Vindicated (A Jenny Watkins Mystery Book 6)

by Becky Durfee

  “This is.”

  “Hello, Karen. I’m very sorry to have to make this phone call, but I have been conducting an investigation in Mumford Springs, Georgia, looking into your sister’s murder from 1988.”

  Despite Jenny’s pause, Karen remained silent on the other end of the line. Jenny knew this couldn’t have been easy to hear.

  “Unfortunately, I am under the impression that the original investigators were a little hasty in their conviction of Nate Minnick. It turns out he had a very low IQ, and there’s a good chance his confession had been coerced.”

  “But there was other evidence against him,” Karen noted. “It wasn’t just the confession that got him convicted.”

  Jenny described the misconception surrounding Nate’s quick departure from Stella’s house. She also mentioned the blood trail to the back door and the unexplained handprint on the sill of the slider. “I genuinely hate doing this to you, but I would like to ask you some questions about what was going on in Stella’s life at the time of the murder. I’m hoping to gain some insight on who may have had the motive to do something like this.”

  “My God,” Karen whispered. “I thought this was over.”

  “I know,” Jenny said apologetically, wanting to soften the blow a little bit. “Why don’t you start by telling me a little bit about Stella during her happier times?” Jenny was sincere when she added, “I always like to get to know the people I seek justice for—it motivates me to find their killers.”

  Karen began with a sigh. “Oh, Stella. She was a few years younger than me, and she was the typical younger sibling. You know how they say most presidents were oldest children, and most Hollywood actors and actresses are the youngest? Well, that was certainly true for Stella and me.”

  Karen continued, “I was always jealous of her ability to work a room. Even when she was little, she always managed to attract attention to herself. Don’t get me wrong; she didn’t make a spectacle of herself or anything—she just had a way about her that made people want to be around her.”

  Jenny knew those types of girls; she had never been one of them. “I assume you are a little more on the quiet side?” Jenny posed.

  “Very much so. But strangely, Stella and I got along just fine. We were yin and yang, you know? We provided each other with balance.”

  “How many years apart were you?” Jenny asked.

  “Three,” Karen replied, “which seemed like it was a big difference until we got older. Once we were both in high school, we started to actually become friends, and we remained that way until the end.”

  “Her roommate told me you two wrote letters all the time.”

  “All the time.”

  Jenny smiled; being close had nothing to do with proximity. These sisters were apparently as close as sisters could be from opposite sides of the country. “So, how did Stella come to be married so young? Honestly, I was quite surprised to hear she had been widowed at age twenty-four.”

  “You and me both. It was such a shock. We grew up in Michigan, where you can imagine that winter sports are quite popular. Stella had always been a figure skater; she was quite good, actually. She could skate from the time she could walk. When she was in high school, she met Pete Jorgenson at the rink—he was a hockey player, and his practices were at the same time as Stella’s. They hit it off right away, and they got married when she was fresh out of college.”

  Jenny thought back to her own situation and how miserable she’d been after marrying her boyfriend from college. “Were they happy?”

  “They seemed to be,” Karen replied. “They laughed a lot. Pete was a very funny guy. And they had a lot going for them—he was a couple of years older than Stella, so he was already established when they got married. They were able to get a house right away, and their lives seemed perfect. That was, of course, until the day Pete never came home from work.”

  Jenny hung her head. “That must have been positively awful for Stella.”

  “It was,” Karen replied. “To make matters worse, they had just started trying to have a baby. She went from thinking she was going to have a family with Pete to not even having Pete. It was an incredibly tough time for her.”

  “I can imagine.”

  “The final kick in the pants was that he didn’t have life insurance—I guess at twenty-six he didn’t think he needed it. So, not only did she lose her husband and the baby she never got to have, she lost her house, too.”

  This was getting sadder by the minute. “I guess that’s when she moved in with Megan?”

  “Yes,” Karen replied. “That was the one thing that worked out nicely in all of this. Megan’s uncle had just moved out of that house, but he didn’t want to sell it. He rented it to Megan and Stella for a very cheap rate.” Karen paused before adding, “I suppose you wondered how two single women got to be in a three bedroom house in an established neighborhood.”

  Jenny had never wondered that, but now she realized she should have. Feigning competence, Jenny noted, “Well, now it makes sense.”

  “Unfortunately, that’s where things spiraled out of control for her.”

  “So I’ve heard,” Jenny replied sympathetically.

  “Well, at first it wasn’t that way. I went months without hearing from Stella. I would write, but the letters always went unanswered. I would call, and Megan would tell me that Stella was there but didn’t want to come to the phone. She was just about as depressed as anybody could be. Then it was like a switch flicked or something…suddenly she went from depressed to manic. I would get letters from her often, and they were always filled with details about her latest sexual escapades and how this one has a crush on her or that one wants to ask her out. It was just plain crazy.”

  “I guess that’s not the Stella you knew.”

  “Not at all. I mean, she was always social, but this was different. She was being self-destructive.” Karen’s tone became solemn. “It was difficult to witness from three-thousand miles away. There was only so much I could do to help her. I tried to convince her to go to counseling, but she said there was no need. I wish I’d pushed it harder. She might still be alive today if I did.”

  Ah, guilt, Jenny thought, the common thread among those left behind. “The way I see it, there’s one person and one person only who is responsible for Stella’s death, and I intend to find out who that is.”

  Karen’s tone reflected her disappointment. “I was under the impression we already knew who that was. Although, something about him did surprise me…”

  “What is that?” Jenny asked.

  “Well, Stella had told me that one of her teenage neighbors had a crush on her, so when I found out the eighteen-year-old next door had done it, I wasn’t shocked. But when I saw a picture of him in the paper, I was confused.”

  “Why?”

  “Because Nate Minnick was white,” Karen noted, “and Stella had told me the teenager with a crush on her was black.”

  Jenny helped Ellen fix dinner while Zack looked online for handicapped rails for the Denton’s bathroom. Jenny continued to marvel about her earlier meeting with Katherine. “It was amazing,” she said. “There was this woman, just sitting there with a smile on her face, talking about how her husband had been repeatedly unfaithful to her with a multitude of younger women.”

  Ellen lowered her eyebrows. “That is very strange.”

  Zack looked up from his computer. “I don’t think it’s that weird.”

  Jenny regarded her husband with dismay. “Should I be frightened by that comment?”

  “No,” Zack assured her, “but you should be able to relate to it.”

  “Okay, you’re going to have to elaborate on that a little bit.”

  Zack laughed. “You said she was in love with someone else, right?”

  “Right.”

  “Well, imagine the scenario…suppose you and Greg had a child together, so while you didn’t love him anymore, you didn’t want to get a divorce, either. Now, here I come into this scenari
o, and you fall in love with me because…well…I’m totally awesome.”

  Jenny and Ellen looked at each other with unimpressed smirks on their faces.

  Zack continued, “But because I’m this totally eligible, successful and unbelievably handsome bachelor, you knew I wouldn’t marry you. So what do you do? You stay married to Greg to keep your family together, and you begin a decades-long affair with me.”

  “Clearly,” Jenny said sarcastically.

  “Well, whether you agree that it’s the correct approach or not, hear me out,” Zack reasoned. “If you did find yourself in that scenario, would you care if Greg was seeing someone else?”

  Jenny had to admit he was right. “No, I guess I wouldn’t.”

  “Exactly,” Zack replied, “and neither did Katherine Burke.”

  Turning to Ellen, Jenny noted, “He does have a point.”

  “Yes,” Ellen agreed, “and he has an obnoxious way of presenting it.”

  “What, because I described myself as unbelievably handsome? The truth hurts, mom.”.

  She shook her head and rolled her eyes. “Honestly.”

  “You know,” Zack began, “I’m sure you’d be surprised just how many people have skeletons in their closets. People seem all normal and suburban, but when the truth comes out, sometimes it’s shocking.”

  Jenny put her hand on her hip and said, “You know, I will say that when I called the Pryzbycks, a man answered the phone. I assumed it was Ed, but when I asked for Ed, the man said Ed wasn’t home. I then asked for Renee, and she came to the phone. I wonder who that man was…maybe they’re one of those couples with a skeleton.”

  “See?” Zack said. “You never know.”

  Jenny laughed as she grabbed the plates to set the table. Turning to Ellen, she asked, “Will Andy be home in time to eat with us?”

  “I don’t think so,” Ellen replied. “Something came up at a jobsite today, and he told me he had a lot going on. That’s not unusual, though.” She headed back toward the oven and put on a mitt. “When you’re married to a guy who runs a company, you don’t really ever have a set schedule.”

  “Speaking of that guy,” Zack said, “he’s been a regular presence at the Denton’s house lately. What on earth possessed you to tell him I was there?”

  Ellen shrugged. “I just thought it would be nice if you two could work together. I figured it might help you get along better.” She opened the oven door and reached inside.

  “Trust me; it’s not helpful.”

  “Well, I had to do something,” Ellen said. “I’ve had just about enough of your constant bickering.”

  “Unfortunately, putting us together on the same jobsite is not the answer. Maybe you can install a glass partition in the house and keep us apart. That might work.”

  Ellen sighed with frustration.

  “You’ve got to admit,” Jenny began, turning to Zack, “it’s been nice of your father to let us stay here all this time. We were only supposed to visit for a couple of days, and it’s turned into something a lot longer. He’s opened his home to you, even after the rift you two had.” She nudged Zack with her elbow. “And he’s been letting you use his car so you and I can be in two places at once.”

  “Yes,” Zack admitted, “I suppose that is nice.”

  A tug began to resonate within Jenny; she glanced up and saw Ellen putting out the dinner she had worked so hard to prepare, but Jenny knew she needed to find out what the pull was about. “Sorry,” she said flatly, slipping into her trance-like state. “I’ve got to go.” She began to head toward the front door.

  Jenny heard Zack briefly explain the situation to his mother before he scurried out the door behind her. They climbed into her car and drove in silence as Jenny allowed the tug to lead her. Before long, they pulled up in front of the Denton’s house, where a familiar car sat in the driveway.

  “Great,” Zack whispered softly enough to allow Jenny to remain focused. “My father is here.”

  Still feeling a strong tug, Jenny got out of the car and walked briskly toward the front door. When she approached, she noticed the glass door was closed but the wooden door was open. Peering through, she saw the reason she was supposed to be there.

  “Oh my God, Dad!” Zack yelled.

  Jenny reached into her purse to call 9-1-1.

  Chapter 15

  Zack rushed through the door to find his father lying on the foyer floor, dazed, looking blankly toward the ceiling. “Dad, are you okay?” he demanded as he knelt by Andy’s side.

  “I fell,” Andy said slowly. His voice was barely audible.

  Jenny heard the voice of the 9-1-1 operator in her ear asking for the nature of the emergency. Jenny stated the Denton’s address and asked for an ambulance. “My father-in-law fell down the steps,” she added quickly. “He has blood coming from his ears and nose.”

  “Is he conscious?”

  “Yes.”

  “Okay, make sure he doesn’t move.” The operator told Jenny how to position her hands under Andy’s neck to stabilize him; Jenny did as she was told. “Now, keep him still until the paramedics get there. Help is on the way.”

  Andy moaned, causing Jenny to close her eyes and wish she was anywhere but there.

  “So, you just fell?” Zack asked.

  Andy managed to mutter, “Blacked out.”

  Zack looked around. “What are you doing here by yourself, anyway?”

  He responded with only a moan.

  Zack stood up and paced nervously in the small confines of the foyer as he called his mother, mumbling something about the contractors leaving the door unlocked while he dialed. Although Jenny couldn’t make out Ellen’s words, she could hear the urgency in her voice through the phone. Zack instructed her that they would probably be going to Saint Mary’s hospital, which was closest in proximity to Rob’s house.

  In the meantime, the 9-1-1 operator was asking a lot of questions about Andy—questions that Jenny couldn’t answer. She had to serve as the go-between as the operator inquired about Andy’s age and health history. She felt horrible making Andy answer so many questions when he was in such obvious pain.

  After what seemed like an eternity, sirens became audible, signaling that help was on the way. Jenny dropped her head in relief, eager to relinquish her neck-stabilizing duty to the professionals. The paramedics soon entered the front door, squatting down next to Andy. Organized chaos took over as Jenny stepped back out of the way and the ambulance workers wrapped Andy’s neck with a horrible-looking contraption, clearly designed to keep him still. They placed him onto a stretcher and eventually carried him out to the ambulance to be taken away. Zack confirmed that they would be bringing him to Saint Mary’s hospital, and he and Jenny jumped into her car, following the ambulance out of the cul-de-sac.

  Time seemed to stand still in the waiting room. Ellen had joined Zack and Jenny, as had Zack’s brother, Tim, and his wife, Hannah. Had the circumstances been more pleasant, Jenny would most likely have marveled at the physical resemblance between Zack and Tim, despite the fact that their personalities couldn’t have been any more different.

  Ellen looked positively green with worry, sitting with her arms folded and her legs crossed, her foot bobbing rapidly with nervous energy. Zack’s expression looked markedly different, reflecting regret and shame in addition to apprehension. Jenny imagined he was reliving the day’s interactions with his father, remembering every argumentative word that was said, most likely wishing he could suck them all back in.

  Eventually Zack spoke, breaking the painful silence that had blanketed the family. “Do you think Nate led you to the house because my father was hurt?”

  Jenny nodded slightly. “I can think of no other reason I’d get pulled there. Once we discovered your father, the tug stopped.”

  Zack absorbed the words. His tone was soft when he replied, “I guess we owe him one, then, don’t we?”

  Jenny looked at her feet. “I’m working on that.”

  A doctor ca
me out from between two double-doors. “Larrabee?” he asked.

  Ellen was the first to stand up. “That’s us.”

  “Are you his wife?”

  “Yes,” she said nervously. “How is he doing?”

  “He’s stable. His vitals are good. He’s got a slight skull fracture, but it’s a simple fracture—meaning it’s just a crack in the bone with no displacement or depression. We expect that to heal without the need for surgery. He also has a concussion, which will keep him bedridden for a while, but that, too, should eventually get better on its own. Our larger concern, actually, is what caused the fall to begin with. He claims he got incredibly dizzy when he went up the stairs, and then he woke up on the floor. When he recovers from these immediate injuries, the next step in the process will be to find out if he has some kind of heart issue that led to the fainting spell.”

  Relief washed over the entire family. Ellen placed her hand on her heart. “Thank you so much. Can we go see him now?” Ellen asked.

  “He’s being transported to a room where he will be admitted,” the doctor explained. “Once he gets settled, you can pay him a visit.”

  The family thanked the doctor again and gathered their things, waiting for word that they could say hello to Andy.

  Everyone stood around Andy’s bed except for Ellen, who sat by his side holding his hand. Zack’s facial expression had returned to normal once he’d learned that his father was going to be okay, and his sense of humor had apparently also made a resurgence as well. “Dad,” he said jokingly. “You could have messed up the floor with that big ole hard head of yours. We just put it in, too. It’s too soon for it to get all dented.”

  Andy didn’t smile, and his response was weak. “The floor won that battle, don’t you worry about that.”

  Jenny glanced up to look at Zack, who smiled in a way that showed deep down he really did love his father. “Now aren’t you glad we went with bamboo instead of Bolivian cherry? Wood that hard could have killed you.”