by Millie Mack
“Admittedly, it’s another long shot, but I’ll bet our mystery woman bought these shoes at a local store like Bentley’s.”
“You know, Charles, I think I could use a new pair of shoes. My current pair seems to have flour on them.”
harles and Carrie were up early. They settled for buns and coffee for breakfast, so they could finish the cleanup. Charles took the kitchen, since he was particular about how the spices and cooking utensils were arranged. Carrie took ownership for straightening the study. She really didn’t care whether everything went back in its original spot, but she wanted to know what the new spot was.
Charles appeared at the doorway with a fresh cup of coffee for Carrie. “How long will it take before I know where everything is in this room?”
“Let’s see. I straightened the study six months ago. How long did it take you to learn the location of everything?”
“I was getting close, but I still had four bookshelves, two desk drawers, and a cabinet to go.”
“Very funny. Just remember, you can always ask me. I know where everything is.”
“Speaking of everything, nothing is missing in the kitchen. How about in here?”
“Nope, not a thing. My drawers were riffled.”
“I hope not! I was with you the entire time, and no one riffled your drawers.”
“You’re a laugh a minute. How’s the kitchen cleanup going?”
“I’m finished. Everything’s back on the shelves, everything swept up. I’m just waiting for the floor to dry before putting the chairs and table back,” he said with satisfaction.
“Since cleaning the kitchen gives you such pleasure, you can be responsible for keeping it sparkling clean all the time,” Carrie suggested.
“I’ll be glad to keep the kitchen sparkling for you, my love. Plus, I’m feeling good about last night. I know someone else associated with this murder is worried about what we know.”
“Unfortunately, I wish I knew what clues we have and what it is they think we know. Plus, I’ve a problem with all this mess.”
“You mean the senseless creation of all this mess?”
“Yes. Some desk drawers were searched; others don’t appear to have been opened. Some books were thrown on the floor; other shelves weren’t touched. The end result is that we have two rooms partially disturbed with nothing missing,” Carrie said. “Charles, do you think they were just trying to scare us?”
“If that was the motive, it certainly didn’t work. If anything, this little act of vandalism has inspired me to probe further.”
“Maybe she was after the little piece of paper from Todd’s apartment.”
“Possibly, but that would mean they know we were at Todd’s condo, and how would they know that? I’m sure they think they got everything from Todd’s condo when our little thief took the disks and laptop. If they thought we had something, one of them would have been here sooner and really checked the place out,” Charles suggested.
“Then the question remains, why come here now? I even checked for bugs in the phone, under the desks, and in the lamps.”
“Well, it looks like we have two mysteries to solve. The game is afoot, and my little Sherlock Holmes is on duty,” Charles said.
“Now you’re making fun of me.”
“No, I’m not. In fact, I checked the kitchen for bugs too.” He kissed her forehead.
“I feel as though we just have little bits and pieces. We’re not really getting a grasp on any major clue that will solve this murder,” Carrie said.
“When we solved my brother Jamie’s murder, I felt the same way.”
“Yes, but with that case, we reached a point where everything started to fall into place, and each new discovery linked with pieces we already had. With this case, we keep making discoveries, but the discoveries aren’t linking together.”
“Why don’t we go over everything we know and see if there’s something we’ve missed or something that’s linked?” Charles produced his notebook. “All right, what do we know?”
“The dance started at nine. After the incident with Todd, we left the dance around ten. We returned at two. No sign of Todd when Jake and I passed through the library, but Todd’s dead body was discovered at six. He may have been shot with his own gun at close range. This means he either produced the gun and the killer struggled with him, or the killer took the gun and murdered him while he slept. We believe his body was hidden in the secret passage, until it was moved into the library. It probably took two people to move the body. We really don’t know why he was killed, but all of our suspects were at the dance with the opportunity to murder him.”
“This is good. Keep going.” Charles was placing check marks next to the items Carrie had listed. She continued. “We know Todd was living the high life. The job he held at the brokerage wouldn’t provide all the extras in his condo.”
“And we know he had a woman accomplice, and there are lots of women suspects,” Charles added.
“I just thought of something. Let’s assume for a moment that Todd was murdered by an angry husband or boyfriend.”
“I think we’ve been assuming that’s a real possibility,” Charles confirmed.
“Then there’s another dilemma. We know it took two people to move the body. If an angry husband or boyfriend killed Todd, who helped him move the body? His wife, his girlfriend? With the exception of Terry, who’s very emotional about Todd’s death, I can’t see any of the other women helping to move the body. Maybe we need to look for other motives,” suggested Carrie.
“Go ahead.” Charles sat back with his pen poised.
“We know that Delores Chaney’s daughter was helping Todd with the brokerage seminars at the Club and also doing some of the buying. Could Sara be our mystery woman who broke into Todd’s condo and our home? Could she be a jealous girlfriend, upset with Todd over his other women?”
“One possible problem: I’ve met Sara, and she’s very tall. I’m sure her shoe size is greater than our footprint, although I guess there are tall women with small feet,” Charles said. “What are you doing?”
“I’m making a note to find out how my husband knows so much about women’s feet.”
“Focus on the case, please,” admonished Charles.
“Let’s also list what we don’t know. Speaking of Sara and shoes, we don’t know if any of the women suspects purchased a certain pair of shoes. We also don’t know if anything unusual or illegal was happening with the Investment Club funds.”
“I’ve got that one covered. I asked Delores when I saw her the other night if she could get Sara to give me a call about investments.”
“You know what I was wondering—do you think they were timing everything so Mr. Shipley would discover the body?” asked Carrie.
“Let me think. The main door of the Club is never locked. The first person around in the morning is usually Mr. Shipley, the Club’s general manager. He unlocks the other doors and checks all the rooms, so it’s logical he would find the body. Why is who discovered the body important?”
“I’m just trying to figure out the timing. The murderer knew Mr. Shipley’s routine and planned for him to find the body. Imagine if I’d returned at three a.m. instead of two. Todd would have been discovered three hours earlier. Instead the murderer created a much wider time frame, which makes it harder for you to create an alibi.”
“I definitely have an enemy, because they set me up,” answered Charles.
Carrie took out a sheet of legal paper. “OK, let’s have them. Start listing your enemies.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence. I think a smaller sheet would be more appropriate.”
Before Carrie responded, the doorbell rang. “Expecting anyone?”
unday interruptions are becoming commonplace,” Charles said.
“Maybe it’s our friends from the law. They seem to like Sundays,” Carrie answered.
“There’s only one way to find out.” Charles got up and headed for the door.
Carrie was truly surprised when Charles returned with Detectives Jenco and McCall.
“Carrie, look who came back to visit.” There was definite sarcasm in Charles’s voice.
“Detectives, can we expect you to join us each Sunday?” She picked up on Charles’s tone. “Can I offer you some coffee this week?”
“Mr. and Mrs. Faraday.” Detective McCall nodded very formally to the couple. He said nothing, but didn’t take up his usual position in the corner. Instead he stood next to Jenco.
Jenco reached into his coat pocket to produce a piece of paper. “Mr. Faraday, I’ve a search warrant.” He handed the paper to Charles. Charles looked at the paper briefly and handed it to Carrie.
“What do you expect to find?” Carrie responded sharply.
“To be honest, Mr. and Mrs. Faraday, we had a tip.” Jenco’s response was also very quick.
“A tip! A tip! Who exactly provided this tip?” Charles could feel his temperature rising.
“The tip was anonymous,” Jenco said.
“Did it ever dawn on you two that this anonymous tipster could have been the murderer calling to implicate us?” Charles said.
While Jenco stood quietly and listened to Charles’s response, Detective McCall went directly to the bookcase and touched the calico cat. Carrie let out a slight gasp, worried that the detective would discover the paper from Todd’s condo in the cat’s paw. But the Detective moved the calico cat aside, pulled out a set of books, and with his pen carefully removed a small gun from its hiding place. He held it momentarily for all to see. Carrie and Charles looked at the gun and then at each other in disbelief. The gun dangling on the end of McCall’s pen looked exactly like the picture of the antique gun Todd had purchased.
McCall spoke directly to Jenco. “Apparently our tipster was right.” He removed a plastic bag from his coat pocket and placed the gun inside.
Charles looked at Carrie. “Now we know what our friendly neighborhood burglar was doing last night.”
“Yep, it certainly explains our random mess, with no apparent theft,” Carrie said. “The burglar wasn’t taking; the burglar found it more blessed to give.”
The conversation seemed to confuse Jenco. “Your house was burglarized?”
“If you spent your time reading the reports from your own police department, instead of following anonymous tips, you would know our house was broken into last night. It may interest you to know that the kitchen and the study were ransacked. However, nothing was taken.”
“And you two think this burglar planted the gun?” asked Jenco.
“No, I much prefer your theory. The one where I murdered Todd, kept the gun around as a souvenir, hid it in my own study, and then told someone about it so they could give you an anonymous tip.” Charles’s sarcastic tone didn’t sit well with the detectives.
“Actually, Mr. Faraday, finding this gun is the icing on a perfectly baked cake.” Jenco’s neck was beginning to splotch with red. “You want to know the ingredients in my cake? The killer fought with Todd, which was witnessed by several members of the Tri-County Country Club. In order to silence Todd, our killer murders him. The killer also knew that by placing the body in the library, it probably wouldn’t be discovered until the next morning. The cleanup crews wouldn’t be in the library. Then our killer goes to Todd’s condo in the city to remove evidence.”
Carrie looked at Charles. “How did you…?” She stopped.
“Know you were there? It’s true; you weren’t recognized by the police the Sunday you two went to Todd’s building. However, later the detectives recognized you from pictures we provided of the suspects.”
Jenco took the notebook from McCall. “And a Mrs. Breckenridge, the real-estate agent, also confirmed that you two were looking at condos the day after the murder. My theory? I think you two went to remove evidence from Todd’s apartment.” He stopped as he looked at Charles and then at Carrie for confirmation, but they stared blankly at the detective.
He continued. “Then, Mr. Faraday, there’s your discussion with the bartender, Jake. He won’t talk to us yet. But when he does, I’m sure he’ll verify the affair your wife was having with Todd.”
“That’s enough, Jenco,” Charles said. “You come to my home with nothing more than theories—weak theories made up of circumstantial evidence—and then accuse my wife of having an affair with Todd. Enough is enough. Get out.”
“We’re not finished yet.”
“You’re finished. Are you leaving, or am I calling my attorney and filing formal charges?”
“Formal charges are why we’re here, Mr. Faraday,” Jenco said. “I believe, Mr. Faraday, we’ve motive, opportunity, and now the weapon.” He pointed at the bag McCall was holding. For the second time, Jenco reached into his jacket pocket and produced a paper. “I’ve an arrest warrant.”
Carrie came and stood next to Charles. “All right, Detective. You think you have enough evidence. I’ll go with you now, but I guarantee you I’ll be out on bail. My lawyer, any lawyer, will blow holes right through your charges,” Charles said as he grabbed his sweater from the back of a chair and put it on. “Carrie, call Hugh Simpson right away. Which station are we going to?”
“We’re going to the main county precinct on Walden Road, but you have made a mistake, Mr. Faraday.” McCall and Jenco again exchanged glances.
“You said you had an arrest warrant.” Charles sounded confused.
“We do have an arrest warrant. It’s for Mrs. Faraday.”
“Me!” Carrie couldn’t believe his statement.
“Carrie!” Charles choked as he said her name. “Carrie had nothing to do with Todd’s murder.”
“Is that a confession from you, Mr. Faraday?” Detective Jenco jumped immediately on Charles’s words.
“Of course not. I mean, Carrie was Todd’s victim.” Charles stopped speaking, realizing he wasn’t helping. “I’m the one who punched Todd.”
“You had the fight, Mr. Faraday, but Mrs. Faraday had the most to lose if her affair with the victim became public.”
“Affair. What affair? We weren’t having an affair,” Carrie snapped.
“Carrie, don’t say another word. I’ll get Hugh Simpson on the phone.”
Detective Jenco ignored Charles as he moved toward the phone. “Mrs. Faraday, I’m arresting you for the murder of Todd Barrington. You have the right to remain silent…”
Charles put down the phone as he watched Carrie stand helplessly and listen to her legal rights. McCall took out a pair of handcuffs.
Carrie spoke softly, without emotion. “Are the cuffs necessary, Detective? I’m not resisting, and I’ll go quietly.” McCall put the handcuffs away. “Do I need to take anything?”
“No, ma’am, if you’ll come this way.” McCall took a gentle hold of her elbow.
“Don’t worry, darling. I’ll be right behind you with Hugh,” Charles said.
Carrie turned back for a moment and kissed Charles on the cheek.
McCall led Carrie to the car and carefully helped her in the backseat.
Still standing inside with Jenco, Charles was trying to control his emotions. “You’re way off base, Jenco. You should be out looking for the real killers.”
“Funny you use the word killers in the plural, Mr. Faraday. Let me tell you what I think. We know the body of Todd was moved into the library.”
“Moved. Moved from where?” Charles tried to sound surprised.
“We are still checking the rooms. Would you like to save us time and tell us which room the murder occurred in?”
Charles ignored the insinuation. “Detective, how do you think my wife was able to move the body? Surely you don’t believe she dragged the body from some other room down the hallway and into the library by herself.”
“That’s why I think it’s interesting you used the plural. I think your wife returned to the Club to have it out with Todd, or maybe she really did go back to get her handbag. Whatever the reason, she ran into Todd a second time a
nd shot him. There was enough noise with the work crews that the shot wasn’t heard. She called you in a panic, or perhaps you followed her. When she admitted killing Barrington out of love, necessity, or both, you helped her cover up the crime. You are the one who helped your wife move the body.”
“Then why haven’t you arrested me? It’s because your theory doesn’t wash, Detective. Why would we take the time to move the body back to the very room where we had a fight with the victim?”
“Sometimes doing the obvious is a way of establishing an alibi. I believe once we have a full statement from your wife, it won’t be long before I’ll convince a judge to issue an arrest warrant for you too.”
“You’re still stretching the facts, and our lawyer won’t have any trouble with this one. And when you get our phone records, you will see that no call was made.” Charles saw that McCall was now behind the wheel as Carrie sat isolated in the back, beyond the wire-cage protection.
“Mr. Faraday, keep available. We’ve a member of the crew who saw your wife’s car at the Club early in the morning. As soon as we find a witness who saw you there, we’ll be adding you to the arrest warrant.”
“Don’t worry. I’m not going anywhere. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve a phone call to make.”
arrie sat in a locked cell room, looking at four bare walls painted in unremarkable government beige.
“What a nightmare this has turned out to be,” she said out loud. “I certainly didn’t think the little bits and pieces the police had gathered were enough to charge me.” Then she stopped when she realized she was talking out loud. She was glad the jail was almost empty, and she didn’t have to share her cell or her thoughts with anyone else.
I know Charles is doing all that he can and has no doubt dragged Hugh from his Sunday activities to come get me out of here. I hope he won’t lose his temper when he finds out there’s no judge available for a bail hearing until tomorrow, she thought. There was no clock in the room, but she knew that time for her was going to pass very slowly.
