help enlarge our home. They added two additional bedrooms (one upstairs and one downstairs) and a large family room on the back of the house. Billy said he wanted plenty of room for our extended family. I let him do his thing. I’m too busy chasing after two dogs, a cat and a child who thinks she has to touch everything in sight.

  Mom spends a couple of days a week at our house. She now has a permanent room of her own, but she insists on spending most of her time at her home so she can assert her independence. She’s found a new gentleman friend, a neighbor who lives up the road from her house. She says he’s just a friend who lost his wife a few years back to cancer, and needs companionship, just like she does. They met when a tree in her yard was toppled by a snowstorm and landed in the road. A bunch of neighbors stopped to help cut up the tree and get it out of the road, and Edward was one of them. He takes her out to dinner and to a movie in Charlottesville once a month. She also went back to work for Billy at the detective agency a couple of days a week. She answers the phone and sets up his appointments with prospective clients—just like she used to do when Billy talked her into working for him after my dad died. At the time, Mom needed something to do so she wouldn’t think about Dad so much and Billy said that he needed her help. I knew all along that he didn’t need her, but being the kind of man he is, he did it to get her out of the house and to fill her time with something other than loneliness. That was then and this is now. Now he really does need her help. As much as I wanted to continue to work, there are just not enough hours in the day. I help out a little, but not much. Business is thriving. As I’ve said many times, people cheat and people lie, and there’s always someone who wants to know about it. That’s what keeps us in business.

  Cole was vindicated and is back on duty at the Greene County Sheriff’s Office. Sheriff Wake Hudson stood by him and was instrumental in having him reinstated. Also, Sheriff Hudson has sneaked in and found a place for himself in my heart. Not only was he there for us during that terrible ordeal when Billy and Jonathan were arrested and subsequently hounded by the D.C. Police, but he also stood by Cole and was determined not to let him fall through the cracks. Now that I’ve gotten to know the sheriff and his deputies better, I find myself wondering why I ever disliked them in the first place. I guess a private investigator and the sheriff’s office can work together if they try. Mom always says that honesty is the best policy. I found that to be true with my dealings with the Greene County Sheriff’s Office… well, almost. There are some things you have to keep private.

  We see Cole often, and he’s been behaving himself, but I’m just waiting to see how he acts once the baby comes. I fear the worst. His silence troubles me.

  Claire and the kids still live with Mom, but at least once a week, Claire goes to D.C. to check on the progress of her house she put up for sale… and to see Randy. Occasionally, she takes the kids with her to visit Abby and Isabel—who couldn’t be more pleased. Abby called the other night to inform us that Claire was dating her son. I asked her how she knew and she said that she and Isabel had babysat the kids while they went to dinner and a movie. Abby was ecstatic. She mentioned something about Chief Sam’s prediction. I told her to stay out of it and let nature take its course, but in the back of my mind I could visualize their wedding. I knew that Claire’s relationship with Cole had faltered the night he slapped her in front of us, and that it probably never would recover… and so far, it hasn’t. Also, after a complete examination by a doctor, Claire found out that she wasn’t pregnant; her drugstore test turned out to be a false positive. Mom was a little disappointed, because she believes that bearing children is a gift from God. After she had time to think about it, she said it was for the best. That development made it possible for Claire to make a clean break from Cole.

  The chief had said that there was going to be another child in Claire’s life. Maybe he was talking about down the road. If not, he dropped the ball on this one. But what’s one little mistake?

  As much as I dislike Carl, I was happy when the DA dropped the charges against him, and he was released from jail. Once everything was analyzed, the forensic evidence spoke for itself. Even though Carl’s fingerprint was the only one found on the fire poker, the blood on the rag was from two different people: Ophelia Pitman and Sherry Lane. DNA taken from under Ophelia’s fingernails matched that of Sherry Lane, and a footprint in blood in the wine cellar matched the bottom of a pair of Sherry’s tennis shoes. Ophelia Pitman put up a heck of a fight and left enough evidence at the scene to put the blame where it belonged. A few weeks after her death, a bloody baseball bat with Sherry Lane’s fingerprints and Ophelia Pitman’s blood was found in the trunk of Ophelia’s car. The car had been found abandoned in the parking lot of a shopping mall not far from Carl’s house. How the car got there was never determined, but Sherry Lane’s fingerprints were found inside and out… so it didn’t really matter.

  One of Carl’s neighbors in Florida, Joanne Spencer, came forward and said that she saw Carl leave his house in the morning before lunch, and then saw Kayla Wilkes snooping around that afternoon. She didn’t see Kayla go into the house, but she did see a woman matching Sherry Lane’s description come out about thirty minutes after she saw Kayla. Carl has since put his house in Florida up for sale. He now lives in a condo not far from the house he once shared with Claire and the
kids. He sees the kids quite frequently.

  Harold Jenkins, Sherry Lane’s cousin, confessed to being hired by Sherry to kill her husband, Trevor Lane. He was paid ten thousand dollars with a check that had Carl Benson’s name signed to it. He took the money, did the deed, and didn’t look back. The DA allowed him to plead out. He got a reduced sentence for his cooperation, but will still spend many years in prison for his part.

  Sherry Lane recovered from her injuries and was charged with the murder of Trevor Lane, Kayla Wilkes, Ophelia Pitman, and for the kidnapping of Claire. She’s still awaiting trial, and Randy says the DA is seeking the death penalty. I hope she gets the needle. If anybody deserves it, she does.

  Frank Trainum was relentless in his search for the truth. He’s the one who was instrumental in bringing Sherry Lane down. He made sure that no stone was left unturned. We see Frank often, usually when he comes to town to visit his lady friend, Alexandra. Frank claims that he has business with Billy or the Sheriff’s Office, but I know better. Every time I invite him to stay for dinner, he has to be some place else. I tell him I know where he’s going, but he just brushes me off. Eventually, he did accept a dinner invitation and brought his friend along. They make a good team. She adores him, and he adores her. I’m glad that he’s found someone, and so is Abby. She claimed to be annoyed with him most of the time, but she finally confessed to me that she felt bad for him when her daughter dumped him. She always did like Frank and hated to see him get hurt. She just pretended she didn’t like him. Now she doesn’t pretend anymore and she told Frank that she expected him to invite her and Isabel to his wedding. Frank has also lost several pounds, works out at a gym three times a week, and watches what he eats. I attribute this change to his new friend.