Stiff Penalty (A Mattie Winston Mystery)

by Annelise Ryan

  “You’re right,” Richmond said frowning in thought. “Hang on a sec.” He took out his cell phone and placed a call. “Hi, it’s Detective Richmond with the Sorenson PD. Have you guys had a chance to look at the laptop we turned in earlier today as evidence in the Ames case?” He listened for a minute or so, said, “Thank you, that’s actually very helpful,” and hung up. “So the guys that are working in Arnie’s lab looked at the laptop we took from Jacob’s room. It wasn’t password-protected and they scanned through the basic software, browser history, e-mail, and such. They said all they found was typical teenage male kind of stuff: some computer games, some pictures of naked girls, and some schoolwork. The computer’s user name is Jacob, and it looks like he has been the primary, if not the only user.”

  “So where is Derrick’s computer? I didn’t see any other laptops in the Ames house. Wendy’s computer was a desktop, and Michael didn’t have one.”

  “Maybe Jacob took it like he did the phone?”

  “I don’t think so. He admitted to smashing and taking Derrick’s phone, to sneaking out of both his and Sean’s house, and to fighting with his father. Why would he lie about the laptop?”

  Richmond sighed. “Good question, and a good catch, Mattie.” He took out his cell phone, rummaged through the paperwork he had in front of him on the desk, and then punched in a number. “Mrs. Ames,” he said after a few seconds, “this is Detective Richmond. I’m really sorry to bother you again, but I need to ask you something.”

  I couldn’t hear what Wendy Ames was saying on the other end, but judging from the grimace on Richmond’s face, she was giving him a good chewing out. He listened, nodding silently for a minute or so while massaging his temple, and then said, “I know you’re not happy with the way this has turned out. And I understand your reluctance to talk to me without your lawyer. I’m just doing my job here and following up on some loose ends. The only thing I need you to tell me is whether or not Derrick had a computer.”

  The answer Wendy supplied made Richmond give me a thumbs-up.

  “Can you describe it for me and tell me where he normally kept this laptop?” Richmond asked. After listening again, he thanked her, told her she had been very helpful, and then disconnected the call. “You were right, Mattie. Derrick had a laptop, a metallic blue HP model with a German flag decal on the lid. Wendy said that every time she’s been to his house, the laptop was set up in the game room.”

  “So where is it?”

  “Maybe Jacob ditched it somewhere, or maybe he gave it to someone and doesn’t want anyone to know. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if he gave it to that troublemaking friend of his, Sean Fitzpatrick.”

  “But why take it at all?”

  Richmond shrugged. “Jacob said it himself; his father could have used it to get in touch with Mandy.” He made a face that told me this idea sounded as implausible to him as it did to me.

  “And that’s the other thing that’s bothering me,” I said. “Jacob said his father told him he was planning to break up with Mandy, but she never indicated that there was anything amiss in their relationship. Why is that?”

  “Maybe she didn’t know,” Richmond said. “Maybe she thought everything was going along fine and had no idea that Derrick was going to break up with her. Or maybe Jacob just fed us a line.”

  “I don’t know, Richmond. Jacob seemed . . . sincere, devastated, and vulnerable. What he said in there tonight rang true to me.”

  “Which only proves what a good liar he is. We have the video evidence, remember?”

  “Which doesn’t show Jacob actually killing his father.”

  “No, but it does show him there, wrestling with his father minutes before the 911 call. And those guys Henderson has working in your lab just told me they found blood on the shirt and pants we took from Jacob’s hamper—pants that, if you recall, also match those in the video. They also found blood on the shoes. We don’t know for sure yet that the blood is Derrick’s, but I’m betting it will be. And they’ve also verified that the cell phone we found in Jacob’s room was Derrick’s. I’m sorry, Mattie, but the kid did it. You may not want to believe it, and I understand that, given your condition and all, but the evidence is pretty straightforward.”

  “My condition?”

  “Well, yeah. I’m sure that being pregnant makes you more emotional. You know . . . the hormones and all.”

  “My condition, as you put it, has nothing to do with this, Richmond. I’m simply sharing my take on the case. Besides, what the hell would you know about being pregnant?”

  “Just because I’ve never been pregnant doesn’t mean I don’t know what goes on.”

  “Who’s pregnant?” said a voice behind us.

  I turned to see Charlie and Hurley standing in the doorway holding bags of food from the Peking Palace.

  “Is everything okay here?” Hurley asked.

  “It’s fine,” I said, wishing it was.

  “Who’s pregnant?” Charlie asked again. “Are you, Mattie?”

  “Yes.”

  “Congratulations!” She looked genuinely happy for me, which made it all that much harder for me to understand why I wanted to wave a wand over her head and make her disappear. Forever.

  “Thanks.”

  Apparently I didn’t sound sincere enough because Charlie’s broad congratulatory smile faltered. “You don’t seem very happy about it,” she said.

  “Oh, I am. It’s just that it was rather unexpected, and it kind of came at a bad time.”

  “Is your husband happy about it?” Charlie asked as Hurley shifted nervously from one foot to the other. Charlie’s brazen nosiness made both me and Alison Miller look like amateurs.

  “I’m not married,” I said.

  “Yet,” Hurley added. “But she might change her mind.”

  “Ooh, I love weddings,” Charlie cooed, clasping her hands together. “If you’re planning one, I’d be happy to shoot a wedding video for you if you want. I’ve done several already.”

  “There isn’t going to be a wedding,” I said, and Hurley huffed his irritation.

  Charlie looked back and forth between me and Hurley with a bemused expression. Then her face lit up with dawning. “Wait a minute,” she said, pointing a finger at first me, then Hurley. “Are you the father?”

  “I am,” Hurley said.

  “O-o-oh,” Charlie said, her eyes growing big. “Well, now that I’ve stuck my foot in it, I think I’ll pull it back out and disappear.” She flashed an awkward smile, took the bag of food Hurley was holding, and backed out of the room, heading down the hall toward the break room.

  Richmond shook his head in dismay. “It sounds like you two have some things to sort out. I’m going to go talk to Jacob about that computer and see what he has to say. I’ll let you know.” Then he, too, left the room, leaving me and Hurley alone.

  “You are a stubborn, fascinating, and puzzling woman, Mattie Winston,” Hurley said.

  “I thought we were in agreement on this marriage thing, Hurley.”

  “Obviously not. I want to get married and you don’t.”

  I sighed, cocked my head to one side and said, “Why do you want to get married?”

  “We’re having a kid together, aren’t we?” he said, looking at me like I was an idiot.

  “And it’s the right thing to do?”

  “Yes! Exactly,” Hurley said, looking relieved that I finally seemed to get it.

  I rolled my eyes at him. “I’m not getting married again simply because it’s the right thing to do, Hurley. That’s an obsolete and archaic social more that I don’t ascribe to.”

  “I’m not saying we should get married simply because you’re pregnant,” he said, looking as exasperated as I felt. “We should get married because we . . . because I . . . because you . . .”

  Silence stood between us like a brick wall for what felt like an eternity, and then Hurley blew out an irritated sigh. “Oh, hell, have it your way,” he said finally, throwing his hands
into the air. Then he stormed out of the room.

  Chapter 29

  “So maybe now you can see why I’m reluctant to marry Hurley,” I say to Maggie. “He had a chance to say it; I think he wanted to say it, but he couldn’t.”

  “You’re referring to the fact that he didn’t say he loved you?”

  “Well, yeah.” I stare at her like I would a dumb child who doesn’t get the concept of the sky being blue. “It’s obvious he only wants to marry me because he thinks it’s the right thing to do. I don’t think he has the same feelings for me that I have for him.”

  “Or maybe he’s one of those men who has a hard time saying what he feels. Did it occur to you that maybe he doubts your feelings for him? Maybe he was waiting for you to declare your feelings.”

  “He knows how I feel about him,” I say, frowning.

  “How does he know that? Have you told him?”

  “Well, no, not in so many words. But I show it all the time.”

  “And you don’t think he shows it?”

  I sigh. “He has shown me that he cares about me, but I don’t know that he’s shown that he loves me, at least not the way he should if we’re going to get married.”

  “Why haven’t you told him how you feel?”

  I consider my answer carefully and for a long time. I can hear the little windup clock that Maggie keeps on her desk ticking the time down. “I suppose it’s because I’m afraid.”

  “Of what?”

  “That he’ll laugh at me. Or that he’ll run away scared.”

  “Like your father did?”

  I shoot her an irritated look. “You think this is about my unresolved feelings for my father?” I say askance. “That’s rather clichéd.”

  “Perhaps, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t true.”

  “I had stepfathers who did a fine job of being there for me.”

  “How many of them do you see or talk to on a regular basis?”

  Right now I hate Maggie. She has this uncanny ability to get right to the heart of any emotional wounds I have. Then she digs around in them, poking, and prodding, and causing me pain. “They don’t live around here anymore,” I tell her. “Desi’s father remarried and moved to California. And my mother’s third husband went back to England to be near his family.”

  “So they aren’t a significant part of your life at this point.”

  “No, but I’m not at a point in my life where I need a father figure.”

  “What about any strong male figure? Your husband more or less abandoned you, too, didn’t he?”

  “That’s one way of looking at it, I suppose. But I was the one who made the decision to leave him.”

  “Yes, you did, but not until after he abandoned you by having an affair with someone else.”

  “Whatever. I think you’re nitpicking and getting bogged down in semantics.”

  “My point is that the important men in your life thus far haven’t stuck around for the long haul. I want to know how that makes you feel.”

  At the moment it makes me feel like I want to kill Dr. Naggy. Lucky for her I’ve already reached my kill quota for the year. “It makes me feel like the only person I can truly rely on is me. And that’s okay. Because I’m a strong woman with good intelligence, common sense most of the time, and a supportive group of family and friends.”

  “I’m curious, how did David react to the news of your pregnancy?”

  “I think it’s safe to say he wasn’t pleased. Despite the fact that he and Patty have already moved into the new house together, he told me I was rushing into things headlong without enough thought.”

  “Does David’s opinion matter to you?”

  “Not really, but Lord knows what he’s been saying about me behind my back.”

  “Why do you care?”

  “Because this is a small town. People talk, and sometimes they do it in front of their kids. I don’t want my kid growing up and getting teased by his friends and classmates because of some malicious gossip.”

  “Don’t you think David’s reputation and past behaviors reflect on anything he says?”

  “I don’t know. People like dirty gossip. They latch onto it and milk it for all it’s worth. Plus, David has redeemed himself in a way. He and Patty are engaged. So he’s doing things ‘the proper way,’ as he puts it. Humph! Like David would know proper if it jumped up and bit him in the ass.”

  “You seem bothered by David’s progress with his personal life. Is it possible that Hurley was right? Do you have unresolved feelings for David?”

  “No, it’s not that. It’s just that David has come out of this whole mess happy, and paired up, and living high on the hog. And I’ve come out of it pregnant, single, and potentially hunted by some homicidal maniac. It isn’t fair.”

  “Life seldom is. Do you regret your choices?”

  I shake my head and smile. “Not at all. I’m happy about the baby, and I’m determined to make this single parenting thing work.”

  “So you don’t need Hurley, is that it?”

  “I don’t need him, but I do want him.”

  “Then why don’t you talk to him, say what’s on your mind, tell him what’s in your heart. What have you got to lose? With the path you’ve chosen thus far, he’s not a permanent part of your life, so if he tells you he’s not interested, you haven’t lost anything.”

  “It’s not that he isn’t interested. He is. At least for now, anyway. But I don’t know if we have what it takes to make it over the long haul. And I’m feeling too vulnerable right now to risk sticking my heart out there that way. Besides, what’s the rush? If we have what it takes to make it as a married couple, time will tell.”

  “How much time?”

  “I don’t know. I’ll know when it’s right. Right now there are too many things working against us.”

  “I get the sense there’s something else you aren’t telling me.”

  Once again Dr. Naggy has seen through my attempts at subterfuge, but I’m not ready to reveal my other secret yet. I may never be. So I shrug and say nothing.

  Maggie sighs and sags in her chair. “Okay, enough about you and Hurley for now. You said there was something else you wanted to discuss.”

  “There is. It’s this whole motherhood thing. I’m afraid of screwing it up. I’m afraid I’m going to be a horrible parent. It’s not like I have any good role models for the job other than my sister, and she’s a stay-at-home mom. I can’t afford to do that. I mean, I have a decent amount saved up, but I’ve got all kinds of new expenses coming up. Hell, this baby stuff costs an arm and a leg. There are so many different things I’ve had to buy: a crib, diapers, clothing, bottles, a bassinet, blankets, baby cleaning products, a changing table, a mobile, toys . . . it’s this never-ending list. And that’s just the stuff I’ve had to buy so far. I’ve heard kids outgrow clothes so fast they hardly wear any one thing more than a time or two. Plus there’s college to think about. By the time this kid reaches college age, it will likely cost more than a house.”

  “You’ve got plenty of time to plan for college,” Maggie says.

  “I’m not sure I agree. Everyone says the time goes by so fast. One day they’re in kindergarten, and then, before you know it, they’re talking tuition and degrees. And speaking of college, how do you sort through all these educational theories about child rearing? One book says bright colors enhance learning, and another says to go with black and white. One says singing helps kids learn, and another says singing dumbs them down. Who do you believe? How do you know if you’re doing the right thing?”

  Maggie smiles at me. “I think just the fact that you’re so worried about being a good parent is a good sign, Mattie. You’re smart, you’re a nurse, you’re caring, you’re self-sufficient, and you’re loving. That’s all a kid needs. Half of it is determined by genetics anyway.”

  That gets a scoff out of me. “If that’s true, my kid is doomed. Look at my mother. And who knows what kinds of skeletons are hiding in my fathe
r’s family closet.” Actually, I knew exactly what skeletons were in there. I just wasn’t ready to reveal them yet.

  “Hurley and his side of the family have a role in this, too, remember?” Maggie says. “And regardless of what happens between the two of you, you aren’t alone in this. You said Hurley intends to play an active role in parenting your child, plus you have your extended family: Izzy and Dom.”

  For once, Maggie is making me feel better about things. She is right. I’m not alone in this, even though it feels that way sometimes.

  “Do you have doubts that Hurley will hang in there for the long haul?”

  “No, I have doubts about us hanging in for the long haul. There are so many things we don’t see eye to eye on.”

  “Such as?”

  “Sometimes it feels like he’s all about what he wants out of this. He isn’t listening to what I want, or what I don’t want. And there are some other issues, bigger issues I’m dealing with.”

  “Can you give me some examples of what you mean?”

  I debate whether or not to reveal my big secret and decide that it’s time. “Okay,” I said. “But prepare yourself. This story is more tangled than the skein of yarn my cats play with.”

  Chapter 30

  With the Ames case seemingly resolved, Richmond wanted to let the issue of the laptop go. But after some cajoling from me—or perhaps badgering is a better term—he agreed that tomorrow we would do another search of both Wendy Ames’s house and Derrick’s, and pay another visit to the Fitzpatrick house, in case Richmond’s theory that Jacob might have given the laptop to Sean turned out to be a viable one. Not only wasn’t I yet convinced of Jacob’s guilt, I was worried that Richmond might be so convinced of it that he wouldn’t dig as deep as he should into any other suspects. So I decided to give Alison Miller a little test, to see if her newfound alliance was an honest one. I returned her call from earlier in the day, and learned that she knew about Jacob’s arrest. I discussed my doubts with her and asked her to look into some things for me, but not to say anything or print anything without permission from me first. She agreed and I gave her an assignment.