by Diane Morlan
“Sure, Jennifer; it’s all Megan’s fault,” Decker said, tweaking me under the chin.
“Give me a call after you meet with Pam to let me know what she said. Okay?”
“Will do,” I replied and gave him a little salute.
24
I finished up my last delivery and headed for the Dixie Diner. It was three o’clock. I pressed down on the accelerator as soon as I left the city limits of Sleepy Eye. No way was I going to be late. For a change, when I pulled into the Dixie Diner, I found a parking place near the door. It was three twenty-five. I entered the diner and spotted Pam coming through a door marked “Employees Only.” I had made it just in time.
We sat down in a little booth near the kitchen door. I had seen waitresses sit there during breaks. “Thanks for meeting with me, Pam. I know you’re very busy.”
“I don’t know how I can help you. I didn’t see who hit me.”
“I know but you’re Whitney’s cousin. I’m looking for information about her.”
“I don’t know what happened to her. I haven’t even spoken to her in months.”
“Why is that?” This was new information to me.
“Oh, we had an argument. Not the first, by any means. She just got on my nerves and I told her off.”
“Pam, will you tell me what it was all about?” I crossed my fingers and hoped she trusted me enough to tell me.
Pam sighed then sat up straighter in the booth and leaned over toward me. She began speaking in a much lower voice. “Okay, but don’t let Aunt Henrietta know I told you this. That poor woman has enough problems.”
I nodded my head in agreement, afraid if I said anything that Pam would change her mind.
“Last summer Whitney called me and said that she needed to meet with me. I couldn’t imagine what she wanted because she sure hasn’t been friendly with me since she went off to college.”
Pam pulled a paper napkin from the holder on the table and began shredding it into strips. “Well, I met her after work and she said that she knew a way we could make some money. I knew this couldn’t be good because if she had an honest way to make money, she wouldn’t have called me.”
By now the whole napkin was in strips. Pam picked up a ribbon of paper and started to roll it into a ball. “She told me she knew some things about people who would be willing to pay to keep that information under wraps. She told me all I had to do was open a bank account in my name so the money couldn’t be traced back to her. She said she’d give me twenty-five percent of whatever she was paid.”
“Oh, my,” I said, leaning forward. “What did you tell her?”
Pam sat back and crushed all the napkin pieces into a ball. “I told her she was nuts! There’s no way I was getting involved in blackmail. She tried to tell me that it was okay because I wouldn’t really be doing anything wrong. She must have thought that I had just fallen off the cabbage truck. I knew she was breaking the law and I wasn’t about to have anything to do with it.”
“Good for you. Did you tell anyone what she was up to?”
“No, she didn’t tell me the names of the people she was going to blackmail. I tried to reason with her, telling her that if she got caught she’d go to jail and her poor mother wouldn’t have anyone to take care of her.”
“What did she say to that?” I asked.
Pam leaned closer to me again. “She said her mother could rot in hell. That she was tired of having a drunken old woman eating up her whole paycheck. And she also told me if I breathed a word of this to anyone that I’d be sorry. I guess I believed her because I didn’t tell anyone about it. She was kind of spooky when she was mad.”
“Don’t you think that you should tell Lieutenant Jacobs about this? Whitney can’t hurt you now.”
“No way! Don’t you see? Someone she tried to blackmail must know what Whitney said to me. That’s why I was attacked at the library. I’m scared to death to go into the elevator there now.”
“You think that whoever Whitney tried to blackmail overheard part of your conversation with her? Where did you and Whitney meet when you had this discussion?”
“At Charlie Jackson’s campaign headquarters. She volunteered there some evenings and weekends. I don’t know why. She was never very political. She probably thought he was cute.”
“Was Charlie there when you talked to Pam?” There was Charlie again, right in the middle of things.
“I don’t know. His office door was closed. He could have been there. Why?”
I wasn’t sure I wanted to share my information with Pam. It sounded like Pam was just trying to stay out of Whitney’s stupid plan to blackmail people. After all, Charlie had the most dollar signs after his name on the list. But what if Pam had decided to go along with the shakedown and the killer knew it? Maybe Pam was even the killer, keeping the money for herself.
“I don’t know, it was just a thought. Were there any other people there?” I asked to get off the subject of Charlie.
“No, it was late on a Friday night and everyone except Whitney and I had left. Oh, yes, there was a cleaning lady there but I’m sure she didn’t hear anything. She was cleaning in the bathroom when I got there and had to use the ladies room. She didn’t come while we were there.”
“Who was the cleaning lady?” I asked.
“I don’t know. I didn’t really see her face. She was in a stall with her back to me. I guess she was cleaning the toilet.”
Was that the truth or just a tidbit to get me looking in another direction? I needed to talk to Decker about this.
“I just have a couple more questions for you,” I said. “Why didn’t you attend Whitney’s memorial service?”
“I wasn’t invited.”
“Really? Why didn’t Henrietta invite you?”
“You need to understand, I was the poor cousin. Aunt Henrietta and Whitney thought of me as a charity project. Henrietta grew up with my father and they were dirt poor. My dad worked at the brewery all his life. He got killed in a car accident when I was little.”
I didn’t tell Pam that I knew from Bernie that Pam’s father was drunk when he hit a tree and killed himself. I was sure that Pam knew it and had decided to tell it this way.
“When Daddy died,” she continued, “my mother had to get a job and support us. She didn’t think she had any skills and was working at a laundry when Uncle Graham called her to tell her they were looking for a seamstress to alter clothes for customers at the Federated Department Store. She worked there until she retired. She made more money than at the laundry and the work was much easier for her. And she loved to sew.”
Pam gave her head a little shake. “Oh, you wanted to know why I wasn’t invited to the memorial service. Sorry, I got off the subject. What happened was that Uncle Graham took Mom and me under his wing. Aunt Henrietta didn’t like that one bit. She wanted to forget about her childhood which was sometimes violent. Her father was a drunk. Alcoholism seems to run in the family. I’ve never tasted alcohol and don’t plan to ever even try it.”
“So, Henrietta never liked you?” I asked.
“It wasn’t a matter of liking me. I was just no use to her and I was a reminder of her terrible childhood. She was pretty much okay with me but never friendly, when Uncle Graham was alive. Once he died she didn’t even try to be nice. So, I wasn’t surprised that she didn’t invite me to the memorial. I feel sorry for the poor old lady.”
I was thinking that Pam was a lot like Bernie, having compassion for everyone. “I’m sorry that she feels that way, Pam. She doesn’t know what she’s missed by not being a good aunt to you.”
A light pink blush climbed up Pam’s face from her neck to her forehead. “Thanks. You’re very kind.”
I shook off the compliment then asked, “Pam have you ever heard anything about Whitney being gay?”
“Gay? Whitney? Gee, I’ve never heard anything like that but it wouldn’t surprise me.”
“Why not?” I asked.
“Because Whitney used pe
ople. Even the guys she dated had to have something she wanted. Money, prestige, a promotion, whatever she wanted. She used people, all the people in her life had to have something she wanted. I can see her using a woman in the same way she used men. But I don’t think she was gay, just a user.”
That was pretty much the answer I got from Gina. So, there may or may not be a shunned lover of Whitney’s out there.
“Thanks so much, Pam. I appreciate you taking the time to talk to me.”
“Did I help?” she asked.
“I think so. I know now that Whitney really was blackmailing people. You should call Jacobs and tell him what you told me.”
“I don’t think so.”
“Why not?”
“Jennifer, whoever knocked me out at the library must think I know more than I really do. If I just shut up and mind my own business, this will blow over.”
She may not tell Jacobs but I sure wasn’t going to keep this to myself. It was too dangerous for Pam, if she really was attacked.
“Thanks again for meeting with me. I appreciate your help. Please reconsider talking to Jacobs, will you?”
Pam shook her head back and forth and said, “I’ll think about it.” I knew she wouldn’t.
25
I stuck my Bluetooth earpiece in my ear and dialed Decker. I was backing out of the parking space when he answered. “How did it go with Pam?” he asked.
“Interesting, very interesting. Where can you meet me?” I watched Pam’s ancient dull red Dodge Colt with a bad muffler rattle out of the parking lot.
“I’m on my way back from Mankato. Want to meet at Gasthaus for a drink?”
“Works for me,” I said taking a left turn at the light and heading down Broadway to the business district.
Inside the bar, Decker maneuvered us so he had a view of the whole room and no one was behind him. I was used to him doing that. Most cops are probably a little paranoid. If I sat at just the right angle, I had a partial view of the customers through the mirror behind the bar.
Decker ordered a beer and a wine cooler for us and I started telling him about my meeting with Pam.
“I’m just not sure if she was telling the whole truth. I’m pretty sure she was telling the truth when she told me about Whitney wanting to park her extortion money in Pam’s account. I’m just not sure that Pam refused to help.”
“Why do you think that?” Decker asked. “It sounds plausible to me.”
“Oh, I’m sure Whitney asked for her help. I’m just not sure Pam turned her down. And I don’t know why I think that. I want to believe her; I think she’d a nice person. It’s just a feeling that she wasn’t completely honest with me.”
“What about her being attacked at the library? She couldn’t make that up,” Decker persisted.
“She sure could have. No one saw the attacker, not even Pam. She refused to go to the emergency room. If she was hit, it wasn’t hard enough to break the skin because she wasn’t bleeding. I just don’t know,” I said, shaking my head.
Decker took a swig of his beer from the bottle, ignoring the glass next to it. I, however, poured my berry wine cooler into the glass and sipped on it while Decker talked.
“Okay, say you’re right. How do we prove that?”
I didn’t answer. I knew he was just thinking out loud.
“I think the next thing we need to do is talk to Charlie. He might know if Pam was at his office and he can tell us who the cleaning lady is.”
“I think you’re right. We need to talk to Charlie. But I doubt if he pays attention to such mundane affairs such as who cleans the toilets in his office.”
“Ah, there you’re wrong Jennifer. Politicians take notice of all those little things. They need votes and donations from everyone to get elected.”
Decker asked if I wanted to split a pizza with him and we ordered one with sausage and extra cheese. We sat and sipped our drinks until the pizza came then ordered a round of drinks to go with it.
Half way through the pizza, Decker said, “We’ve been seeing each other for a while now, Jennifer.”
Yeesss,” I said drawing out the word.”
“Do you think it’s time to take our relationship to the next level?” he asked, catching my hand in his.
“I guess so,” I didn’t quit know where he was going with this. “What’s the next level?”
He leaned over and spoke in a whisper into my ear. “For starters, let’s make our relationship exclusive. Okay?”
My head snapped back. “Is this about Pete?”
“Well, sort of, I don’t like you flirting with him.”
“Oh.” It was all I could think of to say for a moment. “Didn’t we have this conversation?”
“I tried to have this conversation with you. But, now, like last time, you’re dodging the issue.”
“What’s the issue, Decker?”
“I don’t want you dating other men. Is that clear enough?”
“It sure is. Maybe you should try having that conversation with me in a more romantic setting than a bar.” I said.
“Okay, you can only dodge this for so long, Jennifer.”
“Thanks, give me a little more time and I’ll give you a serious answer.” I wasn’t dating other men and no way was I about to start dating Pete. He had his chance and he broke my teen-age heart.You only got one chance to break my heart.
He lifted his beer bottle and I clinked my glass to it. Now I’d have to do some serious thinking about where I wanted to go with Jerry. I could see that he wanted a commitment. I wasn’t sure what I wanted. I liked things the way they were. I was afraid to take the next step.
Decker took out his cell phone and punched in some numbers. I listened.
“Hi, Charlie, Detective Decker here. Are you busy?”
Decker paused and nodded his head. “Would you be available this evening? I’d like to drop by for a few minutes.”
Another pause and Decker rolled the beer bottle on the bottom rim. “Yes, it’s about Whitney. I know you’ve answered all the questions that Lieutenant Jacobs asked. This is something that just came up. It’ll only take a few minutes.”
Another pause.
“Okay, thanks. We’ll be right over.” Decker popped the last piece of pizza in his mouth and chugged the rest of his beer. “Let’s go. You can leave your car her for now, okay?” he asked me.
I nodded my head and took a drink of my wine cooler and left the rest. We were out the door and in Decker’s truck before I could ask what Charlie had said.
“I think he just didn’t want to have to go over everything again. He’s with his lawyer so he said we could stop by for a few minutes. He’s at his campaign headquarters.”
Decker maneuvered his truck into a parking place in front of a storefront in the strip mall where I had gone for my hair cut. I hadn’t noticed the campaign office when I was there last time. Not only was I focused on the beauty shop at the other end of the building, but there was no signage, except for large posters in the windows that could only be seen from directly in front of the headquarters.
It was starting to get dark already. Winter was on its way. It was almost six-thirty and clouds had rolled in while Decker and I were eating pizza.
Charlie was waiting for us. When we entered, he locked the door after us. Charlie was again wearing jeans and a western shirt. His casual clothes were so different from the suits he wore at the rallies and the skintight pants and shirtless look from his rocker days. “I didn’t know you were coming with Decker, Jennifer. Did you invent a new cookie for my rallies?”
“No, I’m afraid it’s a little more serious, Charlie.”
“Come on into my office, then,” Charlie said. “My lawyer is here and it’s more comfortable in there.”
We walked to the back of the room and went through a solid door that Charlie closed behind us. An attractive woman wearing a dark brown Donna Karan business suit with a belted jacket was sitting in one of the chairs in front of Charlie’s massive d
esk. Her shoes and briefcase were both brown leather and looked expensive.
Charlie pulled another chair up and Decker and I sat down. “Detective Decker and Jennifer Penny, meet my lawyer, Dolores Drescher.”
Attorney Drescher leaned over and shook my hand and then Decker’s. She nodded to us then to Charlie.
“Can I get you something to drink?” Charlie offered.
“We don’t want to take up much of your time, Charlie,” Decker said. “We’ve just got a few questions, if you don’t mind.”
Charlie took a swig of what looked like scotch on the rocks from the squat glass with “CJ” etched on the side. Ms. Drescher had a similar drink only hers was a much lighter brown.
“Well,” Decker said shifting in his chair. “We know that Whitney volunteered here in the evenings. Did you ever see her with Pam Frey?”
“I don’t know who that is,” Charlie said.
“Actually, she’s Whitney’s cousin,” Decker said.
Charlie shook his head. “I understand that Whitney was going to blackmail me. Was this Pam person in on it with her?”
“We don’t know,” Decker said. “Did you ever see her with someone in the evening while she was here?”
“No, I wouldn’t have noticed. I walk through and shake hands with the volunteers and tell them how much I appreciate their help. But, most of the time I’m in meetings here in my office.” Charlie reached over and knocked on the wall. “It’s sound-proof. No one can hear what goes on in here. Which also means that I can’t hear what goes on out there.” He nodded his head toward the door.
“We understand that there was a cleaning lady here the night that Pam met with Whitney. Would you give me her name?”
“Sure, but she’s not with a service or anything. She’s a college kid that I pay to come in and clean when the office is closed. I think she comes in between seven and eight each morning during the week. I’ve never seen her here in the evening.”
“That’s odd,” I said. “I got the impression that it was someone older than a college student. Do you have any idea who that could be?”
“Not a clue,” Charlie said, flipping through his Rolodex. He scribbled a name and phone number on a scrap of paper and handed it to Decker. “Here’s the name and address of the cleaning girl. Need anything else?”
